1 00:00:01,240 --> 00:00:05,120 Speaker 1: Welcome to the Wired to Hunt Foundations podcast, your guide 2 00:00:05,120 --> 00:00:08,879 Speaker 1: to the fundamentals of better deer hunting, presented by first Light, 3 00:00:09,240 --> 00:00:13,560 Speaker 1: creating proven versatile hunting apparel for the stand, saddle or blind. 4 00:00:14,080 --> 00:00:18,600 Speaker 1: First Light, Go Farther, Stay Longer, and now your host 5 00:00:19,000 --> 00:00:19,880 Speaker 1: Tony Peterson. 6 00:00:20,360 --> 00:00:23,040 Speaker 2: Hey, everyone, welcome to the Wired to Hunt Foundation's podcast, 7 00:00:23,079 --> 00:00:24,840 Speaker 2: which is brought to you by first Light. I'm your host, 8 00:00:24,840 --> 00:00:28,000 Speaker 2: Tony Peterson, and today's episode is all about understanding plant 9 00:00:28,000 --> 00:00:30,520 Speaker 2: life and how it affects almost all of our non 10 00:00:30,640 --> 00:00:35,640 Speaker 2: rut deer hunting strategies. I mean, what a better time 11 00:00:35,640 --> 00:00:38,920 Speaker 2: to talk about a super pooring ass subject than right now. 12 00:00:39,200 --> 00:00:41,680 Speaker 2: After all, you know, while our southern brothers and sisters 13 00:00:41,720 --> 00:00:44,280 Speaker 2: are probably well past the green up stage in the 14 00:00:44,320 --> 00:00:47,600 Speaker 2: woods where they live, even those of us Near Canadians 15 00:00:47,640 --> 00:00:50,159 Speaker 2: can look outside and see a world vastly change from 16 00:00:50,200 --> 00:00:52,880 Speaker 2: a month or two ago. The bloom of plant life 17 00:00:52,880 --> 00:00:54,800 Speaker 2: as the top half of the earth tips closer to 18 00:00:54,840 --> 00:00:58,000 Speaker 2: the sun is truly incredible, and all of that greenery 19 00:00:58,040 --> 00:01:01,320 Speaker 2: out there is relevant to us as hunters, especially if 20 00:01:01,360 --> 00:01:03,120 Speaker 2: we learn how to use it to our advantage, which 21 00:01:03,120 --> 00:01:10,039 Speaker 2: is what I'm going to talk about right now. A 22 00:01:10,080 --> 00:01:12,720 Speaker 2: lot of people believe that summer is hot because the 23 00:01:12,760 --> 00:01:15,600 Speaker 2: Earth is closer to the Sun then, and winter is 24 00:01:15,680 --> 00:01:19,800 Speaker 2: cold because well, it's farther away. But that's not how 25 00:01:19,800 --> 00:01:22,920 Speaker 2: it works. Although the Earth's orbit around the Sun isn't 26 00:01:22,959 --> 00:01:26,760 Speaker 2: a perfect circle, it's actually a bit lopsided. The reason 27 00:01:26,920 --> 00:01:29,640 Speaker 2: seasons vary in temperature is due to the tilt of 28 00:01:29,680 --> 00:01:32,600 Speaker 2: the Earth, or the old wobble of it all. So 29 00:01:32,640 --> 00:01:35,240 Speaker 2: why does the Earth do this? Because when our planet 30 00:01:35,319 --> 00:01:37,520 Speaker 2: was newly formed and things were a bit more chaotic 31 00:01:37,560 --> 00:01:41,360 Speaker 2: in space, we got hit by a smaller planet. It 32 00:01:41,440 --> 00:01:44,600 Speaker 2: knocked Earth off of its axis by about twenty three degrees, 33 00:01:44,959 --> 00:01:47,319 Speaker 2: and that wobble puts the top half of the Earth 34 00:01:47,360 --> 00:01:49,680 Speaker 2: closer to the Sun at certain points, and then the 35 00:01:49,720 --> 00:01:53,200 Speaker 2: bottom half at certain points, but the whole Earth doesn't 36 00:01:53,240 --> 00:01:56,560 Speaker 2: get closer farther away. Now, fun fact as well, that 37 00:01:56,600 --> 00:01:59,200 Speaker 2: collision is what caused a whole bunch of planetary material 38 00:01:59,200 --> 00:02:02,160 Speaker 2: to shoot off into and some of that coalesced into 39 00:02:02,240 --> 00:02:05,560 Speaker 2: our Moon as it was caught up in Earth's gravity. Now, 40 00:02:05,560 --> 00:02:08,519 Speaker 2: why does all of this matter at all to deer hunting? 41 00:02:09,080 --> 00:02:13,680 Speaker 2: We'll get there, buddy. That wobble which creates the seasons 42 00:02:14,240 --> 00:02:17,799 Speaker 2: also allows plant life to grow lush as hell when 43 00:02:17,840 --> 00:02:21,120 Speaker 2: either the northern or the southern hemisphere is pointed more 44 00:02:21,160 --> 00:02:24,679 Speaker 2: towards the sun. Now, the equatorial regions experience a much 45 00:02:24,680 --> 00:02:28,920 Speaker 2: more muted version of this. This essentially allows the whole 46 00:02:29,000 --> 00:02:32,840 Speaker 2: earth to take a big breath every year. When the 47 00:02:32,880 --> 00:02:36,440 Speaker 2: plant life is flourishing in the northern hemisphere, a lot 48 00:02:36,480 --> 00:02:39,919 Speaker 2: of carbon dioxide is converted to oxygen, which is good 49 00:02:39,960 --> 00:02:42,640 Speaker 2: for us, since without it, we'd all be as dead 50 00:02:42,639 --> 00:02:44,720 Speaker 2: as the next jake will be when he wanders into 51 00:02:44,720 --> 00:02:48,240 Speaker 2: my decoys. Now, when the northern hemisphere starts to tip 52 00:02:48,240 --> 00:02:52,120 Speaker 2: away and the southern starts to tip closer, the balance 53 00:02:52,160 --> 00:02:55,000 Speaker 2: starts to shift with who is doing the heavy lifting 54 00:02:55,040 --> 00:02:57,560 Speaker 2: as far as keeping plenty of oxygen in the atmosphere 55 00:02:57,639 --> 00:03:01,600 Speaker 2: for us to breathe in. Stuff, And what we are 56 00:03:01,680 --> 00:03:05,920 Speaker 2: learning about plants lately is even wilder. Take bamboo for example, 57 00:03:06,360 --> 00:03:08,920 Speaker 2: you know, the favorite food source of those lovable idiot 58 00:03:08,960 --> 00:03:12,640 Speaker 2: panda bears. This plant is the fastest growing plant we 59 00:03:12,720 --> 00:03:15,600 Speaker 2: know of. It can grow thirty five inches a day. 60 00:03:16,120 --> 00:03:18,800 Speaker 2: It's kind of like the deer antlers and their ability 61 00:03:18,880 --> 00:03:21,360 Speaker 2: to generate bone at a rate that is just the 62 00:03:21,480 --> 00:03:28,040 Speaker 2: usane bolt of uh bone growing. That feels wrong somehow. Anyway, 63 00:03:28,760 --> 00:03:33,079 Speaker 2: Archaeologists have found evidence of grape cultivation, specifically for wine making, 64 00:03:33,120 --> 00:03:36,440 Speaker 2: as far back as eight thousand years ago. In the 65 00:03:36,560 --> 00:03:40,680 Speaker 2: sixteen hundreds, tulips were so valuable in Holland that their 66 00:03:40,680 --> 00:03:43,560 Speaker 2: bulbs were worth more than gold. If you want a 67 00:03:43,600 --> 00:03:46,520 Speaker 2: crazy lesson in how to invest in stocks, do some 68 00:03:46,680 --> 00:03:52,000 Speaker 2: due diligence on the tulip mania craze. There are many, 69 00:03:52,040 --> 00:03:56,600 Speaker 2: many valuable financial lessons wrapped up in that one. Sulfuric 70 00:03:56,720 --> 00:04:00,520 Speaker 2: compounds are the reason we teer up when we cut onions, 71 00:04:00,920 --> 00:04:03,760 Speaker 2: except for Mark, who cries when he cuts most vegetables 72 00:04:03,800 --> 00:04:07,160 Speaker 2: and fruits for reasons known only to him and hopefully 73 00:04:07,400 --> 00:04:11,440 Speaker 2: his therapist. Now, some plants are medicine, some are for 74 00:04:11,480 --> 00:04:14,040 Speaker 2: fun and watching South Park while eating potato chips and 75 00:04:14,040 --> 00:04:17,119 Speaker 2: fruit roll ups, and some are essential to the well 76 00:04:17,160 --> 00:04:20,600 Speaker 2: being of herbivores, like deer. You see what I did there? 77 00:04:21,000 --> 00:04:23,360 Speaker 2: I most lost you, but then bam, it reeled you 78 00:04:23,440 --> 00:04:27,000 Speaker 2: back in. The thing about deer hunting in general is 79 00:04:27,000 --> 00:04:29,960 Speaker 2: that we are on a constant quest to take the 80 00:04:30,080 --> 00:04:33,800 Speaker 2: guesswork out of the whole process. This is no more 81 00:04:33,839 --> 00:04:36,919 Speaker 2: evident than by looking at the food block craze. You 82 00:04:36,960 --> 00:04:39,560 Speaker 2: want to kill a mature buck without having you know, 83 00:04:39,920 --> 00:04:43,240 Speaker 2: too many big brain moments, then clear out an acre, 84 00:04:43,640 --> 00:04:47,080 Speaker 2: give the soil some TLC, plant some clover, and wait, 85 00:04:48,400 --> 00:04:51,760 Speaker 2: we know deer eat clover or brassicas or whatever. So 86 00:04:51,800 --> 00:04:54,479 Speaker 2: the whole thing gets pretty simple. And we like simple 87 00:04:54,520 --> 00:04:58,159 Speaker 2: when it comes to hunting, because well, it's better than complicated, 88 00:04:58,200 --> 00:05:00,839 Speaker 2: I guess. But not everyone has the means to plant 89 00:05:00,880 --> 00:05:02,800 Speaker 2: a food plot, or the desire to sit in the 90 00:05:02,800 --> 00:05:05,600 Speaker 2: same spot and stare at the same view until along 91 00:05:05,680 --> 00:05:08,559 Speaker 2: comes the right book. There's a world of white tails 92 00:05:08,600 --> 00:05:11,400 Speaker 2: beyond that style, and anyone who is engaged in it 93 00:05:11,480 --> 00:05:15,080 Speaker 2: would do well to try to understand plants better. I've 94 00:05:15,120 --> 00:05:17,600 Speaker 2: talked about the number of plants deer known to eat 95 00:05:17,600 --> 00:05:20,039 Speaker 2: in the past, and if I remember correctly, it's something 96 00:05:20,080 --> 00:05:22,880 Speaker 2: like six hundred different kinds. That's just what we know of. 97 00:05:22,960 --> 00:05:25,960 Speaker 2: There's probably a lot more, but that's a lot, and 98 00:05:26,040 --> 00:05:27,960 Speaker 2: most of it doesn't matter at all to any one 99 00:05:28,000 --> 00:05:32,120 Speaker 2: of us on any given season. What matters instead is 100 00:05:32,160 --> 00:05:35,159 Speaker 2: to understand your local region to some extent, and to 101 00:05:35,200 --> 00:05:37,760 Speaker 2: focus on what the deer should be eating and when 102 00:05:37,800 --> 00:05:40,760 Speaker 2: they should be eating that plant. I look at this 103 00:05:40,880 --> 00:05:44,679 Speaker 2: process in two different ways, kind of specific and then general. 104 00:05:45,480 --> 00:05:49,240 Speaker 2: On the specific side, it's knowing exactly what type of 105 00:05:49,279 --> 00:05:52,279 Speaker 2: plant the deer eat, or I guess part of a 106 00:05:52,320 --> 00:05:55,400 Speaker 2: plant the deer eat. In my world, an easy example 107 00:05:55,440 --> 00:05:58,000 Speaker 2: of this is nettles. I don't really know how they 108 00:05:58,080 --> 00:06:00,360 Speaker 2: do it, but I know that they do eat them. 109 00:06:00,839 --> 00:06:03,560 Speaker 2: You know, those dark green broad leaf plants that suck 110 00:06:03,600 --> 00:06:06,080 Speaker 2: a lot to walk through when you're hanging stands or 111 00:06:06,160 --> 00:06:10,159 Speaker 2: hunting in September often show signs of heavy brows, especially 112 00:06:10,240 --> 00:06:13,720 Speaker 2: at the tops. Now in my world, that might last 113 00:06:13,880 --> 00:06:17,159 Speaker 2: until early October, and then that pattern will be dead. 114 00:06:18,120 --> 00:06:20,520 Speaker 2: There are some things I know about nettles which helped 115 00:06:20,560 --> 00:06:24,000 Speaker 2: me absolutely kill deer on them. They grow in places 116 00:06:24,040 --> 00:06:27,640 Speaker 2: with moist soil, like river bottoms, which is a huge 117 00:06:27,640 --> 00:06:31,680 Speaker 2: plus because I like river bottoms very much. They often 118 00:06:31,760 --> 00:06:35,440 Speaker 2: stay green longer than vegetation that's nearby but not in 119 00:06:35,480 --> 00:06:38,920 Speaker 2: the same little micro habitat. This helped me kill a 120 00:06:38,960 --> 00:06:42,200 Speaker 2: buck last year in Iowa. It was literally the reason 121 00:06:42,279 --> 00:06:45,320 Speaker 2: I sat where I did and deer after deer showed 122 00:06:45,320 --> 00:06:48,919 Speaker 2: me they preferred the dark green, moist broad leaf plants 123 00:06:48,960 --> 00:06:52,240 Speaker 2: there over the mostly dry brows in the rest of 124 00:06:52,279 --> 00:06:55,560 Speaker 2: the woods. These kind of plants are also easy to 125 00:06:55,640 --> 00:06:58,120 Speaker 2: read when they are being browsed, which can show you 126 00:06:58,279 --> 00:07:01,400 Speaker 2: right where to hunt, or areas the deer are definitely 127 00:07:01,440 --> 00:07:05,200 Speaker 2: passing through at any given moment. All of that is 128 00:07:05,200 --> 00:07:08,280 Speaker 2: a huge benefit, and it comes from understanding one type 129 00:07:08,320 --> 00:07:11,640 Speaker 2: of plant. That's it. Now, what if you don't want 130 00:07:11,640 --> 00:07:14,040 Speaker 2: to dig deep and identify a bunch of different plants 131 00:07:14,080 --> 00:07:17,559 Speaker 2: to hunt specifically, then you can play that generalist game 132 00:07:18,200 --> 00:07:20,720 Speaker 2: that Iowa buck from last year. He and a bunch 133 00:07:20,800 --> 00:07:23,040 Speaker 2: of other deer were hanging out on the river bottom 134 00:07:23,040 --> 00:07:26,080 Speaker 2: because the cover was better than everywhere else, and in 135 00:07:26,120 --> 00:07:30,400 Speaker 2: that cover was a whole bunch of good brows. You 136 00:07:30,440 --> 00:07:33,360 Speaker 2: wouldn't have needed to know how to identify any one 137 00:07:33,440 --> 00:07:36,520 Speaker 2: type of plant. You just would have had to recognize 138 00:07:36,520 --> 00:07:39,200 Speaker 2: that most of the woods on the bluffs were dry 139 00:07:39,240 --> 00:07:42,520 Speaker 2: and devoid of greenery, while the river valley just contained 140 00:07:42,520 --> 00:07:46,640 Speaker 2: more moisture, which means more nutritious and palatable plants during 141 00:07:46,720 --> 00:07:50,840 Speaker 2: drought years. Or look at it another way. A few 142 00:07:50,880 --> 00:07:53,240 Speaker 2: weeks back, I walked a bunch of public land in 143 00:07:53,280 --> 00:07:56,960 Speaker 2: northern Wisconsin that all kind of looks the same until 144 00:07:56,960 --> 00:08:00,480 Speaker 2: you start paying closer attention. There are some hill there, 145 00:08:00,600 --> 00:08:04,960 Speaker 2: which means higher drier ground, and then there's lower wetter ground, 146 00:08:05,160 --> 00:08:08,560 Speaker 2: which influences plant growth. But there is also a timber 147 00:08:08,600 --> 00:08:23,880 Speaker 2: industry there that creates vastly different plant growth opportunities. Those 148 00:08:23,920 --> 00:08:26,200 Speaker 2: soft edges in the timber that guys like me are 149 00:08:26,200 --> 00:08:29,600 Speaker 2: always spouting off about, well, they're not just places where 150 00:08:29,600 --> 00:08:32,320 Speaker 2: bucks travel because they are often a bit thicker than 151 00:08:32,360 --> 00:08:35,880 Speaker 2: the surrounding areas. They also happen to be where two 152 00:08:35,960 --> 00:08:40,280 Speaker 2: types of habitat meet but neither dominates. This allows for 153 00:08:40,400 --> 00:08:43,679 Speaker 2: fringe species to thrive, the ones that need a certain 154 00:08:43,720 --> 00:08:46,199 Speaker 2: mix of shade and sunlight that the old growth and 155 00:08:46,240 --> 00:08:50,440 Speaker 2: the clearcuts just don't offer. What that means is it 156 00:08:50,480 --> 00:08:54,320 Speaker 2: concentrates certain plants in a kind of tight ish line, 157 00:08:55,000 --> 00:08:57,600 Speaker 2: which is part of the reason deer and other animals 158 00:08:57,679 --> 00:09:02,000 Speaker 2: love soft edges so much. Since they are generally concentrated, 159 00:09:02,320 --> 00:09:04,839 Speaker 2: you can do a browse check pretty quickly on soft 160 00:09:04,920 --> 00:09:07,319 Speaker 2: edges to see what's going on there, and you can 161 00:09:07,400 --> 00:09:10,360 Speaker 2: double check your work by looking for droppings and tracks 162 00:09:10,880 --> 00:09:14,520 Speaker 2: other sign That kind of thing is what separates the 163 00:09:14,600 --> 00:09:17,680 Speaker 2: tadpoles from the frogs my friends, and it's a lesson 164 00:09:17,760 --> 00:09:21,160 Speaker 2: I keep learning the more I keep hunting everything Helen 165 00:09:21,200 --> 00:09:23,840 Speaker 2: Turkey season. This year, I hunted a property I've hunted 166 00:09:23,840 --> 00:09:26,079 Speaker 2: a lot, and I kept seeing birds come out of 167 00:09:26,120 --> 00:09:28,960 Speaker 2: a specific spot that just didn't make much sense to me. 168 00:09:29,880 --> 00:09:31,160 Speaker 2: So I went in and I looked at it, and 169 00:09:31,240 --> 00:09:34,360 Speaker 2: I found two things. One was a whole bunch of 170 00:09:34,400 --> 00:09:37,320 Speaker 2: red oak acorns that hadn't been gobbled up throughout the winter. 171 00:09:38,040 --> 00:09:41,040 Speaker 2: The other was just a couple of grassy hillside spots 172 00:09:41,040 --> 00:09:43,960 Speaker 2: that were scratched to shit. I never figured out exactly 173 00:09:44,040 --> 00:09:46,640 Speaker 2: what they were scratching up there, but it didn't matter. 174 00:09:47,000 --> 00:09:50,120 Speaker 2: They were using the area big time, and that's sometimes 175 00:09:50,160 --> 00:09:53,199 Speaker 2: all we can ask for. Now when it comes to deer, 176 00:09:53,320 --> 00:09:55,360 Speaker 2: there are different ways to look at this and how 177 00:09:55,360 --> 00:09:58,400 Speaker 2: it might play into a hunting strategy. Think about a 178 00:09:58,440 --> 00:10:02,480 Speaker 2: field edge, for example. We love to sit field edges 179 00:10:02,480 --> 00:10:05,760 Speaker 2: for many reasons, but where to sit on what field 180 00:10:05,840 --> 00:10:09,640 Speaker 2: edge matters a lot too. Exposure to sunlight will be 181 00:10:09,679 --> 00:10:12,080 Speaker 2: a factor in whether the early season bucks will come 182 00:10:12,080 --> 00:10:15,760 Speaker 2: out two hours before dark or at last light. Now 183 00:10:15,800 --> 00:10:18,560 Speaker 2: that west dish facing edge that gets soaked and burning 184 00:10:18,600 --> 00:10:21,360 Speaker 2: sunlight for the back half of the day isn't going 185 00:10:21,400 --> 00:10:23,800 Speaker 2: to be as good as the shadier sides in hot weather, 186 00:10:24,400 --> 00:10:27,240 Speaker 2: but it also might not offer up as much lush 187 00:10:27,320 --> 00:10:29,840 Speaker 2: brows as the field edges with a little better mix 188 00:10:29,880 --> 00:10:34,000 Speaker 2: of sunlight and shadows. That stuff matters, And if you 189 00:10:34,040 --> 00:10:36,520 Speaker 2: spend any amount of time looking through a spot or 190 00:10:36,520 --> 00:10:39,559 Speaker 2: in the summer, you know how often deer pop out 191 00:10:39,640 --> 00:10:42,160 Speaker 2: and then dive back into the cover, or how some 192 00:10:42,200 --> 00:10:44,160 Speaker 2: of them will mostly feed in the field for a 193 00:10:44,200 --> 00:10:47,000 Speaker 2: while but mix things up by standing on the edge 194 00:10:47,000 --> 00:10:50,520 Speaker 2: and browsing away. If I'm hunting the early season, I 195 00:10:50,600 --> 00:10:54,120 Speaker 2: want that main food source working for me, but I 196 00:10:54,160 --> 00:10:57,880 Speaker 2: also want that secondary brows working for me, Just like 197 00:10:57,960 --> 00:10:59,840 Speaker 2: I'd rather sit on on the edge of the bean 198 00:11:00,120 --> 00:11:04,200 Speaker 2: where white oaks are dropping their acorns versus not or 199 00:11:04,280 --> 00:11:07,120 Speaker 2: post up on the alfalfa near a couple apple trees 200 00:11:07,559 --> 00:11:11,080 Speaker 2: versus sitting on the alfalfa not near any granny smiths 201 00:11:11,120 --> 00:11:15,120 Speaker 2: drop into the ground. I look at understanding brows and 202 00:11:15,200 --> 00:11:18,520 Speaker 2: really masked as well as the micro part of the 203 00:11:18,559 --> 00:11:21,720 Speaker 2: whole thing, The macro part which a lot of us 204 00:11:21,760 --> 00:11:24,480 Speaker 2: don't move past, is that the deer walk into the 205 00:11:24,520 --> 00:11:27,840 Speaker 2: field and they eat, they set up there see deer 206 00:11:27,880 --> 00:11:31,480 Speaker 2: and sometimes kill them. But the micro part matters because 207 00:11:31,480 --> 00:11:34,600 Speaker 2: it's just more specific and being able to predict where 208 00:11:34,600 --> 00:11:38,320 Speaker 2: a buck will likely walk, like exactly where he'll walk, 209 00:11:38,960 --> 00:11:42,760 Speaker 2: that's pretty dang valuable. Another way to think about botany, 210 00:11:43,000 --> 00:11:45,440 Speaker 2: which kind of goes back to that Iowa buck example, 211 00:11:45,520 --> 00:11:48,360 Speaker 2: is this deer want the best bang for their bucks, 212 00:11:48,400 --> 00:11:51,560 Speaker 2: so to speak, when it comes to spending time eating something. 213 00:11:52,280 --> 00:11:55,760 Speaker 2: Maybe this isn't the same thing, but think about this scenario. 214 00:11:55,920 --> 00:11:58,400 Speaker 2: You wake up and don't have time for breakfast because 215 00:11:58,400 --> 00:12:00,200 Speaker 2: your dog puked on the floor and the kids have 216 00:12:00,240 --> 00:12:02,920 Speaker 2: to get to school, and for whatever reason, you don't eat, 217 00:12:03,240 --> 00:12:05,800 Speaker 2: and you're used to eating, what are you going to 218 00:12:05,800 --> 00:12:09,720 Speaker 2: be like at lunch? Ravenous and when you're super hungry, 219 00:12:10,040 --> 00:12:12,680 Speaker 2: what are you going to look for something quick in 220 00:12:12,800 --> 00:12:17,920 Speaker 2: calorie dnse. That's actually evolution at work, and in modern society, 221 00:12:17,960 --> 00:12:20,480 Speaker 2: it works against us because we have access to a 222 00:12:20,520 --> 00:12:23,920 Speaker 2: lot of easy, calorie dense food that is mostly very 223 00:12:24,400 --> 00:12:28,080 Speaker 2: very bad for us. But it's an undeniable poll that 224 00:12:28,120 --> 00:12:30,280 Speaker 2: if you don't prepare for it and you find yourself 225 00:12:30,320 --> 00:12:32,920 Speaker 2: suddenly very very hungry, you know what you're going to 226 00:12:33,000 --> 00:12:37,000 Speaker 2: do now with deer. They probably aren't skipping breakfast and 227 00:12:37,040 --> 00:12:39,839 Speaker 2: sitting in stupid deer Google meets all morning listening to 228 00:12:39,880 --> 00:12:43,640 Speaker 2: their deer. Coworkers try to justify their jobs by saying 229 00:12:43,720 --> 00:12:46,120 Speaker 2: dumb shit that didn't need to be said. But they 230 00:12:46,120 --> 00:12:49,720 Speaker 2: do get hungry, and they do have different dietary needs 231 00:12:49,720 --> 00:12:52,440 Speaker 2: depending on the time of year. A big one for 232 00:12:52,559 --> 00:12:55,000 Speaker 2: bucks is the lead up to the rut, where they 233 00:12:55,040 --> 00:12:57,040 Speaker 2: need to pack on the pounds like folks do when 234 00:12:57,080 --> 00:12:59,839 Speaker 2: they go on that survival show called Alone. Because when 235 00:12:59,840 --> 00:13:02,560 Speaker 2: the dose start going wild and the bucks are after them, 236 00:13:02,840 --> 00:13:05,800 Speaker 2: those bucks aren't going to eat a lot. They need 237 00:13:05,880 --> 00:13:09,800 Speaker 2: good calories and nutrients, and they are very, very familiar 238 00:13:09,880 --> 00:13:13,079 Speaker 2: with their home ground. So if some plant is still 239 00:13:13,200 --> 00:13:16,360 Speaker 2: green and lush and full of the good stuff that 240 00:13:16,400 --> 00:13:18,880 Speaker 2: it pulled from the soil, they are going to know 241 00:13:18,960 --> 00:13:21,160 Speaker 2: about that food source and they are going to find 242 00:13:21,200 --> 00:13:24,280 Speaker 2: it and use it. I think about this stuff a lot, 243 00:13:24,440 --> 00:13:26,360 Speaker 2: and I play this pattern a lot when I'm hunting 244 00:13:26,400 --> 00:13:29,320 Speaker 2: Western critters where there are either stock tanks or just 245 00:13:29,400 --> 00:13:33,560 Speaker 2: cattle ponds. A stock tank that overflows as almost like 246 00:13:33,600 --> 00:13:37,679 Speaker 2: a bait pile, where the ground is generally very dry, 247 00:13:37,880 --> 00:13:41,400 Speaker 2: that little swath of irrigated ground will have lush grasses 248 00:13:41,400 --> 00:13:46,000 Speaker 2: and other vegetation, and it'll concentrate deer or turkeys or 249 00:13:46,000 --> 00:13:49,760 Speaker 2: elk or whatever. Now there is the bonus of water, 250 00:13:50,000 --> 00:13:52,600 Speaker 2: of course, but even when it's cool and the rut 251 00:13:52,679 --> 00:13:55,120 Speaker 2: isn't on and the deer aren't dying of thirst at 252 00:13:55,160 --> 00:13:57,520 Speaker 2: any given point in the day, they will want to 253 00:13:57,559 --> 00:14:01,079 Speaker 2: eat that lush greenery because it's better for their bodies. 254 00:14:02,000 --> 00:14:04,480 Speaker 2: Maybe that's the last point to talk about here when 255 00:14:04,480 --> 00:14:07,720 Speaker 2: it comes to understanding plant life better in your region 256 00:14:08,240 --> 00:14:11,200 Speaker 2: and why it matters to you as a hunter. We 257 00:14:11,400 --> 00:14:13,720 Speaker 2: like to dumb this stuff down to make the decision 258 00:14:13,720 --> 00:14:17,320 Speaker 2: making process much easier. So take a cut cornfield as 259 00:14:17,360 --> 00:14:21,280 Speaker 2: an example. Without question, if there are a deer around somewhere, 260 00:14:21,520 --> 00:14:24,520 Speaker 2: they're going to end up in that cut cornfield, especially 261 00:14:24,600 --> 00:14:28,760 Speaker 2: if it wasn't chisel plowed. That's easy, and you can 262 00:14:28,840 --> 00:14:30,640 Speaker 2: kill a hell of a lot of deer without knowing 263 00:14:30,720 --> 00:14:33,560 Speaker 2: much more than that. But is that cut cornfield the 264 00:14:33,600 --> 00:14:36,880 Speaker 2: same drawn October as it is in December? What about 265 00:14:36,920 --> 00:14:40,240 Speaker 2: if it's eighty degrees during the rut versus thirty. What 266 00:14:40,360 --> 00:14:43,200 Speaker 2: about the fact that a big cut cornfield is generally 267 00:14:43,240 --> 00:14:45,200 Speaker 2: a promise to the deer that a certain type of 268 00:14:45,280 --> 00:14:48,080 Speaker 2: carbs or calories is kind of static in their lives. 269 00:14:48,680 --> 00:14:50,840 Speaker 2: They know they can go there at any point in 270 00:14:50,880 --> 00:14:53,280 Speaker 2: the night and they can scrounge around for enough kernels 271 00:14:53,280 --> 00:14:57,080 Speaker 2: to fill their bellies. That's great, but corn is only 272 00:14:57,120 --> 00:14:58,840 Speaker 2: going to give them a part of what they need 273 00:14:58,880 --> 00:15:01,400 Speaker 2: to be healthy enough to fade predators and pass on 274 00:15:01,440 --> 00:15:04,840 Speaker 2: their janes when the time comes. Depending on the region, 275 00:15:04,960 --> 00:15:07,880 Speaker 2: that part might be a big part, but it still 276 00:15:07,880 --> 00:15:11,640 Speaker 2: won't be the whole thing. Those cornfield deer are going 277 00:15:11,640 --> 00:15:14,360 Speaker 2: to find other sources of food to eat because their 278 00:15:14,400 --> 00:15:17,920 Speaker 2: bodies literally need them, and some of those food sources 279 00:15:17,920 --> 00:15:21,800 Speaker 2: will be short window heavy draw plants. This is one 280 00:15:21,800 --> 00:15:24,720 Speaker 2: of the reasons I love observation stands so much. When 281 00:15:24,760 --> 00:15:28,760 Speaker 2: I'm hunting new ground, watching a buck walk across a 282 00:15:28,800 --> 00:15:32,560 Speaker 2: creek in a certain spot huge advantage. But watching that 283 00:15:32,640 --> 00:15:35,560 Speaker 2: same buck spend an hour on the riverbank browsing away 284 00:15:35,920 --> 00:15:39,240 Speaker 2: is even better. Now I have that crossing to work with, 285 00:15:39,600 --> 00:15:42,680 Speaker 2: but also a browse pattern that will definitely be appealing 286 00:15:42,760 --> 00:15:46,680 Speaker 2: to more than just that deer. Hell, the reality of 287 00:15:46,760 --> 00:15:50,320 Speaker 2: that is that every deer you see browsing, whether it's 288 00:15:50,400 --> 00:15:53,520 Speaker 2: doze with a couple of fawnds or a booner is 289 00:15:53,560 --> 00:15:56,600 Speaker 2: giving you a gift because it's not accidental what they 290 00:15:56,640 --> 00:16:00,840 Speaker 2: are doing. It's intentional because they needed to serve. And 291 00:16:00,840 --> 00:16:02,640 Speaker 2: that's something we miss with a lot of the talk 292 00:16:02,680 --> 00:16:06,800 Speaker 2: about certain food sources, but especially masked you don't think 293 00:16:06,800 --> 00:16:09,880 Speaker 2: about persimmons. For example, a right per simon is a 294 00:16:09,920 --> 00:16:12,480 Speaker 2: sugar retreat, and we know that deer like them very much, 295 00:16:12,760 --> 00:16:17,160 Speaker 2: But why purely for the flavor? I doubt that while 296 00:16:17,160 --> 00:16:19,920 Speaker 2: we are inundated with sugar in so many different foods 297 00:16:19,920 --> 00:16:22,400 Speaker 2: to the point most of us consume way way too 298 00:16:22,480 --> 00:16:25,520 Speaker 2: much of it, the deer don't. They aren't rolling up 299 00:16:25,520 --> 00:16:27,720 Speaker 2: to the seven eleven to buy a slushian of Snickers. 300 00:16:28,240 --> 00:16:30,600 Speaker 2: The sugar content is different for them, just like the 301 00:16:30,680 --> 00:16:33,880 Speaker 2: moisture content of some broad leaf brassica type plant growing 302 00:16:33,880 --> 00:16:36,720 Speaker 2: in the creek bottom gives them something more beneficial than 303 00:16:36,800 --> 00:16:39,240 Speaker 2: nipping along on the dry brows at the top of 304 00:16:39,320 --> 00:16:42,640 Speaker 2: the ridge. They can eat both, but they choose one 305 00:16:42,760 --> 00:16:46,120 Speaker 2: for a very specific reason. Now. I know this is 306 00:16:46,600 --> 00:16:48,880 Speaker 2: kind of daunting to a lot of folks who just 307 00:16:48,920 --> 00:16:51,000 Speaker 2: want to know what deer call to use and when, 308 00:16:51,720 --> 00:16:53,960 Speaker 2: But the truth is that you can't escape good old 309 00:16:54,000 --> 00:16:57,600 Speaker 2: woodsmanship and understanding plant life and the importance of brows 310 00:16:58,000 --> 00:16:59,720 Speaker 2: is way up there on the list of ways you 311 00:16:59,720 --> 00:17:04,040 Speaker 2: can do diferentiate yourself from most other hunters. It might 312 00:17:04,080 --> 00:17:07,320 Speaker 2: not be an exciting topic, but becoming an amateur botanist 313 00:17:07,400 --> 00:17:09,919 Speaker 2: can help you kill more big bucks. So consider it 314 00:17:10,400 --> 00:17:13,119 Speaker 2: and consider coming back next week because I'm going to 315 00:17:13,160 --> 00:17:16,040 Speaker 2: talk about finding a little mystery in the deer woods. 316 00:17:17,600 --> 00:17:19,720 Speaker 2: That's it. I'm Tony Peterson. This has been the Wired 317 00:17:19,720 --> 00:17:21,919 Speaker 2: to Hunt Foundations podcast, which is brought to you by 318 00:17:21,960 --> 00:17:24,639 Speaker 2: First Light. Thank you so much for listening and for 319 00:17:24,720 --> 00:17:27,640 Speaker 2: all your support. We truly appreciate it here at meat Eater. 320 00:17:28,119 --> 00:17:30,840 Speaker 2: If you want to watch some turkey hunting films, maybe 321 00:17:31,359 --> 00:17:33,399 Speaker 2: mark up in Alaska looking for a white tail and 322 00:17:33,440 --> 00:17:36,600 Speaker 2: maybe stumbling across a black tail. Maybe check out Brent 323 00:17:36,640 --> 00:17:40,160 Speaker 2: Reeves This country Life. Go over to the meeteater dot com. 324 00:17:40,600 --> 00:17:42,840 Speaker 2: Give it a listen, give it a watch, check out 325 00:17:42,880 --> 00:17:46,840 Speaker 2: the articles. Tons of content dropping every week, so much 326 00:17:46,840 --> 00:17:50,119 Speaker 2: good stuff. As always, thanks again, have a great week.