00:00:00 Speaker 1: Hey, I'm Tyler and and you're listening to the Element podcast. She said, Okay, guys, today we were doing a Q and A session. We just kind of came up with this last second. I'm in Austin, Texas right now, and k C is actually back home. What's weird is it's um usually sunshiny in Austin, but it's raining, and it's been raining at home like crazy. But it's sunshiny there. I believe right, that is correct. It's a nice day outside, kind of bordering on hot. You can definitely feel that um summer pushing in. It's weird how spring is so short where we live. But the vegetables are locking it. So that's all. It's that's what matters right now. It's killed man. Ailers are growing, yeah, anilers are going, Tomatoes are growing. It's all good, man, I think, uh, you know, I'm down here right now. Actually, my wife is a coach here at our local school, and the girls are in the state softball tournament. They're actually playing in the state game, which has been postponed, so you and I are doing this but the rain has postponed the game. But there they have made it to the state game. So we're we're rooting for him. Hopefully tonight that will happen. But that's right. Uh. In the meantime, last night I went and spent all of my money at Die do A because it was so good. It was literally one of the best meals I've ever had. You know, we had Jesse Griffiths on the podcast last last week, I believe it was, and um, we you know, we're down here in Austin for the state tournament. We're like, oh, yeah, we're going. So I took a couple of friends of ours and our kids and everything and went to Die do A and Jesse had just come back from Port O'Connor and was able to scrounge up enough blue crabs that he fried us up a softshell or two and gave us this. I mean, the dish was incredible, dude. It had this like uh room all aid or however you said that room a lot uh sauce and and um like these ment leaves on it, which you wouldn't think would go good with fried softshell. But it was like heaven, dude, it was so good. We had Neil guys, we had they had um the people that are with us had a wag you steak we had. Um actually had black drum for the first time. It was uh just great, you know, I mean as far as you know. Actually, well that's true. A lot of times when you eat seafood at the at especially in Texas, a lot of times it's black drum because they do so well with aquaculture. Oh yeah, yeah for sure. Yeah. So um yeah, that was the first time I know of that I had black drum, right, So, but it was, oh, it was so good, dude. And like you know, obviously everything that Jesse does, he's tested it several times to the point that it's just amazing, know, and they've got it down, and it was crazy. That means Jesse easy himself exactly. Well, so I just actually saw where he posted on Instagram just a second or just a little bit ago that uh this this mound of blue crabs that he had, uh he had uh boiled up, I guess for his dinner tonight. So I was like dying, man. He literally gave me one of his soft shells, you know, like this wasn't something they were going to put in the in the shop, you know, So pretty cool deal man. UM super appreciative of what he did for us, man, and big time awesome surprise that people were with enjoyed it just I mean, they loved it so really cool. Um. But now we're trying to burn through these Q and A questions or these questions with some of our answers. I guess, um, and we thought it would be a good idea just to uh, since we're kind of a part to do this kind of format, and threw it together today and a bunch of people had questions, so we're gonna start throw owing them out there and answering on them. Um, I guess unless you have something you wanted to talk about, No, man, that sounds great. I would rather just do this Q and A stuff as opposed to talk about me, good man, because there's some there's some really good questions man that I've said several times you already I'm excited to answer, so um with that, I'm gonna I'm gonna go through some on my end. You've got someone you're end. We'll both try to answer if we both have an answer, and if we don't, we'll move on. We're gonna try to get through these all, um, everyone that we've seen and if you have if you have more, We'll try to throw some of those into the next episode maybe or something like that some at some point. So thank you for these. Um. I guess the first one I kind of want to talk about here is from Luke m c D forty four on Instagram. He said, first time in the hill country? How do you figure? And this These are kind of paraphrase guys, And I'm kind of, you know, trying to formulate the questions and maybe take what you're saying and and make it into a question sometimes. But I asked, kind of what are the most confusing things about deer hunting or some of the things that you'd like us to answer questions about? And who knows if we're gonna help or not. We're gonna try. Um. So, Luke says, first time into the hill country, how do you figure wind strategy? You got any thoughts about that? Casey Um. I'm assuming he's talking about kind of the Midwestern hill country, but it probably applies to both, uh, you know, because Texas has a region called the hill Country, which you're in right now. You're on the eastern border of it where it starts. Uh, but it's gonna kind of be the same you know, it's gonna have ridges and fingers and all that stuff. Um, in general, I think I'm going to talk about thermals a little bit and then you actually have more experience hunting hill country than I do, so I think he'll be a better answer. But uh, this is something that hunting Heilk really helped me with because it's the same concept. You just need to keep in mind that I'm still or you know, not heavy wind days where you have uh, you know, maybe an aggressive northwestern wind or something. At in the morning, simp will rise and in the evening it will fall once these suns starts to be a low. So it's it's just the natural cycle of heating and cooling where when things heat up they rise and whenever they cool down they go down. So you just need to make sure in position yourself according to where you think deer are or are going to be here, or where your shots are going to be in according with that daily cycle. Yeah, yeah, definitely, that's kind of the the main thing to keep in mind. I think, like you said, and I think that for me, there are there are guys that are way more experienced in hunting the hill country than we are, or hill hill type country, and so I mean, probably getting some information from those guys as good. Now, not everybody out there actually knows what they're talking about, but you know, if there's several people saying the same thing that are reliable and have killed deer in that type of habitat, and then you can probably take it to the bank. But I would say, I would say, like I hunted a big, big ridge in Iowa, UM in twenty nineteen actually, and had a deer come all the way to five yards I was trying to shoot, had camera issues. You can watch that video on our season playlist. It's actually I think the video before I had killed a deer in Iowa. So if you go back and you see that video, the one I shot last year, and then you can look at the one before that, and that deer was on a big, big ridge and so like, kind of the advice that I got that seemed a lot more practical and easy was just to get on top of the ridge, because dear, you know, they talk about these like you know, bedding on the top third, traveling the top third, and I'm sure it happens, but even on some pretty decent sized ridges, like you know, you can call deer up to you or get shot still to some of that downridge stuff, you know, like if you're above them. So I think like being kind of on the top of the ridge, um a lot of times you can just let the wind just blow, you know, straight straight from whatever side. You know, I was kind of on the side where I'm blowing, Like I'm basically on top up, but I'm kind of on the wind the side that the wind is coming from. So just letting it blow, um, you know, kind of just it gives you a good stable wind if you've got to wind a lot of times, and people talk about wind tunnels and stuff like this, and I would say just to just to try to figure out what you can and obviously carry some milk weed with you and test it when you get in there, and that will help you a lot probably. So anything else to add to that or you want to move on, I would just that I'm not trying to be nick pick here or anything. But something I have noticed is that if you have like a so you're hunting down in the bottom or you're hunting on the on the side of a ridge, you're not on the top, and you have a wind that is slowing parallel or down your ridge, your valley, and that wind when they were the ridge, your valley is gonna take a slight turn. Well, actually follow that turn, So keep that in mind as well. If you're banking on northeast wind and your valley runs north and south, then you're you're probably still gonna have a straight north and south in that particular place. That's the only thing comes to mind. It's it's kind of a it's a friction type thing with the way that you know, wind currents moving or whatever. But it's just a little thought pretty much. Just check the milk, like you said, and then you're you're in good ship. Yeah. Yeah, if you can throw uh several milkweeds out and they all go to do the same thing, you know you can bank on that. But another thing to think about real quick. I hate to keep going on this because we've got a ton of questions, but um, if you if you're hunting the evening, you're likely to see that the wind dies and during the best time of the evening, so when they you're gonna be moving the most probably, So just keep in mind that your thermals also have to work for you. In that situation. So anyway, Well I got a shorter one for Tyler. What we're used to you shoot? I've shot a Cobra for like fifteen years. Um, I shoot the dual caliper Um. I'm not saying I wouldn't shoot the other one because I think what you do with yours is makes a lot of sense. Like it's so just practical and logical. Um. But yeah, I mean that's what I shoot as a Cobra. And I like their ownership with Jake Major. He's been on the podcast before. Super good dude, high energy engineering type, just really digs into this stuff. And like I said, I shot a I shot one single release for like a dozen years and had no issues, rusted everything and still looked like a champ. Yeah yeah, yeah as well. It's uh the hook style. I can't I think it's called a moment. I can't really remember for sure, but it's a it's a hook. It looks like kind of like a r don't warn our turkey spur. It just makes it where you don't have to look down at your d leap all the time. Real nice? Um? What what else you hat? Um? What about entry and exit access? Like one are the things you consider when you're looking at your your accesses and your exit. Man, wind is the top thing. Like if I'm looking at something like I've been scouting for South Dakota on the map, right, and uh, the first thing I do and I look at a whole property is I think about, well, where's the habitat that I'm trying to hunt? And then the next thing is what is the wind going to do? And how am I going to get in there? And everything else. I surely feel like there's wind and everything else when it comes to access, But is the top thing you got to keep in mind? You cannot blow your wind onto your for an extended period of time and expecting to do what they were normally gonna do. Yeah, that's I mean pretty much nailed it. Like you gotta your wind has to line up for you to be able to access without the deer knowing you're accessing, and then also hunt it for an hour and a half before a deer comes out to your what over? So Yeah, that's the main things. I mean. Obviously there's you know, you've got to make sure that there's not a big creek or something or a river that you gotta cross, So you gotta make sure like kind of when you look into access, don't just go, oh, yeah, the wind's got to be this. Make sure you kind of like look at your route in detail to make sure you don't have to pass an irridation. Like I've looked at a lot of stuff that all of a sudden I'll notice there's irrigation canal. I'm like, goly, that was gonna be perfect, But I can't get through that irrigation canal. I don't think if it's especially if it's been raining. So yeah, exactly. Another thing that uh, I think that you and I have been trying to learn the past few years that we used to be real sloppy about this exits at night time, like so we're going to pre even at hunt I have been real guilty of like as soon as I climbed down and staying just not caring about stealth at all and just rolling out. Well, that's a real good way to blow out of place in just a day or two, you know. But I think if you're careful about your exits and you're stealthy even in the dark, trying to get out of a place, um as well as you know the common sense thing. Whenever it's daylight you're going in. I think that you can you can really preserve a place for a little more time, at least if it's a situation where you're you know, hunting uh some specific deer that are living in the area. Yeah, I used to I used to be way better at about that when I hunted private, um a lot, because I was like, you know, you get down and you're like, man, I know there's like three bucks in here that are just giants, and like, I've got to get out of here quick. Plus you're not tearing down every time, you know, and so you just kind of sometimes you like you you go in and you hunt public and it's a bad day and you didn't see anything, and you feel like, man, there ain't a deer within a mile, I mean right now, you know, and so you just take your time's breaking down, you're kind of loud, you talk a little bit to your buddy or whatever might be. You're you're not careful with the sticks, and who knows, man, like, maybe that's the reason you're having bad hunts back to back to back, you know. So yeah, for sure we've seen places where out quickly, you know, especially on Texas Public when you're on the area where there's might not be a ton of deer and they're pretty concentrated on cific habitat or food sources. It's definitely a thing that happened. Um. I think that whenever you're talking about access stuff, you probably need to talk about creative access a little bit. I know it's kind of a twist of the question, but that's something you and I've been talking about quite a bit for some of our October hunts that we have coming up, um, about making sure that we have everything it takes to get into a place or maybe do something creative to other people don't do, whether it's you know, waiters or boats or things like that. And I think that that's it's definitely a tack that's out there. It's not if you're like, oh wow, I remember thought about using a boat. You know, you probably just haven't listened to a lot of podcasts, but it's still something to be said. You know, like there's there's people who have success doing and I think you and I are gonna do it probably far and near this fall. We've talked about it in a couple of different places. You know, there's a place that we scouted out that looks bad at the bone on Texas Public this year that we walked in. But I know that you're busting through some habitat to walk in. But if if you happen to figure out a way to use some type of aquatic access to this place, then uh, man, it's gonna be stealth City Texas up been there. You're talking about like a straw in a wetsuit. Yeah, I think something like that. You ever want Robin Hood with him and little John h him a little uh um pieces of bamboo they were breeding. Yes, that's exactly what I'm thinking. Yeah. Yeah, So hey, your buddy Dudley Phelps wants to know why he prefers punishing himself on public versus private. Man, Dudley, some people are just into weird stuff. Man, that was a question. I mean, you know, um, you don't want to be a public land snob. At the same time, there's a fun aspect for sure. Yeah, you know, yeah, there's good aspects of both them. I think. I think, uh, you know, just kind of giving yourself a new uh change of scene is a reason why you would punish yourself sometimes, you know, it's just like you try to get a look at a new piece of woods. You know, you can't really do that on private because there's only so much access to be hads, you know sometimes and yeah, and to make that more tactical, Um, new experiences means new knowledge learned, you know. And if uh, you and I talk about this all the time. But you know, once you're red pill and don't like sitting in a box in the same box line day and day out. Wait, no, the deer come out like um that get that's hard to do once you realize you can go out and you know, make your own way and make things happen to yourself a can on top of the plane, And sometimes you can't make things happen to yourself. And that's part of it too, right, But I think that's that's part of the deal is And some guys, I'm not this guy, and I wish there was no one else out there except for me. Uh. But I don't take it the wrong way. I'm not saying I wish they're less unders. But you know, as far as like a in in scenario situation, I don't get any kicks or giggles out of the competition with other people the woods. You know what I mean. But that's not me at all. I'm not saying answer right or wrong. Uh, but I don't care about that. But some people like that aspect of going out in doing the deal where anybody could on this land, you know or whatever. And it's cool that you can make it. If you can make it happen in that situation and think about that, that's that's fine. Yeah. Yeah, that's the way I am too, man. I mean, I would prefer um, not that I want less hunters in the woods, same thing, but like I would prefer that when I go into the woods sometimes I feel like I'm the only guy within fifteen miles. You know. It's like that feels real good. It's just like, man, that is a good feeling. You're just like, man, this is where big deer live because nobody's around and this is just fun and I don't have to hear eighteen wheelers going by and stuff. You know. It's it's a good feeling. Um, that's cool. So um the bo brands matter, Tyler. Uh, that's a that's a big question. But I mean, I know what you're trying to get to, and I would say not too much. Man like. Um these days bows that the new bows that are coming out are getting better in smaller increments than they ever have. UM. So I think that everybody's starting to not everybody, but most. You know, if you know of a pretty reputable brand that people will talk about and like and has sold you know, thousands of bows, um, they probably are making a bow that you can kill a deer with pretty well as as as well as the other one's just about within thirty yards or so, you know what I mean. I think you mentioned that earlier when we're talking about this, but um, I think there are a couple of companies that are trying to innovate a little bit, uh and do some different things help the consumer to do a little more of their bow tecking and stuff like that. But you know, all in all, like I would be proud um to shoot several different kinds of bows, um if I had one. So right now, I'll just you know, old Matthews from about ten years ago. So what about what do you think? Um? I think that in the two thousands that mattered some and I really couldn't see that back then when I was looking at bows and stuff. But now, I mean, everybody gets the technology and until something new happens, and I don't see how it can. But I'm not an engineer. Like everything's kinda on taste, you know, like everything's pretty much there. So if you're like you're saying, if you're shooting a brand that exists pretty much, isn't something that you know, Jimmy Gon made in the warehouse down street, it's gonna probably do the job. Now they're gonna be bows that can you know a group better or tune better out? You know, we broadhead the eight yards and that's a different thing, um, but if you're trying to shoot uh deer at twenty five yards. You know, I made this claim to you earlier, but I kind of feel like I could just run up to the retailer, just you know, the big box store and by the ready made combo that has the sign rest bow and uh you know, quiver everything on there and just shoot deer and be happy. Yeah, however, I'll put the disclaimer out there. Uh, I like missing with boat stuff, and I also like going to local shops as opposed to big retailers, So keep that in mind. You know, I think it's archery, right, Like we're not we're not making iPhones here, so we're not like we're not using me at some point, like it's got to still be a a thing that has string on it and shoots an arrow, right, you know, so they're limitations involved. That's the whole point of it, right, Yeah, exactly exactly. So um Tony grace he um, he says, basically, applying tag applying four tags wears him out. Um. And I don't know, I mean, there's it's definitely tough. Man, like, you got a lot to read. I think that I've got a buddy that he uh he basically you know, and this is he's got enough money to do this. But you could do this to some extent. There's a lot of tag companies out there right now that will help you apply for tags. And I think you tell them what you want, say, put me in and make sure it goes right. And you know, and here's my five ten year playing and I'm gonna pay you my money, and you you give them enough money for whatever service that they're charging to put you in for X amount of tags. You know, this guy actually, you know, pretty much puts in for you know, major big game species across the entire West and says, put me in the best units. I don't want to draw it unless it's unless it's a top notch tag and so and it has worked for him, so you know that's uh, that's that's how he kind of takes and he says, you know, it's you know, kind of everything I think is like kind of a you know, money versus time thing. It's like, you know what, like I'm the reason I'm looking for Lamo right now that's expensive is because it's like, well, you know, can I make that money back in time and effort that I wouldn't be able to spend elsewhere and with my kids and whatever else. So that's kind of with airline plots. Earlier I was only Eric. I was like, man, I know that there's some for flots that exists, but if you can get somewhere in two hours on fillars more as opposed to taking seven hours for a little bit cheaper, you know that time is huge, especially if you're doing We're gonna do or we go out and film maps, gotta challenge stuff whatever. You know, that's a whole other day's worth of work or a whole another video or whatever. But like you were saying the same thing. If you get home earlier to your kids because your women spending less your money, it makes sense, Yeah, for sure. Uh, the same thing with the tag deal. Like, um, I think that you're a little more well versed on it than I am. And but I kind of take a minimal minimalist type approach to things. I've kind of found the states that I see that it's decently achievable and states that you can get some points together for not a lot of money, and I just kind of concentrate on them. And I think I am going to expand that a little bit going forward. But I think that uh, one of the this is kind of a roundabout way to get to this. But I think that fitness is pretty important when you start talking about that kind of stuff, because if you're gonna play the application process, you need to make sure you're in it for the long game. And so, uh, it would be good to add a state or two every couple of years, just something that that you're learning. You know, It's it's tough to jump in and say I'm gonna apply for twelve new states this year, you know, but if you're going to spread it out like that, you need to make sure that whenever you're forty five or fifty or sixty or whatever, you know that you are able to go on these hunts that you're trying to accrue points for now. Ya Um. So I don't know if that made sense because I made a couple of points in there, but you hopefully you got the gist of what I was saying, like, don't bought it off too much, and then make sure that you can uh sustain yourself long enough to be able to use your points. Yep, makes sense. Um. Speaking of old gentry, he had a question for us. Um, this is a very good question. I think it's something that I you know, I hadn't listened to any podcasts hardly at all that aren't pretty much the Unashamed podcast or something like that, you know, lately, But when I have time, that's kind of when I listened to. But anyway, in the past, you know, four or five years ago, listening to some podcasts about deer hunting and the moon. It is very confusing when these guys that seem to know everything about moon and deer movement and how they interact and correspond when they get to talking about where the moon should be It does make make me or I guess apparently not just me, but it gives some We need some clarity here, and so gentry saying, what do they mean by the moon above and the moon below foot? Is this directly above and below or what do they mean? Yeah, so I learned this stuff back whenever I was big time into sharp of the beach, because that kind of stuff mattered for that as well with tides and stuff, because you have a um a double tide you know every day pretty much, and you to get a high tide whenever the moon's directly blow feet and whenever it's directly love you yeada YadA. But what that means is exactly what you're saying. Like, imagine where you are. You are the arms of a clock, and high newness above your head in six PM is at your feet. So when the moon is directly below or directly above, Now, can I correlate that to killing deer? Not so much, but that is what that means. I I don't have the moon figured out for deer too much. I do know that, um like some of the stuff we do in the rut, in a late rut, it does seem that when you got a moon at night, you see a little bit less movement in the morning because they were up all night messing around or uh they they did more messing around possibly, what what do you think? Yeah, no, that's that's a good point. And I think you know, our our boy, um H t H talks about the moon, thinks about it quite a bit. And actually because of that, I think is when he shot his Texas public lan buck last year. Um well, okay, so you you like to crack on him. I like to crack on him a little bit too. Um. We have thought that maybe it's because he didn't want to get out of bed early. Um. Yeah, he also is guilty that sometimes so but he anyway, Essentially what you're saying is that like the same concept that he had, he thinks is like if the deer aren't moving in the morning, then they're moving at mid day probably, So I think he ended up shooting that deer like eleven am and so, which is nuts. Yeah, you know, six and a half year old deer, you know, I mean, just that's a cool thing. And so I think that's something to keep in the mind. Is like, if you get that kind of situation going on, it might be a good time to sleep in and get you a little few extra hours of rest, especially if you're on a trip that you need to kind of refocus and stuff, you know, day three or four, then you might do that, get out there about eleven, take you a lunch to stand and sit through the rest of the day, or whatever you want to do there. But that's kind of the the idea. UM. I don't have a whole lot more to add to the to the moon though. Well, okay, UM, but let's think a little bit more about some scouting stuff. Map scudding is a big thing that we do right and we are gonna you know, film maps got challenge stuff again this year, and we've been getting a few questions about, you know, how do you map scout for this state or that state or whatever. Um, do you have any like overarching concepts when it comes to map scuiding and just thoughts about like, you know, just things you look for on a map that says this is a wite tilled place. Um it kind of you know, it kind of depends on the country that we're hunting. I guess regionally in the US. UM. I think we've talked about this a hundred million times, and probably we'll keep talking about it. But a creek system is a great place or a river system is a great place to kill there. And so I think, you know, for me, UM, one reason is because it's a place that can't be farmed a lot of times, so there's cover there for deer. Um. If you can farm a corn on it, at some point in October, the cover disappears. So it's not that deer don't inhabit that stuff, but at some point they're gonna have to get out of it. And so I think, you know, just being able to find cover is something that comes with the creek system. But also water, which is essential to all life, you know, I mean as essential as anything else. And UM, so that comes to the creeking river system. UM another thing, you know, that's something I try to look for. UM. I like hunting bed to food a lot um because it gives you a route to travel, and so I like to I like to hunt places that have crops um in the area. Also, UM, if it's a really crop heavy state like Illinois or you know, Ohio, Missouri, something like that, maybe UM, it may not be as easy to figure out exact bed to food pattern, but like there are big deer there because there's so many crops. Right, if you're in a high dude is the area you can almost just assume that there will be a deer somewhere moving from the place it's sleeping to this food that's in front of me. You know, like it might not be the only bed to food pattern around, but it's one of them, right, So yeah, I think that's a big point. One of the things that I really like UM and on X is really great about this with the detailed maps that they have, but I've been doing this a ton for South Dakota. UM is I'll get on on X and of course got the public plan layer on and then I will zoom in and just look at kind of the um Terrain is not really the right word, but habitat, I suppose will be the right word, like the macro habitat or the buy that we're in. So, say you're in a grassland environment and I'll get on on X and I will look for the habitat features that stand out, so not so much terrain, but like if you're in a grassland and over here is a wet spot, you know that the grass is gonna be taller in that wet spot. Or over here is what looks like a line of willow trees and there's no other trees around or over here. You know, it's takings to a different environment. Say you're you know, out east or something that you're in Pine Thicke, it's well over here, suddenly you can see that. Man, there's some trees there that don't have leaves on them. I wonder if those are oaks, you know, those things that stick out as being different, you know, or to even landmarks. We talk about that a lot, you know, with landmark trees amount be a place where you kill it here, but it's a place you can keep a lot of some stuff about me. You know, there's gonna scrapes and stuff there. So that's one of the things, yeah, exactly. That's one of the things that I really like to deem when i'm you know, Max going on x Is is to go find these little habitat pockets, and the rarer they are, the better they are, you know, because sooner or later they's some being had tat pockets and just becomes the ad that right. But I really like this stuff that I've been looking at lately where it's you know, quite a bit of grasslands and then once in every eight acres there's you know, just a little island the trees. It's kind of in a low spot and I'm like, man, I know, the mornings in October or the cliche not thing to do, but you know, you know there's gonna be a deer rolling in there about nine am to you go bet up underneath some of that stuff, you know, and if you can find the mixture of that stuff, I think it's I think that's a big thing to look for. Whenever you're you know, doing a map scouting session in the way we're discussing where it's a place you've never been to, I think it's a completely different idea to do. Like what we would do where there's like you know, National Force nearby that we've been to a few times, and then we're like, okay, let's rethink this and think about you know, a place that might be overlooked for her. And that's that's a different now on it. But a lot of times this time year, especially, guys are looking at new stage and things to do and go and do and explore, and I think that that's kind of a big takeaway from me. That's also It's great, dude. I love that a lot because I I do the same thing. It's just I don't focus sometimes on what I'm doing as much as like I'm like, oh, I've been here. It's like, you know, you just do it automatically. So maybe I need to think about how I do things a little bit more sometimes. Well, Uh, it's been really cool because you've kind of introduced to me this new system of white hot on dropping pins, because um, I look today, I have twenty one and eight pens on the past yeah, the past five years since I've been using it, so um, things you're getting a little cluttered, and I wish I had started this earlier, but I needed to be able to organize things a little bit better. And last year map scouting for South Dakota, I just waiting in and just just um splattered everything with red exes. And then he got up there and I was like, well, I don't know if that means that I think it's a good place, or I think it's a place of interest, or I think that there's stood there or what. But um, you know, being able to mark something white hot me, I'm excited about this place and I haven't been there yet. It makes it a big difference. And then you you can of course use you know, food or whatever or point of interest or camp or whatever you want to do there. You know. That's kind of what I've been doing in this situation, is I just go through and just there's a spot of habitat, you know, and just pop that little thing, make it a white and roll. Then you can go back and look at it, you know from a um you know, thirty foot viewer or whatever it is, and you can tell, you know, what how things orient compared to access and props and all that, and get a bigger picture. Man. One thing I really like to the one reason I really like to. There's several reasons, but one reason I really like he's a desktop version on X is that, UM, I like, we we've come. We've got a lot of different thoughts about this right now, but one one reason is when you put a dot on a map that you've never been to, you can quickly as opposed to be on your phone, you can quickly type in some notes about it, you know, if you if you learned typing in high school or whatever. Right, So, like if you're if you're not a two finger typer, you can figure you can quickly put a note in there. So that's what helps me a lot. Is like we have a slightly different outlook to a lot of things, um when it comes to hunting or whatever. It's not like you know, drastic or nothing. We we line up on a lot of things too, but like you know, it's a little bit uh, you know different, and so like I'm a little more throw when I drop pens, and you're kind of like I'm just gonna splatter this map and that way when I find out for sure where I'm going, I've got thirty options, you know that. And it's it's not and and I don't think that it's any um worse than the way I do it. It's just my function better the way I do it. But the good thing is we together a lot. So like you're talking about just you know X, not just doubling up your opportunity, but exponentially like increasing your your success. I think, you know, by doing it two different ways, right, But I like putting those notes and so that's something I can do very easy on the desktop, you know, So um T Johnson two thousand seven speaking to all this map app stuff. UM, he wants to know a little more about reading terrain features on the map apps. So I think we kind of um have talked about how to kind of high level, but let's let's talk about you know, when you do that high level scouting, you're looking at what sticks out all of a sudden. If you've got the hybrid on, you look at this terrain thing that sticks out to you, Well, how do you why is it sticking out? And what are you thinking when you see these different features that do stick out on the terrain. Yeah, I think the two things that I all noticed or see or saddles and then like, uh, the eatons of ridges or fingers, and I guess what goes along with that as creeks or you know whatever that is. But when you're talking about terrain, uh, like where we live, UM, a lot of times there'll be a terrain feature that you can't pick up on on the map because it's just so small because the variants in drain is just not very much right. But you know, you go to a lot of places where dearly of saddles are going to be a big deal because it's a path of east resistance, and that's what a deer is looking for, right, And the same thing goes with um the end of a finger or ridge. Instead of climbing the ridge to go from point at the point B, a deer will take a longer path to go around the horn of the ridge. Right. Yeah, that's just that's kind of I guess what I pick out. Yeah, I mean that's about that's similar. You know, like a lot of times I'll see what'll catch my eyes, just something like where the lines get real close together and they're steep or something, and so I know that like a lot of times if that comes down, if that's the tip of a ridge coming down to a creek, that could be a pretty good pinch right there, just depending on we're hout to travel and where the crops are and everything. So, I mean, that's really remember the hidden valley ranch dressing thing or whatever that anything he taught us about. But I think depressions are one of the things you remember that And that's one of the things I've learned about scouting some of this more grassland top habitat is um. If you turn on the topo layer, you can see like they'll instead of only paying attention to the topographical lines. You they'll actually throw like of course, you know, you can see the blue where there's lakes and stuff, but usually they'll be like a marsh type looking stuff on there or something, you know, which I'm going to go ahead and say that's kind of a hybrid between a habitat and you know, topographical feature rain feature, you know, because it really is something that you have been every in and around, so it's kind of terrain, you know, and you might not be able to see that for a map because it just kind of all looks like forass. Yeah, yeah, for sure. Um. You know. Another thing just to kind of, um give you guys some more excitement maybe, um that are listening to this stuff, is that we have a UM series that's gonna start releasing I think later this month. Um it'll be at least ten parts, and I think it may end up being a little bit more, but um uh ten part series, will say now with on x put on bio on x UM. That is a podcast series. They're mostly eighteen minutes too, maybe a couple of there closer to thirty and it's all uh it's called public Pens. We've talked about it before. I think last week maybe, but it's a uh, it's everything like about this stuff. It's like what are we're good spots that we found and how do we how do we find them? How do we hunt them? And how do we mark them? And so pretty uh pretty excited to really really sad. I hope that's really helpful to you guys, and maybe a little bit more elaborate on some of this stuff. So, but thanks for the question. T Johnson two thousand seven. Um, UM, let me ask you this while we're talking about antic and stuff like that. Um, there was a question in relation to betting. This is like North these Texas hunting on Instagram or something like that. I don't. I don't know who that is. But it's a good question if you want to relate it back to Texas. How much emphasis are you putting on betting in Texas? Uh, buck betting? I guess, okay, I don't. I don't in Texas. I don't hardly put anything on buck betting unless I've seen a buck kind of go to bed that that that morning, you know. I mean, I don't think about it too much, um really, because I don't know when we hunt in Texas, it's like kind of just finding betting generally, you know, like it's like this is this is thick habitat, lots of greenbrier or lots of you know, blue stem or whatever it might be. Um, a lot of times it's early season. You're gonna want some shade involved with that too, um be that would be via like oak trees or whatever. Um. But like mainly we think more like, okay, well here's uh, here's a possible food source. And and and where what the where would these deer be coming from? And so that almost always lines up with um, you know, at least a half mile from the road in most cases, um, if not further, that would be where we would assume betting is. And it also happens to be super thick with blackberries and stuff like you know, BlackBerry brambles or whatever you wanna call him, briers and um thick stuff like that that. Um. But the thing, the thing is, man like is it's just not there's there's enough of that stuff and a lot of these places we hunt that Um, it's a guess from day to day, like you know what I mean, Like even still like even you're talking about even Doe betting or dope family groups, uh for dough betting, Like maybe they may bed there one day. In the next day, for the next four days or more, they don't bed there again, you know, and so it they bed you know, six hundred yards away or whatever. It's just it makes it really tough. I'm sorry. I don't have a great answer for that, but I don't put a lot of stock into that. It's for sure you kind of killed there this year though in Texas because you saw a book and assumed kind of the general area. You saw him go back to bed and made a move to go over there, and it's possibly the dear unit of killing. It's John, Yeah, I mean it definitely. You know, it's kind of those m R. I things that we talked about from you know, we've gotten from Mark Drewy, like most recent information if that if something happens that shows you, you know, I was talking to a buddy recently on uh well talking to him on Instagram and then we exchange numbers and I got talking to him and um, he was like, man, he's like the biggest deer I've ever gotten a shot at. I literally, you know, walk into this spot just kind of on a whim and there's just everything was shredded. He could tell fresh signed deer was in there, and he's like, I just literally just set up, you know, not very high on a trail, and in no time this a giant comes out, you know. And so you know, I mean that's obviously that takes a little guts, especially if you're not very experienced, um to do something like that, and it's a chance, but it could reward pretty highly. And I think you know that was that was the case on that that deer this year. But you know, there's uh, I don't know. It's it's tough in Texas a lot of times, and stuff in other places in the South and stuff. List your patterning you could do though, on the situation where I don't think that, um, it's worth the time or effort to find a specific a buck bed in Texas. If you do find one, don't ignore it. But I think narrowing it down could be a huge thing, and that could be more trail or than anything, you know, And it's a great situation to implement a game cam where I can think back to whenever we were trying to find Teenager, which was a buck he changed around and takes a public for a while, um, you know, following him back with a trail camera and you you kind of get to a spot where you know he's at least day a lot active, which probably means fairly close to his betting. And uh, you know, you could set up something like even you know nowadays just sell cameras. You know, Moulture is coming out with this delta. It's supposed to be you know, bad to bone for about dollars, and you know, you could have something like that in there where you don't even have to go in and you know, possibly throw seeing around and be able to kind of monitor if the deer is going back to bed to a certain spot and if he's daylight acting very much be able to you know, probably at least make an assumption as to where his betting is and then going there with some of that camera data and say, okay, well on west Winds he likes to bid in this spot because the camera told me so, So I'm gonna go in there and you know extract he's just jumping around. Yeah. And here's another thing is that when we talked to Jeff Sturgis a while back about some of the stuff and hey, you mentioned you know how dear have these kind of these I forget what he calls them, but it's like you know these rounds that they make that may take like four days or a week or whatever. And so like a lot of times you'll see a big deer like every four days on a camera. And so if you're seeing that, um, you know, what you what you may do is is you know, if you got the cell cam out, if he shows up one day, you could hunt the next day in hopes, and then the next day you might go to work, and then you know, and the day after the day after that, then you get back in the woods, and you know, if you're seeing him every four days or something like that on camera, you try to hunt those few days around when you assume four days is from the last time he showed up or whatever. You know. So that's where cell camp to come in pretty handy for sure, is seeing you know, okay, he was there today. That means in you know, three days, I need to be there again and I and I need to hunt about three straight days and there's a good chance I get him, you know, so, which is kind of what I did with one Eyed Jack. You know. I mean I knew he was in the area, and I just hunted a pretty much the same location five days straight and got it done on that that last day, you know, And so that's, uh, that can that can work. I think, you know, people don't talk about that a lot. They like to talk about the first day in. But um, if the first day end is you know, if your winds pretty full proof and your access is good and you don't get him on the first day in, then it's probably not because you spooked him, you know, if you if you feel comfortable about your access and your winds. So um another uh, speaking of kind of what we're talking about here with the betting areas, Nick the guad American um on Instagram, he's he wants to know a little more about the determining betting areas on the ground and on on x um and then also in trails to set up on. And I think, like I guess to continue on what we're talking about here with the betting is one one thing this is similar to what case he was saying. But one thing I guess is it elaborate. Um. Part of this is I would um say that like a lot of times if you are hunting on a creek system, Um, then you have and if you have a food source of some sort that you can determine, um that you're seeing that deer ad or whatever. You know, a lot of times on those creek systems. UM. Right up next to the creek are is a good place for deer to bed because it grows really thick with vines and stuff like that. You know, And in certain spots along that creek, we've seen that hunting teenager quite a bit. And you'll find that you may not be able to know exactly which little thicket that deer is on on that creek, but if you hunt down the creek, you're you're hunting him on any of those betting areas for several hundred yards, possibly especially if it's a cold front and he's gonna get up early in to move quite a bit before dark, you know. So maybe something to think about there, Um, What are other ways you have determined buck betting or I guess betting areas It didn't say buck betting, but betting areas on the ground or even on on x um rubs. Rubs tell you quite a bit. If you see a spot that's pretty torn up with you know, here and there and everywhere a little rubs. I think that you're probably pretty close to some betting. They might be dope or buck kind of depending on this the specific situation. But that's something we found this winter. I think in one spot that we're pretty excited about, there was a ton of rubs on little stuff on this one little kind of island and uh of habitat, and um, I think that that probably tells you something. Um, the direction of the rubs is something I still pay attention to. It's not killed me a deer yet, but I really do believe that there's something to it. Um. You know, if the if the rub is on, if if you're looking for betting, at least you can't say this unlike a tree that's in the middle of the field, right, But if the rub up in a thicket is on, say the east side, you can assume that that deer was traveling west whenever he made the rug, right, So there's something to that route to travel and where he's at and and that sort of thing. So that's that's a thought as well as far as picking the right trail and associated with betting. Um, that's a hard thing. To do where we live, especially, so I think my take, and this is something that you didn't I that killed you deer, is make sure that you are set up to shoot as many trails as you can, you know, and of course make sure you're set up to shoot the best one, but don't just sell out for it. If there's another decent one closed, you know, try to set up there you can shoot both. This year in December. This is stuff that doesn't come out you know you doube, but it will later. Um, I like just got outwitted pretty much or around with went really but just guess wrong a whole lot on which trails are set up on and had deer, uh take the opposite ones of the two that I could shoot two a couple of times. You know, it's kind of ridiculous, but it's just one of those things you kind of have to almost gets and check sometimes. And that's why I guess you go back to access stuff and making sure that you go in and out um pretty clean and not just mess it up real bad. Yeah, I mean that you nailed it, I think, you know. I mean, if there's three trails, try to get a shot to all three of them. You know somehow and uh, you know, you're you leave one on the down wind side and just you know, you're you're hoping that you you can get a shot for it gets to your wind and hopefully you set up that way too. You know, you don't pick the tree that doesn't give you any shots until he gets your wind on that trail, you know, if you can help it. So that's uh, that's kind of the best way. I don't think, Uh, I don't think there's a there's some tips, but I don't think there's any way to just you know, say I'm picking the right trail you know, percent of the time, um, because that's just that's difficult in most places, you know, But a lot of times you can also go ahead. Well, I'm just gonna say, even in a situation where like say you saw a buck go to bed down this trail evening before and you're assuming where he's at. You don't have control of what he does for like six hours of the day, he might you know, go across the saddle or something and come down the other trail. Even though you think you got it in the bag. You might get spooker just unpredictable. Yeah, might get it's a farmer might driving a truck up you know, yeah, goes in there, stop around you squirrels, you know, yeah, all kinds. There's all kinds of variables. Day out squirrel owners, Like staying in the woods is one of the important than you just need to hunt, and you can also you know, you can also find a way to kind of like depending on lots of factors the weather and time of year and stuff like that. You know, you can take um and look at a map and see trails sometimes and if you see three trails, they're gonna join at some point, probably if they're running parallel. So you can find you can find funnels that do that, and you can also find, um, the closer you get to that to the actual food source destination food, a lot of times those trails will start to really come together. Yeah. I think they actually look about that in one of those uh Public Pans podcast mentioned about earlier. Pretty cool. So whenever you find that spot color, I'm guessing you're probably gonna be in a tree saddle. Which tree saddle are you gonna sit in? I will be this year, I'll be in a cruiser saddle. Um. I think uh we did a video recently where we did a comparison between uh the Cruiser and two other saddles. UM, And I mean, I've talked about it before several times, but this the ownership with Chad Really like that guy. UM, really think about things the same way, and you know, across the board really and UM the saddle out of the ones I've had on, It's true, it truly is the most comfortable saddle. So I'm excited to uh lay up in one of them things and hopefully get a few shots this year. Which cruiser sound I'll be in? The x C, I think, Um, I think that's the one that that I'll probably be in for the most part, but I probably try both of them here and there, just to make sure I'm getting the best of my options. You know what about you, I'll be an exec as well. I think I think the ar Con is uh cool, but not I didn't see a ton of benefit and I didn't think that I needed two piece saddle for anything. So and I know U Chad is a exc guy as well. UM. In that video, we tried to be as unbiased as possible and just kind of be frank about the things that each tattle offered. But since uh, y'all listen to this podcast, we can be a little bit more candid with you know, kind of what we thought. Uh, the there was a budget option in there, and there's some really popular option in there, and you kind of saw which ones were what and the cruiser, which is kind of I'm glad that we're working with a cruiser, honestly because they on the up and up, man, people like I'm on some of the Facebook groups and people that are like, you know what I need to try, and everybody's like, cruiser, it's so comfortable. It's like, well, that's good. I guess that we aren't wrong whenever we say that, Yeah, yeah, it really has like it was. It was crazy to me how many comments we even got on the video when we first you know, put that thing out and people are like, y'all have to try these things, you know, so yeah, exactly. That's I think that's one of the things that we're gonna be totally transparent about is that, you know, we're in a partnership with the with the Chad and then over a cruiser. But we we kind of had some options there, and man, the brands just lined up so good. In our beliefs. You know, Chad's Chad's a Christian guy, and he wants to do things right, wants to do his best for you know, his company and for his employees. So I mean it was just you know, not not that any of the others don't, but just it would just lined up so good and fill into place. So I thought it about that. Man. Yes, I am too. Man, I cannot wait to We're actually gonna be in South Dakota with him, So I can't wait to get to do that and finally actually formally meet him. You know, it's kind of like, oh, yeah, you feel like you actually uh, you know, you know somebody pretty well sometimes when you talk to him on the phone enough. But still it's always good to meet him and hang out with them and get some that camaraderie and camp and uh. I think we're gonna hold church a couple of times as well while we're up there, so maybe the whole time too. Yeah, for sure, man, for sure. So um, let's talk about this. This kind of goes hand in hand. We've been talking about a little bit. I'm talking about identifying betting and stuff like that. On public um there's a lot of people that listen to this podcast that hunt Texas public land because um, because we do, and we kind of can all just share in this community and help each other out. And so I don't know a whole lot of people that are hunting Texas public land much that do this. So we appreciate you guys support and the questions. Moe in Austin says, how do you find buck sign on Texas public Land? Uh? You know, I saw this come up forward of the Facebook groups the other day. Some guy was gonna have a hard time. Um, honestly, my answer might be just a little bit too big, But my answer is to cover a lot of grounds in your summer scouting and maybe your post season scouting. Postseason when it's gonna be the most apparent, right, So, um, I think that having a hard time finding book sign now that you haven't put in some hard work, but maybe you need to just make sure you're checking out all the different types to have it thatt around there and just you know, maybe said that a day, throw a couple of water bottles and some snacks in your in your bag and just really get after it, because um, there's deer around and if you if you do that and still don't find Buck signed, you you might think about moving a few miles, you know, because maybe there's just not doesn't have everything that Bucks one or need. That's right, That's that's exactly right man. Um. I think I think the best time to find Buck sign is postseason or even scouting your way in during the season. But you know, postseason that's the thing you can do. But at the same time, I think as a guy who hunts public land and tries to be considered other guys that hunt public land, uh, if you go in there and tear stuff up too much scouting in season, you could kind of miss some other people up both who are in the stand and who else's and or have just done their homework preseason or postseason. So it's not saying you can't do it, you know, but just be mindful of Yeah, you have the right to um, but you know, it's it's kind of one of those things like what is your conscious tell you about that? So um, but yeah, I think that that postseason time is the way to do it because all the signs fresh, nothing's growing up. But I think you also got to be like throw a twenty gage on your back and that's fine, but don't be looking up in the trees the whole time. If you really want to find buck sign, you know, like, focus on what you're focusing on. And if an opportunity arises in front of you and a squirrel jumps into a tree, do that, you know, but but then get back on track. Don't let it, like, don't let it take your whole day and take your attention. You know, we almost had that happen in Indiana when we did our map Scout challenge there a few weeks back. We we found a you found a more l right off the bat, and all of a sudden, it's like, who cares about this map Scout challenge? You know, It's like, so it was tough. It was tough, but uh, I agree with Casey and Hunter percent. You gotta cover ground. And if you're not seeing it. It's a buck. A mature buck, especially you're decently mature. Buck needs um. You know, he needs food, water, he needs dose, to be somewhere that are accessible at some point during the year, and then he needs um. He needs to not be bothered really more than anything just about because especially in Texas, which I believe is what we're talking about here. You're gonna you're gonna have a lot of the factors that you need in most places, but the remoteness or the you know, the ability to be uh, you know, left alone, is what really matters in most of these situations. So, um, what about kind of same deal. We're talking about Texas again. But I think this some of these things can be applied all over the place. But patterning deer in Texas big woods where there's no clear bed to food. This is D Miller D three sign. Thank you for the question. Um, we hunt this kind of stuff quite a bit. There's no clear bed to food. Um, what do you do? Are you able to pattern deer? And if not, how are you hunting them? The question is there a pattern if there's no bed to food because a deer has no reason to create a pattern. Deer are good at surviving, so uh, they know, whether it is conscious or otherwise, that being on a hatter makes them more killable, whether it's by us or by predators or whatever. Right, So I would think that dear uh probably prefer to not have to travel to one specific destination. They'd rather just be able to mill around and find some food. And I really think that, you know, dear kind of have this thing where they get a little bit bored and want to walk around some but for the most part, like a big buck. The reason he's a big buck because he knows to not make mistakes and if he's like, you know, pretty old, if he can figure out how to live one in one acre and be happy his whole life, he's gonna do it. So um in the big Wood scenario, I guess to kind of bring it back to the question for me, I think you're hunting seasonal patterns more more than you're hunting a daily pattern. So you're hunting a situation where you know that man, it's it's it's you know, early season, it's hot. I'm gonna go find a water hole. And I think we have a podcast from way back where we talked to Eric Barber, who was with Midwest White Tail back then now he works for vorts Um, where we talked to him a lot about this, and he kills a deer in Wisconsin, I believe, over a waterhole that he made in the big Woods, you know, and so you know that deer are gonna want water, and then you push it. Of course in the rut. You know, what are they gonna be doing. They're gonna be running around, but before that and after that they're gonna be finding whatever acorn trees falling for simmons or whatever it might be. So I think that you're I said that seasonal thought as opposed to like a daily pattern. Any other thoughts on that. Yeah, I would say, like, um, you say this a lot, and it makes so much sense, but like dear do dear things because their dear, you know, or something along the sword of that, you know, like it basically, um, you know, look for look for an edge somewhere. And when I say an edge, like some group of trees that's different. You know, like a lot of times, you know, if you're if you're hunting stuff that we're hunting, um, a lot of times it will be lots of post oaks um. And then there will be, uh, you'll find like some kind of lowland stuff that's got this like foot and a half grass growing all in it, and it's a bunch of ash trees um, or maybe some hack berry and cedar elm or something. It's a little bit different kind of woods like trees. They they're little ones, they're not they're not big ones usually but sometimes they are. UM. But yeah, so like finding you know, where wherever the edges there is a spot to to start focusing on and put some cameras out and figure if if that's a spot that you even need to be you know, hunting or spending any time in the woods. Um. And then you know, I would say also like a lot of the places we hunt, they kind of hunt like big woods, but they do have maybe some creeks or draws running through them or whatever, and like you said, they might lead to a food source or something like that. Um. You know, they are not a food source, sorry, a water source. Um. And if that's the case, you know, like the bottom side of that water might be a good place that you know, essentially deer will use that dam of that pond or whatever if it's made as an old cattle tank or something like that. And then also on you know, the creek side of that thing, um, there will be um like wherever that creek heads out in that big wood section and starts to really kind of flatten out, there will be a place where you start to see deer going across that creek as opposed you know, like what. They won't go across it south of there, you know, for the for three yards all the way down to that pond. But then you know, you you go from that pond up three yards and there's a spot where it flattens out go you know, and the deer go across. So look for little things like that. You can find that stuff on the on X, you know. App obviously by turning the just straight hopo you can find the those creeks in the blue lines that are going or just look at the elevation lines. I actually targeted a place like that in uh, the old Sandwich buck hunt UH this year. Yeah, it was I did an all day hunt and I didn't see much except I did go in. It was kind of a late rut scenario here in Texas, which is a little bit later. That's you know, that's pushing December around here. Um. But I was sitting in the saddle midday and UH had set up in a situation where upstream of me the creek banks were steeper. Downstream of me, the creek banks were steeper and it was thicker habitat. But I knew that there was like an eight yards section right there where it was flatter on both sides and lo and behold the rut Fest came through at like twelve oh five. Um, you know, just high noon and one of the biggest bucks probably the biggest book I've seen in person on Texas public Land ran underneath my stand so fast that I couldn't do anything about abut it. We're talking so fast, so fast? How close those deer? Uh? Oh my goodness, dude, Yeah, make you cry. I was macking that thing so hard. Texas. So another Texas question that came in on the Instagram feed from bear Fit uh he he wanted to know, uh, if we ever used snort ways in Texas? Is this bear b A r E b A I R oh good because I was hoping this wasn't like Naked Fit or something, you know, it might be. Um okay, um, I'm trying to think. I mean, I've used it for sure, I'm trying to think if I've used it effectively? Ever, what about you? I lay off of it because I've never had work. But that doesn't mean it doesn't Because he kind of talked about the thing. I said deer dear because they're deer or whatever. You know, Um, white tails are white tails, and they are a species, and every member of that species within its own sex is able to do the same thing as the other one. Right, So I don't know if those can snort weas, but every book that exists can snort wea's. It's a thing they do and it's probably more, um I guess, not physically limited. But those just don't have that imprinted on them to do that. But um, I guess what I'm saying is it doesn't matter if your main or your in South Paxes. They can do it. And you and I were hunting in public land or a past here. I shouldn't know who snort ways underneath our stand in Texas last year. So it's a thing that happens now you're gonna have If you want to happen or to work effectively, you probably need to, um make sure that the deer are in the right frame of mind, you know. And it might be it's not probably a calendar thing, at least by day. It is by month. I would say to do it in November and December. That's the time you kind of want to do it if you do use it. But I mean, if the buck is chilling and he's you know, eating some acrons, and he ain't got any aggression on his mind. It's nort Wey's probably ain't gonna do much for him. But say you got a buck that's chasing it like forty five yards and maybe he has had to run off a little buck or something, and you've seen all this happen from the stand in Texas, and you can't get him to come over, or you want to make sure that you send a message to him. I think it's a chance to do that. But I wouldn't just roll through the woods throwing him out there, thinking that you're gonna get a you know, a good old hour response. Yeah, I think you're right. I mean, I um, I don't know that I've ever I think for me, if I'm trying to call a deer on on Texas pub, it's it's a grunt um. And I'll be honest. I hunted a hunted a private piece of property in East Texas last year, quite a bit that had it didn't have like it had several decent bucks on it that you know, are competing for dose or whatever and not. I don't think I saw a deer with a broken time. I mean so they're not like challenging each other all that often. Like there's several there was several two and three year old, you know, basket eights that are eleven two, fourteen or fifteen inches wide, and none of them were broken. None of the big ones are broken, none of the little ones were broken, really, And it's just like I don't think that they're I think they they figure out their packing order pretty pretty well, and they're just I don't know, it's weird, man. It's just a different kind of subspecies of white tailed deer that just isn't as there you go, you know, stripe Marlin, blew marlin, they're all the same. I'm with you. It's just it's I think that if you wanted to put it in terms of like humans like deer have culture, right, and the culture that deer down here is just not that it's not competing for those. If anything, especially in these Texas, we're seeing it change a little bit. But for for so long, the buckadol ratio was just out of whack in most places so badly that the bucks had more dose than they could even mess with, you know, so there didn't any reason to compete, like, oh, you want Susie, I'll take Jill, you know, like it's just like they didn't have that and we probably still have the same thing kind of going on, you know. So yeah, and especially on public land where um, it seems that people are shooting more bucks than they are those. You know, I think that you find in Texas private situations people really take advantage, probably because they can uh you know, you the rifle. But we have you know, dates where you can shoot those, and people are doing that, so there's a little bit better more balanced. But yeah, I mean we can account for it. Um, I bet you I've seen two to one bucks versus does on public land in Texas. It's just those are kind of I don't know. Yeah, so it's let's broaden this thing out a little bit. Um for people who may not be hunt in Texas. How do you find betting on very large pieces of pub I mean I have a I have a pretty simple thought about this, you know. I mean I think for me that if I could find a very large piece of public I am excited about it because all, you know, like you've got so many options just you know, I know it's overwhelming sometimes, but just focus on like Casey said, which is great, and I mean I do it. I just hadn't thought about it. But like, just zoom out and what draws your attention first, and then zoom in and focus on that small piece, you know, that hundred acres or whatever it is, and figure out where do your might be adding and why that stuck out to you? Um, but yeah, I mean I don't. I don't know as far as betting goes, you know, like you can you can learn to identify the thick stuff based off of your on the ground scouting a lot of times, I think, yeah, and going in and haug hunting squaw and helps tell you that too, because you're gonna end up walking through something you're like, oh, okay, it makes sense. But at the same time, I don't think you can figure out day to day very good because I mean, you take the stand. I shot that spike and I guess that was twenty nineteen, wasn't it January one? January one? Yeah, yeah, January one nineteen. I shot a spike that bedded in front of the stand and as the standout hunted probably thirty times before that, and I've never seen a deer bed there, right, So like it's sporadic to say the least. Uh So I think daily you're gonna have a difficult time. But finding habit, if you believe it's thinking of for betting, it's definitely something you can do. Now. It was the question specific to map scouting, I don't think so. Um, what I've got written here is how do you find betting on very large pieces of public publicly? And I think that if you're new to a spot or you want to rethink it, I think you could get on on X and uh kind of go with the Newberg model for for ELK, but go do it for white Tail and just find uh your parking places or excess points and draw you know, a radius us that line tool or whatever and just say, okay, well here's a half mile from that thing. So I'm just gonna write those off. And I'm not gonna stay much time there, not saying there aren't you to be killed there, and and and so forth. But if you're trying to narrow it down something that might help you to just start out and just put yourself in better odds of finding betting. You know what I'm saying? Yeah, yeah, for sure, I think that's good. I mean, I think. Um. I think another thing real quick. Um, if you go out and stomp around in the middle of the day, if you are able to you know, work into the wind, and if you're able to jump deer, they probably jumped out of a bed, you know what I mean. So kind of a thought there, but yeah, you know, Eric Jintr brought up a good point with that that I've never thought of. And I don't know if he heard it or thought of it, but he said, uh, you know, if you jump a buck from his bed and he doesn't die, he thinks that's a success. You know, that bed worked for him. And I was like, I never thought about that way. I always felt bad about bumping deer, you know, because they're like, oh no, getting intruder on and I would imagine you can't do it every day. But you know, if he is comfortable in his bed and you bump him once, uh, he probably was like, Hey, that worked. You know I didn't get eating yea, yeah, what do you think about We've We've done a video on this, but your go to pack for saddle hunting, that you're able to carry sticks and camera gear and staying whatever else. You know, Yeah, I think that a lot of them will work, you know, but man, I dode like that sick a tool belt, you know. And I've been um talking to Chris. I'm thinking Chris. Yeah, I've been talking to Chris, thank you about that something, kind of talking about the design and and beefing it open a couple of places or whatever. I don't think you're gonna get the Element edition from stick Care or anything. We haven't been talking about it some. And I think that, uh, for most hunts, that thing is just pretty hard to beat, man, because the idea of having a saddle is being lightweight and mobile. And if you've got a big old bulky pack and you've got a whole bunch of stuff weighing you down, we might as well have a twelve pound stands trap to it too, because it's not that much different, right, But having that thing on you, you're just not committed so much that you feel like you have to go get in the tree still like you can make a stalk with that thing on, you know what I mean. And it's just so low profile. Um yeah, I have narrow hips and it still doesn't hang out past my hips. I might catching on anything, you know. It's just and it's comfortable, so it's just hard to beat. Yeah, it is, and I like it too. That's the one I used pretty much all year until it got snowy on me in Kansas in December and I upgraded to a little bit heavier duty pat because I was carrying more clothes. Um, that's what I did. So, But I'm with you think pretty much anything, you know, so on the on the gear vein with that, um, you know, kind of head in a different direction a little bit. But um, what's a heavy arrow? Tyler? Um, it's an arrow. It's heavy. Yeah. Is there is there a definition to it or is there a way to explain it? Um? Yeah, I think you. I think that's a I think that that is a obviously objective thing to look at. Um. But I think that, uh, a lot of people would agree. At some point it comes it becomes heavy for most people. Now you've got like you got your public and snobs, you've got your heavy arrow snobs that you know, if you're not shooting six hundred grains, it ain't heavy or whatever. But um, I think you would have a lot more to say about this than I would. Probably. Yeah, but um, you you have made the transition to heavier more recently than I have. Yeah, UM do do you are you a heavy arrow believer? Um? Yes, I am, Um, but I don't think I actually think that I want to decrease my weight this year from what I've been at. And I haven't been like super heavy or anything, but um, I just want to shoot a little bit flatter trajectory because I'm hanging out of a saddle in a tiny tree trying to get ranges on deer, you know, and if I'm seven yards off at distance, then that can make a difference. So um, and it did last year I felt like to an extent for me in particular situation or two. But um, yeah, that's that's kind of where I want to get to shoot a little bit flatter arrow. But I do want still to be heavier than what I used to be, um, just to just because I like the I like to penetration and some of the options or some of the things that that gives me. I guess. Yeah, and with tuning stuff too. Is here talk about that a second. But UM, I kind of want to approach this from a different direction. I think it's pretty hard to put a number on heavy arrow because it's gonna probably it's so subjective depending on what your draw weight and draw length and all that stuff is too. So I think really what a heavy arrow is is the arrow that you've stopped worrying about speed and you start worrying about things that actually matter more. And that's when you end up with a heavy arrow. Um. So like, for instance, um, let's take my mom. My mom hunts some and uh, she is not a very tall person or a long draw length and does can't draw a lot of weight. So for her, something in the mid four hundreds is gonna be pretty heavy, and she's still gonna be you know, kind of lobbing them out there, and she doesn't need to shoot six fifty, you know, because they're just not gonna go you further than ten yards. Yeah, so that doesn't make sense. But what she can get does you to worry about is you know, penetration and uh tuning and that sort of thing, you know, And I think that that's gonna make a big difference. You know. For me, I'm gonna be in the load of mid five is where I like to be. Um that's you know, and that ends up uh tacking out around two five or something to sixty depend and what bow it is, and that's that's another big talk. But in general, Uh, what I really like about a heavy arrow is how well it tunes your bow and how quiet it makes your bow. I don't were you there that time? We were at the bow shop and I was shooting these arrows and guys were like, man, you're both quiet? What bow was? That was like, well, it doesn't matter what bow? Did you were there? No? I was not. I think that might have been when you chunked your No, that wasn't it. Yeah, you were in there talking to Brian or something. But the guys like, man, so quiet and a bow is that? It's like, well, it doesn't matter what bow it is. It's because it's it's because it's slower. That's why it's quiet, because I'm shooting a heavy arrow and the heavy arrow it just means that the bow is not exploding it in my hand. You know. Um, but you know, to kind of go back to what you were wanting to do. Uh. Vector is who we're gonna shoot this year. We're gonna shoot Vector Custom Shop, and Isaac has been talking to us a ton about some of these options that we have. They have a arrow weeight calculator and all kinds of stuff that they are putting on their website that will really help you if you're kind of interested in the heavy arrows but you don't really know what to do or where to go. And C is an acronymic, not familiar with and all this stuff, right, but he actually has a couple of options. And it's not just like, well, here's the arrow for you, like say, for Tyler, you're wanting to maybe not shoot something quite as heavy but still have the benefits of a heavier arrow. Set up, well, you can take and do sack some tricks to different spine ways and different g p I s and stuff like that to come out with an arrow that's, you know, maybe four of your fifty grains heavier than mine, but still getting a lot of the benefits of it. And and that's what's cool. It's not just like a well here it is, here's what your your option with your bow. It's a much more customized approach to um. You know, well, what do your needs, what do your wants? You know, are you're trying to shoot water buffalo or you're trying to shoot white tails? You know, and I think that there's definitely a world where those are different situations. Yea. So again, in fullest closure, we're working with or like their partners with us. They're helping us do things this season. They're helping you as well. If you want to try out some vectors, they have a test baggage, which is real sweet. They send you He'll send you two that are a little bit different from each other. You know, maybe one's a little heavier, one is a little lighter, and you can see which one tunes the best out of your bow, you know, three fledged, four fledge, whatever you select, but overall, if you put in code elements all caps, you'll get team percent off your orders to go check that out. Support Isaac. He's another good dude and uh really uh technician when it comes to this stuff. He has a big history and competitive archery. Has been hunting for uh what seven years now and I think or something like that. But it's really taken a deep dive into this stuff because he just kind of likes the nerd out about it and I do too, so it's a it's a it's a good pairing really, but those uh, those hammers are flying well out of the boat. Man, I'm excited about him. Ready to uh ready to actually hammer something with one. Yeah, me too, Man, I can't wait, I know, I can't wait. Um, you know, I got a couple more minutes here before I gotta go watch the Ladykats win the state championship. But um, we got a couple of questions right here. The last one with the saddle, um for the for the pack for the saddle hunting was Ryan Collinger or calling or sorry if I mispronounced that, but uh, um, let's see. Uh Tricky Tross wants to know if you've ever grown any black crim Maters. I have got a couple of black crims this year too, thanks to you. Interest to see how they compare it to the old Cherokee purple. I feel like they're gonna be pretty similar. Yeah. Yeah, I like Cherokees for sure, So I'm excited about them. Um, I'm in the same boat. Um. Austin Saga says he wants to know about finding the right big buck holding habitats. I think we've talked about a lot of that on this episode. Um, you know, if that could you know that's not necessarily betting, um, but you know, maybe transitioning into the food and a staging area and stuff. You know, I think deer's got a deer likes to be able to see because it's got a good eyesight. But um, it also needs some cover to be able to slip into really quick. Um. Any other thoughts that you have about that? Uh? Not religious? Fox resources for sure. Okay, So two more here that I've got. Um, you know, I said, what what is? Uh? What are confusing things about dear for you? And Jay Sawyer says instant hunters doing it for likes and also people not researching the conservation organs. Uh he named named a few of them. I don't know how many of them you want to name, but yeah, I will go ahead and tell y'all stop giving your money to be h J was say it right now. You know it's not good. Yeah, do your research on it. Don't take my word for it, but yeah, yeah, I'm with you on that. Um, that's uh, that's a tough thing to do. But you want to you want to research. Um, you know every once in a while. We've talked about this before, but I think you you've got to research and when you feel comfortable about it, comfortable about it. You know, you know, you're probably good for a couple of years, and then you may research that organization organization again before you get re up, you know or whatever. Yeah, there's this thing where like people see something become popular, so they want to gain power, so they move theirselves up the chain of power until they start making decisions and suddenly an organization become something it wasn't. Yeah, and it's a bad thing for sure. Um, instant hunters doing it for likes. Yeah, I know, there's those are out there, and we get kind of tired of them too. There is a also a dynamic that you know, some people are actually um you know, they make they make a living off of this stuff, and if they're honest and have integrity, then they kind of you know, it doesn't bother me too much if they are kind of hoping for their posts to do well, you know, because I know we we hope that our posts too well. But we're not doing it for the likes because we don't get a ton of them. So it's right. Yeah, So that's uh that you know, I do like people that do it, uh with integrity and stuff. But if they if they're kind of I mean, we know, I know who you're talking about. Um, not necessarily in particular, but the type and and and uh yeah, it's frustrating. It definitely is because hunting means a lot to us and and um and what It's a part of what we do and what we love and so it's hard to see that kind of get contaminated by booty picks and stuff like that. I guess. So you know, UM, I understand it. But we've got do you have any more questions or how you feel that what I have to and if y'all have more questions, I've got one more good one though. So uh some Instagram page called Season Hunting wants to know why TPWD refuses to follow the science. Do you know anything about that? I don't know anything about that Instagram page, but um, I do know that. Um. You know, there definitely has been some some issues where the public comment has been disregarded, I think. So I'm not trying to dog on them, but there there's a little disconnect between the people on the ground, the biologists and probably Austin and politics. Right so, yeah, well a lot of them out While you're down I'm going I'm actually hitting down there right after the game. Good stand on. I think if I just stand there, they'll probably bring news cameras out and stuff. And I mean, that's what it looks like to me, is that news cameras follow people that stand on the Capitol steps all the time, you know, So yeah, you should do that, I think I will. I'll just let you answer this because our answer is probably gonna be similar. Um, when is the rut for Whitefield? Uh? That that definitely depends on UM, where you're at, um. But for the majority of the country, I think you can. It also depends on what your definition is the rut of the rut. The rut is uh. Most people's cases, they are thinking of it as the time where you see the most movement in bucks, right, the most crazy movement. It's not necessarily coincided with actual peak breeding, but it's very close. Um, it's within days a lot of times. And so I would say most of the country you're talking about, uh, November one through November four or something like that. Maybe I could say the first two weeks of November. As you move further south, that spreads out, so yes, and then if you're in a Gulf coast state, you need to check the map because he gets kind of crazy down there. Yes, yeah, and that includes Texas. Yes, yeah, that's uh, that's probably that. I guess that's the best I can give you on the rut stuff. We actually did an episode with Lindsay Thomas Jr. Of the formerly of the q d M A now the NBA U do I he still works? Yeah exactly, So it's um, but it was on all the rut stuff, crazy rut and why they're ready is what it is and everything. So anyway, you can definitely, um, you can definitely check that that out. Um. The last question we've got here, Casey, this was for yous purviose t X wants to know, um, what the consensus is on the little Debbie oatmeal cereal. Man. I didn't, Bum, I think we're gonna we're in a hold off on that for the for one of the hunting trips and get the whole element create you know on it. Yeah, but somewhere, some way, there is a little diaty omeal cream pie cereal out there, and honestly, I would like to know Tyler's opinion on them. So that's why I'm I'm waity, because you are the true connoisseur of cereals. Thing right, I love cereal so much. It's not it's so yeah, yeah it's the best. Um. So yeah, that's uh, that's all the questions that we've got right now. Keep keep sending them in. If you're listening to this and and you have one, just find a way to comment it or d m it to us. We appreciate you guys being a part of this thing. Man, this is this is fun for us, So I will really enjoy the Q and a stuff. Um, good questions guys, and um, you know, definitely check out um some of these Hunt breakdowns are doing hopefully their videos on YouTube and though hopefully they'll give you a good idea of um how to be successful and and maybe they'll answer some of these questions for you. And you get to see us uh kind of view our own selves being idiots sometimes and sometimes figuring it out. And you know all that, we've got some gear of views that are coming out this summer and then me and we're we're getting ready. Uh that's pretty much about time to start putting out cameras or start getting ready to put out because they're gonna be they're gonna be uh adding points here real quick to the to the racks, so me too. Um, it'll be at least a fun time for us to just see Bucks and be in the woods to be a part of it, because what we know is that they're going to disappear about September, right Hunter anyway, Um, guys, thanks so much for being part of this, and remember this is your element living it

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