1 00:00:01,280 --> 00:00:05,120 Speaker 1: Welcome to the Wired to Hunt Foundations podcast, your guide 2 00:00:05,120 --> 00:00:08,920 Speaker 1: to the fundamentals of better deer hunting, presented by first Light, 3 00:00:09,240 --> 00:00:13,600 Speaker 1: creating proven versatile hunting apparel for the stand, saddle or blind. 4 00:00:14,120 --> 00:00:18,680 Speaker 1: First Light, Go Farther, Stay Longer, and now your host 5 00:00:19,040 --> 00:00:19,919 Speaker 1: Tony Peterson. 6 00:00:20,320 --> 00:00:23,040 Speaker 2: Hey everyone, welcome to the Wired to Hunt Foundation's podcast, 7 00:00:23,079 --> 00:00:25,279 Speaker 2: which is brought to you by first Light. I'm your host, 8 00:00:25,360 --> 00:00:27,480 Speaker 2: Tony Peterson, and today I'm going to talk about how 9 00:00:27,520 --> 00:00:32,479 Speaker 2: to become a better bow shot in the field, not 10 00:00:32,640 --> 00:00:42,680 Speaker 2: just that home on the rain. Just a quick heads 11 00:00:42,720 --> 00:00:46,280 Speaker 2: up here, you can check out whitetail Guru Andy May 12 00:00:46,280 --> 00:00:49,040 Speaker 2: and I catching smallmouth and Largemouth at the meat eater 13 00:00:49,159 --> 00:00:51,120 Speaker 2: dot com. If you head on over there and look 14 00:00:51,159 --> 00:00:53,800 Speaker 2: at the tab with yours truly on it, you can 15 00:00:54,080 --> 00:00:57,520 Speaker 2: also check out to start us something New that features 16 00:00:57,520 --> 00:01:01,480 Speaker 2: your favorite white tailed guru and Mark Kenyon. We have 17 00:01:01,520 --> 00:01:04,479 Speaker 2: a new project dropping this week. It's kind of a 18 00:01:04,480 --> 00:01:08,160 Speaker 2: fun and entertaining thing called Whitetail Edu, which will be 19 00:01:08,200 --> 00:01:12,200 Speaker 2: housed on the meat eat Clips YouTube channel. Mark and 20 00:01:12,200 --> 00:01:14,319 Speaker 2: I are going to be breaking down some concepts in 21 00:01:14,319 --> 00:01:16,640 Speaker 2: whitetail hunting and addressing a lot of the questions we 22 00:01:16,680 --> 00:01:19,520 Speaker 2: get asked by whitetail hunters every year if you're looking 23 00:01:19,560 --> 00:01:22,319 Speaker 2: for some new whitetail content, that's a good place to go. 24 00:01:22,920 --> 00:01:26,240 Speaker 2: That's also enough sales pitches for you. You got to 25 00:01:26,240 --> 00:01:29,440 Speaker 2: talk about this episode a little bit. In a past life, 26 00:01:29,920 --> 00:01:33,120 Speaker 2: I put together a lot of bows and tune them. 27 00:01:33,600 --> 00:01:35,760 Speaker 2: It kind of got to the point where I hated it, 28 00:01:35,959 --> 00:01:39,000 Speaker 2: mostly because it's, you know, it's a tedious process, and 29 00:01:39,000 --> 00:01:41,319 Speaker 2: it reminded me of how I'd shoot a bow for 30 00:01:41,360 --> 00:01:43,479 Speaker 2: a week on a hunt somewhere and then most likely 31 00:01:43,600 --> 00:01:46,600 Speaker 2: have to shoot a different model the next week. Now 32 00:01:46,600 --> 00:01:49,000 Speaker 2: I miss my old job of being just a magazine 33 00:01:49,000 --> 00:01:52,559 Speaker 2: writer a lot, but not that part. It's a first 34 00:01:52,560 --> 00:01:55,200 Speaker 2: world problem, I know. But I was reminded of this 35 00:01:55,240 --> 00:01:57,800 Speaker 2: whole situation recently while putting together a new bow and 36 00:01:57,840 --> 00:01:59,960 Speaker 2: starting the process of shooting, and it led me to 37 00:02:00,120 --> 00:02:02,520 Speaker 2: this show, where I'm going to talk about what you 38 00:02:02,560 --> 00:02:05,080 Speaker 2: can do now to be far more deadly shot in 39 00:02:05,120 --> 00:02:13,440 Speaker 2: the woods this fall. One of the things that bothers 40 00:02:13,480 --> 00:02:17,080 Speaker 2: me so much about influencer culture, which I guess is 41 00:02:17,120 --> 00:02:20,760 Speaker 2: pretty ironic since influencer is literally in my job title, 42 00:02:20,960 --> 00:02:24,480 Speaker 2: and it makes me a little ashamed as a human anyway, 43 00:02:25,280 --> 00:02:28,840 Speaker 2: what bothers me is the weird desire people have to 44 00:02:28,880 --> 00:02:32,720 Speaker 2: post something from their workouts. Now, if someone goes and 45 00:02:32,760 --> 00:02:36,400 Speaker 2: runs one hundred miles Mountain marathon and they post about it, 46 00:02:36,639 --> 00:02:39,880 Speaker 2: that doesn't really bother me at all. I love that, honestly. 47 00:02:40,320 --> 00:02:42,640 Speaker 2: I think you should be proud of that moment and 48 00:02:42,720 --> 00:02:46,680 Speaker 2: are totally justified in sharing that with the world. It's 49 00:02:46,760 --> 00:02:48,519 Speaker 2: kind of like how it doesn't bother me at all 50 00:02:48,560 --> 00:02:50,799 Speaker 2: when someone shoots a big buck and creates a social 51 00:02:50,840 --> 00:02:54,120 Speaker 2: media post around it. I know some people disagree with that, 52 00:02:54,520 --> 00:02:58,080 Speaker 2: but generally that's a big accomplishment and I'm totally okay 53 00:02:58,120 --> 00:03:01,760 Speaker 2: with people being proud of it. But it also bothers 54 00:03:01,800 --> 00:03:05,480 Speaker 2: me when people post mundane stuff all the time. That 55 00:03:05,600 --> 00:03:09,359 Speaker 2: just represents the tiny little pieces that eventually coalesce into 56 00:03:09,440 --> 00:03:13,880 Speaker 2: a big accomplishment. You know, take gym culture for example. Now, 57 00:03:13,919 --> 00:03:16,760 Speaker 2: and keep in mind, these are arbitrary rules based around 58 00:03:16,800 --> 00:03:19,640 Speaker 2: what bothers me as a person, so the value is 59 00:03:19,720 --> 00:03:23,040 Speaker 2: almost non existent to anyone but me. If you go 60 00:03:23,120 --> 00:03:26,840 Speaker 2: out and put up your personal best bench press, that's great. 61 00:03:27,400 --> 00:03:29,639 Speaker 2: Maybe it's the first time you put, you know, two 62 00:03:29,680 --> 00:03:31,800 Speaker 2: forty five pound plates on each side and did a 63 00:03:31,800 --> 00:03:35,080 Speaker 2: few reps. I feel like I can understand posting something 64 00:03:35,120 --> 00:03:38,480 Speaker 2: about that, even if it's not really my jam. It's 65 00:03:38,520 --> 00:03:41,720 Speaker 2: when every set gets a post, and every little thing 66 00:03:41,760 --> 00:03:43,960 Speaker 2: building up to the big stuff just has to be 67 00:03:44,000 --> 00:03:46,560 Speaker 2: put out there that just starts to bother me. I 68 00:03:46,560 --> 00:03:49,160 Speaker 2: don't know why. Maybe I'm just getting old, or I'm 69 00:03:49,280 --> 00:03:53,480 Speaker 2: just over the totally disingenuous nature of social media. The 70 00:03:53,640 --> 00:03:55,880 Speaker 2: crazy thing about this stuff is that while it's the 71 00:03:55,920 --> 00:03:59,000 Speaker 2: big accomplishments we want to show off, it is the 72 00:03:59,120 --> 00:04:02,640 Speaker 2: daily Monday and stuff that builds a foundation upon which 73 00:04:02,680 --> 00:04:07,000 Speaker 2: those accomplishments sit. You don't bench two hundred and twenty 74 00:04:07,000 --> 00:04:10,760 Speaker 2: five pounds without benching less for a long time. You 75 00:04:10,800 --> 00:04:14,280 Speaker 2: don't run one hundred miles at elevation without a hell 76 00:04:14,320 --> 00:04:17,240 Speaker 2: of a lot of smaller training runs. That's part of 77 00:04:17,240 --> 00:04:20,520 Speaker 2: the journey, and without it, the big, newsworthy stuff is 78 00:04:20,600 --> 00:04:24,120 Speaker 2: just not going to happen. This exists in bowhunting too, 79 00:04:24,680 --> 00:04:28,680 Speaker 2: and where it really becomes noticeable is in shooting. Some 80 00:04:28,839 --> 00:04:32,120 Speaker 2: people have loads of confidence that when a deer walks in, 81 00:04:32,880 --> 00:04:35,520 Speaker 2: that deer is going to die if they so choose. 82 00:04:36,040 --> 00:04:38,599 Speaker 2: That's great, but a lot of folks don't ever quite 83 00:04:38,680 --> 00:04:41,120 Speaker 2: get there, or they get there, but it's not a 84 00:04:41,200 --> 00:04:44,640 Speaker 2: true situation, meaning that while they believe that it's all over, 85 00:04:45,080 --> 00:04:49,120 Speaker 2: it often goes way wrong. The missing piece for a 86 00:04:49,160 --> 00:04:52,719 Speaker 2: lot of folks, well at least one very important missing piece, 87 00:04:53,400 --> 00:04:56,800 Speaker 2: is just not enough practice. Now. I know that's a letdown, 88 00:04:56,839 --> 00:04:59,880 Speaker 2: but it's also true. The very first thing you have 89 00:05:00,000 --> 00:05:01,320 Speaker 2: I have to look at if you want to be 90 00:05:01,360 --> 00:05:04,800 Speaker 2: a better dear killer this year is the frequency in 91 00:05:04,839 --> 00:05:07,719 Speaker 2: which you practice. Now. I struggle with this a lot. 92 00:05:08,200 --> 00:05:10,560 Speaker 2: I used to shoot just about every day all summer long. 93 00:05:10,880 --> 00:05:14,599 Speaker 2: I loved shooting, but over time I lost that love. 94 00:05:15,440 --> 00:05:17,960 Speaker 2: It became a job for me. And it also coincided 95 00:05:17,960 --> 00:05:19,720 Speaker 2: with a period in my life where I went from 96 00:05:19,760 --> 00:05:23,559 Speaker 2: being absolutely flushed with free time to wrangling a couple 97 00:05:23,560 --> 00:05:26,599 Speaker 2: of babies and realizing that my schedule wasn't mostly wide 98 00:05:26,640 --> 00:05:29,800 Speaker 2: open anymore. So I went the other way, and I 99 00:05:29,839 --> 00:05:33,200 Speaker 2: didn't shoot nearly enough. I had some good seasons, and 100 00:05:33,240 --> 00:05:35,120 Speaker 2: I had some seasons where I shot like I was 101 00:05:35,160 --> 00:05:39,200 Speaker 2: holding my bow upside down. Not shooting enough is a bad, 102 00:05:39,480 --> 00:05:44,039 Speaker 2: bad deal. It's very common these days. Just like with 103 00:05:44,279 --> 00:05:46,640 Speaker 2: most stuff in life. I try to find the right 104 00:05:46,720 --> 00:05:51,760 Speaker 2: balance between being stupid, obsessed and totally dismissive. That's what 105 00:05:51,800 --> 00:05:54,240 Speaker 2: you might need to do too. You might be one 106 00:05:54,279 --> 00:05:56,280 Speaker 2: of those folks who loves to shoot, so four or 107 00:05:56,320 --> 00:05:58,720 Speaker 2: five days a week is easy to come by. Most 108 00:05:58,720 --> 00:06:00,680 Speaker 2: people aren't there, though, and there are a hell of 109 00:06:00,720 --> 00:06:03,360 Speaker 2: a lot of reasons for it to that. I'd say 110 00:06:03,800 --> 00:06:05,440 Speaker 2: you got to just figure out how to ramp it 111 00:06:05,560 --> 00:06:08,760 Speaker 2: up some. You don't have to go from a couple 112 00:06:08,800 --> 00:06:11,920 Speaker 2: of saturdays at the range before the season to every 113 00:06:12,040 --> 00:06:15,080 Speaker 2: day all summer long. You probably won't be able to anyway. 114 00:06:15,680 --> 00:06:18,159 Speaker 2: That's kind of like the people who on January one 115 00:06:18,320 --> 00:06:20,039 Speaker 2: say I'm going to start running and I'm going to 116 00:06:20,080 --> 00:06:21,919 Speaker 2: start lifting weights and I'm going to do the Keto 117 00:06:22,000 --> 00:06:24,200 Speaker 2: diet and i won't even think about a carb for 118 00:06:24,240 --> 00:06:28,360 Speaker 2: the whole year. A lifestyle switch like that, it's too big, 119 00:06:28,520 --> 00:06:32,960 Speaker 2: it's too unsustainable. It is a recipe for certain failure. 120 00:06:33,720 --> 00:06:37,120 Speaker 2: And while off season target practice might seem like it's 121 00:06:37,240 --> 00:06:40,400 Speaker 2: not as important as getting into shape, it's something that 122 00:06:40,440 --> 00:06:43,400 Speaker 2: we can do to make our season go much better. 123 00:06:43,839 --> 00:06:46,400 Speaker 2: And it's an obligation we have to the animals we 124 00:06:46,480 --> 00:06:51,440 Speaker 2: love and that we weirdly love to kill. So how 125 00:06:51,440 --> 00:06:55,000 Speaker 2: do you increase the frequency of your shooting sessions. First off, 126 00:06:55,360 --> 00:06:57,359 Speaker 2: you have to acknowledge that you can't make up for 127 00:06:57,400 --> 00:07:00,800 Speaker 2: this by shooting a lot at one time. Two hundred 128 00:07:00,920 --> 00:07:02,920 Speaker 2: arrows when you're out of practice is a great way 129 00:07:02,960 --> 00:07:05,240 Speaker 2: to take like one hundred and eighty seven shitty shots. 130 00:07:05,920 --> 00:07:09,080 Speaker 2: It's much better to shoot two dozen or three, you know, 131 00:07:09,279 --> 00:07:12,200 Speaker 2: a couple times a week. I look at it like 132 00:07:12,920 --> 00:07:16,920 Speaker 2: this is the lowest hanging fruit. Just increase your frequency 133 00:07:16,960 --> 00:07:20,360 Speaker 2: by a day or two each week. Now you're talking 134 00:07:20,440 --> 00:07:23,680 Speaker 2: maybe an extra fifteen to thirty minutes in the entire week. 135 00:07:24,240 --> 00:07:27,680 Speaker 2: That will add up to something important by September. And 136 00:07:27,720 --> 00:07:29,720 Speaker 2: I also think it's important to hold yourself to a 137 00:07:29,760 --> 00:07:33,600 Speaker 2: schedule and allow yourself to shoot extra if the mood strikes. 138 00:07:34,320 --> 00:07:36,160 Speaker 2: I know this sounds crazy to a lot of people, 139 00:07:36,200 --> 00:07:38,200 Speaker 2: but I set a yearly goal on how many miles 140 00:07:38,240 --> 00:07:41,520 Speaker 2: I'm going to run. It keeps me accountable to myself, 141 00:07:41,800 --> 00:07:44,320 Speaker 2: and it also allows me the opportunity to go way 142 00:07:44,400 --> 00:07:47,680 Speaker 2: past that goal. If I want, I can put in more, 143 00:07:47,840 --> 00:07:50,160 Speaker 2: and the more I run, the more I want to 144 00:07:50,200 --> 00:07:53,480 Speaker 2: put in more. Shooting can be the same way, mostly 145 00:07:53,520 --> 00:07:55,560 Speaker 2: because it can go from something we feel we have 146 00:07:55,680 --> 00:07:59,360 Speaker 2: to do to something we actually want to do. That 147 00:07:59,440 --> 00:08:02,040 Speaker 2: takes time for a lot of people, but time is 148 00:08:02,080 --> 00:08:05,480 Speaker 2: what you have right now. The next thing you should 149 00:08:05,480 --> 00:08:08,880 Speaker 2: think about is the environment in which you shoot. I 150 00:08:08,960 --> 00:08:10,760 Speaker 2: used to shoot with one of my neighbors and a 151 00:08:10,760 --> 00:08:14,240 Speaker 2: few of his buddies. It was a disaster, at least 152 00:08:14,240 --> 00:08:17,600 Speaker 2: from a value perspective. There's a lot of distractions when 153 00:08:17,640 --> 00:08:20,560 Speaker 2: shooting with someone else, and it's just kind of unnecessary. 154 00:08:21,760 --> 00:08:24,800 Speaker 2: You're going to be in the stand by yourself most likely, 155 00:08:25,560 --> 00:08:28,600 Speaker 2: and the entire process of figuring out when to draw, 156 00:08:28,760 --> 00:08:31,360 Speaker 2: where to aim, and how to execute your shot it's 157 00:08:31,400 --> 00:08:35,080 Speaker 2: all on you. Your buddies probably won't be there. The 158 00:08:35,120 --> 00:08:37,520 Speaker 2: headspace you need to be in then, is when you 159 00:08:37,559 --> 00:08:40,120 Speaker 2: need to be in a lot during your practice sessions. 160 00:08:40,600 --> 00:08:44,320 Speaker 2: The more distractions you have while target shooting, the easier 161 00:08:44,360 --> 00:08:48,320 Speaker 2: it is to excuse away poor shots, the easier it 162 00:08:48,360 --> 00:08:50,760 Speaker 2: is to not just take it as seriously as you should. 163 00:08:51,520 --> 00:08:54,600 Speaker 2: It's also almost always going to force you to take 164 00:08:54,640 --> 00:08:57,320 Speaker 2: shots you don't want to take, like shots that are 165 00:08:57,360 --> 00:08:59,560 Speaker 2: too far at least if you shoot with a bunch 166 00:08:59,600 --> 00:09:03,320 Speaker 2: of people. Think of it this way. If you want 167 00:09:03,360 --> 00:09:08,080 Speaker 2: to develop into a really good accurate shot. You're probably 168 00:09:08,080 --> 00:09:10,400 Speaker 2: going to have to do that just on your own. 169 00:09:10,840 --> 00:09:13,439 Speaker 2: Shooting with buddies can be great, but it's an activity 170 00:09:13,440 --> 00:09:15,760 Speaker 2: that is different from trying to level up one arrow 171 00:09:15,800 --> 00:09:20,480 Speaker 2: at a time with your full concentration on that simple task. Now, 172 00:09:20,840 --> 00:09:23,000 Speaker 2: I do think shooting in a variety of conditions and 173 00:09:23,080 --> 00:09:26,320 Speaker 2: challenging yourself with longer shots is a good thing. Back 174 00:09:26,360 --> 00:09:29,600 Speaker 2: in my long distance shooting days, I spent a lot 175 00:09:29,679 --> 00:09:32,800 Speaker 2: of time flinging arrows in a variety of situations, and 176 00:09:32,840 --> 00:09:35,800 Speaker 2: that taught me a lot. You might think you know 177 00:09:35,880 --> 00:09:38,000 Speaker 2: what it's like to shoot an antelope or a mule 178 00:09:38,080 --> 00:09:41,840 Speaker 2: deer in real prairie wind, but you probably don't. The 179 00:09:41,880 --> 00:09:44,640 Speaker 2: next time it's super frontal outside and the wind is 180 00:09:44,640 --> 00:09:47,360 Speaker 2: blowing thirty or more miles per hour, head out and 181 00:09:47,400 --> 00:09:52,000 Speaker 2: take some shots. If near paralyzing anxiety doesn't settle in 182 00:09:52,480 --> 00:09:55,280 Speaker 2: when you're trying to get the right pin to the 183 00:09:55,320 --> 00:10:09,880 Speaker 2: right spot, you're cooler than I am under pressure. Low 184 00:10:09,960 --> 00:10:13,320 Speaker 2: light conditions mostly do the same thing. If you don't 185 00:10:13,320 --> 00:10:15,600 Speaker 2: have the best eye sight, or have some type of 186 00:10:15,640 --> 00:10:19,400 Speaker 2: issue with peap rotation or whatever, low light practice will 187 00:10:19,480 --> 00:10:24,160 Speaker 2: highlight those issues. Almost no one I know intentionally practice 188 00:10:24,240 --> 00:10:27,199 Speaker 2: is in low light, but everyone I know will shoot 189 00:10:27,240 --> 00:10:30,200 Speaker 2: at a big buck when it's one minute before closing time. 190 00:10:30,840 --> 00:10:34,480 Speaker 2: Think about that. If there is one confounding condition you 191 00:10:34,559 --> 00:10:38,319 Speaker 2: are guaranteed to face every single time you white tail hunt, 192 00:10:39,000 --> 00:10:42,240 Speaker 2: it's low light. Whether that's at the front end of 193 00:10:42,280 --> 00:10:44,760 Speaker 2: the day or the back, you're gonna deal with it. 194 00:10:45,320 --> 00:10:48,000 Speaker 2: Yet we don't condition ourselves to shoot in that reality, 195 00:10:48,280 --> 00:10:51,720 Speaker 2: and that costs plenty of us deer every year, And 196 00:10:51,760 --> 00:10:55,199 Speaker 2: it also costs plenty of deer plenty of suffering due 197 00:10:55,240 --> 00:10:59,079 Speaker 2: to poor hits. Maybe you shoot enough to feel really confident, 198 00:10:59,559 --> 00:11:03,840 Speaker 2: but don't shoot under adverse conditions. Now you know what 199 00:11:03,920 --> 00:11:06,679 Speaker 2: to add into your routine to make your weekly sessions 200 00:11:06,800 --> 00:11:11,240 Speaker 2: a little more valuable. The next obvious step here would 201 00:11:11,240 --> 00:11:13,240 Speaker 2: be to tell you to shoot from a tree stand, 202 00:11:13,559 --> 00:11:15,440 Speaker 2: but that's not something a lot of folks are going 203 00:11:15,520 --> 00:11:18,440 Speaker 2: to do. That doesn't bother me that much because the 204 00:11:18,440 --> 00:11:21,199 Speaker 2: folks who have that as a real option probably do it, 205 00:11:21,840 --> 00:11:25,040 Speaker 2: and most of us who don't just don't. You can 206 00:11:25,080 --> 00:11:27,280 Speaker 2: get good enough without it, although it's a really good 207 00:11:27,280 --> 00:11:29,440 Speaker 2: idea if you have a way to do it. I 208 00:11:29,440 --> 00:11:32,880 Speaker 2: think saddles are a different story. I think if you're 209 00:11:32,920 --> 00:11:35,960 Speaker 2: going to dive into the saddle world, you should practice 210 00:11:35,960 --> 00:11:38,520 Speaker 2: from it. This can happen two feet off the ground. 211 00:11:38,640 --> 00:11:42,040 Speaker 2: It really doesn't matter. What matters is hanging off a 212 00:11:42,080 --> 00:11:44,840 Speaker 2: tree in a cameo diaper while trying to properly aim 213 00:11:44,880 --> 00:11:48,600 Speaker 2: a bow and not sacrifice anything in your form or 214 00:11:48,600 --> 00:11:52,840 Speaker 2: your concentration. This is easier said than done. And again, 215 00:11:52,960 --> 00:11:55,360 Speaker 2: if you go to saddle route, you're admitting that your 216 00:11:55,400 --> 00:12:00,200 Speaker 2: plan is to well shoot something from a saddle. Not 217 00:12:00,280 --> 00:12:03,120 Speaker 2: practicing for that can lead to some panic in the moment. 218 00:12:03,559 --> 00:12:06,920 Speaker 2: And do you know what panic does, then it saves 219 00:12:07,000 --> 00:12:11,040 Speaker 2: deer lives. A slight blip of panic at the moment 220 00:12:11,080 --> 00:12:14,640 Speaker 2: of truth immediately reduces your odds of making a good shot. 221 00:12:15,360 --> 00:12:17,480 Speaker 2: I'll give you an example of this from my last 222 00:12:17,520 --> 00:12:20,680 Speaker 2: season that is terribly embarrassing but about to be a 223 00:12:20,720 --> 00:12:22,680 Speaker 2: hell of a lot worse when the show gets released. 224 00:12:23,040 --> 00:12:25,760 Speaker 2: When I was hunting with Ranella and Oklahoma last year, 225 00:12:26,200 --> 00:12:29,920 Speaker 2: our goal was to get any public land deer, oh buck, whatever. 226 00:12:30,360 --> 00:12:32,640 Speaker 2: When I had a spike buck nomming on some per 227 00:12:32,679 --> 00:12:35,320 Speaker 2: Simmons the first morning we hunt, I said to myself, 228 00:12:35,640 --> 00:12:38,160 Speaker 2: that is exactly what any deer looks like and I 229 00:12:38,160 --> 00:12:41,320 Speaker 2: got ready to shoot him. I wasn't really nervous. It 230 00:12:41,440 --> 00:12:44,280 Speaker 2: was a tiny little deer that was totally relaxed, and 231 00:12:44,320 --> 00:12:46,920 Speaker 2: by the time I saw him he was already in range. 232 00:12:47,360 --> 00:12:49,880 Speaker 2: I figured I'd laser him right through the lungs and 233 00:12:49,920 --> 00:12:52,800 Speaker 2: we'd have a show. Except when I murped him to 234 00:12:52,800 --> 00:12:55,840 Speaker 2: get him to stop, he jumped about six feet forward 235 00:12:55,840 --> 00:13:00,000 Speaker 2: on the trail. Now enter that tiny little dose of panic, 236 00:13:00,880 --> 00:13:05,320 Speaker 2: and while I readjusted to take the shot, I didn't 237 00:13:05,320 --> 00:13:08,640 Speaker 2: notice a little vine hanging off a tree about halfway 238 00:13:08,679 --> 00:13:11,079 Speaker 2: between the buck and eye, and that resulted in me 239 00:13:11,200 --> 00:13:14,480 Speaker 2: hitting it with my arrow and a total whiff. If 240 00:13:14,520 --> 00:13:16,640 Speaker 2: it wasn't for the wind and that deer's lack of 241 00:13:16,679 --> 00:13:19,720 Speaker 2: experience with hunters, I would have never got a second shot, 242 00:13:19,880 --> 00:13:23,200 Speaker 2: which went much better than the first. But the point 243 00:13:23,320 --> 00:13:26,560 Speaker 2: is I shouldn't have needed the second shot at all. 244 00:13:28,520 --> 00:13:32,040 Speaker 2: That story, besides reminding you guys that I'm a dumbass 245 00:13:32,080 --> 00:13:34,280 Speaker 2: who can miss a thirteen inch or at twenty yards, 246 00:13:34,720 --> 00:13:36,880 Speaker 2: is that there are so many things that can happen 247 00:13:37,000 --> 00:13:39,200 Speaker 2: during an encounter that will tip the odds in the 248 00:13:39,200 --> 00:13:44,040 Speaker 2: deer's favor. You can't do anything about most of them. 249 00:13:44,559 --> 00:13:47,240 Speaker 2: They're just part of the tapestry that makes bow hunting Stow, 250 00:13:47,280 --> 00:13:50,680 Speaker 2: rewarding and challenging. Now, this is a long story, long 251 00:13:50,720 --> 00:13:52,720 Speaker 2: way of saying that if you can try to build 252 00:13:52,720 --> 00:13:55,800 Speaker 2: some confidence around the shots you'll know you'll take, you'll 253 00:13:55,800 --> 00:13:58,640 Speaker 2: be much better off. That's what you can do to 254 00:13:58,679 --> 00:14:01,480 Speaker 2: make this easier. It's also a way to say some 255 00:14:01,720 --> 00:14:05,920 Speaker 2: effort in the right direction is always better than no effort. Now, 256 00:14:05,960 --> 00:14:09,400 Speaker 2: I know that seems like foreheads slapping dumb, but hear 257 00:14:09,440 --> 00:14:12,079 Speaker 2: me out on this last point. I don't know how 258 00:14:12,120 --> 00:14:14,920 Speaker 2: many bowl hunters I've talked to who tell me they 259 00:14:14,920 --> 00:14:17,320 Speaker 2: don't need to shoot long distance when their white tail 260 00:14:17,320 --> 00:14:21,160 Speaker 2: shots are twenty yards and in. That's great if all 261 00:14:21,200 --> 00:14:23,720 Speaker 2: of your white tail shots are actually twenty yards and in, 262 00:14:24,360 --> 00:14:26,440 Speaker 2: But I'm guessing most of the hunters who say that 263 00:14:26,560 --> 00:14:29,760 Speaker 2: also have thirty and probably forty yard pins. What happens 264 00:14:29,760 --> 00:14:31,800 Speaker 2: if you're out there and the deer don't do what 265 00:14:31,840 --> 00:14:34,600 Speaker 2: they're supposed to and worse, I don't know, one of 266 00:14:34,680 --> 00:14:37,040 Speaker 2: the deer is one hundred and fifty five inch ten pointer, 267 00:14:37,440 --> 00:14:40,720 Speaker 2: and instead of walking along the crossing that is twenty 268 00:14:40,800 --> 00:14:43,760 Speaker 2: yards from your stand, he pulls a crazy eye and 269 00:14:43,840 --> 00:14:47,640 Speaker 2: then skirts you passing by a thirty three yards Do 270 00:14:47,720 --> 00:14:50,000 Speaker 2: you stay a twenty yard shooter then and stick to 271 00:14:50,040 --> 00:14:54,120 Speaker 2: your guns? Sure, sure you do, But the other guys won't. 272 00:14:54,520 --> 00:14:58,000 Speaker 2: They'll go, hey, I have pins to cover this distance, 273 00:14:58,200 --> 00:15:00,560 Speaker 2: and so this should be no problem for a fellow 274 00:15:00,600 --> 00:15:03,640 Speaker 2: like me, all while losing their ever loving shit over 275 00:15:03,680 --> 00:15:06,320 Speaker 2: the biggest buck they've ever had in range? How well 276 00:15:06,360 --> 00:15:11,400 Speaker 2: do you think that one goes shot? Distant limitations are 277 00:15:11,440 --> 00:15:14,320 Speaker 2: a tough one. We go our own way on those, 278 00:15:14,360 --> 00:15:17,040 Speaker 2: and it's up to us to hold ourselves accountable. It's 279 00:15:17,080 --> 00:15:21,080 Speaker 2: also up to us to be reasonable about the reality 280 00:15:21,120 --> 00:15:25,280 Speaker 2: in which we live. Very few bow hunters, at least 281 00:15:25,320 --> 00:15:28,800 Speaker 2: modern compound shooters, would argue that thirty or thirty five 282 00:15:28,880 --> 00:15:31,440 Speaker 2: yards is too far of a shot in the right conditions, 283 00:15:31,840 --> 00:15:34,720 Speaker 2: even if we might all agree on some farther range 284 00:15:34,840 --> 00:15:37,680 Speaker 2: just being too much. If you know there's a chance 285 00:15:37,720 --> 00:15:41,680 Speaker 2: you might be tempted, you better prepare for that. Sometimes 286 00:15:41,720 --> 00:15:44,200 Speaker 2: I think people make an excuse to not practice by 287 00:15:44,240 --> 00:15:47,480 Speaker 2: saying they are close shooters. Only some might be telling 288 00:15:47,480 --> 00:15:49,680 Speaker 2: the truth, but a lot of them are probably just 289 00:15:49,720 --> 00:15:52,720 Speaker 2: giving themselves an out. A much better bet is to 290 00:15:52,800 --> 00:15:56,800 Speaker 2: practice whatever you consider far distances at least some of 291 00:15:56,880 --> 00:16:01,000 Speaker 2: the time throughout the off season. For me, when I 292 00:16:01,000 --> 00:16:03,480 Speaker 2: get past the break in stage of my bow and 293 00:16:03,520 --> 00:16:07,280 Speaker 2: my muscles, I almost never shoot twenty yard practice shots 294 00:16:07,560 --> 00:16:09,880 Speaker 2: at some point, at least at that range, that type 295 00:16:09,880 --> 00:16:13,400 Speaker 2: of shot is pretty easy on a target. I'd rather shoot, 296 00:16:13,480 --> 00:16:16,040 Speaker 2: say in the thirty to fifty or sixty yard range 297 00:16:16,280 --> 00:16:19,160 Speaker 2: for most of my practice, even though I have a 298 00:16:19,200 --> 00:16:22,280 Speaker 2: pretty hard limit of forty yards and under these days 299 00:16:22,280 --> 00:16:25,040 Speaker 2: when I'm white tail hunting, and to be honest, I 300 00:16:25,120 --> 00:16:28,360 Speaker 2: have a strong preference for the fifteen to twenty yard 301 00:16:28,360 --> 00:16:32,360 Speaker 2: shots now. Stretching out the practice that way has the 302 00:16:32,480 --> 00:16:36,360 Speaker 2: obvious benefit of making the close shots easy or easier, 303 00:16:36,800 --> 00:16:39,720 Speaker 2: but it's also going to let you understand what you 304 00:16:39,800 --> 00:16:41,800 Speaker 2: need to do to make a series of really good 305 00:16:41,880 --> 00:16:45,440 Speaker 2: shots at forty yards. If you can do that, you 306 00:16:45,560 --> 00:16:49,320 Speaker 2: know your form is on point and your execution is repeatable, 307 00:16:49,600 --> 00:16:52,000 Speaker 2: and your confidence is going to go in the right direction. 308 00:16:53,240 --> 00:16:56,640 Speaker 2: That's the great intangible to this stuff, and it matters 309 00:16:57,000 --> 00:17:00,760 Speaker 2: so much. There's a quote in an old Gene Hill 310 00:17:00,840 --> 00:17:03,920 Speaker 2: essay about a wingshooter he knew who had a reputation 311 00:17:04,040 --> 00:17:08,080 Speaker 2: for missing very few ducks in. In exchange with the fella, 312 00:17:08,480 --> 00:17:10,919 Speaker 2: Hill made a comment about how the guy seemed to 313 00:17:10,960 --> 00:17:13,959 Speaker 2: never miss a teal, and that guy's response was that 314 00:17:14,000 --> 00:17:17,200 Speaker 2: if he can shoot mallards in the head all day long, 315 00:17:17,800 --> 00:17:19,520 Speaker 2: why would it be hard for him to hit a 316 00:17:19,560 --> 00:17:22,440 Speaker 2: whole duck. Now, if you've ever shot at a teal 317 00:17:22,480 --> 00:17:25,960 Speaker 2: strafing along in a strong headwind, you know why that's 318 00:17:26,080 --> 00:17:29,840 Speaker 2: so bananas. The point stands, though, if you can do 319 00:17:29,880 --> 00:17:32,359 Speaker 2: everything right on a non breathing target at forty or 320 00:17:32,359 --> 00:17:35,640 Speaker 2: fifty yards consistently, you'll have the confidence to do enough 321 00:17:35,960 --> 00:17:39,200 Speaker 2: on a breathing target at half those distances to ensure 322 00:17:39,200 --> 00:17:41,840 Speaker 2: a short blood trail and the chance to post a 323 00:17:41,920 --> 00:17:46,840 Speaker 2: grippengrin with your latest many tined accomplishment. This goes far 324 00:17:46,920 --> 00:17:50,199 Speaker 2: beyond a procedural task that you can repeat, though, and 325 00:17:50,240 --> 00:17:53,400 Speaker 2: delves into the realm of believing in yourself. Even when 326 00:17:53,440 --> 00:17:56,600 Speaker 2: the buck doesn't take the exact trail you expect, or 327 00:17:56,640 --> 00:17:59,119 Speaker 2: he comes in when the light is fading fast, or 328 00:17:59,160 --> 00:18:01,280 Speaker 2: when the wind is threating to turn you into a 329 00:18:01,280 --> 00:18:04,800 Speaker 2: Camo tumbleweed, figure out what you need to do to 330 00:18:04,920 --> 00:18:08,440 Speaker 2: practice a little bit more and in a more beneficial way. 331 00:18:09,000 --> 00:18:12,480 Speaker 2: And then do that then come back next week because 332 00:18:12,520 --> 00:18:15,359 Speaker 2: I'm going to talk about how we all kind of 333 00:18:15,400 --> 00:18:18,320 Speaker 2: have some white tail hunting privileges, whether it's a home 334 00:18:18,359 --> 00:18:21,320 Speaker 2: field advantage or something else, but it's easy to look 335 00:18:21,480 --> 00:18:24,000 Speaker 2: past those and kind of have a bad attitude about 336 00:18:24,000 --> 00:18:27,919 Speaker 2: our personal hunting situation. In this next podcast, I'm going 337 00:18:27,960 --> 00:18:29,719 Speaker 2: to talk about how that's just a bad idea and 338 00:18:29,760 --> 00:18:32,600 Speaker 2: how we should look for the things that can work 339 00:18:32,680 --> 00:18:35,959 Speaker 2: for us and then work on those things that have 340 00:18:36,000 --> 00:18:40,920 Speaker 2: a better hunt. That's it for this week. I'm Tony Peterson. 341 00:18:40,920 --> 00:18:43,160 Speaker 2: This has been the Wire to Hunt Foundation's podcast, which 342 00:18:43,240 --> 00:18:45,320 Speaker 2: is brought to you by First Light. As I mentioned 343 00:18:45,400 --> 00:18:48,240 Speaker 2: in the intro, there you can go check out Andy 344 00:18:48,280 --> 00:18:51,600 Speaker 2: May and I catching some smallies in largemouth in Minnesota 345 00:18:52,119 --> 00:18:55,639 Speaker 2: on video. You can check out a whole bunch of 346 00:18:55,680 --> 00:18:58,240 Speaker 2: new projects we have coming out and including a white 347 00:18:58,240 --> 00:19:00,760 Speaker 2: Tail edu which is hosted by my arc and myself 348 00:19:00,760 --> 00:19:03,719 Speaker 2: and we answer all the big questions about white tail hunting. 349 00:19:04,600 --> 00:19:07,680 Speaker 2: If you need more than that, the mediator dot com 350 00:19:07,760 --> 00:19:12,000 Speaker 2: has tons of articles, some sweet recipes for that wild 351 00:19:12,000 --> 00:19:14,000 Speaker 2: game or maybe those fish that you're out there catching 352 00:19:14,119 --> 00:19:16,760 Speaker 2: right now. You can listen to all the other podcasts, 353 00:19:16,760 --> 00:19:19,640 Speaker 2: we're putting out their video series. Lots of good stuff there. 354 00:19:19,680 --> 00:19:22,680 Speaker 2: Go check it out, and of course and as always, 355 00:19:23,080 --> 00:19:25,560 Speaker 2: thank you so much for listening and for all your support. 356 00:19:25,600 --> 00:19:27,480 Speaker 2: We truly truly appreciate it.