WEBVTT - Ep. 865: Foundations - How to be More Realistic with Your Deer Goals

0:00:01.240 --> 0:00:05.120
<v Speaker 1>Welcome to the Wired to Hunt Foundations podcast, your guide

0:00:05.120 --> 0:00:08.920
<v Speaker 1>to the fundamentals of better deer hunting, presented by first Light,

0:00:09.240 --> 0:00:13.560
<v Speaker 1>creating proven versatile hunting apparel for the stand, saddle or blind.

0:00:14.080 --> 0:00:18.600
<v Speaker 1>First Light Go Farther, Stay Longer, and now your host

0:00:19.000 --> 0:00:19.880
<v Speaker 1>Tony Peterson.

0:00:20.239 --> 0:00:22.799
<v Speaker 2>Hey everyone, welcome to the Wire to Hunt Foundation's podcast,

0:00:22.840 --> 0:00:24.560
<v Speaker 2>which is brought to you by first Light. I'm your host,

0:00:24.560 --> 0:00:27.120
<v Speaker 2>Tony Peterson, and today is all about how you can

0:00:27.160 --> 0:00:29.400
<v Speaker 2>set yourself up for a good year of white tail

0:00:29.480 --> 0:00:36.600
<v Speaker 2>hunting by setting the right goals. Look, I know it's cliche,

0:00:36.720 --> 0:00:39.040
<v Speaker 2>it probably seems kind of stupid, but it's a new

0:00:39.120 --> 0:00:42.320
<v Speaker 2>year and there might be might be a new you

0:00:42.560 --> 0:00:45.519
<v Speaker 2>going forward or not. It's really up to you. The

0:00:45.600 --> 0:00:48.360
<v Speaker 2>thing is, there is a tangible benefit to setting goals.

0:00:48.560 --> 0:00:50.920
<v Speaker 2>This goes for every aspect of life, and it doesn't

0:00:50.920 --> 0:00:53.040
<v Speaker 2>have to be something you get shoved down your throat

0:00:53.040 --> 0:00:56.760
<v Speaker 2>by Instagram influencers or Special Forces operators shaming you for

0:00:56.800 --> 0:00:59.320
<v Speaker 2>not being a total badass every second of your existence.

0:01:00.000 --> 0:01:01.960
<v Speaker 2>It can be a simpler deal. It can be just

0:01:02.040 --> 0:01:04.600
<v Speaker 2>really good for your hunting and for your hunting mental

0:01:04.640 --> 0:01:11.360
<v Speaker 2>health as well. I know you're sick of hearing about

0:01:11.440 --> 0:01:14.360
<v Speaker 2>goal setting, and I get it. I'm not going to

0:01:14.440 --> 0:01:16.959
<v Speaker 2>talk about the usual shit here, because you already know

0:01:17.120 --> 0:01:19.679
<v Speaker 2>you should set goals to lose weight, make more money,

0:01:19.680 --> 0:01:22.440
<v Speaker 2>and climb Mount Everest by the time you're thirty or whatever.

0:01:23.560 --> 0:01:26.120
<v Speaker 2>I think this topic kind of sucks because it's been

0:01:26.160 --> 0:01:28.840
<v Speaker 2>taken over by people who are either wired differently from

0:01:28.840 --> 0:01:32.360
<v Speaker 2>most folks, or have more free time than most folks,

0:01:32.840 --> 0:01:35.880
<v Speaker 2>or have more money than most folks. A lot of

0:01:35.959 --> 0:01:39.240
<v Speaker 2>them have all three. I also think this is a

0:01:39.240 --> 0:01:41.720
<v Speaker 2>topic that can open the door to being a preachy,

0:01:41.800 --> 0:01:44.840
<v Speaker 2>self righteous kind of prick too, and as easy as

0:01:44.840 --> 0:01:46.720
<v Speaker 2>it is for me to fall into that trap, I

0:01:46.720 --> 0:01:49.600
<v Speaker 2>don't want to. I want to talk about realistic hunting

0:01:49.640 --> 0:01:52.919
<v Speaker 2>and realistic goals and how to use them to enjoy

0:01:52.920 --> 0:01:55.880
<v Speaker 2>your time in the White Tail Woods more. Now, goals

0:01:55.920 --> 0:01:59.080
<v Speaker 2>can be great or they can be not so great.

0:02:00.120 --> 0:02:02.200
<v Speaker 2>Might work a job where your company is owned by

0:02:02.200 --> 0:02:06.160
<v Speaker 2>a private equity firm that exists solely to flip companies.

0:02:06.640 --> 0:02:09.000
<v Speaker 2>Their goals are to make the company appear like it's

0:02:09.000 --> 0:02:11.440
<v Speaker 2>a growth machine and that it will be more and

0:02:11.520 --> 0:02:14.480
<v Speaker 2>more profitable over the next several years. If you have

0:02:14.520 --> 0:02:16.480
<v Speaker 2>a lot of equity in that company, or are set

0:02:16.520 --> 0:02:19.400
<v Speaker 2>for some type of big payout when it sells. Those

0:02:19.440 --> 0:02:23.520
<v Speaker 2>goals might seem totally just and wonderful. But if you're

0:02:23.560 --> 0:02:26.480
<v Speaker 2>one of the lower level employees who gets laid off

0:02:26.520 --> 0:02:28.920
<v Speaker 2>to make the bottom line look better, or you're a

0:02:28.960 --> 0:02:32.040
<v Speaker 2>surviving employee who has to do your job and that

0:02:32.160 --> 0:02:35.880
<v Speaker 2>other person's job for no extra pay, the goals over

0:02:35.919 --> 0:02:40.160
<v Speaker 2>your head aren't so great. Maybe your goal at the

0:02:40.160 --> 0:02:42.600
<v Speaker 2>healthcare company you work for is to deny a certain

0:02:42.639 --> 0:02:45.840
<v Speaker 2>amount of claims per day or week or quarter, while

0:02:45.880 --> 0:02:48.560
<v Speaker 2>your customers have the goal to just beat cancer and

0:02:48.600 --> 0:02:51.600
<v Speaker 2>not bankrupt themselves in the process, or maybe just get

0:02:51.600 --> 0:02:53.799
<v Speaker 2>their child in the type of wheelchair that will help

0:02:53.840 --> 0:02:56.800
<v Speaker 2>them be more mobile and live some semblance of a

0:02:56.840 --> 0:03:01.760
<v Speaker 2>normal life. On both sides of that e the people

0:03:01.840 --> 0:03:07.080
<v Speaker 2>have vastly different goals that require vastly different outcomes. This

0:03:07.240 --> 0:03:10.040
<v Speaker 2>is a nuanced thing, and as someone who makes his

0:03:10.120 --> 0:03:12.480
<v Speaker 2>living off of a pursuit that an awful lot of

0:03:12.520 --> 0:03:16.440
<v Speaker 2>people view as a sacred pastime that shouldn't be overly

0:03:16.480 --> 0:03:22.160
<v Speaker 2>corrupted by NonStop commercialization, I get it. Believe me, I

0:03:22.240 --> 0:03:25.480
<v Speaker 2>get it. I think this is a very nuanced topic,

0:03:25.840 --> 0:03:27.960
<v Speaker 2>and I don't want to dwell on all of the

0:03:28.000 --> 0:03:30.720
<v Speaker 2>negative stuff. I want to focus on the positives and

0:03:30.760 --> 0:03:34.000
<v Speaker 2>in that realm. Setting goals for yourself has some real

0:03:34.639 --> 0:03:40.520
<v Speaker 2>tangible psychological benefits for starters. It has been proven that

0:03:40.680 --> 0:03:44.240
<v Speaker 2>setting goals pushes people to be more persistent and to

0:03:44.360 --> 0:03:47.920
<v Speaker 2>focus more. This comes partially from a higher level of

0:03:47.960 --> 0:03:52.880
<v Speaker 2>intrinsic motivation, and motivation is generally always good, my friends.

0:03:53.760 --> 0:03:56.360
<v Speaker 2>Another aspect of setting goals that I think is super

0:03:56.400 --> 0:04:00.800
<v Speaker 2>important is that it has been proven to heighten test enjoyment.

0:04:01.280 --> 0:04:03.800
<v Speaker 2>There are other benefits, but I think this one matters

0:04:03.840 --> 0:04:07.560
<v Speaker 2>the most. In hunting, think about it this way. Maybe

0:04:07.560 --> 0:04:10.120
<v Speaker 2>you own a little property, or you lease a property

0:04:10.120 --> 0:04:13.360
<v Speaker 2>where you have some autonomy, or you hunt Gramma's farm

0:04:13.440 --> 0:04:16.480
<v Speaker 2>and have free rain over the whole thing. A simple

0:04:16.560 --> 0:04:19.880
<v Speaker 2>goal like hm, planting a dozen apple trees in the

0:04:19.920 --> 0:04:23.920
<v Speaker 2>spring is great because if you make that goal, it'll

0:04:23.960 --> 0:04:27.719
<v Speaker 2>motivate you to research trees. That part is more fun

0:04:27.760 --> 0:04:30.839
<v Speaker 2>than it sounds like, because suddenly you realize there's a

0:04:30.839 --> 0:04:33.440
<v Speaker 2>lot to learn about planting in a certain zone versus

0:04:33.480 --> 0:04:36.200
<v Speaker 2>a different one, and which trees will survive your winters

0:04:36.200 --> 0:04:38.600
<v Speaker 2>and which ones won't. You'll learn about the kinds of

0:04:38.640 --> 0:04:41.359
<v Speaker 2>trees that produce the kinds of apples that doer really like,

0:04:42.040 --> 0:04:44.120
<v Speaker 2>or maybe some other trees that produce the kinds of

0:04:44.200 --> 0:04:47.400
<v Speaker 2>crab apples that grouse or turkeys really like. I think

0:04:47.480 --> 0:04:49.720
<v Speaker 2>the secret sauce to a better life is to keep

0:04:49.760 --> 0:04:53.120
<v Speaker 2>learning new stuff and to be interested in things. This

0:04:53.279 --> 0:04:55.960
<v Speaker 2>is an easy way to keep going along that kind

0:04:55.960 --> 0:04:59.000
<v Speaker 2>of path, but it's only just the beginning. You're gonna

0:04:59.000 --> 0:05:00.640
<v Speaker 2>have to find a nursery to tell you the kinds

0:05:00.640 --> 0:05:03.280
<v Speaker 2>of trees that you want for your property. Then you

0:05:03.320 --> 0:05:05.000
<v Speaker 2>have to decide if you need to cage them so

0:05:05.040 --> 0:05:07.560
<v Speaker 2>the bears are deer don't destroy them. All of this

0:05:07.600 --> 0:05:10.159
<v Speaker 2>stuff is just steps toward a goal, but it's so

0:05:10.400 --> 0:05:13.159
<v Speaker 2>much more when the trees come in and you go

0:05:13.200 --> 0:05:16.120
<v Speaker 2>out and you plant them, you can watch your progress

0:05:16.160 --> 0:05:19.839
<v Speaker 2>in real time. I grew up in a farming community,

0:05:19.920 --> 0:05:22.400
<v Speaker 2>and while I drove a few tractors for brief periods

0:05:22.440 --> 0:05:25.400
<v Speaker 2>of time in my younger days, I mostly did grunt

0:05:25.400 --> 0:05:28.440
<v Speaker 2>work on farms, like hanging and cleaning out grain silos.

0:05:29.279 --> 0:05:31.640
<v Speaker 2>The farmers who planted the fields and chisel plowed the

0:05:31.640 --> 0:05:34.240
<v Speaker 2>fields and harvested the crops from the fields. They work

0:05:34.279 --> 0:05:38.560
<v Speaker 2>their asses off, but also many times I heard them

0:05:38.640 --> 0:05:41.320
<v Speaker 2>say that they really enjoyed the process of seeing how

0:05:41.400 --> 0:05:44.719
<v Speaker 2>much progress they can make you during spring or fall

0:05:44.839 --> 0:05:48.400
<v Speaker 2>field work. If you've ever watched someone combine a cornfield,

0:05:48.400 --> 0:05:52.400
<v Speaker 2>you can probably relate to that task. Enjoyment is important,

0:05:52.839 --> 0:05:55.840
<v Speaker 2>and setting the simple goal of adding a dozen apple

0:05:55.880 --> 0:05:58.720
<v Speaker 2>trees to your ground can not only help you kill

0:05:58.720 --> 0:06:01.200
<v Speaker 2>some deer in the future, it can help you enjoy

0:06:01.279 --> 0:06:05.560
<v Speaker 2>the world of deer right now or soon. Anyway, this

0:06:05.640 --> 0:06:09.880
<v Speaker 2>probably seems like forehead slapping, simple stuff, but it's not.

0:06:10.680 --> 0:06:13.919
<v Speaker 2>We often screw up our goals or just don't understand

0:06:13.960 --> 0:06:16.840
<v Speaker 2>what good ones really are. Take the most common goal

0:06:16.880 --> 0:06:19.479
<v Speaker 2>in our space, which is I want to shoot a

0:06:19.520 --> 0:06:22.400
<v Speaker 2>certain size of buck. Maybe it's a number that just

0:06:22.440 --> 0:06:24.240
<v Speaker 2>appeals to you, like I don't know, one hundred and

0:06:24.279 --> 0:06:26.520
<v Speaker 2>thirty or one hundred and forty inches, Or maybe it's

0:06:26.520 --> 0:06:29.560
<v Speaker 2>based on your past success, like well, I shot a

0:06:29.600 --> 0:06:32.600
<v Speaker 2>certain size buck last year and he was my biggest one,

0:06:33.080 --> 0:06:36.279
<v Speaker 2>so I want an even bigger one this year. Look,

0:06:36.800 --> 0:06:40.120
<v Speaker 2>those are great, but what do they really mean? For

0:06:40.200 --> 0:06:42.560
<v Speaker 2>most of us? They mean that we want to hunt

0:06:42.600 --> 0:06:45.599
<v Speaker 2>exactly the same way as we always have and we

0:06:45.720 --> 0:06:47.919
<v Speaker 2>just want a bigger deer to walk down the trail

0:06:48.080 --> 0:06:50.640
<v Speaker 2>than what usually does, and we want to shoot that

0:06:50.720 --> 0:06:53.240
<v Speaker 2>deer and we want to post pictures of it on Facebook.

0:06:53.680 --> 0:06:55.599
<v Speaker 2>But if that goal doesn't really get you to do

0:06:55.640 --> 0:07:00.240
<v Speaker 2>anything different, is it a good one? Maybe? I mean,

0:07:00.240 --> 0:07:03.719
<v Speaker 2>I guess even little changes happen, Like if you're used

0:07:03.720 --> 0:07:06.440
<v Speaker 2>to shooting the first buck that comes down the trail

0:07:06.480 --> 0:07:08.359
<v Speaker 2>and now you're going to pass that deer for a

0:07:08.360 --> 0:07:11.840
<v Speaker 2>bigger one, that's different. It's not a bad thing. But

0:07:11.920 --> 0:07:13.840
<v Speaker 2>if the goal is just to kill a bigger deer

0:07:13.840 --> 0:07:17.200
<v Speaker 2>than usual, but it doesn't prompt any action on your part,

0:07:17.640 --> 0:07:20.880
<v Speaker 2>is it a good goal? I don't think so. I

0:07:20.920 --> 0:07:22.880
<v Speaker 2>think the best deer hunting goals are the ones that

0:07:22.960 --> 0:07:26.120
<v Speaker 2>keep us accountable to some type of task throughout the year,

0:07:26.680 --> 0:07:29.440
<v Speaker 2>and not just something that comes into play the moment

0:07:29.480 --> 0:07:31.520
<v Speaker 2>we sit our butts down in a stand for the

0:07:31.520 --> 0:07:35.320
<v Speaker 2>first time all season. An easy to understand goal here

0:07:35.520 --> 0:07:38.120
<v Speaker 2>that no one will do is to try to kill

0:07:38.160 --> 0:07:40.720
<v Speaker 2>your first dear with a traditional bow. If you've never

0:07:40.760 --> 0:07:43.120
<v Speaker 2>tried that, I can promise you that you'll shoot more

0:07:43.160 --> 0:07:45.560
<v Speaker 2>than you ever have, or you'll regret it a hell

0:07:45.560 --> 0:07:47.760
<v Speaker 2>of a lot by the time the season comes. It's

0:07:47.800 --> 0:07:49.920
<v Speaker 2>a goal that will keep you honest at the range

0:07:49.960 --> 0:07:52.600
<v Speaker 2>in the off season and will push you to focus

0:07:52.600 --> 0:07:55.800
<v Speaker 2>your efforts on earning close shots on deer throughout the season.

0:07:56.920 --> 0:07:59.080
<v Speaker 2>I've only spent two years of over thirty with a

0:07:59.120 --> 0:08:01.480
<v Speaker 2>trad bow in my hand, and I can tell you

0:08:01.960 --> 0:08:03.880
<v Speaker 2>that those years stuck with me in a way that

0:08:04.000 --> 0:08:06.400
<v Speaker 2>just never goes away. That was a goal that kept

0:08:06.480 --> 0:08:09.120
<v Speaker 2>me working towards something, and it was fun, and it

0:08:09.160 --> 0:08:23.640
<v Speaker 2>was frustrating, and it was unbelievably rewarding when it worked out. Now,

0:08:23.720 --> 0:08:27.160
<v Speaker 2>let's take a different goal, something like killing your first

0:08:27.200 --> 0:08:30.880
<v Speaker 2>year on public land. Imagine what that will do for

0:08:30.960 --> 0:08:34.280
<v Speaker 2>you throughout the year. It'll likely get you to winter

0:08:34.400 --> 0:08:38.480
<v Speaker 2>in summer scout more, which is always a good thing. Honestly,

0:08:38.960 --> 0:08:41.400
<v Speaker 2>any reason to scout more is like a cheat code

0:08:41.400 --> 0:08:44.600
<v Speaker 2>to becoming a better deer hunter and also just enjoying

0:08:44.600 --> 0:08:47.520
<v Speaker 2>your time in the woods more. But you also might

0:08:47.559 --> 0:08:49.640
<v Speaker 2>need to learn how to really use I don't know,

0:08:49.679 --> 0:08:52.839
<v Speaker 2>like a mobile tree stand system or a saddle system.

0:08:53.000 --> 0:08:55.199
<v Speaker 2>Maybe it'll get you on X a hell of a

0:08:55.240 --> 0:08:58.000
<v Speaker 2>lot more so that you really figure out that digital

0:08:58.040 --> 0:09:01.040
<v Speaker 2>scouting game. Maybe it'll take you out of state for

0:09:01.080 --> 0:09:03.880
<v Speaker 2>the first time, which will create an opportunity to learn

0:09:04.040 --> 0:09:06.520
<v Speaker 2>a whole bunch of stuff about hunting that you're just

0:09:06.559 --> 0:09:08.440
<v Speaker 2>not going to get by hunting close to home on

0:09:08.480 --> 0:09:12.120
<v Speaker 2>a familiar property. I want to switch gears now and

0:09:12.160 --> 0:09:15.040
<v Speaker 2>try to be a little more realistic, because there's a

0:09:15.080 --> 0:09:18.720
<v Speaker 2>thing that happens this time of year. People set big

0:09:18.800 --> 0:09:21.960
<v Speaker 2>goals and then they don't see them through, and then

0:09:22.000 --> 0:09:24.640
<v Speaker 2>they fall to the wayside, and we just revert to

0:09:24.720 --> 0:09:28.480
<v Speaker 2>our old ways. If you don't believe that, go join

0:09:28.520 --> 0:09:32.000
<v Speaker 2>a gym right now. New Year's deals are all the

0:09:32.080 --> 0:09:35.040
<v Speaker 2>raged to boost gym memberships because they know we are

0:09:35.080 --> 0:09:37.080
<v Speaker 2>all a little heavier than we were when we started

0:09:37.080 --> 0:09:39.760
<v Speaker 2>the holidays, and we are all a little more depressed

0:09:39.760 --> 0:09:41.760
<v Speaker 2>than usual since a lot of us haven't seen the

0:09:41.800 --> 0:09:45.679
<v Speaker 2>sun since December. And really, why would we set up

0:09:45.720 --> 0:09:47.720
<v Speaker 2>most work days so that in the winter we go

0:09:47.760 --> 0:09:49.800
<v Speaker 2>to work in the dark and come home in the dark,

0:09:50.080 --> 0:09:52.840
<v Speaker 2>with the only available hours of daylight sold to some

0:09:53.040 --> 0:09:55.679
<v Speaker 2>company that looks at us purely as a number. But

0:09:55.720 --> 0:09:58.200
<v Speaker 2>that's how it is. So we join a gym and

0:09:58.240 --> 0:10:00.600
<v Speaker 2>decide we are going to finally get sext as hell

0:10:00.920 --> 0:10:03.800
<v Speaker 2>and bring ourselves back to our fighting weights and blah

0:10:03.840 --> 0:10:06.360
<v Speaker 2>blah blah. If you do this and you stick it

0:10:06.400 --> 0:10:09.800
<v Speaker 2>out until about Turkey season, you're definitely going to notice something.

0:10:10.800 --> 0:10:14.200
<v Speaker 2>The crowds really start to thin out by about March.

0:10:14.840 --> 0:10:19.080
<v Speaker 2>The enthusiasm for those big fitness goals and lifestyle changes

0:10:19.720 --> 0:10:22.400
<v Speaker 2>just dies on the vine over time because they are

0:10:22.559 --> 0:10:26.320
<v Speaker 2>difficult goals to achieve and most of us aren't cut

0:10:26.320 --> 0:10:29.720
<v Speaker 2>out for them. Those folks would have been better off

0:10:30.320 --> 0:10:34.600
<v Speaker 2>never ever stepping on a scale and never joining a

0:10:34.600 --> 0:10:39.440
<v Speaker 2>spin class, and instead just setting very realistic goals that

0:10:39.600 --> 0:10:42.640
<v Speaker 2>won't make them dead sexy in a month, but will

0:10:42.679 --> 0:10:45.960
<v Speaker 2>make them feel slightly better about themselves over the course

0:10:46.000 --> 0:10:49.040
<v Speaker 2>of say three or four months. So instead of saying

0:10:49.120 --> 0:10:52.360
<v Speaker 2>I want to lose forty pounds and that's it, it's

0:10:52.360 --> 0:10:55.319
<v Speaker 2>better to say, well, I can only bench press one

0:10:55.360 --> 0:10:58.320
<v Speaker 2>hundred pounds right now, but by March, I want to

0:10:58.320 --> 0:11:01.440
<v Speaker 2>be at one hundred and twenty. That's not a big ask,

0:11:01.880 --> 0:11:05.440
<v Speaker 2>It's doable and is a real measure of progress for

0:11:05.600 --> 0:11:10.559
<v Speaker 2>real people. It's simple, straightforward, and will allow you to

0:11:10.600 --> 0:11:13.880
<v Speaker 2>feel good when you throw extra five pounders on each

0:11:13.920 --> 0:11:17.480
<v Speaker 2>side and eventually a ten pounder on each side. To

0:11:17.559 --> 0:11:21.000
<v Speaker 2>most people, if you told them that goal, they'd look

0:11:21.040 --> 0:11:23.120
<v Speaker 2>at you like you just said you wanted to finally

0:11:23.240 --> 0:11:25.720
<v Speaker 2>kill a spike, because you've only ever shot button bucks

0:11:25.720 --> 0:11:28.319
<v Speaker 2>in your life. But the truth is it's your journey

0:11:28.360 --> 0:11:31.040
<v Speaker 2>and your goal, and if you achieve it, which you

0:11:31.160 --> 0:11:34.160
<v Speaker 2>probably will because it's realistic, then you're going to want

0:11:34.200 --> 0:11:38.160
<v Speaker 2>another goal. What's next one hundred and forty pounds? Great,

0:11:38.559 --> 0:11:40.600
<v Speaker 2>that's going to keep you moving in the right direction.

0:11:41.520 --> 0:11:44.000
<v Speaker 2>This is the thing about goals, too, It's that things

0:11:44.040 --> 0:11:47.240
<v Speaker 2>aren't over when you accomplish them. There's a movement out

0:11:47.240 --> 0:11:51.600
<v Speaker 2>there called FIRE, which stands for financial independence Retire Early.

0:11:52.040 --> 0:11:56.079
<v Speaker 2>It's where usually high earners, but not always, say they

0:11:56.120 --> 0:11:59.360
<v Speaker 2>want to meet some crazy retirement goal at a young age,

0:11:59.679 --> 0:12:02.760
<v Speaker 2>and they scrimp and save and they sacrifice and they

0:12:02.760 --> 0:12:05.959
<v Speaker 2>obsess over investing to meet that goal. But a lot

0:12:05.960 --> 0:12:08.920
<v Speaker 2>of the folks who suddenly find themselves there at that

0:12:08.960 --> 0:12:12.320
<v Speaker 2>finish line realize that they are sort of loss being

0:12:12.360 --> 0:12:14.480
<v Speaker 2>able to retire at thirty five with a couple million

0:12:14.520 --> 0:12:17.600
<v Speaker 2>dollars in the bank. The goal itself was the end

0:12:17.600 --> 0:12:20.360
<v Speaker 2>of the quest, but life doesn't end. Then we're not

0:12:20.440 --> 0:12:22.560
<v Speaker 2>living in a movie or a video game, so you

0:12:22.600 --> 0:12:25.520
<v Speaker 2>have to ask yourself what's next, and they struggle with

0:12:25.600 --> 0:12:29.440
<v Speaker 2>that since that whole idea was such a big part

0:12:29.440 --> 0:12:32.800
<v Speaker 2>of their existence. This is why I like goals like

0:12:32.920 --> 0:12:35.680
<v Speaker 2>I'm gonna plant twelve new apple trees on my land

0:12:35.720 --> 0:12:38.760
<v Speaker 2>this spring, because inevitably you'll realize that you're gonna want

0:12:38.760 --> 0:12:42.200
<v Speaker 2>to hunt those apple trees, or maybe while you're out

0:12:42.200 --> 0:12:44.880
<v Speaker 2>there planting them, you realize that a little kill plot

0:12:44.880 --> 0:12:46.439
<v Speaker 2>on the corner of your land would be great for

0:12:46.559 --> 0:12:48.920
<v Speaker 2>when we get a random south or east wind during

0:12:49.000 --> 0:12:52.640
<v Speaker 2>late October or throughout the rut. There's next year's goal

0:12:52.880 --> 0:12:56.440
<v Speaker 2>right there. Or maybe it's something slightly different, like cleaning

0:12:56.480 --> 0:12:59.400
<v Speaker 2>out the shooting lanes for your rifle hunts at deer

0:12:59.440 --> 0:13:02.080
<v Speaker 2>Camp up norm or maybe just fixing the window on

0:13:02.120 --> 0:13:05.880
<v Speaker 2>the shack that always lets the mosquitos in whatever find

0:13:05.920 --> 0:13:09.319
<v Speaker 2>something to work toward, and then write those goals down.

0:13:10.000 --> 0:13:12.600
<v Speaker 2>I know that sounds dumb, and if you told me

0:13:12.640 --> 0:13:14.240
<v Speaker 2>to do it ten years ago, I would have told

0:13:14.280 --> 0:13:16.520
<v Speaker 2>you to go kick rocks in the street. But I'm

0:13:16.559 --> 0:13:19.199
<v Speaker 2>older now and maybe it's just my bad memory from

0:13:19.240 --> 0:13:21.200
<v Speaker 2>so many years of pickling my brain with whiskey and

0:13:21.240 --> 0:13:24.400
<v Speaker 2>poor decisions. But when I write something down, it's just

0:13:24.520 --> 0:13:27.680
<v Speaker 2>harder for me to ignore. I do this every Monday.

0:13:27.679 --> 0:13:29.520
<v Speaker 2>When I sit at my stupid desk and I think

0:13:29.520 --> 0:13:31.640
<v Speaker 2>about the stupid work I have to do for the week,

0:13:32.160 --> 0:13:34.600
<v Speaker 2>I also write down all of the stupid life stuff

0:13:34.600 --> 0:13:36.959
<v Speaker 2>I have to do, like renew my license tabs, or

0:13:37.000 --> 0:13:39.280
<v Speaker 2>get new tires for my truck, or get the sled

0:13:39.320 --> 0:13:41.720
<v Speaker 2>out of the backyard pond that the old blonde buzzkill

0:13:41.720 --> 0:13:45.160
<v Speaker 2>has been bitching about for months. When things are written down,

0:13:45.360 --> 0:13:49.880
<v Speaker 2>they hold us accountable. That's important. And maybe you're thinking, well,

0:13:50.160 --> 0:13:52.839
<v Speaker 2>what do I do, Grab a notepad and pen and

0:13:52.840 --> 0:13:56.240
<v Speaker 2>write shoot one one hundred and fifty inch buck and

0:13:56.280 --> 0:13:59.760
<v Speaker 2>then I wait eleven months to hopefully cross it off. Nope,

0:14:00.240 --> 0:14:02.120
<v Speaker 2>that would be dumb, and I'm a little offended you

0:14:02.160 --> 0:14:05.719
<v Speaker 2>even asked. Instead, think about what you could do this

0:14:05.880 --> 0:14:10.080
<v Speaker 2>month that would help you achieve that goal. Is it

0:14:10.120 --> 0:14:14.000
<v Speaker 2>clearing out your entrance and exit trails? Great, write that down.

0:14:14.559 --> 0:14:16.960
<v Speaker 2>Is it scouting the river bottom on the public land

0:14:17.000 --> 0:14:19.400
<v Speaker 2>you really like to hunt, but in a way where

0:14:19.400 --> 0:14:20.960
<v Speaker 2>it takes you to a few of the areas you

0:14:20.960 --> 0:14:23.800
<v Speaker 2>don't really go, but you suspect big Bucks might use

0:14:24.320 --> 0:14:28.280
<v Speaker 2>great write that down. Maybe you fall apart at the

0:14:28.320 --> 0:14:32.200
<v Speaker 2>shot because you're not confident enough in your shooting. Fine,

0:14:32.240 --> 0:14:34.160
<v Speaker 2>how many eras a week do you need to shoot

0:14:34.200 --> 0:14:36.200
<v Speaker 2>to be better this year than you were last year.

0:14:36.840 --> 0:14:41.040
<v Speaker 2>Write down a weekly goal, then hit that goal. I

0:14:41.120 --> 0:14:43.120
<v Speaker 2>know this sounds dumb, but the thing about being a

0:14:43.160 --> 0:14:47.040
<v Speaker 2>successful hunter who really enjoys the whole process is well

0:14:47.680 --> 0:14:51.080
<v Speaker 2>engaging in the whole process with some gusto. I know

0:14:51.160 --> 0:14:53.320
<v Speaker 2>I say this all the time, but it's because I

0:14:53.360 --> 0:14:55.680
<v Speaker 2>believe it. A guy like A and D May could

0:14:55.680 --> 0:14:57.880
<v Speaker 2>explain to you exactly how he kills big Bucks with

0:14:57.920 --> 0:15:00.560
<v Speaker 2>scary consistency, But that's not going to make you a

0:15:00.560 --> 0:15:04.200
<v Speaker 2>whole lot better as a hunter. That's on you. Now,

0:15:04.240 --> 0:15:07.480
<v Speaker 2>if you scouted with the same discipline as him, we're

0:15:07.480 --> 0:15:12.440
<v Speaker 2>talking about something different. That action matters, and it's how

0:15:12.520 --> 0:15:16.040
<v Speaker 2>you find big deer and eventually kill some of them. Now,

0:15:16.080 --> 0:15:18.480
<v Speaker 2>if you were as concerned with a perfectly tuned bow

0:15:18.520 --> 0:15:21.160
<v Speaker 2>and arrows and accuracy as him, and you went through

0:15:21.200 --> 0:15:23.720
<v Speaker 2>the steps to get there, you'd be a better hunter

0:15:23.840 --> 0:15:27.200
<v Speaker 2>who had more fun out in the field. We are

0:15:27.240 --> 0:15:30.240
<v Speaker 2>obsessed with trying to shortcut the process, because the process

0:15:30.320 --> 0:15:33.320
<v Speaker 2>is hard, but the reality is that the process is

0:15:33.320 --> 0:15:37.000
<v Speaker 2>what makes it so damn fun and rewarding the process

0:15:37.080 --> 0:15:39.840
<v Speaker 2>is a big thing, and setting a goal around just

0:15:40.000 --> 0:15:43.040
<v Speaker 2>killing a good deer doesn't acknowledge that fact, and it

0:15:43.160 --> 0:15:45.960
<v Speaker 2>has to be acknowledged. One of the best ways to

0:15:46.040 --> 0:15:48.680
<v Speaker 2>do that is to start to just piece it out

0:15:49.440 --> 0:15:51.040
<v Speaker 2>so that you look at what you want to get

0:15:51.040 --> 0:15:54.640
<v Speaker 2>out of hunting this year, and you take those pieces

0:15:54.680 --> 0:15:56.600
<v Speaker 2>that are there, and you look at the ones you

0:15:56.600 --> 0:16:00.320
<v Speaker 2>could work on to make that goal happen. It has

0:16:00.360 --> 0:16:02.640
<v Speaker 2>to be about taking what you currently do and trying

0:16:02.680 --> 0:16:05.360
<v Speaker 2>to make parts of that a little better, or finding

0:16:05.440 --> 0:16:07.840
<v Speaker 2>something that's just a little offshoot to what you currently

0:16:07.880 --> 0:16:11.000
<v Speaker 2>do and working on that. That's kind of really it.

0:16:11.920 --> 0:16:15.440
<v Speaker 2>You don't need huge overarching goals because they don't really

0:16:15.480 --> 0:16:18.360
<v Speaker 2>stick anyway. A goal to win or scout for a

0:16:18.360 --> 0:16:21.680
<v Speaker 2>few hours each week or every other week is probably

0:16:21.760 --> 0:16:25.560
<v Speaker 2>more impactful to most of us than deciding it's booner

0:16:25.640 --> 0:16:28.360
<v Speaker 2>or bust this year. And that's it. So what are

0:16:28.360 --> 0:16:30.480
<v Speaker 2>your goals going to be? I'll give you a few

0:16:30.480 --> 0:16:33.520
<v Speaker 2>of mine. This winter, I'm going to expand a little

0:16:33.600 --> 0:16:35.960
<v Speaker 2>kill plot on my Wisconsin ground so that I can

0:16:36.080 --> 0:16:39.080
<v Speaker 2>hunt more wind directions with my daughters because we have

0:16:39.200 --> 0:16:41.920
<v Speaker 2>limited time to hunt together, and often when we do

0:16:42.000 --> 0:16:45.080
<v Speaker 2>have time, the wind doesn't blow just from the north

0:16:45.160 --> 0:16:47.880
<v Speaker 2>or west. I'm also going to hunt a new state

0:16:47.960 --> 0:16:50.560
<v Speaker 2>this year. I don't know which one yet, but I

0:16:50.640 --> 0:16:52.720
<v Speaker 2>just want to see some new ground and keep getting

0:16:52.720 --> 0:16:55.040
<v Speaker 2>in on this non resident thing before it's too late.

0:16:55.840 --> 0:16:58.760
<v Speaker 2>I haven't decided for sure yet either, but I do

0:16:58.840 --> 0:17:01.480
<v Speaker 2>want to try to take my dog on a real

0:17:01.640 --> 0:17:05.840
<v Speaker 2>hunting trip somewhere for something. Might be turkeys, might be antelope,

0:17:05.880 --> 0:17:08.760
<v Speaker 2>but it will be something. That's what I have so far.

0:17:09.160 --> 0:17:11.360
<v Speaker 2>I'm sure there'll be more, and I haven't broken those

0:17:11.359 --> 0:17:14.760
<v Speaker 2>goals down yet, but I'm going to. So think about

0:17:14.760 --> 0:17:17.720
<v Speaker 2>your goals, think about ways to keep yourself out there

0:17:17.760 --> 0:17:20.600
<v Speaker 2>and doing your thing in the woods. Make it real

0:17:20.720 --> 0:17:23.600
<v Speaker 2>by writing it down, and come back next week because

0:17:23.600 --> 0:17:26.560
<v Speaker 2>I'm going to talk about how unfair life is, but

0:17:26.720 --> 0:17:30.919
<v Speaker 2>that shouldn't matter to us as deer hunters. That's it

0:17:30.960 --> 0:17:32.800
<v Speaker 2>for this week. I'm Tony Peterson. This has been the

0:17:32.800 --> 0:17:35.280
<v Speaker 2>Wired to Hunt Foundation's podcast, which is brought to you

0:17:35.320 --> 0:17:38.520
<v Speaker 2>by First Light. As always, thank you so much for listening.

0:17:38.680 --> 0:17:41.520
<v Speaker 2>For all your support. If you want more white tail

0:17:41.600 --> 0:17:45.240
<v Speaker 2>content or just hunting content in general, head on over

0:17:45.280 --> 0:17:51.600
<v Speaker 2>to the mediator dot com. Tons of podcasts, tons of videos, articles, recipes,

0:17:51.720 --> 0:17:53.880
<v Speaker 2>you name it, you can find it there. Go check

0:17:53.920 --> 0:17:59.800
<v Speaker 2>it out at the mediator dot com