1 00:00:01,000 --> 00:00:05,720 Speaker 1: Welcome to the Wired to Hunt Foundations podcast, your guide 2 00:00:05,760 --> 00:00:10,360 Speaker 1: to the fundamentals of better deer hunting, and now your 3 00:00:10,400 --> 00:00:14,440 Speaker 1: host Tony Peterson. Hey, everybody, welcome to the Wire to 4 00:00:14,520 --> 00:00:17,120 Speaker 1: Hunt Foundations podcast, which has brought to you by First Light. 5 00:00:17,520 --> 00:00:21,079 Speaker 1: I'm your host, Tony Peterson, and this episode is all 6 00:00:21,120 --> 00:00:25,360 Speaker 1: about keeping your presence to an absolute minimum while trying 7 00:00:25,360 --> 00:00:39,199 Speaker 1: to kill a buzzer Peter Deer. It's bitter sweet. It 8 00:00:39,320 --> 00:00:42,840 Speaker 1: just is watching another deer season screeched to a halt. 9 00:00:43,880 --> 00:00:47,120 Speaker 1: Hopefully you had a good one. Maybe have a full freezer, 10 00:00:47,240 --> 00:00:50,040 Speaker 1: and I don't know what taxidermy bill If you don't, 11 00:00:50,320 --> 00:00:52,479 Speaker 1: or you're just out there trying to fill one last tag, 12 00:00:52,600 --> 00:00:55,480 Speaker 1: I feel for you. I'm in the same boat. While 13 00:00:55,520 --> 00:00:59,080 Speaker 1: I love late season hunting, sometimes I mostly kind of 14 00:00:59,120 --> 00:01:02,200 Speaker 1: hate it for one reason. I have to be so 15 00:01:02,440 --> 00:01:06,440 Speaker 1: damn careful. You probably do too, and if not, you 16 00:01:06,560 --> 00:01:09,760 Speaker 1: probably either have an amazing spot or never kill anything. 17 00:01:11,160 --> 00:01:13,560 Speaker 1: This episode is kind of just all about that reality, 18 00:01:13,880 --> 00:01:17,200 Speaker 1: you know, the reality of treading real lightly, and honestly, 19 00:01:17,319 --> 00:01:19,240 Speaker 1: it's a pretty good lesson for any part of the season, 20 00:01:19,760 --> 00:01:23,520 Speaker 1: although it's most noticeable during the last gasps of a 21 00:01:23,600 --> 00:01:39,560 Speaker 1: dying season. Many of you find folks are probably a 22 00:01:39,600 --> 00:01:42,039 Speaker 1: little bit too young to be married yet, so you 23 00:01:42,120 --> 00:01:45,040 Speaker 1: probably think life is going to be pretty sweet for 24 00:01:45,080 --> 00:01:47,760 Speaker 1: a long time, and that I don't know, you'll be 25 00:01:47,800 --> 00:01:51,080 Speaker 1: the master of your domain. Now, I'm sure the older 26 00:01:51,280 --> 00:01:56,120 Speaker 1: already married and maybe unmarried crowd is laughing at you 27 00:01:56,640 --> 00:02:00,640 Speaker 1: as I am. All of us beaten down wise old 28 00:02:00,640 --> 00:02:04,120 Speaker 1: married folks. We're having a good hearty chuckle at your expense, 29 00:02:04,200 --> 00:02:08,720 Speaker 1: our best ah, Count Dracula laugh perhaps, Now, why do 30 00:02:08,800 --> 00:02:12,880 Speaker 1: we do this, this mocking laugh of ours, you might ask, Well, 31 00:02:12,919 --> 00:02:16,160 Speaker 1: because we know better. We've been in the trenches dodging 32 00:02:16,200 --> 00:02:18,640 Speaker 1: sniper fire and looking for grenades that were lobbed in 33 00:02:18,639 --> 00:02:21,480 Speaker 1: our direction, and I don't know, just trying to keep 34 00:02:21,520 --> 00:02:25,880 Speaker 1: our heads down and weather the old firefight. Now, some 35 00:02:25,960 --> 00:02:28,240 Speaker 1: of you might argue that I'm being a bit too dramatic, 36 00:02:28,520 --> 00:02:31,160 Speaker 1: and you'd probably be right, but I don't care. The 37 00:02:31,240 --> 00:02:34,079 Speaker 1: thing about being married is that sometimes your spouse will 38 00:02:34,080 --> 00:02:37,200 Speaker 1: get a little spicy, and not in a good way either. 39 00:02:38,320 --> 00:02:41,079 Speaker 1: They'll decide that today when you should be able to 40 00:02:41,160 --> 00:02:43,200 Speaker 1: lay around and watch football, or maybe tinker with some 41 00:02:43,280 --> 00:02:46,280 Speaker 1: of your old fish and tackle, or take a goddamn nap, 42 00:02:46,280 --> 00:02:48,000 Speaker 1: because you're forty two and you're tired, and you should 43 00:02:48,000 --> 00:02:50,440 Speaker 1: be able to partake in an afternoon siesta if you 44 00:02:50,560 --> 00:02:55,359 Speaker 1: so desire. They'll decide that today you have some chores 45 00:02:55,400 --> 00:02:59,520 Speaker 1: to do. You'll be volunteered for cleanup of the gutters 46 00:02:59,600 --> 00:03:02,960 Speaker 1: or some other crappy homeowner task you should have already done, 47 00:03:02,960 --> 00:03:04,680 Speaker 1: but you spent too much time in a tree standard 48 00:03:04,680 --> 00:03:06,639 Speaker 1: maybe following the labs around while trying to shoot a 49 00:03:06,680 --> 00:03:11,480 Speaker 1: limited roosters. In this situation, you are done for. The 50 00:03:11,560 --> 00:03:15,040 Speaker 1: crosshairs have not only settled on your forehead, but the 51 00:03:15,080 --> 00:03:18,400 Speaker 1: sniper has slowed her breathing down and started squeezing the 52 00:03:18,440 --> 00:03:22,760 Speaker 1: old trigger puff right into your stupid head. Goes another 53 00:03:22,800 --> 00:03:27,520 Speaker 1: honeydew list bullet. That's a bummer. But there's an almost 54 00:03:27,600 --> 00:03:31,520 Speaker 1: scarier time in marriage. That's when the spiciness sounds like 55 00:03:31,560 --> 00:03:35,080 Speaker 1: it's coming on, but it isn't quite there. Kind of 56 00:03:35,080 --> 00:03:37,160 Speaker 1: like when you're standing on a beach of a I 57 00:03:37,160 --> 00:03:39,360 Speaker 1: don't know, some island somewhere and all the water sucks 58 00:03:39,360 --> 00:03:41,240 Speaker 1: away and you go, I think I've heard about this before, 59 00:03:42,000 --> 00:03:46,720 Speaker 1: and you realize there's potentially a tsunami coming. It's that 60 00:03:46,840 --> 00:03:50,720 Speaker 1: time where you know one wrong move and suddenly you're 61 00:03:50,720 --> 00:03:52,880 Speaker 1: getting the ladder out of the garage to go scoop 62 00:03:53,000 --> 00:03:56,480 Speaker 1: leaf slop out of the gutters. This is tiptoe through 63 00:03:56,480 --> 00:03:59,480 Speaker 1: the old living room tulips time, my friends, and if 64 00:03:59,520 --> 00:04:03,320 Speaker 1: you have kids, they'll also learn pretty quickly to recognize 65 00:04:03,320 --> 00:04:11,400 Speaker 1: this danger zone. The key here is discretion, subtlety, subterfuge, submarines. 66 00:04:11,640 --> 00:04:13,280 Speaker 1: If you can find one to take you on an 67 00:04:13,360 --> 00:04:18,159 Speaker 1: underwater escape, you have to choose every move wisely. You 68 00:04:18,200 --> 00:04:22,080 Speaker 1: have to look busy and look productive without actually being either. 69 00:04:23,000 --> 00:04:27,520 Speaker 1: You get bonus points and often overlooked. If that business 70 00:04:27,560 --> 00:04:31,960 Speaker 1: involves putting your little allies to pretend work too, everyone 71 00:04:32,040 --> 00:04:34,919 Speaker 1: must be careful not to tip their hand. It's not 72 00:04:35,000 --> 00:04:37,520 Speaker 1: a dance as old as time, but I'll bet we've 73 00:04:37,560 --> 00:04:39,719 Speaker 1: been doing some version of it ever since we left 74 00:04:39,720 --> 00:04:41,840 Speaker 1: one too many clubs out in the corner of our cave, 75 00:04:41,960 --> 00:04:45,600 Speaker 1: and our hairy but lovely Neanderthal wives grunted and grunted 76 00:04:45,640 --> 00:04:49,320 Speaker 1: at us until we organized them in the corner. Do 77 00:04:49,400 --> 00:04:51,000 Speaker 1: you know what this has to do with late season 78 00:04:51,040 --> 00:04:55,839 Speaker 1: deer hunting? A lot? Take the moment when your lovely 79 00:04:55,920 --> 00:04:59,120 Speaker 1: spouse is at peak spiciness. I mean, I don't like 80 00:04:59,279 --> 00:05:03,599 Speaker 1: ghost pep per level spiciness. It's too late for you. 81 00:05:03,600 --> 00:05:05,599 Speaker 1: You have to accept your fate and get to work. 82 00:05:06,480 --> 00:05:08,919 Speaker 1: That's like ignoring how crunchy the snow is, or that 83 00:05:08,960 --> 00:05:10,920 Speaker 1: the wind is blowing right into the main bedding area 84 00:05:11,240 --> 00:05:14,120 Speaker 1: and walking into hanging hunt without thinking for one second 85 00:05:14,160 --> 00:05:16,680 Speaker 1: about how much noise you'll make, or how visible you are, 86 00:05:17,040 --> 00:05:19,160 Speaker 1: or how you keep clanking every piece of metal you 87 00:05:19,240 --> 00:05:21,400 Speaker 1: can on different pieces of metal until it sounds like 88 00:05:21,440 --> 00:05:23,560 Speaker 1: a high school shop class out there in the woods. 89 00:05:25,320 --> 00:05:29,080 Speaker 1: Instead of going bowl in the china shop here, you 90 00:05:29,080 --> 00:05:31,520 Speaker 1: should consider it red zone time. How are you going 91 00:05:31,560 --> 00:05:33,320 Speaker 1: to sneak in and seal the deal when you know 92 00:05:33,400 --> 00:05:36,000 Speaker 1: the deer are prone to peak spiciness at any hint 93 00:05:36,040 --> 00:05:38,280 Speaker 1: that some camel clad asshole is out there trying to 94 00:05:38,360 --> 00:05:43,560 Speaker 1: kill them subtly sneakiness ninja moves. You have to keep 95 00:05:43,600 --> 00:05:45,919 Speaker 1: your presence to an absolute minimum when you're dealing with 96 00:05:46,000 --> 00:05:50,080 Speaker 1: late season deer. How do you do that for starters? 97 00:05:50,520 --> 00:05:52,320 Speaker 1: I actually think the late season might be the best 98 00:05:52,320 --> 00:05:54,920 Speaker 1: time to run trail cameras aside from the early season. 99 00:05:55,800 --> 00:05:57,960 Speaker 1: If you want to know who is walking by without 100 00:05:58,000 --> 00:06:00,400 Speaker 1: having to be there to see them the it's kind 101 00:06:00,400 --> 00:06:04,360 Speaker 1: of your moment. I'd also say don't be afraid to 102 00:06:04,400 --> 00:06:06,919 Speaker 1: hide your cameras this time of year. I hunt some 103 00:06:06,960 --> 00:06:10,360 Speaker 1: places where deer never ever, ever, ever look at cameras, 104 00:06:10,400 --> 00:06:13,839 Speaker 1: and other places where they not only almost always look 105 00:06:13,839 --> 00:06:19,159 Speaker 1: at them, but often obviously spook from them. To keep 106 00:06:19,200 --> 00:06:24,080 Speaker 1: your felt presence, even lower cell crammers are a pretty 107 00:06:24,120 --> 00:06:27,160 Speaker 1: sweet option for this time of year. Now. You can 108 00:06:27,320 --> 00:06:29,800 Speaker 1: hide your cameras by blending them in with some sticks 109 00:06:29,880 --> 00:06:32,040 Speaker 1: or maybe a few pine boughs or red oak limbs, 110 00:06:32,680 --> 00:06:34,559 Speaker 1: or you can hang them high and point them down. 111 00:06:35,240 --> 00:06:38,200 Speaker 1: That's my go to strategy, but I also think this 112 00:06:38,320 --> 00:06:41,800 Speaker 1: keeps some of the deer from getting photographed. Keep this 113 00:06:41,839 --> 00:06:43,839 Speaker 1: in mind if you go this route, because it's likely 114 00:06:43,880 --> 00:06:46,080 Speaker 1: that your cameras are missing some deer, especially if you're 115 00:06:46,160 --> 00:06:50,000 Speaker 1: mounting them high. Now, the next step in this whole 116 00:06:50,080 --> 00:06:53,640 Speaker 1: subtle late season hunter thing is to accept that you 117 00:06:53,680 --> 00:06:58,240 Speaker 1: can only control your pressure. Maybe you have a spot 118 00:06:58,279 --> 00:07:01,560 Speaker 1: to yourself, then great things are gonna be pretty easy 119 00:07:01,560 --> 00:07:05,000 Speaker 1: for you. A few hunt public land or permission based 120 00:07:05,040 --> 00:07:07,719 Speaker 1: ground that you have to share, You're gonna have to 121 00:07:07,760 --> 00:07:09,840 Speaker 1: forget what the other people might be doing and focus 122 00:07:09,840 --> 00:07:13,360 Speaker 1: on your own hunting. Now, this is tough, but it 123 00:07:13,480 --> 00:07:17,080 Speaker 1: is what it is. Now. It does require surgical timing 124 00:07:17,120 --> 00:07:20,520 Speaker 1: for your hunts and an eye towards resting spots. I 125 00:07:20,640 --> 00:07:24,200 Speaker 1: know this. It's really tough because for most of us, 126 00:07:24,640 --> 00:07:28,040 Speaker 1: we just have to hunt when we can. I also 127 00:07:28,080 --> 00:07:30,080 Speaker 1: know that I've bitched a lot about the advice of 128 00:07:30,120 --> 00:07:32,400 Speaker 1: resting spots because it mostly comes from people who have 129 00:07:32,440 --> 00:07:36,760 Speaker 1: primo ground and kind of a special hunting situation. I mean, 130 00:07:36,880 --> 00:07:39,560 Speaker 1: how often have you watched some unfortunate hundred and seventy 131 00:07:39,600 --> 00:07:41,400 Speaker 1: in or walk into a food plot on the Outdoor 132 00:07:41,480 --> 00:07:45,120 Speaker 1: Channel after the host said or whispered into the camera 133 00:07:45,560 --> 00:07:49,440 Speaker 1: that they have it on this plot all season. You 134 00:07:49,480 --> 00:07:52,360 Speaker 1: don't have that, but you also have the chance to 135 00:07:52,400 --> 00:07:55,120 Speaker 1: be a better hunter for it. Those folks won't get 136 00:07:55,120 --> 00:07:58,120 Speaker 1: any better despite having a wall full of booners, So 137 00:07:58,200 --> 00:08:00,000 Speaker 1: I don't know, take some solace in that, I guess 138 00:08:00,080 --> 00:08:04,200 Speaker 1: us anyway, As much as I hate to be a hypocrite, 139 00:08:04,480 --> 00:08:06,760 Speaker 1: the idea of resting spots and only hunting them when 140 00:08:06,760 --> 00:08:09,960 Speaker 1: the conditions line up is something I hate for every 141 00:08:09,960 --> 00:08:12,080 Speaker 1: part of the season, but the last couple of weeks 142 00:08:13,600 --> 00:08:17,320 Speaker 1: that's when I stop hating it. Now. I've said this 143 00:08:17,360 --> 00:08:20,360 Speaker 1: a lot because I've seen in action my whole life. 144 00:08:20,600 --> 00:08:25,400 Speaker 1: But white tails now in most places are as intolerant 145 00:08:25,400 --> 00:08:28,840 Speaker 1: of our mistakes as they will be at any point. Now. 146 00:08:28,840 --> 00:08:30,480 Speaker 1: I know we say stuff like that all the time, 147 00:08:30,720 --> 00:08:33,400 Speaker 1: especially when it comes to mature bucks, but I don't 148 00:08:33,400 --> 00:08:37,920 Speaker 1: actually believe that mature bucks are that special compared to 149 00:08:37,960 --> 00:08:40,280 Speaker 1: the rest of the deer. Right now, I don't think 150 00:08:40,320 --> 00:08:42,560 Speaker 1: that mature bucks are nearly as cagy as we like 151 00:08:42,640 --> 00:08:44,920 Speaker 1: to say, and I don't think they behave like a 152 00:08:44,960 --> 00:08:48,120 Speaker 1: different species, which is something I've heard from a lot 153 00:08:48,200 --> 00:08:52,200 Speaker 1: of outdoor communicators. This often comes from people who have 154 00:08:52,280 --> 00:08:56,040 Speaker 1: a knack and the opportunity to keep bucks dumb all 155 00:08:56,080 --> 00:08:59,240 Speaker 1: through their lives until they choose to kill them. But 156 00:08:59,280 --> 00:09:01,840 Speaker 1: who wants to say I hacked nature and made what 157 00:09:01,960 --> 00:09:04,920 Speaker 1: could be a crafty animal into the equivalent of a 158 00:09:05,000 --> 00:09:08,080 Speaker 1: lobotomized moron type of deer, so I can kill it 159 00:09:08,120 --> 00:09:11,080 Speaker 1: easily and show the world how skilled by them. In 160 00:09:11,120 --> 00:09:14,959 Speaker 1: a way, those high fence without defence deer prove my point. 161 00:09:15,679 --> 00:09:18,559 Speaker 1: If you leave them alone, they'll get easier to kill. 162 00:09:18,679 --> 00:09:21,280 Speaker 1: This goes for five years of their life and five 163 00:09:21,400 --> 00:09:26,320 Speaker 1: days in the late season. Now, even though even those 164 00:09:26,360 --> 00:09:30,920 Speaker 1: bucks you know that aren't on primo ground, I just 165 00:09:30,960 --> 00:09:34,200 Speaker 1: think they're mostly rare and they live a selfish life 166 00:09:34,440 --> 00:09:38,000 Speaker 1: where they look out for numero uno. So we tend 167 00:09:38,080 --> 00:09:41,000 Speaker 1: to think of them as cagier than everyone else. But 168 00:09:41,040 --> 00:09:43,120 Speaker 1: that's a mind trick we play on ourselves instead of 169 00:09:43,160 --> 00:09:46,960 Speaker 1: factoring in their general rarity. I think those deer have 170 00:09:47,120 --> 00:09:50,679 Speaker 1: mostly witnessed how the general hunting public tends on them, 171 00:09:50,760 --> 00:09:54,720 Speaker 1: and they've altered their lives to avoid our patterns. I 172 00:09:54,720 --> 00:09:57,760 Speaker 1: think it's pretty simple example, a prey animal, you know, 173 00:09:57,800 --> 00:09:59,960 Speaker 1: just reacting over and over to a specific type of 174 00:10:00,000 --> 00:10:04,000 Speaker 1: predatory behavior until beneficial habits become ensconce in their being. 175 00:10:05,400 --> 00:10:07,560 Speaker 1: And then I think when you take that in a 176 00:10:07,640 --> 00:10:09,800 Speaker 1: deer that's of a caliber that there might only be 177 00:10:09,920 --> 00:10:12,120 Speaker 1: one or two in a section, or one or two 178 00:10:12,200 --> 00:10:14,400 Speaker 1: on the property, and it can seem like they are 179 00:10:14,440 --> 00:10:18,480 Speaker 1: pretty special at avoiding us. I also think that when 180 00:10:18,520 --> 00:10:21,240 Speaker 1: it comes to all dear in the herd, they just 181 00:10:21,280 --> 00:10:24,200 Speaker 1: tend to be less tolerant of our presence the later 182 00:10:24,280 --> 00:10:27,000 Speaker 1: it goes into the season. But this is an ebb 183 00:10:27,040 --> 00:10:29,920 Speaker 1: and flow thing which can work to your advantage. If 184 00:10:29,960 --> 00:10:32,120 Speaker 1: you can leave them alone for a few days or 185 00:10:32,160 --> 00:10:35,320 Speaker 1: a week in a specific spot, they're more likely to 186 00:10:35,360 --> 00:10:38,360 Speaker 1: give you a chance than if you hunt them every day, 187 00:10:40,120 --> 00:10:42,720 Speaker 1: because the more they hear, see, and smell us, the 188 00:10:42,800 --> 00:10:46,760 Speaker 1: more they react. The less they hear, see and smell us, 189 00:10:47,000 --> 00:10:49,600 Speaker 1: the less they react. So your job is to keep 190 00:10:49,640 --> 00:10:53,840 Speaker 1: the times when they see here smell you to a minimum. 191 00:10:53,840 --> 00:10:57,680 Speaker 1: But here's the thing. These rules don't apply to just 192 00:10:57,960 --> 00:11:02,920 Speaker 1: mature bucks. I'll give you a real world example. I 193 00:11:02,960 --> 00:11:05,280 Speaker 1: have permission to hunt late season doughs on a farm 194 00:11:05,320 --> 00:11:08,439 Speaker 1: by my house that is a sad example of urban sprawl. 195 00:11:09,120 --> 00:11:12,080 Speaker 1: What was four thirty acres a few years ago is 196 00:11:12,160 --> 00:11:15,640 Speaker 1: now just over a hundred. The rest of the land 197 00:11:15,679 --> 00:11:17,680 Speaker 1: is full of mc mansion's that will cost you seven 198 00:11:18,120 --> 00:11:20,800 Speaker 1: fifty k just for a big house on a tiny lot. 199 00:11:21,760 --> 00:11:24,240 Speaker 1: This property still holds dear the remaining part of the 200 00:11:24,240 --> 00:11:27,720 Speaker 1: property anyway, But the landowner and his family and his 201 00:11:27,800 --> 00:11:32,600 Speaker 1: buddies big time shotgun hunters. Someone hunts that farm every 202 00:11:32,640 --> 00:11:35,920 Speaker 1: day of the shotgun season, and often lots of people hunted. 203 00:11:36,280 --> 00:11:38,880 Speaker 1: And that season here where I live is almost the 204 00:11:39,040 --> 00:11:42,960 Speaker 1: entire month of November this year, when they wrapped up. 205 00:11:43,320 --> 00:11:45,239 Speaker 1: It was my turn to go out there with a muzzleloader. 206 00:11:45,840 --> 00:11:48,280 Speaker 1: Do you know how nice it felt to pick up 207 00:11:48,280 --> 00:11:51,680 Speaker 1: a scoped gun after like eight years of only bow hunting. 208 00:11:52,520 --> 00:11:54,920 Speaker 1: I honestly felt like I was going grocery shopping. I 209 00:11:54,960 --> 00:11:59,079 Speaker 1: felt bad that it was going to be so easy. Well, 210 00:11:59,520 --> 00:12:03,080 Speaker 1: deer hunt likes to remind us that we often don't 211 00:12:03,160 --> 00:12:06,360 Speaker 1: understand reality until it's kicking us right in our asses. 212 00:12:07,280 --> 00:12:09,560 Speaker 1: With fresh snow and a weapon that I can really 213 00:12:09,559 --> 00:12:12,600 Speaker 1: reach out and touch them, I headed out to sit 214 00:12:12,679 --> 00:12:16,760 Speaker 1: on a beautiful, icy cold afternoon after resting that property 215 00:12:16,920 --> 00:12:20,160 Speaker 1: for I guess about six days, since the gun season 216 00:12:20,160 --> 00:12:23,920 Speaker 1: had ended that night. I mostly watched turkeys, which will 217 00:12:23,960 --> 00:12:26,280 Speaker 1: be real trouble this spring, but we're not the reason 218 00:12:26,360 --> 00:12:29,040 Speaker 1: I was out there now. I also saw a few deer, 219 00:12:29,440 --> 00:12:34,320 Speaker 1: but nothing anywhere near the best cover. The cover you know, 220 00:12:35,040 --> 00:12:37,320 Speaker 1: with all the box blinds and ladder stands in it 221 00:12:37,400 --> 00:12:40,600 Speaker 1: that have witnessed a revolving cast, a blaze, orange clad 222 00:12:40,679 --> 00:12:44,679 Speaker 1: characters over the last four weeks throughout all parts of 223 00:12:44,720 --> 00:12:48,880 Speaker 1: the rut. When I drove out that first night, the 224 00:12:48,920 --> 00:12:51,960 Speaker 1: bean field on the farm was covered, and I mean 225 00:12:52,880 --> 00:12:57,840 Speaker 1: covered in dear they were all feeding right next to 226 00:12:57,960 --> 00:13:01,120 Speaker 1: rush our traffic. It's so I figured i'd cut them 227 00:13:01,120 --> 00:13:03,560 Speaker 1: off the next night by going in really sneaky like 228 00:13:04,240 --> 00:13:06,400 Speaker 1: into an area that I figured they just had to 229 00:13:06,440 --> 00:13:08,680 Speaker 1: be staging to get to where they were when I 230 00:13:08,720 --> 00:13:12,640 Speaker 1: saw them, But they weren't. As soon as I settled 231 00:13:12,640 --> 00:13:14,680 Speaker 1: in that next night, I could see six of them 232 00:13:14,720 --> 00:13:17,840 Speaker 1: across the highway on a property that might as well 233 00:13:17,880 --> 00:13:20,560 Speaker 1: have been on the moon. The only deer I saw 234 00:13:20,640 --> 00:13:23,920 Speaker 1: that night was at eight pointer that stood up out 235 00:13:23,960 --> 00:13:26,160 Speaker 1: of a little cedar thicket and walked right past me. 236 00:13:26,920 --> 00:13:29,960 Speaker 1: I even texted the landowner that there was a good 237 00:13:29,960 --> 00:13:31,960 Speaker 1: one coming to see if maybe he'd feel a little 238 00:13:32,040 --> 00:13:34,000 Speaker 1: charity towards the guy who guides all of his kids 239 00:13:34,040 --> 00:13:36,320 Speaker 1: on the farm to turkeys and is the primary supplier 240 00:13:36,360 --> 00:13:39,560 Speaker 1: of slightly used bows to his family members. But his 241 00:13:39,640 --> 00:13:45,040 Speaker 1: response was a hard no, okay. I also realized that 242 00:13:45,200 --> 00:13:47,719 Speaker 1: night that the deer I was hunting, after one night 243 00:13:47,760 --> 00:13:51,400 Speaker 1: of my pressure, were I was pretty sneaky, had reverted 244 00:13:51,400 --> 00:13:54,760 Speaker 1: back to a less quality property across the road, where 245 00:13:55,120 --> 00:14:00,319 Speaker 1: not coincidentally, no one can hunt them. But with nothing 246 00:14:00,360 --> 00:14:03,040 Speaker 1: to lose and the muzzle over season coming to a close. 247 00:14:03,120 --> 00:14:05,560 Speaker 1: I went back out there the next night, deeper into 248 00:14:05,559 --> 00:14:07,080 Speaker 1: the timber to see if I could pick up a 249 00:14:07,080 --> 00:14:11,360 Speaker 1: straggler that wasn't on the main herd program. While out there, 250 00:14:11,360 --> 00:14:14,000 Speaker 1: the landowner texted me that if a scrapper buck came by, 251 00:14:14,480 --> 00:14:16,880 Speaker 1: I could shoot it. Now. That might not seem like 252 00:14:16,920 --> 00:14:19,280 Speaker 1: a big deal in this podcast and too many of 253 00:14:19,360 --> 00:14:23,560 Speaker 1: you find listeners, but it made me really really happy. 254 00:14:23,880 --> 00:14:26,960 Speaker 1: I was hunting hungry on a burned out property in 255 00:14:27,040 --> 00:14:30,640 Speaker 1: single digit temperatures in Minnesota. And what made me even 256 00:14:30,920 --> 00:14:33,960 Speaker 1: way happier was that the only deer that came out 257 00:14:34,000 --> 00:14:36,440 Speaker 1: that night to wind his way through the cat tails 258 00:14:36,600 --> 00:14:39,440 Speaker 1: was a three pointer that might break twenty inches if 259 00:14:39,440 --> 00:14:41,040 Speaker 1: I give him a bonus half a foot or so. 260 00:14:42,320 --> 00:14:45,440 Speaker 1: That book, a year and a half old, obviously was 261 00:14:45,520 --> 00:14:47,960 Speaker 1: one of the few deer that didn't get the pressure memo, 262 00:14:48,200 --> 00:14:50,360 Speaker 1: and he made a bad mistake of walking by the 263 00:14:50,400 --> 00:14:52,480 Speaker 1: only outdoor writer in the industry who has a soft 264 00:14:52,480 --> 00:14:55,040 Speaker 1: spot in his heart for shooting sports and a never 265 00:14:55,160 --> 00:14:57,960 Speaker 1: ending desire to see the white packages with shitty handwriting 266 00:14:57,960 --> 00:15:02,080 Speaker 1: pile up in his freezer. The takeaway from this story, 267 00:15:02,120 --> 00:15:04,520 Speaker 1: because I'm probably not making it all that clear, is 268 00:15:04,520 --> 00:15:07,080 Speaker 1: that even careful pressure can be too much pressure. In 269 00:15:07,080 --> 00:15:10,600 Speaker 1: the late season. If you're not paying attention to the details, 270 00:15:10,680 --> 00:15:14,000 Speaker 1: and I mean all of the details, you have a 271 00:15:14,120 --> 00:15:16,320 Speaker 1: great opportunity to push the deer out of most of 272 00:15:16,320 --> 00:15:19,760 Speaker 1: your hunting area or send them back to their old 273 00:15:19,760 --> 00:15:23,000 Speaker 1: nocturnal ways. Now a good way to look at this 274 00:15:23,120 --> 00:15:25,360 Speaker 1: is to be honest about the deer you're seeing and 275 00:15:25,400 --> 00:15:29,080 Speaker 1: what dear you think are around. What what's showing up 276 00:15:29,080 --> 00:15:31,720 Speaker 1: on your camera when you go hunt. Are you seeing 277 00:15:31,760 --> 00:15:35,680 Speaker 1: anything or is it totally dead? Is the sign still there? 278 00:15:36,600 --> 00:15:40,320 Speaker 1: What's going on right now? Not? What should they be doing? 279 00:15:40,600 --> 00:15:44,960 Speaker 1: What are they doing now? If you're not seeing them, 280 00:15:45,320 --> 00:15:48,960 Speaker 1: they know you're there. Most likely they know where you park, 281 00:15:49,400 --> 00:15:51,600 Speaker 1: they know how you walk in, and they know where 282 00:15:51,600 --> 00:15:54,720 Speaker 1: you sit. This means you have to get tricky with 283 00:15:54,760 --> 00:15:58,080 Speaker 1: your presence when you do finally hunt. You know, take 284 00:15:58,120 --> 00:16:00,680 Speaker 1: a few days off, lull them into a false sense security, 285 00:16:00,760 --> 00:16:05,040 Speaker 1: but then do something different. Park in a different spot, 286 00:16:05,040 --> 00:16:07,240 Speaker 1: if you can walk in from the north instead of 287 00:16:07,320 --> 00:16:11,120 Speaker 1: the south, if you can take some calculated risks, depite 288 00:16:11,360 --> 00:16:14,040 Speaker 1: despite what you think you know, because if the deer 289 00:16:14,080 --> 00:16:17,640 Speaker 1: aren't showing then it doesn't matter your best laid plans 290 00:16:17,640 --> 00:16:20,800 Speaker 1: are burned. It's time to show them something they haven't 291 00:16:20,880 --> 00:16:27,960 Speaker 1: seen before, and please pay attention. I mean, really pay attention. 292 00:16:28,440 --> 00:16:30,280 Speaker 1: I don't know how many of my late season deer 293 00:16:30,360 --> 00:16:33,920 Speaker 1: kills have come from seeing something, some glimpse of brown 294 00:16:34,040 --> 00:16:36,840 Speaker 1: hide in the timber or the swamps, and then sneaking 295 00:16:36,880 --> 00:16:41,360 Speaker 1: in later at a different time for a closer look. Now, 296 00:16:41,360 --> 00:16:43,480 Speaker 1: of course, this is also the time when a lot 297 00:16:43,520 --> 00:16:46,480 Speaker 1: of us should just be hunting deer. I recently accorded 298 00:16:46,800 --> 00:16:50,680 Speaker 1: a Wired Hunt episode with Alex Gilstrom, and this came up. Actually, 299 00:16:50,680 --> 00:16:53,240 Speaker 1: it always does when I talked to Alex, for a 300 00:16:53,280 --> 00:16:56,880 Speaker 1: simple reason. It's crucial. If you can't find daylight movers 301 00:16:56,920 --> 00:16:59,520 Speaker 1: of any variety, you sure as hell won't kill a 302 00:16:59,640 --> 00:17:03,360 Speaker 1: mature uck. Now, a lot of hunters have a problem 303 00:17:03,400 --> 00:17:05,280 Speaker 1: with this in a late season because they can find 304 00:17:05,359 --> 00:17:08,879 Speaker 1: daylight movers in the other parts of the season. But 305 00:17:09,000 --> 00:17:11,360 Speaker 1: this isn't the early season with those barely hunted deer 306 00:17:11,400 --> 00:17:15,359 Speaker 1: on their soybean field pattern. It's not those stages in 307 00:17:15,400 --> 00:17:17,560 Speaker 1: October they are looking for acorns in a good place 308 00:17:17,560 --> 00:17:20,520 Speaker 1: to make a scrape back in the timber. It's not 309 00:17:20,560 --> 00:17:23,800 Speaker 1: the rut and all the goodness that that brings. It's 310 00:17:23,880 --> 00:17:28,200 Speaker 1: the last gasp part of the season with cold weather 311 00:17:28,240 --> 00:17:32,160 Speaker 1: that amplifies sound, a diminished deer herd due to so 312 00:17:32,240 --> 00:17:36,480 Speaker 1: much hunting, and that post apocalyptic feel of the whole 313 00:17:36,560 --> 00:17:39,719 Speaker 1: thing where the four legged survivors duck and move and 314 00:17:39,760 --> 00:17:42,720 Speaker 1: make decisions based solely on not wanting to be anywhere 315 00:17:42,880 --> 00:17:47,960 Speaker 1: near us. The most basic tenant of finding success right now, 316 00:17:48,480 --> 00:17:51,080 Speaker 1: whether that is measured in a mature dough for the freezer, 317 00:17:51,920 --> 00:17:54,040 Speaker 1: an unlucky sport who thinks he's got the whole place 318 00:17:54,040 --> 00:17:57,280 Speaker 1: to himself, or a hundred seventy buck with double drop times, 319 00:17:58,520 --> 00:18:00,280 Speaker 1: is to not let them know you're in the woods 320 00:18:00,359 --> 00:18:03,080 Speaker 1: with them. No, this is a good move all season, 321 00:18:03,240 --> 00:18:07,560 Speaker 1: but an absolute necessity now. Without that veil of secrecy, 322 00:18:08,000 --> 00:18:09,679 Speaker 1: you're going to have a hell of a time with 323 00:18:09,760 --> 00:18:14,119 Speaker 1: those buzzer beat or deer. So keep hunting, but tread lightly, 324 00:18:14,280 --> 00:18:18,240 Speaker 1: my friends. There's still time, but it's dwindling away right now. 325 00:18:19,080 --> 00:18:21,840 Speaker 1: And be sure to tune in next week because I'm 326 00:18:21,840 --> 00:18:24,200 Speaker 1: going to do kind of a seasonal recap and talk 327 00:18:24,240 --> 00:18:27,159 Speaker 1: about how to analyze your past season and what to 328 00:18:27,200 --> 00:18:28,720 Speaker 1: do if you're like me and you feel like it 329 00:18:28,800 --> 00:18:31,560 Speaker 1: was kind of a clunker type of hot garbage season. 330 00:18:33,960 --> 00:18:36,119 Speaker 1: That's it for this week. I'm Tony Peterson. This has 331 00:18:36,119 --> 00:18:39,520 Speaker 1: been the Wired to Hunt Foundations podcast. As always, thank 332 00:18:39,560 --> 00:18:42,120 Speaker 1: you so much for listening, and if you want more 333 00:18:42,200 --> 00:18:44,800 Speaker 1: white tail wisdom, check out the metator dot com slash 334 00:18:44,920 --> 00:18:48,359 Speaker 1: wired and visit our Wired Hunt YouTube feed to watch 335 00:18:48,359 --> 00:18:50,399 Speaker 1: how to videos. Until you're sick to death is seeing 336 00:18:50,440 --> 00:18:52,280 Speaker 1: Mark and I spouting off about how to kill the 337 00:18:52,280 --> 00:18:52,760 Speaker 1: big ones.