1 00:00:02,960 --> 00:00:06,520 Speaker 1: Welcome to the Wired to Hunt podcast, your home for 2 00:00:06,600 --> 00:00:11,720 Speaker 1: deer hunting news, stories and strategies, and now your host, 3 00:00:12,080 --> 00:00:18,800 Speaker 1: Mark Kenyon. Welcome to the Wired to Hunt podcast. I'm 4 00:00:18,840 --> 00:00:21,560 Speaker 1: your host, Mark Kenyan, and this is episode number three 5 00:00:21,720 --> 00:00:24,360 Speaker 1: thirty three and than the show, I'm joined by the 6 00:00:24,440 --> 00:00:28,960 Speaker 1: d I Y Sportsman himself, Garrett Prawl, to examine his 7 00:00:29,120 --> 00:00:32,400 Speaker 1: ultra light mobile hunting style and the fascinating approach he 8 00:00:32,440 --> 00:00:35,880 Speaker 1: takes to testing and modifying his gear to perfectly fit 9 00:00:36,040 --> 00:00:41,280 Speaker 1: his hunts. All right, welcome to the Wired Hunt podcast, 10 00:00:41,320 --> 00:00:43,920 Speaker 1: brought to you by on x TAN. The show, like 11 00:00:43,960 --> 00:00:46,479 Speaker 1: I just mentioned, we've got Garrett Prawl and if you 12 00:00:46,520 --> 00:00:49,320 Speaker 1: know of Garrett, it's likely because of his popular YouTube 13 00:00:49,400 --> 00:00:52,720 Speaker 1: channel or podcast, both under the name of d I 14 00:00:53,040 --> 00:00:57,080 Speaker 1: Y Sportsman. And what I think makes Garrett's approach and 15 00:00:57,240 --> 00:01:03,120 Speaker 1: his content so unique is this the seemingly endless tinkering 16 00:01:03,160 --> 00:01:07,480 Speaker 1: and modifying and fine tuning that's applied to almost every 17 00:01:07,520 --> 00:01:11,920 Speaker 1: aspect of his hunting gear and his hunting process. You 18 00:01:11,959 --> 00:01:15,160 Speaker 1: can just see this engineering background shine through everything is doing, 19 00:01:15,200 --> 00:01:19,000 Speaker 1: whether it's talking about climbing stick modifications or choosing the 20 00:01:19,080 --> 00:01:21,760 Speaker 1: right place to hunt on any given day. And I 21 00:01:21,840 --> 00:01:27,480 Speaker 1: just love this, this analytical and and experimental approach to things, 22 00:01:27,520 --> 00:01:30,000 Speaker 1: even though at times, maybe especially with gear, I'm not 23 00:01:30,120 --> 00:01:34,040 Speaker 1: very good at that, but I'm I'm always wanting to 24 00:01:34,040 --> 00:01:35,720 Speaker 1: try and get better at those kinds of things. So 25 00:01:35,800 --> 00:01:38,720 Speaker 1: that's what we're talking about today. First, it's a thorough 26 00:01:38,840 --> 00:01:42,839 Speaker 1: examination of Garrett's mobile hunting style and how he approaches 27 00:01:42,840 --> 00:01:45,640 Speaker 1: scouting and hunting on the fly, and how he adjust 28 00:01:45,760 --> 00:01:49,120 Speaker 1: to change the conditions or hot deer sign, how he 29 00:01:49,160 --> 00:01:51,320 Speaker 1: knows when to hunt somewhere and when he knows to 30 00:01:51,400 --> 00:01:53,920 Speaker 1: keep searching for something better, and a whole lot more 31 00:01:53,960 --> 00:01:57,400 Speaker 1: on that from very interesting stuff. And then secondly, we 32 00:01:57,480 --> 00:01:59,720 Speaker 1: spend a lot of time talking about the gear that 33 00:01:59,800 --> 00:02:02,960 Speaker 1: help helps him with this ultra light mobile hunting style. 34 00:02:03,320 --> 00:02:05,560 Speaker 1: So we're getting into the nitty gritty details on his 35 00:02:05,640 --> 00:02:09,520 Speaker 1: climbing system, you know, climbing sticks, his saddle hunting gear, 36 00:02:09,880 --> 00:02:13,640 Speaker 1: how he modifies sticks and tree stands and lineman's belts 37 00:02:13,639 --> 00:02:16,880 Speaker 1: and all sorts of really in the weeds gear tricks 38 00:02:16,880 --> 00:02:20,200 Speaker 1: and tips that have made him a more stealthy, speedy, 39 00:02:20,240 --> 00:02:24,359 Speaker 1: and efficient hunter, which, at least from my perspective, I 40 00:02:24,400 --> 00:02:26,720 Speaker 1: think is really helpful stuff. I gotta believe you guys 41 00:02:26,760 --> 00:02:28,960 Speaker 1: are gonna enjoy it too. So it's a chat I 42 00:02:29,000 --> 00:02:31,280 Speaker 1: really enjoyed. I think you will enjoy it as well. 43 00:02:31,600 --> 00:02:34,240 Speaker 1: And I'm excited for that one. But before we get 44 00:02:34,320 --> 00:02:36,920 Speaker 1: into the main event, UM, I do not have my 45 00:02:36,919 --> 00:02:39,720 Speaker 1: buddy Dan Johnson with me here today, so it's just me. 46 00:02:40,040 --> 00:02:42,040 Speaker 1: But I do want to tell you a story because 47 00:02:42,040 --> 00:02:44,399 Speaker 1: I've got an exciting update. If you follow me over 48 00:02:44,520 --> 00:02:47,520 Speaker 1: on Instagram or Facebook or Twitter, you likely know about this, 49 00:02:47,560 --> 00:02:52,240 Speaker 1: but I thought he'd shared the story anyways. Um, yesterday, 50 00:02:52,639 --> 00:02:57,640 Speaker 1: my wife was feeling very, very very pregnant. Right, she's 51 00:02:58,320 --> 00:03:01,280 Speaker 1: almost well, she is pretty much ready to have baby. 52 00:03:01,360 --> 00:03:03,239 Speaker 1: Let's just put that out there. She's thirty nine and 53 00:03:03,280 --> 00:03:07,920 Speaker 1: a half weeks very uh eager for this thing to happen, 54 00:03:08,160 --> 00:03:10,600 Speaker 1: as am I, and so yester, she's let's go for 55 00:03:10,639 --> 00:03:12,920 Speaker 1: a walk. She's been pacing around the house all more thing, 56 00:03:12,960 --> 00:03:14,839 Speaker 1: just walking circles because that's the only thing that makes 57 00:03:14,840 --> 00:03:17,040 Speaker 1: her feel half decent. So she said, let's go for 58 00:03:17,080 --> 00:03:20,480 Speaker 1: a walk. And I think it was me, might have 59 00:03:20,520 --> 00:03:22,440 Speaker 1: been her um who said, well, let's just go walk 60 00:03:22,480 --> 00:03:25,000 Speaker 1: in that cornfield up by the road at this property. 61 00:03:25,120 --> 00:03:28,440 Speaker 1: Hunt It's it's nearby, it's easy to get to and um, 62 00:03:28,520 --> 00:03:30,400 Speaker 1: just we could just roam around wherever we could take 63 00:03:30,400 --> 00:03:35,880 Speaker 1: the dogs. So my wife, who's very pregnant, my two dogs, 64 00:03:36,280 --> 00:03:39,400 Speaker 1: and my two year old son and I head outside, 65 00:03:39,760 --> 00:03:43,400 Speaker 1: head out to this spot and just start walking. And 66 00:03:43,760 --> 00:03:46,119 Speaker 1: we just get into the corn field, and my son 67 00:03:46,240 --> 00:03:49,120 Speaker 1: doesn't want to walk in the snow. He's for whatever reason, 68 00:03:49,680 --> 00:03:52,080 Speaker 1: just the texture of the snow or the depth or something, 69 00:03:52,160 --> 00:03:55,400 Speaker 1: he wasn't comfortable. Um So he's just standing there, refusing 70 00:03:55,440 --> 00:03:57,560 Speaker 1: to walk, refusing to walk. So I go walking like 71 00:03:57,600 --> 00:03:59,480 Speaker 1: ten yards up and turn around and tell him to 72 00:03:59,520 --> 00:04:01,400 Speaker 1: come follow me, and he won't do it. So I 73 00:04:01,480 --> 00:04:03,360 Speaker 1: go back to him, I pick him up, and I 74 00:04:03,400 --> 00:04:05,800 Speaker 1: start walking again. And and because of where I had 75 00:04:05,880 --> 00:04:07,400 Speaker 1: to go to pick him up, I'm now a couple 76 00:04:07,400 --> 00:04:09,600 Speaker 1: of rows down in the corn then I would have 77 00:04:09,640 --> 00:04:12,880 Speaker 1: started otherwise. And I just barely start walking. I mean 78 00:04:12,880 --> 00:04:16,040 Speaker 1: I'm ten yards in fifteen yards and something like that. 79 00:04:16,600 --> 00:04:19,240 Speaker 1: And in my mind I kind of thought, oh, man, 80 00:04:19,680 --> 00:04:21,680 Speaker 1: I better just keep an eye out just in case 81 00:04:21,680 --> 00:04:23,720 Speaker 1: he happened to seeing antler out here. But I'm right 82 00:04:23,760 --> 00:04:27,880 Speaker 1: off the road, right by a house, and lo and behold, 83 00:04:28,640 --> 00:04:32,160 Speaker 1: there's an antler, like right there, and I look five 84 00:04:32,240 --> 00:04:35,360 Speaker 1: yards further on and there's another antler right there. There's 85 00:04:35,360 --> 00:04:37,280 Speaker 1: a match that right in front of me, just as 86 00:04:37,320 --> 00:04:39,480 Speaker 1: we start walking with my whole dang family right there. 87 00:04:39,480 --> 00:04:42,599 Speaker 1: I mean, it was crazy. I'm you know, I can't 88 00:04:42,640 --> 00:04:44,200 Speaker 1: believe that I'm yelling at my wife. Oh my god, 89 00:04:44,200 --> 00:04:46,320 Speaker 1: there's antlers right there. Get every We gotta show him 90 00:04:46,320 --> 00:04:49,279 Speaker 1: the antlers. And we go up to him, and Kylie 91 00:04:49,360 --> 00:04:51,599 Speaker 1: sets ever down in front of the antlers and she 92 00:04:51,720 --> 00:04:54,799 Speaker 1: picks one up, and then I get to see the angler. 93 00:04:54,800 --> 00:04:56,080 Speaker 1: I let them pick it up first, and as she 94 00:04:56,120 --> 00:04:58,000 Speaker 1: picks it up, I see the G two's on it. 95 00:04:58,680 --> 00:05:04,400 Speaker 1: And it was one of those holy crap moments. That's 96 00:05:04,560 --> 00:05:08,200 Speaker 1: trans antler. That is the antler from the buck that 97 00:05:08,279 --> 00:05:11,239 Speaker 1: I watched all two thousand eighteen, passing on him because 98 00:05:11,240 --> 00:05:13,279 Speaker 1: I wanted to see him in two thousand nineteen and 99 00:05:13,279 --> 00:05:15,440 Speaker 1: then two nineteen is you guys probably know if you 100 00:05:15,480 --> 00:05:17,200 Speaker 1: listen to this podcast, you know that I was hunting 101 00:05:17,279 --> 00:05:20,320 Speaker 1: him obsessively all two thousand nineteen. Had these close calls, 102 00:05:20,800 --> 00:05:22,680 Speaker 1: you know, almost had a shot and basically had a 103 00:05:22,720 --> 00:05:24,800 Speaker 1: shot but passed on it because I didn't feel comfortable 104 00:05:24,800 --> 00:05:28,400 Speaker 1: with um, the angle he was at and the possibility 105 00:05:28,400 --> 00:05:29,920 Speaker 1: of limbs getting the way, So I had all these 106 00:05:29,920 --> 00:05:31,720 Speaker 1: close calls. I saw him on the very last day 107 00:05:31,720 --> 00:05:35,599 Speaker 1: of the season. He's the one and his antlers both 108 00:05:35,640 --> 00:05:40,359 Speaker 1: sides are right here, right off the road in front 109 00:05:40,360 --> 00:05:42,800 Speaker 1: of me on this walk with my family. I mean, 110 00:05:42,920 --> 00:05:47,480 Speaker 1: it was nuts. I freaked out, very very excited. These 111 00:05:47,480 --> 00:05:49,360 Speaker 1: are the antlers I was dying to get my hands 112 00:05:49,400 --> 00:05:50,800 Speaker 1: on this year. I was gonna spend a ton of 113 00:05:50,839 --> 00:05:53,080 Speaker 1: time shed hunting trying to find him. And loan, behold, 114 00:05:53,520 --> 00:05:56,480 Speaker 1: we stumble on him, and the most unlikely fashion of 115 00:05:56,520 --> 00:05:58,320 Speaker 1: all time. I mean, the luckiest thing maybe that's ever 116 00:05:58,360 --> 00:06:00,680 Speaker 1: happened to me as far as deer hunting related things. 117 00:06:01,080 --> 00:06:05,880 Speaker 1: I just couldn't believe it. Shocking, very exciting. Um, But 118 00:06:05,960 --> 00:06:11,000 Speaker 1: what's interesting is what happened the rest of the day. 119 00:06:11,040 --> 00:06:13,240 Speaker 1: So we we get the antlers and then we go 120 00:06:13,360 --> 00:06:17,240 Speaker 1: home a little bit later. And at first, when my 121 00:06:17,279 --> 00:06:19,120 Speaker 1: son got the antler and we saw the antlers outside 122 00:06:19,120 --> 00:06:20,680 Speaker 1: in the corn field, he just wasn't feeling He was 123 00:06:20,760 --> 00:06:23,320 Speaker 1: kind of sour. He just wasn't happy about the whole 124 00:06:23,360 --> 00:06:25,200 Speaker 1: walking in the deep snow. So we go back to 125 00:06:25,240 --> 00:06:27,920 Speaker 1: the house, get inside. I give him the antlers then 126 00:06:28,000 --> 00:06:30,680 Speaker 1: and then he freaks out. He's really excited about the antlers. 127 00:06:30,720 --> 00:06:32,320 Speaker 1: He's trying to say the word antler. It kind of 128 00:06:32,360 --> 00:06:34,760 Speaker 1: comes to ira, but he's running around with the antlers. 129 00:06:34,760 --> 00:06:36,440 Speaker 1: He's put him on his head like he's a deer. 130 00:06:36,680 --> 00:06:38,880 Speaker 1: He's pointing at the deer mounts up on the wall, 131 00:06:38,960 --> 00:06:41,040 Speaker 1: pointing at the antler's pointing at his antler's pointing. The 132 00:06:41,080 --> 00:06:44,279 Speaker 1: antler's pointing his handlers. He's rattling him. He goes to 133 00:06:44,360 --> 00:06:46,479 Speaker 1: our shed pile and makes me grab some other sheds 134 00:06:46,480 --> 00:06:48,520 Speaker 1: and I have to rattle while he rattles. I mean, 135 00:06:48,760 --> 00:06:52,200 Speaker 1: he was having just a blast. Fast forward a little 136 00:06:52,200 --> 00:06:53,640 Speaker 1: bit and later in the day. Now it's in the 137 00:06:53,680 --> 00:06:56,640 Speaker 1: evening and he looks out the window. It's about dinner time, 138 00:06:56,680 --> 00:06:59,760 Speaker 1: and he starts yelling Dad, Dad, da, and I look 139 00:06:59,760 --> 00:07:02,360 Speaker 1: out there and he sees deer out in the field, 140 00:07:02,400 --> 00:07:05,120 Speaker 1: and with the snow over the fields, the deer really pop. 141 00:07:05,640 --> 00:07:08,520 Speaker 1: And that's something he's never done before. He's never actually 142 00:07:08,520 --> 00:07:11,040 Speaker 1: spotted deer before me. So he spots the deer, starts 143 00:07:11,120 --> 00:07:14,080 Speaker 1: yelling at this dead, dead deer, and I have to 144 00:07:14,080 --> 00:07:16,040 Speaker 1: go over there and watch the deer with him. And 145 00:07:16,040 --> 00:07:18,120 Speaker 1: then we go look at the front out the front 146 00:07:18,160 --> 00:07:20,239 Speaker 1: of the house and there's deer in the front field 147 00:07:20,240 --> 00:07:22,880 Speaker 1: across the road. So we're running from window to window. 148 00:07:22,920 --> 00:07:25,200 Speaker 1: He's yelling about the deer. We've got a grab binoculars. 149 00:07:25,240 --> 00:07:27,880 Speaker 1: He makes me grab mine. He's got his little toy binoculars. 150 00:07:28,240 --> 00:07:29,760 Speaker 1: We're watching him. Then we got to go to his 151 00:07:29,840 --> 00:07:31,720 Speaker 1: room and look out his window and see if there's 152 00:07:31,720 --> 00:07:35,800 Speaker 1: deer out there. That was a blast. And then he 153 00:07:35,840 --> 00:07:38,080 Speaker 1: goes and grabs the grunt tube and his rattling bag. 154 00:07:38,120 --> 00:07:39,960 Speaker 1: He gives me the rattling bag, he takes the grunt 155 00:07:40,040 --> 00:07:42,920 Speaker 1: of he starts grunting bra He looks at me and 156 00:07:42,960 --> 00:07:46,440 Speaker 1: then makes me rattle. Um. Just hilarious. So that was great. 157 00:07:46,480 --> 00:07:48,720 Speaker 1: And then maybe I know, we eat dinner, We get 158 00:07:48,760 --> 00:07:51,640 Speaker 1: done with dinner, and then he starts bugling. He loves 159 00:07:51,800 --> 00:07:54,240 Speaker 1: watching ELK videos, so he's got this really high pitched 160 00:07:54,320 --> 00:07:56,480 Speaker 1: kind of mouth bugle whistle he can kind of do. 161 00:07:56,600 --> 00:08:00,360 Speaker 1: He he'll do that. When he does that, it means 162 00:08:00,400 --> 00:08:03,520 Speaker 1: he wants to watch some el cutting videos. So you know, 163 00:08:03,640 --> 00:08:06,160 Speaker 1: I'm thoroughly enjoying all of his excitement today. So I 164 00:08:06,200 --> 00:08:08,720 Speaker 1: decided to throw on a YouTube video that just shows 165 00:08:08,760 --> 00:08:10,640 Speaker 1: bugling bulls, just to kind of a reel of all 166 00:08:10,640 --> 00:08:13,960 Speaker 1: these different bulls somewhere the song record all this different 167 00:08:14,040 --> 00:08:16,560 Speaker 1: video footage out in the Rockies are somewhere. So we 168 00:08:16,640 --> 00:08:18,760 Speaker 1: pull that on and then I go grab my bugle tube. 169 00:08:18,880 --> 00:08:20,680 Speaker 1: I've never done this before, but I just for some reason, 170 00:08:20,680 --> 00:08:22,800 Speaker 1: I got the idea that I bet you he could 171 00:08:23,120 --> 00:08:24,520 Speaker 1: have a good time with the bugle tubes. So I 172 00:08:24,520 --> 00:08:27,200 Speaker 1: give him the bugle tube. He watches the Elk on 173 00:08:27,240 --> 00:08:29,560 Speaker 1: the YouTube and then he starts mimicking it with the 174 00:08:29,560 --> 00:08:33,200 Speaker 1: bugle And I'm not shipping you, guys, he is good 175 00:08:33,400 --> 00:08:35,720 Speaker 1: like he now he's not using the read he's just 176 00:08:35,840 --> 00:08:38,480 Speaker 1: making the sound of his voice and amplifying it with 177 00:08:38,760 --> 00:08:41,720 Speaker 1: the tube. But I mean, he was nailing it. He 178 00:08:41,760 --> 00:08:43,640 Speaker 1: was even getting some growl in the front and the 179 00:08:43,679 --> 00:08:46,560 Speaker 1: back end. He's got the rising tone and then then 180 00:08:46,640 --> 00:08:48,640 Speaker 1: drop off at the end. You know, he would listen 181 00:08:48,679 --> 00:08:50,200 Speaker 1: to one and then try to mimic it. He listened 182 00:08:50,240 --> 00:08:51,680 Speaker 1: to one and try to mimic it, and it was 183 00:08:51,760 --> 00:08:54,480 Speaker 1: just the coolest thing seeing him there doing it. And 184 00:08:54,520 --> 00:08:57,360 Speaker 1: he would even you know, when guys bugle and he's 185 00:08:57,400 --> 00:08:59,199 Speaker 1: probably seeing this in the hunting video, that's what he's 186 00:08:59,240 --> 00:09:01,600 Speaker 1: duplicating it. But they often start with a bugle tube 187 00:09:01,600 --> 00:09:04,720 Speaker 1: pointed low and then rise, rise, or lift the tube 188 00:09:04,800 --> 00:09:06,400 Speaker 1: up high. Towards the end of the note, he was 189 00:09:06,440 --> 00:09:10,360 Speaker 1: even doing that. It was crazy. Um. So we just 190 00:09:10,520 --> 00:09:13,360 Speaker 1: had a ball, just an absolute ball. And I'm laying 191 00:09:13,360 --> 00:09:16,920 Speaker 1: in bed last night, getting ready to, you know, shut 192 00:09:16,960 --> 00:09:20,160 Speaker 1: it down, and I'm thinking back on the day. You know, 193 00:09:20,200 --> 00:09:23,480 Speaker 1: I found these antlers from the deer that I've obsessed 194 00:09:23,480 --> 00:09:25,679 Speaker 1: over for the last two years. It was my number 195 00:09:25,679 --> 00:09:28,240 Speaker 1: one goal for the next couple of months, and there 196 00:09:28,240 --> 00:09:31,640 Speaker 1: they were, and I got the match set. Um, that's incredible. 197 00:09:32,559 --> 00:09:34,680 Speaker 1: And then I'm thinking about all the other things that happened, 198 00:09:34,679 --> 00:09:36,520 Speaker 1: like the fact that I did that with my son 199 00:09:36,559 --> 00:09:40,120 Speaker 1: and with my wife, and then playing with the antlers afterwards, 200 00:09:40,200 --> 00:09:42,959 Speaker 1: and then grunting at the bucks outside and watching them 201 00:09:42,960 --> 00:09:45,599 Speaker 1: with our binoculars and then bugling like an elk, and 202 00:09:45,640 --> 00:09:48,600 Speaker 1: all these things, and I realized, Man, the best things 203 00:09:48,600 --> 00:09:51,079 Speaker 1: about that whole day didn't have to do with finding 204 00:09:51,080 --> 00:09:55,520 Speaker 1: those antlers at all, and it was just It's a 205 00:09:55,600 --> 00:09:57,880 Speaker 1: small thing, but it was just one of those moments 206 00:09:58,440 --> 00:10:03,120 Speaker 1: where I was reminded of what's really important. And it's 207 00:10:03,160 --> 00:10:05,719 Speaker 1: easy with how much we love this stuff, how much 208 00:10:05,760 --> 00:10:09,360 Speaker 1: we love deer and hunting and whatever outdoor pursuits were into, 209 00:10:09,679 --> 00:10:11,760 Speaker 1: it's easy to get wrapped up in that. It's easy 210 00:10:11,840 --> 00:10:15,000 Speaker 1: to get obsessed with the goal, with the thing, with 211 00:10:15,120 --> 00:10:17,400 Speaker 1: the pursuit. And I am as guilty as anyone you 212 00:10:17,440 --> 00:10:20,520 Speaker 1: guys know it. I really get after the stuff. Um, 213 00:10:21,080 --> 00:10:24,680 Speaker 1: But days like yesterday just remind you to take a 214 00:10:24,720 --> 00:10:28,760 Speaker 1: step back and make sure your perspectives right, especially man, 215 00:10:28,840 --> 00:10:32,440 Speaker 1: after everything they happened this Sunday with the passing of 216 00:10:32,440 --> 00:10:35,679 Speaker 1: of Kobe, you know, just an iconic figure like that 217 00:10:35,679 --> 00:10:38,000 Speaker 1: that I know some so many people were influenced by 218 00:10:38,080 --> 00:10:42,439 Speaker 1: and grew up with. Um, him being with his daughter, 219 00:10:42,559 --> 00:10:44,640 Speaker 1: that just breaks your heart and it makes you think, 220 00:10:44,679 --> 00:10:48,880 Speaker 1: as a dad, um, just to kiss your kids, hug 221 00:10:48,880 --> 00:10:51,880 Speaker 1: your wife or your husband or your family members, and 222 00:10:51,920 --> 00:10:57,480 Speaker 1: just remember what's really most important. So with that said, 223 00:10:58,200 --> 00:11:01,720 Speaker 1: we do need to talk to deer hunting, So let's 224 00:11:01,760 --> 00:11:07,160 Speaker 1: get right into it and talk to Garrett Prawl Before that, though, 225 00:11:07,480 --> 00:11:10,160 Speaker 1: quick break here and the we're not going to thank 226 00:11:10,200 --> 00:11:13,120 Speaker 1: a partner here this week. I'm actually going to just 227 00:11:13,360 --> 00:11:15,960 Speaker 1: thank you, guys. I want to give a thank you 228 00:11:16,000 --> 00:11:18,720 Speaker 1: to the entire wire to Hunt audience for your support 229 00:11:19,040 --> 00:11:23,640 Speaker 1: with my book, That Wild Country. The support, the just 230 00:11:23,800 --> 00:11:27,720 Speaker 1: the uprising of folks talking about the book, sharing the book, 231 00:11:27,800 --> 00:11:30,360 Speaker 1: buying the book. It's been incredible. I can't tell you 232 00:11:30,400 --> 00:11:33,320 Speaker 1: how much I appreciate it. It's been a huge success 233 00:11:33,360 --> 00:11:35,960 Speaker 1: because of you guys, So thank you for that. If 234 00:11:35,960 --> 00:11:38,760 Speaker 1: you haven't yet picked up a copy, certainly would encourage 235 00:11:38,760 --> 00:11:41,240 Speaker 1: you to do so. Um check out the reviews on 236 00:11:41,240 --> 00:11:43,600 Speaker 1: Amazon to see what the real people think about the book. 237 00:11:43,600 --> 00:11:46,800 Speaker 1: I've just been so pleasantly surprised and honored and humbled 238 00:11:47,080 --> 00:11:49,720 Speaker 1: to hear the people are really enjoying it, finding it 239 00:11:49,800 --> 00:11:51,960 Speaker 1: really informational but also a lot of fun. Man. That 240 00:11:52,120 --> 00:11:55,000 Speaker 1: is the coolest thing to see people enjoying that. So 241 00:11:55,080 --> 00:11:58,319 Speaker 1: thanks in advance, and if you did pick up a copy, 242 00:11:58,520 --> 00:12:00,680 Speaker 1: I thank you for that. But also if you haven't 243 00:12:00,720 --> 00:12:03,200 Speaker 1: left a review on Amazon, it would be amazing if 244 00:12:03,240 --> 00:12:05,160 Speaker 1: you could do that. There's a couple of folks in 245 00:12:05,240 --> 00:12:07,400 Speaker 1: there that I don't like the fact that Hunt or 246 00:12:07,480 --> 00:12:09,079 Speaker 1: leave a couple of nasty comments like that, so we 247 00:12:09,160 --> 00:12:12,600 Speaker 1: gotta make sure there's some other good reviews out there too, um, 248 00:12:12,600 --> 00:12:16,440 Speaker 1: which fortunately of them are which super appreciative, So head 249 00:12:16,480 --> 00:12:19,400 Speaker 1: on over leave a review and thank you in advance 250 00:12:19,480 --> 00:12:23,000 Speaker 1: for all of your support there. All right with me 251 00:12:23,080 --> 00:12:26,360 Speaker 1: now on the line is Garrett Praul. Welcome to the show. Garrett, 252 00:12:27,280 --> 00:12:29,880 Speaker 1: thanks for having me on. Mark. Yeah, I'm glad we're 253 00:12:29,880 --> 00:12:33,360 Speaker 1: getting the chat. As we just mentioned before I started recording, 254 00:12:34,200 --> 00:12:36,240 Speaker 1: I saw you at the bar at a t A. 255 00:12:36,640 --> 00:12:38,840 Speaker 1: And I think I was standing next to Dan Johnson, 256 00:12:39,000 --> 00:12:41,160 Speaker 1: and you know how he is. He's big and loud 257 00:12:41,200 --> 00:12:42,920 Speaker 1: and you won't get to get past him, so I 258 00:12:42,920 --> 00:12:45,760 Speaker 1: couldn't reach over and grabbing and chat with you. So 259 00:12:46,600 --> 00:12:49,079 Speaker 1: I'm glad we're finally getting able to chat tonight because 260 00:12:49,679 --> 00:12:53,160 Speaker 1: I've been following your work from AFAR and enjoying what 261 00:12:53,200 --> 00:12:55,560 Speaker 1: you're putting out there to the world. So glad you 262 00:12:55,600 --> 00:12:59,600 Speaker 1: can be here to night. Man. Absolutely appreciate it. So 263 00:12:59,640 --> 00:13:02,199 Speaker 1: tell me this. I kind of want to just jump 264 00:13:02,320 --> 00:13:05,440 Speaker 1: right into it. I want to know, how did you 265 00:13:05,520 --> 00:13:09,320 Speaker 1: become the d I y sportsman? Why is that how 266 00:13:09,360 --> 00:13:13,560 Speaker 1: you define yourself? You know, I think it just kind 267 00:13:13,559 --> 00:13:18,440 Speaker 1: of it morphed into that over time. I've always been 268 00:13:18,480 --> 00:13:20,640 Speaker 1: the kind of guy who tinkers around with a lot 269 00:13:20,679 --> 00:13:23,760 Speaker 1: of stuff, um, you know, build stuff in the garage, 270 00:13:24,400 --> 00:13:27,839 Speaker 1: never really um did anything in terms of like guided 271 00:13:27,920 --> 00:13:30,040 Speaker 1: hunts or anything like that. Everything that we did growing 272 00:13:30,120 --> 00:13:32,120 Speaker 1: up was always, you know, for the most part of 273 00:13:32,120 --> 00:13:34,960 Speaker 1: public land kind of you know, figure stuff out as 274 00:13:35,000 --> 00:13:39,360 Speaker 1: you go. So when I started to make content, eventually 275 00:13:39,760 --> 00:13:43,079 Speaker 1: it kind of morphed into you know that everything kind 276 00:13:43,080 --> 00:13:45,000 Speaker 1: of fitting that d I Y category in some way 277 00:13:45,080 --> 00:13:47,959 Speaker 1: or another, whether it was from that hunting aspect or 278 00:13:48,000 --> 00:13:51,600 Speaker 1: if it was actually building my own gear. Um, and 279 00:13:51,640 --> 00:13:54,120 Speaker 1: it just kind of kept on going from there. What 280 00:13:54,200 --> 00:13:57,240 Speaker 1: was when did that facet of its start the whole 281 00:13:57,280 --> 00:14:00,160 Speaker 1: gear side. Were you doing that even as a as 282 00:14:00,200 --> 00:14:02,520 Speaker 1: a kid. Were you the kid that was obsessed with 283 00:14:02,679 --> 00:14:05,520 Speaker 1: legos and connects and all that stuff, or or when 284 00:14:05,520 --> 00:14:08,440 Speaker 1: did that kind of click for you? Oh yeah, I've 285 00:14:08,480 --> 00:14:10,200 Speaker 1: always been that way. I was the kid who was, 286 00:14:10,840 --> 00:14:15,320 Speaker 1: you know, a second grader whittling little Ropolo lures pocket knife. 287 00:14:15,400 --> 00:14:19,400 Speaker 1: That was that was totally me. That's amazing. What what 288 00:14:19,440 --> 00:14:21,880 Speaker 1: was your first piece of hunting gear that you modified 289 00:14:22,080 --> 00:14:26,560 Speaker 1: or created? Do you remember that? Oh? Boy, Uh, that's 290 00:14:26,600 --> 00:14:29,040 Speaker 1: a good question. I'm not even percent sure what the 291 00:14:29,040 --> 00:14:32,120 Speaker 1: first thing was maybe eight ors for stix. Nice. Okay, 292 00:14:32,680 --> 00:14:36,840 Speaker 1: so that's probably within the last decade then, yeah, yeah, 293 00:14:36,960 --> 00:14:40,160 Speaker 1: So what about your hunting style itself? When you know, 294 00:14:40,520 --> 00:14:44,560 Speaker 1: if I were to look at when my hunting, when 295 00:14:44,600 --> 00:14:46,920 Speaker 1: my own style of hunting kind of came into its owner. 296 00:14:46,920 --> 00:14:49,320 Speaker 1: When I came into my own as a hunter, Um, 297 00:14:49,360 --> 00:14:50,960 Speaker 1: it was it was a little over a decade ago, 298 00:14:51,000 --> 00:14:53,680 Speaker 1: probably my very early twenties. That's when it kind of 299 00:14:53,720 --> 00:14:55,920 Speaker 1: when it clicked for me and I went from just 300 00:14:56,000 --> 00:14:59,480 Speaker 1: hunting to hunting in a in a informed way that 301 00:14:59,560 --> 00:15:02,640 Speaker 1: was like no on my way. Um, when did that 302 00:15:02,720 --> 00:15:05,040 Speaker 1: happen for you? When did you shift from just being 303 00:15:05,120 --> 00:15:07,760 Speaker 1: like a kid out there hunting to oh, I'm now 304 00:15:07,800 --> 00:15:11,160 Speaker 1: I'm hunting, do you know what I mean? Yeah, for me, 305 00:15:11,200 --> 00:15:13,360 Speaker 1: it was probably when I was about fifteen. For the 306 00:15:13,400 --> 00:15:15,080 Speaker 1: first couple of years, my dad and I we'd go 307 00:15:15,080 --> 00:15:17,080 Speaker 1: out in the woods and we kind of try to 308 00:15:17,080 --> 00:15:19,760 Speaker 1: figure it out, but we never quite you know, I 309 00:15:19,800 --> 00:15:22,000 Speaker 1: knew exactly what we were doing. Wanted to get better 310 00:15:22,040 --> 00:15:24,280 Speaker 1: for sure, And about that same time, I stumbled on 311 00:15:24,840 --> 00:15:27,920 Speaker 1: some articles from guys like Dan Infall Madre de Quisto 312 00:15:28,080 --> 00:15:31,280 Speaker 1: talking about marsh hunting techniques, which was you know, kind 313 00:15:31,280 --> 00:15:34,240 Speaker 1: of the terrain that we most often hunted, and that 314 00:15:34,360 --> 00:15:37,600 Speaker 1: really opened up my eyes and also allowed me to 315 00:15:37,600 --> 00:15:39,560 Speaker 1: to kind of dig a little bit deeper and figure 316 00:15:39,560 --> 00:15:43,160 Speaker 1: out on my own what methods and strategies I could 317 00:15:43,280 --> 00:15:45,840 Speaker 1: use to help, you know, get a little bit more 318 00:15:45,920 --> 00:15:48,600 Speaker 1: familiar with the scouting aspect, get a little bit more 319 00:15:48,600 --> 00:15:50,960 Speaker 1: familiar with the note taking, and kind of plugging in 320 00:15:51,040 --> 00:15:54,000 Speaker 1: all that together to make it work. Actually in the fall, 321 00:15:54,760 --> 00:15:56,640 Speaker 1: so that's kind of when I really went off the 322 00:15:56,680 --> 00:15:58,440 Speaker 1: deep end, so to speak, and really started to put 323 00:15:58,440 --> 00:16:01,400 Speaker 1: a lot of time and effort into really refining the 324 00:16:01,400 --> 00:16:04,120 Speaker 1: way that we we hunted. Yea, So how would you 325 00:16:04,160 --> 00:16:06,920 Speaker 1: describe that the way that you hunt if if you 326 00:16:07,000 --> 00:16:11,080 Speaker 1: had to? You know, let's say that the classic elevator 327 00:16:11,120 --> 00:16:13,280 Speaker 1: pitch are on an elevator going from the first floor 328 00:16:13,320 --> 00:16:16,480 Speaker 1: to the fourth floor and a guy says, tell me 329 00:16:16,720 --> 00:16:19,200 Speaker 1: what you're hunting style is? How do you describe that 330 00:16:19,240 --> 00:16:22,600 Speaker 1: to him in the sixty seconds you've got before you 331 00:16:22,600 --> 00:16:25,760 Speaker 1: get to that fifth floor? Oh boy, you might you 332 00:16:25,840 --> 00:16:30,600 Speaker 1: might want to turn into a forty floor elevator. Well, okay, skyscraper. 333 00:16:31,320 --> 00:16:35,360 Speaker 1: So in a nutshell, for me, it really between off 334 00:16:35,400 --> 00:16:38,440 Speaker 1: season and in season. The off season stuff really revolves 335 00:16:38,440 --> 00:16:40,760 Speaker 1: around a combination of aerial scouting and boots on the 336 00:16:40,800 --> 00:16:43,840 Speaker 1: ground scouting, and in season it's the same thing. It's 337 00:16:43,880 --> 00:16:47,240 Speaker 1: just that it really just revolves between aerial scouting and 338 00:16:47,520 --> 00:16:50,720 Speaker 1: looking for fresh sign with that in season scouting. And 339 00:16:51,080 --> 00:16:53,440 Speaker 1: really for me, it's very cyclical. I go right for 340 00:16:53,560 --> 00:16:56,920 Speaker 1: one to the other. They're always really meshed closely with 341 00:16:57,080 --> 00:17:00,080 Speaker 1: one another. The better job I do with boots on 342 00:17:00,120 --> 00:17:02,440 Speaker 1: the ground and the off season, that allows me to 343 00:17:02,600 --> 00:17:04,960 Speaker 1: look back at the maps and better piece together the 344 00:17:05,000 --> 00:17:06,800 Speaker 1: big picture, and then I find new things in the map, 345 00:17:06,840 --> 00:17:09,439 Speaker 1: go back into the woods, dig it a little bit deeper. 346 00:17:09,520 --> 00:17:11,440 Speaker 1: And then same thing in the season. The better job 347 00:17:11,480 --> 00:17:13,240 Speaker 1: I did looking at the maps, the better job I 348 00:17:13,280 --> 00:17:16,320 Speaker 1: did actually you know, picking it apart in the postseason. 349 00:17:16,600 --> 00:17:18,760 Speaker 1: I find that in season, when I find the sign 350 00:17:19,160 --> 00:17:21,480 Speaker 1: that I'm looking for that indicates them in a hot area, 351 00:17:22,040 --> 00:17:25,520 Speaker 1: that other stuff really helps me look at exactly how 352 00:17:25,520 --> 00:17:28,000 Speaker 1: I want to pinpoint that set up on that specific 353 00:17:28,080 --> 00:17:30,800 Speaker 1: day and be a little bit more precise and and 354 00:17:30,840 --> 00:17:33,080 Speaker 1: how I do that set up. Whereas if I just 355 00:17:33,160 --> 00:17:35,399 Speaker 1: you know, focus on one or the other, if I 356 00:17:35,440 --> 00:17:38,480 Speaker 1: focus all on postseason, if I focus all on just 357 00:17:38,600 --> 00:17:40,720 Speaker 1: in season, I feel like I'm really limiting myself, or 358 00:17:40,760 --> 00:17:42,520 Speaker 1: if I don't look at the maps, I feel like 359 00:17:42,560 --> 00:17:45,000 Speaker 1: I'm really going and blind. Yeah, I want, I want 360 00:17:45,040 --> 00:17:48,919 Speaker 1: to dive deeper into those quite dramatically. But before I 361 00:17:48,960 --> 00:17:52,639 Speaker 1: do that, you mentioned on the front end that folks 362 00:17:52,640 --> 00:17:56,080 Speaker 1: like Dan Infalt were really influential on you, and and 363 00:17:56,080 --> 00:17:58,200 Speaker 1: and me too, and a lot of people out there. 364 00:17:58,240 --> 00:18:00,159 Speaker 1: There's there's a lot of folks that have this kind 365 00:18:00,200 --> 00:18:04,480 Speaker 1: of style of hunting. Um, how would you say, if 366 00:18:04,520 --> 00:18:08,360 Speaker 1: at all your own spin on it is different if 367 00:18:08,400 --> 00:18:09,879 Speaker 1: you and Dan were to go out, if you're on 368 00:18:09,920 --> 00:18:13,080 Speaker 1: the public Land Challenge or whatever it is, and Dan's 369 00:18:13,080 --> 00:18:15,400 Speaker 1: going off and doing his thing, You're going off doing 370 00:18:15,440 --> 00:18:18,320 Speaker 1: your thing. How would you describe what you're doing that 371 00:18:18,320 --> 00:18:22,840 Speaker 1: would be different than him. I think you could probably 372 00:18:22,880 --> 00:18:24,960 Speaker 1: summarize and say, Dan at this point is a little 373 00:18:24,960 --> 00:18:27,119 Speaker 1: bit better woodsman than I am. He can look at 374 00:18:27,160 --> 00:18:29,359 Speaker 1: things and have a little bit better feel for what 375 00:18:29,480 --> 00:18:32,199 Speaker 1: exactly is going on than I can, whereas I have 376 00:18:32,280 --> 00:18:35,480 Speaker 1: to rely a little bit more on being able to 377 00:18:35,520 --> 00:18:38,159 Speaker 1: piece together certain you know, theories and strategies and whatnot 378 00:18:38,160 --> 00:18:40,640 Speaker 1: by looking at kind of the bigger picture and trying 379 00:18:40,680 --> 00:18:43,399 Speaker 1: to piece together, you know, what the maps say at 380 00:18:43,400 --> 00:18:46,200 Speaker 1: one location, how that compares to what I've seen in 381 00:18:46,280 --> 00:18:49,560 Speaker 1: a different location, and then piecing it together with what 382 00:18:49,600 --> 00:18:51,960 Speaker 1: I'm actually seeing on the ground and kind of learning 383 00:18:52,000 --> 00:18:54,119 Speaker 1: that way. I think I maybe do a little bit 384 00:18:54,160 --> 00:18:57,439 Speaker 1: more on the UM I would say, the technical, but 385 00:18:57,520 --> 00:19:02,680 Speaker 1: the UM online portion of that scouting than he does. Okay, Yeah, 386 00:19:02,720 --> 00:19:05,440 Speaker 1: you know it's funny what you said there resonates with 387 00:19:05,600 --> 00:19:08,680 Speaker 1: me because I think I'm probably similar to you and 388 00:19:08,840 --> 00:19:13,640 Speaker 1: that for us at our stage, you know, versus having 389 00:19:13,640 --> 00:19:16,200 Speaker 1: done this for forty five years or however long he's 390 00:19:16,240 --> 00:19:18,720 Speaker 1: been doing it at this level, um, when we've done 391 00:19:18,720 --> 00:19:22,200 Speaker 1: it ten, fifteen years whatever. At this level, I still 392 00:19:22,280 --> 00:19:27,000 Speaker 1: have to really focus on analyzing all these pieces of 393 00:19:27,080 --> 00:19:29,600 Speaker 1: data coming in. Right I'm thinking about all this fresh sign, 394 00:19:29,640 --> 00:19:32,280 Speaker 1: all of my all the sign from previous scouting efforts, 395 00:19:32,640 --> 00:19:35,080 Speaker 1: and I'm sitting there and act to literally think it 396 00:19:35,160 --> 00:19:37,639 Speaker 1: through and kind of compute Okay, this is telling me 397 00:19:37,720 --> 00:19:40,439 Speaker 1: this and this is saying this other thing. Now I'm 398 00:19:40,440 --> 00:19:42,119 Speaker 1: going to weigh the odds of these two things and 399 00:19:42,400 --> 00:19:45,320 Speaker 1: make a decision. While some like in Faults might just 400 00:19:45,359 --> 00:19:47,760 Speaker 1: have that intuitively click, He's just gonna He's not gonna 401 00:19:47,800 --> 00:19:50,480 Speaker 1: sit there for five minutes and debate between A and B. 402 00:19:51,040 --> 00:19:54,320 Speaker 1: He's gonna know, yeah, I've seen this a thousand times before. 403 00:19:54,440 --> 00:19:56,240 Speaker 1: This is gonna be the best option. He steps in 404 00:19:56,240 --> 00:20:01,040 Speaker 1: the woods and these things pop out like bright shining lights. Um. 405 00:20:01,080 --> 00:20:04,160 Speaker 1: And I think every year the bright shining lights start 406 00:20:04,200 --> 00:20:06,439 Speaker 1: to flash a little bit more for me. But I 407 00:20:06,480 --> 00:20:09,120 Speaker 1: still have to sit and think for a second. Um, 408 00:20:09,320 --> 00:20:11,119 Speaker 1: does that sound right? Is that kind of where you 409 00:20:11,160 --> 00:20:13,360 Speaker 1: feel like you're a lot to that that takes yet 410 00:20:13,440 --> 00:20:16,960 Speaker 1: to think it through? Still it's not that snap. Yeah, 411 00:20:16,960 --> 00:20:18,800 Speaker 1: I think that's a really good way of describing it. 412 00:20:19,320 --> 00:20:21,000 Speaker 1: I'm the type of guy who I'll sit there in 413 00:20:21,000 --> 00:20:23,320 Speaker 1: the truck before I leave, and I'll sit there for 414 00:20:23,359 --> 00:20:25,560 Speaker 1: half an hour trying to debate between two or three 415 00:20:25,560 --> 00:20:27,720 Speaker 1: different spots that all could be equally good based on 416 00:20:27,720 --> 00:20:30,960 Speaker 1: the wind direction and what I've noticed scouting. So I 417 00:20:31,000 --> 00:20:33,600 Speaker 1: definitely I think about it a lot more than I 418 00:20:33,640 --> 00:20:36,800 Speaker 1: probably should, probably to the point where at certain times 419 00:20:36,880 --> 00:20:39,600 Speaker 1: I get paralysis by analysis. But eventually, you know, I 420 00:20:39,640 --> 00:20:41,439 Speaker 1: just kind of kind of go with the flow on 421 00:20:41,480 --> 00:20:43,919 Speaker 1: a particular day and and make something work and and 422 00:20:43,960 --> 00:20:46,520 Speaker 1: then you know, take out, take what I learned that 423 00:20:46,640 --> 00:20:49,280 Speaker 1: day and modify it for the next day. How do 424 00:20:49,320 --> 00:20:51,520 Speaker 1: you deal with that situation? So me and Dan talked 425 00:20:51,560 --> 00:20:54,480 Speaker 1: about this a lot, dealing with paralysis by analysis, because 426 00:20:54,480 --> 00:20:57,520 Speaker 1: we're both guilty of it. We both are so we 427 00:20:57,600 --> 00:21:00,320 Speaker 1: geek out about the details and about trying to think 428 00:21:00,320 --> 00:21:02,439 Speaker 1: through all these things. But like you just said, sometimes 429 00:21:02,480 --> 00:21:05,040 Speaker 1: it can get to be so much you're stuck. How 430 00:21:05,119 --> 00:21:07,800 Speaker 1: do you push through that and make that final decision? 431 00:21:07,920 --> 00:21:11,160 Speaker 1: It's you know, it's the rut. It's November four, Ye're 432 00:21:11,200 --> 00:21:13,640 Speaker 1: about to head out on this hunt, and it's two 433 00:21:13,680 --> 00:21:15,720 Speaker 1: thirty or three thirty, four thirty morning. You've got to 434 00:21:15,760 --> 00:21:18,120 Speaker 1: make that decision of where you're going. How do you 435 00:21:18,880 --> 00:21:22,440 Speaker 1: how do you break the tie riker? So I think 436 00:21:22,480 --> 00:21:25,840 Speaker 1: for me, it is number one having a plan, not 437 00:21:25,880 --> 00:21:28,359 Speaker 1: being afraid to stick with the plan, but then also 438 00:21:28,400 --> 00:21:30,919 Speaker 1: not being so stuck into the plan that you're not 439 00:21:30,960 --> 00:21:33,360 Speaker 1: willing to deviate from it when you see something that 440 00:21:33,600 --> 00:21:37,640 Speaker 1: tells you you should. So, for example, you know, when 441 00:21:37,640 --> 00:21:41,159 Speaker 1: we went down to Missouri this year, I had a 442 00:21:41,200 --> 00:21:43,480 Speaker 1: plan that first day for all the types of spots 443 00:21:43,480 --> 00:21:45,920 Speaker 1: that I wanted to to look at. You know, walk 444 00:21:46,040 --> 00:21:48,359 Speaker 1: nine miles that first day, just looking for pinch points 445 00:21:48,920 --> 00:21:51,080 Speaker 1: between various betting areas I thought I saw on the map. 446 00:21:51,560 --> 00:21:54,200 Speaker 1: And then my plan was, you know, basically just systematically 447 00:21:54,200 --> 00:21:56,919 Speaker 1: work through a bunch of these different areas. But what 448 00:21:57,000 --> 00:21:58,440 Speaker 1: we found on the first day told me that that 449 00:21:58,480 --> 00:22:00,560 Speaker 1: first strategy wasn't gonna work, so that all planned B. 450 00:22:00,680 --> 00:22:03,320 Speaker 1: So I just you know, basically I had to plan 451 00:22:03,440 --> 00:22:05,960 Speaker 1: B already in mind, So I just went from A 452 00:22:06,080 --> 00:22:08,320 Speaker 1: to B, and then just started doing some of the 453 00:22:08,320 --> 00:22:11,439 Speaker 1: additional scouting, um, getting some feedback from other guys in 454 00:22:11,440 --> 00:22:14,000 Speaker 1: the group they were in that same area. And then 455 00:22:14,760 --> 00:22:17,560 Speaker 1: based on some of my historical you know, experiences and 456 00:22:17,960 --> 00:22:20,320 Speaker 1: looking at research in terms of weather patterns and whatnot, 457 00:22:20,840 --> 00:22:24,480 Speaker 1: I had planned on basically setting up in a certain 458 00:22:24,520 --> 00:22:26,679 Speaker 1: area based on what the weather was going to be 459 00:22:27,040 --> 00:22:30,200 Speaker 1: the next day. Um. And that was basically the plan 460 00:22:30,560 --> 00:22:32,840 Speaker 1: for that and it allowed me to really easily kind 461 00:22:32,840 --> 00:22:34,600 Speaker 1: of stick to that plan and get into that area, 462 00:22:35,400 --> 00:22:37,520 Speaker 1: hang our sets for that next morning when we're supposed 463 00:22:37,520 --> 00:22:39,439 Speaker 1: to get that nice you know, high pressure, cold air, 464 00:22:39,600 --> 00:22:43,200 Speaker 1: nice calm day. Um. But then at the same time 465 00:22:43,240 --> 00:22:45,800 Speaker 1: that particular day when we went and set our stuff 466 00:22:45,840 --> 00:22:49,080 Speaker 1: up there. Um, we found that even though the weather 467 00:22:49,160 --> 00:22:51,359 Speaker 1: wasn't maybe ideal for what you'd expect a lot of 468 00:22:51,359 --> 00:22:53,919 Speaker 1: deer movement to be. The deer were just on their 469 00:22:53,920 --> 00:22:57,320 Speaker 1: feet running um. And we saw we work worked through 470 00:22:57,359 --> 00:22:59,440 Speaker 1: an area that we saw a lot of deer moving around, 471 00:22:59,640 --> 00:23:02,399 Speaker 1: and you know what, we we can't go back and 472 00:23:02,400 --> 00:23:04,480 Speaker 1: do what we were planning on doing. We got to 473 00:23:04,480 --> 00:23:06,080 Speaker 1: just sit right here. And that's how I ended up 474 00:23:06,080 --> 00:23:09,760 Speaker 1: shooting that buck that I got in Missouri. Um. But 475 00:23:10,080 --> 00:23:14,080 Speaker 1: had I had I basically either number one got two 476 00:23:14,080 --> 00:23:15,719 Speaker 1: stuck in that plan, and I probably wouldn't have ended 477 00:23:15,800 --> 00:23:17,800 Speaker 1: up sitting where I ended up shooting my dear and 478 00:23:18,359 --> 00:23:20,639 Speaker 1: number two. If I didn't have the ability to just 479 00:23:20,800 --> 00:23:22,959 Speaker 1: you know, so easily make that plan in the first place, 480 00:23:23,200 --> 00:23:24,760 Speaker 1: I would have been, you know, stuck at the truck 481 00:23:24,840 --> 00:23:27,160 Speaker 1: trying to figure out, you know where in the thousands 482 00:23:27,160 --> 00:23:28,520 Speaker 1: of acres I was going to go, and it would 483 00:23:28,520 --> 00:23:32,240 Speaker 1: have been you know, much tougher decision. Yeah, that's really 484 00:23:33,080 --> 00:23:36,560 Speaker 1: hard to do what you described there, especially that first 485 00:23:36,600 --> 00:23:39,320 Speaker 1: part where you've got a plan A and you go 486 00:23:39,320 --> 00:23:42,600 Speaker 1: in on day one and and I've experienced this, it 487 00:23:42,720 --> 00:23:46,240 Speaker 1: is really hard to shift from a to b especially 488 00:23:46,280 --> 00:23:48,199 Speaker 1: if you're in a new spot where there's you know, 489 00:23:48,280 --> 00:23:52,960 Speaker 1: thousands of acres to choose from, and your day one 490 00:23:53,200 --> 00:23:55,160 Speaker 1: would be a tough thing to do for a lot 491 00:23:55,160 --> 00:23:57,800 Speaker 1: of people. Where you correct me if I'm wrong, but 492 00:23:57,840 --> 00:23:59,679 Speaker 1: you went in thinking you were in to focus on 493 00:24:00,160 --> 00:24:03,439 Speaker 1: tops and finding these terrain funnels of sorts, and you 494 00:24:03,480 --> 00:24:05,679 Speaker 1: didn't find sign and you ended up in a totally 495 00:24:05,680 --> 00:24:08,560 Speaker 1: different area like river Bottom area, and then you did 496 00:24:08,600 --> 00:24:12,680 Speaker 1: find something there. That's that's right, correct, Yeah, that's absolutely 497 00:24:12,760 --> 00:24:15,480 Speaker 1: what happened. We covered tons and tons of miles on 498 00:24:15,560 --> 00:24:17,880 Speaker 1: that of those walk ons Bridge tops looking for sign. 499 00:24:18,240 --> 00:24:20,560 Speaker 1: Last year in Missouri, we're on that same time, that's 500 00:24:20,600 --> 00:24:23,320 Speaker 1: where the hot sign was. Different area but similar terrain, 501 00:24:23,800 --> 00:24:25,239 Speaker 1: and so I thought it was just gonna be like 502 00:24:25,320 --> 00:24:27,440 Speaker 1: we did last year, and it was ended up being 503 00:24:27,440 --> 00:24:31,200 Speaker 1: totally different. But I will say what what has helped 504 00:24:31,240 --> 00:24:33,560 Speaker 1: me probably this past year that I really started focusing 505 00:24:33,560 --> 00:24:36,679 Speaker 1: on a little bit more, especially in areas where I 506 00:24:36,720 --> 00:24:40,080 Speaker 1: haven't done the priest scouting, even around home in Minnesota. 507 00:24:40,200 --> 00:24:43,560 Speaker 1: Hunted a new marsh this year, and I didn't have 508 00:24:43,600 --> 00:24:46,800 Speaker 1: any postseason experience other than a couple of quick trips 509 00:24:46,800 --> 00:24:49,320 Speaker 1: in June and July, which is awful in the swamps. 510 00:24:49,800 --> 00:24:52,600 Speaker 1: But effectively, what I tried to do, since there's so 511 00:24:52,640 --> 00:24:56,040 Speaker 1: many there's so much acreage, there's so many spots that 512 00:24:56,080 --> 00:24:59,520 Speaker 1: look like they could be great, is I would specifically 513 00:24:59,560 --> 00:25:02,720 Speaker 1: pick on a particular day to go on a route 514 00:25:02,720 --> 00:25:04,720 Speaker 1: that could take me through an A, B and a C. 515 00:25:05,880 --> 00:25:08,239 Speaker 1: And so I would go in there on whatever day 516 00:25:08,280 --> 00:25:09,960 Speaker 1: I was going to hunt and look at the sign 517 00:25:10,080 --> 00:25:12,320 Speaker 1: an area A, and if it wasn't that great, I 518 00:25:12,480 --> 00:25:15,399 Speaker 1: would just keep on going to be and then I 519 00:25:15,400 --> 00:25:17,120 Speaker 1: would keep on going to see and by the time 520 00:25:17,160 --> 00:25:18,920 Speaker 1: I got to see, if see also wasn't that great, 521 00:25:19,160 --> 00:25:21,080 Speaker 1: that I would just continue scouting my way back to 522 00:25:21,080 --> 00:25:24,000 Speaker 1: the truck, and you know, it didn't feel as much 523 00:25:24,000 --> 00:25:26,240 Speaker 1: like it was a wasted day, whereas in the past 524 00:25:26,280 --> 00:25:28,320 Speaker 1: what I may have done is said, Okay, it looks 525 00:25:28,320 --> 00:25:31,159 Speaker 1: like the best potential spot based on the map, and 526 00:25:31,200 --> 00:25:32,800 Speaker 1: I would go in there. I'd hunt it regardless of 527 00:25:32,800 --> 00:25:35,000 Speaker 1: what the sign looked like. And I think I definitely 528 00:25:35,040 --> 00:25:37,720 Speaker 1: got on more deer this year by having that ABC 529 00:25:38,119 --> 00:25:40,720 Speaker 1: strategy in mind rather than trying to pick spots where 530 00:25:40,760 --> 00:25:47,040 Speaker 1: it was you know, really you know, no plan B option. Now, 531 00:25:47,080 --> 00:25:49,680 Speaker 1: how do you do that at the scale you did 532 00:25:50,000 --> 00:25:53,639 Speaker 1: on that first day where you walked nine miles without 533 00:25:53,760 --> 00:25:57,080 Speaker 1: finally seeing the thing you wanted to see. I don't 534 00:25:57,080 --> 00:25:59,280 Speaker 1: know if I could do that. I thought, you know, 535 00:25:59,320 --> 00:26:01,879 Speaker 1: I went on up in Minnesota's pasture and I walked 536 00:26:01,920 --> 00:26:05,359 Speaker 1: something like three miles, and I thought to myself, all right, 537 00:26:05,359 --> 00:26:07,120 Speaker 1: you covered a bunch of ground and finally you got 538 00:26:07,119 --> 00:26:10,879 Speaker 1: to sit down somewhere. Um, you cover nine miles before 539 00:26:10,920 --> 00:26:13,600 Speaker 1: you finally found the thing you wanted to find. Um, 540 00:26:13,840 --> 00:26:18,199 Speaker 1: tell me, tell me about what you saw over the 541 00:26:18,200 --> 00:26:20,680 Speaker 1: course of that day. You know, there must have been 542 00:26:20,720 --> 00:26:22,840 Speaker 1: something that made you think, oh, this might be okay. 543 00:26:23,200 --> 00:26:26,200 Speaker 1: I'm curious what made you keep going and going going, 544 00:26:26,320 --> 00:26:29,600 Speaker 1: or was it just simply like a complete lack of zero, 545 00:26:30,000 --> 00:26:33,160 Speaker 1: devoid of deer sign. I mean, it wasn't just a desert. 546 00:26:33,920 --> 00:26:37,560 Speaker 1: Or did you have such a strong sense of confidence 547 00:26:37,560 --> 00:26:39,879 Speaker 1: in the fact there had to be somewhere with tons 548 00:26:39,880 --> 00:26:41,359 Speaker 1: and tons and tons of fresh sign that you were 549 00:26:41,400 --> 00:26:43,360 Speaker 1: gonna keep pushing until you got there. What was your 550 00:26:43,440 --> 00:26:48,600 Speaker 1: whole thought process throughout that day? Yeah, so it definitely 551 00:26:48,600 --> 00:26:50,480 Speaker 1: looked like a desert for a lot of the area 552 00:26:50,520 --> 00:26:52,879 Speaker 1: that I was in places where I would expect to 553 00:26:52,920 --> 00:26:57,040 Speaker 1: see for sure, sign, rubs, scrapes, whatnot. There just wasn't 554 00:26:57,119 --> 00:26:59,399 Speaker 1: much of anything. Might see some old tracks on the 555 00:26:59,400 --> 00:27:02,560 Speaker 1: logging roads or something like that, but basically I wasn't 556 00:27:02,560 --> 00:27:04,880 Speaker 1: going to stop walking until I found something that gave 557 00:27:04,920 --> 00:27:07,040 Speaker 1: me at least some amount of confidence that would be 558 00:27:07,040 --> 00:27:09,600 Speaker 1: good too to set up in. So we just kept 559 00:27:09,600 --> 00:27:12,080 Speaker 1: walking that first day. And really that first day, the 560 00:27:12,119 --> 00:27:14,760 Speaker 1: only thing that we ended up finding that looked remotely 561 00:27:15,320 --> 00:27:16,879 Speaker 1: good is when we finally did get down to a 562 00:27:16,960 --> 00:27:20,359 Speaker 1: river bottom type area, we found a few sets of 563 00:27:20,359 --> 00:27:22,680 Speaker 1: fresh tracks. Let me started to find a couple of 564 00:27:22,720 --> 00:27:24,560 Speaker 1: rubs that we found a scrape, and then we saw 565 00:27:24,800 --> 00:27:27,879 Speaker 1: three doughs that we kicked up and and h bounced 566 00:27:27,880 --> 00:27:30,240 Speaker 1: out of that area. And then from that point it 567 00:27:30,280 --> 00:27:33,879 Speaker 1: was okay, well, if we walked through this many miles 568 00:27:33,880 --> 00:27:35,960 Speaker 1: of hills up in the ridge tops and just haven't 569 00:27:35,960 --> 00:27:38,480 Speaker 1: seen much of any sign, Yeah, we know that there's 570 00:27:38,520 --> 00:27:41,159 Speaker 1: deer down in this river bottom. Let's go back look 571 00:27:41,200 --> 00:27:43,480 Speaker 1: at the maps again, talk to some of the people 572 00:27:43,520 --> 00:27:45,879 Speaker 1: back at camp, and then see what other places on 573 00:27:45,920 --> 00:27:48,199 Speaker 1: the maps are going to be similar to this. And 574 00:27:48,240 --> 00:27:50,320 Speaker 1: then that kind of fueled how we looked at going 575 00:27:50,680 --> 00:27:52,960 Speaker 1: about the next day. You know, it's kind of shifting 576 00:27:52,960 --> 00:27:57,119 Speaker 1: focus from not necessarily the exact spots, but the type 577 00:27:57,119 --> 00:27:59,640 Speaker 1: of habitat that we were in and saying, this type 578 00:27:59,680 --> 00:28:01,399 Speaker 1: of stuff that we've already walked through, we've walked through 579 00:28:01,480 --> 00:28:03,280 Speaker 1: enough of it to say we don't have confidence with 580 00:28:03,320 --> 00:28:06,440 Speaker 1: this type of stuff, but this other type of stuff 581 00:28:06,480 --> 00:28:09,520 Speaker 1: that we walked through, we did, you know, have confidence in. 582 00:28:09,640 --> 00:28:11,440 Speaker 1: And maybe that's not the exact spot, but there's gotta 583 00:28:11,440 --> 00:28:14,280 Speaker 1: be more spots just like this. So that's kind of, 584 00:28:14,320 --> 00:28:16,680 Speaker 1: you know, what we did for the next day. Yeah, 585 00:28:17,119 --> 00:28:20,359 Speaker 1: this last summer, me and Dan were talking about his 586 00:28:21,200 --> 00:28:26,520 Speaker 1: UM trail camera scouting strategy that he put together and 587 00:28:26,560 --> 00:28:29,840 Speaker 1: we called it Dan Johnson's dots on a map connect 588 00:28:29,840 --> 00:28:33,080 Speaker 1: them with lines strategy. And I think that you've now 589 00:28:33,280 --> 00:28:35,959 Speaker 1: created what I'm going to call the type of stuff strategy, 590 00:28:36,520 --> 00:28:38,920 Speaker 1: and I think I think it's going to be a 591 00:28:38,920 --> 00:28:41,240 Speaker 1: good one because it's it's a great point that you make, 592 00:28:41,640 --> 00:28:44,719 Speaker 1: which is especially when you're hunting public land, especially when 593 00:28:44,720 --> 00:28:48,920 Speaker 1: it's larger swaths of land, you need to somehow compartmentalize it. 594 00:28:48,960 --> 00:28:51,720 Speaker 1: You have to break it down somehow. And one way 595 00:28:51,760 --> 00:28:54,600 Speaker 1: to do it is what you did, which is breaking 596 00:28:54,600 --> 00:28:56,800 Speaker 1: it by the type of terrain or the type of stuff, 597 00:28:56,840 --> 00:29:00,680 Speaker 1: and in finding where the act of it is focused, 598 00:29:00,680 --> 00:29:04,200 Speaker 1: because very often what you described is happening in other 599 00:29:04,200 --> 00:29:06,800 Speaker 1: places to where they're They're in a spot for a reason, 600 00:29:06,960 --> 00:29:10,120 Speaker 1: right there in a river bottom for a reason, just 601 00:29:10,240 --> 00:29:13,400 Speaker 1: why they're not on top of those ridges. So once 602 00:29:13,440 --> 00:29:16,280 Speaker 1: you can isolate it, drill it down somehow, then you 603 00:29:16,320 --> 00:29:19,560 Speaker 1: can focus on finding something similar. And that's man that's 604 00:29:19,560 --> 00:29:22,560 Speaker 1: applicable during the rut, that's applicable in the early season, 605 00:29:22,600 --> 00:29:25,240 Speaker 1: the late season, any kind of time of year. When 606 00:29:25,240 --> 00:29:28,000 Speaker 1: you find what that type of stuff is, it can 607 00:29:28,000 --> 00:29:32,040 Speaker 1: help you. Yeah, absolutely, And I've even seen it in 608 00:29:32,160 --> 00:29:35,520 Speaker 1: terms of you know, say like Marsh Islands, where there 609 00:29:35,600 --> 00:29:39,440 Speaker 1: might be islands and a particular piece of land, but 610 00:29:39,520 --> 00:29:41,560 Speaker 1: maybe you find that you were hunting on an island 611 00:29:41,560 --> 00:29:43,800 Speaker 1: that was surrounded by redbrush and all of a sudden 612 00:29:43,840 --> 00:29:47,719 Speaker 1: you found more dear activity on that particular island. Well, 613 00:29:47,760 --> 00:29:49,520 Speaker 1: then you can go back in the map and look at, Okay, 614 00:29:49,600 --> 00:29:52,800 Speaker 1: how do these fifty islands, maybe you know eight or 615 00:29:52,840 --> 00:29:55,040 Speaker 1: ten or twelve of them also have that same kind 616 00:29:55,040 --> 00:29:56,840 Speaker 1: of brush surrounding those islands, So then that would be 617 00:29:56,880 --> 00:29:59,880 Speaker 1: kind of where I would focus on next rather than China, 618 00:30:00,000 --> 00:30:01,400 Speaker 1: look at that whole sea of fifty of them and 619 00:30:01,440 --> 00:30:04,200 Speaker 1: trying to figure out which one would be the best. Yeah, 620 00:30:04,600 --> 00:30:07,880 Speaker 1: it comes back to to look at those details, like 621 00:30:08,240 --> 00:30:10,680 Speaker 1: why is this So that's here's the type of stuff. Now, 622 00:30:10,720 --> 00:30:12,720 Speaker 1: why is this the type of stuff? So you found 623 00:30:12,760 --> 00:30:16,239 Speaker 1: that that the red brush was the unique feature. That's uh, 624 00:30:16,720 --> 00:30:19,080 Speaker 1: that's interesting. Now the next day, so you're on the 625 00:30:19,120 --> 00:30:22,120 Speaker 1: Missouri hunt. The first day you walked and walked and walked, 626 00:30:22,160 --> 00:30:24,480 Speaker 1: never really found what you wanted until the end. The 627 00:30:24,560 --> 00:30:27,080 Speaker 1: next day you went back to a different place but 628 00:30:27,120 --> 00:30:33,200 Speaker 1: the same kind of stuff, and this hunt you actually 629 00:30:33,200 --> 00:30:35,920 Speaker 1: had the opposite I think, if I remember the story 630 00:30:36,040 --> 00:30:39,360 Speaker 1: right from watching your videos and stuff, you had a 631 00:30:39,400 --> 00:30:41,440 Speaker 1: game plan looking for that kind of stuff, and then 632 00:30:41,440 --> 00:30:43,960 Speaker 1: before you could even get to where you eventually thought 633 00:30:43,960 --> 00:30:46,160 Speaker 1: you'd go, you decide you had to stop right then 634 00:30:46,280 --> 00:30:50,600 Speaker 1: there because of the deer activities. Saw right, Um, how 635 00:30:50,640 --> 00:30:53,280 Speaker 1: do you go about making that decision? So day one 636 00:30:54,000 --> 00:30:56,880 Speaker 1: it was I'm not stopping until I see something that 637 00:30:57,000 --> 00:30:58,720 Speaker 1: makes me have to stop, and you never did, so 638 00:30:58,720 --> 00:31:00,680 Speaker 1: you kept going and going going, So we just talked 639 00:31:00,720 --> 00:31:04,040 Speaker 1: about how you know when not to stop. Now, day two, 640 00:31:04,280 --> 00:31:07,840 Speaker 1: you're going in and the opposite happens, that something stops 641 00:31:07,840 --> 00:31:09,760 Speaker 1: you before you get to where you thought you were 642 00:31:09,760 --> 00:31:11,680 Speaker 1: going to go, and you said, oh, this means I 643 00:31:11,760 --> 00:31:17,760 Speaker 1: have to stop. Describe that thought process. Sure, well, I'll 644 00:31:17,800 --> 00:31:21,800 Speaker 1: interject before I answered that question specifically to say that 645 00:31:22,440 --> 00:31:25,200 Speaker 1: there was a day in between there where we didn't 646 00:31:25,480 --> 00:31:26,800 Speaker 1: we didn't see much at all, but it was a 647 00:31:26,880 --> 00:31:30,560 Speaker 1: very hot, like sixty degree afternoon. But we took our 648 00:31:30,680 --> 00:31:34,080 Speaker 1: learnings from day one, got in another low river bottom 649 00:31:34,120 --> 00:31:37,120 Speaker 1: type area that again had this like I don't know 650 00:31:37,120 --> 00:31:39,040 Speaker 1: what kind of plant was, but it's this green stuff 651 00:31:39,040 --> 00:31:41,479 Speaker 1: that was growing in this river bottom area. And we 652 00:31:41,520 --> 00:31:44,280 Speaker 1: only saw a couple of deer that entire day. But 653 00:31:44,760 --> 00:31:47,800 Speaker 1: when we were walking out at night, we must have 654 00:31:47,880 --> 00:31:50,080 Speaker 1: kicked out twenty different year. On the way back to 655 00:31:50,120 --> 00:31:53,080 Speaker 1: the truck in that same river bottom area, we saw 656 00:31:53,080 --> 00:31:55,880 Speaker 1: a really nice buck in a private field right again 657 00:31:55,880 --> 00:31:58,720 Speaker 1: in that same kind of area after dark. So it 658 00:31:58,800 --> 00:32:01,400 Speaker 1: was like, Okay, now we've kind of affirmed that the 659 00:32:01,520 --> 00:32:03,320 Speaker 1: river bottom is where they're at, and we think that 660 00:32:03,400 --> 00:32:05,160 Speaker 1: it might just be a factor of the weather that 661 00:32:05,200 --> 00:32:08,640 Speaker 1: they weren't moving during daylight. Um in that particular habitat. 662 00:32:08,960 --> 00:32:11,360 Speaker 1: So based on based on day one, I'm not seeing 663 00:32:11,360 --> 00:32:14,040 Speaker 1: anything the ridge tops saying hey, you know, it might 664 00:32:14,080 --> 00:32:15,880 Speaker 1: be good in the river bottoms. And then day two 665 00:32:16,000 --> 00:32:18,320 Speaker 1: kind of that confirmation of hey, the deer down here, 666 00:32:18,400 --> 00:32:20,920 Speaker 1: they just gotta move during daylight. And then we jump 667 00:32:20,960 --> 00:32:23,720 Speaker 1: into day three. So day three, how do you know 668 00:32:23,720 --> 00:32:27,600 Speaker 1: when to stop? While we we basically walked into again 669 00:32:27,600 --> 00:32:29,400 Speaker 1: an area that was kind of like a thermal hob 670 00:32:29,440 --> 00:32:32,040 Speaker 1: that we had planned on sitting the following morning because 671 00:32:32,040 --> 00:32:35,320 Speaker 1: this day three started jumping. But just in case people 672 00:32:35,360 --> 00:32:38,720 Speaker 1: don't know, can you explain what you mean by thermal hub? Sure? 673 00:32:38,840 --> 00:32:46,280 Speaker 1: So in this hilly Ozark, Missouri habitat, there's a lot 674 00:32:46,320 --> 00:32:48,440 Speaker 1: of these little, you know, fingered ridges, and you have these, 675 00:32:48,720 --> 00:32:53,360 Speaker 1: um basically these bottom type areas where it's the almost 676 00:32:53,360 --> 00:32:55,280 Speaker 1: like the bottom of a creek drainage where you might 677 00:32:55,320 --> 00:32:59,280 Speaker 1: have all of these little tiny creeks that flow and 678 00:32:59,280 --> 00:33:01,920 Speaker 1: they eventually into you know, bigger and bigger creeks, and 679 00:33:01,960 --> 00:33:03,720 Speaker 1: you get into some of these areas where it's just 680 00:33:03,800 --> 00:33:06,200 Speaker 1: kind of a flat, open area, but you might have 681 00:33:06,640 --> 00:33:09,000 Speaker 1: three or four different ridges that all drop off into 682 00:33:09,040 --> 00:33:12,560 Speaker 1: this one little bottom area. And the way that the 683 00:33:12,600 --> 00:33:15,520 Speaker 1: deer can use that, of course is with the scent, 684 00:33:15,840 --> 00:33:18,120 Speaker 1: especially the dropping thermals in the early morning and late 685 00:33:18,120 --> 00:33:20,880 Speaker 1: evenings when that scent dropped into that area kind of 686 00:33:20,920 --> 00:33:23,840 Speaker 1: pools and it collects the scent from a lot of 687 00:33:23,880 --> 00:33:28,120 Speaker 1: different area and the surrounding hills. So the thought process 688 00:33:28,160 --> 00:33:30,480 Speaker 1: with that is, hey, early morning, it's gonna be nice, 689 00:33:30,680 --> 00:33:34,360 Speaker 1: you know, calm cool. If we get any dropping thermals um, 690 00:33:34,480 --> 00:33:36,640 Speaker 1: then that could be a good area for potentially a 691 00:33:36,680 --> 00:33:39,320 Speaker 1: buck to hit that area, as he sent check in 692 00:33:39,400 --> 00:33:42,120 Speaker 1: for dose first thing in the morning. So that was 693 00:33:42,200 --> 00:33:44,600 Speaker 1: kind of the thought strategy and kind of the description 694 00:33:44,640 --> 00:33:47,160 Speaker 1: of the area that we were looking at specifically where 695 00:33:47,200 --> 00:33:50,400 Speaker 1: we you know, hung our stuff for that following day. Yeah, 696 00:33:51,080 --> 00:33:55,240 Speaker 1: so continue on, yep. So the weather is the other 697 00:33:55,880 --> 00:33:58,840 Speaker 1: kind of important thing here, And that morning of the 698 00:33:58,920 --> 00:34:02,360 Speaker 1: third day, we didn't even hunt because it was about 699 00:34:02,480 --> 00:34:07,480 Speaker 1: you know, thirty five degrees driving wind and rain um, 700 00:34:07,520 --> 00:34:09,120 Speaker 1: and of course we had camera gear and this, that 701 00:34:09,160 --> 00:34:10,840 Speaker 1: and the other thing, so we just we knew it 702 00:34:10,880 --> 00:34:13,319 Speaker 1: was going to get colder with this cold front moving in, 703 00:34:13,800 --> 00:34:16,000 Speaker 1: so we decided to wait until the rain turned into 704 00:34:16,040 --> 00:34:19,920 Speaker 1: something solid eventually turned into sleet, and that sleet eventually 705 00:34:19,920 --> 00:34:21,680 Speaker 1: turned into snow, and that was when we hit the woods. 706 00:34:22,400 --> 00:34:25,040 Speaker 1: So we got out there thinking that the deer might 707 00:34:25,040 --> 00:34:28,760 Speaker 1: be hunkered down during that, you know, that major front, 708 00:34:29,080 --> 00:34:31,080 Speaker 1: and then the next morning was gonna be the hot spot. 709 00:34:31,120 --> 00:34:33,920 Speaker 1: So we weren't even really thinking at that time that 710 00:34:34,480 --> 00:34:37,600 Speaker 1: we were planning on giving a high percentage hunt that afternoon. 711 00:34:37,960 --> 00:34:39,920 Speaker 1: We just wanted to get ourselves into a good area, 712 00:34:40,239 --> 00:34:43,000 Speaker 1: picked the trees, get set up so the following morning 713 00:34:43,040 --> 00:34:46,799 Speaker 1: we'd be able to have the ideal set up. But 714 00:34:46,880 --> 00:34:49,960 Speaker 1: then after we got into that thermal hub, we found 715 00:34:50,000 --> 00:34:52,120 Speaker 1: the trees, we found the ideal set up, we hung 716 00:34:52,120 --> 00:34:56,000 Speaker 1: our platforms, we hung our sticks. As we were coming 717 00:34:56,040 --> 00:34:59,920 Speaker 1: back the direction of the truck, we got into this 718 00:35:00,200 --> 00:35:03,239 Speaker 1: river bottom area that you know with the probably the 719 00:35:03,239 --> 00:35:05,000 Speaker 1: half inch of snow that was on the ground. By 720 00:35:05,040 --> 00:35:09,120 Speaker 1: that time, we were seeing sets of tracks running through, 721 00:35:09,360 --> 00:35:12,520 Speaker 1: so that already indicated us that in the last couple 722 00:35:12,520 --> 00:35:15,480 Speaker 1: of hours there's been deer running through here. Then we 723 00:35:16,239 --> 00:35:18,160 Speaker 1: kicked up a dough she had a buck on her, 724 00:35:18,880 --> 00:35:21,439 Speaker 1: and then we saw another dough on a buck going 725 00:35:21,440 --> 00:35:23,560 Speaker 1: through the same area, and at that point it was like, okay, 726 00:35:23,600 --> 00:35:26,400 Speaker 1: we'd be idiots to keep walking past this, So we 727 00:35:26,520 --> 00:35:28,719 Speaker 1: just we obviously didn't have our stuff with us. We 728 00:35:28,760 --> 00:35:31,080 Speaker 1: just looked for an ideal spot to be able to 729 00:35:31,440 --> 00:35:33,960 Speaker 1: sit at least somewhat secluded on the ground. And the 730 00:35:34,280 --> 00:35:37,160 Speaker 1: challenge of that particular area was that it was open 731 00:35:37,239 --> 00:35:40,439 Speaker 1: river bottom and you could see you know, two yards 732 00:35:40,640 --> 00:35:42,799 Speaker 1: in most directions, so it's like, well, how do you 733 00:35:42,840 --> 00:35:44,920 Speaker 1: know exactly where to set up? And we really didn't, 734 00:35:45,320 --> 00:35:47,400 Speaker 1: but we knew we had to be there somewhere, and 735 00:35:47,400 --> 00:35:50,719 Speaker 1: that being next to any particular tree was better than 736 00:35:51,200 --> 00:35:53,440 Speaker 1: you know, not being in that area at all. So 737 00:35:53,480 --> 00:35:54,880 Speaker 1: we ended up just kind of trying to pick the 738 00:35:54,880 --> 00:35:57,719 Speaker 1: best spot that we could that was next to some 739 00:35:57,840 --> 00:36:00,360 Speaker 1: tracks and it was kind of next to convert of 740 00:36:00,360 --> 00:36:02,160 Speaker 1: like a crp field and a little bit of thicket. 741 00:36:02,400 --> 00:36:05,160 Speaker 1: There was also kind of in that river bottom. But 742 00:36:05,239 --> 00:36:07,359 Speaker 1: to be totally honest, I mean, the the deer really 743 00:36:07,360 --> 00:36:11,040 Speaker 1: there was nothing that was defining enough of a terrain 744 00:36:11,080 --> 00:36:14,560 Speaker 1: feature to force the deer through any particular spot. So 745 00:36:14,640 --> 00:36:16,320 Speaker 1: we just kind of picked the best spot that we 746 00:36:16,320 --> 00:36:18,000 Speaker 1: we thought we could and you know, hunkered into a 747 00:36:18,040 --> 00:36:24,239 Speaker 1: deadfall and then describe what happened next. So we saw 748 00:36:24,280 --> 00:36:27,319 Speaker 1: a faun moving through, got within twenty yards of us, 749 00:36:27,440 --> 00:36:29,080 Speaker 1: never knew we were there. It was kind of fun 750 00:36:29,120 --> 00:36:30,719 Speaker 1: for my wife because she got to film it and 751 00:36:30,719 --> 00:36:33,360 Speaker 1: see it. And then we saw a buck chasing the 752 00:36:33,440 --> 00:36:38,879 Speaker 1: dough about i'd say eighty yards away from us, and 753 00:36:38,920 --> 00:36:42,680 Speaker 1: then from a totally different direction, about an hour before light, 754 00:36:43,440 --> 00:36:46,440 Speaker 1: I could see another dough coming from that CRP field direction, 755 00:36:46,480 --> 00:36:49,480 Speaker 1: so totally different direction than the last dough and r 756 00:36:49,600 --> 00:36:52,160 Speaker 1: bucking doll that we saw running through again, indicating that 757 00:36:52,239 --> 00:36:53,759 Speaker 1: it was just kind of luck if you're in the 758 00:36:53,840 --> 00:36:56,279 Speaker 1: right spot at the right time down there. But we 759 00:36:56,320 --> 00:36:59,400 Speaker 1: saw a doe coming in. She was headed nearly straight 760 00:36:59,400 --> 00:37:01,680 Speaker 1: toward us, and then I could see a buck right 761 00:37:01,680 --> 00:37:05,000 Speaker 1: behind her, and she slowly moved, you know, getting a 762 00:37:05,040 --> 00:37:08,200 Speaker 1: little bit closer and closer. She was probably about twenty 763 00:37:08,280 --> 00:37:10,680 Speaker 1: yards away from getting directly down wind, and I was 764 00:37:10,719 --> 00:37:13,040 Speaker 1: thinking that she was going to bust us. But then 765 00:37:13,160 --> 00:37:16,480 Speaker 1: the last minute she turned and came out of bee 766 00:37:16,480 --> 00:37:19,040 Speaker 1: line straight toward me, and then of course about it's 767 00:37:19,040 --> 00:37:20,759 Speaker 1: hard to tell in the video, but she's about ten 768 00:37:20,840 --> 00:37:23,160 Speaker 1: or twelve yards away. She looks up and sees me 769 00:37:23,640 --> 00:37:25,839 Speaker 1: holding my bow and and sees my wife standing there 770 00:37:25,880 --> 00:37:28,239 Speaker 1: in the dead fall, and she takes off. But the 771 00:37:28,280 --> 00:37:30,840 Speaker 1: buck doesn't really know at this point what has happened. 772 00:37:30,880 --> 00:37:34,600 Speaker 1: He's standing about twenty five yards away, quartering too well. 773 00:37:34,600 --> 00:37:36,719 Speaker 1: Then he finally turns us had to go look at 774 00:37:36,719 --> 00:37:39,399 Speaker 1: the dough and I got back to full draw, um, 775 00:37:39,480 --> 00:37:42,120 Speaker 1: and then settled the site on him and shot and 776 00:37:42,160 --> 00:37:45,840 Speaker 1: then you know, the rest is his history. So it 777 00:37:45,960 --> 00:37:47,759 Speaker 1: was a little bit of a you know, luck, But 778 00:37:47,800 --> 00:37:51,319 Speaker 1: I'll take that during the road any day, you know. Heck. Yeah, Well, 779 00:37:51,400 --> 00:37:55,560 Speaker 1: it kind of seems like this is something that is 780 00:37:55,600 --> 00:37:58,920 Speaker 1: not completely out of the ordinary for you though. Um. 781 00:37:59,040 --> 00:38:02,480 Speaker 1: That being it sounds like on occasion you do find yourself. 782 00:38:02,920 --> 00:38:05,719 Speaker 1: Um decided to sit on the ground, and I think 783 00:38:05,800 --> 00:38:08,560 Speaker 1: just having the confidence to do that allowed you to, 784 00:38:09,360 --> 00:38:11,200 Speaker 1: you know, pull off this hunt because some guys would 785 00:38:11,239 --> 00:38:13,680 Speaker 1: maybe have been walking through there and they saw this 786 00:38:13,880 --> 00:38:17,520 Speaker 1: sign and the deer go running through, and they're thinking, crap, 787 00:38:17,560 --> 00:38:20,120 Speaker 1: I don't have a stand with me. Um, I can't 788 00:38:20,200 --> 00:38:21,600 Speaker 1: hunt here, So I'm gonna go back to the truck, 789 00:38:21,680 --> 00:38:23,920 Speaker 1: or I'm gonna go back wherever you did hang your 790 00:38:23,920 --> 00:38:26,160 Speaker 1: sticks and go grab your stuff out of the tree 791 00:38:26,200 --> 00:38:27,960 Speaker 1: and walk back and by the time they came back 792 00:38:28,000 --> 00:38:30,799 Speaker 1: and two hours later or whatever, the sign or the 793 00:38:30,800 --> 00:38:35,239 Speaker 1: the action that you guys actually enjoyed would have been passed. Um, 794 00:38:35,719 --> 00:38:38,000 Speaker 1: tell me about that. Tell me how often do you 795 00:38:38,360 --> 00:38:40,640 Speaker 1: find yourself bow honey on the ground and that kind 796 00:38:40,640 --> 00:38:43,520 Speaker 1: of you know, impromptu kind of way. Is that something 797 00:38:43,600 --> 00:38:48,120 Speaker 1: you're you're adding to your repertoire more and more and why? Yeah, 798 00:38:48,200 --> 00:38:50,960 Speaker 1: I think this year definitely more than in years past, 799 00:38:51,680 --> 00:38:54,880 Speaker 1: probably about i'd say a goodt of my hunts this 800 00:38:55,000 --> 00:38:57,200 Speaker 1: year I sat on the ground and a lot of 801 00:38:57,239 --> 00:38:59,080 Speaker 1: times it was just kind of going back to the 802 00:38:59,120 --> 00:39:01,800 Speaker 1: plane ABC. Sometimes you get to Plan beror Plan C 803 00:39:02,600 --> 00:39:05,160 Speaker 1: and you just don't feel like you have that much 804 00:39:05,200 --> 00:39:06,719 Speaker 1: time to be able to set up, or maybe the 805 00:39:06,760 --> 00:39:09,920 Speaker 1: area that you're in is not really ideal for a 806 00:39:10,200 --> 00:39:12,360 Speaker 1: tree stand set up or a saddle set up, but 807 00:39:12,440 --> 00:39:15,960 Speaker 1: you can you have great groundcover, whether it's grass or 808 00:39:15,960 --> 00:39:19,560 Speaker 1: whether it's deadfall, and I feel like sometimes you can 809 00:39:19,600 --> 00:39:22,319 Speaker 1: be more factive on the ground. You definitely do get 810 00:39:22,320 --> 00:39:23,920 Speaker 1: picked off, in my experience, a lot more on the 811 00:39:23,920 --> 00:39:25,319 Speaker 1: ground that you do when you're up in the tree. 812 00:39:25,840 --> 00:39:28,840 Speaker 1: But again, it's it's kind of a balance between do 813 00:39:28,880 --> 00:39:31,279 Speaker 1: you think you got a better shot at trying to 814 00:39:31,280 --> 00:39:33,120 Speaker 1: get up into a tree and maybe busting a deer 815 00:39:33,120 --> 00:39:36,080 Speaker 1: all because they're getting ready to move um or do 816 00:39:36,120 --> 00:39:37,399 Speaker 1: you think you're gonna be able to get a shot 817 00:39:37,440 --> 00:39:39,920 Speaker 1: off on the ground. It really just comes down to 818 00:39:39,960 --> 00:39:44,120 Speaker 1: a situation specific type thing. And if I'm hunting on 819 00:39:44,160 --> 00:39:46,239 Speaker 1: the grounds, it's usually because I have the competence that 820 00:39:46,800 --> 00:39:48,839 Speaker 1: I'll be able to at least, you know, get drawn 821 00:39:48,880 --> 00:39:50,759 Speaker 1: back and be able to get a shot opportunity in 822 00:39:50,800 --> 00:39:54,240 Speaker 1: a particular area without getting winded. Yeah, anything you've picked 823 00:39:54,280 --> 00:39:56,680 Speaker 1: up haven't done that? More and more this year, Any 824 00:39:56,760 --> 00:40:00,759 Speaker 1: little best practices or tricks you've learned to whether it 825 00:40:00,840 --> 00:40:03,400 Speaker 1: be getting drawn or picking the right spot on the ground, 826 00:40:03,480 --> 00:40:07,960 Speaker 1: or anything you've found that's helping you do that. Yeah. 827 00:40:08,120 --> 00:40:10,839 Speaker 1: A tree size definitely has been a big thing. Every 828 00:40:10,840 --> 00:40:12,800 Speaker 1: time I've tried to sit on a tree that's narrower 829 00:40:12,840 --> 00:40:16,200 Speaker 1: than my torso, I always get busted, it seems like, 830 00:40:16,960 --> 00:40:20,120 Speaker 1: and I like so I like the bigger trees. Also, 831 00:40:20,320 --> 00:40:23,120 Speaker 1: where the sun is coming from definitely makes a difference 832 00:40:23,120 --> 00:40:25,799 Speaker 1: in how I'll set up. If the sun is from 833 00:40:25,800 --> 00:40:27,759 Speaker 1: behind me, I like to get on the front side 834 00:40:27,800 --> 00:40:31,279 Speaker 1: of a tree or a brush or deadfall and kind 835 00:40:31,280 --> 00:40:33,040 Speaker 1: of sit in the shade and be on the front 836 00:40:33,080 --> 00:40:34,480 Speaker 1: side of the tree as if I was turkey hunting 837 00:40:34,520 --> 00:40:37,040 Speaker 1: with a track gun. And if the sun is in 838 00:40:37,120 --> 00:40:38,960 Speaker 1: my face, then I'd much rather be on the back 839 00:40:38,960 --> 00:40:41,120 Speaker 1: side of that tree and be kind of sitting in 840 00:40:41,160 --> 00:40:43,000 Speaker 1: the shade there, so now the sun glaring off me 841 00:40:43,040 --> 00:40:45,920 Speaker 1: and magnifying all of my movements. So if the sun's 842 00:40:45,920 --> 00:40:47,279 Speaker 1: in my face, a lot of times I'll take the 843 00:40:47,760 --> 00:40:49,640 Speaker 1: tether for my saddle and I'll just hang on the 844 00:40:49,680 --> 00:40:51,719 Speaker 1: back side of the tree to stay comfortable. And if 845 00:40:51,760 --> 00:40:53,200 Speaker 1: it gets down a prime time, it might even just 846 00:40:53,280 --> 00:40:56,520 Speaker 1: unhook and just stand vertical behind the tree. I do 847 00:40:56,640 --> 00:40:58,279 Speaker 1: that in one hunt this year and had a buck 848 00:40:58,320 --> 00:41:01,080 Speaker 1: walk by within it's had no idea I was there 849 00:41:01,360 --> 00:41:03,160 Speaker 1: because I was able to sit behind that big red 850 00:41:03,160 --> 00:41:07,239 Speaker 1: oak in the shade and he never even looked my direction. Um. 851 00:41:07,280 --> 00:41:09,480 Speaker 1: But then if the sun, of course is from behind me, 852 00:41:09,520 --> 00:41:11,279 Speaker 1: that I'd like to stay on the front side, um 853 00:41:11,320 --> 00:41:13,160 Speaker 1: and be a little bit have a little bit easier 854 00:41:13,160 --> 00:41:15,759 Speaker 1: time trying to get to full draw. Picking when to 855 00:41:15,880 --> 00:41:18,960 Speaker 1: draw definitely is is huge. I always, even if it's 856 00:41:18,960 --> 00:41:21,319 Speaker 1: a year I'm not gonna attempt to shoot. I like 857 00:41:21,400 --> 00:41:24,520 Speaker 1: to practice getting to full draw just because it's you know, 858 00:41:24,640 --> 00:41:27,080 Speaker 1: it teaches you so much thinking, like learning what you 859 00:41:27,120 --> 00:41:28,759 Speaker 1: can and what you can't get away with and when 860 00:41:28,800 --> 00:41:30,719 Speaker 1: you need to be able to move and of course 861 00:41:30,800 --> 00:41:35,239 Speaker 1: and of course filming makes that infinitely harder. UM. A 862 00:41:35,239 --> 00:41:37,040 Speaker 1: lot of times when I do get busted's from a 863 00:41:37,120 --> 00:41:40,360 Speaker 1: combination of moving the cameras and trying to get my 864 00:41:40,360 --> 00:41:42,360 Speaker 1: bow into position. So if I didn't have that, that 865 00:41:42,400 --> 00:41:44,719 Speaker 1: would make it much easier. What I like to do 866 00:41:44,760 --> 00:41:47,960 Speaker 1: with the compound is definitely get drawn back at the 867 00:41:47,960 --> 00:41:51,480 Speaker 1: first opportunity that I have and stay at full draw, 868 00:41:52,239 --> 00:41:54,239 Speaker 1: you know, until I get a shot opportunity. With a 869 00:41:54,360 --> 00:41:56,440 Speaker 1: traditional bow if I'm hunting with one of those, that 870 00:41:56,760 --> 00:41:59,200 Speaker 1: I can't really do that necessarily, so I just kind 871 00:41:59,200 --> 00:42:01,840 Speaker 1: of geta until I get the first good chot opportunity 872 00:42:01,840 --> 00:42:04,239 Speaker 1: that I would have. UM. But yeah, all those little 873 00:42:04,280 --> 00:42:07,520 Speaker 1: things definitely UM make a difference when too. I mean, 874 00:42:08,080 --> 00:42:09,680 Speaker 1: you can have the wind doing one thing up in 875 00:42:09,719 --> 00:42:11,000 Speaker 1: a tree on the ground, it might can do in 876 00:42:11,080 --> 00:42:14,239 Speaker 1: something a little bit different, So it's almost it's really 877 00:42:14,280 --> 00:42:16,680 Speaker 1: a case by case thing. And every time I do 878 00:42:16,760 --> 00:42:18,880 Speaker 1: it I learned something a little bit more. Probably in 879 00:42:18,880 --> 00:42:20,640 Speaker 1: a couple more years, if I continue to hunt off 880 00:42:20,640 --> 00:42:22,400 Speaker 1: the ground a lot, I'm sure i'll know even a 881 00:42:22,440 --> 00:42:26,040 Speaker 1: lot more than I do know. Yeah, it seems like 882 00:42:26,080 --> 00:42:28,600 Speaker 1: you're getting into those kinds of situations because you have 883 00:42:28,680 --> 00:42:31,239 Speaker 1: this very mobile hunting style, which we kind of talked 884 00:42:31,239 --> 00:42:35,239 Speaker 1: about in Fault even Heart Whoever. A lot of these 885 00:42:35,239 --> 00:42:38,360 Speaker 1: folks that have kind of, um preached this for a 886 00:42:38,400 --> 00:42:40,040 Speaker 1: long time now, there's a lot of folks like us 887 00:42:40,040 --> 00:42:42,640 Speaker 1: who are trying to adapt it to our own styles 888 00:42:42,640 --> 00:42:45,920 Speaker 1: and put that into action. UM. So when you're not 889 00:42:46,000 --> 00:42:47,920 Speaker 1: on the ground, it means you are in a tree. 890 00:42:48,320 --> 00:42:50,759 Speaker 1: And one of the things about you that has made 891 00:42:50,800 --> 00:42:53,799 Speaker 1: you interesting to me, particularly interesting over the years is 892 00:42:54,280 --> 00:42:57,800 Speaker 1: the way you've focused on really fine tuning your mobile 893 00:42:57,880 --> 00:43:01,440 Speaker 1: hunting set up, maybe more than other people, definitely more 894 00:43:01,480 --> 00:43:04,600 Speaker 1: than most people. UM that's been really interesting to me 895 00:43:04,640 --> 00:43:09,239 Speaker 1: because I am not naturally good at gear. I'm not 896 00:43:09,360 --> 00:43:13,719 Speaker 1: naturally good at messing and modifying and improving and fine 897 00:43:13,760 --> 00:43:16,040 Speaker 1: tuning and testing a gear set up, whether that be 898 00:43:16,160 --> 00:43:18,600 Speaker 1: my boat or my tree stand, or my saddle or 899 00:43:18,640 --> 00:43:21,920 Speaker 1: my truck. Uh, that's just not what I'm just not 900 00:43:22,040 --> 00:43:23,920 Speaker 1: naturally good at stuff. So when I see someone like 901 00:43:24,000 --> 00:43:26,600 Speaker 1: you who's really good at that stuff, I'm very jealous 902 00:43:26,600 --> 00:43:28,400 Speaker 1: and I kind of dislike you a little bit for it. 903 00:43:28,840 --> 00:43:31,800 Speaker 1: So let's just get that out of the way. Um. 904 00:43:31,840 --> 00:43:36,799 Speaker 1: But that said, I want to dive deep into kind 905 00:43:36,840 --> 00:43:39,799 Speaker 1: of the evolution of your mobile hunting setup because I 906 00:43:39,880 --> 00:43:44,240 Speaker 1: know that you've you've used climbing sticks, you've used mobile 907 00:43:44,280 --> 00:43:47,880 Speaker 1: tree stands, You've you've saddles, you've used all sorts of 908 00:43:47,920 --> 00:43:53,399 Speaker 1: interesting modified climbing methods. Um, let's talk about where you're 909 00:43:53,400 --> 00:43:58,000 Speaker 1: at right now. What is the best mobile hunting setup 910 00:43:58,400 --> 00:44:01,279 Speaker 1: for Garrett today? If ready go on with with one 911 00:44:01,640 --> 00:44:04,160 Speaker 1: one setup for your public land hunt you're going on 912 00:44:04,239 --> 00:44:06,480 Speaker 1: or whatever kind of hunt, what's that going to be 913 00:44:06,760 --> 00:44:09,959 Speaker 1: of all the things you've tested? So, I would say 914 00:44:10,000 --> 00:44:14,480 Speaker 1: probably my bread and butter system is a saddle with 915 00:44:14,600 --> 00:44:20,320 Speaker 1: a platform like the Predator, three climbing sticks with double steps, 916 00:44:20,760 --> 00:44:23,799 Speaker 1: a single loopator and if the leaves are already down, 917 00:44:23,800 --> 00:44:25,640 Speaker 1: then I would take that. I would take four sticks 918 00:44:25,640 --> 00:44:31,560 Speaker 1: instead of three, and then a lightweight lineman's about like 919 00:44:31,600 --> 00:44:34,480 Speaker 1: an eight millimeter aplex rope. Same thing for the tether 920 00:44:35,160 --> 00:44:38,319 Speaker 1: and basically just but just go with that. That would 921 00:44:38,320 --> 00:44:41,160 Speaker 1: allow me to climb up in a tree. It allows 922 00:44:41,160 --> 00:44:42,680 Speaker 1: me to use one stick up I need to, two 923 00:44:42,680 --> 00:44:44,279 Speaker 1: sticks if I need to, allows me to hunt off 924 00:44:44,280 --> 00:44:45,680 Speaker 1: the ground if I want to. It really gives me 925 00:44:45,719 --> 00:44:50,080 Speaker 1: a lot of options. Um, And that's it's really It's 926 00:44:50,080 --> 00:44:52,680 Speaker 1: something I can bring in on any given hunt in 927 00:44:53,400 --> 00:44:56,799 Speaker 1: hill country and marsh country, big woods country and be 928 00:44:56,840 --> 00:44:59,280 Speaker 1: able to adapt and be able to pick a spot 929 00:45:00,040 --> 00:45:03,279 Speaker 1: and hunt it the way I think it should be hunted. Yeah, 930 00:45:03,560 --> 00:45:05,560 Speaker 1: And I think that's been one of the biggest things 931 00:45:05,560 --> 00:45:08,239 Speaker 1: for me. Especially why I love making the switch to 932 00:45:08,239 --> 00:45:10,560 Speaker 1: a saddle is that when you head in and you've 933 00:45:10,560 --> 00:45:13,440 Speaker 1: got your saddle and you've got your sticks, you don't 934 00:45:13,600 --> 00:45:17,359 Speaker 1: feel the same obligation to go sit in a tree 935 00:45:17,400 --> 00:45:19,160 Speaker 1: up high as you do if you carry it in 936 00:45:19,160 --> 00:45:21,440 Speaker 1: a twelve or fifteen pound tree stand. You know, it 937 00:45:21,520 --> 00:45:23,400 Speaker 1: just seems so much easier, you know what, I'm just 938 00:45:23,440 --> 00:45:25,200 Speaker 1: gonna sit in the ground because you're not hauling in 939 00:45:25,239 --> 00:45:27,880 Speaker 1: this big thing. But at least for me, when I 940 00:45:27,920 --> 00:45:29,920 Speaker 1: used to have that stand with me, i'd get in there, 941 00:45:29,920 --> 00:45:31,400 Speaker 1: I'm like, well, damn it, I just hiked this thing 942 00:45:31,440 --> 00:45:34,759 Speaker 1: in here. I better use it. So yeah, that the 943 00:45:35,120 --> 00:45:38,880 Speaker 1: lightweight approach, the ultra light approach um is more and 944 00:45:38,880 --> 00:45:41,880 Speaker 1: more and more appealing to me. Let's start at the ground, though, 945 00:45:42,120 --> 00:45:46,280 Speaker 1: Let's start at what you're doing at base level before 946 00:45:46,360 --> 00:45:48,440 Speaker 1: you get up in the tree. You've got to climb 947 00:45:48,480 --> 00:45:51,799 Speaker 1: up there. Um, You've tested and tried a whole bunch 948 00:45:51,800 --> 00:45:54,319 Speaker 1: of different ways to get up in there. Um, some 949 00:45:54,480 --> 00:45:56,360 Speaker 1: of it I think it's crazy. I've seen some of 950 00:45:56,400 --> 00:45:58,600 Speaker 1: the things you've tried and the things you've manufactured, and 951 00:45:58,880 --> 00:46:02,719 Speaker 1: it's nuts, but it's pretty cool. I couldn't do it. 952 00:46:03,120 --> 00:46:07,680 Speaker 1: Tell me about what your current climbing method of choices. 953 00:46:07,760 --> 00:46:11,440 Speaker 1: You said two steps sticks? Um, what's your favorite brand? 954 00:46:11,680 --> 00:46:16,239 Speaker 1: Are you modifying them at all? Um? What do you 955 00:46:16,239 --> 00:46:18,920 Speaker 1: think is the best option right now for you? Well, so, 956 00:46:19,040 --> 00:46:20,600 Speaker 1: the ones that I typically use are ones that I 957 00:46:20,640 --> 00:46:24,000 Speaker 1: made a couple of years ago. They are twenty four 958 00:46:24,000 --> 00:46:28,720 Speaker 1: inches long, and like I said, the double steps, really 959 00:46:28,760 --> 00:46:31,640 Speaker 1: the closest thing in terms of design, if people want 960 00:46:31,640 --> 00:46:34,440 Speaker 1: to get a visual, would be like the Beast gear sticks. 961 00:46:35,040 --> 00:46:36,879 Speaker 1: In terms of the weight, in terms of the length, 962 00:46:36,920 --> 00:46:40,200 Speaker 1: in terms of the design, they're very very similar to those. Um, 963 00:46:40,280 --> 00:46:44,040 Speaker 1: So that's kind of what I prefer because I feel 964 00:46:44,040 --> 00:46:45,759 Speaker 1: like I'm able to maximize the amount of height that 965 00:46:45,760 --> 00:46:48,759 Speaker 1: I am able to get per stick. They're lightweight at 966 00:46:48,800 --> 00:46:51,040 Speaker 1: you know, roughly a pound and a half per stick, 967 00:46:51,480 --> 00:46:53,759 Speaker 1: and the eiters don't really add much of any weight 968 00:46:54,000 --> 00:46:59,040 Speaker 1: at all to them, and they're just they're not as pacable. 969 00:46:59,120 --> 00:47:01,239 Speaker 1: Right If I need to crawl under deadfall, that's that's 970 00:47:01,239 --> 00:47:03,640 Speaker 1: really the only time when it becomes a pain, because 971 00:47:03,640 --> 00:47:05,719 Speaker 1: those steps will will hang up on the deadfall as 972 00:47:05,719 --> 00:47:08,520 Speaker 1: you're trying to climb underneath or crawl underneath. But apart 973 00:47:08,520 --> 00:47:12,680 Speaker 1: from that, it's usually not not too big of a deal. Um, 974 00:47:12,719 --> 00:47:15,680 Speaker 1: And it's there's really no tree I can't get in 975 00:47:15,960 --> 00:47:19,600 Speaker 1: with that particular system. And the other thing that it 976 00:47:19,680 --> 00:47:22,480 Speaker 1: allows me to do with the steps being that far 977 00:47:22,520 --> 00:47:25,359 Speaker 1: apart from one another, is on certain trees, I can 978 00:47:25,440 --> 00:47:27,399 Speaker 1: kind of you know, lean forward and hook my knees 979 00:47:27,440 --> 00:47:29,640 Speaker 1: around those top steps, and that gives me a little 980 00:47:29,680 --> 00:47:32,759 Speaker 1: extra stability on top of the lineman's belt to be 981 00:47:32,800 --> 00:47:35,799 Speaker 1: able to you know, trim a limb if I'm able 982 00:47:35,840 --> 00:47:38,520 Speaker 1: to trim limbs or set my next stick if it's 983 00:47:38,560 --> 00:47:41,520 Speaker 1: a really goofy, odd leaning tree. So it just gives 984 00:47:41,520 --> 00:47:45,040 Speaker 1: me a lot of flexibility. Yeah, so if people people 985 00:47:45,480 --> 00:47:47,880 Speaker 1: most people out there probably can't build their own sticks 986 00:47:47,960 --> 00:47:51,240 Speaker 1: or modify sticks maybe, but if they were out there 987 00:47:51,239 --> 00:47:54,680 Speaker 1: looking to buy something, you know that's that's commercially available 988 00:47:54,760 --> 00:47:58,160 Speaker 1: right now, what would the you know, key things you 989 00:47:58,239 --> 00:48:00,400 Speaker 1: kind of just described it, But if you're looking at 990 00:48:00,440 --> 00:48:02,319 Speaker 1: what's available out there, what would be some of the 991 00:48:02,360 --> 00:48:05,319 Speaker 1: key features you would say that people should definitely try 992 00:48:05,360 --> 00:48:08,279 Speaker 1: to get when they're choosing from the four or five 993 00:48:08,360 --> 00:48:12,920 Speaker 1: six different stick options out there. Sure, you know, one 994 00:48:12,960 --> 00:48:16,400 Speaker 1: thing is one thing is weight. If you're using one 995 00:48:16,480 --> 00:48:18,520 Speaker 1: or two sticks, it's really doesn't matter all that much. 996 00:48:18,560 --> 00:48:20,719 Speaker 1: But if you're using three, four, if you're using five, 997 00:48:20,760 --> 00:48:23,799 Speaker 1: and that really starts to add up pretty quickly. So wait, 998 00:48:23,800 --> 00:48:26,480 Speaker 1: it's definitely something I would look at. I personally like 999 00:48:26,600 --> 00:48:29,080 Speaker 1: the double steps, like I mentioned, but there's a lot 1000 00:48:29,120 --> 00:48:31,239 Speaker 1: of guys that also like the single steps, and it 1001 00:48:31,360 --> 00:48:33,440 Speaker 1: really that comes down to personal preference. I think more 1002 00:48:33,480 --> 00:48:36,080 Speaker 1: than anything, single steps sticks will usually pack a little 1003 00:48:36,080 --> 00:48:40,120 Speaker 1: bit better than the double So if you're just crawled, 1004 00:48:40,280 --> 00:48:42,839 Speaker 1: just to make sure that folks understand when you say 1005 00:48:42,840 --> 00:48:46,160 Speaker 1: single versus double, you're I think I'm understand what you're saying, 1006 00:48:46,200 --> 00:48:48,160 Speaker 1: as I understand it would be when you get to 1007 00:48:48,160 --> 00:48:51,080 Speaker 1: your first step, like on a lone wolf, there'll be 1008 00:48:51,320 --> 00:48:53,719 Speaker 1: one step that slides out to the right and then 1009 00:48:53,760 --> 00:48:56,480 Speaker 1: you have to kick out one to the left for 1010 00:48:56,520 --> 00:48:58,479 Speaker 1: the next step up. But then on a different type 1011 00:48:58,560 --> 00:49:01,239 Speaker 1: like the muddy sticks or something, they've got left and 1012 00:49:01,440 --> 00:49:03,560 Speaker 1: right steps on the first step left and right, on 1013 00:49:03,640 --> 00:49:05,719 Speaker 1: the second step left and right, you know, as you 1014 00:49:05,719 --> 00:49:09,000 Speaker 1: go up and up and up. That's what you mean, right, yeah, yeah, 1015 00:49:09,040 --> 00:49:12,560 Speaker 1: And it's good to clarify that because there's the double 1016 00:49:12,560 --> 00:49:15,600 Speaker 1: steps like you just described, and then there's also sometimes 1017 00:49:15,600 --> 00:49:18,000 Speaker 1: I'll use double steps to describe the fact that there's 1018 00:49:18,040 --> 00:49:20,720 Speaker 1: two steps on that stick. There's two of those double steps, 1019 00:49:20,719 --> 00:49:22,480 Speaker 1: one on the top and one on the bottom, plus 1020 00:49:22,520 --> 00:49:24,799 Speaker 1: the eight or versus having three like a like a 1021 00:49:24,840 --> 00:49:27,640 Speaker 1: set of hawk or muddy might have. Yes, okay, so 1022 00:49:27,760 --> 00:49:31,520 Speaker 1: continue with what you're saying. Then started jumping. Yeah, so 1023 00:49:31,520 --> 00:49:33,760 Speaker 1: so definitely wait and if you're a single or double 1024 00:49:33,760 --> 00:49:37,160 Speaker 1: step guy, that'll determine, you know, if you want to 1025 00:49:37,160 --> 00:49:40,359 Speaker 1: go more packable. If that's more important to you, then 1026 00:49:40,840 --> 00:49:43,960 Speaker 1: rotating single steps like the lone wolves might be a 1027 00:49:44,080 --> 00:49:47,680 Speaker 1: better option for you. But if you like just all 1028 00:49:47,719 --> 00:49:50,640 Speaker 1: around best climb ability. I think double steps, you know, 1029 00:49:50,680 --> 00:49:53,280 Speaker 1: each step having to on the same level is definitely 1030 00:49:53,320 --> 00:49:56,400 Speaker 1: the way to go. I personally like standoffs that are 1031 00:49:56,440 --> 00:49:59,279 Speaker 1: a little bit further from the tree as opposed to 1032 00:50:00,040 --> 00:50:02,600 Speaker 1: steps that are the standoffs that are really close to 1033 00:50:02,600 --> 00:50:05,880 Speaker 1: the tree. Just from the standpoint that it allows me 1034 00:50:05,960 --> 00:50:08,080 Speaker 1: to get more of the balls of my feet on 1035 00:50:08,120 --> 00:50:12,240 Speaker 1: the step, and then I don't get cafetigue nearly as bad. Um, 1036 00:50:12,360 --> 00:50:15,160 Speaker 1: So it allows me to wrap my wrap my knees 1037 00:50:15,160 --> 00:50:17,239 Speaker 1: around the top steps a little bit easier if I 1038 00:50:17,320 --> 00:50:18,799 Speaker 1: do happen to be on a tree where I want 1039 00:50:18,800 --> 00:50:22,520 Speaker 1: to want to be able to do that. So those 1040 00:50:22,520 --> 00:50:25,799 Speaker 1: are things I would look for. Um. Really within the 1041 00:50:25,840 --> 00:50:28,640 Speaker 1: mobile community, there's you know, there's the b sticks, there's 1042 00:50:28,719 --> 00:50:31,920 Speaker 1: the lone walls, lone Wolf, Coustom gears, the you know, 1043 00:50:31,960 --> 00:50:35,120 Speaker 1: the hawks. Hag actually came out with a new two 1044 00:50:35,160 --> 00:50:37,600 Speaker 1: step stick this year based on the fact that a 1045 00:50:37,600 --> 00:50:39,319 Speaker 1: lot of guys used to take their three step ones 1046 00:50:39,360 --> 00:50:41,880 Speaker 1: and cut them down to make the you know, just 1047 00:50:41,920 --> 00:50:45,279 Speaker 1: the top and the bottom one. Um, which brings me 1048 00:50:45,320 --> 00:50:47,640 Speaker 1: to another you know point of distinction is just the 1049 00:50:47,680 --> 00:50:50,799 Speaker 1: overall length of the stick. Me being six ft tall, 1050 00:50:51,360 --> 00:50:55,920 Speaker 1: I like twenty four in aluminum portion of that that stick. 1051 00:50:56,480 --> 00:50:58,279 Speaker 1: I don't feel like that's really stretching it out too 1052 00:50:58,280 --> 00:50:59,879 Speaker 1: far for me at all. If I was six four, 1053 00:50:59,880 --> 00:51:02,719 Speaker 1: I could probably go with a little bit longer to um. 1054 00:51:02,760 --> 00:51:04,719 Speaker 1: And then obviously late season it gets a little bit 1055 00:51:04,760 --> 00:51:07,239 Speaker 1: more tight. But I still found that for me is 1056 00:51:07,280 --> 00:51:10,080 Speaker 1: still doable. And the step spacing on that's probably closer 1057 00:51:10,120 --> 00:51:12,839 Speaker 1: to two Manu factor in the loss, you know, having 1058 00:51:12,880 --> 00:51:15,520 Speaker 1: the step not at the bottom of the tube. Um, 1059 00:51:15,560 --> 00:51:17,120 Speaker 1: whereas you see a lot of stack, a lot of 1060 00:51:17,160 --> 00:51:19,719 Speaker 1: sticks out there might have a fifteen or seventeen inch 1061 00:51:19,840 --> 00:51:23,320 Speaker 1: step spacing. So again, the shorter ones are going to 1062 00:51:23,400 --> 00:51:25,600 Speaker 1: be more compact, a little more pacable. But I feel 1063 00:51:25,600 --> 00:51:28,239 Speaker 1: like the climbability you can usually get by with a 1064 00:51:28,239 --> 00:51:33,080 Speaker 1: little bit longer step spacing than you might think. Yeah, 1065 00:51:33,400 --> 00:51:39,239 Speaker 1: what about um, the attachment to the tree. I know 1066 00:51:39,520 --> 00:51:42,960 Speaker 1: that I've on the sticks I use, I've replaced the 1067 00:51:43,120 --> 00:51:46,799 Speaker 1: usual belt I'm blanking on brain farting on the right 1068 00:51:46,840 --> 00:51:49,400 Speaker 1: way to describe this, But the the webbing that you 1069 00:51:49,480 --> 00:51:51,719 Speaker 1: throw around the tree and since on reverse the button 1070 00:51:51,800 --> 00:51:53,880 Speaker 1: or whatever I've I've taken that out and replace that 1071 00:51:53,960 --> 00:51:56,480 Speaker 1: with with something different than the one was mainly what 1072 00:51:56,640 --> 00:51:59,600 Speaker 1: came with the sticks on the box. I know you've 1073 00:51:59,640 --> 00:52:01,960 Speaker 1: tested a whole bunch of different things. I saw a 1074 00:52:02,040 --> 00:52:05,200 Speaker 1: video of yours once with like six different rope systems 1075 00:52:05,239 --> 00:52:09,240 Speaker 1: attachment methods. Where what do he thinks the best option? 1076 00:52:09,280 --> 00:52:11,120 Speaker 1: What do you use? What do you recommend for the 1077 00:52:11,160 --> 00:52:13,400 Speaker 1: folks there just use it on the box, or do 1078 00:52:13,440 --> 00:52:16,759 Speaker 1: you think we should all be switching out? Well, there's 1079 00:52:16,760 --> 00:52:19,640 Speaker 1: nothing wrong with using the the off the shelf method 1080 00:52:19,719 --> 00:52:23,160 Speaker 1: with that cam buckle strap. But if you do ditch 1081 00:52:23,200 --> 00:52:26,520 Speaker 1: that strap, you save like six to eight ounces per stick, 1082 00:52:27,440 --> 00:52:31,160 Speaker 1: and you illuminate that potential for noise. Right. You can 1083 00:52:31,200 --> 00:52:33,520 Speaker 1: you know, put style strips or rubber or felt or 1084 00:52:33,560 --> 00:52:35,840 Speaker 1: anything on those buckles to quiet them down, or you 1085 00:52:35,840 --> 00:52:38,279 Speaker 1: can just be really careful. But if you switch to 1086 00:52:38,320 --> 00:52:41,000 Speaker 1: a buckle list system, then you're able to be you know, 1087 00:52:41,000 --> 00:52:43,240 Speaker 1: obviously a little bit lighter, a little bit quieter in general. 1088 00:52:44,560 --> 00:52:47,799 Speaker 1: But I like, personally the best after trying, like you said, 1089 00:52:47,840 --> 00:52:50,960 Speaker 1: just about everything that's out there, I still keep going 1090 00:52:51,000 --> 00:52:53,759 Speaker 1: back to a quarter inch piece of am steel that's 1091 00:52:53,760 --> 00:52:55,720 Speaker 1: spliced into a loop on one end that you flip, 1092 00:52:55,880 --> 00:52:58,480 Speaker 1: that you slide over the versa button and then you 1093 00:52:58,520 --> 00:53:01,000 Speaker 1: just throw that thing around the tree and then you 1094 00:53:01,080 --> 00:53:03,640 Speaker 1: just you know, it's gonna be tough to describe it 1095 00:53:03,760 --> 00:53:06,759 Speaker 1: on a podcast, but the rope mod basically where you 1096 00:53:06,800 --> 00:53:08,600 Speaker 1: just take that free end of the rope and and 1097 00:53:08,680 --> 00:53:11,840 Speaker 1: hitch it underneath itself and lock it and hold it 1098 00:53:11,880 --> 00:53:15,279 Speaker 1: in place with a half hitch is it allows me 1099 00:53:15,320 --> 00:53:18,000 Speaker 1: to use it on basically any tree because you can 1100 00:53:18,040 --> 00:53:20,640 Speaker 1: make that that am steel rope as long as you want. 1101 00:53:20,680 --> 00:53:21,880 Speaker 1: You can make it eight foot, you can make a 1102 00:53:21,920 --> 00:53:23,799 Speaker 1: ten foot, you can make it six ft right, you 1103 00:53:23,840 --> 00:53:27,040 Speaker 1: can do whatever length you want there. So tree size 1104 00:53:27,040 --> 00:53:29,719 Speaker 1: isn't as big of a concern. That am steel is 1105 00:53:29,880 --> 00:53:32,920 Speaker 1: very very low stretch. It's dynama. So when you actually 1106 00:53:32,960 --> 00:53:34,799 Speaker 1: do the rope mod and you wait, you put your 1107 00:53:34,800 --> 00:53:37,359 Speaker 1: weight on the stick, it doesn't sag as much as 1108 00:53:37,360 --> 00:53:40,239 Speaker 1: you would get with some other climbing ropes or just 1109 00:53:40,320 --> 00:53:44,839 Speaker 1: like accessory cord or something like that. And in comparison 1110 00:53:44,880 --> 00:53:48,920 Speaker 1: to you know, some of the daisy chain style of methods, 1111 00:53:49,800 --> 00:53:52,960 Speaker 1: you don't have to worry about nailing a specific loop 1112 00:53:53,000 --> 00:53:56,680 Speaker 1: perfectly right. It doesn't matter what exact diameter of that 1113 00:53:56,719 --> 00:53:58,920 Speaker 1: tree is. You can take that am steel, hook it 1114 00:53:58,960 --> 00:54:01,040 Speaker 1: in place, and just pull it tight and cinch it, 1115 00:54:01,280 --> 00:54:03,760 Speaker 1: and then you're gonna get a minimal amount of uh, 1116 00:54:03,880 --> 00:54:06,000 Speaker 1: you know, movement down the tree once you actually do 1117 00:54:06,040 --> 00:54:08,520 Speaker 1: put your weight on it. So I'd say that's probably 1118 00:54:08,560 --> 00:54:12,000 Speaker 1: my my go to for sure. Yeah. Yeah, it's pretty 1119 00:54:12,000 --> 00:54:15,399 Speaker 1: slick um. And and for anyone who's not familiar, am 1120 00:54:15,480 --> 00:54:20,800 Speaker 1: steel is just a really low, small diameter, super super 1121 00:54:20,840 --> 00:54:24,160 Speaker 1: strong rope, right basically, That's that's what it is. And 1122 00:54:24,200 --> 00:54:26,839 Speaker 1: then you you splice essentially a loop in the end. 1123 00:54:26,920 --> 00:54:30,520 Speaker 1: And then with those knots who described that, you're able 1124 00:54:30,560 --> 00:54:33,040 Speaker 1: to do that all without any daisy chains, without any buckles, 1125 00:54:33,080 --> 00:54:35,080 Speaker 1: without anything else. That's pretty that's a pretty cool way 1126 00:54:35,120 --> 00:54:38,160 Speaker 1: to do it. Yeah, And I like it a lot. 1127 00:54:38,840 --> 00:54:40,920 Speaker 1: It's you know, personal preference. Also, I know a lot 1128 00:54:40,960 --> 00:54:42,800 Speaker 1: of guys that have tried the am steel rope and 1129 00:54:42,800 --> 00:54:45,160 Speaker 1: they like a daisy chain system better, right, And there's 1130 00:54:45,200 --> 00:54:46,920 Speaker 1: some guys that like the buckle system just from the 1131 00:54:46,920 --> 00:54:48,760 Speaker 1: standpoint that you can get a little bit more momentum 1132 00:54:48,760 --> 00:54:51,000 Speaker 1: on a bigger tree to swing that thing around than 1133 00:54:51,040 --> 00:54:53,960 Speaker 1: you can with a little bit lighter rope. Yeah, So 1134 00:54:54,000 --> 00:54:56,239 Speaker 1: I switched to a daisy chain this year, and I 1135 00:54:56,280 --> 00:54:57,640 Speaker 1: like it a lot. I like it a lot more 1136 00:54:57,640 --> 00:55:00,919 Speaker 1: than my buckles, um, because like you described, it gets 1137 00:55:00,920 --> 00:55:03,600 Speaker 1: sort of that whole risk of noise. But you're right, 1138 00:55:03,880 --> 00:55:05,680 Speaker 1: it does have you. You do have a little bit 1139 00:55:05,760 --> 00:55:08,400 Speaker 1: less you know, ability to get just the right tension 1140 00:55:08,680 --> 00:55:11,560 Speaker 1: as you would with a rope system like you have. UM. 1141 00:55:11,640 --> 00:55:13,839 Speaker 1: I like it for me just because I you know, 1142 00:55:14,239 --> 00:55:18,400 Speaker 1: it's just dummy proof, and I'm a dummy, so it 1143 00:55:18,440 --> 00:55:22,040 Speaker 1: works pretty good for me. Um. Continue with ropes, though, 1144 00:55:22,280 --> 00:55:27,680 Speaker 1: what about linesman's belts or that lineman's belts? Um? Again, 1145 00:55:27,840 --> 00:55:31,600 Speaker 1: I'm using, you know, something I can buy from someone, 1146 00:55:32,000 --> 00:55:34,239 Speaker 1: because I don't like to customize things because I don't 1147 00:55:34,280 --> 00:55:36,720 Speaker 1: have confidence myself to do that. But you're it seems 1148 00:55:36,760 --> 00:55:39,120 Speaker 1: like many times making your own going as lightweight as 1149 00:55:39,120 --> 00:55:43,719 Speaker 1: you possibly can. Um. Any recommendations, whether it be for 1150 00:55:44,320 --> 00:55:46,799 Speaker 1: making your own or d I ying it, or if 1151 00:55:46,840 --> 00:55:49,160 Speaker 1: someone doesn't feel confident with that and you want to 1152 00:55:49,200 --> 00:55:51,400 Speaker 1: point them to something they can just buy off the 1153 00:55:51,400 --> 00:55:53,560 Speaker 1: shelf for a couple of pieces they can buy. What 1154 00:55:53,600 --> 00:55:56,840 Speaker 1: would you recommend as far as improving that? Because I 1155 00:55:56,880 --> 00:55:59,120 Speaker 1: can tell you back in the day when I used 1156 00:55:59,120 --> 00:56:02,520 Speaker 1: to hunt a tree stand and I used a full 1157 00:56:03,000 --> 00:56:05,960 Speaker 1: tree harness. The lines with belts they brought with the 1158 00:56:06,160 --> 00:56:08,520 Speaker 1: get in the box of those are so god awful 1159 00:56:08,640 --> 00:56:11,040 Speaker 1: and I use them for way too many years that 1160 00:56:11,360 --> 00:56:14,440 Speaker 1: finally switching to something good has been just a paradigm 1161 00:56:14,520 --> 00:56:18,000 Speaker 1: shift for me. Um help correct some other people before 1162 00:56:18,040 --> 00:56:19,920 Speaker 1: they spend years and years and years like I did 1163 00:56:19,920 --> 00:56:23,360 Speaker 1: with a piece of crab. Sure, So a couple of 1164 00:56:23,400 --> 00:56:27,799 Speaker 1: options Number one, if you're going to make your own, 1165 00:56:27,840 --> 00:56:29,759 Speaker 1: and I'll just I'll start with this because it's what 1166 00:56:29,800 --> 00:56:32,640 Speaker 1: I'm more familiar with rather than what all the particular 1167 00:56:32,640 --> 00:56:35,560 Speaker 1: options you can buy. Would be a really good option 1168 00:56:35,600 --> 00:56:39,640 Speaker 1: for Alignment's rope is the Samson Predator eleven millimeter paired 1169 00:56:39,640 --> 00:56:44,200 Speaker 1: with a Ropeman one ascender. It's really easy to use. 1170 00:56:44,440 --> 00:56:47,520 Speaker 1: You can adjust it both to add tention and remove 1171 00:56:47,600 --> 00:56:50,920 Speaker 1: tension with one hand. It's a nice, you know, a 1172 00:56:50,920 --> 00:56:52,960 Speaker 1: little bit easier to handle size. The big a little 1173 00:56:52,960 --> 00:56:56,040 Speaker 1: bigger eleven you know millimeter rope that's very similar to 1174 00:56:56,040 --> 00:56:57,560 Speaker 1: what you would already see in a lot of tree 1175 00:56:57,560 --> 00:57:02,040 Speaker 1: climbing industry applications, and it doesn't take up a whole 1176 00:57:02,040 --> 00:57:04,040 Speaker 1: ton of weight. It's gonna be again similar to maybe 1177 00:57:04,040 --> 00:57:06,000 Speaker 1: something that's off the shelf from like tethered or muddy 1178 00:57:06,080 --> 00:57:09,840 Speaker 1: or something like that. But it's a pretty good reasonable 1179 00:57:09,840 --> 00:57:12,440 Speaker 1: option and I use that for uh several years and 1180 00:57:12,440 --> 00:57:15,520 Speaker 1: didn't really have that many complaints with it. Another option 1181 00:57:15,560 --> 00:57:19,360 Speaker 1: that I've used and used more recently would be a 1182 00:57:19,440 --> 00:57:24,320 Speaker 1: smaller rope eight millimeter in size called the Sterling Poplex rope. 1183 00:57:25,120 --> 00:57:28,960 Speaker 1: And that rope, again, it's a a static rope. It's 1184 00:57:28,960 --> 00:57:32,240 Speaker 1: got a nice camouflage color to it. It has a 1185 00:57:32,320 --> 00:57:34,880 Speaker 1: nice firm sheath, so it's you're able to use it 1186 00:57:34,920 --> 00:57:38,000 Speaker 1: like a Lemon's rope very easily. For that one, I 1187 00:57:38,000 --> 00:57:40,800 Speaker 1: wouldn't use the Ropeman one just from a sizing perspective, 1188 00:57:41,000 --> 00:57:44,080 Speaker 1: but you can use other ascenders like the Ropeman two. Uh, 1189 00:57:44,160 --> 00:57:46,560 Speaker 1: there's a con duct, there's a CT rolling lock. Those 1190 00:57:46,600 --> 00:57:50,800 Speaker 1: are all mechanical ascender options. And if a guy doesn't 1191 00:57:50,800 --> 00:57:52,680 Speaker 1: want to use the mechanical as center, maybe it doesn't 1192 00:57:52,680 --> 00:57:55,919 Speaker 1: feel comfortable with it or whatnot, you can also use 1193 00:57:56,760 --> 00:58:00,520 Speaker 1: a small cord like a a bill jammie, and it's 1194 00:58:00,560 --> 00:58:03,880 Speaker 1: a little small cord that's very high tensile strength that 1195 00:58:04,200 --> 00:58:08,800 Speaker 1: is used for basically making hitches on smaller diameter ropes 1196 00:58:08,840 --> 00:58:11,360 Speaker 1: like that, and then you can use either like a 1197 00:58:11,400 --> 00:58:13,880 Speaker 1: prusi knot or there's other types of knots that you 1198 00:58:13,920 --> 00:58:17,320 Speaker 1: could use in that particular setting to slide your carabeaner 1199 00:58:17,360 --> 00:58:20,600 Speaker 1: back and forth. And then there's little pieces that you 1200 00:58:20,640 --> 00:58:23,080 Speaker 1: can add to that system that are called tenders that 1201 00:58:23,200 --> 00:58:26,280 Speaker 1: basically would take the place of your second hand. You know, normally, 1202 00:58:26,280 --> 00:58:29,160 Speaker 1: even have a prusing knot on a lineman's rope, you 1203 00:58:29,160 --> 00:58:31,280 Speaker 1: would have to grab the knot with one hand and 1204 00:58:31,280 --> 00:58:33,080 Speaker 1: pull the tag out of the rope with the other right. 1205 00:58:33,480 --> 00:58:36,240 Speaker 1: So what the tender basically does is a little a 1206 00:58:36,280 --> 00:58:39,200 Speaker 1: little mechanism that just basically when you pull on the 1207 00:58:39,240 --> 00:58:41,840 Speaker 1: tag into the rope, it grabs the back end of 1208 00:58:41,840 --> 00:58:43,800 Speaker 1: the knot for you and allows you to slide that 1209 00:58:44,560 --> 00:58:47,480 Speaker 1: with just one hand. So that's an option for guys 1210 00:58:47,480 --> 00:58:50,320 Speaker 1: who I want to go with maybe a smaller rope, 1211 00:58:50,560 --> 00:58:53,080 Speaker 1: but don't necessarily want to go with a mechanical a center, 1212 00:58:53,080 --> 00:58:55,800 Speaker 1: they have that option too, but I typically do for 1213 00:58:55,840 --> 00:58:58,360 Speaker 1: the linman's rope. Is I used that sterling oplex rope 1214 00:58:58,560 --> 00:59:01,680 Speaker 1: with a ropeman two ascender Um, you've got to be 1215 00:59:01,680 --> 00:59:03,800 Speaker 1: a little bit careful of the ropeman two, because the 1216 00:59:03,800 --> 00:59:07,400 Speaker 1: teeth do tend to to chew away at the sheath 1217 00:59:07,440 --> 00:59:09,400 Speaker 1: if you're not careful, but if you're careful, I haven't 1218 00:59:09,440 --> 00:59:11,360 Speaker 1: found it to be that much of an issue, but 1219 00:59:11,400 --> 00:59:13,880 Speaker 1: I've heard reasonably good things about the conduct and the 1220 00:59:13,920 --> 00:59:17,680 Speaker 1: CT rolling lock two for that particular application. And then 1221 00:59:17,760 --> 00:59:21,000 Speaker 1: for a tether, same same thing. You can use the 1222 00:59:21,040 --> 00:59:23,720 Speaker 1: Samson Predator rope. You can use a sterling oplex rope 1223 00:59:23,720 --> 00:59:26,280 Speaker 1: for that. I've used both of them. Um, if I 1224 00:59:26,360 --> 00:59:28,840 Speaker 1: were going to make a tree stand tether, I would 1225 00:59:28,840 --> 00:59:32,960 Speaker 1: probably go with the a little bit larger diameter Samson 1226 00:59:33,400 --> 00:59:39,160 Speaker 1: Predator rope and use a friction hitch, whereas for the saddle, 1227 00:59:39,200 --> 00:59:41,200 Speaker 1: I usually use that oplex and I usually just use 1228 00:59:41,280 --> 00:59:44,439 Speaker 1: a again, a mechanical ascender because it's just really nice 1229 00:59:44,440 --> 00:59:46,320 Speaker 1: and easy and fast to be able to adjust on 1230 00:59:46,360 --> 00:59:48,800 Speaker 1: the fly. So when you're talking about these different types 1231 00:59:48,840 --> 00:59:52,720 Speaker 1: of ropes, why are you why are you choosing one 1232 00:59:52,800 --> 00:59:56,800 Speaker 1: or the other? Um? Like, what is this simply trying 1233 00:59:56,800 --> 00:59:58,960 Speaker 1: to cut ounces, trying to be as as lightweight as 1234 00:59:59,000 --> 01:00:02,520 Speaker 1: possible for a lot of this UM versus just you know, 1235 01:00:02,800 --> 01:00:04,520 Speaker 1: taking a rope that I get when I buy the 1236 01:00:04,560 --> 01:00:07,520 Speaker 1: whole kit with my saddle or something like that. Yeah, 1237 01:00:07,560 --> 01:00:12,720 Speaker 1: So basically it's trying to reduce, reduce weight, reduce bulk, 1238 01:00:14,480 --> 01:00:18,240 Speaker 1: make it easier to use all without making too big 1239 01:00:18,240 --> 01:00:21,440 Speaker 1: of a compromise on safety. Right. So if it was 1240 01:00:21,520 --> 01:00:23,439 Speaker 1: if I was going to do something where I could 1241 01:00:23,440 --> 01:00:26,680 Speaker 1: get down to a two ounce lineman's rope, but it 1242 01:00:26,800 --> 01:00:28,720 Speaker 1: put me at a large risk safety wise, it wouldn't 1243 01:00:28,720 --> 01:00:31,840 Speaker 1: be worth it. Right. And if there's nothing wrong with 1244 01:00:31,920 --> 01:00:34,040 Speaker 1: the off the shelf stuff other than the fact that 1245 01:00:34,080 --> 01:00:36,120 Speaker 1: you know, it's just bigger rope. Even that Sampson preddtor 1246 01:00:36,160 --> 01:00:38,520 Speaker 1: is a little bit bigger rope. So when you bunch 1247 01:00:38,600 --> 01:00:40,280 Speaker 1: that thing up and put it in your you know, 1248 01:00:40,400 --> 01:00:43,680 Speaker 1: little ciss holer type bag, it's just gonna take up 1249 01:00:43,720 --> 01:00:47,400 Speaker 1: more space, and that's less space for other type things. Um, 1250 01:00:47,440 --> 01:00:50,160 Speaker 1: the weight, if you have a pretty minimal system, isn't 1251 01:00:50,600 --> 01:00:52,840 Speaker 1: a huge concern. But again, if you can make it 1252 01:00:52,920 --> 01:00:56,200 Speaker 1: lighter without compromising safety, and you can make it more pacable, 1253 01:00:56,240 --> 01:00:59,800 Speaker 1: then why not. I hear you're there, so speaking of 1254 01:01:00,400 --> 01:01:07,320 Speaker 1: um trying to find lightweight, non bulky ways to improve 1255 01:01:07,320 --> 01:01:10,080 Speaker 1: your system, we were talking sticks. I forgot to ask 1256 01:01:10,080 --> 01:01:13,040 Speaker 1: you about your aiders. Um, I know that's another thing 1257 01:01:13,120 --> 01:01:15,840 Speaker 1: that you've tried a whole bunch of different routes. I've 1258 01:01:15,880 --> 01:01:17,919 Speaker 1: been trying a couple of things here over the last year, 1259 01:01:18,520 --> 01:01:21,360 Speaker 1: tried to add that to my system. Um, walk me 1260 01:01:21,400 --> 01:01:23,439 Speaker 1: through some of the different options, I guess, first off, 1261 01:01:24,960 --> 01:01:28,360 Speaker 1: explain to folks what an aider is, and then walk 1262 01:01:28,480 --> 01:01:30,600 Speaker 1: us through some of the different options you've tried and 1263 01:01:31,080 --> 01:01:35,640 Speaker 1: what you've ultimately landed on for you. Sure, So, in 1264 01:01:35,680 --> 01:01:39,680 Speaker 1: a nutshell, an aider is an additional step that's flexible 1265 01:01:39,680 --> 01:01:42,000 Speaker 1: that you can attach to your stick so that when 1266 01:01:42,040 --> 01:01:44,560 Speaker 1: you pack your sticks up it's not taking up any 1267 01:01:44,560 --> 01:01:46,920 Speaker 1: extra length. But yeah, when you hang the stick on 1268 01:01:46,960 --> 01:01:49,600 Speaker 1: the tree, you have that extra foothold that just kind 1269 01:01:49,600 --> 01:01:52,600 Speaker 1: of dangles underneath your step so that you can have 1270 01:01:52,720 --> 01:01:54,680 Speaker 1: one additional foothold to get you a little bit higher 1271 01:01:54,680 --> 01:01:57,440 Speaker 1: per stick up the tree and typically don't add much 1272 01:01:57,480 --> 01:02:00,360 Speaker 1: weight at all depending on how you how you build them. 1273 01:02:00,440 --> 01:02:03,480 Speaker 1: So there's either options that are d I y or 1274 01:02:03,520 --> 01:02:07,560 Speaker 1: there's options that are store bought. In the rock climbing industry, 1275 01:02:07,960 --> 01:02:10,200 Speaker 1: especially for like big wall type climbing, they'll have these 1276 01:02:10,200 --> 01:02:12,200 Speaker 1: eights that guys will use to help them get up 1277 01:02:12,200 --> 01:02:14,760 Speaker 1: the up the walls, and a lot of times those 1278 01:02:14,800 --> 01:02:17,400 Speaker 1: eights will be three, four or five or even six steps. 1279 01:02:18,160 --> 01:02:20,360 Speaker 1: I've tried eighters like that. A lot of guys like them. 1280 01:02:20,880 --> 01:02:23,600 Speaker 1: For me, I find that when you get that many 1281 01:02:23,600 --> 01:02:25,440 Speaker 1: steps and you get eights that are that long, they 1282 01:02:25,560 --> 01:02:27,760 Speaker 1: tend to be a little bit more challenging for me 1283 01:02:27,800 --> 01:02:31,280 Speaker 1: to use, especially if I'm entrees that are maybe not 1284 01:02:31,400 --> 01:02:34,400 Speaker 1: straight um or maybe I'm going from one trunk to 1285 01:02:34,440 --> 01:02:36,680 Speaker 1: another on the way up, and balance becomes an issue. 1286 01:02:37,360 --> 01:02:41,440 Speaker 1: I personally like just a single step that's pretty close 1287 01:02:41,480 --> 01:02:44,600 Speaker 1: to the same length as my normal step spacing. So 1288 01:02:44,640 --> 01:02:46,440 Speaker 1: for my sticks, if I have a twenty two inch 1289 01:02:46,440 --> 01:02:50,240 Speaker 1: step spacing, I would have one eight or loop that 1290 01:02:50,560 --> 01:02:57,800 Speaker 1: is about right thereabouts for my additional loop. I find 1291 01:02:57,840 --> 01:03:00,440 Speaker 1: that early season, or if I'm practicing in the summer, 1292 01:03:00,480 --> 01:03:02,520 Speaker 1: I can add two loops that big and I can 1293 01:03:02,600 --> 01:03:06,240 Speaker 1: use it just fine. But get into November December, you 1294 01:03:06,320 --> 01:03:08,680 Speaker 1: got extra clothes on. I really feel a lot more 1295 01:03:08,680 --> 01:03:11,720 Speaker 1: secure with just having the single loop, and that's again 1296 01:03:11,920 --> 01:03:14,240 Speaker 1: a comfort level for you know, some guys are gonna 1297 01:03:14,280 --> 01:03:16,720 Speaker 1: like being able to get higher and they're you know, 1298 01:03:16,760 --> 01:03:19,480 Speaker 1: maybe a warmer climate there a little bit more athletic, 1299 01:03:19,560 --> 01:03:21,160 Speaker 1: and they don't have any issues at all with a 1300 01:03:21,240 --> 01:03:24,560 Speaker 1: multi step you know, long aid, whereas you might have 1301 01:03:24,600 --> 01:03:26,480 Speaker 1: another guy who just feels a little bit safer with 1302 01:03:26,680 --> 01:03:28,920 Speaker 1: kind of minimizing the amount of eight that he has 1303 01:03:28,920 --> 01:03:30,840 Speaker 1: on each stick, or maybe just having an eight on 1304 01:03:30,840 --> 01:03:33,680 Speaker 1: the ground level stick and then as normal as other 1305 01:03:33,720 --> 01:03:36,600 Speaker 1: sticks are eight or free as normal. That's that's the 1306 01:03:36,680 --> 01:03:39,480 Speaker 1: route I took as as kind of a beginner's step 1307 01:03:39,520 --> 01:03:41,400 Speaker 1: into using an eight. As I bought one of those 1308 01:03:41,400 --> 01:03:43,880 Speaker 1: five step eighters from the rock Climbing World and I 1309 01:03:43,920 --> 01:03:46,600 Speaker 1: attached that to my bottom stick. But now instead of 1310 01:03:46,640 --> 01:03:49,080 Speaker 1: having my bottom stick, you know, way low in the tree, 1311 01:03:49,440 --> 01:03:52,680 Speaker 1: I can stick that bottom stick at head level almost 1312 01:03:53,000 --> 01:03:54,880 Speaker 1: and then I can climb up to it with the aider. 1313 01:03:55,040 --> 01:03:58,160 Speaker 1: But God forbid if I, you know, got a little 1314 01:03:58,240 --> 01:04:01,320 Speaker 1: uncomfortable using the aid. I'm only three four ft off 1315 01:04:01,360 --> 01:04:03,960 Speaker 1: the grounds. There's no big deal, right, That was a 1316 01:04:04,040 --> 01:04:06,120 Speaker 1: nice way to try it out this year. But what 1317 01:04:06,120 --> 01:04:08,320 Speaker 1: what kind of aid are you described using that single 1318 01:04:08,360 --> 01:04:11,760 Speaker 1: loop eight er? Um? You're making that yourself, right? How 1319 01:04:11,760 --> 01:04:14,600 Speaker 1: do you do that? Yeah? I took a piece of 1320 01:04:15,480 --> 01:04:19,720 Speaker 1: three sixteen am steel and remember the steps of my 1321 01:04:19,840 --> 01:04:22,960 Speaker 1: sticker double step, and it's a fixed double step, so 1322 01:04:23,000 --> 01:04:27,360 Speaker 1: I basically spliced it into the loop on one side 1323 01:04:27,360 --> 01:04:30,920 Speaker 1: of my step, and then I spliced it into the 1324 01:04:30,960 --> 01:04:33,640 Speaker 1: other side, so I was able to use a locked 1325 01:04:33,680 --> 01:04:37,240 Speaker 1: Brummel splice on the first side, and then you can't 1326 01:04:37,240 --> 01:04:39,560 Speaker 1: do the lock Brumbel's place on the other side, which 1327 01:04:39,600 --> 01:04:41,800 Speaker 1: is just one of the two methods making a splice, 1328 01:04:42,160 --> 01:04:44,680 Speaker 1: So on the second splice I had to do basically 1329 01:04:44,720 --> 01:04:48,000 Speaker 1: just a lock stitch to hold that in place. So 1330 01:04:48,800 --> 01:04:51,680 Speaker 1: if people aren't familiar with splicing, that's probably going to 1331 01:04:51,760 --> 01:04:54,680 Speaker 1: be really hard to follow. But it basically looks like 1332 01:04:55,080 --> 01:04:57,400 Speaker 1: just a big you hanging off the bottom of the stick, 1333 01:04:57,640 --> 01:05:00,840 Speaker 1: and it's just an am steel you. So the advantage 1334 01:05:00,880 --> 01:05:04,160 Speaker 1: of that is since one side of the aid is 1335 01:05:04,200 --> 01:05:07,000 Speaker 1: attached to one side of the step and the others 1336 01:05:07,160 --> 01:05:09,440 Speaker 1: at the other side of the step, that loop is 1337 01:05:09,480 --> 01:05:12,440 Speaker 1: always open. It doesn't twist. It makes a really nice, 1338 01:05:12,520 --> 01:05:15,720 Speaker 1: big open catching point for me to be able to 1339 01:05:15,760 --> 01:05:18,120 Speaker 1: fit my boot. In some of the ads I've made 1340 01:05:18,120 --> 01:05:20,600 Speaker 1: in the past, there were multi step and sometimes I 1341 01:05:20,640 --> 01:05:22,800 Speaker 1: would just attach them to the tube of the stick 1342 01:05:22,840 --> 01:05:25,200 Speaker 1: in the center. They would tend to spin around on 1343 01:05:25,280 --> 01:05:27,040 Speaker 1: me and be a little bit more challenging to get 1344 01:05:27,120 --> 01:05:29,000 Speaker 1: my boot in, especially on the way down in the dark. 1345 01:05:29,400 --> 01:05:31,680 Speaker 1: So having having an eight or loop that stays open 1346 01:05:31,720 --> 01:05:34,120 Speaker 1: and a dozen't twist makes it a lot easier to use. 1347 01:05:34,160 --> 01:05:37,680 Speaker 1: I think, is there any fix you've found for dealing 1348 01:05:37,720 --> 01:05:41,800 Speaker 1: with that twist um without creating the you know always 1349 01:05:41,840 --> 01:05:44,360 Speaker 1: in splice like you described there, because because yes, that 1350 01:05:44,440 --> 01:05:49,280 Speaker 1: spin is something I've experienced with mine. Um, any tips 1351 01:05:49,320 --> 01:05:52,760 Speaker 1: for making that a little bit better or just figure 1352 01:05:52,760 --> 01:05:56,120 Speaker 1: out a better system. Yeah, if if you're if you're 1353 01:05:56,120 --> 01:05:58,760 Speaker 1: stuck with a type of aid system that only attaches 1354 01:05:59,000 --> 01:06:01,400 Speaker 1: on a center point of the stick, it can be challenging. 1355 01:06:02,280 --> 01:06:04,520 Speaker 1: What usually just ends up working the best for me 1356 01:06:04,560 --> 01:06:07,400 Speaker 1: in those type of scenarios, just especially if your way 1357 01:06:07,400 --> 01:06:10,200 Speaker 1: down you just take your first foot in that loop 1358 01:06:10,360 --> 01:06:13,440 Speaker 1: and just you know, you get your foot centered in 1359 01:06:13,480 --> 01:06:15,560 Speaker 1: a nice and and well and then you just bite 1360 01:06:15,600 --> 01:06:18,360 Speaker 1: your toe into the tree, and you know, the more 1361 01:06:18,440 --> 01:06:21,120 Speaker 1: firm you can make that first step, the better the 1362 01:06:21,160 --> 01:06:23,280 Speaker 1: rest of the steps beneath it will kind of follow 1363 01:06:23,360 --> 01:06:26,520 Speaker 1: that same that same line or stay in that same plane. 1364 01:06:27,280 --> 01:06:29,640 Speaker 1: Whereas if you just kind of haphazardly fit your boot 1365 01:06:29,680 --> 01:06:31,840 Speaker 1: in and kind of let your foot, you know, just 1366 01:06:32,320 --> 01:06:34,880 Speaker 1: spin and and angle up against the tree. Then the 1367 01:06:34,920 --> 01:06:36,720 Speaker 1: rest of the steps you're just gonna kind of do whatever. 1368 01:06:38,520 --> 01:06:42,120 Speaker 1: I've I've seen, well, I've heard people talk about and 1369 01:06:42,160 --> 01:06:48,360 Speaker 1: I've seen you experiment with climbing methods involving only one 1370 01:06:48,440 --> 01:06:54,080 Speaker 1: stick or no sticks. Um, can you describe is that 1371 01:06:54,120 --> 01:06:57,000 Speaker 1: even tenable for the average person or is that pretty crazy? 1372 01:06:57,040 --> 01:07:00,200 Speaker 1: It seems pretty crazy? Um, But what's your experien has 1373 01:07:00,240 --> 01:07:03,960 Speaker 1: been with kind of experimenting with that? So, yes, and no, 1374 01:07:04,920 --> 01:07:08,160 Speaker 1: I experimented a bit a couple of years ago with 1375 01:07:08,200 --> 01:07:10,360 Speaker 1: both the what they call the one stick method or 1376 01:07:10,400 --> 01:07:13,360 Speaker 1: single sticking as well as you know what you alluded 1377 01:07:13,400 --> 01:07:15,919 Speaker 1: to with like, hey, if you can use a single stick, 1378 01:07:15,960 --> 01:07:17,960 Speaker 1: why not just take an aid or and move it 1379 01:07:18,000 --> 01:07:20,480 Speaker 1: up the tree as you go. Basically, what both of 1380 01:07:20,480 --> 01:07:24,400 Speaker 1: those systems and tail is you basically hang from a 1381 01:07:24,440 --> 01:07:27,480 Speaker 1: tether and you take one stick and you move it 1382 01:07:27,560 --> 01:07:30,040 Speaker 1: up and attached to the tree. Then you climb into 1383 01:07:30,080 --> 01:07:32,640 Speaker 1: that stick or climb up onto it. You slide your 1384 01:07:32,640 --> 01:07:34,920 Speaker 1: tether up and then you hang again, and then you 1385 01:07:34,960 --> 01:07:37,200 Speaker 1: detach the stick, move it up, and you just repeat 1386 01:07:37,240 --> 01:07:41,040 Speaker 1: that process until you're up at hunting height and when 1387 01:07:41,080 --> 01:07:43,120 Speaker 1: you would want to go back down, you would repeat 1388 01:07:43,120 --> 01:07:46,400 Speaker 1: that same process in reverse. So even if it wasn't 1389 01:07:46,440 --> 01:07:48,040 Speaker 1: that big of a pain in the butt to get 1390 01:07:48,160 --> 01:07:51,480 Speaker 1: up into the tree, it took forever to get down. 1391 01:07:51,560 --> 01:07:53,320 Speaker 1: That was one of the reasons why I didn't really 1392 01:07:53,400 --> 01:07:56,960 Speaker 1: use it all that much. Uh. But there is another 1393 01:07:57,040 --> 01:07:59,360 Speaker 1: option that you can do for getting down the tree 1394 01:08:00,000 --> 01:08:03,040 Speaker 1: should be to repel. So if you if you have 1395 01:08:03,560 --> 01:08:05,800 Speaker 1: a forty ft, if you have a forty piece of rope, 1396 01:08:06,000 --> 01:08:09,840 Speaker 1: and you have your repelling equipment, which you know, this 1397 01:08:09,920 --> 01:08:13,320 Speaker 1: is all pretty standard stuff within other industries, you know, 1398 01:08:13,360 --> 01:08:16,640 Speaker 1: like candy neering and rescuing and things like that, you 1399 01:08:16,680 --> 01:08:19,160 Speaker 1: can basically do whatever method you want to get up 1400 01:08:19,200 --> 01:08:21,080 Speaker 1: the tree. And even if that method is a pain 1401 01:08:21,120 --> 01:08:22,719 Speaker 1: in the pot to get down, it doesn't matter because 1402 01:08:22,760 --> 01:08:24,200 Speaker 1: you can just drop it right out of the tree, 1403 01:08:24,640 --> 01:08:26,920 Speaker 1: and you can you know, lean back and just repel 1404 01:08:27,080 --> 01:08:31,040 Speaker 1: right down and then retrieve your fort rope, throw it 1405 01:08:31,040 --> 01:08:33,960 Speaker 1: back in your harness pouch, and be on your way 1406 01:08:33,960 --> 01:08:36,800 Speaker 1: back to the truck. So that's actually a method that 1407 01:08:37,280 --> 01:08:40,160 Speaker 1: I've been playing around with a lot more recently because 1408 01:08:40,160 --> 01:08:42,439 Speaker 1: of repelling to me, is something new I haven't really 1409 01:08:42,439 --> 01:08:44,320 Speaker 1: played around with it until the last couple of months, 1410 01:08:44,960 --> 01:08:47,960 Speaker 1: but I actually I really like it, so I'll probably 1411 01:08:49,120 --> 01:08:51,000 Speaker 1: for at least most of my sets are at least 1412 01:08:51,000 --> 01:08:53,960 Speaker 1: a large majority of them. I'll try and play around 1413 01:08:53,960 --> 01:08:57,240 Speaker 1: a lot more with that single stick and repel. You know, 1414 01:08:57,240 --> 01:09:00,800 Speaker 1: there really the only advantage that I get is, you know, 1415 01:09:00,840 --> 01:09:03,559 Speaker 1: packing weight and bulk, right, If I have three sticks, 1416 01:09:03,600 --> 01:09:06,160 Speaker 1: I'm usually packing those things onto the back of my 1417 01:09:06,240 --> 01:09:08,439 Speaker 1: pack and then I'm carrying my bow. But with a 1418 01:09:08,479 --> 01:09:11,400 Speaker 1: single stick, I can throw that thing on the bottom 1419 01:09:11,400 --> 01:09:13,680 Speaker 1: of the pack, put my bow on the outside, and 1420 01:09:13,680 --> 01:09:15,839 Speaker 1: then I have two free hands to help with balance 1421 01:09:15,880 --> 01:09:18,439 Speaker 1: and whatnot as I'm going through like a march or something. 1422 01:09:19,120 --> 01:09:22,040 Speaker 1: So there's some advantages. They're just like with multiple sticks, 1423 01:09:22,040 --> 01:09:25,040 Speaker 1: I can get into basically any tree with that method. 1424 01:09:25,640 --> 01:09:27,880 Speaker 1: And then if I need to get down quick Let's 1425 01:09:27,880 --> 01:09:29,720 Speaker 1: say I spying a deer and it's rolling around in 1426 01:09:29,720 --> 01:09:31,120 Speaker 1: the grass and you know I need to be able 1427 01:09:31,120 --> 01:09:32,639 Speaker 1: to get onto the ground to get a second arrow 1428 01:09:32,640 --> 01:09:35,200 Speaker 1: in them, or if I need to basically get down 1429 01:09:35,280 --> 01:09:38,400 Speaker 1: and move to a different tree based on movement, being 1430 01:09:38,400 --> 01:09:41,720 Speaker 1: able to repel down is a lot quicker, and it 1431 01:09:41,720 --> 01:09:45,639 Speaker 1: makes you feel safe because you're always attached to the tree. UM. 1432 01:09:45,680 --> 01:09:48,320 Speaker 1: So there's there's definitely some advantages there. It takes a 1433 01:09:48,360 --> 01:09:50,800 Speaker 1: little bit of getting used to. I've learned that with 1434 01:09:50,960 --> 01:09:53,960 Speaker 1: the single stick, there's some things about it that make 1435 01:09:54,000 --> 01:09:56,160 Speaker 1: it a little bit easier to use. One would be 1436 01:09:56,400 --> 01:09:58,200 Speaker 1: the specific type of eight or that you would use 1437 01:09:58,240 --> 01:10:01,880 Speaker 1: with it. The other would just be specifics about the stick. Right, 1438 01:10:01,960 --> 01:10:04,400 Speaker 1: A stick that is very solid, doesn't have a lot 1439 01:10:04,439 --> 01:10:07,040 Speaker 1: of flex, bites into the bark really well, tends to 1440 01:10:07,040 --> 01:10:11,400 Speaker 1: work better than some other sticks. So like anything, there's 1441 01:10:11,439 --> 01:10:14,200 Speaker 1: there's fine tuning and tweaking. UM. But for a guy 1442 01:10:14,240 --> 01:10:15,600 Speaker 1: who figures it out and makes it a part of 1443 01:10:15,640 --> 01:10:17,080 Speaker 1: a system and gets used to it, I think there's 1444 01:10:17,080 --> 01:10:20,679 Speaker 1: definitely some advantages with that type of a system for sure. Yeah. 1445 01:10:21,280 --> 01:10:25,680 Speaker 1: So so tell me about how you think about safety 1446 01:10:25,720 --> 01:10:27,680 Speaker 1: with all of this, because as we talk about all 1447 01:10:27,680 --> 01:10:30,479 Speaker 1: these different clouding methods and all these different elevated hunting 1448 01:10:30,560 --> 01:10:35,120 Speaker 1: styles UM and modifying things, safety is a big issue. 1449 01:10:35,240 --> 01:10:37,840 Speaker 1: I'm sure it's on your mind as you're making these decisions. 1450 01:10:37,880 --> 01:10:40,080 Speaker 1: I know that for anyone that's listening or for myself, 1451 01:10:40,160 --> 01:10:43,040 Speaker 1: we obviously have to be very very very careful about 1452 01:10:43,040 --> 01:10:46,040 Speaker 1: everything we do. Um, because you are taking your life 1453 01:10:46,040 --> 01:10:48,880 Speaker 1: into your own hands and you go into an elevated position. Um, 1454 01:10:49,080 --> 01:10:51,040 Speaker 1: you everybody should know that. It's it's one of those 1455 01:10:51,040 --> 01:10:55,640 Speaker 1: things that you are tackling a innately risky type of 1456 01:10:55,800 --> 01:11:00,200 Speaker 1: scenario that you just had to be incredibly careful with. Um. 1457 01:11:00,400 --> 01:11:04,200 Speaker 1: Especially since I became a father, I have just kind 1458 01:11:04,240 --> 01:11:07,439 Speaker 1: of worrywarded more and more every time I get up 1459 01:11:07,439 --> 01:11:09,120 Speaker 1: into a tree, just trying to make sure I'm doing 1460 01:11:09,160 --> 01:11:13,599 Speaker 1: everything exactly right, taking my time, being very thoughtful about 1461 01:11:13,600 --> 01:11:16,800 Speaker 1: every step I take, every time I'm getting on and off, 1462 01:11:16,800 --> 01:11:19,719 Speaker 1: for every time I'm shifting my handholds or anything, always 1463 01:11:19,760 --> 01:11:23,600 Speaker 1: making sure I'm attached. Um, just I can't afford to 1464 01:11:23,640 --> 01:11:28,040 Speaker 1: make a mistake. How do you go about thinking about 1465 01:11:28,040 --> 01:11:30,920 Speaker 1: that yourself? And I'm sure you get a million questions 1466 01:11:30,920 --> 01:11:34,040 Speaker 1: from people, people watching your videos, people hearing about how 1467 01:11:34,040 --> 01:11:36,639 Speaker 1: you're modifying things, are trying these things. How do you 1468 01:11:36,720 --> 01:11:39,640 Speaker 1: handle the safety topic with those that are listening to 1469 01:11:39,680 --> 01:11:43,800 Speaker 1: the things you're doing. Yeah, and it's especially important for 1470 01:11:43,840 --> 01:11:46,400 Speaker 1: me too, because if I make a video on something 1471 01:11:46,640 --> 01:11:49,479 Speaker 1: and somebody tries to replicate, and maybe they do something 1472 01:11:49,479 --> 01:11:52,200 Speaker 1: a little bit different right, or maybe they're a much 1473 01:11:52,200 --> 01:11:53,960 Speaker 1: bigger guy than I am. But they can all have 1474 01:11:54,080 --> 01:11:58,519 Speaker 1: implications for sure. So typically what I what I look 1475 01:11:58,560 --> 01:12:01,000 Speaker 1: at it as I look through the ends of number one. 1476 01:12:01,640 --> 01:12:04,880 Speaker 1: Are there similar industries that are already using these type 1477 01:12:04,880 --> 01:12:08,560 Speaker 1: of items? How are they using them? What are the regulations, 1478 01:12:08,600 --> 01:12:12,639 Speaker 1: what are the standard operating procedures, and why are those 1479 01:12:13,000 --> 01:12:16,200 Speaker 1: the way they are. If there's already something within the 1480 01:12:16,800 --> 01:12:20,240 Speaker 1: you know, the candoneering industry or rock climbing industry or 1481 01:12:20,280 --> 01:12:24,679 Speaker 1: the arborist industry that standard, there's probably a good reason 1482 01:12:24,720 --> 01:12:27,080 Speaker 1: for it. If I am going to deviate from something 1483 01:12:27,080 --> 01:12:28,919 Speaker 1: like that, I better have a good reason or understand 1484 01:12:28,960 --> 01:12:31,879 Speaker 1: why it is the way it is in that industry 1485 01:12:31,880 --> 01:12:33,559 Speaker 1: and why it might be different for what I'm trying 1486 01:12:33,560 --> 01:12:36,960 Speaker 1: to do. UM. The other thing is I will always 1487 01:12:37,000 --> 01:12:42,400 Speaker 1: look at things like the specifications of whatever materials I'm 1488 01:12:42,439 --> 01:12:45,960 Speaker 1: gonna potentially be using. I'll look at test data UM. 1489 01:12:46,000 --> 01:12:48,400 Speaker 1: And this I think helps a little bit. I come 1490 01:12:48,439 --> 01:12:52,680 Speaker 1: from an engineering background, so I'm always looking at tensile strengths. UM. 1491 01:12:52,800 --> 01:12:56,800 Speaker 1: I'm looking at how different things made together, am I 1492 01:12:56,960 --> 01:12:59,759 Speaker 1: you know, introducing any risk by using something in conjunction 1493 01:12:59,800 --> 01:13:04,680 Speaker 1: with something else. And the other thing that we have, 1494 01:13:05,000 --> 01:13:07,960 Speaker 1: like even in our industry at work, you know, one 1495 01:13:07,960 --> 01:13:09,960 Speaker 1: thing we'll have is we'll call we'll have something called 1496 01:13:09,960 --> 01:13:11,920 Speaker 1: the failure Modes and Effects analysis that we'll do when 1497 01:13:11,920 --> 01:13:15,080 Speaker 1: we're designing something in product development, and it basically is 1498 01:13:15,080 --> 01:13:18,120 Speaker 1: a list of every single possible thing that could go wrong, 1499 01:13:18,680 --> 01:13:21,479 Speaker 1: and then tie it into that is what is the 1500 01:13:21,520 --> 01:13:26,200 Speaker 1: severity of you know, this thing happening, and then also 1501 01:13:26,280 --> 01:13:28,919 Speaker 1: what is the likelihood or the you know, the occurrence 1502 01:13:28,920 --> 01:13:32,840 Speaker 1: of this potentially happening. So if there's something that is 1503 01:13:33,920 --> 01:13:37,559 Speaker 1: really likely to happen, even if it's you know, something 1504 01:13:37,600 --> 01:13:40,040 Speaker 1: that is maybe not that big of a deal, right 1505 01:13:40,080 --> 01:13:42,960 Speaker 1: Like let's say, for example, you using your aid or 1506 01:13:43,400 --> 01:13:46,360 Speaker 1: just on your first on your first stick, right, you 1507 01:13:46,520 --> 01:13:49,000 Speaker 1: falling from five ft might not be that big of 1508 01:13:49,000 --> 01:13:50,400 Speaker 1: a deal. You might roll your ankle or you might 1509 01:13:50,400 --> 01:13:53,240 Speaker 1: do something like that, but right that's that's something that 1510 01:13:53,479 --> 01:13:57,000 Speaker 1: is a decision you can make. Conversely, if there's something 1511 01:13:57,040 --> 01:13:59,920 Speaker 1: that's very unlikely to happen, but there's severity of it, 1512 01:14:00,479 --> 01:14:03,000 Speaker 1: you know, if it does happen is really really severe, 1513 01:14:03,200 --> 01:14:05,720 Speaker 1: you know, like death, then that's also something where you 1514 01:14:05,720 --> 01:14:07,559 Speaker 1: gotta take a step back and say, maybe this isn't 1515 01:14:07,600 --> 01:14:10,479 Speaker 1: you know, worth it. So you've got to look at 1516 01:14:10,479 --> 01:14:13,599 Speaker 1: it from the lens of number one, have we reduced 1517 01:14:13,600 --> 01:14:16,360 Speaker 1: the likelihood of any bad thing happening? And also number 1518 01:14:16,360 --> 01:14:21,040 Speaker 1: two is the severity of it, you know, under control. Um. 1519 01:14:21,080 --> 01:14:23,679 Speaker 1: And that's not the decision that anybody can take lightly, 1520 01:14:23,920 --> 01:14:25,960 Speaker 1: And it's not a decision that you should just you know, 1521 01:14:26,240 --> 01:14:28,559 Speaker 1: look on YouTube or a forum or something and just 1522 01:14:28,840 --> 01:14:31,839 Speaker 1: assume that whatever somebody says is right. Um. And ultimately, 1523 01:14:31,880 --> 01:14:34,280 Speaker 1: if you don't feel comfortable, if you have questions about something, 1524 01:14:34,640 --> 01:14:36,280 Speaker 1: you shouldn't do it and just do what's you know 1525 01:14:36,320 --> 01:14:40,519 Speaker 1: kind of already been established for sure. Yeah, um, yeah, 1526 01:14:40,520 --> 01:14:45,080 Speaker 1: that's that's that's important stuff. And then obviously keeping the 1527 01:14:45,160 --> 01:14:48,599 Speaker 1: common sense things in minds, such as just making sure 1528 01:14:48,600 --> 01:14:51,439 Speaker 1: you're attached to the tree at all times, making sure 1529 01:14:51,520 --> 01:14:54,880 Speaker 1: that you are, Yeah, you just used common sense and 1530 01:14:54,920 --> 01:14:57,960 Speaker 1: take your time, don't rush things. It's one of the 1531 01:14:57,960 --> 01:15:01,519 Speaker 1: things that I'm that I purs only battle with because 1532 01:15:01,600 --> 01:15:04,360 Speaker 1: I love the idea of being able to get up 1533 01:15:04,360 --> 01:15:06,760 Speaker 1: in the tree fast and having a great system in 1534 01:15:06,800 --> 01:15:09,559 Speaker 1: place and being quiet and efficient and bam them up 1535 01:15:09,560 --> 01:15:12,559 Speaker 1: there and I'm hunting. That's kind of like the dream scenario. 1536 01:15:12,640 --> 01:15:17,080 Speaker 1: You want to be that quiet, efficient predator. But if 1537 01:15:17,120 --> 01:15:19,639 Speaker 1: you find yourself rushing and you're just I just want 1538 01:15:19,640 --> 01:15:21,080 Speaker 1: to get up fast. I want to get it fast. 1539 01:15:21,720 --> 01:15:24,560 Speaker 1: Um that's when I think I find myself making a 1540 01:15:24,600 --> 01:15:28,040 Speaker 1: little sloppy mistake or foot slips or you know, you 1541 01:15:28,080 --> 01:15:33,200 Speaker 1: introduce this possibility of of added risk. So I try 1542 01:15:33,200 --> 01:15:37,320 Speaker 1: to remind myself that smooth isn't I think it's smooth 1543 01:15:37,360 --> 01:15:40,160 Speaker 1: as fast or slow as fast and fast no smooth. 1544 01:15:40,560 --> 01:15:42,160 Speaker 1: I always get this wrong when I try to say 1545 01:15:42,200 --> 01:15:46,400 Speaker 1: it smooth is no slow as smooth and smooth as fast? 1546 01:15:46,479 --> 01:15:50,000 Speaker 1: Is that right, Garett? You know what I know? Yeah, 1547 01:15:50,040 --> 01:15:52,080 Speaker 1: I know the saying that you're going for, and if 1548 01:15:52,120 --> 01:15:54,640 Speaker 1: I try to remember it all screw it up. It's 1549 01:15:54,680 --> 01:15:58,360 Speaker 1: basically it's trying to be smooth and take it slow, 1550 01:15:58,479 --> 01:16:01,160 Speaker 1: and when you do that, you end up going faster 1551 01:16:01,439 --> 01:16:03,840 Speaker 1: than like trying to rush it and getting all hurkey 1552 01:16:03,920 --> 01:16:06,679 Speaker 1: jerky and stumbling on what you're trying to do. Um. 1553 01:16:06,920 --> 01:16:09,400 Speaker 1: So that's what I tried to keep reminding myself when 1554 01:16:09,439 --> 01:16:11,920 Speaker 1: I'm trying to get up in the tree, is just 1555 01:16:12,000 --> 01:16:14,320 Speaker 1: take one step of time and as as you go 1556 01:16:14,400 --> 01:16:17,439 Speaker 1: smoothly through it, it happens in a much more efficient manner. 1557 01:16:17,439 --> 01:16:19,680 Speaker 1: And I think one way to do that though, is 1558 01:16:20,040 --> 01:16:23,280 Speaker 1: to practice it and to have like a plan in place. 1559 01:16:23,680 --> 01:16:26,200 Speaker 1: So when I first started trying to be a mobile hunter, like, 1560 01:16:26,240 --> 01:16:29,320 Speaker 1: I got my sticks, I got my horrible tree stand, 1561 01:16:29,680 --> 01:16:31,800 Speaker 1: and then I just went out hunting one day with it, 1562 01:16:31,960 --> 01:16:34,519 Speaker 1: and I never practiced with it before, and it must 1563 01:16:34,520 --> 01:16:36,360 Speaker 1: have taken me like forty five minutes get up in 1564 01:16:36,360 --> 01:16:40,120 Speaker 1: the tree. I rattled and I clanked buckles, and you know, 1565 01:16:40,360 --> 01:16:42,400 Speaker 1: I got up in there, and then I realized, how crap, 1566 01:16:42,439 --> 01:16:44,040 Speaker 1: I gotta go down there and get my backpack and 1567 01:16:44,080 --> 01:16:47,120 Speaker 1: get my bow. I'd forgotten entire things and just a mess. 1568 01:16:47,640 --> 01:16:49,960 Speaker 1: And year after year after year after year after year, 1569 01:16:49,960 --> 01:16:52,080 Speaker 1: I've gotten a little bit better every year and fine 1570 01:16:52,080 --> 01:16:54,639 Speaker 1: tuned my system a little bit to the point where 1571 01:16:54,720 --> 01:17:00,200 Speaker 1: now I've got a much better system in place and out. 1572 01:17:00,240 --> 01:17:02,519 Speaker 1: I'm just continuing to modify and trying to make it quieter, 1573 01:17:02,640 --> 01:17:05,439 Speaker 1: trying to make it smoother. Um, but telling about what 1574 01:17:05,520 --> 01:17:08,640 Speaker 1: your process is, how do you or what things do 1575 01:17:08,640 --> 01:17:11,519 Speaker 1: you try to do to make that process as smooth 1576 01:17:11,920 --> 01:17:14,760 Speaker 1: or as efficient or as quiet as possible, Because I'm 1577 01:17:14,760 --> 01:17:18,200 Speaker 1: sure those things are important to you too. Yeah, So 1578 01:17:18,320 --> 01:17:20,439 Speaker 1: I have a couple of trees in my backyard, and 1579 01:17:20,680 --> 01:17:23,519 Speaker 1: they're not necessarily the easiest trees to climb either, you know, 1580 01:17:23,560 --> 01:17:27,240 Speaker 1: aspins with lots of limbs and things like that. And 1581 01:17:27,280 --> 01:17:30,120 Speaker 1: when I'm trying all these different climbing methods, or even 1582 01:17:30,160 --> 01:17:32,599 Speaker 1: if it's something that I'm familiar with, I always tinker 1583 01:17:32,600 --> 01:17:33,920 Speaker 1: and I go on in the backyard and I try 1584 01:17:33,920 --> 01:17:37,680 Speaker 1: climbing with it. And just from a consequence of how 1585 01:17:37,720 --> 01:17:40,280 Speaker 1: often I'm back there trying one thing or another, I 1586 01:17:40,360 --> 01:17:44,000 Speaker 1: become really comfortable with my equipment and to become much 1587 01:17:44,000 --> 01:17:46,040 Speaker 1: more efficient. Being able to use them all becomes kind 1588 01:17:46,040 --> 01:17:49,479 Speaker 1: of second nature, And so I think that's definitely something 1589 01:17:49,520 --> 01:17:52,840 Speaker 1: that's helpful versus a guy that you know, breaks the 1590 01:17:52,880 --> 01:17:54,840 Speaker 1: stuff out a week before the season and just throws 1591 01:17:54,840 --> 01:17:56,400 Speaker 1: in the truck and gets ready to hit the woods. 1592 01:17:56,840 --> 01:17:59,800 Speaker 1: The other thing that I'll do fairly often, especially this 1593 01:17:59,840 --> 01:18:01,960 Speaker 1: time here, because the leaves are down then I don't 1594 01:18:02,000 --> 01:18:04,800 Speaker 1: want to get that awkward feeling of the neighbors watching 1595 01:18:04,840 --> 01:18:06,120 Speaker 1: is I'll just go out and climb the trees in 1596 01:18:06,160 --> 01:18:10,120 Speaker 1: the dark, and usually there's enough moonlight or a street light, 1597 01:18:10,200 --> 01:18:12,280 Speaker 1: you know, ambiance that I can see what I'm doing 1598 01:18:12,320 --> 01:18:14,559 Speaker 1: even without a headlamp, and just having that a little 1599 01:18:14,560 --> 01:18:17,360 Speaker 1: bit lower level of visibility helps me get again much 1600 01:18:17,400 --> 01:18:21,680 Speaker 1: more familiar with my equipment. That's smart. I like that 1601 01:18:21,720 --> 01:18:25,280 Speaker 1: because that's a scenario that at least I find myself 1602 01:18:25,320 --> 01:18:28,160 Speaker 1: in more and more often, wanting to go and do 1603 01:18:28,200 --> 01:18:31,040 Speaker 1: a running gun set in the morning and you're doing 1604 01:18:31,080 --> 01:18:32,800 Speaker 1: it an hour and a half or two hours before 1605 01:18:32,840 --> 01:18:35,719 Speaker 1: daylight or whatever it is. And when I first started 1606 01:18:35,720 --> 01:18:37,880 Speaker 1: trying to do that, that was just kind of a 1607 01:18:37,920 --> 01:18:40,400 Speaker 1: disastrous scenario. I didn't feel comfortable doing it. But I've 1608 01:18:40,640 --> 01:18:42,920 Speaker 1: done it so many times that you just you can 1609 01:18:42,960 --> 01:18:45,640 Speaker 1: do it with a head lamp, But practicing it the 1610 01:18:45,640 --> 01:18:48,439 Speaker 1: way you're talking about is it's smart, especially if you're 1611 01:18:48,479 --> 01:18:54,320 Speaker 1: just getting started. Um let's okay, let's take the next step. 1612 01:18:54,360 --> 01:18:56,439 Speaker 1: Then we we start on the ground. We've talked about 1613 01:18:56,439 --> 01:18:59,000 Speaker 1: our ropes, We've talked about our climbing method, We've talked 1614 01:18:59,040 --> 01:19:00,920 Speaker 1: about the process of getting out there, and I guess 1615 01:19:00,920 --> 01:19:04,960 Speaker 1: one other thing, Um yeah, let's keep on climbing the tree. 1616 01:19:05,520 --> 01:19:10,040 Speaker 1: Your process of you know, getting your pack or your 1617 01:19:10,080 --> 01:19:12,599 Speaker 1: bow or anything like that, do you do you have 1618 01:19:12,640 --> 01:19:14,880 Speaker 1: everything on your back when you climb up into the tree, 1619 01:19:15,000 --> 01:19:17,240 Speaker 1: or do you have your bow and your pack on 1620 01:19:17,280 --> 01:19:19,240 Speaker 1: the ground and you pull them up with ropes? Or 1621 01:19:20,160 --> 01:19:22,280 Speaker 1: what about your sticks when you're going up with Do 1622 01:19:22,320 --> 01:19:24,559 Speaker 1: you have all your sticks in your backpack and then 1623 01:19:24,600 --> 01:19:27,120 Speaker 1: you pull them off as you start going? Or how 1624 01:19:27,160 --> 01:19:30,840 Speaker 1: do you connect all these things to you as you send? Yeah, 1625 01:19:30,880 --> 01:19:33,479 Speaker 1: so if I were using the one stick method, I 1626 01:19:33,520 --> 01:19:36,719 Speaker 1: probably would have my bow on my pack. But typically 1627 01:19:36,760 --> 01:19:38,360 Speaker 1: what I would do, and I'll explain this for you know, 1628 01:19:38,960 --> 01:19:42,000 Speaker 1: the three slash four sticks set up, because that's most 1629 01:19:42,040 --> 01:19:43,840 Speaker 1: often what I would do and probably what is more 1630 01:19:43,880 --> 01:19:46,720 Speaker 1: common for a lot of the listeners. So I get 1631 01:19:46,760 --> 01:19:49,320 Speaker 1: to the tree, I take the sticks off the pack, 1632 01:19:49,520 --> 01:19:51,040 Speaker 1: lay them all on the ground, same thing on my 1633 01:19:51,080 --> 01:19:54,240 Speaker 1: saddle platform, and I lay the bow down and then 1634 01:19:54,560 --> 01:19:57,840 Speaker 1: on my pack. I have a retractable pull up rope 1635 01:19:58,200 --> 01:20:01,080 Speaker 1: a Doyle's gear hoist that will often use, and I'll 1636 01:20:01,120 --> 01:20:02,439 Speaker 1: just connect that to the boat and I'll put the 1637 01:20:02,439 --> 01:20:06,840 Speaker 1: pack back on my back. Then I'll take the saddle platform. 1638 01:20:06,960 --> 01:20:08,559 Speaker 1: I'll hang it on a loop on the back of 1639 01:20:08,600 --> 01:20:10,880 Speaker 1: my saddle so it's right in the middle of by 1640 01:20:11,040 --> 01:20:13,760 Speaker 1: my behind, and then I'll take the sticks I'll take 1641 01:20:13,800 --> 01:20:16,200 Speaker 1: one of them, stick it right on the tree. Then 1642 01:20:16,200 --> 01:20:18,439 Speaker 1: I'll take sticks two and three and I'll hang them 1643 01:20:18,439 --> 01:20:21,080 Speaker 1: on the sides of my harness at my hips. And 1644 01:20:21,080 --> 01:20:23,719 Speaker 1: then i'll take that last stick, if it's a fourth stick, 1645 01:20:23,800 --> 01:20:26,599 Speaker 1: hunt and I'll climb up onto the first stick, attach 1646 01:20:26,680 --> 01:20:29,559 Speaker 1: the lineman's rope, and put that second stick on. So 1647 01:20:29,600 --> 01:20:32,160 Speaker 1: then at that point I have two sticks on the tree, 1648 01:20:32,520 --> 01:20:37,120 Speaker 1: I have my pack, my saddle platform, and sticks three 1649 01:20:37,120 --> 01:20:39,080 Speaker 1: and four all ready to go, So I just continue 1650 01:20:39,080 --> 01:20:41,240 Speaker 1: climbing with that lyman's rope. I'll take one of the 1651 01:20:41,280 --> 01:20:44,120 Speaker 1: sticks off one hip, stick it on the tree, keep climbing, 1652 01:20:44,360 --> 01:20:48,000 Speaker 1: take that fourth stick off, attach it, keep climbing, and 1653 01:20:48,040 --> 01:20:50,639 Speaker 1: then once I get up to hunting height, essentially, I'll 1654 01:20:50,640 --> 01:20:53,200 Speaker 1: take the saddle platform off the back of the saddle 1655 01:20:53,640 --> 01:20:56,599 Speaker 1: and I'll stick it onto the tree, climb up onto it, 1656 01:20:57,200 --> 01:20:59,280 Speaker 1: hanging the tether first, then climb up onto the platform 1657 01:20:59,800 --> 01:21:04,640 Speaker 1: and take out a little utility strap from one of 1658 01:21:04,640 --> 01:21:08,000 Speaker 1: my saddle pouches. That utility strap has two hooks on it, 1659 01:21:08,080 --> 01:21:10,040 Speaker 1: one for the bow, one for the pack. So once 1660 01:21:10,080 --> 01:21:12,240 Speaker 1: that's on the tree, I'll take the pack off my back, 1661 01:21:12,760 --> 01:21:15,519 Speaker 1: hanging on one of those hooks. Then I'll go and 1662 01:21:16,040 --> 01:21:18,080 Speaker 1: pull the bow right up and hanging on the other hook, 1663 01:21:18,720 --> 01:21:21,960 Speaker 1: and assuming I wasn't filming, that would be it. From 1664 01:21:22,000 --> 01:21:24,479 Speaker 1: that point I would be essentially ready to hunt, and 1665 01:21:24,520 --> 01:21:26,720 Speaker 1: getting back down to the ground would be the same 1666 01:21:26,720 --> 01:21:30,400 Speaker 1: thing in reverse. How do you attach sticks three and 1667 01:21:30,479 --> 01:21:33,439 Speaker 1: four to your saddle? What are you using to connect it? 1668 01:21:34,800 --> 01:21:38,320 Speaker 1: So there's little plastic clips that you can that you 1669 01:21:38,360 --> 01:21:42,479 Speaker 1: can buy um Eastern Woods Outdoors sells these little kiatax things. 1670 01:21:42,680 --> 01:21:46,959 Speaker 1: I've also taken like the little the little like snaps, 1671 01:21:47,040 --> 01:21:48,920 Speaker 1: little plastic snaps that you can have for like key 1672 01:21:49,000 --> 01:21:51,120 Speaker 1: chain holders and things like that, and I just kind 1673 01:21:51,120 --> 01:21:53,519 Speaker 1: of break them in half and kind of use zip 1674 01:21:53,520 --> 01:21:57,080 Speaker 1: ties to hold them onto the saddle mesh and basically 1675 01:21:57,120 --> 01:21:58,960 Speaker 1: just give me a little bit of a hook on 1676 01:21:59,040 --> 01:22:02,200 Speaker 1: that saddle. And then what I can do on my 1677 01:22:02,320 --> 01:22:04,360 Speaker 1: sticks and my saddle platforms that take a little piece 1678 01:22:04,360 --> 01:22:08,280 Speaker 1: of pair of cord or uh tent guideline or something 1679 01:22:08,360 --> 01:22:11,200 Speaker 1: like that, and I will just tie a loop maybe 1680 01:22:11,880 --> 01:22:14,360 Speaker 1: two inches in diameter, so two three inches in diameter 1681 01:22:15,200 --> 01:22:18,320 Speaker 1: onto the top of the sticks in the platform. So 1682 01:22:18,400 --> 01:22:20,200 Speaker 1: I'm able to just basically take those and hang them 1683 01:22:20,200 --> 01:22:23,760 Speaker 1: on those little hooks on the saddle. Nice. So your 1684 01:22:24,040 --> 01:22:28,120 Speaker 1: your your platform? Um, now that you use the saddle, 1685 01:22:28,680 --> 01:22:33,400 Speaker 1: that's kind of replaced a tree stand platform of course 1686 01:22:33,439 --> 01:22:36,000 Speaker 1: in most cases. Um, but I know you used to 1687 01:22:36,400 --> 01:22:39,840 Speaker 1: do some different modifications to tree stands and a lot 1688 01:22:39,920 --> 01:22:42,840 Speaker 1: of people still do that. UM. I'm curious do you 1689 01:22:42,880 --> 01:22:45,559 Speaker 1: do you make any mods to your platform similar to 1690 01:22:45,600 --> 01:22:47,840 Speaker 1: what you do with the tree stand? Um? Or you're 1691 01:22:47,920 --> 01:22:50,719 Speaker 1: using a platform or have you ever tinkered with making 1692 01:22:50,720 --> 01:22:52,960 Speaker 1: your own? I know some guys have made their own platforms. 1693 01:22:53,000 --> 01:22:54,840 Speaker 1: I know that Tethered makes one the one I use 1694 01:22:54,920 --> 01:22:56,840 Speaker 1: that I like a lot, um, But what are you 1695 01:22:56,920 --> 01:23:00,920 Speaker 1: doing with the platform these days? Yeah? So I started 1696 01:23:00,920 --> 01:23:03,960 Speaker 1: off with the d I y ones right before before 1697 01:23:04,120 --> 01:23:07,879 Speaker 1: you know there was a commercial option. Everybody was anybody 1698 01:23:07,880 --> 01:23:09,840 Speaker 1: who was making a setup platform. It was basically d 1699 01:23:09,880 --> 01:23:12,519 Speaker 1: I Y at that point in time, and mine was 1700 01:23:12,560 --> 01:23:15,519 Speaker 1: no different. And I've graduated to now using the one 1701 01:23:15,560 --> 01:23:19,920 Speaker 1: that Tethered hasn't actually helped design that one. Um. But 1702 01:23:20,000 --> 01:23:22,400 Speaker 1: I don't really make too many modifications to it myself. 1703 01:23:22,880 --> 01:23:24,800 Speaker 1: The only thing that I do is I spray painted 1704 01:23:24,880 --> 01:23:27,240 Speaker 1: it and then I added on, you know, the little 1705 01:23:27,400 --> 01:23:29,800 Speaker 1: loop so I can hang it from my saddle, and 1706 01:23:30,439 --> 01:23:34,719 Speaker 1: I use the mini Versus trap, and then I also 1707 01:23:35,040 --> 01:23:37,240 Speaker 1: you know the UM the verse a button that's cast 1708 01:23:37,280 --> 01:23:41,240 Speaker 1: into that post. I ground the diameter of that down 1709 01:23:41,280 --> 01:23:43,080 Speaker 1: a little bit so it's a little bit easier for 1710 01:23:43,120 --> 01:23:45,439 Speaker 1: me to put on the loop of the versus trap, 1711 01:23:45,479 --> 01:23:49,280 Speaker 1: the mini Versus trap. And that's really all that I've 1712 01:23:49,280 --> 01:23:51,600 Speaker 1: done to it. At one point I wrapped it with 1713 01:23:51,640 --> 01:23:54,240 Speaker 1: para cord, but then I felt like I wasn't able 1714 01:23:54,280 --> 01:23:55,720 Speaker 1: to use the traction on the side quite as well, 1715 01:23:55,760 --> 01:23:58,320 Speaker 1: so I'd ended up taking it off. I put I 1716 01:23:58,320 --> 01:24:00,599 Speaker 1: got stell strips on the on the post, but apart 1717 01:24:00,640 --> 01:24:03,200 Speaker 1: from that, I really haven't modified it too much. Okay, 1718 01:24:03,600 --> 01:24:05,320 Speaker 1: so you alluded to a few things that I know 1719 01:24:05,400 --> 01:24:08,080 Speaker 1: you do a tree stands to or have, UM, But 1720 01:24:08,520 --> 01:24:11,120 Speaker 1: for people that don't use the saddle and they're still 1721 01:24:11,200 --> 01:24:13,160 Speaker 1: using a tree stands some kind of lone wolf for 1722 01:24:13,240 --> 01:24:15,640 Speaker 1: an XLP or whatever it is, but they want to 1723 01:24:15,720 --> 01:24:19,240 Speaker 1: hunt in a mobile fashion. UM, can you describe some 1724 01:24:19,280 --> 01:24:21,800 Speaker 1: of these modifications that you recommend for tree stands so 1725 01:24:21,880 --> 01:24:25,719 Speaker 1: that you've tried in the past that someone could try. Yeah, 1726 01:24:25,760 --> 01:24:29,400 Speaker 1: so for any of like the posts, and I did 1727 01:24:29,439 --> 01:24:31,400 Speaker 1: that on the saddle platform. I've done it on my 1728 01:24:31,400 --> 01:24:34,000 Speaker 1: lone Wolf stands in the past. I like putting cell 1729 01:24:34,040 --> 01:24:38,280 Speaker 1: strips on there because number one adds camo. It makes 1730 01:24:38,280 --> 01:24:40,280 Speaker 1: it a soft touch, warmer to the touch. You're not 1731 01:24:40,360 --> 01:24:42,639 Speaker 1: holding cold aluminum on your bare hands when you're trying 1732 01:24:42,640 --> 01:24:45,800 Speaker 1: to hang the stand. And then of course it makes 1733 01:24:46,080 --> 01:24:48,360 Speaker 1: contact much much quieter. So if you were to bang 1734 01:24:48,400 --> 01:24:51,519 Speaker 1: the buckle on the post or any part of the platform, 1735 01:24:51,560 --> 01:24:53,360 Speaker 1: it would make a whole ton of noise, typically right 1736 01:24:53,400 --> 01:24:55,840 Speaker 1: out of the box. But once you add that stell 1737 01:24:55,880 --> 01:24:58,000 Speaker 1: strip material, which is you know, that nice kind of 1738 01:24:58,040 --> 01:25:00,840 Speaker 1: micro fleece, and you do same thing with the buckle. 1739 01:25:00,840 --> 01:25:02,240 Speaker 1: If you're going to be using a buck hole, then 1740 01:25:02,800 --> 01:25:04,760 Speaker 1: it really does make a huge difference if you do 1741 01:25:04,840 --> 01:25:08,479 Speaker 1: have that accidental contact um. And apart from that, you 1742 01:25:08,640 --> 01:25:10,080 Speaker 1: just have to be really careful to make sure that 1743 01:25:10,120 --> 01:25:13,599 Speaker 1: you don't make that metal to metal claying. But my experience, 1744 01:25:13,640 --> 01:25:16,400 Speaker 1: as careful as you are, usually still mess up at 1745 01:25:16,439 --> 01:25:18,479 Speaker 1: some point, and that could be that it could be 1746 01:25:18,479 --> 01:25:20,200 Speaker 1: the end of a hunt, depending on where you're set up. 1747 01:25:21,200 --> 01:25:26,000 Speaker 1: So I like the style strips where applicable um on 1748 01:25:26,040 --> 01:25:28,360 Speaker 1: the platform itself. For a tree stand, what I've done 1749 01:25:28,400 --> 01:25:32,680 Speaker 1: is wrapped the edge, and what I like to do 1750 01:25:32,720 --> 01:25:35,360 Speaker 1: on the outer rim of the platform is used even 1751 01:25:35,720 --> 01:25:37,840 Speaker 1: something a little bit heavier than paracord, like a quarter 1752 01:25:37,920 --> 01:25:42,040 Speaker 1: inch polyester camera rope or something like that, because number one, 1753 01:25:42,080 --> 01:25:44,320 Speaker 1: it it really adds a lot of thickness and a 1754 01:25:44,320 --> 01:25:49,760 Speaker 1: lot of noise deadening ability, especially when you let that 1755 01:25:49,760 --> 01:25:51,600 Speaker 1: that post kind of swing down. If you get the 1756 01:25:51,640 --> 01:25:53,880 Speaker 1: bolts a little bit loose and normally would make that 1757 01:25:53,880 --> 01:25:58,160 Speaker 1: big slap um, it really deadens that down entirely. And 1758 01:25:58,200 --> 01:26:00,160 Speaker 1: then also it gives you a little bit of a 1759 01:26:00,160 --> 01:26:02,120 Speaker 1: tactile feel for where the edge of the platform is 1760 01:26:02,120 --> 01:26:04,360 Speaker 1: without having looked down at it. So if I have 1761 01:26:04,479 --> 01:26:06,919 Speaker 1: that quarter introop wrapping the outer room of my platform, 1762 01:26:07,000 --> 01:26:09,040 Speaker 1: even though it adds a little bit of weight, it 1763 01:26:09,240 --> 01:26:12,200 Speaker 1: makes it a little bit more user friendly from my perspective. 1764 01:26:13,439 --> 01:26:18,080 Speaker 1: And then the seat I've experimented with a couple of 1765 01:26:18,080 --> 01:26:20,759 Speaker 1: things on the seats um actually my loan if I 1766 01:26:20,800 --> 01:26:22,320 Speaker 1: took the seat off at one point to put an 1767 01:26:22,320 --> 01:26:25,920 Speaker 1: actual p s done with the little bit bigger size 1768 01:26:26,240 --> 01:26:31,679 Speaker 1: and the much beefier pad um I've looked into way, 1769 01:26:31,800 --> 01:26:33,639 Speaker 1: there's there's a way you can actually take a millennium 1770 01:26:33,640 --> 01:26:36,280 Speaker 1: seat like off of their UM sixty s I think 1771 01:26:36,320 --> 01:26:38,479 Speaker 1: it is, and modify that on to alone. If I 1772 01:26:38,520 --> 01:26:42,280 Speaker 1: never did that one, is that the guys that style? No, 1773 01:26:42,600 --> 01:26:44,720 Speaker 1: it's not a sling, it's like it's kind of like 1774 01:26:44,720 --> 01:26:48,080 Speaker 1: a lawn chair. It's like a yeah, it's like a 1775 01:26:48,120 --> 01:26:51,360 Speaker 1: really tightly held mesh type mesh. Yes, that's kind of 1776 01:26:51,360 --> 01:26:54,160 Speaker 1: when I was thinking, yeah, yeah, yeah, So there's ways 1777 01:26:54,160 --> 01:26:56,760 Speaker 1: to do that. I haven't done it myself, but those 1778 01:26:56,800 --> 01:27:00,360 Speaker 1: are options. And now after after saddle hunting for a while, 1779 01:27:00,400 --> 01:27:02,840 Speaker 1: I realized that, like if I go back to a 1780 01:27:02,840 --> 01:27:05,320 Speaker 1: tree stand now, I've gotten so used to so many 1781 01:27:05,400 --> 01:27:07,519 Speaker 1: different things that I feel like I don't even really 1782 01:27:07,520 --> 01:27:10,000 Speaker 1: need the padded, you know, big seat as much I'm 1783 01:27:10,040 --> 01:27:12,080 Speaker 1: able to. I'm more comfortable with the more minimal system 1784 01:27:12,080 --> 01:27:13,920 Speaker 1: now than I ever used to be. Yeah. So where 1785 01:27:13,960 --> 01:27:16,200 Speaker 1: do you stand on the saddle thing? UM? I started 1786 01:27:16,280 --> 01:27:20,559 Speaker 1: using one two seasons ago now UM, and it's I've 1787 01:27:20,560 --> 01:27:24,599 Speaker 1: just been floored by the by the things that allows 1788 01:27:24,640 --> 01:27:26,920 Speaker 1: you to do. UM. So I've become a huge believer. 1789 01:27:28,280 --> 01:27:31,080 Speaker 1: Where do you stand on that? Um? You plan just 1790 01:27:31,160 --> 01:27:33,120 Speaker 1: using the saddle for most of the time moving forward 1791 01:27:33,240 --> 01:27:36,479 Speaker 1: or do you see a need for you know, grabbing 1792 01:27:36,520 --> 01:27:39,040 Speaker 1: your portal stand still at times? What's what's where's your 1793 01:27:39,040 --> 01:27:43,439 Speaker 1: head at? Yeah, it's definitely my primary system, without a doubt. 1794 01:27:44,240 --> 01:27:46,000 Speaker 1: What I usually tell people when they ask I get 1795 01:27:46,000 --> 01:27:50,200 Speaker 1: this question quite a bit is I'll still I'm not 1796 01:27:50,240 --> 01:27:52,200 Speaker 1: opposed to going back to a tree stand for when 1797 01:27:52,200 --> 01:27:55,360 Speaker 1: the situation calls for it. And when the situation might 1798 01:27:55,360 --> 01:27:56,800 Speaker 1: call for it would be let's say I got a 1799 01:27:56,800 --> 01:27:59,800 Speaker 1: spot where I've pre scouted it. I know exactly the 1800 01:27:59,800 --> 01:28:01,439 Speaker 1: tree I want to be in. That tree is maybe 1801 01:28:01,479 --> 01:28:04,040 Speaker 1: a little bit of a slight backward lean. It's got 1802 01:28:04,040 --> 01:28:06,000 Speaker 1: a bunch of branches and stuff hanging off the back side. 1803 01:28:06,280 --> 01:28:07,960 Speaker 1: So ideally, in that setup, i'd be on the front 1804 01:28:07,960 --> 01:28:09,559 Speaker 1: side of the tree with a little bit backward lean, 1805 01:28:09,560 --> 01:28:11,599 Speaker 1: and that's where I would put my tree stand platform. 1806 01:28:11,920 --> 01:28:14,240 Speaker 1: And that would be like one scenario. But if I'm 1807 01:28:14,280 --> 01:28:17,840 Speaker 1: going and blind to a spot, or if it's you know, 1808 01:28:17,920 --> 01:28:21,720 Speaker 1: anything else, then maybe that particular scenario that I just described. 1809 01:28:22,240 --> 01:28:24,720 Speaker 1: I feel like there's a lot more versatility with the 1810 01:28:24,720 --> 01:28:27,200 Speaker 1: saddle in terms of where I can you know, set 1811 01:28:27,240 --> 01:28:28,880 Speaker 1: it up not only in the tree, but also on 1812 01:28:28,920 --> 01:28:30,880 Speaker 1: the ground. Like some of those ground type setups that 1813 01:28:30,880 --> 01:28:32,800 Speaker 1: I alluded to earlier. If I'm sitting on the front 1814 01:28:32,800 --> 01:28:34,040 Speaker 1: side of a tree, a lot of times I'll do 1815 01:28:34,040 --> 01:28:35,920 Speaker 1: is I'll just take that platform and I'll hang at 1816 01:28:35,920 --> 01:28:37,800 Speaker 1: six inches off the ground, and that gives me a 1817 01:28:37,800 --> 01:28:39,759 Speaker 1: little bit more clearance from my cam when I'm swinging 1818 01:28:39,760 --> 01:28:42,920 Speaker 1: the bow around the ground level. Um. Same thing if 1819 01:28:42,920 --> 01:28:44,439 Speaker 1: I'm on the back side of the tree, I can 1820 01:28:44,560 --> 01:28:46,519 Speaker 1: hang the tether off the back side of a big tree, 1821 01:28:46,960 --> 01:28:50,600 Speaker 1: hanging behind that tree in the shade, and basically be 1822 01:28:50,640 --> 01:28:52,240 Speaker 1: more comfortable than if I was just sitting on the 1823 01:28:52,240 --> 01:28:54,920 Speaker 1: ground or standing behind the tree. So it really I 1824 01:28:54,920 --> 01:28:56,760 Speaker 1: feel like it gives me a lot of versatility in 1825 01:28:56,800 --> 01:29:02,120 Speaker 1: addition to obviously being you know, quiet, safe, uh portable system. Yeah. 1826 01:29:02,840 --> 01:29:05,880 Speaker 1: You know, big thing I've always liked about the saddle 1827 01:29:05,920 --> 01:29:09,080 Speaker 1: setup is just how much more lightweight it is. You know, 1828 01:29:09,120 --> 01:29:11,240 Speaker 1: if you've got a couple of mile hike in it 1829 01:29:11,400 --> 01:29:14,679 Speaker 1: just it's it's a night and day difference between hiking 1830 01:29:14,760 --> 01:29:18,559 Speaker 1: and with sticks in the stand versus just sticks um 1831 01:29:18,560 --> 01:29:21,840 Speaker 1: in the bulk and everything. We've talked a ton about 1832 01:29:21,920 --> 01:29:27,759 Speaker 1: your kind of hunt, your your elevated hunting gear. Um, 1833 01:29:27,840 --> 01:29:32,479 Speaker 1: is there anything else from your you know, the whole 1834 01:29:32,520 --> 01:29:36,719 Speaker 1: selection of gear that you have found helps you cut weight. 1835 01:29:36,960 --> 01:29:39,240 Speaker 1: If we're talking about how to become more lightweight when 1836 01:29:39,240 --> 01:29:41,760 Speaker 1: it comes to hunt, heading in to hunt anything we 1837 01:29:41,800 --> 01:29:48,160 Speaker 1: haven't talked about traditional both saves you a few pounds. Yeah, sure, 1838 01:29:48,800 --> 01:29:51,519 Speaker 1: that's obviously not practical for a lot of guys. Um 1839 01:29:51,720 --> 01:29:53,200 Speaker 1: One thing that I played on a little bit this 1840 01:29:53,280 --> 01:29:55,920 Speaker 1: year actually was both my boot system for late season 1841 01:29:56,040 --> 01:29:58,680 Speaker 1: and my clothing system that both had significant impacts on 1842 01:29:58,680 --> 01:30:01,760 Speaker 1: how much weight and carrying in once it colder. So 1843 01:30:02,760 --> 01:30:06,200 Speaker 1: in the past, when it's gotten cold enough, have either 1844 01:30:06,280 --> 01:30:09,760 Speaker 1: walked in with heavy boots or walked in with lighter 1845 01:30:09,760 --> 01:30:12,960 Speaker 1: boots and carried heavier boots. But one of the things 1846 01:30:13,000 --> 01:30:15,439 Speaker 1: I did this year, and I really ended up liking 1847 01:30:15,439 --> 01:30:19,120 Speaker 1: it quite a bit, was I used uninsulated boots and 1848 01:30:19,400 --> 01:30:22,360 Speaker 1: just like a lightweight pair of hiking socks for every 1849 01:30:22,439 --> 01:30:25,800 Speaker 1: hunt this year. And what I would basically do is 1850 01:30:25,840 --> 01:30:29,599 Speaker 1: I would pack in a pair of those insulated boot covers, 1851 01:30:30,160 --> 01:30:32,080 Speaker 1: you know, like the Arctic Shield ones. There's a there's 1852 01:30:32,080 --> 01:30:34,080 Speaker 1: a couple other brands out there now too. I think 1853 01:30:34,160 --> 01:30:36,360 Speaker 1: Dan Johnson does the same thing now, and he said 1854 01:30:36,400 --> 01:30:41,000 Speaker 1: he he likes that it's it's definitely less weight than 1855 01:30:41,120 --> 01:30:43,440 Speaker 1: bringing in an extra pair of boots. You can supplement 1856 01:30:43,439 --> 01:30:46,519 Speaker 1: it with handwarmers if need be, and your feet don't 1857 01:30:46,520 --> 01:30:49,080 Speaker 1: sweat nearly as much. At least for me, my feet 1858 01:30:49,080 --> 01:30:50,880 Speaker 1: sweat even when I'm sitting on the couch watching a 1859 01:30:50,880 --> 01:30:54,120 Speaker 1: football game. Right. So, so what I like to do 1860 01:30:54,200 --> 01:30:58,080 Speaker 1: now is I'll take a like a anti persprint footloation, 1861 01:30:58,160 --> 01:30:59,600 Speaker 1: I'll rub it on my feet and I'll put on 1862 01:30:59,640 --> 01:31:02,479 Speaker 1: the a liner sock, you know, thin polypropylene. Then I'll 1863 01:31:02,520 --> 01:31:05,719 Speaker 1: put on a midweight wolfsock and then an uninsulated boot 1864 01:31:06,080 --> 01:31:09,080 Speaker 1: and that'll take me without my feet sweating as far 1865 01:31:09,080 --> 01:31:10,920 Speaker 1: as I want to go. And then once I get 1866 01:31:10,920 --> 01:31:13,840 Speaker 1: set up, I'll put those boot covers on and add 1867 01:31:13,880 --> 01:31:16,400 Speaker 1: the handwarmers if needby, and my feet have not gotten cold. 1868 01:31:16,880 --> 01:31:20,280 Speaker 1: So that's definitely a big step up in terms of 1869 01:31:20,840 --> 01:31:23,880 Speaker 1: just kind of usability and comfort in the woods. In 1870 01:31:23,920 --> 01:31:26,360 Speaker 1: addition to not having to carry that extra weight that 1871 01:31:26,360 --> 01:31:28,200 Speaker 1: I would used to. I used to bring impact boots 1872 01:31:29,040 --> 01:31:30,920 Speaker 1: lash thows onto my stand just so that my feet 1873 01:31:30,920 --> 01:31:33,559 Speaker 1: wouldn't get cold, And that's that's not going to be 1874 01:31:33,600 --> 01:31:36,200 Speaker 1: an issue anymore. The other thing I played around with 1875 01:31:36,400 --> 01:31:39,880 Speaker 1: was you know, Historically I would be the Bibbs and 1876 01:31:39,920 --> 01:31:43,240 Speaker 1: Park a kind of guy, and I would walk in 1877 01:31:43,280 --> 01:31:47,000 Speaker 1: with bass layers and some kind of windshell, and then 1878 01:31:47,040 --> 01:31:48,840 Speaker 1: once I got to the tree, then I would put 1879 01:31:48,840 --> 01:31:51,439 Speaker 1: on my insulating layers, so I would almost be kind 1880 01:31:51,439 --> 01:31:54,400 Speaker 1: of like doubling up on the shell fabric. And what 1881 01:31:54,479 --> 01:31:57,680 Speaker 1: I tried this year is basically I would take a 1882 01:31:57,720 --> 01:32:00,240 Speaker 1: little bit oversized shell and I would walk in with 1883 01:32:00,280 --> 01:32:02,360 Speaker 1: that over top of the bass layer. But then I 1884 01:32:02,360 --> 01:32:06,040 Speaker 1: would just pack in puffy type garments, you know, whether 1885 01:32:06,080 --> 01:32:09,040 Speaker 1: it was a synthetic puffy or a down puffy, and 1886 01:32:09,080 --> 01:32:11,439 Speaker 1: then once I get to the tree and get set up, 1887 01:32:11,880 --> 01:32:14,479 Speaker 1: I would take off that shell, put on the puffy jacket, 1888 01:32:14,479 --> 01:32:17,280 Speaker 1: and put the shell back on over top. And that 1889 01:32:17,439 --> 01:32:20,160 Speaker 1: saves me a significant amount of not only weight but 1890 01:32:20,160 --> 01:32:22,960 Speaker 1: also bulk when you look at it from the perspective 1891 01:32:23,000 --> 01:32:25,280 Speaker 1: of just how many layers of clothing I would typically 1892 01:32:25,320 --> 01:32:27,960 Speaker 1: be wearing. Yeah, yeah, I like that a lot. I've 1893 01:32:28,040 --> 01:32:32,519 Speaker 1: tried something similar. Um, just whatever way you go about it, 1894 01:32:32,560 --> 01:32:34,880 Speaker 1: having a layering system like that in mind, and in 1895 01:32:35,760 --> 01:32:39,120 Speaker 1: knowing when to use some and when to add some later. 1896 01:32:39,320 --> 01:32:41,720 Speaker 1: Just having that figured out is a big shift for 1897 01:32:41,720 --> 01:32:44,080 Speaker 1: a lot of people. That helps, So it's smart to 1898 01:32:44,120 --> 01:32:48,200 Speaker 1: be thinking about that stuff. Um yeah, definitely anything else 1899 01:32:48,200 --> 01:32:52,200 Speaker 1: on that front or otherwise. I'm curious about heavyweight hunting, 1900 01:32:54,520 --> 01:32:57,360 Speaker 1: trying to think in terms of in terms of lightweight, 1901 01:32:58,200 --> 01:33:04,280 Speaker 1: you know, lighthead lamp white, I knows. Um, I mean 1902 01:33:04,320 --> 01:33:06,600 Speaker 1: your boat was gonna weigh, your boat was gonna weigh. 1903 01:33:07,040 --> 01:33:11,120 Speaker 1: You know. That's kind of almost a separate discussion. Um. Well, 1904 01:33:11,200 --> 01:33:13,840 Speaker 1: I can't really think of anything to too ultra specific. 1905 01:33:13,960 --> 01:33:16,320 Speaker 1: I mean, like I mentioned, I don't really carry all 1906 01:33:16,360 --> 01:33:18,599 Speaker 1: that much stuff. If I didn't wear my eventdn't packing 1907 01:33:18,640 --> 01:33:22,120 Speaker 1: camera gear every hunt, then my setup would be, you know, 1908 01:33:22,200 --> 01:33:24,240 Speaker 1: nearly as minimalist as just about any but I almost 1909 01:33:24,240 --> 01:33:26,040 Speaker 1: wouldt even need to bring a pack on a lot 1910 01:33:26,120 --> 01:33:28,200 Speaker 1: of hunts until it gets colder. Yeah, that's a good 1911 01:33:28,240 --> 01:33:31,280 Speaker 1: point you bring up. You're you're filming your hunts, and 1912 01:33:31,600 --> 01:33:34,439 Speaker 1: more and more people want to do that. Um. I've 1913 01:33:34,520 --> 01:33:36,839 Speaker 1: self filmed a ton of hunts and I know it's 1914 01:33:36,880 --> 01:33:40,960 Speaker 1: it's really cool, but it's also real pain in the butt. Um. 1915 01:33:41,000 --> 01:33:43,559 Speaker 1: Any advice as far as how you fine tune yourself 1916 01:33:43,600 --> 01:33:47,880 Speaker 1: filming system? Um? Any favorite pieces of gear? Anything worth 1917 01:33:47,920 --> 01:33:52,639 Speaker 1: mentioning there. So I've come to learn that a head 1918 01:33:52,640 --> 01:33:56,280 Speaker 1: mounted camera is in my in my experience and opinion, 1919 01:33:56,360 --> 01:33:59,080 Speaker 1: I must have. I found that there's been so many 1920 01:33:59,120 --> 01:34:01,040 Speaker 1: times with the head mounted cameras saved me when I 1921 01:34:01,040 --> 01:34:03,040 Speaker 1: wasn't able to get great footage on the main camera 1922 01:34:03,400 --> 01:34:05,760 Speaker 1: that it's absolutely always a part of my system now. 1923 01:34:06,560 --> 01:34:09,080 Speaker 1: And with the saddle hunting, I like to run a 1924 01:34:09,120 --> 01:34:12,000 Speaker 1: wide angle action camera on my tether looking back down 1925 01:34:12,040 --> 01:34:14,200 Speaker 1: for a nice second angle that I can um that 1926 01:34:14,320 --> 01:34:17,680 Speaker 1: I can throw in. And then in terms of kind 1927 01:34:17,720 --> 01:34:19,800 Speaker 1: of the main camera set up, there's a couple of 1928 01:34:19,840 --> 01:34:23,600 Speaker 1: decent systems for you know, mobile ultra light. If a 1929 01:34:23,600 --> 01:34:25,240 Speaker 1: guy wants that kind of a camera, I'm set up. 1930 01:34:25,800 --> 01:34:29,439 Speaker 1: UM out on a limb makes a good system. UM 1931 01:34:29,520 --> 01:34:32,599 Speaker 1: fourth Arrow makes a decent system too. UM. I actually 1932 01:34:32,600 --> 01:34:35,160 Speaker 1: modified mine pretty heavily from what it originally was, swapped 1933 01:34:35,200 --> 01:34:37,720 Speaker 1: all the steel stuff with a luminum to make it 1934 01:34:37,720 --> 01:34:43,160 Speaker 1: a little bit lighter. But apart from what type of 1935 01:34:43,240 --> 01:34:46,040 Speaker 1: arm you're running and what type of camera you have, 1936 01:34:47,080 --> 01:34:50,000 Speaker 1: it's it's pretty cotton dry in terms of that main camera, 1937 01:34:50,000 --> 01:34:51,439 Speaker 1: and there's not really a whole lot that I do 1938 01:34:51,600 --> 01:34:55,639 Speaker 1: that's really unique. Um. The hide camera is definitely something 1939 01:34:55,680 --> 01:34:58,040 Speaker 1: that I feel like if a guy's having issues or 1940 01:34:58,040 --> 01:35:02,040 Speaker 1: struggles with self domingus hunts as is, heading in a 1941 01:35:02,080 --> 01:35:05,559 Speaker 1: head camera and running an external battery into that camera 1942 01:35:05,880 --> 01:35:09,679 Speaker 1: and just letting it record the entire evening hunt makes 1943 01:35:09,680 --> 01:35:11,920 Speaker 1: it a lot easier to get done what you need 1944 01:35:11,960 --> 01:35:14,360 Speaker 1: to get down without worrying about hitting extra buttons and 1945 01:35:14,400 --> 01:35:16,840 Speaker 1: making extra movements. Um, and then you can just add 1946 01:35:16,880 --> 01:35:19,880 Speaker 1: it out whatever you need to after the hunt is over. Yeah, 1947 01:35:19,880 --> 01:35:22,360 Speaker 1: it looks like you've got to I don't know, like 1948 01:35:22,400 --> 01:35:25,200 Speaker 1: you're flying a jet plane or something. When you see 1949 01:35:25,200 --> 01:35:26,760 Speaker 1: the setup you've got in your head, it's a it's 1950 01:35:26,760 --> 01:35:28,200 Speaker 1: a quite a system you've got in place. At the 1951 01:35:28,200 --> 01:35:31,280 Speaker 1: battery pack on the back and then this this camera 1952 01:35:31,320 --> 01:35:34,559 Speaker 1: on the side. Describe what camera you're using, how you 1953 01:35:34,600 --> 01:35:37,200 Speaker 1: connect all these things. I think you've got to external mic, 1954 01:35:37,240 --> 01:35:40,639 Speaker 1: a little little tiny boom mic attached to at least 1955 01:35:40,640 --> 01:35:42,640 Speaker 1: I've seen you you wear that at least once. Um, 1956 01:35:43,360 --> 01:35:47,759 Speaker 1: what's that system? Yeah, So I've tried a few different 1957 01:35:47,800 --> 01:35:51,760 Speaker 1: microphone things and not been all ultimately extremely happy with 1958 01:35:51,840 --> 01:35:56,040 Speaker 1: a lot of them. Really, the easiest thing from if 1959 01:35:56,080 --> 01:35:58,559 Speaker 1: you if you separate yourself from the main camera, which 1960 01:35:58,640 --> 01:36:01,519 Speaker 1: might have a shotgun like in it. For capturing that 1961 01:36:01,560 --> 01:36:05,679 Speaker 1: other audio, I like to have just a lavelier MIC 1962 01:36:06,120 --> 01:36:08,839 Speaker 1: into a recording device that's tucked into a chuest pocket 1963 01:36:09,320 --> 01:36:11,720 Speaker 1: and just have that run the entire hunt, and that's 1964 01:36:11,720 --> 01:36:14,479 Speaker 1: capturing all my voice audio, and it's just capturing kind 1965 01:36:14,520 --> 01:36:17,719 Speaker 1: of your your ambient noise and ambient audio that sometimes 1966 01:36:17,760 --> 01:36:19,840 Speaker 1: mirror may not be better than what your action cameras 1967 01:36:19,880 --> 01:36:23,360 Speaker 1: are able to capture. Um in. Generally your main camera 1968 01:36:23,400 --> 01:36:26,280 Speaker 1: with your chotgun mic is going to be the best audio. 1969 01:36:27,120 --> 01:36:28,840 Speaker 1: But then in terms of the other stuff that's on 1970 01:36:28,880 --> 01:36:33,880 Speaker 1: my head. I've done a Sony X three thousand on 1971 01:36:34,640 --> 01:36:39,000 Speaker 1: a Solvid head mount I've done an Osmo Pocket on 1972 01:36:39,520 --> 01:36:43,000 Speaker 1: a d I y headstrap. Both of those basically with 1973 01:36:43,439 --> 01:36:47,040 Speaker 1: external batteries plugged in. Either one works. I liked the 1974 01:36:47,040 --> 01:36:49,920 Speaker 1: footage quality definitely the Osmo Pocket better, but it is 1975 01:36:49,960 --> 01:36:53,680 Speaker 1: a significantly more hassle prone piece of equipment to use 1976 01:36:53,720 --> 01:36:56,719 Speaker 1: than the Sony was. And I think even now there's 1977 01:36:56,800 --> 01:36:59,360 Speaker 1: there's definitely better options than that Sony, like the Missouri 1978 01:36:59,400 --> 01:37:01,719 Speaker 1: Hunt I filmed on the Sony for the head mountain 1979 01:37:02,120 --> 01:37:05,120 Speaker 1: looking at like the go Pro eight and other cameras 1980 01:37:05,120 --> 01:37:07,200 Speaker 1: that are on the market right now, like the Instant 1981 01:37:07,240 --> 01:37:09,920 Speaker 1: three sixty one are they have a one inch sensor 1982 01:37:10,040 --> 01:37:14,120 Speaker 1: action camera. Um, they're definitely better now than what I've 1983 01:37:14,200 --> 01:37:16,559 Speaker 1: used on some of my videos in the past. So 1984 01:37:16,720 --> 01:37:20,080 Speaker 1: it real simply is just if four K action camera. 1985 01:37:20,120 --> 01:37:21,760 Speaker 1: I think four four K is huge for a head 1986 01:37:21,800 --> 01:37:24,320 Speaker 1: mountain because you're gonna want to have to crop, you know, 1987 01:37:24,320 --> 01:37:26,600 Speaker 1: you capture wide, capture everything, and then you crop in 1988 01:37:26,880 --> 01:37:30,559 Speaker 1: editing to get something that's respectable. Um, so some guys 1989 01:37:30,560 --> 01:37:32,519 Speaker 1: will film in ten eighty. I think it's absolutely on 1990 01:37:32,560 --> 01:37:34,519 Speaker 1: an action camera in my opinion, worth at the film 1991 01:37:34,520 --> 01:37:37,120 Speaker 1: in four K and just deal with the bigger file 1992 01:37:37,160 --> 01:37:40,160 Speaker 1: sizes and deal with a little bit extra editing work 1993 01:37:40,240 --> 01:37:42,240 Speaker 1: to crop in, and I think you tend to be 1994 01:37:42,240 --> 01:37:46,200 Speaker 1: a little bit more happy with the end result. Yes, 1995 01:37:46,479 --> 01:37:51,640 Speaker 1: that's uh, that's something that I have I wish I 1996 01:37:51,680 --> 01:37:54,400 Speaker 1: did more often. I've always had a go Pro and 1997 01:37:54,439 --> 01:37:57,320 Speaker 1: that I have never liked it on my head. I 1998 01:37:57,439 --> 01:38:00,000 Speaker 1: just never got comfortable with it. So I would put 1999 01:38:00,000 --> 01:38:02,000 Speaker 1: a tree mount or I would stick it on a 2000 01:38:02,960 --> 01:38:04,920 Speaker 1: like a selfie stick or something and stick that in 2001 01:38:05,000 --> 01:38:07,160 Speaker 1: my backpack and then I would tell myself, well, when 2002 01:38:07,160 --> 01:38:08,720 Speaker 1: you when you've got a deer coming in, you'll just 2003 01:38:08,800 --> 01:38:12,200 Speaker 1: you'll remember to turn it on and hit record and 2004 01:38:12,680 --> 01:38:16,439 Speaker 1: eight times at a time. I don't. It's been great 2005 01:38:16,439 --> 01:38:19,120 Speaker 1: a couple of times I used it. But your system 2006 01:38:19,120 --> 01:38:21,080 Speaker 1: of always having it there and always having it on, 2007 01:38:21,160 --> 01:38:25,559 Speaker 1: that that makes a lot of sense. But uh yeah, 2008 01:38:25,600 --> 01:38:28,920 Speaker 1: because typically you're if your right hand, you're gonna have 2009 01:38:28,920 --> 01:38:30,800 Speaker 1: the camera on the left side of your head, and 2010 01:38:30,840 --> 01:38:32,280 Speaker 1: so if you don't have it turned on, that means 2011 01:38:32,280 --> 01:38:34,639 Speaker 1: you got to If you've got your bow already held 2012 01:38:34,640 --> 01:38:36,000 Speaker 1: in your left hand, it means you gotta take your 2013 01:38:36,040 --> 01:38:38,280 Speaker 1: right hand, reach across your body and turn that camera on. 2014 01:38:38,640 --> 01:38:40,400 Speaker 1: And I've gotten bust over that a little bit of 2015 01:38:40,439 --> 01:38:43,040 Speaker 1: movement before trying to turn that camera on. So I 2016 01:38:43,120 --> 01:38:47,200 Speaker 1: was like to leave him running. Yeah smart. Um, well, 2017 01:38:47,280 --> 01:38:50,360 Speaker 1: I've been yapping your ear off for longer than I 2018 01:38:50,360 --> 01:38:52,519 Speaker 1: thought I was going to. Um, so I want to 2019 01:38:52,640 --> 01:38:54,400 Speaker 1: I want to wrap this up so your whole night's 2020 01:38:54,439 --> 01:38:58,719 Speaker 1: not sunk. But but we spent a lot of time. 2021 01:38:59,080 --> 01:39:04,240 Speaker 1: You know, we're talking about first your style of hunting 2022 01:39:04,840 --> 01:39:08,160 Speaker 1: and then the gear you use to allow that style 2023 01:39:08,160 --> 01:39:11,400 Speaker 1: of hunting. It's it's being mobile, it's being adaptable, it's 2024 01:39:11,439 --> 01:39:17,840 Speaker 1: adjusting to what you're seeing, what's working, what's not the 2025 01:39:17,840 --> 01:39:21,360 Speaker 1: the kind of stuff strategy or the sort of stuff strategy. 2026 01:39:21,720 --> 01:39:26,320 Speaker 1: And if if that is the strategy that you plan 2027 01:39:26,400 --> 01:39:29,800 Speaker 1: on moving forward with, and that's gonna be right, some 2028 01:39:29,920 --> 01:39:32,360 Speaker 1: evolution of that will be how you're hunting five years 2029 01:39:32,720 --> 01:39:34,760 Speaker 1: from now, ten years from now. You want to be 2030 01:39:34,760 --> 01:39:38,960 Speaker 1: getting better and better every year. Tell me this, when 2031 01:39:38,960 --> 01:39:42,960 Speaker 1: you sit down at night this year it's it's the winter. 2032 01:39:43,520 --> 01:39:46,000 Speaker 1: I'm sure based off of what I do know from 2033 01:39:46,040 --> 01:39:48,080 Speaker 1: you and what I can imagine about you, is that 2034 01:39:48,120 --> 01:39:50,200 Speaker 1: you're probably like me, and that when you lay down 2035 01:39:50,240 --> 01:39:51,920 Speaker 1: at night, a whole lot of nights are thinking about 2036 01:39:51,960 --> 01:39:53,720 Speaker 1: what can I what can I be doing better? Or 2037 01:39:53,720 --> 01:39:56,400 Speaker 1: what's the next thing, or how do I how do 2038 01:39:56,439 --> 01:39:59,840 Speaker 1: I prep this? Even you know, even more perfectly for 2039 01:39:59,880 --> 01:40:04,479 Speaker 1: the US next season. Um, for you, what's what's next, 2040 01:40:04,640 --> 01:40:07,280 Speaker 1: what's the next step? What do you feel is that 2041 01:40:07,439 --> 01:40:09,960 Speaker 1: next evolution you need to take or you want to 2042 01:40:10,000 --> 01:40:13,920 Speaker 1: take to better fine tune how you go about hunting deer. 2043 01:40:14,200 --> 01:40:16,400 Speaker 1: And maybe that's a gear thing, maybe it's a strategy thing, 2044 01:40:16,400 --> 01:40:20,320 Speaker 1: Maybe it's some combination of the two. Um, I'm just 2045 01:40:20,320 --> 01:40:24,360 Speaker 1: curious where your imagination is pointing you right now. So 2046 01:40:24,520 --> 01:40:27,800 Speaker 1: one thing for sure is definitely even more boots on 2047 01:40:27,800 --> 01:40:29,280 Speaker 1: the ground for some of the stuff that I hunted 2048 01:40:29,360 --> 01:40:31,559 Speaker 1: last year. There was definitely areas that I hunted that 2049 01:40:31,600 --> 01:40:33,880 Speaker 1: we're new and I was able to get on deer 2050 01:40:33,920 --> 01:40:36,680 Speaker 1: and kind of figure it out in the moment. But 2051 01:40:36,720 --> 01:40:38,800 Speaker 1: like I mentioned earlier in the podcast, if I can 2052 01:40:38,840 --> 01:40:41,320 Speaker 1: go back in there knowing what I know now and 2053 01:40:41,360 --> 01:40:42,960 Speaker 1: just pick those areas apart, then I don't know the 2054 01:40:42,960 --> 01:40:45,519 Speaker 1: exact right treaty be in the first hunt rather than 2055 01:40:45,560 --> 01:40:47,720 Speaker 1: picking it apart and figuring out after you know, two 2056 01:40:47,800 --> 01:40:50,320 Speaker 1: or three different hunts. And I think one thing that 2057 01:40:50,360 --> 01:40:56,040 Speaker 1: I could do better also is identify dear that I 2058 01:40:56,120 --> 01:40:57,880 Speaker 1: might want to go after. I've never really done a 2059 01:40:57,920 --> 01:41:02,000 Speaker 1: great job at that um in terms of, you know, 2060 01:41:02,080 --> 01:41:04,880 Speaker 1: using trail cameras and figuring out, Okay, I know these 2061 01:41:04,920 --> 01:41:08,320 Speaker 1: particular you know deer in these particular areas, and now 2062 01:41:08,360 --> 01:41:09,760 Speaker 1: based on that, I'm gonna go back in there a 2063 01:41:09,800 --> 01:41:12,040 Speaker 1: lot of times, but I usually end up falling into 2064 01:41:12,080 --> 01:41:14,120 Speaker 1: the trap of is I'll just hunt in a place 2065 01:41:14,160 --> 01:41:17,120 Speaker 1: that I want to hunt and hope that there's something 2066 01:41:17,360 --> 01:41:20,240 Speaker 1: out there that I want to go after. Um. And 2067 01:41:20,320 --> 01:41:22,679 Speaker 1: sometimes I'll you know, be totally happy filling doe tag 2068 01:41:22,840 --> 01:41:24,880 Speaker 1: or from hunting with the traditional ball be hunt, you know, 2069 01:41:24,920 --> 01:41:29,360 Speaker 1: happy with just about whatever. But I've never really said, like, 2070 01:41:29,520 --> 01:41:32,519 Speaker 1: you know, hey, there's this deer here, I'm gonna going 2071 01:41:32,600 --> 01:41:35,400 Speaker 1: after him. And maybe that's something I'm not quite ready 2072 01:41:35,439 --> 01:41:39,080 Speaker 1: yet for. Um. But I think that as I continue 2073 01:41:39,080 --> 01:41:41,160 Speaker 1: to get more and more years of doing this really 2074 01:41:41,200 --> 01:41:44,519 Speaker 1: mobile type strategy and I see more and more things 2075 01:41:44,560 --> 01:41:47,240 Speaker 1: in more and more different places, that eventually, if I 2076 01:41:47,240 --> 01:41:49,080 Speaker 1: get to the point where I do want to say 2077 01:41:49,120 --> 01:41:51,840 Speaker 1: I want to go after this deer or deer of 2078 01:41:51,880 --> 01:41:54,880 Speaker 1: this particular caliber, I think the next step for me 2079 01:41:55,000 --> 01:41:58,400 Speaker 1: is really getting a better handle on identifying and locating 2080 01:41:58,400 --> 01:42:02,040 Speaker 1: exactly where those deer might be because they're just not 2081 01:42:02,600 --> 01:42:04,360 Speaker 1: they're not there's not as many of them out there 2082 01:42:04,400 --> 01:42:07,360 Speaker 1: as you know, we'd like to hope always. UM. So 2083 01:42:07,479 --> 01:42:11,639 Speaker 1: that's that's definitely something where I could learn to improve on. Yeah, well, 2084 01:42:11,680 --> 01:42:15,240 Speaker 1: I I like where your head's at. Um. That's definitely 2085 01:42:15,439 --> 01:42:18,360 Speaker 1: something that I have experienced with. And I'll just give 2086 01:42:18,360 --> 01:42:20,880 Speaker 1: you one word of warning is if you go down 2087 01:42:20,920 --> 01:42:24,439 Speaker 1: that path, it is addicting, it is all consuming, and 2088 01:42:24,520 --> 01:42:27,080 Speaker 1: it will keep you up at night. But it's a 2089 01:42:27,080 --> 01:42:29,400 Speaker 1: lot of fun. It's a lot of fun to try 2090 01:42:29,439 --> 01:42:33,040 Speaker 1: to figure a deer out. Frustrating at times, but a 2091 01:42:33,120 --> 01:42:36,080 Speaker 1: ton of fun. So that's pretty awesome, man. I'm I'm 2092 01:42:36,120 --> 01:42:37,840 Speaker 1: getting to kick out of things you're doing and the 2093 01:42:37,880 --> 01:42:40,360 Speaker 1: stuff and the stories you're sharing, and the the way 2094 01:42:40,360 --> 01:42:44,200 Speaker 1: you're approaching gear and and uh, I'm learning stuff. So 2095 01:42:44,280 --> 01:42:47,880 Speaker 1: I appreciate that, and I'm sure everyone listening does too. 2096 01:42:47,920 --> 01:42:50,759 Speaker 1: So if people want to follow what you're up to 2097 01:42:51,320 --> 01:42:55,080 Speaker 1: learn more about the million different things you've got going on, 2098 01:42:55,680 --> 01:43:00,640 Speaker 1: where can they find your content? Sure? So most of 2099 01:43:00,640 --> 01:43:03,040 Speaker 1: my content is on my YouTube channel. That channel is 2100 01:43:03,080 --> 01:43:05,600 Speaker 1: called d I Y Sportsman. You can just type that 2101 01:43:05,640 --> 01:43:08,280 Speaker 1: into the search bar on YouTube and they'll pull right up. 2102 01:43:09,040 --> 01:43:13,000 Speaker 1: I also have a Facebook page Instagram under the same 2103 01:43:13,040 --> 01:43:15,800 Speaker 1: handles d I Y Underscore Sportsman for Instagram and d 2104 01:43:15,920 --> 01:43:18,800 Speaker 1: I Y Sportsman for Facebook. I have a website, d 2105 01:43:18,880 --> 01:43:22,120 Speaker 1: I Y dash Sportsman dot com. And then I also 2106 01:43:22,240 --> 01:43:25,960 Speaker 1: have a podcast that's through the Sports and Nation podcast Network, 2107 01:43:26,080 --> 01:43:27,880 Speaker 1: so the network the DAN runs I have the d 2108 01:43:27,960 --> 01:43:30,519 Speaker 1: I Y Sportsman podcast, So those will be all places 2109 01:43:30,560 --> 01:43:33,839 Speaker 1: where people can look up to the content that I offer. Awesome, 2110 01:43:33,920 --> 01:43:36,920 Speaker 1: super cool stuff. Gerett, keep up the good work and 2111 01:43:37,360 --> 01:43:40,559 Speaker 1: thanks so much for taking some time to chat tonight. Yeah, 2112 01:43:40,560 --> 01:43:43,400 Speaker 1: absolutely had a great time. Let's uh, let's follow up 2113 01:43:43,400 --> 01:43:48,320 Speaker 1: it again sometime soon. Sounds good and that's gonna do it. 2114 01:43:48,520 --> 01:43:51,400 Speaker 1: Another episode in the books. Thank you all for listening. 2115 01:43:51,400 --> 01:43:53,600 Speaker 1: I hope you guys found this one to be interesting. 2116 01:43:53,840 --> 01:43:56,520 Speaker 1: I know I did. Again, I just want to reiterate 2117 01:43:56,560 --> 01:43:59,240 Speaker 1: the whole safety thing with any of this stuff. Using 2118 01:43:59,240 --> 01:44:03,320 Speaker 1: tree stands, you using saddles, using different climbing methods, place 2119 01:44:03,400 --> 01:44:06,200 Speaker 1: safety first. Your life is in your own hands. Take 2120 01:44:06,280 --> 01:44:10,360 Speaker 1: that seriously. Be safe, stay connected, use the proper safety 2121 01:44:10,360 --> 01:44:13,519 Speaker 1: tools and methods, and don't risk your life trying to 2122 01:44:13,560 --> 01:44:18,040 Speaker 1: get a deer. All that said, have a wonderful day, 2123 01:44:18,240 --> 01:44:20,840 Speaker 1: have a great weekend, Enjoy the rest of your run 2124 01:44:20,840 --> 01:44:22,920 Speaker 1: on the treadmill, your day of work, or your drive home, 2125 01:44:22,960 --> 01:44:28,080 Speaker 1: whatever it is, and until next time, stay wired to hunt.