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 --> 00:00:10,799 Speaker 1: to the fundamentals of better dear hunting, and now your host, 3 00:00:11,119 --> 00:00:16,560 Speaker 1: Tony Peterson. Hey, everybody, welcome to Wire to Hunt Foundations podcast, 4 00:00:16,840 --> 00:00:19,600 Speaker 1: brought to you by First Light. Today's episode is about 5 00:00:19,640 --> 00:00:22,599 Speaker 1: how easy it is to make poor decisions as the 6 00:00:22,680 --> 00:00:37,239 Speaker 1: rut starts to ramp up. Last week's episode was a 7 00:00:37,360 --> 00:00:40,040 Speaker 1: cautionary one about how easy it is to get your 8 00:00:40,120 --> 00:00:42,559 Speaker 1: rut timing wrong, and if you didn't listen to it, 9 00:00:42,960 --> 00:00:45,280 Speaker 1: go back and do that before you listen to this show. 10 00:00:45,760 --> 00:00:48,160 Speaker 1: I'm going to dive deeper into the day by day 11 00:00:48,159 --> 00:00:50,839 Speaker 1: progression of a rut. This episode is also going to 12 00:00:50,880 --> 00:00:54,280 Speaker 1: be about calling decoin and some of the strategies that 13 00:00:54,320 --> 00:00:56,200 Speaker 1: we all believe will help us bridge the gap from 14 00:00:56,200 --> 00:01:10,800 Speaker 1: being gear watchers to being dear killers. Yeah, if there 15 00:01:10,880 --> 00:01:12,800 Speaker 1: was a week in the white tail hunters world that 16 00:01:12,920 --> 00:01:16,720 Speaker 1: maybe needed a hype music type of soundtrack, it's this one. 17 00:01:16,959 --> 00:01:20,200 Speaker 1: In fact, since Mark is so into E d M, 18 00:01:20,200 --> 00:01:22,679 Speaker 1: maybe he's got the perfect playlist for you. If not, 19 00:01:22,880 --> 00:01:25,839 Speaker 1: it's okay. You can still get excited without the backdrop 20 00:01:25,840 --> 00:01:29,360 Speaker 1: of glow sticks, bass drops and industrial drugs. The reason 21 00:01:29,440 --> 00:01:32,319 Speaker 1: for the excitement is obvious since we're in the sweet 22 00:01:32,440 --> 00:01:35,880 Speaker 1: late October early November window, and that means the freaking 23 00:01:35,959 --> 00:01:40,440 Speaker 1: rut is here. But is it? Is it really? I mean, 24 00:01:40,440 --> 00:01:42,840 Speaker 1: if you're getting out there in October with the idea 25 00:01:42,880 --> 00:01:45,520 Speaker 1: that it's going to be on fire, you're most likely wrong. 26 00:01:46,319 --> 00:01:48,320 Speaker 1: Even the first few days of November can be a 27 00:01:48,360 --> 00:01:52,480 Speaker 1: snooze fest, or they can be unbelievable. The difference usually 28 00:01:52,560 --> 00:01:56,400 Speaker 1: hinges on weather. Yet let me throw another qualifier in there. 29 00:01:57,040 --> 00:02:00,080 Speaker 1: You can have the most perfect rut conditions ever and 30 00:02:00,200 --> 00:02:03,040 Speaker 1: still be around so much hunting pressure that the daylight 31 00:02:03,080 --> 00:02:07,279 Speaker 1: movement is almost non existent. Like so much of deer hunting, 32 00:02:07,720 --> 00:02:11,799 Speaker 1: sometimes the private land heavily managed rules don't apply to 33 00:02:11,840 --> 00:02:14,799 Speaker 1: the public land hunter. That's life, my friends. But it's 34 00:02:14,800 --> 00:02:18,839 Speaker 1: gonna be okay. Let's take a step back and think 35 00:02:18,880 --> 00:02:22,680 Speaker 1: about weather means this week. First, the bucks should be 36 00:02:22,680 --> 00:02:25,840 Speaker 1: on their feet more no the window in which to 37 00:02:25,960 --> 00:02:28,160 Speaker 1: encounter them in the morning, and then the evening grows 38 00:02:28,200 --> 00:02:30,640 Speaker 1: a little bigger by the day and can open up 39 00:02:30,680 --> 00:02:34,080 Speaker 1: fully if a super cold front comes in. That cold 40 00:02:34,080 --> 00:02:36,680 Speaker 1: front can also bring in the other hunters. Because I'm 41 00:02:36,680 --> 00:02:40,120 Speaker 1: not saying anything new here, everyone knows that pre rot 42 00:02:40,720 --> 00:02:44,560 Speaker 1: plus cold fronts equals good hunting, but it isn't equal 43 00:02:44,600 --> 00:02:48,000 Speaker 1: good hunting everywhere. Unless your dad owns four thousand acres 44 00:02:48,000 --> 00:02:51,000 Speaker 1: of prime southern Iowa ground, You're probably not going to 45 00:02:51,000 --> 00:02:53,440 Speaker 1: see a crazy amount of chasing out in the wide 46 00:02:53,440 --> 00:02:56,160 Speaker 1: open all day long. You should be able to count 47 00:02:56,160 --> 00:02:58,200 Speaker 1: on some cruising in the woods and a little more 48 00:02:58,240 --> 00:03:02,200 Speaker 1: carelessness around daytime track level. In general. That's good, but 49 00:03:02,280 --> 00:03:05,960 Speaker 1: it doesn't alleviate you of your responsibility to hunt smart 50 00:03:06,840 --> 00:03:09,519 Speaker 1: during this week, which is full of so much promise. 51 00:03:10,280 --> 00:03:13,120 Speaker 1: I personally do a couple of things, hunt every chance 52 00:03:13,120 --> 00:03:15,560 Speaker 1: I can, and I make sure I have enough spots 53 00:03:15,600 --> 00:03:19,640 Speaker 1: to make that happen without sacrificing my future odds. This 54 00:03:19,720 --> 00:03:21,760 Speaker 1: means that if it's a little warmer than it should 55 00:03:21,760 --> 00:03:23,960 Speaker 1: be or the wind isn't right for the spots, I 56 00:03:23,960 --> 00:03:26,959 Speaker 1: really want to hunt and dig into the backups. As 57 00:03:27,040 --> 00:03:29,560 Speaker 1: cautious as I'm telling you to be about hunting right now, 58 00:03:30,240 --> 00:03:33,239 Speaker 1: I don't want to dissuade anyone from going. This is 59 00:03:33,280 --> 00:03:36,560 Speaker 1: a great time to be in the woods period. You 60 00:03:36,680 --> 00:03:38,720 Speaker 1: just might not want to go sit your best rut 61 00:03:38,760 --> 00:03:41,480 Speaker 1: funnel for three days in a row yet, burning out 62 00:03:41,480 --> 00:03:44,080 Speaker 1: a spot like that before it's really happening. It just 63 00:03:44,120 --> 00:03:47,080 Speaker 1: doesn't do you any good. And sure, you can sit 64 00:03:47,120 --> 00:03:48,840 Speaker 1: that one stand for two weeks in a row and 65 00:03:48,880 --> 00:03:53,360 Speaker 1: eventually kill one, but can you really Maybe, but it 66 00:03:53,400 --> 00:03:55,760 Speaker 1: gets a hell of a lot harder if you spooked 67 00:03:55,800 --> 00:03:59,880 Speaker 1: every dough group in the neighborhood last week. Also, ask yourself, 68 00:04:00,560 --> 00:04:02,640 Speaker 1: do you have the resolve to sit a dead spot 69 00:04:02,760 --> 00:04:04,920 Speaker 1: for days on end believing that a buck will eventually 70 00:04:04,920 --> 00:04:09,080 Speaker 1: come by? That's a tough one. I've volume hunted spots 71 00:04:09,120 --> 00:04:11,800 Speaker 1: I truly believed in during the pre rut and the rut, 72 00:04:12,240 --> 00:04:15,200 Speaker 1: and it has sometimes worked. Other times I have left 73 00:04:15,240 --> 00:04:19,600 Speaker 1: the woods after days and days of trying, tired, frustrated, 74 00:04:19,640 --> 00:04:23,120 Speaker 1: and totally be fuddled. There are no guarantees they're going 75 00:04:23,200 --> 00:04:25,400 Speaker 1: to come by, or at least the buck you want 76 00:04:25,440 --> 00:04:28,400 Speaker 1: is going to come by. The more options you have 77 00:04:29,160 --> 00:04:32,400 Speaker 1: for the diverse conditions you're likely to face, the better 78 00:04:32,440 --> 00:04:35,200 Speaker 1: off you'll be. Have you noticed this in what I've 79 00:04:35,240 --> 00:04:37,200 Speaker 1: been telling you for weeks and weeks and weeks since 80 00:04:37,240 --> 00:04:42,480 Speaker 1: this Foundation podcast dropped. Options are important. Mobility is important. 81 00:04:43,480 --> 00:04:46,760 Speaker 1: Now this is tricky here, my friends, because you've got 82 00:04:46,800 --> 00:04:50,000 Speaker 1: to decide on pushing a dead program, maybe on a 83 00:04:50,080 --> 00:04:54,839 Speaker 1: killer funnel, or bailing on it. Confidence is one of 84 00:04:54,880 --> 00:04:58,719 Speaker 1: those great intangibles that makes people good at stuff. You 85 00:04:58,839 --> 00:05:01,960 Speaker 1: see it in sports, you see it in schooling with kids, 86 00:05:02,440 --> 00:05:04,320 Speaker 1: and you see it in bow hunting. You've got to 87 00:05:04,400 --> 00:05:07,039 Speaker 1: gauge your conviction on whether you should ride a rut, 88 00:05:07,080 --> 00:05:11,560 Speaker 1: spot out or move. Why are you confident? What is 89 00:05:11,600 --> 00:05:15,240 Speaker 1: the woods showing you? And don't forget. While it might 90 00:05:15,320 --> 00:05:16,640 Speaker 1: feel like the rut is going to give you a 91 00:05:16,680 --> 00:05:18,760 Speaker 1: whole bunch of mulligans, if you get busted by doors 92 00:05:18,839 --> 00:05:21,440 Speaker 1: or scrappers or big bucks, the pre rut won't and 93 00:05:21,520 --> 00:05:25,039 Speaker 1: neither will adhere even if the rut should be banging, 94 00:05:25,160 --> 00:05:28,920 Speaker 1: But it's just limping along in either case. If you 95 00:05:28,960 --> 00:05:30,960 Speaker 1: slip into a box comfort zone and he catches a 96 00:05:30,960 --> 00:05:32,919 Speaker 1: big whiff of you or sees you up in the 97 00:05:32,920 --> 00:05:35,839 Speaker 1: tree trying to take sunset picks or selfies for the Graham, 98 00:05:35,880 --> 00:05:38,919 Speaker 1: you probably won't kill that buck there, no matter how 99 00:05:39,040 --> 00:05:41,640 Speaker 1: out of his mind with lust he gets during the rut. 100 00:05:41,920 --> 00:05:43,760 Speaker 1: This is maybe the biggest point I'd like to make 101 00:05:43,760 --> 00:05:46,520 Speaker 1: with this whole episode. Even though it feels awesome to 102 00:05:46,560 --> 00:05:48,720 Speaker 1: be in the woods right now, because the rut advantages 103 00:05:48,760 --> 00:05:52,279 Speaker 1: are growing bigger by the day. The pre rut, even 104 00:05:52,320 --> 00:05:55,800 Speaker 1: the last few days of it, will still feature cautious bucks. 105 00:05:56,480 --> 00:05:59,440 Speaker 1: They won't tolerate mistakes, at least the ones that live 106 00:05:59,520 --> 00:06:02,520 Speaker 1: with any kind a real hunting pressure. Pay attention to 107 00:06:02,560 --> 00:06:05,520 Speaker 1: that because it leads me to something I firmly believe in, 108 00:06:06,120 --> 00:06:08,440 Speaker 1: and that is that most of us would be better 109 00:06:08,480 --> 00:06:12,320 Speaker 1: off not calling, or decoying or using sense right now. 110 00:06:12,920 --> 00:06:17,039 Speaker 1: I know that's counterintuitive and probably disappointing, but let me 111 00:06:17,120 --> 00:06:20,000 Speaker 1: make my case. I know for a fact you can 112 00:06:20,080 --> 00:06:22,839 Speaker 1: kill dear by calling them in, or by decoin them in, 113 00:06:23,520 --> 00:06:25,640 Speaker 1: or if they catch a whiff of the good stuff 114 00:06:25,680 --> 00:06:28,000 Speaker 1: that you've put out for them. I've done all of that, 115 00:06:28,200 --> 00:06:30,080 Speaker 1: and I've done it on public land and it's worked. 116 00:06:30,600 --> 00:06:32,680 Speaker 1: But every time has been with bucks that were in 117 00:06:32,720 --> 00:06:36,360 Speaker 1: their comfort zone and seemed very confident in their travel. 118 00:06:37,080 --> 00:06:39,320 Speaker 1: They were the right dear for the right trick, and 119 00:06:39,360 --> 00:06:43,120 Speaker 1: it worked, but it also didn't work a lot. It 120 00:06:43,200 --> 00:06:45,960 Speaker 1: works even less the further you are from the heart 121 00:06:46,000 --> 00:06:48,560 Speaker 1: of the rut. So right now you might be thinking 122 00:06:48,680 --> 00:06:52,280 Speaker 1: it's prime time to rattle, after all, if freaking should be. 123 00:06:53,040 --> 00:06:56,520 Speaker 1: But rattling in general is low odds proposition, and it's 124 00:06:56,640 --> 00:06:59,960 Speaker 1: guaranteed to draw attention to your location. If you're not 125 00:07:00,080 --> 00:07:02,599 Speaker 1: seeing bucks acting tough and not really getting the real 126 00:07:02,680 --> 00:07:06,200 Speaker 1: woods vibe that things are about to pop off, should 127 00:07:06,200 --> 00:07:10,080 Speaker 1: you be slamming the horns together? Probably not. This also 128 00:07:10,160 --> 00:07:12,880 Speaker 1: goes for throwing out some chasing or tending grunts every 129 00:07:12,880 --> 00:07:15,440 Speaker 1: ten minutes. While you might think it's a no harm, 130 00:07:15,520 --> 00:07:19,520 Speaker 1: no foul type of situation, it probably isn't. You're probably 131 00:07:19,600 --> 00:07:23,040 Speaker 1: harming your chances, especially if the timing just isn't right. 132 00:07:24,200 --> 00:07:26,400 Speaker 1: The same goes for putting out a full body decoy 133 00:07:26,440 --> 00:07:28,600 Speaker 1: into a meadow on your favorite tract of public land. 134 00:07:29,480 --> 00:07:31,600 Speaker 1: A buck might see it and he might come in 135 00:07:31,640 --> 00:07:34,280 Speaker 1: to fight it, or the dough group living there might 136 00:07:34,320 --> 00:07:36,800 Speaker 1: see it and turn absolutely inside out while snorting their 137 00:07:36,840 --> 00:07:41,120 Speaker 1: way towards the horizon. What's the risk reward for your plans? 138 00:07:41,760 --> 00:07:43,640 Speaker 1: Would it be better to wait a few days until 139 00:07:43,680 --> 00:07:46,840 Speaker 1: the calendar and the conditions fall into lockstep and offer 140 00:07:46,920 --> 00:07:50,920 Speaker 1: you a better chance. This might not seem like it's 141 00:07:51,280 --> 00:07:54,320 Speaker 1: means a whole lot, but for most of these tactics, 142 00:07:54,800 --> 00:07:56,880 Speaker 1: a lot of us would be better off waiting a week, 143 00:07:57,200 --> 00:08:00,160 Speaker 1: we're just not using them at all. I know that sucks, 144 00:08:00,680 --> 00:08:04,360 Speaker 1: but after three decades of bow hunting pressure deer, I'm 145 00:08:04,400 --> 00:08:07,360 Speaker 1: a firm believer in figuring out where dear like to 146 00:08:07,400 --> 00:08:11,240 Speaker 1: walk and then getting there and then shooting them. The 147 00:08:11,280 --> 00:08:14,280 Speaker 1: success rates I've seen on calling, on decoy and on 148 00:08:14,440 --> 00:08:19,080 Speaker 1: using sense are scary low, scary low. My friends, worse yet, 149 00:08:19,680 --> 00:08:22,800 Speaker 1: they often feel damaging and occasionally show me flat out 150 00:08:22,800 --> 00:08:26,040 Speaker 1: that I'm causing damage by letting me watch dear spook 151 00:08:26,080 --> 00:08:28,880 Speaker 1: away right out of my life. This is important, so 152 00:08:28,920 --> 00:08:33,079 Speaker 1: I'll reiterate it once again. Using any tactic to attempt 153 00:08:33,080 --> 00:08:35,360 Speaker 1: to draw a deer into bow range might seem like 154 00:08:35,400 --> 00:08:39,120 Speaker 1: a low risk deal, but it's probably not the deer 155 00:08:39,160 --> 00:08:41,640 Speaker 1: that slipped down whet your calling session. The ones that 156 00:08:41,679 --> 00:08:44,000 Speaker 1: see you moving are the ones that just booger at 157 00:08:44,000 --> 00:08:46,600 Speaker 1: the sight of a wonky deer decoy, our dear that 158 00:08:46,679 --> 00:08:50,679 Speaker 1: you've just educated. On the flip side, You're out there 159 00:08:50,720 --> 00:08:53,760 Speaker 1: to have some fun, right. If the promise of a 160 00:08:53,800 --> 00:08:56,800 Speaker 1: blind rattling session makes you all warm and fuzzy, then 161 00:08:56,840 --> 00:09:00,480 Speaker 1: by all means, clang those bitches together in might work, 162 00:09:00,559 --> 00:09:02,400 Speaker 1: and if it keeps you hunting, it on stand longer, 163 00:09:02,880 --> 00:09:05,800 Speaker 1: then that's not all a bad thing. Just think about 164 00:09:05,840 --> 00:09:08,760 Speaker 1: why you're doing what you're doing and whether you want 165 00:09:08,800 --> 00:09:11,319 Speaker 1: to take the risk. The same goes for calling to 166 00:09:11,400 --> 00:09:14,240 Speaker 1: deer that you actually see. I have snortweezed in bucks 167 00:09:14,280 --> 00:09:16,720 Speaker 1: during the rut and killed them, and have blown good 168 00:09:16,760 --> 00:09:19,480 Speaker 1: bucks completely out of the county by snort wheezing at them. 169 00:09:19,960 --> 00:09:22,760 Speaker 1: The same goes for running head bucks running on public 170 00:09:22,840 --> 00:09:25,760 Speaker 1: land after running at them during the rut. But we 171 00:09:25,800 --> 00:09:27,920 Speaker 1: are in the rut this week, are we We're in 172 00:09:27,960 --> 00:09:30,680 Speaker 1: the pre rut, and the likelihood of a mindless response 173 00:09:30,960 --> 00:09:32,960 Speaker 1: is lower now than it will be in just a 174 00:09:32,960 --> 00:09:37,760 Speaker 1: few days or a week. Consider also what your competition 175 00:09:37,840 --> 00:09:41,600 Speaker 1: is doing. If you're a public land hunter, or maybe 176 00:09:41,640 --> 00:09:44,240 Speaker 1: you hunt out east, you're hunt in the Midwest, hunt 177 00:09:44,240 --> 00:09:47,559 Speaker 1: down south on smaller tracts of land private ground. Even 178 00:09:48,720 --> 00:09:51,240 Speaker 1: you've got lots and lots of people hunting the same 179 00:09:51,240 --> 00:09:54,319 Speaker 1: tracks around you, you can bet your ask that your 180 00:09:54,320 --> 00:09:57,680 Speaker 1: competition is out there calling away. You can bet that 181 00:09:57,720 --> 00:10:00,560 Speaker 1: every hunter you meet at the very lea just carrying 182 00:10:00,559 --> 00:10:04,200 Speaker 1: a grunt tube, probably a bottle of dope, and likely 183 00:10:04,720 --> 00:10:07,840 Speaker 1: a set of rattling antlers or rattling bag. You know 184 00:10:08,000 --> 00:10:10,839 Speaker 1: they are blind calling. How many deer are they going 185 00:10:10,880 --> 00:10:14,840 Speaker 1: to educate to these tactics? How effective is your calling 186 00:10:14,840 --> 00:10:18,000 Speaker 1: session going to be when it's the sixth rattling sequence 187 00:10:18,000 --> 00:10:21,240 Speaker 1: a buck is heard in three days. All of this 188 00:10:21,320 --> 00:10:26,439 Speaker 1: is about cumulative negative association. This is why a two 189 00:10:26,480 --> 00:10:28,959 Speaker 1: and a half year old on public land will bust 190 00:10:29,000 --> 00:10:32,040 Speaker 1: you bigger than ship and run away without hesitation, even 191 00:10:32,040 --> 00:10:34,920 Speaker 1: if he spots you from a hundred yards away, while 192 00:10:34,920 --> 00:10:37,040 Speaker 1: a buck that has been raised in a tightly managed 193 00:10:37,040 --> 00:10:40,800 Speaker 1: property with little pressure will often become less nocturnal at 194 00:10:40,840 --> 00:10:43,840 Speaker 1: five years old. I think I'm joking. One of the 195 00:10:43,840 --> 00:10:46,720 Speaker 1: most prominent white tailed experts out there told me that 196 00:10:46,800 --> 00:10:50,600 Speaker 1: this is exactly what happens on his farm. He casually 197 00:10:50,640 --> 00:10:52,719 Speaker 1: said to me one day that his bucks get much 198 00:10:52,720 --> 00:10:56,680 Speaker 1: easier to kill when they're fully mature. I guess that's 199 00:10:56,679 --> 00:10:59,960 Speaker 1: probably because they've never had a negative interaction, and every 200 00:11:00,000 --> 00:11:02,720 Speaker 1: each single time they've spotted or smelled or herd a hunter, 201 00:11:03,400 --> 00:11:06,240 Speaker 1: they just got to walk away scott free. That's not 202 00:11:06,280 --> 00:11:09,200 Speaker 1: the case with those pressure deer you're chasing. You're not 203 00:11:09,280 --> 00:11:12,080 Speaker 1: hunting deer like that, are you. I mean, if you 204 00:11:12,120 --> 00:11:14,880 Speaker 1: are digging your bag tricks have a blast. If not 205 00:11:15,120 --> 00:11:18,760 Speaker 1: be careful, you can't control the other hunters on your leaves, 206 00:11:19,280 --> 00:11:21,600 Speaker 1: or you're chosen chunk of public land, and you know 207 00:11:21,679 --> 00:11:24,319 Speaker 1: a good percentage of them are going to throw everything 208 00:11:24,360 --> 00:11:27,240 Speaker 1: they can at the deer. This doesn't stop the rut, 209 00:11:27,520 --> 00:11:30,199 Speaker 1: and it doesn't stop the advantages the pre rut gives you, 210 00:11:30,720 --> 00:11:33,480 Speaker 1: but it does dull them, and it certainly begs of 211 00:11:33,520 --> 00:11:36,800 Speaker 1: the good hunter, a realistic strategy that takes into account 212 00:11:36,840 --> 00:11:39,240 Speaker 1: mostly where the deer like to be and how to 213 00:11:39,280 --> 00:11:43,040 Speaker 1: get in there ninja style to stay as undetected as possible. 214 00:11:43,440 --> 00:11:46,760 Speaker 1: I've mentioned this in past episodes, but it does bear repeating. 215 00:11:47,559 --> 00:11:51,360 Speaker 1: I'm not anti calling or anti decoin or anti using sense. 216 00:11:51,920 --> 00:11:55,120 Speaker 1: I'm an advocate for careful usage. If you've got a 217 00:11:55,120 --> 00:11:57,240 Speaker 1: good bucket fifty yards in the brush and he's fat 218 00:11:57,280 --> 00:11:59,600 Speaker 1: and happy and making a rub but definitely doesn't look 219 00:11:59,600 --> 00:12:02,280 Speaker 1: like he'll come your way, give him a grunt, provided 220 00:12:02,320 --> 00:12:04,160 Speaker 1: you think he won't bust you. If there are a 221 00:12:04,160 --> 00:12:06,480 Speaker 1: couple of bucks locking times across the river from you 222 00:12:06,520 --> 00:12:08,640 Speaker 1: and the sun is set, give your own antler as 223 00:12:08,640 --> 00:12:10,560 Speaker 1: a tickle to see if they can get them across. 224 00:12:11,080 --> 00:12:14,120 Speaker 1: There are situations. Even with pressure deer we're making a 225 00:12:14,160 --> 00:12:17,360 Speaker 1: little contact is the right choice. It's all dependent on 226 00:12:17,400 --> 00:12:21,200 Speaker 1: the moment and your personal read on the body language 227 00:12:21,200 --> 00:12:24,600 Speaker 1: of the deer. This is something I should probably expand on, 228 00:12:24,800 --> 00:12:28,560 Speaker 1: So let me talk about puppies. I love training dogs, 229 00:12:28,800 --> 00:12:31,160 Speaker 1: and there is nothing more satisfying than working with a 230 00:12:31,160 --> 00:12:33,760 Speaker 1: good little lab pub and showing it something that I 231 00:12:33,800 --> 00:12:37,280 Speaker 1: wanted to do better yet is getting a positive response, 232 00:12:37,440 --> 00:12:41,080 Speaker 1: and then daisy chaining multiple behaviors together to really start 233 00:12:41,080 --> 00:12:45,920 Speaker 1: to craft an awesome dog. This is satisfying stuff, but 234 00:12:46,000 --> 00:12:49,360 Speaker 1: also can be tremendously frustrating. Because a puppy has the 235 00:12:49,400 --> 00:12:52,880 Speaker 1: same attention span as my two year old child or 236 00:12:52,920 --> 00:12:57,040 Speaker 1: your average outdoor television host. One distraction for a puppy 237 00:12:57,320 --> 00:13:00,640 Speaker 1: in a training session can tank, which means you've got 238 00:13:00,679 --> 00:13:04,360 Speaker 1: to be reading the dog in every interaction, every moment 239 00:13:04,440 --> 00:13:09,559 Speaker 1: of your interaction, really really reading the dog. If it's 240 00:13:09,600 --> 00:13:12,239 Speaker 1: ready to work, you'll see it in the eye contact, 241 00:13:12,640 --> 00:13:17,120 Speaker 1: the crispness of its actions. You'll just know. With bucks. 242 00:13:17,360 --> 00:13:21,680 Speaker 1: Weirdly enough, the same rules kind of apply. A buck 243 00:13:21,720 --> 00:13:24,480 Speaker 1: that is slinking around and just looks nervous is a 244 00:13:24,520 --> 00:13:27,600 Speaker 1: deer You should not call to ever. A buck that 245 00:13:27,679 --> 00:13:30,360 Speaker 1: is slowly walking through and just has some swagger to 246 00:13:30,440 --> 00:13:35,440 Speaker 1: his step, that's a different story. If he's confident he's collable. 247 00:13:36,800 --> 00:13:39,920 Speaker 1: If he isn't, he might not be collable and might 248 00:13:40,000 --> 00:13:43,520 Speaker 1: be worse than that. Scarable. That's not a word I 249 00:13:43,559 --> 00:13:46,440 Speaker 1: don't think, but I'm gonna use it anyway. This is 250 00:13:46,480 --> 00:13:49,720 Speaker 1: one of the things that you can learn through experience only, 251 00:13:50,040 --> 00:13:52,360 Speaker 1: and one of the reasons why I begged you way 252 00:13:52,400 --> 00:13:54,840 Speaker 1: back in the summer to go out and spend some 253 00:13:54,920 --> 00:13:59,520 Speaker 1: time glassing deer, glassing those bachelor bucks. You don't learn 254 00:13:59,559 --> 00:14:03,360 Speaker 1: to read buck body language with trail camera photos, but 255 00:14:03,520 --> 00:14:06,800 Speaker 1: you do by watching them through a spotting scope. You 256 00:14:06,880 --> 00:14:09,880 Speaker 1: also do by watching them interact with their environment through 257 00:14:09,880 --> 00:14:12,880 Speaker 1: your binos when you're saddled up on November first. To 258 00:14:14,200 --> 00:14:16,800 Speaker 1: pay attention to their demeanor and use that to inform 259 00:14:16,920 --> 00:14:21,920 Speaker 1: your decisions to call. Also pay attention closely to your 260 00:14:21,960 --> 00:14:26,280 Speaker 1: response rates. Where you hunt, there is a specific buck 261 00:14:26,320 --> 00:14:30,000 Speaker 1: to do ratio, There is a specific amount of hunting pressure, 262 00:14:30,560 --> 00:14:33,640 Speaker 1: There is a specific age structure. All of this is 263 00:14:33,720 --> 00:14:36,680 Speaker 1: individualized to your hunting spots. If the deer in your 264 00:14:36,680 --> 00:14:39,600 Speaker 1: woods love a good rattling session, keep at it, but 265 00:14:39,680 --> 00:14:42,960 Speaker 1: be honest about the responses and the reactions to your tactics. 266 00:14:43,320 --> 00:14:45,160 Speaker 1: This will tell you an awful lot about whether you 267 00:14:45,160 --> 00:14:48,400 Speaker 1: should just keep trying them, try them only in highly 268 00:14:48,440 --> 00:14:52,040 Speaker 1: specific conditions, or force yourself to go old school and 269 00:14:52,040 --> 00:14:54,320 Speaker 1: wait for natural movement to bring the dear past you. 270 00:14:55,120 --> 00:14:58,160 Speaker 1: I know that doesn't sound as much fun, but planting 271 00:14:58,200 --> 00:15:00,160 Speaker 1: your butt in a good spot waiting for the here 272 00:15:00,160 --> 00:15:02,680 Speaker 1: to come to you is about as rock solid of 273 00:15:02,720 --> 00:15:05,760 Speaker 1: a deer hunting plan as there is, regardless of your 274 00:15:05,800 --> 00:15:08,720 Speaker 1: individual hunting situation. That's the real key in the pre 275 00:15:08,880 --> 00:15:12,480 Speaker 1: rut time in the woods. This might seem too early 276 00:15:12,520 --> 00:15:15,080 Speaker 1: for all days, sis, but it's not. It's not the 277 00:15:15,120 --> 00:15:17,120 Speaker 1: time when I'd burn all my PTO to sit dark 278 00:15:17,160 --> 00:15:19,280 Speaker 1: to dark. But if you've got a day or two 279 00:15:19,360 --> 00:15:21,600 Speaker 1: or three to work with, you're a hell of a 280 00:15:21,600 --> 00:15:24,040 Speaker 1: lot better sitting seventeen feet up in a good spot 281 00:15:24,080 --> 00:15:26,040 Speaker 1: than sitting at homeless and your kids fight over who 282 00:15:26,080 --> 00:15:29,360 Speaker 1: has to go downstairs to get the laundry. It's also 283 00:15:29,360 --> 00:15:31,640 Speaker 1: a good time to shut off your social media and 284 00:15:31,680 --> 00:15:34,200 Speaker 1: forget about what others are saying. You'll hear about an 285 00:15:34,200 --> 00:15:36,480 Speaker 1: earlier rut or the rut isn't gonna happen until such 286 00:15:36,480 --> 00:15:39,400 Speaker 1: and such date. You'll see gripping grins of giants and 287 00:15:39,440 --> 00:15:41,240 Speaker 1: read about the hot dough that had six pop and 288 00:15:41,280 --> 00:15:45,080 Speaker 1: young bucks on her tail. None of that matters. The 289 00:15:45,160 --> 00:15:47,400 Speaker 1: rut has been happening at the same time for thousands 290 00:15:47,440 --> 00:15:49,000 Speaker 1: of years. It will happen at the same time for 291 00:15:49,040 --> 00:15:52,440 Speaker 1: thousands more. You know that the last week October is good, 292 00:15:52,560 --> 00:15:54,240 Speaker 1: and that the first couple of days in November or 293 00:15:54,240 --> 00:15:57,040 Speaker 1: even better unless your way down south, then you gotta 294 00:15:57,040 --> 00:15:59,160 Speaker 1: bump this stuff back a little bit to coincide with 295 00:15:59,200 --> 00:16:01,920 Speaker 1: the rut in your area. You someone three states away 296 00:16:01,960 --> 00:16:05,200 Speaker 1: bragging about a great rod hunt on October does nothing 297 00:16:05,280 --> 00:16:07,600 Speaker 1: for you. It doesn't matter one way or the other. 298 00:16:08,480 --> 00:16:11,600 Speaker 1: Work with what you actually know about dear behavior. Now, 299 00:16:12,320 --> 00:16:15,000 Speaker 1: operate under the correct assumption that the hunting is only 300 00:16:15,040 --> 00:16:17,280 Speaker 1: going to get better by the day, and then a 301 00:16:17,360 --> 00:16:20,400 Speaker 1: safe strategy is the right one. For now. There will 302 00:16:20,440 --> 00:16:23,200 Speaker 1: be time very very very very soon to go nuts 303 00:16:23,200 --> 00:16:25,840 Speaker 1: and lay it all on the line. For now, it's 304 00:16:25,880 --> 00:16:28,040 Speaker 1: a matter of being more patient and more discipline than 305 00:16:28,120 --> 00:16:30,880 Speaker 1: most hunters in the woods. If you do, you'll have 306 00:16:30,920 --> 00:16:34,600 Speaker 1: a better chance of having prolonged, exciting hunts and you 307 00:16:34,760 --> 00:16:37,720 Speaker 1: keep yourself in the game better. You'll be able to 308 00:16:37,760 --> 00:16:40,640 Speaker 1: sand beg it when the conditions say so, or dive 309 00:16:40,680 --> 00:16:43,280 Speaker 1: in when they dictate. You'll also have the option for 310 00:16:43,320 --> 00:16:45,640 Speaker 1: when the ruts should be firing on all cylinders but 311 00:16:45,720 --> 00:16:47,920 Speaker 1: seems to be sputtering along, and what you thought were 312 00:16:47,920 --> 00:16:53,120 Speaker 1: your best spots. Options Options, options hunt now enjoy it. 313 00:16:53,760 --> 00:16:56,480 Speaker 1: Just understand that every move you make today might affect 314 00:16:56,480 --> 00:16:58,920 Speaker 1: your chances tomorrow if you still got a tag left, 315 00:16:59,280 --> 00:17:02,280 Speaker 1: and if you do, please keep listening because next week's 316 00:17:02,320 --> 00:17:05,800 Speaker 1: episode is all about the single best seven days of 317 00:17:05,800 --> 00:17:11,400 Speaker 1: the year for all deer hunters. That's it for this week, 318 00:17:11,440 --> 00:17:14,159 Speaker 1: my dear obsessed brothers and sisters. I'm Tony Peterson and 319 00:17:14,200 --> 00:17:16,960 Speaker 1: this has been the Wired to Hunt Foundations podcast. Check 320 00:17:17,000 --> 00:17:18,879 Speaker 1: in next week for more deer hunting advice, and be 321 00:17:18,920 --> 00:17:21,920 Speaker 1: sure to go to the mediator dot com slash wired 322 00:17:22,280 --> 00:17:24,760 Speaker 1: to see the full host of articles, podcasts, and videos 323 00:17:24,800 --> 00:17:27,800 Speaker 1: we put up weekly to answer all of your deer 324 00:17:27,840 --> 00:17:28,560 Speaker 1: hunting questions.