1
00:00:01,280 --> 00:00:05,120
Speaker 1: Welcome to the Wired to Hunt Foundations podcast, your guide

2
00:00:05,120 --> 00:00:08,920
Speaker 1: to the fundamentals of better deer hunting, presented by first Light,

3
00:00:09,240 --> 00:00:13,600
Speaker 1: creating proven versatile hunting apparel for the stand, saddle or blind.

4
00:00:14,120 --> 00:00:18,680
Speaker 1: First Light, Go Farther, Stay Longer, and now your host

5
00:00:19,040 --> 00:00:19,919
Speaker 1: Tony Peterson.

6
00:00:20,400 --> 00:00:22,840
Speaker 2: Hey everyone, welcome to the Wired to Hunt Foundation's podcast,

7
00:00:22,880 --> 00:00:24,639
Speaker 2: which is brought to you by first Sight. I'm your host,

8
00:00:24,640 --> 00:00:27,360
Speaker 2: Tony Peterson, and this week's show is all about food plots,

9
00:00:27,520 --> 00:00:30,000
Speaker 2: mineral licks, bait sites, and all of the ways we

10
00:00:30,080 --> 00:00:41,200
Speaker 2: think we really help deer but kind of don't. This

11
00:00:41,240 --> 00:00:43,040
Speaker 2: is the time of year when a lot of white

12
00:00:43,040 --> 00:00:45,480
Speaker 2: tail hunters go pretty heavy into the land management world

13
00:00:45,520 --> 00:00:49,760
Speaker 2: when it comes to food plots. Aside from nearly ubiquitous

14
00:00:49,840 --> 00:00:53,120
Speaker 2: usage of trail cameras and more recently box blinds, I

15
00:00:53,159 --> 00:00:54,960
Speaker 2: don't know if there is something that has become more

16
00:00:54,960 --> 00:00:57,200
Speaker 2: common in whitetail hunting than food plots have in the

17
00:00:57,280 --> 00:01:01,120
Speaker 2: last twenty years. Of course, there's also the mineral lick

18
00:01:01,280 --> 00:01:05,959
Speaker 2: thing and bait piles or hem supplemental feeding that goes

19
00:01:06,000 --> 00:01:09,560
Speaker 2: into the whole late spring early summer thing too. All

20
00:01:09,600 --> 00:01:11,560
Speaker 2: of that stuff is on the agenda for today, but

21
00:01:11,600 --> 00:01:13,120
Speaker 2: I also want to talk about why we think we

22
00:01:13,120 --> 00:01:24,680
Speaker 2: need to do these things and how we probably really don't.

23
00:01:28,240 --> 00:01:32,560
Speaker 2: People are weird. If that's too vague, let me go

24
00:01:32,640 --> 00:01:35,640
Speaker 2: off here for a second. There's a fella you probably

25
00:01:35,680 --> 00:01:38,039
Speaker 2: haven't heard of who died in two thousand and seven,

26
00:01:38,560 --> 00:01:44,119
Speaker 2: but before that he was known as Monsieur Manjetous, or

27
00:01:44,160 --> 00:01:47,640
Speaker 2: for the non French speaking amongst us, mister eat All.

28
00:01:48,760 --> 00:01:50,840
Speaker 2: I love it when a nickname gets right to the point.

29
00:01:51,320 --> 00:01:55,240
Speaker 2: And Michael lo Tito or Michelle lo Tito, I guess

30
00:01:55,880 --> 00:01:58,880
Speaker 2: mister eat All was a guy who would really eat

31
00:01:59,120 --> 00:02:02,080
Speaker 2: it all. From the time he was a child, he

32
00:02:02,160 --> 00:02:04,840
Speaker 2: figured out that he could eat non food items without

33
00:02:04,880 --> 00:02:08,720
Speaker 2: any negative repercussions, which is really something when you consider

34
00:02:08,800 --> 00:02:12,120
Speaker 2: the first non food item he ate was a broken

35
00:02:12,200 --> 00:02:16,639
Speaker 2: glass that he was drinking from. Now imagine just for

36
00:02:16,680 --> 00:02:19,400
Speaker 2: a second, all you folks listening who have kids, and

37
00:02:19,520 --> 00:02:21,960
Speaker 2: you find out one of them broke a glass and

38
00:02:22,240 --> 00:02:26,119
Speaker 2: the way to clean it up was to eat it naturally.

39
00:02:26,240 --> 00:02:28,520
Speaker 2: He was examined by a few physicians over the course

40
00:02:28,520 --> 00:02:30,919
Speaker 2: of his life, and they found that he had an

41
00:02:30,960 --> 00:02:34,880
Speaker 2: abnormally thick lining to his stomach and intestines, which is

42
00:02:34,919 --> 00:02:38,320
Speaker 2: pretty wild, but not as wild as the fact that

43
00:02:38,360 --> 00:02:43,400
Speaker 2: the dude literally ate eighteen bicycles, several television sets, grocery

44
00:02:43,440 --> 00:02:49,000
Speaker 2: store carts, skis, chandeliers, a coffin, and the kicker a

45
00:02:49,120 --> 00:02:53,079
Speaker 2: whole freaking airplane. It took him two years to eat

46
00:02:53,120 --> 00:02:55,960
Speaker 2: the plane, but he managed to eat the whole thing.

47
00:02:56,720 --> 00:02:59,720
Speaker 2: In his life, he ate over nine tons of metal.

48
00:03:00,480 --> 00:03:04,000
Speaker 2: Here's a plot twist with mister eat All. He struggled

49
00:03:04,040 --> 00:03:06,160
Speaker 2: eating soft foods and had a hell of a time

50
00:03:06,200 --> 00:03:10,480
Speaker 2: getting things like bananas down. Other than most likely being

51
00:03:10,520 --> 00:03:14,360
Speaker 2: certifiably cuckoo for cocoa puffs, mister eat All suffered from

52
00:03:14,400 --> 00:03:18,639
Speaker 2: a condition called pika. This is something that mostly affects

53
00:03:18,680 --> 00:03:22,040
Speaker 2: pregnant women and children, where they'll seek out chalk or

54
00:03:22,080 --> 00:03:25,200
Speaker 2: dirt or dried paint or flakes of metal. This is

55
00:03:25,320 --> 00:03:28,359
Speaker 2: actually an eating disorder and can signal greater issues than

56
00:03:28,400 --> 00:03:31,600
Speaker 2: just an appetite for non food items. It's also a

57
00:03:31,600 --> 00:03:34,400
Speaker 2: hallmark of someone who eats a lot of ice, so

58
00:03:34,560 --> 00:03:37,760
Speaker 2: as being anemec. Now, this is how you know my

59
00:03:37,880 --> 00:03:40,280
Speaker 2: wife never listens to this podcast because I'm going to

60
00:03:40,280 --> 00:03:42,800
Speaker 2: talk about some medical issues she's had for a while

61
00:03:43,080 --> 00:03:46,400
Speaker 2: that we're just kind of getting sorted out. Now. Behind

62
00:03:46,440 --> 00:03:50,840
Speaker 2: these issues with her is a craving for ice. And

63
00:03:50,880 --> 00:03:54,480
Speaker 2: when I say that, I kind of mean that in

64
00:03:54,520 --> 00:03:57,040
Speaker 2: a way where you would be like, hey, Tony kind

65
00:03:57,040 --> 00:04:01,320
Speaker 2: of likes deer hunting. Now, when I say that, you're

66
00:04:01,360 --> 00:04:04,360
Speaker 2: probably like, hey, you know my black labs like to

67
00:04:04,440 --> 00:04:08,320
Speaker 2: chomp on an ice cube too. It's cute while partner,

68
00:04:08,640 --> 00:04:10,600
Speaker 2: it's not cute when you're sitting on the couch at

69
00:04:10,600 --> 00:04:12,320
Speaker 2: the end of the day and you hear that spoom

70
00:04:12,360 --> 00:04:18,400
Speaker 2: clinking in that glass and ice and then chomp, chomp, chomp, crunch, crunch, crunch, lather, rinse, repeat.

71
00:04:19,320 --> 00:04:22,680
Speaker 2: I'm sure spouses have been murdered for worse reasons, but

72
00:04:22,760 --> 00:04:25,280
Speaker 2: I'm pretty sure I have PTSD from listening to her

73
00:04:25,320 --> 00:04:28,880
Speaker 2: eat ice for several years now. It's a sound that

74
00:04:28,960 --> 00:04:32,320
Speaker 2: makes me instantly redline, And even when I try to

75
00:04:32,360 --> 00:04:35,480
Speaker 2: ignore it, it's like I just can't now. As you

76
00:04:35,560 --> 00:04:38,320
Speaker 2: can imagine, or you know, if you're young and excited

77
00:04:38,360 --> 00:04:40,080
Speaker 2: to get married, because it's going to be all roses

78
00:04:40,080 --> 00:04:44,320
Speaker 2: and unicorns, you'll eventually see something like that can really

79
00:04:44,440 --> 00:04:48,360
Speaker 2: drive a wedge between two people in a relationship. Couple

80
00:04:48,400 --> 00:04:50,800
Speaker 2: that with the reality that she's been crazy tired the

81
00:04:50,920 --> 00:04:53,599
Speaker 2: last couple of years, to the point where me, a

82
00:04:53,640 --> 00:04:55,960
Speaker 2: guy who happens to be a mid level outdoor writer

83
00:04:56,120 --> 00:04:59,960
Speaker 2: with zero qualifications to give health advice, had to beg her,

84
00:05:00,400 --> 00:05:03,960
Speaker 2: a physical therapist with a doctorate an exercise science, to

85
00:05:04,040 --> 00:05:06,920
Speaker 2: go to the doctor and figure out what's wrong, because

86
00:05:06,920 --> 00:05:11,120
Speaker 2: something is wrong. Anyway, She finally did, and it's all

87
00:05:11,160 --> 00:05:13,040
Speaker 2: getting sorted out, and hopefully when we were on the

88
00:05:13,080 --> 00:05:16,360
Speaker 2: other side, I won't have such murderous thoughts about her

89
00:05:16,400 --> 00:05:18,400
Speaker 2: because she won't need to chomp ice in my freaking

90
00:05:18,440 --> 00:05:22,200
Speaker 2: ear all night long. People are weird, but you know what,

91
00:05:22,920 --> 00:05:24,719
Speaker 2: we tend to figure out how to get what we

92
00:05:24,760 --> 00:05:28,360
Speaker 2: need to keep our bodies running. Scratch that, we don't

93
00:05:28,400 --> 00:05:32,120
Speaker 2: really figure anything out about our bodies. Our subconscious just

94
00:05:32,120 --> 00:05:34,080
Speaker 2: seems to figure it out for us, and it creates

95
00:05:34,080 --> 00:05:36,960
Speaker 2: some cravings and then we kind of just listen to them.

96
00:05:37,360 --> 00:05:40,919
Speaker 2: It works sometimes, but also definitely doesn't work for a

97
00:05:40,960 --> 00:05:43,200
Speaker 2: lot of people. This is because we are generally kind

98
00:05:43,200 --> 00:05:45,880
Speaker 2: of dumb with food, but also because we have so

99
00:05:45,960 --> 00:05:51,839
Speaker 2: many options. That's not the case with Deer, well not really. Actually,

100
00:05:51,880 --> 00:05:53,720
Speaker 2: I don't know if I can say that with confidence

101
00:05:53,720 --> 00:05:56,280
Speaker 2: because I'm not a deer, and sometimes someone gets a

102
00:05:56,360 --> 00:05:59,120
Speaker 2: video of a deer eating something that's just not normal

103
00:05:59,120 --> 00:06:03,200
Speaker 2: at all, like a baby bird or a mouse or something. Generally, though,

104
00:06:03,640 --> 00:06:05,720
Speaker 2: they seem to go where the greenery is best for

105
00:06:05,760 --> 00:06:07,840
Speaker 2: them this time of year, and since it's the right

106
00:06:07,920 --> 00:06:09,839
Speaker 2: time of year for it, they have a lot of

107
00:06:09,839 --> 00:06:12,800
Speaker 2: food options to provide themselves with the minerals and nutrients

108
00:06:12,880 --> 00:06:16,440
Speaker 2: they need. But then we come along and say they

109
00:06:16,480 --> 00:06:19,400
Speaker 2: need more. I'm going to be a good steward of

110
00:06:19,440 --> 00:06:22,800
Speaker 2: the land and give them something extra special. The easiest

111
00:06:22,839 --> 00:06:24,479
Speaker 2: way to do this is to give them a salt

112
00:06:24,480 --> 00:06:26,640
Speaker 2: block or a mineral lick. Now, when it comes to

113
00:06:26,680 --> 00:06:28,919
Speaker 2: a salt block spring in summer, white tails seek them

114
00:06:28,960 --> 00:06:32,960
Speaker 2: out for a few reasons. Bucks need them to support

115
00:06:33,000 --> 00:06:36,320
Speaker 2: antler and muscle growth, dose need them to give their

116
00:06:36,360 --> 00:06:38,240
Speaker 2: bodies a boost when they are carrying the weight of

117
00:06:38,320 --> 00:06:42,000
Speaker 2: keeping some fawns alive. All deer use salt to create

118
00:06:42,080 --> 00:06:46,200
Speaker 2: hydrochloric acid, which helps with digestin. They can find salt

119
00:06:46,240 --> 00:06:49,280
Speaker 2: and natural mineral deposits and they are very good at it.

120
00:06:49,920 --> 00:06:51,839
Speaker 2: So do we need to put out salt blocks or

121
00:06:51,880 --> 00:06:55,880
Speaker 2: mineral licks. Probably not. Now they aren't even legal in

122
00:06:55,920 --> 00:06:58,640
Speaker 2: every state, which is a good thing to know. There

123
00:06:58,720 --> 00:07:01,520
Speaker 2: also isn't a whole lot of evident that suggests providing

124
00:07:01,560 --> 00:07:04,159
Speaker 2: mineral licks does them much more good than just letting

125
00:07:04,200 --> 00:07:07,040
Speaker 2: them go at this problem alone and figure it out

126
00:07:07,040 --> 00:07:10,560
Speaker 2: the way they have for several million years. We use

127
00:07:10,640 --> 00:07:12,960
Speaker 2: minerals under the guise of helping the deer, but the

128
00:07:13,000 --> 00:07:16,000
Speaker 2: truth is you're probably not going to take a buck

129
00:07:16,040 --> 00:07:19,960
Speaker 2: from a potential one point fifty to you know booner's status.

130
00:07:20,080 --> 00:07:22,440
Speaker 2: Just by heading the shields and buying a mineral block,

131
00:07:23,440 --> 00:07:25,440
Speaker 2: you will create one hell of a spot to run

132
00:07:25,440 --> 00:07:28,760
Speaker 2: a trail camera and start building your summer inventory, which,

133
00:07:28,800 --> 00:07:31,440
Speaker 2: as long as it's legal, might be the only reason

134
00:07:31,480 --> 00:07:35,120
Speaker 2: most of us would consider this. Now, with CWD regulations

135
00:07:35,160 --> 00:07:37,560
Speaker 2: in most of the states I hunt, this isn't an

136
00:07:37,600 --> 00:07:40,400
Speaker 2: option anymore, and I don't really care. I don't miss it.

137
00:07:40,960 --> 00:07:42,920
Speaker 2: I didn't like putting out something that I knew would

138
00:07:42,960 --> 00:07:45,960
Speaker 2: concentrate deer when I couldn't hunt them, and then become

139
00:07:46,080 --> 00:07:49,080
Speaker 2: way less of a deer draw when I could no

140
00:07:49,280 --> 00:07:51,720
Speaker 2: not much of a hitlister. So it was just mostly

141
00:07:51,760 --> 00:07:53,720
Speaker 2: something to do in the summer to get some pictures

142
00:07:53,760 --> 00:07:56,440
Speaker 2: but I didn't really care about it. No way more

143
00:07:56,480 --> 00:08:00,200
Speaker 2: popular than mineral licks these days are food plots. We

144
00:08:00,240 --> 00:08:03,360
Speaker 2: have destination plots and kill plots, and late season plots

145
00:08:03,360 --> 00:08:06,640
Speaker 2: and early season plots and you name it. Planning something

146
00:08:06,680 --> 00:08:08,880
Speaker 2: for deer is big business, and a hell of a

147
00:08:08,920 --> 00:08:13,280
Speaker 2: lot of people are into it. It's also totally unnecessary

148
00:08:13,360 --> 00:08:16,840
Speaker 2: as far as deer survival is concerned. Well, maybe not

149
00:08:17,000 --> 00:08:20,280
Speaker 2: totally unnecessary, but it's damn close. I guess you could

150
00:08:20,360 --> 00:08:23,000
Speaker 2: argue that in areas with severe winter, the right type

151
00:08:23,040 --> 00:08:25,400
Speaker 2: of brassica plot or maybe a plot full of standing

152
00:08:25,440 --> 00:08:29,119
Speaker 2: corn could definitely help carry the local herd through, which

153
00:08:29,200 --> 00:08:33,880
Speaker 2: directly translates to better survival. Mostly, though, plots are something

154
00:08:33,920 --> 00:08:36,040
Speaker 2: we do so we have an awesome spot to hunt

155
00:08:36,040 --> 00:08:38,840
Speaker 2: in the fall, and that's probably a good enough reason

156
00:08:39,000 --> 00:08:42,160
Speaker 2: without us saying we do it to give the fauns

157
00:08:42,559 --> 00:08:46,080
Speaker 2: some clover or keep the deer herd healthy. Deer have

158
00:08:46,160 --> 00:08:48,880
Speaker 2: been able to stay real healthy without us filling up

159
00:08:48,880 --> 00:08:51,600
Speaker 2: the buffet for a long time. And if there's one

160
00:08:51,640 --> 00:08:54,720
Speaker 2: thing that's the hallmark of a white tail, it's their

161
00:08:54,800 --> 00:08:58,680
Speaker 2: ability to adapt and survive. They make a lot of

162
00:08:58,720 --> 00:09:01,600
Speaker 2: those Western critters all the Bozeman. Dorks here at Meat

163
00:09:01,600 --> 00:09:05,120
Speaker 2: Eater think are so special look like amateurs in that department.

164
00:09:18,200 --> 00:09:21,240
Speaker 2: The white Tail has a diverse diet and most of

165
00:09:21,280 --> 00:09:24,640
Speaker 2: the year it's only job is to find safe spaces

166
00:09:24,679 --> 00:09:28,360
Speaker 2: to munch on a variety of different foods. Plots generally

167
00:09:28,840 --> 00:09:32,960
Speaker 2: are for us, not them. But you know what, that's okay,

168
00:09:33,080 --> 00:09:35,720
Speaker 2: that's great. I feel sorry for anyone who hasn't had

169
00:09:35,760 --> 00:09:38,120
Speaker 2: the chance to create a plot and work it, because

170
00:09:38,160 --> 00:09:39,680
Speaker 2: it's some of the most fun you'll have in the

171
00:09:39,720 --> 00:09:43,800
Speaker 2: off season. I say this as a staunchly mediocre food

172
00:09:43,840 --> 00:09:47,360
Speaker 2: plot guy. I'm not interested in being a gardener, and

173
00:09:47,400 --> 00:09:49,920
Speaker 2: while I love trees and plants in general because that's

174
00:09:50,520 --> 00:09:53,320
Speaker 2: what's out in the places I love to be, I

175
00:09:53,360 --> 00:09:56,439
Speaker 2: have very little desire to babysit them, and even less

176
00:09:56,480 --> 00:09:58,840
Speaker 2: desire to hunt over the plants I have babysat just

177
00:09:58,880 --> 00:10:01,240
Speaker 2: to get some deer to walk by, I mean, but

178
00:10:01,440 --> 00:10:04,400
Speaker 2: when it comes to my daughters and just finding something

179
00:10:04,440 --> 00:10:06,040
Speaker 2: to do in the spring and summer that will get

180
00:10:06,040 --> 00:10:09,640
Speaker 2: me into the woods, I love food plots. The feeling

181
00:10:09,679 --> 00:10:12,240
Speaker 2: of seeing a bed of clover sprout, or walking in

182
00:10:12,320 --> 00:10:14,640
Speaker 2: during the summer to cut the weeds down or just

183
00:10:14,679 --> 00:10:16,760
Speaker 2: sitting there and opening night with one of my girls

184
00:10:16,800 --> 00:10:18,920
Speaker 2: waiting on a spike or a doda walk in is

185
00:10:19,080 --> 00:10:22,520
Speaker 2: pretty awesome. Now. I think that outdoor television and the

186
00:10:22,520 --> 00:10:25,040
Speaker 2: fact that most hunting media comes from folks who have

187
00:10:25,120 --> 00:10:28,480
Speaker 2: really good places to hunt, has skewed the perspective on

188
00:10:28,600 --> 00:10:32,280
Speaker 2: food plots. They look almost too good to be true

189
00:10:32,360 --> 00:10:36,040
Speaker 2: when you see them filled up with giant eyewoder, but

190
00:10:36,120 --> 00:10:39,280
Speaker 2: that's just not reality, and we all really kind of

191
00:10:39,320 --> 00:10:42,720
Speaker 2: know it. Most of us could put in an unbelievable

192
00:10:42,720 --> 00:10:45,720
Speaker 2: amount of time into food plots and not achieve three

193
00:10:45,760 --> 00:10:48,480
Speaker 2: percent of the results that some folks who really know

194
00:10:48,520 --> 00:10:52,240
Speaker 2: how to grow white tails end up getting. This makes

195
00:10:52,280 --> 00:10:55,400
Speaker 2: it seem like plots are solely built to kill white tails,

196
00:10:55,480 --> 00:10:58,600
Speaker 2: and I guess a lot of them are, but they

197
00:10:58,600 --> 00:11:01,880
Speaker 2: don't work that way, at least often they don't. They

198
00:11:01,920 --> 00:11:04,240
Speaker 2: work to get us to hunt the same areas over

199
00:11:04,280 --> 00:11:06,240
Speaker 2: and over on the hopes that a hungry dough will

200
00:11:06,320 --> 00:11:09,240
Speaker 2: draw a horny buck in, but mostly it shakes out

201
00:11:09,280 --> 00:11:12,080
Speaker 2: to the deer figure out where we volume hunt and

202
00:11:12,120 --> 00:11:15,559
Speaker 2: they avoid that spot in daylight. Then we get more

203
00:11:15,640 --> 00:11:19,120
Speaker 2: nighttime pictures, which further reinforces what we want to do,

204
00:11:19,480 --> 00:11:22,240
Speaker 2: which is sit the plot. We want to wait out

205
00:11:22,280 --> 00:11:24,520
Speaker 2: a big one in daylight, because after all, he's there

206
00:11:24,559 --> 00:11:27,880
Speaker 2: four nights in a row right after dark. It's just

207
00:11:27,880 --> 00:11:32,719
Speaker 2: a matter of time, right, right, Sometimes but mostly no,

208
00:11:33,160 --> 00:11:36,120
Speaker 2: that's okay, though you might just have to reframe how

209
00:11:36,160 --> 00:11:39,000
Speaker 2: you look at this stuff. Putting in a plot and

210
00:11:39,040 --> 00:11:42,720
Speaker 2: working it is well work. This is true of big plots,

211
00:11:42,720 --> 00:11:45,040
Speaker 2: of course, but also small kill plots, which are kind

212
00:11:45,080 --> 00:11:47,440
Speaker 2: of my specialty. And by that I mean they're the

213
00:11:47,440 --> 00:11:49,480
Speaker 2: only ones I can create because of the land I

214
00:11:49,559 --> 00:11:52,120
Speaker 2: have to work with and the limited amount of machinery

215
00:11:52,160 --> 00:11:54,720
Speaker 2: I have, which mostly boils down to my body in

216
00:11:54,720 --> 00:11:57,560
Speaker 2: a brushcutter. And if I'm really lucky a buddy with

217
00:11:57,600 --> 00:12:01,440
Speaker 2: a chainsaw. Deer don't need us to put food plots in,

218
00:12:01,720 --> 00:12:04,520
Speaker 2: and honestly would probably benefit more if we took that

219
00:12:04,600 --> 00:12:07,839
Speaker 2: time and money and dumped it into timber stand improvement projects.

220
00:12:08,640 --> 00:12:10,960
Speaker 2: They are good at finding food in a variety of

221
00:12:11,080 --> 00:12:14,680
Speaker 2: environments and would probably do better with quality betting areas

222
00:12:14,720 --> 00:12:18,880
Speaker 2: and fawning grounds and the just increased ability to avoid

223
00:12:18,960 --> 00:12:22,480
Speaker 2: predators more easily. But where's the fun in that when

224
00:12:22,520 --> 00:12:24,840
Speaker 2: you can create a spot where deer might go to

225
00:12:25,080 --> 00:12:28,240
Speaker 2: in order to fill their bellies during daylight. And I

226
00:12:28,280 --> 00:12:31,000
Speaker 2: don't want to discourage anyone from doing this, but to

227
00:12:31,120 --> 00:12:34,760
Speaker 2: instead encourage them to understand what they're really doing. They

228
00:12:34,760 --> 00:12:36,880
Speaker 2: aren't helping the deer a whole lot. But you can

229
00:12:37,000 --> 00:12:39,800
Speaker 2: argue both ways of that, and I'd be open to it.

230
00:12:39,840 --> 00:12:42,280
Speaker 2: But you are getting into the woods to work and

231
00:12:42,320 --> 00:12:46,000
Speaker 2: put in some sweat equity, and that's important. They're finding

232
00:12:46,080 --> 00:12:48,199
Speaker 2: a hell of a reason to be out where life

233
00:12:48,240 --> 00:12:51,640
Speaker 2: is good, and that, coupled with some caveman tasks, is

234
00:12:51,679 --> 00:12:54,280
Speaker 2: a great way to spend some time every month. In

235
00:12:54,320 --> 00:12:57,400
Speaker 2: that regard, it really doesn't matter if the deer need

236
00:12:57,440 --> 00:13:00,320
Speaker 2: the clover or oats or whatever, or if it's mostly

237
00:13:00,360 --> 00:13:04,920
Speaker 2: an exercise in getting some work done in a cool environment. Plus,

238
00:13:04,920 --> 00:13:06,760
Speaker 2: if you have kids, the right plot can put a

239
00:13:06,800 --> 00:13:08,480
Speaker 2: deer in front of them in a way that is

240
00:13:08,720 --> 00:13:11,800
Speaker 2: just fun. That's been the most enjoyable part of my

241
00:13:11,840 --> 00:13:13,920
Speaker 2: food plot journey, and I can tell you second place

242
00:13:14,000 --> 00:13:17,319
Speaker 2: is not even close. It's not as effective as baiting,

243
00:13:17,600 --> 00:13:19,640
Speaker 2: which is something else a lot of folks do when

244
00:13:19,679 --> 00:13:23,040
Speaker 2: they can. Some states you can bait all through the fall,

245
00:13:23,080 --> 00:13:26,080
Speaker 2: while in others you can supplemental feed in the off season,

246
00:13:26,320 --> 00:13:28,040
Speaker 2: but I have to close the whole thing down before

247
00:13:28,040 --> 00:13:31,200
Speaker 2: the opener, oftentimes a set amount of days before the opener.

248
00:13:31,840 --> 00:13:34,880
Speaker 2: I look at supplemental feeding in the summer very similarly

249
00:13:34,920 --> 00:13:37,560
Speaker 2: to running a mineral station. If it's legal and you

250
00:13:37,600 --> 00:13:40,199
Speaker 2: want to do it, go nuts. I guess again, it's

251
00:13:40,240 --> 00:13:43,560
Speaker 2: pretty unnecessary and not all that easy to do legally

252
00:13:43,640 --> 00:13:46,840
Speaker 2: given the CWD regulations in so many states, But it

253
00:13:46,880 --> 00:13:49,080
Speaker 2: is an option somewhere, and you might live there. And

254
00:13:49,160 --> 00:13:53,319
Speaker 2: if you do this, remember what you're actually doing. You're

255
00:13:53,360 --> 00:13:55,440
Speaker 2: concentrating the deer in the off season to fill up

256
00:13:55,440 --> 00:13:58,960
Speaker 2: your trail cameras. Summertime, deer don't need an extra pilot

257
00:13:58,960 --> 00:14:02,520
Speaker 2: corner apples to survive. They'll take it. They don't need it.

258
00:14:03,000 --> 00:14:05,880
Speaker 2: If you can't keep that bait going on through the fall,

259
00:14:06,000 --> 00:14:08,160
Speaker 2: what you're doing is giving yourself a false read on

260
00:14:08,240 --> 00:14:11,280
Speaker 2: deer movement. It's not a big deal either way, but

261
00:14:11,360 --> 00:14:13,800
Speaker 2: remember that it's not helping them much and it might

262
00:14:13,840 --> 00:14:16,760
Speaker 2: not be helping you very much. We do a lot

263
00:14:16,800 --> 00:14:19,400
Speaker 2: of this stuff because we want to and we can,

264
00:14:19,640 --> 00:14:23,000
Speaker 2: But as far as being a difference maker for overall

265
00:14:23,040 --> 00:14:26,200
Speaker 2: success in the general hunting population. Most of these efforts

266
00:14:26,360 --> 00:14:30,640
Speaker 2: don't produce great results. Now baiting does, of course, but

267
00:14:30,720 --> 00:14:33,320
Speaker 2: in most places that's an exercise in bringing in dos

268
00:14:33,360 --> 00:14:35,240
Speaker 2: in young bucks with the hopes that a big one

269
00:14:35,280 --> 00:14:39,680
Speaker 2: screws up eventually. Where baiting is legal, it's usually very prevalent,

270
00:14:39,760 --> 00:14:41,760
Speaker 2: and that means that any buck with a few seasons

271
00:14:41,840 --> 00:14:44,400
Speaker 2: under is belt will tend to be a little cagy

272
00:14:44,440 --> 00:14:47,360
Speaker 2: around a pile of the good stuff. You know, it's

273
00:14:47,360 --> 00:14:49,800
Speaker 2: got a camera over it and sits twenty yards away

274
00:14:49,800 --> 00:14:52,800
Speaker 2: from a ladder stand. Now, there is an argument to

275
00:14:52,840 --> 00:14:55,040
Speaker 2: be made with salt or bait or even kill plots,

276
00:14:55,040 --> 00:14:57,080
Speaker 2: at the very least that they show you where bucks

277
00:14:57,080 --> 00:15:00,560
Speaker 2: approach from. Since you're going to run a camera on them,

278
00:15:00,800 --> 00:15:03,280
Speaker 2: Maybe that intel leads you to finding a bedding area

279
00:15:03,440 --> 00:15:06,000
Speaker 2: or a trail that he likes to use. Maybe it doesn't,

280
00:15:06,000 --> 00:15:09,000
Speaker 2: but it's a possibility and it's a benefit. Can also

281
00:15:09,040 --> 00:15:10,920
Speaker 2: show you the frequency in which a buck might be

282
00:15:10,920 --> 00:15:15,240
Speaker 2: in your neighborhood, while something super attractive can feed you

283
00:15:15,320 --> 00:15:18,040
Speaker 2: a false look into a buck's habits. There are situations

284
00:15:18,040 --> 00:15:19,680
Speaker 2: where you might just get a picture of a certain

285
00:15:19,720 --> 00:15:22,840
Speaker 2: deer once every week or every couple of weeks if

286
00:15:22,880 --> 00:15:25,680
Speaker 2: you hunt small properties. This is probably more the rule

287
00:15:25,720 --> 00:15:28,400
Speaker 2: than the exception. I guess my point with all of

288
00:15:28,400 --> 00:15:30,360
Speaker 2: this is to look at what we think we're doing

289
00:15:30,360 --> 00:15:33,520
Speaker 2: for the deer versus what those activities are doing for us,

290
00:15:34,000 --> 00:15:36,920
Speaker 2: and whether they really matter to our hunting success. I

291
00:15:37,000 --> 00:15:38,680
Speaker 2: think a lot of times we do things because we

292
00:15:38,760 --> 00:15:41,480
Speaker 2: can or we think we're supposed to, but the number

293
00:15:41,520 --> 00:15:45,160
Speaker 2: of tags we feel really never changes. In that case,

294
00:15:45,200 --> 00:15:48,000
Speaker 2: the same old stuff or doing what everyone else seems

295
00:15:48,000 --> 00:15:51,520
Speaker 2: to be doing might actually be holding us back. This

296
00:15:51,600 --> 00:15:54,240
Speaker 2: is true in so many facets of deer hunting, but

297
00:15:54,280 --> 00:15:57,240
Speaker 2: a category where it's highly prevalent is in the world

298
00:15:57,320 --> 00:15:59,760
Speaker 2: where we try to provide them with some extra calories

299
00:15:59,800 --> 00:16:03,520
Speaker 2: through whatever legal means are available. And I'd also say this,

300
00:16:04,160 --> 00:16:07,880
Speaker 2: while food plots feel pretty safe for now, baiting and

301
00:16:07,960 --> 00:16:11,080
Speaker 2: running mineral licks aren't methods of inventory gathering or hunting

302
00:16:11,160 --> 00:16:13,800
Speaker 2: I'd be comfortable with over the long haul, just given

303
00:16:13,840 --> 00:16:16,800
Speaker 2: the spread of CWD and the regulations that will follow

304
00:16:16,880 --> 00:16:20,440
Speaker 2: wherever there's a positive test result. This is just another

305
00:16:20,440 --> 00:16:23,120
Speaker 2: consideration because if you have a style that relies on

306
00:16:23,160 --> 00:16:26,760
Speaker 2: those things, you know your hunting strategy might go away

307
00:16:26,800 --> 00:16:31,520
Speaker 2: at any moment. Having a backup style or several never hurts,

308
00:16:31,880 --> 00:16:34,000
Speaker 2: and you guys know how I feel about Plan B

309
00:16:34,160 --> 00:16:38,240
Speaker 2: through Z. Anyway, that's it for this week. Come back

310
00:16:38,280 --> 00:16:40,480
Speaker 2: next week because I'm going to talk about how the

311
00:16:40,520 --> 00:16:43,200
Speaker 2: worst hunting, you know, the kind where we don't have

312
00:16:43,240 --> 00:16:46,480
Speaker 2: any excuses to quit, makes us the best hunters and

313
00:16:46,520 --> 00:16:49,000
Speaker 2: why that's so hard for so many people to handle.

314
00:16:50,800 --> 00:16:52,720
Speaker 2: That's it for this week. I'm Tony Peterson. This has

315
00:16:52,720 --> 00:16:55,280
Speaker 2: been the Wire to Hunt Foundations podcast, which is brought

316
00:16:55,280 --> 00:16:57,520
Speaker 2: to you by First Light. As always, thank you so

317
00:16:57,600 --> 00:17:01,240
Speaker 2: much for listening. Truly appreciate your at every level of

318
00:17:01,280 --> 00:17:03,680
Speaker 2: this thing. It's awesome to see you people show up

319
00:17:03,720 --> 00:17:06,719
Speaker 2: and keep listening to the podcast and watching the videos,

320
00:17:07,480 --> 00:17:10,040
Speaker 2: reading the articles. And if you're not doing that or

321
00:17:10,080 --> 00:17:11,960
Speaker 2: you want to do more of it, the place to

322
00:17:12,040 --> 00:17:18,560
Speaker 2: go is themeeteater dot com. Tons of articles, all the podcasts,

323
00:17:18,560 --> 00:17:20,400
Speaker 2: you know. Go listen to Clay, go listen to meat

324
00:17:20,400 --> 00:17:25,160
Speaker 2: Eater podcast, YouTube videos. You can see some stuff drop

325
00:17:25,240 --> 00:17:27,199
Speaker 2: by me that's maybe not white to hunting, you know,

326
00:17:27,280 --> 00:17:29,480
Speaker 2: check out a turkey show or maybe a phishing show.

327
00:17:30,080 --> 00:17:31,840
Speaker 2: Lots of good stuff over there. Go check it out

328
00:17:31,840 --> 00:17:39,600
Speaker 2: at the meeteater dot com