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 --> 00:00:08,920 Speaker 1: to the fundamentals of better deer hunting, presented by first Light, 3 00:00:09,240 --> 00:00:13,560 Speaker 1: creating proven versatile hunting apparel for the stand, saddle or blind. 4 00:00:14,080 --> 00:00:18,600 Speaker 1: First Light, Go Farther, Stay Longer, and now your host 5 00:00:19,000 --> 00:00:19,880 Speaker 1: Tony Peterson. 6 00:00:20,280 --> 00:00:22,919 Speaker 2: Hey everyone, welcome to the Wired to Hunt Foundation's podcast, 7 00:00:22,920 --> 00:00:24,440 Speaker 2: which is brought to you by First Light. I'm your host, 8 00:00:24,480 --> 00:00:27,400 Speaker 2: Tony Peterson. In today's episode is all about understanding the 9 00:00:27,480 --> 00:00:30,280 Speaker 2: subtle and not so subtle changes in the deer woods 10 00:00:30,360 --> 00:00:32,560 Speaker 2: and how this can help you kill more mature bucks. 11 00:00:33,200 --> 00:00:36,440 Speaker 2: All right, all right, all right. This is a fun 12 00:00:36,440 --> 00:00:38,400 Speaker 2: one for me because it taps into something I deal 13 00:00:38,440 --> 00:00:41,560 Speaker 2: with in the deer woods all year long. It's probably 14 00:00:41,600 --> 00:00:44,440 Speaker 2: the thing that holds me back more than anything. Change 15 00:00:44,880 --> 00:00:48,200 Speaker 2: in its many, many forms. It happens throughout the season, 16 00:00:48,360 --> 00:00:50,880 Speaker 2: it happens from year to year, and it happens whether 17 00:00:50,960 --> 00:00:53,440 Speaker 2: we consent to it or not. It's just the reality 18 00:00:53,440 --> 00:00:55,440 Speaker 2: of the world, and the best hunters I know learn 19 00:00:55,480 --> 00:00:57,640 Speaker 2: how to deal with it in a positive way, which 20 00:00:57,680 --> 00:01:03,680 Speaker 2: is what this episode is all about. A couple of 21 00:01:03,680 --> 00:01:05,640 Speaker 2: weeks ago, I was in the gym just picking up 22 00:01:05,680 --> 00:01:08,040 Speaker 2: heavy stuff and putting it down like a dozen or 23 00:01:08,080 --> 00:01:10,440 Speaker 2: so other gym goers who are all really just trying 24 00:01:10,440 --> 00:01:12,840 Speaker 2: to look a little better naked. I guess when I 25 00:01:12,880 --> 00:01:15,560 Speaker 2: picked up my phone to choose another song to listen to. 26 00:01:16,400 --> 00:01:18,880 Speaker 2: This is probably crazy, and I almost hesitate to say it, 27 00:01:19,240 --> 00:01:22,280 Speaker 2: but I sort of feel that music influences my entire 28 00:01:22,360 --> 00:01:25,240 Speaker 2: life now in the context of lifting weights. This is 29 00:01:25,280 --> 00:01:28,440 Speaker 2: pretty easy to understand for a fellow wired like me. 30 00:01:29,120 --> 00:01:32,800 Speaker 2: I probably wouldn't see those sick gains with a Z 31 00:01:33,480 --> 00:01:36,160 Speaker 2: if I spent my gym time listening to Whitney Houston's 32 00:01:36,200 --> 00:01:38,959 Speaker 2: greatest hits, or I don't know, some band like Coldplay 33 00:01:39,080 --> 00:01:42,360 Speaker 2: or something. I need heavy music laced with lots of anger, 34 00:01:42,520 --> 00:01:45,039 Speaker 2: lots of drop D guitar riffs, and just something that 35 00:01:45,160 --> 00:01:48,360 Speaker 2: shakes your guts loose a little. My affinity toward music 36 00:01:48,400 --> 00:01:50,840 Speaker 2: goes way beyond the obvious spots, though, to the point 37 00:01:50,880 --> 00:01:53,680 Speaker 2: where I'm pretty superstitious about the music I played before 38 00:01:53,720 --> 00:01:56,800 Speaker 2: a hunt and after. Sometimes the vibes are just wrong, 39 00:01:57,040 --> 00:01:58,920 Speaker 2: and when you get into the woods, that sticks with you, 40 00:01:58,960 --> 00:02:01,080 Speaker 2: and the dear no show so for days at a time, 41 00:02:01,160 --> 00:02:03,840 Speaker 2: and you just have to switch things up. Sometimes you 42 00:02:03,880 --> 00:02:06,600 Speaker 2: play something with a nice tribal drum beat, go out 43 00:02:06,600 --> 00:02:08,760 Speaker 2: and arrow a deer, and then get to listen to 44 00:02:08,800 --> 00:02:11,760 Speaker 2: something celebratory on the way back. My girls and I 45 00:02:11,800 --> 00:02:14,440 Speaker 2: did this recently, where we drove out to Pearl Jam's 46 00:02:14,480 --> 00:02:17,600 Speaker 2: song WMA and we left the woods with a dead 47 00:02:17,639 --> 00:02:21,440 Speaker 2: spike and filters. Hey man, nice shot blasting away, which 48 00:02:21,480 --> 00:02:23,960 Speaker 2: has become our tradition when the blood trail ends in 49 00:02:24,080 --> 00:02:27,480 Speaker 2: hugs and not question marks. I freaking love music, and 50 00:02:27,560 --> 00:02:29,320 Speaker 2: I know a lot of you do too, so I'm 51 00:02:29,360 --> 00:02:32,160 Speaker 2: always looking for something new, which brings me back to 52 00:02:32,200 --> 00:02:34,960 Speaker 2: that gym session. I went to my phone and saw 53 00:02:34,960 --> 00:02:38,120 Speaker 2: that my YouTube algorithm had fed me a band called 54 00:02:38,240 --> 00:02:41,120 Speaker 2: dead frog Face. I try to listen to a few 55 00:02:41,120 --> 00:02:43,560 Speaker 2: new songs or a few new bands every day, and 56 00:02:43,639 --> 00:02:45,360 Speaker 2: the name of that band gave me the push I 57 00:02:45,400 --> 00:02:47,880 Speaker 2: needed to listen because I just like dead frog Face. 58 00:02:48,320 --> 00:02:51,280 Speaker 2: It was a song called bad and boy was it good, 59 00:02:51,639 --> 00:02:54,079 Speaker 2: you know, like outlaw country type of good if you're 60 00:02:54,080 --> 00:02:56,760 Speaker 2: wondering the genre now. I listened to that song and 61 00:02:56,800 --> 00:02:58,920 Speaker 2: a few of their other songs all day long, and 62 00:02:58,960 --> 00:03:01,120 Speaker 2: I had the feeling, you know, that really really good 63 00:03:01,160 --> 00:03:03,360 Speaker 2: feeling of having found another band that will make this 64 00:03:03,480 --> 00:03:07,040 Speaker 2: suburb life a little more tolerable. That night, I thought 65 00:03:07,040 --> 00:03:08,880 Speaker 2: about one of their songs and I decided to look 66 00:03:08,960 --> 00:03:12,639 Speaker 2: up the lyrics, but there were none. There's no information 67 00:03:12,800 --> 00:03:16,760 Speaker 2: on dead frog face anywhere, no wiki, not a you 68 00:03:16,800 --> 00:03:19,760 Speaker 2: know a band member list, nothing. I got a weird 69 00:03:19,800 --> 00:03:22,080 Speaker 2: feeling before heading to Spotify to see if they were 70 00:03:22,120 --> 00:03:24,480 Speaker 2: on there, and that's where I read the band description 71 00:03:24,960 --> 00:03:29,600 Speaker 2: and figured out that it's all AI. I felt well, 72 00:03:30,480 --> 00:03:33,640 Speaker 2: not great about it. I'm not a great negotiator, so 73 00:03:33,680 --> 00:03:36,040 Speaker 2: it kind of reminded me of having to sell something 74 00:03:36,120 --> 00:03:38,120 Speaker 2: or go back and forth with my boss on a 75 00:03:38,240 --> 00:03:41,080 Speaker 2: raise and then realizing that I could have done much better, 76 00:03:41,720 --> 00:03:46,880 Speaker 2: like I got outwitted, outplayed or whatever. It instantly made 77 00:03:46,960 --> 00:03:48,760 Speaker 2: me not want to listen to that band ever again, 78 00:03:48,920 --> 00:03:52,440 Speaker 2: and I've mostly stopped. But you know what, that shit 79 00:03:52,600 --> 00:03:55,880 Speaker 2: isn't going away. This thing I do here where I 80 00:03:55,920 --> 00:03:57,560 Speaker 2: write these scripts and then I read them for you 81 00:03:57,600 --> 00:03:59,560 Speaker 2: by the week, this is going to go away too. 82 00:04:00,200 --> 00:04:02,480 Speaker 2: Probably in the not too distant future, you'll be able 83 00:04:02,520 --> 00:04:06,080 Speaker 2: to dial up your own Foundation style podcasts, but they'll 84 00:04:06,120 --> 00:04:09,280 Speaker 2: be customizable to your region, to your hunting style, to 85 00:04:09,360 --> 00:04:12,800 Speaker 2: your sense of humor, to whatever, and what sucks is 86 00:04:13,200 --> 00:04:16,680 Speaker 2: they'll probably be really good. I'm positive that most of 87 00:04:16,760 --> 00:04:19,120 Speaker 2: us at a certain age view this new reality with 88 00:04:19,200 --> 00:04:21,960 Speaker 2: some level of disdain and suspicion. But you know what, 89 00:04:22,520 --> 00:04:25,359 Speaker 2: it doesn't matter. This change is coming and it doesn't 90 00:04:25,400 --> 00:04:27,160 Speaker 2: care about our feelings or the fact that it could 91 00:04:27,200 --> 00:04:29,880 Speaker 2: take our jobs in an instant. It just is the 92 00:04:29,920 --> 00:04:33,440 Speaker 2: next thing, and after that there'll be something else. That 93 00:04:33,480 --> 00:04:36,120 Speaker 2: whole experience got me thinking about change and what it 94 00:04:36,160 --> 00:04:39,880 Speaker 2: means to us. Most humans are pretty resistant to change 95 00:04:39,960 --> 00:04:44,080 Speaker 2: because we are generally pessimistic at heart. This manifests itself 96 00:04:44,080 --> 00:04:47,120 Speaker 2: in the deer woods in a million different ways. One 97 00:04:47,160 --> 00:04:50,160 Speaker 2: that I bitch about a lot is the talk which 98 00:04:50,160 --> 00:04:53,760 Speaker 2: has weirdly died down some lately on too many people 99 00:04:53,760 --> 00:04:57,480 Speaker 2: in the woods, the elkwoods, the deer woods, the whatever woods. 100 00:04:58,120 --> 00:05:02,120 Speaker 2: The people complaining the most really want two things. They 101 00:05:02,160 --> 00:05:05,279 Speaker 2: want easier hunting, which is really the hunting they think 102 00:05:05,320 --> 00:05:08,080 Speaker 2: they can remember having before everyone else showed up and 103 00:05:08,160 --> 00:05:11,360 Speaker 2: ruined it for them. In some ways, they can complain 104 00:05:11,480 --> 00:05:13,440 Speaker 2: enough and get a result on that front, but it 105 00:05:13,440 --> 00:05:15,840 Speaker 2: won't change the fact that more and more residents are 106 00:05:15,880 --> 00:05:18,280 Speaker 2: also being pushed into the fewer spots that are left 107 00:05:18,320 --> 00:05:21,279 Speaker 2: to hunt. The change that's happening in the woods right now, 108 00:05:21,600 --> 00:05:24,240 Speaker 2: that's a big one, and it's one that is just 109 00:05:24,279 --> 00:05:27,640 Speaker 2: like we are all collectively losing ground to development and 110 00:05:27,720 --> 00:05:30,560 Speaker 2: people who have the means to tie up land financially, 111 00:05:31,080 --> 00:05:33,039 Speaker 2: and that means that unless we figure out how to 112 00:05:33,080 --> 00:05:36,080 Speaker 2: create more public ground, we are all kind of in 113 00:05:36,120 --> 00:05:39,040 Speaker 2: the same boat here. Now, another big change that's happening 114 00:05:39,080 --> 00:05:41,400 Speaker 2: right now that affects an awful lot of us is 115 00:05:41,400 --> 00:05:44,920 Speaker 2: one like crossbow inclusion. Fight at all you want, my friends, 116 00:05:45,240 --> 00:05:48,400 Speaker 2: but over a long enough timeline, the battle is already decided. 117 00:05:49,120 --> 00:05:51,960 Speaker 2: What that means to us as individuals varies a lot. 118 00:05:52,480 --> 00:05:55,680 Speaker 2: Some folks will jump ship instantly for an easier weapon, 119 00:05:56,120 --> 00:05:58,039 Speaker 2: some will hold out for a while, and a small 120 00:05:58,080 --> 00:06:02,159 Speaker 2: percentage will avoid it entirely. But over time, the change 121 00:06:02,240 --> 00:06:04,880 Speaker 2: keeps going one way, and it isn't the way that 122 00:06:04,920 --> 00:06:08,120 Speaker 2: it was before they really became a part of the conversation. 123 00:06:08,640 --> 00:06:11,239 Speaker 2: Change is happening all the time, on a huge scale 124 00:06:11,480 --> 00:06:15,839 Speaker 2: and at a subtle, almost imperceptible scale. It's always happening, 125 00:06:16,040 --> 00:06:18,320 Speaker 2: and the more you can recognize it for what it 126 00:06:18,400 --> 00:06:20,600 Speaker 2: is and react to it for what you think it 127 00:06:20,640 --> 00:06:24,240 Speaker 2: will be the better your season will go. So what 128 00:06:24,279 --> 00:06:27,440 Speaker 2: does this all mean. We'll think about it this way. 129 00:06:28,040 --> 00:06:30,800 Speaker 2: If you don't know what has changed, you won't know 130 00:06:30,839 --> 00:06:33,560 Speaker 2: how to react. I think this is a huge problem 131 00:06:33,560 --> 00:06:36,159 Speaker 2: with hunters in general, and a huge reason why so 132 00:06:36,279 --> 00:06:39,760 Speaker 2: many folks ride a dead program year after year. Let 133 00:06:39,760 --> 00:06:42,440 Speaker 2: me give you an example from my life. Recently, I 134 00:06:42,520 --> 00:06:44,960 Speaker 2: spent some time up in the north Woods, Wisconsin hunting 135 00:06:44,960 --> 00:06:48,000 Speaker 2: public land. Some spots are brand new to me this year, 136 00:06:48,200 --> 00:06:51,080 Speaker 2: while others I've hunted for almost a decade now. One 137 00:06:51,120 --> 00:06:53,800 Speaker 2: spot in particular, I've killed a few of my best 138 00:06:53,800 --> 00:06:56,120 Speaker 2: bucks on. It's a parcel. I took one of my 139 00:06:56,200 --> 00:06:58,479 Speaker 2: daughters in for a rut hunt last year and got 140 00:06:58,520 --> 00:07:01,880 Speaker 2: oh so close to a really great deer. Now. I 141 00:07:01,920 --> 00:07:04,120 Speaker 2: went into that property this spring the scout and have 142 00:07:04,200 --> 00:07:06,640 Speaker 2: been in there maybe parts of six days this season. 143 00:07:07,480 --> 00:07:10,560 Speaker 2: Last year, it was covered in buck sign and when 144 00:07:10,600 --> 00:07:13,920 Speaker 2: I say covered, I mean covered more than I've ever 145 00:07:13,960 --> 00:07:16,680 Speaker 2: seen up there or almost anywhere. It felt like I 146 00:07:16,800 --> 00:07:20,560 Speaker 2: was in Iowa on private land. Honestly, while my first 147 00:07:20,680 --> 00:07:23,840 Speaker 2: hunt there this season, I walked into a creek bottom 148 00:07:23,840 --> 00:07:25,600 Speaker 2: that I haven't hunted in a few years and was 149 00:07:25,720 --> 00:07:28,800 Speaker 2: absolutely struck by how thick it was. It was like 150 00:07:28,880 --> 00:07:31,000 Speaker 2: when you haven't seen someone in ten years and you 151 00:07:31,040 --> 00:07:33,640 Speaker 2: think about how much they've aged, and then you quickly 152 00:07:33,680 --> 00:07:35,920 Speaker 2: realize that they are thinking the same thing about you, 153 00:07:36,320 --> 00:07:39,400 Speaker 2: But it doesn't register quite the same way. That property 154 00:07:39,480 --> 00:07:41,920 Speaker 2: was logged right before I started hunting it. So it 155 00:07:41,960 --> 00:07:45,080 Speaker 2: has gone through major changes in the last decade, and 156 00:07:45,120 --> 00:07:47,480 Speaker 2: it's at the right level of thickness to soak up 157 00:07:47,520 --> 00:07:49,680 Speaker 2: a whole bunch of deer who would rather hide in 158 00:07:49,760 --> 00:07:52,960 Speaker 2: the thick shit than the generally far more open public 159 00:07:53,040 --> 00:07:56,920 Speaker 2: land around it. The access roads have become largely blocked too, 160 00:07:57,040 --> 00:08:00,560 Speaker 2: with falling trees and just overgone brush, and that has 161 00:08:00,640 --> 00:08:03,280 Speaker 2: changed the game in there as well. That change might 162 00:08:03,400 --> 00:08:06,760 Speaker 2: seem welcome, because now you have a high concentration of 163 00:08:06,800 --> 00:08:11,120 Speaker 2: deer in a small ish spot. That's huge, But hunting 164 00:08:11,120 --> 00:08:12,760 Speaker 2: it is a hell of a lot different than it 165 00:08:12,840 --> 00:08:25,680 Speaker 2: used to be. It's not like I can brush hog 166 00:08:25,760 --> 00:08:28,040 Speaker 2: access trails to stand trees in there, and with no 167 00:08:28,120 --> 00:08:30,880 Speaker 2: trail cameras and no tree trimming for shooting lanes and whatnot, 168 00:08:31,280 --> 00:08:34,120 Speaker 2: it has become a really challenging spot. But I can 169 00:08:34,160 --> 00:08:35,880 Speaker 2: look at it like it's not what it used to 170 00:08:35,880 --> 00:08:38,240 Speaker 2: be and be sad about that, or I can just 171 00:08:38,320 --> 00:08:40,520 Speaker 2: try to figure out how to use it to my advantage. 172 00:08:40,559 --> 00:08:43,160 Speaker 2: Now that's what I'm going to do this season, and 173 00:08:43,240 --> 00:08:47,240 Speaker 2: I can safely say so far it's totally kicking my ass. 174 00:08:47,679 --> 00:08:49,319 Speaker 2: But there is a lot of season left, and I 175 00:08:49,360 --> 00:08:51,079 Speaker 2: think the bucks will keep moving in there as the 176 00:08:51,160 --> 00:08:53,360 Speaker 2: rut gets closer, and I'm going to just try to 177 00:08:53,480 --> 00:08:56,600 Speaker 2: use that to my advantage. In fact, I almost killed 178 00:08:56,600 --> 00:08:59,240 Speaker 2: the maturre doo in there recently, which is a huge 179 00:08:59,280 --> 00:09:01,040 Speaker 2: win in that part of the world for me, and 180 00:09:01,080 --> 00:09:03,440 Speaker 2: the whole reason I almost killed her is because the 181 00:09:03,440 --> 00:09:06,680 Speaker 2: oak trees in this tiny spot between swamps were just 182 00:09:06,840 --> 00:09:09,560 Speaker 2: raining down the good stuff. She was betted in the 183 00:09:09,600 --> 00:09:12,200 Speaker 2: thick shit that's almost impossible to hunt. But on the 184 00:09:12,320 --> 00:09:14,640 Speaker 2: edge of that, I found some of the best here today, 185 00:09:14,679 --> 00:09:18,640 Speaker 2: gone tomorrow food you can find in early October. And 186 00:09:18,679 --> 00:09:20,720 Speaker 2: if I hadn't screwed it up by making just a 187 00:09:20,720 --> 00:09:22,959 Speaker 2: bit too much noise when I tried to draw on her, 188 00:09:23,320 --> 00:09:26,640 Speaker 2: she'd likely be in my freezer instead of well wherever 189 00:09:26,679 --> 00:09:29,679 Speaker 2: she is right now, probably cleaning up the last of 190 00:09:29,720 --> 00:09:32,720 Speaker 2: the acorns while I sit at the stupid desk believe 191 00:09:32,800 --> 00:09:35,480 Speaker 2: you me. I'm going to file away that encounter for 192 00:09:35,520 --> 00:09:38,400 Speaker 2: future hunts, and at some point that's going to be 193 00:09:38,400 --> 00:09:41,559 Speaker 2: a dead program too, most likely. But for now, all 194 00:09:41,600 --> 00:09:43,400 Speaker 2: of those changes, they are forcing me as a hunter 195 00:09:43,520 --> 00:09:46,280 Speaker 2: to scout more and do a few more observation sits 196 00:09:46,280 --> 00:09:48,440 Speaker 2: and just react to a new world in the same 197 00:09:48,480 --> 00:09:51,560 Speaker 2: old place, if that makes any sense. The thing about 198 00:09:51,640 --> 00:09:53,920 Speaker 2: change is that you're going to be forced to deal 199 00:09:53,920 --> 00:09:56,640 Speaker 2: with it, whether you want to or not. We see 200 00:09:56,640 --> 00:09:59,880 Speaker 2: this with weather all the time. I spent all last 201 00:10:00,280 --> 00:10:02,760 Speaker 2: bitching about south winds and how my stand setups for 202 00:10:02,840 --> 00:10:05,480 Speaker 2: north and west winds were mostly worthless for most of 203 00:10:05,520 --> 00:10:09,360 Speaker 2: the season. Then you know what happened. The fricking wind 204 00:10:09,520 --> 00:10:11,840 Speaker 2: just kept right on blowing from the south, and this 205 00:10:12,000 --> 00:10:14,920 Speaker 2: year there has been more east in it than usual, 206 00:10:15,360 --> 00:10:17,439 Speaker 2: which is kind of like a Mike Tyson upper cut. 207 00:10:17,480 --> 00:10:21,120 Speaker 2: To your delegates, a simple wind change means one of 208 00:10:21,160 --> 00:10:24,160 Speaker 2: a few things for us. We choose to not hunt 209 00:10:24,160 --> 00:10:26,480 Speaker 2: because we have no good setup, or at least one 210 00:10:26,559 --> 00:10:29,240 Speaker 2: that's not good enough for that wind, you know, probably 211 00:10:29,240 --> 00:10:32,600 Speaker 2: the most common reaction there. Or we hunt a setup 212 00:10:32,640 --> 00:10:35,280 Speaker 2: that we talk ourselves into because we want to go 213 00:10:35,360 --> 00:10:37,240 Speaker 2: out even though we know that it'll probably be a 214 00:10:37,240 --> 00:10:40,280 Speaker 2: train wreck, or we grab a mobile setup and head 215 00:10:40,320 --> 00:10:43,600 Speaker 2: out to make something happen in the less than ideal conditions. 216 00:10:43,920 --> 00:10:46,000 Speaker 2: You know, that cause a lot of other folks to 217 00:10:46,120 --> 00:10:49,400 Speaker 2: just stay away or settle. It really is that simple, 218 00:10:49,480 --> 00:10:52,120 Speaker 2: and we all know what the best approach probably is. 219 00:10:52,840 --> 00:10:55,280 Speaker 2: It's so easy to not take the best approach, though. 220 00:10:56,240 --> 00:10:58,360 Speaker 2: I recently had a conversation with a good buddy of 221 00:10:58,400 --> 00:11:02,400 Speaker 2: mine who has a killer delease. I'm honestly super jealous 222 00:11:02,400 --> 00:11:05,800 Speaker 2: of him for it. Anyway, he knows that eventually that 223 00:11:05,880 --> 00:11:09,240 Speaker 2: lease is going to go away. He says as much often, 224 00:11:09,840 --> 00:11:12,520 Speaker 2: but recently I also said he'll probably just mostly fezan 225 00:11:12,640 --> 00:11:15,280 Speaker 2: hunt when the lease goes away, because it'll be too 226 00:11:15,320 --> 00:11:18,440 Speaker 2: hard to go hunt someplace that isn't as good. Now, 227 00:11:18,760 --> 00:11:22,760 Speaker 2: that's an understandable reaction, sort of, Well not really, but 228 00:11:22,800 --> 00:11:25,800 Speaker 2: I see where he's coming from. The thing is that 229 00:11:25,920 --> 00:11:29,200 Speaker 2: change is coming, It's plain as day now. Instead of 230 00:11:29,240 --> 00:11:31,280 Speaker 2: just waiting for it to change the arc of his 231 00:11:31,320 --> 00:11:34,000 Speaker 2: life as a deer hunter forever, a better bet would 232 00:11:34,000 --> 00:11:36,360 Speaker 2: be to start looking to hedge that loss somehow. Now. 233 00:11:36,960 --> 00:11:38,960 Speaker 2: That would be through tapping his network to find a 234 00:11:39,000 --> 00:11:41,480 Speaker 2: spot looking for another small lease to get to learn 235 00:11:41,600 --> 00:11:45,360 Speaker 2: scouting public land something. But he probably won't because he 236 00:11:45,400 --> 00:11:48,360 Speaker 2: doesn't have to yet. And that's a very understandable thing. 237 00:11:48,840 --> 00:11:50,840 Speaker 2: Most of us don't want to do extra work for 238 00:11:50,840 --> 00:11:53,719 Speaker 2: any reason, and I'm not being facetious there. I had 239 00:11:53,720 --> 00:11:56,440 Speaker 2: a cameraman earlier this summer mentioned to me that he 240 00:11:56,480 --> 00:11:58,800 Speaker 2: feels like he was born to be retired, and I 241 00:11:58,800 --> 00:12:01,560 Speaker 2: don't know if I've ever related to anything more. This 242 00:12:01,720 --> 00:12:04,440 Speaker 2: is a hard thing to do, but looking at change 243 00:12:04,480 --> 00:12:07,160 Speaker 2: like a negative by default is bad for all of us. 244 00:12:07,760 --> 00:12:10,319 Speaker 2: When I was fourteen, my dad and I lost our 245 00:12:10,400 --> 00:12:14,400 Speaker 2: two private hunting spots that were just awesome. It sucked 246 00:12:14,600 --> 00:12:17,440 Speaker 2: so much. Then we picked up a farm that I 247 00:12:17,480 --> 00:12:19,400 Speaker 2: still hunt to this day. And I can tell you 248 00:12:19,440 --> 00:12:22,320 Speaker 2: with certainty that you wouldn't be listening to me talk 249 00:12:22,360 --> 00:12:25,959 Speaker 2: about deer every week if that hadn't happened. It forced 250 00:12:25,960 --> 00:12:28,160 Speaker 2: me to be a mobile hunter before that was a thing, 251 00:12:28,480 --> 00:12:31,840 Speaker 2: and it put me in the woods so much. Another 252 00:12:31,880 --> 00:12:34,720 Speaker 2: time when change really really sucked for me was when 253 00:12:34,720 --> 00:12:36,800 Speaker 2: the company I was working for got bought out by 254 00:12:36,800 --> 00:12:39,520 Speaker 2: a private equity firm. When forty percent of the company 255 00:12:39,520 --> 00:12:42,800 Speaker 2: got let go, I wasn't in the lucky sixty percent, 256 00:12:43,040 --> 00:12:44,719 Speaker 2: and I realized that my dream of staying in the 257 00:12:44,800 --> 00:12:47,439 Speaker 2: hunting industry wasn't on nearly as firm of ground as 258 00:12:47,440 --> 00:12:50,160 Speaker 2: I thought. That forced me into the freelance world, where 259 00:12:50,200 --> 00:12:53,080 Speaker 2: I said screw it and put my mind toward figuring 260 00:12:53,080 --> 00:12:57,680 Speaker 2: out public land deer. That changed my life professionally, but 261 00:12:57,800 --> 00:13:00,839 Speaker 2: also resulted in me just finding out the exact kind 262 00:13:00,840 --> 00:13:04,120 Speaker 2: of hunting that I love more than anything else. It 263 00:13:04,240 --> 00:13:08,200 Speaker 2: was a horrible personal change that ended up turning positive, 264 00:13:08,320 --> 00:13:11,960 Speaker 2: but that transition wasn't quick or easy. So what's changing 265 00:13:12,000 --> 00:13:14,560 Speaker 2: in your world? I bet you feel like you have 266 00:13:14,760 --> 00:13:17,559 Speaker 2: less free time than you ever have. I bet you 267 00:13:17,600 --> 00:13:20,080 Speaker 2: feel like a lot of your time on stand isn't 268 00:13:20,080 --> 00:13:21,920 Speaker 2: being used in a way that makes you feel as 269 00:13:21,960 --> 00:13:24,480 Speaker 2: good as it should. I bet you're sick of the 270 00:13:24,520 --> 00:13:27,440 Speaker 2: new neighbors, or tired of never having a shooter on camera, 271 00:13:27,880 --> 00:13:30,920 Speaker 2: or a lot of things. The world and the deer 272 00:13:30,960 --> 00:13:34,640 Speaker 2: woods are in constant flux. We are in the October 273 00:13:34,679 --> 00:13:37,560 Speaker 2: low right now, which is a perceived change in deer 274 00:13:37,600 --> 00:13:39,880 Speaker 2: behavior where all the bucks go nocturnal and there's no 275 00:13:39,920 --> 00:13:43,280 Speaker 2: good reason to hunt right This change happens every year, 276 00:13:43,440 --> 00:13:45,720 Speaker 2: and those bucks are still out there, and they're still killable, 277 00:13:46,160 --> 00:13:49,760 Speaker 2: but they won't be killable if you don't hunt, or 278 00:13:49,800 --> 00:13:52,760 Speaker 2: you keep hunting, maybe the same old field edge stands. 279 00:13:53,440 --> 00:13:56,200 Speaker 2: You can see this change coming, just like a full 280 00:13:56,240 --> 00:13:59,199 Speaker 2: moon or the weather that the ten day forecast tells 281 00:13:59,200 --> 00:14:02,000 Speaker 2: you is coming. You can see the new development being 282 00:14:02,040 --> 00:14:04,720 Speaker 2: built next to your deer property. You can feel the 283 00:14:04,760 --> 00:14:07,000 Speaker 2: free time slipping away by the year as the kids 284 00:14:07,080 --> 00:14:10,360 Speaker 2: get more into sports and other activities, and for some reason, 285 00:14:10,440 --> 00:14:13,400 Speaker 2: our jobs become such an outsized part of our lives 286 00:14:13,720 --> 00:14:15,559 Speaker 2: instead of just being a means for us to trade 287 00:14:15,559 --> 00:14:18,240 Speaker 2: forty hours a week for a life that is tolerable enough. 288 00:14:18,920 --> 00:14:22,760 Speaker 2: Some of these changes are super predictable, some aren't. What 289 00:14:22,920 --> 00:14:26,880 Speaker 2: they all are are just challenges to overcome. You think 290 00:14:26,920 --> 00:14:29,440 Speaker 2: you can't kill a mature buck right now, Well what 291 00:14:29,480 --> 00:14:31,560 Speaker 2: are you going to do to make that happen? If 292 00:14:31,560 --> 00:14:33,400 Speaker 2: you're checking your cameras a few times a day and 293 00:14:33,440 --> 00:14:36,840 Speaker 2: nothing more, then you will never beat the lull. You 294 00:14:36,880 --> 00:14:39,120 Speaker 2: think the rut won't be as fun this year because 295 00:14:39,200 --> 00:14:41,320 Speaker 2: you have less time to hunt and there are a 296 00:14:41,320 --> 00:14:43,440 Speaker 2: couple of new hunters who have permission to trump around 297 00:14:43,440 --> 00:14:46,360 Speaker 2: on your favorite farm. Well that change might mean that 298 00:14:46,400 --> 00:14:48,280 Speaker 2: you have to be far more efficient with the time 299 00:14:48,280 --> 00:14:51,200 Speaker 2: that you do have. Maybe two or three all days 300 00:14:51,200 --> 00:14:54,520 Speaker 2: sits all you can get instead of a week of 301 00:14:54,760 --> 00:14:57,440 Speaker 2: you know, a morning sit here and an evening sit there. 302 00:14:58,560 --> 00:15:01,320 Speaker 2: So much of life is beyond our control, so it's 303 00:15:01,360 --> 00:15:04,200 Speaker 2: mostly about how we react to that stuff. It's easy 304 00:15:04,240 --> 00:15:07,360 Speaker 2: to bemoan what once was, like how you remember the 305 00:15:07,400 --> 00:15:09,880 Speaker 2: elk woods being devoid of other hunters while the bulls 306 00:15:09,920 --> 00:15:12,520 Speaker 2: screamed their heads off two hundred yards away from the trailhead. 307 00:15:13,080 --> 00:15:15,560 Speaker 2: But you don't get that world anymore unless you could 308 00:15:15,560 --> 00:15:17,680 Speaker 2: write a giant check. How do you go out there 309 00:15:17,680 --> 00:15:21,480 Speaker 2: and find them now that the change has happened. How 310 00:15:21,520 --> 00:15:23,480 Speaker 2: do you find the deer when the woods aren't what 311 00:15:23,920 --> 00:15:26,240 Speaker 2: you want them to be. That's the challenge for all 312 00:15:26,280 --> 00:15:28,640 Speaker 2: of us, and it's often just a matter of perspective. 313 00:15:29,240 --> 00:15:32,680 Speaker 2: The people who kill big bucks consistently, at least on 314 00:15:32,760 --> 00:15:35,960 Speaker 2: ground they can't tightly control. They look at that stuff 315 00:15:36,040 --> 00:15:39,200 Speaker 2: like just more variables to plug into the equation. They 316 00:15:39,240 --> 00:15:42,400 Speaker 2: work through them. They scout, they hunt as much as possible, 317 00:15:42,680 --> 00:15:44,680 Speaker 2: and just try to figure out what those changes mean 318 00:15:44,720 --> 00:15:47,520 Speaker 2: to the deer, because in the end that's what really 319 00:15:47,520 --> 00:15:50,800 Speaker 2: matters if you want to fill more tags, So think 320 00:15:50,840 --> 00:15:53,240 Speaker 2: about that. Think about coming back next week because I'm 321 00:15:53,240 --> 00:15:55,520 Speaker 2: going to talk about the value of buck sign and 322 00:15:55,600 --> 00:15:57,480 Speaker 2: what it means in the weeks leading up to the 323 00:15:57,520 --> 00:16:01,360 Speaker 2: pre rut. That's it for this episode. I'm Tony Peterson 324 00:16:01,400 --> 00:16:03,800 Speaker 2: and this has been the Wired to Hunt Foundations podcast. 325 00:16:04,120 --> 00:16:06,840 Speaker 2: I want to thank you all for your support. You 326 00:16:06,920 --> 00:16:09,440 Speaker 2: show up for us every week, and I know you 327 00:16:09,440 --> 00:16:11,960 Speaker 2: don't hear this enough, but I mean this from my heart. 328 00:16:12,280 --> 00:16:14,640 Speaker 2: We would be nothing without you guys, So your support 329 00:16:14,720 --> 00:16:17,280 Speaker 2: is everything, So thank you for that. If you want 330 00:16:17,320 --> 00:16:19,680 Speaker 2: some more content, and I know you do, because everybody's 331 00:16:19,720 --> 00:16:22,160 Speaker 2: in hunter mode right now. When we're all watching videos 332 00:16:22,200 --> 00:16:25,720 Speaker 2: and listening to podcasts and consuming content, go to the 333 00:16:25,760 --> 00:16:31,400 Speaker 2: meeteater dot com. We're dropping new films, new podcasts, new articles, 334 00:16:31,440 --> 00:16:34,680 Speaker 2: new recipes, you name it, every single day at the 335 00:16:34,680 --> 00:16:40,280 Speaker 2: medeater dot com.