Garden State Outdoors Opens The Season

SPEAKER_02 0:00

This is the Garden State Outdoors and Podcast. Built on early alarms, muddy boots, and stories that only the woods can write. New Jersey is one of the most underappreciated states in the outdoors. And little do they know what it really holds. From hard-earned public land deer to waterfowl, predators, and everything in between. This state produces more than people give it credit for. Now let's dial in with the men and women around the state of New Jersey who live this life every day. In New Jersey, excuses don't survive. Only the grinders do.

Season Check-In And Family Hunting

SPEAKER_02 0:38

What's up, everyone? We we are back for episode five of our field notes this year for 2026, 2027 season. It's been years since we had you on. Finally able to make it. And Kyle, yeah, whatever with you. You're constantly always on. So how's everyone doing? Pretty good.

SPEAKER_04 1:14

Enjoying this enjoying the best season.

SPEAKER_02 1:19

Yeah, I mean, dude, you're you're well one. I always have to start now when we when we talk to you, is just your son, Hunter. Yeah, he's a a just a a stud. Yeah. And he just keeps keeps going. I mean, just absolutely the kid has he has the gift.

SPEAKER_04 1:45

Yeah, he's got he's got a drive like we all do, and it's just I wish I had that drive. You know, I wish I got into it at his age. Yeah, he's been doing it with me since he's five years old. I didn't start with my father till I was 13, 14. And uh he's uh he's just he's so dedicated, he's just he's so into it. It's all he talks about, and uh I'm happy to share the woods with him, definitely.

SPEAKER_02 2:12

Have you seen it? And I imagine, Kyle, you're you're gonna see it too when when your kids get older, and when you guys kind of look at when you guys are started, like the technology of everything where it is now. Like, Pete, is he ever talking about stuff? It's like, wow, like we weren't even like thinking about that, or like you know, the bows that he's using now, and even like with the cameras and everything like that.

SPEAKER_04 2:35

He's never even brought it up until I like I bring it to his attention showing him how like how we used to do it. You know, we never had cell cameras, always just have to go and check the SD cards, and I still do that on some of my cameras, but um, you know, I still have one of my original bows that my father gave me, and it's just uh he's like, You really used to use this thing, you know, because it yeah, they were so heavy and all that stuff, but uh you know, you filmed the aluminum arrows yet? Oh yeah, at Double X75s, I still have them.

SPEAKER_03 3:07

I think I got a couple of those in the garage.

SPEAKER_02 3:11

I love that. That that's sick. I I listen, I as much as they're they're not the best, I do love those aluminum arrows. Like they were they were strong, but you hit something, they they had always had a bend in them.

SPEAKER_04 3:25

I used to shoot them with a bend in them because it was so easy, you know, back then they were even they were even expensive back then.

SPEAKER_02 3:31

So yeah, no, definitely. Um, what's up with you? I see you're finally getting out. It's nice. Yeah, you're feeling better. Yeah, you're feeling better?

SPEAKER_03 3:45

Not really, kinda, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 3:48

Um kinda. Well, we're we're we're glad

Patterning A Public Land Buck

SPEAKER_02 3:52

to listen. That that buck you sent earlier today, that that's a stud.

SPEAKER_03 3:56

Yeah, he's big. I saw him last year. Um like his rack was so white, and he was a nice eight. He was like 130, probably just over like 130. And uh I'm like, well, if he makes it, I could have shot him. And I was like, well, I'm like, he's got the frame. I'm like, he's realistically, he's probably three. I said, you know what? If I'm gonna gamble on a deer, it's gonna be that deer. I'll just gamble.

SPEAKER_01 4:29

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 4:30

Um paid off. Yeah, because um now I'm a thousand percent positive. It's the same deer, same frame. Um I logged on to uh drug cameras uh on my computer, and I backdated everything. And the two cameras that I had real deep on this public piece, um I backdated that book last year and what he was doing, where he was at and everything, and the stars are aligning. I mean like almost to within a 12-hour window, what he did last year is what he's doing this year. So like tomorrow he should hit a scrape on this one ridge tomorrow. I don't have a camera out there though, but on Tuesday I'm gonna go on on that side um of the piece. But you hear guys talking about, you know, as deer get older, they get more predictable. Like it's crazy to see like what his actions and what he was doing last year this time of year, prior, like right before it's about to you know open up in this area at least, he's doing the exact same thing that he did last year, like almost two and two. So it's just a matter of me getting in and you know trying to hunt him. But um I don't know, Kyle.

SPEAKER_02 6:04

It sounds like you kind of gotta call out tomorrow. No, like you just uh I don't know. I I I can't go to work.

SPEAKER_03 6:13

Do you have to that's next week I'm calling out

Weather Swings Georgia Vs Jersey

SPEAKER_03 6:18

next week? I'll suppose I was gonna go to Ohio tomorrow. It's gonna start getting warm this week. So I'm gonna put it on the water.

SPEAKER_02 6:24

Yeah, we're supposed we're supposed to have we're supposed to have warm weather, right? In the s in the 70s, I think. Yeah, Wednesday's maybe 74. Jesus Christ. I mean, we we can't complain too much because we've actually had pretty good weather for the most part. Um what I mean and it looks like rain.

SPEAKER_03 6:46

The weather's been perfect, you know.

SPEAKER_02 6:50

But I think now for for you, Garrett, like what does that look like real quick? Like, Kyle don't know. He's he's he's in South, uh you're down in Georgia, correct? So like our weather up here, like we're we're talking about like 60s and and stuff like that, like you know, upper 60s. Like for you, like what's kind of the weather, what is what does the heat look like there for you and the and the temperature?

SPEAKER_00 7:13

Dude, it's been it's been all over. Uh like right now it's probably 70 degrees outside. Um, we've had a few cold snaps there. Yeah. Like right now, I'm looking at my dash and it says 79 degrees. And uh, we've had a few cold snaps. We've had a few good cold snaps, and uh, I won't lie, those are the days that I was fully expecting the target that I have to come through, and he's not coming in. Um but I mean that that night that I was expecting, that's when I shot Doe number two, and it was cold. I mean, we cold for Georgia, I should say.

SPEAKER_02 7:52

So yeah, what's what's cold for Georgia? What what you know what do you consider doing Georgia?

SPEAKER_00 7:58

Probably 50. So that no that morning, um we were in like the high 40s, low 50s. Okay. And like but nothing was moving. It was almost like it was too cold for him. And but that night we were in I don't know, maybe mid-60s. And I mean, there's not a lot of traffic like at all that day, but uh just the one doe came in, and that's just I'm like, well, that'll work.

SPEAKER_02 8:27

Now, now um I'm interested to I'm interested because you said it might be like too cold for them. Like, I imagine up here, you know, you we're starting to get our our deer, you know, obviously thicker layer with with the fur and everything like that. Being down Georgia, and then obviously the more south you go, they don't need the same winter coat. So, like, do you see that as a thing with the deer that you've shot there? Fur is still kind of like thin. Is it it's not too like heavy and everything like that?

SPEAKER_00 8:59

Well, I'm I'm fairly new to Georgia, like the property that I'm hunting is a private piece, just because I I don't know anything really. But like right now, at this time last year in Kentucky, um, they were definitely putting on coats, like the thicker coats, right? Yeah, yeah, yeah. But they just moved to Georgia. Um, but but like the like that dough, for example, from a couple weeks ago, you would think, all right, they should be having a thicker coat. No, it was still like a summer coat, honestly.

SPEAKER_02 9:26

Hmm. That's pretty interesting. Very interesting. That'd be interesting to go down south and hunt. I I would like to do it at least once, but I'm not a I'm not a heat person. Can't can't do the heat, but um I was supposed to go to the house.

SPEAKER_03 9:37

I'm actually going up to Kentucky here in a couple North Carolina I was gonna go to North Carolina last year, but I got a couple buddies that um go down to the Cottonwood plantation down there in College.

SPEAKER_01 9:54

Okay.

SPEAKER_03 9:55

I'm going to go to the house. I'm going to Kentucky here in a couple days. Whereabouts in Kentucky?

SPEAKER_00 10:02

So I'll probably be outside of the Frankfurt area. Okay. So just northwest of Lexington.

SPEAKER_02 10:11

That's kind of the area that I mean living in. So it's your best time to go to Kentucky now. So I mean, take take your vacation.

SPEAKER_00 10:20

That's pretty much what I'm doing. I got a couple days that I'm gonna spend up there, and yeah, yeah, I got a couple I got a couple spots that I'm hoping.

SPEAKER_02 10:30

You just moved from like you were literally there, I think, when we were talking one of the days on the phone. I think you were just moving from Kentucky to to Georgia, right? Yeah, I moved.

SPEAKER_00 10:38

That's uh Yeah, I moved, I moved here July 10th.

SPEAKER_02 10:47

You know, it's a it's it's not a hunting move, it's a career move. That's uh that's for sure.

SPEAKER_00 10:53

Yeah.

Pete’s Buzzer Beater And Hunting A Ghost

SPEAKER_02 10:54

Uh but so so now Pete, with with you. You dropped a absolute stud not literally not too long ago. Yeah, uh on Friday. Yeah, literally just your your buzzer beater, your literal buzzer beater. What was that and I you know, we've talked about this before. I always I always know it's hunting season, is always going on Instagram live, watching you shoot your dough and everything like that. I feel like most years are usually tagged out in in fall, like earlier in fall and stuff like that, too, as well. Was it did was it you just had more work this year, you know, obviously taking Hunter out and stuff like that, and he he's the priority and everything like that, or also was it some mix too of just like things just weren't aligning those days in the woods?

SPEAKER_04 11:48

Well, it was it was more so that well, my son number one, I you know, he got his license last year, he was 10, and you know, uh my focus was to get him a deer. I also was hunting as well, but I had um um a real giant show up last year, and he showed up last year on the 24th of October, and I had just got that piece of property the year before in December, so I didn't hunt much of it in January, February, and then once September came around, I you know, I loaded it up, baited, put cameras in there, and I had a deer show up on the 24th, and it was just him walking in the background on the 23rd. I'm sorry, on the 23rd, and then on the 25th, he shows up that there was a doe at the feeder, and then he was just there with his head up. And I had my mind set on another deer that I killed last year on uh Halloween with the day before permit, also. And once I have my mind set on one, that's what I stick to. So it's either that deer or nothing. Um, so this year I actually took off this whole week for that deer that showed up last year, and I hunted him every single day. He never and with no trail counter pitches, he hasn't been on trail camera since January. So he could be dead, he could have been shot already in September, he could have got hit by a car. So I'm I'm pretty much hunting a ghost, and I was just in hope of every day I've hunted this past week, I had the right wind, and I was just waiting for him to show up randomly. And um I woke up Friday morning, Friday morning was the hottest morning, it was the last day before permit. And I got in the stand it was 56 degrees, and um I I killed that deer at seven or eight o'clock, and I have no history of that deer. Never had trail camera pictures of him this year, nothing. I had a um one buck in that in that spot this year that I would shoot, other than the other, you know, others, which has he's got a real big brow. He actually showed up this morning in daylight chasing the doe. Um, but I had I did have my mindset on that big one, all or nothing. But this deer showed up randomly, and I'm not gonna pass a deer of that caliber in Jersey. Um, also knowing that I'm getting a tag the next day, and I can continue hunting the deer that I don't have any photos of this year. So um, but that was a story. I mean, I took off this week for that deer. He hasn't shown up yet still. And I run almost, I think I have eight cameras in there right now, and uh it's it's 15 acres. Um I have camera permission on another piece next to me. I just can't hunt it. So I have it on one uh one trail coming off this piece of property onto my piece of property. I and um I'm just waiting until he shows up. I mean uh last year on November 4th, I had him at 16 yards um on a dough, and I couldn't get it done because uh she went around this big blowdown. He jumped over the big blowdown. If she if he would have followed her around the blowdown, I would have killed him at 16 yards. He wounded up jumping over it, and he was covered by this gigantic um green bush. And then once she took off, he took off, and I never had a shot. So uh, but also, you know, my son, you know, I want him to get a deer. He shot. We tried and tried and tried last year. He had two misses, one wound. He wounded up killing the doe late season with his bow. And my goal this year was to get him a buck and open a weekend. It was the first time he's ever come open a weekend. And he also had a miss on Saturday. Um, and then the next very next time we went out, he wounded up killing one. So and then it was game on for me, and then I just put everything I had on in that that one spot that I had to try to kill that deer that I was talking about. And like I said, he still hasn't been on camera. And I shot one on Friday, the day before permit, and I'm so happy with the deer.

SPEAKER_02 15:49

So yeah, I mean it is it's it's definitely a stud. Now, you know, chasing having the mindset of right now, chasing chasing just that one and stuff like that, like, and you know, yet again, you don't know if yeah, he was killed already, if he got hit by a car, like is that meant is that is is it a big mental game too where you mentally just have to stay just like focused and be like, hey, this is this is kind of like just stay the course, and you know, you're coming to the time where anything could happen, and he could easily come in following a hot dough off of one of the other properties or or anything like that, or cruise, like you know, one of the betting areas that you're that you're probably in, and something like that.

SPEAKER_04 16:31

Yeah, I mean he's like I listen, I I've been hunting jersey for a long time. I have a lot of deer in the caliber of that I shot on Friday. Yes, he's probably my biggest eight I've ever killed. The deer I'm after is gonna be the biggest jersey deer I've ever killed. If, like I said, all depends if he got bigger than he did last year. Even if he stayed the same size, he would probably be the biggest jersey deer I've ever killed. So, you know, it's it's a mind game. Like I I I love going, I love I can just sit in the woods, get up in the morning, sit in the woods, and not shoot nothing. I don't even have to bring my boat. I just want to be out in the woods and enjoying myself. That's my that's my piece. You know, I I you know, besides my kids, that's my peace. I I just love being out there either in the woods or on my boat. So that's my only time for myself. So besides, you know, like next week I leave on the on Wednesday, I go to Kansas for 10 days every year. So that's my vacation, that's my piece, and this is what I enjoy. So, you know, it's it's it's also it's very hard to pattern one deer and and put your mind to one deer. I have 15 different private spots that I hunt. So, you know, I try to find the best deer out of those properties if I'm running cameras on all of them, but once I have my mindset on one, the last few years, that's what I've been doing. Same thing like last year. I probably could have killed that buck last year if I went after him on October 25th when he first daylighted. And my cousin Pat's like, you know, that deer's bigger than you think. And I'm like, eh, nah, nah, I don't think so. And then when I killed my deer on Halloween last year, on November 4th, when he showed up at 8:30 in the morning on on camera in pure daylight on the dough, and I had six different video um clips of him from the Moultrie, I just realized, I'm like, man, I maybe should have listened to my cousin and went after this deer because he's bigger than the one I just killed a couple of days ago. And I probably would have killed him because from October 25th till no when I started hunting him hard that November 4th, he daylighted almost every single day. So I probably would have killed him in that week time period, you know. But when he showed up on November 4th, I was at work and my pictures came through at 8 30 in the morning or 8 o'clock in the morning, and I left work. I got in the tree at 11. I could have killed him at 1, and I just never got the opportunity because he just never gave me that shot. So and then I see him the next day on the 5th, pretty much doing the same thing, but he was 30, he was on a 30 yard trail um with that same dough.

SPEAKER_02 19:02

So I love it. Yeah, I I I I love ch I I mean, I don't know, I love chasing specific deer. It makes the the chess, the chess game very fun, but it also goes to the fact of like, like you said, like you don't have to kill something, like just getting out there and being

Social Media Pressure And Tag Choices

SPEAKER_02 19:20

your piece. And I feel like, you know, I think Kyle and I, we we've talked about it a bunch of times, and we've talked about on the show. Like, I think a lot of people have just gotten away from that, and I think a big part of that is obviously social media because when you see other people like kill, you know, these big deer and everything like that, or they're they're constantly killing, like, feel like it puts a pressure and that you kind of have to um produce something, and you just kind of don't like sit back and and enjoy what is in front of you, and you know, get just getting out like yet again. We're we're very lucky that we get to do what we do. You know what I mean?

SPEAKER_04 19:56

And yeah, because over the years I've had so many people comment and say, Oh, you know, you ate a tag, you ate a tag, eat a tag sandwich, you get these text messages like, you know, I'd rather eat a tag. I I get more of a thrill going out and shooting does than a lot of times I you know, than going out and shoot a buck. I'm not gonna just shoot any buck. I've just shot a million bucks this year just to fill my tag, but I'd rather fill my freezer with a dough.

SPEAKER_02 20:20

You know, yeah, yeah. Yeah, no. I you know, right now, me, uh, Garrett and I, I think we we we have what, like three things technically like three three deer between each other. I couldn't find I found my my dough that I that I shot, the third one. Uh, I lost her and she actually I walked literally right past her, I think like two times. She was in the river, and I just never saw her. And then one of my buddies ended up finding, yeah, just ended up finding her um and stuff like that. So technically, you know, I I I've shot three and everything like that. But yeah, shooting dough is just so much fun. And um, you know, I'll I'll tell you, like, I I ate the tag soup uh, you know, this year for for Fall Bow. Um Fall Bow has kind of hunted me in the last like four years, you know what I mean? Um, has haunted me. And I'll tell you, like, it's I'm not disappointed because I was on big bucks constantly. I mean, I twice was on would have been my biggest deer by far. Um I had him at like 12 yards, 20 yards, 30 yards, and I just had no shooting, you know, no shooting lanes. And you know, a couple other bucks, like it it happens, you know what I mean? And um, you know, so but getting to to do what kind of like I've been able to do, and this is the first time since I was I don't know, I feel like since I was like 18 or 19, where you know right now I don't have to I I I don't start my new job until December 7th. So I've had all this free time, you know, besides coaching on Sundays and and Tuesdays and stuff like that. So like when am I ever again gonna get the opportunity to Not have my full time job. You know what I mean? I eventually a lot will be having kids and everything like that. Like it's gonna be a very, very, very long time. You know what I mean? Like a very long time. Um, you know, and then you know, just don't keep popping them out like Kyle does.

SPEAKER_04 22:15

Yeah, right? Just don't keep popping them out like that kid Kyle does. Listen, I I got three. I got two. But I'm happy with money. Yep.

SPEAKER_02 22:27

Yeah, it's it's it's a lot of work. It's it's absolutely pleasure, you know, having kids, I imagine. You know, I have two two nephews and stuff like that, but I don't I'm not with them 24-7, and I'm not, you know, they're not my responsibility. You know what I mean? Like there you go. Here, yeah, here, here you go, you know what I mean, and stuff like that. But you know, the the cool thing also for for you, P2, is like your your kids are are older now. Like, and yet again, they're not older whether in you know high school or anything like that, but you know, they're they're still at the age, you know. Hunter obviously is going out with you and hunting and and stuff like that. Kyle, I think, is is getting there, is is soon to be getting there, um, you know, with at least one one or two of them. The other two and are are especially the the fourth ones far, far behind and everything like that. But you know, it it cuts down just on like your time, um, you know, and of kind of what you gotta do. So you gotta make your your hunts count more. You know what I mean? Um but you get to enjoy, but you get to enjoy it more when you actually get to go out.

SPEAKER_04 23:34

Yeah, it's tough. Like in my situation, like I'm out with my kid I'm out with my kids' mother, so you know, I have my kids every single weekend, so I can't hunt on the weekends, you know, unless my mother can watch my daughter, that's when I take my son. But on my two days, I don't get my kids on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, that's when I go out hunting. I'll go after out after work. So, you know, I'm in like having this week off and and enjoying it. I'm still taking my I take my kids to school a couple of days in the morning and then I'll go right into the tree. So this week I really looked forward to getting in the woods because I don't get to go out as much as it seems, because I have my kids a lot, and I'm you know very grateful for that. So but that goes back to what my son taking him as much as I can on the weekends because I have them every weekend, and luckily my mother and my father can watch my daughter while I do that.

SPEAKER_00 24:21

So my older's just you know talking about going all the time too.

SPEAKER_04 24:26

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 24:28

How old is your oldest?

SPEAKER_04 24:30

My son, my son's eleven, and my daughter's my daughter's gonna my daughter's eight, my son's eleven.

SPEAKER_00 24:36

So my daughter's I have a six, three, and one.

SPEAKER_02 24:42

When in Georgia can they can they start hunting down Georgia?

SPEAKER_00 24:46

I haven't even looked to be honest. I think it's ten. I would probably agree with that, honestly. But I mean she even just wants to go. Like my oldest, she just wants to go sit in the blind. But I don't like a wall. I don't have a blind big enough. Like, you gotta give me a second. So between work and being being here with my wife and kids and trying to even get any time that I can to go, it's like everything and everything's just been so expensive lately, so it's just but I know she really wants to go, and I'll give my son to I'll get my son to do turkey calls, he'll just he'll just do it. It's hilarious.

SPEAKER_02 25:26

Kyle, you're you you know, yeah, I'll I'll tell you, like, uh now I'm driving 40 minutes to go hunting, and I'm like, how the hell does Kyle do this every day to get to work? Then drives all the way back, and then I mean, at least you're hunting pretty close to I think to your house, but at least for work, like you're you're traveling a distance, and the traffic is just brutal.

SPEAKER_03 25:49

For two for two years I drove from the shore to you. For two years, that was my commute.

SPEAKER_02 25:58

Like Yeah, you're you're a wild man.

SPEAKER_03 26:02

On the way home, it took me two hours, two hours and thirty minutes, maybe in the summertime. Dude, it sucked. Like this commute now is fine, just because I grew up here, you know, but like dude, I don't have time to do like anything.

SPEAKER_02 26:21

Like I always like you always talk about like Is this the busiest you've been since you've had kids, kind of?

SPEAKER_03 26:30

Where you you know, I feel like you're like it's just like everything else, man. Like work's work. I'm always busy at work. I'm always, you know. And then it's just like, now you got four kids and like, you know, the kids are like my daughter's like going through rope spurt right now, like the last week and a half, just nonstop, wanting to eat, wants to eat, wants to eat. So it's like I I can't even I hunted after work like three times this year, maybe. Like, I probably only hunted six times this year. She went out once with me, or twice, nothing once. But it's just like it's by the time I get home and then the weekends I got shit I gotta do around the house. You know, it's it's tough. It there's really it's hard to find time to really do anything. And being like obviously like being the only provider, which there's nothing wrong with that, because obviously my wife obviously stays home with my daughter, but now that she goes to school, it's a little bit you know, easier on her and everything, but like that was kind of like the the agreement, like you stay home, take care of her, and you know, make sure that she's good, and then I'll work, which you know, you talk to guys, you know, obviously I'm only 32, but like you talk to like you know, Pete and you know, a lot of other people, like when you're the sole provider of a household, like everything falls on you. So the stress, I understand that everything that comes with life, you're responsible for not only yourself, but the roof on your family's head, the food that goes into their mouth, making sure the bills are paid, making sure so like it's so tough to deal with that, and then try to find time to hunt, and then even just a fine like three hours for me and her to go out to eat or something, you know, like it's so tough to navigate, you know, everything. But at the end of the day, dude, like I wouldn't change it for a fucking one. I wouldn't change it for anything. Like, I love my kids more than life itself, you know what I mean? But trying to find that fine line of like, alright, like we need our time in the woods, and then like, you know, but luckily my dad's is only 10 minutes away, my brother's ten minutes away, and and uh calling my dad, he'll be over here ten minutes no matter what. He comes over every other day, like he spends time with the kids and stuff, so he definitely helps out, but so now it's like he knows he he doesn't hunt, but he understands like it's November, so he's like, alright, he's like clean the freaking room upstairs. He's like, so I'm just gonna spend the night at the house, you know. I'll spend a couple days at your house, so then you guys can go hunt. But

Time Management With Kids And Work

SPEAKER_03 29:28

um, but yeah, it's tough, man. I wanna if I could get out more, I would, but at the same time, like I had that one, like I said, I had that buck show up, and then I had a guy walk down the trail the next day at six o'clock in the morning. That that buck daylighted at eight o'clock in the morning, it just great. The next morning a guy walked by so that I request an HD photo, whatever. And then he did it again the morning after, and I'm like, all right, so this guy's got a camera down around down around the corner somewhere. But there's really not much you can go that way because it's all wetland. Like you can't go that far. And I had my camera there for two years now, maybe even a little bit longer. Like it's just a spot. I always put my camera. I may take it off, I take it down the end of the season, but it goes right back up. Um and like two days in a row after this deer shows up and this dude like walks by. So I made a took a picture on Facebook and I was like, and I put on Facebook, I'm like, yo, like, this is you, hit me up, dude. Like, you know, like I'm not, it's public land, like I'm not gonna so he ended up messaging me and uh it was like yeah, that was me on the camera. Like, oh cool, dude, like you know, that's good stuff. He's like, Yeah. Uh any luck? I'm like, nah, I really haven't been, you know, seeing a whole bunch a lot. Like, I'm not gonna tell him that there's a giant buck running around, you know what I mean? I kind of put two and two together that like you walk past my camera the next day that dear daylighted, like you obviously know about it. So then, like, I was like, Yeah, no, I mean just you know a couple little bucks and stuff, and that's really but like he totally didn't answer me for like four days, didn't even read the messages, and then I saw that he read the messages, so like what I was getting at, and what I would have liked to get out of it was him saying, Hey, listen, I'm hunting around the corner from your camera. Okay, fine. Go at it. But the way you have to, it's over a mile walk in. But like to get on the trail, there's only one way in and one way out, if that makes sense. You can only access it through this one spot. And it's like I said, it's one way in, one way out. So I don't want to go back there at 5 30 in the morning, and then all of a sudden him come galloping in at 6 30 and completely ruin my hunt and walk right under me and then go 60 yards past me. Like it's kind of like so. I just I would have liked it to be like, hey man, I'm gonna go home. I'm gonna go down over here um tomorrow morning, whatever. Just I just want to give you a heads up. Like something like that.

SPEAKER_00 32:12

Like common courtesy.

SPEAKER_03 32:13

That's what I would want.

SPEAKER_00 32:14

Yeah, yeah, common courtesy.

SPEAKER_03 32:17

I'm not saying I'm not, I don't want to assume anything, but like he just didn't answer me and wasn't like really receptive of kind of like, hey, you know, which whatever, dude. I mean, I I was just trying to be a gentleman. I was just trying to be, you know. I don't even I don't need an incident about what happened last year again, where I almost killed this fucking guy. That was I don't want to do that.

SPEAKER_02 32:44

Yeah, but that that was that was a whole that guy crossing crossing a line that I mean different. Hopefully that I mean if that happens twice again, some shit like that, like that would be crazy. Like if it's just you, you know I mean, like, I don't know. Shit does happen in the woods. I think big deer get people do crazy things.

SPEAKER_03 33:05

Up that way by where since I have since that happened. Dude, I don't have the I don't have the energy.

SPEAKER_02 33:13

I don't you know when uh when are you gonna so when are you gonna go to Ohio?

Public Land Courtesy And Camera Encounters

SPEAKER_02 33:21

I think I'm gonna leave at 10th. The 10th? And what are your expectations what what do you think? You're going to the same place that you always hunt, right?

SPEAKER_03 33:29

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. We got uh buck. So the farm that I killed last year. Um my buddy Zach came out. I knew we knew where the deer was, but my buddy Zach owns a drone company. And uh he wanted to go fly and find my deer. Well, standing over my deer was this other buck that used to run with that deer. And I said, dude, this buck is gonna blow up, and he did blow up, and he's he's all of 170 now. Um he's an absolute just he's a tank. So I'm trying to get out there to kill this beer. He's still alive, thank god, as of eight o'clock this morning.

SPEAKER_02 34:24

Okay, so he day so he daylighted, alright.

SPEAKER_03 34:27

Oh yeah, he's a freaking daylight. That's a good look. Like, dude, the pictures don't even do him justice, man. Like, he's disgustingly. He's a big deer, and he was a framey, framey like nine last year, but he you could tell that he like had the potential just to go, and yeah, he went. So I'm gonna go about, I think.

SPEAKER_02 34:59

I do have a question because I've heard it from other people. So we got you know, with with each of three of you, and you guys have all hunted all over, but you know, Pete, you're going to Kansas, Garen, you're going to Kentucky, uh, Kyle, you're going to Ohio. With going to like some of these such big buck state states, like, is it ever hard coming back to Jersey Jersey or now, you know, again, you're going to be going back to Georgia and everything like that, where it's just a different class of deer. Um, you know, I've had guys say like they've never been able to really hunt Jersey or wherever their home state is uh the same way since they've gone out to the Midwest, or has that never like it's just something you guys love to do? It's fun chasing just big deer no matter where uh no matter the state.

SPEAKER_04 35:51

I just love I I just love being in the woods regardless. I mean, yes, when you go out to Kansas, you see you know, you see giant deer. I mean, I've I've seen I've been going out there for years, 15 years. I've seen probably 20 deer over 170. I've seen two over 200. But, you know, I mean, home is home. I I love I love hunting jersey. I just love being in the woods. I love I love how long their season is. I just, you know, but yes, when you go out to Kansas and you see the the size of the deer, how big they are in Illinois, Illinois, I killed my biggest deer in Illinois, Kansas, Ohio, but you know, I mean, do I would would I want to live out there? Probably not. I mean, you know, would I want to still go out there every single year? Absolutely. I mean, coming home to Jersey, I love I still love coming home to hunt in my home state, regardless. I mean, there are deer of that caliber here, if you have the right area, if you let them grow. But, you know, out west is just a different, it's just a different ballgame out there. I mean, and you know, you can kill the next world record out there. You can kill the next world record in Jersey, but you know, you have a better chance out west than anything. And it's just it's it's incredible being out there. I enjoy it. I get to spend 10 days out there every year. Um it's you know, but I like I said, I still love coming home to hunt. So I'll be out there for 10 days and I'll be off Thanksgiving week and I'll be hunting the whole week too.

SPEAKER_02 37:22

So yeah. I I think um I yeah, I agree with you. I don't think I would ever want to move to the Midwest. And I feel like it would be hard, you know, for especially for for us Jersey guys to move to the Midwest. Like when you look at New Jersey and and not just the whole hunting aspect of it, of just what every the pace of New Jersey, you know, living, working, what we have, what Jersey has to offer with New York City close by, with you know, we can go to the Jersey Shore, you can, you know, you can kind of do almost we have almost everything kind of here. Going to the Midwest, and I've had guys like, and I've been out to the Midwest, and I've played hockey on the middle in the middle of nowhere, where it's just like there isn't really much to do. For me to go to the grocery store just to to the you know, just to a corner store, you know what I mean? Like you gotta go.

SPEAKER_04 38:16

From our house in Kansas to get to Walmart or any type of store, like Casey's or anything like that. It's Casey's, it's 25 minutes. Walmart, it's almost 50 to go get food. Yeah. So there's nothing around there. I've been going out there for 50, 15 years I've been going out there. I've seen two cops.

SPEAKER_01 38:32

Two cops.

SPEAKER_04 38:34

I'm not even kidding. And and not not on the highway, but like in the area where we hunt. I've and I've seen two, one of them I was stopped by because he was waiting by my car when I came out of the woods to make sure I had my license because he seen an out-of-state um plate. But it's just it's just totally different out there. I mean, it's it's it's it's beautiful land, beautiful country, but like my cousin that lives out there is like one of the biggest punks you've ever seen when he was younger. And moving out there saved his life or from being him put in jail, you know, because that's just that's the mentality he had growing up, just always fighting everything. You would never think somebody like him would move out there, but he did, and he's been out there for the last 15 years, and uh to me that's what saved his life was for him not to go to jail, and you know, he and does his thing out there.

SPEAKER_02 39:26

That's like the that's like the slower pace. That's like somebody, and like I know a bunch of people that are like the pace here in Jersey and the lifestyle, and it's like especially depends where you where you come from and everything like that. Like moving out there where everything's slower, a little calmer, like you know, things are more spread out, and you probably yeah, like yes, there's BS and bullshit everywhere, and there's there's there's bad people like everywhere, but you know, I mean, there's you know, the chance of it is probably less, and everything's just more like Jersey's just rowdy. Like, Garen, if you ever come to New Jersey, everyone's just I love this state, but everyone's a bunch of assholes, everyone's in the world.

SPEAKER_04 40:04

I live in I live in New York. Come live in New York. I live in St. Allen. I don't even live in Jersey. I used to live in Jersey when I was married, but I I work, I live in St. Allen. I I work, I go to Manhattan every day. Talk about traveling. I I go back and forth to Manhattan, and even when I leave St. Allen, Jersey it takes me 45 minutes to get to my spots. So, you know, but we're spoiled here.

SPEAKER_03 40:27

That's the problem. It is, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 40:30

I'm grateful to have my house in Pennsylvania because that's my that's my getaway. Like when I go to my P house in PA, it's so quiet there. You know, from being in New York, and then obviously hunting in Jersey, Jersey's no better than New York, but then just going to that one little state to Pennsylvania, it's just like that's where I would want to live. You know, if I'm gonna go live, I would want to live in PA. It's not too far from civilization or from my family, and you know, and I'm so close to home. It only takes me an hour and 45 minutes to get there. So yeah.

SPEAKER_03 40:58

Yeah. Like when I moved out to Kentucky, it was different. I loved it because I just don't like people.

SPEAKER_04 41:05

Oh, me too.

SPEAKER_03 41:07

Like, dude, it was like I hate people. It it was like it was awkward because everybody on my road was a cousin of the neighbor, and I was the only one that wasn't, but like the pace is so much slower, everybody's so freaking nice, like breakfast, you know, the hospitality is just fantastic. Everybody's saying good morning to everybody at the gas pump. Yep, yeah, like everything is just totally different, man. And then like even, you know, even out in Kansas, like Pete was saying, man, like there ain't shit out there. Nothing where we had a lease when I was working for the other guy, like there was literally a crossroad, there was a gas station, a little deli looking thing, and a pub, and that was it. And like the town, that like was the town. Like that was it, like there was nothing, you know. Um I would move out there a hundred percent. That's just me. I would go.

SPEAKER_02 42:20

What would you you would move out there? Would you would you move out there with the kids, or you're saying just you yourself, like if you went back in time single you, I would not be if I had if the the choice was mine.

SPEAKER_03 42:34

Let me I can't even say that. If the circumstances were different as far as my daughter goes, I would not be in the city. I would be gone. Okay, but because I need you know the support from from her family, from my family, all her doctors are all over the place. We go to you know the children's hospital in Philly uh every two, three months, like minus all of that, a thousand percent I'm gone. I'm I'm so far from this fucking state, just because I I just don't like I said, we're spoiled, and we but we grew up spoiled with this state. It's not like you're spoiled and you have everything that you know what it's what I mean by spoiled is that we have the countryside, we have the shore, we have the city right here, we have you know, everything is within proximity versus you know, like P said, right in PA, man. Like I got spots in PA, I got friends in PA that are just outside, you know, within an hour of like the gap and stuff, and it's like a different world.

SPEAKER_04 43:49

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 43:50

And it's fantastic, you know. I I I would go I would move to PA 100%. But if if like I said, if it was my Choice I would move to the Midwest, and I mean that's what I would do. And I would do something how to do hunting for sure. I miss sometimes. I'm like, damn, like I kind of miss hunting at home. And that's how it was when I was living down the shore too. I would always like, I would come up here on the weekends and be like, man, like I miss hunting like my own stopping grounds. Like I know there's no big deer. I know that for a fact. But like I'll go and sit in the woods by like uh the house I grew up in and stuff, and like just to reminisce like this is how I started. Like, let me go check in on that spot. You know what I mean? Like it's nice, but like hunting in the Midwest, um it gives you a different perspective on how to hunt New Jersey in a way like I'm I'm talking, I'm now I'm talking like big woods hunting. Um you actually see deer be deer out there. Like you see deer doing deer things, like doing what they're supposed to be doing, doing what we watch all these videos on on TikTok, on YouTube, and like the Midwest run and all this stuff, like you actually see that out there, you know. You don't see that here.

SPEAKER_02 45:35

I mean, you do to a point, but like so real quick, it's a different landscape

Midwest Trips And Calling Tactics

SPEAKER_02 45:40

though for you keep going, because I I I this is a question I wanted to ask, especially for for you three, uh having the Midwest experience, um, you know, and from my opinion, when I've talked to other guys that have from the East Coast moved to the Midwest and everything like that, like you're talking about deer. Like, have you guys noticed like rattling doesn't really work here, but it works way more out there. And the opinion and what I've heard from everybody is here, there's they just don't need to compete like that because of the dough numbers. So, because the deer numbers are so high, and there are just so many does, like, even yesterday, like I saw probably like 25 does, and there's just different groups of does like all over. There's just so many does. So, out in the Midwest, there's just way more competition for to mate and everything like that because of the the deer number, just or the dough number is just isn't as as high as it here in Jersey.

SPEAKER_03 46:38

You said it, the population, that's what it is. Why do bucks rattle? Why do deer act like deer? You know what I mean? Why does a buck want to fight? He's picking a fight because of the dose. Well, if it don't matter how big, if it's a two-year-old, buck, three-year-old, five-year-old, eight-year-old, it don't matter. If there's 30 doughs in that next block of timber, you want one? Yeah, we can share it. You know what I mean? Like it doesn't have to come down to that. You know what I mean? Like, you don't gotta fight about it. There's plenty to go around. Versus out there, yeah, there's a lot of doughs, and there's a lot of, you know, but the um the balance of the herd is more balanced out there than it is here. You know, I've I've rattled in bucks here before. I'm not saying they're giants, but you know, I've rattled in small, you know, small racks before, just out of curiosity. It's not they're looking for a fight, they're just curious, like, hey, what's going on over here? Like, like they're not coming in like four war ready to fight, but you know, curiosity kills a cat nine times out of ten. That's why a lot of guys like you know, oh, I rattled in and he he came in and blah blah blah blah. Well, yeah, he's gonna come in because he's curious. Was he coming in? Was he coming in to posture up and looking for a fight? Maybe, maybe not. It depends on the deer, but nine times out of ten, it's just you know, out of curiosity.

SPEAKER_04 48:08

Yeah, definitely. Out by my my experience, like in Kansas, I've rattled in more deer and I've grunted in more deer in Jersey for some reason.

SPEAKER_02 48:19

Yeah, I've grunted in Jeremy.

SPEAKER_04 48:20

I don't get much of a response from antlers in Jersey like I do I do out in Kansas, but I even like grunting, like I've not say I've haven't grunted a deer out in Kansas, but I've I've grunted in way more deer in Jersey than I have out in Kansas, and vice versa with the antlers. Like I've rattled in dozens and dozens of deer in in Kansas with antlers, and you won't get that response like you do in Jersey. Same thing with PA. I mean, um I don't get to hunt much PA, so I hunt early season, like you know, a couple weekends. Now I hunt a little bit more because you're allowed to hunt on Sunday. But um same thing. Like I've I've grunted in DM. It's usually I hunt a handful of times with the bow, and then boom, it goes into gun season. I hunt one weekend with the gun season and then I'm done. But like, you know, definitely rattle more deer out in Kansas, and I've grunted more deer here than than rattle for sure.

SPEAKER_00 49:17

So that's gonna be a fun one for me because I I I don't know what I'm getting into this season.

SPEAKER_04 49:23

Where are you going? Where you going? You going to Kentucky?

SPEAKER_00 49:26

Yeah, so like I just mean here in Georgia specifically, like I don't know what's gonna work best. Uh in Kentucky, I never rattled. I never did a whole lot of rattling just because I didn't I personally didn't have the experience with it. Yeah. But I I'm originally from Utah, so moving from Utah to Kentucky, that's a whole different ball game of white cell versus mule deer and elk. So you kind of it's been a it's been a fun learning curve the past few years. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 49:54

Yeah, because you're you're completely learning a whole different, I mean you've you've now bumped uh bumped around in a whole different you've gone from Utah, so you know, yeah, completely different terrain, completely different species, two different species, to then you you go to Kentucky, yet again, whole different terrain. Whole different balls, yep. And then now in Georgia of a just whole different yes, it's south Georgia too. So whole different terrain and and everything like that. Like I yeah, if I went and when I eventually go down south, like I wouldn't I don't know what works. I do, I don't know if Georgia is one of those states, like I know Florida where you know the right is it just at all different times. I've heard in Alabama it's way later, like I think January too. January, February. Like, I don't know if South Georgia is is that, you know, obviously it could be a topic.

SPEAKER_00 50:54

So there I think yeah, I'm I'm I want to try a snort weeze though, see if that does anything. Like if like if any buck that's coming through that maybe just be slightly out of out of range to snort weeze and see.

SPEAKER_02 51:09

Big, big snort weeze guy here for for Jersey. It's it's worked very well. Obviously, some bucks do get intimidated, but um I I just do it when I see other deer. Like, you know what I mean? When I see other deer and they're turning, and I'm usually like just hitting them with the I'll hit them with the grunt sequence, and then I'll usually hit them with the snort weeze. And you know, there's a lot of times where that deer is not, like you said, like is doesn't want anything to do with it, but I've had other deer come in and actually happened to me on uh on um on Halloween where I was grunting at a buck out in out into the in the field and he was with a doe, didn't want anything to do with me, snort wheezed, snort wheezed like twice, and then a it was literally like the last minute of shooting, like in the woods. I just see like just white antlers and just like a body like move through through the woods, and obviously I would not have been able to shoot it regardless because I could I couldn't barely even see, and then I you know snort wheezing and grunting has uh uh snort wheezing has worked for me. It's one of my favorite go-to. Um, but it does, like I said, it does not work. Yes, it's going to scare some some smaller deer. Um, you know, and some deer, like like Kyle said, like um, same thing with with the antlers, like they are also curious too. Like deer are just extremely curious creatures. So they're gonna come in and usually investigate, you know, there's a you have a good chance of of that happening. It's probably not always gonna be a shooter, you know. I mean, it's usually gonna be like I said, hey, you know what?

SPEAKER_00 52:48

If I can have everything like that, but if I can get even even get a Georgia Buck down, I'll be happy. Buck or dough, I'm always happy just to get out there.

SPEAKER_02 52:58

So yeah, and you you guys got a long season, I think a long season too, kind of like us too, as well, if I'm not mistaken.

SPEAKER_00 53:06

Yeah, it's like the second or third week of January is when it ends.

SPEAKER_02 53:12

Yeah, yeah.

Wrap-Up Travel Plans And Updates

SPEAKER_02 53:14

But all right, boys, we are we're getting close to that hour. Um, I I definitely appreciate you guys coming on, Pete. It's it's always a pleasure getting you on.

SPEAKER_04 53:23

We'll have to do it.

SPEAKER_02 53:24

We'll have to uh hopefully next time G can get on. We'll do something like in the off season or something like that. We'll meet you, G, we'll really sit down and we'll we'll we'll do some talking for like a week over, you know, and got some stories. You know, you guys are always up at trout, I know uh the trout camp and everything like that. You guys are always doing trout seasons together and everything like that. So we'll we'll definitely get something going. Kyle, it's always a pleasure. Uh, Garen, it's finally uh great to get you on. I know it it's it's not easy. Uh whenever you can get on, you know, you're you're always welcome. Kyle, yeah, you're always welcome too.

SPEAKER_04 53:59

You know, you should Kyle hit me up when you're driving out west. We'll be we'll talk again.

SPEAKER_03 54:05

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 54:06

You'll leave it when you're leaving on the 10th?

SPEAKER_03 54:07

Yeah, I think I'm gonna go. Yeah, I'll be on the road in the morning on 11th. So um I'll I might leave early in the 11th or the the 10th, like super late.

SPEAKER_04 54:18

Yeah, shoot me a call.

SPEAKER_03 54:19

That red moon starts the 11th. So yeah, yep.

SPEAKER_02 54:22

I'll be out I'll be out I'm starting on that Friday, so I might I might be on my way to Maine at that point. We'll see. I might be able to wait.

SPEAKER_03 54:32

Keep going north, brother. You gotta go west.

SPEAKER_02 54:34

Yeah, I know. Listen, if if I if I miss out on another Maine season with my family, uh I keep like it's it's tough. Like I we have that the you know, the lake house and the property, and you know, my family's done well the last couple years, and it's a hunt like I definitely do want to do, but it's like it's always at the worst time of year because I want to be, you know, I want to go to Ohio, I want it, like I want to go Midwest and everything like that. Like, and it's you know, I always still have my tag down in Delaware that I always still want to go down to and everything like that. And I'm always like, I love you guys, you know what I mean? But it's it's a pain in the a. It's a it's it's a it's a far drive, but not even a far drive. Like it's two hours on dirt logged roads that the wear and tear on your vehicle is.

SPEAKER_04 55:23

I drive 20 20 hours alone, 20 hours alone. I drive to Kansas every year. This year I actually have my cousins coming straight through.

SPEAKER_02 55:33

Yep. Yeah, listen, I love driving. Don't get me wrong, I do love driving and I love traveling. Doing it alone, that's kind of like that's the tough.

SPEAKER_04 55:44

Me and Kyle talked for like six hours one morning because he was driving to Kentucky.

SPEAKER_02 55:48

Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_03 55:49

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 55:51

I'm on the phone, like all the when you're on the phone bullshit with other people, my mother, my you know, whoever, it goes by quick, but you know, that last two hours sucks. You know, because I I time it because I start my job in the morning at three o'clock. I drive all day. So I get on the road at three, I'm usually there by 10 45 at night. And I'm used to that, you know, I work from three in the morning till almost four in the afternoon. So my driving time is my work time, so I'm I'm used to it. Because I drive for a living hour.

SPEAKER_03 56:20

That's pretty good. That's pretty good. That makes sense.

SPEAKER_04 56:22

Those last two or three hours. So it's like you know what it is, because the head now it's dark and the headlights are coming at you, there's no street lights. Yeah, you know, you're worried about hitting a dia.

SPEAKER_03 56:32

Two hours 45 minutes, and they're like, fuck. And you're like, all right, I think it's in like a half hour, it's in five minutes. You're like, God, it's five minutes.

SPEAKER_02 56:42

Yeah, that's anything. All right, guys. Well, I appreciate it, everyone. I hope you guys enjoyed this episode. And well, you know, now that I'm of course and now that we're settled in into the you know into my new apartment, everything like that. Hopefully, we'll be getting back to our weekly episodes of the updates during the season. And not this week, but next week, we hopefully will be getting the Instagram live going too as well. Um, look out for that. So now that I'm settled in, I can get back to a little bit more of a consistent uh podcast schedule. It's been a while since we've been consistent since summer. Um, so look at looking forward to to getting back to that. And um, everyone, I hope you guys enjoy this episode, guys. I appreciate you guys coming on. Good luck with your with your hunts, and and you know, everyone out there hope to hope to see some deer down. Yes, absolutely. Good luck, guys. Thank you, you too.