September 13, 2025 • 56 mins
The Garden State Outdoors Podcast crew kicks off the 2025-2026 hunting season with stories from their Delaware trip and preparations for opening day in New Jersey and Wisconsin. They discuss early-season hunting strategies centered around identifying food sources and navigating challenges like earn-a-buck requirements and unpredictable weather.
• Delaware hunting trip focused on targeting bean fields and oak drops
• Deer preferred feeding in shorter bean fields (6-12 inches) versus mature chest-high beans
• Zach had a close encounter with a velvet buck at 37 yards but missed the shot
• Mike survived getting caught in a severe thunderstorm while hunting
• Craig shares Wisconsin preparations and his target velvet buck for opening day
• New Jersey hunters discuss strategies for meeting earn-a-buck requirements
• The team shares season predictions for each other's success
• Early season food sources include white oak acorns that are already dropping
• Wisconsin opener coincides with the end of velvet season, creating trophy opportunities
• Discussion of different regulations across New Jersey, Delaware, and Wisconsin
Stay safe out there, wear your harnesses, and make sure your saddle is properly secured. Good luck to everyone heading into the woods for opening day!
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome back to the Garden State Outdoors and
Podcast presented by BoondockHunting.
Speaker 2 (00:04):
That's why your tagline JCL Mullen is perfect.
Speaker 3 (00:09):
You don't know what you're mowing for the game.
You don't know what you'remowing for the game.
Speaker 1 (00:13):
I accidentally drifted my canoe between a sow
and a cub and she charged andhit the back of the canoe.
Speaker 4 (00:23):
His head hit the ground before his ass did All
right guys.
Speaker 1 (00:41):
Field Notes, episode 2.
We are back.
It is September 10th.
First of all, for everyone,tomorrow is going to be
September 11th, so definitelywant to give a tribute to
everybody who was affected bythat still to this day.
(01:03):
I think I was in first grade, soI I'll never, like I'll never
forget, forget that.
I know a bunch of people thatin my town that were were, you
know, directly involved in andunfortunately lost, lost people
and everything like that.
So condolences out there to allthe families, and I also not,
you know, craig, and I literallyjust spoke on it, you know
(01:26):
condolences to Charlie Kirk'sfamily and everything like that.
Really unfortunate to see, nomatter what your stance is and
everything like that A guy who Ithink did a phenomenal job just
on talking and being able tojust have these conversations,
didn't matter what backgroundyou were from, what you believed
(01:47):
in or whatever.
You know I I loved what, whathe was doing, and it's gun
violence is definitely never,never the answer, but you know
it's, it's definitelyunfortunate, but we'll, we'll,
we'll see what, what happens now.
But you know, besides that guyslike it's time, it is literally
(02:10):
time, I know, for Zach and I,which we'll get into a little
bit like we've already gottenthat itch and everything like
that.
But the jersey opener, witheveryone listening, is today,
and so is the Wisconsin opener.
But before we get into that,zach, I mean we got there on
(02:35):
Sunday and I'll tell you we wereboots on the ground.
I think the average amount oftime that I spent on my feet I
think almost every hunt, exceptfor like the one where I slept
until 7 30 was about likeaverage, like six miles a day.
Um, we were, we were all over,literally all over the place,
(02:58):
driving all over, walking allover, um, you know, but for you,
you know, I'll let you.
You started off, you know, goover, you know, our, our
delaware trip yeah, man, it wasfun.
Speaker 2 (03:10):
Uh, like you said, we put in a lot of miles on foot,
probably put about 10 000 mileson the truck going back and
forth this summer and, uh, yeah,we had a good trip.
We, you know, we know we got onsome deer.
We, we were hunting a lot ofbean fields.
You know, like you said,opening morning we got down
(03:31):
there and just covered a bunchof ground, scouted a bunch of
fields, trying to see whatfields had the most browse
pressure, where, you know wherethe deer were coming out and
what, what corners of the fieldand whatnot, what, what corners
of the field and whatnot.
Um, we ended up finding thatthey were hitting, uh, the
fields with the shorter beans,like the beans that got planted
(03:52):
later, for whatever reason, werethe ones they were really
hitting hard.
Still, um, the more maturebeans.
Some of the fields we werehunting, you know the beans were
chest high so you could have adeer standing out there and you
can't even see.
All you can see is their antlersticking out or their you know
those ears, um, and they're justout there tunneling through
those beans.
Um, which makes it hard,because you know, to get a shot
(04:17):
at one in that tall of beans.
You're shooting through allthat stuff, um, so we were kind
of trying to focus on thosefields that had the shorter
beans.
Still, we found one I guess itwas opening morning that looked,
it had a lot of sign on it andwe were walking the edge and
there was a bunch of white oaksthat had a lot of acorns.
(04:39):
They weren't they weren't quitedropping yet, but they were
loaded.
And uh, we got into the cornerof that field, into one corner
of that field, and we could hearsome acorns falling in the
woods.
So we, we uh slipped in thereand found a little cluster.
It was like four or five oaksthat were dropping pretty good
and a ton of fresh feed sign onit.
(05:00):
You know notched a bunch ofacorns on the ground.
So we marked that spot andbacked out and went and scouted
some more stuff, found anothergood spot that evening it was a
similar, you know short beansand we ended up hunting those
(05:21):
spots.
That evening I sat where thoseacorns were dropping and Mike
sat the other field.
Did you end up seeing?
Speaker 1 (05:32):
any deer that night, mike?
No, so like to go on from that.
Like you know, we we kinda thenight before we were we went out
in glass, and every single timewe went out in glass we're like
.
Speaker 4 (05:50):
Oh man, like this is going to be easy, be easy like
there's, there's deer everywhere.
Speaker 1 (05:52):
I mean we, yeah, we're driving down, and zach
would be like I wouldn't besurprised if we saw like 100
plus deer tonight just indriving through all all the
spots, which is which was veryaccurately and was I think we
got, if we didn't hit that 100mark, like we got close to the
100 mark every single time.
But that night before it waslike we're, like we're where the
hell are all all the big bucks?
(06:13):
Um, and I, I will say, and Iand we, we talked about this a
lot.
It rained, I think so muchearly part of that summer and
even leading into August, augustdried up a little bit, but it
was raining constantly and evenhere in New Jersey.
But once we noticed like, likeZach said, like those high, high
(06:37):
beans, they were bedded in it,but they it didn't seem like
they were really focusing onthat and they wanted the, the
small, probably, what ankle,ankle high.
Speaker 2 (06:50):
Yeah, you know, six to 12 inches.
Yeah, yeah, those those youngerbeans are.
They're definitely morepalatable for them and they're
more nutritious too.
Speaker 1 (07:00):
So yeah, and and and and.
That was a big and that causesto have a big shift.
And then also the fact and Ihaven't found anything yet like
that in new jersey, but theacorns were definitely dropping
before and ready to drop I meanthe, the white, the young white
oaks that we found in veryimmature trees, not those big
(07:23):
giant trees that you say uh, allhad acorns on it that were like
literally a probably a goodgust of wind probably starting
now it's probably gonna gonnastart knocking them down and
everything like that.
So we went in there completelylike all right, like we need to
come up with a, a new game.
And, yeah, we found spots.
(07:43):
I didn't see anything, anythingin that hunt, but I think
that's the hunt that you had.
Is that the hunt that you had,the wild one, or was it the next
day?
Speaker 2 (07:55):
It was the next night .
So I went into that spot withthe Oaks dropping on opening
night and we had like a weirdinconsistent win.
That night we all had the samething, where it was blowing like
complete opposite of what itwas forecasted for, and then it
switched, like you know, acouple hours before dark and
(08:16):
blow started blowing the way itwas supposed to.
So I ended up setting up inthree different trees in there,
um, and I didn't see any deeruntil about a half hour before
dark.
I had one come in about 40yards and start blowing at me.
It was a doe and uh, so I got.
(08:37):
I was like let me just get downand go look at this bean field
and see what's out there.
So I had a half hour daylightleft.
I climbed down, got out in thefield and I worked my way down
the edge of the field and so Icould see the far back corner
and there was a buck out there.
He was a.
It was weird he had.
He only had one antler.
(08:57):
I don't know if he damaged it,if he knocked one of them off in
velvet or if he just had adamaged pedicle or something.
He didn't grow one on that side, but he just had one big four
point side and nothing on theother side, um, but he was a
nice.
He was a nice, you know, reallynice buck, um, and then there
was a couple does out there withhim.
So I was debating like tryingto put a stalk on him, because
(09:20):
you know there was tall grassand it was like short, you know
ankle to knee height beans, butthere was like some tall patches
, a lot of tall grass in thatfield, like um, like more like
waist high.
So I thought about trying toput a stalk on them.
But as I'm sitting therethinking about it and like kind
(09:40):
of planning my route, more andmore deer just keep popping out
of the woods there.
So there ended up being, I think, probably like eight to ten
does and two more nice buckscame out.
There was a nice eight pointand a really big seven.
So I just watched them tilldark, kind of.
(10:02):
I saw where those, the, the two, the, the eight point and the
seven point came out, and so Ifigured I'm just going to get
right in there the next evening,right where they came out, and
so that's what I did.
The second evening I got backin there and set up on the
ground.
There was a blown down treethat fell into the field right
(10:22):
in that corner where they cameout.
I was about 75 yards from thecorner where they came out and,
uh, where I watched them workthe edge, right in front of this
tree that I was sitting in thenight before.
So, uh, it was probably an hourbefore dark that second night
(10:43):
and, uh, bucks start pouring outinto that corner.
There was the first.
Two came out.
There were a little small, likeprobably two year old bucks, a
little smaller like a sevenpoint and a six point, and then,
uh, a couple, a couple ofspikes, and then four or five
(11:04):
you know solid bucks bucks Iwould have shot any one of them
came out into the field and, uh,they're kind of working their
way down this edge towards me.
They're probably at about 60,you know 65, 60, 65 yards.
And uh, I hear a noise and allthese deer kind of like one of
(11:24):
them jumps, takes a few boundsand stops and they're all kind
of like looking around, liketrying to figure out what this
noise was.
And I am too and I'm like Ithink someone just took a shot
at him.
It sounded like a crossbow wentoff or it's, someone took a
shot.
I'm like, and I'm so I startglassing the field edge trying
to see if I can see this guywhere he's set up, and I can't
(11:47):
see anything.
On the one field edge there's alittle island of timber out in
the field and it turns out thatguy was set up in there.
I couldn't see him, but he wasset up in a climber in that
island of timber and he had acrossbow so it took him.
So those deer didn't reallyspook, they just kind of ran
back into the corner and thenlike kept, they just went back
(12:09):
to feeding and uh, I guess,because the guy was in in a
climber with a crossbow, it tookhim a while to get another bolt
loaded.
But about 10 minutes later Ihear another shot and the deer
all take off running into thewoods and uh, now I'm like,
(12:29):
where is this guy?
I'm like he, I'm thinking he'syou know, cause I didn't.
I didn't even think that hewould have been in that little
Island of trees, cause it didn'tlook like there was any trees
you could get in in there, but Iguess he was tucked on the
other side a little bit.
I couldn't see him.
So I'm thinking this guy'sshooting you know a hundred
yards or something down the edgeof this field.
So I texted, I texted them.
I'm like you know, someone justshot, shot at these deer.
(12:50):
He's, he's gotta be a hundredyards away.
And, long story short, they endup 15 minutes later working
their way back out into thefield Cause they don't really
know what happened.
They just heard something andthey start working closer to the
edge now and they're comingright towards me.
I think it was four of them.
(13:11):
The two in front were it was abig eight, you know, probably a
three-year-old eight-point fullof velvet and like a seven-point
right behind him.
That was hard-horned and he wasthe seven-point, was real wide
and he was the seven point wasreal wide.
And they're both working theirway toward me.
They get to about 50 yards andthey kind of split where the
(13:31):
velvet buck is coming parallelto me down the field edge and
the hard horn buck cuts backtoward the woods and so I kind
of focus on the velvet buck outin front of me.
I ranged him at 37, I think itwas, and he's got his head down
(13:54):
feeding in the beans.
So I get the bow ready and I'mlike getting ready to draw back.
I have the bow like kind of outin front of me, like ready to
draw, and he like looks over andsees me, but he doesn't.
He's just kind of he's lookingmy way I don't think he really
saw it like he didn't know whatI was, but he was looking my way
(14:15):
and he's you know, we had astare down for like two minutes
where I'm stuck holding the bowout like this and uh, so after a
couple minutes I'm likestarting to get fatigued and I'm
like shaking a little bit andhe finally puts his head down,
goes back to feeding and I getdrawn back and then he looks up
(14:35):
at me again as I'm at full drawand uh, yeah, I took, I took,
took the shot at 37 and thearrow went right over his back
and uh, I don't know, I think Iwas a little shaken up from
having to hold a bow up likethat for two minutes straight.
(14:56):
And then I just, you know it's a37 is a longer shot than I
usually like to take.
But uh, before the trip I wasshooting really, really good in
the yard out to like 45, 50.
So I told myself you know 40and in, I think I'm good, but,
yeah, shot right over his back,they took off and that was that.
(15:19):
And then, you know, ended uptalking to the guy that took a
shot at him.
He got down and was looking forhis arrows and, uh, he was a,
he was a, he was actually a coolguy.
He was a newer hunter.
He said it was just like thirdyear hunting and uh, he was like
.
You know, I basically the samething.
(15:39):
I just said, you know, he'slike that was a longer shot than
I usually like to take orwhatever.
But you, you know he said thosewere the biggest bucks he's
ever seen.
So he got, you know, a littleanxious and but yeah, so that
was that.
Speaker 1 (15:56):
I think, like when you look at and what you said
when we were, I think when wewere back at camp with Andrew, I
can't remember who you said,where he were.
I think when we're back at campwith andrew, I can't remember
who you said, um, where he gotit from.
I think it was, uh, chris orcody.
I think it's like you you needto, maybe I'll, I think, hunt
your, your strengths andeverything like that and you
(16:17):
know, and when you said that Iwas like, you know that's like a
very like, that's such a smartthing to do and say, especially
like when you're like when yougo to do these out-of-state
hunts or hunt environments thatare, you know, situations that
are not like what you're you'reaccustomed to here at home.
Like you know, for most of ushere in jersey and, and you know
(16:38):
, possibly for for craig and andwisconsin, everything like that
, like for at least for us, likeespecially that Northwest
Jersey it's all up close andpersonal, it's your, your
hunting swamps and everythinglike that.
You know you're not reallytypically getting a 40 yard or
37 yard yard shot.
I mean, man, typically I don'teven think you can.
(17:00):
A lot of these places you'regoing to get like a 25 yard shot
, especially in the early season.
Here I mean you're going toyou're going to get like a 25
yard shot, especially in theearly season.
Here I mean you're going toyou're going to get that window
of 20 yards and in and you mayonly have have one, one shooting
lane, but you know, going downto to Delaware or hunting maybe
a property, that, where it'smostly ag and everything like
that, it's, it's a new challengebecause it's now it's like all
(17:22):
right.
Well, I spent my whole, youknow, hunting career.
You know, yeah, we practice outto a longer range, but we don't
typically take those longer,longer shots, you know.
So when it actually does happen, especially that's night number
two of the of the season and Ialways say, like Delaware is
(17:43):
like preseason, it's like allright, well, I got to get out
the kicks.
You know, Zach and I werejoking.
I was like Zach, I got to getto the woods a little early
because I know in the beginningof the season, like I'm a mess,
setting up my saddle where ittakes me, I feel like 45 minutes
to get into the saddle and haveeverything set up correctly.
You know, and that goes to to,in my opinion, that also goes to
(18:05):
you know what it's like whenyou finally have that deer in
front of you that you can kill,and it's like it's it's
adrenaline rush and we justspent six months of you know, of
the off season not having thatthat adrenaline rush and all
these different things.
And you know there's, ithappens.
You know, and, and I told zach,I was like listen, at least it
(18:27):
was a clean mess.
Like you you can for sure saylike at least it was a it was a
clean mess and you know it, itwould have been heartbreaking if
you know it wasn't.
You know what I mean.
And you still had theopportunity at those deer, you
know, or in that area, moving,moving forward yeah so I mean
(18:50):
delaware's fun, I mean I, I loveit.
You know we were talking aboutit.
We plan on going back down, um,I, I think a big thing that
just threw us off, and you know,was just how high the beans
were really.
Um, you know, um, and that'ssomething that we're gonna have
to take into consideration, Ithink next year too.
Um, just in case, if you know,the beans do get that high again
(19:12):
.
It's like all right, we know,we now know where we kind of
have to go and kind of have towe want to find, you know, those
smaller, shorter beans andeverything like that.
But beautiful weather too.
I mean it was great, great.
And let me tell you guyssomething Now anybody who knows
me and knows that I do not messwith lightning when it's
(19:35):
lightning's on the radar, Ifreak the hell out.
So you know I had my.
This was the last day of ourlong weekend there.
I think we spent what.
Spent what?
four, three or four nights thereI think, um, and this was the
last night and I'm not eventhinking that a storm is coming.
It was the hottest of the ofthe day.
(19:56):
It's definitely a little morehumid, but not not thinking of
it.
I'm looking at the map.
I don't see anything.
Zach gets set up, I I get setup, I'm in the tree and then
also my phone like goes oh,there's, there's a lightning
alert, probably like I think 25,30, 30 miles out.
So from then on I'm like everyfive minutes I'm checking my
(20:18):
phone, checking my phone and youcan see the storm just getting
closer and closer and closer,and then it starts getting dark
and everything like that.
And then finally, I think itgot in within five, five miles
and I was like, oh, but I'm toofar to like.
I was like, oh shit, like I'mnot walking out on an open field
now, like I'm just going to sitand ride this thing out, and
(20:41):
right behind me was a down treethat was perfectly like like
wide, thick enough and also likethree or four feet off the
ground.
So I was able to slipunderneath this tree and I laid
there for like I think almost anhour while it just absolutely
(21:04):
downpoured and the lightning andthe thunder and I, you know, I
think Zach and I were on thephone at some point.
Zach's like, yeah, like I'malready, I'm already heading to
the.
You know Zach was think Zachand I were on the phone at some
point.
Zach's like, yeah, like I'malready, I'm already heading to
the.
You know, zach was in a.
Zach was in the field.
He wasn't even the tree.
He like he was in the center oror whatever in an open field.
So he was like, yeah, I'm justgetting out out of here, like
(21:24):
which I would have done the samething too if I was in an open
field, like now, like I'm not,I'm not messing with that, but I
mean it was.
It was crazy.
I like I was and me, you knowlike, so I'm on the phone with
Bianca, like the whole entiretime, like I have her in my ear,
like I'm getting absolutelysoaked at this point because it
was just raining for so long andit was just coming down that
(21:47):
water was just getting gettingeverywhere.
I was able to use my, mybackpack.
I have a?
A rain cover for gettingeverywhere.
I was able to use my, mybackpack.
I have a?
A rain cover for it.
Basically, I was able to use itas a pillow and everything like
that.
So I'm laying down like withthe pillow, like this, laid
fully back, I'm like all right,like you know what it's.
Once the lightning stopped andit was just raining, I was like
all right, like this is I coulddo this, like I'm I'm not, you
(22:08):
know, too scared.
Right, like this is I could dothis.
Like I'm not, you know, tooscared right now, like I can do
this, you know.
But the temperatures dropped.
I saw a bunch of deer.
I was hoping I was going to seeone of the shooters and, you
know, it just didn't happen likethat.
And I think that was it thatday, that morning before is when
we're driving, and we spottedthose bucks.
Speaker 2 (22:33):
Yeah, it might've been that morning or the morning
before is when we're drivingand we spotted those bucks.
Speaker 1 (22:35):
Yeah, it might have been that morning or the morning
before.
Yeah, I think it.
I think it was that morning,but we put on a couple of stalks
on on some deer I mean paytonon on day one where we were
sitting watching him.
He was going to scout a fieldand we're just me, zach and and
Andrew are just in the beans,like all the way in the front,
like by the road, and you knowPeyton's walking in and all of a
sudden, like you could tell,like he just like something just
(22:57):
switched and I and I posted avideo on Instagram.
But he started stalking andthere were two bucks bedded in
the in the beans and he put astalk on and everything like
that and fortunately he didn'tget it done.
Bedded in the beans and he puta stalk on and everything like
that.
Fortunately he didn't get itdone.
But that was a big part of ourmornings too was getting out,
trying to cover as much groundas we could in the vehicles and
(23:20):
glassing what we can see andhoping that we can find
something and go get a stalk on.
I've got to turn around someprojects.
Yeah, I was just readingPeyton's text.
Yeah, peyton just texted us.
He's got some projects to doand he's heading for the beach
tomorrow.
Oh yeah, he's got a.
(23:42):
Peyton will be missing theJersey opener this year because
he has a bachelor party to go to.
I think it came down to eithermrs delaware's opener or he
misses new jersey's opener andhe picked new jersey's.
What I I'm not gonna lie Ithink was the was the right
decision.
I mean, we have a blast downthere.
(24:02):
We found an amazing campsite umthat we.
That was beautiful, thebathroom was really nice, the
people were great.
Um, they have animals on it.
They'll, you know, they'll sellyou chickens, eggs, I think
they have pork and everythinglike that.
Um, so we, it was really fun.
We just didn't get a chance,really, especially at night.
(24:24):
Every night we're getting home.
Speaker 2 (24:25):
What time zach, like 9, 9, 30, 10 o'clock sometimes
it's getting dark at 8, 15, youknow, and then by the time we
get back and cook dinner andeverything, you're getting to
bed at like 11, midnight yeah.
Speaker 1 (24:40):
So anything else on the Delaware trip I mean it was
a blast, we had a lot of fun.
We plan on still going down andgetting after it down there.
The cool thing about Delaware,what we both agreed that we like
a lot, is the fact it's atwo-buck state and any weapon, I
think, any time throughout theyear and it goes until February.
(25:02):
So we have the whole season togo down and it's only a two-hour
drive for me and I think likean hour 30-hour for you.
For Zach.
Speaker 2 (25:10):
Yeah, we got plenty of time.
That's what I keep tellingmyself.
Like we're only a week in andit feels like I've been hunting
for a month.
Speaker 1 (25:20):
My body, is my body.
I feel great, like you know,but I have since Delaware I
barely I haven't slept that much.
We've done so much driving andwalking and hunting and and then
I got home that night on Ithink Thursday, Thursday night,
wednesday, I can't remember what, what night, I think it was
(25:41):
Thursday and got home at 11,like 11 something, jumped into
bed, passed out, woke up at sixto go to work, left all my
camping gear in the truckbecause I worked a whole weekend
.
I did non-stop, but but workworked a.
Then sunday is the start of ourwork week did a 15 hour shift
(26:03):
from seven to uh to ten andliterally got home, fell asleep,
woke up, took the tent stuffout and everything that I didn't
need and drove off the way backdown to Delaware to give it a,
give it another shot.
And you know we, we just youknow it was a full moon.
(26:25):
It was tough, still saw somedeer, but the deer sign was was
phenomenal.
But yeah, that's for our firstweek.
I mean, besides killingsomething, you know we we did
really great and I didn't seethat many people kill stuff like
I.
I think we saw those, that onegroup, um, I think they go by
the, the first state, orsomething like that yeah,
(26:46):
hunting the first state, um, andthose I think were the only two
velvet bucks that that we saw.
I don't know, uh, zach, if yousaw anything, and then the other
groups or anyone from delaware,you know, I imagine there there
are some more, probably killed.
Speaker 2 (27:00):
But like we didn't, we didn't see, like really that
much on social media no, I saw,uh, one other one that I think
was killed on public, prettyclose to where we were hunting,
um, but oh, and then the guy,the guy that missed those deer,
then in the field near me heended up shooting a doe last
(27:20):
night uh, last night I think itwas.
I went back down thereyesterday again and, uh, I
actually had a good huntyesterday, good scouting trip
slash hunt.
Yesterday morning I went andchecked out some stuff down a
little further south.
I was scouting a fieldmid-morning.
(27:44):
It was probably about 10, 30,11.
It's a spot I've hunted a lotin the past years, um, but it's
a.
The crop rotation was differentthis year.
Usually it's corner beans thatdown there and they had, like,
uh, some I think it was.
So I don't know what what thisstuff.
It was some other kind of plantthat I've never seen planted in
(28:04):
these fields before, and uh, soI just wanted to go check it
out and see if the deer wereeating it or what, and uh, it
looked like like there was a lotof tracks in the field.
It looks like they weredefinitely on it, and I kind of
scouted my way back into abedding area back there and I
(28:24):
had a nice nine-point, a youngnine-point, he's probably a
two-year-old, worked off thatfield and he came right by me at
30 yards um, at like 10, 30 inthe morning, um didn't have the
bow oh, I had the bow.
Yeah, I don't know if he waslegal, he was, he was like right
kind of borderline is it, is itso?
Speaker 1 (28:45):
I'm guessing it's a.
You have to get the yeah, it'syeah.
Speaker 2 (28:49):
Yeah, they got to be 15 inches wide.
Speaker 1 (28:53):
Which we've talked about a lot, and you know we
talked about it a little bitlast year, zach, before you
joined up with us, andeverything like that.
I don't know if Frank remembersor anything like that and.
Craig, to kind of give you ascope, like, especially in the
one area the genetics are like,so they're all like in tight,
(29:15):
like basically, like literallytouching each other.
And you know, I had these buckswork out last year and the
biggest and the most mature outof the group was not a legal
deer because he was just hisantlers were basically, I think
they were, were like this closeto touching.
Uh, last year I think zach sawhim this year where they are, I
(29:37):
believe, touching his main beamscross each other and beautiful,
beautiful deer.
I mean, this is a deer that Iwould kill in a heartbeat and
he's technically not legal.
And we saw a few bucks likethat where it's like, wow, like
you could see, these geneticsare really and that's the only
(29:59):
tough thing about that 15 inchacross is well, if you get a
mature deer that doesn't growout and just grows up, that deer
is never going to be legal.
Speaker 2 (30:11):
Um, you know, and it's and you're just going to
keep spreading that genetic yeah, and it keeps that genetic
growing.
Speaker 1 (30:17):
Well, I think we at least like five or six, maybe
even more bucks that are likethat uh, one or two that were
legal, that were were actuallygrew a little little wider, and
everything like that.
But like that, that's the one.
Like the tough thing about,about delaware, that I would say
like, yeah, that's a deer thatshould be shot at some point
(30:39):
yeah, I saw a spike down therethe other day.
That was like he must have had15 inch spikes see, I'm not
gonna lie and I don't know ifany of you guys feel this way.
Like I, would love to shootlike almost everything.
I haven't killed a spike yet.
I would love to kill like agiant spike that just has really
(31:02):
long spikes, literally likethat would like if he came
charging at you would easilykill you with, you know, with
with one of his spikes if it gotinto you like.
I feel like that'd be sofreaking cool and you know I
don't do sick of deer, is that?
How do their antlers grow?
(31:22):
Isn't it kind of like short,like spikish, or right?
They don't grow like the full,full antlers and everything like
that.
Yeah they don't grow out wide.
Speaker 2 (31:30):
They kind of grow straight up.
They have a big Sika deer islike a six point.
It'll have a grout tied andthen a big fork gotcha, gotcha,
gotcha well.
Speaker 1 (31:45):
Craig, since this will be our first time in the
group having somebody from fromWisconsin.
Now we got two people.
You know kind of go over foryou what kind of what your
offseason went, went like andyou know, kind of leading into
the season, what you expect forfor, uh, you know, the start of
the season.
Speaker 3 (32:06):
Um, probably I mean ever since I started bow hunting
to getting big, you know,serious into it.
This is probably probably thefirst summer I actually fucking
worked my ass off to where therewas a few times setting stands.
You know doing the food plot,putting cell cameras up, taking
(32:27):
cell cameras down, moving them,you know, just finding the right
spots, the right cores, and Iliterally told myself I'd rather
right now fucking do a Murphworkout, like my body was just
withering away constantly outthere.
You know this, back and forth,back and forth from my urban
spot to the country land that wehave in our family and it's
just like it took a fucking loton me and working a shit ton of
(32:53):
hours, getting up at sometimes 3am in the morning, 2 am in the
morning, going to work early,just to get done at 1 o'clock
and then come home, take a quicknap, if I can, and then go
coach CrossFitfit and then tryto somehow get a workout in and
just, it was a lot of like, itwas a lot of fucking wear and
tear in my body this year.
But same time I look back at,you know, all that grinding, all
(33:17):
that summer prep and just likereally looking at my onyx and
really just figuring out thepinch points and crockle and
stuff like that, help mybrother-in-law and sister-in-law
out, because you know they'rehunting with me out there this
year too and I got a lot moretime than they do.
They got four little ones andmine's 16 years old, so it's
just like I got a little bitmore, you know, free time.
(33:38):
So then I just put the time inand effort and after all my
cameras being out there, likeI'm running, I'm running four.
My brother-in-law has two cellsand it we did it right.
I mean, from what the camerasare showing, to where the
placements are, to where they'refunneling, coming out to the
(33:58):
bean field or whether it's thecornfield um, down to the lower
bowl where his ground line is,or to the food plot hang on,
stands, his deer are religiouslyin there every hour of the day,
daylighting, always in and out.
Fawns.
I mean I gotta like today I gota fawn on camera.
I swear to god it was justfucking born.
(34:19):
This, this fawn is it's, it'sungodly.
It's so freaking small, like Ijust I don't know.
Like this year it was like herein wisconsin we didn't have, we
barely had a freaking winter.
I mean, we barely had any snow.
It was above um average umtemperatures.
We had one week of freeze, thatwas it.
(34:39):
So I don't know if these doesheld on to these fawns for
longer than because they weren't.
I don't know.
I don't know if these does heldon to these fawns for longer
than cause they weren't.
I don't know.
I don't think they werestressed cause winter time they
didn't have any.
It wasn't hard for them to findfood, man, there was no snow.
So it's like some of thesefawns that I have on a cell
camera right now is just.
It blows my mind how frickingtiny these things are.
Speaker 2 (35:02):
Do you guys have a low buck to doe ratio?
Like a lot more does than bucks.
Speaker 3 (35:09):
So crockle right now.
I will say, right as of rightnow, yes, yeah yeah I.
Speaker 2 (35:15):
I can see that, yeah, because because we we see that
here a lot, like some of theplaces I hunt have a lot.
Like you know, we'll have 10does for every buck.
Yeah and um, you'll have that,that rut stretching out.
I've seen bucks breed does infebruary and march.
When I'm shouting, but yep andthen you know those fawns aren't
going to be born until.
(35:35):
Sometimes around now, likeearly september, I've seen fawns
that were born like lateseptember yeah, it's just, it's
crazy.
Speaker 3 (35:44):
I know, like I said, like my main focus too, you know
, like this step this coming,this coming saturday, wisconsin
opener, like my main focus is toget one or two does out of
there fast because, like, like,like you were saying, last year
I mean I, I had run activity.
I mean I can't say I didn't.
But I know, like back in like2020, where I sit all day in my
(36:09):
hang on stand and I would haveall day long different bucks
coming in, all day long send,checking and searching, and now
it kind of felt like it kind oftapered off a little bit.
They're still doing it, butthey're not as a as aggressive
as they were back in 2020because they don't.
Speaker 1 (36:24):
They don't have they don't have to.
They don't have to be.
They don't have to have thatthey know that they can, just
instead of fighting, instead ofdoing this instead of doing that
they can.
It's what we have here and a lotof places in New Jersey, the
Bucks and I always say this andI know you're a little more
Midwest than everything I knowit's high're a little more
(36:44):
midwest than everything I knowit's it's high up midwest for
for you and wisconsin,everything like that.
But like I always ask peoplelike in iowa and kentucky and
kansas and I was like you know,grunting antler rattle that
works so much because they haveto like, they have to fight.
There's so much morecompetition with bucks versus
(37:05):
here.
You may get that response, Ifeel like, but it's not as
popular as you hit those rattlesand you're going to get deer
coming in to respond.
You will, you'll get them hereand there, but I don't think
they're as vocal and everythinglike that.
Here, at least on my point onproperties that have a lot of
(37:28):
does to compare to bucks, um, sothat that that makes complete
sense yeah.
Speaker 3 (37:35):
So I know, I know I I mean hell.
I mean I've been so damn busy Ihaven't bought my tag yet,
which doesn't matter, I'll justbuy it tomorrow or friday or
whatever.
But um, I know, like um, in thecounty we're in is Oconto
County, we actually get threedoe tags and one state buck tag
and then we only get one buckthrough the whole archery season
.
So you shoot your buck, you'redone, and now it's just doe hunt
(37:57):
the rest of the way.
But then now Wisconsin gunseason starts the weekend before
Thanksgiving and what I usuallydo is I go buy a gun tag, then
I just use my bowl and that.
So theoretically I can shoottwo bucks with my bowl.
I just gotta buy a bow tag andthen a gun take for the seven
day gun hunt here in wisconsin.
Speaker 1 (38:15):
But gotcha, gotcha yeah, that's good, well, um, I
saw that, I saw that buck, andthat's what you're going to.
I listen, you guys are so lucky, you guys don't have to do
freaking, earn a buck.
It's the biggest pain in theass.
So literally Saturday morningyou get to go out and you could
hopefully, or while this episodeis dropping, everyone is
(38:39):
listening that you've alreadykilled said buck.
But is that your number onebuck?
Speaker 3 (38:45):
You've already killed said buck but is that your
number one buck, With him stillbeing in velvet with that?
You're talking about the buckthat I had that I posted the
other day, right?
The velvet one, so he's only asix yeah he's only a six but he
has that curve and he's justtall Like I, like I just unique,
I like him and if he's invelvet yet and like I kind of
(39:06):
want to take him.
Yesterday morning he hit thatbean field and then just now the
bean field went off again.
He just came up there again onthat bean field as we're doing
the live right now and he'sstill velvet.
I hope the guy holds that forSaturday morning so I know right
where I'm going to go.
Speaker 1 (39:24):
I don't think I have now a single buck in New Jersey.
I mean, I imagine there's some,but all the bucks are selling
right and everything like thatyou do.
Speaker 4 (39:32):
Yep.
Speaker 1 (39:35):
Maybe, one Really.
Speaker 3 (39:38):
I had a good buck coming today into the river
bottom and he's a good eight, Iwould say 15-inch maybe, but
he's all hard-horned too.
Which is that that tall sixwith that, with that, that hook
on his um last time is just,he's still in velvet.
I, just, I, I want to get.
I, I mean, if I can shoot avelvet buck opening weekend here
, wisconsin, I not even aquestion on my taxidermist, I
(40:01):
don't care I don't care, I'llpay this man.
Blame me long story short.
Um three years ago it wasopening weekend of no second to
last day of gun season,wisconsin.
Um, I had my boat on crackle on, then my buddy.
Um, just annoying facetime itwas due.
I just shot a big nine.
I'm like congratulations.
You know that was more like 210yard shot.
(40:23):
I'm like congratulations, youknow that was more like a 210
yard shot.
I'm like whatever, like okay,like well.
I hope you find your deer.
You know, like whatever.
And he walked up to the deer.
He goes dude.
You are not going to fuckingbelieve this right now.
I'm like what?
He goes dude.
Look at this.
So November, it was November 20.
It was November 20th.
He found his deer.
He found his deer, pure velvetand that was the coolest buck
(40:48):
I've seen.
Like honestly he got hisshoulder mounted.
Obviously that thing looksbadass and ever since I've seen
that shoulder mount of hisvelvet buck I'm like I want one.
I just gotta have one, I gottahave one.
So that's the plan this weekend.
If I don't see him in velvetand I don't know then I probably
didn't.
I'm just going to be very, verypatient because I have a lot of
(41:09):
time this year to hunt.
Speaker 1 (41:11):
And then you're going to come to Delaware.
Then you're going to come toDelaware next year with us,
where you'll have an opportunityon plenty of velvet bucks.
I can make that happen.
Now, frank it is.
It is time for the for Jersey.
What, what, what's your?
I know you told me some newsthat you won't be out the whole
(41:34):
opening day but, morning you gota goal in mind you know it's,
it's happening, it's here.
You're finally ready.
What's going through your,through your head with that?
Speaker 4 (41:48):
Yeah, I mean, my goal is to get a deer on the ground
by like 7.30, 8 o'clock.
By the look of the pictures andthe amount of does I have in
there, it looks very promising,I should say.
I have been running a lot ofcameras.
This year has been, believe itor not, it's been a little tough
(42:10):
for me since, you know,compared to last year, I've been
doing a lot of moving cameras,trying to figure out um this
property a little better,checking out a lot of new spots.
So, um, but I'm just not, not,I'm not seeing what I was seeing
last year.
But again, I know it's stillearly, so I'm not too worried
(42:32):
about it.
But you know, I think, I thinkI'm gonna pull it off eventually
.
So, um, I think I'm gonnaprobably go in either tomorrow
or friday.
I was telling you, mike, on thephone I think I'm gonna go in
throw down some bait, because Ijust kind of want to get my
(42:52):
dough out of the way, so I can,so I can start getting after my
buck.
So I'm gonna go in there throwdown some bait.
I already have, um, a coupletrees in mine already, but I I'm
gonna pre-hang my saddlebeforehand, that way saturday
morning.
I don't have to sit there andfuck with it too much.
I can.
Speaker 3 (43:12):
Yeah, that's why that's right up and climb, yep,
yep.
Speaker 4 (43:15):
So that that's my plan.
Get my camera arm set up.
Everything will be ready to go.
All I gotta do is climb, strapin, put the camera on and we're
ready to roll.
So I'm hoping I could pull itoff, but I think I could.
Speaker 1 (43:30):
Man, I'm ready I mean I, I think you'll, you won't
have a problem.
You got big shoes to fill after, after last year.
I mean yeah I I think what?
Three, three bucks, three orfour bucks.
Speaker 4 (43:43):
I I kill four bucks.
Some were.
I think two were with the bow,two or with the gun, yeah yeah,
frank.
Speaker 1 (43:50):
Frank was on fire last year with yeah the bucks, I
mean he, he, and it was closeto you know, one, two inches off
of of having bucks on theground and everything like that
you know.
so it's looking for and I caneven say too, I haven't found
(44:11):
the bucks that I usuallynormally find.
I think I found a good onetoday and I think I'll be going
to glass a field on Fridaybefore the season, where I think
I found a big eight orten-pointer.
Before the season, where Ithink I found a big eight or or
ten pointer, um, and I set up acamera and a thicket where I
definitely know where he's goingfrom and I tried getting
(44:33):
through to his bedding, going acompletely different way.
It was just so thick I couldn'teven get through it, like, and
I'll be hands and knees and Iwas just like you know what I
will blow way more deer outgoing in through this way and I
won't be able to get in therewith the bow with the saddle and
everything like that.
So I'm going to have to find adifferent way in once the season
(44:53):
starts and the camera was doinggreat.
I still get pictures of deer,but I think either a squirrel or
raccoon knocked it down.
So now it's just facing directlyto the ground and all I'll see
every once in a while is adeer's back, like walking by and
everything like that.
I had a big body deer on thecamera, I think, two nights ago,
which could have, could haveeasily been him, but I, I just
(45:16):
have no idea.
Um, you know, I I have a big.
I I'm 90 sure that I know wherehe's betting.
It's just going to be theaccess and how can I get to him,
you know?
And what is he going to do?
Velvet, because of the brandnew piece.
I've never hunted this, thispiece before.
So where is he going to go oncehe, you know, once the velvet
(45:38):
comes off and everything likethat.
So a lot of factors in that.
But I'm already I set up.
I pre hung my, my set today.
I'm looking forward to get adoe.
I imagine like, like all of usyou know are are looking to get
that.
I mean, crap for you, you don'thave to get that doe, so like
for us if we even want to sniffa buck.
(46:00):
You know, we we have to.
I think we have to.
We can't shoot a buck until weget a doe, until, I think, well,
october 1st or something,something like that?
Speaker 2 (46:09):
Yeah, I think it's October 1st.
Speaker 1 (46:11):
Yeah, which is whatever I don't want to get
into.
But you know and I know, zach,I think you're the one that said
that there are some state doesthat great program where you
have to shoot a certain amountof does the year before and that
unlocks your earn a buck forthe next year so when you go to
(46:31):
hunt the opening day, you canshoot your buck.
I'm gonna imagine the same thingagain.
You, then you can, once youshoot your buck, you can just
shoot your does and then it'llunlock.
You know the earn a buck fornext year.
I would love to see that yeah,I would love to have that yeah.
Speaker 4 (46:45):
I would love to have that.
Yeah, that would be pretty cool, man.
Speaker 1 (46:47):
This is crap.
Speaker 4 (46:49):
Literally, literally.
Speaker 1 (46:55):
But, guys, how about we'll go one by one before we
get off, and everything likethat?
You know what are your earlypredictions for yourself, or you
know we can, instead of puttingourselves in the hot seat.
I don't know if you guys jinxeach other.
Each one of us can give anearly prediction on each one of
(47:15):
us and how we're going to howwe're going to do this year.
Frank, I'll let you start.
Speaker 4 (47:21):
I love when Frank starts first, I'll go first.
I think I think Mike's going toget, I think you're going to
get a deer within I would say.
I would say probably by like 10, 1030,.
You'll be texting me that yougot a deer Probably before.
(47:43):
Oh, I think it will probably bebefore.
I got a lot of confidence inyou, mike, because you literally
you always hustle and, like youfucking put the time in and
shit.
So I know you're going to getone on the ground.
I'm pretty confident.
Speaker 1 (47:57):
I've.
I've done well, except for lastyear.
Last year I just I don't knowwhat the hell happened to me
where I could not get a safe mywife last year.
Yeah, I mean, but you did it, Idid it yeah, right before bear
season I was like I'm not goinginto bear camp without a
freaking dough.
The only thing I was seeing wasbucks Like every one was bucks,
(48:20):
bucks, bucks.
It is a great thing, but notwhen you have to earn a buck and
a half.
So all right, I'll take thatone.
Craig the new guy, how aboutyou?
What's your prediction for oneof the guys?
Speaker 3 (48:35):
All right, zach, like honestly, just hearing the
stories of like how, like, howmany miles you put on, you know
the trekking through the beansstuff, like that, it sounds like
you really know you know thetrekking through the beans stuff
, like that.
It sounds like you really knowthat the land, obviously, that
you're in and out of, I can seeyou being, I can see you being
done by it's either going to bemorning or evening or opening
(48:58):
day, I can see you being done Ihope so.
I really can Like that.
Yeah, it sounds like you guyshave a lot of deer out there and
I think you'll be just fine.
Speaker 2 (49:09):
I haven't shot one opening morning in a while.
Really, really.
Speaker 1 (49:15):
I was shooting one every year opening morning, but
it's the only shot one Same withme opening morning, I think for
like four years in a row.
I think my quickest, I think,was either between like 19
minutes in or like that30-minute mark within, but I
think it was 19 because it wasstill dark as shit and then two
(49:37):
years in a row, I've struggledwith shooting toes in opening
day.
Speaker 2 (49:45):
Yeah, me too.
I know where some white oaksare dropping.
Good right now.
Speaker 1 (49:52):
Yeah, and they've been all over.
Speaker 2 (49:54):
Peyton's been sending me videos.
I don't have any cameras outthis year, just kind of Old man,
it must be nice.
Speaker 1 (50:03):
You must save a lot of money on batteries and
subscriptions.
I got so many out.
I just love setting cameras out.
Speaker 2 (50:10):
I I'm obsessed, yeah I used to be, I used to run, I
used to run up.
I think one year I was up to 40and uh oh shit I don't know,
especially once I started usingcell cameras and stuff I I felt
like I was just chasing my tailall the time and that's the
problem.
So I just gave them upcompletely.
I haven't used them in twoyears now.
Speaker 1 (50:35):
Zach, what's your prediction for one of the guys?
Speaker 2 (50:44):
I think, I think Mike's gonna shoot one.
He's gonna, you're gonna shootone Shit.
Speaker 4 (50:53):
A lot of pressure, you're gonna shoot one Hell yeah
.
Speaker 2 (50:56):
Before you know, sometime in fall bow, and then
we're gonna get back Down toDelaware and we're both gonna
kill Bucks down there, jeez.
Speaker 1 (51:04):
I like it.
That's a lot of pressure.
All right For all you guys.
Zach, this is going for you'regoing to kill your first bear
this year.
I think that that's going to be.
I mean, I think you're going todo great in the deer woods and
everything like that.
But I know how much you knownow.
(51:24):
Bear means to you and like Igot really good feelings about
for you with Bear Frank, it maytake a little bit this year just
because you haven't, but Ithink you will get your
redemption on a Jersey bow buckthis year.
You know, I think you'll get thedoes and everything like that,
(51:47):
I think the success in upstateNew York, which I cannot wait
for us to go to New York, andeverything like that.
But I think New Jersey, archery, fall bow, you will get one
down and I'm going to throw in abonus because, like I'm feeling
, I'm feeling it this year, ifthat big, big, big buck that you
(52:10):
post, that you sent us thatbeautiful, I think eight or 10,
I can't remember- what it was,but just just like when you
picture just a typical whitetail deer.
This was just a giant, typicalwhite tailtailed deer that had,
I think, daylight, if I remembercorrectly a lot day dilated a
bunch of times if he is on thesame pattern and still alive.
(52:35):
You will see him and get a verygood opportunity at him in
permit season.
Um cra, I think the sky's thelimit for you.
I think both buck tags will befilled this year and you will
kill one of those bucks openingweekend hopefully opening
(52:57):
weekend.
Those are my early seasonpredictions for you guys.
I got some in the rest for theother guys.
When they come on I will telleveryone.
Peyton said he was holding outfor a really, really, really big
bear this year, a really bigbear.
He's killed two big bearsalready.
He's holding out for a reallyreally big, big one.
Speaker 2 (53:20):
He told me the other day he changed his mind on that.
Oh, did he really?
He said, since his buddy'scoming down, he's like I don't
know, maybe I'll just shoot, Idon't know he's not gonna shoot
a small one but oh god he's on.
Speaker 1 (53:36):
He's on a roll.
He's on a roll with with bears.
Um, yeah, we, we got a good,good camp for for bears.
Um bobby, um zach, you met himlast year.
He'll be out for the he tookthe whole week off and
everything like that for forbear.
Uh, craig, I mean there's stilltime to tell the wife that
you're you're coming to newjersey and everything like that
(53:57):
too, on bears, um, but um, yeah,I I think pe, peyton and Jesus
Christ I'm having just a mentalbreakdown right now of freaking
Ethan.
Jesus Christ, ethan did not golast year with shooting a buff.
(54:18):
I believe they both.
Ethan is getting married, so Iknow he doesn't have nearly as
much time.
He said this year, I thinkPeyton for sure will get a lot
of PA rifle season and I thinkif he's going to kill one, it's
going to probably be in PA rifleseason, because he's very
(54:38):
invested in that one too as well.
Speaker 2 (54:41):
So those are the early predictions.
Speaker 1 (54:44):
I'll talk about the other guys when they get on and
come up with some for them andeverything like that.
But, guys, I think this willleave it here for today.
Good luck to everybody headingout from whatever season's
opening up for you, whether it'sNew Jersey, whether it's
Wisconsin, I'm not sure whichother states open up, but anyone
(55:05):
heading out into the woods,good luck.
Be safe.
Um, you know where your harnessis, where you're, you know,
make sure your saddle's strappedin, everything like that.
Um, and if, and anyone you know, if, you ever want to, you know
, send over a picture of yourharvest or anything like that,
feel free to do it.
We'll, we'll post it and andshare it on our page and
(55:27):
everything like that.
But it's here, it's go time.
2025-2026 hunting season is here.
It's going to be tons of action.
We will be back every singleweek from now till probably for
December, january.
We may slow down.
You know we're going to behitting it hard with deer with
(55:50):
their multiple different states.
We have white waterfowl comingup.
Unfortunately, they screwed usa little bit with the goose
situation, moved the limit downto one again instead of three.
The limit down to one againinstead of three, but the plan
(56:10):
is to still hit um duct andmaybe grab a goose here or there
.
Not quite what we did last year, but we're really looking
forward to it.
Um, everyone, uh, stay safe.
Any last words from you guys.
Have fun.
(56:33):
Um, be safe, like the boy said.
I know words of uh inspiringwords from the boys over there,
but we'll see you guys next time.
Speaker 3 (56:36):
All right, see you boys.
Welcome back to the Garden State Outdoors and
Podcast presented by BoondockHunting.
Speaker 2 (00:04):
That's why your tagline JCL Mullen is perfect.
Speaker 3 (00:09):
You don't know what you're mowing for the game.
You don't know what you'remowing for the game.
Speaker 1 (00:13):
I accidentally drifted my canoe between a sow
and a cub and she charged andhit the back of the canoe.
Speaker 4 (00:23):
His head hit the ground before his ass did All
right guys.
Speaker 1 (00:41):
Field Notes, episode 2.
We are back.
It is September 10th.
First of all, for everyone,tomorrow is going to be
September 11th, so definitelywant to give a tribute to
everybody who was affected bythat still to this day.
(01:03):
I think I was in first grade, soI I'll never, like I'll never
forget, forget that.
I know a bunch of people thatin my town that were were, you
know, directly involved in andunfortunately lost, lost people
and everything like that.
So condolences out there to allthe families, and I also not,
you know, craig, and I literallyjust spoke on it, you know
(01:26):
condolences to Charlie Kirk'sfamily and everything like that.
Really unfortunate to see, nomatter what your stance is and
everything like that A guy who Ithink did a phenomenal job just
on talking and being able tojust have these conversations,
didn't matter what backgroundyou were from, what you believed
(01:47):
in or whatever.
You know I I loved what, whathe was doing, and it's gun
violence is definitely never,never the answer, but you know
it's, it's definitelyunfortunate, but we'll, we'll,
we'll see what, what happens now.
But you know, besides that guyslike it's time, it is literally
(02:10):
time, I know, for Zach and I,which we'll get into a little
bit like we've already gottenthat itch and everything like
that.
But the jersey opener, witheveryone listening, is today,
and so is the Wisconsin opener.
But before we get into that,zach, I mean we got there on
(02:35):
Sunday and I'll tell you we wereboots on the ground.
I think the average amount oftime that I spent on my feet I
think almost every hunt, exceptfor like the one where I slept
until 7 30 was about likeaverage, like six miles a day.
Um, we were, we were all over,literally all over the place,
(02:58):
driving all over, walking allover, um, you know, but for you,
you know, I'll let you.
You started off, you know, goover, you know, our, our
delaware trip yeah, man, it wasfun.
Speaker 2 (03:10):
Uh, like you said, we put in a lot of miles on foot,
probably put about 10 000 mileson the truck going back and
forth this summer and, uh, yeah,we had a good trip.
We, you know, we know we got onsome deer.
We, we were hunting a lot ofbean fields.
You know, like you said,opening morning we got down
(03:31):
there and just covered a bunchof ground, scouted a bunch of
fields, trying to see whatfields had the most browse
pressure, where, you know wherethe deer were coming out and
what, what corners of the fieldand whatnot, what, what corners
of the field and whatnot.
Um, we ended up finding thatthey were hitting, uh, the
fields with the shorter beans,like the beans that got planted
(03:52):
later, for whatever reason, werethe ones they were really
hitting hard.
Still, um, the more maturebeans.
Some of the fields we werehunting, you know the beans were
chest high so you could have adeer standing out there and you
can't even see.
All you can see is their antlersticking out or their you know
those ears, um, and they're justout there tunneling through
those beans.
Um, which makes it hard,because you know, to get a shot
(04:17):
at one in that tall of beans.
You're shooting through allthat stuff, um, so we were kind
of trying to focus on thosefields that had the shorter
beans.
Still, we found one I guess itwas opening morning that looked,
it had a lot of sign on it andwe were walking the edge and
there was a bunch of white oaksthat had a lot of acorns.
(04:39):
They weren't they weren't quitedropping yet, but they were
loaded.
And uh, we got into the cornerof that field, into one corner
of that field, and we could hearsome acorns falling in the
woods.
So we, we uh slipped in thereand found a little cluster.
It was like four or five oaksthat were dropping pretty good
and a ton of fresh feed sign onit.
(05:00):
You know notched a bunch ofacorns on the ground.
So we marked that spot andbacked out and went and scouted
some more stuff, found anothergood spot that evening it was a
similar, you know short beansand we ended up hunting those
(05:21):
spots.
That evening I sat where thoseacorns were dropping and Mike
sat the other field.
Did you end up seeing?
Speaker 1 (05:32):
any deer that night, mike?
No, so like to go on from that.
Like you know, we we kinda thenight before we were we went out
in glass, and every single timewe went out in glass we're like
.
Speaker 4 (05:50):
Oh man, like this is going to be easy, be easy like
there's, there's deer everywhere.
Speaker 1 (05:52):
I mean we, yeah, we're driving down, and zach
would be like I wouldn't besurprised if we saw like 100
plus deer tonight just indriving through all all the
spots, which is which was veryaccurately and was I think we
got, if we didn't hit that 100mark, like we got close to the
100 mark every single time.
But that night before it waslike we're, like we're where the
hell are all all the big bucks?
(06:13):
Um, and I, I will say, and Iand we, we talked about this a
lot.
It rained, I think so muchearly part of that summer and
even leading into August, augustdried up a little bit, but it
was raining constantly and evenhere in New Jersey.
But once we noticed like, likeZach said, like those high, high
(06:37):
beans, they were bedded in it,but they it didn't seem like
they were really focusing onthat and they wanted the, the
small, probably, what ankle,ankle high.
Speaker 2 (06:50):
Yeah, you know, six to 12 inches.
Yeah, yeah, those those youngerbeans are.
They're definitely morepalatable for them and they're
more nutritious too.
Speaker 1 (07:00):
So yeah, and and and and.
That was a big and that causesto have a big shift.
And then also the fact and Ihaven't found anything yet like
that in new jersey, but theacorns were definitely dropping
before and ready to drop I meanthe, the white, the young white
oaks that we found in veryimmature trees, not those big
(07:23):
giant trees that you say uh, allhad acorns on it that were like
literally a probably a goodgust of wind probably starting
now it's probably gonna gonnastart knocking them down and
everything like that.
So we went in there completelylike all right, like we need to
come up with a, a new game.
And, yeah, we found spots.
(07:43):
I didn't see anything, anythingin that hunt, but I think
that's the hunt that you had.
Is that the hunt that you had,the wild one, or was it the next
day?
Speaker 2 (07:55):
It was the next night .
So I went into that spot withthe Oaks dropping on opening
night and we had like a weirdinconsistent win.
That night we all had the samething, where it was blowing like
complete opposite of what itwas forecasted for, and then it
switched, like you know, acouple hours before dark and
(08:16):
blow started blowing the way itwas supposed to.
So I ended up setting up inthree different trees in there,
um, and I didn't see any deeruntil about a half hour before
dark.
I had one come in about 40yards and start blowing at me.
It was a doe and uh, so I got.
(08:37):
I was like let me just get downand go look at this bean field
and see what's out there.
So I had a half hour daylightleft.
I climbed down, got out in thefield and I worked my way down
the edge of the field and so Icould see the far back corner
and there was a buck out there.
He was a.
It was weird he had.
He only had one antler.
(08:57):
I don't know if he damaged it,if he knocked one of them off in
velvet or if he just had adamaged pedicle or something.
He didn't grow one on that side, but he just had one big four
point side and nothing on theother side, um, but he was a
nice.
He was a nice, you know, reallynice buck, um, and then there
was a couple does out there withhim.
So I was debating like tryingto put a stalk on him, because
(09:20):
you know there was tall grassand it was like short, you know
ankle to knee height beans, butthere was like some tall patches
, a lot of tall grass in thatfield, like um, like more like
waist high.
So I thought about trying toput a stalk on them.
But as I'm sitting therethinking about it and like kind
(09:40):
of planning my route, more andmore deer just keep popping out
of the woods there.
So there ended up being, I think, probably like eight to ten
does and two more nice buckscame out.
There was a nice eight pointand a really big seven.
So I just watched them tilldark, kind of.
(10:02):
I saw where those, the, the two, the, the eight point and the
seven point came out, and so Ifigured I'm just going to get
right in there the next evening,right where they came out, and
so that's what I did.
The second evening I got backin there and set up on the
ground.
There was a blown down treethat fell into the field right
(10:22):
in that corner where they cameout.
I was about 75 yards from thecorner where they came out and,
uh, where I watched them workthe edge, right in front of this
tree that I was sitting in thenight before.
So, uh, it was probably an hourbefore dark that second night
(10:43):
and, uh, bucks start pouring outinto that corner.
There was the first.
Two came out.
There were a little small, likeprobably two year old bucks, a
little smaller like a sevenpoint and a six point, and then,
uh, a couple, a couple ofspikes, and then four or five
(11:04):
you know solid bucks bucks Iwould have shot any one of them
came out into the field and, uh,they're kind of working their
way down this edge towards me.
They're probably at about 60,you know 65, 60, 65 yards.
And uh, I hear a noise and allthese deer kind of like one of
(11:24):
them jumps, takes a few boundsand stops and they're all kind
of like looking around, liketrying to figure out what this
noise was.
And I am too and I'm like Ithink someone just took a shot
at him.
It sounded like a crossbow wentoff or it's, someone took a
shot.
I'm like, and I'm so I startglassing the field edge trying
to see if I can see this guywhere he's set up, and I can't
(11:47):
see anything.
On the one field edge there's alittle island of timber out in
the field and it turns out thatguy was set up in there.
I couldn't see him, but he wasset up in a climber in that
island of timber and he had acrossbow so it took him.
So those deer didn't reallyspook, they just kind of ran
back into the corner and thenlike kept, they just went back
(12:09):
to feeding and uh, I guess,because the guy was in in a
climber with a crossbow, it tookhim a while to get another bolt
loaded.
But about 10 minutes later Ihear another shot and the deer
all take off running into thewoods and uh, now I'm like,
(12:29):
where is this guy?
I'm like he, I'm thinking he'syou know, cause I didn't.
I didn't even think that hewould have been in that little
Island of trees, cause it didn'tlook like there was any trees
you could get in in there, but Iguess he was tucked on the
other side a little bit.
I couldn't see him.
So I'm thinking this guy'sshooting you know a hundred
yards or something down the edgeof this field.
So I texted, I texted them.
I'm like you know, someone justshot, shot at these deer.
(12:50):
He's, he's gotta be a hundredyards away.
And, long story short, they endup 15 minutes later working
their way back out into thefield Cause they don't really
know what happened.
They just heard something andthey start working closer to the
edge now and they're comingright towards me.
I think it was four of them.
(13:11):
The two in front were it was abig eight, you know, probably a
three-year-old eight-point fullof velvet and like a seven-point
right behind him.
That was hard-horned and he wasthe seven-point, was real wide
and he was the seven point wasreal wide.
And they're both working theirway toward me.
They get to about 50 yards andthey kind of split where the
(13:31):
velvet buck is coming parallelto me down the field edge and
the hard horn buck cuts backtoward the woods and so I kind
of focus on the velvet buck outin front of me.
I ranged him at 37, I think itwas, and he's got his head down
(13:54):
feeding in the beans.
So I get the bow ready and I'mlike getting ready to draw back.
I have the bow like kind of outin front of me, like ready to
draw, and he like looks over andsees me, but he doesn't.
He's just kind of he's lookingmy way I don't think he really
saw it like he didn't know whatI was, but he was looking my way
(14:15):
and he's you know, we had astare down for like two minutes
where I'm stuck holding the bowout like this and uh, so after a
couple minutes I'm likestarting to get fatigued and I'm
like shaking a little bit andhe finally puts his head down,
goes back to feeding and I getdrawn back and then he looks up
(14:35):
at me again as I'm at full drawand uh, yeah, I took, I took,
took the shot at 37 and thearrow went right over his back
and uh, I don't know, I think Iwas a little shaken up from
having to hold a bow up likethat for two minutes straight.
(14:56):
And then I just, you know it's a37 is a longer shot than I
usually like to take.
But uh, before the trip I wasshooting really, really good in
the yard out to like 45, 50.
So I told myself you know 40and in, I think I'm good, but,
yeah, shot right over his back,they took off and that was that.
(15:19):
And then, you know, ended uptalking to the guy that took a
shot at him.
He got down and was looking forhis arrows and, uh, he was a,
he was a, he was actually a coolguy.
He was a newer hunter.
He said it was just like thirdyear hunting and uh, he was like
.
You know, I basically the samething.
(15:39):
I just said, you know, he'slike that was a longer shot than
I usually like to take orwhatever.
But you, you know he said thosewere the biggest bucks he's
ever seen.
So he got, you know, a littleanxious and but yeah, so that
was that.
Speaker 1 (15:56):
I think, like when you look at and what you said
when we were, I think when wewere back at camp with Andrew, I
can't remember who you said,where he were.
I think when we're back at campwith andrew, I can't remember
who you said, um, where he gotit from.
I think it was, uh, chris orcody.
I think it's like you you needto, maybe I'll, I think, hunt
your, your strengths andeverything like that and you
(16:17):
know, and when you said that Iwas like, you know that's like a
very like, that's such a smartthing to do and say, especially
like when you're like when yougo to do these out-of-state
hunts or hunt environments thatare, you know, situations that
are not like what you're you'reaccustomed to here at home.
Like you know, for most of ushere in jersey and, and you know
(16:38):
, possibly for for craig and andwisconsin, everything like that
, like for at least for us, likeespecially that Northwest
Jersey it's all up close andpersonal, it's your, your
hunting swamps and everythinglike that.
You know you're not reallytypically getting a 40 yard or
37 yard yard shot.
I mean, man, typically I don'teven think you can.
(17:00):
A lot of these places you'regoing to get like a 25 yard shot
, especially in the early season.
Here I mean you're going toyou're going to get like a 25
yard shot, especially in theearly season.
Here I mean you're going toyou're going to get that window
of 20 yards and in and you mayonly have have one, one shooting
lane, but you know, going downto to Delaware or hunting maybe
a property, that, where it'smostly ag and everything like
that, it's, it's a new challengebecause it's now it's like all
(17:22):
right.
Well, I spent my whole, youknow, hunting career.
You know, yeah, we practice outto a longer range, but we don't
typically take those longer,longer shots, you know.
So when it actually does happen, especially that's night number
two of the of the season and Ialways say, like Delaware is
(17:43):
like preseason, it's like allright, well, I got to get out
the kicks.
You know, Zach and I werejoking.
I was like Zach, I got to getto the woods a little early
because I know in the beginningof the season, like I'm a mess,
setting up my saddle where ittakes me, I feel like 45 minutes
to get into the saddle and haveeverything set up correctly.
You know, and that goes to to,in my opinion, that also goes to
(18:05):
you know what it's like whenyou finally have that deer in
front of you that you can kill,and it's like it's it's
adrenaline rush and we justspent six months of you know, of
the off season not having thatthat adrenaline rush and all
these different things.
And you know there's, ithappens.
You know, and, and I told zach,I was like listen, at least it
(18:27):
was a clean mess.
Like you you can for sure saylike at least it was a it was a
clean mess and you know it, itwould have been heartbreaking if
you know it wasn't.
You know what I mean.
And you still had theopportunity at those deer, you
know, or in that area, moving,moving forward yeah so I mean
(18:50):
delaware's fun, I mean I, I loveit.
You know we were talking aboutit.
We plan on going back down, um,I, I think a big thing that
just threw us off, and you know,was just how high the beans
were really.
Um, you know, um, and that'ssomething that we're gonna have
to take into consideration, Ithink next year too.
Um, just in case, if you know,the beans do get that high again
(19:12):
.
It's like all right, we know,we now know where we kind of
have to go and kind of have towe want to find, you know, those
smaller, shorter beans andeverything like that.
But beautiful weather too.
I mean it was great, great.
And let me tell you guyssomething Now anybody who knows
me and knows that I do not messwith lightning when it's
(19:35):
lightning's on the radar, Ifreak the hell out.
So you know I had my.
This was the last day of ourlong weekend there.
I think we spent what.
Spent what?
four, three or four nights thereI think, um, and this was the
last night and I'm not eventhinking that a storm is coming.
It was the hottest of the ofthe day.
(19:56):
It's definitely a little morehumid, but not not thinking of
it.
I'm looking at the map.
I don't see anything.
Zach gets set up, I I get setup, I'm in the tree and then
also my phone like goes oh,there's, there's a lightning
alert, probably like I think 25,30, 30 miles out.
So from then on I'm like everyfive minutes I'm checking my
(20:18):
phone, checking my phone and youcan see the storm just getting
closer and closer and closer,and then it starts getting dark
and everything like that.
And then finally, I think itgot in within five, five miles
and I was like, oh, but I'm toofar to like.
I was like, oh shit, like I'mnot walking out on an open field
now, like I'm just going to sitand ride this thing out, and
(20:41):
right behind me was a down treethat was perfectly like like
wide, thick enough and also likethree or four feet off the
ground.
So I was able to slipunderneath this tree and I laid
there for like I think almost anhour while it just absolutely
(21:04):
downpoured and the lightning andthe thunder and I, you know, I
think Zach and I were on thephone at some point.
Zach's like, yeah, like I'malready, I'm already heading to
the.
You know Zach was think Zachand I were on the phone at some
point.
Zach's like, yeah, like I'malready, I'm already heading to
the.
You know, zach was in a.
Zach was in the field.
He wasn't even the tree.
He like he was in the center oror whatever in an open field.
So he was like, yeah, I'm justgetting out out of here, like
(21:24):
which I would have done the samething too if I was in an open
field, like now, like I'm not,I'm not messing with that, but I
mean it was.
It was crazy.
I like I was and me, you knowlike, so I'm on the phone with
Bianca, like the whole entiretime, like I have her in my ear,
like I'm getting absolutelysoaked at this point because it
was just raining for so long andit was just coming down that
(21:47):
water was just getting gettingeverywhere.
I was able to use my, mybackpack.
I have a?
A rain cover for gettingeverywhere.
I was able to use my, mybackpack.
I have a?
A rain cover for it.
Basically, I was able to use itas a pillow and everything like
that.
So I'm laying down like withthe pillow, like this, laid
fully back, I'm like all right,like you know what it's.
Once the lightning stopped andit was just raining, I was like
all right, like this is I coulddo this, like I'm I'm not, you
(22:08):
know, too scared.
Right, like this is I could dothis.
Like I'm not, you know, tooscared right now, like I can do
this, you know.
But the temperatures dropped.
I saw a bunch of deer.
I was hoping I was going to seeone of the shooters and, you
know, it just didn't happen likethat.
And I think that was it thatday, that morning before is when
we're driving, and we spottedthose bucks.
Speaker 2 (22:33):
Yeah, it might've been that morning or the morning
before is when we're drivingand we spotted those bucks.
Speaker 1 (22:35):
Yeah, it might have been that morning or the morning
before.
Yeah, I think it.
I think it was that morning,but we put on a couple of stalks
on on some deer I mean paytonon on day one where we were
sitting watching him.
He was going to scout a fieldand we're just me, zach and and
Andrew are just in the beans,like all the way in the front,
like by the road, and you knowPeyton's walking in and all of a
sudden, like you could tell,like he just like something just
(22:57):
switched and I and I posted avideo on Instagram.
But he started stalking andthere were two bucks bedded in
the in the beans and he put astalk on and everything like
that and fortunately he didn'tget it done.
Bedded in the beans and he puta stalk on and everything like
that.
Fortunately he didn't get itdone.
But that was a big part of ourmornings too was getting out,
trying to cover as much groundas we could in the vehicles and
(23:20):
glassing what we can see andhoping that we can find
something and go get a stalk on.
I've got to turn around someprojects.
Yeah, I was just readingPeyton's text.
Yeah, peyton just texted us.
He's got some projects to doand he's heading for the beach
tomorrow.
Oh yeah, he's got a.
(23:42):
Peyton will be missing theJersey opener this year because
he has a bachelor party to go to.
I think it came down to eithermrs delaware's opener or he
misses new jersey's opener andhe picked new jersey's.
What I I'm not gonna lie Ithink was the was the right
decision.
I mean, we have a blast downthere.
(24:02):
We found an amazing campsite umthat we.
That was beautiful, thebathroom was really nice, the
people were great.
Um, they have animals on it.
They'll, you know, they'll sellyou chickens, eggs, I think
they have pork and everythinglike that.
Um, so we, it was really fun.
We just didn't get a chance,really, especially at night.
(24:24):
Every night we're getting home.
Speaker 2 (24:25):
What time zach, like 9, 9, 30, 10 o'clock sometimes
it's getting dark at 8, 15, youknow, and then by the time we
get back and cook dinner andeverything, you're getting to
bed at like 11, midnight yeah.
Speaker 1 (24:40):
So anything else on the Delaware trip I mean it was
a blast, we had a lot of fun.
We plan on still going down andgetting after it down there.
The cool thing about Delaware,what we both agreed that we like
a lot, is the fact it's atwo-buck state and any weapon, I
think, any time throughout theyear and it goes until February.
(25:02):
So we have the whole season togo down and it's only a two-hour
drive for me and I think likean hour 30-hour for you.
For Zach.
Speaker 2 (25:10):
Yeah, we got plenty of time.
That's what I keep tellingmyself.
Like we're only a week in andit feels like I've been hunting
for a month.
Speaker 1 (25:20):
My body, is my body.
I feel great, like you know,but I have since Delaware I
barely I haven't slept that much.
We've done so much driving andwalking and hunting and and then
I got home that night on Ithink Thursday, Thursday night,
wednesday, I can't remember what, what night, I think it was
(25:41):
Thursday and got home at 11,like 11 something, jumped into
bed, passed out, woke up at sixto go to work, left all my
camping gear in the truckbecause I worked a whole weekend
.
I did non-stop, but but workworked a.
Then sunday is the start of ourwork week did a 15 hour shift
(26:03):
from seven to uh to ten andliterally got home, fell asleep,
woke up, took the tent stuffout and everything that I didn't
need and drove off the way backdown to Delaware to give it a,
give it another shot.
And you know we, we just youknow it was a full moon.
(26:25):
It was tough, still saw somedeer, but the deer sign was was
phenomenal.
But yeah, that's for our firstweek.
I mean, besides killingsomething, you know we we did
really great and I didn't seethat many people kill stuff like
I.
I think we saw those, that onegroup, um, I think they go by
the, the first state, orsomething like that yeah,
(26:46):
hunting the first state, um, andthose I think were the only two
velvet bucks that that we saw.
I don't know, uh, zach, if yousaw anything, and then the other
groups or anyone from delaware,you know, I imagine there there
are some more, probably killed.
Speaker 2 (27:00):
But like we didn't, we didn't see, like really that
much on social media no, I saw,uh, one other one that I think
was killed on public, prettyclose to where we were hunting,
um, but oh, and then the guy,the guy that missed those deer,
then in the field near me heended up shooting a doe last
(27:20):
night uh, last night I think itwas.
I went back down thereyesterday again and, uh, I
actually had a good huntyesterday, good scouting trip
slash hunt.
Yesterday morning I went andchecked out some stuff down a
little further south.
I was scouting a fieldmid-morning.
(27:44):
It was probably about 10, 30,11.
It's a spot I've hunted a lotin the past years, um, but it's
a.
The crop rotation was differentthis year.
Usually it's corner beans thatdown there and they had, like,
uh, some I think it was.
So I don't know what what thisstuff.
It was some other kind of plantthat I've never seen planted in
(28:04):
these fields before, and uh, soI just wanted to go check it
out and see if the deer wereeating it or what, and uh, it
looked like like there was a lotof tracks in the field.
It looks like they weredefinitely on it, and I kind of
scouted my way back into abedding area back there and I
(28:24):
had a nice nine-point, a youngnine-point, he's probably a
two-year-old, worked off thatfield and he came right by me at
30 yards um, at like 10, 30 inthe morning, um didn't have the
bow oh, I had the bow.
Yeah, I don't know if he waslegal, he was, he was like right
kind of borderline is it, is itso?
Speaker 1 (28:45):
I'm guessing it's a.
You have to get the yeah, it'syeah.
Speaker 2 (28:49):
Yeah, they got to be 15 inches wide.
Speaker 1 (28:53):
Which we've talked about a lot, and you know we
talked about it a little bitlast year, zach, before you
joined up with us, andeverything like that.
I don't know if Frank remembersor anything like that and.
Craig, to kind of give you ascope, like, especially in the
one area the genetics are like,so they're all like in tight,
(29:15):
like basically, like literallytouching each other.
And you know, I had these buckswork out last year and the
biggest and the most mature outof the group was not a legal
deer because he was just hisantlers were basically, I think
they were, were like this closeto touching.
Uh, last year I think zach sawhim this year where they are, I
(29:37):
believe, touching his main beamscross each other and beautiful,
beautiful deer.
I mean, this is a deer that Iwould kill in a heartbeat and
he's technically not legal.
And we saw a few bucks likethat where it's like, wow, like
you could see, these geneticsare really and that's the only
(29:59):
tough thing about that 15 inchacross is well, if you get a
mature deer that doesn't growout and just grows up, that deer
is never going to be legal.
Speaker 2 (30:11):
Um, you know, and it's and you're just going to
keep spreading that genetic yeah, and it keeps that genetic
growing.
Speaker 1 (30:17):
Well, I think we at least like five or six, maybe
even more bucks that are likethat uh, one or two that were
legal, that were were actuallygrew a little little wider, and
everything like that.
But like that, that's the one.
Like the tough thing about,about delaware, that I would say
like, yeah, that's a deer thatshould be shot at some point
(30:39):
yeah, I saw a spike down therethe other day.
That was like he must have had15 inch spikes see, I'm not
gonna lie and I don't know ifany of you guys feel this way.
Like I, would love to shootlike almost everything.
I haven't killed a spike yet.
I would love to kill like agiant spike that just has really
(31:02):
long spikes, literally likethat would like if he came
charging at you would easilykill you with, you know, with
with one of his spikes if it gotinto you like.
I feel like that'd be sofreaking cool and you know I
don't do sick of deer, is that?
How do their antlers grow?
(31:22):
Isn't it kind of like short,like spikish, or right?
They don't grow like the full,full antlers and everything like
that.
Yeah they don't grow out wide.
Speaker 2 (31:30):
They kind of grow straight up.
They have a big Sika deer islike a six point.
It'll have a grout tied andthen a big fork gotcha, gotcha,
gotcha well.
Speaker 1 (31:45):
Craig, since this will be our first time in the
group having somebody from fromWisconsin.
Now we got two people.
You know kind of go over foryou what kind of what your
offseason went, went like andyou know, kind of leading into
the season, what you expect forfor, uh, you know, the start of
the season.
Speaker 3 (32:06):
Um, probably I mean ever since I started bow hunting
to getting big, you know,serious into it.
This is probably probably thefirst summer I actually fucking
worked my ass off to where therewas a few times setting stands.
You know doing the food plot,putting cell cameras up, taking
(32:27):
cell cameras down, moving them,you know, just finding the right
spots, the right cores, and Iliterally told myself I'd rather
right now fucking do a Murphworkout, like my body was just
withering away constantly outthere.
You know this, back and forth,back and forth from my urban
spot to the country land that wehave in our family and it's
just like it took a fucking loton me and working a shit ton of
(32:53):
hours, getting up at sometimes 3am in the morning, 2 am in the
morning, going to work early,just to get done at 1 o'clock
and then come home, take a quicknap, if I can, and then go
coach CrossFitfit and then tryto somehow get a workout in and
just, it was a lot of like, itwas a lot of fucking wear and
tear in my body this year.
But same time I look back at,you know, all that grinding, all
(33:17):
that summer prep and just likereally looking at my onyx and
really just figuring out thepinch points and crockle and
stuff like that, help mybrother-in-law and sister-in-law
out, because you know they'rehunting with me out there this
year too and I got a lot moretime than they do.
They got four little ones andmine's 16 years old, so it's
just like I got a little bitmore, you know, free time.
(33:38):
So then I just put the time inand effort and after all my
cameras being out there, likeI'm running, I'm running four.
My brother-in-law has two cellsand it we did it right.
I mean, from what the camerasare showing, to where the
placements are, to where they'refunneling, coming out to the
(33:58):
bean field or whether it's thecornfield um, down to the lower
bowl where his ground line is,or to the food plot hang on,
stands, his deer are religiouslyin there every hour of the day,
daylighting, always in and out.
Fawns.
I mean I gotta like today I gota fawn on camera.
I swear to god it was justfucking born.
(34:19):
This, this fawn is it's, it'sungodly.
It's so freaking small, like Ijust I don't know.
Like this year it was like herein wisconsin we didn't have, we
barely had a freaking winter.
I mean, we barely had any snow.
It was above um average umtemperatures.
We had one week of freeze, thatwas it.
(34:39):
So I don't know if these doesheld on to these fawns for
longer than because they weren't.
I don't know.
I don't know if these does heldon to these fawns for longer
than cause they weren't.
I don't know.
I don't think they werestressed cause winter time they
didn't have any.
It wasn't hard for them to findfood, man, there was no snow.
So it's like some of thesefawns that I have on a cell
camera right now is just.
It blows my mind how frickingtiny these things are.
Speaker 2 (35:02):
Do you guys have a low buck to doe ratio?
Like a lot more does than bucks.
Speaker 3 (35:09):
So crockle right now.
I will say, right as of rightnow, yes, yeah yeah I.
Speaker 2 (35:15):
I can see that, yeah, because because we we see that
here a lot, like some of theplaces I hunt have a lot.
Like you know, we'll have 10does for every buck.
Yeah and um, you'll have that,that rut stretching out.
I've seen bucks breed does infebruary and march.
When I'm shouting, but yep andthen you know those fawns aren't
going to be born until.
(35:35):
Sometimes around now, likeearly september, I've seen fawns
that were born like lateseptember yeah, it's just, it's
crazy.
Speaker 3 (35:44):
I know, like I said, like my main focus too, you know
, like this step this coming,this coming saturday, wisconsin
opener, like my main focus is toget one or two does out of
there fast because, like, like,like you were saying, last year
I mean I, I had run activity.
I mean I can't say I didn't.
But I know, like back in like2020, where I sit all day in my
(36:09):
hang on stand and I would haveall day long different bucks
coming in, all day long send,checking and searching, and now
it kind of felt like it kind oftapered off a little bit.
They're still doing it, butthey're not as a as aggressive
as they were back in 2020because they don't.
Speaker 1 (36:24):
They don't have they don't have to.
They don't have to be.
They don't have to have thatthey know that they can, just
instead of fighting, instead ofdoing this instead of doing that
they can.
It's what we have here and a lotof places in New Jersey, the
Bucks and I always say this andI know you're a little more
Midwest than everything I knowit's high're a little more
(36:44):
midwest than everything I knowit's it's high up midwest for
for you and wisconsin,everything like that.
But like I always ask peoplelike in iowa and kentucky and
kansas and I was like you know,grunting antler rattle that
works so much because they haveto like, they have to fight.
There's so much morecompetition with bucks versus
(37:05):
here.
You may get that response, Ifeel like, but it's not as
popular as you hit those rattlesand you're going to get deer
coming in to respond.
You will, you'll get them hereand there, but I don't think
they're as vocal and everythinglike that.
Here, at least on my point onproperties that have a lot of
(37:28):
does to compare to bucks, um, sothat that that makes complete
sense yeah.
Speaker 3 (37:35):
So I know, I know I I mean hell.
I mean I've been so damn busy Ihaven't bought my tag yet,
which doesn't matter, I'll justbuy it tomorrow or friday or
whatever.
But um, I know, like um, in thecounty we're in is Oconto
County, we actually get threedoe tags and one state buck tag
and then we only get one buckthrough the whole archery season
.
So you shoot your buck, you'redone, and now it's just doe hunt
(37:57):
the rest of the way.
But then now Wisconsin gunseason starts the weekend before
Thanksgiving and what I usuallydo is I go buy a gun tag, then
I just use my bowl and that.
So theoretically I can shoottwo bucks with my bowl.
I just gotta buy a bow tag andthen a gun take for the seven
day gun hunt here in wisconsin.
Speaker 1 (38:15):
But gotcha, gotcha yeah, that's good, well, um, I
saw that, I saw that buck, andthat's what you're going to.
I listen, you guys are so lucky, you guys don't have to do
freaking, earn a buck.
It's the biggest pain in theass.
So literally Saturday morningyou get to go out and you could
hopefully, or while this episodeis dropping, everyone is
(38:39):
listening that you've alreadykilled said buck.
But is that your number onebuck?
Speaker 3 (38:45):
You've already killed said buck but is that your
number one buck, With him stillbeing in velvet with that?
You're talking about the buckthat I had that I posted the
other day, right?
The velvet one, so he's only asix yeah he's only a six but he
has that curve and he's justtall Like I, like I just unique,
I like him and if he's invelvet yet and like I kind of
(39:06):
want to take him.
Yesterday morning he hit thatbean field and then just now the
bean field went off again.
He just came up there again onthat bean field as we're doing
the live right now and he'sstill velvet.
I hope the guy holds that forSaturday morning so I know right
where I'm going to go.
Speaker 1 (39:24):
I don't think I have now a single buck in New Jersey.
I mean, I imagine there's some,but all the bucks are selling
right and everything like thatyou do.
Speaker 4 (39:32):
Yep.
Speaker 1 (39:35):
Maybe, one Really.
Speaker 3 (39:38):
I had a good buck coming today into the river
bottom and he's a good eight, Iwould say 15-inch maybe, but
he's all hard-horned too.
Which is that that tall sixwith that, with that, that hook
on his um last time is just,he's still in velvet.
I, just, I, I want to get.
I, I mean, if I can shoot avelvet buck opening weekend here
, wisconsin, I not even aquestion on my taxidermist, I
(40:01):
don't care I don't care, I'llpay this man.
Blame me long story short.
Um three years ago it wasopening weekend of no second to
last day of gun season,wisconsin.
Um, I had my boat on crackle on, then my buddy.
Um, just annoying facetime itwas due.
I just shot a big nine.
I'm like congratulations.
You know that was more like 210yard shot.
(40:23):
I'm like congratulations, youknow that was more like a 210
yard shot.
I'm like whatever, like okay,like well.
I hope you find your deer.
You know, like whatever.
And he walked up to the deer.
He goes dude.
You are not going to fuckingbelieve this right now.
I'm like what?
He goes dude.
Look at this.
So November, it was November 20.
It was November 20th.
He found his deer.
He found his deer, pure velvetand that was the coolest buck
(40:48):
I've seen.
Like honestly he got hisshoulder mounted.
Obviously that thing looksbadass and ever since I've seen
that shoulder mount of hisvelvet buck I'm like I want one.
I just gotta have one, I gottahave one.
So that's the plan this weekend.
If I don't see him in velvetand I don't know then I probably
didn't.
I'm just going to be very, verypatient because I have a lot of
(41:09):
time this year to hunt.
Speaker 1 (41:11):
And then you're going to come to Delaware.
Then you're going to come toDelaware next year with us,
where you'll have an opportunityon plenty of velvet bucks.
I can make that happen.
Now, frank it is.
It is time for the for Jersey.
What, what, what's your?
I know you told me some newsthat you won't be out the whole
(41:34):
opening day but, morning you gota goal in mind you know it's,
it's happening, it's here.
You're finally ready.
What's going through your,through your head with that?
Speaker 4 (41:48):
Yeah, I mean, my goal is to get a deer on the ground
by like 7.30, 8 o'clock.
By the look of the pictures andthe amount of does I have in
there, it looks very promising,I should say.
I have been running a lot ofcameras.
This year has been, believe itor not, it's been a little tough
(42:10):
for me since, you know,compared to last year, I've been
doing a lot of moving cameras,trying to figure out um this
property a little better,checking out a lot of new spots.
So, um, but I'm just not, not,I'm not seeing what I was seeing
last year.
But again, I know it's stillearly, so I'm not too worried
(42:32):
about it.
But you know, I think, I thinkI'm gonna pull it off eventually
.
So, um, I think I'm gonnaprobably go in either tomorrow
or friday.
I was telling you, mike, on thephone I think I'm gonna go in
throw down some bait, because Ijust kind of want to get my
(42:52):
dough out of the way, so I can,so I can start getting after my
buck.
So I'm gonna go in there throwdown some bait.
I already have, um, a coupletrees in mine already, but I I'm
gonna pre-hang my saddlebeforehand, that way saturday
morning.
I don't have to sit there andfuck with it too much.
I can.
Speaker 3 (43:12):
Yeah, that's why that's right up and climb, yep,
yep.
Speaker 4 (43:15):
So that that's my plan.
Get my camera arm set up.
Everything will be ready to go.
All I gotta do is climb, strapin, put the camera on and we're
ready to roll.
So I'm hoping I could pull itoff, but I think I could.
Speaker 1 (43:30):
Man, I'm ready I mean I, I think you'll, you won't
have a problem.
You got big shoes to fill after, after last year.
I mean yeah I I think what?
Three, three bucks, three orfour bucks.
Speaker 4 (43:43):
I I kill four bucks.
Some were.
I think two were with the bow,two or with the gun, yeah yeah,
frank.
Speaker 1 (43:50):
Frank was on fire last year with yeah the bucks, I
mean he, he, and it was closeto you know, one, two inches off
of of having bucks on theground and everything like that
you know.
so it's looking for and I caneven say too, I haven't found
(44:11):
the bucks that I usuallynormally find.
I think I found a good onetoday and I think I'll be going
to glass a field on Fridaybefore the season, where I think
I found a big eight orten-pointer.
Before the season, where Ithink I found a big eight or or
ten pointer, um, and I set up acamera and a thicket where I
definitely know where he's goingfrom and I tried getting
(44:33):
through to his bedding, going acompletely different way.
It was just so thick I couldn'teven get through it, like, and
I'll be hands and knees and Iwas just like you know what I
will blow way more deer outgoing in through this way and I
won't be able to get in therewith the bow with the saddle and
everything like that.
So I'm going to have to find adifferent way in once the season
(44:53):
starts and the camera was doinggreat.
I still get pictures of deer,but I think either a squirrel or
raccoon knocked it down.
So now it's just facing directlyto the ground and all I'll see
every once in a while is adeer's back, like walking by and
everything like that.
I had a big body deer on thecamera, I think, two nights ago,
which could have, could haveeasily been him, but I, I just
(45:16):
have no idea.
Um, you know, I I have a big.
I I'm 90 sure that I know wherehe's betting.
It's just going to be theaccess and how can I get to him,
you know?
And what is he going to do?
Velvet, because of the brandnew piece.
I've never hunted this, thispiece before.
So where is he going to go oncehe, you know, once the velvet
(45:38):
comes off and everything likethat.
So a lot of factors in that.
But I'm already I set up.
I pre hung my, my set today.
I'm looking forward to get adoe.
I imagine like, like all of usyou know are are looking to get
that.
I mean, crap for you, you don'thave to get that doe, so like
for us if we even want to sniffa buck.
(46:00):
You know, we we have to.
I think we have to.
We can't shoot a buck until weget a doe, until, I think, well,
october 1st or something,something like that?
Speaker 2 (46:09):
Yeah, I think it's October 1st.
Speaker 1 (46:11):
Yeah, which is whatever I don't want to get
into.
But you know and I know, zach,I think you're the one that said
that there are some state doesthat great program where you
have to shoot a certain amountof does the year before and that
unlocks your earn a buck forthe next year so when you go to
(46:31):
hunt the opening day, you canshoot your buck.
I'm gonna imagine the same thingagain.
You, then you can, once youshoot your buck, you can just
shoot your does and then it'llunlock.
You know the earn a buck fornext year.
I would love to see that yeah,I would love to have that yeah.
Speaker 4 (46:45):
I would love to have that.
Yeah, that would be pretty cool, man.
Speaker 1 (46:47):
This is crap.
Speaker 4 (46:49):
Literally, literally.
Speaker 1 (46:55):
But, guys, how about we'll go one by one before we
get off, and everything likethat?
You know what are your earlypredictions for yourself, or you
know we can, instead of puttingourselves in the hot seat.
I don't know if you guys jinxeach other.
Each one of us can give anearly prediction on each one of
(47:15):
us and how we're going to howwe're going to do this year.
Frank, I'll let you start.
Speaker 4 (47:21):
I love when Frank starts first, I'll go first.
I think I think Mike's going toget, I think you're going to
get a deer within I would say.
I would say probably by like 10, 1030,.
You'll be texting me that yougot a deer Probably before.
(47:43):
Oh, I think it will probably bebefore.
I got a lot of confidence inyou, mike, because you literally
you always hustle and, like youfucking put the time in and
shit.
So I know you're going to getone on the ground.
I'm pretty confident.
Speaker 1 (47:57):
I've.
I've done well, except for lastyear.
Last year I just I don't knowwhat the hell happened to me
where I could not get a safe mywife last year.
Yeah, I mean, but you did it, Idid it yeah, right before bear
season I was like I'm not goinginto bear camp without a
freaking dough.
The only thing I was seeing wasbucks Like every one was bucks,
(48:20):
bucks, bucks.
It is a great thing, but notwhen you have to earn a buck and
a half.
So all right, I'll take thatone.
Craig the new guy, how aboutyou?
What's your prediction for oneof the guys?
Speaker 3 (48:35):
All right, zach, like honestly, just hearing the
stories of like how, like, howmany miles you put on, you know
the trekking through the beansstuff, like that, it sounds like
you really know you know thetrekking through the beans stuff
, like that.
It sounds like you really knowthat the land, obviously, that
you're in and out of, I can seeyou being, I can see you being
done by it's either going to bemorning or evening or opening
(48:58):
day, I can see you being done Ihope so.
I really can Like that.
Yeah, it sounds like you guyshave a lot of deer out there and
I think you'll be just fine.
Speaker 2 (49:09):
I haven't shot one opening morning in a while.
Really, really.
Speaker 1 (49:15):
I was shooting one every year opening morning, but
it's the only shot one Same withme opening morning, I think for
like four years in a row.
I think my quickest, I think,was either between like 19
minutes in or like that30-minute mark within, but I
think it was 19 because it wasstill dark as shit and then two
(49:37):
years in a row, I've struggledwith shooting toes in opening
day.
Speaker 2 (49:45):
Yeah, me too.
I know where some white oaksare dropping.
Good right now.
Speaker 1 (49:52):
Yeah, and they've been all over.
Speaker 2 (49:54):
Peyton's been sending me videos.
I don't have any cameras outthis year, just kind of Old man,
it must be nice.
Speaker 1 (50:03):
You must save a lot of money on batteries and
subscriptions.
I got so many out.
I just love setting cameras out.
Speaker 2 (50:10):
I I'm obsessed, yeah I used to be, I used to run, I
used to run up.
I think one year I was up to 40and uh oh shit I don't know,
especially once I started usingcell cameras and stuff I I felt
like I was just chasing my tailall the time and that's the
problem.
So I just gave them upcompletely.
I haven't used them in twoyears now.
Speaker 1 (50:35):
Zach, what's your prediction for one of the guys?
Speaker 2 (50:44):
I think, I think Mike's gonna shoot one.
He's gonna, you're gonna shootone Shit.
Speaker 4 (50:53):
A lot of pressure, you're gonna shoot one Hell yeah
.
Speaker 2 (50:56):
Before you know, sometime in fall bow, and then
we're gonna get back Down toDelaware and we're both gonna
kill Bucks down there, jeez.
Speaker 1 (51:04):
I like it.
That's a lot of pressure.
All right For all you guys.
Zach, this is going for you'regoing to kill your first bear
this year.
I think that that's going to be.
I mean, I think you're going todo great in the deer woods and
everything like that.
But I know how much you knownow.
(51:24):
Bear means to you and like Igot really good feelings about
for you with Bear Frank, it maytake a little bit this year just
because you haven't, but Ithink you will get your
redemption on a Jersey bow buckthis year.
You know, I think you'll get thedoes and everything like that,
(51:47):
I think the success in upstateNew York, which I cannot wait
for us to go to New York, andeverything like that.
But I think New Jersey, archery, fall bow, you will get one
down and I'm going to throw in abonus because, like I'm feeling
, I'm feeling it this year, ifthat big, big, big buck that you
(52:10):
post, that you sent us thatbeautiful, I think eight or 10,
I can't remember- what it was,but just just like when you
picture just a typical whitetail deer.
This was just a giant, typicalwhite tailtailed deer that had,
I think, daylight, if I remembercorrectly a lot day dilated a
bunch of times if he is on thesame pattern and still alive.
(52:35):
You will see him and get a verygood opportunity at him in
permit season.
Um cra, I think the sky's thelimit for you.
I think both buck tags will befilled this year and you will
kill one of those bucks openingweekend hopefully opening
(52:57):
weekend.
Those are my early seasonpredictions for you guys.
I got some in the rest for theother guys.
When they come on I will telleveryone.
Peyton said he was holding outfor a really, really, really big
bear this year, a really bigbear.
He's killed two big bearsalready.
He's holding out for a reallyreally big, big one.
Speaker 2 (53:20):
He told me the other day he changed his mind on that.
Oh, did he really?
He said, since his buddy'scoming down, he's like I don't
know, maybe I'll just shoot, Idon't know he's not gonna shoot
a small one but oh god he's on.
Speaker 1 (53:36):
He's on a roll.
He's on a roll with with bears.
Um, yeah, we, we got a good,good camp for for bears.
Um bobby, um zach, you met himlast year.
He'll be out for the he tookthe whole week off and
everything like that for forbear.
Uh, craig, I mean there's stilltime to tell the wife that
you're you're coming to newjersey and everything like that
(53:57):
too, on bears, um, but um, yeah,I I think pe, peyton and Jesus
Christ I'm having just a mentalbreakdown right now of freaking
Ethan.
Jesus Christ, ethan did not golast year with shooting a buff.
(54:18):
I believe they both.
Ethan is getting married, so Iknow he doesn't have nearly as
much time.
He said this year, I thinkPeyton for sure will get a lot
of PA rifle season and I thinkif he's going to kill one, it's
going to probably be in PA rifleseason, because he's very
(54:38):
invested in that one too as well.
Speaker 2 (54:41):
So those are the early predictions.
Speaker 1 (54:44):
I'll talk about the other guys when they get on and
come up with some for them andeverything like that.
But, guys, I think this willleave it here for today.
Good luck to everybody headingout from whatever season's
opening up for you, whether it'sNew Jersey, whether it's
Wisconsin, I'm not sure whichother states open up, but anyone
(55:05):
heading out into the woods,good luck.
Be safe.
Um, you know where your harnessis, where you're, you know,
make sure your saddle's strappedin, everything like that.
Um, and if, and anyone you know, if, you ever want to, you know
, send over a picture of yourharvest or anything like that,
feel free to do it.
We'll, we'll post it and andshare it on our page and
(55:27):
everything like that.
But it's here, it's go time.
2025-2026 hunting season is here.
It's going to be tons of action.
We will be back every singleweek from now till probably for
December, january.
We may slow down.
You know we're going to behitting it hard with deer with
(55:50):
their multiple different states.
We have white waterfowl comingup.
Unfortunately, they screwed usa little bit with the goose
situation, moved the limit downto one again instead of three.
The limit down to one againinstead of three, but the plan
(56:10):
is to still hit um duct andmaybe grab a goose here or there
.
Not quite what we did last year, but we're really looking
forward to it.
Um, everyone, uh, stay safe.
Any last words from you guys.
Have fun.
(56:33):
Um, be safe, like the boy said.
I know words of uh inspiringwords from the boys over there,
but we'll see you guys next time.
Speaker 3 (56:36):
All right, see you boys.
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