1 00:00:01,000 --> 00:00:05,760 Speaker 1: Welcome to the Wired to Hunt Foundations podcast, your guide 2 00:00:05,760 --> 00:00:10,799 Speaker 1: to the fundamentals of better deer hunting, and now your host, 3 00:00:11,119 --> 00:00:15,080 Speaker 1: Tony Peterson. Hey, everybody, welcome to the Wire to Hunt 4 00:00:15,120 --> 00:00:17,720 Speaker 1: Foundations podcast, which is brought to you by First Light. 5 00:00:18,040 --> 00:00:21,239 Speaker 1: Today's episode is all about the toughest time to arrow 6 00:00:21,239 --> 00:00:23,640 Speaker 1: a deer for most of us, which is, of course, 7 00:00:23,680 --> 00:00:42,320 Speaker 1: the late season. There's a lot of conventional, typical white 8 00:00:42,320 --> 00:00:44,760 Speaker 1: tail hunting advice that makes me throw up in my 9 00:00:44,800 --> 00:00:49,080 Speaker 1: mouth a little bit. Nothing causes that involuntary wretching quite 10 00:00:49,159 --> 00:00:52,720 Speaker 1: like someone who manages a big chunk of primo private 11 00:00:52,760 --> 00:00:55,720 Speaker 1: ground who says something like, we just have to hunt 12 00:00:55,720 --> 00:00:59,040 Speaker 1: the food sources for those rut depleted bucks. For most 13 00:00:59,080 --> 00:01:01,760 Speaker 1: of us, see in the late December buck. That's a 14 00:01:01,880 --> 00:01:05,720 Speaker 1: huge win, let alone seeing a mature buck out in 15 00:01:05,800 --> 00:01:07,720 Speaker 1: daylight with his nose to the ground in search of 16 00:01:07,840 --> 00:01:11,479 Speaker 1: some calories. When you deal with pressure deer that might 17 00:01:11,520 --> 00:01:15,680 Speaker 1: not happen in your entire life. Knowing that it's best 18 00:01:15,720 --> 00:01:21,000 Speaker 1: to develop a realistic plan based on low, low, low standards, 19 00:01:21,600 --> 00:01:23,320 Speaker 1: which is what I'm going to talk about right now. 20 00:01:37,319 --> 00:01:41,240 Speaker 1: It happens almost every time someone at one of my 21 00:01:41,280 --> 00:01:45,200 Speaker 1: deer hunting seminars will ask me how do you hunt 22 00:01:45,280 --> 00:01:49,200 Speaker 1: late season bucks? The question, while not actually that specific, 23 00:01:49,800 --> 00:01:51,760 Speaker 1: is really meant to get me to spill the beans 24 00:01:52,080 --> 00:01:55,480 Speaker 1: on how do I kill big late season bucks? Now, 25 00:01:55,480 --> 00:01:58,240 Speaker 1: I've disappointed a lot of people in my life, as 26 00:01:58,240 --> 00:02:00,480 Speaker 1: your listeners are probably pretty well aware of by now. 27 00:02:01,080 --> 00:02:03,360 Speaker 1: But nothing causes people to lose their faith in me 28 00:02:03,480 --> 00:02:06,440 Speaker 1: quicker than when I answer that question with I don't. 29 00:02:07,560 --> 00:02:10,920 Speaker 1: I don't really hunt late season bucks specifically, at least 30 00:02:10,919 --> 00:02:14,480 Speaker 1: I almost never do, and I never ever ever target 31 00:02:14,560 --> 00:02:17,400 Speaker 1: mature bucks in the late season. In fact, I'm not 32 00:02:17,440 --> 00:02:19,440 Speaker 1: sure that in my twenty eight seasons of bull hunting 33 00:02:19,440 --> 00:02:22,560 Speaker 1: white tails pretty hard, that I've ever seen a December 34 00:02:22,560 --> 00:02:26,040 Speaker 1: buck that would crack one thirty that wasn't eating corn 35 00:02:26,120 --> 00:02:29,320 Speaker 1: under a feeder in Texas. In my home state of Minnesota, 36 00:02:29,639 --> 00:02:32,040 Speaker 1: I can't recall ever seeing a big buck in December 37 00:02:32,040 --> 00:02:35,040 Speaker 1: while I was actually on stand. I've certainly never aarrowed 38 00:02:35,040 --> 00:02:37,760 Speaker 1: one here or across the river in Wisconsin, where I 39 00:02:37,800 --> 00:02:40,919 Speaker 1: spend the bulk of my late season time. In fact, 40 00:02:41,600 --> 00:02:44,200 Speaker 1: I think that for most of us this might represent 41 00:02:44,240 --> 00:02:47,160 Speaker 1: a challenge that is quite a bit harder than killing 42 00:02:47,160 --> 00:02:49,720 Speaker 1: a bull elk in and over the counter unit in Colorado, 43 00:02:50,160 --> 00:02:53,200 Speaker 1: which is saying something I know a lot of Western 44 00:02:53,280 --> 00:02:56,200 Speaker 1: hunters would probably scoff at that, but to be fair, 45 00:02:56,560 --> 00:02:59,520 Speaker 1: they probably don't know what the hell they're talking about either. Now, 46 00:03:00,160 --> 00:03:01,840 Speaker 1: I also know that some of the folks listening to 47 00:03:01,880 --> 00:03:04,200 Speaker 1: this are in the Deep South and really only getting 48 00:03:04,240 --> 00:03:06,960 Speaker 1: into the good part of their season now, so understand 49 00:03:07,000 --> 00:03:09,520 Speaker 1: that a lot of this advice in this podcast just 50 00:03:09,600 --> 00:03:11,880 Speaker 1: needs to be pushed back or maybe move forward a 51 00:03:11,960 --> 00:03:14,200 Speaker 1: little bit to fit into the world you live in. 52 00:03:14,440 --> 00:03:17,880 Speaker 1: But the same general rules kind of apply. I shall 53 00:03:17,919 --> 00:03:20,920 Speaker 1: also say this the late season food thing that every 54 00:03:20,919 --> 00:03:25,160 Speaker 1: TV show host or Instagram influencer is pushing right now, 55 00:03:25,600 --> 00:03:29,079 Speaker 1: that's a real strategy. If you have the spot, low pressure, 56 00:03:29,600 --> 00:03:32,359 Speaker 1: good food, and yep, you can sit out there in 57 00:03:32,400 --> 00:03:34,440 Speaker 1: the afternoon and shoot a deer, even a big buck. 58 00:03:35,000 --> 00:03:37,720 Speaker 1: But as I've said before, if you have that kind 59 00:03:37,720 --> 00:03:39,240 Speaker 1: of spot, you probably don't need to listen to some 60 00:03:39,360 --> 00:03:42,120 Speaker 1: dude like me giving hunting advice. Deer hunting is a 61 00:03:42,240 --> 00:03:45,680 Speaker 1: wildly variable pastime, and some folks have a great option 62 00:03:45,720 --> 00:03:47,840 Speaker 1: to sit on a food plot or a cut cornfield 63 00:03:47,920 --> 00:03:49,880 Speaker 1: and wait out the bucks that are down about twenty 64 00:03:50,360 --> 00:03:52,400 Speaker 1: of their body weight in the last five or six weeks. 65 00:03:53,040 --> 00:03:55,480 Speaker 1: Those hungry deer will come and life will be good 66 00:03:55,480 --> 00:03:58,000 Speaker 1: for them. For the hunters, I mean, not the deer. 67 00:03:58,480 --> 00:04:01,160 Speaker 1: For the rest of us, the first thing is to 68 00:04:01,280 --> 00:04:05,400 Speaker 1: really understand the challenge of arrowing a late season buck 69 00:04:05,680 --> 00:04:09,960 Speaker 1: on pressured ground after the general firearm season has blazed 70 00:04:10,000 --> 00:04:14,880 Speaker 1: on through. For starters, you're probably dealing with about eighty 71 00:04:14,920 --> 00:04:17,080 Speaker 1: percent of the deer you were just a few weeks ago. 72 00:04:17,520 --> 00:04:20,119 Speaker 1: And those deer that are left, they're not much into 73 00:04:20,160 --> 00:04:24,320 Speaker 1: making mistakes. They also understand that if they are going 74 00:04:24,360 --> 00:04:26,960 Speaker 1: to get shot at, it's most likely going to happen 75 00:04:27,040 --> 00:04:29,840 Speaker 1: during the hours when the sun is up. In some places, 76 00:04:29,880 --> 00:04:33,000 Speaker 1: unscrupulous losers don't abide by that, but we can't factor 77 00:04:33,040 --> 00:04:35,600 Speaker 1: them in, even if in some regions the deer probably 78 00:04:35,680 --> 00:04:39,520 Speaker 1: have to. For most of us, we are just hunting 79 00:04:39,600 --> 00:04:43,920 Speaker 1: deer that have been conditioned to be as cautious as possible. That, 80 00:04:44,560 --> 00:04:47,400 Speaker 1: coupled with the northern hemisphere tipping a little farther away 81 00:04:47,400 --> 00:04:49,719 Speaker 1: from the big nuclear generator in the sky every day, 82 00:04:50,240 --> 00:04:52,240 Speaker 1: means that the amount of light in the deer woods 83 00:04:52,400 --> 00:04:55,040 Speaker 1: doesn't leave us much to work with. And doesn't leave 84 00:04:55,080 --> 00:04:58,040 Speaker 1: the deer with a huge sacrifice to stay bedded or 85 00:04:58,080 --> 00:05:00,920 Speaker 1: at least deep in the cover when it's not dark out. 86 00:05:01,920 --> 00:05:05,120 Speaker 1: That sucks, but it's a first world problem, and it's 87 00:05:05,120 --> 00:05:09,600 Speaker 1: something we can sometimes overcome. Infomercial voice here, But wait, 88 00:05:09,800 --> 00:05:14,480 Speaker 1: there's more. It gets worse. You're also dealing with open woods, 89 00:05:15,240 --> 00:05:17,920 Speaker 1: real see through from one end of the other. Open 90 00:05:17,920 --> 00:05:21,279 Speaker 1: woods and real cold snow can be a blessing to 91 00:05:21,320 --> 00:05:24,440 Speaker 1: the late season hunter, but ice rarely is. If you've 92 00:05:24,480 --> 00:05:26,719 Speaker 1: never crunched your way through the woods on icy leaves, 93 00:05:26,800 --> 00:05:29,320 Speaker 1: or post hold your way through the snowpack that was 94 00:05:29,400 --> 00:05:32,000 Speaker 1: topped off with the lid ice, let me tell you 95 00:05:32,120 --> 00:05:34,920 Speaker 1: haven't lived. Those conditions will allow you to spook the 96 00:05:34,960 --> 00:05:38,400 Speaker 1: already spooky deer right out of the county. All right, 97 00:05:38,440 --> 00:05:40,960 Speaker 1: Have you had enough of the downer talk? Because I have. 98 00:05:42,240 --> 00:05:46,240 Speaker 1: There are some positives to late season bow hunting. For starters. 99 00:05:46,680 --> 00:05:48,320 Speaker 1: You might be the only one dumb enough to be 100 00:05:48,360 --> 00:05:51,440 Speaker 1: out there. I've seen this on private land. I've seen 101 00:05:51,480 --> 00:05:54,880 Speaker 1: it on public land, and while it's little consolation, it 102 00:05:55,000 --> 00:05:58,680 Speaker 1: is something. Having an entire property to yourself at least 103 00:05:58,720 --> 00:06:01,920 Speaker 1: gives you some options and another check in the plus 104 00:06:01,920 --> 00:06:04,960 Speaker 1: column is that the conditions often allow you to easily scout. 105 00:06:05,640 --> 00:06:08,599 Speaker 1: Snow is an obvious benefit here, but even if you 106 00:06:08,640 --> 00:06:11,080 Speaker 1: live down farther south, where it's a rarity to wake 107 00:06:11,160 --> 00:06:14,320 Speaker 1: up to a winter wonderland, you probably deal with wet 108 00:06:14,400 --> 00:06:17,279 Speaker 1: lacas and conditions. When I'm looking for a place to 109 00:06:17,440 --> 00:06:20,680 Speaker 1: arrow a last minute dear, as I've mentioned in many 110 00:06:20,680 --> 00:06:24,640 Speaker 1: of these recent episodes, I simply look four tracks. The more, 111 00:06:24,720 --> 00:06:28,839 Speaker 1: the merrier, and often the wintry conditions. Whether you're down 112 00:06:28,880 --> 00:06:32,280 Speaker 1: south or up here up north, we'll quickly reveal where 113 00:06:32,279 --> 00:06:36,640 Speaker 1: those spots probably are. That's a start, and it's not nothing, 114 00:06:36,680 --> 00:06:41,440 Speaker 1: my friends. It's also something that helps you stay positive 115 00:06:41,520 --> 00:06:45,400 Speaker 1: as a deer hunter through just believing you're around some 116 00:06:45,520 --> 00:06:48,479 Speaker 1: deer activity. And while it's easy to glom onto the 117 00:06:48,520 --> 00:06:51,760 Speaker 1: negatives and nearly invite failure with a piss poor attitude, 118 00:06:52,240 --> 00:06:55,200 Speaker 1: this stuff all somewhat balances out, and looking at the 119 00:06:55,279 --> 00:06:59,360 Speaker 1: positives as a gift surely helps. Now, the hunting is 120 00:06:59,400 --> 00:07:01,920 Speaker 1: going to be tough, but the scouting has never been easier. 121 00:07:02,240 --> 00:07:05,840 Speaker 1: That's something. And better than that even is that if 122 00:07:05,839 --> 00:07:07,800 Speaker 1: there was ever a time to lower your standards and 123 00:07:07,960 --> 00:07:11,600 Speaker 1: just hunt deer. It's right now. If anyone gives you 124 00:07:11,600 --> 00:07:14,160 Speaker 1: shit about that, ask them how many late season public 125 00:07:14,240 --> 00:07:16,960 Speaker 1: landb booners they've killed. I promise you the answer will 126 00:07:17,000 --> 00:07:20,240 Speaker 1: be zero. And if you've got a buck tag, lower 127 00:07:20,280 --> 00:07:22,800 Speaker 1: your standards to whatever would make you happy. If that's 128 00:07:22,840 --> 00:07:26,320 Speaker 1: any buck spikes on up, target those deer and apologize 129 00:07:26,360 --> 00:07:28,800 Speaker 1: to no one. If you've got a dough tag left, 130 00:07:29,240 --> 00:07:31,600 Speaker 1: target all the deer that don't have antlers. That's what 131 00:07:31,640 --> 00:07:34,240 Speaker 1: I usually do in the late season, and honestly, it 132 00:07:34,280 --> 00:07:36,640 Speaker 1: makes the whole thing a lot fun, but it doesn't 133 00:07:36,640 --> 00:07:40,320 Speaker 1: make it easy. It can if you're only in it 134 00:07:40,320 --> 00:07:42,920 Speaker 1: for the does make it easier to find a private 135 00:07:42,960 --> 00:07:45,680 Speaker 1: place to hunt. This happened to me last season on 136 00:07:45,720 --> 00:07:48,200 Speaker 1: a farm near my house. Now, while the owner and 137 00:07:48,240 --> 00:07:51,040 Speaker 1: his son are nuts over big bucks, they really couldn't 138 00:07:51,080 --> 00:07:55,400 Speaker 1: care less about does. They're also, I'll put this delicately, 139 00:07:56,000 --> 00:07:58,640 Speaker 1: not the most hardcore hunters I've ever met. If it 140 00:07:58,680 --> 00:08:01,920 Speaker 1: doesn't happen for them during pock on season, it doesn't happen. 141 00:08:02,160 --> 00:08:04,400 Speaker 1: They give up, and that leaves the farm and the 142 00:08:04,440 --> 00:08:08,200 Speaker 1: does on it to anyone willing to ask him. Now, 143 00:08:08,240 --> 00:08:10,080 Speaker 1: last year, that's what I did and while I did 144 00:08:10,240 --> 00:08:12,320 Speaker 1: narrow a deer, I sure did have a lot of 145 00:08:12,320 --> 00:08:15,080 Speaker 1: fun getting busted by several of them. Everywhere I went 146 00:08:15,120 --> 00:08:17,960 Speaker 1: I saw does, and actually quite a few bucks. But 147 00:08:18,080 --> 00:08:20,480 Speaker 1: the does were my only green lit deer, and as 148 00:08:20,520 --> 00:08:23,040 Speaker 1: close as I got on several occasions, and never had 149 00:08:23,040 --> 00:08:25,640 Speaker 1: a single one that didn't bust me drawing or maneuvering 150 00:08:25,640 --> 00:08:28,920 Speaker 1: into shop position. It was a good reminder that the 151 00:08:29,000 --> 00:08:31,840 Speaker 1: dumb deer are dead by December, and if they aren't, 152 00:08:32,080 --> 00:08:35,560 Speaker 1: they're hanging around with deer who are not dumb. Now, 153 00:08:35,600 --> 00:08:39,040 Speaker 1: if you want any deer or any dough, the late 154 00:08:39,040 --> 00:08:41,880 Speaker 1: season might open up some doors for you. That's worth 155 00:08:42,080 --> 00:08:44,880 Speaker 1: asking if you have an inkling that a landowner might 156 00:08:44,920 --> 00:08:47,880 Speaker 1: let you in. This might be someone who manages for 157 00:08:47,920 --> 00:08:50,959 Speaker 1: good bucks, or a farmer who doesn't particularly like white 158 00:08:50,960 --> 00:08:54,360 Speaker 1: tails eating his crop, but who also gets together with 159 00:08:54,400 --> 00:08:57,080 Speaker 1: his friends and relatives to hunt the gun season. But 160 00:08:57,160 --> 00:08:59,200 Speaker 1: by the late season that farmer might not really care 161 00:08:59,240 --> 00:09:01,640 Speaker 1: who makes a pass said his late season dear, why 162 00:09:01,640 --> 00:09:05,200 Speaker 1: not let that be you? This strategy, I might add, 163 00:09:05,760 --> 00:09:07,840 Speaker 1: can also get you into the good graces of a 164 00:09:07,920 --> 00:09:10,720 Speaker 1: landowner who could become a real friend. At some point. 165 00:09:11,320 --> 00:09:14,240 Speaker 1: The person who says it's only doze this year might 166 00:09:14,320 --> 00:09:17,559 Speaker 1: also see you as a conscientious hunter who doesn't block 167 00:09:17,640 --> 00:09:20,160 Speaker 1: his field drives or leave his gates open, and who 168 00:09:20,200 --> 00:09:24,520 Speaker 1: really appreciates the gift that is hunting permission. It might 169 00:09:24,600 --> 00:09:27,960 Speaker 1: lead you to full on hunting privileges, which has happened 170 00:09:27,960 --> 00:09:29,600 Speaker 1: to me a few times in my life. And let 171 00:09:29,640 --> 00:09:32,520 Speaker 1: me tell you something, it's awesome. And if it doesn't, 172 00:09:32,720 --> 00:09:34,720 Speaker 1: the worst you've got is still a chance to hunt 173 00:09:34,960 --> 00:09:37,520 Speaker 1: some deer, and maybe you'll get to hunt some turkeys 174 00:09:37,520 --> 00:09:40,440 Speaker 1: in the spring or something. It's worth the ask. Now 175 00:09:40,640 --> 00:09:42,760 Speaker 1: this time of year, you might also find something else 176 00:09:43,360 --> 00:09:47,800 Speaker 1: that's pretty surprising and very welcome. You might find decent 177 00:09:47,920 --> 00:09:51,959 Speaker 1: hunting on public land. Well ah scratch that you might 178 00:09:52,000 --> 00:09:55,880 Speaker 1: find better than terrible hunting on public land. The secret 179 00:09:55,920 --> 00:09:59,160 Speaker 1: to a lot of land that becomes public is that 180 00:09:59,240 --> 00:10:03,360 Speaker 1: it's not harmable. It's not tillable, which means it's often 181 00:10:03,520 --> 00:10:07,839 Speaker 1: covered in well cover. That's where late season dear will 182 00:10:07,880 --> 00:10:11,240 Speaker 1: often congregate to find geo thermal cover. While it might 183 00:10:11,280 --> 00:10:13,880 Speaker 1: seem like a ghost town the weekend after rifle season 184 00:10:13,960 --> 00:10:16,920 Speaker 1: rages through, by the time a month has passed, you 185 00:10:17,000 --> 00:10:19,800 Speaker 1: might see a different story out there. This happened to 186 00:10:19,800 --> 00:10:22,920 Speaker 1: me a long time ago, and the lessons stuck. I 187 00:10:23,000 --> 00:10:25,920 Speaker 1: was hunting public land in December in Minnesota while I 188 00:10:25,960 --> 00:10:28,800 Speaker 1: was in high school. My goal then was to shoot 189 00:10:28,840 --> 00:10:31,240 Speaker 1: any deer, and it was no small task to make 190 00:10:31,280 --> 00:10:35,360 Speaker 1: that happen. With a fresh snowfall, a free afternoon, and 191 00:10:35,360 --> 00:10:38,199 Speaker 1: no real plan, I set out along a dried up 192 00:10:38,200 --> 00:10:41,280 Speaker 1: creek bed on some state land near the town of Lanesborough. 193 00:10:42,240 --> 00:10:45,160 Speaker 1: After covering a couple hundred yards, I started to see 194 00:10:45,200 --> 00:10:48,080 Speaker 1: deep trails etched in the snow and more tracks than 195 00:10:48,080 --> 00:10:51,760 Speaker 1: I could hardly believe. One spot, kind of a little bowl, 196 00:10:52,360 --> 00:10:55,280 Speaker 1: was covered in fresh deer sign It also featured a 197 00:10:55,320 --> 00:10:58,199 Speaker 1: bunch of green, reedy like plants poking out of the 198 00:10:58,280 --> 00:11:01,880 Speaker 1: snow that I'd later come to learn are scouring rush horsetail. 199 00:11:02,760 --> 00:11:04,880 Speaker 1: This seasonal food source doesn't seem to be all that 200 00:11:04,920 --> 00:11:07,760 Speaker 1: appealing in September to the deer, but it's like the 201 00:11:07,880 --> 00:11:10,880 Speaker 1: only green game in town for some wintering deer, so 202 00:11:10,920 --> 00:11:13,920 Speaker 1: they tend to pound it in the late season. I 203 00:11:14,000 --> 00:11:16,560 Speaker 1: set up behind a tree on a bank overlooking that spot, 204 00:11:16,640 --> 00:11:19,480 Speaker 1: and within a few minutes watched a fuzzy dophon walk 205 00:11:19,559 --> 00:11:23,120 Speaker 1: down the trail. Her hair was all puffed up in 206 00:11:23,160 --> 00:11:25,560 Speaker 1: the cold, and I managed to muster up a clean 207 00:11:25,640 --> 00:11:28,920 Speaker 1: miss at eight yards. Tack that up to fawn fever, 208 00:11:29,040 --> 00:11:32,880 Speaker 1: my friends, which is an embarrassing condition to have. Honestly, 209 00:11:33,200 --> 00:11:35,200 Speaker 1: I won't ship my pants in a grocery store as 210 00:11:35,240 --> 00:11:38,000 Speaker 1: an adult, and that was less humiliating than whipping on 211 00:11:38,080 --> 00:11:39,880 Speaker 1: a fawn at a distance where I could have damn 212 00:11:39,920 --> 00:11:44,080 Speaker 1: near petted her. Anyway. I never got another shot that night, 213 00:11:44,400 --> 00:11:46,480 Speaker 1: but I saw a lot of deer and I realized something. 214 00:11:46,920 --> 00:11:49,280 Speaker 1: I'd expected the hunting to be terrible, and it was 215 00:11:49,320 --> 00:11:53,480 Speaker 1: actually pretty awesome, and it was on public land. Since then, 216 00:11:53,640 --> 00:11:57,600 Speaker 1: I've randomly encountered enough winning cover and enough of the 217 00:11:57,679 --> 00:12:00,640 Speaker 1: right conditions on public land to lead is some really 218 00:12:00,679 --> 00:12:03,080 Speaker 1: fun late season hunting every once in a while. Now, 219 00:12:03,160 --> 00:12:06,439 Speaker 1: mind you, it was never any good for giant bucks, 220 00:12:06,440 --> 00:12:09,560 Speaker 1: but for fun hunting that at least promised and encounter 221 00:12:09,600 --> 00:12:12,880 Speaker 1: with a freezer filler, it was pretty damn good. The 222 00:12:13,000 --> 00:12:17,040 Speaker 1: key here is to go out and look around like 223 00:12:17,080 --> 00:12:19,360 Speaker 1: I've been preaching all fall, Like I kind of preached 224 00:12:19,360 --> 00:12:22,600 Speaker 1: all last summer. You might think that the public land 225 00:12:22,640 --> 00:12:24,800 Speaker 1: down the road is worthless this late in the season. 226 00:12:24,920 --> 00:12:28,520 Speaker 1: But do you really know that? If you don't, you 227 00:12:28,559 --> 00:12:32,320 Speaker 1: can find out with a quick walk through there. Of course, 228 00:12:32,800 --> 00:12:36,080 Speaker 1: if you find Dear, you've got to hunt them. You've 229 00:12:36,080 --> 00:12:38,240 Speaker 1: got to hunt them. Well. Now, I'm going to cover 230 00:12:38,320 --> 00:12:40,480 Speaker 1: this a lot in next week's episode, but i'll say 231 00:12:40,480 --> 00:12:44,760 Speaker 1: a few teaser things now. First off, dead quiet conditions 232 00:12:44,800 --> 00:12:47,680 Speaker 1: are your enemy. Late season. Dear will hear you draw, 233 00:12:48,000 --> 00:12:50,680 Speaker 1: and they'll let you understand just how intolerant of mistakes 234 00:12:50,760 --> 00:12:53,679 Speaker 1: they really are. This is why distance to your likely 235 00:12:53,720 --> 00:12:57,240 Speaker 1: shot matters too close and too calm, and you'll watch 236 00:12:57,280 --> 00:13:00,320 Speaker 1: lots of white tails bound off through the woods too 237 00:13:00,360 --> 00:13:02,360 Speaker 1: far in your ability to make a good shot while 238 00:13:02,400 --> 00:13:05,000 Speaker 1: you're all bundled up and out of practice. You'll be 239 00:13:05,040 --> 00:13:07,960 Speaker 1: in trouble there too. Late season bow hunting is a 240 00:13:08,000 --> 00:13:10,560 Speaker 1: real challenge if you're not sitting in a box, blind 241 00:13:10,600 --> 00:13:13,280 Speaker 1: over a food plot with a heater running, sitting on 242 00:13:13,320 --> 00:13:15,559 Speaker 1: the ground or in a saddle, or stand up in 243 00:13:15,600 --> 00:13:18,760 Speaker 1: a tree. Now it is a really great way to 244 00:13:18,840 --> 00:13:21,520 Speaker 1: find out how good you are at hiding yourself, how 245 00:13:21,559 --> 00:13:24,240 Speaker 1: good you are at moving like a ninja, and how 246 00:13:24,320 --> 00:13:27,160 Speaker 1: much you really operate in the fluid way versus clunky 247 00:13:27,240 --> 00:13:31,040 Speaker 1: and loud and basically in a manner that gets you busted. 248 00:13:31,679 --> 00:13:34,280 Speaker 1: Now you're probably thinking, I know how tough it is, man. 249 00:13:34,400 --> 00:13:36,120 Speaker 1: I want you to tell me how to kill deer, 250 00:13:36,480 --> 00:13:40,120 Speaker 1: not how to not kill deer. Fair enough, This is 251 00:13:40,160 --> 00:13:43,440 Speaker 1: what I do. I look for fresh sign around, real cover. 252 00:13:44,120 --> 00:13:46,760 Speaker 1: The open woods are not your friend right now. So 253 00:13:46,800 --> 00:13:49,800 Speaker 1: anything that offers a little better, a little thicker cover, 254 00:13:50,240 --> 00:13:53,160 Speaker 1: that's your friend. That's where the deer will bed, that's 255 00:13:53,160 --> 00:13:55,520 Speaker 1: where the deer will stage, and that's where the deer 256 00:13:55,559 --> 00:13:59,520 Speaker 1: will travel in the daylight hours. I do factor in 257 00:13:59,600 --> 00:14:02,960 Speaker 1: food because that's where the deer are going eventually, but 258 00:14:03,040 --> 00:14:05,600 Speaker 1: I rarely set up over it unless I find something 259 00:14:05,640 --> 00:14:08,560 Speaker 1: similar to my opening night strategy, which means that once 260 00:14:08,559 --> 00:14:10,520 Speaker 1: in a while you will find a corner of a 261 00:14:10,520 --> 00:14:12,760 Speaker 1: bean field that didn't get picked, or a cut corn 262 00:14:12,760 --> 00:14:15,520 Speaker 1: field that's tucked way back in below a hill and 263 00:14:15,679 --> 00:14:19,200 Speaker 1: totally not visible to the road glasses and the hunters 264 00:14:19,200 --> 00:14:22,560 Speaker 1: who won't get out and work for deer. You do 265 00:14:22,720 --> 00:14:25,440 Speaker 1: find this occasionally, and when you do, it's pretty dangn cool. 266 00:14:26,360 --> 00:14:28,040 Speaker 1: It's fun to sit there knowing the odds are really 267 00:14:28,080 --> 00:14:29,920 Speaker 1: good that some deer going to show up, and if 268 00:14:29,920 --> 00:14:33,160 Speaker 1: they do, you better make good on it because those 269 00:14:33,160 --> 00:14:35,560 Speaker 1: spots are great places to spook deer when you leave. 270 00:14:36,080 --> 00:14:38,200 Speaker 1: So you might only get two chances if you spread 271 00:14:38,200 --> 00:14:40,880 Speaker 1: them out, or if the spot is really hot, hunt 272 00:14:40,880 --> 00:14:43,600 Speaker 1: them back to back, but three or four times you'll 273 00:14:43,600 --> 00:14:46,440 Speaker 1: probably really be pushing it. Now if you don't find this, 274 00:14:46,720 --> 00:14:48,400 Speaker 1: or you do and you burn it to the ground 275 00:14:48,480 --> 00:14:50,840 Speaker 1: right away and you still got a tag, you gotta 276 00:14:50,880 --> 00:14:53,680 Speaker 1: get in that cover. Always get to the best cover. 277 00:14:54,200 --> 00:14:56,920 Speaker 1: You might be thinking that you hunt, I don't know, 278 00:14:57,040 --> 00:15:00,040 Speaker 1: the swamps or whatever, and finding cover really is and 279 00:15:00,120 --> 00:15:02,400 Speaker 1: the problem. You might be a big woods hunter and go, well, 280 00:15:02,480 --> 00:15:06,120 Speaker 1: let's cover everywhere, man, but very few tracks of timber 281 00:15:06,200 --> 00:15:08,480 Speaker 1: or mono to the max. And what I mean by 282 00:15:08,520 --> 00:15:11,560 Speaker 1: that is that there's a soft edge out there with 283 00:15:11,600 --> 00:15:14,320 Speaker 1: better cover, or there's a patch of tamaracks or an 284 00:15:14,320 --> 00:15:17,680 Speaker 1: old homestead, or there's something that offers the deer a 285 00:15:17,720 --> 00:15:22,480 Speaker 1: better survival advantage. Over in the big Northwoods Wisconsin, I 286 00:15:22,520 --> 00:15:24,720 Speaker 1: often find that the places where the grouse live now 287 00:15:25,080 --> 00:15:28,120 Speaker 1: so to do the deer. Both animals are on the 288 00:15:28,120 --> 00:15:30,440 Speaker 1: menu of a lot of the animals over there. So 289 00:15:30,520 --> 00:15:33,560 Speaker 1: creek bottoms, the right age, clear cuts, or just certain 290 00:15:33,640 --> 00:15:36,480 Speaker 1: hillsides that receive a little extra sun and aren't canopied 291 00:15:36,480 --> 00:15:39,640 Speaker 1: out might just do it. All of this is a 292 00:15:39,640 --> 00:15:41,680 Speaker 1: big question mark until you get in there and you 293 00:15:41,720 --> 00:15:45,000 Speaker 1: start to look around. Now. Of course, just like every 294 00:15:45,000 --> 00:15:47,280 Speaker 1: other point of the year, you can spot deer and 295 00:15:47,320 --> 00:15:50,160 Speaker 1: food sources, or see obvious tracks and do some sleuthing. 296 00:15:50,560 --> 00:15:53,360 Speaker 1: You can also make use of observation sits, which is 297 00:15:53,400 --> 00:15:56,000 Speaker 1: a real option right now with a visibility as high 298 00:15:56,000 --> 00:15:58,600 Speaker 1: as it will be all year. I'm always surprised how 299 00:15:58,640 --> 00:16:01,120 Speaker 1: often I sit in December and I see deer filtering 300 00:16:01,200 --> 00:16:04,840 Speaker 1: through woods that look pretty open, but absolutely swallows them 301 00:16:04,920 --> 00:16:08,600 Speaker 1: up the moment they stopped. In fact, I probably eight 302 00:16:08,680 --> 00:16:11,280 Speaker 1: years ago I shot a little buck in December after 303 00:16:11,320 --> 00:16:14,400 Speaker 1: stumbling onto this fact. I had burned a small food 304 00:16:14,440 --> 00:16:16,760 Speaker 1: plot right out and just went looking on the twenty 305 00:16:16,840 --> 00:16:19,760 Speaker 1: nine acre property I was hunting. One dough on the 306 00:16:19,840 --> 00:16:22,440 Speaker 1: edge of the wet land led me to a closer look, 307 00:16:22,560 --> 00:16:25,080 Speaker 1: and I realized they were about four acres of swampy 308 00:16:25,120 --> 00:16:28,600 Speaker 1: brushy willows and dogwood that looked to be a good 309 00:16:28,640 --> 00:16:32,440 Speaker 1: spot for betting and browsing and staging. The first night 310 00:16:32,480 --> 00:16:35,560 Speaker 1: that the wind was right, I came in along a 311 00:16:35,680 --> 00:16:38,400 Speaker 1: busy highway and then hung a stand while the din 312 00:16:38,440 --> 00:16:40,920 Speaker 1: of rush hour ramped up four hundred yards from me. 313 00:16:41,600 --> 00:16:45,440 Speaker 1: Soon after the dark, figures of deer browsing caught my attention, 314 00:16:45,480 --> 00:16:47,080 Speaker 1: and the first year to show up was a little 315 00:16:47,120 --> 00:16:50,520 Speaker 1: buck that made a big mistake of getting about three 316 00:16:50,600 --> 00:16:53,680 Speaker 1: yards from my stand a week earlier. And I'd have 317 00:16:53,760 --> 00:16:56,160 Speaker 1: bet you money that there weren't more than a few 318 00:16:56,200 --> 00:16:59,160 Speaker 1: deer on any given day they get within two yards 319 00:16:59,160 --> 00:17:03,320 Speaker 1: of that property, let alone actually set hoof on it. 320 00:17:03,360 --> 00:17:07,080 Speaker 1: But they were there, like they almost always are. I 321 00:17:07,160 --> 00:17:10,199 Speaker 1: just wasn't looking in the right spots now that night, 322 00:17:10,240 --> 00:17:12,400 Speaker 1: I had a strong north wind to cover my movement, 323 00:17:12,640 --> 00:17:14,720 Speaker 1: and in every case where I've ever arrowed a late 324 00:17:14,720 --> 00:17:18,320 Speaker 1: season white tail, I've had something conditionwise that gave me 325 00:17:18,359 --> 00:17:22,040 Speaker 1: an advantage. I also had a little luck, some fresh intel, 326 00:17:22,240 --> 00:17:25,600 Speaker 1: and a willingness to just hunt deer, which is the 327 00:17:25,640 --> 00:17:28,720 Speaker 1: real crux of this episode. If you're in the true 328 00:17:28,800 --> 00:17:30,760 Speaker 1: late part of your bow season and you're not sitting 329 00:17:30,760 --> 00:17:33,880 Speaker 1: on primo ground, ask yourself what you really want to do, 330 00:17:34,520 --> 00:17:36,920 Speaker 1: answer it honestly, and if you want to keep hunting 331 00:17:36,920 --> 00:17:39,840 Speaker 1: and enjoying it, that might involve lowering your standards and 332 00:17:39,880 --> 00:17:42,760 Speaker 1: accepting what little advantages this part of the season gives you, 333 00:17:43,160 --> 00:17:46,760 Speaker 1: like concentrated deer, fewer hunters in the woods, and really 334 00:17:47,240 --> 00:17:50,080 Speaker 1: the chance to keep hunting when everyone else has moved on. 335 00:17:50,600 --> 00:17:53,040 Speaker 1: That's enough to keep going, but not enough to actually 336 00:17:53,080 --> 00:17:55,680 Speaker 1: get it done, which is what next week is really 337 00:17:55,720 --> 00:17:58,959 Speaker 1: all about. The fine details of a good set up 338 00:17:59,160 --> 00:18:01,879 Speaker 1: and how to work through a shot opportunity so that 339 00:18:02,000 --> 00:18:05,520 Speaker 1: it breaks your way and not the deers, which is 340 00:18:05,560 --> 00:18:10,359 Speaker 1: easier said than done. That's it for this week, my friends. 341 00:18:10,400 --> 00:18:14,199 Speaker 1: I'm Tony Peterson and this is the Wired Hunt Foundations podcast. 342 00:18:14,480 --> 00:18:17,320 Speaker 1: If you're interested in more white tailed wisdom, please check 343 00:18:17,320 --> 00:18:20,520 Speaker 1: out our Wired Hunt YouTube channel and visit the meat 344 00:18:20,560 --> 00:18:24,680 Speaker 1: Eator dot com slash wired. As always, thank you so 345 00:18:24,760 --> 00:18:25,680 Speaker 1: much for the support.