1 00:00:01,240 --> 00:00:05,120 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 --> 00:00:19,919 Speaker 1: Tony Peterson. 6 00:00:20,440 --> 00:00:23,000 Speaker 2: Hey everyone, welcome to the Wired to Hunt Foundation's podcast, 7 00:00:23,000 --> 00:00:25,040 Speaker 2: which is brought to you by first Light. I'm your host, 8 00:00:25,120 --> 00:00:27,560 Speaker 2: Tony Peterson, and today's episode is all about hunting the 9 00:00:27,600 --> 00:00:35,520 Speaker 2: deer that are not white tails. Look, I know most 10 00:00:35,520 --> 00:00:38,640 Speaker 2: people will never go hunt meal deer, let alone blacktails, 11 00:00:38,800 --> 00:00:40,680 Speaker 2: or you sick a deer up in Alaska or a 12 00:00:40,760 --> 00:00:42,800 Speaker 2: COO's deer down in the desert, but that doesn't mean 13 00:00:42,840 --> 00:00:45,400 Speaker 2: they shouldn't at least consider it now. While it's true 14 00:00:45,440 --> 00:00:48,160 Speaker 2: that the days are easy to get tags done died 15 00:00:48,200 --> 00:00:50,440 Speaker 2: in the last decade for most of these non white 16 00:00:50,440 --> 00:00:53,440 Speaker 2: tail species, there are still some opportunities out there and 17 00:00:53,479 --> 00:00:55,920 Speaker 2: where they can take you is pretty amazing. That's what 18 00:00:55,960 --> 00:01:03,720 Speaker 2: I'm going to talk about right now. About a decade ago, 19 00:01:03,800 --> 00:01:06,080 Speaker 2: I got off a plane in San Jose and met 20 00:01:06,160 --> 00:01:09,480 Speaker 2: up with the then editor of Bowhunter magazine, Kurt Wells, 21 00:01:09,760 --> 00:01:13,039 Speaker 2: and a pair of videographers. We grabbed our rental car 22 00:01:13,120 --> 00:01:15,320 Speaker 2: and drove a couple hours away from the city and 23 00:01:15,360 --> 00:01:18,120 Speaker 2: the people into a part of California that would be 24 00:01:18,440 --> 00:01:22,400 Speaker 2: indistinguishable from most Western states if you didn't know exactly 25 00:01:22,440 --> 00:01:25,240 Speaker 2: where you were. It was honestly one of the most 26 00:01:25,240 --> 00:01:28,120 Speaker 2: beautiful environments I've been lucky enough to hunt in. We 27 00:01:28,240 --> 00:01:31,280 Speaker 2: glassed feral hogs and then stalked them for a few days, 28 00:01:31,720 --> 00:01:34,960 Speaker 2: and mixed in with those plentiful pigs, which you could 29 00:01:34,959 --> 00:01:37,600 Speaker 2: see from a long long ways away, rooting around in 30 00:01:37,600 --> 00:01:41,080 Speaker 2: oak mots or crossing grassy hillsides in single file, were 31 00:01:41,120 --> 00:01:44,760 Speaker 2: plenty of blacktail deer. Now, the thing about blacktails is 32 00:01:44,760 --> 00:01:47,120 Speaker 2: that if you talk about the ones that call California 33 00:01:47,160 --> 00:01:50,720 Speaker 2: home to someone who lives, let's say, in the Pacific Northwest, 34 00:01:51,120 --> 00:01:54,120 Speaker 2: they will almost inevitably make a snarky comment about how 35 00:01:54,120 --> 00:01:58,040 Speaker 2: they aren't real blacktails. They'll say that the Oregon and 36 00:01:58,240 --> 00:02:01,480 Speaker 2: Washington dwellers are the real deal because I guess of 37 00:02:01,520 --> 00:02:03,760 Speaker 2: where they live and what they live in, while the 38 00:02:03,800 --> 00:02:06,400 Speaker 2: California blacktails are just the kindergarteners of the whole thing. 39 00:02:06,800 --> 00:02:09,960 Speaker 2: Even though blanket statements about deer and entire states are 40 00:02:10,040 --> 00:02:13,160 Speaker 2: often just kind of dumb. The first time it happened 41 00:02:13,160 --> 00:02:16,560 Speaker 2: to me, I remembered instantly the amount of shitty comments 42 00:02:17,040 --> 00:02:19,240 Speaker 2: my uncles would make about the deer I hunted in 43 00:02:19,280 --> 00:02:22,320 Speaker 2: southeastern Minnesota while I was growing up. Since all my 44 00:02:22,400 --> 00:02:25,320 Speaker 2: uncles were all iron Rangers, which means they were born 45 00:02:25,360 --> 00:02:27,959 Speaker 2: and raised in the topmost part of Minnesota, where the 46 00:02:28,040 --> 00:02:31,160 Speaker 2: deer numbers are extremely sparse and the wolf numbers aren't, 47 00:02:32,080 --> 00:02:34,480 Speaker 2: they had the view that anything that wasn't a big woods, 48 00:02:34,800 --> 00:02:38,880 Speaker 2: low density hunt was just too easy. Never mind they 49 00:02:38,919 --> 00:02:42,800 Speaker 2: never hunted anywhere else. They'd casually say things like, we 50 00:02:42,880 --> 00:02:44,880 Speaker 2: don't have the luxury of just picking a trail on 51 00:02:44,960 --> 00:02:48,120 Speaker 2: a cornfield and shooting them when they walked by. I 52 00:02:48,200 --> 00:02:50,560 Speaker 2: remember thinking, one of the farms I hunt has a 53 00:02:50,639 --> 00:02:53,120 Speaker 2: one hundred acre cornfield on it, and that corn is 54 00:02:53,200 --> 00:02:55,919 Speaker 2: usually standing for the bulk of bo season, and almost 55 00:02:55,960 --> 00:02:57,840 Speaker 2: all the bucks I hunt seemed to live in it, 56 00:02:58,160 --> 00:03:00,120 Speaker 2: and it was not something that was easy for me 57 00:03:00,200 --> 00:03:04,359 Speaker 2: to overcome. It's a myopic view that we as hunters 58 00:03:04,440 --> 00:03:07,120 Speaker 2: just can't seem to shake. Just as every one of 59 00:03:07,200 --> 00:03:09,080 Speaker 2: us thinks we have the best dog in the world, 60 00:03:09,639 --> 00:03:13,240 Speaker 2: we believe that our hunting is the most difficult, and 61 00:03:13,360 --> 00:03:16,760 Speaker 2: anyone who isn't from where we are would struggle to 62 00:03:16,800 --> 00:03:19,240 Speaker 2: fill a dough tag. You know, they couldn't even kill 63 00:03:19,280 --> 00:03:21,640 Speaker 2: a dough on where we hunt, let alone a decent buck. 64 00:03:22,520 --> 00:03:24,440 Speaker 2: I don't know why we were like this, but we are, 65 00:03:24,880 --> 00:03:27,920 Speaker 2: and blacktail hunters definitely don't break them old there. But 66 00:03:28,000 --> 00:03:30,399 Speaker 2: you know what, when I got a chance to board 67 00:03:30,440 --> 00:03:32,560 Speaker 2: another flight to San Jose a few months later and 68 00:03:32,639 --> 00:03:35,840 Speaker 2: hunt those blacktails on the same pig infested ranch I 69 00:03:35,840 --> 00:03:39,160 Speaker 2: had been to earlier, I didn't say no because they 70 00:03:39,200 --> 00:03:42,840 Speaker 2: weren't real blacktails. I said yes because getting to hunt 71 00:03:42,840 --> 00:03:45,560 Speaker 2: some kind of deer in a new environment is almost 72 00:03:45,600 --> 00:03:48,360 Speaker 2: always a yes for me. And I'll tell you what, 73 00:03:48,960 --> 00:03:52,000 Speaker 2: hunting those blacktails out there and patches of live oak 74 00:03:52,120 --> 00:03:56,320 Speaker 2: strud was just like dangling Spanish moss was cool as hell. 75 00:03:57,160 --> 00:03:59,360 Speaker 2: The Bucky shot was quite a bit short of the 76 00:03:59,400 --> 00:04:02,160 Speaker 2: record book, if you get my drift, but he was 77 00:04:02,200 --> 00:04:04,800 Speaker 2: also cool as hell, and he was in velvet and 78 00:04:04,920 --> 00:04:06,960 Speaker 2: nice enough to walk in with a buddy and good 79 00:04:07,000 --> 00:04:10,560 Speaker 2: camera light. This was maybe a decade ago now, and 80 00:04:10,600 --> 00:04:12,680 Speaker 2: the tag I hunted on was over the counter for 81 00:04:12,800 --> 00:04:15,880 Speaker 2: non residents. When I think back on the other deer 82 00:04:15,920 --> 00:04:18,880 Speaker 2: that I've hunted, many of them were on over the 83 00:04:18,920 --> 00:04:23,919 Speaker 2: counter licenses. Today not so much, although it's not impossible 84 00:04:24,440 --> 00:04:26,520 Speaker 2: to hunt a mule deer or one of the other 85 00:04:26,560 --> 00:04:28,800 Speaker 2: subspecies and I'll walk up to the counter and buy 86 00:04:28,839 --> 00:04:31,960 Speaker 2: it tag. And speaking of meal deer, if you want 87 00:04:32,000 --> 00:04:34,320 Speaker 2: to get in on that action in any meaningful way, 88 00:04:34,760 --> 00:04:38,200 Speaker 2: you should probably start thinking about it now. You know 89 00:04:38,279 --> 00:04:41,279 Speaker 2: how I feel about hunting opportunities for non residents, so 90 00:04:41,320 --> 00:04:43,279 Speaker 2: I'm not going to get into that, but I don't 91 00:04:43,279 --> 00:04:46,520 Speaker 2: mind stressing this point for the billionth time. It's not 92 00:04:46,600 --> 00:04:49,279 Speaker 2: going to get cheaper and the tags aren't going to 93 00:04:49,279 --> 00:04:52,280 Speaker 2: get easier to come by. There is one trend when 94 00:04:52,279 --> 00:04:54,279 Speaker 2: it comes to both of those, and that trend is 95 00:04:54,360 --> 00:04:57,400 Speaker 2: definitely not your friend. You can jump in line now 96 00:04:57,720 --> 00:05:01,000 Speaker 2: and take whatever chances come your way or not, but 97 00:05:01,040 --> 00:05:04,240 Speaker 2: if you don't start now, you will only probably ever 98 00:05:04,360 --> 00:05:08,320 Speaker 2: hunt white tails, and that's kind of a shame. For example, 99 00:05:08,800 --> 00:05:10,599 Speaker 2: if you put a gun to my head and said 100 00:05:11,000 --> 00:05:13,159 Speaker 2: what's the most fun you can have with a bow 101 00:05:13,240 --> 00:05:16,960 Speaker 2: in your hand, I'd instantly say that spotting and stalking 102 00:05:17,000 --> 00:05:20,080 Speaker 2: meal deer is at the top spot on the podium. 103 00:05:20,520 --> 00:05:22,720 Speaker 2: It gets even better when you get to hunt them 104 00:05:22,760 --> 00:05:26,919 Speaker 2: in breaky, rolling country, where every hill you climb opens 105 00:05:27,000 --> 00:05:29,560 Speaker 2: up a new world beyond, and it's usually just a 106 00:05:29,600 --> 00:05:32,080 Speaker 2: matter of covering ground until you see a deer that 107 00:05:32,120 --> 00:05:35,440 Speaker 2: will give you a chance to stalk it. Now, that's 108 00:05:35,440 --> 00:05:38,200 Speaker 2: not to say those high country early season bachelored up 109 00:05:38,240 --> 00:05:42,240 Speaker 2: meal deer aren't pretty special, because buddy, they are sitting 110 00:05:42,279 --> 00:05:44,480 Speaker 2: on a glassing knob as the sun starts to light 111 00:05:44,560 --> 00:05:46,760 Speaker 2: up the mountainside and the deer just seemed to glow. 112 00:05:47,440 --> 00:05:50,080 Speaker 2: Is an experience I wish every hunter could have, even 113 00:05:50,120 --> 00:05:54,279 Speaker 2: if just once. Just frantically picking a part a basin 114 00:05:54,320 --> 00:05:56,960 Speaker 2: that is banked on top by alpine and on the 115 00:05:56,960 --> 00:05:59,760 Speaker 2: bottom by the timberline while you shiver in the early 116 00:05:59,800 --> 00:06:03,440 Speaker 2: more warning chill because you undoubtedly sweated your ass off 117 00:06:03,480 --> 00:06:05,960 Speaker 2: getting up there, even if you tried really hard not 118 00:06:06,080 --> 00:06:10,520 Speaker 2: to is an experience that goes way way beyond just 119 00:06:10,600 --> 00:06:15,480 Speaker 2: being fun. It's damn near transcendental and only gets better 120 00:06:15,560 --> 00:06:17,960 Speaker 2: when you see something big and velvety, lay down to 121 00:06:18,000 --> 00:06:20,400 Speaker 2: snooze away the lunch shift, and you get to start 122 00:06:20,440 --> 00:06:23,640 Speaker 2: planning your route to him, a route that will take 123 00:06:23,680 --> 00:06:27,760 Speaker 2: you down and then be grudgingly up and then who knows, 124 00:06:28,400 --> 00:06:30,920 Speaker 2: And when those high country bucks start losing their velvet 125 00:06:30,960 --> 00:06:33,320 Speaker 2: and the pressure of idiots from Minnesota trying in vain 126 00:06:33,360 --> 00:06:36,440 Speaker 2: to stalk them gets on their nerves enough they often 127 00:06:36,520 --> 00:06:40,200 Speaker 2: drop down into the timber. When they do, they get 128 00:06:40,200 --> 00:06:42,200 Speaker 2: a hell of a lot harder to spot. But if 129 00:06:42,240 --> 00:06:44,960 Speaker 2: you do spot one, they are usually pretty close and 130 00:06:45,040 --> 00:06:47,200 Speaker 2: usually have a lot of cover to work with to 131 00:06:47,240 --> 00:06:51,040 Speaker 2: get right in range. It's hard to describe this in 132 00:06:51,040 --> 00:06:54,159 Speaker 2: a way that resonates, because we have something innate in 133 00:06:54,200 --> 00:06:57,000 Speaker 2: our brains that makes us focus on the dead animal 134 00:06:57,040 --> 00:06:59,640 Speaker 2: part of a hunt and not what surely will be 135 00:06:59,720 --> 00:07:02,359 Speaker 2: nine nine point nine nine percent of the reason to 136 00:07:02,400 --> 00:07:04,920 Speaker 2: be there. When you do the work to get a 137 00:07:04,960 --> 00:07:07,920 Speaker 2: mule deer tag, whether that's buying points in a state 138 00:07:08,040 --> 00:07:11,800 Speaker 2: like Wyoming for years before applying, or you suss out 139 00:07:11,840 --> 00:07:14,680 Speaker 2: one of the dwindling over the countertags still floating around, 140 00:07:15,200 --> 00:07:17,840 Speaker 2: you are buying a ticket to an experience that the 141 00:07:17,880 --> 00:07:22,000 Speaker 2: whitetail is mostly never going to give you. The mule 142 00:07:22,080 --> 00:07:25,080 Speaker 2: deer is a big country deer. He lives where white 143 00:07:25,080 --> 00:07:28,320 Speaker 2: tails live, but even then, the white tails will almost 144 00:07:28,360 --> 00:07:31,320 Speaker 2: all be concentrated along the corridors where the water flows 145 00:07:31,360 --> 00:07:34,679 Speaker 2: and the big cottonwoods grow. The rest of the land, 146 00:07:34,920 --> 00:07:39,800 Speaker 2: of which there is plenty, will be pockmarked by mulder. 147 00:07:40,520 --> 00:07:43,560 Speaker 2: He is one of a macro game, whereas the whitetail 148 00:07:43,640 --> 00:07:48,040 Speaker 2: lives in the micro. There is something that both subspecies share, 149 00:07:48,560 --> 00:07:51,800 Speaker 2: and that is the misconception about them as trophies. If 150 00:07:51,840 --> 00:07:54,240 Speaker 2: you mention a I don't know, one hundred and thirty 151 00:07:54,280 --> 00:07:57,600 Speaker 2: five inch meal deer to a western resident, they'll respond 152 00:07:57,640 --> 00:08:00,160 Speaker 2: as most whitetail hunters would when they hear mentioned of 153 00:08:00,200 --> 00:08:03,240 Speaker 2: one hundred inch eight pointer. There's probably not going to 154 00:08:03,280 --> 00:08:06,680 Speaker 2: be much interest those deer to a lot of folks, 155 00:08:06,760 --> 00:08:09,520 Speaker 2: at least in their minds, are a dime a dozen 156 00:08:09,760 --> 00:08:12,520 Speaker 2: and not special. When you're on your first meal deer 157 00:08:12,600 --> 00:08:14,040 Speaker 2: hunt and you lay eyes on a bed at one 158 00:08:14,080 --> 00:08:16,880 Speaker 2: hundred and thirty five inch four by four, I promise 159 00:08:16,960 --> 00:08:19,480 Speaker 2: you that you won't be dismissive of it unless you've 160 00:08:19,560 --> 00:08:21,720 Speaker 2: drawn a once in a lifetime tag for a unit 161 00:08:21,760 --> 00:08:24,120 Speaker 2: with almost no pressure and that buck that a lot 162 00:08:24,120 --> 00:08:27,040 Speaker 2: of residents wouldn't take the safety off for he's going 163 00:08:27,080 --> 00:08:30,360 Speaker 2: to kick your ass at the predator prey game, almost 164 00:08:30,400 --> 00:08:33,719 Speaker 2: guaranteed just like if those Western hunters who think white 165 00:08:33,760 --> 00:08:36,000 Speaker 2: tails are all shot on food plots and require no 166 00:08:36,080 --> 00:08:39,600 Speaker 2: effort or skill would never ever see a hundred inch 167 00:08:39,640 --> 00:08:41,520 Speaker 2: white tail if they showed up most places where the 168 00:08:41,600 --> 00:08:43,959 Speaker 2: hunting pressure is real, which is a hell of a 169 00:08:44,000 --> 00:08:56,880 Speaker 2: lot of the places that most of us hunt. It's 170 00:08:56,920 --> 00:08:59,680 Speaker 2: not just the deer that factor into our decisions, it's 171 00:08:59,800 --> 00:09:02,640 Speaker 2: us too, and not just what we want out of 172 00:09:02,679 --> 00:09:05,760 Speaker 2: the deer, but what we want out of us. The 173 00:09:05,840 --> 00:09:10,040 Speaker 2: meal deer, for example, is often pretty thirsty because he 174 00:09:10,120 --> 00:09:13,360 Speaker 2: often lives in pretty dry locales. Now, stalking him the 175 00:09:13,400 --> 00:09:15,200 Speaker 2: way you want to, because that's what you want for 176 00:09:15,280 --> 00:09:18,640 Speaker 2: yourself in that dry grass when the wind isn't blowing 177 00:09:18,640 --> 00:09:22,840 Speaker 2: really hard is super difficult unless you're toting a high 178 00:09:22,840 --> 00:09:25,200 Speaker 2: powered rifle, and even then it's not a sure thing. 179 00:09:25,920 --> 00:09:28,240 Speaker 2: But there is no meal deer hunt without at least 180 00:09:28,240 --> 00:09:31,319 Speaker 2: a few stalks, because otherwise, what the hell are you doing? 181 00:09:31,920 --> 00:09:34,600 Speaker 2: The thing is those thirsty deer. We'll head to water, 182 00:09:34,760 --> 00:09:36,560 Speaker 2: and that's where you can kill him if you're patient. 183 00:09:36,960 --> 00:09:38,920 Speaker 2: But is that what you want out of the hunt? 184 00:09:39,320 --> 00:09:44,120 Speaker 2: Who cares? Do it your way? I say I've shot them, 185 00:09:44,320 --> 00:09:46,880 Speaker 2: you know, after running into them while mostly glassing and 186 00:09:46,880 --> 00:09:49,680 Speaker 2: giving up on my chances. I've shot them after finding 187 00:09:49,760 --> 00:09:52,480 Speaker 2: them bedded and crawling in, and I've shot them while 188 00:09:52,520 --> 00:09:55,160 Speaker 2: sitting in a stand over a cattle guzzler. It was 189 00:09:55,280 --> 00:09:57,400 Speaker 2: all amazing, and it was all a hell of a 190 00:09:57,400 --> 00:10:00,319 Speaker 2: lot of fun to figure out. Getting out out of 191 00:10:00,360 --> 00:10:04,079 Speaker 2: your comfort zone to hunt deer that aren't your deer 192 00:10:04,320 --> 00:10:07,160 Speaker 2: is just a low grade adventure that is almost always 193 00:10:07,200 --> 00:10:10,080 Speaker 2: worth the price of admission. I have yet to hunt 194 00:10:10,120 --> 00:10:12,720 Speaker 2: the little desert dwelling cous deer because at the time 195 00:10:12,760 --> 00:10:14,880 Speaker 2: of the year when I should be doing that, I've 196 00:10:14,880 --> 00:10:17,240 Speaker 2: had just about enough of deer in general, and the 197 00:10:17,280 --> 00:10:20,160 Speaker 2: pheasant hunting is usually starting to get really, really interesting. 198 00:10:20,920 --> 00:10:23,360 Speaker 2: But I have spent a stupid amount of time looking 199 00:10:23,400 --> 00:10:26,560 Speaker 2: at public land in places like Arizona, which on most 200 00:10:26,640 --> 00:10:29,280 Speaker 2: years might as well be on Mars. But it doesn't 201 00:10:29,360 --> 00:10:31,480 Speaker 2: hurt to humor yourself a little bit and drop a 202 00:10:31,520 --> 00:10:34,560 Speaker 2: few pins on random water holes on public land that 203 00:10:34,679 --> 00:10:36,880 Speaker 2: you could only get too if you drove for twenty 204 00:10:36,920 --> 00:10:39,120 Speaker 2: four hours straight or hopped on a couple of planes 205 00:10:39,160 --> 00:10:42,079 Speaker 2: and then rented a truck, And even if you got 206 00:10:42,080 --> 00:10:44,559 Speaker 2: out to the desert and started picking apart the landscape 207 00:10:44,600 --> 00:10:47,600 Speaker 2: with some high end optics, you might not find a 208 00:10:47,600 --> 00:10:50,720 Speaker 2: whole lot of deer. The folks I know who are 209 00:10:50,760 --> 00:10:53,720 Speaker 2: just totally ate up with cous deer hunting, at least 210 00:10:53,720 --> 00:10:55,880 Speaker 2: in the States and not down in Mexico, where the 211 00:10:55,920 --> 00:10:58,720 Speaker 2: game can be vastly different, they remind me of my 212 00:10:58,760 --> 00:11:03,120 Speaker 2: buddies who run ultra marathons. After every hunt. Just like 213 00:11:03,160 --> 00:11:05,680 Speaker 2: those guys, after every race, it's kind of the same thing. 214 00:11:06,160 --> 00:11:08,640 Speaker 2: They say, I'm not doing that shit again. That's the 215 00:11:08,760 --> 00:11:11,480 Speaker 2: last one for this reason and that reason, in all 216 00:11:11,520 --> 00:11:14,840 Speaker 2: the usual suspects. But then a little time passes and 217 00:11:14,920 --> 00:11:18,680 Speaker 2: the memory of the misery starts to blur, the edges soften, 218 00:11:19,040 --> 00:11:22,000 Speaker 2: and before too long there are outright conversations about doing 219 00:11:22,040 --> 00:11:25,640 Speaker 2: it all again. And then they do. Why am I 220 00:11:25,800 --> 00:11:28,520 Speaker 2: trying to not so subtly convince you that maybe it's 221 00:11:28,559 --> 00:11:31,080 Speaker 2: time to hunt something other than our typical white tails. 222 00:11:31,880 --> 00:11:34,000 Speaker 2: I mean, besides the fact that I believe it's worth 223 00:11:34,000 --> 00:11:35,960 Speaker 2: it and that any hunt that takes us out of 224 00:11:35,960 --> 00:11:38,680 Speaker 2: our comfort zone will change us for the better, it's 225 00:11:38,720 --> 00:11:41,679 Speaker 2: also just because most of us find excuses to not 226 00:11:41,800 --> 00:11:44,440 Speaker 2: do things like this. When I talk to folks about 227 00:11:44,480 --> 00:11:46,160 Speaker 2: traveling out of state or to a different part of 228 00:11:46,200 --> 00:11:49,640 Speaker 2: their home state to hunt white tails. I almost inevitably 229 00:11:49,640 --> 00:11:52,280 Speaker 2: hear the same response, why would I go there to 230 00:11:52,280 --> 00:11:55,240 Speaker 2: shoot the deer I can shoot at home. It's because 231 00:11:55,240 --> 00:11:58,720 Speaker 2: you can have a different hunt, That's it. And I 232 00:11:58,800 --> 00:12:01,200 Speaker 2: know we are all clamoring to have the same hunt 233 00:12:01,280 --> 00:12:03,120 Speaker 2: year after year so we don't have to think about 234 00:12:03,120 --> 00:12:05,440 Speaker 2: it and we don't have to worry about failing. But 235 00:12:05,480 --> 00:12:08,319 Speaker 2: the same hunt on the same ground with wildly predictable 236 00:12:08,360 --> 00:12:10,520 Speaker 2: results is a hunt that is going to feel a 237 00:12:10,559 --> 00:12:14,200 Speaker 2: little more hollow with each incarnation. A hunt for the 238 00:12:14,240 --> 00:12:17,360 Speaker 2: same deer in just a different place isn't a hunt 239 00:12:17,400 --> 00:12:20,320 Speaker 2: for the same deer. One hundred and twenty inch big 240 00:12:20,320 --> 00:12:23,280 Speaker 2: woods buck for the Pennsylvania hunter isn't the same as 241 00:12:23,320 --> 00:12:25,880 Speaker 2: one hundred and twenty inch deer in the flooded timberlands 242 00:12:25,880 --> 00:12:28,720 Speaker 2: of southern Arkansas anymore than it would be a hunt 243 00:12:28,800 --> 00:12:30,520 Speaker 2: for a I don't know, one hundred and twenty inch 244 00:12:30,559 --> 00:12:33,920 Speaker 2: deer in the Milk River a Montana. Just imagine the 245 00:12:33,960 --> 00:12:36,920 Speaker 2: difference in landscape for those three, Not to mention the 246 00:12:36,960 --> 00:12:41,199 Speaker 2: difference in behaviors of deer and the difficulty levels. There 247 00:12:41,280 --> 00:12:43,720 Speaker 2: is still a mental roadblock with a lot of us 248 00:12:43,960 --> 00:12:45,840 Speaker 2: that just says you don't need to travel for deer. 249 00:12:46,480 --> 00:12:48,440 Speaker 2: So maybe that's the case with white tails for you, 250 00:12:48,640 --> 00:12:52,640 Speaker 2: great fine, But who amongst us doesn't want to try 251 00:12:52,679 --> 00:12:54,840 Speaker 2: to arrow a mule deer as he lays around in 252 00:12:54,880 --> 00:12:59,160 Speaker 2: the midday sun thinking he's perfectly safe, Or who amongst 253 00:12:59,280 --> 00:13:01,719 Speaker 2: us doesn't want to leave the tight confines of much 254 00:13:01,760 --> 00:13:04,200 Speaker 2: of the white tails world these days to go where 255 00:13:04,240 --> 00:13:07,440 Speaker 2: the deer live all over in big country that is 256 00:13:07,520 --> 00:13:09,800 Speaker 2: open to each one of us lucky bastards who call 257 00:13:09,880 --> 00:13:13,800 Speaker 2: this country home. Or who doesn't want to take a 258 00:13:13,840 --> 00:13:16,200 Speaker 2: bush plane to an island in Alaska that's just a 259 00:13:16,200 --> 00:13:19,320 Speaker 2: few degrees closer to Jurassic Park than anywhere else and 260 00:13:19,360 --> 00:13:21,640 Speaker 2: see if they can weave between the brown bears to 261 00:13:21,679 --> 00:13:24,160 Speaker 2: tag out on Sikka deer while the wind blows seventy 262 00:13:24,160 --> 00:13:27,720 Speaker 2: five miles per hour for the whole trip. Okay, maybe 263 00:13:27,760 --> 00:13:29,760 Speaker 2: not everyone is on board with that last one, and 264 00:13:29,800 --> 00:13:33,560 Speaker 2: that's fair. That one isn't for everyone, and it's out 265 00:13:33,600 --> 00:13:37,240 Speaker 2: there and doable though for some, mostly folks with some 266 00:13:37,320 --> 00:13:40,520 Speaker 2: expendable income and a true desire for adventure. But you 267 00:13:40,559 --> 00:13:43,319 Speaker 2: don't need to go wrestle small car size brownies and 268 00:13:43,360 --> 00:13:45,840 Speaker 2: the alders for a different deer. When you can go 269 00:13:45,880 --> 00:13:49,199 Speaker 2: to other places with less danger and more options, That's 270 00:13:49,240 --> 00:13:52,120 Speaker 2: what I'm looking into hard right now. For my daughters, 271 00:13:52,679 --> 00:13:56,000 Speaker 2: I highly doubt they'll get to hunt anything other than 272 00:13:56,120 --> 00:13:59,000 Speaker 2: whitetails mostly in their lives, but I want to facilitate 273 00:13:59,040 --> 00:14:02,319 Speaker 2: it a little bit because I want my daughters to 274 00:14:02,320 --> 00:14:05,959 Speaker 2: shoot meal deer so badly, although I definitely definitely do, 275 00:14:06,720 --> 00:14:09,079 Speaker 2: but I also want them to experience hunting that isn't 276 00:14:09,120 --> 00:14:11,640 Speaker 2: walking out on a well used trail to a perfectly 277 00:14:11,679 --> 00:14:14,480 Speaker 2: set up blinder tree stand to wait on deer that 278 00:14:14,559 --> 00:14:16,800 Speaker 2: we know live where they live because we get them 279 00:14:16,800 --> 00:14:19,720 Speaker 2: on camera and often see them with our own eyes. 280 00:14:20,840 --> 00:14:24,080 Speaker 2: Mystery is an important part of hunting, and we keep 281 00:14:24,120 --> 00:14:26,600 Speaker 2: trying to remove it. And I'd say the same thing 282 00:14:26,640 --> 00:14:29,280 Speaker 2: about a little adventure. I'd also say that this is 283 00:14:29,320 --> 00:14:31,640 Speaker 2: a good time of year to start doing a little research. 284 00:14:32,200 --> 00:14:34,520 Speaker 2: Maybe that's nothing more than sitting in a turkey blind 285 00:14:34,600 --> 00:14:37,120 Speaker 2: staring at your phone when the gobblers go tight lipped 286 00:14:37,360 --> 00:14:38,800 Speaker 2: and you're trying to see where you can get a 287 00:14:38,840 --> 00:14:40,760 Speaker 2: tag for a meal deer or a black tail or 288 00:14:40,800 --> 00:14:44,320 Speaker 2: a coups, deer or whatever. Because when you figure that out, 289 00:14:44,480 --> 00:14:46,680 Speaker 2: the next logical step is to start looking at on 290 00:14:46,960 --> 00:14:48,840 Speaker 2: X just to see where the biggest chunks of public 291 00:14:48,920 --> 00:14:52,360 Speaker 2: land are. This might seem a little bonkers, but I 292 00:14:52,400 --> 00:14:54,840 Speaker 2: honestly think that planning a trip that might never happen 293 00:14:55,000 --> 00:14:56,720 Speaker 2: is a good way to work a few muscles we 294 00:14:56,800 --> 00:14:59,880 Speaker 2: often don't really work. And the more you kick around 295 00:15:00,120 --> 00:15:03,080 Speaker 2: trip like that, the more likely you are to do 296 00:15:03,120 --> 00:15:06,320 Speaker 2: something like that. Now, maybe you'll never drive thirty five 297 00:15:06,360 --> 00:15:08,960 Speaker 2: hours up to Oregon to hunt real blacktails that are 298 00:15:09,000 --> 00:15:11,640 Speaker 2: the toughest to kill in the whole world. But maybe 299 00:15:11,640 --> 00:15:13,800 Speaker 2: you realize during your research that the white tails that 300 00:15:13,840 --> 00:15:16,920 Speaker 2: live one or two states over seem kind of appealing. Now, 301 00:15:17,320 --> 00:15:19,440 Speaker 2: and maybe you have a teenage daughter or two who 302 00:15:19,440 --> 00:15:22,480 Speaker 2: would like a hunt that's different than the one on 303 00:15:22,560 --> 00:15:26,760 Speaker 2: Grahama's farm out of the same box line, maybe you 304 00:15:26,760 --> 00:15:29,840 Speaker 2: should just try to make that hunt happen, because those 305 00:15:29,880 --> 00:15:32,320 Speaker 2: kids are going to keep growing up and the opportunities 306 00:15:32,320 --> 00:15:35,000 Speaker 2: are going to keep going away. Now, it's easy to 307 00:15:35,040 --> 00:15:37,800 Speaker 2: doom and gloom hard here, but a better bet is 308 00:15:37,840 --> 00:15:40,960 Speaker 2: to accept the opportunities that are still available is worthwhile, 309 00:15:41,360 --> 00:15:44,320 Speaker 2: and then figure out how to make something happen. If not, 310 00:15:45,240 --> 00:15:46,880 Speaker 2: the worst thing you'll get out of it is a 311 00:15:46,920 --> 00:15:48,720 Speaker 2: way to pass the time when you're waiting for the 312 00:15:48,760 --> 00:15:51,200 Speaker 2: next strutter to pop into the field. And the best 313 00:15:51,240 --> 00:15:55,800 Speaker 2: outcome is pretty damn special, no matter where the other 314 00:15:55,880 --> 00:15:59,440 Speaker 2: deer take you. So think about that and think about 315 00:15:59,440 --> 00:16:01,520 Speaker 2: coming back, because I'm going to talk about how to 316 00:16:01,640 --> 00:16:05,480 Speaker 2: find more places to hunt at home, on the road, wherever, 317 00:16:05,840 --> 00:16:08,120 Speaker 2: how to get permission, how to find lease. It's just 318 00:16:08,240 --> 00:16:14,560 Speaker 2: how to expand your hunting opportunities for white tails. That's it. 319 00:16:14,600 --> 00:16:16,640 Speaker 2: I'm Tony Peterson. This has been the Wired to Hunt 320 00:16:16,680 --> 00:16:19,200 Speaker 2: Foundations podcast, which is brought to you by First Light. 321 00:16:19,920 --> 00:16:22,120 Speaker 2: Thank you so much for all of your support. And 322 00:16:22,160 --> 00:16:23,920 Speaker 2: we just had Turkey Week a little bit ago. You 323 00:16:23,920 --> 00:16:26,160 Speaker 2: guys showed up big time for that. You voted in 324 00:16:26,200 --> 00:16:29,240 Speaker 2: the Turkey Calling contest. You load it up on a 325 00:16:29,240 --> 00:16:31,880 Speaker 2: lot of calls and decoys stuff like that. Thank you 326 00:16:31,960 --> 00:16:35,280 Speaker 2: so much for that. If you want some more hunting content, 327 00:16:35,360 --> 00:16:38,000 Speaker 2: maybe you want a new recipe, you know, cook that gobbler. 328 00:16:38,000 --> 00:16:40,440 Speaker 2: You're going to be arrowing here soon. Whatever the meat 329 00:16:40,480 --> 00:16:43,200 Speaker 2: eater dot Com has you covered. We drop new content 330 00:16:43,440 --> 00:16:51,560 Speaker 2: every single day on that site, and I'm talking films, podcasts, articles, everything, 331 00:16:51,600 --> 00:16:53,000 Speaker 2: it's all there. Go check it out.