1 00:00:01,240 --> 00:00:05,080 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 --> 00:00:13,560 Speaker 1: creating proven versatile hunting apparel for the stand, saddle or blind. 4 00:00:14,080 --> 00:00:18,640 Speaker 1: First Light Go Farther, Stay Longer, and now your host 5 00:00:19,000 --> 00:00:19,919 Speaker 1: Tony Peterson. 6 00:00:20,840 --> 00:00:23,800 Speaker 2: Hey everyone, welcome to the Wired to Hunt Foundation's podcast, 7 00:00:23,800 --> 00:00:25,759 Speaker 2: which is brought to you by first Light. I'm your host, 8 00:00:25,800 --> 00:00:28,560 Speaker 2: Tony Peterson. In today's episode is all about mystery and 9 00:00:28,560 --> 00:00:36,280 Speaker 2: the deer woods. Why it's such a good thing? Hey, quick, 10 00:00:36,320 --> 00:00:38,600 Speaker 2: before I get into this, I got to ask you 11 00:00:38,640 --> 00:00:41,200 Speaker 2: guys a favor. If you're not subscribed to the Wired 12 00:00:41,240 --> 00:00:44,120 Speaker 2: to Hunt podcast, can you just do that so my 13 00:00:44,240 --> 00:00:48,040 Speaker 2: boss will leave me alone on this topic. It would 14 00:00:48,080 --> 00:00:50,120 Speaker 2: be really really nice if you did that, if you're 15 00:00:50,159 --> 00:00:52,800 Speaker 2: not already subscribed, so then I can stop asking you 16 00:00:52,840 --> 00:00:58,040 Speaker 2: for stuff like this. Thank you in advance. I put 17 00:00:58,080 --> 00:01:01,520 Speaker 2: some miles on my truck this brand, hunting turkeys in 18 00:01:01,600 --> 00:01:05,360 Speaker 2: a few new locations in Nebraska and Kansas and came 19 00:01:05,440 --> 00:01:09,679 Speaker 2: away with the old feeling that sparked this podcast. It's 20 00:01:09,720 --> 00:01:12,560 Speaker 2: that feeling this keeps me going, you know, new places, 21 00:01:12,640 --> 00:01:15,600 Speaker 2: new experiences, a little of the unknown that stuff goes 22 00:01:15,600 --> 00:01:18,760 Speaker 2: a long ways toward keeping the fire lit, and on 23 00:01:18,800 --> 00:01:21,080 Speaker 2: top of that, I think it makes you a better hunter. 24 00:01:21,440 --> 00:01:23,560 Speaker 2: This sort of thing goes against the grain and with 25 00:01:23,600 --> 00:01:25,280 Speaker 2: a lot of white tail hunting these days, but I 26 00:01:25,280 --> 00:01:27,240 Speaker 2: don't think that's a bad thing. And I know I 27 00:01:27,280 --> 00:01:29,040 Speaker 2: talk about this topic a lot, but I really want 28 00:01:29,040 --> 00:01:31,640 Speaker 2: to dive into it here because I think it's super important. 29 00:01:31,760 --> 00:01:39,920 Speaker 2: So I'm going to do that right now. A few 30 00:01:39,959 --> 00:01:42,000 Speaker 2: weeks ago, I dropped my boat off at a service 31 00:01:42,040 --> 00:01:44,080 Speaker 2: center to get a few things looked at before the 32 00:01:44,080 --> 00:01:46,560 Speaker 2: small mouth moves shallow and I forget about turkeys for 33 00:01:46,640 --> 00:01:49,720 Speaker 2: another year. I happen to bump into an old acquaintance 34 00:01:49,760 --> 00:01:52,640 Speaker 2: of mine from my tournament fishing days, and we struck 35 00:01:52,720 --> 00:01:55,760 Speaker 2: up a conversation. And while a lot of it centered 36 00:01:55,800 --> 00:01:58,360 Speaker 2: on deer in turkey hunting, because like a lot of us, 37 00:01:58,440 --> 00:02:01,080 Speaker 2: he goes pretty hard in the outdoors in several directions, 38 00:02:01,400 --> 00:02:04,400 Speaker 2: but predictably, you know, we got to talking about bass first. 39 00:02:04,920 --> 00:02:07,560 Speaker 2: He's kind of like me, although I hate to admit this, 40 00:02:07,640 --> 00:02:10,280 Speaker 2: but he's a lot better of a fisherman, but he 41 00:02:10,360 --> 00:02:12,160 Speaker 2: is like me in a way that he's mostly stopped 42 00:02:12,160 --> 00:02:15,640 Speaker 2: fishing for a trophy and has just stayed fishing like 43 00:02:15,680 --> 00:02:19,639 Speaker 2: a fiend because it's damn fun. We talked about a 44 00:02:19,680 --> 00:02:22,880 Speaker 2: few different tours we competed against one another on, but 45 00:02:23,000 --> 00:02:25,520 Speaker 2: mostly about our mutual friends and what they are up to, 46 00:02:26,000 --> 00:02:29,920 Speaker 2: And finally we got onto the topic of forward facing sonar. Now, 47 00:02:29,919 --> 00:02:31,640 Speaker 2: if you don't know what this is, I'll give you 48 00:02:31,680 --> 00:02:36,800 Speaker 2: a brief and probably somewhat inaccurate rundown. Imagine your typical 49 00:02:36,919 --> 00:02:39,919 Speaker 2: depth finder which shows you a view of what's below 50 00:02:39,919 --> 00:02:43,440 Speaker 2: your boat, Or at least they used to. But over 51 00:02:43,480 --> 00:02:45,440 Speaker 2: time the big brains at some of the fishing and 52 00:02:45,440 --> 00:02:49,680 Speaker 2: electronics companies realized they could probably angle transducers to the 53 00:02:49,760 --> 00:02:52,480 Speaker 2: sides and show fishermen not only what was under the boat, 54 00:02:52,840 --> 00:02:56,040 Speaker 2: but what kind of structure was within casting distance on 55 00:02:56,160 --> 00:02:59,480 Speaker 2: each side of your boat. And side imaging is damn 56 00:02:59,480 --> 00:03:02,239 Speaker 2: cool if ever used it, and the rocks and sunken 57 00:03:02,280 --> 00:03:04,080 Speaker 2: trees and all kinds of stuff you can see with 58 00:03:04,160 --> 00:03:07,240 Speaker 2: it change how you fish. That was only a matter 59 00:03:07,280 --> 00:03:09,440 Speaker 2: of time before someone decided to point the whole thing 60 00:03:09,840 --> 00:03:12,160 Speaker 2: toward the front of the boat, juice it up a 61 00:03:12,160 --> 00:03:15,280 Speaker 2: bit to make it a bit more sensitive, and voila 62 00:03:16,080 --> 00:03:19,840 Speaker 2: you have forward facing sonar. Now that might not sound 63 00:03:19,919 --> 00:03:22,760 Speaker 2: like a big deal, but if you use it, or 64 00:03:22,800 --> 00:03:26,080 Speaker 2: better yet, fish with someone who knows how to use it, 65 00:03:26,080 --> 00:03:29,880 Speaker 2: it's a game changer for real. I'd say the difference 66 00:03:29,919 --> 00:03:32,399 Speaker 2: between it and the older graphs would be like using 67 00:03:32,480 --> 00:03:36,240 Speaker 2: a brand new crossbow versus busting out an old re curve. 68 00:03:37,760 --> 00:03:41,560 Speaker 2: Forward facing sonar is so effective at not only showing 69 00:03:41,600 --> 00:03:44,000 Speaker 2: you whether fish are in front of you, but where 70 00:03:44,040 --> 00:03:47,000 Speaker 2: they are in the water column or how they're relating 71 00:03:47,000 --> 00:03:50,800 Speaker 2: the structure. It's a different thing entirely a factor in 72 00:03:50,840 --> 00:03:53,240 Speaker 2: that you can also see your lure or your presentation, 73 00:03:53,800 --> 00:03:56,839 Speaker 2: even a small croppy jig, and then you can see 74 00:03:56,840 --> 00:03:59,160 Speaker 2: the fish moving in to eat it or swimming away 75 00:03:59,160 --> 00:04:01,640 Speaker 2: because they're spooked, and you start to see where this 76 00:04:01,680 --> 00:04:05,040 Speaker 2: is going. Now, in some situations, like where you have 77 00:04:05,080 --> 00:04:07,880 Speaker 2: a boulder field or maybe a rocky point in front 78 00:04:07,920 --> 00:04:10,960 Speaker 2: of you, you can pull up and see whether there 79 00:04:10,960 --> 00:04:14,000 Speaker 2: are any fish even to cast too. If not, you 80 00:04:14,040 --> 00:04:18,280 Speaker 2: can move. For species like muskies, this is something that 81 00:04:18,320 --> 00:04:21,159 Speaker 2: takes the fish of ten thousand casts and turns it 82 00:04:21,200 --> 00:04:24,960 Speaker 2: into the fish of not very many casts. What I 83 00:04:25,000 --> 00:04:28,440 Speaker 2: know about this technology is that it works insanely well 84 00:04:28,960 --> 00:04:31,200 Speaker 2: and when it comes down in price to where the 85 00:04:31,240 --> 00:04:34,040 Speaker 2: average fishermen might have it, there's probably going to be 86 00:04:34,080 --> 00:04:37,080 Speaker 2: some new laws regulating it. It's probably going to impact 87 00:04:37,080 --> 00:04:39,480 Speaker 2: the resource. There just isn't any other way to look 88 00:04:39,520 --> 00:04:41,560 Speaker 2: at it, I don't think. And it's a shame too, 89 00:04:41,600 --> 00:04:44,960 Speaker 2: because forward facing sonar is fun to use and it 90 00:04:44,960 --> 00:04:48,440 Speaker 2: can teach you a lot about fish behavior, but it's 91 00:04:48,520 --> 00:04:51,960 Speaker 2: also a big step toward taking the mystery right out 92 00:04:52,000 --> 00:04:54,800 Speaker 2: of fishing. And if fishing is good for one thing, 93 00:04:55,279 --> 00:04:58,640 Speaker 2: it's the promise of something cool happening at any moment, 94 00:04:59,120 --> 00:05:03,039 Speaker 2: even if that thing thing mostly doesn't happen. Sounds a 95 00:05:03,080 --> 00:05:06,719 Speaker 2: little like deer hunting, doesn't it, And we are working 96 00:05:06,839 --> 00:05:09,599 Speaker 2: hard to take the mystery out of deer hunting. I 97 00:05:09,600 --> 00:05:12,960 Speaker 2: had a conversation recently with a fella about selling one 98 00:05:13,000 --> 00:05:15,760 Speaker 2: of my properties, and he mentioned that he just came 99 00:05:15,800 --> 00:05:19,279 Speaker 2: across a cheap ish trail camera that uses AI to 100 00:05:19,400 --> 00:05:23,120 Speaker 2: identify individual bucks and then factors in when they were 101 00:05:23,200 --> 00:05:26,240 Speaker 2: moving and what conditions were prevalent to try to predict 102 00:05:26,320 --> 00:05:30,479 Speaker 2: when that individual buck will move again. Now, this guy 103 00:05:30,600 --> 00:05:33,720 Speaker 2: was all in on that idea, but I wasn't you know, 104 00:05:33,880 --> 00:05:36,600 Speaker 2: different strokes for different folks and all that jazz. But 105 00:05:36,640 --> 00:05:39,559 Speaker 2: here's the thing, though, that shit is coming and it'll 106 00:05:39,640 --> 00:05:42,120 Speaker 2: change the game for a lot of us. We will 107 00:05:42,200 --> 00:05:44,479 Speaker 2: use it to try to hunt precisely when we should 108 00:05:44,560 --> 00:05:48,120 Speaker 2: be able to kill, and it'll work some, it should 109 00:05:48,200 --> 00:05:50,919 Speaker 2: work a little bit, but mostly we will use it 110 00:05:50,960 --> 00:05:54,400 Speaker 2: as a reason to hunt and a reason to not hunt. 111 00:05:54,600 --> 00:05:57,279 Speaker 2: And if the software gets good enough to predict individual 112 00:05:57,320 --> 00:06:02,400 Speaker 2: buck movement, it will be a huge, huge, huge hit 113 00:06:02,760 --> 00:06:05,880 Speaker 2: amongst hunters. There will be a lot of us who 114 00:06:06,000 --> 00:06:09,400 Speaker 2: kill more bucks and more bigger bucks, but who also 115 00:06:09,480 --> 00:06:12,440 Speaker 2: don't get better at deer hunting. In fact, a lot 116 00:06:12,480 --> 00:06:14,760 Speaker 2: of that stuff will probably make us worse deer hunters 117 00:06:14,760 --> 00:06:17,360 Speaker 2: in general. But it really won't matter to most of us. 118 00:06:18,320 --> 00:06:21,320 Speaker 2: But if that matters to you, or the idea of 119 00:06:21,360 --> 00:06:25,640 Speaker 2: it just doesn't sit well, then consider why. Maybe you're 120 00:06:25,720 --> 00:06:29,520 Speaker 2: hardwired to solve a problem because you wouldn't like deer 121 00:06:29,600 --> 00:06:32,839 Speaker 2: hunting if you weren't that way, at least to some extent. 122 00:06:33,760 --> 00:06:36,720 Speaker 2: That's the best part about the outdoor stuff. It's not 123 00:06:36,760 --> 00:06:39,160 Speaker 2: the grip and grins and getting seventy one likes on 124 00:06:39,200 --> 00:06:43,400 Speaker 2: your trophy photos. It's willingly engaging in something that forces 125 00:06:43,400 --> 00:06:47,200 Speaker 2: you to solve a problem, often many of them in succession, 126 00:06:47,640 --> 00:06:51,360 Speaker 2: to finally fill that tag. But also think about it 127 00:06:51,440 --> 00:06:56,599 Speaker 2: this way. What's really cool about deer hunting to you? Specifically? 128 00:06:56,760 --> 00:07:00,360 Speaker 2: I mean, is it running cameras and glassing all to 129 00:07:00,400 --> 00:07:03,120 Speaker 2: find your hitlister and then drilling down to kill only 130 00:07:03,200 --> 00:07:07,080 Speaker 2: him throughout the season? Okay, you do you, but think 131 00:07:07,120 --> 00:07:09,479 Speaker 2: about it a little bit differently. One of the things 132 00:07:09,560 --> 00:07:12,440 Speaker 2: that I love about deer hunting is hearing a stick 133 00:07:12,480 --> 00:07:16,920 Speaker 2: crack at prime time and just knowing someone is going 134 00:07:17,000 --> 00:07:19,280 Speaker 2: to come down the trail. But is it a fourky 135 00:07:19,520 --> 00:07:23,040 Speaker 2: or a one to fifty, a dough, a buck, a raccoon? 136 00:07:23,240 --> 00:07:26,520 Speaker 2: Who knows? But that space between hearing the stick crack 137 00:07:26,600 --> 00:07:31,800 Speaker 2: and something materializing is damn fun. What about when you're 138 00:07:31,840 --> 00:07:34,640 Speaker 2: sitting on stand just having a look around and you 139 00:07:34,720 --> 00:07:37,040 Speaker 2: catch a glimpse of movement in the woods. Is it 140 00:07:37,120 --> 00:07:40,239 Speaker 2: just another fox, squirrel, a blue jay or a deer? 141 00:07:40,560 --> 00:07:42,960 Speaker 2: And if it is a deer, what deer is it? 142 00:07:43,640 --> 00:07:46,040 Speaker 2: What about when you just get sick of sitting the 143 00:07:46,160 --> 00:07:49,560 Speaker 2: usual stands and you go make a natural blind somewhere 144 00:07:49,560 --> 00:07:52,960 Speaker 2: that you usually don't hunt. How does that feel different 145 00:07:53,440 --> 00:07:56,559 Speaker 2: from the stands you always go to because it will 146 00:07:56,600 --> 00:07:59,720 Speaker 2: feel different. Where I'm going with this is just to 147 00:07:59,720 --> 00:08:03,240 Speaker 2: act ask you to think about the little parts of 148 00:08:03,280 --> 00:08:07,600 Speaker 2: deer hunting that make it so fun. Walking into your 149 00:08:07,680 --> 00:08:10,480 Speaker 2: setup and seeing a fresh scrape or a fresh rub 150 00:08:10,840 --> 00:08:14,320 Speaker 2: and wondering if something new and antlerie is about to 151 00:08:14,400 --> 00:08:17,760 Speaker 2: stroll through at some point. That's fun. There are a 152 00:08:17,840 --> 00:08:20,840 Speaker 2: lot of different ways the unknown can make deer hunting special. 153 00:08:21,160 --> 00:08:25,360 Speaker 2: But here's the rub. We won't seek it out mostly. 154 00:08:26,400 --> 00:08:28,360 Speaker 2: I kind of look at this like the new weight 155 00:08:28,400 --> 00:08:31,600 Speaker 2: loss drugs that have taken over the market. Anyone with 156 00:08:31,640 --> 00:08:34,679 Speaker 2: the money or probably good enough insurance can now use 157 00:08:34,720 --> 00:08:39,920 Speaker 2: an appetite suppressant and probably drop some pounds. It's simple, 158 00:08:40,640 --> 00:08:43,920 Speaker 2: and yet it's not. Now. Going from an unhealthy weight 159 00:08:43,920 --> 00:08:46,960 Speaker 2: to a healthy weight and not experiencing any side effects 160 00:08:47,040 --> 00:08:50,760 Speaker 2: is objectively a good thing, there's no question there. But 161 00:08:50,920 --> 00:08:54,320 Speaker 2: losing that weight from an injection is different from losing 162 00:08:54,360 --> 00:08:57,480 Speaker 2: that weight through discipline. The result might seem like the 163 00:08:57,480 --> 00:09:00,719 Speaker 2: same thing, but it's not. The person who uses the 164 00:09:00,800 --> 00:09:05,000 Speaker 2: drug to get skinny hasn't changed as a person mentally 165 00:09:05,320 --> 00:09:10,000 Speaker 2: psychologically besides weighing less. The person who loses the weight 166 00:09:10,040 --> 00:09:13,720 Speaker 2: through diet and exercise has fundamentally changed themselves as a 167 00:09:13,760 --> 00:09:17,400 Speaker 2: person to some extent. Now we can skin these kiddies 168 00:09:17,400 --> 00:09:19,760 Speaker 2: a whole bunch of different ways. But on the deer 169 00:09:19,840 --> 00:09:23,200 Speaker 2: hunting front, if we have an easy way out, we 170 00:09:23,440 --> 00:09:27,400 Speaker 2: generally take it. I'm not above it, and neither are you, probably, 171 00:09:27,880 --> 00:09:30,960 Speaker 2: But when we do that, we almost inevitably miss out 172 00:09:30,960 --> 00:09:33,640 Speaker 2: on that crucial component of hunting that makes it so 173 00:09:33,800 --> 00:09:36,920 Speaker 2: special and so different from most of our day to 174 00:09:37,000 --> 00:09:40,360 Speaker 2: day lives, where we know exactly what's going to happen, 175 00:09:40,679 --> 00:09:54,280 Speaker 2: and it's honestly not that exciting. So how do you 176 00:09:54,320 --> 00:09:58,360 Speaker 2: get some mystery back? Well, you have to fight your 177 00:09:58,480 --> 00:10:01,960 Speaker 2: nature mostly and make an effort to do something different. 178 00:10:02,240 --> 00:10:04,200 Speaker 2: I go back and forth on this because it's nice 179 00:10:04,240 --> 00:10:07,000 Speaker 2: to default to some hunting scenarios where I know if 180 00:10:07,000 --> 00:10:11,240 Speaker 2: I do this, then that will probably happen. My spring 181 00:10:11,320 --> 00:10:13,439 Speaker 2: turkey hunting this year is a prime example of that. 182 00:10:13,960 --> 00:10:16,839 Speaker 2: Now at home, I hunted two properties by my house 183 00:10:17,080 --> 00:10:19,520 Speaker 2: that have lots of birds and where I can set 184 00:10:19,559 --> 00:10:24,040 Speaker 2: up for them. Works really well. My daughters killed Tom's 185 00:10:24,040 --> 00:10:25,760 Speaker 2: in the first few days of the season, and then 186 00:10:25,800 --> 00:10:29,640 Speaker 2: I wrote a Tom. It wasn't challenging really, and while 187 00:10:29,679 --> 00:10:32,760 Speaker 2: it was fun, especially for the girls, there wasn't a 188 00:10:32,760 --> 00:10:35,520 Speaker 2: ton of mystery involved. I know it's just a question 189 00:10:35,720 --> 00:10:38,560 Speaker 2: enough blind time and the toms will eventually respond to 190 00:10:38,600 --> 00:10:42,000 Speaker 2: my calling on those places. And because of that, and 191 00:10:42,040 --> 00:10:44,080 Speaker 2: because I know that I don't always get what I 192 00:10:44,120 --> 00:10:47,079 Speaker 2: need out of hunts like that, I impulsively did two 193 00:10:47,200 --> 00:10:50,640 Speaker 2: things and I've talked about. I bought a Nebraska tag 194 00:10:50,880 --> 00:10:52,760 Speaker 2: and told myself I was going to hunt some piece 195 00:10:52,760 --> 00:10:54,920 Speaker 2: of public land somewhere that I had never set foot on. 196 00:10:55,320 --> 00:10:57,480 Speaker 2: And I applied for a Kansas tag with the exact 197 00:10:57,520 --> 00:10:58,439 Speaker 2: same goal in mind. 198 00:10:59,400 --> 00:10:59,480 Speaker 1: Now. 199 00:10:59,480 --> 00:11:02,480 Speaker 2: I didn't find much in Nebraska for deer sign but man, 200 00:11:02,559 --> 00:11:04,840 Speaker 2: was it fun to finally shoot a jake. After roaming 201 00:11:04,880 --> 00:11:07,800 Speaker 2: new ground for a few days in Kansas, which was 202 00:11:07,840 --> 00:11:09,880 Speaker 2: a hunt that I probably did the least amount of 203 00:11:09,880 --> 00:11:12,360 Speaker 2: planning for that I've ever done at any point in 204 00:11:12,360 --> 00:11:14,800 Speaker 2: my life, I managed to stumble into a piece of 205 00:11:14,840 --> 00:11:17,400 Speaker 2: ground that was full of turkeys and had quite a 206 00:11:17,440 --> 00:11:20,800 Speaker 2: few deer on it, as well as quail and pheasants. 207 00:11:21,280 --> 00:11:24,199 Speaker 2: I also learned that Kansas has four kinds of rattlesnakes 208 00:11:24,200 --> 00:11:26,360 Speaker 2: and a hell of a lot of scorpions, which like 209 00:11:26,440 --> 00:11:29,160 Speaker 2: to hide where guys like me like to look for fossils, 210 00:11:29,200 --> 00:11:31,720 Speaker 2: and very close to where guys like me like to camp. 211 00:11:32,559 --> 00:11:34,679 Speaker 2: Now in Kansas, I managed to call in a hen 212 00:11:34,720 --> 00:11:36,959 Speaker 2: who was desperately trying to shake off one of those 213 00:11:37,000 --> 00:11:40,920 Speaker 2: super jakes, and after I shot him, I realized how 214 00:11:40,960 --> 00:11:44,520 Speaker 2: different I felt on those type of hunts. There's an 215 00:11:44,640 --> 00:11:47,240 Speaker 2: uncertainty to a ten hour drive to some state you've 216 00:11:47,240 --> 00:11:49,960 Speaker 2: only been to a handful of times and then trying 217 00:11:49,960 --> 00:11:52,240 Speaker 2: to find some public land that will offer you up 218 00:11:52,280 --> 00:11:56,080 Speaker 2: a decent hunt and a decent chance. But that land 219 00:11:56,160 --> 00:12:00,160 Speaker 2: you've never set foot on is chock full of mystery. 220 00:12:00,720 --> 00:12:03,560 Speaker 2: Are there birds there? Or are there any deer here? 221 00:12:04,000 --> 00:12:06,880 Speaker 2: How about? What's the hunting pressure? Like? Is it light? 222 00:12:07,120 --> 00:12:10,040 Speaker 2: And if it is, why, If it's not, when will 223 00:12:10,040 --> 00:12:12,920 Speaker 2: it be? Where will the animals go when it's not. 224 00:12:13,679 --> 00:12:15,760 Speaker 2: This is the thing that drives me so nuts about 225 00:12:15,760 --> 00:12:18,640 Speaker 2: this movement to boot non residents out of every state 226 00:12:19,040 --> 00:12:22,680 Speaker 2: so that we can all have theoretically easier hunting at home. 227 00:12:23,760 --> 00:12:27,400 Speaker 2: When we do that, besides acting like anti hunters in 228 00:12:27,440 --> 00:12:32,360 Speaker 2: our own right kind of, we are removing the opportunity 229 00:12:32,440 --> 00:12:35,200 Speaker 2: for someone to just go try to find a little 230 00:12:35,240 --> 00:12:39,160 Speaker 2: mystery somewhere else, because it's often hard to find at home, 231 00:12:39,240 --> 00:12:42,040 Speaker 2: given the fact that we can learn properties well when 232 00:12:42,080 --> 00:12:45,320 Speaker 2: we live right where we hunt. But you might not 233 00:12:45,360 --> 00:12:48,800 Speaker 2: want to travel, and that's okay. You can force yourself 234 00:12:48,800 --> 00:12:50,520 Speaker 2: to engage in a bit of the unknown at home 235 00:12:50,559 --> 00:12:53,240 Speaker 2: as well. Now, this might be the most crucial step 236 00:12:53,320 --> 00:12:55,640 Speaker 2: for most of us to level up our big buck game. 237 00:12:55,800 --> 00:12:59,040 Speaker 2: If I'm being totally honest, I think that we look 238 00:12:59,080 --> 00:13:02,800 Speaker 2: at big bucks like this. They are largely unkillable at 239 00:13:02,840 --> 00:13:05,840 Speaker 2: any given point in the season, But they are actually 240 00:13:05,960 --> 00:13:09,400 Speaker 2: mostly unkillable where we hunt most of the season, and 241 00:13:09,400 --> 00:13:11,800 Speaker 2: by that I mean from the stands and blinds we 242 00:13:11,880 --> 00:13:15,000 Speaker 2: choose to hunt the most. This is obviously why we 243 00:13:15,080 --> 00:13:17,240 Speaker 2: like the rut so much, because we get to generally 244 00:13:17,320 --> 00:13:20,320 Speaker 2: hunt where we want to and how we want to, 245 00:13:20,840 --> 00:13:22,920 Speaker 2: and the odds of a good one coming through tick 246 00:13:23,000 --> 00:13:26,200 Speaker 2: up somewhat. But what about the rest of the dear seasons? 247 00:13:26,559 --> 00:13:28,720 Speaker 2: And what about all those days when the rut doesn't 248 00:13:28,720 --> 00:13:30,760 Speaker 2: seem to be happening at all, and you just sit 249 00:13:30,800 --> 00:13:33,600 Speaker 2: your favorite stand watching squirrels and wondering what the hell 250 00:13:33,679 --> 00:13:37,679 Speaker 2: is going on? Ask yourself some questions, and then go 251 00:13:37,720 --> 00:13:40,640 Speaker 2: try to answer them. If what you're doing isn't working, 252 00:13:40,720 --> 00:13:44,280 Speaker 2: it's because what you're doing doesn't work very well. I 253 00:13:44,280 --> 00:13:47,880 Speaker 2: think the loudest anti non resident voices need to hear this, 254 00:13:48,160 --> 00:13:50,200 Speaker 2: because there is good hunting on public land in a 255 00:13:50,240 --> 00:13:53,160 Speaker 2: lot of places, and if you can't get it done, 256 00:13:53,320 --> 00:13:55,640 Speaker 2: it might not be because I might show up for 257 00:13:55,679 --> 00:13:58,600 Speaker 2: a few days and hunt the same parcel. It's often 258 00:13:58,679 --> 00:14:02,680 Speaker 2: because of what you're doing that doesn't work. We make 259 00:14:02,760 --> 00:14:05,280 Speaker 2: a lot of mistakes, and we dig in our heels 260 00:14:05,320 --> 00:14:09,080 Speaker 2: and we all do this, and instead of going why, 261 00:14:09,520 --> 00:14:12,160 Speaker 2: we often double down and triple down and beat that 262 00:14:12,240 --> 00:14:14,920 Speaker 2: dang dead horse until it's just a bloody pulp out 263 00:14:14,920 --> 00:14:19,520 Speaker 2: in the pasture. A better bet is to go. If 264 00:14:19,560 --> 00:14:23,600 Speaker 2: not this, then what what am I missing? What can 265 00:14:23,640 --> 00:14:27,000 Speaker 2: I try that might change up everything for me? The 266 00:14:27,040 --> 00:14:29,520 Speaker 2: real problem with this is that we often have very 267 00:14:29,560 --> 00:14:32,760 Speaker 2: little confidence in chasing the unknown, so we just don't 268 00:14:32,760 --> 00:14:36,480 Speaker 2: do it. I fight this all the time when I 269 00:14:36,520 --> 00:14:38,800 Speaker 2: have a dear situation where it seems like they are 270 00:14:38,840 --> 00:14:42,320 Speaker 2: breaking my mental rules about deer behavior that I have 271 00:14:42,480 --> 00:14:45,920 Speaker 2: all gelled up in my smooth brain. I often fight 272 00:14:45,960 --> 00:14:48,000 Speaker 2: a battle against myself to leave what I think I 273 00:14:48,040 --> 00:14:52,320 Speaker 2: should do for something that will yield unpredictable results, but 274 00:14:52,440 --> 00:14:56,840 Speaker 2: maybe better results. That's harder than most of us realize, 275 00:14:57,000 --> 00:14:58,960 Speaker 2: but it's the secret sauce to figuring out what to 276 00:14:59,080 --> 00:15:02,280 Speaker 2: do and what not to do. Forcing yourself to just 277 00:15:02,360 --> 00:15:04,680 Speaker 2: run a camera and a question mark spot is a 278 00:15:04,680 --> 00:15:07,960 Speaker 2: baby step in the right direction here because it'll show 279 00:15:08,000 --> 00:15:10,960 Speaker 2: you something that you don't know. It will make you go, hmm, 280 00:15:11,960 --> 00:15:15,600 Speaker 2: that's kind of interesting. Walking a whole creek bottom on 281 00:15:15,640 --> 00:15:18,080 Speaker 2: public land to look at every crossing. We'll do this too. 282 00:15:19,000 --> 00:15:22,760 Speaker 2: Glassing multiple nights in a row during the summer, that'll 283 00:15:22,800 --> 00:15:25,920 Speaker 2: do it too. The bachelor group might not show on 284 00:15:25,920 --> 00:15:28,640 Speaker 2: one night, but be sick as thieves the next night, 285 00:15:29,120 --> 00:15:32,520 Speaker 2: and then you have to ask yourself why. This is 286 00:15:32,560 --> 00:15:35,080 Speaker 2: one of the biggest reasons I think having at least 287 00:15:35,120 --> 00:15:38,640 Speaker 2: one mobile setup, whether that's a saddle or a lightweight stand, 288 00:15:38,680 --> 00:15:43,200 Speaker 2: matters a lot. The ability and the willingness to go, 289 00:15:43,760 --> 00:15:46,280 Speaker 2: you know what, I'm going to sneak in and sit 290 00:15:46,360 --> 00:15:49,080 Speaker 2: that island in the swamp just for the hell of it. 291 00:15:49,760 --> 00:15:53,120 Speaker 2: That stuff's huge. There is mystery to that. And putting 292 00:15:53,160 --> 00:15:56,440 Speaker 2: yourself somewhere new, somewhere different, to let the dear show 293 00:15:56,480 --> 00:16:00,000 Speaker 2: you something is a great way to kill more big bucks. 294 00:16:00,840 --> 00:16:03,080 Speaker 2: I think about how often my buddies and I will 295 00:16:03,080 --> 00:16:07,040 Speaker 2: pheasant hunt a property one way over and over, season 296 00:16:07,040 --> 00:16:10,240 Speaker 2: after season, and then for some reason, at some point, 297 00:16:10,640 --> 00:16:13,960 Speaker 2: often because of the conditions or the wind direction, we'll 298 00:16:14,040 --> 00:16:16,960 Speaker 2: just hunt it a different way, and the roosters will 299 00:16:17,000 --> 00:16:20,480 Speaker 2: do what the roosters aren't supposed to do. I guess 300 00:16:20,480 --> 00:16:22,600 Speaker 2: what I'm trying to say is that it's dangerous to 301 00:16:22,640 --> 00:16:25,200 Speaker 2: think we know too much and to use that to 302 00:16:25,280 --> 00:16:27,640 Speaker 2: keep us from being curious about what we don't know. 303 00:16:28,360 --> 00:16:31,320 Speaker 2: We make educated guesses all of the time in deer hunting, 304 00:16:31,440 --> 00:16:33,760 Speaker 2: and in fact, that's kind of how the whole thing 305 00:16:33,840 --> 00:16:36,920 Speaker 2: is played. But when we make those guesses, we often 306 00:16:36,960 --> 00:16:40,080 Speaker 2: don't see them through. We go where the hell did 307 00:16:40,120 --> 00:16:43,600 Speaker 2: that big deer end up all season long? Well? Did 308 00:16:43,600 --> 00:16:46,720 Speaker 2: you go look for him or his sign? Did you 309 00:16:46,760 --> 00:16:48,960 Speaker 2: move your cameras around to see if you could find him? 310 00:16:49,240 --> 00:16:51,560 Speaker 2: Did you decide it was safer to not do any 311 00:16:51,640 --> 00:16:53,680 Speaker 2: of those things for fear of bumping him off of 312 00:16:53,720 --> 00:16:57,560 Speaker 2: his pattern, which is ironic because he's already off whatever 313 00:16:57,600 --> 00:17:01,560 Speaker 2: pattern he is supposed to be on. Those thoughts don't 314 00:17:01,560 --> 00:17:04,920 Speaker 2: come into play on over the road hunts nearly as much, 315 00:17:05,000 --> 00:17:07,320 Speaker 2: which is why I like them. They teach you to 316 00:17:07,359 --> 00:17:09,800 Speaker 2: be curious and try to answer your questions before the 317 00:17:09,800 --> 00:17:13,280 Speaker 2: clock runs out. But our home ground hunts they do 318 00:17:13,359 --> 00:17:16,399 Speaker 2: the opposite. We play it safe and tamp down our 319 00:17:16,440 --> 00:17:19,560 Speaker 2: curiosity for fear of getting things wrong. But that is 320 00:17:19,600 --> 00:17:22,440 Speaker 2: a move as well, and it's often the wrong one, 321 00:17:22,840 --> 00:17:26,920 Speaker 2: and it's also often way less fun, which is maybe 322 00:17:26,960 --> 00:17:29,720 Speaker 2: what I should say to wrap this podcast up. You 323 00:17:29,760 --> 00:17:32,320 Speaker 2: want to have fun out there on every hunt or 324 00:17:32,400 --> 00:17:36,960 Speaker 2: during every scouting trip, then embrace the mystery, be curious, 325 00:17:37,000 --> 00:17:40,480 Speaker 2: and when you are try to satisfy that curiosity. Ask 326 00:17:40,520 --> 00:17:43,160 Speaker 2: yourself what you don't know and how you could come 327 00:17:43,200 --> 00:17:46,919 Speaker 2: to know something. Don't be afraid of the unknown out there, 328 00:17:46,960 --> 00:17:49,240 Speaker 2: because it'll teach you more than the things we already 329 00:17:49,320 --> 00:17:51,399 Speaker 2: know to be true about the deer that we hunt, 330 00:17:52,000 --> 00:17:54,560 Speaker 2: or the things we think we know to be true. 331 00:17:54,720 --> 00:17:56,919 Speaker 2: Mystery and the outdoors is good, and if you learn 332 00:17:57,040 --> 00:18:00,560 Speaker 2: to love it, you'll kill more. Big Bucks promise you that, 333 00:18:01,200 --> 00:18:03,280 Speaker 2: and I promise you if you come back next week, 334 00:18:03,480 --> 00:18:05,600 Speaker 2: I'll talk about something that is front and center in 335 00:18:05,680 --> 00:18:10,400 Speaker 2: my life, hunting small properties with high amounts of pressure. 336 00:18:11,760 --> 00:18:14,119 Speaker 2: That's it for this episode. I'm Tony Peterson and this 337 00:18:14,160 --> 00:18:16,639 Speaker 2: has been the Wire to Hunt Foundations podcast, which is 338 00:18:16,680 --> 00:18:19,520 Speaker 2: brought to you by First Light. As always, thank you 339 00:18:19,600 --> 00:18:22,200 Speaker 2: so much for listening. Thank you so much for going 340 00:18:22,200 --> 00:18:26,040 Speaker 2: over to the mediator dot com, watching our films, reading 341 00:18:26,040 --> 00:18:30,119 Speaker 2: our articles, maybe grabbing a recipe off of there, you know, 342 00:18:30,200 --> 00:18:33,600 Speaker 2: doing the crossword puzzle, whatever. Lots of good stuff there 343 00:18:33,640 --> 00:18:35,159 Speaker 2: while you're there. If you get the itch to do 344 00:18:35,160 --> 00:18:37,399 Speaker 2: a little shopping, you can check out the Mediator Store. 345 00:18:37,880 --> 00:18:40,440 Speaker 2: But check out the content that we drop. 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