Cold Open And Show Launch

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Every hunter has a moment when the woods go quiet, the air shifts, and time slows down. And in that stillness you realize you're not chasing big games, you're chasing something bigger. Welcome to the Chase the Unknown podcast, where we go beyond the saddle, past the show cameras, and deep into the stories that fuel the fires. The show is for the ones who sleep over the rut, who hike miles into the public land for just the chance, and who live for that silence before the shot, from the backcountry to the back roads. We sit down with hunters and trappers, with relentless stories, who live for the thrill, embrace the unknown, and return with the stories we're telling. This is more than a podcast. This is the start of something real. Let's chase it. Thank you, thank you, brother. Welcome. Welcome back. I I mean it's a brand new show.

SPEAKER_02 1:12

I love the intro. Yeah, that's that's different because I've talked to you a bunch of different times like this, and first time on the the new podcast, man. Let's go. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:37

Real, really excited about this one. Um, but I mean, I I guess I should I should give the official what's face welcome. Um, you know, I don't want to just because you're you're an OG to the Garden State. You're you're brand new officially the first time on the Chase the Unknown podcast. So so let's do this correct. Let's let's honor you correct. Welcome back to the Chase the Unknown, the podcast where we dive deep into the grit, grind, and glory of the hunt. Today we're heading out to Western Pennsylvania and ch and sitting down with a guy who's truly lives by the phrase hunt ugly. He's tagged some impressive bucks, puts in serious work year-round, and is dialed in with the DH3 synthetic scrape system. How how are you liking that?

SPEAKER_02 2:19

Good. I just started using it last year actually. Um, and I was using a last year was different for scrapes, man. I I tried out a different system, and I tried out a few different systems, and I was just trying to, you know, mix. I usually do like this dope urine and buck urine, and I'll mix that together, different things, and nothing was biting. And then um I had Kevin on and we were talking, he he sold it to me, man. And I was threw it out there, and I I I finally started to see some results. I was like, there it is, that was the magic. So it's good though. That's pretty cool. I suggest you check it out. I definitely put in your arsenal, give it a shot at least.

Season Recap And Mental Grind

SPEAKER_00 2:56

Man, I I listen, I would I would love to, but everyone who knows, listen, I I got a pretty good thing right now with one of my good buddies. It's it's kind of the same, you know, probably in the same same category. I mean, he's got tons of products and everything like that. And that's what like got me to not say fully got me to kill my my buck, you know, we talked about uh on on your show, but I think it was a big part. Like we have the spray called hot to trot, so it's doe it's dough in um and heat urine. And I sprayed it on my boots, and I I walk in and I do the whole spray, whatever. Um, and he actually turned away from me, and I think he caught scent and he actually walked like right kind of like where I wanted him to perfectly walk. Oh I was able, I was able to kill him, but you know, you know, not to not to say that maybe maybe I'll still give it give it a try. But um, you know, you're not um you're not all about chasing deer, you know, you're chasing the challenge, the raw moments, and the unpre unpredictable beauty of the White Tail Woods, you know. This year, how did how did it go for how did it go for you?

SPEAKER_02 3:59

It was uh dude, this was probably I got a book down in Pennsylvania, and I spent majority of my season in Ohio. But dude, a lot of adversity this year, I'll tell you that. We can get into that. And uh man, I I didn't kill in Ohio, but I had probably one of the best seasons I've had in that state, though, just from seeing deer, man. I can't complain about it for sure. I mean, uh we can we can dive into Pennsylvania, but my season, when I look back at it and think, I did think about the buck I shot, but I think more about Ohio and just you know the encounters and opportunities and just what I learned and being there. You know, I'm Pennsylvania native, so I like to try to get out of state. And uh Ohio is it this year, and man, it was uh it was eventful. Roller coaster of emotions of a year for sure. Oh man, for sure.

SPEAKER_00 4:51

Yeah, yeah. I mean, you know, obviously I I've I've followed, you know, closely through and you know, talked to you obviously, not only on on your show and everything like that, but of course, you know, we DM and and text and and do all these things, like so like for you mentally, like was this one of the more challenging years you would say like you that you've had where your mental toughness is kind of how to like towards the end, but put for sure late season, definitely.

SPEAKER_02 5:18

Oh man, I uh I've never hunted strictly straight through a season like that before. Usually I'm kind of done and wrapped up around you know mid-November, and then I'll go out once in a blue moon here and there for like dough with the muzzle loader or just late season. But uh I was driving to Ohio every every freaking weekend from mid-October to the end of the season, and it was it was a grind. It was uh that late season, man, like that last month, it hurt. That's where I started finally saying, like, I'm I'm hurting, man. I need something. I need something. But I was having like close calls at what kept bringing me back, you know. Like if I went a whole month or three weeks without seeing a deer, I probably would have just said, screw this. But I was actually like in the game, well, at least I thought I was, so I kept going back and back, and then the season ended and then I was done. But I learned a lot. I mean, the October and November in Ohio was really eventful.

SPEAKER_00 6:20

Um, you know, losing the tote this year put a huge dent on me, and uh yeah, for so for for all our listeners who don't who don't know or are people out there who don't personally talk to you, like kind of like go over that like crazy shenanigans that that that you kind of had to go through with that.

The Tailgate Gear Loss

SPEAKER_02 6:38

Well, before I tell a story, I just want to say I got a new truck since and it does let you know if the tailgate's open. It will tell you.

SPEAKER_00 6:44

All right, that that's good. I'm gonna have to upgrade to that because like I said on your show, like ever since that happened to you, it's made me like I have to double and triple check my stuff. And like not saying, like, I think two or three years ago, I actually left my tailgate open and drove and got like halfway home before some some person was driving you know on the highway, flagged me down and told me like my my tailgate was was down. But I I don't I didn't lose it's thank thank god, you know, knock on wood. I didn't lose anything, and hopefully that that never happens again.

SPEAKER_02 7:16

The funny part is if someone was trying to tail me down or tag me down, I had no idea because I was on the phone with my buddy the whole time. We we had just like we yell at each other, like we're like yelling, just having fun. So they probably see me in this in this car losing everything out of my truck, and I'm just sitting in there like just laughing, yelling, whatnot. But uh yeah, so that was uh I got the Pennsylvania buck down on this October 2nd, and then took like a two-week break, and uh I went to Ohio and I was there for a couple days in one area and I wasn't seeing much at all. So I'm like, all right, I'm gonna pack up. It was like an 80-degree day, and I walked back to my truck. I'm like, all right, I'll drive home, hang out for a few hours, come back in the afternoon. So pack my stuff up, and I the mornings are like at 30 degrees at that point, but then it heats up. So I had all my gear from like my winter gear to my lightweight gear in this tote, my pack, my sticks, my saddle, my tackle box of archery supplies, everything you can think of. And um, just because you never know if your bow breaks and you need something or you want to change and whatnot. I drive home hanging out. My wife leaves, goes to work, and I'm like, all right, I'll get ready to go. So I go to my truck, I laugh about it now. I love it, but and uh my tailgate's down. I'm like, oh my gosh. I was like, I was like in shock, I swear to god. I was like, like nothing was back there. My target, nothing. And I text, I call Brad. I'm like, dude, someone stole everything out of the back of my truck because I didn't want to accept the fact that I left it down. And uh I'm like, oh my gosh. So I'm calling him, I instantly start driving back to Ohio the same route. And uh I'm on the phone with Brad. I'm like, dude, I can't believe someone stole this. He's like, Alex, I'm gonna ask you a question. Did you leave your your tail your tailgate down? I'm like, I think so. So I uh we drove back, and man, to this day I can't find it. I think I I quit searching like in January, but whoever got it, man, they made out.

SPEAKER_00 9:32

I would imagine, yeah, you didn't find it because someone probably supposed like, oh shit, free, free hunting gear, and pulled right over and took it all.

SPEAKER_02 9:38

So that night, um, someone messages me on Facebook and was like, Hey, I think I found your your bag. It was laying on the side of the road. I'm like, oh great, like my sticks were in that bag and my pack, whatever, and whatnot. And I go meet him the next morning, and it is just torn up. Sticks are gone, platforms cracked in half, the bag was just ruined. But I at least this guy gave me my license back because that's how he found out it was me. And uh, so I was going back and forth. And and dude, I'll be honest, I laugh about it now, it's funny, but it was like good in a way, too. Like uh, I didn't even think about like to be completely honest with you, and I swear to god, I didn't even think about like the amount of money that was invested in that stuff. It was just more so of like part of like our passion was just like ripped out from underneath of you in a way, right? Because like we love our gear, right? You're you love your bow. Oh, so all I had left was my bow, my binos, and my boots, my release. That was it. It would have been a really cool story if I killed a buck. I did kill a dough, but um, if I went back and killed a buck on the ground there, and uh, so like first day, few hours pass, you know. Obviously, you're freaking just want to jump out, whatever, you know. I never screamed so loud by by myself before yelled at myself.

SPEAKER_00 10:56

Did I ever tell you the story? I can't remember if I told on your podcast or we talked about it on ours, but it was like three years ago, the same year where I left my tailgate open. I was having a lot of brain fog just because like my my allergies were so bad, and I had like vertigo and everything. So like my mind was all like messed up and everything like that. And it was bear season, so it was I think like the second or it was the third day, I think, of bear season. And I went to the range the the night before, and I shot some arrows, and I guess I took my my quiver off. So usually when I go to the range, I usually don't have my quiver off. It's like a just like an automatic thing. Like I usually have the quiver in the truck or something like that, and I have my practice arrows, and what's his face? But I had my quiver on, so I took it off and I I put it on thing, and a guy, a guy and uh a father and a son started talking to me, and I got full blown into this conversation, shot a few arrows, and just completely just I just left. I went actually out to to bear hunt. Now, the reason why I didn't realize because I was doing a spot and stalk, I wasn't like climbing up in a tree, you know, getting all set, knocking it an arrow. Like honestly, like sometimes when like when I'm just out like doing a spot and stalk and I haven't seen anything, I won't even put a arrow on just because it's a huge pain in the ass to walk through the woods with the arrow with the arrow in and everything like that. So didn't end up seeing a bear, obviously. But next next day early in the morning, I go out and I'm I get to my spot and I'm like, wait, something's missing. Like, I'm like, where the hell is it? And I'm going crazy. Look on the truck, go back to look all over, and I was like, Oh my god, like Bianca, I I forgot, I forgot the quiver at the range, drove over to the range, gone. No, gone. My quiver, all I had like four arrows in there. Um, all of them had brought you know, you know, severed broadheads and and like everything like that. And I was just like, Wow, so what someone someone just made off with four of my arrows the previous you were hunting with the nothing, no arrows. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I don't know if I've ever told that exact part of the story.

SPEAKER_02 13:22

Dude, I yeah, I've left I've lost boots. I've changed I've lost two pairs of boots, leaving them on the ground just by going back to my car at night, putting my shoes back on, forgetting to put the boots back in the truck. I've done that twice, man. I got I don't forget a lot unless I'm rushed, right?

SPEAKER_00 13:40

But it happens. I tend to forget more in the early season, but it's not like when I notice it's not like anything crazy, like it's small stuff, and I'll usually leave it in the truck. So I'll get to my spot and I'll climb and I'll set up like oh shit, like I don't have this, so I gotta go get down and run to the to the truck or something like that. Like that will happen to me, but forgetting my quiver and arrows and not realizing until the next day after already going on a hunt and not even like that, like was the tip of the like I was like, Jesus Christ, like I'm I'm in I'm in rough shape here. Like, what what's going on? And I actually had to go to the doctor because I I go, I go, listen, there's something wrong. Like, and he goes, Oh, yeah, it's because your your allergies are so damn bad right now. Like really, just all congested in here. Like, I'd fluid in my ears, so it was called caused. Like, I I was messed up.

SPEAKER_02 14:33

Really? Yeah, I mean, hey, maybe the same thing with me in early season. Maybe that's just an early season thing. That's funny, man. Good thing you didn't see a bear, like a perfect. Can you imagine that story? No, I can though.

SPEAKER_00 14:44

I I like I can believe that. Like, that would a hundred percent happen to me. Thank god it got it did it.

SPEAKER_02 14:52

I right, dude. It's mad just imagine that you're telling someone, oh my gosh, I almost shot a bear. I realized I didn't have my quiver on my aerial and I had nothing to shoot it with. Heck, I'd be throwing my bow at it at that point. Throwing some rocks and sticks.

SPEAKER_00 15:04

I'll take the the knife out of my pocket and be like, all right, this is either gonna I'm either gonna be the the most successful hunter and this is gonna be the craziest story, or I'm gonna be on channel five news for doing the dumbest thing in the world.

Pennsylvania Opener And Going Aggressive

SPEAKER_02 15:16

Oh gosh, man, get stacked by a bear. I wonder why.

SPEAKER_00 15:20

Um, but so you know, let let's get into we'll we'll get into the PA season first, and then we'll then we'll get into the the Ohio season and stuff like that. So yeah, you know, break down uh your PA season and and how that went and you know the those things right there.

SPEAKER_02 15:35

Okay, so um so Pete in Pennsylvania we do this this doe fest. We call it there's this farmer out by us. So we have a couple buddies come in town and uh we'll hunt their opening day. And I think opening day is like it's the third week in September typically in our area. So we go to this farmer's place, but um I guess the action in Pennsylvania was on opening day, probably the first time I've done this. This was a good learning experience for me, and just a cool experience overall. Was I saw this buck coming down? I was on like a field edge, probably like 15 yards in from the field, and it was uh hand-picked corn, so it was still standing. And uh I see this something come walking through, and I knew I saw antlers right away, and I'm looking at it, and he you know, their antlers blend in so well with like the corn stalks, but you can just see the frame and the wideness of it, and I'm like, holy cow, this is a big buck! He was walking in right towards me the opening night, and uh like heck yeah, I've always wanted to get a September buck down. Here it is, man. And then you know how it goes, all of a sudden, 40 yards out, it stops and it just turns and it's gone the opposite direction at this point. And I'm like, you know what? I'm freaking doing this, I'm jumping out of this tree and I'm going to shoot this deer. So I hop out of the tree, and like I was on the lower of elevation. This was at like 5 30 in the evening, probably. No, later than that, probably like 6 30. I had about an hour left of light. So uh the shade was starting to come down, right? So I had the advantage of anything dropping, you know, he ain't gonna smell me. So I'm like crawling behind him, and I'm just watching, I kept my eyes on the whole time, and I was talking to myself, like, all right, get ready to move, move. And I was just creeping through the corn and like this little brush pile, and uh for probably like 20 minutes or so, and I finally see this little pile. He beds down, right? And I move to this other brush pile and I'm like, all right, he's just gotta stand up. So he's like 20, 30, he's probably like 30 yards in in front of me, but up on elevation. And um I'm watching him, I'm seeing the corn pile or the corn like stalks shake because he was rubbing his way through. And he stands up and it's a different buck. So in Pennsylvania, you gotta have four on one side. Where or where I'm hunting, you gotta have four on one side. So I'm like, crap, I gotta count the antlers again. But but he stood up and like I only had a few seconds to shoot, probably like five seconds. So he stood up and I'm drawn back, and he wasn't moving because I had no shot. And you know, when you're drawn back and you're like, you know, you like you look around your peep to see. So I'm trying to count his antlers and I'm drawn back. I'm like, he's just gotta move like five feet and I can shoot. And um and I looked to my left and there's a doe right there, and I had no idea she was there. I have no idea how she didn't see me, but it didn't spoil the hunt. So uh it's a different buck, it's a smaller buck, but still I'm like, man, I just tracked and stalked this deer down. I am shooting this thing for sure. And uh so we finally finally he walks forward, and there's this another brush power. If he gets in front of that, I'm gonna have to restart everything. So I hurried up and I'm like, all right, I'm trying to settle the pin at this point. Like, you gotta think, man, like I'm crawling, I'm sweaty, I'm hot, I'm I'm out of breath, I'm drawn back. I I try to settle the pin as best as I could, and I let one rip, and I didn't kill it. It went looks like it went through the brisket after investigation. But man, anyone who says they've been drawn back for five minutes, it felt like exhausting. It felt like five minutes, but realistically, it was probably like a minute, maybe two minutes. I don't know. But I was sitting there for a while, it was the longest thing I've done. And uh, you know, I didn't kill it, but it was such a cool experience, man, because I jumped out and I just watched this big buck go through these corn piles and I'm crawling the whole time. And at one point or another, I think at the very end, when I kind of took my eyes off him and jumped to a different brush pile, I confused him with another buck that was bedded down there. And then so I lost the big buck somewhere, and I tried to shoot the smaller one. But man, I'll tell you what, there ain't nothing like adrenaline rust and doing that. That was sweet.

SPEAKER_00 19:55

That that that's pretty damn cool, and I I think that's you know being like a a mobile that's like the definition of a mobile hunter, at least in like my experience. Like, yeah, you get to up and move, but it's also like knowing when to take the risk of getting down and being aggressive, you know. Um and you know, the the one detail, you know, the important detail that that you you know you're talking about is you know, you kept for the most part, you up until the very last, like you kept eyes on on the buck, you know. Um, which I I think is a you know, I've done that once before during a a storm rolled in. It was a dough. Um, wasn't a buck, but what happened was I was up on the higher elevation side. Yeah, she was down lower on the bottom. And she wasn't like I knew time was running out, she wasn't gonna make it up to me. So I was like, screw it, let me get down, got down. And I got into like a a ditch and I lost sight of her. So when I popped back up, which I got it correct. I I you know, I was like, all right, like I should get up back up now and see where she is. Like, I should be within like bow range. I completely lost her. Yeah, dude, they just still bedded down, and you know, they yeah, they they disappear, and I made the the wrong move. She saw me, she she ran, and like for you, you took that, you know, uh your eye off of that that deer and got it, you know, probably got it confused for for another deer that's bedded down. And then, you know, when you when you're drawn back, uh I I tell you, like it is one of the hardest things I think as a as a bow hunter, obviously, and it that's a pretty like it puts so much strain on you, but that's like all right, like the longer you hold, the more chances of a a mistake without a beta doubt, you know what I mean? And that's why like I've done it where I try like I try to time it perfectly. Obviously, things happen in the in the woods, and deer deer could take forever to give you a shot opportunity. know but like i i've i've even let down um on deer and been able to to to kill a deer and it's not always gonna work out the way you you hope like of course you're probably gonna get busted more often yeah than not but you know uh sometimes the muscles just freak and they just start killing at the at the end and again like my brain said it was a good shot you know like you just I don't even know how to explain it you just think it's good but really really it's not your subconscious mind is just saying shoot but you know let it go just just send it just send it but uh at the time I thought it would have been a good shot but I didn't even put in the factors that you know so he was 20 yards now I'm remembering and I used my my 20 yard pin but he was also uphill about you and we were yeah so I mean it I was off but I ain't mad about that and it was a big foreshadow for my season for sure from everything that happened but so uh what what is real quick before you get into the you know break down kind of like you know what it the terrain that you're hunting kind of looks like like how is it close to your home like kind of like because I know PA can have all different types of you know different terrain so kind of break down the the exact terrain that you're you're owning this is a uh this farm is just uh it's a big it's bunch of different ag and there's little uh pockets of woods okay so I don't even know the the acreage but it's probably like I don't even want to talk too much about it just in case but yeah this there's uh ag and then some some wooded areas and this area I was hunting the ag was above me and I'm in this little I guess this little hub of woods down below um and it's it's pretty rural or it's there's uh there's houses nearby I mean this ain't in the this ain't in the big woods this is in your deep okay this isn't like deep big big woods stuff like that no this is um this is I don't want to say in neighborhoods but there's neighborhoods around the area so okay um I guess you want to what is that I don't want to say it's seek one type stuff but it's pretty close to being seek one type stuff.

SPEAKER_02 24:09

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 24:10

So kind of more like the Jersey type of style you know um because obviously we have we have you know stuff like that but not on the level that when you talk about big woods here in New Jersey you're not you can't compare them unless you're talking about the Dell Gap which is right on that border of PA and everything like that where you're gonna get woods like that.

Old Yeller Shows Up

SPEAKER_02 24:30

No um this isn't I forget what I was just about to say about it. It's not backyard hunting but it's close to it. So the rest of Pennsylvania I have public land near me which I have some deer that I'm after so I spent 99% of the remainder of the season on this public piece and I was uh I was seeing deer I just wasn't seeing something that I want to shoot that I'm looking for um you know I'm seeing good potential bucks for sure hope some of them survived it's funny because after I killed I went in there with my buddy and a big one was right there I was like he kidding me kidding me twice actually twice but yeah so next two weeks whatever I'm hunting Pennsylvania and I'm seeing deer and and this other piece but just again man nothing that I'm that I'm looking for and I'm getting frustrated I was like where the heck are these deer at like what am I doing? So I'm like all right I'm taking a break from this piece and I have another private piece I'm gonna go over there and it's like a I think it's like a 16 acres and then it connects to this this massive piece and uh I'm like all right and there's a lot of coyotes here a lot so I'm like I'll just go check it out because I had a camera there and I wanted to go check it. So I grabbed my laptop that day with me brought it up in the tree and I'm getting set up and I'm looking through my photos. I'm like man where's it where's this deer at I knew there was one deer on the area. I was on the phone with Brad actually on my way there I'm like the only deer I'm shooting here is old yeller. I named him and uh if I I don't care I ain't shooting nothing but him and uh I'm looking at my drill camera photos and he showed up like two or three times and it was in the summer and I haven't seen him since I think he might have shown up once in September. And uh so this is October 2nd now. And uh I'm scamming through just a bunch of small bucks but tons of coyote holy cow I gotta get over there and do some coyote management. And uh so I'm down below this scrape probably like 80 yards and all of a sudden or I'm sitting there whatever five o'clock comes nothing then five I think it was like 530 I looked at my phone and I started to like wrap things or 630. Yeah I think it was 630 the last hour of light I'm like I'm starting to wrap things up a little bit like all right you know another day of no deer and I look behind me and I see this deer coming out and I see this big rack. I'm like holy crap there he is that is old yeller and uh so the scrape like I don't know how to explain it it's up it's uphill from me very slight elevation and uh I'm in this little knoll like I'm set up basically in a in a creek right in a little creek there's this tree coming out and he was coming down the creek and he's walking down the bottom of it parallel with this scrape and I'm thinking he was scent checking this scrape probably the whole time that's why I haven't had any photos of him and uh he comes in and good thing I had my rangefinder because initially I thought he was like 50 something yards away and I had this little opening behind me and I ranged him I've never ranged a deer like on the hoof before and uh it's like 35 yards I'm like boom I'm like this deer's dead pulled back boom shot him he ran 10 yards and dropped man he was down holy cow that was super exciting because I was like this this deer is an older deer in the property I saw him last year he's got a little funky rack I actually found his offspring his shed on the same property just a few weeks ago and uh he dropped right there man I'm like no freaking way I just killed old yeller and uh I just jumped down from the tree or uh sirens went on listen to this so these sirens go off and all these coyotes just start howling it sounded like there's hundreds of them like this deer man how the hell did they survive from these coyotes and uh walked up to him and realized you know I confirmed it was him and called my buddies texted my dad texted my mom and called Brown I was like hey I got him down man he's dead and uh and announced the Pennsylvania season getting him down sick shooting him and man it was cool I think I want to say I ain't saying this to be some arrogant asshole I'm being just what I think I think he was six years old some may not some may say five but I think he was definitely five or six and uh it was his property I think he was the uh I don't think he owned the property I think there's other bigger deer there but felt good to get him because I had him last year as a big six in front of me that I couldn't shoot because it wasn't legal.

SPEAKER_00 29:15

Because you gotta have four up on one side so oh really okay so it's it's a uh okay how how do you feel about that I mean I before we get you know further into the the story because this is I'm looking at the picture right now phenomenal deer but like how do you feel about that you know the the point restrictions and everything like that are you a fan of those um they ain't they started that whenever I was just a little kid and it's definitely I don't I know it wasn't made for bigger deer for to grow bigger racks there's another reason behind it I can't remember it right now but um I I like it I think it's good honestly I think it gives these deer a chance to live and at least hit three years old um and maybe even four years old depending on what their genetics are like so it's definitely brought bigger deer because I mean I bring home a deer that's I don't know 100 inches I'm not saying 100 inches big or bad but or big or small my dad looks at he's like holy cow that's a trophy right because he's never seen deer like that like this deer I mean maybe social media just influenced us enough but you know if he saw like a 170 inch deer he'd probably fall over and pass out yeah because like the the his deer on his wall are all I don't know just different era 2000 bucks 2000 bucks that's how I'll start calling it for the brown the brown and brown is down era where you know I've I've talked to a lot of people from that generation wasn't a lot of dough hunting you know a lot of like if it's a buck it it's going down doesn't doesn't matter which you know I I I do like I like that style of hunting just because like listen at the end of the day that's like you know it it's fun sometimes not putting the pressure on you but also love the style you know the grind of like all right we're looking at the older deer the more mature deer doesn't necessarily mean have to be like you said doesn't have to necessarily be a giant 140 150 listen a hundred 110 especially a four year old a five year old a six year old you know those those real old mature deer like I have a joy going after that I have a a huge five four point on camera like he's the biggest four point I've ever seen in my life and he you can't shoot him well I guess you can't shoot him in any of the state but I've had it with six points five points as well where if you leave this WMU I hunt you could it could be shot. So in in where I hunt it's gotta be four uh the rest of the state it's gotta be three up but uh I mean this deer is gonna be massive he's probably two right now when he's three he's gonna be a I hope he's a big six point because then no one can shoot him still four if he's grown another antler he's gonna be massive so it does give these deer different opportunities and to grow and uh it's definitely raised the uh the antlers the antler size overall for sure I forget what that why that rule was made honestly once I heard it I was like oh my gosh it makes perfect sense yeah I think I think it's whatnot but if you if you do find out let me let me know I will I I they're getting they're getting rid of ours in New Jersey um oh really yeah they're they're getting rid they said doesn't really listen I think it's BS like I I've seen the difference of deer you know that has a point restriction versus versus not like I've seen the difference and it could just be genetics from the from that area you know I mean obviously there's a whole other state but like I'm looking at it through like the areas that I hunt um yeah but you know we're also a state where they're they're trying to get as many deer gone as as possible so you know I think like seven like seven officially deer that that you can kill um coming up so yeah you're gonna have no restrictions I they say they say state of New Jersey Fish and wildlife that most people don't even get one and I could believe that like I shot one this year I've saw I've when I shoot a buck I I shoot one every year. I would love to shoot two I would love to shoot three I get up to seven in one state I wouldn't want to shoot seven in one area if I could travel around I guess the state maybe you know go down south like South South Jersey go up to west you know what I mean that would be different but like I much rather you know shoot one or two in New Jersey shoot one in Delaware you know shoot a couple in in other states if I was to shoot seven I would like it spread out in in different states then then make it in uh yeah one state only maybe ruin a yeah you can totally ruin a property if you're growing or you know not growing but after certain deer seven's crazy six is crazy less and I think they should you know I love the Delaware are certain states two you know any weapon uh you get your two and because we are we're unlimited dough too so like I think really want to shoot me just just kill those I don't know what the pop I know Pennsylvania's like hunters per squunter per square mile is like the biggest yeah but uh it's so vast Pennsylvania like if you go to sure you it's probably out towards your way like northeastern and central and just up north Pennsylvania wherever is dude like you can just walk I mean you can get lost easily it it is the mountains I mean there's deer there I bet that've never even seen people maybe for all I know the zone I I can't remember I I think we talked about on on you know 100 PA uh rifle opener and we had a blast um you know and there was just so much and we still weren't even like we hiked like five five six miles and like we really could have just kept it was so damn cold it was like single digit weather and like we could have just kept going and going and yet again like 100% like there were most of the hunters that we encountered actually almost every encounter we encountered was in within the first yeah tenth of a tenth of a mile in you know we we got them all when we were coming out of the woods I you know um right by the parking lot yeah I listened to it on another podcast they were talking about Pennsylvania and uh I guess this could be anywhere but like so like we're talking here right like we talk to different woodsmen and other outdoors who like live and die by by hunting and realistically what percent of the population do you think hunt as much or you know have hunting as a hobby as much as we do versus the rest of the state you know probably a very little percentage that's going out there yeah like how many they were talking about like how many people do you see scouting in the off season when you go like I go a lot I honestly I yeah same like I don't I mean it's gone down since you know you know with the fiance and everything like that but like I don't yeah I don't even see many during during the hunting season. So it's gun season yes but like especially if we're talking about like especially bow season yeah no and then even the gun hunters like in my opinion like they're not they're not going far.

Ohio Begins With Hard Setbacks

Rut Encounters And Costly Mistakes

SPEAKER_02 36:43

They're they're really not you know it's the occasional hunter where you know like you said what what we're doing like for the crazy diehard like you know about it like you got a one year old with you you bring your five year old son with you right yeah yeah you can't go in five six seven eight miles however far you're walking right you may not be going that far you might only be in the woods until 10 depending on you know how you are I mean we would always hunt we'd spend the day or we'd spend half the day whatever but there's different situations you know like when I got a kid someday I might only be out there until 10 yeah no I mean it's you're perfectly right and it's you know it's a it's one of those tough things that but it's tough for the person but really great for us and for other people who do love to get miles on on the boots and and because you can really you get out there you could you're gonna be you're gonna be alone but then the other thing is too like not only that like man if you don't got a crew with you you shoot a deer out there. Yeah then you're like you gotta pack that thing out which I've never packed a deer out personally just I haven't had that situation come up but I've looked it up on YouTube a bunch of times so I should be good if I if it does yeah I I agree um you know let's sorry get into the ohio part if if unless you got something else to say on that yeah yeah yeah so uh I had I had a weird vacation this year I split it up but uh so I had the middle of October off so I spent I want to say three weekdays for five total days in Ohio first half of October um so I went there and I was in one spot where I hunted last year I had a nice I was fortunate enough to get a nice buck down in Ohio last year so like I'm gonna go back there and see um hunted there for three of the days and I didn't see nothing like nothing and just maybe a couple dough that was it and even on my camera that I put up I still wasn't seeing nothing over three days and yeah it's three days but you know if I'm hunting the time's limited I want something now so I found a new bigger piece never been there before I've been looking at on a map and I'm like here I'm just gonna drive find a place to park I uh knocked on this guy's door for permission to park here he's like sure go ahead and uh there we were so I'm walking in the very first day to this new piece wasn't planning on really doing much and uh there's some CRP and I'm walking all of a sudden this big old rack just jumps up in front of me and takes off I'm like oh here we are we're in it we're in it now and uh so I set up there for the evening didn't see nothing and uh heck where are we so I'm sorry I went I went too I jumped too far before I went to this new piece I lost my tote so that week I think it was like October 17th or something I'm going in and I lost my tote whatever shit crap happens right and uh so I hunt from the ground and go back the next day and I'm hunting from the ground different it so felt so I was wearing like my camo and everything from when I was like 16 17 it didn't fit it was warm I mean you don't realize how good gear is made now until you you know we're so fortunate sometimes we just become blind of of these things and that was the biggest thing with losing the toad I was like holy crap like I was you know that was a godsend maybe I'm maybe I was spoiled and I just was losing sight of it so I'm I'm glad I realized that and I also thought I'm like you know what there's people that got trad bows hunt from the ground with no camo and they shoot 170 inch deer nothing saying I can't so uh after that week in Ohio I spent like the days after work going to that farm and trying to hunt from the ground and uh you know I learned a lot I was put in situations where I couldn't draw back because I put myself in an area where there was just too many deer around I didn't have enough cover um you know I learned how to you know just I just learned a lot from the ground hunting and where to set up and what type of cover I needed and I was able to put a dough down so that proved me that I could do it and then another day that week my bow blew up on me. Oh my god bow blew up on me uh dude have you had a bow break up on you before no dude I'll tell you and you don't want to draw your bow back for a good bit but yeah that happened man I was drawn back and boom I it was like should I shoot this should I not because it was like really maybe like it just wasn't really a good shot so I didn't shoot it and I went to release it and it blew up so I went to the bow shop right away they fixed it uh went to Ohio blah blah blah and then I came back home blow bow blew up on me again I'm like are you kidding me so my buddy sold me his new one of his new bows um so now I get into the gritty things of Ohio that was the adversity I hit the tote and the bows blowing up I wanted to point that out because uh got me on the ground a lot and kind of be became a little bit of a minimalist as well but uh so where are we um so I saw that one buck a real nice one I started chasing where he was coming from finding a bunch of good sign and one of the biggest things I learned this year or I guess applied was listening to what the blue jays tell you where they're at when they go off because I was hearing them at this bottom every evening just going off at like six o'clock so I went and hunted down there ended up seeing a nice buck um didn't get a shot off on him but uh man I can I can keep going I can't keep track of where I'm at right now but it's all it's all good so I'm just gonna fast forward to November. All right there's bucks that I'm after I'm seeing these deer and November 1st yes I didn't hunt October 31st I came home that evening I hunted the morning so November 1st comes and I'm set up and it's like what right first thing in the morning and I start rattling here comes a buck and this is my big this is what eats me alive because I'm I saw him and I'm watching him and I'm like I'm not gonna shoot him I'm gonna pass him he's standing like eight yards in front of me and like there there's a brush so I'm just kind of looking at him I'm not even looking at my bow I'm like screw it I grabbed my bow pulled back and wait for him to step shot I hit him right through the backstrap like oh man that was my biggest thing that's eat that ate me this year was not really putting my full focus and I basically you know I missed him I missed him clear as day right through the black backstraps that's on me but I like to think that I wasn't fully in on that shot mentally but later that day another deer comes in behind me no idea he was there and uh man I always got my quiver ready for if for if I need to shoot another one and this time I did not I look Behind me, and there's this nice, I think it was like an eight point. And I'm I'm drawing, I'm like getting ready to draw back. He's through this brush. I see an opening, I think I can make it. So I draw back. I'm like, all right, all right, all right. And he's standing like behind me, but uh he's broadside, and I'm like, I can't do this, I don't have a good shot. So I could have let down. I must have let go too soon before my strings came back, but uh my arrow came off the knock, fell straight to the ground. I'm like, oh my gosh, no one's gonna believe me on this one. No one's gonna believe me when I tell him my arrow fell fell to the ground. So I'm over my pack, my knocks in my pack, and I'm like reaching around the tree trying to grab it. I can't get out of the damn knock. I'm like trying to, you know, pulling it, and he he ends up seeing me and he he bolts off. So that was two opportunities right there that I just said, here you can live another day. Oh my god. But uh yeah, so then the next day, um I was I felt like it was I think maybe it was like two days later, but this was in the rut now. I was doing all day sits, and I had a wedding on November 3rd. Yeah, it was two days later. November 3rd, I had to go to a wedding. I'll tell you what, that was not an easy one to go to, especially after this.

SPEAKER_00 45:22

No, no, gosh.

SPEAKER_02 45:23

So in the uh like around, I don't know why I did it this year, and I know there's really no wrong answer, but typically I'm always gonna be around a scrape, especially in like October and through the rut. But I wanted to, you know, I was also on dough betting areas, and you know what people say, you know, hunt the lead word where it's does, bet, does, does, does, and whatnot. But I'm like, all right, I'm gonna let this scrape go behind me, and I just see this massive buck come down. I want to say it was probably 140s, realistically, and uh he's nailing this scrape, he's ripping it apart, and he's on the same bench I am, and I grunt at him and I rattle, he comes walking right in, and then he just stops, he goes up this little knob, and I can hear the leaves crunch, you know, like that's I don't have a vision, I don't have sight of him at this point, but he's only like 40 yards from me. And I saw him walking up this knob, and uh, I just hear the leaves rustle, so I'm like, all right, he just bedded down right there. And what I realized is likely, so with calling, I'm a huge caller. I don't know how you are. Do you call a lot?

SPEAKER_00 46:37

Um I think it's kind of situational. I'll definitely call a lot more during like that. Um I think we have the same exact conversation on my yeah, like it's very I I'm a big like if I see a deer, a buck, big snort wheeze guy.

SPEAKER_02 46:54

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 46:54

Um, now obviously, you know what I'm pretty sure we talked about this. Like, it's honestly I've scared a lot of deer off by that. Obviously, snort wheeze is a intimidation, like, hey, let's let's you know what I mean. Yeah, um, but it also has gotten deer curious, and deer are very curious animals. Um it's not like I don't know. I think it's because we're on the you know the east coast, especially like I think in a um talk to guys in the Midwest, where rattling and stuff like that works way better than it does here. Um, I feel like certain deer aren't as vocal, but it is something like I do. I just like yeah, I don't know, I'm just not like yeah, yeah, it's the end I'll be all.

Late Season Tracking And Patterning

SPEAKER_02 47:37

Yeah, well, anyway, he was upwinding me, and I I've seen it so many times where uh a younger buck will just come walking right in. This buck came 40 yards out, couldn't get a visual, so he went and bedded. He was still upwinding me, but he's trying to bed looking down of where he heard me at. So I'm like, all right, this tier's gonna come back. So this happened at like 12 o'clock. I had to get out of the woods at two o'clock to go to a wedding. I just had a 140-inch dare, tear a scrape up, come walking rated. He's bedded probably 50 yards from me right now. So I'm sitting there, I do a couple more rattles, nothing. If I didn't hear him get up, I'm like, oh my gosh, I got an hour left. I'm sorry, wife, but if I kill this deer, I'm not gonna make it. So I hop down the tree and I'm slowly making my way towards where this buck is. I'm like walking up this micro bench going up to this knob. And uh it's cool because late season, we'll circle back to this. And I'm walking up and I'm walking up real quietly, and I see just like a I see a rack, right? I didn't know it was a rack because I'm like looking up, you know, everything's shiny, it's sun's coming down, it's nice day, whatnot. I'm like, oh my gosh, that's a buck right there. That's him. So I get ready, and then he stands up or he walks forward. I don't know what he did, but he is standing 30 yards from me, perfectly broadside. He's no idea I'm there. So, but within like a few seconds, by the time I clip my release to my my uh D loop and just get ready to pull back, he walks forward, and there's other deer dough with him. He kind of trots with these dough. I'm like, no, there goes my opportunity right there. But if he would have sat there for maybe at least five seconds, I would have had a chance to get a shot off on him, but obviously that didn't happen. It's cool though, because I ended up chasing him around late season. I had him again. Oh my gosh, I think there was two weeks left of the season, and he came in, but he was I had it was a no opportunity to take a shot, but it was really cool because we had a lot of snow this year. So I tracked, yeah. I ended up getting him on camera late season, and I went in. I ended up getting him on camera the morning. I was hunting in a different spot though. So I got out down the tree, went right to where that was, and I tracked him two times. He went and bedded on that knob in the same exact bed twice in late season, and I was like, that's that was really cool. I did a lot of tracking this year and a lot of just kind of narrowing down on this single deer and learned a lot, but and it was actually like the same area. I know beds or bucks don't always bed in the same bed and they'll bed in the same areas, but okay, do not same exact bed twice in a row, and uh that was pretty sweet. And I learned you know the way he took because it's cool because he's walking along this bench, there's another tree stand there, and he literally goes completely around the tree stand and makes his way back. Like he's probably been shot at there before, but he knows it's there, it's sweet. Really cool to see how these deer think once you get in their shoes a little bit and really just try to focus on what these deer are doing. I I love that that's that's why I was so happy about my season in Ohio this year of just learning those type of things.

SPEAKER_00 51:00

No, that that's I mean you had yeah, you had yourself in it. That's why uh you know I get why you're you know you're so pumped about Ohio. I mean, it just seems like an endless amount of just action and opportunity. I mean, first of all, I give you give you hella credit for for hunting on a day that you're gonna go to to a wedding during the best time of the year. Um I I'm pretty sure my fiancee knows that it would have to be was it I have a question, was it family or was it friends?

SPEAKER_02 51:37

I listen, I love my wife, and I'll do whatever she wants to make her happy. It was someone that I I know a little bit, but not enough to leave the rut, though. Not enough to leave the rut. But uh I did it and I'm happy I went, but you know, I'm not gonna I wouldn't, I'm gonna say I wouldn't have killed that deer if I would have stayed, so you know, you never know.

SPEAKER_00 52:00

Yeah, you you never know, but you know what? Also, I think like I kinda I try to take positives out of everything too, and especially like you hunted hard this year, you know, yet again, like it is also nice decompressing a little bit. Now you're probably we're thinking about the deer a lot, and like, oh, like that you you just never know what could happen, but it's also like all right, instead of being in the wood and you're causing like more wear and tear. Maybe you could look at it like hey, you know what? I went out, went to a wedding, had a good time, had some good food, drinks, whatever, yada yada, yada, was able to hopefully decompress a little bit to continue. Now, I know people are probably listening, it's like, oh come on, that's a stretch. Like, but you know what? You have to try to pull the positives out of every little thing. You had a good time, you know what I mean?

SPEAKER_02 52:51

Yeah, I just talked for so long, I feel like I missed a lot, or I didn't miss a lot, but I just ranted. How long do you keep these things to?

SPEAKER_00 52:58

I'm trying to do our hour 15.

SPEAKER_02 53:00

Don't don't, yeah, you know I know. There was uh, you know, it was just cool because I hunt that was like my first time really hunting through the rut, and it was cool to have all the encounters. Like I saw a ton of buck that just maybe were just chasing, and obviously, uh no shot opportunity whatsoever, but it's just cool to see action-packed days like how that entire 10 days were, right? Yeah, it's I agree with um tell you what, going. I mean, that drive, I was happy for that season the end because at that point I was just work, I wasn't even enjoying it. I was just like, I just kept getting hints, and I kept like after I saw him again in the woods late season, I was like, I gotta go back, I gotta keep going. But I just wanted to come asked one to sleep in and wake up, have a cup of coffee and play NCA and relax.

SPEAKER_00 53:53

But by that time of the year, I'm I'm fully with you. Uh, you know, we we've talked about it enough on on your show and everything like that. Like, you know, you know, later in the year you kind of want to move and do different things, and you know, I'm fortunate enough where I get to do different stuff like that. Still hunting related, but I don't have to kill myself trying to go after deer.

SPEAKER_02 54:14

I'm getting in the fish, and now I was uh trying to look. I I meant to do it today when I had free time during my lunch to look up uh trout fishing videos of I mean it's been years. There we go. Look, I need to have a quick lesson on trout fishing again because it's going in. I'm going in again with no knowledge. I just went when I was younger with my dad, we would cast out there and cook uh sausages on a little grill.

SPEAKER_00 54:42

Yeah, yeah. No, I listen for you guys because I know it's your your guys' opening. I didn't know it was ours either, and I completely screwed the pooch where I purposely said I wasn't gonna put the our wild game dinner on um New Jersey's trout opener, yeah. And without realizing, I did it again. Um and I didn't find this out until like last week that I was like, wait, when's Jersey's trout opener? And I looked, I go, Of course, on the same, it's on the same damn day, but next year a hundred percent won't. I will make sure it's not on PA's as well.

SPEAKER_02 55:17

Um I'm gonna get a nice rod, or not a nice rod, I'm just gonna get a rod. I mean, people are gonna laugh at this when I say this if they're big trout fishermen, but like growing up, I fished off green power bait and meal meal worms or meal worms.

Offseason Scouting And Shed Goals

SPEAKER_00 55:32

Those welcome to Jersey. We get we get the stockies, and so like everyone love power bait, like they kill the power bait here. Okay. I used to and listen, I used to I used to do that too. Now power, I don't I don't really like to do it anymore just because like I kind of want to have a little I've caught so many damn trout in in my life, like I'm like, all right, whatever. So like I'm a huge spinner, like I love the action, like I love spinners, yeah. Yeah, me. So I I I want to learn how to fly fish and everything like that. I keep saying I'm gonna do it, I keep running out of time to to learn and things like that, but eventually I'm gonna get there. But um, you know, I got one more, you know, kind of hunting, and then I got a couple of a quick little segment with you. Um, you know, now that it's it's the off-season and everything like that, I you are putting a lot of work into off season. You get out a lot, you go, you know, you do a lot of scouting, you know. What is one of you know, what is a an important goal that you have, you know, going into to next season and kind of what your um what your um off season looks like.

SPEAKER_02 56:35

So I know these areas that I'm hunting. There's one new area that I have that I scouted, and I'm just wanted to learn the property there. But my goal, man, what is it? Honestly, my goal right now is to find a shed that these deer survived, to be completely honest. Like I'm just scouring. I haven't been out in two weeks, but I just want to find this this shed of one of these three deer to confirm they're alive. I did bump um on the same property on the public piece, a really nice area I found. And this deer, I could just tell just the way it acted, the way it walked and wandered off, it looked like a buck. It would look like a deer, a good buck. So, and where it took me was pretty cool. I mean, that was a accomplishment right there because I know I'm gonna hunt that spot next year for sure. But my goal right now is just to confirm that one if one of these three deer are alive with this piece of property, and by doing so, I'm learning a ton because I'm going through a bunch of different pieces, different spots, finding different where they could be taken. I mean, there's a lot could talk for on about that, but find these sheds, that's all I want to do.

SPEAKER_00 57:50

Learning new property is always fun, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 57:52

Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 57:53

I'm obsessed. You know, that was a big thing that I moved to this year. A brand new property, and just learning it has just been an absolute blast, and you know it's gonna continue over the next years. And I plan on finding anything, you know, I hunt a lot of public and stuff like that. Majority of the public is what I'm doing. So there'll be eventually another, hopefully another piece. You know, we got Delaware down there, learning you know, the spot and PA and everything like that. But there's something about just like yeah, picking up a new piece and be like, all right, everything's brand new. You're like a kid all over again, and you're you know, it's uh it's you're you're a rookie all over again for for that uh piece of property.

SPEAKER_02 58:32

I still want to show it on Ohio too. That's another goal. I want to get done, and then another piece.

SPEAKER_00 58:37

How far are you from Ohio again?

SPEAKER_02 58:39

Um, from the border, probably like 50 minutes, 40 minutes, I guess.

SPEAKER_00 58:44

Okay, all right. Not bad. That's not bad at all.

SPEAKER_02 58:47

Well, the I mean that's just to the border. I don't I don't know who's out there listening. I don't want to give away the yeah, just because I talked a lot about the deer and like the just a hot spot. I don't wanna put anything out there where I'm at.

SPEAKER_00 59:03

Oh, I can I completely it's like me to PA. I'm like 50 minutes right from PA. Yeah, yeah, it's a yeah, same exact thing. Um so we got the new show, Chase the Unknown. So I'm I'm gonna hit you off with with a couple of like Chase the Unknown themed questions. Okay, give your best answer that you can. Um what does chase the unknown mean to you both in hunting and in life?

SPEAKER_02 59:31

Dude, that's so funny you ask that because I was just thinking, I wonder what Micah means when he's saying the unknown. I so I'm gonna tell you what my thinking. I think the unknown, I think that's great. You know what? You're out there chasing whatever opportunity you get, and it's unknown, right? You go to a new property, like Ohio, for example, you don't know what you're chasing, but every time, at least for me, whenever I'm chasing the unknown, I have the best hunts and I apply a lot of more things versus when I'm pressured hunting this specific book.

unknown 1:00:04

Yep.

SPEAKER_00 1:00:05

So perfect. That that's basically like for you know, it's basically like when I I've always talked about why I've gotten this this whole thing when chasing unknown and everything like that. Like at the end of the day, like I have no idea what the hell I'm gonna encounter in the woods. You know, I don't I don't know what's over that bend, you know, I don't know what's in that thicket. Um, I think I find something new every single day that I hunt and even if it's not new, right? Even like finding a deer track like excites me. Like, I was out work, I work out outside and in my front yard, I just quickly looked down and there was a deer track. And it's like, first of all, how many people are gonna realize that there's a deer track? Like, you know, we know this because this is kind of what we what we look for and everything like that. But it's like it's just the smallest thing. Like that excites me, that gets me going. I have no idea. Like at the end of the day, like, even with trail cameras, like I know for, but like I really don't know. I don't know what bucks gonna come come along. I don't know, you know, I've seen foxes, I've seen bears, I've I've seen bobcats, I've seen animals try to eat other hunt other animals. Like, I just think it's it's absolutely just incredible. You have no idea, and there's just so much unknown in what we do as outdoorsmen. I love that's the best part about it, man.

SPEAKER_02 1:01:20

That's that's like love it.

SPEAKER_00 1:01:23

Hit me with the next one when you're deep in the woods. What unknown are you chasing? Is it a specific buck, a feeling, or something bigger than that?

SPEAKER_02 1:01:34

Oh, that's a good one. Man, let me think about this. When I'm deep in the woods and it's quiet, you hear the birds. Man, I think I'm chasing the feeling, to be honest. I just I love getting lost, like just going and just going. And like I don't know, I I guess that's a feeling of just being alone in some area where 90% of the population isn't gonna be, or maybe ever be. You know, uh just sometimes you're in there with with uh with nature and they don't know you're there. Well, most times, and you see, like you said, you see stuff that people don't typically see and feel we're here. That's I guess that's my answer. Yeah, I like it.

SPEAKER_00 1:02:28

Lock it in now. Success is described in many different things, but how do you mentally prepare for hunts where success is far from guaranteed?

SPEAKER_02 1:02:38

Well, if you don't show anything above 170 inches, then it's not success. Facts. I'm totally I am just kidding. No, uh I'm sorry, what do you say? What was the question again?

SPEAKER_00 1:02:52

How do you mentally prepare for hunts where success is far from guaranteed? So, like I would take that as well. Like the it's it's a you know, and that's why I said in the beginning, like success is like I consider if I see a deer or something like that, like that's a that's a success, but like as in like I would imagine, you know, getting within, you know, finding those big bucks, you know, it it could be for hunting, you success should be you know described in so many different ways, but you know, um I think there there are challenges where sometimes you're just not feeling well, and you gotta you like you gotta get out there, you know. It's there's days where we struggle probably to, you know, whether it's mentally in the woods, like the motivation may be not there or something like that. But at the end of the day, we still have to find a way to get out there and and do what we do.

SPEAKER_02 1:03:42

I think success is at least for me, the part that I don't realize. And seeing the deer are the results, right? So success is finding sign in season scouting, putting pieces together, right? You find a a track and you're tracking this deer. So you set up somewhere and then you see him, right? I think success is these things that at the time we don't really know that it's success, but we're putting these pieces together, right? To see the result is obviously seeing a buck, seeing a deer. I mean, yeah, obviously that's success, but I think success comes with those little pieces put together.

SPEAKER_00 1:04:22

Agreed. Can you tell us about a hunt where your outcome was completely unexpected?

SPEAKER_02 1:04:30

In a good way or a bad way?

SPEAKER_00 1:04:32

Well, let's keep it with a good way. Let's not go the bad way. We we've had a few bad ways this this podcast already. So we just want to pause. Yeah, man.

SPEAKER_02 1:04:41

I ain't I ain't about that negativity here. Sorry.

SPEAKER_00 1:04:44

Um people are gonna be like, Jesus God, this guy is like really negative. But you know, that that's that's the good that's the good part, and that's why I like talking to you. That's why I like talking with a lot of the guys because yet again, we talk like you only on social media for the most part see the the positive, which is yeah, you want to see that, but that's not you're not gonna be successful every single hunt. There's a lot of failure goes into what we do. I fail a lot when it comes to hunting.

SPEAKER_02 1:05:16

I'll be honest, I didn't even did I was like coming off negative that time.

SPEAKER_00 1:05:20

I hope I was oh no, no, I'm just I'm just completely joking with you.

SPEAKER_02 1:05:24

Okay, no, you got me all worried now. Like I was okay. Um, okay, let's see. What hunt come or what hunt came out of completely unexpected? I'd say, you know, years ago, I I shot uh real nice palmated buck, and I I just went out there and and uh and I just I don't man, I just went out there to hunt and I no idea this deer was alive. I had no sign of deer, big deer sign, and he popped out and I shot him down. I shot him so um. Yeah, that was probably it.

SPEAKER_00 1:06:02

And the last one, how does chasing the unknown fuel your drive and passion for the outdoors?

SPEAKER_02 1:06:09

Oh man. How does it fuel my passion? Let's see. I mean, it's the desire to to the desire to find what I don't know, I guess. The desire to find what I don't know is out there. So like for example, I went to a new property, never been there scouting. This was just this spring or I guess winter. And uh I was just fine trying to find a big deer, trying to find a big shed, trying to find sign of a hundred and whatever inch deer that I want to shoot. Right? I don't know if it's out there or not, but I want to find it, and I'm gonna tell myself I'm gonna find it, whether I do or not. But it's it's like a what's that? What is it when you're addicted to something a dopamine release or something? It's just like boom, when I'm in the woods, man, that dopamine's just kicking off. You can like I'm just chasing, I'm just chasing it. Where is it?

SPEAKER_00 1:07:15

Like no other. It's literally that that feeling is like none I've ever felt before.

SPEAKER_02 1:07:21

Yep, I'm just chasing something that I don't know what it is.

SPEAKER_00 1:07:25

I love it. Well, brother, I mean, this is a hell of a podcast. I I I you know, always love talk talking to you. Don't worry about you know, the no, no, no, no.

SPEAKER_02 1:07:36

I feel like I ranted the whole time of this.

SPEAKER_00 1:07:39

Man, you you should know how it is by now. As you as your own host, you want people to rant. Like, I always tell people, don't like that's how I got squash hooked up with us. Like, dude, like you I love it, it's less work for me. And honestly, like, I you rant, but you're also a podcast host, so you're so used to like talking and doing like yeah, like I feel like I rant sometimes on on your show, but I imagine that's exactly what you want people to to talk where you don't have to pull pull teeth with people.

SPEAKER_02 1:08:12

I I do like when people are are big talkers, yeah. For sure.

SPEAKER_00 1:08:17

So I mean, yet again, I I appreciate you. First time on the T Unknown, you know, I'm I'm very happy for for that. You know, it's something that you and I we've done uh now quite a few podcasts to together. Quite quite a few.

SPEAKER_02 1:08:33

Um we like you know we like yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:08:38

It we're like we're we're yeah, we're we're in like sync when it when it comes to this podcast stuff and everything like that. Um the kind the conversations always flow very well. So I love going on your show, love when you guys come on, come on ours. Um, you know, so I appreciate it. Any any last words? Let let the uh let the viewers who don't know you or listeners who don't know you give them a quick rundown where where to find your show and everything like that.

SPEAKER_02 1:09:01

Yep, name's Alex. Um, it's good to I got a page on Instagram, it's called BuckDown. You can go check that out. Started a podcast last year. I think we're coming up on one year, yeah. So check that out as well. Let me know what you think, any feedback you got. And uh yeah, man, that's pretty much it. I'm not really affiliated with YouTube very much, although I'm really gonna try to put together a good YouTube video. I really got really want to sell film, so got everything for it. It's just a slow process getting it. Oh, snap!

SPEAKER_00 1:09:32

Oh, there we go.

SPEAKER_02 1:09:34

I'm the type where I'm filming everything, and then a buck comes in and I forget my camera exists.

SPEAKER_00 1:09:40

So three cameras moving into to this year. Three, yeah, see. Three.

SPEAKER_02 1:09:47

I can't even do one, man.

SPEAKER_00 1:09:49

I've gotten so obsessed with filming and just like making, I don't know. Like, I I find it like right now I'm on Adobe. Like before you got on, I was on Adobe, like editing one of the videos because you know, we try to do one of you know throughout the year of a whole like season and everything like that. Same thing, like I'm still working on YouTube and everything like that, but I'm my patients love watching it, like, and I can't wait to show my children and everything like that. There, you know, and that that's a big part, like, yeah, like cool, you know, it's a it's adds another thing to to boondocks hunting and everything like that. But like a big part is for like people, like my family, friends, and and everything like that to to watch as well.

SPEAKER_02 1:10:27

Yeah, I mean, uh, yeah, that's how I was when I first got a camera. I was like, Oh, I'm gonna be the hunting public.

SPEAKER_00 1:10:32

I want to put the videos together like the hunting public, and then I start yeah, well, the yeah, they I mean they they get to travel around and just do it and edit, and then they got some pretty big editors working for them. But you hey, you never know. You never know. That's what that's why I tell myself.

SPEAKER_02 1:10:46

You know, there's a lot of work that goes into it that I I didn't pick up on of the editing, and I got good with it. I don't want to say good, but I've gotten familiar with editing and whatnot. So maybe there'll be a video coming out here soon. I'm definitely gonna put together some off-season videos for sure. Whether it's me walking in the woods or whatever it may be.

SPEAKER_00 1:11:03

So I can't I can't wait. Um, you know, definitely. I mean, obviously, you'll I'll I'll be watching and everything like that, but we're looking forward to that and make sure everyone go go check Alex down. Everything is gonna be down in the link uh below. You know what? We'll see you guys next time. Yep. See you later, Mike.