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 --> 00:00:08,879 Speaker 1: to the fundamentals of better deer hunting, presented by first Light, 3 00:00:09,240 --> 00:00:13,119 Speaker 1: creating proven versatile hunting apparel for the stand, saddle or 4 00:00:13,200 --> 00:00:18,319 Speaker 1: blind First Light Go Farther, Stay Longer, and now your 5 00:00:18,320 --> 00:00:19,880 Speaker 1: host Tony Peterson. 6 00:00:20,360 --> 00:00:24,040 Speaker 2: Hey everyone, welcome to the Wired to Hunt Foundation's podcast, 7 00:00:24,040 --> 00:00:25,919 Speaker 2: which is brought to you by first Light. I'm your host, 8 00:00:25,920 --> 00:00:28,360 Speaker 2: Tony Peterson. In today's episode, you know, it's just kind 9 00:00:28,400 --> 00:00:30,320 Speaker 2: of a fun one about the foods that carry us 10 00:00:30,360 --> 00:00:33,360 Speaker 2: through the long days on stand and in blinds all 11 00:00:33,400 --> 00:00:42,920 Speaker 2: season long. Last week I talked about my love of 12 00:00:43,000 --> 00:00:46,520 Speaker 2: Vedicon and how it's a nutrient dent superfood that can't 13 00:00:46,520 --> 00:00:49,279 Speaker 2: really be compared to anything else meat wise, at least 14 00:00:49,320 --> 00:00:51,559 Speaker 2: anything else that doesn't live inside of a fence. Anyway. 15 00:00:52,159 --> 00:00:55,240 Speaker 2: I love Vedicon because it's healthy, but I also love 16 00:00:55,520 --> 00:00:58,680 Speaker 2: things that aren't healthy, like candy and snacks, the hell 17 00:00:58,720 --> 00:01:00,560 Speaker 2: of a lot of stuff that's just, you know, the 18 00:01:00,600 --> 00:01:04,400 Speaker 2: total opposite of a superfood. I especially love this stuff 19 00:01:04,480 --> 00:01:06,920 Speaker 2: during the fall, when I'm hunting like crazy. Now this 20 00:01:07,000 --> 00:01:09,080 Speaker 2: might seem dumb, but I actually believe that once in 21 00:01:09,080 --> 00:01:11,240 Speaker 2: a while, when I bring the right snacks into the 22 00:01:11,240 --> 00:01:13,200 Speaker 2: woods with me. I kill it deer because of them. 23 00:01:13,720 --> 00:01:23,480 Speaker 2: Allow me to explain that right now. Since the deer 24 00:01:23,520 --> 00:01:26,360 Speaker 2: season for me is truly over in every way, I've 25 00:01:26,360 --> 00:01:28,319 Speaker 2: been messing with my gear to try to sort it 26 00:01:28,319 --> 00:01:31,560 Speaker 2: out and you know, find some semblance of order. This 27 00:01:31,640 --> 00:01:33,480 Speaker 2: is a task I do every year with hunting and 28 00:01:33,520 --> 00:01:35,959 Speaker 2: fishing gear. I don't like it, but I do like 29 00:01:36,000 --> 00:01:38,479 Speaker 2: the end result if I get to someplace that looks 30 00:01:38,560 --> 00:01:41,039 Speaker 2: less like a disaster zone and more like Mark Kenyan's 31 00:01:41,040 --> 00:01:45,440 Speaker 2: carefully curated butterfly collection. This year, almost as soon as 32 00:01:45,440 --> 00:01:48,320 Speaker 2: I started, I pulled two different one gallon ziploc bags 33 00:01:48,320 --> 00:01:50,320 Speaker 2: out of a couple of my go to hunting packs. 34 00:01:50,840 --> 00:01:52,919 Speaker 2: The contents of each bag look like if you handed 35 00:01:52,920 --> 00:01:54,440 Speaker 2: a ten year old a credit card and cut them 36 00:01:54,480 --> 00:01:57,120 Speaker 2: loose in a giant candy store. Now, in the interest 37 00:01:57,160 --> 00:01:59,240 Speaker 2: of how we are all victims these days, and how 38 00:01:59,280 --> 00:02:01,960 Speaker 2: I don't want to take personal responsibility for anything, let 39 00:02:01,960 --> 00:02:05,160 Speaker 2: me say this. I am a candy monster, but it's 40 00:02:05,200 --> 00:02:07,880 Speaker 2: not my fault. You see, if you drink a handle 41 00:02:07,880 --> 00:02:09,839 Speaker 2: of jim Beam every three days for quite a few 42 00:02:09,919 --> 00:02:13,120 Speaker 2: years and suddenly take that away so you don't die, 43 00:02:13,360 --> 00:02:17,040 Speaker 2: your brain starts looking for a substitute real fast. I 44 00:02:17,080 --> 00:02:19,560 Speaker 2: didn't know this when I quit drinking, but I figured 45 00:02:19,560 --> 00:02:23,919 Speaker 2: it out not long after. You see, alcohol has a calming, relaxing, 46 00:02:24,000 --> 00:02:27,000 Speaker 2: somewhat euphoric effect on your brain depending on how much 47 00:02:27,000 --> 00:02:30,600 Speaker 2: you consume. It also increases your blood glucose levels, and 48 00:02:30,639 --> 00:02:33,919 Speaker 2: this trigger is are released of that sweet, sweet dopamine. 49 00:02:34,480 --> 00:02:38,280 Speaker 2: Dopamine just doesn't make us feel good. It also cuts 50 00:02:38,360 --> 00:02:40,960 Speaker 2: down on all of the static and our amygdala, the 51 00:02:41,000 --> 00:02:43,320 Speaker 2: part of our brain that controls stress responses and some 52 00:02:43,360 --> 00:02:45,880 Speaker 2: of our emotions. I guess a simple way to frame 53 00:02:45,960 --> 00:02:47,960 Speaker 2: that up is that a lot of us addicts do 54 00:02:48,040 --> 00:02:53,120 Speaker 2: what they do to numb themselves, and it works temporarily. Now, 55 00:02:53,200 --> 00:02:55,240 Speaker 2: if your brain is used to that kind of thing 56 00:02:55,280 --> 00:02:57,240 Speaker 2: and you take it away, it's not going to give 57 00:02:57,320 --> 00:02:59,880 Speaker 2: up without a fight. So much of what we have 58 00:03:00,120 --> 00:03:03,639 Speaker 2: wrong with ourselves is just us fighting our biology, our evolution. 59 00:03:04,120 --> 00:03:07,160 Speaker 2: And this is really no different for folks like me. 60 00:03:07,760 --> 00:03:11,360 Speaker 2: Trading whiskey for milky ways is called a replacement addiction. 61 00:03:11,919 --> 00:03:14,760 Speaker 2: That reward center in your brain that alcohol trips well, 62 00:03:14,760 --> 00:03:16,440 Speaker 2: a whole lot of sugar in a short amount of 63 00:03:16,440 --> 00:03:21,000 Speaker 2: time can produce a somewhat similar effect. Honestly, the only 64 00:03:21,040 --> 00:03:23,160 Speaker 2: time I've ever craved sugar more than in the months 65 00:03:23,240 --> 00:03:25,880 Speaker 2: right after I quit drinking was when I stupidly did 66 00:03:25,880 --> 00:03:29,440 Speaker 2: the Keto diet for thirty days. When that broke, I 67 00:03:29,520 --> 00:03:31,640 Speaker 2: made a huge bowl of ice cream with a bunch 68 00:03:31,680 --> 00:03:34,520 Speaker 2: of toppings and ate the whole thing, And immediately marched 69 00:03:34,560 --> 00:03:36,360 Speaker 2: back into the kitchen and made another huge bowl of 70 00:03:36,400 --> 00:03:38,480 Speaker 2: ice cream with a bunch of toppings and ate that 71 00:03:38,520 --> 00:03:41,720 Speaker 2: whole thing. Self control has always been a moving target 72 00:03:41,760 --> 00:03:44,720 Speaker 2: for me. That's one of the reasons I love just 73 00:03:44,800 --> 00:03:47,000 Speaker 2: going a little nuts on snacks when I deer hunt. 74 00:03:47,280 --> 00:03:49,960 Speaker 2: It's a green light to not care. And honestly, some 75 00:03:50,040 --> 00:03:52,680 Speaker 2: of my favorite memories of hunting with my daughters are 76 00:03:52,720 --> 00:03:55,120 Speaker 2: about going to the grocery store before we headed out 77 00:03:55,160 --> 00:03:58,040 Speaker 2: for a long weekend turkey your deer hunt somewhere, just 78 00:03:58,120 --> 00:03:59,920 Speaker 2: letting them pick out a bunch of candy, a little 79 00:04:00,040 --> 00:04:02,640 Speaker 2: Debbie snacks and chocolate milk and whatever else they want it, 80 00:04:03,280 --> 00:04:06,360 Speaker 2: then eating those snacks for breakfast in a blind while 81 00:04:06,360 --> 00:04:09,880 Speaker 2: listening to distant turkey's gobble, or concentrating on the sounds 82 00:04:09,880 --> 00:04:12,640 Speaker 2: of the forest while waiting to hear that most wonderful 83 00:04:12,720 --> 00:04:15,640 Speaker 2: sound of a stick snapping because something bigger than a 84 00:04:15,640 --> 00:04:18,520 Speaker 2: squirrel is finally on its way in. I think about 85 00:04:18,520 --> 00:04:20,400 Speaker 2: this stuff a lot, and I don't know if it's 86 00:04:20,400 --> 00:04:23,240 Speaker 2: a consequence of getting older or what, but it's that 87 00:04:23,279 --> 00:04:26,920 Speaker 2: little stuff that really isn't so little that makes what 88 00:04:26,960 --> 00:04:29,479 Speaker 2: we do so damn fun and meaningful. It's one of 89 00:04:29,480 --> 00:04:31,839 Speaker 2: the reasons that I have such a hard time filming ons. 90 00:04:32,320 --> 00:04:34,800 Speaker 2: The whole thing is an exercise to weed out anything 91 00:04:34,839 --> 00:04:38,960 Speaker 2: that isn't immediately interesting or compelling, and essentially boils down 92 00:04:39,080 --> 00:04:41,520 Speaker 2: days of effort into a sizzle reel design to work 93 00:04:41,520 --> 00:04:44,880 Speaker 2: with YouTube algorithms. Look, there's a place for that, But 94 00:04:44,920 --> 00:04:47,000 Speaker 2: how it feels is not unlike how it feels if 95 00:04:47,040 --> 00:04:49,200 Speaker 2: you ever try to learn to play guitar and realize 96 00:04:49,200 --> 00:04:51,719 Speaker 2: that that sweet riff you love in some song is 97 00:04:51,760 --> 00:04:54,440 Speaker 2: the most obvious part of a tapestry of notes and 98 00:04:54,480 --> 00:04:57,719 Speaker 2: sounds that blend together so well you can't really pick 99 00:04:57,760 --> 00:05:00,599 Speaker 2: them out until you're either really looking for them or 100 00:05:00,720 --> 00:05:04,160 Speaker 2: someone shows you exactly how each instrument contributes to the 101 00:05:04,200 --> 00:05:07,080 Speaker 2: whole thing. You know, that guitar riff that we headbanged 102 00:05:07,120 --> 00:05:09,680 Speaker 2: too is the buck walking in, But the pace and 103 00:05:09,760 --> 00:05:11,719 Speaker 2: drums and everything else that makes up a good tune 104 00:05:11,800 --> 00:05:13,960 Speaker 2: is all of the non dear critters doing their thing, 105 00:05:14,040 --> 00:05:16,120 Speaker 2: and the smell of the woods in the fall, and 106 00:05:16,160 --> 00:05:18,200 Speaker 2: the feeling that once the sun starts to set, the 107 00:05:18,200 --> 00:05:21,359 Speaker 2: scene is going to start humming with something intangible, and 108 00:05:21,440 --> 00:05:23,800 Speaker 2: even if he doesn't show up, it felt like he 109 00:05:23,880 --> 00:05:26,400 Speaker 2: was going to, and that anticipation is so compelling that 110 00:05:26,440 --> 00:05:29,479 Speaker 2: we keep going back, you know, like listening to a 111 00:05:29,560 --> 00:05:33,200 Speaker 2: new favorite song and repeat. My daughter's eating Swiss cake 112 00:05:33,279 --> 00:05:35,200 Speaker 2: rolls at seven thirty in the morning while I dip 113 00:05:35,200 --> 00:05:38,160 Speaker 2: a kitcat into some black coffee. Isn't the same as 114 00:05:38,160 --> 00:05:40,240 Speaker 2: the feeling of following a short blood trail to a 115 00:05:40,279 --> 00:05:42,960 Speaker 2: spike in the big woods, But I wouldn't want that 116 00:05:43,080 --> 00:05:46,000 Speaker 2: without plenty of the other stuff. Now, I know that 117 00:05:46,040 --> 00:05:49,640 Speaker 2: the current trend in the outdoors is, you know, fitness, fitness, fitness. 118 00:05:50,080 --> 00:05:52,400 Speaker 2: It's pretty hard to scroll through Instagram without seeing some 119 00:05:52,560 --> 00:05:55,240 Speaker 2: jack dude shooting his bow without his shirt on, or 120 00:05:55,279 --> 00:05:58,479 Speaker 2: some perfectly sculpted chick just finding a reason to shoot 121 00:05:58,480 --> 00:06:01,040 Speaker 2: her bow and shorts that wouldn't quite adequately cover a 122 00:06:01,080 --> 00:06:04,159 Speaker 2: baby chipmunk. And man, I'm sure there is a joke 123 00:06:04,240 --> 00:06:05,919 Speaker 2: there i'd make with my buddies, but I have to 124 00:06:05,920 --> 00:06:09,839 Speaker 2: rein it in on this podcast. Any huski, you'll never 125 00:06:09,920 --> 00:06:12,120 Speaker 2: hear me say that you shouldn't try to not only 126 00:06:12,160 --> 00:06:14,799 Speaker 2: get in good shape, but stay there, because I believe 127 00:06:14,839 --> 00:06:17,560 Speaker 2: it. It's a cheat code of life. But you'll also never 128 00:06:17,640 --> 00:06:19,839 Speaker 2: catch me with a kale smoothie in my pack while 129 00:06:19,839 --> 00:06:21,360 Speaker 2: I hang off the side of a tree all day 130 00:06:21,360 --> 00:06:23,600 Speaker 2: long in my saddle, waiting on something to cruise through. 131 00:06:24,200 --> 00:06:26,800 Speaker 2: The food that we bring with us shapes our experiences. 132 00:06:27,160 --> 00:06:30,000 Speaker 2: I truly believe that. The crazy thing about it is 133 00:06:30,200 --> 00:06:32,200 Speaker 2: we often carry foods into the woods that we really 134 00:06:32,240 --> 00:06:34,520 Speaker 2: don't want to eat, but for convenience sake, we just 135 00:06:34,640 --> 00:06:37,840 Speaker 2: do it anyway. The first time that I went elk hunting, 136 00:06:37,960 --> 00:06:40,680 Speaker 2: I did this in a major way. It was a 137 00:06:40,720 --> 00:06:43,000 Speaker 2: long time coming, and I had spent a lot of 138 00:06:43,000 --> 00:06:44,840 Speaker 2: time shooting and a lot of time at the gym, 139 00:06:44,880 --> 00:06:47,400 Speaker 2: and I had worn out several pairs of brooks running shoes. 140 00:06:48,040 --> 00:06:50,200 Speaker 2: I didn't want to be left huffing and puffing at 141 00:06:50,200 --> 00:06:52,240 Speaker 2: the trailhead. I wanted to make the most of it. 142 00:06:52,560 --> 00:06:56,279 Speaker 2: I wanted to be like a Western hunter, so I 143 00:06:56,400 --> 00:07:00,640 Speaker 2: bought packets of almond butter, and I bought supplements basically 144 00:07:00,720 --> 00:07:03,640 Speaker 2: created daily food bags that had about thirty five hundred 145 00:07:03,640 --> 00:07:06,080 Speaker 2: calories in them, but you know, didn't weigh too much. 146 00:07:06,760 --> 00:07:10,040 Speaker 2: By day three of roaming the Sangredee Cristo's out in Colorado, 147 00:07:10,480 --> 00:07:13,920 Speaker 2: I was absolutely sick of just about everything I brought 148 00:07:14,000 --> 00:07:16,920 Speaker 2: with me, including the mountain house meals that I had 149 00:07:16,960 --> 00:07:19,600 Speaker 2: never tried before. I drove eleven hundred miles to spend 150 00:07:19,600 --> 00:07:22,360 Speaker 2: a week in the back country. I lost a lot 151 00:07:22,400 --> 00:07:24,560 Speaker 2: of weight on that trip, and I thought about how 152 00:07:24,600 --> 00:07:27,240 Speaker 2: I wouldn't eat a packet of almond butter for any 153 00:07:27,320 --> 00:07:30,400 Speaker 2: reason in my regular life. Ever, I don't like it, 154 00:07:30,760 --> 00:07:33,240 Speaker 2: and I really don't even like peanut butter either, which 155 00:07:33,240 --> 00:07:35,880 Speaker 2: is unfortunate because I had made bacon and peanut butter 156 00:07:35,960 --> 00:07:38,760 Speaker 2: tortillas for my trip. I learned a lot about what 157 00:07:38,880 --> 00:07:41,880 Speaker 2: I won't eat even when I'm on a serious calorie 158 00:07:41,880 --> 00:07:45,040 Speaker 2: burning trip. It was stupid, and my white tail hunting 159 00:07:45,080 --> 00:07:47,880 Speaker 2: hasn't been immune to this either. For quite a few years, 160 00:07:47,880 --> 00:07:49,640 Speaker 2: a couple buddies and I did as many over the 161 00:07:49,760 --> 00:07:52,160 Speaker 2: road hunts as we could, which usually meant just a 162 00:07:52,160 --> 00:07:54,640 Speaker 2: couple each season. Now, at the time, it felt like 163 00:07:54,680 --> 00:07:57,120 Speaker 2: a lot. But we don't do that anymore, and I 164 00:07:57,120 --> 00:07:59,200 Speaker 2: missed the shit out of it. Life gets in the 165 00:07:59,200 --> 00:08:02,760 Speaker 2: way and jobs and all that stuff, and the willingness 166 00:08:02,760 --> 00:08:04,640 Speaker 2: to live in a tent, you know, with your buddy, 167 00:08:04,640 --> 00:08:07,680 Speaker 2: it's just simmers down, but it never goes away. One 168 00:08:07,680 --> 00:08:10,080 Speaker 2: of those buddies that used to travel with I'll just 169 00:08:10,120 --> 00:08:13,520 Speaker 2: call him Ryan because that's his real name, is one 170 00:08:13,560 --> 00:08:16,880 Speaker 2: of those people who, how do I put this, would 171 00:08:16,920 --> 00:08:20,000 Speaker 2: frogger his way across an eight lane highway during rush 172 00:08:20,040 --> 00:08:33,199 Speaker 2: hour to pick up a dime on the other side. Well, 173 00:08:33,559 --> 00:08:35,880 Speaker 2: we made him the de facto snack guy for a 174 00:08:35,920 --> 00:08:38,520 Speaker 2: lot of our trips because he wasn't reliable enough to 175 00:08:38,520 --> 00:08:42,040 Speaker 2: handle any of the meals. He always brought a flat 176 00:08:42,080 --> 00:08:45,559 Speaker 2: of very low grade muffins, and, probably because he found 177 00:08:45,559 --> 00:08:49,040 Speaker 2: them on sale or in a dumpster, a huge amount 178 00:08:49,040 --> 00:08:52,439 Speaker 2: of cliff bars. Now, I don't have anything against cliff 179 00:08:52,480 --> 00:08:55,319 Speaker 2: bars or granola bars or protein bars, but he brought 180 00:08:55,320 --> 00:08:58,439 Speaker 2: that same bag of cliff bars to multiple hunts over 181 00:08:58,920 --> 00:09:02,320 Speaker 2: multiple years. It got to the point where, even to 182 00:09:02,400 --> 00:09:05,680 Speaker 2: this day, a decade or so later, the sight, smell, 183 00:09:05,800 --> 00:09:07,680 Speaker 2: or taste of a cliff bar makes me wish I 184 00:09:07,720 --> 00:09:11,440 Speaker 2: had that kale smoothie instead, And as far as low 185 00:09:11,440 --> 00:09:14,440 Speaker 2: grade muffins for breakfast, that's a hard pass on that 186 00:09:14,480 --> 00:09:17,320 Speaker 2: one too. You don't want to bring food that you 187 00:09:17,320 --> 00:09:20,000 Speaker 2: don't want to eat on a hunt, because that just sucks. 188 00:09:20,520 --> 00:09:22,760 Speaker 2: It takes something that could be a nice little reward 189 00:09:23,040 --> 00:09:25,760 Speaker 2: and turns it into a nice little punishment. You don't 190 00:09:25,760 --> 00:09:28,319 Speaker 2: want that. You know why, because if you play this 191 00:09:28,440 --> 00:09:31,319 Speaker 2: NAT game correctly, you might actually kill more deer because 192 00:09:31,360 --> 00:09:33,600 Speaker 2: of it. I've talked about this some and I'm sure 193 00:09:33,640 --> 00:09:35,920 Speaker 2: I've written about it a few times. But having some 194 00:09:36,080 --> 00:09:38,760 Speaker 2: food as a reward throughout the day helps me stay 195 00:09:38,760 --> 00:09:41,720 Speaker 2: and stand longer, to the point now where an awful 196 00:09:41,760 --> 00:09:43,880 Speaker 2: lot of my hunts, I don't leave the woods all day, 197 00:09:44,120 --> 00:09:45,880 Speaker 2: even when it's not the rut and I'm not sitting 198 00:09:45,960 --> 00:09:48,319 Speaker 2: the same stand all day. I just want to be 199 00:09:48,360 --> 00:09:50,599 Speaker 2: out there. But that takes enough food to kill the 200 00:09:50,720 --> 00:09:52,880 Speaker 2: urge to leave and head to the cafe for a burger, 201 00:09:53,040 --> 00:09:55,920 Speaker 2: back to camp to cook up something. This naturally means 202 00:09:55,960 --> 00:09:57,800 Speaker 2: I eat a lot of sandwiches, and if you hunt 203 00:09:57,800 --> 00:10:00,839 Speaker 2: a lot, you probably do too. Let me put it 204 00:10:00,880 --> 00:10:04,959 Speaker 2: in another way, I almost never ever eat sandwiches at 205 00:10:04,960 --> 00:10:06,880 Speaker 2: home because the amount of time I spend on the 206 00:10:06,920 --> 00:10:09,680 Speaker 2: road is enough to get me my sandwich bix over 207 00:10:09,760 --> 00:10:13,360 Speaker 2: and over. But man, the right sandwich on stand or 208 00:10:13,440 --> 00:10:16,160 Speaker 2: while sitting on a river bank as you move spots 209 00:10:16,600 --> 00:10:19,760 Speaker 2: can just change the arc of your day. I used 210 00:10:19,760 --> 00:10:23,800 Speaker 2: to do pretty simple stuff, you know, a bun, some Mayo, cheese, meat. 211 00:10:24,440 --> 00:10:26,200 Speaker 2: Now I try to get creative because if I have 212 00:10:26,240 --> 00:10:28,520 Speaker 2: something I want to eat, it's a bigger reward and 213 00:10:28,559 --> 00:10:31,080 Speaker 2: it makes me happy to be out there. Look, I 214 00:10:31,120 --> 00:10:33,240 Speaker 2: know that sounds dumb, but I'm telling you this and 215 00:10:33,280 --> 00:10:36,240 Speaker 2: I mean it. We are constantly looking for reasons to 216 00:10:36,280 --> 00:10:38,320 Speaker 2: not be in the woods, even when we can be. 217 00:10:38,960 --> 00:10:42,360 Speaker 2: For me, the more I'm out there, the happier I am, 218 00:10:42,679 --> 00:10:45,680 Speaker 2: and the more I fill tags, which also makes me happy. 219 00:10:46,240 --> 00:10:48,959 Speaker 2: Little things like adding some bacon and maybe a tomato 220 00:10:49,000 --> 00:10:51,440 Speaker 2: to a sandwich can make it so much better. I 221 00:10:51,520 --> 00:10:53,840 Speaker 2: lived a bare minimum lifestyle for a long time in 222 00:10:53,880 --> 00:10:56,280 Speaker 2: my early freelance days, but now I like to mix 223 00:10:56,360 --> 00:10:59,480 Speaker 2: things up. In fact, one of my favorite ways to 224 00:10:59,559 --> 00:11:02,080 Speaker 2: address a hunting sandwich issue is to grill up a 225 00:11:02,080 --> 00:11:05,559 Speaker 2: whole backstrap before I leave and then slice it thin 226 00:11:05,679 --> 00:11:08,760 Speaker 2: for lunch. Meat. There's nothing wrong with store bought deli 227 00:11:08,840 --> 00:11:11,200 Speaker 2: or ham or roast beef or whatever, but it's not 228 00:11:11,240 --> 00:11:14,120 Speaker 2: as good as fresh backstraps on a good bond. You know, 229 00:11:14,160 --> 00:11:16,920 Speaker 2: maybe with some pepper jack cheese or something. I'll make 230 00:11:16,960 --> 00:11:19,760 Speaker 2: tortillas the same way, to mix things up, because even 231 00:11:19,880 --> 00:11:22,559 Speaker 2: good sandwiches can wear you out after a few days. 232 00:11:23,280 --> 00:11:24,679 Speaker 2: There are a lot of ways to make it a 233 00:11:24,720 --> 00:11:28,840 Speaker 2: little more tolerable out there beyond good sandwiches too. You know, 234 00:11:28,840 --> 00:11:31,120 Speaker 2: if you saw my North Dakota show that dropped a 235 00:11:31,120 --> 00:11:33,680 Speaker 2: couple of years ago, you saw me eating peak refuel 236 00:11:33,720 --> 00:11:36,760 Speaker 2: meals when I switch stands. That's one of my favorite 237 00:11:36,800 --> 00:11:39,480 Speaker 2: moments on a Western hunt, and I've started mixing them 238 00:11:39,480 --> 00:11:42,520 Speaker 2: into my white tail hunts as well. A hot meal 239 00:11:42,760 --> 00:11:45,720 Speaker 2: eaten midday in the wild and chase with a twinkie 240 00:11:45,800 --> 00:11:48,719 Speaker 2: or some gummy worms is just a spirit lifter. I 241 00:11:48,760 --> 00:11:51,200 Speaker 2: don't know how to describe it any other way. It's 242 00:11:51,280 --> 00:11:54,160 Speaker 2: awesome and just not something most people in the white 243 00:11:54,200 --> 00:11:58,079 Speaker 2: tail space even consider. My Western cooking kit comes along 244 00:11:58,120 --> 00:12:00,640 Speaker 2: with me a lot these days. I'll tell you that 245 00:12:00,679 --> 00:12:02,960 Speaker 2: I'm cold mornings with my daughters when I make a 246 00:12:03,000 --> 00:12:07,800 Speaker 2: batch of fresh hot cocoa for them. It has always 247 00:12:08,400 --> 00:12:10,760 Speaker 2: brought us a lot more blind time than I deserve. 248 00:12:11,600 --> 00:12:13,719 Speaker 2: So snack wise, you can make your hunts a hell 249 00:12:13,720 --> 00:12:16,120 Speaker 2: of a lot more enjoyable, but there is a downside 250 00:12:16,160 --> 00:12:18,800 Speaker 2: to bringing along a lot of junk food. I don't 251 00:12:18,800 --> 00:12:20,960 Speaker 2: know if this is intentional or not, but it feels 252 00:12:21,000 --> 00:12:23,800 Speaker 2: like the big brains behind snack foods are also huge 253 00:12:23,840 --> 00:12:26,760 Speaker 2: anti hunters, and their goal is to scare away all 254 00:12:26,800 --> 00:12:29,319 Speaker 2: of the deer by encasing their sugary gut bombs in 255 00:12:29,400 --> 00:12:33,880 Speaker 2: the noisiest wrappers possible. Seriously, just try to open up 256 00:12:33,920 --> 00:12:35,679 Speaker 2: a pack of pop Tarts in your tree stand when 257 00:12:35,679 --> 00:12:40,120 Speaker 2: it's calm. It's impossible. Sometimes I pre open my snacks 258 00:12:40,320 --> 00:12:42,640 Speaker 2: and put them in ziploc bags, but a lot of 259 00:12:42,679 --> 00:12:45,440 Speaker 2: times I'm just too lazy, and I tell myself that, well, 260 00:12:45,800 --> 00:12:47,880 Speaker 2: if this is how they bust me, they earned it. 261 00:12:48,400 --> 00:12:51,079 Speaker 2: That's the potential tax I pay for bringing zebra cakes 262 00:12:51,080 --> 00:12:53,960 Speaker 2: into my stand, and not something built with quieter packaging, 263 00:12:54,040 --> 00:12:57,840 Speaker 2: like I don't know, bananas or oranges. Now, the funny 264 00:12:57,840 --> 00:13:00,199 Speaker 2: thing about this is that it's just like when you're 265 00:13:00,200 --> 00:13:03,280 Speaker 2: trying to sneak through the woods with someone for whatever reason, 266 00:13:03,400 --> 00:13:06,679 Speaker 2: I'm always super duper quiet and stealthy and very forgiving 267 00:13:07,080 --> 00:13:09,240 Speaker 2: during the rare moments when I put all my weight 268 00:13:09,280 --> 00:13:11,280 Speaker 2: on a dry stick and it cracks loud enough to 269 00:13:11,280 --> 00:13:14,200 Speaker 2: spook birds out of the next section, or when I 270 00:13:14,200 --> 00:13:16,280 Speaker 2: step on a rock in ravine and then it tips 271 00:13:16,280 --> 00:13:19,080 Speaker 2: and clunks into another rock, which is a sound that 272 00:13:19,280 --> 00:13:22,480 Speaker 2: instantly tells all prey animals within earshot that some big 273 00:13:22,520 --> 00:13:25,640 Speaker 2: asshole with a bow is headed their way. Now, when 274 00:13:25,679 --> 00:13:28,280 Speaker 2: I do it, it's okay and just an honest mistake. 275 00:13:28,760 --> 00:13:31,240 Speaker 2: When my hunting partners do it, that makes my blood 276 00:13:31,240 --> 00:13:35,360 Speaker 2: pressure skyrocket instantly, even when it's my own daughter's, you know, 277 00:13:35,400 --> 00:13:37,960 Speaker 2: and they have the subtlety of a drunken accordion player. 278 00:13:38,480 --> 00:13:41,720 Speaker 2: The same rule applies to snacks. I had a cameraman 279 00:13:41,800 --> 00:13:43,440 Speaker 2: with me a few years ago when we filmed the 280 00:13:43,440 --> 00:13:45,840 Speaker 2: second season of One Week in November who for the 281 00:13:45,880 --> 00:13:48,200 Speaker 2: first few days of the hunt where we posted up 282 00:13:48,240 --> 00:13:50,960 Speaker 2: on public land in southern Minnesota, you know, where the 283 00:13:51,000 --> 00:13:54,280 Speaker 2: deer weren't very thick. But the pressure was brought along 284 00:13:54,720 --> 00:13:57,480 Speaker 2: a couple of things that drove me nuts. The first 285 00:13:57,800 --> 00:14:02,200 Speaker 2: was a giant metal YETI that he couldn't not whack 286 00:14:02,360 --> 00:14:05,120 Speaker 2: into everything metal that he found, and he was finding 287 00:14:05,160 --> 00:14:08,680 Speaker 2: metal stuff all the time. But he also carried with 288 00:14:08,800 --> 00:14:12,840 Speaker 2: him a really big bag of Starburst. Now I'm not 289 00:14:12,920 --> 00:14:16,800 Speaker 2: against starbursts, I love them, but his strategy was to 290 00:14:16,840 --> 00:14:20,080 Speaker 2: eat them only during prime time. And I'll tell you what, 291 00:14:20,840 --> 00:14:23,800 Speaker 2: it almost killed me. Actually know what, It almost killed 292 00:14:23,880 --> 00:14:26,000 Speaker 2: him because I was staring at his safety strap thinking 293 00:14:26,080 --> 00:14:29,360 Speaker 2: maybe I should cut it and just give him a shove. Now, look, 294 00:14:29,800 --> 00:14:32,000 Speaker 2: I know it's a dumb gripe, but when someone who 295 00:14:32,080 --> 00:14:34,720 Speaker 2: has been two feet away from you all day waits 296 00:14:34,800 --> 00:14:37,080 Speaker 2: until it's absolutely prime time to root around in their 297 00:14:37,120 --> 00:14:40,240 Speaker 2: pack for a super crinkly package of candy and then 298 00:14:40,400 --> 00:14:43,360 Speaker 2: eats it next to you, you understand how every once 299 00:14:43,400 --> 00:14:46,960 Speaker 2: in a while people just totally snap. I guess with 300 00:14:47,080 --> 00:14:51,080 Speaker 2: tree stand snacks comes great responsibility, because the one thing 301 00:14:51,120 --> 00:14:53,200 Speaker 2: you don't want to do while you're trying to make 302 00:14:53,200 --> 00:14:55,200 Speaker 2: your all day sits a little more palatable is to 303 00:14:55,200 --> 00:14:57,400 Speaker 2: get busted by a deer when you're looking for a 304 00:14:57,440 --> 00:14:59,800 Speaker 2: little sugar rush. You also don't need to think of 305 00:14:59,800 --> 00:15:02,320 Speaker 2: a this solely when it comes to all day sits. 306 00:15:02,640 --> 00:15:05,160 Speaker 2: Like I said before, my strategy for maybe the last 307 00:15:05,160 --> 00:15:07,560 Speaker 2: eight or so seasons has been to spend as much 308 00:15:07,600 --> 00:15:10,800 Speaker 2: time as I can on stand. I love this when 309 00:15:10,800 --> 00:15:13,280 Speaker 2: I'm hunting water tucked away somewhere because you can get 310 00:15:13,280 --> 00:15:15,960 Speaker 2: a visitor at any time of the day. But I 311 00:15:16,040 --> 00:15:18,160 Speaker 2: also love it when I'm sitting over early season food 312 00:15:18,200 --> 00:15:21,640 Speaker 2: sources or whatever. We like to think deer move early 313 00:15:21,680 --> 00:15:25,560 Speaker 2: and late until pre run. It's just not true. Every 314 00:15:25,600 --> 00:15:29,120 Speaker 2: couple of seasons I kill a decent one way into 315 00:15:29,120 --> 00:15:33,760 Speaker 2: the midday, and man, is that rewarding. It's also a 316 00:15:33,800 --> 00:15:35,720 Speaker 2: hell of a lot easier to be there when my 317 00:15:35,840 --> 00:15:37,600 Speaker 2: pack is full of stuff that I want to eat 318 00:15:37,640 --> 00:15:40,000 Speaker 2: and drink. And I know it's not as cool as 319 00:15:40,000 --> 00:15:42,840 Speaker 2: a high level bed hunting strategy or something else, but 320 00:15:42,880 --> 00:15:45,000 Speaker 2: it's actually doable for all of us, which is no 321 00:15:45,520 --> 00:15:49,920 Speaker 2: small thing. Spending more time out there as long as 322 00:15:49,960 --> 00:15:51,760 Speaker 2: you have the wind right and you don't have anywhere 323 00:15:51,800 --> 00:15:55,760 Speaker 2: to be, is always a good thing. We miss this 324 00:15:55,840 --> 00:15:58,600 Speaker 2: opportunity in the early in the mid season all the 325 00:15:58,680 --> 00:16:00,960 Speaker 2: time because we think we shouldn't be out there, but 326 00:16:01,000 --> 00:16:03,680 Speaker 2: we should. And one of the ways to be there 327 00:16:04,040 --> 00:16:06,400 Speaker 2: and believe that and at least give yourself something to 328 00:16:06,400 --> 00:16:09,320 Speaker 2: look forward to, is to bring the right snacks, So 329 00:16:09,360 --> 00:16:12,960 Speaker 2: eat those little debiesnam on some peanut m and ms, 330 00:16:13,320 --> 00:16:16,080 Speaker 2: and shoot a thirsty buck at noon in September when 331 00:16:16,080 --> 00:16:18,080 Speaker 2: the rest of the hunters are at home thinking there's 332 00:16:18,120 --> 00:16:20,600 Speaker 2: no good reason to be out there. And come back 333 00:16:20,640 --> 00:16:23,960 Speaker 2: next week for some more ramblings, rants and ravings on 334 00:16:24,000 --> 00:16:28,880 Speaker 2: this thing that we love so damn much. That's it 335 00:16:28,920 --> 00:16:31,040 Speaker 2: for this week. I'm Tony Peterson. This has been the 336 00:16:31,080 --> 00:16:35,160 Speaker 2: Wired to Hunt Foundation's podcast. Thank you so much for 337 00:16:35,200 --> 00:16:38,680 Speaker 2: all of your support. Truly appreciate it here. I know 338 00:16:38,880 --> 00:16:42,000 Speaker 2: you're probably a little bored this time of year. If 339 00:16:42,000 --> 00:16:45,360 Speaker 2: you need some more entertainment or some education on something, 340 00:16:45,720 --> 00:16:48,000 Speaker 2: you might want to head over to the mediator dot com. 341 00:16:48,080 --> 00:16:52,160 Speaker 2: We drop new films, we drop new podcasts, we drop 342 00:16:52,200 --> 00:16:57,200 Speaker 2: new articles, new recipes, you name it, almost every day 343 00:16:57,240 --> 00:17:00,520 Speaker 2: at that site. There's so much content, so much good stuff, 344 00:17:00,760 --> 00:17:03,520 Speaker 2: and not just typical how to kill a buck this 345 00:17:03,680 --> 00:17:06,159 Speaker 2: way type of stuff too. We have a great new 346 00:17:06,200 --> 00:17:09,520 Speaker 2: podcast we drop not too long ago by Jordan Sillers, 347 00:17:09,560 --> 00:17:12,520 Speaker 2: who is a true journalist at heart, and it is 348 00:17:12,560 --> 00:17:15,719 Speaker 2: called Blood Trails, and that dude is doing such a 349 00:17:15,800 --> 00:17:18,080 Speaker 2: good job with them. It's such a cool product to 350 00:17:18,080 --> 00:17:20,879 Speaker 2: listen to. All you dudes out there listening and wondering 351 00:17:20,880 --> 00:17:23,880 Speaker 2: why your wives watch murder mystery shows all the time 352 00:17:23,920 --> 00:17:27,520 Speaker 2: like mine does. Listen to Blood Trails. Not only will 353 00:17:27,560 --> 00:17:29,520 Speaker 2: you love it, but your wife might love it too. 354 00:17:29,920 --> 00:17:32,320 Speaker 2: Great way to kill some time when you're driving or whatever. 355 00:17:32,440 --> 00:17:34,880 Speaker 2: Check it out, and again, thank you so much for everything.