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 --> 00:00:10,360 Speaker 1: to the fundamentals of better deer hunting, and now your 3 00:00:10,400 --> 00:00:13,920 Speaker 1: host Tony Peterson. Hey everyone, welcome to the Wire to 4 00:00:14,000 --> 00:00:16,960 Speaker 1: Hunt Foundations podcast, which is brought to you by First Light. 5 00:00:17,440 --> 00:00:20,240 Speaker 1: I'm your host, Tony Peterson, and today's episode is all 6 00:00:20,239 --> 00:00:23,840 Speaker 1: about the ladies once again and how hunting them will 7 00:00:23,880 --> 00:00:38,880 Speaker 1: help you become a better white tail hunter. Overall. Last 8 00:00:38,880 --> 00:00:42,479 Speaker 1: week's episode was all about the does and why I 9 00:00:42,520 --> 00:00:46,080 Speaker 1: really don't think we as hunters give them enough credit. Now, 10 00:00:46,120 --> 00:00:48,400 Speaker 1: if you didn't listen to it, probably go back and 11 00:00:48,440 --> 00:00:51,360 Speaker 1: do that before you dive into this one. Now. I 12 00:00:51,400 --> 00:00:54,080 Speaker 1: think we need to understand how to hunt does, really 13 00:00:54,160 --> 00:00:57,600 Speaker 1: understand it. And what better time to talk about that 14 00:00:57,680 --> 00:00:59,160 Speaker 1: than when we were right on the cusp of the 15 00:00:59,240 --> 00:01:01,640 Speaker 1: late season where it's kind of, you know, just easier 16 00:01:01,720 --> 00:01:05,040 Speaker 1: to drop your standards and shoot whatever comes down the trail. Anyway, 17 00:01:05,600 --> 00:01:08,000 Speaker 1: this episode is all about that, and even if you're 18 00:01:08,000 --> 00:01:10,000 Speaker 1: only a die hard big buck hunter, I think you'll 19 00:01:10,040 --> 00:01:24,120 Speaker 1: still get something out of this episode. One of the 20 00:01:24,160 --> 00:01:28,920 Speaker 1: reasons I like professional fishing, mostly professional bass fishing, is 21 00:01:28,920 --> 00:01:31,280 Speaker 1: because it allows you to prove whether you're the best 22 00:01:31,360 --> 00:01:35,160 Speaker 1: or not. Anyone who can pony up the entrance fees 23 00:01:35,200 --> 00:01:39,320 Speaker 1: and has a tournament compatible boat and an adequate insurance 24 00:01:39,360 --> 00:01:43,920 Speaker 1: policy can compete. Now you know, this is obviously for 25 00:01:44,000 --> 00:01:46,680 Speaker 1: lower level derbys and circuits, because you're not going to 26 00:01:46,760 --> 00:01:48,720 Speaker 1: fish some of the bigger tours without a little more 27 00:01:48,760 --> 00:01:50,800 Speaker 1: on your resume than I don't know. I just like 28 00:01:50,840 --> 00:01:53,880 Speaker 1: to catch bass and I have some money in hunting. 29 00:01:54,160 --> 00:01:56,800 Speaker 1: We don't have this great leveler for a few reasons. 30 00:01:57,560 --> 00:02:00,200 Speaker 1: The first is that catching release hunting really isn't a thing. 31 00:02:00,920 --> 00:02:02,640 Speaker 1: It might be in the future when we lose most 32 00:02:02,640 --> 00:02:05,680 Speaker 1: of our opportunities, but for now we don't really get 33 00:02:05,680 --> 00:02:07,840 Speaker 1: to shoot, box, throw them in our alive well, and 34 00:02:07,840 --> 00:02:09,600 Speaker 1: then release them back into the woods at the end 35 00:02:09,600 --> 00:02:14,400 Speaker 1: of the day. Now hear me out, I'm absolutely against 36 00:02:14,400 --> 00:02:16,840 Speaker 1: turning hunting into competition. I hate it. I don't like 37 00:02:16,919 --> 00:02:18,640 Speaker 1: that idea at all, and I know there have been 38 00:02:18,680 --> 00:02:21,160 Speaker 1: a few failed attempts to do just that, but luckily 39 00:02:21,200 --> 00:02:24,480 Speaker 1: they never really stuck. So I don't want that. And 40 00:02:24,520 --> 00:02:27,600 Speaker 1: this is just purely a thought exercise, so treated as such. 41 00:02:28,600 --> 00:02:31,079 Speaker 1: I would like to know how good some hunters really are. 42 00:02:31,760 --> 00:02:33,679 Speaker 1: I think a lot of people would. I think it'd 43 00:02:33,680 --> 00:02:35,440 Speaker 1: be fun to see some of the industry folks have 44 00:02:35,520 --> 00:02:38,680 Speaker 1: to prove themselves against other industry folks. And I don't 45 00:02:38,720 --> 00:02:42,200 Speaker 1: mean candy land hunter versus candy land hunter here. I'd 46 00:02:42,240 --> 00:02:43,760 Speaker 1: love to see some of these folks with a couple 47 00:02:43,760 --> 00:02:46,200 Speaker 1: two inches under their belt compete against I don't know, 48 00:02:46,240 --> 00:02:48,440 Speaker 1: like a Zach Farrenbauer or an Andy may On public 49 00:02:48,520 --> 00:02:52,680 Speaker 1: Land and some state like Pennsylvania or Louisiana or somewhere 50 00:02:53,040 --> 00:02:56,080 Speaker 1: else that is just not gonna offer too many easy deer. 51 00:02:56,120 --> 00:02:59,200 Speaker 1: It's gonna be full of challenges and be pretty skimpy 52 00:02:59,240 --> 00:03:02,720 Speaker 1: with the buck sights. That's a pipe dream, and honestly, 53 00:03:03,280 --> 00:03:05,960 Speaker 1: maybe just a projection of the pettiness I possessed deep 54 00:03:05,960 --> 00:03:07,960 Speaker 1: in my heart over the hunting industry as a whole. 55 00:03:08,919 --> 00:03:11,240 Speaker 1: Where I should have gone with this, and where I 56 00:03:11,240 --> 00:03:14,079 Speaker 1: intended to before I got sidetracked by one of my many, 57 00:03:14,520 --> 00:03:18,080 Speaker 1: many character flaws is that hunting is an easy thing 58 00:03:18,120 --> 00:03:20,560 Speaker 1: to talk about in a way that makes us all 59 00:03:20,720 --> 00:03:25,720 Speaker 1: look good. Where this drives me a little bit crazy 60 00:03:25,919 --> 00:03:27,960 Speaker 1: is when people talk about all the deer that they 61 00:03:28,000 --> 00:03:31,239 Speaker 1: could have shot but didn't. You know, the people who 62 00:03:31,240 --> 00:03:33,119 Speaker 1: take credit for not shooting the hunter and ten inch 63 00:03:33,160 --> 00:03:35,800 Speaker 1: buck that just happened to walk by at fifty four 64 00:03:35,880 --> 00:03:38,360 Speaker 1: yards and last light in the woods, and they couldn't 65 00:03:38,480 --> 00:03:40,920 Speaker 1: have hit it, probably with two quivers full of arrows, 66 00:03:41,120 --> 00:03:44,040 Speaker 1: but they claim it because, well, who's going to be 67 00:03:44,040 --> 00:03:46,440 Speaker 1: able to prove them wrong. Who's going to call them 68 00:03:46,440 --> 00:03:50,280 Speaker 1: out on that? Nobody? And it really doesn't matter. It 69 00:03:50,400 --> 00:03:52,760 Speaker 1: just grinds my gears a little like it does when 70 00:03:52,760 --> 00:03:55,160 Speaker 1: people talk about shooting does as if it's like a 71 00:03:55,640 --> 00:03:57,600 Speaker 1: don't know, a trip to the grocery store in the woods, 72 00:03:57,680 --> 00:04:02,120 Speaker 1: and almost like a transactional thing. In reality, trying to 73 00:04:02,120 --> 00:04:06,040 Speaker 1: shoot a dough in many, many situations isn't nearly as 74 00:04:06,080 --> 00:04:08,520 Speaker 1: easy as we make it sound on a grand scale, 75 00:04:09,600 --> 00:04:11,640 Speaker 1: mostly because a lot of the people who talk that 76 00:04:11,720 --> 00:04:15,680 Speaker 1: way have really easy hunting or they aren't actually trying 77 00:04:15,680 --> 00:04:18,600 Speaker 1: to shoot dose. Now I know a lot of people 78 00:04:18,600 --> 00:04:21,560 Speaker 1: who do have easy setups to shoot dose, and that's 79 00:04:21,560 --> 00:04:24,400 Speaker 1: just fine. If you're in a high deer density area 80 00:04:24,720 --> 00:04:27,000 Speaker 1: and have at least a few brain cells rattling around 81 00:04:27,040 --> 00:04:29,799 Speaker 1: in your old skull, you should be able to eventually 82 00:04:29,800 --> 00:04:31,960 Speaker 1: get a dough to pose up at twenty yards. If 83 00:04:31,960 --> 00:04:35,680 Speaker 1: you have a remotely decent place to hunt, but even 84 00:04:35,720 --> 00:04:39,000 Speaker 1: that's probably too harsh because it's often not that easy. 85 00:04:39,120 --> 00:04:41,520 Speaker 1: When I first started deer hunting, we could only get 86 00:04:41,560 --> 00:04:45,120 Speaker 1: one tag in Minnesota for archery hunters. If I remember correctly, 87 00:04:45,760 --> 00:04:47,720 Speaker 1: it was good for either a buck or a dough 88 00:04:47,760 --> 00:04:50,600 Speaker 1: back then. But I spent my first few years as 89 00:04:50,640 --> 00:04:53,039 Speaker 1: a bow hunter around a group of guys that did 90 00:04:53,120 --> 00:04:57,520 Speaker 1: not shoot dose. And believe me, I wanted to shoot dose. 91 00:04:58,880 --> 00:05:01,800 Speaker 1: I wanted to shoot them bad enough that I had 92 00:05:01,839 --> 00:05:05,920 Speaker 1: occasionally try, and I'd always fail. Now, I watched those 93 00:05:05,960 --> 00:05:09,200 Speaker 1: guys kill spikes and four keys and occasionally a good one, 94 00:05:09,640 --> 00:05:11,880 Speaker 1: and my dad always encouraged me to just get some 95 00:05:11,960 --> 00:05:14,800 Speaker 1: deer under my belt. But that was a bad environment 96 00:05:14,800 --> 00:05:17,559 Speaker 1: to start in. It really kind of set me back. 97 00:05:18,560 --> 00:05:21,160 Speaker 1: I felt it when I had watched does go through 98 00:05:21,160 --> 00:05:23,320 Speaker 1: while I was waiting on a buck. I felt it 99 00:05:23,320 --> 00:05:25,200 Speaker 1: when I broke during my first year as a deer 100 00:05:25,279 --> 00:05:28,640 Speaker 1: hunter and I shot not once, not twice, but three 101 00:05:28,680 --> 00:05:32,560 Speaker 1: times at a dophon at like eight yards That fond 102 00:05:32,640 --> 00:05:35,360 Speaker 1: made it away unscathed, and I carried a whole shipload 103 00:05:35,360 --> 00:05:37,680 Speaker 1: of shame out of the woods with me that day. 104 00:05:37,800 --> 00:05:40,279 Speaker 1: I didn't kill a deer that season and the next 105 00:05:40,400 --> 00:05:42,880 Speaker 1: year on Opening Day, when I was thirteen years old, 106 00:05:43,279 --> 00:05:45,320 Speaker 1: I had two button bucks come up to my tree 107 00:05:45,360 --> 00:05:49,160 Speaker 1: on Opening night. Now, I knew I'd be crucified if 108 00:05:49,200 --> 00:05:51,880 Speaker 1: I shot one, so I let them walk. My dad 109 00:05:51,920 --> 00:05:54,159 Speaker 1: told me that was crazy, and you know, I know 110 00:05:54,240 --> 00:05:56,600 Speaker 1: now he was right, but I didn't want to deal 111 00:05:56,640 --> 00:05:59,880 Speaker 1: with the negativity then. In a way, it reminds me 112 00:05:59,920 --> 00:06:04,520 Speaker 1: of how so many hunters treat other hunters today. Of course, 113 00:06:04,560 --> 00:06:06,919 Speaker 1: back then it was much more personal. You knew the 114 00:06:06,920 --> 00:06:09,120 Speaker 1: people who were going to buck shame you versus a 115 00:06:09,160 --> 00:06:12,200 Speaker 1: bunch of strangers on social media. But the sentiment was 116 00:06:12,320 --> 00:06:15,880 Speaker 1: the same, I'm going to bring something shitty into this 117 00:06:15,920 --> 00:06:19,480 Speaker 1: world that has no bearing on anything actually important, just 118 00:06:19,640 --> 00:06:25,600 Speaker 1: because I am human nature. Guys, it's rough sometimes Anyway. 119 00:06:26,480 --> 00:06:28,680 Speaker 1: If I had grown up with antler list tags available 120 00:06:28,760 --> 00:06:31,280 Speaker 1: right from the jump, I think my whole deer hunting 121 00:06:31,320 --> 00:06:35,839 Speaker 1: evolution would have been fast tracked. In fact, I think 122 00:06:36,400 --> 00:06:38,400 Speaker 1: when I finally got a chance to shoot some deer, 123 00:06:38,880 --> 00:06:40,760 Speaker 1: when I had, you know, an either sex tag and 124 00:06:40,800 --> 00:06:45,279 Speaker 1: a dough tag, I almost always filled both. I also 125 00:06:45,279 --> 00:06:47,760 Speaker 1: started hunting deer in a different way. It wasn't solely 126 00:06:47,800 --> 00:06:50,479 Speaker 1: about getting around buck sign and hoping one would walk by. 127 00:06:51,600 --> 00:06:53,719 Speaker 1: It started to become a matter of hunting spots and 128 00:06:53,800 --> 00:06:56,320 Speaker 1: not burning them out, and thinking about how all of 129 00:06:56,360 --> 00:06:58,240 Speaker 1: the deer used the terrain, not just the ones that 130 00:06:58,320 --> 00:07:02,320 Speaker 1: have antlers. This clicked for me when I was probably 131 00:07:02,320 --> 00:07:04,880 Speaker 1: about twenty and I went out opening morning to a 132 00:07:04,960 --> 00:07:07,360 Speaker 1: stand that I had hung that summer on the top 133 00:07:07,400 --> 00:07:10,520 Speaker 1: of a ridge. The woods there by that stand was 134 00:07:10,520 --> 00:07:12,840 Speaker 1: only about twenty yards thick before it dropped off into 135 00:07:12,880 --> 00:07:15,520 Speaker 1: a valley, and there was a prominent wash out on 136 00:07:15,520 --> 00:07:17,960 Speaker 1: the hillside right there that forced all the traveling deer 137 00:07:18,040 --> 00:07:21,000 Speaker 1: lower high. Now I bet on high because of the 138 00:07:21,040 --> 00:07:24,480 Speaker 1: wind advantage. I also had a suspicion that deer would 139 00:07:24,600 --> 00:07:26,840 Speaker 1: use the trail, based on it being kind of position 140 00:07:26,880 --> 00:07:29,320 Speaker 1: between an alfalfa field and a thicker patch of woods 141 00:07:29,560 --> 00:07:33,160 Speaker 1: where I often jumped bedded deer when I went through there. Now, 142 00:07:33,280 --> 00:07:35,760 Speaker 1: that morning alone dough came down the trail and I 143 00:07:35,800 --> 00:07:39,640 Speaker 1: shot her. Well, that probably doesn't seem like much, but 144 00:07:39,720 --> 00:07:42,240 Speaker 1: it made me realize I had been mostly counting on 145 00:07:42,400 --> 00:07:45,040 Speaker 1: randomness to deliver a deer to me, and this dough 146 00:07:45,120 --> 00:07:48,760 Speaker 1: had done what I had hoped deer would do. I 147 00:07:48,760 --> 00:07:51,240 Speaker 1: know it doesn't seem like much, but it was. I 148 00:07:51,280 --> 00:07:54,560 Speaker 1: had other experiences like one on public land in the 149 00:07:54,600 --> 00:07:57,320 Speaker 1: Twin Cities here probably I don't know, eight or ten 150 00:07:57,400 --> 00:08:00,800 Speaker 1: years ago did again kind of reminding me of that lesson. 151 00:08:01,600 --> 00:08:03,600 Speaker 1: Now in the summer scouting, I had found this this 152 00:08:03,720 --> 00:08:07,840 Speaker 1: kind of cool crossing in a swamp and that every 153 00:08:07,920 --> 00:08:09,960 Speaker 1: day it seemed like a few deer would use it. 154 00:08:10,240 --> 00:08:12,960 Speaker 1: Not wasn't a major trail or a major travel route, 155 00:08:13,240 --> 00:08:15,360 Speaker 1: but it made sense if deer wanted to go from 156 00:08:15,400 --> 00:08:18,800 Speaker 1: one high ground spot to another without getting too wet 157 00:08:19,040 --> 00:08:22,560 Speaker 1: or working too hard. I shot a dough they're opening 158 00:08:22,600 --> 00:08:27,200 Speaker 1: morning too. Now why is this valuable? Because you might 159 00:08:27,240 --> 00:08:30,160 Speaker 1: not always get to hunt your grandma's farm where you 160 00:08:30,200 --> 00:08:32,439 Speaker 1: know the bucks hit the food plot on Halloween every 161 00:08:32,520 --> 00:08:35,160 Speaker 1: year to check scrapes, or the bachelor up on the 162 00:08:35,200 --> 00:08:39,079 Speaker 1: beans and you can kill one. Early land changes hands, 163 00:08:39,400 --> 00:08:42,920 Speaker 1: deer populations ebb and flow, New neighbors move in and 164 00:08:42,920 --> 00:08:46,480 Speaker 1: they shoot everything. Or you might decide to buy a 165 00:08:46,520 --> 00:08:49,959 Speaker 1: nonresident license somewhere and realize that just because you can 166 00:08:49,960 --> 00:08:53,040 Speaker 1: consistently kill good bucks on your lease at home, it 167 00:08:53,120 --> 00:08:55,079 Speaker 1: doesn't mean you can kill a deer on public land 168 00:08:55,080 --> 00:08:58,319 Speaker 1: in Oklahoma, even with a week's worth of time to hunt. 169 00:08:59,600 --> 00:09:01,800 Speaker 1: I think being open to shooting dos in the right 170 00:09:01,840 --> 00:09:05,439 Speaker 1: situation is a huge benefit for all of us as hunters, 171 00:09:05,640 --> 00:09:09,360 Speaker 1: provided we have the option. I also think even if 172 00:09:09,360 --> 00:09:12,120 Speaker 1: you believe it's easy to kill those, it's worth setting 173 00:09:12,160 --> 00:09:15,480 Speaker 1: up some rules around when you will, and that changes 174 00:09:15,520 --> 00:09:19,480 Speaker 1: the game. I'll give you an example. I try really 175 00:09:19,559 --> 00:09:22,520 Speaker 1: hard not to shoot dose with fawns. I like the 176 00:09:22,600 --> 00:09:25,480 Speaker 1: challenge of hunting loan does and waiting them out, because 177 00:09:25,480 --> 00:09:28,560 Speaker 1: where I hunt, they'll show up. In northern Wisconsin with 178 00:09:28,600 --> 00:09:31,320 Speaker 1: the predator densities there, it's pretty much a given. Then 179 00:09:31,320 --> 00:09:33,880 Speaker 1: I'll see a fair amount of dose without fawns. And 180 00:09:33,920 --> 00:09:36,640 Speaker 1: the last time, I said screw it, and I shot 181 00:09:36,640 --> 00:09:40,480 Speaker 1: a dough with twin fawns, which is double bad, super bad, 182 00:09:40,559 --> 00:09:44,760 Speaker 1: really bad if you have twins yourself. I promptly nearly 183 00:09:44,840 --> 00:09:47,920 Speaker 1: lost my nutsack to a fence post. I got greedy 184 00:09:47,960 --> 00:09:50,160 Speaker 1: down there on that public land in Oklahoma, and I 185 00:09:50,200 --> 00:09:52,560 Speaker 1: wanted to fill some tags. So when that dough came 186 00:09:52,559 --> 00:09:55,160 Speaker 1: in and posed up by my natural ground blind, I 187 00:09:55,200 --> 00:09:56,800 Speaker 1: threw caution to the wind, and I broke one of 188 00:09:56,840 --> 00:09:59,960 Speaker 1: my rules. Now I know you think it's just a quincid. 189 00:10:00,640 --> 00:10:02,200 Speaker 1: But when I was laying on the ground there with 190 00:10:02,240 --> 00:10:04,200 Speaker 1: blood coming out of quite a few spots in my 191 00:10:04,280 --> 00:10:07,920 Speaker 1: body and pain in my apple bag, that felt like 192 00:10:07,960 --> 00:10:10,360 Speaker 1: going I don't know, nine rounds with a fence post. 193 00:10:10,440 --> 00:10:12,760 Speaker 1: It was just radiating through my body. I thought that 194 00:10:12,880 --> 00:10:16,480 Speaker 1: maybe maybe I shouldn't have broken one of my rules. 195 00:10:17,720 --> 00:10:20,000 Speaker 1: I love hunting when I green light myself for does, 196 00:10:20,400 --> 00:10:22,840 Speaker 1: and my favorite time is when I'm hunting on a 197 00:10:22,840 --> 00:10:26,440 Speaker 1: September October morning and then I see that loan dough 198 00:10:26,559 --> 00:10:30,400 Speaker 1: walking in. Then it's all systems go for me. I 199 00:10:30,440 --> 00:10:32,240 Speaker 1: also love it when I'm on the road on public 200 00:10:32,280 --> 00:10:34,760 Speaker 1: land somewhere and I have a dough tag changes the 201 00:10:34,960 --> 00:10:38,600 Speaker 1: entire hunt. And I'll tell you something, I kind of 202 00:10:38,640 --> 00:10:40,640 Speaker 1: even secretly like it a little now when I go 203 00:10:40,720 --> 00:10:43,080 Speaker 1: to my banker and I asked for a personal loan 204 00:10:43,160 --> 00:10:45,080 Speaker 1: every few years so I can draw an Iowa tag 205 00:10:45,400 --> 00:10:47,480 Speaker 1: and they make me buy a dough tag for like 206 00:10:48,240 --> 00:10:51,199 Speaker 1: five bucks. The mature dough I shot down there in 207 00:10:51,880 --> 00:10:54,640 Speaker 1: while she was drinking at a river crossing was kind 208 00:10:54,640 --> 00:10:58,240 Speaker 1: of really my goal for that sit, kinda. I also 209 00:10:58,280 --> 00:11:00,679 Speaker 1: wanted to see how Dear used the cross, and even 210 00:11:00,720 --> 00:11:02,720 Speaker 1: though I had low hopes of killing a buck there 211 00:11:03,200 --> 00:11:04,800 Speaker 1: I don't know, I still felt like I had a chance. 212 00:11:06,000 --> 00:11:07,920 Speaker 1: Plus it was just fun to hunt, knowing that any 213 00:11:07,960 --> 00:11:11,160 Speaker 1: loan do that came past was in real trouble. No, 214 00:11:11,280 --> 00:11:13,439 Speaker 1: there's a little nugget hidden in that story that I 215 00:11:13,480 --> 00:11:17,320 Speaker 1: want to tell you about. It was fun. I know, 216 00:11:17,400 --> 00:11:18,839 Speaker 1: we like to sit in the woods and see the 217 00:11:18,880 --> 00:11:20,880 Speaker 1: sunrise and eat junk food and wait out a buck. 218 00:11:21,280 --> 00:11:23,640 Speaker 1: But I don't enjoy hunting anymore than when I go 219 00:11:23,679 --> 00:11:26,800 Speaker 1: into the mode where I intend to shoot. I don't 220 00:11:26,800 --> 00:11:29,920 Speaker 1: know why, but it changes everything. I just love the 221 00:11:29,920 --> 00:11:32,559 Speaker 1: feeling of my heart pounding between my ears and living 222 00:11:32,559 --> 00:11:35,280 Speaker 1: in that moment where time slows down and you know 223 00:11:35,520 --> 00:11:38,160 Speaker 1: you're going to try to draw soon, and once you 224 00:11:38,200 --> 00:11:41,320 Speaker 1: do draw, you have to be ready to read the 225 00:11:41,360 --> 00:11:45,240 Speaker 1: deer and aim and execute. Then there's the post shot 226 00:11:45,240 --> 00:11:48,600 Speaker 1: adrenaline dump and the instant feeling of while you've either 227 00:11:48,640 --> 00:11:52,480 Speaker 1: done things really well or not so much. I guess 228 00:11:52,559 --> 00:11:56,160 Speaker 1: put another way and really dumbed down and simplified. It's 229 00:11:56,160 --> 00:11:59,520 Speaker 1: pretty fun to shoot deer. So what does this mean 230 00:11:59,559 --> 00:12:02,719 Speaker 1: for you? M Do you have your mind made up 231 00:12:03,000 --> 00:12:07,840 Speaker 1: on what hunting doz is like, and you're not interested? Okay, 232 00:12:07,920 --> 00:12:10,560 Speaker 1: are you having fun hunting? Are you going to have 233 00:12:10,640 --> 00:12:12,920 Speaker 1: fun hunting this month when it's super cold in the 234 00:12:12,960 --> 00:12:15,040 Speaker 1: deer kg and your odds of seeing a good buck 235 00:12:15,040 --> 00:12:17,480 Speaker 1: are less likely than the odds of Kenyan catching an 236 00:12:17,480 --> 00:12:20,000 Speaker 1: eighteen inch trout and not immediately plastering it all over 237 00:12:20,000 --> 00:12:23,760 Speaker 1: a social media Are you struggling to kill good bucks? 238 00:12:24,440 --> 00:12:27,720 Speaker 1: Probably if you're listening to me yammer on week after week. 239 00:12:28,640 --> 00:12:31,920 Speaker 1: I promise you if that's the case, opening yourself up 240 00:12:31,920 --> 00:12:34,200 Speaker 1: to the possibility of shooting a door or two and 241 00:12:34,240 --> 00:12:37,840 Speaker 1: then actually doing that, it's going to help your cause. 242 00:12:38,800 --> 00:12:44,679 Speaker 1: This is especially undeniably true if you hunt pressure deer. Now, 243 00:12:44,720 --> 00:12:47,520 Speaker 1: if you hunt candy land deer, then these rules really 244 00:12:47,520 --> 00:12:51,360 Speaker 1: don't apply. But pressure dear, the does and the bucks 245 00:12:51,559 --> 00:12:54,319 Speaker 1: are pretty good at the survival game. If you can 246 00:12:54,440 --> 00:12:59,080 Speaker 1: somewhat consistently kill mature does where lots of people hunt them, 247 00:12:59,160 --> 00:13:02,400 Speaker 1: then you will evidently be a better big buck hunter 248 00:13:02,520 --> 00:13:06,320 Speaker 1: for it. Take that to the bank, my friends, because 249 00:13:06,400 --> 00:13:09,800 Speaker 1: it's as good as gold. This stuff is not easy, 250 00:13:09,920 --> 00:13:12,520 Speaker 1: and it won't get any easier for most of us 251 00:13:12,800 --> 00:13:15,040 Speaker 1: if we aren't making moves to get better at being 252 00:13:15,640 --> 00:13:18,760 Speaker 1: good deer hunters. Now, not mature buck hunters, mind you, 253 00:13:19,200 --> 00:13:21,960 Speaker 1: which is a nice satellite benefit to becoming better deer hunters, 254 00:13:22,040 --> 00:13:24,960 Speaker 1: but just learning deer and becoming better at the whole thing. 255 00:13:26,320 --> 00:13:28,640 Speaker 1: This is a skill that will help you far more 256 00:13:29,080 --> 00:13:31,960 Speaker 1: than obsessing over the best times to grunt to rattle 257 00:13:32,440 --> 00:13:34,680 Speaker 1: or buying a six dollar decoy that looks so good 258 00:13:34,679 --> 00:13:36,560 Speaker 1: the other hunters and your party will occasionally take a 259 00:13:36,600 --> 00:13:39,440 Speaker 1: poke at it. The key to being better is to 260 00:13:39,520 --> 00:13:43,200 Speaker 1: recognize which challenges are available to you, and then meeting 261 00:13:43,240 --> 00:13:47,640 Speaker 1: them head on and listen. The mature buck challenge is 262 00:13:47,679 --> 00:13:51,200 Speaker 1: always going to be there, but it's honestly a bridge 263 00:13:51,360 --> 00:13:55,079 Speaker 1: too far for a lot of hunters. It's a worthy consideration, 264 00:13:55,520 --> 00:13:58,640 Speaker 1: but a great way also for a lot of hunters 265 00:13:58,640 --> 00:14:00,920 Speaker 1: to eat a lot of tags and real sick of 266 00:14:00,960 --> 00:14:05,960 Speaker 1: those early alarms in those cold, unproductive sits. I don't know, 267 00:14:06,120 --> 00:14:09,160 Speaker 1: all stick and no carrot is no fun for something 268 00:14:09,200 --> 00:14:12,720 Speaker 1: that is supposed to be fun. Think about this as 269 00:14:12,760 --> 00:14:16,199 Speaker 1: we go into what are definitely the final innings of season. 270 00:14:16,800 --> 00:14:18,720 Speaker 1: There might be a month left for some or two 271 00:14:18,760 --> 00:14:21,800 Speaker 1: for others, but the best parts for most of us, 272 00:14:21,920 --> 00:14:24,680 Speaker 1: they're in the rear view mirror. Now it's up to 273 00:14:24,720 --> 00:14:26,280 Speaker 1: us to figure out how to use our time for 274 00:14:26,320 --> 00:14:29,440 Speaker 1: the rest of the season. For me, that will involve 275 00:14:29,520 --> 00:14:31,480 Speaker 1: some dough hunts that will feel an awful lot like 276 00:14:31,520 --> 00:14:34,320 Speaker 1: I'm hunting for big bucks. I'm not gonna be able 277 00:14:34,360 --> 00:14:36,920 Speaker 1: to make too many mistakes, because once the gun season 278 00:14:37,040 --> 00:14:39,120 Speaker 1: is over, the deer that are left really don't enjoy 279 00:14:39,160 --> 00:14:42,040 Speaker 1: sharing the woods with people still bent on deflating their lungs. 280 00:14:43,400 --> 00:14:46,240 Speaker 1: It'll be a staging area thing mostly, which is a 281 00:14:46,400 --> 00:14:49,680 Speaker 1: skill that has paid off well in my buck hunts. 282 00:14:49,840 --> 00:14:52,000 Speaker 1: If you can figure out how to kill dose staging, 283 00:14:52,080 --> 00:14:54,160 Speaker 1: you can figure out how to kill bucks. Trust me. 284 00:14:55,000 --> 00:14:57,520 Speaker 1: It might be a betting area thing too, which is 285 00:14:57,560 --> 00:15:00,200 Speaker 1: something I just want to get better at. In I'm 286 00:15:00,200 --> 00:15:02,000 Speaker 1: not going to go out and kill mature bucks out 287 00:15:02,000 --> 00:15:04,280 Speaker 1: of their bed as easily as I'm going to figure 288 00:15:04,280 --> 00:15:06,800 Speaker 1: out how to kill some goes around a bedding area. 289 00:15:07,120 --> 00:15:10,080 Speaker 1: Huge benefit there, you know. And I planned to run 290 00:15:10,080 --> 00:15:12,600 Speaker 1: a few cameras, do some observations and just see how 291 00:15:12,680 --> 00:15:14,960 Speaker 1: I can put together a plan here in Minnesota and 292 00:15:14,960 --> 00:15:17,640 Speaker 1: maybe in Wisconsin that will end up with an easy 293 00:15:17,640 --> 00:15:21,480 Speaker 1: blood trail in the snow. I highly recommend many of 294 00:15:21,480 --> 00:15:25,040 Speaker 1: my listeners they do the same. Now. It's an easy 295 00:15:25,120 --> 00:15:26,880 Speaker 1: choice for me because I love the meat, but maybe 296 00:15:26,920 --> 00:15:29,320 Speaker 1: you don't. I bet you can find a way to 297 00:15:29,360 --> 00:15:32,200 Speaker 1: donate it, or find someone in your life who would 298 00:15:32,280 --> 00:15:35,320 Speaker 1: love some venisine. I've never had a problem finding somebody 299 00:15:35,320 --> 00:15:37,800 Speaker 1: who would take some veniicine. And I think the key 300 00:15:37,840 --> 00:15:41,560 Speaker 1: takeaway here is, I don't know to maybe just keep 301 00:15:41,680 --> 00:15:45,160 Speaker 1: hunting off the does on your place are too easy. 302 00:15:45,880 --> 00:15:48,840 Speaker 1: Go still hunt the public land down the road. Easy. 303 00:15:48,840 --> 00:15:51,240 Speaker 1: We'll go out the window then, but you know what, 304 00:15:51,680 --> 00:15:53,880 Speaker 1: you'll still be hunting, and that's better than sitting at 305 00:15:53,960 --> 00:15:57,320 Speaker 1: home not hunting, or sitting somewhere where you know it's 306 00:15:57,320 --> 00:16:01,120 Speaker 1: a foregone conclusion and it's not that exciting. Or maybe 307 00:16:01,840 --> 00:16:03,920 Speaker 1: you could kill dose all day long out of your 308 00:16:03,920 --> 00:16:06,920 Speaker 1: box blind on the food plot. Great. If that's the 309 00:16:06,920 --> 00:16:08,320 Speaker 1: case and you want to do that, go ahead. But 310 00:16:08,360 --> 00:16:09,960 Speaker 1: if that doesn't really do it for you, go try 311 00:16:10,000 --> 00:16:12,400 Speaker 1: to kill one from the ground in the woods. If 312 00:16:12,440 --> 00:16:15,200 Speaker 1: that's too easy, find someone who sucks that hunting and 313 00:16:15,200 --> 00:16:17,800 Speaker 1: take them out. They'll be tickled to have a chance 314 00:16:17,840 --> 00:16:20,200 Speaker 1: to shoot a dough and you'll watch someone have a 315 00:16:20,240 --> 00:16:23,120 Speaker 1: hard time doing something you think is easy, and that's 316 00:16:23,120 --> 00:16:26,480 Speaker 1: an important thing to be reminded of. And however you 317 00:16:26,520 --> 00:16:30,320 Speaker 1: do it, consider this. Just don't sell does short just 318 00:16:30,360 --> 00:16:33,480 Speaker 1: because they don't have antlers. Consider them what they are, 319 00:16:34,280 --> 00:16:37,880 Speaker 1: were the adversaries in the woods, which they often are. 320 00:16:38,840 --> 00:16:41,840 Speaker 1: They are also fun to hunt, full of delicious meat, 321 00:16:41,880 --> 00:16:44,880 Speaker 1: and far more available on a general scale than big, 322 00:16:44,880 --> 00:16:48,640 Speaker 1: old mature bucks. That's enough reasons to hunt them. Right there, 323 00:16:48,680 --> 00:16:53,280 Speaker 1: I'd say, all right, I'm done talking about dose. Done, 324 00:16:53,480 --> 00:16:56,600 Speaker 1: done done. Next week I'm going to talk about weapon 325 00:16:56,720 --> 00:17:00,080 Speaker 1: choice and why you should consider hunting deer with something 326 00:17:00,160 --> 00:17:03,560 Speaker 1: different than you're chosen weapon. And I know that sounds weird, 327 00:17:04,200 --> 00:17:06,880 Speaker 1: but I'll explain it in detail when that show drops. 328 00:17:07,400 --> 00:17:13,720 Speaker 1: Until then, shoot straight and stay safe, my friends. That's 329 00:17:13,720 --> 00:17:15,920 Speaker 1: all I've got for you this week. I'm Tony Peterson 330 00:17:15,920 --> 00:17:18,320 Speaker 1: and this has been the Wire to Hunt Foundations podcast, 331 00:17:18,359 --> 00:17:21,040 Speaker 1: which has brought to you by First Light. As always, 332 00:17:21,040 --> 00:17:23,159 Speaker 1: thank you so much for your support, and if you 333 00:17:23,240 --> 00:17:25,399 Speaker 1: want some more white tail wisdom, head on over to 334 00:17:25,720 --> 00:17:30,040 Speaker 1: the meat eater dot com slash wired to read my 335 00:17:30,200 --> 00:17:33,160 Speaker 1: latest articles and articles from a whole host of white 336 00:17:33,160 --> 00:17:35,800 Speaker 1: tail killers, and you can also check out the weekly 337 00:17:35,840 --> 00:17:38,000 Speaker 1: how to videos that Mark and I produce for the 338 00:17:38,040 --> 00:17:39,280 Speaker 1: wire to Hunt YouTube channel.