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 00:00:20,360 --> 00:00:23,040 Speaker 2: Hey everyone, welcome to the Wire to Hunt Foundation's podcast, 7 00:00:23,079 --> 00:00:24,840 Speaker 2: which is brought to you by first Light. I'm your host, 8 00:00:24,880 --> 00:00:27,400 Speaker 2: Tony Peterson, and today's show is all about how to 9 00:00:27,520 --> 00:00:31,160 Speaker 2: recognize when the deer have you patterned and what you 10 00:00:31,200 --> 00:00:43,080 Speaker 2: can do about it. A few weeks ago, I talked 11 00:00:43,080 --> 00:00:46,520 Speaker 2: about finding some bucks sign on a slight elevation rise 12 00:00:46,560 --> 00:00:49,000 Speaker 2: in the Big Woods, Wisconsin and how it started to 13 00:00:49,000 --> 00:00:51,360 Speaker 2: make total sense to me when I walked it out. 14 00:00:51,960 --> 00:00:55,280 Speaker 2: I set up a killer stand spot there, which you know, well, 15 00:00:55,320 --> 00:00:58,040 Speaker 2: I don't want to get too cocky, is definitely going 16 00:00:58,080 --> 00:00:59,840 Speaker 2: to net me a stud of a Big Woods buck 17 00:01:00,120 --> 00:01:02,800 Speaker 2: fall or you know, possibly a two year old or whatever. 18 00:01:03,120 --> 00:01:05,319 Speaker 2: I thought I was done with that whole situation. I 19 00:01:05,360 --> 00:01:08,480 Speaker 2: even told you so, but I was wrong. Another weekend 20 00:01:08,480 --> 00:01:10,840 Speaker 2: over there looking around made me realize something that I 21 00:01:10,920 --> 00:01:13,120 Speaker 2: do in the White Toau Woods that is so dumb, 22 00:01:13,560 --> 00:01:15,760 Speaker 2: and I bet you do it too, and that's what 23 00:01:15,840 --> 00:01:29,840 Speaker 2: this show is all about. Albert Einstein is famous for 24 00:01:29,959 --> 00:01:33,240 Speaker 2: a lot of things, his theory of relativity and his 25 00:01:33,440 --> 00:01:38,000 Speaker 2: care free, genius level haircut. He's also probably one of 26 00:01:38,040 --> 00:01:40,120 Speaker 2: the most quoted fellas to hit the scene in at 27 00:01:40,200 --> 00:01:42,920 Speaker 2: least a couple of hundred years. A couple of his 28 00:01:43,040 --> 00:01:47,520 Speaker 2: more notable quotes on intelligence go like this. The difference 29 00:01:47,520 --> 00:01:51,400 Speaker 2: between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits. 30 00:01:52,240 --> 00:01:55,880 Speaker 2: The true sign of intelligence is not knowledge, but imagination, 31 00:01:57,000 --> 00:02:00,160 Speaker 2: and probably the one you hear the most. Everybody as 32 00:02:00,160 --> 00:02:02,240 Speaker 2: a genius. But if you judge a fish by its 33 00:02:02,280 --> 00:02:04,840 Speaker 2: ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole 34 00:02:04,880 --> 00:02:08,280 Speaker 2: life believing that it's stupid. That last one is clever. 35 00:02:08,960 --> 00:02:10,960 Speaker 2: But it's also a little hard to believe that everyone 36 00:02:11,040 --> 00:02:14,160 Speaker 2: is a genius. Maybe this proves his point, not mine. 37 00:02:14,200 --> 00:02:15,919 Speaker 2: But if you spend a little time at the public 38 00:02:16,000 --> 00:02:20,200 Speaker 2: land boat landing on some pretty popular lakes, say on 39 00:02:20,360 --> 00:02:23,720 Speaker 2: July fourth, you'll witness people who are trying real hard 40 00:02:23,760 --> 00:02:27,880 Speaker 2: to disprove that quote. The crazy thing is most of 41 00:02:27,960 --> 00:02:31,360 Speaker 2: us think we are pretty damn smart. This is often 42 00:02:31,400 --> 00:02:33,600 Speaker 2: the folly of young folks heading out into the real 43 00:02:33,639 --> 00:02:36,560 Speaker 2: world to stake their claim. This is something I dealt 44 00:02:36,600 --> 00:02:39,120 Speaker 2: with recently in a situation that not only proved at 45 00:02:39,200 --> 00:02:41,720 Speaker 2: least one youth didn't know a whole lot, but her 46 00:02:41,760 --> 00:02:46,000 Speaker 2: mentor is a stone cold moron at times. This should 47 00:02:46,040 --> 00:02:49,200 Speaker 2: come as no surprise to anyone who listens to this podcast. 48 00:02:49,680 --> 00:02:52,040 Speaker 2: But I don't have a lot of friends. I have 49 00:02:52,080 --> 00:02:55,320 Speaker 2: a handful of good friends, some work besties like Mark, 50 00:02:55,639 --> 00:02:58,440 Speaker 2: and then I have gym friends. When you work from home, 51 00:02:58,680 --> 00:03:00,640 Speaker 2: you make friends where you find them, and for me, 52 00:03:00,760 --> 00:03:03,359 Speaker 2: that's mostly at the gym. Well, one of my work 53 00:03:03,400 --> 00:03:06,160 Speaker 2: friends mentioned her daughter was starting a career as a 54 00:03:06,240 --> 00:03:09,040 Speaker 2: nurse and she needed to set up her benefits and 55 00:03:09,160 --> 00:03:12,120 Speaker 2: most importantly, her four H three B account for retirement, 56 00:03:12,639 --> 00:03:15,600 Speaker 2: and she needed to set up her HSA. I told 57 00:03:15,639 --> 00:03:17,320 Speaker 2: her that I could help, since I'm kind of a 58 00:03:17,360 --> 00:03:19,320 Speaker 2: geek in that realm and I've had to handle that 59 00:03:19,320 --> 00:03:21,560 Speaker 2: stuff on my own for quite a while when I 60 00:03:21,600 --> 00:03:24,799 Speaker 2: was self employed. So we made a plan to meet 61 00:03:24,880 --> 00:03:27,200 Speaker 2: up at the gym in the community area and get 62 00:03:27,240 --> 00:03:29,840 Speaker 2: all of her stuff signed up and ready to plan 63 00:03:29,919 --> 00:03:33,040 Speaker 2: for her future. In doing so, I parked in a 64 00:03:33,080 --> 00:03:35,800 Speaker 2: lot behind the gym instead of in the front where 65 00:03:35,840 --> 00:03:39,320 Speaker 2: I usually park. Now, as we navigated through her onboarding 66 00:03:39,320 --> 00:03:42,200 Speaker 2: for her job and got her retirement contribution squared away 67 00:03:42,600 --> 00:03:45,240 Speaker 2: and her HSA on the way to being funded, I 68 00:03:45,280 --> 00:03:48,720 Speaker 2: was reminded of how often we don't prepare young people 69 00:03:48,760 --> 00:03:52,000 Speaker 2: for the world of finance. This is such a failure 70 00:03:52,080 --> 00:03:55,760 Speaker 2: on our part. Anyway, it didn't take long and she 71 00:03:55,880 --> 00:03:57,880 Speaker 2: was good to go, so I left her to go 72 00:03:57,920 --> 00:04:00,440 Speaker 2: work out, which I did. When I got down to 73 00:04:00,480 --> 00:04:02,400 Speaker 2: the locker room to change to go hit the steam 74 00:04:02,440 --> 00:04:05,600 Speaker 2: room for a little sweat session, I did something I 75 00:04:05,760 --> 00:04:08,920 Speaker 2: do a lot. I bent over to pick up my 76 00:04:08,960 --> 00:04:12,320 Speaker 2: shoes and I hit the top of my head square 77 00:04:12,440 --> 00:04:15,760 Speaker 2: on this stupid little metal tab you know that sticks 78 00:04:15,800 --> 00:04:18,240 Speaker 2: out of the locker so you can lock it now. 79 00:04:18,240 --> 00:04:21,360 Speaker 2: I do this like once every couple of weeks, and 80 00:04:21,400 --> 00:04:24,240 Speaker 2: it's one of those self inflicted injuries that hurts like 81 00:04:24,279 --> 00:04:27,240 Speaker 2: a mother bleeper, as my kids might say, But you 82 00:04:27,279 --> 00:04:29,240 Speaker 2: can't show it because you're at the gym in any 83 00:04:29,320 --> 00:04:32,279 Speaker 2: kind of weakness might draw in the hyenas. Or I 84 00:04:32,279 --> 00:04:34,640 Speaker 2: guess it's just embarrassing as hell to make a habit 85 00:04:34,680 --> 00:04:36,560 Speaker 2: out of whacking your skull on a part of a 86 00:04:36,600 --> 00:04:39,800 Speaker 2: locker with enough frequency that it doesn't even surprise you 87 00:04:39,839 --> 00:04:43,120 Speaker 2: anymore when you do it. After nursing my head wound 88 00:04:43,160 --> 00:04:45,839 Speaker 2: in the steam room, I showered up, headed to the 89 00:04:45,880 --> 00:04:48,440 Speaker 2: parking lot, and my heart fell right out of my 90 00:04:48,520 --> 00:04:51,359 Speaker 2: ass as I looked around and realized that my truck 91 00:04:51,480 --> 00:04:55,400 Speaker 2: was just gone, just vanished. I stood there for a 92 00:04:55,440 --> 00:04:57,920 Speaker 2: minute or so thinking about how sometimes it seems the 93 00:04:57,960 --> 00:05:00,600 Speaker 2: world is out to get you and it's just barely 94 00:05:00,640 --> 00:05:03,560 Speaker 2: worth keeping going, and if you could hit the eject button, 95 00:05:03,920 --> 00:05:07,719 Speaker 2: how bad could it really be? And well, I worked 96 00:05:07,760 --> 00:05:10,599 Speaker 2: myself into a pretty wild frenzy thinking about the ways 97 00:05:10,640 --> 00:05:13,680 Speaker 2: I tortured the freaking weasels who took my truck. When 98 00:05:13,720 --> 00:05:15,920 Speaker 2: it hit me that I had actually parked in the 99 00:05:15,960 --> 00:05:18,400 Speaker 2: back lot and my truck was just on the other 100 00:05:18,480 --> 00:05:21,560 Speaker 2: side of the building and not currently being used in 101 00:05:21,600 --> 00:05:25,960 Speaker 2: a multi state crime spree. I felt as dumb then 102 00:05:26,440 --> 00:05:29,039 Speaker 2: as I did in a more recent conversation I had 103 00:05:29,040 --> 00:05:32,200 Speaker 2: with my wife where I mentioned that we should probably 104 00:05:32,240 --> 00:05:35,599 Speaker 2: have more quickies in our marriage. But she thought I 105 00:05:35,640 --> 00:05:39,359 Speaker 2: said cookies because we had a small argument earlier in 106 00:05:39,360 --> 00:05:42,800 Speaker 2: the day over a huge chocolate chip cookie. So she 107 00:05:43,000 --> 00:05:47,479 Speaker 2: got real excited, and then I got real excited because 108 00:05:47,520 --> 00:05:51,120 Speaker 2: I expected a much bigger fight. For at least a minute, 109 00:05:51,200 --> 00:05:53,120 Speaker 2: we both lived in a world where it was like 110 00:05:53,160 --> 00:05:57,080 Speaker 2: we were witnessing our first beautiful sunrise. And then I 111 00:05:57,200 --> 00:06:01,800 Speaker 2: realized that there's no way this is going good, and 112 00:06:01,839 --> 00:06:03,800 Speaker 2: I pretty quickly figured out we were not on the 113 00:06:03,839 --> 00:06:09,440 Speaker 2: same page at all. We are all dumb, my friends, 114 00:06:09,520 --> 00:06:11,720 Speaker 2: just in fun and creative ways. That makes life a 115 00:06:11,800 --> 00:06:15,400 Speaker 2: little harder to handle on a daily basis. While I 116 00:06:15,520 --> 00:06:18,560 Speaker 2: might not have the spatial awareness to not repeatedly give 117 00:06:18,600 --> 00:06:22,200 Speaker 2: myself a traumatic brain injury, or remember where my truck 118 00:06:22,279 --> 00:06:24,520 Speaker 2: is parked, which, now that I think about it, might 119 00:06:24,520 --> 00:06:27,960 Speaker 2: be related, I am a pretty smart fella in the 120 00:06:28,000 --> 00:06:31,160 Speaker 2: deer woods. You guys know that, otherwise you wouldn't listen 121 00:06:31,160 --> 00:06:34,719 Speaker 2: to this podcast. But here's the real truth. I'm pretty 122 00:06:34,760 --> 00:06:36,800 Speaker 2: dumb in the woods too, and I bet you are 123 00:06:36,880 --> 00:06:40,400 Speaker 2: as well. You know that sweet story I told about 124 00:06:40,440 --> 00:06:43,359 Speaker 2: the slight change in elevation, those big woods bucks follow 125 00:06:43,400 --> 00:06:45,400 Speaker 2: and how I'm gonna kill one right there this fall. 126 00:06:46,520 --> 00:06:50,240 Speaker 2: That wasn't dumb. It's actually a pretty sweet partial mystery 127 00:06:50,279 --> 00:06:54,239 Speaker 2: to solve. But I had way underestimated what was going 128 00:06:54,279 --> 00:06:58,680 Speaker 2: on there to understand why you have to visualize what 129 00:06:58,680 --> 00:07:01,880 Speaker 2: that property consists of and what the neighbors have on 130 00:07:01,920 --> 00:07:05,159 Speaker 2: their ground. I'll try to explain this in a short 131 00:07:05,200 --> 00:07:08,279 Speaker 2: and concise way so I don't suddenly break into Mark's 132 00:07:08,320 --> 00:07:11,480 Speaker 2: habit of talking about a bedding area you've never seen 133 00:07:11,520 --> 00:07:14,160 Speaker 2: that features western deer movement with a northern wind, but 134 00:07:14,200 --> 00:07:16,240 Speaker 2: only if he accesses it from the south during a 135 00:07:16,280 --> 00:07:18,840 Speaker 2: high pressure front that also creates thermals and then draws 136 00:07:18,840 --> 00:07:20,960 Speaker 2: some of the deer from the east to also visit 137 00:07:21,000 --> 00:07:23,240 Speaker 2: the secondary bedding area that can only be approached from 138 00:07:23,280 --> 00:07:25,520 Speaker 2: the northwest on a full moon, but only after the 139 00:07:25,560 --> 00:07:28,200 Speaker 2: neighboring farmer has picked as beans. You guys know what 140 00:07:28,240 --> 00:07:31,760 Speaker 2: I mean. This property of mine is thirty acres. There 141 00:07:31,840 --> 00:07:33,880 Speaker 2: is a forty to the east and a ten acre 142 00:07:33,960 --> 00:07:37,840 Speaker 2: proper to the west. The southern boundary is a gravel road, 143 00:07:38,080 --> 00:07:40,160 Speaker 2: which is where all the houses are and all the 144 00:07:40,200 --> 00:07:43,520 Speaker 2: access is. To the north is a huge swamp that 145 00:07:43,560 --> 00:07:46,560 Speaker 2: covers a couple of sections close to the road. On 146 00:07:46,600 --> 00:07:49,600 Speaker 2: the south end, I have a small food plot, so 147 00:07:49,680 --> 00:07:52,520 Speaker 2: does the neighbor to my east, and my neighbors on 148 00:07:52,560 --> 00:07:55,600 Speaker 2: the west have a small hay field. And the most 149 00:07:55,680 --> 00:07:58,480 Speaker 2: annoying rooster I've ever seen that I would strangle with 150 00:07:58,520 --> 00:08:00,920 Speaker 2: my bare hands if he walked by my bloe. I 151 00:08:01,000 --> 00:08:04,920 Speaker 2: hate that freaking chicken so much so. In other words, 152 00:08:05,120 --> 00:08:08,080 Speaker 2: the south end of all three of our properties contains 153 00:08:08,200 --> 00:08:12,000 Speaker 2: most of the human activity, which means it contains most 154 00:08:12,040 --> 00:08:15,200 Speaker 2: of the hunting activity. This wasn't planned, it's just how 155 00:08:15,200 --> 00:08:28,120 Speaker 2: it worked out. It also worked out that there's a 156 00:08:28,160 --> 00:08:32,040 Speaker 2: band of higher, totally wooded and thick as hell ground 157 00:08:32,360 --> 00:08:36,080 Speaker 2: between where we mostly hunt and where the huge swamp is. 158 00:08:36,920 --> 00:08:39,960 Speaker 2: What I had attributed to a high level of understanding 159 00:08:40,000 --> 00:08:44,080 Speaker 2: of how deer use elevation was actually far more interesting. 160 00:08:45,120 --> 00:08:48,079 Speaker 2: They slipped through there to avoid me and the neighbors, 161 00:08:48,320 --> 00:08:51,640 Speaker 2: all of whom hunt. Scratch that, all of whom hunt 162 00:08:51,720 --> 00:08:54,959 Speaker 2: damn near the same way, in the same type of spots. 163 00:08:55,960 --> 00:08:58,880 Speaker 2: The bucks there that want to avoid us get a 164 00:08:58,960 --> 00:09:01,880 Speaker 2: three for one day on those properties because we all 165 00:09:01,920 --> 00:09:05,840 Speaker 2: allow ourselves to be patterned in the same way. Of course, 166 00:09:05,920 --> 00:09:08,079 Speaker 2: I didn't fully grasp this until I was sitting in 167 00:09:08,120 --> 00:09:10,560 Speaker 2: a Redneck blind in March with one of my daughters 168 00:09:10,559 --> 00:09:13,319 Speaker 2: trying to glass up some turkeys. When three shed bucks 169 00:09:13,360 --> 00:09:16,680 Speaker 2: and two does came out. They stared at the blind, 170 00:09:17,120 --> 00:09:20,240 Speaker 2: fed around, and generally treated the blind like they'd get 171 00:09:20,400 --> 00:09:23,319 Speaker 2: murdered if they got too close, which you know is 172 00:09:23,360 --> 00:09:25,559 Speaker 2: a pretty solid plan since so many deer have been 173 00:09:25,640 --> 00:09:29,480 Speaker 2: shot from that spot even months after the last days 174 00:09:29,480 --> 00:09:32,680 Speaker 2: of the season. Those deer are concerned with a spot 175 00:09:32,760 --> 00:09:36,400 Speaker 2: they associate with hunting pressure in a home range of 176 00:09:36,400 --> 00:09:39,760 Speaker 2: a square mile. Try to imagine how many places they 177 00:09:39,840 --> 00:09:43,319 Speaker 2: know of like that. Try to imagine how many areas 178 00:09:43,320 --> 00:09:45,960 Speaker 2: a mature buck with five or six seasons under his 179 00:09:46,000 --> 00:09:49,520 Speaker 2: belt believes he needs to avoid on a daily basis, 180 00:09:49,640 --> 00:09:52,880 Speaker 2: or at least throughout the fall to stay safe in 181 00:09:52,960 --> 00:09:56,160 Speaker 2: some areas, those regions with high hunting pressure. I bet 182 00:09:56,200 --> 00:10:00,400 Speaker 2: that's dozens and dozens of locations. I bet, just like 183 00:10:00,440 --> 00:10:03,480 Speaker 2: that situation in Wisconsin where I hunt, they are also 184 00:10:03,640 --> 00:10:06,800 Speaker 2: just bands of cover that the bucks use while you 185 00:10:06,840 --> 00:10:09,120 Speaker 2: and your hunting competition go to other areas and tip 186 00:10:09,160 --> 00:10:13,080 Speaker 2: your hand of the deer because here's the thing, we 187 00:10:13,120 --> 00:10:15,960 Speaker 2: want deer to be where we want to hunt. I 188 00:10:16,080 --> 00:10:18,480 Speaker 2: firmly believe this is why so many hunters lean so 189 00:10:18,720 --> 00:10:21,720 Speaker 2: heavily on the rut movement, and why so many hunters 190 00:10:21,760 --> 00:10:25,280 Speaker 2: do not fill their tags during the rut It's not 191 00:10:25,720 --> 00:10:28,760 Speaker 2: just that the bucks will be moving in daylight more vulnerable, 192 00:10:29,240 --> 00:10:31,760 Speaker 2: it's that we believe that means the bucks will move 193 00:10:31,800 --> 00:10:34,720 Speaker 2: to the places where we want to hunt them. It's 194 00:10:34,840 --> 00:10:38,360 Speaker 2: like the rut makes every stand sit a first sit 195 00:10:38,400 --> 00:10:41,000 Speaker 2: of the year, every day kind of thing. But it 196 00:10:41,040 --> 00:10:44,440 Speaker 2: doesn't work that way. Jaded deer that have been through 197 00:10:44,520 --> 00:10:47,920 Speaker 2: a few seasons of real pressure, they don't suddenly risk 198 00:10:47,960 --> 00:10:50,360 Speaker 2: at all for the biscuit. Well, if there is a 199 00:10:50,360 --> 00:10:52,440 Speaker 2: hot dough, they will, but the odds of you being 200 00:10:52,440 --> 00:10:54,400 Speaker 2: where the hottest doll in the woods is at the 201 00:10:54,440 --> 00:10:56,960 Speaker 2: time she's most down to clown with the bucks are 202 00:10:57,000 --> 00:11:01,000 Speaker 2: pretty low. We tend to gravitate towards the easier setups, 203 00:11:01,000 --> 00:11:03,959 Speaker 2: into places with a good view that just provide a comfortable, 204 00:11:04,200 --> 00:11:07,800 Speaker 2: familiar hunt, and then we hope the rut convinces bucks 205 00:11:07,800 --> 00:11:10,280 Speaker 2: that they should definitely go to those spots, and they 206 00:11:10,320 --> 00:11:14,600 Speaker 2: sometimes do, but they oftentimes don't. So in other words, 207 00:11:15,080 --> 00:11:17,960 Speaker 2: we hunt the spots where most of the deer go, 208 00:11:18,480 --> 00:11:21,840 Speaker 2: and we hope that mature bucks go there too, But 209 00:11:21,840 --> 00:11:24,719 Speaker 2: that's not really how it works for most of us, unfortunately. 210 00:11:25,360 --> 00:11:28,760 Speaker 2: Think about it this way. How often do you see 211 00:11:28,800 --> 00:11:32,400 Speaker 2: mature bucks outside of the rut, or even during the rut. 212 00:11:32,600 --> 00:11:37,000 Speaker 2: What's the real frequency? Now, how often do you hunt 213 00:11:37,040 --> 00:11:42,920 Speaker 2: spots and see some deer? Probably hopefully somewhat frequently. We 214 00:11:42,960 --> 00:11:45,760 Speaker 2: often assume the disconnect here is that there are a 215 00:11:45,840 --> 00:11:47,720 Speaker 2: lot more dos and four ky's out there than there 216 00:11:47,760 --> 00:11:50,720 Speaker 2: are one hundred and fifty inches, which is true, But 217 00:11:50,840 --> 00:11:53,120 Speaker 2: we also forget that the deer that most want to 218 00:11:53,160 --> 00:11:55,760 Speaker 2: survive are the older ones who have dealt with us 219 00:11:55,800 --> 00:11:59,480 Speaker 2: and other hunters for a long long time. They know 220 00:11:59,559 --> 00:12:02,760 Speaker 2: what we do and they go where we don't. They 221 00:12:02,840 --> 00:12:05,320 Speaker 2: do this to you and your neighbors and the folks 222 00:12:05,320 --> 00:12:08,040 Speaker 2: you've never met who bohunt three properties away from you. 223 00:12:08,760 --> 00:12:12,360 Speaker 2: They are masters at avoiding the spots you like during 224 00:12:12,360 --> 00:12:14,520 Speaker 2: the hours when you can see your site pins without 225 00:12:14,559 --> 00:12:18,360 Speaker 2: using a light. We encourage this during the season by 226 00:12:18,480 --> 00:12:22,280 Speaker 2: hunting our usual spots, but we also reinforce this with 227 00:12:22,360 --> 00:12:24,800 Speaker 2: our presence during the off season because we tend to 228 00:12:24,800 --> 00:12:28,559 Speaker 2: go to those areas more than anywhere else. We literally 229 00:12:28,600 --> 00:12:31,920 Speaker 2: give them a year round education, and they are very 230 00:12:31,960 --> 00:12:35,680 Speaker 2: good students. Now, the real rub here is that we 231 00:12:35,760 --> 00:12:38,760 Speaker 2: think we don't do this, and even if we know 232 00:12:38,920 --> 00:12:41,880 Speaker 2: we do this, we think we can overcome it by 233 00:12:41,960 --> 00:12:44,680 Speaker 2: using a better scent control or putting out some cent wix, 234 00:12:44,760 --> 00:12:47,840 Speaker 2: or waiting for the new moon in a cold Front's sure, 235 00:12:48,080 --> 00:12:49,960 Speaker 2: you know you can tip the odds in your favor 236 00:12:50,240 --> 00:12:52,320 Speaker 2: and you might get lucky during the rut. But a 237 00:12:52,320 --> 00:12:54,120 Speaker 2: better way to look at it is to get out 238 00:12:54,160 --> 00:12:56,280 Speaker 2: there and try to understand how the deer avoid you. 239 00:12:56,400 --> 00:13:00,280 Speaker 2: And you're a competition. Where are the locations of buck 240 00:13:00,360 --> 00:13:04,720 Speaker 2: might travel in late September or mid October. You find 241 00:13:04,760 --> 00:13:07,120 Speaker 2: those spots and you have a fighting chance of being 242 00:13:07,160 --> 00:13:11,240 Speaker 2: in the game all season long, and guess what, having 243 00:13:11,320 --> 00:13:13,000 Speaker 2: a hell of a lot better chance to kill one 244 00:13:13,080 --> 00:13:16,280 Speaker 2: during the rut as well. The best way to do 245 00:13:16,320 --> 00:13:19,000 Speaker 2: this is to combine boots on the ground scouting with 246 00:13:19,200 --> 00:13:22,720 Speaker 2: ET scouting. Honestly, that's actually the answer to most of 247 00:13:22,720 --> 00:13:24,679 Speaker 2: our deer problems. But it's a hell of a lot 248 00:13:24,720 --> 00:13:27,200 Speaker 2: easier to bang those rattling antlers together and hope a 249 00:13:27,200 --> 00:13:30,000 Speaker 2: nearby buck wants to throw hands or I guess hoofs. 250 00:13:30,800 --> 00:13:33,280 Speaker 2: The reason you need the eat scouting aspect is because 251 00:13:33,320 --> 00:13:36,199 Speaker 2: you can scout the neighboring properties. If you looked at 252 00:13:36,200 --> 00:13:39,040 Speaker 2: my property on satellite imagery, you'd see my food plot 253 00:13:39,280 --> 00:13:41,880 Speaker 2: and the neighbor's food plot, and the other neighbors small field. 254 00:13:42,160 --> 00:13:44,760 Speaker 2: You'd see the giant swamp to the north. It would 255 00:13:44,880 --> 00:13:47,600 Speaker 2: on a macro level look kind of like the hunting 256 00:13:47,640 --> 00:13:49,839 Speaker 2: pressure and human activity is all sort of centered in 257 00:13:49,880 --> 00:13:52,800 Speaker 2: the same line, and the best cover is to the north. 258 00:13:53,520 --> 00:13:57,320 Speaker 2: It's kind of simple, but also kind of not. In 259 00:13:57,360 --> 00:14:00,000 Speaker 2: a different scenario, you might have small patches of timbers 260 00:14:00,040 --> 00:14:02,600 Speaker 2: brought out like islands in a sea of agg or 261 00:14:02,640 --> 00:14:04,560 Speaker 2: you might be down south and trying to figure out 262 00:14:04,559 --> 00:14:07,480 Speaker 2: swamp books where most of the land offers the same 263 00:14:07,600 --> 00:14:10,840 Speaker 2: kind of stuff. The et scouting aspect allows you to 264 00:14:10,880 --> 00:14:12,840 Speaker 2: see these areas in a way where you can come 265 00:14:12,920 --> 00:14:15,400 Speaker 2: up with a rough idea of how deer might move 266 00:14:15,559 --> 00:14:18,360 Speaker 2: through on their way to the stuff they like, but 267 00:14:18,440 --> 00:14:21,920 Speaker 2: also how people might get into or move through it. 268 00:14:22,720 --> 00:14:24,920 Speaker 2: You know, the same cover, then you got to get 269 00:14:24,960 --> 00:14:27,480 Speaker 2: in there, and you got to get that micro look. Now. 270 00:14:27,520 --> 00:14:30,600 Speaker 2: I know this sounds like generic scouting advice, because it is. 271 00:14:30,800 --> 00:14:33,280 Speaker 2: We aren't inventing the wheel here. But the goal isn't 272 00:14:33,320 --> 00:14:35,360 Speaker 2: to go out and find some rubs and decide that's 273 00:14:35,360 --> 00:14:37,480 Speaker 2: good enough. The goal is to try to figure out 274 00:14:37,520 --> 00:14:40,600 Speaker 2: where the hunting concentration is and how deer avoid it. 275 00:14:41,320 --> 00:14:43,240 Speaker 2: If you have a food plot with a box blind 276 00:14:43,280 --> 00:14:45,600 Speaker 2: on it, this is a pretty simple task because the 277 00:14:45,600 --> 00:14:48,280 Speaker 2: deer will probably show you just how easily they avoid 278 00:14:48,320 --> 00:14:52,320 Speaker 2: your presence. The next closest cover to your setup, it's 279 00:14:52,360 --> 00:14:54,960 Speaker 2: going to have some sign. The next closest thick cover 280 00:14:55,040 --> 00:14:58,000 Speaker 2: will probably have more sign and more trails that allow 281 00:14:58,040 --> 00:15:02,040 Speaker 2: the deer to pass by without getting spot. We often 282 00:15:02,120 --> 00:15:05,000 Speaker 2: use those findings to validate our strategy to sit where 283 00:15:05,080 --> 00:15:07,520 Speaker 2: we want to sit, because, after all, look at that 284 00:15:07,640 --> 00:15:09,960 Speaker 2: huge community scrape and all those rubs just one hundred 285 00:15:09,960 --> 00:15:13,360 Speaker 2: and twenty five yards downhill from the kill plot. That's 286 00:15:13,400 --> 00:15:16,080 Speaker 2: not necessarily evidence of deer that will visit the plot 287 00:15:16,080 --> 00:15:19,400 Speaker 2: when you're hunting there, though, it's very likely it's evidence 288 00:15:19,400 --> 00:15:23,280 Speaker 2: of deer doing things to avoid you while waiting for 289 00:15:23,360 --> 00:15:26,880 Speaker 2: you to get out of there. I hope that makes sense, 290 00:15:26,920 --> 00:15:29,760 Speaker 2: because I believe it's true. I believe we often win 291 00:15:29,760 --> 00:15:32,080 Speaker 2: our scout to confirm what we want to believe, But 292 00:15:32,120 --> 00:15:35,160 Speaker 2: those findings might not jive with our hunts and our sightings, 293 00:15:35,160 --> 00:15:38,000 Speaker 2: and the deer we killer don't kill. In those cases, 294 00:15:38,040 --> 00:15:41,400 Speaker 2: we have to ask ourselves why the answer is almost 295 00:15:41,440 --> 00:15:43,880 Speaker 2: always because we are doing what we like to do. 296 00:15:44,360 --> 00:15:46,760 Speaker 2: The deer figure that out, and so they do what 297 00:15:46,800 --> 00:15:49,640 Speaker 2: they have to in order to avoid us and anyone 298 00:15:49,640 --> 00:15:51,800 Speaker 2: else who might be staged up in the area trying 299 00:15:51,800 --> 00:15:55,320 Speaker 2: to kill them. In reality, what I'm saying is that 300 00:15:55,360 --> 00:15:58,000 Speaker 2: there is a window of time right now to try 301 00:15:58,000 --> 00:16:00,600 Speaker 2: to gain some insight into how the deer might avoid. 302 00:16:00,760 --> 00:16:03,360 Speaker 2: This is really just scouting with a different mindset while 303 00:16:03,400 --> 00:16:05,680 Speaker 2: trying to piece together a plan for next season that 304 00:16:05,720 --> 00:16:07,880 Speaker 2: allows you to break out of your traditional setups and 305 00:16:07,920 --> 00:16:11,720 Speaker 2: try something new. Here's the last thing I'll say about that. 306 00:16:12,640 --> 00:16:15,240 Speaker 2: Go actually do this if you want to have a 307 00:16:15,240 --> 00:16:18,280 Speaker 2: better season. I know it's easy to get distracted and 308 00:16:18,320 --> 00:16:20,920 Speaker 2: decide that scouting can happen later, but it won't be 309 00:16:20,920 --> 00:16:22,880 Speaker 2: the same thing. You're not going to go into the 310 00:16:22,920 --> 00:16:26,080 Speaker 2: woods in July and figure this out. By then, It's 311 00:16:26,120 --> 00:16:29,040 Speaker 2: way too late. It'll be too easy to default to 312 00:16:29,120 --> 00:16:33,000 Speaker 2: your usual setups during the hunting season. Instead, make an 313 00:16:33,000 --> 00:16:36,400 Speaker 2: effort to understand this now. Because the deer don't expect 314 00:16:36,440 --> 00:16:38,720 Speaker 2: you to change your habits, and the other hunters you 315 00:16:38,720 --> 00:16:40,960 Speaker 2: share the woods with you know they're not likely to 316 00:16:41,040 --> 00:16:44,280 Speaker 2: change either. It's up to you to be different, acknowledge 317 00:16:44,320 --> 00:16:46,440 Speaker 2: the stupid choices we all make when it comes to 318 00:16:46,480 --> 00:16:49,560 Speaker 2: our setups, and try something that might surprise the bucks. 319 00:16:50,480 --> 00:16:53,200 Speaker 2: Do it and come back next week because I'm going 320 00:16:53,240 --> 00:16:56,440 Speaker 2: to talk about recognizing patterns in the whitetail world in 321 00:16:56,480 --> 00:16:59,240 Speaker 2: a way that might not be totally obvious at first. 322 00:17:01,400 --> 00:17:03,720 Speaker 2: That's it. I'm Tony Peterson. This has been the Wired 323 00:17:03,720 --> 00:17:06,520 Speaker 2: to Hunt Foundation's podcast, which is brought to you by 324 00:17:06,560 --> 00:17:09,080 Speaker 2: First Light. As always, thank you so much for listening 325 00:17:09,080 --> 00:17:11,240 Speaker 2: and for all your support. Means the world to us 326 00:17:11,240 --> 00:17:14,119 Speaker 2: at Mediator here, so thank you for that. If you 327 00:17:14,160 --> 00:17:18,360 Speaker 2: want some more white tail content, articles, videos, episodes, head 328 00:17:18,400 --> 00:17:20,840 Speaker 2: over to the mediat dot com. While you're there, you're 329 00:17:20,880 --> 00:17:23,560 Speaker 2: going to see a bunch of turkey hunting content. You'll 330 00:17:23,600 --> 00:17:27,560 Speaker 2: see all kinds of podcasts, videos, articles, you name it. 331 00:17:27,600 --> 00:17:29,200 Speaker 2: Maybe you just need a new recipe for how to 332 00:17:29,240 --> 00:17:32,200 Speaker 2: cook up that gobbler you just killed. Whatever, The mediator 333 00:17:32,280 --> 00:17:34,320 Speaker 2: dot com is where it's at. Again, thank you so 334 00:17:34,440 --> 00:17:35,359 Speaker 2: much for all your support.