1 00:00:01,360 --> 00:00:05,200 Speaker 1: Welcome to the Wired to Hunt podcast, home of the 2 00:00:05,320 --> 00:00:10,639 Speaker 1: modern white tail hunter, and now your host, Mark Kenyon. 3 00:00:11,400 --> 00:00:14,760 Speaker 1: Welcome to the Wired to Hunt podcast. I'm your host, 4 00:00:14,840 --> 00:00:17,319 Speaker 1: Mark Kenyan, and today in the show, we are joined 5 00:00:17,360 --> 00:00:20,920 Speaker 1: by Clay Newcome, Josh Hilliard, and Justin Michow to break 6 00:00:20,960 --> 00:00:23,880 Speaker 1: down to September white tail hunts. Let's see what we 7 00:00:23,920 --> 00:00:39,519 Speaker 1: can learn from these two very different experiences. All right, 8 00:00:39,600 --> 00:00:43,320 Speaker 1: welcome to the Wired to Hunt podcast, brought to you 9 00:00:43,400 --> 00:00:46,919 Speaker 1: by First Light. Today, we're playing a little bit of 10 00:00:47,040 --> 00:00:51,320 Speaker 1: Monday morning quarterback. By that, I mean we're gonna take 11 00:00:51,320 --> 00:00:54,760 Speaker 1: a look back at two different hunts that just happened 12 00:00:54,960 --> 00:01:00,120 Speaker 1: here in September, and we're gonna analyze what happened, what 13 00:01:00,160 --> 00:01:05,039 Speaker 1: went right, what went wrong? What do we learn from this? Uh, YadA, YadA, YadA. 14 00:01:05,480 --> 00:01:07,760 Speaker 1: And what's interesting is we've got two very different kinds 15 00:01:07,760 --> 00:01:09,880 Speaker 1: of hunts. We've got one private land hunt, we've got 16 00:01:09,920 --> 00:01:12,960 Speaker 1: one public land hunt. We've got one American hunt, we've 17 00:01:13,000 --> 00:01:16,640 Speaker 1: got one Canadian hunt. We've got one hunt with a 18 00:01:16,720 --> 00:01:20,039 Speaker 1: guy who prefers wearing overalls. We've got one hunt with 19 00:01:20,080 --> 00:01:22,520 Speaker 1: a guy who prefers wearing a semi flat bill hat. 20 00:01:22,680 --> 00:01:26,280 Speaker 1: So this is all about contrast. Today we've gotta me 21 00:01:26,360 --> 00:01:29,360 Speaker 1: and me and further Josh Hilliard are me talking about 22 00:01:29,360 --> 00:01:32,920 Speaker 1: our recent Western public land white tail hunt. And then 23 00:01:32,959 --> 00:01:36,039 Speaker 1: I've got Clay Newcome and Justin Michow who're gonna talk 24 00:01:36,080 --> 00:01:41,160 Speaker 1: about their Manitoba white tail hunt. Um so that's the 25 00:01:41,280 --> 00:01:44,759 Speaker 1: game plan, and I think we should kick it off 26 00:01:44,800 --> 00:01:48,800 Speaker 1: talking Canada. Clay, give me some background on on what 27 00:01:48,840 --> 00:01:50,800 Speaker 1: this is all about. How did this hunt come about? 28 00:01:51,560 --> 00:01:53,720 Speaker 1: You know, how how did this happen? We're just so 29 00:01:55,320 --> 00:01:58,160 Speaker 1: first of all, if you're gonna hunt in Canada and 30 00:01:58,200 --> 00:02:02,280 Speaker 1: you're not from Canada, you have to have an outfitter, 31 00:02:02,520 --> 00:02:04,400 Speaker 1: So you have to go through an outfitter. So there's 32 00:02:04,400 --> 00:02:07,440 Speaker 1: really no do it yourself hunts for guys like us 33 00:02:07,480 --> 00:02:12,519 Speaker 1: coming from the States going into Canada. But as Justin, 34 00:02:12,600 --> 00:02:15,520 Speaker 1: I think would agree, this is probably the best case 35 00:02:15,600 --> 00:02:19,880 Speaker 1: scenario for kind of a do it yourself guy wanting 36 00:02:19,919 --> 00:02:23,760 Speaker 1: to go there. And and I do have some three 37 00:02:23,840 --> 00:02:27,160 Speaker 1: years of history on this farm with this outfitters name 38 00:02:27,200 --> 00:02:34,200 Speaker 1: is Tom Ainsworth, and it's it's probably mark my favorite 39 00:02:34,280 --> 00:02:38,320 Speaker 1: hunt of the year, Like above everything I do. It's uh, 40 00:02:38,400 --> 00:02:40,000 Speaker 1: you know a lot of the hunts that I'm doing 41 00:02:40,440 --> 00:02:44,919 Speaker 1: bear hunting backcountry stuff is it's hard. I mean, it's 42 00:02:44,960 --> 00:02:49,240 Speaker 1: like you're sleeping under the stars. You're fighting against you know, 43 00:02:49,280 --> 00:02:53,880 Speaker 1: your tent camping, your um doing a whole lot of deficit, 44 00:02:53,960 --> 00:02:59,320 Speaker 1: your hiking. Physical fitness is an issue low density animals. Man, 45 00:02:59,360 --> 00:03:02,000 Speaker 1: This to me is like exactly opposite of that. You know, 46 00:03:02,040 --> 00:03:04,480 Speaker 1: we're staying in the house, we're eating three meals a 47 00:03:04,560 --> 00:03:09,640 Speaker 1: day at a dinner table. Um. Aside from at times 48 00:03:09,639 --> 00:03:12,799 Speaker 1: in Canada tough weather to deal with, which we did 49 00:03:12,840 --> 00:03:16,440 Speaker 1: not in this early season hunt, and it's just an 50 00:03:16,440 --> 00:03:18,920 Speaker 1: incredibly fun hunt. We see a lot of deer and 51 00:03:19,000 --> 00:03:21,160 Speaker 1: the people that we hut with have kind of become 52 00:03:21,200 --> 00:03:24,720 Speaker 1: like family to me, Um, Tom and deb Ainsworth. So 53 00:03:24,760 --> 00:03:27,040 Speaker 1: this was my fourth year to go there. I've been 54 00:03:27,080 --> 00:03:30,320 Speaker 1: there the last three years, well the last four years 55 00:03:30,360 --> 00:03:32,920 Speaker 1: minus COVID. Last year I didn't go. This is my 56 00:03:33,040 --> 00:03:37,720 Speaker 1: fourth year and I've had incredible luck up there in Canada. 57 00:03:37,880 --> 00:03:40,640 Speaker 1: I've I've killed. The first year I was there, I 58 00:03:40,680 --> 00:03:42,920 Speaker 1: killed a hundred and fifty two inch buck with my bow. 59 00:03:43,760 --> 00:03:49,000 Speaker 1: Second year, I killed a really nice eight point that 60 00:03:49,080 --> 00:03:52,560 Speaker 1: I would shoot every year of my life. For the 61 00:03:52,600 --> 00:03:58,520 Speaker 1: next However, many years that is, um, it didn't score 62 00:03:58,600 --> 00:04:02,280 Speaker 1: real well, but it was a real heavy horned tall 63 00:04:02,400 --> 00:04:07,720 Speaker 1: G two's just a really gnarly old buck um. And 64 00:04:07,760 --> 00:04:11,400 Speaker 1: then the third year I went, I killed a hundred 65 00:04:11,400 --> 00:04:15,360 Speaker 1: and fifty six inch deere, so a ton of history. 66 00:04:15,840 --> 00:04:19,520 Speaker 1: And but this year I couldn't go during the run. 67 00:04:19,600 --> 00:04:21,800 Speaker 1: Every the three times prior have been, I've been the 68 00:04:21,839 --> 00:04:25,720 Speaker 1: first seven days of November essentially, and this year I 69 00:04:25,720 --> 00:04:28,440 Speaker 1: couldn't do that, so we bumped it all the way back. 70 00:04:28,480 --> 00:04:31,000 Speaker 1: Manitoba has an early white tail season that starts on 71 00:04:31,040 --> 00:04:35,840 Speaker 1: August thirty one, and so that's when I went. We 72 00:04:35,920 --> 00:04:40,800 Speaker 1: are first hunting day was the evening of August one, 73 00:04:41,600 --> 00:04:46,480 Speaker 1: and um, yeah, just to describe the type of hunting, 74 00:04:46,680 --> 00:04:51,080 Speaker 1: we were hunting alfalfa fields. There are it's crop land 75 00:04:51,360 --> 00:04:54,760 Speaker 1: that juts right up against what the Canadians called the bush, 76 00:04:54,800 --> 00:04:57,920 Speaker 1: which is what we would call national forest. And their 77 00:04:58,000 --> 00:05:02,280 Speaker 1: bush is thick. There's really not a lot of opportunity 78 00:05:02,480 --> 00:05:09,160 Speaker 1: for getting back in there and finding travel patterns like 79 00:05:09,320 --> 00:05:11,520 Speaker 1: back in the timber. For these deer coming out in 80 00:05:11,560 --> 00:05:16,000 Speaker 1: these fields, it's super thick, very thick, and uh so 81 00:05:16,040 --> 00:05:20,320 Speaker 1: we're hunting these deer and crop fields and this year. 82 00:05:20,440 --> 00:05:23,359 Speaker 1: The every year the farms a little bit different with 83 00:05:23,440 --> 00:05:26,279 Speaker 1: what crops are there, and this year there was a 84 00:05:26,400 --> 00:05:30,400 Speaker 1: very limited amount of alfalfa and a lot more oats, 85 00:05:31,240 --> 00:05:33,600 Speaker 1: and that I felt like it was advantageous to us 86 00:05:33,600 --> 00:05:37,120 Speaker 1: because the deer seemed to prefer alfalfa. They also eat 87 00:05:37,160 --> 00:05:43,479 Speaker 1: the odes. But yeah, so that's that's where it all started. Mark, 88 00:05:44,120 --> 00:05:49,039 Speaker 1: that's perfect. What was like, what was the the game plan? 89 00:05:49,160 --> 00:05:52,000 Speaker 1: And like where was your head at leading into day one? 90 00:05:52,080 --> 00:05:54,440 Speaker 1: I mean, you've had three previous years of experience, So 91 00:05:54,480 --> 00:05:56,919 Speaker 1: did you come into this knowing, okay, based on what 92 00:05:57,000 --> 00:05:59,440 Speaker 1: I know, I'd really like to hunt in this spot 93 00:05:59,680 --> 00:06:01,920 Speaker 1: or spot in this spot, and I think they're gonna 94 00:06:01,920 --> 00:06:03,760 Speaker 1: do this, this and this, or did you come into it, 95 00:06:04,120 --> 00:06:06,480 Speaker 1: you know, thinking that this might be totally different because 96 00:06:06,480 --> 00:06:08,560 Speaker 1: the crops are in different places and and all that 97 00:06:08,640 --> 00:06:11,279 Speaker 1: kind of stuff. You know, it's the kind of place 98 00:06:11,560 --> 00:06:16,400 Speaker 1: Mark that I I pretty much had a there was 99 00:06:16,520 --> 00:06:20,440 Speaker 1: eighty percent chance that I knew exactly what was gonna happen, 100 00:06:21,200 --> 00:06:23,520 Speaker 1: and that that was true. I mean, I pretty much 101 00:06:23,600 --> 00:06:27,680 Speaker 1: hunted in the places I assumed that I would hunt. 102 00:06:27,720 --> 00:06:34,479 Speaker 1: These deer are pretty unpressured and there pretty predictable and 103 00:06:34,680 --> 00:06:40,680 Speaker 1: it worked out just about like what I thought. Um, 104 00:06:40,720 --> 00:06:45,640 Speaker 1: so okay, so then talk to me about what you 105 00:06:45,680 --> 00:06:49,560 Speaker 1: know you got there? Day one? You've you you drove 106 00:06:49,640 --> 00:06:52,479 Speaker 1: in right in. Yeah, we drove up to Canada. For me. 107 00:06:52,520 --> 00:06:54,839 Speaker 1: It was an eighteen hour trip. I picked up Justin 108 00:06:55,440 --> 00:06:58,680 Speaker 1: and we uh we arrived early in the morning, like 109 00:06:58,760 --> 00:07:03,880 Speaker 1: at three am, and we were out scouting shortly after 110 00:07:04,000 --> 00:07:08,400 Speaker 1: daylight and uh saw some deer, saw some bucks on 111 00:07:08,440 --> 00:07:11,560 Speaker 1: the alfalfa, right where we hoped they would be. It 112 00:07:11,680 --> 00:07:14,680 Speaker 1: was the first place we pulled into. Basically we saw 113 00:07:14,760 --> 00:07:17,600 Speaker 1: bucks on the alfalfa. And so basically it was a 114 00:07:17,640 --> 00:07:24,080 Speaker 1: ten acre rectangular block of alfalfa that had a big, 115 00:07:24,800 --> 00:07:30,280 Speaker 1: like forty acre track of oats to the side of it. 116 00:07:31,040 --> 00:07:36,200 Speaker 1: And the wind that first so our first afternoon, the 117 00:07:36,240 --> 00:07:39,520 Speaker 1: wind was coming out of the south, and so we 118 00:07:39,640 --> 00:07:43,520 Speaker 1: hunted the north side of the of the south alfa 119 00:07:43,520 --> 00:07:45,160 Speaker 1: and it's big, you know, I mean, it's you know, 120 00:07:45,240 --> 00:07:49,640 Speaker 1: it's fifty yards probably to the other end, and so 121 00:07:49,720 --> 00:07:53,600 Speaker 1: you're kind of just guessing, hoping that they are coming within, 122 00:07:54,040 --> 00:07:57,280 Speaker 1: you know, forty yards of your tree. And uh, we 123 00:07:58,120 --> 00:08:00,280 Speaker 1: just and I both had saddles, and so we were 124 00:08:00,280 --> 00:08:04,160 Speaker 1: able to set up in a reel small tree that 125 00:08:05,200 --> 00:08:07,480 Speaker 1: you know, had never been hunted to our knowledge. I 126 00:08:07,520 --> 00:08:09,600 Speaker 1: mean we we had to trim it out and everything, 127 00:08:10,200 --> 00:08:14,600 Speaker 1: and I got in the stand probably four hours before dark, 128 00:08:16,000 --> 00:08:21,600 Speaker 1: and uh, that first evening we had bucks come on 129 00:08:21,640 --> 00:08:23,920 Speaker 1: the field, you know, just kind of prime time, you know, 130 00:08:23,960 --> 00:08:26,119 Speaker 1: an hour to an hour and a half before dark 131 00:08:26,160 --> 00:08:28,760 Speaker 1: had bucks come on the field. And then the last 132 00:08:28,880 --> 00:08:33,280 Speaker 1: thirty minutes of daylight, Justin said, oh man, there's a 133 00:08:33,320 --> 00:08:35,840 Speaker 1: stomper buck that just stepped out. I don't remember his 134 00:08:35,920 --> 00:08:40,480 Speaker 1: exact phraseology, but I'm pretty sure stomper that seemed to 135 00:08:40,480 --> 00:08:42,920 Speaker 1: be something. Is that? Is that your phrase, Justin? Is 136 00:08:42,920 --> 00:08:47,240 Speaker 1: that what you said? No, I can't remember what I 137 00:08:47,280 --> 00:08:51,400 Speaker 1: said At this point, I was gonna piggyback though. Um, 138 00:08:51,440 --> 00:08:54,200 Speaker 1: you know what was cool I've I've not to take 139 00:08:54,240 --> 00:08:56,679 Speaker 1: away from where Clay was going, but it was what 140 00:08:56,760 --> 00:08:58,880 Speaker 1: was neat was I've only been to an outfit there 141 00:08:58,880 --> 00:09:01,679 Speaker 1: a couple of times, never for white tail, and like 142 00:09:01,840 --> 00:09:04,240 Speaker 1: Clay said, this place was like as close as you 143 00:09:04,280 --> 00:09:07,240 Speaker 1: could get to just like knocking on the door and 144 00:09:07,280 --> 00:09:10,600 Speaker 1: getting permission. Um, you know, there were stands set but 145 00:09:10,760 --> 00:09:14,559 Speaker 1: like like Clay mentioned, like we we went in that 146 00:09:14,600 --> 00:09:17,840 Speaker 1: morning when we went into scout. Um, we we came 147 00:09:17,920 --> 00:09:20,199 Speaker 1: up to that field and as soon as Clay came 148 00:09:20,200 --> 00:09:24,480 Speaker 1: around the corner, he'd like dropped down and he said, 149 00:09:24,520 --> 00:09:27,839 Speaker 1: there's a shooter right here. So we like we felt 150 00:09:27,840 --> 00:09:30,640 Speaker 1: good right away about that alfalfa because there was art. 151 00:09:30,720 --> 00:09:33,000 Speaker 1: I mean, I was probably you know where we were 152 00:09:33,000 --> 00:09:36,679 Speaker 1: way into daylight and there was a shooter that didn't 153 00:09:36,679 --> 00:09:38,440 Speaker 1: see him, but you know, had his head to the 154 00:09:38,480 --> 00:09:43,400 Speaker 1: ground eating and so we backed out and and knew 155 00:09:43,480 --> 00:09:46,320 Speaker 1: like that that we had a pretty good scenario there, 156 00:09:46,400 --> 00:09:48,920 Speaker 1: and we drove around a bit more and a lot 157 00:09:49,000 --> 00:09:52,760 Speaker 1: of the fields that typically held alfalfa, from what Clay said, 158 00:09:53,160 --> 00:09:58,160 Speaker 1: in previous years, we're somewhat empty. So again, like it 159 00:09:58,320 --> 00:10:00,400 Speaker 1: just kind of stacked the deck a little bit more 160 00:10:00,400 --> 00:10:02,720 Speaker 1: in our favor as far as like there's not a 161 00:10:02,720 --> 00:10:04,599 Speaker 1: ton of places that these deer are gonna want to 162 00:10:04,640 --> 00:10:08,520 Speaker 1: be right now. And um, but yeah, we were you 163 00:10:08,520 --> 00:10:11,760 Speaker 1: know that that first night set up we you know, 164 00:10:11,840 --> 00:10:14,200 Speaker 1: we're positioned in a way that we could both have 165 00:10:14,400 --> 00:10:18,199 Speaker 1: eyes and we both had binos and uh, yeah, we 166 00:10:18,240 --> 00:10:22,640 Speaker 1: had a doe and uh probably it's hard to tell 167 00:10:22,679 --> 00:10:24,640 Speaker 1: you like you know at home now would be probably 168 00:10:24,679 --> 00:10:26,600 Speaker 1: a three and a half year old book, but place 169 00:10:26,760 --> 00:10:29,480 Speaker 1: whereas that those deer two and a half there, um 170 00:10:29,520 --> 00:10:31,960 Speaker 1: did or that size because their bodies are just huge. 171 00:10:32,000 --> 00:10:34,520 Speaker 1: But we had a dough and a buck come out early, 172 00:10:35,280 --> 00:10:37,880 Speaker 1: and you know, he was in full velvet. I don't know, 173 00:10:37,960 --> 00:10:40,200 Speaker 1: he's like a nice eight was it an eight or 174 00:10:40,200 --> 00:10:44,880 Speaker 1: ten clay? Nice deer came out fed a little bit, 175 00:10:45,200 --> 00:10:47,160 Speaker 1: and then he and Doe went late on the field 176 00:10:47,240 --> 00:10:50,320 Speaker 1: edge and just decided it was a great place to nap. 177 00:10:50,400 --> 00:10:54,080 Speaker 1: So we watched him for probably an hour, and um, yeah, 178 00:10:54,200 --> 00:10:57,040 Speaker 1: we watched deer messing around and they started coming out 179 00:10:57,080 --> 00:11:00,880 Speaker 1: and I call it a slammer lambor, that's I do. 180 00:11:00,960 --> 00:11:04,040 Speaker 1: It started with an H and then next next thing, 181 00:11:04,040 --> 00:11:07,040 Speaker 1: you know, man, I had been watching this deer in velvet, 182 00:11:07,080 --> 00:11:08,480 Speaker 1: and I was like, gosh, that's kind of that's a 183 00:11:08,600 --> 00:11:11,400 Speaker 1: nice dear, you know, like for for being the first 184 00:11:11,480 --> 00:11:15,000 Speaker 1: year that we saw. I'm like, all right, this is great. 185 00:11:15,080 --> 00:11:18,959 Speaker 1: And then this this other deer came out and all 186 00:11:19,000 --> 00:11:22,760 Speaker 1: of a sudden that that other buck, the velvet buck, 187 00:11:23,320 --> 00:11:27,200 Speaker 1: just was dwarfed, and um, I had seen a few 188 00:11:27,200 --> 00:11:30,200 Speaker 1: photos and then we were at Tom's house and I 189 00:11:30,200 --> 00:11:32,400 Speaker 1: got to see one of the deer he had on 190 00:11:32,559 --> 00:11:34,199 Speaker 1: his wall, which I would think was a two oh 191 00:11:34,240 --> 00:11:38,840 Speaker 1: eight or two oh nine um that was from that property. 192 00:11:39,000 --> 00:11:43,520 Speaker 1: And they have this their frame seems pretty unique. I mean, 193 00:11:43,760 --> 00:11:46,720 Speaker 1: you know, it's like seems like a genetic thing there. 194 00:11:46,720 --> 00:11:50,120 Speaker 1: And when he came out, he just his rack looked 195 00:11:50,200 --> 00:11:52,400 Speaker 1: like it was glowing red. I mean, it was just 196 00:11:52,440 --> 00:11:54,480 Speaker 1: like you could tell it hadn't been too long since 197 00:11:54,520 --> 00:11:57,840 Speaker 1: he had shed. It just looked fresh, and his body 198 00:11:57,960 --> 00:12:00,800 Speaker 1: was like a cow. So I was like, man, we 199 00:12:00,840 --> 00:12:05,000 Speaker 1: were in the game. So the slammer stepped out in clay. 200 00:12:05,040 --> 00:12:07,800 Speaker 1: How far away was he at this point, probably two 201 00:12:07,840 --> 00:12:10,160 Speaker 1: hundred fifty to three hundred yards, you know, it was 202 00:12:10,200 --> 00:12:12,760 Speaker 1: a good ways off, And we pretty much knew we 203 00:12:12,760 --> 00:12:16,200 Speaker 1: were out of the game because the deer stepped out 204 00:12:16,240 --> 00:12:18,600 Speaker 1: on the total opposite edge of the field. But being 205 00:12:18,640 --> 00:12:20,960 Speaker 1: the first day, that's all we wanted. We just wanted 206 00:12:21,000 --> 00:12:23,320 Speaker 1: to locate a shooter buck. And the thing about too, 207 00:12:23,360 --> 00:12:29,240 Speaker 1: about uh this outfitted hunt is Tom and I've learned 208 00:12:29,240 --> 00:12:33,199 Speaker 1: to love this. He doesn't do a lot of reconnaissance. 209 00:12:33,800 --> 00:12:36,520 Speaker 1: I mean, it wasn't like he he has kind of 210 00:12:36,520 --> 00:12:40,280 Speaker 1: a philosophy that he wants his hunters to hunt, and 211 00:12:40,320 --> 00:12:42,760 Speaker 1: so he knew there was a big buck there, but 212 00:12:42,840 --> 00:12:45,800 Speaker 1: he didn't give us much intel. He didn't show us pictures, 213 00:12:46,640 --> 00:12:49,080 Speaker 1: and so you know, we kind of discovered this buck 214 00:12:49,080 --> 00:12:52,120 Speaker 1: and we're like, Okay, that's the deer we're after. And 215 00:12:52,160 --> 00:12:55,400 Speaker 1: Mark I I believed it to be a hundred and 216 00:12:55,440 --> 00:13:01,080 Speaker 1: fifty inch main frame ten. He he might have he 217 00:13:01,120 --> 00:13:05,280 Speaker 1: could have been seven, or he might have been one, 218 00:13:05,400 --> 00:13:10,600 Speaker 1: you know, but just a classic ten and in heavy horned. 219 00:13:10,720 --> 00:13:15,400 Speaker 1: And man, those deer from having killed three deer up 220 00:13:15,440 --> 00:13:18,400 Speaker 1: there that they'll weigh in at two hundred fifty pounds 221 00:13:18,400 --> 00:13:20,960 Speaker 1: almost on the dot. I've killed three one way to forty, 222 00:13:20,960 --> 00:13:26,920 Speaker 1: one way to and one wayed. Um, I don't think 223 00:13:26,960 --> 00:13:28,800 Speaker 1: I ever killed one actually the way to fifty one. 224 00:13:29,040 --> 00:13:32,120 Speaker 1: The biggest one was totight. So you know they're they're 225 00:13:32,160 --> 00:13:34,520 Speaker 1: just big deer for us. You know, a big deer 226 00:13:34,559 --> 00:13:37,360 Speaker 1: at Arkansas is gonna weigh a hundred and seventy five pounds, 227 00:13:37,760 --> 00:13:42,400 Speaker 1: big mature buck and so um, when they when they're 228 00:13:42,440 --> 00:13:46,400 Speaker 1: that big body and the horns look fairly big, you're 229 00:13:46,440 --> 00:13:49,160 Speaker 1: talking about a hundred and fifty inch deer. Usually if 230 00:13:49,160 --> 00:13:53,280 Speaker 1: it's a ten point you know. And um, so we 231 00:13:53,280 --> 00:13:56,160 Speaker 1: were in the game. Uh that night Tom came and 232 00:13:56,200 --> 00:13:58,480 Speaker 1: picked us up in the field. We so we busted 233 00:13:58,520 --> 00:14:00,600 Speaker 1: these deer off the field, you know, to get out. 234 00:14:01,040 --> 00:14:04,520 Speaker 1: I felt like that was the best thing to do. Um, 235 00:14:04,679 --> 00:14:07,200 Speaker 1: justin feel free to tell any of these stories, man, 236 00:14:07,240 --> 00:14:09,920 Speaker 1: But I'm just gonna kind of march through, Mark if 237 00:14:10,000 --> 00:14:12,800 Speaker 1: you want me to, Yeah, Mark, march me through. But me, 238 00:14:13,040 --> 00:14:15,960 Speaker 1: I wanted throw in one thing before you give me 239 00:14:15,960 --> 00:14:18,080 Speaker 1: the full detail in day two. I really want to 240 00:14:18,120 --> 00:14:22,520 Speaker 1: know the thought process behind how you were planning to adjust, Like, 241 00:14:22,600 --> 00:14:25,040 Speaker 1: give me the full rundown of how you were thinking 242 00:14:25,040 --> 00:14:27,520 Speaker 1: about where to set up day two, because I'm imagining 243 00:14:28,040 --> 00:14:30,000 Speaker 1: you're taking into account where you saw that deer. You 244 00:14:30,040 --> 00:14:33,520 Speaker 1: gotta take into account the wind direction, and god knows 245 00:14:33,560 --> 00:14:36,600 Speaker 1: what else. So so walk me through that. Okay. So 246 00:14:37,680 --> 00:14:42,120 Speaker 1: there's timber on three sides of this field. One side 247 00:14:42,120 --> 00:14:45,360 Speaker 1: of the field butts up against another big oat field, 248 00:14:45,920 --> 00:14:50,040 Speaker 1: and I just felt like we were gonna swap back 249 00:14:50,080 --> 00:14:54,680 Speaker 1: and forth sides based pretty much every day there was 250 00:14:54,760 --> 00:14:58,880 Speaker 1: some some version of the north wind or some version 251 00:14:58,920 --> 00:15:03,160 Speaker 1: of a south wind, so you could hunt one side 252 00:15:03,160 --> 00:15:05,520 Speaker 1: of the field or the other and we were watching 253 00:15:05,560 --> 00:15:08,560 Speaker 1: these deer kind of where they're at. And Tom had 254 00:15:08,640 --> 00:15:12,840 Speaker 1: a shooting house, I mean basically like an enclosed blind 255 00:15:13,040 --> 00:15:16,400 Speaker 1: upon a platform. It looked like a porter party. Let's 256 00:15:16,400 --> 00:15:20,240 Speaker 1: just a green porter party. Yeah, and it's about the 257 00:15:20,320 --> 00:15:25,000 Speaker 1: same size. Yeah, that's about right. And and all these 258 00:15:25,040 --> 00:15:30,000 Speaker 1: deer were within bow range of that porter party. And 259 00:15:30,160 --> 00:15:33,760 Speaker 1: uh so so the next day we actually went in 260 00:15:33,880 --> 00:15:36,120 Speaker 1: trying to hang. We were gonna hang a set hang 261 00:15:36,120 --> 00:15:38,680 Speaker 1: out of our saddles, and I convinced Jess and I 262 00:15:38,720 --> 00:15:41,200 Speaker 1: was like, dude, we need to get in that thing 263 00:15:41,360 --> 00:15:44,280 Speaker 1: because it's gonna protect us from any kind of swirling wind. 264 00:15:44,880 --> 00:15:48,760 Speaker 1: And all those deer were pretty close to that blind. 265 00:15:49,440 --> 00:15:52,320 Speaker 1: And mind you, mind you, that first night we probably 266 00:15:52,400 --> 00:15:57,360 Speaker 1: saw you know, fifteen to twenty deer, and most of 267 00:15:57,400 --> 00:16:03,600 Speaker 1: those deer came out on that and towards the blind. Yeah. Yeah, 268 00:16:03,640 --> 00:16:09,000 Speaker 1: so that the well, our plan was to hunt the 269 00:16:09,040 --> 00:16:14,600 Speaker 1: south end the next day and so eventually we would 270 00:16:14,640 --> 00:16:17,960 Speaker 1: end up there. But the next morning, Mark, and this 271 00:16:18,000 --> 00:16:21,800 Speaker 1: is probably the most unique stand on the property, and 272 00:16:22,400 --> 00:16:25,920 Speaker 1: from a white tail strategy perspective, I would be interested 273 00:16:26,040 --> 00:16:29,520 Speaker 1: if Mark Kenyon and Josh Hilliard would come to this 274 00:16:29,640 --> 00:16:32,840 Speaker 1: property and would see this stand and would not be 275 00:16:33,040 --> 00:16:36,280 Speaker 1: like you would be interested to see if you would 276 00:16:36,280 --> 00:16:39,080 Speaker 1: have thought if it was a good spot, because I didn't. 277 00:16:39,680 --> 00:16:44,760 Speaker 1: I was the porter potty spot or a morning I'm sorry, 278 00:16:43,320 --> 00:16:49,000 Speaker 1: I'm about to describe where we sat in the morning perfect. 279 00:16:49,160 --> 00:16:55,080 Speaker 1: And so basically there's a main county road that bisex 280 00:16:55,960 --> 00:16:59,640 Speaker 1: the property. I mean a main county road the south 281 00:16:59,640 --> 00:17:03,000 Speaker 1: foul of field. Let's say it sets three yards off 282 00:17:03,000 --> 00:17:06,160 Speaker 1: the road, and it's gonna be really hard to describe 283 00:17:06,160 --> 00:17:09,320 Speaker 1: in boring if I take ten minutes trying to describe 284 00:17:09,320 --> 00:17:14,959 Speaker 1: the exact layout. But basically, through observation over decades, Tom 285 00:17:15,000 --> 00:17:20,119 Speaker 1: has been like, those deer always come by this little 286 00:17:20,200 --> 00:17:23,919 Speaker 1: corner and cross the main road and go back to 287 00:17:23,960 --> 00:17:26,199 Speaker 1: bed on the other side of the road. And I 288 00:17:26,240 --> 00:17:28,280 Speaker 1: just don't think you would be looking at an aerial 289 00:17:28,320 --> 00:17:30,600 Speaker 1: map and figure that out. I mean, it just you 290 00:17:30,680 --> 00:17:34,800 Speaker 1: just wouldn't. It's just not it's just not intuitive that 291 00:17:34,880 --> 00:17:36,760 Speaker 1: those deer cross right there. In the first year I 292 00:17:36,840 --> 00:17:39,479 Speaker 1: hunted with Tom, he put me in that stand and 293 00:17:39,520 --> 00:17:42,520 Speaker 1: I was just thinking, oh boy, here we go. You 294 00:17:42,560 --> 00:17:45,960 Speaker 1: know the rancher. You know, Tom's a rancher. Man. I mean, 295 00:17:46,040 --> 00:17:48,280 Speaker 1: you know he doesn't. They don't white tail hunt kind 296 00:17:48,280 --> 00:17:51,639 Speaker 1: of like we do because they don't have to. They 297 00:17:51,720 --> 00:17:56,440 Speaker 1: know the patterns of these deer so well that you know, 298 00:17:56,920 --> 00:17:59,880 Speaker 1: they kind of cut through the riff raff of sometime 299 00:18:00,160 --> 00:18:02,360 Speaker 1: and they're just like, hey, let's deer cross right there, 300 00:18:02,480 --> 00:18:05,600 Speaker 1: just hunt there, wor about. You know, we'd have been 301 00:18:05,640 --> 00:18:07,760 Speaker 1: thinking like, all right, let's try and get in close 302 00:18:07,760 --> 00:18:10,879 Speaker 1: to bedding and blah blah blah and times like you 303 00:18:10,920 --> 00:18:12,959 Speaker 1: see this two track, I put that in there so 304 00:18:13,040 --> 00:18:16,720 Speaker 1: that you walk down it. And sure enough, you said, 305 00:18:16,720 --> 00:18:19,160 Speaker 1: on this stand, it's like ten yards off of this 306 00:18:20,160 --> 00:18:23,639 Speaker 1: two track, so that he runs his quads around like 307 00:18:23,720 --> 00:18:27,000 Speaker 1: that's just how he accesses around his property. Bear you know, 308 00:18:27,160 --> 00:18:30,280 Speaker 1: just to the dirt. And you would think like, well, 309 00:18:31,240 --> 00:18:34,359 Speaker 1: kind of got screwed here, Like I literally you're in 310 00:18:34,440 --> 00:18:37,320 Speaker 1: the stand within like thirty seconds of being dropped off 311 00:18:37,320 --> 00:18:39,840 Speaker 1: from the road. So yeah, you're you're you're hunting. I mean, 312 00:18:39,880 --> 00:18:44,400 Speaker 1: you've got acres and you're within you know, A muzzleloader 313 00:18:44,480 --> 00:18:47,560 Speaker 1: shot of a main road that like school busses are 314 00:18:47,640 --> 00:18:52,800 Speaker 1: driving down, you know, and uh, it's a gravel road. 315 00:18:53,000 --> 00:18:55,000 Speaker 1: There's not a lot of traffic on it, But I 316 00:18:55,000 --> 00:18:58,560 Speaker 1: don't think. I don't think Justin saw the school buses, 317 00:18:58,560 --> 00:19:01,359 Speaker 1: but usually I do. But but I've hunted there three years, 318 00:19:01,440 --> 00:19:04,160 Speaker 1: and I'm telling you I believe that if a man 319 00:19:04,240 --> 00:19:06,720 Speaker 1: were to go there, and it's is usually six days 320 00:19:06,760 --> 00:19:09,399 Speaker 1: of hunting, if you set in that tree for six days, 321 00:19:10,200 --> 00:19:13,159 Speaker 1: you'd kill a big, mature Canadian buck. I mean, it 322 00:19:13,200 --> 00:19:17,520 Speaker 1: would be so boring because you don't always see deer. 323 00:19:17,680 --> 00:19:20,760 Speaker 1: Just some percentage of the time these deer exit these 324 00:19:20,840 --> 00:19:24,200 Speaker 1: fields and come that way. I would say thirty percent 325 00:19:24,240 --> 00:19:28,280 Speaker 1: of the time, I think. So if you set there 326 00:19:28,320 --> 00:19:30,640 Speaker 1: ten mornings, I think you would have deer within bow 327 00:19:30,800 --> 00:19:36,119 Speaker 1: range three to four times starting rupt. But now that 328 00:19:36,119 --> 00:19:38,760 Speaker 1: you've actually sat the spot right, so it's not like 329 00:19:38,800 --> 00:19:40,639 Speaker 1: you've only looked at the map. You've actually been on 330 00:19:40,680 --> 00:19:44,359 Speaker 1: the ground and actually seen it. Is there any Is 331 00:19:44,359 --> 00:19:48,000 Speaker 1: there any rhyme to why can you understand now why 332 00:19:48,080 --> 00:19:50,920 Speaker 1: the deer passed through? Like is there some little topography 333 00:19:50,920 --> 00:19:54,120 Speaker 1: thing or something. I think it has to do with 334 00:19:55,480 --> 00:19:58,600 Speaker 1: they could walk in the timber the whole way and 335 00:19:58,720 --> 00:20:04,280 Speaker 1: be covered by timber across the road. I think these 336 00:20:04,320 --> 00:20:08,760 Speaker 1: deer so unpressured. It's just easier than walking through timber. 337 00:20:09,119 --> 00:20:12,480 Speaker 1: So they walked down the edge of this timber and 338 00:20:12,640 --> 00:20:15,920 Speaker 1: now they're I'm serious. There are multiple things that they 339 00:20:15,960 --> 00:20:18,359 Speaker 1: could do that I would have predicted that they would 340 00:20:18,359 --> 00:20:22,440 Speaker 1: do before they do this. So there's not a lot 341 00:20:22,520 --> 00:20:26,280 Speaker 1: of reason to it other than it's highly predictable because 342 00:20:26,280 --> 00:20:30,280 Speaker 1: in three years I have personally seen multiple mature bucks 343 00:20:30,320 --> 00:20:33,120 Speaker 1: crossed within bow range of that stand. And if you could, 344 00:20:33,280 --> 00:20:35,800 Speaker 1: if you could picture it, there's a bit of a 345 00:20:35,800 --> 00:20:39,359 Speaker 1: curve on this two track, So if you followed the 346 00:20:39,359 --> 00:20:42,440 Speaker 1: curve to the road, then that's like how we would 347 00:20:42,480 --> 00:20:45,800 Speaker 1: get in, right, But if you are like a really 348 00:20:45,840 --> 00:20:49,320 Speaker 1: open j right, and what's happening is there walking down 349 00:20:49,359 --> 00:20:51,960 Speaker 1: the straight part of that j and right as it 350 00:20:52,040 --> 00:20:55,400 Speaker 1: starts to curve, which is probably clay, would you say 351 00:20:55,440 --> 00:21:00,560 Speaker 1: forty from the road, Yeah, okay, So right when that 352 00:21:00,800 --> 00:21:04,320 Speaker 1: jay starts to to curve, they cut into the woods 353 00:21:04,400 --> 00:21:07,440 Speaker 1: right there. And you know, again I don't we didn't 354 00:21:07,520 --> 00:21:09,639 Speaker 1: investigate too much, but what they end up doing is 355 00:21:09,680 --> 00:21:12,880 Speaker 1: crossing that road. But for some reason they're cutting in 356 00:21:13,000 --> 00:21:15,560 Speaker 1: right there, and maybe they just don't want to go 357 00:21:15,600 --> 00:21:19,480 Speaker 1: in the driveway. I don't know, but that like consistently. 358 00:21:19,960 --> 00:21:22,879 Speaker 1: That's what they're doing, is just following that road straight in. 359 00:21:24,400 --> 00:21:27,240 Speaker 1: So you you sat next to the road, did you 360 00:21:27,280 --> 00:21:30,840 Speaker 1: see the big giant Well, so this is a great 361 00:21:30,920 --> 00:21:34,320 Speaker 1: morning stand though, because you can't even see the alfalfa field. 362 00:21:34,400 --> 00:21:36,879 Speaker 1: So these deer on the alfalfa, you walk in the dark, 363 00:21:37,960 --> 00:21:40,040 Speaker 1: just out of the truck, climb up in this tree. 364 00:21:40,119 --> 00:21:43,159 Speaker 1: You don't spook any deer, and then your position for 365 00:21:43,200 --> 00:21:46,160 Speaker 1: their exit. That's what it that's what it happens. So 366 00:21:46,240 --> 00:21:50,560 Speaker 1: on the next morning, mark uh, just after daylight, we 367 00:21:50,640 --> 00:21:54,520 Speaker 1: saw three bucks exit the field and come within ten 368 00:21:54,600 --> 00:21:57,280 Speaker 1: yards of our tree. One of the deer was a 369 00:21:58,200 --> 00:22:02,359 Speaker 1: was a nice full velvet eight points. I would have 370 00:22:02,359 --> 00:22:07,159 Speaker 1: suspected him in the one twenties as score wise, I mean, 371 00:22:07,200 --> 00:22:09,840 Speaker 1: a nice looking deer, but not a deer that I 372 00:22:09,920 --> 00:22:15,040 Speaker 1: was interested in shooting, which spoiler alert, there's a little 373 00:22:15,040 --> 00:22:17,680 Speaker 1: bit of there's a little bit of drama involved in this. 374 00:22:17,840 --> 00:22:21,880 Speaker 1: So I passed this, I passed this deer, but they 375 00:22:21,920 --> 00:22:24,640 Speaker 1: come right in. What's interesting too, is this whole time 376 00:22:24,640 --> 00:22:28,320 Speaker 1: we're watching a very large bear out in the oats, 377 00:22:28,440 --> 00:22:35,280 Speaker 1: probably five yards from us. Um so afflicted, oh, not 378 00:22:35,480 --> 00:22:38,280 Speaker 1: really conflicted. I was pretty interested in the deer. But 379 00:22:38,359 --> 00:22:41,200 Speaker 1: it was kind of cool to be watching these deer 380 00:22:41,280 --> 00:22:45,080 Speaker 1: and a bear out of the same tree stand, you know. Um, 381 00:22:45,119 --> 00:22:48,200 Speaker 1: So I passed these deer on the first morning. So 382 00:22:49,160 --> 00:22:52,240 Speaker 1: that evening, Mark, we go to the porter potty stand 383 00:22:52,840 --> 00:22:55,040 Speaker 1: and uh, it's not it's bigger than a porter pot 384 00:22:55,080 --> 00:22:58,199 Speaker 1: It would be like a two seater porter potty. Is 385 00:22:58,200 --> 00:23:01,720 Speaker 1: this is this the night you sent me your second video? Yeah, 386 00:23:01,800 --> 00:23:05,600 Speaker 1: that's it. That's it. That's it, the second video. I 387 00:23:05,760 --> 00:23:09,280 Speaker 1: thoroughly enjoyed that. We're not gonna get that because there's 388 00:23:09,480 --> 00:23:15,720 Speaker 1: another conflict of some people, don't you know. Well, now 389 00:23:15,760 --> 00:23:21,959 Speaker 1: you gotta explain, just kept. I don't want to. I 390 00:23:21,960 --> 00:23:25,480 Speaker 1: don't want to ruin. I don't want to wreck people's 391 00:23:25,720 --> 00:23:32,920 Speaker 1: world views on scent control just yet. I mean later later, Mark, Okay, okay, later, 392 00:23:34,920 --> 00:23:36,960 Speaker 1: I want to. I don't want to bankrupt the scent 393 00:23:37,080 --> 00:23:41,560 Speaker 1: control companies. These guys are just trying to make a living, 394 00:23:42,280 --> 00:23:46,320 Speaker 1: that m um. So the next day we get in 395 00:23:46,440 --> 00:23:50,200 Speaker 1: probably four hours before dark and setting this stand, and Mark, 396 00:23:50,359 --> 00:23:54,280 Speaker 1: it was like it was perfect. We saw fifteen bucks. 397 00:23:54,400 --> 00:23:58,800 Speaker 1: I'm trying to fast forward because uh, we saw fifteen deer, 398 00:23:58,960 --> 00:24:02,200 Speaker 1: many of them within bow range of our stand. We're 399 00:24:02,200 --> 00:24:08,000 Speaker 1: looking over this alfalfa, and thirty minutes before dark, we 400 00:24:08,160 --> 00:24:14,720 Speaker 1: see the stomp what stomper buck? Slammer buck? Justin says, 401 00:24:14,760 --> 00:24:17,760 Speaker 1: there's a slammer buck, and he's looking four or five 402 00:24:18,240 --> 00:24:21,359 Speaker 1: yards across the oats. And here comes this buck that 403 00:24:21,440 --> 00:24:25,120 Speaker 1: we've seen the evening before, coming from the total opposite direction, 404 00:24:25,480 --> 00:24:29,800 Speaker 1: crossing a wide open field for several hundred yards, enter 405 00:24:29,880 --> 00:24:35,040 Speaker 1: into the alfalfa, and he walks within probably eight yards 406 00:24:35,160 --> 00:24:38,160 Speaker 1: of where we were sitting the night before in our 407 00:24:38,200 --> 00:24:43,159 Speaker 1: tree saddles, and we basically watch it get dark while 408 00:24:43,200 --> 00:24:46,880 Speaker 1: he is just prancing around within bow range of where 409 00:24:46,880 --> 00:24:51,320 Speaker 1: we set the evening before. And um, it was pretty incredible. 410 00:24:51,359 --> 00:24:54,280 Speaker 1: I mean, at this point, I've seen it there twice 411 00:24:54,320 --> 00:24:57,320 Speaker 1: now on the alfalfa. It's just a matter of time, 412 00:24:57,920 --> 00:25:00,359 Speaker 1: you know. And I just tell Justin, I mean, we 413 00:25:00,400 --> 00:25:02,919 Speaker 1: had the same thought. It's just like, dude, we just 414 00:25:02,960 --> 00:25:05,960 Speaker 1: got to keep doing this and eventually you know he's 415 00:25:06,000 --> 00:25:12,120 Speaker 1: gonna end up here. But it was interesting too, because 416 00:25:12,320 --> 00:25:16,320 Speaker 1: you know that that alfalfa field was just like so 417 00:25:16,600 --> 00:25:19,760 Speaker 1: lush and green, and I was surprised how much these 418 00:25:19,760 --> 00:25:22,320 Speaker 1: deer were spending time in these oats. And and when 419 00:25:22,320 --> 00:25:26,320 Speaker 1: we say oats, like they were like brown, like tall 420 00:25:26,480 --> 00:25:30,840 Speaker 1: brown oats. It's not fresh green growth. Um. And they 421 00:25:30,880 --> 00:25:34,200 Speaker 1: were in there just like you know, hitting them, hitting 422 00:25:34,240 --> 00:25:37,680 Speaker 1: them hard. So you almost had to you almost had 423 00:25:37,720 --> 00:25:40,520 Speaker 1: to keep eyes in the oats as much as you 424 00:25:40,560 --> 00:25:43,240 Speaker 1: did in the alf alfa. Again, that that alf alfa field, 425 00:25:43,320 --> 00:25:46,240 Speaker 1: how how big would you say that field was? Clay? 426 00:25:46,440 --> 00:25:49,040 Speaker 1: I think Tom said it was seventy acres now that 427 00:25:49,080 --> 00:25:52,879 Speaker 1: I think about it. That the oat field was a 428 00:25:52,880 --> 00:25:55,040 Speaker 1: lot bigger than the off Alpha field. But I mean 429 00:25:55,080 --> 00:25:57,240 Speaker 1: it was nothing to see these deer scoot right out 430 00:25:57,240 --> 00:25:59,520 Speaker 1: of the alf Alpha field and start feeding in these oats, 431 00:25:59,720 --> 00:26:03,359 Speaker 1: and you know it looked like dry soybeans. Um. But yeah, 432 00:26:03,400 --> 00:26:06,600 Speaker 1: that's that's where he came from. That night, he just 433 00:26:06,800 --> 00:26:10,680 Speaker 1: was cruising across the air, taking his time and uh yeah, 434 00:26:11,000 --> 00:26:14,200 Speaker 1: just he started working our way. But you know, dark 435 00:26:14,280 --> 00:26:21,320 Speaker 1: got to us. So next day, okay, so we the 436 00:26:21,400 --> 00:26:25,480 Speaker 1: next day we go back to the county road stand 437 00:26:26,480 --> 00:26:28,640 Speaker 1: and I'll give you a couple of clues and then 438 00:26:28,680 --> 00:26:31,800 Speaker 1: we'll dial this in here and and and the story 439 00:26:31,800 --> 00:26:37,400 Speaker 1: will be finished. Okay. Um, the Big Buck was hard horned, 440 00:26:38,080 --> 00:26:43,480 Speaker 1: and probably eight percent of the other deer were in velvet. Okay, 441 00:26:43,720 --> 00:26:47,960 Speaker 1: so that's that's one thing that is in my mind 442 00:26:48,119 --> 00:26:51,480 Speaker 1: that the big deer is hard horned. Um. So the 443 00:26:51,520 --> 00:26:53,840 Speaker 1: next the next morning, we climb up in the stand 444 00:26:54,440 --> 00:26:56,520 Speaker 1: where we'd passed the deer to day the day before. 445 00:26:56,680 --> 00:27:02,400 Speaker 1: This is the county road stand, and it's it's overcast, 446 00:27:02,640 --> 00:27:07,240 Speaker 1: so it's kind of dark, but the sun starts to 447 00:27:07,280 --> 00:27:10,000 Speaker 1: come up. We're ready, and I pull up the buyos 448 00:27:10,119 --> 00:27:12,359 Speaker 1: and I see three deer coming out of the Alfa 449 00:27:12,400 --> 00:27:16,120 Speaker 1: alfa turn and start coming our way. And I can 450 00:27:16,119 --> 00:27:18,720 Speaker 1: tell their bucks, but it's there, you know, they're three 451 00:27:19,160 --> 00:27:22,120 Speaker 1: yards away, and I can just see racks on all 452 00:27:22,200 --> 00:27:25,000 Speaker 1: of them, and I can tell the one in the 453 00:27:25,119 --> 00:27:29,200 Speaker 1: lead is hard horned. And this is where I made 454 00:27:29,200 --> 00:27:32,640 Speaker 1: a mistake. Um. And you know, it's kind of cool 455 00:27:32,760 --> 00:27:36,640 Speaker 1: making a mistake because I don't know, you just learn 456 00:27:36,720 --> 00:27:39,000 Speaker 1: a lot from it. And and I go back and 457 00:27:39,040 --> 00:27:44,199 Speaker 1: I just like track what happened, and uh, you know, 458 00:27:44,240 --> 00:27:46,840 Speaker 1: it was so dark, I couldn't see these deer real well, 459 00:27:47,359 --> 00:27:49,679 Speaker 1: but I could see him through buyos and and um 460 00:27:51,720 --> 00:27:53,119 Speaker 1: and and I mean you can see them with your 461 00:27:53,160 --> 00:27:56,880 Speaker 1: naked eye but I'm but once they make the corner, 462 00:27:57,040 --> 00:28:01,040 Speaker 1: they're coming fast, you know, I mean, they're they're steady walking. 463 00:28:01,080 --> 00:28:04,240 Speaker 1: So I pull up the bottoms one time and the 464 00:28:04,280 --> 00:28:08,520 Speaker 1: first deer is hard horned and his horns come out 465 00:28:08,560 --> 00:28:10,200 Speaker 1: to his ears, and he just looks like he's got 466 00:28:10,200 --> 00:28:14,119 Speaker 1: a solid rack. And I just made the decision that 467 00:28:14,359 --> 00:28:18,960 Speaker 1: is the buck we're after. And that was it. Like 468 00:28:19,040 --> 00:28:22,760 Speaker 1: he's the one from the night before. That's right, I say, 469 00:28:22,880 --> 00:28:25,359 Speaker 1: that's the big one. He's in the front, and man, 470 00:28:25,440 --> 00:28:29,359 Speaker 1: I put the bottos up and I never looked back, 471 00:28:29,800 --> 00:28:32,320 Speaker 1: and they were like once they once they came around 472 00:28:32,359 --> 00:28:35,080 Speaker 1: that corner, they made their way out into that oat 473 00:28:35,119 --> 00:28:38,520 Speaker 1: field and started feeding their way towards us. So it 474 00:28:38,600 --> 00:28:41,480 Speaker 1: wasn't they weren't hauling down that road like the three 475 00:28:41,520 --> 00:28:44,760 Speaker 1: we had seen the day before. They were kind of 476 00:28:44,760 --> 00:28:47,040 Speaker 1: taking their time, but you know they were they were. 477 00:28:47,400 --> 00:28:53,560 Speaker 1: We knew where they were gone. Yeah, and and basically 478 00:28:53,760 --> 00:28:59,480 Speaker 1: quit what stay three is this day three of the hunt? Yes, 479 00:29:00,720 --> 00:29:03,960 Speaker 1: morning of day three, because we we fed a bear 480 00:29:04,040 --> 00:29:09,000 Speaker 1: hunt in between in that one second day, right, I think, 481 00:29:09,040 --> 00:29:15,040 Speaker 1: So I'm trying to remember that. Ye. So basically this 482 00:29:15,120 --> 00:29:18,080 Speaker 1: deer just comes into twenty five yards and I never 483 00:29:18,160 --> 00:29:22,360 Speaker 1: scrutinized him, and I could tell that the deer behind 484 00:29:22,480 --> 00:29:25,360 Speaker 1: him was bigger, but the way the wind was blowing, 485 00:29:25,880 --> 00:29:29,600 Speaker 1: they were gonna cross right into our wind. Like so 486 00:29:29,640 --> 00:29:32,040 Speaker 1: I felt like I needed to shoot the first deer. 487 00:29:32,240 --> 00:29:34,320 Speaker 1: And I felt like the first deer was a hundred 488 00:29:34,320 --> 00:29:37,640 Speaker 1: and fifty inch deer, the one behind him was slightly bigger. 489 00:29:37,720 --> 00:29:40,920 Speaker 1: Tom had seen a bigger buck the day before, and 490 00:29:41,000 --> 00:29:43,960 Speaker 1: I I felt like, Man, I'm not gonna get greedy 491 00:29:44,000 --> 00:29:47,080 Speaker 1: and let this one fifty walk past me and get 492 00:29:47,120 --> 00:29:51,240 Speaker 1: down wind waiting for this bigger one. And so, man, 493 00:29:51,280 --> 00:29:54,840 Speaker 1: he comes into twenty five yards and you know it, 494 00:29:54,840 --> 00:29:58,760 Speaker 1: it's minutes. I mean it's early, you know, I mean 495 00:29:58,840 --> 00:30:02,080 Speaker 1: it's it's it's go shooting light. But it is overcast 496 00:30:02,160 --> 00:30:05,960 Speaker 1: and it is early, and um, and I mean I 497 00:30:06,000 --> 00:30:07,880 Speaker 1: pulled back, and I mean I can see him perfect 498 00:30:07,920 --> 00:30:11,280 Speaker 1: through the peat and but I'm not scrutinizing Hornson. I 499 00:30:11,280 --> 00:30:15,440 Speaker 1: mean I just tendering him at twenty five yards. Just shoot, 500 00:30:15,600 --> 00:30:18,960 Speaker 1: and I mean just double. Um. We hear a twap, 501 00:30:19,840 --> 00:30:23,880 Speaker 1: he runs off falls in the field and I'm elated, 502 00:30:24,600 --> 00:30:27,080 Speaker 1: and uh, we go out there and that's it is 503 00:30:27,120 --> 00:30:31,560 Speaker 1: not the buck at all. It's um, you know, I 504 00:30:31,560 --> 00:30:35,800 Speaker 1: don't even want to say what he would score, uh 505 00:30:35,840 --> 00:30:37,640 Speaker 1: because I don't know, but it was. It was a 506 00:30:37,680 --> 00:30:40,840 Speaker 1: two year old eight point buck and uh man, to 507 00:30:40,880 --> 00:30:43,520 Speaker 1: say I wasn't disappointed would just be a lie. I mean, 508 00:30:43,600 --> 00:30:46,920 Speaker 1: I was disappointed. I've been to Canada three times and 509 00:30:47,000 --> 00:30:50,920 Speaker 1: killed really nice deer. We were after a really nice deer, 510 00:30:51,920 --> 00:30:56,920 Speaker 1: and uh so I was very disappointed. Um what, I 511 00:30:56,960 --> 00:30:58,920 Speaker 1: hate to say it. I hate to say it because 512 00:30:59,120 --> 00:31:03,120 Speaker 1: you know, I mean, there's just there's just no no 513 00:31:03,200 --> 00:31:06,280 Speaker 1: getting around it, you know, I mean, I I shot 514 00:31:06,320 --> 00:31:10,800 Speaker 1: the wrong dear. So Clay tell me this, how do 515 00:31:11,040 --> 00:31:13,720 Speaker 1: you so? I'm gonna ask this to you Clay first, 516 00:31:13,760 --> 00:31:19,000 Speaker 1: and then I'll ask justin next what does disappointed just 517 00:31:19,040 --> 00:31:22,520 Speaker 1: shot the wrong buck Clay look like and sound like 518 00:31:22,600 --> 00:31:26,280 Speaker 1: in that moment. You know, I'm pretty hard on myself. 519 00:31:26,840 --> 00:31:29,520 Speaker 1: I mean I really am. I mean I in some 520 00:31:29,520 --> 00:31:34,239 Speaker 1: some some ways, you know, people might see me as 521 00:31:34,280 --> 00:31:38,080 Speaker 1: just kind of like happy, go lucky, whatever happens, not 522 00:31:38,200 --> 00:31:41,040 Speaker 1: a trophy hunter. When it comes to white tails, I'm 523 00:31:41,080 --> 00:31:45,680 Speaker 1: probably a little bit different. I mean, um, uh yeah, 524 00:31:45,840 --> 00:31:48,640 Speaker 1: I was. I was. I was quite disappointed. I really 525 00:31:48,760 --> 00:31:54,320 Speaker 1: was and and and partly because everything was in place 526 00:31:54,560 --> 00:31:57,200 Speaker 1: for us to kill a good deer, you know, and 527 00:31:57,360 --> 00:32:00,800 Speaker 1: in to end the hunt that quick. And I have 528 00:32:01,000 --> 00:32:06,280 Speaker 1: a elaborate, elaborate spiel on judging Canadian white tails. That 529 00:32:06,440 --> 00:32:12,160 Speaker 1: is killer. I about all the people that didn't kill 530 00:32:12,240 --> 00:32:15,360 Speaker 1: big deer that he brought He so I knew what. 531 00:32:15,800 --> 00:32:18,680 Speaker 1: I knew what we were up against. Oh, Mark, I 532 00:32:18,760 --> 00:32:21,760 Speaker 1: have every the other three years I've been to Canada, 533 00:32:21,800 --> 00:32:26,560 Speaker 1: I've brought people with me, and every single person nobody 534 00:32:26,600 --> 00:32:30,040 Speaker 1: has walked out of Canada with a big Canadian white tail. 535 00:32:30,680 --> 00:32:32,760 Speaker 1: Every single person I brought up there has made a 536 00:32:32,760 --> 00:32:35,560 Speaker 1: mistake and shot two year old deer. One guy shot 537 00:32:35,600 --> 00:32:37,760 Speaker 1: one guy probably shot a three year old deer. But 538 00:32:37,800 --> 00:32:41,120 Speaker 1: it was a It's just like anywhere. I mean, they're 539 00:32:41,160 --> 00:32:43,680 Speaker 1: not all big, you know. So you could have a 540 00:32:43,680 --> 00:32:46,920 Speaker 1: mature four year old deer that had a rack. You know, 541 00:32:47,040 --> 00:32:50,280 Speaker 1: that's possible. No, absolutely, I mean I could tell you 542 00:32:50,360 --> 00:32:55,360 Speaker 1: stories and it um. But every single one of them 543 00:32:55,480 --> 00:33:00,000 Speaker 1: killed two year old dear, And so I have Oh, 544 00:33:00,120 --> 00:33:03,960 Speaker 1: I should write an article about judging trophy whitetails in Canada. 545 00:33:04,040 --> 00:33:07,840 Speaker 1: And you gotta tell me what what's the secret to 546 00:33:08,200 --> 00:33:12,560 Speaker 1: properly judging a trophy whitetail in Canada, Well, you've got 547 00:33:12,560 --> 00:33:14,560 Speaker 1: to make sure that you're looking at a two hundred 548 00:33:14,560 --> 00:33:17,840 Speaker 1: and fifty pound deer. You know, this deer probably weighed 549 00:33:17,880 --> 00:33:20,440 Speaker 1: two hundred ten pounds is what I would have guessed. 550 00:33:20,480 --> 00:33:24,640 Speaker 1: It is a big deer for me, and and the 551 00:33:24,680 --> 00:33:28,200 Speaker 1: scale of his rack to his head. If he had 552 00:33:28,240 --> 00:33:31,320 Speaker 1: weighed two fifty, he would have been what I thought 553 00:33:31,320 --> 00:33:34,400 Speaker 1: he was. So when I judged him, I was like, 554 00:33:34,560 --> 00:33:39,480 Speaker 1: that is a full size, full sized Canadian white tail buck. 555 00:33:40,560 --> 00:33:44,080 Speaker 1: So you're you're looking at that body shape, body size, 556 00:33:45,040 --> 00:33:46,960 Speaker 1: and then you gauge the horns because the first day 557 00:33:46,960 --> 00:33:50,360 Speaker 1: I ever killed a Canada um, I saw him at 558 00:33:50,360 --> 00:33:52,800 Speaker 1: eighty yards and I thought, oh, that's nice, dear, that's 559 00:33:52,800 --> 00:33:57,680 Speaker 1: probably a hundred twenty deer based upon the scale of way, 560 00:33:57,800 --> 00:34:00,680 Speaker 1: the way his horns looked, based on his body, and 561 00:34:01,080 --> 00:34:04,560 Speaker 1: you know, assuming I'm looking at hundred and sixty d 562 00:34:04,760 --> 00:34:09,880 Speaker 1: seventy pound deer, that have you know, hucks. Anyway, I 563 00:34:09,920 --> 00:34:12,680 Speaker 1: thought this deer was a hundred deer. I shot the 564 00:34:12,680 --> 00:34:18,160 Speaker 1: deer and he scored uh one fifty two, so massive 565 00:34:19,200 --> 00:34:22,919 Speaker 1: ground swell. I walk up that there like holy cow, 566 00:34:23,200 --> 00:34:25,640 Speaker 1: I said, I had no idea that their bodies were 567 00:34:25,719 --> 00:34:29,920 Speaker 1: this big, and uh, basically those two and three year 568 00:34:29,920 --> 00:34:35,920 Speaker 1: old deer can look like studs, um, and they're not. 569 00:34:36,080 --> 00:34:39,439 Speaker 1: So that's primarily my spiel. It's like, you really need 570 00:34:39,480 --> 00:34:41,560 Speaker 1: to look at a lot of deer. You need to 571 00:34:41,600 --> 00:34:44,240 Speaker 1: see these big deer up against these two year olds. 572 00:34:44,760 --> 00:34:48,320 Speaker 1: You need to look for that mass um. The older 573 00:34:48,360 --> 00:34:53,840 Speaker 1: deer almost always gonna have really good masks, and um, 574 00:34:53,880 --> 00:34:57,640 Speaker 1: you know, you just you just gotta be careful. So 575 00:34:57,640 --> 00:34:59,640 Speaker 1: so now I gotta switch it over to justin. So 576 00:34:59,719 --> 00:35:03,680 Speaker 1: two questions for you justin number one, when you saw 577 00:35:03,719 --> 00:35:06,200 Speaker 1: this butt coming in and Clay said, oh, what's the 578 00:35:06,239 --> 00:35:08,359 Speaker 1: one in your head where you're like, oh, yeah, that's 579 00:35:08,400 --> 00:35:10,239 Speaker 1: the one? Or did you have this whisper in the back. 580 00:35:10,320 --> 00:35:13,399 Speaker 1: That's like, I don't think that's the right dear. Honestly, man, 581 00:35:13,719 --> 00:35:18,920 Speaker 1: I was Uh. I really didn't get a chance to 582 00:35:19,000 --> 00:35:21,719 Speaker 1: get good eyes on them. This was I think the 583 00:35:21,760 --> 00:35:24,640 Speaker 1: first hunt that on the trip that I didn't bring 584 00:35:24,640 --> 00:35:28,759 Speaker 1: my binos and at the speed they were coming, I 585 00:35:28,840 --> 00:35:30,800 Speaker 1: was just trying to make sure I had my act together, 586 00:35:31,160 --> 00:35:35,120 Speaker 1: so um, you know I was filming. I was just 587 00:35:35,280 --> 00:35:38,240 Speaker 1: more focused on filming Clay, and I was shooting pretty 588 00:35:38,239 --> 00:35:42,480 Speaker 1: wide at that point, so, um, you know, being in 589 00:35:42,600 --> 00:35:45,239 Speaker 1: my spot, there's just more things you had to be 590 00:35:45,280 --> 00:35:49,040 Speaker 1: concerned with than you know, where those other situations. I 591 00:35:49,080 --> 00:35:51,399 Speaker 1: had the camera set up, everything was good, I had 592 00:35:51,440 --> 00:35:53,880 Speaker 1: every you know, I felt confident in everything. It was 593 00:35:53,920 --> 00:35:55,920 Speaker 1: still early, so we were trying to be careful and 594 00:35:56,000 --> 00:35:59,040 Speaker 1: quiet and not do too much, um, you know, before 595 00:36:00,320 --> 00:36:03,080 Speaker 1: realizing the situation and and you know, figuring out where 596 00:36:03,120 --> 00:36:07,239 Speaker 1: deer were. So I hadn't like really spread my wings yet. 597 00:36:07,320 --> 00:36:09,239 Speaker 1: And so when I saw the deer coming, I could 598 00:36:09,239 --> 00:36:11,640 Speaker 1: tell they were bucks, but I wasn't able to really 599 00:36:11,680 --> 00:36:16,480 Speaker 1: assess whether or not. And and Clay said, he's like, man, 600 00:36:16,680 --> 00:36:19,520 Speaker 1: there's a big one. He's at that corner and he's 601 00:36:19,600 --> 00:36:22,880 Speaker 1: hard horn. There's three of them. He's like, the second 602 00:36:22,880 --> 00:36:25,880 Speaker 1: one is bigger. And he started to you know, I 603 00:36:25,920 --> 00:36:29,600 Speaker 1: started to get the like what he just said. I thought, oh, 604 00:36:29,680 --> 00:36:33,640 Speaker 1: that second one must be um, the one maybe that 605 00:36:33,719 --> 00:36:37,480 Speaker 1: Tom had had seen as well. But I could tell 606 00:36:37,560 --> 00:36:40,040 Speaker 1: Clay was going for the lead deer, and so I 607 00:36:40,120 --> 00:36:43,399 Speaker 1: was just trusting his you know what he could see. 608 00:36:43,440 --> 00:36:45,440 Speaker 1: I didn't really have time to get eyes on it. 609 00:36:45,960 --> 00:36:49,120 Speaker 1: And like he said, man, the bodies on these things, like, oh, 610 00:36:49,200 --> 00:36:52,080 Speaker 1: I could see was you know he they were in 611 00:36:52,080 --> 00:36:54,239 Speaker 1: the oats. It was brown, you know, and it was 612 00:36:54,360 --> 00:36:58,320 Speaker 1: like overcast, and I wasn't able to pick the antlers 613 00:36:58,360 --> 00:37:01,640 Speaker 1: out like I could in that alfalfa yield. And so 614 00:37:02,080 --> 00:37:04,040 Speaker 1: they were coming and I was just making sure I 615 00:37:04,080 --> 00:37:07,719 Speaker 1: was ready. And then when Clay walked up on him, 616 00:37:07,880 --> 00:37:11,680 Speaker 1: like does Clay secretly laid on a bunch of cuss words? 617 00:37:11,960 --> 00:37:14,360 Speaker 1: Or is there is there some secret part Clay that 618 00:37:14,400 --> 00:37:17,239 Speaker 1: we don't see that comes out when he shoots the 619 00:37:17,239 --> 00:37:20,480 Speaker 1: wrong buck? What does that look like? And he was 620 00:37:20,760 --> 00:37:27,640 Speaker 1: he was swearing at me like no, and he here 621 00:37:27,880 --> 00:37:30,759 Speaker 1: like I'm in a unique situation because you know, here, 622 00:37:30,800 --> 00:37:33,719 Speaker 1: I am filming right, like that's my thing that I'm 623 00:37:33,719 --> 00:37:37,960 Speaker 1: doing there. But I'm like, I'm I'm hunting. I'm just 624 00:37:38,000 --> 00:37:42,400 Speaker 1: not shooting right, I'm not getting to kill anything. And um, 625 00:37:42,520 --> 00:37:44,600 Speaker 1: I spent a lot of time in the tree and 626 00:37:44,640 --> 00:37:48,200 Speaker 1: in the field, and so I get the same range 627 00:37:48,200 --> 00:37:51,520 Speaker 1: of emotion that you guys do, like when we you know, 628 00:37:51,560 --> 00:37:53,440 Speaker 1: when your dad shot that year on the back forty 629 00:37:53,560 --> 00:37:57,520 Speaker 1: Like I'm feeling all the same things. And so when 630 00:37:57,520 --> 00:38:00,560 Speaker 1: those deer came came around the corner, like I, you know, 631 00:38:00,640 --> 00:38:03,520 Speaker 1: my heart rate lifted and the like, making sure I 632 00:38:03,560 --> 00:38:07,560 Speaker 1: got my my stuff together. But I'm also I also 633 00:38:07,640 --> 00:38:09,960 Speaker 1: feel that anticipation that I would feel if I was 634 00:38:10,000 --> 00:38:12,759 Speaker 1: where Clay was, and just you know, trying to like 635 00:38:12,880 --> 00:38:16,839 Speaker 1: keep my head together. So when he shot the deer, man, 636 00:38:16,920 --> 00:38:19,799 Speaker 1: we were we were just so pumped, like because we 637 00:38:19,960 --> 00:38:24,919 Speaker 1: kept having encounters with this deer, and you know, there's 638 00:38:24,920 --> 00:38:29,560 Speaker 1: always that like that like crux where okay, here's the 639 00:38:29,600 --> 00:38:32,560 Speaker 1: deer and the bows drawn and the only thing now 640 00:38:32,600 --> 00:38:34,879 Speaker 1: that you hope for is a good shot. And when 641 00:38:34,880 --> 00:38:38,200 Speaker 1: he shot, I mean it just you know that sound 642 00:38:38,280 --> 00:38:43,080 Speaker 1: from heaven, just like that deep cavity, you know, clump sound. 643 00:38:43,760 --> 00:38:46,160 Speaker 1: And he ran off and he got to the top 644 00:38:46,160 --> 00:38:49,040 Speaker 1: of this little ridge and he tipped right over, and 645 00:38:49,080 --> 00:38:50,680 Speaker 1: so like it was it. That was it. It was 646 00:38:50,719 --> 00:38:55,160 Speaker 1: like it was done. It was awesome. We celebrated, you know, 647 00:38:55,800 --> 00:38:58,799 Speaker 1: you know, here we go now he can now we 648 00:38:58,800 --> 00:39:02,160 Speaker 1: can shift focus a little bit and we go walking 649 00:39:02,239 --> 00:39:05,120 Speaker 1: up to it. And man, I can tell you like 650 00:39:05,239 --> 00:39:08,760 Speaker 1: exactly what I started to think. I'm walking up and 651 00:39:09,040 --> 00:39:12,680 Speaker 1: again he's laying in oats that are brown hand and brown, 652 00:39:13,520 --> 00:39:17,319 Speaker 1: and Clay's like, here's a deer. And I look up 653 00:39:17,320 --> 00:39:20,560 Speaker 1: from the camera for a second and I'm like, my 654 00:39:20,600 --> 00:39:23,600 Speaker 1: first thought was, gosh, did he shoot a dope? And 655 00:39:25,440 --> 00:39:28,960 Speaker 1: just just for a split second, and then I then 656 00:39:29,000 --> 00:39:31,920 Speaker 1: I then I saw the andlers, and then I was 657 00:39:31,960 --> 00:39:35,960 Speaker 1: looking at Clay, and man, it hit me like a 658 00:39:36,040 --> 00:39:40,239 Speaker 1: brick wall, just like that disappointment that he felt. I 659 00:39:40,280 --> 00:39:44,080 Speaker 1: could see it in his face. And I felt like 660 00:39:44,320 --> 00:39:48,239 Speaker 1: I was paralleling what he was feeling because I just 661 00:39:48,360 --> 00:39:52,160 Speaker 1: felt all of that. So he handled it well. It 662 00:39:52,239 --> 00:39:54,560 Speaker 1: was one of those situations where, you know, if I 663 00:39:54,600 --> 00:39:57,240 Speaker 1: had a tripod, I probably would have stuck the camera 664 00:39:57,239 --> 00:40:02,000 Speaker 1: on a tripod and just like walked walked away, But 665 00:40:02,719 --> 00:40:05,759 Speaker 1: I filmed him, you know, Like I think most of all, 666 00:40:05,840 --> 00:40:08,000 Speaker 1: what you have to do in these situations is like 667 00:40:08,480 --> 00:40:12,560 Speaker 1: you gotta you gotta be authentic. You gotta realize, like, 668 00:40:12,640 --> 00:40:15,520 Speaker 1: all right, like, Okay, we killed a deer. It's not 669 00:40:15,680 --> 00:40:18,040 Speaker 1: you know, it's not this deer's fault, right, he's dead. 670 00:40:18,640 --> 00:40:21,920 Speaker 1: And and Clay is not like slinging things and throwing 671 00:40:22,000 --> 00:40:25,240 Speaker 1: his hat and being like, oh gosh, you know, he's 672 00:40:25,280 --> 00:40:28,680 Speaker 1: like he's absorbing the fact that like all right, I 673 00:40:28,800 --> 00:40:32,360 Speaker 1: killed this deer. I killed the wrong deer. But here's 674 00:40:32,400 --> 00:40:35,360 Speaker 1: just here at lace, you know, and I could, uh 675 00:40:35,440 --> 00:40:39,000 Speaker 1: it was. It's a very unique thing to be able 676 00:40:39,040 --> 00:40:44,200 Speaker 1: to go in as a as a cameraman and and 677 00:40:44,280 --> 00:40:47,799 Speaker 1: do this. But but you're participating in a way that 678 00:40:47,840 --> 00:40:50,800 Speaker 1: you wouldn't if you were just on a film set. 679 00:40:50,960 --> 00:40:54,600 Speaker 1: You know, you it's raw. You get to you get 680 00:40:54,719 --> 00:40:57,239 Speaker 1: get to like win a dobe blows at us in 681 00:40:57,280 --> 00:41:01,200 Speaker 1: a tree, my gut saying, just like it does for 682 00:41:01,280 --> 00:41:05,560 Speaker 1: you guys. So uh, it's it's a very interesting thing. 683 00:41:05,719 --> 00:41:09,200 Speaker 1: And yeah, he was disappointed. I was disappointed, and I 684 00:41:09,239 --> 00:41:11,279 Speaker 1: think then we were just like, you know, it's just 685 00:41:11,320 --> 00:41:12,960 Speaker 1: like if you were by yourself and you killed this 686 00:41:13,040 --> 00:41:14,879 Speaker 1: deer and you walked up on it, You're like, this 687 00:41:14,920 --> 00:41:19,200 Speaker 1: isn't what I wanted. But we got meat, and we 688 00:41:19,320 --> 00:41:22,200 Speaker 1: have a story and it may not have played out 689 00:41:22,239 --> 00:41:24,760 Speaker 1: like we hoped it would, but um, you just gotta 690 00:41:25,160 --> 00:41:31,320 Speaker 1: swallow it and and move on. Yeah, so Clay, you 691 00:41:32,840 --> 00:41:36,279 Speaker 1: this happened, You were disappointed, you got at him, you 692 00:41:36,360 --> 00:41:38,880 Speaker 1: brought him home. Yeah, did all the other stuff. You 693 00:41:38,920 --> 00:41:41,480 Speaker 1: went out there and tried to kill a bear, YadA, YadA, YadA. 694 00:41:41,560 --> 00:41:43,719 Speaker 1: When you look back on it now you've had some 695 00:41:43,800 --> 00:41:46,680 Speaker 1: days now to think about it, to process it. Uh, 696 00:41:47,480 --> 00:41:49,640 Speaker 1: what did you learn from this experience? Like? What did 697 00:41:49,640 --> 00:41:53,840 Speaker 1: you learn? What would you do different? If anything? What 698 00:41:53,840 --> 00:41:59,919 Speaker 1: what's the big takeaway here for you? You know, it's 699 00:42:00,120 --> 00:42:03,880 Speaker 1: it's kind of like we my wife and I have 700 00:42:04,000 --> 00:42:06,600 Speaker 1: something that we say to each other when things don't 701 00:42:06,600 --> 00:42:09,719 Speaker 1: go right, and we say, when you ride bulls, you 702 00:42:09,760 --> 00:42:13,400 Speaker 1: get your teeth knocked out sometimes, and uh, you know, 703 00:42:13,840 --> 00:42:17,400 Speaker 1: when you're you're in Canada and there's just no cahoots 704 00:42:17,400 --> 00:42:20,160 Speaker 1: about it. We're not like meat hunting in Canada though. 705 00:42:21,120 --> 00:42:24,160 Speaker 1: The meat from these grain fed deer is incredible and 706 00:42:24,200 --> 00:42:27,319 Speaker 1: I brought every stitch of it home and we will 707 00:42:27,400 --> 00:42:29,279 Speaker 1: use that meat. But you know, I mean, I'm not 708 00:42:29,400 --> 00:42:31,080 Speaker 1: saying that I went up there just to shoot a 709 00:42:31,080 --> 00:42:35,200 Speaker 1: meat buck, you know. And uh so you kind of 710 00:42:35,239 --> 00:42:39,680 Speaker 1: get your teeth kicked in, But it's, uh, it's a 711 00:42:39,680 --> 00:42:42,920 Speaker 1: pretty good problem in your life. If you kill a 712 00:42:42,960 --> 00:42:47,000 Speaker 1: deer in Canada and you know you're disappointed about it, 713 00:42:47,040 --> 00:42:50,040 Speaker 1: you know, you probably have a that's not really that 714 00:42:50,080 --> 00:42:54,319 Speaker 1: big of a problem. But no, I just made I 715 00:42:54,360 --> 00:42:57,400 Speaker 1: just judged him too quick, you know, and uh, you know, 716 00:42:58,160 --> 00:43:01,160 Speaker 1: I've killed a lot of deer with a bow, hunted 717 00:43:01,239 --> 00:43:04,400 Speaker 1: up there a lot, and this every little thing that happens, 718 00:43:04,760 --> 00:43:09,200 Speaker 1: you you learn from it, and um, it's just another thing. 719 00:43:09,440 --> 00:43:12,160 Speaker 1: I just I didn't have enough data points and I 720 00:43:12,239 --> 00:43:15,480 Speaker 1: made my decision too quick. And here's the main thing, 721 00:43:15,800 --> 00:43:18,439 Speaker 1: another main thing I learned without getting into our bear hunt. 722 00:43:18,600 --> 00:43:21,160 Speaker 1: This was a combo hunt, and I was trying to 723 00:43:21,200 --> 00:43:23,239 Speaker 1: bear hunt and deer hunt. And I don't think I'll 724 00:43:23,280 --> 00:43:25,720 Speaker 1: do that again because it just put too much pressure 725 00:43:25,800 --> 00:43:27,719 Speaker 1: on me. Because the whole time we were deer hunt 726 00:43:27,760 --> 00:43:30,359 Speaker 1: and we're thinking, man, we gotta kill a deer so 727 00:43:30,400 --> 00:43:32,640 Speaker 1: that we can bear hunt. We're not gonna have time 728 00:43:32,680 --> 00:43:35,520 Speaker 1: to bear hunt. And I feel like the kind of 729 00:43:35,520 --> 00:43:39,279 Speaker 1: this overall pressure that was on it was on me 730 00:43:39,560 --> 00:43:44,040 Speaker 1: solely by my choice, kind of put a a bit 731 00:43:44,080 --> 00:43:47,200 Speaker 1: of urgency on me that I typically wouldn't be hunting with. 732 00:43:47,640 --> 00:43:51,560 Speaker 1: And so in that regard, perhaps I've bit off more 733 00:43:51,600 --> 00:43:54,680 Speaker 1: than I should have, you know. And uh, you need 734 00:43:54,719 --> 00:43:56,359 Speaker 1: six days to go up there and kill a good 735 00:43:56,360 --> 00:44:00,279 Speaker 1: white tail usually, and uh, I guess I just had it. 736 00:44:00,440 --> 00:44:02,640 Speaker 1: I was very confident going into the hunt. Now, I 737 00:44:02,680 --> 00:44:06,080 Speaker 1: told I texted Justin and told him there I felt 738 00:44:06,120 --> 00:44:10,160 Speaker 1: really humbled, you know. I mean I've I've been fortunate 739 00:44:10,200 --> 00:44:13,200 Speaker 1: with some good deer and I mean I think even 740 00:44:13,239 --> 00:44:15,359 Speaker 1: from a kid, when I started bow hunting, I didn't 741 00:44:15,360 --> 00:44:17,480 Speaker 1: a lot of let a lot of stuff get past me. 742 00:44:17,719 --> 00:44:22,000 Speaker 1: I mean, I I capitalized on a lot of good opportunities, 743 00:44:22,520 --> 00:44:25,960 Speaker 1: and so I've kind of built kind of my perception 744 00:44:26,000 --> 00:44:29,440 Speaker 1: of myself as a bow hunter. It's like, yeah, I'm proficient. 745 00:44:29,480 --> 00:44:33,680 Speaker 1: Deer walks by, I'm probably gonna kill it, and uh, 746 00:44:33,800 --> 00:44:36,200 Speaker 1: and that's just kind of a dumb thing to think 747 00:44:36,200 --> 00:44:41,000 Speaker 1: about yourself because it's such a complex moment with so 748 00:44:41,040 --> 00:44:44,239 Speaker 1: many different things. And now I was just humbled. I 749 00:44:44,280 --> 00:44:47,120 Speaker 1: really was, uh, just kind of humbled by it and 750 00:44:47,480 --> 00:44:49,800 Speaker 1: grateful that I made a clean shot on a deer, 751 00:44:50,040 --> 00:44:54,400 Speaker 1: very grateful for the deer and uh, but but also 752 00:44:54,520 --> 00:44:57,719 Speaker 1: kind of evaluating my standards too. I mean, because when 753 00:44:57,719 --> 00:44:59,719 Speaker 1: you kill a deer, you shouldn't feel bad. So I'm 754 00:44:59,800 --> 00:45:03,120 Speaker 1: kind of personally moving through that. I've never shot a 755 00:45:03,160 --> 00:45:06,799 Speaker 1: deer with that much ground shrinkage, never, so that's a 756 00:45:06,800 --> 00:45:09,839 Speaker 1: new experience for me to shoot one that was that 757 00:45:10,360 --> 00:45:14,680 Speaker 1: far off, you know, I mean, so I'm kind of like, 758 00:45:15,760 --> 00:45:18,880 Speaker 1: it's kind of dumb to feel bad about shooting a 759 00:45:18,920 --> 00:45:21,719 Speaker 1: deer and kind of goes against my principles and a 760 00:45:21,719 --> 00:45:25,560 Speaker 1: lot of other areas of my hunting. So kind of 761 00:45:25,560 --> 00:45:31,920 Speaker 1: evaluating that thinking about it. You know interesting, well, you know, 762 00:45:32,000 --> 00:45:35,480 Speaker 1: you never I've never yet gone on a hunt or 763 00:45:35,560 --> 00:45:37,600 Speaker 1: had a season where I don't come out of it 764 00:45:37,640 --> 00:45:40,799 Speaker 1: on the other end having learned something new and learn 765 00:45:40,880 --> 00:45:44,440 Speaker 1: something new about myself. And uh, certainly seems like you 766 00:45:44,520 --> 00:45:49,080 Speaker 1: guys both had those kinds of takeaways. I mean, yeah, 767 00:45:49,239 --> 00:45:52,200 Speaker 1: big buck or not, you grew, you learned something, Cary 768 00:46:05,840 --> 00:46:08,400 Speaker 1: tell us about your hunt. Mark, Yeah, I wanna. I 769 00:46:08,440 --> 00:46:12,160 Speaker 1: wanna now throw uh throw a little bit of the 770 00:46:12,200 --> 00:46:15,800 Speaker 1: hosting responsibility over to you guys. Now. I think I 771 00:46:15,840 --> 00:46:17,640 Speaker 1: want to walk through some stuff. So I'll kind of 772 00:46:17,640 --> 00:46:20,919 Speaker 1: talk through some of our thought process around this trip, 773 00:46:20,960 --> 00:46:23,960 Speaker 1: and me and Josh can can tell you what happened, 774 00:46:24,080 --> 00:46:26,880 Speaker 1: but you guys jump in with all the you know, 775 00:46:26,960 --> 00:46:29,160 Speaker 1: foult questions that you want and what details we miss 776 00:46:29,160 --> 00:46:32,799 Speaker 1: out let us know. Um, So we went on a 777 00:46:32,920 --> 00:46:34,879 Speaker 1: hunt just about the exact same time as you guys. 778 00:46:34,920 --> 00:46:37,200 Speaker 1: I think our opening day was the day before, so 779 00:46:37,239 --> 00:46:40,920 Speaker 1: August and this was public land, and this is the 780 00:46:41,000 --> 00:46:44,319 Speaker 1: same place that me and Josh went and hunted last year. 781 00:46:45,360 --> 00:46:48,040 Speaker 1: Last year, I think we started on September three or fourth, 782 00:46:48,080 --> 00:46:49,879 Speaker 1: so we're a little bit late. We missed opening day 783 00:46:49,960 --> 00:46:52,839 Speaker 1: last year. Um, this year, we'd be there the day 784 00:46:52,880 --> 00:46:56,360 Speaker 1: before opening days. We'd be able to scouting all that. UM. 785 00:46:56,480 --> 00:46:59,280 Speaker 1: And I don't know if you guys heard the story 786 00:46:59,320 --> 00:47:02,399 Speaker 1: from last year, but listeners will remember that we went 787 00:47:02,400 --> 00:47:04,399 Speaker 1: on this trip last year was our first time down 788 00:47:04,400 --> 00:47:06,920 Speaker 1: to this piece of public land out there, and we 789 00:47:07,040 --> 00:47:10,400 Speaker 1: kind of had a for lack of better word, of 790 00:47:10,440 --> 00:47:13,080 Speaker 1: ship show kind of thing. It was just like every 791 00:47:13,200 --> 00:47:17,640 Speaker 1: day there was other hunters kind of blowing our stuff up. Um. 792 00:47:17,680 --> 00:47:21,120 Speaker 1: There was one day where I'd gotten on two really 793 00:47:21,160 --> 00:47:23,440 Speaker 1: good deer the night before, made a move on them, 794 00:47:23,560 --> 00:47:26,520 Speaker 1: and then that next day a group of like teenagers 795 00:47:26,560 --> 00:47:30,319 Speaker 1: on UTVs came driving through, like banging metal pots and 796 00:47:30,360 --> 00:47:34,240 Speaker 1: pans or something together and screaming, hooting, hollerd and driving 797 00:47:34,320 --> 00:47:37,279 Speaker 1: all over the place. So I had this kind of 798 00:47:37,320 --> 00:47:41,719 Speaker 1: negative experience. Um. But at the same time, you know, 799 00:47:42,760 --> 00:47:44,680 Speaker 1: we saw a good number of deer. I mean, we 800 00:47:44,680 --> 00:47:47,800 Speaker 1: saw a lot of deer and a couple of nice ones. Um. 801 00:47:47,840 --> 00:47:50,160 Speaker 1: I mean, Josh, you had one hunt where I mean 802 00:47:50,200 --> 00:47:51,520 Speaker 1: the first hunt you had there was like the best 803 00:47:51,560 --> 00:47:54,279 Speaker 1: hunt in your life. What did you see? Yeah, yeah, 804 00:47:56,560 --> 00:47:59,239 Speaker 1: or something like that. Just an insane number of deer 805 00:48:00,080 --> 00:48:02,400 Speaker 1: um and a lot of a lot of bucks, like 806 00:48:02,520 --> 00:48:05,640 Speaker 1: fifteen or twenty bucks, with a couple of those being shooters. So, 807 00:48:05,680 --> 00:48:07,560 Speaker 1: I mean the first night out of the gates and 808 00:48:07,560 --> 00:48:11,000 Speaker 1: we're like, all right, this this place is awesome. Yeah. Um. 809 00:48:11,040 --> 00:48:13,480 Speaker 1: And then after that the wheels just kind of started 810 00:48:13,520 --> 00:48:16,399 Speaker 1: to fall off. Yeah. So so we knew this place 811 00:48:16,440 --> 00:48:20,200 Speaker 1: had this potential um, but also the fact that it 812 00:48:20,239 --> 00:48:23,239 Speaker 1: had the potential to be a mess because it's it's 813 00:48:23,239 --> 00:48:27,400 Speaker 1: a little closer, it's significantly closer to a larger city 814 00:48:27,440 --> 00:48:29,160 Speaker 1: center that I usually like to do out in these 815 00:48:29,200 --> 00:48:33,680 Speaker 1: Western public plan hunts. Uh, it's it's it's outside of 816 00:48:33,680 --> 00:48:36,319 Speaker 1: what I would normally do. But we're trying to find 817 00:48:36,320 --> 00:48:38,640 Speaker 1: a place that was close to my cabin out there 818 00:48:39,160 --> 00:48:41,680 Speaker 1: that had quality deer numbers, and this was the best 819 00:48:41,719 --> 00:48:45,120 Speaker 1: I could find. Um. So all that said, after last year, 820 00:48:45,120 --> 00:48:47,240 Speaker 1: I wasn't sure if I want to go back or not. Um. 821 00:48:48,160 --> 00:48:50,160 Speaker 1: I guess I never really asked you, Josh. I mean 822 00:48:50,320 --> 00:48:51,960 Speaker 1: I know we bounced back and forth in this, but 823 00:48:52,320 --> 00:48:54,920 Speaker 1: what was your gut reaction coming into this summer? Like 824 00:48:54,960 --> 00:48:56,640 Speaker 1: when you and I were talking should we hunt here? 825 00:48:56,680 --> 00:48:59,239 Speaker 1: Should we hunt here? Were you always like I wish 826 00:48:59,239 --> 00:49:01,200 Speaker 1: should really go back? Or was there something in your 827 00:49:01,239 --> 00:49:03,680 Speaker 1: mind was like, now we really shouldn't. Like I know 828 00:49:03,719 --> 00:49:08,360 Speaker 1: what I was thinking, but I was torn on honestly, UM, 829 00:49:09,440 --> 00:49:13,439 Speaker 1: And I think ultimately we made the right decision going 830 00:49:13,520 --> 00:49:15,560 Speaker 1: back to the spot, just for the sheer number of 831 00:49:16,120 --> 00:49:20,640 Speaker 1: UM deer. UM. The spot is just gonna be It's 832 00:49:20,640 --> 00:49:23,480 Speaker 1: just gonna hold a lot more deer than UM some 833 00:49:23,520 --> 00:49:26,080 Speaker 1: of the other spots we were looking at. UM. I 834 00:49:26,160 --> 00:49:27,840 Speaker 1: knew there was a chance we would be dealing with 835 00:49:27,880 --> 00:49:32,759 Speaker 1: more people, almost guaranteed at this spot. UM. But even 836 00:49:32,760 --> 00:49:34,640 Speaker 1: though we saw people last year and it was kind 837 00:49:34,680 --> 00:49:36,640 Speaker 1: of a goat rodeo at times, I mean, we were 838 00:49:36,680 --> 00:49:39,600 Speaker 1: still in deer almost the entire trip. UM. So I 839 00:49:39,600 --> 00:49:42,960 Speaker 1: think ultimately it was the right decision to go back here, UM, 840 00:49:43,040 --> 00:49:45,480 Speaker 1: just for the sheer number of deer that are in 841 00:49:45,520 --> 00:49:47,560 Speaker 1: the area, as opposed to some of these other lower 842 00:49:47,600 --> 00:49:50,440 Speaker 1: density spots we're looking at UM that may have some 843 00:49:50,480 --> 00:49:53,399 Speaker 1: good good bucks and maybe low pressure but we could 844 00:49:53,400 --> 00:49:56,080 Speaker 1: have gone the whole week without seeing a single deer 845 00:49:56,160 --> 00:50:00,640 Speaker 1: too at some of these other spots. Yeah, we w yeah, 846 00:50:00,680 --> 00:50:04,920 Speaker 1: what's up? What's the what is the terrain? Like? What 847 00:50:05,000 --> 00:50:07,920 Speaker 1: are you what are you hunting? Yep. So this spot 848 00:50:08,160 --> 00:50:12,040 Speaker 1: is a river bottom, So there's there's hills on one side, 849 00:50:12,480 --> 00:50:15,719 Speaker 1: and then uh down in the river. There's a big 850 00:50:15,840 --> 00:50:17,960 Speaker 1: river that runs through a valley, and then there's public 851 00:50:18,080 --> 00:50:21,799 Speaker 1: land that runs along the border of that river, and 852 00:50:21,840 --> 00:50:28,080 Speaker 1: that public land is mostly uh grasses, shrubs, cottonwood, trees, 853 00:50:28,200 --> 00:50:30,759 Speaker 1: some sage brush, and then just a bunch of other 854 00:50:30,880 --> 00:50:33,880 Speaker 1: cover just like thick Russian olive kind of stuff that 855 00:50:34,000 --> 00:50:35,719 Speaker 1: runs along the edge of that river. So that's the 856 00:50:35,719 --> 00:50:39,799 Speaker 1: public land. It's long and skinny. Um, there's two access points. 857 00:50:39,880 --> 00:50:41,759 Speaker 1: There's two different roads that go on either side of 858 00:50:41,760 --> 00:50:44,120 Speaker 1: this that are separated by I don't know, four miles, 859 00:50:44,200 --> 00:50:45,799 Speaker 1: five miles something like that. So it's like a four 860 00:50:45,880 --> 00:50:48,439 Speaker 1: or five mile skinny stretch of public land that runs 861 00:50:48,480 --> 00:50:51,080 Speaker 1: along this river that we have access to. And then 862 00:50:51,560 --> 00:50:54,600 Speaker 1: outside of the public land there are crop fields on 863 00:50:54,640 --> 00:50:57,480 Speaker 1: the private land. Some of these crop fields are ALFLFA. 864 00:50:57,800 --> 00:51:00,359 Speaker 1: Some of it looked like maybe win or wheat. Uh, 865 00:51:00,400 --> 00:51:04,440 Speaker 1: some of it was corn actually. So you know what 866 00:51:04,480 --> 00:51:06,680 Speaker 1: we saw last year was that these deer obviously bed 867 00:51:06,719 --> 00:51:08,920 Speaker 1: back in that cover along the river and then they 868 00:51:08,920 --> 00:51:11,839 Speaker 1: transition out towards the private land crop fields every night 869 00:51:11,880 --> 00:51:15,600 Speaker 1: to feed. So you know the general pattern of what 870 00:51:15,640 --> 00:51:18,040 Speaker 1: these deer do is is simple, and that they had 871 00:51:18,040 --> 00:51:19,759 Speaker 1: from the betting area which is all on this side 872 00:51:19,800 --> 00:51:21,520 Speaker 1: and the head to the feeding area, which is all 873 00:51:21,520 --> 00:51:24,360 Speaker 1: on that side. Uh. The tough thing about it is 874 00:51:24,400 --> 00:51:31,120 Speaker 1: that there are there's very little pronounced difference in any 875 00:51:31,120 --> 00:51:34,440 Speaker 1: of those spots. So where those deer pop out, like 876 00:51:34,600 --> 00:51:37,279 Speaker 1: how they choose to go from north to south, it 877 00:51:37,320 --> 00:51:41,160 Speaker 1: could be almost anywhere. It's it's relatives is different than 878 00:51:41,760 --> 00:51:44,200 Speaker 1: honey on the back forty justin where we kind of knew, oh, 879 00:51:44,400 --> 00:51:47,480 Speaker 1: here's our little like three acre great betting area, and 880 00:51:47,520 --> 00:51:49,360 Speaker 1: we there's a pretty darn good chance that there's a 881 00:51:49,360 --> 00:51:51,160 Speaker 1: big buck around here. He's gonna be in this little 882 00:51:51,160 --> 00:51:53,200 Speaker 1: three acre betting area because that's the best thing around. 883 00:51:53,480 --> 00:51:55,640 Speaker 1: He's probably gonna come out to this food source. No, 884 00:51:55,800 --> 00:51:59,399 Speaker 1: it's like we have five miles of the same kind 885 00:51:59,440 --> 00:52:01,759 Speaker 1: of great adding cover, and we have five miles of 886 00:52:01,840 --> 00:52:05,799 Speaker 1: the same kind of great food, and you know, they 887 00:52:05,800 --> 00:52:07,560 Speaker 1: could come in and out anywhere, and there's just very 888 00:52:07,560 --> 00:52:10,200 Speaker 1: little that differentiates. And so our task was to do 889 00:52:10,239 --> 00:52:13,920 Speaker 1: two things. We had to try to find something that 890 00:52:13,920 --> 00:52:17,479 Speaker 1: would differentiate and help us pinpoint like narrow down where 891 00:52:17,520 --> 00:52:20,120 Speaker 1: these bigger bucks would come out. And then secondly, how 892 00:52:20,120 --> 00:52:23,400 Speaker 1: do we do that knowing that there probably would be 893 00:52:23,400 --> 00:52:26,239 Speaker 1: a bunch of other hunters again like last year. Um 894 00:52:26,280 --> 00:52:29,520 Speaker 1: and ultimately, like my my mental calculus was that I 895 00:52:29,560 --> 00:52:31,319 Speaker 1: knew there's gonna be other people like we we we 896 00:52:31,360 --> 00:52:34,400 Speaker 1: both came into it knowing, Okay, this place is probably 897 00:52:34,680 --> 00:52:36,759 Speaker 1: blown up with other people. Would just let's assume it. 898 00:52:37,440 --> 00:52:39,719 Speaker 1: Let's just like go into this knowing that every day 899 00:52:39,760 --> 00:52:42,959 Speaker 1: we're gonna see people, and just knowing that off the bat, 900 00:52:43,160 --> 00:52:45,480 Speaker 1: off the bat, it will hopefully make it less stressful 901 00:52:45,480 --> 00:52:47,960 Speaker 1: when it actually happens. It's like every day I was like, Okay, 902 00:52:48,000 --> 00:52:50,080 Speaker 1: don't get stressed out when you see other trucks here, 903 00:52:50,440 --> 00:52:53,000 Speaker 1: don't get upset when you see someone walking in, because 904 00:52:53,080 --> 00:52:55,640 Speaker 1: it's just gonna happen. Know it and have a plan 905 00:52:55,719 --> 00:52:59,160 Speaker 1: for that. And ultimately, what I believe is that I 906 00:52:59,200 --> 00:53:01,359 Speaker 1: thought we could out hunt them. I thought that there 907 00:53:01,400 --> 00:53:05,160 Speaker 1: was enough targets that we would be able to um 908 00:53:05,400 --> 00:53:09,160 Speaker 1: have success despite these other people. We could get back 909 00:53:09,200 --> 00:53:11,000 Speaker 1: and behind him, We could hunt them in a different 910 00:53:11,040 --> 00:53:14,560 Speaker 1: way than everybody else out there wanted to do. UM. 911 00:53:14,600 --> 00:53:16,719 Speaker 1: So that was you know, that's the mindset we brought 912 00:53:16,800 --> 00:53:20,040 Speaker 1: into it. UM. I mean that's basically where your head 913 00:53:20,080 --> 00:53:22,440 Speaker 1: was that too, right, Josh, No, for sure that that 914 00:53:22,520 --> 00:53:24,839 Speaker 1: was the same same type of thing where we thought 915 00:53:24,920 --> 00:53:28,759 Speaker 1: we could maybe work around them getting further than them, UM, 916 00:53:28,920 --> 00:53:32,200 Speaker 1: get deeper into the cover than what most people would 917 00:53:32,280 --> 00:53:35,200 Speaker 1: like to do. And some of that was based on 918 00:53:35,320 --> 00:53:37,520 Speaker 1: last year were you know, a lot of the kind 919 00:53:37,560 --> 00:53:39,839 Speaker 1: of the preset stands that we saw and a lot 920 00:53:39,840 --> 00:53:42,600 Speaker 1: of the hunting pressure we saw. It was kind of 921 00:53:42,640 --> 00:53:46,280 Speaker 1: tight to the private um. You know, it didn't seem 922 00:53:46,280 --> 00:53:49,319 Speaker 1: like there's many people that were getting too deep in 923 00:53:49,400 --> 00:53:54,279 Speaker 1: there or um really kind of going the extra mile UM, 924 00:53:54,360 --> 00:53:57,359 Speaker 1: And I think we just thought we could we could, 925 00:53:57,560 --> 00:54:00,319 Speaker 1: we could work around them. Yeah. Yeah, So that what 926 00:54:00,440 --> 00:54:03,800 Speaker 1: you guys did was go, if there's this five miles stretch, 927 00:54:03,960 --> 00:54:06,160 Speaker 1: I mean, assuming you know, two and a half miles in, 928 00:54:06,239 --> 00:54:07,759 Speaker 1: you're kind of in the middle of it, and that's 929 00:54:08,000 --> 00:54:10,120 Speaker 1: that's a pretty good buffer that probably a lot of 930 00:54:10,120 --> 00:54:14,560 Speaker 1: people wouldn't walk that far. Where How far were you 931 00:54:14,600 --> 00:54:18,319 Speaker 1: guys in? Yeah, so so I think I think, as 932 00:54:18,320 --> 00:54:20,640 Speaker 1: I'm saying this, as as I've been talking this a lot, 933 00:54:20,640 --> 00:54:22,960 Speaker 1: I'm pretty sure I measured it and it was like 934 00:54:23,160 --> 00:54:25,640 Speaker 1: right around four I think, was what the distance was 935 00:54:25,680 --> 00:54:30,160 Speaker 1: between the two points. And so, yes, exactly what you said. We, 936 00:54:30,880 --> 00:54:34,200 Speaker 1: you know, last year, trucked in as far as we 937 00:54:34,400 --> 00:54:36,960 Speaker 1: get in one direction. We got in there pretty far, 938 00:54:37,400 --> 00:54:39,480 Speaker 1: right about into the middle of it. And then this year, 939 00:54:40,000 --> 00:54:42,080 Speaker 1: you know, the the the idea was to start at 940 00:54:42,080 --> 00:54:44,600 Speaker 1: the place where you know, I'd seen the most and 941 00:54:44,680 --> 00:54:47,640 Speaker 1: that ended up being about that far in. So by 942 00:54:47,640 --> 00:54:49,080 Speaker 1: the time we got to the end of it, I 943 00:54:49,120 --> 00:54:51,480 Speaker 1: was doing a two mile hike in to my stand 944 00:54:51,480 --> 00:54:55,000 Speaker 1: every day. Um. Now, the problem that we eventually get 945 00:54:55,040 --> 00:54:57,359 Speaker 1: to and that we saw a little bit last year 946 00:54:57,440 --> 00:55:00,000 Speaker 1: and it continued this year, was that some people were 947 00:55:00,080 --> 00:55:04,759 Speaker 1: getting access through the private land. So some of these 948 00:55:04,800 --> 00:55:08,160 Speaker 1: people had you know, locals had connections, were able to 949 00:55:08,800 --> 00:55:12,960 Speaker 1: shortcut in that we just couldn't do. Um But you know, 950 00:55:13,320 --> 00:55:15,640 Speaker 1: we did what we could, and that we got there 951 00:55:15,680 --> 00:55:19,280 Speaker 1: the night before opening day and we decided to split 952 00:55:19,360 --> 00:55:21,920 Speaker 1: up and glass that first night and try to see, like, 953 00:55:21,920 --> 00:55:24,600 Speaker 1: are these deer doing what we think they're doing. Is 954 00:55:24,640 --> 00:55:26,480 Speaker 1: there any way we can get some intel they will 955 00:55:26,520 --> 00:55:28,600 Speaker 1: pin down a little bit more of exactly where they're 956 00:55:28,600 --> 00:55:30,480 Speaker 1: coming out under this private land, that might be able 957 00:55:30,520 --> 00:55:34,200 Speaker 1: to help us choose where to start. Um. So, Josh, 958 00:55:34,400 --> 00:55:35,839 Speaker 1: you know, he was able to get up on one 959 00:55:35,880 --> 00:55:37,919 Speaker 1: of those hills I was talking about on the one 960 00:55:37,960 --> 00:55:40,319 Speaker 1: side of the river, and I was able to drive 961 00:55:40,360 --> 00:55:42,480 Speaker 1: along a road on the opposite side of the river 962 00:55:42,520 --> 00:55:45,640 Speaker 1: along the private fields, So we had two different perspectives 963 00:55:46,200 --> 00:55:48,759 Speaker 1: looking in at the same general area. And then that night, 964 00:55:48,800 --> 00:55:51,719 Speaker 1: you know, we just glassed as much as we could 965 00:55:51,760 --> 00:55:54,600 Speaker 1: and saw as much as we could, And I don't know, 966 00:55:55,520 --> 00:55:59,880 Speaker 1: it was sort of useful in that it just confer 967 00:56:00,200 --> 00:56:03,200 Speaker 1: our general idea, which was there's a lot of deer. 968 00:56:03,800 --> 00:56:06,239 Speaker 1: There's a bunch of bucks. There was several bucks that, 969 00:56:06,280 --> 00:56:08,680 Speaker 1: you know, they're far enough way we cannot tell exactly 970 00:56:08,719 --> 00:56:10,719 Speaker 1: what they were, but I think we each saw a 971 00:56:10,719 --> 00:56:12,760 Speaker 1: couple of deer, Josh that both you and I were like, Okay, 972 00:56:12,760 --> 00:56:16,840 Speaker 1: that could be a potential shooter, right. Um. It was 973 00:56:16,880 --> 00:56:20,880 Speaker 1: that kind of thing. And I don't think either one 974 00:56:20,920 --> 00:56:23,680 Speaker 1: of us was able because of the various like topographical 975 00:56:23,680 --> 00:56:25,680 Speaker 1: features and cover features, Like it wasn't like we could 976 00:56:25,719 --> 00:56:28,320 Speaker 1: pinpoint exactly where they came in and out of private, 977 00:56:28,800 --> 00:56:31,240 Speaker 1: but we knew in general, like, Okay, this little corner 978 00:56:31,280 --> 00:56:33,080 Speaker 1: that we thought would be good, there was a bunch 979 00:56:33,080 --> 00:56:35,399 Speaker 1: of deer that came out over this little zone by 980 00:56:35,480 --> 00:56:37,920 Speaker 1: that little fence gap that we liked last year. This 981 00:56:37,960 --> 00:56:39,799 Speaker 1: seemed like there was some deer coming out around there. 982 00:56:39,840 --> 00:56:43,520 Speaker 1: So we basically confirmed our hunches and and told us that, yes, 983 00:56:43,600 --> 00:56:47,279 Speaker 1: this is a a spot worth starting on. UM. A 984 00:56:47,360 --> 00:56:50,680 Speaker 1: second thing that confirmed for me was that the this 985 00:56:50,800 --> 00:56:54,160 Speaker 1: was more towards like the eastern access point was a 986 00:56:54,200 --> 00:56:56,520 Speaker 1: little bit closer to the eastern access on the western 987 00:56:56,600 --> 00:57:00,480 Speaker 1: access point was a spot where when I had actually 988 00:57:00,520 --> 00:57:02,399 Speaker 1: been out here in the summer and checked it out 989 00:57:02,440 --> 00:57:05,120 Speaker 1: once in the summer, it looked like the fields were 990 00:57:05,120 --> 00:57:08,280 Speaker 1: not going to be planted into green food source UM. 991 00:57:08,320 --> 00:57:12,120 Speaker 1: It was look like we that have been harvested or something. 992 00:57:12,600 --> 00:57:15,279 Speaker 1: And so in my head in the summer, I was like, oh, 993 00:57:15,440 --> 00:57:16,960 Speaker 1: they're not gonna be on the west side as much 994 00:57:17,040 --> 00:57:19,560 Speaker 1: because of that. But when we came back now in September, 995 00:57:20,200 --> 00:57:22,840 Speaker 1: they had replanted something or something was coming back up 996 00:57:22,840 --> 00:57:25,000 Speaker 1: green because now there was a big green, lush food 997 00:57:25,040 --> 00:57:27,760 Speaker 1: source coming in there. So so now both west and 998 00:57:27,840 --> 00:57:30,320 Speaker 1: east sides might have something going on. So that was 999 00:57:30,360 --> 00:57:32,720 Speaker 1: another thing in the back of our minds was that, Okay, 1000 00:57:32,760 --> 00:57:36,880 Speaker 1: the whole whole stretch now might still be attractive. So 1001 00:57:38,120 --> 00:57:42,400 Speaker 1: that all leads us to nine number one, where Josh 1002 00:57:42,440 --> 00:57:45,280 Speaker 1: and I both had two zones that we liked the 1003 00:57:45,320 --> 00:57:50,240 Speaker 1: previous year. Um. The previous year, we had walked into 1004 00:57:50,240 --> 00:57:52,120 Speaker 1: this area about a mile and a half in from 1005 00:57:52,120 --> 00:57:54,720 Speaker 1: one of those access points and passed the spot where 1006 00:57:54,720 --> 00:57:57,080 Speaker 1: the private land comes about as close to the public 1007 00:57:57,120 --> 00:57:59,760 Speaker 1: as it does anywhere, and there's an alf alfa field 1008 00:57:59,760 --> 00:58:02,000 Speaker 1: but right up to it, and there's a there's like 1009 00:58:02,040 --> 00:58:04,240 Speaker 1: a barware fence the runs along the whole edge of 1010 00:58:04,280 --> 00:58:06,920 Speaker 1: the alf alf alfa field, and then one opening in 1011 00:58:07,000 --> 00:58:09,480 Speaker 1: that fence like a big open gate. And it just 1012 00:58:09,520 --> 00:58:12,040 Speaker 1: seemed like, oh, this is obvious. This is an obvious spot. 1013 00:58:12,080 --> 00:58:13,520 Speaker 1: A lot of people are going to go in. And 1014 00:58:13,560 --> 00:58:16,280 Speaker 1: I think that day last year, like I don't know 1015 00:58:16,320 --> 00:58:19,520 Speaker 1: if it was drawing straws or whatever, but for whatever reason, 1016 00:58:19,560 --> 00:58:23,160 Speaker 1: you got that spot last year, UM, and hunted it 1017 00:58:23,360 --> 00:58:26,400 Speaker 1: and liked it, and I had gone past you then 1018 00:58:26,480 --> 00:58:28,800 Speaker 1: that day and you know, got on a couple of 1019 00:58:28,800 --> 00:58:31,520 Speaker 1: really good bucks, like six seven hundred yards further way. 1020 00:58:31,640 --> 00:58:35,360 Speaker 1: So now we kind of said, hey, you know, you 1021 00:58:35,360 --> 00:58:37,240 Speaker 1: want to start back at that spot you like last year. 1022 00:58:37,240 --> 00:58:38,720 Speaker 1: And I was like, I'll go to that spot where 1023 00:58:38,720 --> 00:58:40,440 Speaker 1: I saw the big ones last year, and those will 1024 00:58:40,480 --> 00:58:45,240 Speaker 1: be two good starting points. Um. So that was what 1025 00:58:45,360 --> 00:58:47,480 Speaker 1: decided to do with those two spots lined up with 1026 00:58:47,560 --> 00:58:50,760 Speaker 1: the general movement we saw the night before. Uh, the 1027 00:58:50,880 --> 00:58:55,800 Speaker 1: wind was you know, if if I was hunting in Michigan, 1028 00:58:55,840 --> 00:59:00,600 Speaker 1: I would have said the wind was really concerning um 1029 00:59:00,640 --> 00:59:04,720 Speaker 1: in that it was blowing generally towards betting um. But 1030 00:59:04,800 --> 00:59:08,120 Speaker 1: it was gonna be blowing generally to that direction the 1031 00:59:08,280 --> 00:59:10,640 Speaker 1: entire week. So we knew we were operating within the 1032 00:59:10,640 --> 00:59:12,840 Speaker 1: fact that we had to make some kind of sacrifice. 1033 00:59:12,920 --> 00:59:15,600 Speaker 1: So the trick was, you know, your wind's gonna blow 1034 00:59:15,600 --> 00:59:18,520 Speaker 1: into some of the cover no matter what, every single day. 1035 00:59:18,600 --> 00:59:21,320 Speaker 1: So we just had to think about, you know, which 1036 00:59:21,400 --> 00:59:23,400 Speaker 1: corner do we want to be blowing into when we 1037 00:59:23,400 --> 00:59:26,280 Speaker 1: positioned ourselves, and hoping that we could position ourselves in 1038 00:59:26,280 --> 00:59:28,360 Speaker 1: such a way that the majority of the deer traffic 1039 00:59:28,840 --> 00:59:30,960 Speaker 1: would be coming, you know, from the front, so if 1040 00:59:31,000 --> 00:59:33,640 Speaker 1: you can vision, like all the covers to our north, 1041 00:59:33,760 --> 00:59:36,600 Speaker 1: all the foods to ourselves. But we have southerly winds 1042 00:59:36,600 --> 00:59:40,320 Speaker 1: the entire week, so we had to hunt when it 1043 00:59:40,400 --> 00:59:42,640 Speaker 1: was like if it was like a south west wind, 1044 00:59:43,040 --> 00:59:46,280 Speaker 1: you know, we'd position ourselves so that we would hopefully, um, 1045 00:59:46,640 --> 00:59:48,080 Speaker 1: be a little bit to the east of where we 1046 00:59:48,120 --> 00:59:49,760 Speaker 1: thought these deer were going and try to catch them 1047 00:59:49,760 --> 00:59:51,760 Speaker 1: in places where they'd be crossing in front of us 1048 00:59:52,320 --> 00:59:55,680 Speaker 1: versus like coming from directly above us or something like that. 1049 00:59:56,720 --> 01:00:00,320 Speaker 1: So so that was a little bit of just like 1050 01:00:00,360 --> 01:00:02,000 Speaker 1: a burden we're gonna have to bear the whole week 1051 01:00:02,040 --> 01:00:05,720 Speaker 1: because of it. But you know, I think here, I 1052 01:00:05,760 --> 01:00:09,120 Speaker 1: don't know, I want to say that there, I don't know. 1053 01:00:09,320 --> 01:00:11,520 Speaker 1: I was gonna say they're less pressure than like Michigan 1054 01:00:11,560 --> 01:00:13,360 Speaker 1: deer at home deer, but I don't know. I mean, 1055 01:00:13,360 --> 01:00:16,480 Speaker 1: these deer get hammered there. Um for some reason, they're 1056 01:00:16,480 --> 01:00:18,120 Speaker 1: just a little bit dumber, I guess, I don't know 1057 01:00:18,160 --> 01:00:22,560 Speaker 1: how to describe it, but they almost I almost wonder 1058 01:00:22,600 --> 01:00:25,040 Speaker 1: if it's because they're just so used to having people 1059 01:00:25,040 --> 01:00:27,960 Speaker 1: in and out of there. Um that they just take 1060 01:00:28,000 --> 01:00:31,280 Speaker 1: a little bit more. Um, they just allow a little 1061 01:00:31,280 --> 01:00:33,880 Speaker 1: bit more of that human odor to be present before 1062 01:00:33,880 --> 01:00:38,280 Speaker 1: they really get boggered up in there. Um. I wonder 1063 01:00:38,320 --> 01:00:40,560 Speaker 1: if that's part of it. There are so many people 1064 01:00:40,600 --> 01:00:43,760 Speaker 1: in there, and not even just hunters, people recreating back. 1065 01:00:43,800 --> 01:00:47,920 Speaker 1: There are people recreating in the river. Um, they may 1066 01:00:47,960 --> 01:00:49,880 Speaker 1: just be used a little bit more human pressure than 1067 01:00:50,720 --> 01:00:53,840 Speaker 1: or be more tolerant of it than some other places. Yeah, 1068 01:00:53,920 --> 01:00:55,600 Speaker 1: I think there's there's something to be said to that. 1069 01:00:55,640 --> 01:00:57,800 Speaker 1: It was at times it almost felt like we were 1070 01:00:57,840 --> 01:01:00,880 Speaker 1: suburban bill hunting with the types of stuff we were seeing. 1071 01:01:00,920 --> 01:01:03,960 Speaker 1: Like that night we were glassing, I saw a guy 1072 01:01:04,080 --> 01:01:06,120 Speaker 1: who was not a hunter. He was like wearing like 1073 01:01:06,120 --> 01:01:08,400 Speaker 1: a blue jogging suit, like taking a walk on the 1074 01:01:08,480 --> 01:01:10,640 Speaker 1: edge of this public land, and these deer were out 1075 01:01:10,640 --> 01:01:12,160 Speaker 1: in the field and they kind of looked at him 1076 01:01:12,160 --> 01:01:13,720 Speaker 1: and then just went about their business, and this guy 1077 01:01:13,760 --> 01:01:18,280 Speaker 1: just kept on on stroll. Um. So you know, I 1078 01:01:18,680 --> 01:01:21,720 Speaker 1: knew we were operating under different rules than some places 1079 01:01:21,720 --> 01:01:24,320 Speaker 1: I hunt. Um. At the same time, as soon as 1080 01:01:24,400 --> 01:01:27,160 Speaker 1: hunting season begins and hunters start pushing into these places 1081 01:01:27,160 --> 01:01:28,959 Speaker 1: where deer aren't used to it, we knew that would 1082 01:01:28,960 --> 01:01:34,160 Speaker 1: also still have an impact. Um, so you know, night 1083 01:01:34,280 --> 01:01:36,600 Speaker 1: number one, I decided to go back to the general 1084 01:01:36,640 --> 01:01:40,000 Speaker 1: area where I saw these two slammers last year. I 1085 01:01:40,080 --> 01:01:42,920 Speaker 1: saw two really really good bucks last year. I was 1086 01:01:42,960 --> 01:01:45,040 Speaker 1: like sixty yards from them, just a little bit too 1087 01:01:45,040 --> 01:01:47,640 Speaker 1: far from me to feel comfortable. I made a move 1088 01:01:47,800 --> 01:01:49,760 Speaker 1: last year, and then you know, I made that move 1089 01:01:50,040 --> 01:01:52,520 Speaker 1: right to the spot. But those guys came in and 1090 01:01:52,680 --> 01:01:54,360 Speaker 1: did a bunch of crazy stuff and I never saw 1091 01:01:54,400 --> 01:01:56,440 Speaker 1: those big ones again. But I did see a couple 1092 01:01:56,480 --> 01:01:59,760 Speaker 1: other decent bucks within range that it passed on. So 1093 01:01:59,880 --> 01:02:02,320 Speaker 1: I thought this year was like, Okay, I know this 1094 01:02:02,440 --> 01:02:04,960 Speaker 1: little spot seemed to funnel a bunch of movement down 1095 01:02:05,000 --> 01:02:08,760 Speaker 1: into this little area. Happened three different nights last year. Um, 1096 01:02:08,800 --> 01:02:10,880 Speaker 1: I want to hunt that same general line of movement, 1097 01:02:11,040 --> 01:02:13,320 Speaker 1: but I know there's gonna be other hunters coming in, 1098 01:02:13,680 --> 01:02:16,800 Speaker 1: so I'm gonna backtrack of ways. And I positioned myself 1099 01:02:16,920 --> 01:02:20,120 Speaker 1: I don't know, maybe a hundred and fifty yards further 1100 01:02:20,160 --> 01:02:22,919 Speaker 1: back in the cover. So that's basically went due north, 1101 01:02:23,120 --> 01:02:25,400 Speaker 1: trying to follow those main main trail system that I 1102 01:02:25,400 --> 01:02:27,720 Speaker 1: thought they'd been using to come in. And I positioned 1103 01:02:27,720 --> 01:02:30,280 Speaker 1: myself up there closer into the bedding where I thought 1104 01:02:30,320 --> 01:02:33,200 Speaker 1: they'd be coming from, so that even if other hunters 1105 01:02:33,240 --> 01:02:35,600 Speaker 1: come in, I'll be deeper than they will be. Even 1106 01:02:35,600 --> 01:02:38,080 Speaker 1: if these deer move later in the evening, I'll be 1107 01:02:38,120 --> 01:02:41,240 Speaker 1: far enough back that i'll catch him in daylight. Um. 1108 01:02:41,400 --> 01:02:44,920 Speaker 1: And you know, basic gist of night number one was 1109 01:02:44,920 --> 01:02:47,200 Speaker 1: that I thought I wasn't a great place. Uh. And 1110 01:02:47,240 --> 01:02:50,200 Speaker 1: I saw some deer, saw some does, saw some fawns, 1111 01:02:50,600 --> 01:02:54,440 Speaker 1: saw a couple of small bucks. Um. About an hour 1112 01:02:54,560 --> 01:02:57,760 Speaker 1: before dark, had two other hunters come through that I 1113 01:02:57,800 --> 01:03:00,640 Speaker 1: could actually see biking in on a trail that I 1114 01:03:00,680 --> 01:03:03,480 Speaker 1: could see about a hundred yards away from me. So 1115 01:03:03,560 --> 01:03:06,080 Speaker 1: two other bikers came past me and heading towards where 1116 01:03:06,160 --> 01:03:08,880 Speaker 1: Josh was. UM. And then I saw one decent two 1117 01:03:08,960 --> 01:03:11,280 Speaker 1: year old buck. And that was it for night number one. 1118 01:03:11,360 --> 01:03:13,920 Speaker 1: So it was pretty disappointed because I thought, opening night 1119 01:03:13,920 --> 01:03:16,320 Speaker 1: of the season, I'm in a spot that I know 1120 01:03:16,440 --> 01:03:19,320 Speaker 1: these bucks that'd come through and didn't didn't see a 1121 01:03:19,360 --> 01:03:21,680 Speaker 1: good one. Um, plus the two other guys. So that 1122 01:03:21,760 --> 01:03:25,240 Speaker 1: was that was my first day. Uh, Josh, you want 1123 01:03:25,240 --> 01:03:30,280 Speaker 1: to give me the highlight of your night? What happened there? Yeah? Yeah? Sure? Um, 1124 01:03:30,360 --> 01:03:33,280 Speaker 1: So yeah, I kind of stopped at that same area 1125 01:03:33,320 --> 01:03:36,680 Speaker 1: that I had hunted last year that I liked. UM. 1126 01:03:36,720 --> 01:03:40,200 Speaker 1: I did go in, I don't know, th yards deeper 1127 01:03:40,240 --> 01:03:42,600 Speaker 1: than I than I was the year before, get back 1128 01:03:42,600 --> 01:03:44,600 Speaker 1: in a little bit more to the cover. UM. But 1129 01:03:44,640 --> 01:03:46,200 Speaker 1: I also still want to be able to see this 1130 01:03:46,320 --> 01:03:49,040 Speaker 1: kind of it's almost like a secluded alfalfa field back 1131 01:03:49,120 --> 01:03:51,280 Speaker 1: in there on the private So I wanted to be 1132 01:03:51,280 --> 01:03:54,160 Speaker 1: able to see that and see if there's deer come 1133 01:03:54,160 --> 01:03:55,960 Speaker 1: out the private or kind of how they were using 1134 01:03:55,960 --> 01:03:59,919 Speaker 1: that this year. UM. So I kind of got said 1135 01:04:00,080 --> 01:04:04,000 Speaker 1: up and and just pretty slow. UM for the first 1136 01:04:04,000 --> 01:04:08,959 Speaker 1: part of the night, saw some does and bonds UM. 1137 01:04:09,000 --> 01:04:11,439 Speaker 1: And I had saw those saying two hunters coming down 1138 01:04:11,480 --> 01:04:14,200 Speaker 1: that that trail that I could also see. They worked 1139 01:04:14,240 --> 01:04:16,680 Speaker 1: their way down to me. UM, but they kept moving on, 1140 01:04:17,320 --> 01:04:20,680 Speaker 1: which is probably good news as best as it could 1141 01:04:20,680 --> 01:04:23,960 Speaker 1: have been. UM. And then things started to pick up 1142 01:04:24,000 --> 01:04:27,360 Speaker 1: a bit towards the last half hour or so of light. 1143 01:04:27,960 --> 01:04:30,480 Speaker 1: UM had a couple of like a bachelor group of 1144 01:04:30,960 --> 01:04:32,600 Speaker 1: probably a couple of year and a half old bucks 1145 01:04:32,640 --> 01:04:34,600 Speaker 1: and I think there's like one two and a half 1146 01:04:34,680 --> 01:04:37,320 Speaker 1: yeorld and it was a decent little like a little 1147 01:04:37,520 --> 01:04:41,680 Speaker 1: forky six point with like a seven point coming off. Um, 1148 01:04:41,800 --> 01:04:44,840 Speaker 1: his main beam like just a nub, but he was wide. 1149 01:04:44,840 --> 01:04:46,520 Speaker 1: He's like to his year. He's kind of a cool 1150 01:04:46,560 --> 01:04:50,080 Speaker 1: looking buck. And and uh I saw that that deer 1151 01:04:50,440 --> 01:04:53,800 Speaker 1: and then UM had randomly turned around just kind of 1152 01:04:53,880 --> 01:04:58,080 Speaker 1: checked behind me, check the theflfa field. Um. I had 1153 01:04:58,120 --> 01:05:01,200 Speaker 1: my back to the half alfa field. UM I was using. 1154 01:05:01,320 --> 01:05:03,920 Speaker 1: I was in the saddle using the tree is cover 1155 01:05:04,600 --> 01:05:06,880 Speaker 1: um from deer that would have been coming out of 1156 01:05:06,880 --> 01:05:09,360 Speaker 1: the cover towards the alf alfa. So I had positioned 1157 01:05:09,400 --> 01:05:11,560 Speaker 1: myself where I had to turn around to see the 1158 01:05:11,560 --> 01:05:14,040 Speaker 1: alf alfa field. And I had turned around it at 1159 01:05:14,080 --> 01:05:17,320 Speaker 1: one point and there was a what was the term 1160 01:05:17,360 --> 01:05:22,040 Speaker 1: justin the slammer slammer slammer buck, slammer bucks standing there 1161 01:05:22,080 --> 01:05:25,800 Speaker 1: on that kind of main access trail that probably a 1162 01:05:25,800 --> 01:05:29,600 Speaker 1: half hour ago there was two kids walking their bikes down. 1163 01:05:29,720 --> 01:05:32,240 Speaker 1: There's just big old buck standing right on this trail 1164 01:05:32,280 --> 01:05:35,840 Speaker 1: and kind of trotting along and and um he was 1165 01:05:35,880 --> 01:05:40,640 Speaker 1: now headed Uh he would have been headed west UM 1166 01:05:40,680 --> 01:05:43,160 Speaker 1: and I lost sight of him. UM. But that was 1167 01:05:43,600 --> 01:05:47,120 Speaker 1: obviously a confirmation that I was in a good little zone. There. 1168 01:05:47,120 --> 01:05:49,400 Speaker 1: There's some good deer in that area. Um, saw a 1169 01:05:49,400 --> 01:05:52,480 Speaker 1: lot of deer that night. Um, and then saw I 1170 01:05:52,600 --> 01:05:56,120 Speaker 1: saw one really good book that that I knew, uh 1171 01:05:56,400 --> 01:05:59,040 Speaker 1: what was definitely a shooter. So I couldn't really tell 1172 01:05:59,040 --> 01:06:01,800 Speaker 1: where he went, but kind of at last light, I 1173 01:06:01,840 --> 01:06:06,560 Speaker 1: saw him retrace his that that trail he had taken 1174 01:06:07,120 --> 01:06:10,040 Speaker 1: and head into the alfalfa under the cover of darkness 1175 01:06:10,080 --> 01:06:12,880 Speaker 1: that I could just see him through my binoculars. Um 1176 01:06:13,120 --> 01:06:16,080 Speaker 1: before I was I was ready to get packed up 1177 01:06:16,080 --> 01:06:19,200 Speaker 1: for the night. So definitely definitely good one in that 1178 01:06:19,360 --> 01:06:23,040 Speaker 1: general area. I couldn't tell you where exactly he came from, um, 1179 01:06:23,120 --> 01:06:26,280 Speaker 1: but but he was close. Josh, how big is a 1180 01:06:26,960 --> 01:06:30,400 Speaker 1: what's a good one out there? You think? Yeah, I 1181 01:06:30,440 --> 01:06:34,600 Speaker 1: bet that deer is probably um he was involved, so 1182 01:06:34,600 --> 01:06:38,120 Speaker 1: he probably looked a little bit bigger than he actually was. Um, 1183 01:06:38,160 --> 01:06:43,280 Speaker 1: I bet he was hunter forty year Yeah, real nice 1184 01:06:43,320 --> 01:06:46,000 Speaker 1: time length and and uh I just got a quick 1185 01:06:46,000 --> 01:06:48,360 Speaker 1: glimpse of them. But kind of judging by that, I 1186 01:06:48,360 --> 01:06:52,360 Speaker 1: would have seen his right side, judging by kind of 1187 01:06:52,360 --> 01:06:54,360 Speaker 1: what I saw from the time, length and everything, and 1188 01:06:55,000 --> 01:07:00,560 Speaker 1: I bet he was year really really nice gann deer 1189 01:07:00,600 --> 01:07:04,640 Speaker 1: for sure, Yeah, yeah, no doubt. Yeah. So so our 1190 01:07:04,800 --> 01:07:08,360 Speaker 1: our plan for this trip was to for the first 1191 01:07:08,400 --> 01:07:10,959 Speaker 1: like half or so first handful of days of the trip, 1192 01:07:11,120 --> 01:07:15,000 Speaker 1: our plan was to focus just on the evenings because 1193 01:07:15,040 --> 01:07:17,480 Speaker 1: there was there's no way to get into this stuff 1194 01:07:18,120 --> 01:07:21,760 Speaker 1: without being in front of an alongside these big elf 1195 01:07:21,760 --> 01:07:23,680 Speaker 1: alfa fields where all these deer feeding at night, so 1196 01:07:23,680 --> 01:07:25,600 Speaker 1: that there's no good way to get in the morning 1197 01:07:26,040 --> 01:07:28,560 Speaker 1: without these deer know when you're going in. So our 1198 01:07:28,560 --> 01:07:32,240 Speaker 1: thought was, let's try to have you know, at least 1199 01:07:32,320 --> 01:07:36,680 Speaker 1: three really good, unscrewed up evening hunts, and then if 1200 01:07:36,720 --> 01:07:39,280 Speaker 1: we still haven't killed once we get towards those last 1201 01:07:39,320 --> 01:07:42,480 Speaker 1: parts of the trip, then we would start hunting mornings 1202 01:07:42,480 --> 01:07:44,480 Speaker 1: and just throw caution to the wind and see what 1203 01:07:44,480 --> 01:07:46,480 Speaker 1: would happened, so we could up our odds a little 1204 01:07:46,480 --> 01:07:48,680 Speaker 1: bit in a different kind of way. Um, so we 1205 01:07:48,720 --> 01:07:53,000 Speaker 1: didn't hunt that next morning. Ah. The thought process then 1206 01:07:53,080 --> 01:07:54,640 Speaker 1: was that, you know, Josh is gonna make a play 1207 01:07:54,640 --> 01:07:57,880 Speaker 1: on that buck. Hyesaw, But I felt kind of lost, 1208 01:07:58,000 --> 01:08:00,560 Speaker 1: like I hadn't seen anything worth going to move on 1209 01:08:00,720 --> 01:08:04,680 Speaker 1: after my first night. UM, so I'm sitting here thinking, well, 1210 01:08:04,720 --> 01:08:06,800 Speaker 1: you know, one of my ideas was to push in 1211 01:08:06,920 --> 01:08:10,440 Speaker 1: deeper from that, Um, but then we had this other task, 1212 01:08:10,520 --> 01:08:13,360 Speaker 1: which was we wanted to go put some cameras on 1213 01:08:13,400 --> 01:08:16,080 Speaker 1: the other side of the property, way over by that 1214 01:08:16,160 --> 01:08:18,439 Speaker 1: other access point, just to see like is there anything 1215 01:08:18,479 --> 01:08:20,280 Speaker 1: going on over there? And like I mentioned, like, we 1216 01:08:20,320 --> 01:08:22,360 Speaker 1: did see there was some green food on that side too, 1217 01:08:22,400 --> 01:08:24,880 Speaker 1: so there probably was dear But at the same time, 1218 01:08:24,880 --> 01:08:27,320 Speaker 1: there was also a spot that's easier to access. There's 1219 01:08:27,320 --> 01:08:30,200 Speaker 1: like an easier parking lot to get you know, settled in, 1220 01:08:30,400 --> 01:08:33,320 Speaker 1: there's an easier trail to get into that side. So 1221 01:08:33,360 --> 01:08:35,920 Speaker 1: I kind of had this assumption that, you know, if 1222 01:08:35,920 --> 01:08:37,600 Speaker 1: there was gonna be more pressure, it would be on 1223 01:08:37,640 --> 01:08:40,840 Speaker 1: that side. Um. But I kept going back and forth 1224 01:08:40,840 --> 01:08:42,200 Speaker 1: in my head. I'm like, well, I could go back 1225 01:08:42,200 --> 01:08:44,960 Speaker 1: in where I went and pushing kind of blind and 1226 01:08:44,960 --> 01:08:47,920 Speaker 1: find something, or I could just like suck it up 1227 01:08:47,920 --> 01:08:49,920 Speaker 1: and be the guy who goes and puts cameras on 1228 01:08:50,040 --> 01:08:52,880 Speaker 1: the west side and go in there and see what 1229 01:08:53,000 --> 01:08:55,920 Speaker 1: might happen. Um. You know, I don't want to just 1230 01:08:55,960 --> 01:08:59,360 Speaker 1: assume it's blown up, because maybe it's not. And that 1231 01:08:59,520 --> 01:09:02,360 Speaker 1: does like that spot was the spot that Josh had 1232 01:09:02,360 --> 01:09:06,640 Speaker 1: that night where he saw like sixty in fifteen bucks. Um, 1233 01:09:06,720 --> 01:09:09,439 Speaker 1: so maybe there haven't been people there yet, and if 1234 01:09:09,439 --> 01:09:11,160 Speaker 1: there haven't been people there yet, it actually could be 1235 01:09:11,160 --> 01:09:13,880 Speaker 1: really good. Um So I was going back and forth 1236 01:09:13,880 --> 01:09:15,679 Speaker 1: between like, assuming there's gonna be a bunch of people 1237 01:09:15,680 --> 01:09:17,439 Speaker 1: and it's gonna suck, or maybe I should go there 1238 01:09:17,439 --> 01:09:20,000 Speaker 1: and check it out and see what happens. Um So 1239 01:09:20,120 --> 01:09:22,680 Speaker 1: I finally decided, you know what, I'll go. I'll just 1240 01:09:22,720 --> 01:09:24,519 Speaker 1: go and see and we can check that off the bot. 1241 01:09:24,560 --> 01:09:26,439 Speaker 1: We can check it off the map. Either have a 1242 01:09:26,479 --> 01:09:29,599 Speaker 1: great hunt or um you know, we learned that, yeah, 1243 01:09:29,720 --> 01:09:32,439 Speaker 1: that spot's not the place to go. So I went 1244 01:09:32,520 --> 01:09:36,120 Speaker 1: over there, hiked in, hung a camera, and my game 1245 01:09:36,120 --> 01:09:38,640 Speaker 1: plan originally was to, you know, even though I was 1246 01:09:38,640 --> 01:09:40,560 Speaker 1: going to go on this side, knowing that there was 1247 01:09:40,640 --> 01:09:44,280 Speaker 1: probably um you know, it's kind of like this high 1248 01:09:44,360 --> 01:09:46,120 Speaker 1: risk hiro war kind of thing, I still was like, 1249 01:09:46,120 --> 01:09:47,880 Speaker 1: I'm still gonna go deep in the cover. I'm still 1250 01:09:47,920 --> 01:09:49,559 Speaker 1: gonna go away way back in there so that even 1251 01:09:49,600 --> 01:09:52,280 Speaker 1: if people do show up, it won't blow blow up 1252 01:09:52,320 --> 01:09:55,080 Speaker 1: my hunt. But as I got in there, I got 1253 01:09:55,360 --> 01:09:59,280 Speaker 1: just under a mile in. There's this spot that Josh 1254 01:09:59,360 --> 01:10:02,040 Speaker 1: was able to watch last year on that first night, 1255 01:10:02,600 --> 01:10:06,280 Speaker 1: where a ton of these dear cross into the alfalfa. 1256 01:10:06,520 --> 01:10:09,840 Speaker 1: There's like three different fences that all come together and 1257 01:10:09,880 --> 01:10:11,920 Speaker 1: like these are like you know, low barbed wire fences, 1258 01:10:12,360 --> 01:10:13,800 Speaker 1: and there's three of them that all come together, and 1259 01:10:13,800 --> 01:10:16,599 Speaker 1: there's a couple of like strands down and then there's 1260 01:10:16,640 --> 01:10:19,360 Speaker 1: a gate that's lower and so I think because of 1261 01:10:19,400 --> 01:10:21,680 Speaker 1: that reason, a lot of the deer cross out of 1262 01:10:21,720 --> 01:10:25,360 Speaker 1: the cover right here. The problem is it's it's right 1263 01:10:25,400 --> 01:10:28,360 Speaker 1: next to that access trail, and it's like the easiest 1264 01:10:28,360 --> 01:10:30,160 Speaker 1: spot you could get to if you wanted to walk 1265 01:10:30,200 --> 01:10:32,559 Speaker 1: in down this main trail, you would get here and 1266 01:10:32,560 --> 01:10:34,800 Speaker 1: you'd be like, oh wow, this is an obvious great spot. 1267 01:10:34,880 --> 01:10:38,080 Speaker 1: This is where all these deer crossed by. Um. So 1268 01:10:38,200 --> 01:10:41,160 Speaker 1: I got to that point and in my mind, I'm like, okay, 1269 01:10:41,160 --> 01:10:43,120 Speaker 1: I'm gonna cross the fence. I don't hike another like 1270 01:10:43,320 --> 01:10:44,760 Speaker 1: I don't know, third of a mile in here or 1271 01:10:44,800 --> 01:10:47,400 Speaker 1: something like that to get back in this cover. But 1272 01:10:47,479 --> 01:10:49,280 Speaker 1: then I had this little like feeling in my head. 1273 01:10:49,320 --> 01:10:52,559 Speaker 1: I was like, God, there were so many deer that 1274 01:10:52,600 --> 01:10:54,240 Speaker 1: came through here last year. And that was like the 1275 01:10:54,240 --> 01:10:56,160 Speaker 1: third of the fourth day of the season, and they 1276 01:10:56,160 --> 01:10:59,720 Speaker 1: were still doing it. Um. Now, after that day, other 1277 01:10:59,720 --> 01:11:03,080 Speaker 1: people showed up and it's got screwed. But I don't 1278 01:11:03,080 --> 01:11:04,840 Speaker 1: know what's been happening here the last night. This is 1279 01:11:04,880 --> 01:11:07,479 Speaker 1: only day two of the season, so I was basically 1280 01:11:07,520 --> 01:11:09,720 Speaker 1: saying I was trying to termine, like, hey, if no 1281 01:11:09,760 --> 01:11:13,160 Speaker 1: one was in here last night, this might still be dynamite. Um. 1282 01:11:13,200 --> 01:11:17,760 Speaker 1: And it's actually a concentrating feature that you know, would 1283 01:11:17,840 --> 01:11:20,720 Speaker 1: really concentrate movement if they're still doing it and i'd 1284 01:11:20,760 --> 01:11:22,439 Speaker 1: be able to see it, versus if I go deep 1285 01:11:22,439 --> 01:11:24,960 Speaker 1: in under the cover. It's a jungle, and I'm kind 1286 01:11:25,000 --> 01:11:27,600 Speaker 1: of you know, I'm gonna see what's happening in a 1287 01:11:27,640 --> 01:11:30,240 Speaker 1: forty yard radius, and I better hope I picked the 1288 01:11:30,280 --> 01:11:34,040 Speaker 1: one feature that's right, because there's a whole lot more 1289 01:11:34,080 --> 01:11:36,599 Speaker 1: area that they might be passing through and I'm making 1290 01:11:36,600 --> 01:11:39,800 Speaker 1: a blind guess on it. Um. So again I'm back 1291 01:11:39,800 --> 01:11:41,880 Speaker 1: and forth, back and forth, and finally I decided to 1292 01:11:41,880 --> 01:11:46,600 Speaker 1: settle on the riskier option, which was hunting close to 1293 01:11:46,640 --> 01:11:49,120 Speaker 1: that crossing, close to the access trail, close to the 1294 01:11:49,160 --> 01:11:53,479 Speaker 1: food And it was either gonna be the stupidest night 1295 01:11:53,520 --> 01:11:55,200 Speaker 1: ever and I was gonna have it blown up with 1296 01:11:55,280 --> 01:11:56,960 Speaker 1: hunters and I'm gonna sit there and fee look an 1297 01:11:57,000 --> 01:12:00,880 Speaker 1: idiot or these deer would be still on their normal 1298 01:12:00,920 --> 01:12:03,720 Speaker 1: summer pattern. It would actually come right by and I 1299 01:12:03,720 --> 01:12:06,519 Speaker 1: get a shot at one. All right, let me ask 1300 01:12:06,520 --> 01:12:09,960 Speaker 1: you something here. How early were you in there? I mean, like, 1301 01:12:10,240 --> 01:12:13,960 Speaker 1: presumably you didn't walk in there and there's somebody hanging 1302 01:12:14,000 --> 01:12:17,479 Speaker 1: there already. Like what time were you going in? Correct? Uh? 1303 01:12:17,640 --> 01:12:20,400 Speaker 1: End the shooting light was around eight thirty pm, and 1304 01:12:20,439 --> 01:12:24,280 Speaker 1: we were getting in there, I'd say around four ish. 1305 01:12:24,640 --> 01:12:27,280 Speaker 1: I think we we we end up going in progressively 1306 01:12:27,400 --> 01:12:30,240 Speaker 1: later every day. Um, but I think on that second 1307 01:12:30,320 --> 01:12:32,280 Speaker 1: day we might have even been in there, like three thirty. 1308 01:12:32,640 --> 01:12:34,400 Speaker 1: We were in there pretty really marked. Mark. Sorry, I 1309 01:12:34,439 --> 01:12:36,439 Speaker 1: think it was right around four o'clock those first couple 1310 01:12:36,439 --> 01:12:38,760 Speaker 1: of nights. Who were we were getting in there? So 1311 01:12:38,800 --> 01:12:41,720 Speaker 1: those people that you guys kept seeing that we're walking by, 1312 01:12:41,800 --> 01:12:44,400 Speaker 1: you were they just trying to get deeper? Like did 1313 01:12:44,400 --> 01:12:47,439 Speaker 1: you ever figure that out? Well? You know, there's a 1314 01:12:47,439 --> 01:12:50,680 Speaker 1: whole bunch of different examples, um. You know, on on 1315 01:12:51,720 --> 01:12:54,240 Speaker 1: in previous years, there are some people that were going 1316 01:12:54,280 --> 01:12:57,959 Speaker 1: in further but seemingly hunting, like close to the private 1317 01:12:58,200 --> 01:13:02,759 Speaker 1: but going past in this cation um on the west side. 1318 01:13:02,920 --> 01:13:06,080 Speaker 1: That was the case because there's actually a spot where 1319 01:13:06,160 --> 01:13:10,160 Speaker 1: the private land um. This main trail continues onto the 1320 01:13:10,160 --> 01:13:12,160 Speaker 1: private land, and we found out by talking to some 1321 01:13:12,240 --> 01:13:16,760 Speaker 1: other hunters that some locals had permission to cross that 1322 01:13:16,840 --> 01:13:19,720 Speaker 1: private land that we couldn't do, but other people did 1323 01:13:19,760 --> 01:13:23,000 Speaker 1: have access to do um on the side that Josh 1324 01:13:23,080 --> 01:13:24,800 Speaker 1: hunted that we both hunted night number one and the 1325 01:13:24,920 --> 01:13:28,400 Speaker 1: Josh was hunting night number two. We historically had not 1326 01:13:28,600 --> 01:13:32,240 Speaker 1: seen other people hiking that far coming from the public 1327 01:13:32,320 --> 01:13:35,360 Speaker 1: We've seen people hike a short distance in because they're 1328 01:13:35,360 --> 01:13:39,920 Speaker 1: coming off the private UM. So in my case though, 1329 01:13:39,920 --> 01:13:42,600 Speaker 1: on nine number two, i'm, you know, just under a 1330 01:13:42,600 --> 01:13:47,880 Speaker 1: mile from the public access um, but pretty close to 1331 01:13:47,880 --> 01:13:50,479 Speaker 1: the private So I think it was a hundred yards 1332 01:13:50,520 --> 01:13:53,439 Speaker 1: off the private off that field. So if someone came 1333 01:13:53,479 --> 01:13:55,800 Speaker 1: in there, you know, they wouldn't have to go all 1334 01:13:55,800 --> 01:13:58,280 Speaker 1: that terribly far and they'd be right there and right 1335 01:13:58,360 --> 01:14:02,240 Speaker 1: on me. But I don't know. For For whatever reason, 1336 01:14:02,280 --> 01:14:03,960 Speaker 1: I decided, you know what, I gotta try it. I 1337 01:14:04,000 --> 01:14:06,839 Speaker 1: have to try it before assuming that's screwed up already. 1338 01:14:07,160 --> 01:14:09,960 Speaker 1: And to make a long story short, I sat there 1339 01:14:09,960 --> 01:14:12,120 Speaker 1: most of the night and saw nothing. And then we 1340 01:14:12,120 --> 01:14:14,280 Speaker 1: get to prime time the final hour of the day 1341 01:14:14,840 --> 01:14:16,920 Speaker 1: and I see a flash of movement of ahead of 1342 01:14:16,960 --> 01:14:19,519 Speaker 1: me up towards the field. And remember at first and 1343 01:14:19,640 --> 01:14:21,840 Speaker 1: like a deer got past me, and I throw out 1344 01:14:21,840 --> 01:14:24,160 Speaker 1: my binoculars and I look at him and it's not 1345 01:14:24,240 --> 01:14:27,559 Speaker 1: a deer. It is a hunter. Uh. And he's sneaking 1346 01:14:27,600 --> 01:14:30,599 Speaker 1: in with like an arrow knocked. He's like spotting stock 1347 01:14:30,680 --> 01:14:33,960 Speaker 1: on the ground, sneaking down this trail towards me. Uh. 1348 01:14:34,000 --> 01:14:36,200 Speaker 1: And he ends up walking like right in my direction. 1349 01:14:36,720 --> 01:14:39,920 Speaker 1: I whistle at him, waved, and he looked up and 1350 01:14:39,920 --> 01:14:42,479 Speaker 1: saw me and had that like deer in the headlights 1351 01:14:42,560 --> 01:14:46,759 Speaker 1: look like oh no, we both probably had this hunting public. 1352 01:14:49,040 --> 01:14:53,559 Speaker 1: It wasn't, but he was. He definitely was taking a page. 1353 01:14:53,920 --> 01:14:57,280 Speaker 1: He was taking a page as X book. He probably 1354 01:14:57,320 --> 01:15:00,000 Speaker 1: listened to your podcast from three weeks ago, you probab. 1355 01:15:00,360 --> 01:15:05,160 Speaker 1: You probably did, so, you know, God bless this guy. 1356 01:15:05,280 --> 01:15:07,760 Speaker 1: He he saw me, he waved, and then he turned 1357 01:15:07,760 --> 01:15:10,760 Speaker 1: and went back the other way. UM. So that was 1358 01:15:10,800 --> 01:15:13,800 Speaker 1: the best case scenario there at least. UM. But I 1359 01:15:13,840 --> 01:15:16,200 Speaker 1: did think, well, you know, this will be interesting because 1360 01:15:16,200 --> 01:15:20,280 Speaker 1: he just walked up this way, blowing his wind basically, 1361 01:15:20,320 --> 01:15:23,799 Speaker 1: you know, having walked that whole direction, final hour daylight 1362 01:15:23,840 --> 01:15:26,400 Speaker 1: and blown his wind. With the way the wind was 1363 01:15:26,439 --> 01:15:28,760 Speaker 1: going that day, he would have basically blown his wind 1364 01:15:28,760 --> 01:15:32,640 Speaker 1: across everything. I was hoping Dear would come through UM 1365 01:15:32,680 --> 01:15:34,840 Speaker 1: and then turn around went back. So my hope was like, Okay, 1366 01:15:34,960 --> 01:15:37,280 Speaker 1: best case, he'd just keep on going a long ways back. 1367 01:15:37,320 --> 01:15:39,000 Speaker 1: But if he just goes, you know, a little ways 1368 01:15:39,000 --> 01:15:41,280 Speaker 1: back the way he came and sets up, he'll be 1369 01:15:41,280 --> 01:15:43,240 Speaker 1: really blown into all the stuff that I was hoping 1370 01:15:43,240 --> 01:15:48,320 Speaker 1: would be safe from a wind perspective. UM light fades 1371 01:15:48,400 --> 01:15:50,760 Speaker 1: were down like the last ten ments of light. I 1372 01:15:50,800 --> 01:15:53,599 Speaker 1: haven't seen any deer yet. In my head, I'm like, well, 1373 01:15:53,760 --> 01:15:55,680 Speaker 1: this was the stupid hunt you figured it would be. 1374 01:15:55,800 --> 01:15:58,840 Speaker 1: You didn't see anything. It was a bust. Well you know, 1375 01:15:58,920 --> 01:16:01,000 Speaker 1: at least now you know now focus on the other side. 1376 01:16:01,200 --> 01:16:02,920 Speaker 1: But last ten minutes, all of a sudden, I hear 1377 01:16:02,960 --> 01:16:06,160 Speaker 1: like crunching and crashing stuff from behind me. And here's 1378 01:16:06,160 --> 01:16:09,160 Speaker 1: a dough and a fawn and another dona fawn and 1379 01:16:09,160 --> 01:16:12,599 Speaker 1: they're coming out like twenty yards from me, passing, heading 1380 01:16:12,680 --> 01:16:15,800 Speaker 1: right towards that gap in the fence. UM. And now 1381 01:16:15,840 --> 01:16:18,839 Speaker 1: it's like five minutes left and I'm hearing more movement, 1382 01:16:18,880 --> 01:16:20,840 Speaker 1: but you just can't see it. It's dark enough now 1383 01:16:20,880 --> 01:16:22,719 Speaker 1: that we're down to like the last like four minutes 1384 01:16:22,800 --> 01:16:25,040 Speaker 1: or three minutes. I keep like looking at my phone 1385 01:16:25,439 --> 01:16:27,240 Speaker 1: and then pull up my binoes and trying to see 1386 01:16:27,280 --> 01:16:30,200 Speaker 1: these deer. It's enough that like I need my binoculars 1387 01:16:30,280 --> 01:16:34,200 Speaker 1: up to really see what's happening off further into the cover. 1388 01:16:35,280 --> 01:16:38,040 Speaker 1: And we're down to just like those last couple of minutes, 1389 01:16:38,080 --> 01:16:41,000 Speaker 1: and I see another bigger body deer coming to like 1390 01:16:41,040 --> 01:16:43,880 Speaker 1: a little opening, and I pulled my binoculars and it's 1391 01:16:43,880 --> 01:16:46,640 Speaker 1: a shooter buck It's like a nice hard horned This 1392 01:16:46,680 --> 01:16:49,120 Speaker 1: isn't like a giant buck um, but for this trip, 1393 01:16:49,160 --> 01:16:51,240 Speaker 1: for me, he was definitely a shooter maybe like one 1394 01:16:51,280 --> 01:16:54,960 Speaker 1: twenty hard horned eight pointer looking deer. But he's like 1395 01:16:55,000 --> 01:16:57,519 Speaker 1: behind a tree. I can see him through pine boughs 1396 01:16:58,160 --> 01:17:00,280 Speaker 1: um and he's standing there and he just is there. 1397 01:17:00,320 --> 01:17:03,519 Speaker 1: He's not moving, he stopped walking. Some does are walking past. 1398 01:17:03,600 --> 01:17:05,439 Speaker 1: He's just kind of looking around, looking around. I'm looking 1399 01:17:05,479 --> 01:17:08,080 Speaker 1: at my phone. I'm like, God, dangn like two minutes left, 1400 01:17:08,320 --> 01:17:10,240 Speaker 1: Like I need him to go like another five yards 1401 01:17:10,240 --> 01:17:12,599 Speaker 1: in either direction for me to be able to get 1402 01:17:12,640 --> 01:17:15,640 Speaker 1: a shot. He's within range. I would say, he was 1403 01:17:15,760 --> 01:17:19,439 Speaker 1: right around that thirty ish yard mark, but just no 1404 01:17:19,479 --> 01:17:21,559 Speaker 1: way I could get a shot, and so I let 1405 01:17:21,600 --> 01:17:23,519 Speaker 1: out a little I decided to do just a little 1406 01:17:23,560 --> 01:17:26,640 Speaker 1: contact grunt, just like a little like rock, just just 1407 01:17:26,720 --> 01:17:28,479 Speaker 1: in case maybe I'm get him to be curious and 1408 01:17:28,520 --> 01:17:31,559 Speaker 1: do something. I let the little rock, and it does 1409 01:17:31,560 --> 01:17:33,559 Speaker 1: get him to move. He kind of like bounces back 1410 01:17:33,600 --> 01:17:36,640 Speaker 1: a couple of steps back the way he came um, 1411 01:17:36,720 --> 01:17:38,840 Speaker 1: but doesn't stop in the lane. So he bounces back 1412 01:17:38,840 --> 01:17:41,280 Speaker 1: a couple of steps, still within range, but still behind cover. 1413 01:17:41,960 --> 01:17:45,040 Speaker 1: And as I am panning with my binoculars over to 1414 01:17:45,120 --> 01:17:48,200 Speaker 1: his new spot, I see another dear step out behind him, 1415 01:17:48,240 --> 01:17:51,400 Speaker 1: and this is maybe like twenty yards behind him, and 1416 01:17:51,439 --> 01:17:53,280 Speaker 1: this one's like a big shooter, like this one's like 1417 01:17:53,280 --> 01:17:57,960 Speaker 1: a one forty plus buck in velvet, but he's like 1418 01:17:58,040 --> 01:18:00,679 Speaker 1: fifty sixty yards away And that's definitely not a shot 1419 01:18:00,680 --> 01:18:05,160 Speaker 1: I was gonna take in the last fading moments of light. Uh. 1420 01:18:05,200 --> 01:18:08,559 Speaker 1: And so that was it. Light faded. They were right 1421 01:18:08,560 --> 01:18:10,240 Speaker 1: there out and just you know, the one was in range, 1422 01:18:10,280 --> 01:18:13,880 Speaker 1: one was just out of range, but no clear shot um. 1423 01:18:13,960 --> 01:18:17,920 Speaker 1: And you know, I basically left that hunt feeling pretty 1424 01:18:17,920 --> 01:18:21,160 Speaker 1: happy about it. Because I had taken this risk. It 1425 01:18:21,160 --> 01:18:23,080 Speaker 1: almost seemed like it was going to be a really stupid, 1426 01:18:23,080 --> 01:18:26,000 Speaker 1: worthless night, and they ended up doing almost what I 1427 01:18:26,000 --> 01:18:28,519 Speaker 1: thought they would do. Right they came through. They still 1428 01:18:28,560 --> 01:18:30,479 Speaker 1: had not been so pressured that they wouldn't do what 1429 01:18:30,479 --> 01:18:33,080 Speaker 1: they're gonna do, and I was just, you know, a 1430 01:18:33,120 --> 01:18:36,519 Speaker 1: couple of branches away from killing one. So that was 1431 01:18:36,760 --> 01:18:38,920 Speaker 1: encouraging because now I had something to work off of. 1432 01:18:39,040 --> 01:18:41,400 Speaker 1: I knew that for day three I can make a 1433 01:18:41,439 --> 01:18:43,639 Speaker 1: move on what I saw and hopefully get in behind 1434 01:18:43,720 --> 01:18:46,679 Speaker 1: them and catch them earlier, even if they had been pressured, 1435 01:18:46,760 --> 01:18:48,439 Speaker 1: even if they did smell me or the other guy 1436 01:18:48,520 --> 01:18:51,400 Speaker 1: and decided to move later, I thought I could adjust 1437 01:18:51,439 --> 01:18:54,679 Speaker 1: for that. UM. So that day two ended up pretty 1438 01:18:54,720 --> 01:18:57,080 Speaker 1: good for me, Josh, Day two is pretty good for 1439 01:18:57,120 --> 01:19:02,120 Speaker 1: you to write, Yeah, I did. Two was another decent 1440 01:19:02,200 --> 01:19:05,040 Speaker 1: day for me. I adjusted again, or I guess I 1441 01:19:05,040 --> 01:19:08,479 Speaker 1: adjusted for the first time. UM on day two. There 1442 01:19:08,520 --> 01:19:13,040 Speaker 1: I had moved forty or fifty yards to what would 1443 01:19:13,040 --> 01:19:16,000 Speaker 1: have been my west A lot of the deer I 1444 01:19:16,080 --> 01:19:19,719 Speaker 1: saw the night before. I had been using um a 1445 01:19:19,760 --> 01:19:21,519 Speaker 1: different trail than what I had set up on the 1446 01:19:21,600 --> 01:19:24,240 Speaker 1: night before. I think I only had like one dough 1447 01:19:24,360 --> 01:19:26,080 Speaker 1: and maybe like one year and a half old buck 1448 01:19:26,160 --> 01:19:29,160 Speaker 1: use that trail that I thought they might use that 1449 01:19:29,200 --> 01:19:33,040 Speaker 1: previous night. A lot of the other deer were shifted 1450 01:19:33,479 --> 01:19:37,439 Speaker 1: forty fifty yards to my west, so I I moved 1451 01:19:37,720 --> 01:19:41,000 Speaker 1: further that way to get set up. UM. And I 1452 01:19:41,240 --> 01:19:44,200 Speaker 1: was really in dear all night, UM, within range, just 1453 01:19:44,880 --> 01:19:50,880 Speaker 1: just not the right deer unfortunately. UM. But again getting 1454 01:19:50,880 --> 01:19:53,080 Speaker 1: towards the last light last, A lot of the movement 1455 01:19:53,160 --> 01:19:56,800 Speaker 1: was pretty late. UM. At least the better deer that 1456 01:19:56,880 --> 01:19:59,519 Speaker 1: we were seeing. We kind of like it seemed all 1457 01:19:59,560 --> 01:20:01,479 Speaker 1: we could and be like in two waves like that 1458 01:20:01,680 --> 01:20:06,519 Speaker 1: first wave was pretty early movement. UM does fawns seeing 1459 01:20:06,640 --> 01:20:10,320 Speaker 1: young bucks. UM. And then really you know, anything of 1460 01:20:10,439 --> 01:20:15,040 Speaker 1: note wasn't moving until pretty late UM. Uh you know 1461 01:20:15,160 --> 01:20:20,080 Speaker 1: last last half hour, fifteen minutes something like that. UM. 1462 01:20:20,280 --> 01:20:24,240 Speaker 1: So again late movement, UM end up seeing. I'm trying 1463 01:20:24,240 --> 01:20:26,600 Speaker 1: to remember exactly what all I saw that night, but 1464 01:20:27,800 --> 01:20:31,920 Speaker 1: the key part of that night was just before maybe 1465 01:20:31,920 --> 01:20:33,640 Speaker 1: the last five ten minutes a light, I saw a 1466 01:20:33,680 --> 01:20:37,680 Speaker 1: really nice eight point or different duder than the night before. UM. 1467 01:20:38,479 --> 01:20:42,679 Speaker 1: It was like broadside at fifty yards UM, some junk 1468 01:20:42,720 --> 01:20:46,280 Speaker 1: in between me and him, Um, maybe could have squeezed 1469 01:20:46,320 --> 01:20:49,519 Speaker 1: off a shot. Um Man, that's just a that's a 1470 01:20:49,560 --> 01:20:52,240 Speaker 1: pretty far shot on a white tail for me. UM 1471 01:20:52,600 --> 01:20:56,040 Speaker 1: just wasn't quite confident taking that shot. Um. He was 1472 01:20:56,160 --> 01:20:59,000 Speaker 1: on alert. There is a dough I think blowing back 1473 01:20:59,040 --> 01:21:01,439 Speaker 1: in the cover. I'm not sure what I would have 1474 01:21:01,680 --> 01:21:05,000 Speaker 1: alarmed her because she was not near me. I don't 1475 01:21:05,040 --> 01:21:06,560 Speaker 1: think she smelled me. My wind was blown in the 1476 01:21:06,640 --> 01:21:09,960 Speaker 1: other direction, so something had her on edge, which had 1477 01:21:10,000 --> 01:21:13,880 Speaker 1: some other deer on edge. And just again fifty yard 1478 01:21:13,920 --> 01:21:16,120 Speaker 1: shot was was not one I wanted to take on 1479 01:21:16,240 --> 01:21:19,200 Speaker 1: that deer. And and while all that was happening, I 1480 01:21:19,640 --> 01:21:24,400 Speaker 1: I looked further to my west and there is another 1481 01:21:24,520 --> 01:21:28,000 Speaker 1: deer walking through another trail again further another you know, 1482 01:21:28,160 --> 01:21:31,160 Speaker 1: just out of range, further to my west even more um. 1483 01:21:31,439 --> 01:21:33,800 Speaker 1: And then behind that probably two and a half rild 1484 01:21:33,840 --> 01:21:36,680 Speaker 1: deer was a really really nice eight point I'm not 1485 01:21:36,800 --> 01:21:41,559 Speaker 1: exactly sure what he was um in terms of like size, 1486 01:21:41,600 --> 01:21:45,519 Speaker 1: but definitely a big body on him, great time length. UM. 1487 01:21:45,840 --> 01:21:48,800 Speaker 1: And I got some good eyes on those two deer 1488 01:21:48,880 --> 01:21:53,120 Speaker 1: where they where they crossed into the private um. And 1489 01:21:53,720 --> 01:21:56,320 Speaker 1: I made a mental note of that. Uh. And again 1490 01:21:56,840 --> 01:22:01,559 Speaker 1: kind of like on myself in between uh two shooter 1491 01:22:01,640 --> 01:22:05,120 Speaker 1: bucks on either side of me, So kind of in 1492 01:22:05,200 --> 01:22:07,680 Speaker 1: a little bit of a interesting dynamic of which way 1493 01:22:07,720 --> 01:22:10,439 Speaker 1: do I move to the next night? Maybe um to 1494 01:22:10,600 --> 01:22:12,880 Speaker 1: to try to make a play on them. Um, so yeah, 1495 01:22:13,240 --> 01:22:17,320 Speaker 1: another good night, another know, another too close encounters with 1496 01:22:17,479 --> 01:22:21,040 Speaker 1: with really nice box. Um, just feeling like they're maybe 1497 01:22:21,720 --> 01:22:24,400 Speaker 1: one step ahead of me both nights at that point. 1498 01:22:24,520 --> 01:22:27,360 Speaker 1: So far, we're feeling pretty good after that night, wheren't 1499 01:22:27,360 --> 01:22:29,720 Speaker 1: we Yeah, yeah, we were feeling real good after that 1500 01:22:29,880 --> 01:22:33,120 Speaker 1: night and both both getting into good deer. Yeah, now 1501 01:22:33,160 --> 01:22:36,439 Speaker 1: it should be pointed out. So we get done with 1502 01:22:36,520 --> 01:22:39,880 Speaker 1: a hunt like that, right, and then we're moving every 1503 01:22:39,920 --> 01:22:42,160 Speaker 1: day pretty much because we're running gun hunting with sticks 1504 01:22:42,200 --> 01:22:45,439 Speaker 1: in the saddle. So shooting ends at eight thirty. Then 1505 01:22:45,479 --> 01:22:47,320 Speaker 1: we have to tear down our whole set in the dark, 1506 01:22:47,560 --> 01:22:50,639 Speaker 1: so we're maybe down out of the tree fifteen minutes later. 1507 01:22:50,800 --> 01:22:52,160 Speaker 1: In some cases we had to wait for deer to 1508 01:22:52,200 --> 01:22:55,519 Speaker 1: get past us. So let's say nine o'clock we get 1509 01:22:55,600 --> 01:22:57,640 Speaker 1: out of the tree, and then we have about a 1510 01:22:57,720 --> 01:23:00,799 Speaker 1: forty five minute walk to hike out, you know, about 1511 01:23:01,000 --> 01:23:02,320 Speaker 1: you know, between a mile and a half and two 1512 01:23:02,400 --> 01:23:05,519 Speaker 1: miles to hike out. So you're talking about not getting 1513 01:23:05,560 --> 01:23:08,840 Speaker 1: back to the truck until getting close to ten o'clock 1514 01:23:08,880 --> 01:23:10,280 Speaker 1: at night. We get back to the truck at like 1515 01:23:10,360 --> 01:23:13,080 Speaker 1: ten o'clock, and like on night number two, I had 1516 01:23:13,160 --> 01:23:15,200 Speaker 1: to get my vehicle and then drive all the way 1517 01:23:15,240 --> 01:23:17,519 Speaker 1: to the other access point where Joshua's. We get there, 1518 01:23:17,960 --> 01:23:20,519 Speaker 1: takes it ten minutes to get undressed, packed up and going. 1519 01:23:21,000 --> 01:23:23,040 Speaker 1: So we're packed up and ready to go a little 1520 01:23:23,080 --> 01:23:25,400 Speaker 1: after ten, and then we have an hour drive back 1521 01:23:25,479 --> 01:23:28,599 Speaker 1: to the place we're staying. So we weren't getting home 1522 01:23:29,280 --> 01:23:32,360 Speaker 1: every night until after eleven. So we're making dinner at 1523 01:23:32,400 --> 01:23:36,559 Speaker 1: like eleven fifteen at night, eating dinner, doing whatever work 1524 01:23:36,640 --> 01:23:38,880 Speaker 1: we have to get done, and getting to sleep, you know, 1525 01:23:39,120 --> 01:23:42,640 Speaker 1: like twelve thirty one o'clock every night. It was very 1526 01:23:42,720 --> 01:23:47,839 Speaker 1: exhausting from that perspective. Um, it just felt like a grind, 1527 01:23:48,160 --> 01:23:51,320 Speaker 1: especially when we started hunting mornings. Um. So I'll fast 1528 01:23:51,360 --> 01:23:54,080 Speaker 1: forward a little bit for what happened to me that night, 1529 01:23:54,080 --> 01:23:57,160 Speaker 1: because I wanted to make a play on those bucks, 1530 01:23:57,200 --> 01:24:00,240 Speaker 1: of course, and my thought process was that I could 1531 01:24:00,320 --> 01:24:05,680 Speaker 1: get back behind them. And you know basically what I did. 1532 01:24:05,840 --> 01:24:09,160 Speaker 1: I went in that evening, I went and got above 1533 01:24:09,240 --> 01:24:11,479 Speaker 1: where they came in, so now I knew like we 1534 01:24:11,600 --> 01:24:14,479 Speaker 1: had the southerly wind, I know the basic path they 1535 01:24:14,520 --> 01:24:18,559 Speaker 1: were going basically from northeast to southwest. So I would 1536 01:24:18,640 --> 01:24:22,200 Speaker 1: get set up to the north and the west of 1537 01:24:22,360 --> 01:24:24,280 Speaker 1: the route that all those deer came through. And like 1538 01:24:24,439 --> 01:24:27,320 Speaker 1: all these deer came through a narrow swath, so I 1539 01:24:27,400 --> 01:24:29,240 Speaker 1: felt pretty confident with where they were going to be 1540 01:24:29,400 --> 01:24:33,000 Speaker 1: generally moving. And my idea was to get farther back 1541 01:24:33,040 --> 01:24:35,479 Speaker 1: in the cover and up wind of that spot, so 1542 01:24:35,600 --> 01:24:38,519 Speaker 1: that even if they moved ten minutes later, I would 1543 01:24:38,560 --> 01:24:41,000 Speaker 1: still be within range of them if they came through 1544 01:24:41,040 --> 01:24:44,920 Speaker 1: on that same general you know, route of travel. And 1545 01:24:44,960 --> 01:24:47,120 Speaker 1: I got in there and it looked really really good, 1546 01:24:47,200 --> 01:24:49,840 Speaker 1: like I found this area where all these trails came 1547 01:24:49,920 --> 01:24:53,840 Speaker 1: crossing together really felt like the spot, and uh, get 1548 01:24:53,920 --> 01:24:56,240 Speaker 1: settled in, and I don't know, a couple hours for 1549 01:24:56,280 --> 01:24:59,840 Speaker 1: a daylight, here come three people, um but not hunters, 1550 01:25:00,360 --> 01:25:04,800 Speaker 1: like just random people like shouting. It was like they 1551 01:25:04,800 --> 01:25:07,080 Speaker 1: were looking for something. First I thought they lost their dog, 1552 01:25:07,680 --> 01:25:11,280 Speaker 1: and then I heard someone say something about it sounded 1553 01:25:11,360 --> 01:25:13,280 Speaker 1: like maybe he said arrow, Like did I did you 1554 01:25:13,360 --> 01:25:15,960 Speaker 1: find your arrow? I thought they said that so I'm like, oh, 1555 01:25:16,040 --> 01:25:18,439 Speaker 1: that someone shot something and then they're looking for the 1556 01:25:18,560 --> 01:25:21,080 Speaker 1: deer or something. But when I got a better look 1557 01:25:21,120 --> 01:25:24,160 Speaker 1: at these people, they did not look like hunters, So 1558 01:25:24,240 --> 01:25:26,640 Speaker 1: I don't know what they're doing. But they walked all 1559 01:25:26,760 --> 01:25:29,280 Speaker 1: over in the I'm in a jungle, like, I'm in 1560 01:25:29,360 --> 01:25:32,160 Speaker 1: a thick, nasty jungle of cover at this point, so 1561 01:25:32,240 --> 01:25:34,080 Speaker 1: I don't know why they were way back there, but 1562 01:25:34,720 --> 01:25:37,280 Speaker 1: I could never figure it out. They never went behind 1563 01:25:37,479 --> 01:25:39,960 Speaker 1: me too terribly far, but they definitely mucked a lot 1564 01:25:40,000 --> 01:25:43,840 Speaker 1: of stuff up. Um, but they're out of there. The 1565 01:25:44,000 --> 01:25:47,320 Speaker 1: night comes to a close. Zero deer moved past me 1566 01:25:47,560 --> 01:25:50,720 Speaker 1: until after shooting light and then shooting light fades and 1567 01:25:50,840 --> 01:25:53,800 Speaker 1: then I start hearing deer moving, so deer start moving 1568 01:25:53,880 --> 01:25:57,480 Speaker 1: past me. But after shooting light. UM, so super disappointed. 1569 01:25:57,479 --> 01:25:58,720 Speaker 1: Like I thought it was going to be the night 1570 01:25:58,800 --> 01:26:01,560 Speaker 1: I really felt confident. I set up and then you 1571 01:26:01,640 --> 01:26:04,720 Speaker 1: know that that whole thing happened. Um, that was my 1572 01:26:04,840 --> 01:26:08,600 Speaker 1: evening did not go too well. Uh, Josh, your night 1573 01:26:08,720 --> 01:26:13,000 Speaker 1: number three was was kind of similar, right, yeah, very similar, 1574 01:26:13,520 --> 01:26:16,640 Speaker 1: very similar. I readjusted again and set myself up in 1575 01:26:16,680 --> 01:26:19,439 Speaker 1: a position where I could, um, I could see and 1576 01:26:19,640 --> 01:26:21,800 Speaker 1: and have a good shot to that trail that I 1577 01:26:21,920 --> 01:26:25,880 Speaker 1: saw that Uh, that good buck walked the night before 1578 01:26:26,439 --> 01:26:31,840 Speaker 1: and then also was able to shoot behind me to 1579 01:26:31,920 --> 01:26:33,800 Speaker 1: the other trail had set up on the set up 1580 01:26:33,840 --> 01:26:36,320 Speaker 1: on the night before. I kind of gave up on 1581 01:26:36,560 --> 01:26:38,439 Speaker 1: that one buck that he was. He was like near 1582 01:26:38,520 --> 01:26:41,559 Speaker 1: the main access trail. I just didn't think that, um, 1583 01:26:41,720 --> 01:26:44,240 Speaker 1: that was a super high percentage spot where that that 1584 01:26:44,360 --> 01:26:47,360 Speaker 1: they would be again. Um, So I had moved again 1585 01:26:47,439 --> 01:26:49,120 Speaker 1: and it was a pretty slow night, and I think 1586 01:26:49,200 --> 01:26:51,400 Speaker 1: that was a night I saw a moose come through, 1587 01:26:51,479 --> 01:26:54,479 Speaker 1: like a cow moose come through. She read the script perfectly. 1588 01:26:54,560 --> 01:26:56,000 Speaker 1: She would have been a big, old mature buck. It 1589 01:26:56,000 --> 01:26:58,679 Speaker 1: would have been game over. But um, that was pretty 1590 01:26:58,760 --> 01:27:05,120 Speaker 1: pretty quiet night, uh that night. Yeah, so we're halfway 1591 01:27:05,160 --> 01:27:07,479 Speaker 1: through the trip. I was definitely starting to stress at 1592 01:27:07,520 --> 01:27:12,560 Speaker 1: this point. Um, and I'm thinking about, Okay, you know, 1593 01:27:13,080 --> 01:27:15,240 Speaker 1: there was all these people like crazy in here. The 1594 01:27:15,320 --> 01:27:17,120 Speaker 1: day before there was the other hunter, and I actually 1595 01:27:17,160 --> 01:27:20,639 Speaker 1: forgot that second night after I saw the two shooter bus. 1596 01:27:20,720 --> 01:27:23,760 Speaker 1: Not only was there the guy's botting stocking, but after dark, 1597 01:27:23,880 --> 01:27:26,599 Speaker 1: as I'm like tearing down my set, another hunter comes 1598 01:27:26,680 --> 01:27:28,640 Speaker 1: walking in along the edge of the private land the 1599 01:27:28,720 --> 01:27:30,439 Speaker 1: heap he had been on the private land he comes 1600 01:27:30,520 --> 01:27:32,960 Speaker 1: walking by. So so there have been at least two 1601 01:27:33,040 --> 01:27:35,920 Speaker 1: hunters in there, plus these three random people. So as 1602 01:27:35,960 --> 01:27:38,280 Speaker 1: I'm trying to decide what to do for night number four, 1603 01:27:39,080 --> 01:27:42,320 Speaker 1: um one option was to try to push in deeper 1604 01:27:43,000 --> 01:27:45,479 Speaker 1: to where I was on this side and try to 1605 01:27:45,520 --> 01:27:49,280 Speaker 1: hopefully rediscover where these bucks are moving through deeper where 1606 01:27:49,280 --> 01:27:51,640 Speaker 1: they feel safer. But on this side it's it's just 1607 01:27:51,720 --> 01:27:54,800 Speaker 1: an absolute jungle. Like the there's I could not find 1608 01:27:54,840 --> 01:27:57,040 Speaker 1: any rhyme or reason for why these deer were doing 1609 01:27:57,120 --> 01:27:59,160 Speaker 1: what they're doing, you know, other than when I saw 1610 01:27:59,280 --> 01:28:02,160 Speaker 1: that one route that that one night the deer used. 1611 01:28:02,720 --> 01:28:06,840 Speaker 1: Um So, I I could either do that, or I 1612 01:28:06,920 --> 01:28:09,000 Speaker 1: thought to myself, Or I can go back to the 1613 01:28:09,080 --> 01:28:11,439 Speaker 1: east side, where Josh was and where I had had 1614 01:28:11,520 --> 01:28:15,240 Speaker 1: previous success. And over there there's a there's like a 1615 01:28:15,400 --> 01:28:19,080 Speaker 1: channel of the river that runs back into this really 1616 01:28:19,120 --> 01:28:21,280 Speaker 1: good cover. And I always thought to myself that you 1617 01:28:21,360 --> 01:28:26,880 Speaker 1: could use the channel of that river as a concentrating feature. Right, 1618 01:28:27,360 --> 01:28:29,880 Speaker 1: there's gonna be spots where these deer want to cross, 1619 01:28:30,160 --> 01:28:32,800 Speaker 1: and those will be spots will be abill find. Um 1620 01:28:33,439 --> 01:28:37,559 Speaker 1: So I I ultimately decided, you know what, I could 1621 01:28:37,600 --> 01:28:40,519 Speaker 1: just like go hodgepodgs through the jungle on the west side, 1622 01:28:40,640 --> 01:28:43,360 Speaker 1: or I could relocate to the east, go back into 1623 01:28:43,439 --> 01:28:45,800 Speaker 1: that section. I know there's deer because we saw him 1624 01:28:45,840 --> 01:28:48,280 Speaker 1: the first night scouting the previous year. I know I've 1625 01:28:48,320 --> 01:28:51,360 Speaker 1: seen him coming in and there's this island back there 1626 01:28:51,400 --> 01:28:53,439 Speaker 1: that I know there's deer. They've got to be betting 1627 01:28:53,439 --> 01:28:55,439 Speaker 1: on this island. So I could go in there and 1628 01:28:55,640 --> 01:28:58,400 Speaker 1: find the best set of crossings, and like that is 1629 01:28:58,479 --> 01:29:01,000 Speaker 1: something that could actually concentrate movement and give me like 1630 01:29:01,080 --> 01:29:04,640 Speaker 1: a good chance at a bowshot versus going blindly the 1631 01:29:04,720 --> 01:29:08,240 Speaker 1: other side. And so I finally ultimately decided to do that. 1632 01:29:08,479 --> 01:29:11,200 Speaker 1: I slipped back in. This is a full two plus 1633 01:29:11,320 --> 01:29:13,680 Speaker 1: mile hike in to get to this spot. And I 1634 01:29:13,800 --> 01:29:16,000 Speaker 1: got back to this river channel, and I walked this 1635 01:29:16,200 --> 01:29:18,320 Speaker 1: river channel right into the belly of the beast, I 1636 01:29:18,360 --> 01:29:23,160 Speaker 1: mean like really thick jungle type stuff, and found where 1637 01:29:23,240 --> 01:29:27,599 Speaker 1: there was three four different crossings all in this one 1638 01:29:27,720 --> 01:29:30,560 Speaker 1: narrow stretch of the river channel. Um coming off that 1639 01:29:30,680 --> 01:29:35,960 Speaker 1: island onto the mainland set up there, and um, you know, 1640 01:29:36,160 --> 01:29:39,600 Speaker 1: the the moral of the story there is that it 1641 01:29:39,720 --> 01:29:43,080 Speaker 1: came really, really really close to working out, had a 1642 01:29:43,120 --> 01:29:46,080 Speaker 1: bunch of deer come through, and ultimately had a shooter buck, 1643 01:29:46,120 --> 01:29:49,320 Speaker 1: a nice velvet I think he was a nine or 1644 01:29:49,360 --> 01:29:53,240 Speaker 1: ten pointer, probably in that like one thirty type category, 1645 01:29:53,920 --> 01:29:58,240 Speaker 1: come through and right at thirty yards. But there was 1646 01:29:58,320 --> 01:30:00,800 Speaker 1: these darned bushes, like a little a little bushes or 1647 01:30:00,840 --> 01:30:03,960 Speaker 1: something that he was walking behind, and so I can 1648 01:30:04,040 --> 01:30:07,560 Speaker 1: see his head and his back line, and I just 1649 01:30:07,760 --> 01:30:11,240 Speaker 1: can't shoot through these bushes with good conscience. Um. I'm 1650 01:30:11,479 --> 01:30:14,680 Speaker 1: trying to like stand up taller, kneel down lower, or 1651 01:30:14,760 --> 01:30:16,439 Speaker 1: like get different angles to see if there's like some 1652 01:30:16,560 --> 01:30:19,360 Speaker 1: kind of hole I can find, um that I think 1653 01:30:19,439 --> 01:30:21,840 Speaker 1: I could slip an arrow through, and I just I 1654 01:30:21,960 --> 01:30:24,920 Speaker 1: can't find anything that I can get a reasonable shot at. 1655 01:30:25,040 --> 01:30:29,120 Speaker 1: So super nice buck goes walking by thirty yards. I 1656 01:30:29,200 --> 01:30:31,040 Speaker 1: think he was even at twenty five yards at one 1657 01:30:31,080 --> 01:30:33,599 Speaker 1: point as he kind of angled his way out. Um, 1658 01:30:33,880 --> 01:30:37,200 Speaker 1: but no good shot. Um. What I did see though 1659 01:30:37,240 --> 01:30:39,240 Speaker 1: that night was that that buck and the dough that 1660 01:30:39,320 --> 01:30:41,960 Speaker 1: was with him, and then another like fifteen deer, including 1661 01:30:42,040 --> 01:30:44,240 Speaker 1: another what I thought was a buck. I could never 1662 01:30:44,280 --> 01:30:46,320 Speaker 1: see his head, but I could just see this big, 1663 01:30:46,560 --> 01:30:50,040 Speaker 1: dark gray body. Um. They all did the same basic thing. 1664 01:30:51,240 --> 01:30:54,000 Speaker 1: Uh just most of them a little bit too far 1665 01:30:54,080 --> 01:30:57,360 Speaker 1: out of range. They were all following this tree line 1666 01:30:57,360 --> 01:31:00,720 Speaker 1: along the edge of the island that goes from northwest 1667 01:31:00,960 --> 01:31:03,439 Speaker 1: to southeast, and they're all angling down the edge of 1668 01:31:03,479 --> 01:31:05,960 Speaker 1: this island. So I thought to myself, I can relocate 1669 01:31:06,040 --> 01:31:08,479 Speaker 1: tomorrow for tomorrow morning. I decided we're gonna start hunting 1670 01:31:08,479 --> 01:31:10,880 Speaker 1: mornings now, and I can get to a new tree 1671 01:31:10,920 --> 01:31:12,560 Speaker 1: where I'd be able to shoot to where this buck was, 1672 01:31:12,640 --> 01:31:14,240 Speaker 1: but also to where all the rest of those deer 1673 01:31:14,320 --> 01:31:17,840 Speaker 1: were another like thirty yards further back. Uh So, after dark, 1674 01:31:17,920 --> 01:31:19,680 Speaker 1: I tore it on my set in the dark that night, 1675 01:31:20,080 --> 01:31:22,160 Speaker 1: and actually went and set up my stand or my 1676 01:31:22,280 --> 01:31:25,639 Speaker 1: saddle platform that night before going out, because I wanted 1677 01:31:25,680 --> 01:31:28,320 Speaker 1: to be there in the morning. Um So did all that, 1678 01:31:28,840 --> 01:31:32,000 Speaker 1: and then hiked the two miles out after that. So 1679 01:31:32,120 --> 01:31:35,400 Speaker 1: that was night number four. Really close call. Thought I 1680 01:31:35,479 --> 01:31:37,240 Speaker 1: was set up for a dynamite hunt in the morning. 1681 01:31:37,439 --> 01:31:39,160 Speaker 1: I thought, these deer, I mean, the fact that I 1682 01:31:39,200 --> 01:31:42,720 Speaker 1: saw twentiesome deer all funnel down this one tree line 1683 01:31:42,760 --> 01:31:44,400 Speaker 1: following the edge of this island, it just seemed like 1684 01:31:44,479 --> 01:31:46,880 Speaker 1: they're gonna do it again. And now I'm set up 1685 01:31:47,000 --> 01:31:49,200 Speaker 1: for the next morning. They're gonna come back and they're 1686 01:31:49,200 --> 01:31:50,960 Speaker 1: gonna come back to bed, and this is gonna be it. 1687 01:31:51,080 --> 01:31:55,920 Speaker 1: I felt really good about that. Um, Josh, night number four, 1688 01:31:56,240 --> 01:32:01,200 Speaker 1: you did see him. I did not see any shootures 1689 01:32:01,240 --> 01:32:02,960 Speaker 1: at night. I saw a ton of deer. I I 1690 01:32:03,160 --> 01:32:06,880 Speaker 1: pushed back in deeper to the cover. UM. I had 1691 01:32:06,960 --> 01:32:10,960 Speaker 1: crossed this little channel as well. I got into this 1692 01:32:11,040 --> 01:32:13,559 Speaker 1: little spot. It was like a point basically where there 1693 01:32:13,640 --> 01:32:16,280 Speaker 1: was this channel and then there is a like a 1694 01:32:16,439 --> 01:32:20,200 Speaker 1: dry creek that that runs out then to the the 1695 01:32:22,360 --> 01:32:25,439 Speaker 1: the main river there. UM. And it was just kind 1696 01:32:25,439 --> 01:32:27,680 Speaker 1: of this like perfect little train feature that I thought 1697 01:32:27,760 --> 01:32:31,400 Speaker 1: would would kind of dictate some movement from the cover. 1698 01:32:31,640 --> 01:32:35,680 Speaker 1: From the thick, nasty cover. UM. A lot of the 1699 01:32:35,720 --> 01:32:38,519 Speaker 1: deer that I had seen the previous nights, I could 1700 01:32:38,560 --> 01:32:40,920 Speaker 1: tell they are crossing this little channel somewhere in this 1701 01:32:41,080 --> 01:32:44,080 Speaker 1: area and then they'd make their way to the f 1702 01:32:44,200 --> 01:32:46,840 Speaker 1: alfa fields. And Man, I saw a ton of deer 1703 01:32:46,920 --> 01:32:49,920 Speaker 1: that night. It's like this perfect little staging area where 1704 01:32:49,960 --> 01:32:51,720 Speaker 1: they were just coming out of thick stuff and it's 1705 01:32:51,720 --> 01:32:55,400 Speaker 1: almost this little bowl um like either side of this 1706 01:32:55,479 --> 01:32:59,200 Speaker 1: little flat in the cottonwoods had like a berm on it, 1707 01:32:59,640 --> 01:33:01,479 Speaker 1: and they kind of come up over this berm and 1708 01:33:01,840 --> 01:33:04,920 Speaker 1: they just kind of browse around in this this flat um. 1709 01:33:05,479 --> 01:33:08,280 Speaker 1: And it was like early movement and movement all night long. 1710 01:33:09,120 --> 01:33:11,400 Speaker 1: A lot of little books, a lot of does a 1711 01:33:11,400 --> 01:33:14,679 Speaker 1: lot of bonds, but but again just kind of waiting 1712 01:33:14,760 --> 01:33:18,200 Speaker 1: for that that later movement of those older deer, and 1713 01:33:18,280 --> 01:33:20,360 Speaker 1: it just never happened that night. But I felt really 1714 01:33:20,400 --> 01:33:24,559 Speaker 1: good about that spot. Um. I felt like that there's 1715 01:33:24,640 --> 01:33:26,920 Speaker 1: gonna be something that's happened that's gonna happen for me. 1716 01:33:27,040 --> 01:33:29,880 Speaker 1: It's gonna be in this this general area. Um. So 1717 01:33:30,000 --> 01:33:32,800 Speaker 1: I was feeling pretty good for that that, just leaving 1718 01:33:32,840 --> 01:33:34,640 Speaker 1: all my stuff up there and hunting that spot in 1719 01:33:34,680 --> 01:33:38,680 Speaker 1: the morning too. Yeah, So the next morning was going 1720 01:33:38,760 --> 01:33:41,400 Speaker 1: to be the day. Right, Um, we're gonna go start 1721 01:33:41,439 --> 01:33:44,479 Speaker 1: hunting the mornings. After seeing what we've seen in all 1722 01:33:44,560 --> 01:33:46,200 Speaker 1: these people and stuff, we decided, you know what, we 1723 01:33:46,439 --> 01:33:49,360 Speaker 1: we gotta we gotta give the shot. We're way deep 1724 01:33:49,400 --> 01:33:51,720 Speaker 1: in the cover. To get in into the morning, we 1725 01:33:51,840 --> 01:33:55,120 Speaker 1: do have to go pass some of these fields. We're 1726 01:33:55,160 --> 01:33:57,320 Speaker 1: just gonna take it. We're gonna we'renna cross these fields. 1727 01:33:57,320 --> 01:34:01,200 Speaker 1: We're gonna walk normal and hopefully we'll be able to 1728 01:34:01,200 --> 01:34:03,240 Speaker 1: get away with it for a couple of days, and 1729 01:34:04,080 --> 01:34:06,320 Speaker 1: we far enough back that hopefully they will be deer 1730 01:34:06,400 --> 01:34:09,000 Speaker 1: that weren't bothered by us that will still transition back. 1731 01:34:09,560 --> 01:34:12,439 Speaker 1: Um and and I'm gonna give you the whole rest 1732 01:34:12,479 --> 01:34:14,160 Speaker 1: of my hunt right now, because I don't want to 1733 01:34:14,240 --> 01:34:16,240 Speaker 1: keep people here sitting for too long. This is going 1734 01:34:16,479 --> 01:34:20,320 Speaker 1: on the edge of our seat. Mark. Yeah, here's about 1735 01:34:20,400 --> 01:34:23,400 Speaker 1: this morning, hut Man. This morning hunt definitely felt really good. 1736 01:34:23,520 --> 01:34:26,040 Speaker 1: I get in there that next morning. We got in 1737 01:34:26,080 --> 01:34:28,880 Speaker 1: there super early to the parking lot with Parker truck, 1738 01:34:29,000 --> 01:34:31,760 Speaker 1: and another truck parks up and I'm thinking, like, there's 1739 01:34:31,800 --> 01:34:33,680 Speaker 1: no way nobody else is doing this. We're here two 1740 01:34:33,720 --> 01:34:37,000 Speaker 1: hours before daylight. We're hiking in two plus miles to 1741 01:34:37,120 --> 01:34:41,599 Speaker 1: our spot. Nobody in a western state hunts white tails 1742 01:34:41,680 --> 01:34:43,600 Speaker 1: like that, Like, no one likes white tails enough to 1743 01:34:43,680 --> 01:34:46,519 Speaker 1: do stupid stuff like this. But someone else pulls up 1744 01:34:46,560 --> 01:34:48,160 Speaker 1: next to us, gets out of their vehicle and I 1745 01:34:48,240 --> 01:34:50,040 Speaker 1: go over there to see, like what they're doing, and 1746 01:34:50,120 --> 01:34:53,040 Speaker 1: it's another hunter. We start talking this dude. He's got 1747 01:34:53,160 --> 01:34:56,400 Speaker 1: a saddle and climbing sticks and he's like, oh yeah, 1748 01:34:56,400 --> 01:34:58,800 Speaker 1: I'm going right back to that same place, Like, no 1749 01:35:00,000 --> 01:35:02,840 Speaker 1: freaking way do we find that one white tail nut 1750 01:35:03,120 --> 01:35:06,240 Speaker 1: that's out here a million miles away from whitetail country. 1751 01:35:07,200 --> 01:35:11,240 Speaker 1: Crazy as us. Um, So he ends up hiking with 1752 01:35:11,360 --> 01:35:14,360 Speaker 1: us all the way back. Um and and I cut 1753 01:35:14,479 --> 01:35:16,439 Speaker 1: in into the cover sooner than he did. He was 1754 01:35:16,479 --> 01:35:18,600 Speaker 1: gonna keep going on. It was actually hunting closer to 1755 01:35:18,640 --> 01:35:21,880 Speaker 1: the food. Um. But so here's another hunter and does 1756 01:35:21,920 --> 01:35:24,880 Speaker 1: this thing with us. I slip into this spot that 1757 01:35:25,040 --> 01:35:28,960 Speaker 1: I had made the move from last night, and basically 1758 01:35:29,040 --> 01:35:31,880 Speaker 1: just what happens That deer start piling in and they 1759 01:35:31,960 --> 01:35:35,080 Speaker 1: start all following a consistent traveler out just like they 1760 01:35:35,120 --> 01:35:38,640 Speaker 1: did the night before, but instead of being on my 1761 01:35:38,840 --> 01:35:41,759 Speaker 1: side of the island, they all were on the opposite 1762 01:35:41,760 --> 01:35:44,400 Speaker 1: side of the island. Imagine that this imagine this island 1763 01:35:44,520 --> 01:35:46,080 Speaker 1: is kind of like a like a hot dog, like 1764 01:35:46,200 --> 01:35:49,679 Speaker 1: it's it's a thin, narrow hot dog like I said, 1765 01:35:49,760 --> 01:35:54,439 Speaker 1: that runs from northwest down to southeast, and there's a 1766 01:35:54,520 --> 01:35:57,400 Speaker 1: tree line and cover on the outside of the island, 1767 01:35:57,560 --> 01:35:59,280 Speaker 1: like all around the boarder of the island, but it's 1768 01:35:59,360 --> 01:36:01,960 Speaker 1: kind of opening grassy in the middle. And so the 1769 01:36:02,080 --> 01:36:04,200 Speaker 1: night before they had all been on that southern edge 1770 01:36:04,280 --> 01:36:07,120 Speaker 1: heading down to go feed in the field. Um, and 1771 01:36:07,240 --> 01:36:09,040 Speaker 1: they seem like they're gonna go all the way to 1772 01:36:09,080 --> 01:36:10,519 Speaker 1: the bottom of the island, to the end of the 1773 01:36:10,560 --> 01:36:14,160 Speaker 1: hot dog and then crossed down there. And then this 1774 01:36:14,520 --> 01:36:17,320 Speaker 1: morning I sat there, positioned on that south side, but 1775 01:36:17,400 --> 01:36:19,320 Speaker 1: instead of coming along the south edge, they took the 1776 01:36:19,439 --> 01:36:22,920 Speaker 1: north edge. Um, and here come a bunch of deer, 1777 01:36:22,960 --> 01:36:24,479 Speaker 1: Here comes a bunch of little bucks, and here comes 1778 01:36:24,520 --> 01:36:28,559 Speaker 1: a shooter buck passes by, like six seventy yards away 1779 01:36:28,600 --> 01:36:32,320 Speaker 1: from me, maybe, but along that north edge. So I 1780 01:36:32,400 --> 01:36:34,960 Speaker 1: saw that was super disappointed. I wasn't sure if it 1781 01:36:35,040 --> 01:36:36,400 Speaker 1: was the same deer or not that I saw the 1782 01:36:36,479 --> 01:36:39,560 Speaker 1: night before. This one was hard horned, so maybe it was. 1783 01:36:39,960 --> 01:36:41,479 Speaker 1: I didn't get as long with a look at this 1784 01:36:41,560 --> 01:36:45,639 Speaker 1: one this time. Um. And then I waffled back and forth, like, Okay, 1785 01:36:45,720 --> 01:36:47,920 Speaker 1: do I chase that movement and move somewhere else? Do 1786 01:36:48,040 --> 01:36:50,960 Speaker 1: I move over to that side for tonight? Or is 1787 01:36:51,040 --> 01:36:54,200 Speaker 1: my belief that maybe you know, in the mornings they 1788 01:36:54,280 --> 01:36:56,200 Speaker 1: go that way back to bed, but in the evenings 1789 01:36:56,240 --> 01:36:58,320 Speaker 1: they're gonna come back and do what they did last night. 1790 01:36:58,840 --> 01:37:01,640 Speaker 1: I decided to I decided that was more likely the 1791 01:37:01,720 --> 01:37:03,280 Speaker 1: case I thought, you know what, I gotta at least 1792 01:37:03,280 --> 01:37:05,200 Speaker 1: sit here at night and see if they're gonna come 1793 01:37:05,240 --> 01:37:08,000 Speaker 1: back down this way. And I did. I said that 1794 01:37:08,120 --> 01:37:11,120 Speaker 1: night they did not come my way. They came out 1795 01:37:11,400 --> 01:37:14,120 Speaker 1: on the north again and followed that edge down. Didn't 1796 01:37:14,120 --> 01:37:17,200 Speaker 1: see a shooter. The next mornings, our last day of 1797 01:37:17,200 --> 01:37:19,639 Speaker 1: the hunt, I decided I was going to just get 1798 01:37:19,720 --> 01:37:22,320 Speaker 1: kind of aggressive now. I actually slipped in on the 1799 01:37:22,400 --> 01:37:25,600 Speaker 1: ground and snuck in on foot and set up in 1800 01:37:25,680 --> 01:37:28,080 Speaker 1: a bush like a clump of bushes and sat in 1801 01:37:28,120 --> 01:37:31,320 Speaker 1: the ground along that north edge and hope that these 1802 01:37:31,360 --> 01:37:34,120 Speaker 1: bucks will come back through. A bunch of deer did 1803 01:37:34,240 --> 01:37:36,360 Speaker 1: end up coming through within range and passed by like 1804 01:37:36,479 --> 01:37:38,680 Speaker 1: six yards from where I was sitting, but never was 1805 01:37:38,720 --> 01:37:42,759 Speaker 1: a buck I wanted to shoot. Last night, I decided 1806 01:37:42,800 --> 01:37:45,000 Speaker 1: that I would just spot and stalk and just again 1807 01:37:45,160 --> 01:37:47,439 Speaker 1: ground pound my way all the way up that island, 1808 01:37:47,560 --> 01:37:51,479 Speaker 1: all the way to the tippy top northwestern corner where 1809 01:37:51,560 --> 01:37:55,880 Speaker 1: the bet like the bettiest, nastiest bedding cover ever was at, 1810 01:37:56,360 --> 01:37:58,439 Speaker 1: and basically got like right on the edge of it. 1811 01:37:58,560 --> 01:38:00,680 Speaker 1: Because at this point now it's been a day in 1812 01:38:00,680 --> 01:38:02,600 Speaker 1: a half since I saw a shooter. My thought is 1813 01:38:02,640 --> 01:38:05,280 Speaker 1: like Okay, they're they're onto us. I know where they're betting. 1814 01:38:05,600 --> 01:38:08,320 Speaker 1: I'm gonna get right there. This is the last chance. 1815 01:38:08,840 --> 01:38:11,080 Speaker 1: And they're not moving as much as they were, but 1816 01:38:11,160 --> 01:38:12,720 Speaker 1: I know they're still in here. But maybe I can 1817 01:38:12,760 --> 01:38:14,640 Speaker 1: catch him move fifty yards out of their betting or 1818 01:38:14,720 --> 01:38:16,360 Speaker 1: ten yards out of their betting. I'll be right there. 1819 01:38:16,840 --> 01:38:21,320 Speaker 1: And the ending of my story was that they did not. 1820 01:38:21,800 --> 01:38:23,599 Speaker 1: I did not end up seeing a good buck come 1821 01:38:23,640 --> 01:38:25,720 Speaker 1: out of that betting. I was right in the thick 1822 01:38:25,800 --> 01:38:28,280 Speaker 1: of it, and I'm sure that deer were in there 1823 01:38:28,320 --> 01:38:31,360 Speaker 1: at times, but they weren't it that night, and I 1824 01:38:31,439 --> 01:38:35,680 Speaker 1: did not kill a buck. Um. So that was the 1825 01:38:35,760 --> 01:38:51,200 Speaker 1: end of my trip. Josh, I want you to tell 1826 01:38:51,280 --> 01:38:53,920 Speaker 1: me about the climax of your part of the hunt. 1827 01:38:55,640 --> 01:38:57,400 Speaker 1: Did I have to? I don't have much more talk 1828 01:38:57,439 --> 01:39:00,600 Speaker 1: about either. You can, I guess you can choose to. 1829 01:39:00,640 --> 01:39:04,280 Speaker 1: You can choose whether or not you want I'll talk 1830 01:39:04,320 --> 01:39:11,160 Speaker 1: about it. Um. Yeah, so uh jeez um. That that morning, 1831 01:39:11,240 --> 01:39:14,880 Speaker 1: that next morning, hunt was pretty uneventful, not much going on. Um, 1832 01:39:15,439 --> 01:39:18,720 Speaker 1: but kind of the the climax of my hunt would 1833 01:39:18,720 --> 01:39:22,920 Speaker 1: have been that Friday night, so second second to last day, 1834 01:39:23,320 --> 01:39:27,360 Speaker 1: and the movement kind of patterns were very similar to 1835 01:39:27,439 --> 01:39:29,400 Speaker 1: the night before. I was like, all right, this is good. 1836 01:39:29,920 --> 01:39:32,599 Speaker 1: These deer are still um because this would have been 1837 01:39:32,680 --> 01:39:37,320 Speaker 1: my third sit now in this general spot. UM, feeling 1838 01:39:37,360 --> 01:39:41,000 Speaker 1: good about it. Uh some of that early movement um 1839 01:39:42,080 --> 01:39:45,840 Speaker 1: you know young bucks does pons all moving through. They're 1840 01:39:45,840 --> 01:39:48,479 Speaker 1: all kind of just picking their way through, not really 1841 01:39:48,800 --> 01:39:52,040 Speaker 1: uh alarmed or or feeling pressured. They didn't seem like 1842 01:39:52,080 --> 01:39:54,720 Speaker 1: they were pressured much. And and I was like, well, 1843 01:39:55,320 --> 01:39:57,240 Speaker 1: all I needed, All I need is is for one 1844 01:39:57,280 --> 01:39:59,200 Speaker 1: of these big deer in the area to come in 1845 01:39:59,320 --> 01:40:01,559 Speaker 1: here and feel we're pulling and do the same thing. 1846 01:40:01,680 --> 01:40:05,759 Speaker 1: And I'm in the game. And and uh man, about 1847 01:40:07,400 --> 01:40:10,519 Speaker 1: time after eight something like that, I had about fifteen 1848 01:40:10,560 --> 01:40:14,560 Speaker 1: twenty minutes shooting light um costs of movement over to 1849 01:40:14,680 --> 01:40:17,080 Speaker 1: my right, come out and thick stuff. And there's a 1850 01:40:17,160 --> 01:40:20,400 Speaker 1: nice buck and see some more moving behind him. And 1851 01:40:20,439 --> 01:40:23,519 Speaker 1: there's a really big buck and then another a little 1852 01:40:23,520 --> 01:40:26,880 Speaker 1: bit smaller eight point but still a shooter and velvet 1853 01:40:26,960 --> 01:40:29,559 Speaker 1: comes out behind him and they work their way up 1854 01:40:29,600 --> 01:40:33,000 Speaker 1: over this little berm and are right out in front 1855 01:40:33,040 --> 01:40:36,200 Speaker 1: of me at forty yards. I've got three shooter bucks 1856 01:40:36,920 --> 01:40:39,639 Speaker 1: um with one really really big deer, the biggest dear 1857 01:40:39,880 --> 01:40:42,479 Speaker 1: of my life that I'm gonna have an opportunity at. 1858 01:40:42,560 --> 01:40:45,880 Speaker 1: And they just kind of keep let me guess, Josh, 1859 01:40:45,960 --> 01:40:52,080 Speaker 1: hold on, you shot the small one the same story. 1860 01:40:54,600 --> 01:40:57,479 Speaker 1: I wish I maybe would have would have Um, I 1861 01:40:57,560 --> 01:40:59,240 Speaker 1: wish I maybe would have gone after that one. I 1862 01:40:59,320 --> 01:41:01,840 Speaker 1: may be telling for a story right here. Um. But 1863 01:41:01,960 --> 01:41:04,400 Speaker 1: they kind of keep work working from my right to 1864 01:41:04,520 --> 01:41:07,840 Speaker 1: my left, and and they get into a spot, um 1865 01:41:08,880 --> 01:41:10,960 Speaker 1: where if they kind of keep working up this this 1866 01:41:11,120 --> 01:41:13,479 Speaker 1: same trail, they're gonna be at like twenty five yards. 1867 01:41:14,560 --> 01:41:16,840 Speaker 1: First one kind of gets to that spot and he 1868 01:41:17,000 --> 01:41:20,400 Speaker 1: starts to kind of beer away from me. I was 1869 01:41:20,439 --> 01:41:24,839 Speaker 1: like a shoot, um that that big buck is his second, 1870 01:41:25,120 --> 01:41:29,920 Speaker 1: and he's about just a little over thirty yards and 1871 01:41:30,080 --> 01:41:33,040 Speaker 1: he's pretty calm, but he looks like he's on the 1872 01:41:33,120 --> 01:41:37,720 Speaker 1: same trajectory of this other buck. And I need to 1873 01:41:37,800 --> 01:41:39,680 Speaker 1: make a move now if I'm going to get a 1874 01:41:39,720 --> 01:41:43,000 Speaker 1: shot at this year. And he was kind of quartered 1875 01:41:43,040 --> 01:41:46,680 Speaker 1: away from me, still good you know, good position. And 1876 01:41:46,800 --> 01:41:50,200 Speaker 1: I draw back and I go in just to total 1877 01:41:51,520 --> 01:41:55,719 Speaker 1: blackout autopilot mode, like the bad kind of autopilot work. 1878 01:41:56,080 --> 01:41:59,679 Speaker 1: I just rushed everything and just at the moment gets 1879 01:41:59,720 --> 01:42:02,160 Speaker 1: the basest to me and I by the next thing 1880 01:42:02,240 --> 01:42:04,479 Speaker 1: I know, I'm looking at an arrow that that went 1881 01:42:04,600 --> 01:42:09,720 Speaker 1: under him. Um. And I missed that buck. And I 1882 01:42:09,800 --> 01:42:12,439 Speaker 1: wish I could tell you what I did. Um, But 1883 01:42:12,520 --> 01:42:15,479 Speaker 1: I've been replaying that that moment over and over and 1884 01:42:15,600 --> 01:42:18,280 Speaker 1: over in my head, and I just I think I 1885 01:42:18,400 --> 01:42:20,840 Speaker 1: just I just rushed it. I rushed it a bunch 1886 01:42:20,880 --> 01:42:23,080 Speaker 1: of trigger. I didn't check my bubble level. I didn't 1887 01:42:23,120 --> 01:42:25,559 Speaker 1: do the things that I know I should have done. Um, 1888 01:42:26,080 --> 01:42:27,920 Speaker 1: And it cost me the biggest deer of my life 1889 01:42:28,760 --> 01:42:32,639 Speaker 1: up to this point. And Uh, I've been kicking myself 1890 01:42:32,760 --> 01:42:36,160 Speaker 1: ever since, you know, ever since that moment. UM. And 1891 01:42:36,560 --> 01:42:40,360 Speaker 1: I had been gone for at this at this point, 1892 01:42:40,439 --> 01:42:43,120 Speaker 1: like eleven days from my family or something like that, 1893 01:42:43,600 --> 01:42:47,639 Speaker 1: had a work meeting out in Idaho before this, I've 1894 01:42:47,680 --> 01:42:50,639 Speaker 1: been out there for four or five days before the hunt, 1895 01:42:50,640 --> 01:42:52,120 Speaker 1: and now we're on the second to last day of 1896 01:42:52,120 --> 01:42:54,680 Speaker 1: the hunt. And I just felt, you know, all the 1897 01:42:54,760 --> 01:42:57,719 Speaker 1: way to the world was on my shoulders at that moment, 1898 01:42:57,880 --> 01:43:00,800 Speaker 1: just like this feeling of failure and like, you know, 1899 01:43:01,040 --> 01:43:03,800 Speaker 1: just just a lot of doubt running through my head. Um. 1900 01:43:04,840 --> 01:43:08,200 Speaker 1: And uh, it was a it was a sucky position 1901 01:43:08,280 --> 01:43:10,960 Speaker 1: to be in. UM never feels good. No, not the 1902 01:43:11,000 --> 01:43:13,040 Speaker 1: first time I've missed. I'm sure it won't be the last, 1903 01:43:13,200 --> 01:43:16,639 Speaker 1: but um, that one's going to sting for a long 1904 01:43:16,640 --> 01:43:19,720 Speaker 1: long time, just given the scenario and UM having just 1905 01:43:19,760 --> 01:43:24,360 Speaker 1: an awesome deer probably like a hund public land and 1906 01:43:24,400 --> 01:43:27,920 Speaker 1: a heavily pressured area and shoot under him. Just not 1907 01:43:28,040 --> 01:43:30,840 Speaker 1: a good feeling. But got down, you know that deer 1908 01:43:30,960 --> 01:43:33,240 Speaker 1: kind of bounded off, kind of looked around, all three 1909 01:43:33,280 --> 01:43:36,200 Speaker 1: of them. They didn't really spook out of there. Um 1910 01:43:37,439 --> 01:43:40,760 Speaker 1: kind of went back in the cover and before dark, 1911 01:43:40,840 --> 01:43:43,719 Speaker 1: I saw the deer that I missed kind of work 1912 01:43:43,800 --> 01:43:46,400 Speaker 1: his way back across this little opening in this flat 1913 01:43:47,040 --> 01:43:49,600 Speaker 1: I don't about seventy yards out from me, and just 1914 01:43:49,720 --> 01:43:53,360 Speaker 1: kind of browsed on through and just kind of kept, um, 1915 01:43:54,160 --> 01:43:56,920 Speaker 1: you know, steered somewhat clear of that area. And but 1916 01:43:57,000 --> 01:43:58,720 Speaker 1: you didn't seem too spooked. You. I don't think you 1917 01:43:58,760 --> 01:44:01,960 Speaker 1: really knew what happened. Um, you know, I got down, 1918 01:44:02,600 --> 01:44:06,720 Speaker 1: found my arrow perfectly clean. Miss. There's nothing, no hair, 1919 01:44:06,880 --> 01:44:10,640 Speaker 1: no blood, nothing, So UM, no best case scenario if 1920 01:44:10,640 --> 01:44:12,600 Speaker 1: you're gonna miss, right, I mean clean miss is a 1921 01:44:12,680 --> 01:44:16,599 Speaker 1: good is good? And uh, you know, I went right 1922 01:44:16,680 --> 01:44:18,400 Speaker 1: back in there that next morning. I was like, you 1923 01:44:18,439 --> 01:44:20,680 Speaker 1: know what this is, you know, I know that dear 1924 01:44:20,760 --> 01:44:23,040 Speaker 1: is any here. He didn't seem too alarmed, and I 1925 01:44:23,080 --> 01:44:25,439 Speaker 1: actually saw that son of a gun again that that 1926 01:44:25,600 --> 01:44:30,559 Speaker 1: next morning, UM, coming about sixty yards to my south, 1927 01:44:31,240 --> 01:44:35,240 Speaker 1: across the river, across the creek there at a different spot. UM. 1928 01:44:35,520 --> 01:44:37,519 Speaker 1: But it was like half hour or four or five 1929 01:44:37,520 --> 01:44:39,800 Speaker 1: minutes after daylight, just working his way back in there 1930 01:44:39,880 --> 01:44:42,760 Speaker 1: like like nothing was wrong. So a part of me 1931 01:44:42,840 --> 01:44:44,600 Speaker 1: felt like I was maybe still in the game for 1932 01:44:44,720 --> 01:44:49,599 Speaker 1: that last hunt um of the trip um. But ultimately 1933 01:44:49,760 --> 01:44:52,320 Speaker 1: that that last night was probably my slowest night. I 1934 01:44:52,360 --> 01:44:54,760 Speaker 1: saw a few deer, Um, I saw a couple of 1935 01:44:54,800 --> 01:44:59,720 Speaker 1: young bucks, but but that that bachelor group of three good, 1936 01:45:00,120 --> 01:45:03,720 Speaker 1: good shooter bucks never never show back up. So I 1937 01:45:04,600 --> 01:45:07,439 Speaker 1: left Idaho with my my tail between my legs for sure. 1938 01:45:07,840 --> 01:45:13,840 Speaker 1: So m m, that was it. That was man, that's 1939 01:45:13,880 --> 01:45:17,880 Speaker 1: tough to hear. Man. Yeah, yeah, not fun, not fun. 1940 01:45:18,000 --> 01:45:24,360 Speaker 1: And it's hasn't gotten really any better, you know. Yeah, 1941 01:45:24,880 --> 01:45:26,840 Speaker 1: Well you're right, and that it could have been worse, 1942 01:45:27,000 --> 01:45:31,679 Speaker 1: you know, I mean, a clean myth is sometimes a blessing, 1943 01:45:31,760 --> 01:45:35,160 Speaker 1: you know, rather than a bad hit or something. You know, 1944 01:45:35,240 --> 01:45:39,360 Speaker 1: there's always a positive. Yeah, you know, you know I 1945 01:45:39,439 --> 01:45:41,240 Speaker 1: feel good about that. I just wish I could have 1946 01:45:41,280 --> 01:45:43,960 Speaker 1: controlled my emotions or buck fever or whatever you want 1947 01:45:43,960 --> 01:45:45,800 Speaker 1: to call it. I just wish I would have I 1948 01:45:45,840 --> 01:45:48,960 Speaker 1: could have controlled my my myself a little bit better 1949 01:45:49,080 --> 01:45:50,800 Speaker 1: in that moment. That's why I said maybe I should 1950 01:45:51,320 --> 01:45:52,800 Speaker 1: Maybe I should have taken a shot at that, a 1951 01:45:52,880 --> 01:45:56,240 Speaker 1: little bit of a smaller buck at that at that moment. 1952 01:45:56,280 --> 01:45:58,000 Speaker 1: I don't think it would have mattered. You've got three 1953 01:45:58,040 --> 01:46:01,160 Speaker 1: good deer coming in any like that. It's it wouldn't 1954 01:46:01,160 --> 01:46:02,800 Speaker 1: matter what do I shot it. I think it would 1955 01:46:02,800 --> 01:46:09,080 Speaker 1: have been just um, a cluster so um. But yeah, 1956 01:46:09,280 --> 01:46:11,920 Speaker 1: you live, and you learn and and try to try 1957 01:46:12,000 --> 01:46:14,799 Speaker 1: to learn from that the next time I'm in that scenario, 1958 01:46:14,840 --> 01:46:18,920 Speaker 1: and hopefully I'll have a better outcome. Yeah. And if 1959 01:46:19,000 --> 01:46:21,920 Speaker 1: that's not a if that's not a moral of both 1960 01:46:22,000 --> 01:46:25,000 Speaker 1: of our stories, I don't know what is all right. 1961 01:46:25,080 --> 01:46:28,680 Speaker 1: I mean that you gotta you gotta take the good 1962 01:46:28,720 --> 01:46:32,560 Speaker 1: with the bad. You gotta learn to recover from the unexpected. 1963 01:46:33,439 --> 01:46:38,799 Speaker 1: You gotta just grow, try to find the silver linings 1964 01:46:38,840 --> 01:46:41,000 Speaker 1: and all these things, because no hunt ever really goes 1965 01:46:41,080 --> 01:46:44,320 Speaker 1: the way you plan it to. Very rarely does it 1966 01:46:44,439 --> 01:46:50,000 Speaker 1: go exactly how we want. Very infrequently do we think 1967 01:46:50,080 --> 01:46:52,360 Speaker 1: one thing and have it happened just that kind of way, 1968 01:46:52,400 --> 01:46:54,479 Speaker 1: And nine times that tend you going to hunt and 1969 01:46:54,560 --> 01:46:56,920 Speaker 1: you don't end up achieving whatever goal you had. So 1970 01:46:57,160 --> 01:47:00,519 Speaker 1: it's these kinds of pills we gotta swallow a deer hunters, 1971 01:47:00,560 --> 01:47:03,240 Speaker 1: I think are always bitter in the moment, but I 1972 01:47:03,360 --> 01:47:06,320 Speaker 1: think that with time, I guess from my experience, at 1973 01:47:06,400 --> 01:47:10,639 Speaker 1: least you're always better for that medicine give it enough time. 1974 01:47:11,240 --> 01:47:14,320 Speaker 1: Um So I think I think there's maybe something to 1975 01:47:14,479 --> 01:47:17,240 Speaker 1: that with both of our stories. Even though your pill 1976 01:47:17,400 --> 01:47:20,519 Speaker 1: was much less bitter to swallow, Clay, since you got 1977 01:47:20,600 --> 01:47:22,880 Speaker 1: to wash it down with a nice steak or two, 1978 01:47:24,200 --> 01:47:26,680 Speaker 1: we both we all learned a thing or two when 1979 01:47:26,760 --> 01:47:29,680 Speaker 1: we um. Yeah, I don't know. I mean, I had 1980 01:47:29,720 --> 01:47:33,040 Speaker 1: a lot of frustration coming out of this hunt not 1981 01:47:33,200 --> 01:47:35,360 Speaker 1: ending the way I wanted to. But at the same time, 1982 01:47:36,560 --> 01:47:39,439 Speaker 1: I guess the only thing that and I fall back 1983 01:47:39,479 --> 01:47:42,280 Speaker 1: on this every time I have an unsuccessful hunt. So 1984 01:47:42,400 --> 01:47:44,040 Speaker 1: it's the same old, same well, but I guess I 1985 01:47:44,120 --> 01:47:47,160 Speaker 1: gotta remind myself that, you know, did you do everything 1986 01:47:47,200 --> 01:47:49,200 Speaker 1: you could did you did you put in the work 1987 01:47:49,240 --> 01:47:51,680 Speaker 1: you knew you should have. Did you leave it on 1988 01:47:51,800 --> 01:47:53,760 Speaker 1: the field. You know, by the end of the trip, 1989 01:47:53,840 --> 01:47:56,880 Speaker 1: we were I was hiking eight miles a day on 1990 01:47:56,960 --> 01:48:00,280 Speaker 1: a white tail hunt in rubber, knee high boots, acting 1991 01:48:00,320 --> 01:48:02,680 Speaker 1: in and out a tree standard, a saddline sticks every time. 1992 01:48:02,680 --> 01:48:04,800 Speaker 1: I amount of busting my balls trying to get this 1993 01:48:04,880 --> 01:48:07,840 Speaker 1: thing done. And it didn't work out. But you know, 1994 01:48:07,960 --> 01:48:10,800 Speaker 1: I had a couple of really close calls, and you know, 1995 01:48:10,880 --> 01:48:14,280 Speaker 1: we we battle through adversity and you know, it is 1996 01:48:14,320 --> 01:48:15,880 Speaker 1: what it is, and you just got to accept the 1997 01:48:15,920 --> 01:48:19,240 Speaker 1: results and uh, you know, not beat yourself up too 1998 01:48:19,320 --> 01:48:21,679 Speaker 1: much if it doesn't fall away you wanted to, I guess. 1999 01:48:21,720 --> 01:48:25,080 Speaker 1: And so that's that's kind of where my head's at now. Mark. 2000 01:48:25,160 --> 01:48:30,240 Speaker 1: Here's my question to you. My question is, I mean, 2001 01:48:30,760 --> 01:48:33,000 Speaker 1: you know, hearing the story and not being involved in 2002 01:48:33,080 --> 01:48:35,439 Speaker 1: the drama and the amount of work and seeing these 2003 01:48:35,520 --> 01:48:38,800 Speaker 1: people which can be so disheartening, and then not bringing 2004 01:48:38,840 --> 01:48:41,559 Speaker 1: home a deer, which is disheartening. I mean, it sounds 2005 01:48:41,600 --> 01:48:43,920 Speaker 1: like you were in a good place. I mean, both 2006 01:48:43,920 --> 01:48:45,600 Speaker 1: of you guys. I mean, for two guys to go 2007 01:48:45,720 --> 01:48:48,000 Speaker 1: hunting on public land and one guy to have a 2008 01:48:48,080 --> 01:48:51,720 Speaker 1: legitimate shot at a hundred and forty plus deer. I 2009 01:48:51,800 --> 01:48:54,160 Speaker 1: mean that sounds like a win. So are you going 2010 01:48:54,240 --> 01:48:57,840 Speaker 1: back going back to this spot? Yeah? Man, that's the 2011 01:48:57,920 --> 01:49:01,640 Speaker 1: ultimate question. Um. I've been going back and forth on 2012 01:49:01,720 --> 01:49:04,560 Speaker 1: a thousand times because like still like the potential is 2013 01:49:04,560 --> 01:49:06,920 Speaker 1: absolutely there. You know, if if a couple of little 2014 01:49:06,960 --> 01:49:10,360 Speaker 1: tiny things went differently, we could have been talking about 2015 01:49:10,400 --> 01:49:12,400 Speaker 1: how Josh killed a hundred fifty inch and I killed 2016 01:49:12,439 --> 01:49:15,280 Speaker 1: a hundred and thirty inch white tail in public land. Uh, 2017 01:49:15,720 --> 01:49:17,000 Speaker 1: you know, it would have been awesome. We would have 2018 01:49:17,040 --> 01:49:20,200 Speaker 1: been Yeah, we had despite having seen all these guys. 2019 01:49:20,320 --> 01:49:23,360 Speaker 1: So so part of me says, yeah, we should absolutely 2020 01:49:23,439 --> 01:49:26,320 Speaker 1: go back because we're this close, Like we're the tiniest 2021 01:49:26,400 --> 01:49:30,120 Speaker 1: of tiniest little bits of details away from having the 2022 01:49:30,280 --> 01:49:34,920 Speaker 1: ultimate success. On the flip side, there's this other part 2023 01:49:34,960 --> 01:49:36,720 Speaker 1: of me, like, when I look at this western white 2024 01:49:36,760 --> 01:49:38,400 Speaker 1: tail hunt that I do every year at the beginning 2025 01:49:38,400 --> 01:49:41,160 Speaker 1: of the season, it's like supposed to be my fun hunt. 2026 01:49:41,400 --> 01:49:42,960 Speaker 1: This is supposed to be the one where you go 2027 01:49:43,160 --> 01:49:45,479 Speaker 1: somewhere where people don't care about white tails, and the 2028 01:49:45,520 --> 01:49:47,880 Speaker 1: white tails are kind of dumb and there's lots of them, 2029 01:49:48,040 --> 01:49:49,760 Speaker 1: and you can go there and you see lots of 2030 01:49:49,800 --> 01:49:52,560 Speaker 1: white tails and it's just like super I mean, I 2031 01:49:52,640 --> 01:49:54,320 Speaker 1: kind of want to be like your hunt Clay, like 2032 01:49:54,479 --> 01:49:56,920 Speaker 1: up in Manitoba. Like I've had other Western white tail 2033 01:49:56,960 --> 01:49:58,960 Speaker 1: hunts where there's tons of deer, they're not too worried 2034 01:49:58,960 --> 01:50:01,360 Speaker 1: about people, there's no nobody else out there hunting them, 2035 01:50:01,640 --> 01:50:03,320 Speaker 1: and you just get to be in a beautiful place 2036 01:50:03,400 --> 01:50:06,800 Speaker 1: and hunting deer being deer um, and it's it's fun 2037 01:50:06,920 --> 01:50:10,360 Speaker 1: and do some fishing. Um. So I was hoping that 2038 01:50:10,479 --> 01:50:12,240 Speaker 1: this trip could be that kind of trip because I 2039 01:50:12,320 --> 01:50:15,439 Speaker 1: kind of need that to prepare myself for the grind 2040 01:50:15,520 --> 01:50:18,280 Speaker 1: that's the rest of the season. Um. But this hunt 2041 01:50:18,400 --> 01:50:20,880 Speaker 1: ended up just being like a grind of all grinds, right. 2042 01:50:20,920 --> 01:50:23,920 Speaker 1: I mean, I think I hiped like forty plus miles 2043 01:50:24,160 --> 01:50:27,800 Speaker 1: chasing white tails in rubber boots, um. And you know, 2044 01:50:27,880 --> 01:50:30,800 Speaker 1: like I described, like, especially when we're hunting mornings, right, 2045 01:50:30,880 --> 01:50:32,880 Speaker 1: so we're we had to get up at three thirty 2046 01:50:32,880 --> 01:50:35,760 Speaker 1: in the morning in order to get set, drive down 2047 01:50:35,840 --> 01:50:37,840 Speaker 1: to this place, hike in an hour, do the hunt 2048 01:50:38,160 --> 01:50:40,120 Speaker 1: that I hike two miles back out, then we do 2049 01:50:40,280 --> 01:50:42,640 Speaker 1: something midday, then we'd hike back in two miles, get 2050 01:50:42,720 --> 01:50:45,680 Speaker 1: set up, hunt pulled on the set, hiked back out. 2051 01:50:45,760 --> 01:50:47,479 Speaker 1: So I'm like, we're not getting home and to sleep 2052 01:50:47,600 --> 01:50:50,040 Speaker 1: till one o'clock at night. We're not waking up at 2053 01:50:50,080 --> 01:50:52,760 Speaker 1: three thirty. We're hiking eight miles a day. I mean, 2054 01:50:52,800 --> 01:50:54,840 Speaker 1: it was just suffer fest there for a while, and 2055 01:50:54,960 --> 01:50:58,799 Speaker 1: so part of me is like, you have enough suffer 2056 01:50:58,880 --> 01:51:01,240 Speaker 1: fests during other parts of the season, does this one 2057 01:51:01,320 --> 01:51:04,720 Speaker 1: need to be one? To Um? Maybe I just want 2058 01:51:04,760 --> 01:51:07,600 Speaker 1: to go try to find a easier fun spot for this. 2059 01:51:07,800 --> 01:51:12,200 Speaker 1: Hunt Um trying to say, is the four of us 2060 01:51:12,240 --> 01:51:18,040 Speaker 1: are going to Manitoba next year, that that might be 2061 01:51:18,120 --> 01:51:21,280 Speaker 1: the case I was gonna I was gonna say, it 2062 01:51:21,400 --> 01:51:24,040 Speaker 1: seems like you guys did a lot of things right 2063 01:51:24,280 --> 01:51:28,280 Speaker 1: and stuff that seemed to be like that went wrong 2064 01:51:28,400 --> 01:51:30,439 Speaker 1: with someone out of your control as far as like 2065 01:51:30,920 --> 01:51:33,160 Speaker 1: trying to get away from people and whatnot. But like 2066 01:51:33,520 --> 01:51:37,080 Speaker 1: if you went back to the same spot now being 2067 01:51:37,120 --> 01:51:39,920 Speaker 1: a third time, like what kind of things would you 2068 01:51:40,000 --> 01:51:43,200 Speaker 1: do differently? Well, I can tell you what I do 2069 01:51:43,360 --> 01:51:47,200 Speaker 1: really fast. I would basically cut off what I did 2070 01:51:47,840 --> 01:51:50,920 Speaker 1: on nights one through three and skip all that, So 2071 01:51:51,040 --> 01:51:54,479 Speaker 1: I would skip the kind of like I went further 2072 01:51:54,560 --> 01:51:56,479 Speaker 1: back into the cover nine number one than I did 2073 01:51:56,640 --> 01:52:00,040 Speaker 1: all of year one, but not far enough. And in 2074 01:52:00,200 --> 01:52:02,280 Speaker 1: day two and day three I made that play on 2075 01:52:02,320 --> 01:52:05,080 Speaker 1: the other side where you know, I almost had a 2076 01:52:05,120 --> 01:52:07,400 Speaker 1: shot there. But I think, like there's just too much 2077 01:52:07,479 --> 01:52:10,280 Speaker 1: uncertainty over there. There's just people all over the place there. 2078 01:52:10,840 --> 01:52:13,200 Speaker 1: So I think I would have skipped all that and 2079 01:52:13,240 --> 01:52:15,640 Speaker 1: I would have jumped right back to where this island is. 2080 01:52:15,720 --> 01:52:17,479 Speaker 1: I think I think if I were to go back, 2081 01:52:17,960 --> 01:52:20,720 Speaker 1: I'm not hunting anywhere except for these islands, like the 2082 01:52:20,840 --> 01:52:24,240 Speaker 1: farthest back stuff you can get to um, And I 2083 01:52:24,320 --> 01:52:26,320 Speaker 1: think if I had more time to work on this 2084 01:52:26,479 --> 01:52:29,920 Speaker 1: island and or others even deeper in there, I think 2085 01:52:30,040 --> 01:52:32,719 Speaker 1: that's where we could catch these bucks in a way 2086 01:52:32,800 --> 01:52:34,920 Speaker 1: that they're not like nobody else is going back. There's 2087 01:52:34,920 --> 01:52:38,479 Speaker 1: like I finally knock on wood, um, even if someone's willing, 2088 01:52:39,520 --> 01:52:44,400 Speaker 1: they might. Well, you did have one guy the last morning, 2089 01:52:44,520 --> 01:52:47,160 Speaker 1: so that's true. But I think you're right. I think 2090 01:52:47,240 --> 01:52:50,000 Speaker 1: that's exactly the ticket though. Just get back into these 2091 01:52:50,760 --> 01:52:55,160 Speaker 1: these these areas that are are heavier and cover, we're 2092 01:52:55,280 --> 01:52:58,680 Speaker 1: less people are likely to go crossing a crossing the 2093 01:52:58,760 --> 01:53:00,600 Speaker 1: creek or the channel or whatever, want to call it, 2094 01:53:01,120 --> 01:53:03,240 Speaker 1: anything that we can do to put some more terrain 2095 01:53:03,360 --> 01:53:07,479 Speaker 1: features that other people aren't willing to go through. Um, 2096 01:53:08,160 --> 01:53:10,840 Speaker 1: just start there, just cross off the rest of it 2097 01:53:11,000 --> 01:53:13,800 Speaker 1: and get back in there deeper from from day one, 2098 01:53:14,360 --> 01:53:16,800 Speaker 1: And I actually think i'd try to hunt the morning 2099 01:53:16,840 --> 01:53:19,479 Speaker 1: is more like the entire trip. Maybe I think we 2100 01:53:19,600 --> 01:53:21,519 Speaker 1: found that, you know, I think we're gonna put more 2101 01:53:21,560 --> 01:53:24,320 Speaker 1: pressure on it, um, but I think we've found that 2102 01:53:24,439 --> 01:53:27,680 Speaker 1: we can get in there um and hopefully we kill 2103 01:53:27,720 --> 01:53:30,080 Speaker 1: it earlier and then not have to worry about it. Um. 2104 01:53:30,360 --> 01:53:32,920 Speaker 1: But definitely decent morning movement, better than I thought there 2105 01:53:32,920 --> 01:53:35,160 Speaker 1: would be. Yeah, we seem to be able to get 2106 01:53:35,160 --> 01:53:40,200 Speaker 1: away with that. So yeah, you know, I don't know. 2107 01:53:40,880 --> 01:53:42,599 Speaker 1: You could also say we should have just done exactly 2108 01:53:42,640 --> 01:53:44,680 Speaker 1: what we did again, and you know, the tennis thing 2109 01:53:44,720 --> 01:53:46,400 Speaker 1: could have got our way and we might have worked out. 2110 01:53:46,479 --> 01:53:50,960 Speaker 1: But it's you know, that's that's hunting, right. Just sometimes 2111 01:53:51,000 --> 01:53:53,559 Speaker 1: it falls away, sometimes it doesn't. I the only thing 2112 01:53:53,600 --> 01:53:55,200 Speaker 1: I can tell you for certain is that I don't 2113 01:53:55,280 --> 01:53:58,439 Speaker 1: feel bad about what we did. Like we worked our 2114 01:53:58,479 --> 01:54:00,600 Speaker 1: tails off, We did a lot of things right and 2115 01:54:01,120 --> 01:54:03,599 Speaker 1: it didn't fall our away. But I'm I'm not gonna 2116 01:54:03,640 --> 01:54:09,880 Speaker 1: beat myself over that too much. Yeah, well sounds like 2117 01:54:09,960 --> 01:54:12,519 Speaker 1: a good hunt. I mean, you guys were on deer 2118 01:54:12,640 --> 01:54:16,680 Speaker 1: and and uh yeah, it's kind of disheartening to not 2119 01:54:16,880 --> 01:54:21,320 Speaker 1: get much reward after that much work. But man, when 2120 01:54:21,360 --> 01:54:23,120 Speaker 1: it does come together, it will be that much better. 2121 01:54:23,360 --> 01:54:28,800 Speaker 1: So yeah, that is the cliche friend thing to say. 2122 01:54:30,400 --> 01:54:33,879 Speaker 1: What I just said was like classic. You should record 2123 01:54:34,000 --> 01:54:37,680 Speaker 1: that and like have it play on your phone, like 2124 01:54:38,200 --> 01:54:41,160 Speaker 1: for when you need a little encouragement. Yeah, but it's 2125 01:54:41,160 --> 01:54:45,400 Speaker 1: it's cliches, is it's it's just the truth of it too. Yeah. 2126 01:54:45,760 --> 01:54:47,600 Speaker 1: I need to drive around that with my in my 2127 01:54:47,680 --> 01:54:50,200 Speaker 1: truck for the next uh you know, three months of 2128 01:54:50,240 --> 01:54:52,200 Speaker 1: the season. Just listen to play tell me that to 2129 01:54:52,360 --> 01:54:58,280 Speaker 1: get over this miss Yeah. Yeah, man, Hey, I I 2130 01:54:59,360 --> 01:55:03,080 Speaker 1: last year I made a list of all the dear 2131 01:55:03,960 --> 01:55:08,480 Speaker 1: that got away that I felt like we're killable. And 2132 01:55:08,600 --> 01:55:11,920 Speaker 1: I find that those deer are often more memorable than 2133 01:55:12,000 --> 01:55:15,680 Speaker 1: the racks I've got hanging here in my office. And 2134 01:55:17,520 --> 01:55:19,160 Speaker 1: I just went down and sat down and made a 2135 01:55:19,280 --> 01:55:22,440 Speaker 1: list and and as of last year, I had eleven 2136 01:55:23,240 --> 01:55:27,480 Speaker 1: deer that I mean, I could tell you more about 2137 01:55:27,520 --> 01:55:30,480 Speaker 1: those hunts than the hunts that you know, we're successful, 2138 01:55:31,040 --> 01:55:35,040 Speaker 1: and there's value in those animals, you know, there really is, 2139 01:55:35,600 --> 01:55:37,960 Speaker 1: and and I like to think that because of those 2140 01:55:38,200 --> 01:55:42,280 Speaker 1: eleven deer, that's the reason I've got the deer that 2141 01:55:42,320 --> 01:55:45,160 Speaker 1: I've got on the wall. You know, it just takes 2142 01:55:45,200 --> 01:55:47,960 Speaker 1: a lot of opportunity to kill a big deer. You 2143 01:55:48,080 --> 01:55:50,200 Speaker 1: just gotta you just gotta get out there and do 2144 01:55:50,320 --> 01:55:54,240 Speaker 1: it well. And you probably replay the the moments from 2145 01:55:54,280 --> 01:55:57,040 Speaker 1: that hunt. Are those ones that you don't bring home 2146 01:55:57,120 --> 01:55:59,440 Speaker 1: more so than the ones you do, because it's like, Okay, 2147 01:55:59,520 --> 01:56:02,000 Speaker 1: what could I done differently? Or what happened here to 2148 01:56:02,080 --> 01:56:03,800 Speaker 1: cause him to do this? Or what happened here that 2149 01:56:03,880 --> 01:56:07,160 Speaker 1: caused me to do that? Um, you just play those 2150 01:56:07,240 --> 01:56:09,160 Speaker 1: over and over in your mind, where you know, you 2151 01:56:09,240 --> 01:56:11,120 Speaker 1: may think back, oh, that was an awesome hunt when 2152 01:56:11,120 --> 01:56:13,880 Speaker 1: I shot that deer and it all came together, but um, 2153 01:56:14,240 --> 01:56:16,960 Speaker 1: you know, maybe scrutinizing the details like you did on 2154 01:56:17,200 --> 01:56:22,240 Speaker 1: on one that didn't happen, Yeah for sure. Well, boys, 2155 01:56:23,040 --> 01:56:25,240 Speaker 1: this one's gone longer than I thought, so I should 2156 01:56:25,280 --> 01:56:28,640 Speaker 1: probably wrap it up. But I think we both we 2157 01:56:28,720 --> 01:56:31,200 Speaker 1: all four had a hell of a week health experience, 2158 01:56:31,560 --> 01:56:34,480 Speaker 1: learned some stuff, had some good times, had some bad times. 2159 01:56:34,680 --> 01:56:37,440 Speaker 1: And uh, I guess that seems an appropriate way to 2160 01:56:37,520 --> 01:56:41,160 Speaker 1: kick off a deer season. Huh for sure, pretty far 2161 01:56:41,240 --> 01:56:44,760 Speaker 1: for the course. Yeah, and uh, off we go to 2162 01:56:44,840 --> 01:56:48,960 Speaker 1: the races for yet more. We'll see, we'll see what 2163 01:56:49,040 --> 01:56:54,040 Speaker 1: happens next. But thank you, Josh Clay justin appreciate you 2164 01:56:54,120 --> 01:56:56,840 Speaker 1: guys taking the time to round up and talk through 2165 01:56:56,840 --> 01:57:02,120 Speaker 1: all this stuff. Yeah, thanks Mark, thanks, thank you. And 2166 01:57:02,480 --> 01:57:06,160 Speaker 1: that is a rap. Another episodes in the books, and uh, 2167 01:57:06,640 --> 01:57:09,280 Speaker 1: you know, as is to be expected, another season is 2168 01:57:09,360 --> 01:57:13,760 Speaker 1: off to a start, a startup some kind. You know. 2169 01:57:13,920 --> 01:57:17,280 Speaker 1: It wasn't the start I wanted, but we learned some stuff. 2170 01:57:17,600 --> 01:57:19,680 Speaker 1: We had some close calls, We had a fun hunt 2171 01:57:19,760 --> 01:57:22,720 Speaker 1: in a lot of different ways, and uh, you know 2172 01:57:23,240 --> 01:57:26,760 Speaker 1: onward you always learn, always grow, Take something from a 2173 01:57:26,840 --> 01:57:29,960 Speaker 1: hunt like this, use it as a kind of jumping 2174 01:57:30,000 --> 01:57:32,480 Speaker 1: off point for the next one. So that's my game plan. 2175 01:57:32,800 --> 01:57:34,520 Speaker 1: Hope all of your hunts are going well. If you're 2176 01:57:34,520 --> 01:57:38,200 Speaker 1: already out there, if not, get all those final pieces 2177 01:57:38,200 --> 01:57:40,240 Speaker 1: of work done, get your head right, get your bow right, 2178 01:57:40,280 --> 01:57:43,200 Speaker 1: get your gear ready. It's game time. Any day now 2179 01:57:43,360 --> 01:57:46,320 Speaker 1: will be those opening days. And I'm excited for you, 2180 01:57:46,480 --> 01:57:50,240 Speaker 1: I'm excited for my own next hunt too, so until 2181 01:57:50,320 --> 01:57:53,720 Speaker 1: next time, stay wired to