1 00:00:01,000 --> 00:00:05,720 Speaker 1: Welcome to the Wired to Hunt Foundation's podcast, your guide 2 00:00:05,760 --> 00:00:10,760 Speaker 1: to the fundamentals of better deer hunting, and now your host, 3 00:00:11,119 --> 00:00:14,480 Speaker 1: Tony Peterson. Hey, everybody, welcome to the Wire to Hunt 4 00:00:14,520 --> 00:00:16,760 Speaker 1: Foundation's podcast, which has brought to you by First Light. 5 00:00:17,079 --> 00:00:19,479 Speaker 1: Today's episode is all about how animals are kind of 6 00:00:19,560 --> 00:00:22,720 Speaker 1: generally assholes and why that knowledge can help you kill 7 00:00:22,720 --> 00:00:38,040 Speaker 1: more dear I know I probably don't have to say 8 00:00:38,040 --> 00:00:40,680 Speaker 1: this at this point, but I've gotta anyway, this episode 9 00:00:40,720 --> 00:00:42,720 Speaker 1: is going to be a weird one. It's about animal 10 00:00:42,760 --> 00:00:45,320 Speaker 1: behavior and something that I truly believe we can use 11 00:00:45,360 --> 00:00:48,360 Speaker 1: to our advantages hunters. I've preached this a lot about 12 00:00:48,400 --> 00:00:51,320 Speaker 1: how important it is to learn dear behavior to really 13 00:00:51,360 --> 00:00:53,600 Speaker 1: figure out what makes them tick. I think it's the 14 00:00:53,640 --> 00:00:56,880 Speaker 1: secret sauce to the best hunters, and the key you 15 00:00:56,920 --> 00:00:58,840 Speaker 1: can find to unlock how to have more fun in 16 00:00:58,840 --> 00:01:13,240 Speaker 1: the woods. In our backyard, we have a shared pond 17 00:01:13,280 --> 00:01:15,480 Speaker 1: with a couple of our neighbors. It's one of the 18 00:01:15,520 --> 00:01:17,880 Speaker 1: things that sold me on our house, partially because the 19 00:01:17,920 --> 00:01:20,040 Speaker 1: realtor told me it was spring fed and full of fish. 20 00:01:20,600 --> 00:01:23,120 Speaker 1: Well that was bullshit, I soon found out, and I 21 00:01:23,120 --> 00:01:25,120 Speaker 1: should have known better. I grew up in the driftless 22 00:01:25,160 --> 00:01:27,720 Speaker 1: area in Minnesota, where spring fed streams and the trout 23 00:01:27,800 --> 00:01:30,720 Speaker 1: that live in them dominated much of my outdoor time 24 00:01:30,760 --> 00:01:33,320 Speaker 1: for a good portion of my formative years. Where I've 25 00:01:33,360 --> 00:01:37,039 Speaker 1: lived now, it's kind of much more like swampy, less beautiful, 26 00:01:37,480 --> 00:01:42,120 Speaker 1: and definitely not something you'd expect to be spring fed anyway. 27 00:01:42,400 --> 00:01:44,679 Speaker 1: The only fish in there are mud minnows, which some 28 00:01:44,720 --> 00:01:48,000 Speaker 1: species of ducks like to eat, other species, the non 29 00:01:48,080 --> 00:01:51,760 Speaker 1: pascatarian type ducks. They still swing through the pond at 30 00:01:51,840 --> 00:01:55,000 Speaker 1: various times of the year, mostly spring and fall for 31 00:01:55,040 --> 00:01:59,960 Speaker 1: obvious migration related reasons, and during the spring usually because 32 00:02:00,000 --> 00:02:02,840 Speaker 1: turkey season isn't quite here yet and cabin fever has 33 00:02:02,840 --> 00:02:05,360 Speaker 1: made Tony a very dull boy. I'll set up a 34 00:02:05,360 --> 00:02:08,079 Speaker 1: blind in the backyard to photograph the teal and the woodyes, 35 00:02:08,160 --> 00:02:12,440 Speaker 1: the mallards, golden eyes, I know, spoonbills whoever might happen 36 00:02:12,480 --> 00:02:15,400 Speaker 1: to fancy a paddle in our backyard swamp pond. And 37 00:02:15,440 --> 00:02:18,120 Speaker 1: because of the orientation of the pond, the light gets 38 00:02:18,200 --> 00:02:20,840 Speaker 1: really good as the evening progresses and the setting sun 39 00:02:20,919 --> 00:02:23,880 Speaker 1: creates its golden hour. That means I spend a lot 40 00:02:23,880 --> 00:02:26,600 Speaker 1: of time watching ducks that aren't in the ideal photospot, 41 00:02:26,720 --> 00:02:29,880 Speaker 1: hoping they'll swim on over and pose for me. When 42 00:02:29,919 --> 00:02:32,560 Speaker 1: you spend a lot of time watching ducks, even cute 43 00:02:32,600 --> 00:02:37,160 Speaker 1: little wood ducks, you realize something. They are assholes. They 44 00:02:37,200 --> 00:02:40,080 Speaker 1: fight all the time. The mallards do too, and for 45 00:02:40,120 --> 00:02:43,160 Speaker 1: some reason, maybe because they are more common, so I 46 00:02:43,240 --> 00:02:45,760 Speaker 1: see it more. Greenheads kind of seemed to have a 47 00:02:45,800 --> 00:02:49,200 Speaker 1: penchant for violence. I don't know why ducks fight, but 48 00:02:49,320 --> 00:02:52,079 Speaker 1: they do. I don't know why. As a friend of 49 00:02:52,120 --> 00:02:54,800 Speaker 1: mine explained recently, after a half ass attempt to shear 50 00:02:54,880 --> 00:02:59,000 Speaker 1: her pet sheep that her goats attacked it. It stressed 51 00:02:59,000 --> 00:03:01,080 Speaker 1: her out and explained that it was like trying to 52 00:03:01,120 --> 00:03:04,399 Speaker 1: separate dogs that are fighting. That sheep and her three 53 00:03:04,440 --> 00:03:08,240 Speaker 1: goats they lived together every day, but when she sheared 54 00:03:08,280 --> 00:03:11,480 Speaker 1: the sheep, even poorly, the goats saw it as something 55 00:03:11,520 --> 00:03:16,320 Speaker 1: different and they went into attack mode. Why. Who knows, 56 00:03:16,880 --> 00:03:19,080 Speaker 1: But it goes to show you that not only our 57 00:03:19,160 --> 00:03:23,280 Speaker 1: ducks assholes, but so our goats and deer are two. 58 00:03:24,040 --> 00:03:25,720 Speaker 1: And I know you guys love it when I quote 59 00:03:25,720 --> 00:03:27,520 Speaker 1: tool songs, and if you want to hear a good one, 60 00:03:27,639 --> 00:03:31,600 Speaker 1: check out Vicarious in It. Maynard says the lines. The 61 00:03:31,760 --> 00:03:36,520 Speaker 1: universe's hostile, so personal devour to survive. So it is 62 00:03:37,120 --> 00:03:40,400 Speaker 1: so it's always been. What he means by that is 63 00:03:40,440 --> 00:03:43,880 Speaker 1: the demand for personal resources is real high in nature, 64 00:03:44,760 --> 00:03:48,520 Speaker 1: and we're a part of nature, of course. But even 65 00:03:48,560 --> 00:03:50,680 Speaker 1: if you decide we are different because we are sentient 66 00:03:50,800 --> 00:03:53,960 Speaker 1: and deserve the earth resources, it doesn't change the fact 67 00:03:54,000 --> 00:03:59,920 Speaker 1: that animals are assholes and we're animals quote unquote. Lower 68 00:04:00,000 --> 00:04:02,680 Speaker 1: life forms are operating on pretty much the same wavelength 69 00:04:03,000 --> 00:04:05,600 Speaker 1: no matter what. It goes. Right up through the animal kingdom, 70 00:04:05,640 --> 00:04:07,720 Speaker 1: just about every creature out there is looking out for 71 00:04:07,800 --> 00:04:10,920 Speaker 1: itself as far as food and water goes, as well 72 00:04:10,960 --> 00:04:14,800 Speaker 1: as its most advantageous spot in the ecosystem. Just look 73 00:04:14,840 --> 00:04:16,520 Speaker 1: at what happens when you've got a mature buck on 74 00:04:16,560 --> 00:04:19,279 Speaker 1: your lease that is by all accounts of badass, biker, 75 00:04:19,320 --> 00:04:22,239 Speaker 1: gang enforcer type of buck, and then he gets killed 76 00:04:22,760 --> 00:04:24,719 Speaker 1: the bench he loved to bet on because it was 77 00:04:24,960 --> 00:04:29,880 Speaker 1: perfectly unapproachable. Someone is going to occupy that spot almost instantly. 78 00:04:30,000 --> 00:04:31,880 Speaker 1: I'm going to talk about that in a few episodes 79 00:04:31,920 --> 00:04:33,920 Speaker 1: from now when I talk about buck betting. But we've 80 00:04:33,920 --> 00:04:38,320 Speaker 1: probably all experienced it, and you can see this everywhere 81 00:04:38,360 --> 00:04:42,679 Speaker 1: in nature, even in herd animals, even in super social 82 00:04:42,720 --> 00:04:48,359 Speaker 1: animals like deer, dominance, uh dominates and everyone else settles 83 00:04:48,360 --> 00:04:50,880 Speaker 1: for a little bit less. And we think about this 84 00:04:50,960 --> 00:04:53,599 Speaker 1: most often when it comes to bucks, for you know, 85 00:04:53,680 --> 00:04:57,440 Speaker 1: pretty obvious reasons and for starters. We are obsessed with 86 00:04:57,480 --> 00:05:00,560 Speaker 1: buck behavior and we want explanation. It is for it. 87 00:05:01,120 --> 00:05:03,000 Speaker 1: We want to know why the only one fifty in 88 00:05:03,000 --> 00:05:05,280 Speaker 1: the section seems to show up well after dark and 89 00:05:05,400 --> 00:05:08,880 Speaker 1: only leave traces of his presence through thigh sized rubs 90 00:05:08,920 --> 00:05:11,600 Speaker 1: on the island in the swamp. Where to reach him 91 00:05:11,600 --> 00:05:14,000 Speaker 1: as he naps away the daylight hours, you have to 92 00:05:14,040 --> 00:05:18,320 Speaker 1: slog through a cranberry bug. He is unapproachable for the 93 00:05:18,360 --> 00:05:21,280 Speaker 1: most part in that very spot for a very good reason. 94 00:05:21,720 --> 00:05:24,160 Speaker 1: He kind of won the game. He beat up all 95 00:05:24,200 --> 00:05:26,719 Speaker 1: the other bucks, or at least he stood them down. 96 00:05:27,880 --> 00:05:31,680 Speaker 1: He survived multiple bow and gun seasons, and he's identified 97 00:05:31,720 --> 00:05:35,680 Speaker 1: the best, most advantageous spots out there. He will cling 98 00:05:35,720 --> 00:05:38,599 Speaker 1: to them and his safe way of life because that's 99 00:05:38,640 --> 00:05:42,000 Speaker 1: what nature does. It doesn't give an inch without a 100 00:05:42,040 --> 00:05:46,280 Speaker 1: fight or a credible threat. It also doesn't suffer weakness 101 00:05:46,360 --> 00:05:50,200 Speaker 1: very well. We see this most often with turkeys. The 102 00:05:50,200 --> 00:05:52,800 Speaker 1: easiest example is when you call him multiple birds and 103 00:05:52,839 --> 00:05:55,719 Speaker 1: you dump one, and then you watch his buddies pile on. 104 00:05:56,640 --> 00:05:58,320 Speaker 1: We see this in the spring with long beards and 105 00:05:58,360 --> 00:06:00,960 Speaker 1: Jake's all the time. But Hen to do this too. 106 00:06:01,040 --> 00:06:03,680 Speaker 1: And if you don't believe that, shoot a dominant Hen 107 00:06:03,760 --> 00:06:06,120 Speaker 1: in the fall and watch how Oliver her sisters pile 108 00:06:06,200 --> 00:06:09,520 Speaker 1: onto her still warm body. The change in dynamics is 109 00:06:09,760 --> 00:06:13,240 Speaker 1: instant and it's powerful. It's a powerful thing to witness. 110 00:06:13,720 --> 00:06:16,200 Speaker 1: Hell last year I hunted turkeys on a farm here 111 00:06:16,200 --> 00:06:19,720 Speaker 1: in Minnesota that was pretty light on birds. Other than 112 00:06:19,760 --> 00:06:22,400 Speaker 1: a few jakes. It seemed like there were two toms 113 00:06:22,400 --> 00:06:25,240 Speaker 1: on the farm, And after an embarrassing amount of trying 114 00:06:25,279 --> 00:06:28,680 Speaker 1: to outsmart those birds, I finally called him into bow range. 115 00:06:29,320 --> 00:06:32,080 Speaker 1: But what I didn't do was shoot very well. I 116 00:06:32,160 --> 00:06:35,080 Speaker 1: hit the dominant tom low, and it gave him an 117 00:06:35,120 --> 00:06:38,960 Speaker 1: instant limp. In the moment he took a step and 118 00:06:39,000 --> 00:06:40,719 Speaker 1: it was obvious there was a little hitch in his 119 00:06:40,760 --> 00:06:44,440 Speaker 1: giddey up. The subordinate buddy went after him. It was 120 00:06:44,480 --> 00:06:47,880 Speaker 1: the quickest reversal of dominance that I've ever witnessed in nature. 121 00:06:48,200 --> 00:06:50,839 Speaker 1: In fact, that bird survived, and I got to watch 122 00:06:50,880 --> 00:06:53,240 Speaker 1: them several times as the clock ran out of that season, 123 00:06:53,360 --> 00:06:56,680 Speaker 1: and he never regained his spot. I often wonder if 124 00:06:56,680 --> 00:06:58,880 Speaker 1: that other Tom said a silent prayer for the bad 125 00:06:59,000 --> 00:07:01,480 Speaker 1: archer and the blind that night, because I gave him 126 00:07:01,480 --> 00:07:04,680 Speaker 1: his chance to get called up to the big leagues. Now, 127 00:07:04,760 --> 00:07:07,279 Speaker 1: when it comes to bucks, we think about this in 128 00:07:07,279 --> 00:07:10,280 Speaker 1: the get rich quick realm. We think about it as 129 00:07:10,320 --> 00:07:13,720 Speaker 1: a far as you know calling is concerned. If you're 130 00:07:13,720 --> 00:07:15,640 Speaker 1: gonna ground out a buck, you might want him to 131 00:07:15,640 --> 00:07:18,040 Speaker 1: be a fighter. If you're gonna snort we's at one, 132 00:07:18,400 --> 00:07:20,880 Speaker 1: you definitely want him to be a fighter. Although I'm 133 00:07:20,920 --> 00:07:23,520 Speaker 1: calling a slight level of BS on that. I've snort 134 00:07:23,560 --> 00:07:26,600 Speaker 1: weasd in young bucks and bucks that just didn't seem 135 00:07:26,600 --> 00:07:27,840 Speaker 1: like they'd be the king of the hill, if you 136 00:07:27,880 --> 00:07:30,880 Speaker 1: know what I mean. And I think that's important too, 137 00:07:31,320 --> 00:07:36,040 Speaker 1: because the dominance hierarchy doesn't exist with one top dude 138 00:07:36,080 --> 00:07:39,080 Speaker 1: and the rest being subordinates. I mean, sure, the rest 139 00:07:39,120 --> 00:07:43,560 Speaker 1: are subordinates to that guy or that gal, and at 140 00:07:43,600 --> 00:07:46,000 Speaker 1: least all the other bucks in the immediate areare. But 141 00:07:46,080 --> 00:07:48,640 Speaker 1: the second in command doesn't rank as low as the 142 00:07:48,680 --> 00:07:50,960 Speaker 1: eighties three pound spike who doesn't quite have any funz 143 00:07:51,040 --> 00:07:55,040 Speaker 1: on his clackers. Yet dominance trickles down, and that means 144 00:07:55,080 --> 00:07:57,440 Speaker 1: the three and a half year old, then, I don't know, 145 00:07:57,480 --> 00:08:00,400 Speaker 1: measures a cool eighteen inches. You know, he might not 146 00:08:00,480 --> 00:08:03,120 Speaker 1: be the top dog in your neighborhood, but he certainly 147 00:08:03,240 --> 00:08:06,760 Speaker 1: ranks higher than many of the other bucks, probably all 148 00:08:06,800 --> 00:08:10,480 Speaker 1: the does. And you know what, he might fight to 149 00:08:10,600 --> 00:08:14,080 Speaker 1: keep that spot. Hell, he probably will if he's in 150 00:08:14,160 --> 00:08:17,520 Speaker 1: the right mood. But this isn't really about calling though, 151 00:08:17,720 --> 00:08:20,480 Speaker 1: although that's worth thinking about. If you see a buck 152 00:08:20,520 --> 00:08:23,440 Speaker 1: this fall and you don't think he's gonna come in, 153 00:08:23,800 --> 00:08:26,880 Speaker 1: take his temperature with a grunt or snortwise, Sometimes they 154 00:08:26,960 --> 00:08:30,320 Speaker 1: run away, sometimes they ignore it, and sometimes they take 155 00:08:30,360 --> 00:08:32,800 Speaker 1: off their shirt and they say I do respect you, bro, 156 00:08:33,240 --> 00:08:35,360 Speaker 1: while huffing and puffing as they come in with their 157 00:08:35,400 --> 00:08:38,480 Speaker 1: monster energy drink tattoos and their backwards flat brimmed hats. 158 00:08:40,200 --> 00:08:44,280 Speaker 1: Dominance is important when it comes to decoying, too. If 159 00:08:44,320 --> 00:08:46,360 Speaker 1: you want to challenge a buck to come in, you 160 00:08:46,480 --> 00:08:49,720 Speaker 1: better show him a buck that looks not only like 161 00:08:49,800 --> 00:08:53,920 Speaker 1: he really doesn't belong, but acts like he does. That 162 00:08:54,080 --> 00:08:56,360 Speaker 1: Dave smith Fellow who makes the turkey decoys that will 163 00:08:56,400 --> 00:08:58,960 Speaker 1: change your life. If you're a gobbler bow hunter. He 164 00:08:59,040 --> 00:09:02,360 Speaker 1: makes the decoys well for deer, and you should take 165 00:09:02,360 --> 00:09:03,760 Speaker 1: a look at it, and then you should take a 166 00:09:03,760 --> 00:09:06,440 Speaker 1: look at the other decoys on the market. His buck 167 00:09:06,520 --> 00:09:11,240 Speaker 1: just has swagger and it shows his turkey decoys due too. 168 00:09:11,320 --> 00:09:12,719 Speaker 1: And if you get the chance to chat with him 169 00:09:12,720 --> 00:09:14,920 Speaker 1: like I have, you'll hear from a guy who has 170 00:09:15,040 --> 00:09:20,040 Speaker 1: studied nature. He's watched how animals interact and what body 171 00:09:20,120 --> 00:09:23,480 Speaker 1: language they use to trigger specific responses out of rivals. 172 00:09:24,400 --> 00:09:26,840 Speaker 1: And it's a beautiful blend of science and art and 173 00:09:26,920 --> 00:09:30,439 Speaker 1: it works because it plays off the fact that animals 174 00:09:30,559 --> 00:09:37,080 Speaker 1: are largely assholes. Understanding that about bucks is important, and 175 00:09:37,120 --> 00:09:40,280 Speaker 1: it's also kind of inherent. If you watch dear enough, 176 00:09:40,640 --> 00:09:43,960 Speaker 1: you'll see box bar and you'll see box fight. You'll 177 00:09:44,000 --> 00:09:47,120 Speaker 1: see young bucks test older bucks a little, but run off. 178 00:09:47,160 --> 00:09:49,560 Speaker 1: When the older buck pins his ears, back, rolls his 179 00:09:49,640 --> 00:09:53,200 Speaker 1: eyes and starts to step toward Jr. Usually a side step. 180 00:09:54,120 --> 00:09:56,720 Speaker 1: This is a clear signal that I'm the man and 181 00:09:56,960 --> 00:10:00,480 Speaker 1: you're not. And if you're feeling froggy, little forky, you 182 00:10:00,559 --> 00:10:03,920 Speaker 1: can jump. Okay. I don't know you know what exactly 183 00:10:04,000 --> 00:10:06,160 Speaker 1: they're thinking, or if do you even know what frogs are. 184 00:10:06,240 --> 00:10:08,959 Speaker 1: But you get the point. It's not just the boys 185 00:10:08,960 --> 00:10:12,800 Speaker 1: who were assholes, though, it's the ladies too. If you 186 00:10:12,800 --> 00:10:16,280 Speaker 1: don't believe that, google women fights or something similar, you'll 187 00:10:16,280 --> 00:10:18,920 Speaker 1: see plenty of checks throw down for as dumber reasons 188 00:10:19,000 --> 00:10:22,040 Speaker 1: as guys do. In the white tail woods, you see 189 00:10:22,040 --> 00:10:25,920 Speaker 1: this as well. In fact, I think the most underappreciated 190 00:10:25,960 --> 00:10:28,560 Speaker 1: aspect of white tails. I should say that one of 191 00:10:28,600 --> 00:10:32,040 Speaker 1: the most underappreciated aspects of white tails is how much 192 00:10:32,080 --> 00:10:36,120 Speaker 1: the whole herd lives by dominance. I once owned a 193 00:10:36,160 --> 00:10:38,120 Speaker 1: property close to my house in the Twin Cities where 194 00:10:38,120 --> 00:10:40,440 Speaker 1: I put in a small kill plot. While we always 195 00:10:40,440 --> 00:10:43,400 Speaker 1: had a few deer hit it throughout the week, eventually, 196 00:10:43,520 --> 00:10:45,760 Speaker 1: when I figured out how to get clover growing in there, 197 00:10:46,080 --> 00:10:48,439 Speaker 1: we had a big, old, long nose dough just kind 198 00:10:48,440 --> 00:10:51,120 Speaker 1: of lay claim to the spot. She was in there 199 00:10:51,120 --> 00:10:54,240 Speaker 1: a lot, and she was a straight up biz natchow. 200 00:10:55,160 --> 00:10:57,480 Speaker 1: She would rear back and start throwing hooves at any 201 00:10:57,520 --> 00:11:00,960 Speaker 1: deer that got close to her or her fawns. It 202 00:11:01,040 --> 00:11:03,760 Speaker 1: was actually kind of awesome to witness. Now, remember what 203 00:11:03,840 --> 00:11:07,120 Speaker 1: I said earlier about claiming resources and fighting for them, 204 00:11:07,160 --> 00:11:10,640 Speaker 1: That's exactly what she was doing. She tolerated other deer 205 00:11:10,640 --> 00:11:12,600 Speaker 1: in the woods, you know, because they kind of have to, 206 00:11:13,240 --> 00:11:16,000 Speaker 1: but on that spot with a limited amount of food, 207 00:11:16,280 --> 00:11:19,000 Speaker 1: it was a different story. There wasn't a dough I 208 00:11:19,040 --> 00:11:21,920 Speaker 1: saw her interact with on that plot that she wouldn't 209 00:11:21,920 --> 00:11:24,280 Speaker 1: push off, And she actually went after quite a few 210 00:11:24,280 --> 00:11:26,560 Speaker 1: of the younger bucks, And I never got to see 211 00:11:26,559 --> 00:11:28,720 Speaker 1: her mess with an older buck, so I can't say 212 00:11:28,760 --> 00:11:30,960 Speaker 1: anything on that, although I doubt she would have been 213 00:11:31,040 --> 00:11:33,440 Speaker 1: much of a threat to a mature buck, but the 214 00:11:33,480 --> 00:11:38,240 Speaker 1: smaller ones she wasn't forced to be reckoned with. This 215 00:11:38,320 --> 00:11:41,240 Speaker 1: is important because it tells you a lot about the 216 00:11:41,320 --> 00:11:44,440 Speaker 1: lives of deer that little for key on public land 217 00:11:44,440 --> 00:11:47,400 Speaker 1: that sets up shop next to the parking area. Sure 218 00:11:47,520 --> 00:11:50,400 Speaker 1: he might be dumb and not know any better, or 219 00:11:50,520 --> 00:11:53,560 Speaker 1: he might just not have better options. He might be 220 00:11:53,600 --> 00:11:55,440 Speaker 1: doing as good as the rest of the deer will 221 00:11:55,520 --> 00:11:59,200 Speaker 1: let him do. That little dough you see off your 222 00:11:59,240 --> 00:12:01,320 Speaker 1: favorite stand every night, the one who hits the field 223 00:12:01,360 --> 00:12:03,839 Speaker 1: an hour before all the other deer, she's probably in 224 00:12:03,840 --> 00:12:06,560 Speaker 1: the same boat. Hell. I had one of those does 225 00:12:06,600 --> 00:12:08,559 Speaker 1: living by a stand of mine in southern Minnesota, and 226 00:12:10,120 --> 00:12:12,520 Speaker 1: I almost shot her an opening morning because she looked 227 00:12:12,600 --> 00:12:15,640 Speaker 1: super duper delicious, but for some reason I let her walk, 228 00:12:16,640 --> 00:12:19,160 Speaker 1: and then every time I sat there she kept me company, 229 00:12:19,360 --> 00:12:21,520 Speaker 1: and in late October she ran past me with an 230 00:12:21,559 --> 00:12:24,600 Speaker 1: awesome split brow ten pointer on her tail, and I 231 00:12:24,640 --> 00:12:27,079 Speaker 1: took him off her hands. It's kind of weird how 232 00:12:27,120 --> 00:12:29,000 Speaker 1: stuff like that works out in the woods sometimes, but 233 00:12:29,040 --> 00:12:32,760 Speaker 1: that makes it really special. In fact, the year after 234 00:12:32,760 --> 00:12:34,720 Speaker 1: I graduated high school, I sat in a stand in 235 00:12:34,720 --> 00:12:38,160 Speaker 1: that same spot, but not the same tree. In late September, 236 00:12:38,200 --> 00:12:41,000 Speaker 1: after sitting that stand quite a few times, I had 237 00:12:41,000 --> 00:12:42,720 Speaker 1: a two year old eight pointer walk up to my 238 00:12:42,760 --> 00:12:45,040 Speaker 1: tree in the dark before it got light out. I 239 00:12:45,080 --> 00:12:46,840 Speaker 1: could just see his shape, and I thought it was 240 00:12:46,920 --> 00:12:49,800 Speaker 1: weird that I hadn't seen that buck earlier. And the 241 00:12:49,880 --> 00:12:52,080 Speaker 1: next time I could hunt, I rattled right at first 242 00:12:52,160 --> 00:12:55,320 Speaker 1: light and he came in and I killed him. Honestly, 243 00:12:55,520 --> 00:12:58,120 Speaker 1: I kind of felt bad because he seemed lost, and 244 00:12:58,160 --> 00:12:59,480 Speaker 1: the only thing I could think of was that he 245 00:12:59,520 --> 00:13:01,360 Speaker 1: got booted out of somewhere else and he took up 246 00:13:01,400 --> 00:13:03,439 Speaker 1: residence right around the tree stand I love to hunt 247 00:13:03,480 --> 00:13:05,640 Speaker 1: more than any of the others. That was a really 248 00:13:05,640 --> 00:13:08,160 Speaker 1: bad move on his part, and I don't think that 249 00:13:08,200 --> 00:13:09,960 Speaker 1: buck came in to fight. I think he just came 250 00:13:09,960 --> 00:13:13,160 Speaker 1: in to see who was around. It doesn't matter really 251 00:13:13,200 --> 00:13:15,840 Speaker 1: either way, but it is kind of interesting. It's also 252 00:13:15,960 --> 00:13:19,880 Speaker 1: an interesting thing to think about how animals, specifically white tails, 253 00:13:19,960 --> 00:13:24,320 Speaker 1: being assholes can help you kill them. Think about the 254 00:13:24,360 --> 00:13:26,800 Speaker 1: best spots on the ground you hunt and why a 255 00:13:26,840 --> 00:13:30,040 Speaker 1: buck would be there. Think about not just that a 256 00:13:30,040 --> 00:13:32,080 Speaker 1: buck might be bettered on the swamp edge or up 257 00:13:32,080 --> 00:13:34,640 Speaker 1: on a ridge, but why what does that spot do 258 00:13:34,720 --> 00:13:39,800 Speaker 1: for him? Doesn't help keep him alive? How? Or think 259 00:13:39,800 --> 00:13:42,400 Speaker 1: about the caliber of buck you'd be happy with. Is 260 00:13:42,440 --> 00:13:45,240 Speaker 1: that a two year old? Where would he live on 261 00:13:45,280 --> 00:13:48,600 Speaker 1: your ground? Where would a respectable buck take up residence 262 00:13:48,600 --> 00:13:50,839 Speaker 1: on the public land you might travel to this fall? 263 00:13:51,200 --> 00:13:53,760 Speaker 1: How does all of this relate to resources like food 264 00:13:53,760 --> 00:13:57,280 Speaker 1: and water? How does it relate to safety? How would 265 00:13:57,280 --> 00:14:00,480 Speaker 1: a truly dominant buck use of property versus a younger, 266 00:14:00,600 --> 00:14:03,120 Speaker 1: less dominant deer? How did the deer interact when you 267 00:14:03,120 --> 00:14:06,840 Speaker 1: see them? Or a more appropriate example would be what 268 00:14:06,880 --> 00:14:10,120 Speaker 1: do your summertime trail camera images show you? Are you 269 00:14:10,160 --> 00:14:12,640 Speaker 1: seeing bucks travel together like they should in the summer? 270 00:14:13,320 --> 00:14:15,920 Speaker 1: How many deer do you consistently see on your plot 271 00:14:16,040 --> 00:14:19,120 Speaker 1: or come into your pond, Who comes in first, who 272 00:14:19,160 --> 00:14:23,160 Speaker 1: comes in last, who sticks around when a specific deer 273 00:14:23,200 --> 00:14:27,160 Speaker 1: comes in, or who disappears. All these interactions that we 274 00:14:27,200 --> 00:14:30,560 Speaker 1: see through piecemeal intel. They don't tell the whole picture, 275 00:14:30,600 --> 00:14:33,680 Speaker 1: but they can tell you a lot. They tell you 276 00:14:33,840 --> 00:14:36,720 Speaker 1: that maybe there aren't too many bucks around and the 277 00:14:36,800 --> 00:14:39,920 Speaker 1: hierarchy is a little subdued. Or they might tell you 278 00:14:39,960 --> 00:14:42,080 Speaker 1: that your buck to door ratio is solid and your 279 00:14:42,120 --> 00:14:45,120 Speaker 1: gear classes are pretty special. Then you'll have some deer 280 00:14:45,160 --> 00:14:48,520 Speaker 1: sorting stuff out. That's important. This spring. I had that 281 00:14:48,560 --> 00:14:50,480 Speaker 1: situation with the turkeys on a farm I hunt near 282 00:14:50,520 --> 00:14:54,200 Speaker 1: my home. It was mostly male birds early on, and 283 00:14:54,240 --> 00:14:56,920 Speaker 1: calling them in was almost laughably easy the first few 284 00:14:56,920 --> 00:14:59,640 Speaker 1: times we went out. In fact, the second night of 285 00:14:59,640 --> 00:15:01,400 Speaker 1: the season and after one of my twin daughters killed 286 00:15:01,440 --> 00:15:04,160 Speaker 1: an opening night, I called in nine jakes and five 287 00:15:04,240 --> 00:15:07,560 Speaker 1: toms to the decoys. That's a record for me, and 288 00:15:07,560 --> 00:15:10,240 Speaker 1: it was made possible by the skewed sex ratio out there. 289 00:15:10,880 --> 00:15:13,680 Speaker 1: You know that eventually leveled off. And for the record, 290 00:15:13,840 --> 00:15:17,400 Speaker 1: when she dumped one of those tom's, the rest of them, 291 00:15:17,440 --> 00:15:19,080 Speaker 1: you know, they let him have it as he flopped 292 00:15:19,080 --> 00:15:21,400 Speaker 1: his way to gobbler Heaven. And it was really cool 293 00:15:21,440 --> 00:15:24,800 Speaker 1: to see. So I guess the point of this episode 294 00:15:24,840 --> 00:15:28,360 Speaker 1: is this. The more you understand what makes dear tick, 295 00:15:29,280 --> 00:15:32,520 Speaker 1: the more you can predict what they'll do. After all, 296 00:15:32,680 --> 00:15:35,520 Speaker 1: that's what we're all trying to figure out, right, What 297 00:15:35,600 --> 00:15:39,640 Speaker 1: makes bucks do what bucks do? Why some bucks I 298 00:15:39,640 --> 00:15:42,560 Speaker 1: don't run away from a decoy, while others just give 299 00:15:42,560 --> 00:15:44,920 Speaker 1: it a drive by in a few licks of their 300 00:15:44,960 --> 00:15:47,320 Speaker 1: nose and size up the situation and suddenly come in 301 00:15:47,360 --> 00:15:50,480 Speaker 1: looking for a brawl. When you start to pay attention 302 00:15:50,520 --> 00:15:52,600 Speaker 1: to not only the most dominant bucks, but the rest 303 00:15:52,600 --> 00:15:56,040 Speaker 1: of the herd and how they interact, you start seeing 304 00:15:56,080 --> 00:15:59,200 Speaker 1: a clearer picture of the motivations for all of the deer. 305 00:16:00,080 --> 00:16:02,240 Speaker 1: You see how that plays out in their herd dynamics, 306 00:16:02,280 --> 00:16:05,040 Speaker 1: but also how they approach food and water and bedding 307 00:16:05,040 --> 00:16:08,760 Speaker 1: cover and the things they need to survive. And honestly, 308 00:16:09,160 --> 00:16:11,360 Speaker 1: the more you can unravel those mysteries, the more you'll 309 00:16:11,400 --> 00:16:13,160 Speaker 1: be able to fill tags no matter where you hunt, 310 00:16:13,640 --> 00:16:17,160 Speaker 1: which is something we all aspire to. So that, Oh, 311 00:16:17,320 --> 00:16:19,760 Speaker 1: that's my spiel on why animals are assholes, But that's 312 00:16:19,760 --> 00:16:24,280 Speaker 1: okay for you white tail hunters out there. Tune in 313 00:16:24,360 --> 00:16:26,960 Speaker 1: next week for more white tail, no how, and embarrassing 314 00:16:27,000 --> 00:16:30,000 Speaker 1: stories about my life. As for now, this has been 315 00:16:30,000 --> 00:16:32,280 Speaker 1: the wire to Hunt Foundations podcast, which is brought to 316 00:16:32,280 --> 00:16:35,320 Speaker 1: you by First Light. I'm your host, Tony Peterson, and 317 00:16:35,360 --> 00:16:37,640 Speaker 1: I truly want to thank you for your support. It 318 00:16:37,720 --> 00:16:39,800 Speaker 1: means the world to me and Mark and the rest 319 00:16:39,840 --> 00:16:42,600 Speaker 1: of the Mediator crew. Feel free to get more your 320 00:16:42,640 --> 00:16:45,480 Speaker 1: white tail fixed by visiting the meteor dot com slash 321 00:16:45,520 --> 00:16:48,400 Speaker 1: wired or by visiting our wire do Hunt YouTube channel, 322 00:16:48,440 --> 00:16:50,720 Speaker 1: where we drop weekly how to videos.