1 00:00:01,280 --> 00:00:05,080 Speaker 1: Welcome to the Wired to Hunt Foundations podcast, your guide 2 00:00:05,120 --> 00:00:08,879 Speaker 1: to the fundamentals of better deer hunting, presented by first Light, 3 00:00:09,240 --> 00:00:13,560 Speaker 1: creating proven versatile hunting apparel for the stand, saddle or blind. 4 00:00:14,080 --> 00:00:18,600 Speaker 1: First Light, Go Farther, Stay Longer, and now your host 5 00:00:19,000 --> 00:00:19,880 Speaker 1: Tony Peterson. 6 00:00:20,280 --> 00:00:23,600 Speaker 2: Hey, everyone, welcome to the Wired to Hunt Foundations podcast, 7 00:00:23,640 --> 00:00:25,479 Speaker 2: which is brought to you by first Sight. I'm your host, 8 00:00:25,480 --> 00:00:28,360 Speaker 2: Tony Peterson, and today's episode is all about the early 9 00:00:28,440 --> 00:00:30,960 Speaker 2: season and the mistakes that a lot of us are 10 00:00:31,000 --> 00:00:33,800 Speaker 2: going to make and we don't have to, and how 11 00:00:33,840 --> 00:00:35,800 Speaker 2: those are going to cost us deer and how we 12 00:00:35,960 --> 00:00:43,080 Speaker 2: can avoid them. It's on, and if it's not, it's 13 00:00:43,120 --> 00:00:46,239 Speaker 2: staying close. Some lucky folks have already hunted, or if 14 00:00:46,240 --> 00:00:49,560 Speaker 2: you're a diehard like Mark, have you know fly fished 15 00:00:49,560 --> 00:00:51,920 Speaker 2: for five days while pretending you were hunting. The early 16 00:00:51,960 --> 00:00:55,360 Speaker 2: season is on. It's fun, and it's a time that 17 00:00:55,600 --> 00:00:58,640 Speaker 2: is often full of mistakes, and it's one hell of 18 00:00:58,680 --> 00:01:00,800 Speaker 2: a good opportunity for a lot of to slide right 19 00:01:00,840 --> 00:01:03,200 Speaker 2: back into our old habits that will stick with us 20 00:01:03,200 --> 00:01:05,319 Speaker 2: all dear season. So let's make a pack not to 21 00:01:05,400 --> 00:01:07,640 Speaker 2: do that and to help us get that right. I'm 22 00:01:07,640 --> 00:01:09,960 Speaker 2: going to explain some of these big mistakes, how we 23 00:01:10,000 --> 00:01:16,840 Speaker 2: make them, and how we can avoid them. The other night, 24 00:01:16,840 --> 00:01:18,560 Speaker 2: I took one of my daughters to the high school 25 00:01:18,560 --> 00:01:21,160 Speaker 2: to play in a three on three basketball league. It's 26 00:01:21,200 --> 00:01:23,960 Speaker 2: basically like a throwaway Sunday night league that is mostly 27 00:01:24,000 --> 00:01:25,640 Speaker 2: a way for the girls to get ready for their 28 00:01:25,680 --> 00:01:29,280 Speaker 2: actual traveling leagues and their school teams. For my fellow 29 00:01:29,360 --> 00:01:32,440 Speaker 2: math challenge people, that's three basketball teams that will be 30 00:01:32,520 --> 00:01:36,400 Speaker 2: running concurrently at different points for one eighth grader who 31 00:01:36,480 --> 00:01:39,720 Speaker 2: has a very very low chance of making it into 32 00:01:39,720 --> 00:01:45,000 Speaker 2: the WNBA. Any honkers, all stupid suburb life stuff aside. 33 00:01:45,280 --> 00:01:48,360 Speaker 2: She's pretty good down low, but she lacks confidence, and 34 00:01:48,400 --> 00:01:51,120 Speaker 2: the minute she does something wrong, like missing an easy layup, 35 00:01:51,600 --> 00:01:53,640 Speaker 2: is the minute she suddenly retreats and will try to 36 00:01:53,720 --> 00:01:56,720 Speaker 2: hide from the ball. It's maddening as a parent because 37 00:01:56,760 --> 00:02:00,000 Speaker 2: I know, after years of making giant mistakes in my life, 38 00:02:00,400 --> 00:02:02,720 Speaker 2: that everyone is basically a walk in and talking screw 39 00:02:02,840 --> 00:02:05,600 Speaker 2: up machine. We all are, And I know that missing 40 00:02:05,680 --> 00:02:07,680 Speaker 2: one layup in a three on three league with other 41 00:02:07,720 --> 00:02:09,920 Speaker 2: eighth grade girls who also miss a lot of shots 42 00:02:10,280 --> 00:02:13,440 Speaker 2: isn't going to be all that important. Overall, So on 43 00:02:13,480 --> 00:02:15,640 Speaker 2: the drive home, I told her that she can't play 44 00:02:15,639 --> 00:02:18,760 Speaker 2: in fear of making mistakes, and I punctuated my point 45 00:02:18,800 --> 00:02:21,480 Speaker 2: by saying that Michael Jordan missed something like nine thousand 46 00:02:21,480 --> 00:02:24,679 Speaker 2: shots in his career, to which she responded, I don't 47 00:02:24,680 --> 00:02:27,440 Speaker 2: really know who that is, So anyway, I guess I 48 00:02:27,520 --> 00:02:30,320 Speaker 2: might want to look into nursing homes, because I'm probably 49 00:02:30,320 --> 00:02:33,639 Speaker 2: headed there any day now because I'm getting so old. Anyway, 50 00:02:33,760 --> 00:02:36,240 Speaker 2: I switched gears and I said, do you know how 51 00:02:36,280 --> 00:02:38,560 Speaker 2: many deer I've missed in my life, to which she 52 00:02:38,720 --> 00:02:43,040 Speaker 2: answered without hesitation, a lot, which stung a little but 53 00:02:43,080 --> 00:02:46,520 Speaker 2: also wasn't really wrong. I said yes, And I said 54 00:02:46,560 --> 00:02:48,600 Speaker 2: that we don't stop shooting at them just because we 55 00:02:48,680 --> 00:02:51,480 Speaker 2: whif once in a while you just knock another arrow 56 00:02:51,480 --> 00:02:54,040 Speaker 2: and wait for another opportunity, even if you do it 57 00:02:54,080 --> 00:02:56,120 Speaker 2: on film, and a whole bunch of super excellent hunters 58 00:02:56,120 --> 00:02:58,120 Speaker 2: who clearly never miss reach out to tell you how 59 00:02:58,160 --> 00:03:00,320 Speaker 2: you don't belong in the same woods with them because 60 00:03:00,360 --> 00:03:03,840 Speaker 2: of how skilled they are and how unskilled you are. Now, 61 00:03:03,880 --> 00:03:06,000 Speaker 2: by the end of our conversation, I felt like I 62 00:03:06,080 --> 00:03:08,840 Speaker 2: might have had a better chance getting my lab pop 63 00:03:08,880 --> 00:03:12,440 Speaker 2: to understand quantum physics, but at least I tried, and 64 00:03:12,480 --> 00:03:14,600 Speaker 2: I'm going to try to shoot some deer this week, 65 00:03:14,840 --> 00:03:18,800 Speaker 2: and mostly I'm going to fail. Hunting white tails, at 66 00:03:18,880 --> 00:03:21,160 Speaker 2: least for most of us, on a daily basis, is 67 00:03:21,200 --> 00:03:23,480 Speaker 2: a sure way to make mistakes and not get everything right. 68 00:03:24,280 --> 00:03:27,040 Speaker 2: The complexity of what we do and the variables that 69 00:03:27,120 --> 00:03:30,959 Speaker 2: conspire against us just make it so. But then there 70 00:03:31,040 --> 00:03:34,560 Speaker 2: is the US specter, where we do things that definitely 71 00:03:34,639 --> 00:03:38,200 Speaker 2: hurt our cause these mistakes are often disguised as good 72 00:03:38,280 --> 00:03:41,240 Speaker 2: hunting decisions, but they aren't. Now, I'm not going to 73 00:03:41,360 --> 00:03:43,720 Speaker 2: dive into this because I've covered it a whole bunch, 74 00:03:44,040 --> 00:03:48,720 Speaker 2: but the idea, the general idea of not ever hunting 75 00:03:48,760 --> 00:03:51,280 Speaker 2: mornings in the early season is just a prime example 76 00:03:51,280 --> 00:03:54,280 Speaker 2: of one of them. Just think about the idea that 77 00:03:54,400 --> 00:03:58,160 Speaker 2: someone from Iowa who has four thousand acres of least 78 00:03:58,160 --> 00:04:03,120 Speaker 2: ground telling some hunter from Georgia who hunts public land 79 00:04:03,280 --> 00:04:05,440 Speaker 2: that it's never a good idea to hunt mornings until 80 00:04:05,440 --> 00:04:07,800 Speaker 2: the preret kicks in. Now, if you think you're making 81 00:04:07,840 --> 00:04:10,240 Speaker 2: a good decision by not hunting a whole bunch when 82 00:04:10,240 --> 00:04:12,640 Speaker 2: you could be, I'd say right away that not hunting 83 00:04:12,680 --> 00:04:14,840 Speaker 2: when you could be is probably not a good decision. 84 00:04:15,560 --> 00:04:18,479 Speaker 2: Learn to solve the problems like how to find a 85 00:04:18,520 --> 00:04:21,080 Speaker 2: good early season morning set up, instead of making the 86 00:04:21,120 --> 00:04:23,279 Speaker 2: mistake of just deciding that it can't be done so 87 00:04:23,360 --> 00:04:25,919 Speaker 2: it won't be worth it. Now, another big mistake that 88 00:04:25,920 --> 00:04:28,280 Speaker 2: a lot of hunters make is not appreciating the blank 89 00:04:28,360 --> 00:04:32,320 Speaker 2: slate reality of a new season. The cumulative effects of 90 00:04:32,440 --> 00:04:35,640 Speaker 2: hunters entering the woods now does a generally good job 91 00:04:35,640 --> 00:04:37,880 Speaker 2: of letting the deer know that another season is on 92 00:04:38,120 --> 00:04:41,240 Speaker 2: and that they had better be careful. Even if you're 93 00:04:41,279 --> 00:04:43,719 Speaker 2: on public land and know a lot of other hunters 94 00:04:43,760 --> 00:04:47,159 Speaker 2: are out there, you still can control your impact on 95 00:04:47,240 --> 00:04:50,960 Speaker 2: the woods to some extent. Sometimes I go down weird 96 00:04:51,000 --> 00:04:54,360 Speaker 2: rabbit holes on different topics, and I recently went pretty 97 00:04:54,400 --> 00:04:58,240 Speaker 2: deep on reading about fighter jets. I honestly don't remember 98 00:04:58,240 --> 00:05:00,240 Speaker 2: what even spurred it, but I guess that doesn't matter 99 00:05:01,000 --> 00:05:04,120 Speaker 2: what I found. What was pretty interesting in reading about 100 00:05:04,160 --> 00:05:06,359 Speaker 2: the aircraft that the US has that might take to 101 00:05:06,400 --> 00:05:09,440 Speaker 2: the skies if some country or terrorist group kicks the 102 00:05:09,480 --> 00:05:13,080 Speaker 2: old hornet nest of freedom a little too hard was 103 00:05:13,120 --> 00:05:17,240 Speaker 2: the radar signatures of certain fighter jets. So imagine standing 104 00:05:17,279 --> 00:05:20,240 Speaker 2: on a runway. Looking at a parked F twenty two, 105 00:05:20,320 --> 00:05:24,359 Speaker 2: for example, it definitely would look small, and it definitely 106 00:05:24,360 --> 00:05:27,400 Speaker 2: would look badass. You wouldn't think that it would be 107 00:05:27,480 --> 00:05:30,680 Speaker 2: all that hard to see, because well, you're literally looking 108 00:05:30,720 --> 00:05:34,360 Speaker 2: at it right now. Now, you got to remember it's 109 00:05:34,400 --> 00:05:37,320 Speaker 2: not flying at MOK two, which is about fifteen hundred 110 00:05:37,320 --> 00:05:39,599 Speaker 2: miles per hour, a speed that an F twenty two 111 00:05:39,600 --> 00:05:42,919 Speaker 2: can reach. The crazy part is that the actual design 112 00:05:42,960 --> 00:05:46,200 Speaker 2: of the jet is meant to fool radar, which means 113 00:05:46,200 --> 00:05:49,039 Speaker 2: that the actual radar signature of them is like point 114 00:05:49,160 --> 00:05:53,039 Speaker 2: zero zero zero one square meters, or to put it in 115 00:05:53,080 --> 00:05:57,000 Speaker 2: another way, about the size of a single marble. Why 116 00:05:57,040 --> 00:05:59,880 Speaker 2: am I telling you this is I always think about 117 00:05:59,880 --> 00:06:02,880 Speaker 2: what a white tail can detect and how they do it. 118 00:06:03,640 --> 00:06:05,960 Speaker 2: The easy way for them to detect us is to 119 00:06:05,960 --> 00:06:08,159 Speaker 2: bed just inside the wood edge and watch us drive 120 00:06:08,200 --> 00:06:11,320 Speaker 2: down the field road, get out of our trucks, sued up, 121 00:06:11,600 --> 00:06:14,559 Speaker 2: spray down like good little hunters, and then walk past 122 00:06:14,560 --> 00:06:17,640 Speaker 2: them to get to our field edge stands. The easiest 123 00:06:17,640 --> 00:06:20,719 Speaker 2: way for us to avoid getting detected that way is 124 00:06:20,760 --> 00:06:23,520 Speaker 2: to plan entrance and exit routes that keep us generally 125 00:06:23,600 --> 00:06:26,760 Speaker 2: hidden in a visual sense. A lot of hunters don't 126 00:06:26,760 --> 00:06:29,680 Speaker 2: really think about this, and it costs them. If you 127 00:06:29,720 --> 00:06:33,120 Speaker 2: can walk through a standing cornfield or walk along an 128 00:06:33,120 --> 00:06:35,920 Speaker 2: open two track, think long and hard about why you 129 00:06:35,960 --> 00:06:38,960 Speaker 2: would choose one over the other. Just like if you 130 00:06:39,000 --> 00:06:42,480 Speaker 2: can walk in through a dry creek bed that's six 131 00:06:42,520 --> 00:06:45,960 Speaker 2: feet below the surrounding ground, or walk on that higher ground, 132 00:06:46,480 --> 00:06:50,320 Speaker 2: think about it. Your radar signature there is big, and 133 00:06:50,360 --> 00:06:53,040 Speaker 2: it's going to get you caught. Little things make a 134 00:06:53,080 --> 00:06:55,520 Speaker 2: big difference there in getting sighted when you're going in. 135 00:06:56,160 --> 00:06:56,320 Speaker 1: Now. 136 00:06:56,320 --> 00:06:58,920 Speaker 2: One final note on this is that while we tend 137 00:06:58,960 --> 00:07:02,040 Speaker 2: to think about our entrance as high priority stealth missions, 138 00:07:02,320 --> 00:07:05,839 Speaker 2: we might not value our exits the same way. Sneaking 139 00:07:05,839 --> 00:07:08,520 Speaker 2: into a beanfield edge staying to sit opening night is 140 00:07:08,560 --> 00:07:11,880 Speaker 2: going to give you an advantage that night, But if 141 00:07:11,880 --> 00:07:14,680 Speaker 2: when you leave you walk right through the field, then 142 00:07:14,720 --> 00:07:16,760 Speaker 2: you're going to hurt every chance you have at that 143 00:07:16,880 --> 00:07:19,600 Speaker 2: stand for at least a couple of weeks. The way 144 00:07:19,600 --> 00:07:23,040 Speaker 2: out matters, my friends, so be careful with that too. 145 00:07:23,920 --> 00:07:24,000 Speaker 1: Now. 146 00:07:24,080 --> 00:07:26,400 Speaker 2: While conditions vary a lot on this front, another way 147 00:07:26,440 --> 00:07:29,360 Speaker 2: to think about detection is how noisy you might be. 148 00:07:30,080 --> 00:07:32,920 Speaker 2: The early season has a lot of vegetation to soak 149 00:07:33,000 --> 00:07:35,920 Speaker 2: up sound. It isn't full of dry leaves and sticks 150 00:07:36,000 --> 00:07:38,320 Speaker 2: usually on the ground, and can be one of the 151 00:07:38,360 --> 00:07:40,680 Speaker 2: easiest times of the year to be quiet on your 152 00:07:40,680 --> 00:07:43,360 Speaker 2: way in and your way out. The easiest way to 153 00:07:43,440 --> 00:07:45,560 Speaker 2: generally be quiet in the woods is to go slow, 154 00:07:45,880 --> 00:07:48,360 Speaker 2: and that means you have to give yourself time. A 155 00:07:48,480 --> 00:07:50,720 Speaker 2: huge mistake a lot of hunters make is not building 156 00:07:50,760 --> 00:07:52,800 Speaker 2: in a decent cushion of time to go low and 157 00:07:52,840 --> 00:08:06,400 Speaker 2: slow into an out of their setups. Then you have 158 00:08:06,480 --> 00:08:09,400 Speaker 2: the scent aspect, which is where I think we do 159 00:08:09,440 --> 00:08:12,160 Speaker 2: ourselves the most harm. I like to think about it 160 00:08:12,160 --> 00:08:15,280 Speaker 2: this way. While I definitely don't want to get winded 161 00:08:15,320 --> 00:08:18,600 Speaker 2: while sitting on stand or in a blind, that's only 162 00:08:18,800 --> 00:08:22,640 Speaker 2: part of keeping your scent signature down. What we touch 163 00:08:22,680 --> 00:08:25,360 Speaker 2: on the way in, while we are there and when 164 00:08:25,360 --> 00:08:28,920 Speaker 2: we walk out all exists to tattle on us after 165 00:08:28,960 --> 00:08:32,240 Speaker 2: we get back to the truck. Deer are curious, and 166 00:08:32,280 --> 00:08:34,640 Speaker 2: you don't have to run trail cameras very long before 167 00:08:34,679 --> 00:08:36,360 Speaker 2: you'll see them come up to your cams and give 168 00:08:36,400 --> 00:08:39,720 Speaker 2: them a good sniff. They are interested in out of 169 00:08:39,880 --> 00:08:43,480 Speaker 2: place items that smell like deadly predators. They are also 170 00:08:43,640 --> 00:08:46,559 Speaker 2: just very interested in the comings and goings of those 171 00:08:46,559 --> 00:08:50,720 Speaker 2: same predators. This is a tough one, but it's also 172 00:08:50,800 --> 00:08:52,880 Speaker 2: just reality that the more that you try to reduce 173 00:08:52,880 --> 00:08:56,400 Speaker 2: your scent any way possible in the woods, the longer 174 00:08:56,440 --> 00:09:00,280 Speaker 2: you'll preserve that early season relaxed nature of deer. Just 175 00:09:00,320 --> 00:09:03,640 Speaker 2: the difference between wearing leather boots and knee high rubber 176 00:09:03,640 --> 00:09:05,880 Speaker 2: boots during your early season hunts can buy you a 177 00:09:05,920 --> 00:09:08,760 Speaker 2: little leeway on this front, especially if you spray down 178 00:09:08,760 --> 00:09:12,960 Speaker 2: your knee highs. Think about your overall radar signature, if 179 00:09:13,000 --> 00:09:16,920 Speaker 2: you will, and try to consciously keep it down. I 180 00:09:16,920 --> 00:09:19,000 Speaker 2: don't know if it's possible to keep the deer totally 181 00:09:19,040 --> 00:09:21,679 Speaker 2: unaware of your presence, but you can reduce how much 182 00:09:21,679 --> 00:09:24,480 Speaker 2: of an impact you have on any excursion into the woods, 183 00:09:24,720 --> 00:09:28,800 Speaker 2: and that always helps. Another early season mistake that is 184 00:09:28,920 --> 00:09:32,080 Speaker 2: really easy to make is the not paying attention thing. 185 00:09:33,120 --> 00:09:36,480 Speaker 2: It's actually pretty scary how widespread our phone addictions are, 186 00:09:36,520 --> 00:09:38,680 Speaker 2: and it certainly feels like things are only going to 187 00:09:38,679 --> 00:09:41,440 Speaker 2: get worse. I also know that early season sits are 188 00:09:41,480 --> 00:09:45,280 Speaker 2: often pretty boring until right before dark, and I'm definitely 189 00:09:45,320 --> 00:09:49,040 Speaker 2: not immune to doom scrolling to kill time. But one 190 00:09:49,080 --> 00:09:51,560 Speaker 2: thing I learn every single year during the early season 191 00:09:51,559 --> 00:09:55,400 Speaker 2: is that my hunting senses just aren't as sharp. When 192 00:09:55,440 --> 00:09:57,480 Speaker 2: I go out and I hear something three hours before 193 00:09:57,520 --> 00:10:00,400 Speaker 2: I expect the deer to show up, I often miss 194 00:10:00,400 --> 00:10:04,040 Speaker 2: it pretty quickly as a squirrel or something else. Sometimes 195 00:10:04,040 --> 00:10:07,280 Speaker 2: I'm right and sometimes I'm wrong. And when I am wrong, 196 00:10:07,600 --> 00:10:09,600 Speaker 2: it's usually not super fun to try to have to 197 00:10:09,640 --> 00:10:12,480 Speaker 2: grab my bow when there's a deer right by me, 198 00:10:12,640 --> 00:10:15,120 Speaker 2: or get caught facing the wrong way and I can't move. 199 00:10:16,360 --> 00:10:18,400 Speaker 2: Try to remember that you might be a little dull 200 00:10:18,559 --> 00:10:21,439 Speaker 2: from like nine months of off season, and that stick 201 00:10:21,480 --> 00:10:23,720 Speaker 2: that snaps when it's three pm and not a half 202 00:10:23,760 --> 00:10:26,880 Speaker 2: hour before dark could be a thirsty buck headed to 203 00:10:26,920 --> 00:10:29,360 Speaker 2: the water, or an old dough making her way to 204 00:10:29,400 --> 00:10:32,160 Speaker 2: the alfalf a nice and early to munch on some greenery. 205 00:10:33,080 --> 00:10:35,520 Speaker 2: When you don't have the luxury of open woods in 206 00:10:35,559 --> 00:10:39,040 Speaker 2: the ground covered with dry dead leaves, you have a 207 00:10:39,080 --> 00:10:42,120 Speaker 2: situation in which they can move pretty quietly and get 208 00:10:42,200 --> 00:10:45,840 Speaker 2: up on you in a surprising way. Pay attention to 209 00:10:45,880 --> 00:10:48,440 Speaker 2: the sounds of the woods, Try to be diligent on 210 00:10:48,520 --> 00:10:51,040 Speaker 2: taking a look around more often, you know, and maybe 211 00:10:51,040 --> 00:10:53,840 Speaker 2: glassing when you can to pick up some movement before 212 00:10:53,880 --> 00:10:57,160 Speaker 2: that movement is right beneath your stand. Now, another big 213 00:10:57,200 --> 00:10:59,679 Speaker 2: mistake that is really really easy to make in the 214 00:10:59,720 --> 00:11:03,760 Speaker 2: early season is trusting your trail cameras too much. This morning, 215 00:11:03,760 --> 00:11:05,840 Speaker 2: before I dropped the girls off at school, I checked 216 00:11:05,840 --> 00:11:08,079 Speaker 2: my Moultrie app to see who showed up last night. 217 00:11:08,520 --> 00:11:11,839 Speaker 2: The answer was almost no one, which is always a 218 00:11:11,840 --> 00:11:14,640 Speaker 2: little disappointing. But then when we got into my truck 219 00:11:14,640 --> 00:11:17,680 Speaker 2: and we started driving to school, I realized how foggy 220 00:11:17,679 --> 00:11:19,800 Speaker 2: it was out, which is a condition we get a 221 00:11:19,840 --> 00:11:23,040 Speaker 2: lot up here in September. Now. Two things happen when 222 00:11:23,080 --> 00:11:26,120 Speaker 2: it's foggy out. The first is that cameras don't seem 223 00:11:26,160 --> 00:11:29,280 Speaker 2: to function very well. Neither do rangehinders, by the way, 224 00:11:29,679 --> 00:11:32,400 Speaker 2: And the second is that the deer don't seem overly 225 00:11:32,440 --> 00:11:35,400 Speaker 2: inspired to cover tons of ground, which only makes sense. 226 00:11:36,160 --> 00:11:39,240 Speaker 2: Last night didn't tell me anything about deer other than 227 00:11:39,280 --> 00:11:41,360 Speaker 2: if it's foggy when I go hunting, I might not 228 00:11:41,440 --> 00:11:45,080 Speaker 2: be overrun with action. But it's also almost a guarantee 229 00:11:45,080 --> 00:11:47,080 Speaker 2: that more deer walked by my cameras than the pictures 230 00:11:47,120 --> 00:11:51,360 Speaker 2: would suggest. This isn't just a foggy condition thing either. 231 00:11:52,080 --> 00:11:54,640 Speaker 2: With the abundance of soft and hard mass out there, 232 00:11:54,720 --> 00:11:56,600 Speaker 2: and the fact that this is the high water mark 233 00:11:56,679 --> 00:11:59,000 Speaker 2: for foliage in the woods, which means they have a 234 00:11:59,000 --> 00:12:01,880 Speaker 2: lot of easy places to hide and lots of security 235 00:12:01,880 --> 00:12:05,120 Speaker 2: cover to work with. They aren't necessarily going to follow 236 00:12:05,160 --> 00:12:08,040 Speaker 2: the best trails all the time. A few years ago 237 00:12:08,080 --> 00:12:10,079 Speaker 2: I filmed a show in northern Wisconsin with one of 238 00:12:10,120 --> 00:12:12,680 Speaker 2: my daughters, and since I knew we wouldn't see tons 239 00:12:12,720 --> 00:12:14,840 Speaker 2: of deer or bears while we were actually hunting, I 240 00:12:14,880 --> 00:12:18,440 Speaker 2: set up several cameras on my property to capture video footage. 241 00:12:19,040 --> 00:12:21,600 Speaker 2: What blew my mind was how often one of my cameras, 242 00:12:21,800 --> 00:12:23,600 Speaker 2: which was set up on a trail I cut that 243 00:12:23,679 --> 00:12:26,520 Speaker 2: leads into a little kill plot of mine, showed deer 244 00:12:26,640 --> 00:12:29,960 Speaker 2: not going down the trail, but cutting it crosswise where 245 00:12:29,960 --> 00:12:33,280 Speaker 2: there's just no defined trail. Trust me on that, because 246 00:12:33,320 --> 00:12:36,880 Speaker 2: I checked about six times. They were just browsing and 247 00:12:36,920 --> 00:12:39,079 Speaker 2: feeding their way through in a way that didn't create 248 00:12:39,080 --> 00:12:42,840 Speaker 2: a concentration of sign but they were pretty consistent, and 249 00:12:42,880 --> 00:12:45,640 Speaker 2: that lesson has stuck with me now. While cameras in 250 00:12:45,720 --> 00:12:48,800 Speaker 2: certain spots, like really good train traps will tell you 251 00:12:48,840 --> 00:12:51,200 Speaker 2: a lot about who passes through on a daily basis, 252 00:12:51,480 --> 00:12:54,800 Speaker 2: they're not going to show you everything. Again, just like 253 00:12:54,840 --> 00:12:57,600 Speaker 2: the advice to not hunt mornings, if you aren't going 254 00:12:57,920 --> 00:13:00,000 Speaker 2: out to sit right now because your cameras are slow, 255 00:13:00,760 --> 00:13:04,520 Speaker 2: could be making a big mistake. The deer aren't all 256 00:13:04,559 --> 00:13:07,280 Speaker 2: that likely to be nocturnal right now, but they do 257 00:13:07,360 --> 00:13:09,920 Speaker 2: have a lot of food options, and in some places, 258 00:13:09,960 --> 00:13:12,960 Speaker 2: a lot of water options, and in almost all places, 259 00:13:13,040 --> 00:13:16,000 Speaker 2: the most betting options they'll have for the entire season. 260 00:13:16,800 --> 00:13:19,120 Speaker 2: You might not have the camera intel that gets you 261 00:13:19,200 --> 00:13:22,000 Speaker 2: stoked to go out, but sitting in spots where the 262 00:13:22,000 --> 00:13:24,200 Speaker 2: food is good enough, or the water is good enough, 263 00:13:24,440 --> 00:13:26,240 Speaker 2: or they might sneak back through to bed in the 264 00:13:26,240 --> 00:13:28,360 Speaker 2: morning can be a hell of a lot better than 265 00:13:28,400 --> 00:13:30,720 Speaker 2: staying out of the woods because your hit lister hasn't 266 00:13:30,720 --> 00:13:32,760 Speaker 2: walked by one of your three cameras in the last 267 00:13:32,760 --> 00:13:35,960 Speaker 2: two weeks. I think on that last point, which was 268 00:13:35,960 --> 00:13:38,160 Speaker 2: also kind of my first point in this, I want 269 00:13:38,200 --> 00:13:40,560 Speaker 2: to say something else to try to drive this home. 270 00:13:41,640 --> 00:13:43,880 Speaker 2: It's easy to be hyped up and feel like you're 271 00:13:43,920 --> 00:13:46,679 Speaker 2: on the verge of shooting a giant this season and 272 00:13:46,840 --> 00:13:49,400 Speaker 2: you have your mission set and all of that, but 273 00:13:49,559 --> 00:13:52,679 Speaker 2: be careful about going into the season that way. This 274 00:13:52,720 --> 00:13:55,560 Speaker 2: stuff is supposed to be fun and a nice escape 275 00:13:55,559 --> 00:13:57,880 Speaker 2: from the bullshit that has infested our lives and made 276 00:13:57,920 --> 00:14:00,800 Speaker 2: our lives a lot less enjoyable by the day. This 277 00:14:00,960 --> 00:14:04,160 Speaker 2: idea kind of walks hand in hand with the false 278 00:14:04,200 --> 00:14:06,360 Speaker 2: reed we often give ourselves in the early season that 279 00:14:06,400 --> 00:14:08,920 Speaker 2: we can play it safe because we have tons of time. 280 00:14:09,600 --> 00:14:12,040 Speaker 2: Most of us actually don't, and if you factor in 281 00:14:12,080 --> 00:14:14,600 Speaker 2: how many sits you actually get in a season, you 282 00:14:14,679 --> 00:14:17,080 Speaker 2: might realize that skipping a day in September when you 283 00:14:17,120 --> 00:14:20,000 Speaker 2: could hunt might be the equivalent of giving up three 284 00:14:20,120 --> 00:14:22,560 Speaker 2: or five or even ten percent of your actual hunting 285 00:14:22,600 --> 00:14:25,840 Speaker 2: time for the rut. That's a big gamble, and it's 286 00:14:25,840 --> 00:14:27,840 Speaker 2: one of the reasons I preached the message of trying 287 00:14:27,840 --> 00:14:30,160 Speaker 2: to find a reason to hunt. One of the things 288 00:14:30,200 --> 00:14:31,840 Speaker 2: that really helped me on this front a long time 289 00:14:31,880 --> 00:14:34,960 Speaker 2: ago was when I bought into the lull idea. I 290 00:14:34,960 --> 00:14:37,800 Speaker 2: thought you wouldn't shoot a big buck in earlier mid October, 291 00:14:37,800 --> 00:14:39,440 Speaker 2: But I really wanted to hunt, because being in the 292 00:14:39,480 --> 00:14:42,240 Speaker 2: woods in October is better than being literally anywhere else. 293 00:14:42,880 --> 00:14:45,320 Speaker 2: So I went out and hunted, mostly for doz. I 294 00:14:45,360 --> 00:14:47,840 Speaker 2: like to shoot deer, I like to eat deer, and 295 00:14:47,920 --> 00:14:50,360 Speaker 2: I don't like not hunting deer when I can, so 296 00:14:50,440 --> 00:14:53,040 Speaker 2: it just made sense. I'm sure you know where this 297 00:14:53,200 --> 00:14:55,600 Speaker 2: is going. But it wasn't just the dose that showed 298 00:14:55,640 --> 00:14:58,200 Speaker 2: up to eat acorns. When I started doing that, I 299 00:14:58,240 --> 00:15:01,440 Speaker 2: had inadvertently taken most to the pressure off of myself 300 00:15:01,440 --> 00:15:03,360 Speaker 2: to kill a buck, and it just gone out more 301 00:15:03,400 --> 00:15:06,840 Speaker 2: relaxed to hang and hunt on fresh sign, which was 302 00:15:06,880 --> 00:15:10,120 Speaker 2: often tied to mast or some other mid season food source, 303 00:15:10,520 --> 00:15:12,360 Speaker 2: and I ended up finding a hell of a lot 304 00:15:12,360 --> 00:15:14,560 Speaker 2: of bucks that way. In fact, it was one of 305 00:15:14,600 --> 00:15:18,000 Speaker 2: the biggest revelations I had as a public land bow hunter, 306 00:15:18,120 --> 00:15:19,920 Speaker 2: because it not only gave me a reason to go, 307 00:15:20,320 --> 00:15:22,880 Speaker 2: I figured out that most other hunters weren't going, and 308 00:15:22,920 --> 00:15:25,800 Speaker 2: because of that, the bucks seemed far more likely to move. 309 00:15:26,040 --> 00:15:28,840 Speaker 2: So that was two times or two conditions where they 310 00:15:28,880 --> 00:15:31,920 Speaker 2: shouldn't move, and they were moving more. In so many 311 00:15:31,960 --> 00:15:34,640 Speaker 2: cases to this day, I'd rather hunt public on October 312 00:15:34,640 --> 00:15:37,680 Speaker 2: tenth than on November seventh, which probably sounds nuts, but 313 00:15:37,760 --> 00:15:40,280 Speaker 2: it really isn't a joke. So let's tie a bow 314 00:15:40,320 --> 00:15:43,520 Speaker 2: on this thing. It's Christmas morning for us whitetail junkies, 315 00:15:43,520 --> 00:15:46,080 Speaker 2: and it's time to finally hunt again. The thing we've 316 00:15:46,120 --> 00:15:48,880 Speaker 2: waited for for about nine months is here, and the 317 00:15:48,920 --> 00:15:51,080 Speaker 2: deer as dumb as they are going to be all season. 318 00:15:51,720 --> 00:15:53,720 Speaker 2: Try your best to keep them that way, and try 319 00:15:53,760 --> 00:15:55,440 Speaker 2: your best to find a good reason to go as 320 00:15:55,480 --> 00:15:57,640 Speaker 2: much as you can, because it won't be that long, 321 00:15:57,680 --> 00:15:59,440 Speaker 2: and the rut will come and go, and the late 322 00:15:59,480 --> 00:16:01,760 Speaker 2: season will show up with all of its challenges, and 323 00:16:01,800 --> 00:16:04,640 Speaker 2: then suddenly we will all be sadly mourning the loss 324 00:16:04,680 --> 00:16:07,480 Speaker 2: of another deer season. Don't let this get away from you, 325 00:16:08,080 --> 00:16:10,800 Speaker 2: at least without a fight, which starts right now. So 326 00:16:10,920 --> 00:16:13,200 Speaker 2: good luck, and don't forget to come back next week 327 00:16:13,200 --> 00:16:15,800 Speaker 2: because I'm going to talk about Judgment Light and how 328 00:16:15,800 --> 00:16:18,040 Speaker 2: we should just watch our own bobbers this dear season 329 00:16:18,040 --> 00:16:20,960 Speaker 2: and we will all be much happier. That's it for 330 00:16:21,040 --> 00:16:23,160 Speaker 2: this week. I'm Tony Peterson. This has been the Wired 331 00:16:23,160 --> 00:16:25,640 Speaker 2: to Hunt Foundation's podcast, which is brought to you by 332 00:16:25,680 --> 00:16:28,080 Speaker 2: First Light. I just want to say thank you so 333 00:16:28,280 --> 00:16:30,600 Speaker 2: much for your support. You guys show up for us 334 00:16:30,680 --> 00:16:33,480 Speaker 2: in a major way. We really really appreciate it, all 335 00:16:33,520 --> 00:16:35,680 Speaker 2: of us on the med Eater crew, everybody here at 336 00:16:35,720 --> 00:16:38,600 Speaker 2: Meat Eater. We'd be nothing without the audience. That's you. Guys, 337 00:16:38,840 --> 00:16:41,120 Speaker 2: so thank you so much for that. I know you're 338 00:16:41,160 --> 00:16:43,640 Speaker 2: consuming podcasts because you're listening to this. You know where 339 00:16:43,640 --> 00:16:46,040 Speaker 2: to find our podcast We have a whole bunch of 340 00:16:46,040 --> 00:16:48,320 Speaker 2: them at the medeater dot com. But when you're there, 341 00:16:48,600 --> 00:16:51,200 Speaker 2: you might also see that there's a bunch of articles 342 00:16:51,480 --> 00:16:54,120 Speaker 2: by a whole bunch of really good hunters and a 343 00:16:54,120 --> 00:16:57,000 Speaker 2: whole bunch of really good outdoor journalists, a lot of 344 00:16:57,080 --> 00:16:59,880 Speaker 2: really good news stories going up on the site right now, 345 00:17:00,280 --> 00:17:04,120 Speaker 2: interesting stuff. There's also a ton of videos. Essentially, if 346 00:17:04,119 --> 00:17:06,399 Speaker 2: you like content content, and I know you do, go 347 00:17:06,480 --> 00:17:08,080 Speaker 2: to the medeater dot com and check it out.