WEBVTT - Ep. 435: Foundations - Developing a Whitetail Grocery List

0:00:01.000 --> 0:00:05.720
<v Speaker 1>Welcome to the Wired to Hunt Foundations podcast, your guide

0:00:05.760 --> 0:00:10.799
<v Speaker 1>to the fundamentals of better deer hunting, and now your host,

0:00:11.119 --> 0:00:14.800
<v Speaker 1>Tony Peterson. Hey everyone, welcome to the Wire to Hunt

0:00:14.840 --> 0:00:17.760
<v Speaker 1>Foundations podcast, which is brought to you by First Light.

0:00:18.200 --> 0:00:20.880
<v Speaker 1>This week's episode is dedicated to understanding one of the

0:00:21.000 --> 0:00:25.080
<v Speaker 1>key factors that dictates nearly every day of a buck's life, hunger.

0:00:37.880 --> 0:00:39.640
<v Speaker 1>One of the things I've noticed is I get deeper

0:00:39.640 --> 0:00:41.760
<v Speaker 1>and deeper into my white tailed career is that I

0:00:41.800 --> 0:00:44.680
<v Speaker 1>find myself thinking about dear food more and more. This

0:00:44.720 --> 0:00:46.760
<v Speaker 1>is probably because I usually don't wait for the rut

0:00:46.800 --> 0:00:49.920
<v Speaker 1>to solve my unfilled tag problems, which means most of

0:00:49.920 --> 0:00:52.479
<v Speaker 1>what I've concerned with deer wise is what are they

0:00:52.520 --> 0:00:54.480
<v Speaker 1>going to eat on a daily basis and where are

0:00:54.480 --> 0:00:56.680
<v Speaker 1>they going to do it in a way that keeps

0:00:56.720 --> 0:00:59.600
<v Speaker 1>them safe. That's what this week's show is all about,

0:01:00.040 --> 0:01:02.280
<v Speaker 1>and I think it's a good one because no matter

0:01:02.320 --> 0:01:05.119
<v Speaker 1>where you hunt them, understanding what's on a buck's menu

0:01:05.319 --> 0:01:08.240
<v Speaker 1>throughout the season is usually the key to staying in

0:01:08.280 --> 0:01:25.800
<v Speaker 1>the game and having more encounters. Hey, everybody, Welcome to

0:01:25.840 --> 0:01:28.240
<v Speaker 1>the Wire to Hunt Foundations podcast, brought to you by

0:01:28.319 --> 0:01:31.880
<v Speaker 1>First Light. I'm your host, Tony Peterson. Today's show is

0:01:31.959 --> 0:01:34.360
<v Speaker 1>all about the groceries. We're right in the middle of

0:01:34.400 --> 0:01:36.479
<v Speaker 1>the summer when there is more dear food out there

0:01:36.520 --> 0:01:38.400
<v Speaker 1>than there will be at any time of the year.

0:01:38.920 --> 0:01:40.880
<v Speaker 1>This is a prime time to take a good look

0:01:40.920 --> 0:01:42.880
<v Speaker 1>around to see what the deer in your neighborhood should

0:01:42.920 --> 0:01:45.759
<v Speaker 1>be mowing down on during various parts of the hunting season.

0:01:46.400 --> 0:01:50.000
<v Speaker 1>These groceries will play into your scouting plans, your hunting plans,

0:01:50.200 --> 0:01:53.559
<v Speaker 1>and just about every decision you make dear wise. It's

0:01:53.600 --> 0:01:56.840
<v Speaker 1>also intel that you can build off of in future years.

0:01:57.680 --> 0:02:00.440
<v Speaker 1>If you know or suspect a banging ache on crop

0:02:00.520 --> 0:02:03.640
<v Speaker 1>this season, for example, you've been there and done that

0:02:03.640 --> 0:02:07.120
<v Speaker 1>in the year's past, and ever evolving understanding of current

0:02:07.160 --> 0:02:10.920
<v Speaker 1>deer food, along with past experiences and how deer used

0:02:10.919 --> 0:02:14.359
<v Speaker 1>available calorie sources, will really help you round out a

0:02:14.440 --> 0:02:17.919
<v Speaker 1>higher level hunting game. This is because bucks live by

0:02:17.960 --> 0:02:21.360
<v Speaker 1>their stomach for like forty nine weeks each year, while

0:02:21.360 --> 0:02:23.560
<v Speaker 1>the will to live and they drive to pass on

0:02:23.560 --> 0:02:26.519
<v Speaker 1>their genes can override their immediate needs for some calories.

0:02:27.040 --> 0:02:30.000
<v Speaker 1>Nothing is as constant in a deer's life as food.

0:02:30.480 --> 0:02:32.760
<v Speaker 1>He might alter the time of day he eats due

0:02:32.800 --> 0:02:35.799
<v Speaker 1>to hunting pressure, but he's going to eat. The only

0:02:35.800 --> 0:02:37.959
<v Speaker 1>time he might go really hungry for a few days

0:02:38.080 --> 0:02:40.200
<v Speaker 1>or longer is during the heart of the rut, But

0:02:40.280 --> 0:02:42.760
<v Speaker 1>for most of the hunting season, you've got to understand

0:02:42.760 --> 0:02:45.680
<v Speaker 1>the food sources you're dealing with, and even during the rut,

0:02:45.919 --> 0:02:48.080
<v Speaker 1>the does aren't going to step out of the buffet line,

0:02:48.400 --> 0:02:50.959
<v Speaker 1>which means you know where the bucks will often concentrate

0:02:51.000 --> 0:02:55.000
<v Speaker 1>some of their searching. Concentrate some of their searching because

0:02:55.000 --> 0:02:57.720
<v Speaker 1>it's gonna be around food sources, even if their motivation

0:02:57.760 --> 0:02:59.919
<v Speaker 1>isn't about getting a belly full of clover or corn.

0:03:00.560 --> 0:03:02.800
<v Speaker 1>To start with this process, it's a good idea to

0:03:02.800 --> 0:03:08.360
<v Speaker 1>break down food sources into two meaningful categories, destination and seasonal,

0:03:08.800 --> 0:03:12.520
<v Speaker 1>or you could say primary and secondary. I guess destination

0:03:12.560 --> 0:03:15.600
<v Speaker 1>food sources are the easiest to understand, especially if you

0:03:15.680 --> 0:03:18.680
<v Speaker 1>hunt anywhere near agriculture, but it's not as simple as

0:03:18.760 --> 0:03:20.760
<v Speaker 1>driving along the edge of your chosen hunting grounds and

0:03:20.800 --> 0:03:24.600
<v Speaker 1>eyeballing a nearby soybean field or a corn field. You've

0:03:24.600 --> 0:03:27.960
<v Speaker 1>got to consider all the big food options available and

0:03:28.000 --> 0:03:30.760
<v Speaker 1>then factor that into what it means later on. For

0:03:30.880 --> 0:03:34.760
<v Speaker 1>actual hunting. This is going to very depending on the

0:03:34.760 --> 0:03:37.720
<v Speaker 1>region that you hunt. We all know the typical egg

0:03:37.840 --> 0:03:40.240
<v Speaker 1>offerings in the Midwest and much of the East, but

0:03:40.280 --> 0:03:43.040
<v Speaker 1>what about western white tails. This might be a giant

0:03:43.080 --> 0:03:45.760
<v Speaker 1>irrigated alfalfa field, or maybe just a hay field that's

0:03:45.800 --> 0:03:48.040
<v Speaker 1>cut a few times a year for horses. Maybe you've

0:03:48.040 --> 0:03:50.760
<v Speaker 1>got access to a mile o field or sorghum. Maybe

0:03:50.800 --> 0:03:53.760
<v Speaker 1>sunflowers will factor into your hunt. What if you're down south,

0:03:54.000 --> 0:03:57.280
<v Speaker 1>maybe peanuts will factor into your hunt. Understanding what you

0:03:57.320 --> 0:03:59.280
<v Speaker 1>have to work with at home and when you head

0:03:59.280 --> 0:04:01.960
<v Speaker 1>out on the road matters a lot when it comes

0:04:01.960 --> 0:04:05.680
<v Speaker 1>to hunting white tails. For example, there's nothing I love

0:04:05.800 --> 0:04:10.080
<v Speaker 1>personally more than green soybeans in early to mid September.

0:04:10.560 --> 0:04:13.200
<v Speaker 1>I honestly don't think there's a better draw for bucks,

0:04:13.240 --> 0:04:16.240
<v Speaker 1>and nothing sets you up for an opening weekend kill better.

0:04:16.680 --> 0:04:19.080
<v Speaker 1>If you've got access to a soybean field, then you

0:04:19.160 --> 0:04:21.520
<v Speaker 1>know that in the early season it is highly likely

0:04:21.560 --> 0:04:23.520
<v Speaker 1>that the bucks will end up there throughout the night.

0:04:24.279 --> 0:04:27.080
<v Speaker 1>But what if the neighbor has a nice, lush alfalfa field,

0:04:27.760 --> 0:04:29.680
<v Speaker 1>And what if you've planned a food plot that's full

0:04:29.680 --> 0:04:33.000
<v Speaker 1>of white clover or some other deer munchies. Then it's

0:04:33.040 --> 0:04:35.200
<v Speaker 1>all about the effort it takes to get to various

0:04:35.240 --> 0:04:38.800
<v Speaker 1>food sources and how much pressure will be concentrated on them.

0:04:39.000 --> 0:04:42.039
<v Speaker 1>Deer are browsers, which means they eat a lot of

0:04:42.040 --> 0:04:44.800
<v Speaker 1>different stuff and they seem to like options in their diet,

0:04:44.960 --> 0:04:48.159
<v Speaker 1>just like us. This means that with that soybean field,

0:04:48.520 --> 0:04:51.560
<v Speaker 1>if there are other quality early season food sources around,

0:04:52.040 --> 0:04:54.279
<v Speaker 1>that field might go from like a ten to a seven,

0:04:54.279 --> 0:04:56.760
<v Speaker 1>which is still pretty good. You know that it's very

0:04:56.800 --> 0:04:58.320
<v Speaker 1>likely the bucks on your farm are going to end

0:04:58.400 --> 0:05:00.880
<v Speaker 1>up there at some point and probably a from there

0:05:00.920 --> 0:05:03.200
<v Speaker 1>in the morning. That's a good thing to know. But

0:05:03.240 --> 0:05:06.080
<v Speaker 1>if that soybean field is the only field within three miles,

0:05:06.200 --> 0:05:08.839
<v Speaker 1>that's a different story. Now you can turn it up

0:05:08.839 --> 0:05:10.760
<v Speaker 1>to eleven. You might as well get ready to call

0:05:10.800 --> 0:05:12.880
<v Speaker 1>your tax it or missing prepay for a shoulder mount.

0:05:13.240 --> 0:05:16.720
<v Speaker 1>But that dynamite opening weekend field will yellow up, and

0:05:16.720 --> 0:05:19.360
<v Speaker 1>I don't care what anybody says, a yellow field is

0:05:19.480 --> 0:05:21.919
<v Speaker 1>less of a draw. You can often find low spots

0:05:22.000 --> 0:05:24.480
<v Speaker 1>or shady areas in the field that will stay green longer.

0:05:25.160 --> 0:05:27.359
<v Speaker 1>It's this is a short window situation, though, and it

0:05:27.360 --> 0:05:31.360
<v Speaker 1>can be unbelievable for concentrating bucks. But either way they

0:05:31.400 --> 0:05:33.560
<v Speaker 1>will feed in the yellow soybeans, but just not the

0:05:33.640 --> 0:05:36.599
<v Speaker 1>same level of intensity as if they were green. But

0:05:36.680 --> 0:05:39.800
<v Speaker 1>again this is affected by availability of other food sources.

0:05:40.240 --> 0:05:42.640
<v Speaker 1>The good news is that yellow stage dies pretty quickly

0:05:42.680 --> 0:05:45.880
<v Speaker 1>and they turn brown and dry up. Brown beans are good,

0:05:45.960 --> 0:05:47.680
<v Speaker 1>and they only get better if you've got a nice

0:05:47.760 --> 0:05:50.400
<v Speaker 1>drizzle to hunt them in. Deer really seem to like

0:05:50.520 --> 0:05:53.720
<v Speaker 1>their brown soybeans soggy, which sounds weird, I know, but

0:05:53.800 --> 0:05:56.680
<v Speaker 1>trust me on this. And of course, the whole time

0:05:57.080 --> 0:06:01.479
<v Speaker 1>that hypothetical soybean field is matureing, the season is moving

0:06:01.560 --> 0:06:05.200
<v Speaker 1>right along. This is an important consideration because rock solid

0:06:05.240 --> 0:06:08.520
<v Speaker 1>destination food source can go downhill and then spring back up,

0:06:09.360 --> 0:06:12.520
<v Speaker 1>or it can completely be abandoned for a secondary food

0:06:12.560 --> 0:06:14.839
<v Speaker 1>source that is either coming on strong do the timing,

0:06:15.440 --> 0:06:19.039
<v Speaker 1>or showing up in the form of master browse. One

0:06:19.080 --> 0:06:21.880
<v Speaker 1>source that varies wildly and seems to come and go

0:06:22.080 --> 0:06:25.160
<v Speaker 1>is corn. When corn is in its milky stage, often

0:06:25.160 --> 0:06:27.479
<v Speaker 1>in the late summer, the deer will walk along and

0:06:27.560 --> 0:06:29.600
<v Speaker 1>rip the stocks off, eating a bite here or there

0:06:29.920 --> 0:06:33.440
<v Speaker 1>and generally driving farmers nuts with this behavior. You see

0:06:33.480 --> 0:06:35.880
<v Speaker 1>this a lot when you're glassing row crops in the summer.

0:06:36.160 --> 0:06:38.160
<v Speaker 1>You might also see black bears doing this if you're

0:06:38.160 --> 0:06:41.920
<v Speaker 1>anywhere near them, because they really really love the milky

0:06:41.960 --> 0:06:44.120
<v Speaker 1>stage of corn, and they are a special kind of

0:06:44.160 --> 0:06:49.320
<v Speaker 1>destructive during this stage. By the time the bow season opens,

0:06:49.480 --> 0:06:52.840
<v Speaker 1>that milky corn stage is often gone, and the deer

0:06:52.880 --> 0:06:54.960
<v Speaker 1>will still eat corn, especially if it's the best choice

0:06:55.000 --> 0:06:57.400
<v Speaker 1>they've got, but that depends a lot on how mature

0:06:57.400 --> 0:07:00.400
<v Speaker 1>the crop is. Sometimes corn remains a huge draw throughout

0:07:00.400 --> 0:07:03.600
<v Speaker 1>the season. Other times it tends to ramp up in attractiveness,

0:07:03.680 --> 0:07:06.479
<v Speaker 1>with the peaks occurring as soon as it's combined, and

0:07:06.520 --> 0:07:09.400
<v Speaker 1>then throughout the later season when the temperatures drop. The

0:07:09.440 --> 0:07:11.480
<v Speaker 1>good news about this, just like with a food plot

0:07:11.480 --> 0:07:14.720
<v Speaker 1>you plant yourself, is this is easy stuff to see

0:07:14.840 --> 0:07:18.040
<v Speaker 1>and to file away for later. Use. One good walk

0:07:18.200 --> 0:07:20.040
<v Speaker 1>right now out there on your hunting grounds can tell

0:07:20.080 --> 0:07:22.560
<v Speaker 1>you everything you need to know about the agriculture you're

0:07:22.560 --> 0:07:25.680
<v Speaker 1>dealing with. Take note of the fields and the properties

0:07:25.720 --> 0:07:28.440
<v Speaker 1>you can hunt, and any you can see on places

0:07:28.480 --> 0:07:32.680
<v Speaker 1>you can't hunt. This base level destination food source knowledge

0:07:32.680 --> 0:07:39.360
<v Speaker 1>will factor into your stand locations all season long. But

0:07:39.440 --> 0:07:41.280
<v Speaker 1>what do you do if you aren't anywhere near a

0:07:41.320 --> 0:07:43.880
<v Speaker 1>big soybean field or a cornfield. What if you hunt

0:07:43.920 --> 0:07:46.160
<v Speaker 1>up in wolf country by Canada or some of the

0:07:46.200 --> 0:07:48.800
<v Speaker 1>giant chunks of timber down south, then you've got your

0:07:48.800 --> 0:07:51.360
<v Speaker 1>work cut out for you. But that's okay. Nothing is

0:07:51.400 --> 0:07:53.840
<v Speaker 1>more rewarding than taking a big woods buck that you

0:07:53.920 --> 0:07:56.800
<v Speaker 1>patterned yourself while competing against a litany of two and

0:07:56.880 --> 0:08:00.560
<v Speaker 1>four legged predators. Food sources in those read gents tend

0:08:00.560 --> 0:08:04.160
<v Speaker 1>to fall into the brows category, and brows is a

0:08:04.280 --> 0:08:08.080
<v Speaker 1>moving target. It's also the kind of secondary food source

0:08:08.120 --> 0:08:10.400
<v Speaker 1>that you need to be aware of. The big ease.

0:08:10.520 --> 0:08:13.360
<v Speaker 1>Those destination food sources that we already talked about, they're

0:08:13.360 --> 0:08:17.400
<v Speaker 1>the easy ones. The secondary food sources this here today

0:08:17.480 --> 0:08:21.080
<v Speaker 1>gone to moral food sources. They're different, and knowledge of

0:08:21.120 --> 0:08:24.800
<v Speaker 1>them really separates the deer killers from the squirrel watchers.

0:08:25.440 --> 0:08:28.600
<v Speaker 1>Where I hunt in northern Wisconsin, for example, I've come

0:08:28.640 --> 0:08:31.080
<v Speaker 1>to realize that it's not as important for me to

0:08:31.120 --> 0:08:34.200
<v Speaker 1>know exactly what plants the deer keying on as much

0:08:34.240 --> 0:08:37.200
<v Speaker 1>as it is to know where they'll be keying on. Brows.

0:08:37.600 --> 0:08:40.600
<v Speaker 1>Soft edges and clear cuts are huge for this. Just

0:08:40.679 --> 0:08:43.560
<v Speaker 1>about any spot where two types of cover meat. Typically

0:08:43.600 --> 0:08:46.480
<v Speaker 1>new growth and old growth will feature a brows line

0:08:46.480 --> 0:08:49.920
<v Speaker 1>of some sort. These are also just natural travel routes

0:08:49.960 --> 0:08:52.959
<v Speaker 1>and often used as betting areas as well. They are

0:08:53.000 --> 0:08:56.960
<v Speaker 1>also often visible on satellite imagery, but it's always worth

0:08:56.960 --> 0:08:59.800
<v Speaker 1>getting in to see them in person. The same goes

0:08:59.840 --> 0:09:03.360
<v Speaker 1>for areas with slight elevation changes. Low swampy ground that

0:09:03.400 --> 0:09:06.000
<v Speaker 1>buts up to the higher woods will usually feature a

0:09:06.000 --> 0:09:08.520
<v Speaker 1>brows line, or at least have the potential to become

0:09:08.559 --> 0:09:11.400
<v Speaker 1>a browsing area at some point in the fall. Satellite

0:09:11.400 --> 0:09:14.640
<v Speaker 1>imagery is huge for identifying these spots, but you gotta

0:09:14.679 --> 0:09:17.679
<v Speaker 1>get in, you gotta walk them again. This isn't necessarily

0:09:17.720 --> 0:09:20.959
<v Speaker 1>about identifying the perfect to die for food source that

0:09:21.000 --> 0:09:23.320
<v Speaker 1>comes in on October five and disappears a week later.

0:09:23.880 --> 0:09:26.600
<v Speaker 1>It's about identifying the places bucks are most likely to

0:09:26.600 --> 0:09:29.760
<v Speaker 1>spend time during daylight in a quest to quite the

0:09:29.800 --> 0:09:32.960
<v Speaker 1>rumble in their bellies and not become a food source themselves.

0:09:33.280 --> 0:09:36.559
<v Speaker 1>I personally think deers that live off of mostly brows

0:09:36.600 --> 0:09:38.960
<v Speaker 1>are the toughest to kill because they tend to be

0:09:39.120 --> 0:09:43.200
<v Speaker 1>low density, low visibility critters that don't have a lot

0:09:43.240 --> 0:09:45.600
<v Speaker 1>of predictability to them. But when you hunt areas where

0:09:45.600 --> 0:09:49.079
<v Speaker 1>the primary food sources, whatever is blooming or appealing this week.

0:09:49.800 --> 0:09:52.640
<v Speaker 1>Then you really learn to focus on areas that deer

0:09:52.720 --> 0:09:56.120
<v Speaker 1>generally like to be. Eventually you find those spots that

0:09:56.160 --> 0:09:59.080
<v Speaker 1>are also the places where big bucks prefer. And that's

0:09:59.120 --> 0:10:01.640
<v Speaker 1>the foundation of developing a big woods pattern. A lot

0:10:01.679 --> 0:10:05.440
<v Speaker 1>of times that's based around the groceries. And you're probably thinking, Okay,

0:10:05.480 --> 0:10:08.240
<v Speaker 1>but what about mass Can I just find a few

0:10:08.240 --> 0:10:10.559
<v Speaker 1>oak trees and wait for them to rain nutty goodness down?

0:10:11.800 --> 0:10:14.920
<v Speaker 1>H Yes and no. You should scout for oak trees

0:10:14.920 --> 0:10:17.360
<v Speaker 1>if they're available or in your area. You absolutely should.

0:10:17.679 --> 0:10:20.319
<v Speaker 1>You should know how to identify white oaks with their rounded,

0:10:20.400 --> 0:10:23.120
<v Speaker 1>low beleaves versus red oaks with their pointed leaves. And

0:10:23.120 --> 0:10:25.760
<v Speaker 1>you should understand why white oaks could be on fire

0:10:25.800 --> 0:10:28.880
<v Speaker 1>in October while the red oak acorns with their increased

0:10:28.880 --> 0:10:32.040
<v Speaker 1>tannin levels might not factor in until December when it's

0:10:32.080 --> 0:10:35.560
<v Speaker 1>time to munch on the table scraps. Understand that specific

0:10:35.600 --> 0:10:38.679
<v Speaker 1>trees don't drop every single season. This means that throughout

0:10:38.720 --> 0:10:40.800
<v Speaker 1>your summer scouting, you should pay close attention to which

0:10:40.800 --> 0:10:43.280
<v Speaker 1>oak trees are actually filling up with acorns versus the

0:10:43.280 --> 0:10:48.120
<v Speaker 1>ones that aren't masked. Investigation is something you can do

0:10:48.280 --> 0:10:51.600
<v Speaker 1>right now, and you can file away that data for later,

0:10:52.240 --> 0:10:54.240
<v Speaker 1>like early October when you're wondering where the hell the

0:10:54.240 --> 0:10:59.040
<v Speaker 1>bucks have gone. Mast can be unbelievable, especially on public

0:10:59.120 --> 0:11:01.920
<v Speaker 1>land where destination food sources either don't exist, or if

0:11:01.960 --> 0:11:05.720
<v Speaker 1>they do exist, they get hunted so hard no self

0:11:05.720 --> 0:11:08.040
<v Speaker 1>respecting deer bigger than a button buck would step out

0:11:08.040 --> 0:11:10.280
<v Speaker 1>on it in the daylight. I think for the hunter

0:11:10.320 --> 0:11:12.360
<v Speaker 1>who shares the woods with a lot of other hunters,

0:11:12.880 --> 0:11:15.400
<v Speaker 1>keeping your finger on the pulse of mass, both hard

0:11:15.440 --> 0:11:18.679
<v Speaker 1>and soft mass is the best bet for having good

0:11:18.800 --> 0:11:22.800
<v Speaker 1>productive sits all season long row crops and typical agriculture

0:11:23.040 --> 0:11:26.520
<v Speaker 1>those are low hanging fruit pun intended. Anyone with a

0:11:26.559 --> 0:11:28.600
<v Speaker 1>common sense God gave a toad knows that deer will

0:11:28.600 --> 0:11:31.320
<v Speaker 1>come to a bean field to eat that oak ridge

0:11:31.400 --> 0:11:33.840
<v Speaker 1>that draws in deer only for a short time frame.

0:11:34.280 --> 0:11:36.600
<v Speaker 1>Or maybe the pattern where maple leaves fall after a

0:11:36.640 --> 0:11:38.640
<v Speaker 1>hard frost and they get gobbled up by the deer.

0:11:39.080 --> 0:11:42.439
<v Speaker 1>That's a different story. You've got to know when and

0:11:42.480 --> 0:11:45.120
<v Speaker 1>where that is likely to happen, and then take advantage

0:11:45.160 --> 0:11:47.160
<v Speaker 1>of it in the moment, Just like the deer do.

0:11:48.040 --> 0:11:51.360
<v Speaker 1>This is the kind of woodsmanship that does really separate

0:11:51.400 --> 0:11:53.760
<v Speaker 1>the folks who can fill tags from the folks who

0:11:53.800 --> 0:11:56.960
<v Speaker 1>want to. It's also the best evidence in the strong

0:11:57.080 --> 0:12:00.000
<v Speaker 1>argument that paying attention while you're on stand and glass

0:12:00.040 --> 0:12:02.440
<v Speaker 1>thing a lot is a better way to spend your

0:12:02.480 --> 0:12:05.400
<v Speaker 1>time than sliding into some strangers instagram d ms like

0:12:05.440 --> 0:12:08.240
<v Speaker 1>a creeper. The hard part about all of this is

0:12:08.320 --> 0:12:11.080
<v Speaker 1>looking at the woods in August, looking at it right now,

0:12:11.600 --> 0:12:13.880
<v Speaker 1>and then shining up the old crystal ball to decide

0:12:13.880 --> 0:12:15.960
<v Speaker 1>when some oaks or apple trees will be the ticket,

0:12:16.520 --> 0:12:18.760
<v Speaker 1>or when the persimmon situation is going to be on fire,

0:12:18.880 --> 0:12:20.640
<v Speaker 1>or maybe the grapes or the elder berries or some

0:12:20.679 --> 0:12:24.160
<v Speaker 1>other soft mast right now. You probably can't know that.

0:12:24.520 --> 0:12:26.920
<v Speaker 1>You can know where those spots are, which is a

0:12:26.920 --> 0:12:30.439
<v Speaker 1>good start. You can also head your bets on seasonality

0:12:30.480 --> 0:12:33.840
<v Speaker 1>of some of the masked food sources acorns, for example,

0:12:34.400 --> 0:12:36.400
<v Speaker 1>and at least much of the white tail range will

0:12:36.440 --> 0:12:39.880
<v Speaker 1>be a September October option. Maple leaves will come into

0:12:39.880 --> 0:12:42.280
<v Speaker 1>play much closer to the rut when the hard frost

0:12:42.640 --> 0:12:46.040
<v Speaker 1>really start to get consistent. And aside to all of this,

0:12:46.200 --> 0:12:49.960
<v Speaker 1>mass talk is something that I'm just absolutely convinced of

0:12:50.720 --> 0:12:54.839
<v Speaker 1>is that both hard and soft masked options often contribute

0:12:54.840 --> 0:12:58.400
<v Speaker 1>to that feeling that the October lull is real. There

0:12:58.400 --> 0:13:01.160
<v Speaker 1>are other factors going on there, of course, But when

0:13:01.160 --> 0:13:03.720
<v Speaker 1>the fields have been hunted hard, the leaves are falling in,

0:13:03.720 --> 0:13:07.120
<v Speaker 1>the woods are becoming more open by the day, and

0:13:07.440 --> 0:13:10.080
<v Speaker 1>there is a bounty of here today gone tomorrow food

0:13:10.120 --> 0:13:13.560
<v Speaker 1>back in the security cover, it only makes sense that

0:13:13.600 --> 0:13:16.880
<v Speaker 1>the deer would eat where they feel safest. Just like

0:13:16.920 --> 0:13:19.680
<v Speaker 1>with water sources, food sources that allow the bucks to

0:13:19.679 --> 0:13:22.840
<v Speaker 1>stay in their comfort zone are always better ambush sites.

0:13:23.360 --> 0:13:25.360
<v Speaker 1>The goal with all of this is to plug in

0:13:25.600 --> 0:13:28.280
<v Speaker 1>various pieces that could come into play with natural deer

0:13:28.280 --> 0:13:32.800
<v Speaker 1>movement come fall. Understand the biggias like destination food sources

0:13:32.800 --> 0:13:36.120
<v Speaker 1>and when they should be the biggest attractions for the deer.

0:13:37.200 --> 0:13:39.200
<v Speaker 1>That'll tell you where the deer are going to end

0:13:39.280 --> 0:13:41.880
<v Speaker 1>up at night and start from in the morning. Sometimes

0:13:41.960 --> 0:13:43.560
<v Speaker 1>that's all you need to know to fill a tag,

0:13:43.920 --> 0:13:46.040
<v Speaker 1>but that's also just a starting point for a lot

0:13:46.080 --> 0:13:49.640
<v Speaker 1>of us. The secondary seasonal food sources are the ones

0:13:49.760 --> 0:13:53.280
<v Speaker 1>that really allow you to pin down season long ambush sites.

0:13:53.960 --> 0:13:55.959
<v Speaker 1>These are the ones that you should be looking at

0:13:56.600 --> 0:13:59.280
<v Speaker 1>right now that you can really wrap your head around

0:13:59.320 --> 0:14:01.720
<v Speaker 1>those areas are most likely to hunt when the hunting

0:14:01.720 --> 0:14:04.960
<v Speaker 1>gets tough, and and even if they aren't season long,

0:14:05.040 --> 0:14:07.560
<v Speaker 1>like a good funnel or a pinch point, if you

0:14:07.679 --> 0:14:10.160
<v Speaker 1>have a series of them, or you have enough of them,

0:14:10.520 --> 0:14:13.480
<v Speaker 1>you can fill up an entire season. Even though this

0:14:13.520 --> 0:14:15.880
<v Speaker 1>one food source will will be hot this week and

0:14:15.920 --> 0:14:18.120
<v Speaker 1>not next week, you have something to move on to

0:14:18.320 --> 0:14:21.480
<v Speaker 1>throughout that entire season. And as you're out there right

0:14:21.480 --> 0:14:25.880
<v Speaker 1>now and you're wandering around looking for these spots, take notes.

0:14:26.280 --> 0:14:28.480
<v Speaker 1>Not only have the primary food sources out there, but

0:14:28.680 --> 0:14:33.320
<v Speaker 1>especially of the potential secondary food sources. Drop some way points,

0:14:33.520 --> 0:14:36.240
<v Speaker 1>give yourself a chance, give yourself a picture of what

0:14:36.320 --> 0:14:39.120
<v Speaker 1>it's likely to be available to the deer throughout the season,

0:14:39.400 --> 0:14:42.800
<v Speaker 1>so you can call up in the moment strategy, or

0:14:42.880 --> 0:14:46.240
<v Speaker 1>at least have enough information to go do a little

0:14:46.280 --> 0:14:49.360
<v Speaker 1>in season scouting to see if your food source hunches

0:14:49.400 --> 0:14:52.080
<v Speaker 1>were spot on or not. This gives you the chance

0:14:52.120 --> 0:14:54.720
<v Speaker 1>to make better decisions throughout the season based on what

0:14:54.800 --> 0:14:57.960
<v Speaker 1>could be drawing in the bucks this very week or

0:14:58.040 --> 0:15:00.880
<v Speaker 1>that very week. This is a crew shul strategy for

0:15:00.920 --> 0:15:04.560
<v Speaker 1>public land hunters as well. As anyone who hunts private

0:15:04.600 --> 0:15:08.120
<v Speaker 1>ground with plenty of competition. But it's also something worth

0:15:08.160 --> 0:15:10.520
<v Speaker 1>considering even if you own your own piece of dirt

0:15:10.720 --> 0:15:13.600
<v Speaker 1>or have exclusive access to some ground through a lease

0:15:13.720 --> 0:15:17.600
<v Speaker 1>or through permission. In fact, these two scenarios right there,

0:15:18.360 --> 0:15:20.640
<v Speaker 1>they're the ones that often give us license to be

0:15:20.680 --> 0:15:23.080
<v Speaker 1>a little lazy because we think that we only need

0:15:23.120 --> 0:15:24.840
<v Speaker 1>to wait for the deer to come to the destination

0:15:24.880 --> 0:15:27.800
<v Speaker 1>food and then it's over. Anyone who has hunted mature

0:15:27.840 --> 0:15:30.080
<v Speaker 1>bucks for a few years knows that's far from a

0:15:30.160 --> 0:15:33.800
<v Speaker 1>sure thing. Even on really good deer ground, those private

0:15:33.880 --> 0:15:36.720
<v Speaker 1>land bucks will sit back and they'll eat white acorns

0:15:36.760 --> 0:15:38.880
<v Speaker 1>just as much as a public land deer would. And

0:15:38.920 --> 0:15:41.120
<v Speaker 1>you can bet if there's one little patch of right

0:15:41.200 --> 0:15:43.800
<v Speaker 1>per Simmons, they're going to know about it. They'll know

0:15:43.880 --> 0:15:46.120
<v Speaker 1>about the apple tree that's dropping, and they'll get in

0:15:46.160 --> 0:15:48.840
<v Speaker 1>there after a front blows through and the gusty winds

0:15:48.840 --> 0:15:52.520
<v Speaker 1>shake a bunch of granny smiths free. This is their world,

0:15:52.680 --> 0:15:54.400
<v Speaker 1>even if we have the key to the gate, and

0:15:54.440 --> 0:15:57.120
<v Speaker 1>knowing how they fill their bellies by the day, it's

0:15:57.400 --> 0:16:00.480
<v Speaker 1>real important. So get out there now and start making

0:16:00.520 --> 0:16:03.280
<v Speaker 1>a grocery list and keep listening to this podcast, because

0:16:03.360 --> 0:16:06.080
<v Speaker 1>next week is all about trail camera recon and what

0:16:06.240 --> 0:16:08.280
<v Speaker 1>to do with all of those images and videos you've

0:16:08.280 --> 0:16:13.600
<v Speaker 1>been capturing all summer long. That's all I got for

0:16:13.600 --> 0:16:16.120
<v Speaker 1>you this week, my white tail loving friends. Be sure

0:16:16.160 --> 0:16:19.080
<v Speaker 1>to tune in next week as we move from dear

0:16:19.120 --> 0:16:22.120
<v Speaker 1>groceries back into the world of trail cameras to decide

0:16:22.120 --> 0:16:24.560
<v Speaker 1>how to use all of the images and videos we're getting.

0:16:25.000 --> 0:16:27.360
<v Speaker 1>I'm Tony Peterson and this has been wired to Hunt

0:16:27.440 --> 0:16:31.400
<v Speaker 1>Foundations podcast. As always, Thank you so much for listening,

0:16:31.480 --> 0:16:33.480
<v Speaker 1>and we will see you right here next week.