1 00:00:01,000 --> 00:00:05,720 Speaker 1: Welcome to the Wired to Hunt Foundations podcast, your guide 2 00:00:05,760 --> 00:00:10,799 Speaker 1: to the fundamentals of better deer hunting, and now your host, 3 00:00:11,119 --> 00:00:16,120 Speaker 1: Tony Peterson. Hey everyone, welcome to the Wire to Hunt 4 00:00:16,120 --> 00:00:18,800 Speaker 1: Foundations podcast, which is brought to you by First Light. 5 00:00:19,480 --> 00:00:22,599 Speaker 1: I'm your host, Tony Peterson. In today's episode is all 6 00:00:22,640 --> 00:00:40,479 Speaker 1: about winter scouting. Winter scouting is a phrase that I 7 00:00:40,520 --> 00:00:42,879 Speaker 1: don't know we deer hunters, we tossed us around all 8 00:00:42,880 --> 00:00:45,640 Speaker 1: the time, but there's a reason we qualify it with 9 00:00:45,680 --> 00:00:48,559 Speaker 1: the word winter because this time of year provides a 10 00:00:48,680 --> 00:00:53,680 Speaker 1: unique scouting opportunity. This episode is all about winter scouting 11 00:00:53,760 --> 00:00:56,680 Speaker 1: and why you should consider this the most important seasonal 12 00:00:56,720 --> 00:01:11,119 Speaker 1: window in which to learn about deer. Yeah. I don't 13 00:01:11,160 --> 00:01:13,400 Speaker 1: know about you, guys and gals, but I think March 14 00:01:13,520 --> 00:01:16,520 Speaker 1: is the worst month of the year. Turkey season mostly 15 00:01:16,560 --> 00:01:19,080 Speaker 1: isn't open yet, and in the states that it does open, 16 00:01:19,440 --> 00:01:22,119 Speaker 1: the hunting is often not all that great compared to April, 17 00:01:22,240 --> 00:01:26,000 Speaker 1: unless you're way down south. Fishing opportunities In much of 18 00:01:26,000 --> 00:01:28,840 Speaker 1: the country they're not all that great yet either. In 19 00:01:28,880 --> 00:01:32,560 Speaker 1: the small game seasons they're mostly closed. This is the 20 00:01:32,600 --> 00:01:34,119 Speaker 1: time of year where I start to go a little 21 00:01:34,120 --> 00:01:36,280 Speaker 1: stir crazy and I forced myself to get into the 22 00:01:36,319 --> 00:01:39,160 Speaker 1: gym more to run a few more miles outside and 23 00:01:39,240 --> 00:01:42,880 Speaker 1: just plan more scouting trips. The latter is the most 24 00:01:42,959 --> 00:01:48,000 Speaker 1: relevant to this show, obviously, winner scouting is important. In fact, 25 00:01:48,640 --> 00:01:51,480 Speaker 1: I think it's the most valuable scouting a hunter can do, 26 00:01:52,280 --> 00:01:56,040 Speaker 1: besides some in season scouting. That type of in the 27 00:01:56,120 --> 00:01:59,800 Speaker 1: moment scouting often leads directly to putting yourself in a 28 00:02:00,000 --> 00:02:04,320 Speaker 1: addition to kill a buck. Winter scouting and how a 29 00:02:04,320 --> 00:02:07,200 Speaker 1: lot of summer scouting kind of doesn't, but both are 30 00:02:07,280 --> 00:02:10,239 Speaker 1: valuable in their own way. With winter scouting offering us 31 00:02:10,440 --> 00:02:13,040 Speaker 1: what I think is some of the most actionable intel. 32 00:02:13,840 --> 00:02:18,280 Speaker 1: Allow me to explain for starters, the woods will never 33 00:02:18,320 --> 00:02:21,640 Speaker 1: be more open than they are right now. That's a 34 00:02:21,800 --> 00:02:25,160 Speaker 1: huge benefit that we're all aware of. This lets you 35 00:02:25,240 --> 00:02:27,160 Speaker 1: see more than you would at any other time of 36 00:02:27,160 --> 00:02:30,880 Speaker 1: the season, which seems like a pretty simple advantage. No 37 00:02:31,120 --> 00:02:32,920 Speaker 1: leaves mean you can stand at the bottom of a 38 00:02:32,960 --> 00:02:34,520 Speaker 1: bluff and see all the way to the top in 39 00:02:34,560 --> 00:02:36,360 Speaker 1: a lot of places, or all the way up to 40 00:02:36,400 --> 00:02:38,160 Speaker 1: a bench that is three quarters of the way up there. 41 00:02:39,040 --> 00:02:40,680 Speaker 1: You can stand there and look through the woods and 42 00:02:40,720 --> 00:02:43,880 Speaker 1: see folds in the terrain, you can see the narrowest 43 00:02:43,880 --> 00:02:47,120 Speaker 1: spot on a washout that funnels deer through. You can 44 00:02:47,120 --> 00:02:50,119 Speaker 1: see how the woods are all laid out, and that's 45 00:02:50,120 --> 00:02:53,440 Speaker 1: a gift. This goes for hunters in bluff country and 46 00:02:53,520 --> 00:02:55,919 Speaker 1: for hunters on flat as a pool table ground. This 47 00:02:56,040 --> 00:02:59,200 Speaker 1: goes for big woods hunters and open country hunters. This 48 00:02:59,360 --> 00:03:02,840 Speaker 1: reading ter ain advantage. It's amazing, But there are other 49 00:03:03,000 --> 00:03:05,480 Speaker 1: things the general openness of the woods allows you to 50 00:03:05,520 --> 00:03:08,640 Speaker 1: see as well. Let's say, if you're a big woods 51 00:03:08,720 --> 00:03:10,960 Speaker 1: hunter or hell, I don't know, even if you're not, 52 00:03:11,400 --> 00:03:15,720 Speaker 1: you'll never have an easier time seeing edges. Soft edges 53 00:03:16,040 --> 00:03:19,560 Speaker 1: are dear magnets, those places where two types of different 54 00:03:19,560 --> 00:03:24,200 Speaker 1: cover come together. They're most evident now, and being aware 55 00:03:24,200 --> 00:03:27,760 Speaker 1: of their locations is important for all hunters, but a 56 00:03:27,919 --> 00:03:31,200 Speaker 1: real benefit to anyone who hunts public land or pressured 57 00:03:31,200 --> 00:03:34,920 Speaker 1: private ground being able to recognize those soft edges and 58 00:03:34,920 --> 00:03:38,360 Speaker 1: and use them correctly. I think that's a sign of woodsmanship, 59 00:03:38,400 --> 00:03:42,360 Speaker 1: and I firmly believe woodsmanship kills bucks. You know, of course, 60 00:03:42,400 --> 00:03:44,960 Speaker 1: hard edges are visible too, and I know they are 61 00:03:45,000 --> 00:03:47,600 Speaker 1: easier to see throughout the year than soft edges. But 62 00:03:47,720 --> 00:03:51,560 Speaker 1: the intricacies of a hard edge matter. I liken this 63 00:03:51,600 --> 00:03:53,880 Speaker 1: to some type of underwater structure you might fish for 64 00:03:53,920 --> 00:03:58,360 Speaker 1: walleyes or bass like imagine a sunken island or a 65 00:03:58,520 --> 00:04:03,280 Speaker 1: rocky reef down at the bottom of your favorite wally 66 00:04:03,400 --> 00:04:06,920 Speaker 1: or bass lake. That line of rocks, it's probably gonna 67 00:04:06,920 --> 00:04:09,400 Speaker 1: be a good place to troll lindy rigs for walleyes. 68 00:04:10,000 --> 00:04:12,800 Speaker 1: But there might be you'll find if you really dig 69 00:04:12,840 --> 00:04:16,520 Speaker 1: in and learn that spot like one boulder that's bigger 70 00:04:16,560 --> 00:04:19,240 Speaker 1: than the others, and that will probably be the spot 71 00:04:19,400 --> 00:04:22,479 Speaker 1: on the spot. Or another way to look at it 72 00:04:22,520 --> 00:04:26,440 Speaker 1: would be you might fish milfoil or cabbage weed lines 73 00:04:27,040 --> 00:04:29,720 Speaker 1: for large mouth may especially in the summer. You may 74 00:04:29,720 --> 00:04:32,000 Speaker 1: find them a little deeper, and you might notice that 75 00:04:32,040 --> 00:04:34,760 Speaker 1: where the vegetation makes a forty five degree bend along 76 00:04:34,800 --> 00:04:37,800 Speaker 1: the contour of the bottom, you just catch more bass there. 77 00:04:37,960 --> 00:04:40,840 Speaker 1: They're schooled up there, or that's the spot where you 78 00:04:40,839 --> 00:04:44,560 Speaker 1: always hook into the biggest fish. In both of these scenarios, 79 00:04:45,080 --> 00:04:48,920 Speaker 1: it's no accident that a little something extra in an 80 00:04:48,920 --> 00:04:53,040 Speaker 1: already good location concentrates the fish. And white tails are 81 00:04:53,080 --> 00:04:55,919 Speaker 1: no different, my friends. And while you might not notice 82 00:04:56,320 --> 00:04:58,760 Speaker 1: the way there's a subtle rise in elevation on a 83 00:04:58,880 --> 00:05:01,800 Speaker 1: hard edge while you're out there swatting mosquitoes in the summer. 84 00:05:02,120 --> 00:05:04,400 Speaker 1: When you hike through there in the winter, it'll be 85 00:05:04,440 --> 00:05:07,400 Speaker 1: plain as day. And you might also notice in that 86 00:05:07,480 --> 00:05:09,880 Speaker 1: spot that one of my fishing partners would refer to 87 00:05:10,000 --> 00:05:14,039 Speaker 1: as the juicy juice, there are more rubs, possibly a 88 00:05:14,080 --> 00:05:17,840 Speaker 1: great big loan bed tucked up against some windfall. Two. Again, 89 00:05:18,440 --> 00:05:22,000 Speaker 1: this is no accident. The opportunity to find those types 90 00:05:22,040 --> 00:05:24,880 Speaker 1: of terrain features and really be able to read them 91 00:05:25,720 --> 00:05:28,520 Speaker 1: it's out there right now. Just about any type of 92 00:05:28,600 --> 00:05:32,159 Speaker 1: terrain feature you can imagine that should theoretically funnel dear 93 00:05:32,279 --> 00:05:37,159 Speaker 1: movement or concentrate deer activity will be easiest to read 94 00:05:37,720 --> 00:05:41,839 Speaker 1: right now. Just think about that for a second. Think 95 00:05:41,880 --> 00:05:43,919 Speaker 1: about it from the perspective of someone who wants to 96 00:05:43,960 --> 00:05:46,840 Speaker 1: take a week off during the rut this year. Now, 97 00:05:46,839 --> 00:05:51,160 Speaker 1: while November is still half a year away, you know 98 00:05:51,400 --> 00:05:53,360 Speaker 1: that your future self is sure as how gonna want 99 00:05:53,360 --> 00:05:56,080 Speaker 1: to sit over the best funnels possible. The way to 100 00:05:56,200 --> 00:05:59,240 Speaker 1: ensure that, at least to a large extent, is to 101 00:05:59,240 --> 00:06:02,520 Speaker 1: get out there now and start snooping around. Now, this 102 00:06:02,640 --> 00:06:04,240 Speaker 1: might not be as big of a deal to someone 103 00:06:04,279 --> 00:06:05,880 Speaker 1: who has a lot of good ground to work with, 104 00:06:06,400 --> 00:06:09,159 Speaker 1: maybe with some really good food plots some other manmade 105 00:06:09,160 --> 00:06:13,400 Speaker 1: deer magnets. But even then, those people are still gonna 106 00:06:13,400 --> 00:06:15,440 Speaker 1: want to get out there and really learn their dear ground. 107 00:06:16,080 --> 00:06:19,480 Speaker 1: And if you're a pressure ground hunter, this advantage can't 108 00:06:19,480 --> 00:06:23,839 Speaker 1: be overstated. And better yet, let's say you walk into 109 00:06:23,839 --> 00:06:26,039 Speaker 1: a spot and you find a location that just looks 110 00:06:26,080 --> 00:06:28,839 Speaker 1: like it should be a deer highway during the rut. 111 00:06:30,040 --> 00:06:31,960 Speaker 1: Don't you want to know how to get into that spot? 112 00:06:32,600 --> 00:06:34,000 Speaker 1: And don't you want to know how to get out 113 00:06:34,000 --> 00:06:38,920 Speaker 1: of that spot? How about what tree is positioned perfectly 114 00:06:39,040 --> 00:06:42,760 Speaker 1: for a specific kind of wind? All of that will 115 00:06:42,800 --> 00:06:46,400 Speaker 1: be visible now this time of the year. And here's 116 00:06:46,400 --> 00:06:48,680 Speaker 1: a pro tip for you. If you go into winter 117 00:06:48,720 --> 00:06:50,960 Speaker 1: scout and you find something that really blows the wind 118 00:06:51,040 --> 00:06:54,239 Speaker 1: up your camera skirt, use your mapping app and drop 119 00:06:54,240 --> 00:06:57,240 Speaker 1: a pin on it. Now, write some notes on the 120 00:06:57,240 --> 00:07:00,680 Speaker 1: wind direction you'd probably want to hunt it. Give yourself 121 00:07:00,720 --> 00:07:03,560 Speaker 1: a chance to come back and hunt it with a 122 00:07:03,800 --> 00:07:08,280 Speaker 1: really good plan by taking notes now. And I know 123 00:07:08,400 --> 00:07:11,000 Speaker 1: you think you'll remember everything about your new hot spot, 124 00:07:11,360 --> 00:07:13,080 Speaker 1: But if you're like me and you pickled your brain 125 00:07:13,120 --> 00:07:15,800 Speaker 1: for like two decades with wild turkey, you'll probably forget 126 00:07:16,800 --> 00:07:19,400 Speaker 1: a few lines of notes on wind direction and approach 127 00:07:19,520 --> 00:07:21,760 Speaker 1: direction and how you're gonna access it and get out. 128 00:07:22,560 --> 00:07:24,920 Speaker 1: That can really prompt your memory and save you from 129 00:07:24,960 --> 00:07:27,960 Speaker 1: having to relearn a spot you already kind of figured out. 130 00:07:28,240 --> 00:07:30,640 Speaker 1: In addition to winter scouting, in order to dive into 131 00:07:30,760 --> 00:07:34,320 Speaker 1: terrain features and soft and hard edges, you should also 132 00:07:34,360 --> 00:07:36,840 Speaker 1: take a look at every acre you have to hunt. 133 00:07:37,200 --> 00:07:40,280 Speaker 1: I know that probably sounds like overkill, but let me 134 00:07:40,360 --> 00:07:44,040 Speaker 1: give you two examples out of my own recent life. 135 00:07:45,000 --> 00:07:48,560 Speaker 1: Both happened while winter scouting a farm in southeastern Minnesota 136 00:07:48,840 --> 00:07:51,800 Speaker 1: that I've hunted since I was fifteen. A couple of 137 00:07:51,840 --> 00:07:54,880 Speaker 1: years ago, I found a subtle crossing while I was 138 00:07:54,880 --> 00:07:58,360 Speaker 1: out there scouting in February that just took the deer 139 00:07:58,400 --> 00:08:00,720 Speaker 1: from one side of this long roo mean to another, 140 00:08:00,800 --> 00:08:02,440 Speaker 1: and it was right in the middle of the ravine. 141 00:08:03,600 --> 00:08:06,160 Speaker 1: I've hunted the top and the bottom of that spot 142 00:08:07,000 --> 00:08:10,680 Speaker 1: dozens and dozens and dozens of times. Because those washouts 143 00:08:10,680 --> 00:08:13,800 Speaker 1: on hillsides they pushed deer up and they pushed dear down. 144 00:08:15,160 --> 00:08:18,000 Speaker 1: But I didn't realize because I couldn't see it from 145 00:08:18,040 --> 00:08:19,760 Speaker 1: the top of the bottom, because there was also a 146 00:08:19,800 --> 00:08:22,920 Speaker 1: place right in the middle where that washout narrowed way 147 00:08:22,960 --> 00:08:26,640 Speaker 1: down and it had a bang and deer trail on it. 148 00:08:26,640 --> 00:08:28,360 Speaker 1: It also had a hell of a lot of rubs 149 00:08:28,360 --> 00:08:30,240 Speaker 1: on both sides of it, which is a topic I'll 150 00:08:30,280 --> 00:08:33,160 Speaker 1: get into next week and way more detail, but suffice 151 00:08:33,160 --> 00:08:35,320 Speaker 1: it to say, it was kind of a shot to 152 00:08:35,360 --> 00:08:37,880 Speaker 1: the old ego to realize that on the one dear 153 00:08:37,920 --> 00:08:40,559 Speaker 1: property I've spent more time hunting and scouting than any 154 00:08:40,600 --> 00:08:44,000 Speaker 1: other property in my life, there were still things to learn. 155 00:08:44,880 --> 00:08:47,760 Speaker 1: I ended up hunting that spot a few times two 156 00:08:47,760 --> 00:08:51,000 Speaker 1: seasons ago. Well, I didn't arrow a buck on that 157 00:08:51,080 --> 00:08:53,839 Speaker 1: specific crossing. I did have a few go through when 158 00:08:53,840 --> 00:08:56,440 Speaker 1: I sat there, and I did arrow a buck very 159 00:08:56,480 --> 00:09:00,920 Speaker 1: close to their Much of that success can be attributed 160 00:09:01,000 --> 00:09:03,600 Speaker 1: to the one time I winter scouted through there and 161 00:09:03,600 --> 00:09:06,679 Speaker 1: I found that spot. Now. The other example on the 162 00:09:06,720 --> 00:09:10,560 Speaker 1: same farm is one that I found in while taking 163 00:09:10,559 --> 00:09:14,040 Speaker 1: my daughter's shed hunting. We were just messing around and 164 00:09:14,080 --> 00:09:16,680 Speaker 1: dipped into a valley that is split by a trout stream, 165 00:09:17,040 --> 00:09:19,319 Speaker 1: and I looked around, and while we didn't have any 166 00:09:19,400 --> 00:09:22,560 Speaker 1: luck finding sheds there, I was standing on the bank 167 00:09:22,600 --> 00:09:25,160 Speaker 1: of that trout stream, thinking about fishing more than anything, 168 00:09:25,559 --> 00:09:28,679 Speaker 1: and I realized that the hillside along it had a 169 00:09:28,840 --> 00:09:33,320 Speaker 1: very subtle dip to it in one spot. Now, I've 170 00:09:33,320 --> 00:09:36,560 Speaker 1: walked up and down that hill so many times, and 171 00:09:36,600 --> 00:09:39,000 Speaker 1: I've killed deer on the top of that ridge and 172 00:09:39,040 --> 00:09:42,800 Speaker 1: in that creek bottom. But this train feature caught my eye. 173 00:09:42,920 --> 00:09:44,800 Speaker 1: It made me think about a lot of the deer 174 00:09:44,800 --> 00:09:47,720 Speaker 1: movement I've seen over the years, and also some of 175 00:09:47,720 --> 00:09:51,240 Speaker 1: the deer movement my buddy sees on a neighboring farm. Well, 176 00:09:51,320 --> 00:09:53,240 Speaker 1: he and I put two and two together and started 177 00:09:53,240 --> 00:09:55,439 Speaker 1: a factor in how the deer moved from one property 178 00:09:55,520 --> 00:09:59,000 Speaker 1: the next. That, in a small way, led us to 179 00:09:59,080 --> 00:10:02,400 Speaker 1: hang a stand for the rut this past season. And 180 00:10:02,400 --> 00:10:04,240 Speaker 1: if you want to see how that worked out for 181 00:10:04,280 --> 00:10:06,800 Speaker 1: me the first time I sat there, head on over 182 00:10:06,840 --> 00:10:09,720 Speaker 1: to the meat Eat YouTube channel and watch the very 183 00:10:09,760 --> 00:10:14,480 Speaker 1: first episode of one Week in November. This example leads 184 00:10:14,679 --> 00:10:16,880 Speaker 1: right back to what I said earlier about how winner 185 00:10:16,880 --> 00:10:20,240 Speaker 1: scouting obviously won't put you on a buck right away, 186 00:10:20,520 --> 00:10:23,320 Speaker 1: but it will help you to more clearly see the 187 00:10:23,480 --> 00:10:27,560 Speaker 1: bigger picture of deer usage on your hunting ground, those 188 00:10:27,559 --> 00:10:30,920 Speaker 1: subtleties to the terrain that you'll see more clearly now 189 00:10:30,960 --> 00:10:33,880 Speaker 1: than ever. They also give you a chance to engage 190 00:10:33,880 --> 00:10:37,320 Speaker 1: in some high level white tail thinking. Last summer, Mark 191 00:10:37,360 --> 00:10:40,000 Speaker 1: and I interviewed big buck killer Adam Hayes for Wire 192 00:10:40,040 --> 00:10:42,520 Speaker 1: to Hunt, and he talked about how there are just 193 00:10:42,600 --> 00:10:46,439 Speaker 1: certain spots in a buck's travel route where he has 194 00:10:46,440 --> 00:10:50,600 Speaker 1: a slight wind disadvantage. This is a weakness in an 195 00:10:50,600 --> 00:10:54,760 Speaker 1: otherwise solid survival game that you can exploit if you 196 00:10:54,800 --> 00:10:58,679 Speaker 1: know how. The best way to understand this is to 197 00:10:58,800 --> 00:11:02,640 Speaker 1: win or scout and really really look at travel routes. 198 00:11:03,360 --> 00:11:05,800 Speaker 1: Whether you're on top of a ridge, in a flattish 199 00:11:05,920 --> 00:11:09,480 Speaker 1: section of big woods, or wherever. Right now, you can 200 00:11:09,559 --> 00:11:12,680 Speaker 1: dissect those routes. You can often see a hundred yards 201 00:11:12,760 --> 00:11:14,719 Speaker 1: down the trail, or stand at the top of the 202 00:11:14,800 --> 00:11:19,080 Speaker 1: hill and see hundreds of yards down exactly the different 203 00:11:19,120 --> 00:11:23,400 Speaker 1: directions that deer are likely to walk in those routes. 204 00:11:23,600 --> 00:11:26,480 Speaker 1: At some point there might be a spot where the 205 00:11:26,559 --> 00:11:30,040 Speaker 1: deer have to dip around a low part, or avoid 206 00:11:30,080 --> 00:11:34,400 Speaker 1: some dead falls, or maybe jump across an old barbedware fence. 207 00:11:35,320 --> 00:11:40,200 Speaker 1: Seeing and visualizing exactly where a buck might walk for 208 00:11:40,320 --> 00:11:44,200 Speaker 1: two hundred yards gives you the chance to find in 209 00:11:44,200 --> 00:11:48,160 Speaker 1: that distance the one spot where, for whatever reason, he 210 00:11:48,320 --> 00:11:52,360 Speaker 1: might abandoned his reliance on the wind for just a second, 211 00:11:53,600 --> 00:11:55,800 Speaker 1: simply because it makes it easier to go from point 212 00:11:55,800 --> 00:11:58,160 Speaker 1: A to B, or because he just has to duke 213 00:11:58,200 --> 00:12:00,880 Speaker 1: a little one way or the other to get around something. 214 00:12:01,160 --> 00:12:04,000 Speaker 1: This is what makes river crossing so potentially awesome right, 215 00:12:04,720 --> 00:12:06,439 Speaker 1: and can play out in a variety of ways that 216 00:12:06,520 --> 00:12:08,520 Speaker 1: have nothing to do with them choosing to wait across 217 00:12:08,559 --> 00:12:11,200 Speaker 1: the waterway in an easy spot. I honestly think finding 218 00:12:11,240 --> 00:12:14,400 Speaker 1: spots like this is exactly like realizing that your favorite 219 00:12:14,400 --> 00:12:17,480 Speaker 1: walleye reef has one huge boulder where most of the 220 00:12:17,480 --> 00:12:20,439 Speaker 1: fish will stage up and aggressively chomp a crawler or 221 00:12:20,480 --> 00:12:23,520 Speaker 1: a leach troll past. Do you see what I did there? 222 00:12:24,840 --> 00:12:28,520 Speaker 1: Winner scouting does something else for us too, you know, 223 00:12:28,679 --> 00:12:31,360 Speaker 1: way back last summer and then later this past fall, 224 00:12:31,400 --> 00:12:35,040 Speaker 1: when I talked about rifle hunting, I mentioned how addicted 225 00:12:35,080 --> 00:12:37,640 Speaker 1: we are to hunting spots that allow for nice views. 226 00:12:39,000 --> 00:12:42,079 Speaker 1: Much of that stems from us just really wanting to see, Dear. 227 00:12:43,200 --> 00:12:46,240 Speaker 1: Our confidence is highest will encounter some kind of deer 228 00:12:46,559 --> 00:12:48,120 Speaker 1: if we set up on the edge of a bean 229 00:12:48,200 --> 00:12:51,000 Speaker 1: field or set up over a recent clear cut wherever 230 00:12:51,280 --> 00:12:54,120 Speaker 1: we can get a good view. But what if you 231 00:12:54,160 --> 00:12:57,199 Speaker 1: could develop an extreme level of confidence in a spot, 232 00:12:57,520 --> 00:13:01,640 Speaker 1: or better yet, several spots without worrying about defaulting to 233 00:13:01,679 --> 00:13:05,000 Speaker 1: the areas with the most visibility. That's one of the 234 00:13:05,040 --> 00:13:08,720 Speaker 1: things that winter scouting does for you. Seeing the woods 235 00:13:08,800 --> 00:13:11,920 Speaker 1: laid bare now and realizing that buck's absolutely walk down 236 00:13:11,920 --> 00:13:14,400 Speaker 1: a certain trail or around a wash out in a 237 00:13:14,400 --> 00:13:17,120 Speaker 1: certain way gives you a heck of a lot of confidence. 238 00:13:17,720 --> 00:13:19,520 Speaker 1: When you go back to those spots to hang a 239 00:13:19,600 --> 00:13:21,800 Speaker 1: stand or maybe just set up and hunt after the 240 00:13:21,840 --> 00:13:25,000 Speaker 1: season is open, you won't feel that deep draw to 241 00:13:25,120 --> 00:13:28,280 Speaker 1: the default spots where you can really use your new binos. 242 00:13:29,080 --> 00:13:32,320 Speaker 1: That's important, and it's a key differentiator between hunters who 243 00:13:32,400 --> 00:13:35,080 Speaker 1: set up to see deer and hunters who's set up 244 00:13:35,120 --> 00:13:38,160 Speaker 1: to shoot deer. I hope I've made a good case 245 00:13:38,240 --> 00:13:40,480 Speaker 1: to get out and winter scout, and I promise you 246 00:13:40,920 --> 00:13:45,240 Speaker 1: I'll dive into sign next week. Before that, I want 247 00:13:45,240 --> 00:13:47,360 Speaker 1: to just explain a few more things about winter scouting. 248 00:13:48,000 --> 00:13:49,960 Speaker 1: The first is you should probably have some kind of 249 00:13:50,000 --> 00:13:52,840 Speaker 1: loose plan, just like with shed hunting. If you're just 250 00:13:52,880 --> 00:13:55,360 Speaker 1: going into the woods for a winter walk, then by 251 00:13:55,400 --> 00:13:58,600 Speaker 1: all means totally freelance it. But if you're going into 252 00:13:58,640 --> 00:14:00,800 Speaker 1: winter scout and try I had to become a better 253 00:14:00,840 --> 00:14:03,720 Speaker 1: deer hunter, then you should have a rough plan. This 254 00:14:03,760 --> 00:14:06,280 Speaker 1: will keep you on task and keep you away from 255 00:14:06,280 --> 00:14:10,360 Speaker 1: walking familiar, easy routes. This is important for new ground, 256 00:14:10,880 --> 00:14:13,080 Speaker 1: like if you're scouting a random chunk of public land, 257 00:14:13,559 --> 00:14:16,760 Speaker 1: but it's crucial if you're scouting a property you're already 258 00:14:16,800 --> 00:14:20,440 Speaker 1: familiar with. We are awesome at walking the same routes 259 00:14:20,800 --> 00:14:23,440 Speaker 1: and taking the same paths as we have in the past, 260 00:14:23,880 --> 00:14:26,400 Speaker 1: but those will take us to spots we already understand. 261 00:14:27,320 --> 00:14:30,760 Speaker 1: Altering a route by a little bit changes everything, and 262 00:14:30,840 --> 00:14:33,680 Speaker 1: a fresh look is what helps you find the spots 263 00:14:33,720 --> 00:14:36,960 Speaker 1: you really want to find. It's also important to acknowledge 264 00:14:37,000 --> 00:14:39,560 Speaker 1: that this might take a few sessions, even on a 265 00:14:39,600 --> 00:14:42,360 Speaker 1: small property. How it might take you the entire month 266 00:14:42,440 --> 00:14:44,840 Speaker 1: to find one good new spot that will be worth 267 00:14:44,840 --> 00:14:48,520 Speaker 1: sitting come September. This is the reality of winter scouting. 268 00:14:48,640 --> 00:14:51,160 Speaker 1: But I'm not done yet. I don't know how many 269 00:14:51,200 --> 00:14:53,360 Speaker 1: miles I put on too winter scouting a given year, 270 00:14:53,400 --> 00:14:55,480 Speaker 1: but it's quite a few. This is due to a 271 00:14:55,520 --> 00:14:58,520 Speaker 1: few reasons, the first of which I already mentioned, which 272 00:14:58,520 --> 00:15:01,840 Speaker 1: is that I really really value my winter scouting time. 273 00:15:02,360 --> 00:15:04,480 Speaker 1: I firmly believe it helps me kill more deer than 274 00:15:04,520 --> 00:15:07,160 Speaker 1: trail cameras and summer scouting does. And like I said 275 00:15:07,200 --> 00:15:09,240 Speaker 1: at the beginning, I also don't have a hell of 276 00:15:09,240 --> 00:15:11,400 Speaker 1: a lot else to do, and I'm usually burning up 277 00:15:11,400 --> 00:15:14,440 Speaker 1: with cabin fever by this time of the year, so 278 00:15:14,480 --> 00:15:15,920 Speaker 1: putting out a bunch of miles to look at the 279 00:15:15,920 --> 00:15:19,160 Speaker 1: woods isn't any kind of sacrifice. I like it. I 280 00:15:19,200 --> 00:15:22,040 Speaker 1: also think it's necessary to keep developing as a deer hunter. 281 00:15:22,760 --> 00:15:26,000 Speaker 1: The more you can understand terrain and dear usage of 282 00:15:26,000 --> 00:15:28,480 Speaker 1: that terrain on a given property, or better yet, a 283 00:15:28,480 --> 00:15:31,840 Speaker 1: bunch of properties, the better your white tailed resume will 284 00:15:31,840 --> 00:15:35,760 Speaker 1: look as the years progress. Plus more miles just increases 285 00:15:35,800 --> 00:15:39,200 Speaker 1: the chance of finding the jackpot, so to speak. This 286 00:15:39,280 --> 00:15:41,640 Speaker 1: is something worth explaining a little bit more. I think 287 00:15:42,280 --> 00:15:43,880 Speaker 1: while you might go out and have a bang in 288 00:15:43,920 --> 00:15:46,960 Speaker 1: winter scouting session right off the bat, you're also more 289 00:15:47,040 --> 00:15:49,840 Speaker 1: likely to find not much of anything, or not much 290 00:15:49,840 --> 00:15:53,200 Speaker 1: of anything that really gets your gears turning. Sometimes it 291 00:15:53,240 --> 00:15:55,440 Speaker 1: takes a few days and a couple dozen miles to 292 00:15:55,480 --> 00:15:58,960 Speaker 1: stumble across something really special. This is often the case 293 00:15:58,960 --> 00:16:01,880 Speaker 1: when I winter scout the big woods. But those findings 294 00:16:01,880 --> 00:16:05,000 Speaker 1: are always worth the effort. So don't look at this 295 00:16:05,120 --> 00:16:08,120 Speaker 1: like it's a one and done proposition, but instead a 296 00:16:08,160 --> 00:16:11,520 Speaker 1: bigger part of the process. Even a couple hours session 297 00:16:11,760 --> 00:16:14,480 Speaker 1: once a week is going to reveal something to you 298 00:16:15,080 --> 00:16:18,640 Speaker 1: eventually that you didn't know existed before. And adding one 299 00:16:18,840 --> 00:16:23,000 Speaker 1: rut spot option per year, or finding one really great 300 00:16:23,080 --> 00:16:26,800 Speaker 1: fence crossing every march can be a game changer to 301 00:16:26,880 --> 00:16:30,560 Speaker 1: your overall hunting success. And those findings might take an 302 00:16:30,600 --> 00:16:33,000 Speaker 1: hour or a month, or they might take you a 303 00:16:33,080 --> 00:16:35,360 Speaker 1: few years if you're in a hunting situation that is 304 00:16:35,440 --> 00:16:39,080 Speaker 1: just plain difficult. But all of those miles, all those 305 00:16:39,120 --> 00:16:42,400 Speaker 1: hours walking around and looking at the bare woods, they're 306 00:16:42,400 --> 00:16:45,200 Speaker 1: making you a better hunter. They're putting you in a 307 00:16:45,240 --> 00:16:49,560 Speaker 1: different category from most of your hunting competition. They are 308 00:16:49,600 --> 00:16:54,200 Speaker 1: also showing you every rub in the woods, maybe every scrape, 309 00:16:54,240 --> 00:16:56,600 Speaker 1: depending on whether you're dealing with snow or not. They 310 00:16:56,600 --> 00:17:00,080 Speaker 1: show you tracks, trails, and deer poop, all of of 311 00:17:00,120 --> 00:17:02,880 Speaker 1: stuff you're going to hear about next week in an 312 00:17:02,920 --> 00:17:05,120 Speaker 1: episode where I'm going to explore the topic of winter 313 00:17:05,240 --> 00:17:10,120 Speaker 1: scouting at a more granular level. That's it for this week, 314 00:17:10,119 --> 00:17:12,119 Speaker 1: my friends. I'm Tony Peterson and this has been the 315 00:17:12,160 --> 00:17:14,720 Speaker 1: Wired to Hunt Foundations podcast, which is brought to you 316 00:17:14,800 --> 00:17:17,360 Speaker 1: by First Light. As I always, thank you so much 317 00:17:17,440 --> 00:17:19,040 Speaker 1: for listening, and if you want to get more of 318 00:17:19,040 --> 00:17:21,479 Speaker 1: a white tail fix, head on over to our YouTube 319 00:17:21,560 --> 00:17:23,760 Speaker 1: channel and check out the how to videos we drop 320 00:17:23,800 --> 00:17:26,680 Speaker 1: every week, or head on over to the metator dot 321 00:17:26,720 --> 00:17:30,119 Speaker 1: com slash Wired to read white tail hunting articles written 322 00:17:30,160 --> 00:17:31,960 Speaker 1: by some of the best hunters in the business.