One Hell Of A Life Outdoor Podcast
The One Hell Of A Life Outdoor Podcast hosted by father-son duo Tony Vogel and Tristan Vogel, Owners of Zero Duck:30 and Zero Buck:30 . Our passion lies in bringing every hunter the REALITY of what it REALLY takes to hunt their target animal while equipping them with the knowledge to be a successful hunter and promoting the lost "old school values" that laid the foundation for the sport we love so much today.
One Hell Of A Life Outdoor Podcast
The Perfect Lawn Won't Make You a Better Hunter, But These Tips Might
Preparing for hunting season requires more than just buying tags and cleaning your gear – it demands understanding the landscapes, animal behaviors, and biological rhythms that dictate success.
Summer offers deer hunters a critical window for effective scouting, and we're diving deep into strategies that separate casual hunters from those who consistently tag mature bucks on public land. We explore the concept of "shelf hunting" – positioning yourself along ridge shelves where deer naturally travel – and explain why these seemingly simple terrain features produce results year after year. The mechanics are fascinating: these shelves represent the path of least resistance for energy-conscious mature bucks, while also offering hunters unprecedented advantages for scent control with morning thermals.
Meanwhile, waterfowl season looms on the horizon with upcoming expos from Delta Waterfowl in Oklahoma City and Ducks Unlimited in Memphis. We analyze this year's Federal Duck Stamp featuring the spectacular spectacled eider and discuss the science behind season dates and splits. The question many hunters ask – "Why can't we hunt later?" – deserves a data-driven answer that prioritizes brood production over our hunting opportunities.
Throughout our conversation, we celebrate recent conservation victories protecting public lands and emphasize how hunter unity remains our greatest strength. Whether you're battling weeds in your yard or planning your next hunting adventure, the message remains clear: preparation, persistence, and understanding natural systems are key to creating memorable outdoor experiences.
Have a question you'd like us to answer on air? Leave a comment and you might just win one of our exclusive leather koozies! Join us in pursuing one hell of a life in the great outdoors.
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what's going on, guys? Tristan and tony back with another episode of the one hell of a life outdoor podcast, and it is one hell of a life. It is a Life Outdoor Podcast and it is One Hell of a Life. What's up, man?
Speaker 3:Man. I'll tell you what it is. One Hell of a Life because, like lately, you know, I feel like I've been like military status as far as my day job goes, and you know, for us I do disaster restoration. You know it's show season, so you're out there shaking hands with people traveling across the country. I think I've done five shows so far this year and and most of them are over, like saturday, sunday, monday, so today feels like thursday, but it's tuesday and uh, but just got back from boma international um, big show, um, great people. Man had a great time, met a lot of people. And it's funny that you know, when you go into a place like that and you just start having great conversations with people, you're networking, you know what do you do for fun and you know who you marry, how long you've been married. You start talking about this personality things and isn't it funny, like, how much interesting. We didn't even talk to even discuss this today, but but it's funny how like it's finding that common ground right, like oh yeah.
Speaker 3:I remember a long time ago you went into a place for a sales pitch, you know, for a previous company and, and you went in there and you're like man, this guy had bass and bucks and everything on the wall. And soon as you see that you're like, let's go. So, but no, I just I've been traveling a lot, you know and and, uh, you know. With that said, you know, I mean um, we don't wish any kind of problems on people, you know.
Speaker 3:But when it comes to what I do, you know our, we make a lot of money on, um, you know, restoration after our major weather event. You know whether it be flood, fire, um, after a major weather event, you know whether it be flood, fire, tornado, that kind of thing. But the thing I love about it the most honestly is it's like a call of duty from like when I was in the military, you know it's like it feels like humanitarian to me is that I get to go be like. If I don't go do what I do as quickly as I can right after that major weather event, do as quickly as I can right after that major weather event, I'm keeping business from happening. I'm keeping people from getting paid on their jobs, you know.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I mean, at least what you're selling you can look back on and be like I mean granted it is still sales and somebody has got to pay some money to get that stuff in there. But it's going to directly get businesses rolling again so you can feel good about what you're selling.
Speaker 3:Yeah yeah, and not only that, you know, but there's people that work wherever it is. So I know we do all commercial, but you know we do big retailers and stuff and and I've known like we've got some special retailers I can't mention their names that you may think of. As far as, like getting temporary restrooms and all these different types of humanitarian things to set up for their, their employees and I don't know man, when I'm a part of something like that, I'm just like shoot me tomorrow. Yeah, I mean really, I just uh, it's.
Speaker 2:It really feels like a great sense of purpose yeah, no doubt I mean, and for people listening to this, you know a wide array of different jobs. I'm sure you know different people that listen this. But uh, for y'all in sales, you know, I'd just be curious to hear, because I'm in sales too, I kind of feel the same way. It's like you want to sell something that you can believe in and feel like it's um, making a difference and you know, I mean, that's, that's just how you know I feel, probably because that's a way you know working with you for all that time kind of was instilled in me I guess you want to make that company your blood, birth your blood.
Speaker 3:Excuse me, I burped um that you want to make they want to be your blood, you want them to be your blood brother, right? So like, hey, let's cut a slit in our hands, let's shake hands. I believe in what I'm doing and that is such a big part of sales. It's just the, the conviction.
Speaker 2:Yeah, no, absolutely being confident that what you're selling no doubt. Yes, I mean outside that it's just hot as hell here in the South, Humid hot, and one thing I figured out recently is I don't want to be a dedicated lawn guy.
Speaker 2:You and I were talking about this the other day. So we moved in this house like three and a half years ago and uh, you know, I thought the the yard it was green, but it was like all weeds for the most part, like I'd say, like legit, like 75 percent weeds. And uh, you know, I the first couple years kind of just whatever, didn't really put any effort into it, was putting effort into other things. And because obviously it's expensive too, our front yard alone we're on a half acre, um, and our front yard is probably most of it, uh, probably 60 percent of it, and um, I want to say it's something like 7 000 square feet, so it's. It's a pretty big yard, you know, and not cheap to re-sod or put seed out, anything like that.
Speaker 2:So I uh tried my best, just kind of half-ass it, for a couple years or whatever, not really getting any results. Well, this year, since dating back to, I guess, last fall, I was like, okay, I'm putting like the groundwork into where, like two, three, two, three year plan, like I want this to look really good. Well, um, this spring or whatever, I think I may have planted a little bit last fall or whatever. And then this spring comes around I plant a bunch of like kentucky bluegrass I'm wanting it to look that kind of look. And uh, I hired a, a company to like spray for weeds and to fertilize and all that stuff and I just hoped that, like, if I kept overseeding and yada, yada, yada, that it would kind of just fill out Weeds would go away.
Speaker 2:Well, basically, when they sprayed for weeds remember I mentioned how many weeds were in my yard yeah, so I have all these bare spots in my yard because it killed all the weeds so now I'm left with grass and a bunch of bear spots and it's the dead of summer and I can't plant, because you can't plant in the dead of summer, because it's gonna burn up yeah so now I'm kind of screwed until the fall, until I can like replant again. But all this to say like I've analyzed this shit way too much. And I'm too frustrated.
Speaker 3:I don't want to be like a dedicated lawn guy. It's as important as that steak that comes out of your Traeger From an ego man's perspective. Yes, you have to have a good lawn.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I'm trying.
Speaker 3:If you're OCD son of a military guy.
Speaker 2:I'm trying.
Speaker 3:But really it's all about like when, like I remember the first time I had a lawn with cross cuts that look beautiful and I waited for the sun to be right, send pawpaw a picture and he goes yep, buddy, that looks pretty good.
Speaker 2:I just remember I, like dude, I worked so hard to get that thing right, you know, and uh, but yeah, you had a jungle, you were dealing with and it's like I was just saying a second ago you know it's uh, but yeah, you had a jungle you were dealing with and it's like I was just saying a second ago you know, it's like 7,000 square feet. So it's not, you can't sod it Like who's got. I mean, I don't know what. Would that be $7,000, at least inside a dollar a square foot? Yeah, yeah, something Just kind of got to just keep overseeding and hopefully like over two or three years.
Speaker 3:It's a pride deal. Dude, you're just like man. My lawn it's a man and his lawn right.
Speaker 2:I mean it, just it's like a it's so the thing that sucks right now is it's almost like I'm taking one step back to go two steps forward. Because, last summer it was green and I mowed it and it looked good. It was green, but it was full of weeds. It looked good, it was green, but it was full of weeds. So now it's just like grass and no weeds.
Speaker 3:Well, I'll tell you this my experience is just the opposite of yours, because when I inherited this property it looked pretty good. The front lawn, the back lawn can do whatever it wants and I need basic care. But the front lawn, bro, you're dealing with the super impactful OCD. Tony Vogel on that and my guy, like I'm glad I'm not mowing your yard anymore, I mow it.
Speaker 3:I mow it. I mow the back hill just so I can get good exercise. I sold my rider just so I could get the exercise. But my point is, as far as treatment goes, that is my showroom. Yeah, this is the front of my house and that lawn, which isn't very big, I mean I'd say on average it's probably about 10 to 15 yards deep and average I don't know 30, 40 yards wide, whatever. And I won't tolerate a weed, not one, not one. And I get the survey from our company. It says will you rate so-and-so service? I said no, I won't. Oh god. I said send this to me two weeks after they perform the service, because you know you get weed killer or whatever. It just doesn't die like overnight. And they're like rate so-and-so service. And I was like rate him because he ran out of the truck real fast with a hose you know I mean, what am I, what am I rating?
Speaker 3:you know what I mean, but but no, no, I get it, man. I think it's just a, it's a, it's a thing like it's a, it's a manly purpose, especially, you know, once you get married, like you, and you got this house and you know you're trying to have this, the setting, this environment that you love, and all this stuff like that, and then it becomes like a passion project.
Speaker 2:I think man, it is, but it's just like it's. Obviously there's levels to it. I think that at some point I got to accept that I have such a big yard that it's like I don't know do not accept.
Speaker 2:Well, not, we'll see. But there's this dude that honestly, is on my bucket list to get on this podcast is his name? On TikTok? I don't even know his actual name, but his name is Southern Lawn. Daddy is here in Georgia. Yeah and uh, he is like obsessed. He's a duck hunter and a lot of his stuff is about like god and like jesus and you know stuff like that too.
Speaker 2:But he uh is always posting stuff about his lawn. It's his wife video videoing him and all that. But uh, he like when I talk about levels to this, like this guy like he has a great lawn and people still like give him shit from time to time about stuff with his lawn and I'm just like dude, you guys don't want to see my yard. But anyway, enough about that, right on, right on.
Speaker 2:Hey. So new segment we're doing yeah, what the duck is going on. What the duck is going on, tristan, what the duck is going on. So basically, the whole purpose of this segment is that we're just gonna, you know, once a week, chime in. It could be what the buck is going on too. Could be what the buck you know whatever but just kind of chime in on some things that are going on in the outdoor industry.
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Speaker 2:We're seeing and just kind of fill you guys in if you haven't seen it, and you know we're going to discuss our thoughts, yeah, so first thing is is the waterfowl stamps came out and the junior one I love is a spoonie. We can't go wrong with that? Yeah, no no, but I'm kind of interested to get the take. Is it a spectacled eider? No, it's a king eider. No spectacled Are you sure? I just don't know how to say it.
Speaker 3:Is it spectacled?
Speaker 2:or spectacled eider. Okay, yeah, so that is the.
Speaker 3:That's the one with the gray face, the orange beak, Yep yep, yep. The bump on the nose, all that.
Speaker 2:Mm-hmm, yep, that is the federal duck stamp this year.
Speaker 3:That's a beautiful bird.
Speaker 2:And honestly it's kind of majestic.
Speaker 4:Let me pull it up real quick.
Speaker 2:These like dude. It's just. I wish I could show you guys this. We're going to get video on here before too long, yeah, but it's these like two spectacled eiders just sitting there in this like majestic swamp with, like these mountainous, freaking snow in the background, bro, come on, look at that dude's green head.
Speaker 3:Look how big his eyeball appears.
Speaker 2:I know Like if.
Speaker 3:I was an eagle and I was flying over. I was like I'm not trying to hunt anything with an eyeball. That big.
Speaker 2:I know, honestly, like whoever painted this did a fantastic job, but I will say I've never seen one of these in person, but that eyeball does look kind of big, do you?
Speaker 3:know what one of the most amazing things about eiders is. What's that? Their ability Like? I don't know them, but there's a specific eider, that dude, who's the who's the guy that talks about like nature.
Speaker 2:He's like the most iconic nature film guy ever not jock custo. Oh uh, edinburgh, edinburgh. Yeah, david, david attenborough.
Speaker 3:He's got I'm gonna find it dude. He's got this clip and he's like the blug, blug eider. It's the only duck species made, performed, to go in these high currents, like super high currents that are twisted and crazy, and it has the ability to die like 20, 30 feet to get these mollusks or whatever it's going after, and that duck was made just to do that, which is just mind blowing.
Speaker 2:I think that is pretty crazy, honestly, and I think it's one of those things like seeing that as the feral duck stamp. It is kind of weird because you're like like, how many?
Speaker 3:but it's a. It's a. It's a tribute to the uh, an incredible animal.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I know really where I'm going with that is like it's it's kind of weird because most hunters are not going to be able to harvest one like in any given year, like it's probably once a lifetime bird for some people. Yeah, um, but um, it's one of those things when you look back on your duck stamp collection 20, 30, 40 years from now, you're like oh, that was pretty cool.
Speaker 3:Remember when I got the eider one yeah, yeah, yeah because I mean. I mean why we all love the beautiful wood duck, you know. But you know, 50 years from now you might have some my duck stamps and everything.
Speaker 2:I got all the same ducks Bro's going to be like oh yeah, we'll duck, but what, oh either?
Speaker 3:Yeah, yeah, who's that green face Wide eyed guy?
Speaker 2:Yeah no doubt, uh. So what else in the uh, what the duck is going on so obviously um you show season yeah, you guys know that the shows are going down bro, if you don't know that, the show is going down like you said.
Speaker 3:now you know and, dude, I feel like this is like the one of the pinnacle show seasons for two of the most incredible organizations on this planet, and that is Delta Waterfowl.
Speaker 4:In terms of Waterfowl.
Speaker 3:Yeah, in terms of Waterfowl, Delta Waterfowl Ducks Expo, d-u-x Expo. You guys, if you've listened to us, you already know, and if you've been there to a Delta Waterfowfowl um um expo, it did, it's my goodness. We could talk forever about it. It's just incredible. Incredible, not just from what you see, as far as from an exhibit exhibitor standpoint, but man, the, the people that you get to walk and talk and shake hands with I, I mean it's just incredible. I mean like I just got back from that big show I was telling you about and it's not the same thing, right? You got people walking by your booth. They're like don't look at me, don't look at me, you know. And everybody walking by your booth is like I want to look at you, you know what I mean, and they want to talk to you and they want to shake hands with a fellow waterfowler and all that man. And so we got Delta Expo going on in OKC, right, oklahoma City.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 3:Yep, and then we got the Ducks Convention. Dux going on. They're bringing it home to Memphis. It's in the teens that morning and maybe you're chasing ducks or geese, but now it's morning and maybe you're chasing ducks or geese, but now it's September and it's 85 degrees and you're hunting early teal or geese. As a waterfowler, you need dependable weather protection that will not break the bank.
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Speaker 2:You know, tristan, we were able to walk through and see some of the nostalgic, incredible stuff that, uh, just has brought that organization to where it is today yeah, no doubt, no doubt, yeah, if you have the extra time, definitely check out the uh du headquarters, which I don't know what their availability might be, especially with the whole expo going on.
Speaker 3:I know you can go online and schedule a tour, though.
Speaker 2:Okay, yeah, no, definitely check that out if you all get time. But super excited. Obviously we're going to be at the Ducks Expo and if you guys see us there, definitely stop by and say hi. We'd love to grab a picture. I think I'm going to bring my camera and probably do some content from the day. So definitely got to stop by and say hi if you see us and yeah, we're really looking forward to it.
Speaker 3:Tristan, what we're working on, something for the Ducks Expo that we will bring to you guys in a future podcast. I will tell you this Tristan and I are more excited about the possibilities of what we got going on for Ducks Expo than we've ever been. I will say that, and we're big about not like we don't ever want to over-promise and under-deliver or speak about something, and we're big about not like we we don't ever want to like over promise and under deliver or speak about something that we're not. But we've got some huge opportunities, um, that we're super excited about. And, uh, just stay tuned because, um, if you're going to duck's expo, you're going to find out yep, no doubt.
Speaker 2:So you know. The last thing with, uh, what the duck is going on is obviously this whole public land deal was a huge thing going on and, honestly, like I have not, done the research.
Speaker 3:That applies to everything. I mean all hunting.
Speaker 2:I have not done the research to like really spit the facts to you guys, but you know what it boils down to. To me is like you know that whole thing, like Cameron Haynes was saying, was like not one acre Because you know not one acre they were trying to here's. Oh, it's only one percent yeah, and one percent like literally took up like Connecticut, rhode Island and like something else. It was like in Delaware.
Speaker 2:It was like a huge portion of the northeast and like the, precedent cannot be set because, to Cam's point, if one acre gets sold, then opens the pos. The can of worms is open and it'll never be put back it will.
Speaker 3:It will turn into let me ask you this is there anybody that listens to this that's in favor of the opiate thing? No, you're not. It will turn into such a bipartisan like, like a funding, underground funding situation with all of that. Like, say, commercial developers, for example, do you know why? They want to sell it? To make money. That's why they want to sell it, and so you can have all these developers getting in, these clicks. And I think it's a real like, if you've seen Yellowstone, that's what I was just thinking. Yeah, if you you've seen yellowstone, that's the reality of what's going on here. Like it's not an airport, it's a, a toll loss of land that can be used however the hell they see fit yeah, which I again.
Speaker 2:I don't know exactly what they were trying to do with it or the like, really in depth deal, no give us, your feedback but, um, just my, my thoughts looking at is just like, yeah, you cannot set the precedent, because once you open that can of worms, uh, it's just gonna there. There's no stopping it. At that point, you know, it's a one percent here, one percent here, and then it's death by a thousand cuts is what's gonna happen. So, thankfully that the hunters got a win there and everybody kind of united and it's it's cool to still see that, like, while we're the minority in the united states, uh, hunters, that we can still make such a um, such an impact.
Speaker 2:And I know that, um, you know one thing I saw that I forgot who shared it, but I went on there and wrote my um warnock and somebody else. It was like a uh, rafael warnock, I think is like the dude in georgia or whatever. But and somebody else it was like a uh, raphael Warnock, I think is like the dude in Georgia or whatever, but it's uh, it was like an email that was already templated out for you, oh yeah, it's great.
Speaker 3:And you already plug your stuff in there boom and Delta and Ducks Unlimited help you do that stuff man I mean uh, bha yeah back, back back country hunters and anglers, that's what yes, yeah, they were big in that too.
Speaker 2:Shout out to everybody who played a big part in that. And that's what the duck's going on, nope.
Speaker 3:I've got something else, and that's because, for those of you that are super addicted to ducks, you want to know what the duck is going on with those ducks all year long. Right, here's the breakdown. I'm just going to give it to you because I'm so obsessed, I really do know what is going on with those ducks all year long. Right, here's the breakdown. I'm just going to give it to you because I'm so obsessed, I really do know what's going on. I can speak factual about this. Number one.
Speaker 3:Researchers are thinking that, again, we don't have enough water, so they're not sure about what the nesting is looking like. But the mating is finished. Obviously, the brooding is starting to happen. The males are finished. Obviously, the brooding is starting to happen. The males are starting to depart now that the babies have been born. The males are starting to find isolated places because they're losing their wing feathers.
Speaker 3:And, if you didn't know, this waterfowl are one of the I don't want to say the only bird, but I think it is the only bird that sheds their wing feathers. So it's incredible to me how God works, that a green head mallard stands out like a sore thumb right, but when it loses its wings it molts into a shed that looks similar to a hen. Why does a hen have the shed that it does? So that it can sit there hidden in camouflage for 28 days. Bro, they don't get up for 28 days, wow, no, no, somebody's going to call me wrong and say, yeah, they get up and take a poop or something like that. Yeah, they might all right Eat something, but the whole purpose is that they're camouflaged to stay hidden from predators they gotta keep those eggs yeah but here the drakes are, and cone wildlife just had a post about this.
Speaker 3:They tracked this drake all the way and they said he's most likely went to this isolated pond to shed his wing feathers and it's a very vulnerable situation. But isn't it funny how god, like, takes care of that molt. And you guys, if you've not seen what a mallard looks like molted, it'll blow your mind. You'll be like that's farmed up. It really is. So I think it's cool to follow that journey of what's going on with those and and um, um, you know it's it's mixed reviews on what people think about, what the predictions are and all that stuff. But, um, we'll see what's going to happen, right? I mean, as far as, like, what, the, what, the production numbers are going to come out of that.
Speaker 2:You know and I know we have scientists and biologists all over the place that are tracking this stuff and they want to know probably more than we do yeah, at the end of the day, it kind of boils down to the people that are, um, that we trust to put in these positions, to make these regulations, and you know, it's just kind of like follow these numbers, it's. It's one of those things it's always cool to see when you see an uptick and it's always like a bummer to see when you see a downtick but, like year over year.
Speaker 2:honestly I it's hard to say like if I see any difference to be honest with with you, but obviously as a hunter I would like to see an uptick every single year, so hopefully that'll happen more times than not.
Speaker 3:Well, we have a friend of ours that sees any uptick in anything. Then he just basically says that he's not making any money this year. And then on the flip side he's like the duck numbers are bad. He goes, it's going to be a banger and it was just because one year, several years back, they did put out some numbers that weren't great. But doesn't that vary so slightly? I mean dude it can vary by a 100-yard field, I mean wow. So anyway, that's what the duck's going on?
Speaker 2:Yeah, absolutely. So the other thing that that, uh, you know it's July 1st, um, starting to see bucks and velvet, uh, we wanted to touch on, you know as a, as a deer hunter, you know what are you doing?
Speaker 2:yeah, it's like so. For us, september 10th, september 15th, something like that is when deer season comes in a lot of states is like October 1st, october 15th, um, but as a deer hunter, at this point it's like what do your wheels are starting to turn, because for us we got like like 75 days, which is crazy to think about. Yeah, and you know it's right around the corner, truly, so it's like now it's kind of starting to get real Like it's almost hunting season again, so what are you?
Speaker 3:doing. Let's just talk about this for a minute. Tristan, like number one, if you're listening to this and you're not doing anything, shame on you. I mean, if you've got big goals, right, if you've got big goals, I think that you start earlier, you get more serious about it, you do your scouting more serious, all those things, but you know, I just think, uh, most of us are public land hunters. When it comes to deer hunting, right, I mean, there's a large majority of people that are out there. I saw a post the other day from somebody that said have you ever shot a, a mature buck, on public land? And I was shocked how many people said no. I mean, it's one of those maybe, maybe I'm not surprised type of questions.
Speaker 2:What are we calling a mature buck? Are we calling, is that four years? Is that what we're calling?
Speaker 3:It wasn't that detailed. Yeah, it was just like. What I felt like with the post was like, if you were able, like what people? If they felt like they shot a big one or a mature buck, they posted a picture of it and said, yes, yeah.
Speaker 2:And most people agreed with that. But I think what is what is scientifically considered mature four and a half? Is that what we're calling mature four and a half I know, six and a half is like the quote on four and a half to seven and a half I mean it's.
Speaker 3:I would say no less than a four and a half. I mean and I guarantee that I got a lot of people that'd be like no less than a six and a half.
Speaker 2:Well, I understand when I say that.
Speaker 3:I understand that, like the goal is six and a half, but like I think research has proven five and a half to seven and a half is the is the key.
Speaker 2:Yeah, like you can have so, like there's so much variance right, like you can have a five and a half year old deer. You have a drought one year you can have a three and a half year old deer. That's maybe not this extreme, but you could have like one of those freak genetic deers that's like 150 at three and a half, 170 at four and a half, 200 at five and a half, 210 at six by coyote 170 just like and I'm like, I'm just saying, like you know, for an average hunter, like I might see a three and a half year old deer, that's 140, 150 inch deer.
Speaker 2:Like a freak and that's like the best deer in my life you know I'm saying so like to me that might be a mature deer, but to other people that's just like oh, you know whatever well, here's the point I want to get in you guys brains is that you know you're out there hunting deer on public land.
Speaker 3:You most absolutely should be out there scouting right now and you might be going. Well, what's that gonna do? Going to do for me? Deer presence, that's the first thing I'm going to say Is pay If you don't know what still hunting is still hunt, whatever area you're at while you're scouting.
Speaker 3:Go out there in the summer. Find those trails. They're going to start being grown over by ivy and things like that, because the deer, they don't need to use those trails as much right now because they can just go where they want and eat what they want, right, but you can still see what happened from last year, right, go to those areas, walk 10 yards and stop, sit there for 20 to 30 minutes. Pay attention to what's around you, listen to the birds, listen to the blue jays, watch the crows Get embossed in that area, to really understand what's going on there. Because early season that is going to be giant, because once those behavior patterns get going, the bucks, once they get their antlers in and the food's starting getting planted and there's let's say, there's beans in the area and whatever food source is going to dictate that acorns in September, whatever it is, you need to have a general idea of what kind of deer population I'm dealing with, and so it can be very, very useful to you to go out and walk deer trails, walk creeks.
Speaker 3:Creeks are one of my favorite because when you walk there's going to be perpendicular movement. You walk a creek if you can walk in it. Look for the trails, see where deer crossing. I just think it's a good idea to get a good idea of, like, what kind of movement, what kind of. If they feel comfortable now they're, they're going to feel comfortable there. You know, of course, that could change with a bunch of hunters moving in that kind of thing. But you know, if you're a public land hunter, I'm just saying, especially if you're trying to hunt a big buck, you've got to start doing your work now. Your trail cameras need to be out there.
Speaker 2:You need to start doing your research and work now now just a couple questions that come to my mind that I see a lot of people ask and also I'm just kind of curious about. Like you know, people always talk about like topography being such a big thing and like pinch points. But like I remember, uh, one of my friends last year trying like asking me what, like how, how I could define a pinch point, tim on a property that I haven't been to, and I found myself kind of struggling.
Speaker 2:I mean, I did, but it was kind of hard for me to define a pinch point because it's kind of like how I define a pinch point is like a A travel corridor a travel corridor where it's like they come up to a river or they come up to like, where they have to round this thing or whatever where high bluff there's a big block of woods and they have to go through the skinny block of woods get to the next big block. Like those are pinch points to me. So like I had a hard time trying to explain that, but I think like that's one of those things that some people that might be listening to this are like what is a pinch point?
Speaker 2:Yeah, well, no, and what role does that play into killing big bucks? Because?
Speaker 3:I know it's, it's huge. Yeah, it's huge, it's huge. So, early season, look, those bucks are not going to be going down your most beaten trails. They're not, they're just not. And if they do, it's going to be when you're sleeping in bed. But those pinch points become super popular during the rut Because you're just trying to play the numbers right and deer love the easiest path of least resistance and they're going to travel it. Man, I mean like three of these bucks that I have on the wall here, tristan, all of those.
Speaker 3:You know what my big, my big kick is is shelf hunting. I'm a huge fan of shelf hunting and if you guys know what I'm talking about, what we're talking about is the side of a Ridge. We're talking about a side of a Ridge. It's got a shelf. You've you've been there in your own woods and you see this logging road and you're like dude, that's like who cut that out of the world? You know what I mean. It's just a shelf. Dude, bucks love that stuff.
Speaker 3:But point being is that you just got to be able to get out there and start identifying the area you're in. I mean, look, if you've had minimal results because you just taken your climber out and threw it up in a tall pine on opening day, you probably had I mean you probably didn't have very good results. The people that are getting in there and harvesting those deer, that maybe you have a you know a passion to go after. Maybe it's just a deer a period, I mean honestly. I mean I have no problem with that dude. I've had button bucks that have, like, got me more shook up than big buck. But if you're going to have to do that, you've got to put yourself in the position to be the most successful possible and that you have to get in in tune with that, that nature in that specific area. That's my whole point yeah, what do you?
Speaker 2:what do you think? It is that like, why those bucks um love, like a, like a shelf, like that? I mean? Because I would think, like, obviously, when they're running.
Speaker 2:I've got two reasons right now the oh, I'm just like thinking in my brain, just like, and I'm curious, you know, hear what you say. But you know, obviously you hear that they like those thermals, they want to smell everything in that valley and that, and they're being more efficient about their traveling. But I would think, topography-wise, if they could find a shelf, it's probably easier to walk than a freaking valley that's at a freaking, whatever angle. You know what I mean.
Speaker 3:Here's the easiest way I'd like to put it You're a deer that has pretty much all your life since you were a spike. Do you want coffee that doesn't suck? Get the Duck. Dirty Duck Coffee is made specifically for the waterfowl enthusiast. Enjoy flavors like Morning Wood, dark Dynasty, cinnamon, teal, snickerdoodle and First Flight to unlock the flavor that you'll enjoy in the blind for years to come. Our friends at dirty duck coffee company are now offering all zero duck 30 followers a 15 discount when you use code zero duck 15 on your next order. Your ass off, right, you're running and you're bar hopping and you're hitting every bar that you can on the strip Right. Then you start. After time you start to realize that maybe I don't have to go to every bar on the strip. Maybe I just got to watch the girls and see which bar they go to.
Speaker 4:Yeah.
Speaker 3:And then and then Try to sabotage them at that bar. But that's really what a big buck does I mean? I have yet to this day seen a giant. When I'm saying giant, I'm saying world-class deer. I've never seen a world-class deer be the lead chase ever in my life. And if somebody wants to correct me then, okay, there might be that anomaly, but that's not the case. They get smart and they let the little bucks chase them and all that stuff, and they're going to take the easiest path, the least resistance, just like your grandfather would I mean. They will. It's just that simple dude Working smarter, not harder. Yeah, they're like. You know, I've ran this property all of my life.
Speaker 3:You might think that that deer is just walking down a valley. Hell, no, dude, they know every tree, every shadow. Where are the shadows at during that time of day? I mean, this is like if somebody moves something on your bedside table, you would notice it. These deer are there day in, day out, all the time. These deer are there day in, day out, all the time. So but what happens with that shelf hunting is is that it becomes the easiest path, of least resistance, so an animal's traveling from point a to point b. Don't you think that they were like let's use a logging road, for example? Do you think they took the toughest path? No to me, no, they didn't. That's why logging road shelves are so like. Okay, that makes sense that a deer is walking down that yeah, yeah, no, no doubt.
Speaker 2:I mean, when you look at uh, that that's kind of what my whole thought was is just that the fact that they are taking the path of least least resistance, you know, and, um, obviously, when you're trying to walk on a crazy incline on a hill versus not, uh, it's a little bit easier to take a uh, leveled off off road. So, but, yeah, no, I just uh, we just wanted to touch on some deer, deer hunting stuff, guys. You know, it's kind of that time of year where everyone's starting to think about it and, uh, at this point, hopefully you got some cameras up and you're getting some plans together, because, uh, it'll be here before you know it, man. But, um, you know, the next thing we got going on is uh what I have.
Speaker 3:One more thing to say about that. Okay, sorry, I had to run to the restroom quick. Um, here's the other advantage you get with shelf hunting. All right, I've gotten super lucky sometimes in some valleys, but I've gotten busted so many times in the valley right.
Speaker 2:Um, I know I'm almost like I don't even want to hunt valley, I know they have to be big you have to be big and wide and you have to get down there and unfortunately I still smoke, but it's.
Speaker 3:The only advantage it gives me deer hunting is that I can watch the smoke right and I'll go like, get in a tree and blow the a big puff of smoke and see where it goes. And sometimes, honestly, I've climbed up a tree and blew the smoke and went nope, nope, just like that place last year in Georgia, remember Tristan, beautiful spot but for some reason, the way that that air moved through there every time we got busted dude, I mean, I was like no way, there was no figuring it out, no no, but here's the.
Speaker 3:Here's what shelf hunting does for you. Let's keep it simple. You got a ridge. Let's say the ridge is a 50 foot climb from creek to the top of the ridge. I think that's pretty standard um for basis. And you got this logging road that's halfway up it.
Speaker 3:When you set that logging road, that shelf, now you're going up the tree, now you're getting your scent up above, and that's the ideal situation, dude, if you can find that spot where there's a shelf and you get up the tree and I still am not a believer in getting above like 15, 16 feet, I think that you take away too many shot angles.
Speaker 3:You're going to wound a deer, I don't like it. But if you can get up 15, 16 feet and now you, on one side, are above the top of the ridge, that's all you got to be, because everything, the thermals, and especially in the morning, they're going to come up and they're going to blow off the top of that ridge and if you're up there, you've got such a tremendous advantage. No, I mean, I'm not a genius, play the wind, right. I mean you cannot beat a deer's nose, and I just think that that's one of the things that that has been, uh, one. One of the things took me years and years to figure out, and it's definitely a trend that I figured out that, um, most of the deer I have on my wall are related to that, so good, uh, elite ball knowledge, right there is what the kids say.
Speaker 2:So there's this trend going around tiktok. That's like drop elite ball knowledge, but it'll be like. So what that's in reference to is like football, or like baseball or basketball, and it's like football or like baseball or basketball, and it's like somebody that drops like some legit strategy, that you're like damn dude, like that was some good stuff.
Speaker 3:Right.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so that was some elite ball knowledge Shooting big bucks.
Speaker 3:Yeah, that's right, Take that folks.
Speaker 2:But, man, you know, the one thing we wanted to hit on is that the last of the two new segments we got is called Listener Question of the Week, which we did a little kind of demo of this probably, I don't know, a month and a half ago, yep, and we're bringing it back full speed for a long time. It's going to be a more permanent stay in this podcast.
Speaker 3:We're even looking to upgrade that with potential. And looking to upgrade that with potential, you can actually call in and leave us a voicemail and we'll play your voice on the podcast.
Speaker 2:Yeah, no, that's no doubt going to be a part of this at some point. I'm just figuring out. I looked up today how to do it and there's like 10 different.
Speaker 3:We'll figure it out.
Speaker 2:We're going to figure it out. We want your voice heard. Yeah, you'll be able to call in. We'll be able to call in. We'll be able to listen back to, like I don't know if you guys have heard theo von's podcast. He does it all the time on his solo podcast, where he'll let somebody call in and you get to play it back and the cool thing is, you're gonna get something for it.
Speaker 3:Yeah, yeah no doubt.
Speaker 2:And when we uh yeah, that's a new thing we're starting to with this podcast is um, which right now it might be koozies, it might be a hat in the future, whatever it is. Uh, if we choose your question, we're gonna uh send you a, I guess, a prize or whatever you want to call it. But today we got these new um, leather and like embossed, uh, badass, like one hell of a life outdoor yeah, it's like a branding they're really nice, honestly and they job and they don't.
Speaker 2:They don't fit standard beer cans bad like you know how sometimes leather I got a glass bottle in here it's like not great, but you know how sometimes leather koozies like on a typical can won't fit great they fit really good on a can.
Speaker 3:Well, I don't have any remorse, for I mean, yeah, I used to be a chick ultra guy, but if you get our, if you get our koozie and your chick holder doesn't fit, then I just deal with it so we gotta yeah, that's funny.
Speaker 2:So, honestly, like it is really cool to see how many comments we got today on this. We got seven comments. Nice um guys from texas from michigan to um, florida to virginia really cool.
Speaker 2:So I just want to say shout out to uh, let's see here what. Michigan to Florida, to Virginia Really cool. So I just want to say shout out to let's see here, what was this fellow's name? Let me go to his page real quick, because it's one of them that his page is different than his name or whatever Shit. I think his name's Eli. So Eli, brian Devin, from Texas. Brian, I think is from Michigan. Zachary, not sure where you're from. Winter Productions. Riley, I know you're from Michigan. And then the Hunting Traveler, I want to say he's from like Virginia, isn't?
Speaker 3:he? Yeah, I believe so.
Speaker 2:He's the Boykin Spaniel fella. But thank you guys all for leaving a question. So we got seven questions and we went through them all.
Speaker 3:And honestly you guys all for leaving a question.
Speaker 2:So we got seven questions and we went through them all and, uh, honestly, what it boils down to.
Speaker 3:We're trying to pick one that you know that you'd be mad at us for not picking yours. Yeah, yeah, no, no, I'm kidding we, just we. We'd love to read them all off to you, but yeah, it's hard.
Speaker 2:You got to pick one and I think what we're going to go with is uh, devin smith, and his question is uh, which I'm sorry because he was a recent podcast guest. It's not biased, guys no it's just he had a good job for you, asking a great question he had a great question. So he said uh, do you think the flyways should have longer splits or push migration or push seasons back for migration? And the reason we're picking this is because we've been fortunate enough to have some really smart people.
Speaker 3:Yes, way smarter than us. I mean, that's truly why we're picking this question. Tristan and I are big about facts. We don't like to over-promise and under-deliver, and we feel like we can speak on this a little bit more factually versus our feelings.
Speaker 2:We've had the Brad Cohens of the world on this podcast to drop some serious knowledge, and so do you think the flyway should have longer splits or push the seasons back for migration. So first unpacking that.
Speaker 3:Let me just give a broad overview of that. And respecting everybody's flyway. We have four major flyways right. Respecting everybody's flyway.
Speaker 3:We have four major flyways right In a nutshell. That should always be based on data research. That should be. Here's the thing. Tris and I talked about this question before we started. The most important thing, whether you want to admit it or not, to every single one of us is brood production, brood production. That is the most important thing. So what? What we said was right out of the box is that the first thing we support is take it as late as you can, bro yeah as long as it does not affect that.
Speaker 3:That's our biggest concern. I would rather shoot way less ducks to ensure that we have something for the future. Yeah, you know what I mean.
Speaker 2:Yeah, no doubt it's like if data suggests that we can hunt them into February and it's not going to screw up that mating process and the brood production and all that good stuff, then we're all for it. I think it's just one of those things that the people who decide these things got to take a look at and decide on.
Speaker 3:Well, what people don't realize, it's not like okay. So do we monitor that based on the data conception? No, there's a oh, there's a song and dance party that goes on and we all know it as duck hunters right now, if you duck hunted, enough is is. If you don't know, this is good knowledge for you is that duck season starts off with a lot of big flocks and as the duck season gets later, you start to see pairings and that's all part of production. Is there's that? There's that I called a pissing contest between the, the drakes, you know, to get their hen and and you know, um, that's gotta happen and so we can't interrupt that. And you know, uh, tris and I were just talking just like. To be so specific with that question would be difficult per flyway, but it would have to be based on factual, scientific, biologic research.
Speaker 2:Yeah, no doubt, and I think you, you know a lot of people get this misconception um, specifically in the um mississippi flyway. But um, also, you know, I guess the way I can, where I'm going with this is I can only really speak on the two flyways I've hunted, which is the mississippi flyway and the uh atlantic flyway, and um, going with the mississippi flyway first. You know a lot of people get this like misconception when it's like, oh man, first week after season these fields just fill up and man, you just oh, I wish we could hunt them. But you guys got to realize it's not the way it was back then.
Speaker 2:There's a couple, couple key things that happen here. So one, uh a, nobody's hunting. So those fields that the ducks want to be in they're going to go to because nobody's hunting them. B, people start draining their fields after duck season. So what happens is you get into February, march, these are rice fields, so they're wanting to get the water off of them and at some point they're getting to the point where they're going to want to plant rice.
Speaker 2:Or burn them or whatever, yeah or whatever they got to do so at some point, unless this is a managed duck reserve, like your freaking Coca-Cola Woods or whatever of the world's Stan Maller's Duck Lodge, those kind of places they might keep water later to try to imprint and those kind of things. But if you're not one of those places, you're just a farmer trying to get water off your field and duck season's out. So what happens is is, as that starts to happen, the ducks that are in the area concentrate to where water's at and where the resources are at.
Speaker 2:So that's why you know people drive by these fields. They're like holy shit there's 10 000 ducks in this field. You know right, and it's just they got here late. No, they were there, bro but they just concentrated or they're. You know they might not have been um, it could be you know they're coming from the south and they're getting there, whatever.
Speaker 2:But for the most part, and the reason, um, we can speak confidently on this is because brad cohen, their, their group's done a lot of research on this kind of thing and that's what they found. You know, they got these I mean I think they said that 300 uh gps collar ducks last year so it's like gps trackers, yeah which I mean?
Speaker 2:obviously there's millions of ducks but 300. That's a good sample, good sample to give you just an idea of what these ducks are doing. So, um, I guess, to wrap this whole thing up, on my perspective I don't know if you have anything else to add but from my perspective, to wrap this thing up, is we got to go by data, like you said, and sometimes perception is not reality.
Speaker 3:Yep, no, I think that's a great way to wrap it up. Tristan, I really don't have anything more to add to that. I mean, outside of that on the horizon, Wait, wait wait, one more thing I forgot to add.
Speaker 2:I wanted to touch on the atlantic flyway. Real quick, okay, okay, the atlantic flyway, at least in florida, for example, um, you know, you're not getting as much as these people draining water off their fields. I think probably you're speaking to mississippi central flyway yeah and actually and even in the pacific.
Speaker 3:But yeah, those other flyways probably more because there's so much private land dude 90, I think delta said was it 94 percent of all and I saw this going on during the farm bill 94 percent of waterfowl habitat is private land yeah, it's something crazy, take that and wrap it around your brain yeah, but um, just just you know, speaking to florida, and specifically because we know we have several listeners from there, yeah.
Speaker 2:I think what happens there is just the pressure thing. I think that's the biggest thing is you just pressure off areas.
Speaker 3:There's a ton of water dude.
Speaker 2:I mean come on.
Speaker 4:Right.
Speaker 3:I mean, we know like I thought it was impossible for a pintail to be in coastal water. Dude, I've talked to people in Florida that rock them on coastal water and that just it's still to this day doesn't make any sense. I haven't done it, so it doesn't make any sense to me, because all the time I've rocked them is in a rice field. You know what I mean. Or you hear about them in timber or whatever.
Speaker 2:But to say that all right, I don't know about pintails, it's rare.
Speaker 3:Yeah, yeah, no, I'm just saying that it's not that kind of environment and there's folks that we know in Florida that rock them.
Speaker 4:Yeah, no doubt.
Speaker 2:You know. So yeah, no doubt. So that's a great question, Devin, and we're going to be sending you out a koozie at my earliest convenience, probably here the next day or two. Butth of July is coming up, so I'm going to try to get out before then.
Speaker 3:Well, did you let him know that you're going to charge him more for shipping than what the koozie costs? No, I'm just kidding Devin. No, I'm not charging anything.
Speaker 2:No, I know you're not, you know it's funny because the koozie is $5, so shipping probably will be more.
Speaker 3:I know it will be.
Speaker 2:No doubt we honestly love and we're tickled to get seven questions tonight. Oh man, that's great, great, great interaction guys, and we'll always shout you guys out and when we get the phone thing set up we get to hear your voice and it'll be even more personal. So we really appreciate that.
Speaker 3:Don't get butt hurt if we didn't list your question. I'm challenging you to give us a better question, and it doesn't mean your question wasn't great.
Speaker 4:Yeah, they were great questions.
Speaker 3:I mean because I will tell you this, at a bare minimum, tristan and I talked out every one of these questions and they were a part of, like, our night tonight and, just like man, some of you guys' questions make us smarter. Honestly, it makes us think about things.
Speaker 2:You know Well, I think what it comes down to is like what we want to give you guys, the best product we can. If you're listening to our podcast. So whatever we feel, the most confident we can talk on, and it's like providing true educational value to you guys. We're going to try to do.
Speaker 3:That's right, that's right, but thank you every one of you.
Speaker 2:Yeah, thank you guys, and we're looking forward to more questions and connecting with you all, hopefully at the Ducks Expo.
Speaker 1:We're going to talk more about that. We still got stay a month until then. So thank you, guys, and uh, that's all I got. It's one hell of a life. It's one hell of a life standing in the pouring rain.