1 00:00:01,000 --> 00:00:05,720 Speaker 1: Welcome to the Wired to Hunt Foundations podcast, your guide 2 00:00:05,760 --> 00:00:10,760 Speaker 1: to the fundamentals of better deer hunting, and now your host, 3 00:00:11,119 --> 00:00:14,200 Speaker 1: Tony Peterson. Hey, everyone, welcome to the Wire to Hunt 4 00:00:14,200 --> 00:00:16,840 Speaker 1: Foundations podcast, which is brought to you by First Light. 5 00:00:17,600 --> 00:00:21,320 Speaker 1: Today's episode it's sort of a playoff the last week's show. 6 00:00:21,480 --> 00:00:23,919 Speaker 1: This week in a weird connection to that, I'm talking 7 00:00:23,920 --> 00:00:26,680 Speaker 1: about buck beds and some of the mysteries that surround me. 8 00:00:35,320 --> 00:00:38,760 Speaker 1: I'm pretty reluctant to get into this world of scouting 9 00:00:38,800 --> 00:00:41,760 Speaker 1: and hunting buckbeds, or at least I have been. And 10 00:00:42,080 --> 00:00:44,600 Speaker 1: you know, I remember reading about Dan Infult and some 11 00:00:44,640 --> 00:00:47,120 Speaker 1: of these other guys a long time ago, and they 12 00:00:47,120 --> 00:00:49,720 Speaker 1: were always preaching the virtues of hunting buck beeds, and 13 00:00:49,760 --> 00:00:53,519 Speaker 1: I thought, well, that doesn't make sense. Now. That was 14 00:00:53,600 --> 00:00:56,800 Speaker 1: because I didn't really understand the value of buck beds. 15 00:00:57,680 --> 00:00:59,960 Speaker 1: But you can't ignore it forever, no matter how stufforn 16 00:01:00,000 --> 00:01:03,280 Speaker 1: you are. And I'm pretty stubborn. So lately, especially in 17 00:01:03,320 --> 00:01:05,240 Speaker 1: the last couple of years, I've been paying a lot 18 00:01:05,280 --> 00:01:08,080 Speaker 1: of attention to specific buckbeds and trying to factor them 19 00:01:08,080 --> 00:01:11,039 Speaker 1: into my scouting and my hunting strategies, which is what 20 00:01:11,080 --> 00:01:23,880 Speaker 1: I'm going to talk about right now. If you follow 21 00:01:23,959 --> 00:01:28,039 Speaker 1: Mark on social media, you probably saw that he posted 22 00:01:28,040 --> 00:01:31,400 Speaker 1: about a friendly fishing contest we had Back in June. He, 23 00:01:31,800 --> 00:01:36,039 Speaker 1: along with fellow Metator Guy Corey Caulkins, challenged myself and 24 00:01:36,280 --> 00:01:39,360 Speaker 1: other meat eat guy Garrett Long to a fishing contest. 25 00:01:40,600 --> 00:01:43,000 Speaker 1: It was a dumb move on his part for so 26 00:01:43,040 --> 00:01:47,120 Speaker 1: many reasons. First off, even though they enlisted the help 27 00:01:47,160 --> 00:01:50,920 Speaker 1: of an ore man in Foundations podcast engineer Hayden Samack, 28 00:01:51,680 --> 00:01:55,000 Speaker 1: they were fly fishing for trout. There's there's nothing wrong 29 00:01:55,040 --> 00:01:57,560 Speaker 1: with that, mind you. I love fly fishing, but you're 30 00:01:57,600 --> 00:02:00,520 Speaker 1: not likely to stack up a bunch of big trout 31 00:02:00,560 --> 00:02:03,040 Speaker 1: while fishing from a driftboat. You're just not, especially in 32 00:02:03,080 --> 00:02:07,120 Speaker 1: about four hours, which is the time we gave ourselves. Now, 33 00:02:07,200 --> 00:02:10,040 Speaker 1: if they were competing against other fly fishermen, of course 34 00:02:10,080 --> 00:02:12,480 Speaker 1: they would have had a chance. But Garrett and I 35 00:02:12,480 --> 00:02:14,800 Speaker 1: weren't fly fishing. We were bass fishing out of a 36 00:02:14,840 --> 00:02:19,080 Speaker 1: bass boat with real fishing tackle, real gear. I'm not 37 00:02:19,120 --> 00:02:21,120 Speaker 1: saying fly fishing isn't real gear. I'm just saying we 38 00:02:21,200 --> 00:02:24,720 Speaker 1: had lots of advantages in our spinning and bait casting rods. 39 00:02:25,840 --> 00:02:27,680 Speaker 1: We also happened to be on a lake that I 40 00:02:27,760 --> 00:02:31,320 Speaker 1: fished an awful lot all summer long and have fished 41 00:02:31,560 --> 00:02:35,440 Speaker 1: for years, And we also happen to have an amazing 42 00:02:35,440 --> 00:02:38,120 Speaker 1: scenario where the water temperature had busted through the sixty 43 00:02:38,200 --> 00:02:41,840 Speaker 1: degree mark and it stayed there, meaning the Smalley's were 44 00:02:41,880 --> 00:02:45,240 Speaker 1: headed shallow to make new Smalley's. And when they do this, 45 00:02:45,760 --> 00:02:49,600 Speaker 1: they're pretty easy to catch and they're pretty easy to find. So, 46 00:02:49,639 --> 00:02:53,360 Speaker 1: in other words, Mark and Corey didn't stand a chance. 47 00:02:54,160 --> 00:02:57,320 Speaker 1: Although they talked a lot of ship that they were 48 00:02:57,360 --> 00:03:01,359 Speaker 1: going to stomp us, they didn't. Garrett and I had 49 00:03:01,400 --> 00:03:04,359 Speaker 1: too many advantages, not the least of which is being 50 00:03:04,400 --> 00:03:07,480 Speaker 1: a hell of a lot better at fishing. But we 51 00:03:07,520 --> 00:03:09,760 Speaker 1: also had betted Smalley's to work with in a lake 52 00:03:09,880 --> 00:03:12,120 Speaker 1: that I have fished for twenty years. And do you 53 00:03:12,160 --> 00:03:16,200 Speaker 1: know where those Smalley's were bedded? Mostly, or a better 54 00:03:16,280 --> 00:03:18,280 Speaker 1: question would be, do you know what I'm talking about 55 00:03:18,320 --> 00:03:23,040 Speaker 1: fishing and not betted bucks? Because those male Smalley's they 56 00:03:23,120 --> 00:03:26,639 Speaker 1: sought out boulders and stumps to build their beds against. 57 00:03:27,160 --> 00:03:31,000 Speaker 1: And do you know why? Because they are easier to 58 00:03:31,120 --> 00:03:34,160 Speaker 1: defend if you don't have to worry about an approach 59 00:03:34,600 --> 00:03:39,120 Speaker 1: from every direction. Let's say you're a smallmouth, you're a 60 00:03:39,960 --> 00:03:43,960 Speaker 1: male smallmouth, and your bed is against a boulder, you 61 00:03:43,960 --> 00:03:45,880 Speaker 1: you've already kind of reduced the area in which you 62 00:03:45,880 --> 00:03:48,320 Speaker 1: have to watch for crayfish or perch or sunfish or 63 00:03:48,360 --> 00:03:50,960 Speaker 1: any critter that might be looking for a little caviare 64 00:03:52,360 --> 00:03:58,200 Speaker 1: now Bronze backs aren't building beds to lay down in obviously, Well, 65 00:03:58,200 --> 00:03:59,640 Speaker 1: I mean, I guess they kind of are, but not really. 66 00:04:00,080 --> 00:04:02,040 Speaker 1: They use their tails and fins to create a spot 67 00:04:02,080 --> 00:04:04,080 Speaker 1: that's just right for a big female to layer eggs in. 68 00:04:04,240 --> 00:04:06,200 Speaker 1: Then the males do their thing on the eggs and 69 00:04:06,200 --> 00:04:09,320 Speaker 1: they wait for the fry to hatch. But the design 70 00:04:10,440 --> 00:04:13,360 Speaker 1: is meant to make survival of their offspring easier, to 71 00:04:13,480 --> 00:04:18,760 Speaker 1: ensure simple stuff with deer beds serve a different function, 72 00:04:19,000 --> 00:04:22,640 Speaker 1: but there are parallels. When you start paying attention to 73 00:04:22,720 --> 00:04:27,520 Speaker 1: deer beds, you really start to see some patterns emerge. Rarely, 74 00:04:28,279 --> 00:04:31,280 Speaker 1: maybe almost never, do you see a mature buck bed 75 00:04:31,360 --> 00:04:34,200 Speaker 1: in a place that doesn't offer at least a few 76 00:04:34,279 --> 00:04:38,240 Speaker 1: real advantages to him. I don't know. A simple example 77 00:04:38,320 --> 00:04:41,960 Speaker 1: of this that relates to Smalley's is how often bucks 78 00:04:41,960 --> 00:04:44,320 Speaker 1: bet up next to a dead fall or some other 79 00:04:44,400 --> 00:04:48,400 Speaker 1: piece of structure. They seem to know that coyotes or 80 00:04:48,400 --> 00:04:51,080 Speaker 1: wolves or Elmer Fudd types aren't going to crash their 81 00:04:51,120 --> 00:04:53,840 Speaker 1: way through a dead fall to get to them in 82 00:04:53,839 --> 00:04:57,920 Speaker 1: that situation. They're taking out the possible approach, or at 83 00:04:57,960 --> 00:05:02,120 Speaker 1: least one possible approach of a editor, which narrows down 84 00:05:02,120 --> 00:05:05,960 Speaker 1: the area they need to monitor with their senses. It's 85 00:05:06,000 --> 00:05:09,880 Speaker 1: pretty simple and it's pretty effective. You often see beds 86 00:05:09,920 --> 00:05:13,400 Speaker 1: on benches or knobs or other terrain that offers a 87 00:05:13,400 --> 00:05:18,640 Speaker 1: clear advantage, usually with elevation, because elevation is important, and 88 00:05:18,720 --> 00:05:22,440 Speaker 1: bucks know this and they use it well. Just think 89 00:05:22,480 --> 00:05:24,400 Speaker 1: about how hard it is to climb up a hill 90 00:05:24,440 --> 00:05:27,400 Speaker 1: and surprise a deer that is halfway up at looking down. 91 00:05:28,400 --> 00:05:30,400 Speaker 1: Then think about how hard it would be to approach 92 00:05:30,440 --> 00:05:33,280 Speaker 1: from above if the wind was blowing downhill. Say you're 93 00:05:33,360 --> 00:05:38,080 Speaker 1: like in a thermal situation. In those specific cases, good luck, 94 00:05:39,080 --> 00:05:40,719 Speaker 1: you're not going to get the jump on that buck, 95 00:05:40,960 --> 00:05:44,360 Speaker 1: and he knows it. That's why they bed where they do. 96 00:05:45,200 --> 00:05:47,760 Speaker 1: It's why when you're taking a shortcut through the big 97 00:05:47,760 --> 00:05:50,880 Speaker 1: woods and you cross a swampy meadow, you often find 98 00:05:50,880 --> 00:05:53,960 Speaker 1: a random big oval on a high hummock that is 99 00:05:54,080 --> 00:05:57,320 Speaker 1: tucked into a vast landscape that doesn't seem all that special, 100 00:05:58,560 --> 00:06:01,160 Speaker 1: or why when you go peasant hunting you decide to 101 00:06:01,200 --> 00:06:03,800 Speaker 1: let the dogs run through the overgrown homestead for a rooster, 102 00:06:04,560 --> 00:06:06,839 Speaker 1: you often jump a big buck who waits until the 103 00:06:06,880 --> 00:06:09,599 Speaker 1: labs are dang near sniffing his butt before he breaks free. 104 00:06:11,200 --> 00:06:14,960 Speaker 1: Those bucks, they understand their world, each and every part 105 00:06:15,000 --> 00:06:19,279 Speaker 1: of it. And you know what we really don't, well, 106 00:06:19,279 --> 00:06:23,440 Speaker 1: not really, but finding beds, which you can do right now. 107 00:06:23,960 --> 00:06:27,840 Speaker 1: It's a pretty good start. Now. The beds you find 108 00:06:27,880 --> 00:06:30,120 Speaker 1: in the middle of the summer, they won't necessarily be 109 00:06:30,200 --> 00:06:33,719 Speaker 1: the ones that the bucks will use in October, but 110 00:06:33,800 --> 00:06:36,400 Speaker 1: that doesn't make them valueless, and it doesn't mean that 111 00:06:36,440 --> 00:06:41,039 Speaker 1: some of those beds don't transcend seasons. Understanding what dear 112 00:06:41,160 --> 00:06:45,039 Speaker 1: choose to do in all facets of their life is 113 00:06:45,080 --> 00:06:48,239 Speaker 1: a huge check in the wind calumn. This is something 114 00:06:48,279 --> 00:06:51,080 Speaker 1: the industry, and by that I mean the hunting industry, 115 00:06:51,279 --> 00:06:53,880 Speaker 1: hasn't done a very good job of talking about. But 116 00:06:53,960 --> 00:06:57,680 Speaker 1: it is absolutely true. The path, or at least I 117 00:06:57,680 --> 00:07:01,200 Speaker 1: should say, a good path to big dead deer on 118 00:07:01,240 --> 00:07:06,159 Speaker 1: a consistent basis, isn't point a to be stuff. It 119 00:07:06,200 --> 00:07:08,440 Speaker 1: involves a lot of side tangents and a lot of 120 00:07:08,440 --> 00:07:12,360 Speaker 1: time just looking around. Think about this when you're scouting now, 121 00:07:12,840 --> 00:07:16,000 Speaker 1: and when you do find a buck bed or any bed, 122 00:07:16,080 --> 00:07:21,560 Speaker 1: actually ask why why there? And then ask in what 123 00:07:21,640 --> 00:07:25,800 Speaker 1: conditions would that be most beneficial? Ask yourself if you 124 00:07:25,840 --> 00:07:28,200 Speaker 1: feel like maybe you're in a little micro climate where 125 00:07:28,200 --> 00:07:31,320 Speaker 1: it stays cooler. That's good to know now, because it's 126 00:07:31,320 --> 00:07:34,760 Speaker 1: good to know in September when the temperatures are high. 127 00:07:35,040 --> 00:07:39,640 Speaker 1: Ask yourself what wind the buck or deer would probably 128 00:07:39,760 --> 00:07:43,840 Speaker 1: prefer there, And when you get the answer, ask yourself 129 00:07:43,840 --> 00:07:47,640 Speaker 1: how you'd use that knowledge to your advantage. If a 130 00:07:47,720 --> 00:07:49,880 Speaker 1: west wind would give him a real edge in a 131 00:07:49,960 --> 00:07:53,440 Speaker 1: specific bed that you found, how does that work for you? 132 00:07:54,320 --> 00:07:56,040 Speaker 1: Can you set up on the down wind side to 133 00:07:56,080 --> 00:08:00,280 Speaker 1: watch him leave? Can you maybe guess his approach trout 134 00:08:00,320 --> 00:08:04,360 Speaker 1: from nearby food sources with that specific wind direction? What 135 00:08:04,680 --> 00:08:07,360 Speaker 1: is it that he has working for him? And how 136 00:08:07,400 --> 00:08:11,920 Speaker 1: can you use that against him? Ask yourself if I 137 00:08:12,080 --> 00:08:15,000 Speaker 1: bumped him out of that bed, where would he go 138 00:08:15,840 --> 00:08:19,320 Speaker 1: and how would he get back? I honestly think one 139 00:08:19,360 --> 00:08:22,400 Speaker 1: of the biggest mysteries in the white tailed world is 140 00:08:22,600 --> 00:08:26,320 Speaker 1: buck betting. We see some of the evidence left behind, 141 00:08:26,680 --> 00:08:28,800 Speaker 1: but have to fill in so many of the blanks. 142 00:08:29,920 --> 00:08:31,960 Speaker 1: I mean, I don't know how often do you actually 143 00:08:32,000 --> 00:08:35,160 Speaker 1: see a buck lay down in a bed. I scout 144 00:08:35,160 --> 00:08:38,160 Speaker 1: and hunt quite a bit, and it does not happen 145 00:08:38,200 --> 00:08:41,960 Speaker 1: to me very often. It really doesn't happen very often 146 00:08:41,960 --> 00:08:45,360 Speaker 1: with big bucks, and when it does, I pay attention. 147 00:08:45,840 --> 00:08:49,040 Speaker 1: How they behave in relation to betting tells you a 148 00:08:49,080 --> 00:08:51,959 Speaker 1: lot about how secure they are in a spot. And 149 00:08:52,080 --> 00:08:55,040 Speaker 1: finding places where big bucks are confident you won't kill 150 00:08:55,120 --> 00:08:57,920 Speaker 1: them or even just come in and bother them is 151 00:08:57,960 --> 00:09:02,000 Speaker 1: the secret to actually killing them with some frequency. I 152 00:09:02,080 --> 00:09:07,120 Speaker 1: absolutely believe that now I should expand on something here, 153 00:09:07,679 --> 00:09:10,120 Speaker 1: because I think a lot of the messaging around buck 154 00:09:10,160 --> 00:09:14,320 Speaker 1: beds and hunting them is kind of incomplete, or at 155 00:09:14,320 --> 00:09:16,560 Speaker 1: the very least we're exposed to sort of a highlight 156 00:09:16,600 --> 00:09:21,080 Speaker 1: reel from the better buck bed hunters out there. The 157 00:09:21,160 --> 00:09:24,199 Speaker 1: message is usually that you should find a specific buck's 158 00:09:24,280 --> 00:09:26,560 Speaker 1: bed and then figure out the conditions in which he'll 159 00:09:26,679 --> 00:09:29,520 Speaker 1: use it. Then you slip in as close as possible 160 00:09:29,559 --> 00:09:35,160 Speaker 1: and you shoot him. Easy, peasy, lemon squeezy. Right. I 161 00:09:35,160 --> 00:09:38,200 Speaker 1: don't think so. I think that's wrong. I think it's 162 00:09:38,200 --> 00:09:42,679 Speaker 1: so wrong, so very very very very wrong. Sneaking up 163 00:09:42,679 --> 00:09:44,800 Speaker 1: on a bedded buck can absolutely be done with the 164 00:09:44,880 --> 00:09:47,800 Speaker 1: right conditions, But then you've got to have the right 165 00:09:47,800 --> 00:09:50,680 Speaker 1: conditions and the knowledge that he's actually in the bed 166 00:09:50,720 --> 00:09:53,560 Speaker 1: when you want to stalk him, aside from running a 167 00:09:53,559 --> 00:09:56,920 Speaker 1: cell camera over the bed, which would be at best 168 00:09:56,960 --> 00:10:01,120 Speaker 1: in ethical gray area, in the legal gray area, I 169 00:10:01,160 --> 00:10:04,559 Speaker 1: don't I don't know how you would guarantee something like that. Now, 170 00:10:04,640 --> 00:10:08,200 Speaker 1: you could, in some situations glass up a bed you 171 00:10:08,240 --> 00:10:12,000 Speaker 1: suspect has a sleeping buck in it to confirm your suspicion. Now, 172 00:10:12,000 --> 00:10:14,439 Speaker 1: that would give you a hell of an advantage, but 173 00:10:14,559 --> 00:10:17,480 Speaker 1: wouldn't make the final approach much easier unless you have 174 00:10:17,600 --> 00:10:20,040 Speaker 1: some rain or wind or both to cover up your approach. 175 00:10:20,880 --> 00:10:23,080 Speaker 1: And we all know that there's probably not that many 176 00:10:23,120 --> 00:10:25,920 Speaker 1: situations where you're gonna easily be able to glass up 177 00:10:26,520 --> 00:10:28,880 Speaker 1: a bed at buck. Maybe out west, maybe in a 178 00:10:28,880 --> 00:10:32,360 Speaker 1: few more open areas, but in most places good luck. 179 00:10:33,320 --> 00:10:36,319 Speaker 1: So maybe a better strategy is to scout your ass 180 00:10:36,360 --> 00:10:39,840 Speaker 1: off and find some beds without thinking about hunting right 181 00:10:39,880 --> 00:10:43,920 Speaker 1: over them. Scout them up now this time of year 182 00:10:44,400 --> 00:10:48,119 Speaker 1: and throughout the season, mark the beds, you assume our buckbeds, 183 00:10:48,240 --> 00:10:51,760 Speaker 1: drop away point, whatever you gotta do, and then factor 184 00:10:51,880 --> 00:10:56,120 Speaker 1: that into a bigger strategy. Let's just say, like, for example, 185 00:10:56,160 --> 00:10:58,200 Speaker 1: if you find a bed in a marsh on public 186 00:10:58,280 --> 00:11:01,880 Speaker 1: land where you could slip in and saddle up close by, 187 00:11:02,080 --> 00:11:04,640 Speaker 1: give that a shot. You'll learn a lot about your 188 00:11:04,640 --> 00:11:06,839 Speaker 1: skills in that move, and a lot about whether the 189 00:11:06,880 --> 00:11:09,840 Speaker 1: buck is actually killable that way or not. If you 190 00:11:09,880 --> 00:11:12,320 Speaker 1: find a big oval next to a dead fall, you know, 191 00:11:12,480 --> 00:11:15,600 Speaker 1: halfway up a bluff, side on a little bench, oh, 192 00:11:15,679 --> 00:11:18,200 Speaker 1: maybe you won't be able to get his close. Fine, 193 00:11:18,679 --> 00:11:21,280 Speaker 1: what next? Then? Is he killable on top of the 194 00:11:21,360 --> 00:11:24,320 Speaker 1: ridge or in the valley below? Is there a reason 195 00:11:24,360 --> 00:11:26,840 Speaker 1: for him to side hill into or out of that 196 00:11:26,920 --> 00:11:30,280 Speaker 1: bed that will give you some kind of ambush option, 197 00:11:30,480 --> 00:11:35,040 Speaker 1: some kind of advantage. The benefit of focusing on beds, 198 00:11:35,080 --> 00:11:39,440 Speaker 1: specific individual buck beds is that you might know exactly 199 00:11:39,440 --> 00:11:42,400 Speaker 1: where a buck is going or exactly where he is, 200 00:11:43,000 --> 00:11:46,920 Speaker 1: or exactly where he might be coming from. And that's 201 00:11:46,920 --> 00:11:50,000 Speaker 1: not nothing, my friends. That's a big deal, and it 202 00:11:50,200 --> 00:11:53,760 Speaker 1: is doable. And it's also important to note that trying 203 00:11:53,760 --> 00:11:57,319 Speaker 1: new hunting styles and techniques and forcing yourself to think 204 00:11:57,320 --> 00:12:00,640 Speaker 1: about deer in a new way is a true tremendous 205 00:12:00,679 --> 00:12:04,439 Speaker 1: opportunity to actually grow as a hunter and get way better. 206 00:12:05,880 --> 00:12:07,840 Speaker 1: Remember at the beginning of this podcast when I talk 207 00:12:07,880 --> 00:12:10,959 Speaker 1: about how I kicked Mark's ass at a fishing contest, Well, 208 00:12:11,800 --> 00:12:13,960 Speaker 1: I used to fish a lot of bass tournaments. I 209 00:12:14,000 --> 00:12:15,680 Speaker 1: still fish a few, but I used to fish a 210 00:12:15,679 --> 00:12:18,440 Speaker 1: lot that was in a past life, and I was 211 00:12:18,640 --> 00:12:20,840 Speaker 1: as obsessed with it as I am with bow hunting 212 00:12:20,840 --> 00:12:24,480 Speaker 1: white tails. Now. There are plenty of downsides to that 213 00:12:24,559 --> 00:12:26,760 Speaker 1: life on the road chasing a little green and brown fish, 214 00:12:26,840 --> 00:12:29,280 Speaker 1: especially if you're a young, drunken idiot. But one of 215 00:12:29,280 --> 00:12:32,200 Speaker 1: the upsides that I didn't see coming when I registered 216 00:12:32,200 --> 00:12:35,120 Speaker 1: for my first tournament was that it would force me 217 00:12:35,200 --> 00:12:38,040 Speaker 1: to get better, way better. And it did this on 218 00:12:38,120 --> 00:12:40,960 Speaker 1: two fronts. The first was that I started out on 219 00:12:41,000 --> 00:12:43,599 Speaker 1: the amateur or co angler side. That man, I was 220 00:12:43,640 --> 00:12:46,520 Speaker 1: paired up with a professional, and in some tournaments you'd 221 00:12:46,559 --> 00:12:49,960 Speaker 1: work as a team, and in some tournaments you'd fish 222 00:12:50,000 --> 00:12:53,480 Speaker 1: against each other out of the same boat. No matter 223 00:12:53,600 --> 00:12:56,440 Speaker 1: the format, getting to fish with someone who was really 224 00:12:56,480 --> 00:13:00,600 Speaker 1: good it was always a humbling experience. I learned a 225 00:13:00,640 --> 00:13:03,320 Speaker 1: ton from some of those pros and It forced me 226 00:13:03,360 --> 00:13:06,600 Speaker 1: to think about how much better I could be. The 227 00:13:06,640 --> 00:13:09,480 Speaker 1: Other thing was that fishing new lakes and new river 228 00:13:09,559 --> 00:13:13,040 Speaker 1: systems and new reservoirs meant that there were a lot 229 00:13:13,080 --> 00:13:16,520 Speaker 1: of techniques that could work better than what I was 230 00:13:16,559 --> 00:13:20,839 Speaker 1: comfortable doing. No, the problem would be like, say, I 231 00:13:20,880 --> 00:13:22,559 Speaker 1: don't know, the large mouth were schooled up on a 232 00:13:22,600 --> 00:13:25,880 Speaker 1: sunken rock pile in July, or they were twenty ft 233 00:13:25,920 --> 00:13:29,679 Speaker 1: deep on weed lines lounging out around the thermocline eating 234 00:13:29,679 --> 00:13:33,559 Speaker 1: crayfish or whatever. Now, if you primarily love to throw 235 00:13:33,640 --> 00:13:36,080 Speaker 1: spinner baits or some other chunk and wine lure, you 236 00:13:36,160 --> 00:13:38,800 Speaker 1: might fish I don't know, eighteen feet above those large ease. 237 00:13:39,920 --> 00:13:43,640 Speaker 1: But someone several someone's probably in a tournament. They're going 238 00:13:43,679 --> 00:13:45,720 Speaker 1: to figure out how to drag a Carolina rig passed 239 00:13:45,760 --> 00:13:49,120 Speaker 1: them and light them up. Getting your ass handed to 240 00:13:49,120 --> 00:13:51,160 Speaker 1: you by someone who is better at a technique like 241 00:13:51,240 --> 00:13:53,520 Speaker 1: that it really kind of forces you to want to 242 00:13:53,600 --> 00:13:56,360 Speaker 1: learn it, or it should. I missed that aspect of 243 00:13:56,400 --> 00:13:58,920 Speaker 1: tournament fishing, because if you don't like losing, and who 244 00:13:58,960 --> 00:14:02,040 Speaker 1: really does, you're gonna work on some new stuff and 245 00:14:02,040 --> 00:14:06,120 Speaker 1: you're gonna get better. White tail hunting is no different 246 00:14:07,000 --> 00:14:09,920 Speaker 1: and a great example of that just might be bed hunting, 247 00:14:11,080 --> 00:14:15,079 Speaker 1: or at least focusing on finding and reading buck beds. 248 00:14:15,720 --> 00:14:18,240 Speaker 1: While I'm far from an expert on this topic, I'm 249 00:14:18,280 --> 00:14:22,160 Speaker 1: trying to get better, and one thing I've learned is 250 00:14:22,200 --> 00:14:24,880 Speaker 1: that beds become more important to me when I not 251 00:14:24,960 --> 00:14:27,960 Speaker 1: only think about them, but give myself a good reminder. 252 00:14:28,760 --> 00:14:31,120 Speaker 1: If I find a bed while scouting that I think 253 00:14:31,160 --> 00:14:34,680 Speaker 1: belongs to a big deer, I immediately drop a waypoint 254 00:14:34,720 --> 00:14:37,800 Speaker 1: in that exact spot, and then I usually key in 255 00:14:37,840 --> 00:14:40,880 Speaker 1: a few notes as well to remember things like wind 256 00:14:40,920 --> 00:14:44,760 Speaker 1: direction and what would you know the conditions most likely 257 00:14:45,200 --> 00:14:49,200 Speaker 1: be for a buck to use that specific bed, And 258 00:14:49,200 --> 00:14:50,920 Speaker 1: if you start to find a few of those beds 259 00:14:50,920 --> 00:14:53,840 Speaker 1: on a specific property, you can really kind of begin 260 00:14:53,880 --> 00:14:57,240 Speaker 1: to piece together an idea of what bucks are really 261 00:14:57,280 --> 00:15:01,120 Speaker 1: doing throughout the daylight hours. Now it's worth saying that 262 00:15:01,200 --> 00:15:04,080 Speaker 1: you might find three or four obvious buckbeds on property, 263 00:15:04,360 --> 00:15:06,800 Speaker 1: and they might belong to three or four different bucks, 264 00:15:06,920 --> 00:15:09,720 Speaker 1: or they might belong to one. The good news is 265 00:15:09,800 --> 00:15:12,640 Speaker 1: it probably doesn't matter. If you know where a good 266 00:15:12,640 --> 00:15:14,840 Speaker 1: buck likes to bed and what conditions he's likely to 267 00:15:14,880 --> 00:15:18,640 Speaker 1: bed there, you have an advantage for the season, but 268 00:15:18,800 --> 00:15:22,200 Speaker 1: also several seasons to come. This is one of the 269 00:15:22,280 --> 00:15:26,800 Speaker 1: things that fascinates me most about buckbeds. Honestly, while food 270 00:15:26,840 --> 00:15:29,760 Speaker 1: sources often changed from year to year, and you know, 271 00:15:29,840 --> 00:15:32,400 Speaker 1: travel routes might change depending on a litany of factors, 272 00:15:33,160 --> 00:15:37,080 Speaker 1: a good betting site often doesn't. This is because they 273 00:15:37,080 --> 00:15:40,760 Speaker 1: are so closely tied to the terrain, which means it's 274 00:15:40,800 --> 00:15:42,680 Speaker 1: not likely that the knob on the ridge is going 275 00:15:42,720 --> 00:15:45,800 Speaker 1: to wash away in a huge rainstorm or become altered 276 00:15:45,800 --> 00:15:48,600 Speaker 1: in some way from one season to the next. And sure, 277 00:15:49,200 --> 00:15:51,720 Speaker 1: you know, logging activity could do it, and too much 278 00:15:51,760 --> 00:15:55,040 Speaker 1: hunting pressure could convince bucks to look for better spots. 279 00:15:55,800 --> 00:15:59,120 Speaker 1: But if nothing really big interferes with their betting spot, 280 00:16:00,200 --> 00:16:05,240 Speaker 1: bus will keep using it. And why does that matter? Well, 281 00:16:05,720 --> 00:16:07,600 Speaker 1: what if you scout your ass off this summer and 282 00:16:07,600 --> 00:16:10,120 Speaker 1: you find, I don't know, six spots where the biggest 283 00:16:10,120 --> 00:16:12,800 Speaker 1: buck on your property likes to bed. You probably think 284 00:16:12,800 --> 00:16:16,840 Speaker 1: you got him dialed right like, you might as well 285 00:16:16,880 --> 00:16:18,960 Speaker 1: just call a taxidermist now and tell him to order 286 00:16:19,040 --> 00:16:22,000 Speaker 1: up a form because this is a done deal. But 287 00:16:22,080 --> 00:16:23,800 Speaker 1: what if your neighbor goes out on opening night and 288 00:16:23,880 --> 00:16:26,880 Speaker 1: kills the buck you've staked out for all you're scouting 289 00:16:26,880 --> 00:16:29,480 Speaker 1: and hunting time, you've hung your you've hung your hat 290 00:16:29,520 --> 00:16:32,640 Speaker 1: on that buck, and he's toast aside from sewing up 291 00:16:32,640 --> 00:16:34,720 Speaker 1: a little voodoo doll to look like your neighbor and 292 00:16:34,720 --> 00:16:37,400 Speaker 1: then spending your nights sticking hot needles into its delicates, 293 00:16:37,400 --> 00:16:40,480 Speaker 1: and the hopes that you're no good buckshooting neighbor will 294 00:16:40,480 --> 00:16:44,320 Speaker 1: suddenly get super sharp pains in his undercarriage. You also 295 00:16:44,360 --> 00:16:47,680 Speaker 1: know that that big buck chose those spots for a reason, 296 00:16:48,920 --> 00:16:50,680 Speaker 1: and you know who else is going to figure that out? 297 00:16:51,960 --> 00:16:54,160 Speaker 1: The next buck in line. And I talked about this 298 00:16:54,200 --> 00:16:56,800 Speaker 1: a little bit ago, and I really mean it. That's right, 299 00:16:57,920 --> 00:17:00,240 Speaker 1: And while it might not be the second biggest on 300 00:17:00,320 --> 00:17:04,400 Speaker 1: your ground, you know that it's highly likely that when 301 00:17:04,480 --> 00:17:08,040 Speaker 1: King Kong gets arrowed and opens up a power vacuum, 302 00:17:08,080 --> 00:17:11,359 Speaker 1: someone is coming in to take advantage of his spot. 303 00:17:11,920 --> 00:17:14,760 Speaker 1: It's very likely that that someone is a buck who 304 00:17:14,800 --> 00:17:18,640 Speaker 1: recognizes the same survival advantages that the previous buck did, 305 00:17:19,240 --> 00:17:22,400 Speaker 1: and you know what, he's going to set up shop there. 306 00:17:23,600 --> 00:17:28,120 Speaker 1: These generational findings are a gift to us white tail hunters. 307 00:17:28,600 --> 00:17:30,680 Speaker 1: And while it's nice to figure out what apple tree 308 00:17:30,760 --> 00:17:33,160 Speaker 1: is dropping during September, so you can set up there 309 00:17:33,600 --> 00:17:36,359 Speaker 1: right now. By that, I mean in the season, not 310 00:17:36,520 --> 00:17:39,160 Speaker 1: don't do it right now. It's also nice to find 311 00:17:39,160 --> 00:17:41,199 Speaker 1: certain things in the woods that should be used by 312 00:17:41,240 --> 00:17:45,480 Speaker 1: bucks consistently from year to year to year to year. 313 00:17:46,640 --> 00:17:49,399 Speaker 1: It doesn't take too many of those before you've always 314 00:17:49,400 --> 00:17:51,920 Speaker 1: got a decent idea of what should be going on 315 00:17:52,000 --> 00:17:55,040 Speaker 1: in the woods. And if you don't think that matters, 316 00:17:56,119 --> 00:17:58,000 Speaker 1: hang out with someone who is a lot better hunter 317 00:17:58,040 --> 00:18:01,280 Speaker 1: than you. If you can find one, they'll be thinking 318 00:18:01,280 --> 00:18:04,360 Speaker 1: about that stuff all the time, and it'll factor into 319 00:18:04,359 --> 00:18:07,960 Speaker 1: their scouting decisions and their hunting decisions. It will drive 320 00:18:08,000 --> 00:18:11,680 Speaker 1: where they walk, where they hang cameras, and eventually where 321 00:18:11,720 --> 00:18:13,480 Speaker 1: they hang their happy ass off a side of a 322 00:18:13,520 --> 00:18:17,719 Speaker 1: specific tree throughout the fall. So go find some beds, 323 00:18:18,440 --> 00:18:22,480 Speaker 1: mark them, think about them, consider why Buck would use 324 00:18:22,520 --> 00:18:26,320 Speaker 1: them and when he'd be there. Don't rely solely on 325 00:18:26,359 --> 00:18:29,320 Speaker 1: their locations to end your scouting efforts, but use them 326 00:18:29,320 --> 00:18:33,000 Speaker 1: to enhance the bigger picture. That's the best method for 327 00:18:33,080 --> 00:18:35,920 Speaker 1: becoming better at this stuff. And be sure to tune 328 00:18:35,920 --> 00:18:38,840 Speaker 1: in next week because I'm gonna talk about why settling 329 00:18:38,880 --> 00:18:41,320 Speaker 1: with your equipment throughout the summer shooting sessions is a 330 00:18:41,359 --> 00:18:43,119 Speaker 1: sure fire way to screw up a shot on a 331 00:18:43,160 --> 00:18:48,040 Speaker 1: deer come fall. That's it for this week, folks. I'm 332 00:18:48,080 --> 00:18:49,920 Speaker 1: your host, Tony Peterson. That has been the Wired Hunt 333 00:18:49,920 --> 00:18:52,360 Speaker 1: Foundations podcast which has brought to you by First Light. 334 00:18:53,160 --> 00:18:55,240 Speaker 1: As I always, thank you so much for your support, 335 00:18:55,280 --> 00:18:57,880 Speaker 1: all of us here at meat Eat really truly appreciate it. 336 00:18:58,080 --> 00:19:00,320 Speaker 1: And if you want more white tail goodness, on over 337 00:19:00,320 --> 00:19:03,159 Speaker 1: to the wire Hunt YouTube channel and check out all 338 00:19:03,200 --> 00:19:05,240 Speaker 1: of our videos that we dropped every week, or head 339 00:19:05,240 --> 00:19:07,440 Speaker 1: on over to the metator dot com slash wire to 340 00:19:07,520 --> 00:19:09,120 Speaker 1: read a bunch of deer hunting articles.