1 00:00:01,000 --> 00:00:05,720 Speaker 1: Welcome to the wired to hunt foundations podcast, your guide 2 00:00:05,760 --> 00:00:10,760 Speaker 1: to the fundamentals of better deer hunting, and now your host, 3 00:00:11,119 --> 00:00:14,760 Speaker 1: Tony Peterson. Hey everyone, welcome to the wire to hunt 4 00:00:14,800 --> 00:00:17,080 Speaker 1: foundations podcast, which has brought to you by first light. 5 00:00:17,239 --> 00:00:19,360 Speaker 1: I'm your host, Tony Peterson, and today I'm going to 6 00:00:19,440 --> 00:00:22,400 Speaker 1: talk about kicking off the bow season and what you 7 00:00:22,440 --> 00:00:26,200 Speaker 1: should do if your early season hunting doesn't go as planned. 8 00:00:36,280 --> 00:00:39,680 Speaker 1: The thing about white tails, hunting white tails anyway, is 9 00:00:39,720 --> 00:00:42,200 Speaker 1: that it rarely goes as plan. That's why the best 10 00:00:42,240 --> 00:00:44,879 Speaker 1: of the best scout so much. They know it's a 11 00:00:44,920 --> 00:00:48,519 Speaker 1: necessity and if they do, they might find one of 12 00:00:48,560 --> 00:00:51,840 Speaker 1: those magical in the moment spots where they can point 13 00:00:51,840 --> 00:00:54,680 Speaker 1: to the stands, Babe Ruth Style, and call their shots. 14 00:00:55,200 --> 00:00:57,040 Speaker 1: Most of the time, when you do that, White Tail 15 00:00:57,120 --> 00:00:59,800 Speaker 1: wise you don't end up taking a slow jog around 16 00:00:59,800 --> 00:01:03,200 Speaker 1: the aces while the crowd showers you in adoration. Instead, 17 00:01:03,360 --> 00:01:05,760 Speaker 1: you do that kind of sad Charlie Brown walked back 18 00:01:05,800 --> 00:01:08,360 Speaker 1: to the dugout after a strikeout, and I used that 19 00:01:08,440 --> 00:01:11,240 Speaker 1: example specifically because I saw a guy named Aaron Foreman 20 00:01:11,319 --> 00:01:13,480 Speaker 1: do that in Little League one time, and that sucks, 21 00:01:14,040 --> 00:01:17,160 Speaker 1: but it happens what you do when it does happen. 22 00:01:17,680 --> 00:01:21,840 Speaker 1: That's what matters, though, and usually pretty common during the 23 00:01:21,840 --> 00:01:24,080 Speaker 1: first week of the season. So that's what this episode 24 00:01:24,120 --> 00:01:38,360 Speaker 1: is really all about. One of the things I enjoy 25 00:01:38,480 --> 00:01:41,400 Speaker 1: most in life is something that I just didn't see coming. 26 00:01:42,160 --> 00:01:44,720 Speaker 1: I mean, if you went back in time and asked me, 27 00:01:44,760 --> 00:01:48,000 Speaker 1: I don't know ten years ago, if I'd ever coach 28 00:01:48,200 --> 00:01:51,760 Speaker 1: any sport for any reason, I would have said you're 29 00:01:51,800 --> 00:01:55,040 Speaker 1: off your rocker there, Betty Crocker. But now, with my 30 00:01:55,080 --> 00:01:59,760 Speaker 1: little girls in basketball and softball, I love coaching. Maybe 31 00:01:59,760 --> 00:02:02,520 Speaker 1: it's is my competitive nature, something else, I don't know, 32 00:02:03,080 --> 00:02:06,960 Speaker 1: but I just enjoy it so much. Well, most of 33 00:02:07,000 --> 00:02:11,280 Speaker 1: the time. Last year, after a regular Basketball House League 34 00:02:11,280 --> 00:02:13,880 Speaker 1: where we did pretty well, my wife mentioned that she 35 00:02:13,919 --> 00:02:17,400 Speaker 1: wanted the girls to do a taste of travel league. Now, 36 00:02:17,440 --> 00:02:19,160 Speaker 1: I'm sure this is the case in an awful lot 37 00:02:19,200 --> 00:02:21,800 Speaker 1: of places, but if you're a suburb dweller in the 38 00:02:21,840 --> 00:02:26,880 Speaker 1: twin cities like I am, people take traveling basketball very, 39 00:02:27,600 --> 00:02:32,200 Speaker 1: very serious, even with third and fourth graders. I didn't 40 00:02:32,240 --> 00:02:35,240 Speaker 1: know this until we went to our first tournament, and 41 00:02:35,320 --> 00:02:37,960 Speaker 1: there we actually managed to get third place out of 42 00:02:37,960 --> 00:02:41,040 Speaker 1: six teams. But we played some teams that were pretty bad, 43 00:02:41,400 --> 00:02:44,679 Speaker 1: which helps a lot. We also played one team that 44 00:02:44,800 --> 00:02:46,920 Speaker 1: was so much more advanced than us it was a 45 00:02:46,960 --> 00:02:49,320 Speaker 1: freaking miracle that we scored it all, and I mean 46 00:02:49,360 --> 00:02:52,760 Speaker 1: we barely did score. And then we went to another 47 00:02:52,800 --> 00:02:57,280 Speaker 1: tournament and like every team there was that good. Then 48 00:02:57,320 --> 00:03:01,760 Speaker 1: we went to another and again we got stomped. We 49 00:03:02,040 --> 00:03:07,480 Speaker 1: got smote. We didn't stand a chance. Now I don't 50 00:03:07,520 --> 00:03:10,400 Speaker 1: mind playing up to see some real competition and to 51 00:03:10,520 --> 00:03:13,400 Speaker 1: learn a thing or two, but I'm also forty two 52 00:03:13,520 --> 00:03:15,160 Speaker 1: and I've dealt with a fair amount of loss and 53 00:03:15,280 --> 00:03:17,080 Speaker 1: failure and a hell of a lot of different forms 54 00:03:17,080 --> 00:03:20,440 Speaker 1: in my life. For Nine and ten year olds staring 55 00:03:20,440 --> 00:03:23,560 Speaker 1: down the barrel of an absolute ass whooping, it was 56 00:03:23,600 --> 00:03:26,680 Speaker 1: a lot to handle. You could see during warmups the 57 00:03:26,680 --> 00:03:29,200 Speaker 1: look on the girls faces as they watched the opposing 58 00:03:29,240 --> 00:03:32,440 Speaker 1: teams exhibit a level of basketball skills that would just 59 00:03:32,560 --> 00:03:37,440 Speaker 1: beyond our crew. Our girls were defeated between their ears 60 00:03:37,480 --> 00:03:39,680 Speaker 1: before the ref ever blew the whistle and lined up 61 00:03:39,720 --> 00:03:42,720 Speaker 1: the teams to kick off the game with a jump ball. And, 62 00:03:42,720 --> 00:03:45,640 Speaker 1: to be fair, the girls really weren't wrong. We were 63 00:03:45,720 --> 00:03:49,600 Speaker 1: outclassed mostly, but not all the time. We had a 64 00:03:49,640 --> 00:03:54,200 Speaker 1: few games where we could have stayed in there and maybe, maybe, 65 00:03:54,320 --> 00:03:57,800 Speaker 1: squeaked out a win, but we didn't and we didn't 66 00:03:57,800 --> 00:04:01,960 Speaker 1: even get close because they expected failure and they leaned 67 00:04:02,240 --> 00:04:04,680 Speaker 1: right into it. I bet you might be able to 68 00:04:04,680 --> 00:04:08,080 Speaker 1: guess where I'm going with this. White Tail hunting is 69 00:04:08,080 --> 00:04:13,120 Speaker 1: a game of failure. Hell, all hunting usually is, and 70 00:04:13,160 --> 00:04:16,719 Speaker 1: if it isn't, it's actually not that fun. I know 71 00:04:16,800 --> 00:04:20,080 Speaker 1: a sure thing sounds amazing. Put an awful lot of 72 00:04:20,120 --> 00:04:22,920 Speaker 1: folks who have a sure thing, or as close as 73 00:04:22,920 --> 00:04:25,360 Speaker 1: you can get to a sure thing hunting. Wise they 74 00:04:25,400 --> 00:04:28,640 Speaker 1: tend to give up hunting after a while. We need 75 00:04:28,680 --> 00:04:32,800 Speaker 1: a challenge, we need hard but achievable goals, but we 76 00:04:32,920 --> 00:04:36,080 Speaker 1: also need to recognize how we deal with the inevitable 77 00:04:36,120 --> 00:04:40,800 Speaker 1: failure that comes along with white tail hunting. It's everywhere 78 00:04:40,800 --> 00:04:45,080 Speaker 1: in the woods, just waiting for you. Failure gets carried 79 00:04:45,120 --> 00:04:47,800 Speaker 1: in on the breeze right into a deer's waiting nose. 80 00:04:48,440 --> 00:04:51,040 Speaker 1: It's in the slight squeak and your stand, that squeak 81 00:04:51,080 --> 00:04:52,680 Speaker 1: that you should have taken care of before the season, 82 00:04:52,720 --> 00:04:53,920 Speaker 1: but you didn't because you didn't think it'd be a 83 00:04:53,960 --> 00:04:57,800 Speaker 1: big deal. It's in the panic of the moment when 84 00:04:57,880 --> 00:05:00,400 Speaker 1: you just are compelled to draw your oh at the 85 00:05:00,440 --> 00:05:03,159 Speaker 1: wrong time, when he's looking up at you, facing your way. 86 00:05:04,200 --> 00:05:06,839 Speaker 1: Failure is the devil on your shoulder that convinces you 87 00:05:06,880 --> 00:05:10,400 Speaker 1: to hit the snooze button or, worse, just roll over 88 00:05:10,440 --> 00:05:12,719 Speaker 1: and go back to sleep, because you talk yourself into 89 00:05:12,720 --> 00:05:15,200 Speaker 1: believing that, since it's, I don't know, a full moon, 90 00:05:15,520 --> 00:05:18,280 Speaker 1: or since it's pretty windy or whatever, that there are 91 00:05:18,320 --> 00:05:20,839 Speaker 1: better uses of your time than hikings through the woods 92 00:05:20,839 --> 00:05:23,440 Speaker 1: in the dark to sit in a stand and probably 93 00:05:23,560 --> 00:05:26,880 Speaker 1: not kill a deer. Failure is the best friend of 94 00:05:26,880 --> 00:05:29,599 Speaker 1: that little deer hunting devil perched on your shoulder holding 95 00:05:29,640 --> 00:05:33,159 Speaker 1: a mini pitchfork, who says that maybe tonight the good 96 00:05:33,160 --> 00:05:35,680 Speaker 1: one you had on camera in August will just magically 97 00:05:35,680 --> 00:05:38,120 Speaker 1: show up in front of the field edge stand that 98 00:05:38,160 --> 00:05:40,839 Speaker 1: you've already sat seven times and you've burned right to 99 00:05:40,880 --> 00:05:44,839 Speaker 1: the ground. If you think I'm being facetious, I'm gonna 100 00:05:44,880 --> 00:05:47,279 Speaker 1: let you in on a little secret. The whole reason 101 00:05:47,320 --> 00:05:49,920 Speaker 1: I'm any good at white tail hunting, which really seems 102 00:05:49,960 --> 00:05:52,000 Speaker 1: to vary by the day, in the sit in the season, 103 00:05:52,839 --> 00:05:56,920 Speaker 1: is that I've failed so much. When I turned fifteen, 104 00:05:57,320 --> 00:05:59,480 Speaker 1: I got permission to hunt a farm in Minnesota that 105 00:05:59,560 --> 00:06:02,680 Speaker 1: was a hung buck factory. Now I can't remember the 106 00:06:02,680 --> 00:06:05,359 Speaker 1: exact number of four keys and basket rack sixes and 107 00:06:05,400 --> 00:06:08,600 Speaker 1: eights that I missed that season, but I'm confident it 108 00:06:08,640 --> 00:06:11,680 Speaker 1: was in double digits. That was a lot of failure 109 00:06:11,760 --> 00:06:15,960 Speaker 1: crammed into a small season. Or, more recently, I spent 110 00:06:16,000 --> 00:06:19,440 Speaker 1: some time hunting in northern Wisconsin for a deer, just 111 00:06:19,720 --> 00:06:23,520 Speaker 1: a deer, dough buck whatever. I had tags for both 112 00:06:23,560 --> 00:06:25,719 Speaker 1: and I had some space in my freezer and over 113 00:06:25,720 --> 00:06:28,480 Speaker 1: the course of three weeks I sat probably, I don't know, 114 00:06:28,600 --> 00:06:31,040 Speaker 1: nine or ten times, or at least part of nine 115 00:06:31,120 --> 00:06:34,480 Speaker 1: or ten days over there, mostly on public land but 116 00:06:34,640 --> 00:06:37,480 Speaker 1: some on private, and I never saw a deer during 117 00:06:37,480 --> 00:06:40,839 Speaker 1: that whole span. And when I say I never saw one, 118 00:06:41,320 --> 00:06:45,160 Speaker 1: that's what I mean. I wasn't passing on dear, I 119 00:06:45,200 --> 00:06:47,279 Speaker 1: wasn't watching them browsed to the far side of a 120 00:06:47,320 --> 00:06:50,200 Speaker 1: clear cut, I mean I never saw a single freaking deer. 121 00:06:50,800 --> 00:06:53,560 Speaker 1: That's a shot to the old deer hunting ego, my friends. 122 00:06:54,040 --> 00:06:57,440 Speaker 1: When that bad spell finally broke, I managed to Arrow 123 00:06:57,440 --> 00:07:00,000 Speaker 1: an old long nose dough on a track of public land. 124 00:07:00,080 --> 00:07:02,039 Speaker 1: End that has mostly kicked my ass, and I'll tell 125 00:07:02,080 --> 00:07:07,479 Speaker 1: you what it was so wheat another time. If you 126 00:07:07,480 --> 00:07:10,280 Speaker 1: want another example how bad I can be. Happened in 127 00:07:10,320 --> 00:07:12,160 Speaker 1: South Dakota while trying to kill a dough in a 128 00:07:12,160 --> 00:07:16,440 Speaker 1: buck on public land. I sat six times in spots 129 00:07:16,480 --> 00:07:19,920 Speaker 1: that I fully believed in, fully believed in. You know 130 00:07:19,960 --> 00:07:23,280 Speaker 1: what I saw? I saw mostly cows and one day 131 00:07:23,320 --> 00:07:26,200 Speaker 1: I had five coyotes coming through together. I don't know, 132 00:07:26,200 --> 00:07:28,160 Speaker 1: maybe I saw crow or a blue jay or something too, 133 00:07:28,160 --> 00:07:31,440 Speaker 1: but I didn't see any deer. I couldn't lay eyes 134 00:07:31,480 --> 00:07:32,840 Speaker 1: on a deer, and that was in a place with 135 00:07:33,080 --> 00:07:38,080 Speaker 1: good visibility and a great dear population. But on the 136 00:07:38,120 --> 00:07:41,840 Speaker 1: fourth day I did see a deer. In fact I 137 00:07:41,880 --> 00:07:43,480 Speaker 1: saw a dough in a buck and I killed both 138 00:07:43,480 --> 00:07:46,840 Speaker 1: of them within ten minutes one another. It happens like that. 139 00:07:47,560 --> 00:07:52,160 Speaker 1: This is mostly failure, with these random little bouts of success. 140 00:07:52,200 --> 00:07:55,200 Speaker 1: That's what makes deer hunting deer hunting, and you might 141 00:07:55,240 --> 00:07:57,760 Speaker 1: be experiencing that right now with many of the White 142 00:07:57,760 --> 00:08:01,440 Speaker 1: Tail seasons open up across the country, and I think 143 00:08:01,480 --> 00:08:03,480 Speaker 1: the first week or two of this season is really 144 00:08:03,480 --> 00:08:05,840 Speaker 1: the best time to address failure for what it is 145 00:08:06,120 --> 00:08:10,800 Speaker 1: and just move on. You want to know why? Because 146 00:08:10,800 --> 00:08:14,800 Speaker 1: all summer long, you know, we run cameras, we scroll 147 00:08:14,920 --> 00:08:18,480 Speaker 1: through photos of velvet racked bucks. We build a plan 148 00:08:18,560 --> 00:08:22,240 Speaker 1: around those images. We Scout. We scout more than any 149 00:08:22,240 --> 00:08:25,880 Speaker 1: other time of the season. We eat, Scout, we walk 150 00:08:25,920 --> 00:08:29,480 Speaker 1: our dear spots, we get into the freaking preseason groove 151 00:08:30,000 --> 00:08:32,559 Speaker 1: and we shoot a lot more than any other time 152 00:08:32,559 --> 00:08:36,000 Speaker 1: of the season. We organize our gear, we pack our packs, 153 00:08:36,080 --> 00:08:38,240 Speaker 1: we wash our clothes, we prep and we prep and 154 00:08:38,280 --> 00:08:42,960 Speaker 1: we prep. We hang stands, we brush in blinds. We 155 00:08:43,040 --> 00:08:45,640 Speaker 1: do all of this work so that we can hit 156 00:08:45,679 --> 00:08:49,800 Speaker 1: the ground running. But you know what mostly happens? We 157 00:08:49,840 --> 00:08:53,960 Speaker 1: don't kill deer. Oftentimes we don't see dear or we 158 00:08:54,000 --> 00:08:56,600 Speaker 1: don't see the dear we are really hoping to see. 159 00:08:56,960 --> 00:08:59,280 Speaker 1: So in that way we fail, and you know what 160 00:08:59,320 --> 00:09:03,000 Speaker 1: that failure in finds us off all the past seasons 161 00:09:03,040 --> 00:09:08,760 Speaker 1: where we've had similar results, the anticipation is so high 162 00:09:09,080 --> 00:09:12,880 Speaker 1: that the letdown, if it comes, it's pretty bad. The 163 00:09:12,920 --> 00:09:15,360 Speaker 1: best laid plans turn out to be turd sandwiches and 164 00:09:15,400 --> 00:09:19,760 Speaker 1: that old familiar feeling comes creeping right back in. Do 165 00:09:19,800 --> 00:09:22,199 Speaker 1: you know what's almost worse than not seeing dear or 166 00:09:22,280 --> 00:09:24,520 Speaker 1: killing a buck when you have put in so much work, 167 00:09:25,800 --> 00:09:28,680 Speaker 1: actually having him come in and then either spooking him 168 00:09:28,800 --> 00:09:32,000 Speaker 1: or missing him. That's a big time failure in a 169 00:09:32,040 --> 00:09:34,400 Speaker 1: lot of ways. Now, when you're in the I don't know, 170 00:09:34,440 --> 00:09:38,240 Speaker 1: shoot a scrapper stage, yeah, a mishurts, but at least 171 00:09:38,280 --> 00:09:40,760 Speaker 1: you know that another dink six pointer might walk down 172 00:09:40,800 --> 00:09:44,080 Speaker 1: the trails through this season. Probably will. When you have 173 00:09:44,120 --> 00:09:45,880 Speaker 1: your heart set on a I don't know, a hundred 174 00:09:45,920 --> 00:09:48,360 Speaker 1: forty inch or and he shows up and then he 175 00:09:48,520 --> 00:09:51,959 Speaker 1: buss you or you shoot over him, it's not so 176 00:09:52,080 --> 00:09:55,360 Speaker 1: likely that he or another bucket his caliber is going 177 00:09:55,360 --> 00:09:58,360 Speaker 1: to show up for the rest of the season. In 178 00:09:58,480 --> 00:10:01,000 Speaker 1: my experience it's not so were likely, even if you 179 00:10:01,040 --> 00:10:04,320 Speaker 1: have tons of time to put in one or two 180 00:10:04,320 --> 00:10:07,480 Speaker 1: good encounters throughout the season is often all we can 181 00:10:07,559 --> 00:10:10,480 Speaker 1: ask for. And boy does it staying when you piss 182 00:10:10,559 --> 00:10:13,760 Speaker 1: that right down your leg. But you know what's crazy 183 00:10:13,760 --> 00:10:19,680 Speaker 1: about that? It happens. It happens all the time. It 184 00:10:19,800 --> 00:10:22,679 Speaker 1: happens to weekend warriors with one bow season under their 185 00:10:22,679 --> 00:10:25,959 Speaker 1: belt and it happens to seasoned veterans with a whole 186 00:10:25,960 --> 00:10:29,800 Speaker 1: trophy room full of mature public land buck mounts. It 187 00:10:29,880 --> 00:10:32,080 Speaker 1: might happen to the last category of hunters a little 188 00:10:32,120 --> 00:10:34,760 Speaker 1: less than the former, but that doesn't mean it doesn't 189 00:10:34,800 --> 00:10:38,680 Speaker 1: still happen, because it does. But you know what's different 190 00:10:38,720 --> 00:10:42,880 Speaker 1: about those hunters, though? They understand that it's a part 191 00:10:42,880 --> 00:10:46,000 Speaker 1: of the deer hunting game. They understand that their job 192 00:10:46,080 --> 00:10:48,080 Speaker 1: is to mitigate the ways in which they cause their 193 00:10:48,120 --> 00:10:51,640 Speaker 1: own failures, because there are enough variables out there that 194 00:10:51,800 --> 00:10:54,560 Speaker 1: aren't in their control that will tank the best of 195 00:10:54,600 --> 00:10:59,040 Speaker 1: deer hunting plans. They understand that cliched statement that goes 196 00:10:59,120 --> 00:11:03,800 Speaker 1: something like failing to plan is planning to fail. Except 197 00:11:03,840 --> 00:11:05,679 Speaker 1: in a way, they do plan to fail in the 198 00:11:05,760 --> 00:11:08,560 Speaker 1: big picture sense, but they also plan to win on 199 00:11:08,600 --> 00:11:12,360 Speaker 1: a smaller scale. With every sit with every scouting trip 200 00:11:12,400 --> 00:11:16,280 Speaker 1: and every hunt, they're hoping to learn something, something that 201 00:11:16,320 --> 00:11:19,200 Speaker 1: can be put to good use now or in the future. 202 00:11:20,240 --> 00:11:23,560 Speaker 1: Enough of those some things and you guess what, you 203 00:11:23,640 --> 00:11:25,360 Speaker 1: have a hunt that is not a failure on the 204 00:11:25,400 --> 00:11:28,760 Speaker 1: big picture scale. Let me frame this up a different 205 00:11:28,800 --> 00:11:31,960 Speaker 1: way to drive this point home. Let's say it's time 206 00:11:31,960 --> 00:11:34,840 Speaker 1: for you to pick up a new Labrador retriever puppy. 207 00:11:34,880 --> 00:11:37,920 Speaker 1: So your research and pedigrees, you do your due diligence 208 00:11:38,240 --> 00:11:40,319 Speaker 1: and you settle on a litter that should have the 209 00:11:40,400 --> 00:11:43,480 Speaker 1: kind of blood you're really looking for. At eight weeks 210 00:11:43,520 --> 00:11:46,680 Speaker 1: you pick up an adorable little sausage legged pupster. You 211 00:11:46,760 --> 00:11:49,360 Speaker 1: take it home and you think about all the birds 212 00:11:49,360 --> 00:11:52,200 Speaker 1: will shoot over him, all the ducks and the roosters, 213 00:11:52,280 --> 00:11:55,520 Speaker 1: the GROUSE, woodcock whatever. You think about all the shed 214 00:11:55,559 --> 00:11:57,800 Speaker 1: antlers you'll train him to vacuum up during those winter 215 00:11:57,880 --> 00:12:02,680 Speaker 1: scouting trips. But that a puppy doesn't know anything other 216 00:12:02,720 --> 00:12:05,520 Speaker 1: than what his instincts tell him. He knows he likes 217 00:12:05,520 --> 00:12:07,240 Speaker 1: to pick up stuff in his mouth, he likes to 218 00:12:07,320 --> 00:12:09,960 Speaker 1: run around a little chew on stuff, he likes the 219 00:12:10,040 --> 00:12:13,480 Speaker 1: smell of a rooster or grouse feather, but he doesn't 220 00:12:13,520 --> 00:12:16,040 Speaker 1: know what you want out of him yet. In fact, 221 00:12:16,480 --> 00:12:20,280 Speaker 1: he's mostly just an adorable idiot. My Wife's uncle likes 222 00:12:20,280 --> 00:12:22,040 Speaker 1: to say that you can look right into a puppy's 223 00:12:22,080 --> 00:12:24,200 Speaker 1: eyes and see all the way to its asshole, because 224 00:12:24,240 --> 00:12:28,240 Speaker 1: there's nothing in between. But there is, and there is 225 00:12:28,280 --> 00:12:31,040 Speaker 1: the chance to help him learn simple behaviors that can 226 00:12:31,080 --> 00:12:35,920 Speaker 1: be daisy chain to bigger, more desirable, more complex behaviors. 227 00:12:36,240 --> 00:12:40,840 Speaker 1: Take a simple retrieve, for example. A good dog is 228 00:12:40,840 --> 00:12:43,959 Speaker 1: a steady dog with rock solid recall and the understanding 229 00:12:43,960 --> 00:12:46,320 Speaker 1: that if he is to hold an object, he is 230 00:12:46,360 --> 00:12:49,040 Speaker 1: to hold an object. There's no spitting it out to 231 00:12:49,120 --> 00:12:52,160 Speaker 1: sniff where other dogs Pete. There's no dropping at three 232 00:12:52,240 --> 00:12:54,600 Speaker 1: yards from your feet. It's delivered a hand or nothing. 233 00:12:55,320 --> 00:12:59,080 Speaker 1: So you start with some steadiness with that puppy, maybe 234 00:12:59,080 --> 00:13:01,959 Speaker 1: some healing work. You make the pup wait a few 235 00:13:02,000 --> 00:13:06,160 Speaker 1: seconds to eat so he learns a little patience. You 236 00:13:06,240 --> 00:13:09,680 Speaker 1: encourage retrieving desire, but really only to stoke the flames 237 00:13:09,720 --> 00:13:11,840 Speaker 1: and keep him wanting more. You don't want to Overdo 238 00:13:11,880 --> 00:13:14,760 Speaker 1: it and you work on recall with a check cord 239 00:13:14,760 --> 00:13:18,120 Speaker 1: and a handful of Kibbl in a way, you're working 240 00:13:18,120 --> 00:13:23,079 Speaker 1: on several different behaviors that eventually will all coalesce into 241 00:13:23,080 --> 00:13:28,000 Speaker 1: the kind of retrieve you want. Eventually that PUP will 242 00:13:28,040 --> 00:13:30,720 Speaker 1: be a dog that heals at your side and marks 243 00:13:30,760 --> 00:13:34,000 Speaker 1: the bumper, waits for the release, takes a straight line 244 00:13:34,040 --> 00:13:37,440 Speaker 1: to it, comes back to heal and waits until you 245 00:13:37,480 --> 00:13:40,840 Speaker 1: say drop or give before he gently places the bumper 246 00:13:41,000 --> 00:13:45,320 Speaker 1: in your hand. Deer hunting is like that in a 247 00:13:45,360 --> 00:13:49,680 Speaker 1: weird way. You have to fail at setting stands to 248 00:13:49,800 --> 00:13:52,640 Speaker 1: learn how to set them better. You have to fail 249 00:13:52,720 --> 00:13:54,800 Speaker 1: at timing your draw when a deer is closed to 250 00:13:54,880 --> 00:13:57,600 Speaker 1: learn how to read when exactly you need to get 251 00:13:57,600 --> 00:14:01,080 Speaker 1: that bow back to your face. You have to rattle 252 00:14:01,120 --> 00:14:03,520 Speaker 1: at the wrong bucks to know what might make the 253 00:14:03,600 --> 00:14:06,720 Speaker 1: right bucks come in. You have to cheat the wind 254 00:14:06,760 --> 00:14:10,120 Speaker 1: a little, a little too much, to listen to a 255 00:14:10,120 --> 00:14:12,920 Speaker 1: bunch of snorts from some Mama does to learn what 256 00:14:12,960 --> 00:14:15,959 Speaker 1: you can get away with and what you can't. You 257 00:14:16,040 --> 00:14:18,319 Speaker 1: got to shoot under a few and over a few 258 00:14:18,360 --> 00:14:20,400 Speaker 1: more to learn where to aim and how to aim 259 00:14:20,480 --> 00:14:21,960 Speaker 1: during the moment of truth and how to read a 260 00:14:22,000 --> 00:14:25,800 Speaker 1: buck that might jump the string. You have to develop 261 00:14:25,880 --> 00:14:30,040 Speaker 1: a Badass no way can this fail, opening week plan 262 00:14:30,720 --> 00:14:33,480 Speaker 1: only to have it fizzle and sputter out right before 263 00:14:33,520 --> 00:14:36,080 Speaker 1: your eyes, to learn how to develop a better plan 264 00:14:36,200 --> 00:14:38,880 Speaker 1: for next year and how to cope with that failure 265 00:14:40,280 --> 00:14:43,160 Speaker 1: and how to just move on from it to week 266 00:14:43,240 --> 00:14:45,840 Speaker 1: two of the season and then week three or whatever. 267 00:14:46,800 --> 00:14:49,920 Speaker 1: And this part, this is one that is most important, 268 00:14:50,840 --> 00:14:54,040 Speaker 1: you have to learn to let those failures just go, 269 00:14:54,880 --> 00:14:57,960 Speaker 1: like a toxic person in your life who always drags 270 00:14:58,000 --> 00:15:00,840 Speaker 1: you down, even though you want to like them, or hell, 271 00:15:01,400 --> 00:15:05,240 Speaker 1: you even love them so much. But you gotta let 272 00:15:05,280 --> 00:15:07,960 Speaker 1: that ship go, my friends. You have to learn from that. 273 00:15:08,080 --> 00:15:10,240 Speaker 1: You have to use it to inform better decisions in 274 00:15:10,240 --> 00:15:14,600 Speaker 1: the future. Failure in the woods it's like that. It's 275 00:15:14,640 --> 00:15:18,760 Speaker 1: actually valuable. In fact, it might be the most important 276 00:15:18,800 --> 00:15:22,520 Speaker 1: aspect of becoming a good deer hunter. And listen the 277 00:15:22,600 --> 00:15:26,320 Speaker 1: big winds. They're sweet too. The first big buck you kill, 278 00:15:26,720 --> 00:15:28,200 Speaker 1: that one is going to stick with you in an 279 00:15:28,200 --> 00:15:31,760 Speaker 1: awful lot of ways, and man is it nice. But 280 00:15:31,840 --> 00:15:34,960 Speaker 1: developing as a deer hunter is an awful lot like 281 00:15:35,120 --> 00:15:38,920 Speaker 1: how we use and view social media. No one posts 282 00:15:38,920 --> 00:15:42,600 Speaker 1: the boring stuff, the little stuff on instagram. Alright, some 283 00:15:42,640 --> 00:15:45,040 Speaker 1: people do, but they are freaking psychos. They are the 284 00:15:45,040 --> 00:15:47,360 Speaker 1: people who post every meal they eat, as if anyone 285 00:15:47,400 --> 00:15:49,680 Speaker 1: in the world cares what a stranger head for breakfast. 286 00:15:50,080 --> 00:15:53,280 Speaker 1: They're the ones who post, I don't know, pictures are 287 00:15:53,280 --> 00:15:56,920 Speaker 1: they're freshly painted toenails. are a stupid selfie while fishing, 288 00:15:57,400 --> 00:15:59,600 Speaker 1: of every single bass they catch, even if it's an 289 00:15:59,600 --> 00:16:01,960 Speaker 1: eight in sure that couldn't barely pulled out a bobber. 290 00:16:03,880 --> 00:16:07,080 Speaker 1: Aside from those looney tunes folks, social media is mostly 291 00:16:07,120 --> 00:16:10,680 Speaker 1: the curated big winds of life. That people post. You know, 292 00:16:10,800 --> 00:16:15,280 Speaker 1: the weight lost journey, the personal best cutthroat trout, Ahem 293 00:16:15,320 --> 00:16:18,800 Speaker 1: Mark Kenyon, the enormous buck, where they sit cross legged 294 00:16:18,840 --> 00:16:21,760 Speaker 1: style and gaze longingly into its dead eyes while someone 295 00:16:21,800 --> 00:16:24,560 Speaker 1: frames up the image with some soft focused vegetation in 296 00:16:24,600 --> 00:16:27,800 Speaker 1: the foreground and maybe, I don't know, maybe the setting 297 00:16:27,800 --> 00:16:31,760 Speaker 1: sun in the background. Most of life isn't social media worthy, 298 00:16:32,080 --> 00:16:35,040 Speaker 1: just as most of hunting isn't a big event one 299 00:16:35,040 --> 00:16:37,720 Speaker 1: way or the other. Most of the time we scout 300 00:16:37,720 --> 00:16:40,320 Speaker 1: and hunt, it's not really going to result in one 301 00:16:40,360 --> 00:16:42,840 Speaker 1: of our worst days, anymore than it will be the 302 00:16:42,880 --> 00:16:45,080 Speaker 1: day that we finally air a two inches so we 303 00:16:45,080 --> 00:16:47,200 Speaker 1: can see our smiling faces on the cover in North 304 00:16:47,240 --> 00:16:50,560 Speaker 1: American White Tail magazine. It's the middle of the road, 305 00:16:50,680 --> 00:16:54,040 Speaker 1: boring stuff that makes up most of life and most 306 00:16:54,080 --> 00:16:57,920 Speaker 1: of deer hunting, and in that stuff there's an awful 307 00:16:57,920 --> 00:17:01,440 Speaker 1: lot of failure, but that's also an awful lot of 308 00:17:01,520 --> 00:17:06,280 Speaker 1: opportunities to improve. It's good to get comfortable with that failure, 309 00:17:06,600 --> 00:17:09,800 Speaker 1: invited in for a nightcap, have a little conversation, just 310 00:17:10,040 --> 00:17:12,760 Speaker 1: tease out the value with it and then send it 311 00:17:12,800 --> 00:17:16,320 Speaker 1: on its way. I guess I really want you to 312 00:17:16,359 --> 00:17:19,240 Speaker 1: think about that as we slide into this most wonderful 313 00:17:19,280 --> 00:17:21,679 Speaker 1: time of the year, the time of year when we 314 00:17:21,680 --> 00:17:24,080 Speaker 1: finally get to do more than scout and more than shoot, 315 00:17:24,840 --> 00:17:26,880 Speaker 1: more than just think about what the deer are doing 316 00:17:26,880 --> 00:17:29,280 Speaker 1: out there. We get to hunt them, we get to 317 00:17:29,320 --> 00:17:31,000 Speaker 1: go sit in trees and we get to watch the 318 00:17:31,040 --> 00:17:33,720 Speaker 1: sunrise and hopefully hear a stick crack in the distance 319 00:17:34,080 --> 00:17:36,280 Speaker 1: or see that too big to be a squirrel movement 320 00:17:36,359 --> 00:17:38,879 Speaker 1: in your peripheral vision. That tells you a deer has 321 00:17:39,000 --> 00:17:41,080 Speaker 1: entered the game and it's time to focus on what 322 00:17:41,160 --> 00:17:44,639 Speaker 1: could become the next best few minutes of your life. 323 00:17:45,640 --> 00:17:48,479 Speaker 1: And if it goes wrong, which it mostly will, who cares? 324 00:17:49,160 --> 00:17:51,040 Speaker 1: There's a lesson there that will help you the next 325 00:17:51,080 --> 00:17:54,679 Speaker 1: time and the time after that. And at some point 326 00:17:55,080 --> 00:17:57,200 Speaker 1: that buck that surprises you by showing up when you're 327 00:17:57,200 --> 00:18:00,160 Speaker 1: not paying attention, he's going to go for a at 328 00:18:00,200 --> 00:18:02,000 Speaker 1: home in the back of your truck and you'll get 329 00:18:02,000 --> 00:18:04,080 Speaker 1: to shoot some hero photos and post them up for 330 00:18:04,119 --> 00:18:07,400 Speaker 1: the world to see to show them you're not a failure, 331 00:18:07,440 --> 00:18:10,760 Speaker 1: at least not today, and that's pretty freaking sweet. My friends, 332 00:18:12,280 --> 00:18:16,480 Speaker 1: learn from your failure, accept it. It's okay. You're gonna 333 00:18:16,480 --> 00:18:19,400 Speaker 1: get better because of it, and we're all going through 334 00:18:19,440 --> 00:18:22,639 Speaker 1: it now. Next week I'm going to get into the 335 00:18:22,680 --> 00:18:26,800 Speaker 1: topic of hunting one target buck, of setting your sights 336 00:18:26,920 --> 00:18:30,200 Speaker 1: on a rider didear that's the only one you're going 337 00:18:30,240 --> 00:18:32,760 Speaker 1: to pick up your bowl rifle for, and how that 338 00:18:32,800 --> 00:18:37,080 Speaker 1: can make for a great season or an absolutely miserable fall. 339 00:18:39,520 --> 00:18:41,959 Speaker 1: That's IT, folks, I'm done for this week. This has 340 00:18:42,000 --> 00:18:44,200 Speaker 1: been the wire to hunt foundations podcast, which has brought 341 00:18:44,240 --> 00:18:46,440 Speaker 1: to you by first light. I'm your host, Tony Peterson, 342 00:18:46,440 --> 00:18:48,080 Speaker 1: and I just want to say thank you so much 343 00:18:48,160 --> 00:18:51,440 Speaker 1: for listening and for your support. I really appreciate it. 344 00:18:51,800 --> 00:18:54,320 Speaker 1: And if this episode didn't quite scratch the itch enough 345 00:18:54,359 --> 00:18:56,679 Speaker 1: for you, feel free to head on over to the 346 00:18:56,800 --> 00:18:59,720 Speaker 1: meat eater dot com slash wired to read some articles 347 00:18:59,720 --> 00:19:02,720 Speaker 1: written by myself for mark or whole slew of White 348 00:19:02,720 --> 00:19:05,440 Speaker 1: Tail Killers, and you can also drop into our ware 349 00:19:05,480 --> 00:19:08,240 Speaker 1: to hunt YouTube channel to check out the weekly how 350 00:19:08,320 --> 00:19:11,320 Speaker 1: tube videos that we throw up every single week to 351 00:19:11,320 --> 00:19:12,440 Speaker 1: help you become a better hunter.