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 --> 00:00:10,360 Speaker 1: to the fundamentals of better deer hunting, and now your 3 00:00:10,440 --> 00:00:16,320 Speaker 1: host Tony Peterson. Hey, everyone, welcome to the wire to 4 00:00:16,360 --> 00:00:19,599 Speaker 1: Hunt Foundations podcast, which is brought to you by First Light. 5 00:00:19,960 --> 00:00:22,840 Speaker 1: I'm your host, Tony Peterson, and today's episode is all 6 00:00:22,880 --> 00:00:37,800 Speaker 1: about shed dogs and how to train them. Today's show 7 00:00:38,040 --> 00:00:40,560 Speaker 1: is all about a topic that people seem to love, 8 00:00:41,080 --> 00:00:43,919 Speaker 1: shed dogs. I think a lot of them love the 9 00:00:44,000 --> 00:00:46,800 Speaker 1: idea of a dog that can find shed antlers, but 10 00:00:46,880 --> 00:00:49,840 Speaker 1: it probably won't greatly change the amount of sheds you find. 11 00:00:50,080 --> 00:00:52,680 Speaker 1: It's still fun, and if you do have a shed dog, 12 00:00:52,840 --> 00:00:55,640 Speaker 1: you'll become a better deer hunter, which might seem crazy, 13 00:00:56,200 --> 00:01:00,320 Speaker 1: but I'll explain what I mean throughout this episode. Yeah, 14 00:01:09,920 --> 00:01:11,560 Speaker 1: the first dog that I trained to be a shed 15 00:01:11,600 --> 00:01:16,280 Speaker 1: antler dog was my Golden Retriever Lux. She wasn't okay 16 00:01:16,400 --> 00:01:21,560 Speaker 1: hunting dog, but simply loved to retrieve. In fact, I 17 00:01:21,600 --> 00:01:25,039 Speaker 1: trained her to retrieve antlers, ducks, upland bird, squirrels and 18 00:01:25,040 --> 00:01:27,800 Speaker 1: eventually rabbits. And now I know you're not supposed to 19 00:01:27,840 --> 00:01:30,080 Speaker 1: take a pheasant dog and let it retrieve a rabbit, 20 00:01:30,560 --> 00:01:32,680 Speaker 1: but I did it. Anyway, and it taught me a 21 00:01:32,720 --> 00:01:35,679 Speaker 1: couple of things. The first is that not all rules 22 00:01:35,720 --> 00:01:40,640 Speaker 1: apply to all situations, obviously, but also that a lot 23 00:01:40,680 --> 00:01:43,360 Speaker 1: of the rabbits we shot at with shotguns would make 24 00:01:43,360 --> 00:01:45,840 Speaker 1: it into a brush pile and then die. The dog 25 00:01:45,880 --> 00:01:48,080 Speaker 1: would slither in there and retrieve them, and it was 26 00:01:48,120 --> 00:01:50,760 Speaker 1: an eye opener. This happened quite a bit with snowshoe 27 00:01:50,840 --> 00:01:54,880 Speaker 1: hairs too. But anyway, back to shed dogs. Lux was 28 00:01:54,920 --> 00:01:58,640 Speaker 1: a good shed dog and she found a few when 29 00:01:58,680 --> 00:02:01,320 Speaker 1: she died. I trained my next pup to find sheds, 30 00:02:01,400 --> 00:02:04,320 Speaker 1: and it was a glorious day when she brought me 31 00:02:04,440 --> 00:02:07,320 Speaker 1: a little three point side for the first time while 32 00:02:07,360 --> 00:02:09,320 Speaker 1: my wife and I were hiking through a local park 33 00:02:09,400 --> 00:02:13,640 Speaker 1: by the house. That dog, Luna, is still a shed hunter, 34 00:02:14,000 --> 00:02:16,880 Speaker 1: but I've learned that the best retriever out there will 35 00:02:16,919 --> 00:02:19,680 Speaker 1: only take you so far with sheds if your personal 36 00:02:19,880 --> 00:02:24,880 Speaker 1: shed hunting situation kind of sucks, which mine does. Dogs 37 00:02:24,960 --> 00:02:28,680 Speaker 1: do find antlers, we don't, or I should say dogs 38 00:02:28,680 --> 00:02:32,280 Speaker 1: will find landlers, we won't, which is the whole point. 39 00:02:32,919 --> 00:02:35,040 Speaker 1: But there are other benefits of training a shed dog, 40 00:02:35,200 --> 00:02:36,960 Speaker 1: and I'll get into that at the end of this show. 41 00:02:37,480 --> 00:02:39,519 Speaker 1: For now, I just want to go through a little 42 00:02:39,520 --> 00:02:43,760 Speaker 1: bit of the process. So for starters, any dog could 43 00:02:43,800 --> 00:02:47,160 Speaker 1: theoretically be a shed dog. If you've got a dog 44 00:02:47,160 --> 00:02:51,040 Speaker 1: that will retrieve something, you've got much of the problem licked. 45 00:02:51,639 --> 00:02:54,480 Speaker 1: Of course, hunting breeds tend to be more popular for 46 00:02:54,520 --> 00:02:56,920 Speaker 1: a couple of reasons. The first is that many of 47 00:02:56,960 --> 00:02:59,840 Speaker 1: them are bred to retrieve, and we expect and in 48 00:03:00,000 --> 00:03:03,000 Speaker 1: herge that behavior out of them. The second is that 49 00:03:03,080 --> 00:03:06,160 Speaker 1: if you buy a hunting dog for hunting, you're a 50 00:03:06,160 --> 00:03:08,160 Speaker 1: hell of a lot more likely to care about deer 51 00:03:08,200 --> 00:03:10,560 Speaker 1: antlers than a soccer mom in San Francisco with a 52 00:03:10,560 --> 00:03:14,040 Speaker 1: French bulldog in her arms. The key to a shed 53 00:03:14,080 --> 00:03:18,280 Speaker 1: dog is the desire to retrieve. If you have a 54 00:03:18,320 --> 00:03:21,280 Speaker 1: dog that loves to bring you stuff, your task is 55 00:03:21,320 --> 00:03:24,440 Speaker 1: gonna be pretty easy. If you have a dog that 56 00:03:24,600 --> 00:03:28,079 Speaker 1: is lukewarm on retrieving antlers might be a bridge too far. 57 00:03:28,600 --> 00:03:32,799 Speaker 1: It's worth a shot though either way. Now, the thing 58 00:03:32,840 --> 00:03:36,520 Speaker 1: was shed antlers is that they differ from everything else 59 00:03:36,960 --> 00:03:39,320 Speaker 1: that we hunt with Our dogs are probably just about 60 00:03:39,360 --> 00:03:43,520 Speaker 1: everything else, and that they don't really give off any scent. 61 00:03:43,840 --> 00:03:47,800 Speaker 1: Give off a little, but a living breathing pheasant gives 62 00:03:47,800 --> 00:03:51,320 Speaker 1: off a ton of scent, little quail too, ducks, grouse, 63 00:03:51,360 --> 00:03:55,440 Speaker 1: prairie chickens, whatever. If it's alive now or was very 64 00:03:55,480 --> 00:03:59,040 Speaker 1: recently alive, and it has feathers, you can bet that 65 00:03:59,080 --> 00:04:02,760 Speaker 1: it's giving off ent that his orders of magnitude greater 66 00:04:03,280 --> 00:04:06,040 Speaker 1: than a chunk of bone that fell off a buck's 67 00:04:06,080 --> 00:04:09,680 Speaker 1: head six weeks ago. Now, there is a waxy substance 68 00:04:09,720 --> 00:04:13,200 Speaker 1: at the base of really freshly cast antlers that the 69 00:04:13,280 --> 00:04:16,400 Speaker 1: dogs can undoubtedly smell. If you want to try to 70 00:04:16,440 --> 00:04:19,840 Speaker 1: mimic this doc and Dog supply sells something called rack wax. 71 00:04:20,279 --> 00:04:23,320 Speaker 1: And here's a fun fact for you. The golden Retriever 72 00:04:23,400 --> 00:04:25,520 Speaker 1: in the photo on the package of rack Wax is 73 00:04:25,600 --> 00:04:28,919 Speaker 1: lux mild dog. The fingers in the photo belonged to 74 00:04:28,960 --> 00:04:32,040 Speaker 1: my wife, who, on that day of that photo shoot, 75 00:04:32,480 --> 00:04:35,200 Speaker 1: hit me square in the nuts with an antler that 76 00:04:35,279 --> 00:04:38,760 Speaker 1: she threw from thirty ft away. The five photos I 77 00:04:38,880 --> 00:04:41,320 Speaker 1: shot of that antler flying my way in the air 78 00:04:41,560 --> 00:04:44,200 Speaker 1: while squatting down like a catcher in a baseball game 79 00:04:44,680 --> 00:04:48,320 Speaker 1: show her face going from surprise to shit eating grin 80 00:04:48,400 --> 00:04:50,760 Speaker 1: as she realized she's about to tend ring my apple 81 00:04:50,800 --> 00:04:53,120 Speaker 1: bag and drop me right to the ground, which is 82 00:04:53,160 --> 00:04:57,280 Speaker 1: exactly what happened. You can use rack wax to teach 83 00:04:57,320 --> 00:04:59,400 Speaker 1: your dog to key in on the smell of an antler, 84 00:04:59,520 --> 00:05:02,000 Speaker 1: much like would with a bumper or a dummy. The 85 00:05:02,120 --> 00:05:04,240 Speaker 1: catch here is that the dog is far more likely 86 00:05:04,320 --> 00:05:07,440 Speaker 1: the key in on the smell of your hands than anything, 87 00:05:08,200 --> 00:05:09,880 Speaker 1: so if you want to do it right, the best 88 00:05:09,920 --> 00:05:11,920 Speaker 1: way I found was to throw a couple of antlers 89 00:05:11,920 --> 00:05:14,719 Speaker 1: and some gloves in a tote with an ozone unit. 90 00:05:15,320 --> 00:05:17,800 Speaker 1: After that, try not to touch the antler with your 91 00:05:17,839 --> 00:05:20,640 Speaker 1: bare hands while applying rack wax and tossing the antler 92 00:05:20,680 --> 00:05:25,600 Speaker 1: into the grass. Trust me, this exercise is an eye 93 00:05:25,640 --> 00:05:29,839 Speaker 1: opener in dog scenting abilities. It's also an eye opener 94 00:05:29,880 --> 00:05:33,720 Speaker 1: if you consider a deer to have similar old factory abilities, 95 00:05:34,080 --> 00:05:37,800 Speaker 1: which I personally do. A dog that runs down wind 96 00:05:37,800 --> 00:05:40,880 Speaker 1: of an antler you touched will smell it without trouble. 97 00:05:41,120 --> 00:05:44,360 Speaker 1: Trust me, that same dog down wind of an antler 98 00:05:44,400 --> 00:05:48,279 Speaker 1: that has been bathed in ozone will be a different story. 99 00:05:48,600 --> 00:05:51,360 Speaker 1: They'll miss it every time if you do your job 100 00:05:51,480 --> 00:05:54,719 Speaker 1: right and until you add some scent to it. That 101 00:05:54,800 --> 00:05:57,760 Speaker 1: experience tells me that while most hunting situations with dogs 102 00:05:57,800 --> 00:06:02,159 Speaker 1: involved heavy nosework, that hunting isn't one of them. It's 103 00:06:02,200 --> 00:06:04,760 Speaker 1: more of a visual task. I'm not saying they don't 104 00:06:04,839 --> 00:06:07,000 Speaker 1: use their noses, but they use their eyes is a lot. 105 00:06:08,000 --> 00:06:11,279 Speaker 1: This is something I didn't really understand fully when I 106 00:06:11,320 --> 00:06:14,280 Speaker 1: trained my first dog. I couldn't figure out why she 107 00:06:14,320 --> 00:06:16,160 Speaker 1: would run way out into the field to look at 108 00:06:16,200 --> 00:06:19,800 Speaker 1: a styrofoam cup or some other light colored piece of garbage. 109 00:06:20,360 --> 00:06:23,960 Speaker 1: What she had learned was that antlers are light colored, 110 00:06:24,480 --> 00:06:26,560 Speaker 1: and if she caught a glimpse of something similar in 111 00:06:26,680 --> 00:06:29,000 Speaker 1: tone that didn't quite seem to belong in the woods 112 00:06:29,080 --> 00:06:31,200 Speaker 1: or in the fields, she was going to go over 113 00:06:31,200 --> 00:06:34,360 Speaker 1: there and investigate. Docin, who is one of the best 114 00:06:34,360 --> 00:06:37,080 Speaker 1: dog trainers on the planet, is well aware of this, 115 00:06:37,320 --> 00:06:40,440 Speaker 1: which is why he developed oversized antler silhouettes to train with. 116 00:06:40,960 --> 00:06:44,720 Speaker 1: These larger than life cardboard cutouts provide a visual clue 117 00:06:45,360 --> 00:06:48,880 Speaker 1: to beginner shed dogs that there is an antler right here, 118 00:06:49,960 --> 00:06:53,479 Speaker 1: or sometimes a bumper or some other reward gets them 119 00:06:53,480 --> 00:06:57,400 Speaker 1: to to connect. The look of an antler ties the 120 00:06:57,800 --> 00:07:01,200 Speaker 1: shape to some kind of reward mark that good behavior, 121 00:07:01,880 --> 00:07:03,960 Speaker 1: kind of like a I don't know, a neon bar 122 00:07:04,080 --> 00:07:07,479 Speaker 1: sign in downtown Memphis, or maybe the golden arches glowing 123 00:07:07,480 --> 00:07:09,880 Speaker 1: along an interstate after a fifty mile stretch and nothing 124 00:07:09,920 --> 00:07:13,120 Speaker 1: but prairie. It gets your attention if you're so inclined 125 00:07:13,160 --> 00:07:14,920 Speaker 1: to look for such things, and you're in the right 126 00:07:14,960 --> 00:07:19,640 Speaker 1: mood when it comes to shed antlers, dogs just need 127 00:07:19,640 --> 00:07:23,320 Speaker 1: to learn to look for them. They do this by 128 00:07:23,360 --> 00:07:26,360 Speaker 1: first being introduced to antlers as a toy that can 129 00:07:26,440 --> 00:07:30,160 Speaker 1: just be tossed and retrieved. For this intro work, a 130 00:07:30,240 --> 00:07:33,480 Speaker 1: little antler that is dull is the ticket. You don't 131 00:07:33,480 --> 00:07:35,240 Speaker 1: want to take your five month old pop out and 132 00:07:35,280 --> 00:07:38,920 Speaker 1: toss the twenty four pound moose antler, obviously, but you 133 00:07:38,960 --> 00:07:41,160 Speaker 1: also don't want that little pupster to chase a nice 134 00:07:41,160 --> 00:07:43,080 Speaker 1: white tail shed and get poked right in the eye 135 00:07:43,080 --> 00:07:45,640 Speaker 1: when it goes to grab it. That is not good 136 00:07:45,680 --> 00:07:50,000 Speaker 1: intro work, my friends. Negative associations that happen with intro 137 00:07:50,120 --> 00:07:54,040 Speaker 1: work like that can be devastating. If you don't believe that, 138 00:07:54,720 --> 00:07:57,720 Speaker 1: ask someone who has had the unfortunate task of trying 139 00:07:57,720 --> 00:08:01,520 Speaker 1: to train out gun shyness or water shyness and a dog. 140 00:08:03,040 --> 00:08:06,800 Speaker 1: This usually lives in a world of damn close to impossible. 141 00:08:08,160 --> 00:08:11,080 Speaker 1: When there is a positive association attached to something like 142 00:08:11,120 --> 00:08:14,680 Speaker 1: an antler. You can start to work in varied environments 143 00:08:14,800 --> 00:08:17,560 Speaker 1: to make it a little more like a hunt. I 144 00:08:17,680 --> 00:08:19,920 Speaker 1: like to start off in the grass of a soccer 145 00:08:20,200 --> 00:08:23,400 Speaker 1: baseball field, which may or may not be covered in 146 00:08:23,440 --> 00:08:25,520 Speaker 1: four ft of snow right now, depending on where you live. 147 00:08:26,320 --> 00:08:28,400 Speaker 1: The key is to make it easy at first. However, 148 00:08:28,440 --> 00:08:29,960 Speaker 1: you have to do that. Maybe that's in the house. 149 00:08:30,440 --> 00:08:32,800 Speaker 1: The dogs should be able to see the antler from 150 00:08:32,800 --> 00:08:35,360 Speaker 1: where you start him, and when he brings it back, 151 00:08:35,600 --> 00:08:38,560 Speaker 1: it's time to throw a little praise party. You want 152 00:08:38,559 --> 00:08:40,680 Speaker 1: the dog to think that bringing you an antler is 153 00:08:40,720 --> 00:08:42,360 Speaker 1: the next best thing to die in and go into 154 00:08:42,360 --> 00:08:45,800 Speaker 1: doggie heaven. You also want to add a command into 155 00:08:45,800 --> 00:08:48,200 Speaker 1: the mix so the dog knows when it's time to 156 00:08:48,200 --> 00:08:52,040 Speaker 1: start looking for antlers or I don't know, to find 157 00:08:52,080 --> 00:08:55,520 Speaker 1: the bone, which is the command I use. I don't 158 00:08:55,520 --> 00:08:59,080 Speaker 1: want anything that will conflict with my bird hunting commands, 159 00:08:59,120 --> 00:09:02,720 Speaker 1: so this can be totally catered to your situation. If 160 00:09:02,760 --> 00:09:06,199 Speaker 1: you use find the bird as a as a way 161 00:09:06,200 --> 00:09:09,120 Speaker 1: to get your dog to get into the upland hunting mode, 162 00:09:09,640 --> 00:09:13,320 Speaker 1: then find the bone might be too close. Whatever you choose, 163 00:09:13,720 --> 00:09:16,240 Speaker 1: use it as a prompt in your early training drills 164 00:09:16,559 --> 00:09:20,880 Speaker 1: where you ensure easy success, and this is important in 165 00:09:20,920 --> 00:09:25,160 Speaker 1: a staple of all good dog training, but don't overdrive 166 00:09:25,200 --> 00:09:28,880 Speaker 1: your headlights. We often think, well, if the dog can 167 00:09:28,880 --> 00:09:31,640 Speaker 1: find an antler in the living room or the backyard 168 00:09:31,720 --> 00:09:34,680 Speaker 1: really easily, I need to make it difficult and really 169 00:09:34,720 --> 00:09:38,080 Speaker 1: teach them how to hunt. But that's a bad idea. 170 00:09:38,400 --> 00:09:41,480 Speaker 1: Dogs are great at learning through repetition and baby steps, 171 00:09:41,960 --> 00:09:45,680 Speaker 1: which is how you should approach shed dog training. For example, 172 00:09:46,800 --> 00:09:49,720 Speaker 1: if your dog absolutely makes the connection between your shed 173 00:09:49,760 --> 00:09:53,280 Speaker 1: hunting command and running out to pick an antler up 174 00:09:53,280 --> 00:09:56,439 Speaker 1: out of the yard, it's probably time to move into 175 00:09:56,480 --> 00:10:01,120 Speaker 1: a little thicker habitat. Instead of old grass, move to 176 00:10:01,160 --> 00:10:04,560 Speaker 1: grass that is maybe six inches tall. Your goal is 177 00:10:04,600 --> 00:10:07,679 Speaker 1: to ramp up the difficulty ever so slightly. When you 178 00:10:07,760 --> 00:10:11,600 Speaker 1: know your dog has whatever level you're at just totally nailed, 179 00:10:12,000 --> 00:10:14,320 Speaker 1: then you know it's time to move up into a 180 00:10:14,400 --> 00:10:16,760 Speaker 1: situation where your dog just has to work a tiny 181 00:10:16,840 --> 00:10:21,000 Speaker 1: bit harder for success, but there will always be success there. 182 00:10:21,360 --> 00:10:26,600 Speaker 1: Remember that eventually you can descent antlers and start planting 183 00:10:26,640 --> 00:10:29,560 Speaker 1: them in more real world situations, like in a picked 184 00:10:29,559 --> 00:10:32,800 Speaker 1: bean field or under a pine tree at a nearby park. 185 00:10:34,120 --> 00:10:36,400 Speaker 1: What you want the dog to do is think this 186 00:10:36,480 --> 00:10:39,199 Speaker 1: is a game where they get excited when you give 187 00:10:39,240 --> 00:10:41,800 Speaker 1: them their shed hunting command. You want them to start 188 00:10:41,840 --> 00:10:45,480 Speaker 1: actively searching and showing you through their body language that 189 00:10:45,520 --> 00:10:48,080 Speaker 1: they are into it. This means you're closer to having 190 00:10:48,080 --> 00:10:51,280 Speaker 1: a shed dog and can probably head out and start 191 00:10:51,320 --> 00:10:54,400 Speaker 1: actually shed hunting. But when you do, make sure you 192 00:10:54,480 --> 00:10:57,640 Speaker 1: bring some antlers with you. You don't want your dog 193 00:10:57,679 --> 00:11:01,040 Speaker 1: to be unsuccessful at any time, aim when you could 194 00:11:01,080 --> 00:11:04,720 Speaker 1: change that outcome by simply tossing a fuel antlers throughout 195 00:11:04,720 --> 00:11:07,320 Speaker 1: the day while your dog is looking the other way 196 00:11:07,559 --> 00:11:09,640 Speaker 1: and side note this is a great move for little 197 00:11:09,720 --> 00:11:14,360 Speaker 1: kids too. Eventually, with enough training, your dog will start 198 00:11:14,400 --> 00:11:17,120 Speaker 1: to contribute to the yearly take. But this is a 199 00:11:17,160 --> 00:11:20,600 Speaker 1: moment where I need to be real honest. I am 200 00:11:20,679 --> 00:11:23,160 Speaker 1: friends with some of the best shed dog trainers in 201 00:11:23,160 --> 00:11:28,160 Speaker 1: the world, arguably probably the best, and they are adamant 202 00:11:28,559 --> 00:11:30,520 Speaker 1: that the amount of antler is a good dog will 203 00:11:30,520 --> 00:11:34,720 Speaker 1: contribute pales in comparison to a human shed hunter. Dogs 204 00:11:34,800 --> 00:11:37,000 Speaker 1: do cover a lot of ground and they do find 205 00:11:37,040 --> 00:11:40,480 Speaker 1: some sheds, but you're not at a net loss at 206 00:11:40,480 --> 00:11:44,440 Speaker 1: any time with a good shed dog. They aren't antler 207 00:11:44,600 --> 00:11:47,920 Speaker 1: vacuums crossing the countryside and finding tons of sheds that 208 00:11:47,960 --> 00:11:50,760 Speaker 1: you never find your on your own. However, that's just 209 00:11:50,760 --> 00:11:54,360 Speaker 1: not how it works. Shed dogs and their antler production 210 00:11:54,640 --> 00:11:58,400 Speaker 1: are also directly commensurate to the amount of sheds you'd 211 00:11:58,440 --> 00:12:02,400 Speaker 1: likely find on a given year. So let's say you 212 00:12:02,480 --> 00:12:06,480 Speaker 1: shed hunt kind of hard and your average six antlers 213 00:12:06,520 --> 00:12:09,360 Speaker 1: per season. This is pretty common in the world of 214 00:12:09,400 --> 00:12:14,800 Speaker 1: pressure deer. In that case, a good shed dog might 215 00:12:14,880 --> 00:12:17,760 Speaker 1: find one or two antlers that you just wouldn't maybe three. 216 00:12:18,360 --> 00:12:21,319 Speaker 1: I know that's not great, but it's not nothing either. 217 00:12:22,000 --> 00:12:24,120 Speaker 1: And the real best part of this, all the parts 218 00:12:24,120 --> 00:12:27,280 Speaker 1: that I alluded to way back in the intro, is 219 00:12:27,320 --> 00:12:29,880 Speaker 1: that having a shed dog gets you out there more. 220 00:12:30,760 --> 00:12:33,360 Speaker 1: Training a dog to find antlers doesn't take away from 221 00:12:33,400 --> 00:12:36,520 Speaker 1: their bird hunting abilities in any way. It just adds 222 00:12:36,559 --> 00:12:39,680 Speaker 1: to their repertoire. And what that means is that while 223 00:12:39,720 --> 00:12:42,640 Speaker 1: pheasant or grouse season might be over, you can still 224 00:12:42,720 --> 00:12:45,720 Speaker 1: keep hunting quote unquote with your dog for a few 225 00:12:45,720 --> 00:12:49,120 Speaker 1: more months. That's good for you. It's good for your dog, 226 00:12:49,840 --> 00:12:53,160 Speaker 1: but it's good for you specifically as a deer hunter, 227 00:12:53,880 --> 00:12:56,440 Speaker 1: really good. I know for a fact that training my 228 00:12:56,520 --> 00:12:58,760 Speaker 1: bird dogs to hunt antlers has gotten me out more 229 00:12:58,840 --> 00:13:01,760 Speaker 1: throughout the winter months when there isn't a whole hell 230 00:13:01,800 --> 00:13:04,080 Speaker 1: of a lot to do besides ice fish or binge 231 00:13:04,120 --> 00:13:07,240 Speaker 1: netflix or whatever. There is a whole world of white 232 00:13:07,240 --> 00:13:09,040 Speaker 1: tails out there, and some of them are losing their 233 00:13:09,040 --> 00:13:12,280 Speaker 1: head gear right now. Some of them live in parks, 234 00:13:12,320 --> 00:13:14,080 Speaker 1: some of them live on private land, and some of 235 00:13:14,080 --> 00:13:16,880 Speaker 1: them live on public land. Whatever the case may be 236 00:13:17,040 --> 00:13:20,960 Speaker 1: near you and whatever land you have access to, spending 237 00:13:20,960 --> 00:13:23,600 Speaker 1: time in the woods in the winter will make you 238 00:13:23,679 --> 00:13:26,960 Speaker 1: a better hunter. If that takes a laborate or retriever 239 00:13:27,040 --> 00:13:29,559 Speaker 1: with some shed antler training under his belt, so be it. 240 00:13:30,400 --> 00:13:33,200 Speaker 1: I know personally that I probably shed hunt I don't 241 00:13:33,200 --> 00:13:35,480 Speaker 1: know twice as much as I would without a dog, 242 00:13:35,960 --> 00:13:38,400 Speaker 1: because I like, I don't know spending time in the 243 00:13:38,400 --> 00:13:41,600 Speaker 1: woods with my dogs. It's that's simple. They want to 244 00:13:41,600 --> 00:13:45,320 Speaker 1: go always, which makes me want to go. Dogs are 245 00:13:45,360 --> 00:13:47,360 Speaker 1: kind of like making a Jim buddy to lift with 246 00:13:47,640 --> 00:13:50,439 Speaker 1: who is always enthusiastic about picking up heavy stuff and 247 00:13:50,480 --> 00:13:53,680 Speaker 1: putting it down. You might not really need the motivation, 248 00:13:53,960 --> 00:13:56,360 Speaker 1: or you might, but either way, it's nice when it 249 00:13:56,400 --> 00:13:59,880 Speaker 1: swoops into your life. With shed dogs, the desire to 250 00:14:00,040 --> 00:14:03,680 Speaker 1: out there more is real. That means you'll cover more 251 00:14:03,720 --> 00:14:07,040 Speaker 1: miles in search of antlers, but it might also take 252 00:14:07,040 --> 00:14:09,520 Speaker 1: you to new spots. It might take you through the 253 00:14:09,520 --> 00:14:12,160 Speaker 1: public land twenty minutes from your house that you don't 254 00:14:12,160 --> 00:14:14,160 Speaker 1: really hunt because every morning of the season, as you 255 00:14:14,240 --> 00:14:16,400 Speaker 1: drive past it to go to work, you see a 256 00:14:16,440 --> 00:14:19,040 Speaker 1: couple of trucks parked in the parking lot. The dog 257 00:14:19,080 --> 00:14:21,600 Speaker 1: doesn't know that, and the dog doesn't care. It just 258 00:14:21,640 --> 00:14:24,480 Speaker 1: wants to be out in the woods with you. That 259 00:14:24,560 --> 00:14:27,200 Speaker 1: motivation can get you to understand a spot you've written off, 260 00:14:27,400 --> 00:14:29,400 Speaker 1: and it can get you into areas of a spot 261 00:14:29,440 --> 00:14:33,400 Speaker 1: like that to get your white tail gears turning. Following 262 00:14:33,400 --> 00:14:35,920 Speaker 1: a dog for miles throughout the winter will take you 263 00:14:35,960 --> 00:14:38,720 Speaker 1: to places you normally wouldn't go to shed hunt or 264 00:14:38,800 --> 00:14:43,480 Speaker 1: winter scout, and that means you're seeing in person spots 265 00:14:43,520 --> 00:14:47,560 Speaker 1: that you wouldn't have otherwise. Now I don't know about you, 266 00:14:47,920 --> 00:14:49,800 Speaker 1: but there have been a lot of times in my 267 00:14:49,840 --> 00:14:53,720 Speaker 1: life where I found just one fence crossing or one 268 00:14:53,880 --> 00:14:57,320 Speaker 1: big corner post rub or something out in the deer 269 00:14:57,400 --> 00:15:00,200 Speaker 1: woods that changed my whole thinking on a stage eat 270 00:15:00,320 --> 00:15:04,120 Speaker 1: or a specific parcel. And that's not nothing. My friends, 271 00:15:04,600 --> 00:15:06,640 Speaker 1: and however, you have to go about putting yourself in 272 00:15:06,680 --> 00:15:10,480 Speaker 1: a position to make those discoveries. So be it. Maybe 273 00:15:10,520 --> 00:15:13,080 Speaker 1: you're already super motivated and you winter scout fifty days 274 00:15:13,080 --> 00:15:16,920 Speaker 1: a year, but maybe not. Maybe you don't winter scout much, 275 00:15:17,040 --> 00:15:19,520 Speaker 1: kind of like shed hunting, and are mostly afflicted by 276 00:15:19,560 --> 00:15:22,360 Speaker 1: cabin fever. And maybe I don't know. You've got a 277 00:15:22,440 --> 00:15:24,600 Speaker 1: hunting dog or a sporting dog, or a working dog 278 00:15:24,640 --> 00:15:27,760 Speaker 1: sitting there in your house, or just some random good 279 00:15:27,760 --> 00:15:31,960 Speaker 1: dog that likes to retrieve sticks. If so, the ingredients 280 00:15:31,960 --> 00:15:34,040 Speaker 1: are all there for you to change the course of 281 00:15:34,080 --> 00:15:37,040 Speaker 1: your off season, which can also change the course of 282 00:15:37,120 --> 00:15:40,880 Speaker 1: your hunting season. And if it doesn't, well, you spend 283 00:15:40,880 --> 00:15:43,440 Speaker 1: some time with your dog training, which is good, and 284 00:15:43,480 --> 00:15:45,040 Speaker 1: then you spent some time in the woods with your 285 00:15:45,040 --> 00:15:48,200 Speaker 1: four legged best friend, which is good too. Maybe you 286 00:15:48,320 --> 00:15:52,240 Speaker 1: find an extra antler, few antlers, maybe not. Maybe you 287 00:15:52,320 --> 00:15:54,440 Speaker 1: just find a bang in public land hotspot that you've 288 00:15:54,440 --> 00:15:59,120 Speaker 1: always overlooked or maybe not, but it's worth trying if 289 00:15:59,160 --> 00:16:01,160 Speaker 1: you have the dog and the means to do so 290 00:16:03,760 --> 00:16:06,240 Speaker 1: that's it for this week, my friends. My name is 291 00:16:06,280 --> 00:16:08,280 Speaker 1: Tony Peterson and this has been the Wire to Hunt 292 00:16:08,320 --> 00:16:12,840 Speaker 1: Foundations podcast. Next week, I'm kicking off a couple episodes 293 00:16:12,840 --> 00:16:15,760 Speaker 1: on winter scouting, so be sure to tune in. And 294 00:16:15,800 --> 00:16:18,800 Speaker 1: if you're not getting enough whitetail content in your daily diet, 295 00:16:18,880 --> 00:16:20,800 Speaker 1: make sure to check out our wire to Hunt YouTube 296 00:16:20,880 --> 00:16:23,840 Speaker 1: channel or visit the meat Eator dot com slash wired. 297 00:16:24,400 --> 00:16:28,520 Speaker 1: I promise you those two resources will keep you busy 298 00:16:28,640 --> 00:16:33,320 Speaker 1: consuming tons of white tailed goodness. And as always, thank 299 00:16:33,360 --> 00:16:36,040 Speaker 1: you so much for listening and for your support. We 300 00:16:36,120 --> 00:16:37,160 Speaker 1: really appreciate it.