00:00:02 Speaker 1: Welcome to Wired to Hunts Rutt Fresh Radio, bringing you the latest reports from the White Tailed Woods and now your hosts, Casey Smith Tyler Jones. This is RUT Fresh Radio powered by Vortex Optics. I'm your host, Casey Smith, and today we're talking to hunters from across the country who are dealing with some adverse warm weather conditions, but they are hopeful for big bucks. This is Rutt Fresh Radio, brought to you by Vortex Optics. I'm Tyler Jones. One of your hosts. Casey Smith is the other guy you hear from every once in a while on this thing, and he's been hunting in Texas. Isn't that weird? Man. Tex has some deer, but they usually don't come out until like December, so I've been Actually, we have pretty good little cold front for early season in Texas, so I decided to try to capitalize on that. We'll talk about all that here in a little bit, but right now, we're gonna talk about how we refreshing. All right, It is like so fresh right Nowaday, because I'm feeling that refreshment suppens ash. You can see the clouds coming from the northwest. The wind is actually out of the east right now. It's sucking to that front. I think it's gonna switch taking one of the viral vortexas that go, you know in a cyclone that uh yeah, is this tornado alley. I believe we're at the stop sign at the end of Tornado Alley right now. If that's I guarantee you it will be a stop sign because Illinois wants to tell you what to do. You wanna be a yield, No, it won't be here. You just gave it away. We're in Illinois right now. Buck trucking Alright, guys, you all might have heard a little bit about this. You're gonna hear a whole lot more about it soon. But we've been buck trucking around the country, uh, doing some video and doing some buck slaying and having a ton of fun along the way. It can't wait to share that with y'all. Uh. We've been in Nebraska, South Dakota. Now we're headed to Illinois buck trucking around. Just some good friends, going hunting, driving around a truck, which is what all of us do. That the goal, that is the way it works, man. The goals to do that, plus have a couple old, big old just knocker heads in the back, you know what I mean, just big old suckers. So we're trying to find is uh some big bucks here in Illinois and this is a place where they live. Um. We've got some guys on the podcast today that have also been chasing some big old headed bucks running around and even a little bit of success. Man, you know, funny enough. Maybe it's because I've blocked this out, but I did not hear much about the October lull this year. Did you hear much about the October low people talking about that very much? I think there's been a little bit, you know. Uh, I think there's an article that Mark wrote recently about the October law. I think he thinks it's real. Um. And then there's also uh last all kinds of last week. You know, you were doing a lot of hunting. I did a lot of podcasts and with some fellers, and uh, there seemed to be uh not like they were calling at the October lew, but it definitely felt like it when I was talking to him on the podcast, like they were experiencing that low in action. So Tyler, uh, since you kind of did a little tongue in cheek thing there about the October law. You and I probably feel pretty similar about this, but I would like to ask you for your explanation of the perceived October law. I don't believe in Halloween. That's good me neither. Actually I do believe it exists, but I don't I don't celebrate it now. But um, I think that with that being said, ghosts, you know, are kind of not really a thing to me. And uh, I think that those deer are actually they don't disappear or turn into ghosts. I think they're actually deer living on the landscape somewhere, and that they have to be up during daylight hours at some point. Um. It doesn't mean they're not difficult to kill. Right, Nothing is thing goes unexplained. There is an explanation for everything. Uh, And perception is reality. So there is no such thing as the lull, but you do perceive it sometimes. I believe it is It has something to do with there's is that a coudy or deer in the fat picture right there? Not? Okay, So it's either perceived as you're not adjusting to the new deer pattern quickly enough or um, I kind of had a thought the other day that these bucks go and readjust their home ranges, you know, after the velvet sheds and the test oscarone starts ramping up and all of a sudden, they're like, uh, just they got their little danger zone right here, right, and they don't want to venture out too far because they're gonna have to fight. But they don't want anybody in their zone either because they're gonna fight them, so like they just might not move as far. Cue the music, Welcome to the danger Zone, Welcome to it. That's right, Miles Teller. Right here, dude, We're going down gonna kill some big bucks in Illinois. Tyler. Who have we talked to this week about big old But around the country, the bobs that we've been that these guys been chasing um are very real, and they've been in a couple of states. We've been talking to Adam Kaufman from West Virginia, Jordan Barnes from Kentucky. We're gonna hear from Alex Comstock in Minnesota, and Johnny Stewart not to be confused with Johnny Morris from Pennsylvania. Stewart, that's correct, never mind. Uh So, yeah, we've got a lot of good reports from across the country and actually some uh tactics that I appreciated learning more about, honestly because um, I kind of get in my groove of like the way I do things, and it is good to hear from other people about like the way they are hunting deer and how you can use that even if it's not the area you're from. You can take tactics used in elsewhere or in other parts of the country and apply them to your certain situations. So as a bonus this week, I'll tell you all about Texas. You tell them about it, Dude, tell them about it. Uh, Texas is a dust bowl right in that place where you'll just do whatever and they go running everywhere everywhere. They just actually put a high fence up around the whole state. Just keep all the deer in one spot. Now. Uh, there's actually some public ground in Texas and it's wild, doesn't always have the highest deer densities. And that's what I've been hunting. Uh. The there's this thing, okay where you start seeing scrapes pop up mid October, and I have decided that those scrapes are liars. Okay, those scrapes are not real. You're just imagining those things. Um, that's uh, that's a metaphorical version of what I'm actually trying to say is that those things can be misnomers or red herrings as some people like to say. Okay, they can lead you astray from the true reality of nature, and that is tiny bucks like to get out there and get all ambitious, right, But the big bucks they know exactly what they're doing, and they ain't getting out there and hitting them scrapes on October twelve. They're waiting, and you'll see a whole bunch of these little scrapes pop up and then you'll see them die. And that's because a little buck just got fired up. I wanted to do something there, but actually, uh, there will be a big scrapes somewhere and start to open up about this time of year, and I think that, like the twenties of October is when you can actually start looking and seeing which scrapes are staying active and make some moves according to that. But I think that I am going to start focusing on rubs more, which sounds weird because I've always kind of not been too big on that. But I learned this week. If you find a particular type of rub, like a rub on a big tree that looks like it has been hit multiple times. Uh PTRs particular types of rubs. All right, I like that too. We want to start using that. And so you peter out there and you will find that a shooter buck exists in the area and you need to make moves according to that. So going forward, I would say Texas is gonna be on the ramp up. Okay, I would have given it pretty low scores last week, but this upcoming week, I mean, we're looking at a solid six, I think, and I think that's a pretty good number, six out of ten man for East Texas at least. You know, Texas has about seventeen quadrants, which doesn't even make any sense if you actually think about it, But it's a it's a real big place. So one of your favorite things is when guys from different states other than Texas, especially smaller ones, that they'll be like, yeah, a's central you know whatever my state, and you're like, oh, well, and I know three area comes bigger than your whole state, so uh yeah, it's a big old spot. It's one of your favorite things man to talk about, is how these guys love to break those things down, you know, try man, But I appreciate the specificity of spec specific because it's so yeah, the specificness. Let's let's get to some of our fellers here and see what's going on around the country. I'm with Adam Kaufman of the Wild Turkey Alliance. This dude just slocked a big old buck in West Virginia. Adam, what's going on? Man? Well, it's mine day, so it's active work in reality. So well, you can't let the shine were off that fast, right, No, you know I did. I killed it Thursday evening, so I had the high all weekend and then it's BacT reality to day. I got you. That's cool though, Man, it looks like you've had a pretty good hunting season up there so far. Um, what has been going on in your neck of the woods, dear wise? Actually, it's it's been a it's been a really nice October. You know. I don't know if you guys next thing or not, but my wife killed her first year, um the first back in September. Then the first day actually so wow, she really nicely living. So it was her first year palm pound bow. It was like it's it's been a good it's been a good season already. Boy, how do you I tell you what? So? Uh? With with that success already? I'm sure you kind of you know, you can go two ways with this. You could have a lot of pressure on yourself or you could just be hunting free. You know. So did you go into hunting this buck that you were after kind of with that free spirit or were you really trying to get after him? Actually it was her. It was her turn. I think getting grief from her, you know, because she wanted her first dear. And what's the cool thing about this for he is she she missed this here in two thousand nineteen is a three and a half year old. Wow. Yeah, so this we were set up really trying to kill him. But when this big eleven come in in September, I said, honey, you can't pass this, dear, and she was like no, and all all on video it was I can't you know? That was my season then? And then this comes down Thursday and I just I I couldn't ask her season. But I don't go on vacation. I got on vacation Monday for two weeks. So I feel I feel free to be honest with that's cool. So what was the tactic you're using to capitalize on this big buck? Uh? Gets close to him as I could. He's he has been tough tactic man. Yeah, October, that's all you can do my opinion, I don't hunt mornings in October. I'll be honest, you not till late October, so I don't. I try hunt less out more. Yeah, and my tactics. So you were setting up close to bedding in the evening. Yeah, actually, you know, I wouldn't be surprised if I actually he had when I heard him coming. He wasn't out. He's bed for too long. But yeah, big calic on him. That's how I can always tell they still got that colic on their their rump, you know where they've kind of been sitting sideways. That's how you know you're opposed to bed Yeah yeah, yeah, yeah, that's cool man. So how do you how do you find his bed? Well, I'd be scared to even know how many hours I put into this deer and trying to find him in and just getting my tail wiped by him. But I started finding really really big rugs and I lost him last year before he Rugby's help, so I've never seen him my fall. And then I caught back up to him as they usually doing the summer, and I started finding his rubs there just about ten days ago. Massive I knew he wasn't far. He's not going to go somewhere far and do all that kind of signs, so I knew it was close, and I started using seal cam's a little deeper and keeping my other cameras that I had to check further away from him, and I was kicking him up so and he actually showed up Thursday morning while I was at work, and I thought, man, I've got to get in their evenings, so I did, and the rest is history. Yeah, So so going forward, are you are you? Would you continue trying to get close two bucks like in the next week to their betting. You know, it seems like right now the light switch my cameras are really I'm getting bucks now that I have never seen already. So seems me like, uh, it seems like this is unfolding a little bit earlier in what I'm used to you. Usually by Halloween weekend is when this goes down, but it seems like it's starting now a little early for me that I'm accustomed to, and that's actually pretty exciting news. I know that. Uh, I've seen a little bit of that as well. It seems even with the hot temperature. I don't know if y'all been having unseasonally worn temperatures there in Westerns. Yeah, we have. We have the really cold mornings, the really pretty afternoons, but then by even the sundown it is I mean, you're you're reaching for that coat, you know. Now. I know y'all are pretty far on the eastern side of of the country, but a lot of the country is gonna experience the weather front this week. Is that gonna get to y'all? It is, but it doesn't It's not going to be as big I like it if I can get a ten degree temperature change from one day. So it looks like Thursday for us is going to be that day. It looks like it's gonna seventy five or sixty three or something like that. But uh, if I could see that coming, I want to be in the woods that the next day for sure for sure. So with that looming, are you gonna be still trying to be close to bedding? You're hitting scrapes or what's your your major tech. They're gonna be going forward. Honestly, going forward. I'm gonna I'm gonna be uh trying to hunt these cruise right. So, we got a lot of you know, the big mountains and these these bucks like the runne is what we call skidting log roads. These these bucks like the thumb their horizontal around these mountains and that's the way they like to run. That's cool. I'm trying to find how to find some big rubs, you know, and set up one of the scrapes and just wait, yep, man, sounds like you have got some stuff in store coming up. Dude. It's an exciting time of the year. If you had to rate the next week of deer hunting coming up, if you're gonna rate buck movement between the scale of one to ten, what would you call it? Honestly, this week come up, I think it's gonna be hot between eight and ten. I like this. I like this in my opinion and with my experience with this time of the year, this area coming up around Halloween is always I kill a deer every year this time of year. Yeah, buddy, it's almost in miss area. And now you know, when you start getting that lockdown and it seems like things slow down and you're really doing a lot of setting in the stain and not see anything. And I really really like uh, last of October. I do. I've always have man exciting times. And I love the confidence you got, dude. I know you're gonna have a great hunt and we appreciate the info absolutely. Thanks for having me, guys. M All right, right now, I've got Jordan's Barnes with close proximity. He's been hunting in Georgia. What's been going on, dude, And not much just logging some all day sets and the swamps. Um, a lot of a lot of looking around, a lot of looking around every little noise. Yeah, and the squirrels will get you this time of year, man, yeahs turkeys um, but yeah, I've been in the deer pretty good. Uh, pretty good so far this year. Just I'm just real close to get air in a nice bug just has been uh hadn't transpired yet, passed a lot of nice dear. Yeah, you know, cruising mid morning, um, the middle of the day, cruising down win a dough bet in Um, they're definitely searching. Cool. So this is this is like you're near the coast and this is this is pretty close to prime rut for you. I'm sending so you are you hunting like dough betting? A lot of times? Hunting that down wind side or what? What's your main tactic hunter all day every day? I don't. I don't care about sign really, Um, I don't take really a whole lot of importance. I mean this is crazy to some people, but it's how I find the big deer. Um. I don't pay attention to really hot sign freck sign. I pay attention to dough betting. Like everything revolves around dough bedding for me, doesn't matter if there's bigger ups there or not. Um, I'm hunting down one side of the bedding, hunting to exploit the tendency, and that's where I'm I'm getting on all these big So in your neck of the woods, what is dough betting like? When you're identifying that, whether it's on a map or on the ground, how you finding that? It could be clear cut, it could be um tai tai bas uh, just any any change in habitat that. I mean a lot of times, to be honest, y'all, I'll walk um miles late season and identify where I'm jumping those family groups and that's all I need. And then I'll go back in there at the right time of year and just hunt down wind of it. Um. You know, we got a lot of a lot of north stuff right now, so I've got you know, I'll get on the down wind signed out for north, and then if it switches on me and goes south, southwest, southeast, I'll just rotate to get on the down wind side of it on a different angle. Are you Uh, I'm really interested in this because we're about to go. You know, we're a little bit behind where we're headed of what you're talking about rut fast wise. Uh, but are you trying to sandwich those bucks between you and the dough bedding? Like, are you sitting up like twenty yards south of the trail you expect the down wind Let me say that of the trail you expect the deer to be on. Are you sitting up on the trail or up wind of it? Or how do you really configure that? So I'm just basically I've noticed that. Um. Sometimes you might have like the weather forecast might be let's say the weather forecast is well, let's just start off. I don't want to I'm not trying to take the fall y'all's time. But let me try to explain it this way. Um. So, let's say you get the weather and it says, okay, I want to go hunt down wind of this type said bay, and it pinches right next to a slue or something, or it's a kine thicket. It pinches next to a slue, all right, and I see there's like a I'm gonna I'm gonna say it's the north wind, so I'm gonna hunt the south side of that, all right. Um Well, sometimes let's say it's it could be a south wind, and that's that might be the wrong wind. But the first four or five hours the day, if it's real calm, the thermals might suck to still pull down wind. So I sometimes I'll still hunt it that first portion and then I'll get down getting the boat or get down walk the bank out or something and get on the other side of it for lunch, like once the day when start. So it's just the main thing to grasp or that that I try to put a handle on. It's just making sure I'm down wind and just be down winded where those does are spending their time where there and that then that can change throughout the years sometimes, but typically wherever I'm jumping, if I walk late season, I'm jumping a bunch of Doe family groups. I'm jumping up early season in the summer, I'm jumping up late season. That's a perennial dough betting area, and that's going to get my attention more so than Oh, here's a bunch of rubs and scrapes somewhere. Yeah. And you don't hear many people talking about dough beatting right now, And it's definitely something I've used to kill deer on two. I like it a lot. So I'm glad you're talking about this now going forward in the next week or so. I know, you know in the South, the rut trickles a little harder than it does in the Midwest and up no Earth, But um, are you gonna still employ the same tactics? Do you like that going forward? And and do you feel comfortable saying that they're gonna be moving pretty good? Um checking with dough batting next week? Absolutely? Man, I mean that's that is the main sentences. Um. I mean that's what we're really trying to exploit. I think everybody's got different little ways that they you know, strategy they go about it. But to me, I mean that's the meat and potatoes of of of exploiting the bucks tendency. Yea, so fast majority of the year, got your different days will come in estres, you know everything. She didn't get bread, Like in the South, there's so many does. Everybody wants to pass the ten does to shoot the buck. So a lot of times what happens is if they don't get bread. Obviously you don't know this, they don't get bread that first cycle, they'll come in in about twenty eight days later. So it's it's just a trickle man. I'm I'm gonna keep hunting that that same tendency. Sure, so scale of one to ten, what do you say buck movement will be like they're on the coastal marshes of Georgia next week, Well, um uh, I guess Saturday I had a shooter, you know for down here, I mean mature buck, you know, probably hoping young on a dove like full all out. So I'm sure some of them bucks will lock down, But for the most part of me, it's gonna be a lot of cruising, a lot of late morning cruising all day, middle of the day, two o'clock and me it happened any second, um, and that pretty much stayed pretty consistent throughout. You know, I guess the rest of October, first part of November got you. So if you had to put a number on it, one to Tim, what do you think, I'd say? It's high? Like I mean, right now is the time of bend the woods. Ten. I mean, if you're in the middle of o you're in South Georgia and you're not in the trigger right now, you should be all right, dude. Well, thanks for the report, man, and we'll be talking to you soon. Yeah, man, all right, I got Alex Comstock from whitetailed d n A. What's happening man, you've been in Minnesota lately? Huh. Yeah, I've been spending a lot of time in the woods here in Minnesota, but I've been seeing much dear. Yeah, you know, you ever heard of the Headless Horseman comes out around Halloween? You've you've been dealing with anything like that lately? You know, it doesn't really ring a bell, but oh man, I feel for you. Um, sometimes you find out that the big buck your chasing gets shot. I actually found that out last year around my house, So I know what it feels like. It's not a good feeling, but you've still been out there after him. What what exactly are you kind of focusing on right now when you think about tactically how to harvest a big buck in Minnesota right now? Yeah, i'men kind of you know, in the last week or so, been focusing on just areas, been trying to push close to bedding, trying to find scrapes that are you know what I would call close to bedding and not just scrapes. So I think we're getting hit at night. Um. You know, here we had a pretty good acorn crop, but being as far north as we are, the acorn is pretty much got decimated and I'll dropped for really early, like late September. Um, so um, I'm really just trying to focus in on getting pushing close to bedding. UM, you know, trying to find those scrapes, and it's been it's been tough because I haven't really been able to find um much as far as daylight activity has been going. So yeah, how how how are you finding or what do you assume you know, how are you making the assumption of betting? I guess, um a mix of just you know, I've where I hunt. It's uh, it's you know, a suburban area. And so I can do quite a bit of walking in the woods on types of trails um, stonebile trails, hiking trails without being invasive and can you know, for like example, I actually was out hanging camps last week and was walking a smobile trail and kicked up the buck that I one of the bucks up and after and he was betted, you know, four yards off the stomobile trail. So I didn't really do any harm. Um, but I boom Newers betted right there, and um, stuff like that essentially. Um, and then just trying to get into areas that you know, um finding if I can't find a type of food source and trying to you know, backtrack essentially. But um, that's pretty much what I've been doing up here in Minnesota. Given an old to effect into necting boom, you know I could play yet. So uh, that urban thing is really interesting because you're not like hunting backyard deer, but you're hunting deer that are Uh, you know in urban zones, right, and so pressure is just different in that stuff. And I kind of want to pick your brain about that just a little bit. Uh. You know, you say, you bump that deer off the Snowbyville trail, but I'm sure he's used to people. But at the same time, you never know when some you know, memile has walked your dog down the same trail and it's bumped him like that day. So how do you kind of do you have specific days of the week that you feel are better in those type situations are like how are you navigating that? Yeah, it's it's a super tricky um topic of discussion. We could probably do an hour long podcast on it, but you know, it's it's it's so true. And the fact that you know, what I found is if you're on these trails, you know, deer so used to they know where the trails are, they're used to people going by. It's when you stop or if you venture off the trails is when they know. I me so that buck. We caught a glimpse of them as we were walking by them, were already passed them, And if we would have just kept walking, I guarantee he would not you know, given two cares in the world. The fact that we stopped backed up, We're like, ohly crap, looking at you and throw your bios up and then immediately you knew something was up and he just you know, out of there. So it's a kind of a catch twenty two. But it does also allow me to walk through and you know, I can scout by taking these trails and jump off the trail, checking herr out back on the trail. And it's just the pressure is the way way you put it is good is different. And I found that, you know, the early morning, late evening when the least time people are on the trail is one dear, you know, most active, they're most likely to get up and start you know, crossing some of these trails and whatnot. Yeah, makes sense, makes sense. So going forward, what are you gonna be focusing on in the next week or so. I'm trying to find as much deer sign as possible. I've been um pretty much every sit I've been in a different tree, just going with the saddle and you know, looking for signs and scrapes, and you know, until we've got a ton of cell cams out and they've just been dead. So as long as though stayed dead, I'm just hunting for scrapes right now, back where I believed you're embetted, not just you know, to translate to other people, You're not just like feel edge scrapes, you know, essentially, um, you know, trying to get back into the cover and if you can find those, you know, seemingly active scrapes, I think now. And obviously you're gonna start, um, you know, focusing on doors here pretty quick. So kind of that kind of combination. Yeah, So with that in mind, and weather and moon and whatever else you consider. Typically when you like to think about hyping for whitetail, what would you assume buck movement will be like based on a scale of one to ten in the next week. You know, I'm hoping we can get over a five, so I'm gonna go six. Um, it's been warm here, it's been pretty warm. I mean, we're we're pushing seventy yesterday, which where I'm at Northern Minnesota is really really warm. I don't know how to do it right, does sounds I mean, that does sound like it would be kind of a downer, uh for y'all. It's it's not it's not ideal. I mean, and but we've got in the next week. You know, we've got tempts pushing down where highs during the forties lows during the twenties. So yeah, i'd call that, you know, um, typical weather. It's not like below averages, I wouldn't say, but we're getting to get good weather and the timing, you know, the time of year, so I'm hoping with how bad it's Ben is bound to pick up. So I'm gonna go ahead and give her a six. All right, dude, Well that sounds like promising, you know, it's very realistic, but promising. It's that time of year. Man. I appreciate you getting on with us. I hope that this picks up for you and you get to get a crack at a deer up there, because I know it means a lot to you work really hard at it. Appreciate what you do, man, and and hopping on the phone with us as well. So uh, I hope things go well for you the rest of the season. Absolutely appreciate it. And good luck to you guys as well. All right, now on the phone, we've got Johnny Stewart not to be confused with the guy that owns bass pro shops. This is a guy in Pennsylvania who is a public land dear killer. He's a good unner, Johnny. What's been going on, man Um? Not much, trying to get a little hunting in. UM. Just kind of what's that time of year, wait and wait for the rut? Yeah, So talk about what kind of habitat you typically are hunting. Is it hill country or what's it look like? Actually Pennsylvania, I live near Pittsburgh, I travel, I have a camp north. I've been putting a lot of time into there. But it's hard when you know you don't live close to where you're hunting. But it's mountain bocks. But actually the area UM, some people can get confused with mountains. Um it is the considered allegating mountain change. But kind of area I'm hunting this really flat gradual um kind of they called the plateaus. Makes it kind of difficult not having the terrain. I feel like it's easier to hunt terrain, not easier. It's all hard when you're hunting in the mountains. But UM, a lot of brows up in that area. No mask UM some areas of mass but no acorns this year, and the beach were produced in the last few years and nothing's happening. So it's pretty much hunting browsing deer that him a lot. So it's a it's a challenge, but I like it. Yeah, No, that sounds a lot like where we hunt. We hunt for real flat country too. If you see a if you if you hear somebody say, hey, over over on that ridge in our country. Um, it's like a six inch rise, you know what I mean, It's like you can't really see it. You just gotta walk up on it. And there's no water there, you know. So I understand that flat roaming, uh brows country because we've got the same type of stuff down here and it makes it difficult and and like you said, the the elevation helps to kind of funnel deer. So let's talk a little bit about what you focus on. I mean, it sounds like beach was something you were looking at, um, But what do you typically focus on this time of year? So a big thing for me is hunting pressure. So they just had here in po Up where I hunt is that was a riffle bear or muzzle loader. There was an orange army out and they're hitting the clear cuts and pushing all the good habitat which a lot of people like to go to. But I kind of just I like that. I feel like the bigger deer that I'm hunting or going to just satellite them areas, maybe hit him at night. Um, they're just kind of like a different creature. They don't want to be bothered at all. And the weather was a little bit warm, so um getting down your creek bottoms sometimes that's tough with the winds maybe swirling. But um, I find a lot of these deer are always sent check in the areas, especially this time of year with those coming into heat and other bucks in their area. Um, like the biggest beer deer I find will be like the furthest down wind on a flat like I got like a flat dinner. Gradually there is elevation change. Maybe there yam at maybe a hundred feet UM, and then further downstream you can keep falling the creek to where you can get to four feet elevation, but that's like miles downstream. It's like, um from the top where um it's a watershed on each side of the flat. But they're just they're they're lazy and not lazy. I find how they're they're they're their navigation is just very efficient through the woods, not going at this time of year when the rut isn't happening yet. Um just kind of you think something. You see rubs on a flatness and that sign you think. Sometimes, Um, there are deer to travel a night A lot. I find deer to travel mouth checking the scrapes and different areas where they're gonna read those. And I'm like, this one deer I hunting. He's just I think he's hanging out right there and claiming that territory and not just kind of just getting He's just like a satellite. He's there, he knows what's going on. He's got a mile away. But like I said, all personality typing the deer itself. Some of them used to travel a lot, but sometimes the older ones kind of know where they want to be and just hang out and uh so, yeah, I've just been checking. I was. I just got home from up there, and I was up there. I've got a lot of cameras running and mainly in areas where I can check, um without bumping deer, where I'm kind of know where maybe he's feeding at night on my bump a dough here or there. But to gauge where the um you know, whether where they starting to daylight or are still nighttime. UM, So I just keep an eye and then when I hunt now, I usually hunt the four light um my most productive, and sometimes I go in at light. It's kind of like a toss up, which is better because sometimes, um, you're going before lighting. It's a calm, heavy frost and maybe they were hanging out right there since it's so flat and they roam and they're brows that you gotta be careful bumping them. Tough to get in. Sometimes going in after light, but I'll get out at noon or ten eleven whenever I feel I'll check cameras, studying my map, my sparting forward. I'm always looking at that and deciding just really fine tune it, always learning, never stopped scouting and finding. I'm I'm kind of looking for that dough that comes into heat around the end of October because I know there are very few of them. Yeah, I'm finding a And I asked the other hunters, you're seeing the scrape, you've seen it? Not yet? They just started. So what I've been scraping myer, So to me, that's telling me like going to happen. So yeah, man, we're coming up on that week for sure, and uh, that'll really look forward to that late October stuff. And I know you do too. If you were going to look at kind of what you had coming up, Uh you know, what's the one thing that you're going to concentrate on? And then if you could predict dear movement on a scale to one to ten over the next week, what would that look like? So I think the number one I'm gonna go back up and hunt this upcoming week. Um, whether they're gonna be a little warm, but I think I'm gonna just look with him scrapes, Um, see where the where the rubs are? I feel like that bucks close, staying tight, watch your wind. Um, they're still not out of your mind, out of their skull and and they're gonna be using that wind and you're gonna play the edge. You get sent free and and you know, get ready for him to start chasing. Does what from a scale to one to team, what's it gonna be? Man, I'd say about six and a half. Oh yeah, I got some hats he's in there, Johnny. There's a bunch of people that are mad at me right now because I said the owner of ass Pro is Johnny Steart. I realized that Johnny Morris. Uh, that's say, man, you can owns pro shops too, even though your name is there. Hey, thanks for it hopping on the phone with this man giving us a good report. Yeah, no problem. If you can't tell the big buck hype is real this time of year, guys, October is when things start happening, and it's super exciting. Things have happened for us lately. Actually, we had a buddy of ours kill a really big buck over a scrape in South Dakota that videos on the Element channel if you want to check out kind of how that went. And then we actually go in depth on the Element podcast as well and talk about some of those tactics involved with hunting scrapes in October. And by the way, Mark Kenyon poses the question in a recent article on Wire to Hunt of if October is the new November for deer hunters. I don't know how I'm more with that I am. You might want to go read what Mark has to say about that these things can really help you as we push into November because guess what, guys, that's the rut. This is rout fresh, Keep it fresh.