Ep 2: Deer Camp 2020 Recap

Welcome to the Rewild Gear Podcast. Modern life, society, and responsibilities have domesticated us, but now it's time to rediscover your adventurous side. Whether that's camping, hiking, hunting, fishing, or just spending time in the great outdoors, this is the podcast for you. Join us as we get back to the wilderness and rewild. Welcome to the Rewild Gear Podcast, Deer Camp Edition recap. This is the recap. So we've been hunting all weekend, boys. It's been a good time so far. It's been a good time, a great time. We've seen a ton of deer. The outcome has not been what we would have expected, um, based off the quantity that we have seen, the amount of deer.

There should have been a lot more.

We've seen a shit ton of deer.

I mean, you guys have. I have not.

You haven't seen that many?

No.

Really? No.

I've seen the backsides of a couple deer. I've seen one deer run. Well, maybe— well, I think that was the same deer, so possibly 3.

So you've seen one deer total?

One, one complete deer.

One complete deer and 2 half deers?

Uh, not even a half.

A quarter.

A quarter of a deer.

All right, well, let's get into some stories about what, what we've seen so far. So we're recording this on Sunday evening, um, so, you know, 2 days into deer camp, and, you know, we're still continuing to hunt, but, you know, opening weekend is always like the thing.

The thing. Yeah.

It's, you know, it's what we look forward to every year. Um, it's where we hang out, we hunt a lot, we eat really good, we drink even better, and, uh, we tell stories and kick each each other's ass and just have a good time, um, and test out a lot of gear and stuff too. So, um, yesterday morning, uh, we all got up bright and early except for my son. My oldest son Tony decided he was going to sleep in and not actually go out for opening morning. Um, well, as a 14-year-old is wont to do, he thought that sleep was more important. So good for him, uh, because the funny thing is—

Turned out well.

He's the only one that's got a deer this weekend so far. So, uh, you know, we're hunting, uh, we're hunting my property and it's, you know, 55 acres and we got stands set up all over and we kind of just spread out. Um, so I saw a lot of deer opening morning.

How many do you think you saw?

I saw 5 or 6 maybe. You know, there was a big, a big buck that I probably should have taken. I was glassing with my binoculars and he had nice big tines. Um, I couldn't see how I, like, I waited and I didn't shoot him because I wanted him to turn so I could see how wide they were, how wide the rack was. Because we're really trying to do a better job of, of management and to make sure that we're just shooting older deer and not just younger ones, no matter how big they are. Because, you know, let the bigger deers get bigger and grow older, and so they can, um, so they can produce more offspring and everything and produce even better genetics and better deer. So he was a Good-looking deer, big buck, um, really long tines, like an 8-pointer, I think. Um, but I couldn't see how wide the spread was and to really tell how old he was and all that. So because of that, I didn't shoot him. And I tried to call him in further, like the grunt and then a rattle, and then he just kept going though. So, so, uh, didn't, didn't get him in. Um, and then I also—

tough, tough loss.

Yeah, well, I mean, you know, that's the first deer I saw, so when that's the first thing, it's like, ah, There's going to be more because we caught a lot of big ones on camera. Old Brown.

Do you abide by— there's a theory that you should be okay with, or it's don't pass up a deer that you'd be okay shooting on the last day. What do you think about that?

Repeat that question.

Okay, so—

and pass the bourbon.

So don't pass up the deer or whatever the animal is that you're hunting that you would be okay taking on the last day of your hunt.

That's not really fair though.

I know it, it's a tough question.

I mean, because if you've been hunting for 2 weeks straight and you haven't gotten anything, you'd take anything.

I know it's a gamble.

So I mean, it's always a gamble. Um, yeah, no, I mean, in hindsight I probably should have taken him, but you know, it was the first deer that I saw, and so yeah, true, just, you know, a little hesitant and, um, you know, being picky. There's— I mean, there's nothing wrong with that.

I'm being picky. And as long as he survives the next, you know, year, he'll be there for us next year.

Yeah, well, yep, and bigger. That's the plan, hopefully. Um, yeah, so, you know, we can get into a few more of the deer that I saw a little bit, but I mean, but basically I saw a lot of little spike bucks, um, a lot of little 2 and like 4-pointers, some very small 6-pointers, but like good-sized 4-pointers. But, you know, there's some of those just little yearlings, 1.5, 2.5-year-old bucks that, you know, we're just not gonna take. But yeah, it's all the majority of those and a few does, but, but mostly those, those little, little bucks. Adam, let's hear, uh—

Yeah, I mean, I think I've probably seen, I don't know, overall from since I first got here, 7 or 8.

7 or 8.

And now some, some of those are not a full deer in regard, like, in regards to my angle. Like, you saw a quarter deer? I saw a quarter deer. I saw backside of a couple running from me. Um, but there— I mean, there's a couple that I potentially had a shot on, but they were not big enough. Yeah, therefore I'd—

Bucks or does or both?

One was a buck.

Okay, how big a buck?

Not big enough, probably maybe 5 or 6 pointer. Yeah, so, um, and then I think 3 or 4 does. But then again, those guys— well, 2 of them, one of them me and you saw, Dave.

Oh yeah, together.

But it— yeah, that was— it was in the thicket. We couldn't really— neither of us had a shot on it.

No.

Yeah, where it was.

Yeah.

And then the— we saw the other one take off.

So this is when you guys were hunting?

This is when we were together.

Okay.

Yeah.

Which stand were you out there? We're at Casman's Rock.

Casman's Rock. Yeah. Which they— I mean, we were facing down over the, you know, in the look, but yeah, they came from behind us, so we had to turn around, which was towards—

That's an odd place for them though.

Yeah, yeah, that's true. I, I don't know if some—

I kind of— yeah, maybe they were startled by something. Yeah, it was as if they were on their way somewhere.

When I was hiking the Upper Trail, uh, last week, I bumped a couple does that were down like in that area. Yeah, so probably right around there. And those were does that you saw?

Those 2?

Yeah, those 2 were—

yeah, I don't know, but I, I think I've seen, uh, probably 3 just in regards to walking from either point A to point B or along the trail.

Yeah, but you're notorious for that.

Yeah, they always come when I'm not ready.

On the trail.

And when I first was driving up, I saw the one when I was getting here that morning, or that evening, I guess. And the next morning when I woke up Literally 50 yards in front of the front door, right outside the cabin. Buck was out there in front of the cabin.

I could have just hanging out.

Yeah, he literally just— he sat there and stared at me for a minute. It was like, what are you doing here?

All that sounds great, but way better than just one.

Yeah, well, I'm holding out for tomorrow morning.

Yeah, there's always tomorrow.

That's right.

Yeah.

It's tomorrow.

Yeah, no, I think— I mean, I think there's a big difference from being in the stand from where, where I was hunting. So kind of some backstory, um, my son who is 6, this was his first year coming, so we, uh, we had, we had fun. Uh, we didn't see much, but yeah.

He might like to talk a little bit.

Yeah, yeah, like very interested in it. Uh, had a good time, but Um, but, well, he actually was with us when we saw that one doe.

Yeah, that's right.

Which he was pretty pumped about. But, um, yeah, what did he say? He's like, I can't believe we saw a deer. Like, I can't either, bud. He's like, are we gonna shoot it? Like, well, can't really right now. But, um, no, he was super excited about seeing it. Um, but the, the box where we hunted each or both mornings, we just didn't see anything. Like, we, I guess Yesterday evening before, um, before the sun went down, we heard some stuff behind us but never really saw anything. So, um, I don't know, they just weren't out in that field much.

Yeah.

And just, I guess, not much— there's, I mean, there's really not much cover there.

Um, you think that they would be out there feeding though, and so I'm really surprised we're not seeing more out there.

I don't know. Yeah, I don't know. I don't know if they're just I don't know why. I don't know if they're just going after all the acorns in the woods or—

That's my guess, is because there are such a bountiful crop of acorns and everything else that they're just in the woods hanging out, just eating there. And even though— because we've been putting food out there as well, right? Um, right, the corn's gone. I mean, so they've been eating it.

Yeah, sure.

But I mean, I wonder if they're just coming through like late at night or something, because we don't have a camera out there, so I'm not sure.

Yeah, that's a good point. Yeah. Could have something to do with those lunar phases.

Yeah, maybe.

You know, I did walk to the other side of that field where there's still some tall grass.

Uh, which end of the field?

Left to the corner. And there's definitely a place where they've been walking and bedding down.

Yeah, like if you walk down by the river, there's a trail that actually goes down to the trail.

Yeah, see, guys, that's where I saw the back of one.

Yeah, it looks like they've been bedding down there too.

Yes, I like— I walked all through there at one point. Yeah, hoping someone would pop up and take off.

Nothing.

But they clearly are hanging out there. Yeah, at some point we just haven't seen them.

Yeah, so that was, that was Saturday, yesterday. Yeah, um, so we saw quite a few deer. Uh, yeah, so yesterday evening me and my younger son Joey, we were down what we call Double Trouble. Um, it kind of backs onto the creek and we saw 6 deer. I mean, we saw a couple does.

You've seen a lot.

Yeah, I mean, I've seen close to 20 deer in the past 2 days, so there's been a— there's seen a lot so far. Um, yeah, so we saw a couple and he really wanted to take one.

Well, you sent that video of the buck walking underneath you.

Oh yeah, yeah, I forgot about that. Yeah, so that was— I've never had that happen before. So that was yesterday, opening morning. So after the big buck that I saw, and then there was a doe, and then there was another little buck, and then there was this little 4- point that he's coming in from behind. Obviously I'm not gonna shoot this guy, he's just too small. And so I'm like, I'm just gonna video him. So, um, I just pull on my phone, I'm videoing this guy, he's coming in, he's like right under my stand, just keeps going. I could have jumped out of the stand on his back and slit his throat and killed him and eaten him. Um, and he had no idea he was there, just not paying attention, just looking for food and just running along. So, uh, yeah, that was pretty wild. I've never had that happen before. If I was bow hunting, that would have been a dream come true.

Yeah, perfect.

For sure. But, you know, rifle hunting is a different story. Way too easy there.

Would you have taken him with your bow?

No, he's too small. No, I mean, I'm too picky for that. Yeah, yeah, no, definitely not. Now I'm either gonna get a big doe or a big buck, so I don't want little deer. I, I want more meat and bighorns. So I like—

well, the one Tony killed, I mean, the antlers weren't that big, but he was just a big body.

Yeah, well, let's come back to that one. Yeah, so we'll tell that story in a minute. Um, okay, so yeah, so yesterday evening then, so I was in the double stand with me and Joey, and we're, we're hanging out there and we're seeing a few coming through. Um, a lot more than I was actually expecting, but it was all like in the span of about an hour, and, you know, getting later in the evening. Um, And, uh, yeah, he really wanted to shoot one, so I let him take the rifle, and— but he just couldn't get it lined up. Um, and so didn't get anything then. Uh, we had a good time. So Joey had one like in sight, in sight, but it was just a distance-wise, it was a little far, and he just hasn't practiced that much. So unless it's really close, and it was my heavier rifle.

Oh, okay.

So it would be a lot harder. He couldn't really—

yeah, man, that'd be tough.

Joey, he's only He's 11. Yeah, yeah, rifle's not—

that's not little.

No, it's not thrown around.

It's a, it's a heavy, it's a heavy bull barrel, so, you know, you should bring a couple out. And the thing's a tack driver, so I mean, I've killed a lot of deer with that gun. Um, my good old Remington 700 rifle. Yeah, so at the same time when I was down there at, uh, the Double Trouble stand, um, Adam, where were you?

Well, I was probably— let's see, if you were double draw, I was probably— I might have been at Christmas at that point.

Were you at the Christmas stand?

Yeah, but it was not— it was not Christmas time for me, unfortunately.

And the reason the stand is called Christmas—

Yeah, because—

Shot so many deer from the stand. It's— it's like Merry Christmas to you whenever you sit there. You're getting presents.

Took shape how many years ago?

I think that was, um, the first year. The first year that we had deer camp.

It was, wasn't it? It was the first year. Yeah.

Who, who was— who named it? Dave, was you?

I think Josh did.

No, didn't you?

I thought it was Josh, the brother that is not here.

I think Josh named it Christmas. Did he shoot a deer out of the stand?

I thought he did.

Yeah, I thought—

I thought— I can't remember.

I thought the majority of us got A deer out of that stand?

I did not. I did not.

I have not gotten a deer from that stand yet.

You haven't? Okay, so you and Josh did?

Yeah.

And so I got one out of Double Trouble and you got one walking down the trail, right?

No, no, the one I got was when I was with Dave.

With— yeah, in Double Trouble.

Oh really? Okay. Yeah, gotcha. Okay, that was—

you did shoot one for Christmas another year.

Yeah, the following year I did. Yeah. Yep, the big buck that I got.

Yeah, that's right.

That was a big buck.

So needless to say, that place is usually like Christmas coming early. Yeah, enjoy the time.

Just move through there all the time.

Yeah, exactly. Yeah, it's a good stand.

Yeah, for sure, for sure. What else we got?

Um, well, okay, let's fast forward to today. So this morning, um, it rained a lot last night.

Oh yeah, that's what it was.

It ruined the morning. It was so weird.

Yeah, really weird. The weather got weird. It Just came a super windy storm last night. Yeah, it was like super windy and then it just poured for about 4 hours and then stopped raining. It was just really windy, so we didn't hunt this morning. Um, we went out about what, noon, maybe 11:30?

Yeah, 12, about 11:30 actually.

Something like that. Yeah. So, um, where were you guys hunting at?

Uh, let's see. Well, I had to go.

Actually, Dave, you didn't hunt this morning.

I didn't hunt this morning.

Yeah, you had to go deal with a flat tire.

Yeah, to Boundary, didn't I?

Yeah, you went out to the Boundary stand.

Yeah, because I hadn't been there yet.

Yeah, uh, then Dad and Tony were, uh, in the front. They go— were they at the front stand? I think—

no, no, they went, um, where'd they go?

They could have done a Double Trouble.

I think they were Double Trouble.

Yeah, they went down to Double Trouble. Me and Joey were at Casman's Rock.

Yeah.

And we saw 3 deer. Um, first we saw a big doe. She was just kind of trotting through. And so I have a grunt call, and so I was trying to— I started blowing on that, trying to get her to stop because Joey wanted to shoot her. I wanted him to have an opportunity to shoot, and she didn't stop. And then all of a sudden, here's a big buck coming on her, right hot on her trail. Uh, big 8-pointer, um, and he's not stopping either. And Joey just couldn't get her—

get— That was today?

Yeah, that was this afternoon.

Golly, man, I just want to— I just want to see a deer.

He couldn't get him sighted in to take the shot. Um, so then about an hour later, here comes another one of those little 4-point bucks, you know, just these little spike bucks that, you know, we've been seeing all weekend, comes through. And I'm like, Joey, there it is. If you want it, go ahead and take it. I mean, you know, we don't normally shoot them that small, But, you know, he's 11 for his first year. If you can take it, sure. Um, and he just couldn't get it lined up in the sight quick enough to take it. Um, and so he got out of— got out of his sight and just kept going. Um, so he didn't get to pull the trigger. But so that's, uh, that's all we saw this, uh, this morning, or well, this afternoon, I guess.

Yeah, I don't think I saw anything at that point.

Did you not?

No.

Okay, today's been Slow day for me. Yeah, it was windy though.

Yeah, and it was kind of warm this afternoon.

Yeah, it was warmer, windy. Um, yeah.

Have you guys heard the, um, I, I can't remember what the percentage is, but it's like if you don't get a deer opening morning, like your, your chance of getting a deer drops like significantly.

I call bullshit because I've never, I've never taken one opening morning.

I don't know if it's true or not, and I can't remember the exact percentage.

I don't remember the percentage.

Percentage is, but I've never actually taken one on opening morning.

Never?

Nope, never. It's always been like opening afternoon.

That's funny.

Or Sunday morning or something like that. Yeah, never opening Saturday opening morning of rifle season. Have not.

Maybe it's not a real—

it may not be, I don't know. I've never actually looked at it.

I never heard that. Interesting.

Yeah, I thought it was kind of interesting. Yeah.

So then let's Fast forward to this evening. So I was hunting Christmas with Tony, my older son, and—

Oh, and then I took Joey back down to Boundary.

Yeah, you and Joey were down at the little blind. Yep. Well, you, you guys did use the little blind.

We did.

Okay, so— Oh, did you guys really? Yeah, so we got this new blind. It's, uh, who makes it?

It's like a little pop-up blind.

Yeah, well, it's not a pop-up blind, it's almost like a little pop-up fence.

Yeah, that's— that's—

yeah, it's like a little camo picket fence.

No, no, okay, a little camo picket fence. That's a good way to look at it.

No, it's got like these little spike things that go in the ground and then it stands up, so it's probably like, okay, 2 feet off the ground after you pull it up.

So that's what you guys—

30-inch boundary that Joey and I were using that this afternoon.

Oh, okay, okay, that makes more sense.

It gives you like a little, uh, little cover. Yeah, a little bit of COVID It's camoed, it has holes in it so the wind can blow through.

Yeah, I kind of like it because you could literally just set it Wherever.

It's really cool.

It is kind of—

it's a lot easier than just like a pop-up blind.

That makes more sense because I was confused how you and Joey were hunting the boundary.

Yeah, well, it's so thick over there, and it's so thick that I could actually see a little better being on the ground.

Yeah, you really—

if you don't have binoculars over there, you're at a very big disadvantage though. Yes, it makes it tough. So you guys were over there?

Yeah, and we definitely heard stuff over there, but you didn't see it again. Yeah.

Do you try to call or grunt?

We did.

And anything?

Not that we saw.

Okay.

Uh, I don't know. I, I think there's some things on the other side of the fence. I'm pretty sure.

Gotcha.

That we couldn't get to.

That could happen.

But yeah, you know.

Yep. That's what it's called, the boundary stand, because it's the boundary of the property. Um, and David, you were hunting at, uh, Old Metal?

Yeah. Which I saw— all right, I didn't see, I, I heard some stuff that— which I'm curious when you guys started seeing Tony's buck.

That's the only deer we saw.

That was it? Okay, because there was something in between, I think, where you guys were hunting and where Old Metal is. Okay, that I never actually saw. So I don't know if it went your guys' direction or if it— but like I said, I never got a— got an eye on it.

Um, I don't know. So we had been out there Uh, trying to think what time we got out there. It was— when do we all start head out? It was about 3, a little before 3, a little after.

I think I got back here at like 3:50, 3, uh, 3:30 maybe is what time I got here. And you guys were already out there.

We went to the stands around 3:20 actually.

Okay, yeah, so let's say we got in the stand about 3:30 and you, you got—

I got back here.

Yeah, just shortly after we had left, I think. So we didn't see that. We've been Up there, probably close to an hour. Hadn't seen anything. I mean, I was starting to get a little, little tired, a little discouraged because so, so oh yeah, one was that you were at?

Someone was like, has anyone seen anything since what, like noon or something?

I can't remember.

Someone, someone said that.

Casper might have said something about that.

Maybe that's who it was.

Yeah, he hadn't seen anything since then. Yeah, so our buddy Mark was. The dirty pirate hooker he was hunting down at, uh, Double Trouble. I guess he saw a couple, but, um, yeah. So Tony and I, we were hunting at Christmas, and so it's just a one-man stand, but there's an old wooden stand right next to it. So I'm letting him hunt in the actual— the main stand. And so he's got the rifle, and I'm in the— I'm in the little wooden stand and just kind of glassing around looking for stuff. And then, you know, we've been up there probably an hour and a half, and all of a sudden I see some movement off to the right. Here comes a deer, a good-sized deer. Can't tell what it is. Like, Tony, Tony, look! And then he sees it, and it's a little buck coming through. We can't— I can't quite tell how big it is. Yeah.

So how far out was he when you first saw him?

Uh, roughly 60 yards maybe. Okay, 50, 55. And so he's coming in a little bit, and then, you know, I'm glassing him, so I see him, he's coming in, and then I'm like, Tony, look, deer! Um, and so I pull out my phone because I'm gonna try to video it, right? Because I mean, he's got the rifle, like—

Yeah, right.

And so, you know, I've been taking him out hunting since he was 5, but he's never actually had the chance to like pull the trigger. So, um, so I'm— he's, he's, he sees him, he's got the rifle lined up, and I didn't get the video Going in time, pulls the trigger and boom, there it is, loud. And I thought he missed it. Yeah, because the deer started running towards— I'm like, Tony, shoot him again, shoot him again, shoot again, reload, reload. And he can't get— he can't get the bolt. Oh no, it's like not working right. He couldn't get it loaded up again. And then all of a sudden, like, but he's at— the deer's acting a little funny. And then yeah, just crashed over. I'm like, you hit him, Tony, you got him. Like, because I didn't think he hit him.

Yeah, did he think he Hit him like when he shot, or did he know?

Uh, I don't know. I'm not, not sure actually. Um, I think he thought— he wasn't sure. He just said adrenaline was really pumping. He was like, just— yeah, he said he was just thinking, don't miss, don't miss, which is great. So, um, yeah, and he made a really, really good shot.

That was a nice shot.

Through the lungs and, uh, I guess into the shoulder.

Yeah, a little bit.

Yeah, I mean, he ran about 15 yards and crashed out, and like, I was so excited for him because I mean, he's Wanted to get a deer for a long time and been out here hunting with me. Yeah, that's awesome. Yeah, I couldn't have been more proud. So yeah, we climbed down from the stand and, uh, went over there and got a picture.

I mean, that probably feels just as good or better from you shooting your own.

Yeah, for sure. Yeah, really. So one of— so I— this earlier this year, I bought one of those draggers. Yeah, it's like, oh yeah, with a strap. And so I wrapped it around it so I had to pull it out to get out near the trail. So then—

Oh, did you use it?

Yeah, how'd it work?

Really good. Really?

A lot.

I've heard they work well.

Yeah, well, you hooked it to—

I hooked it to its antlers.

Yeah, so if it didn't— if it was a doe, what would you have done? You wrap around the neck.

Yeah, yeah, apparently. So I mean, you know, it was a— it was a very big-bodied 4, 5-point buck.

Yeah.

Um, so, you know, a little small, like I wouldn't have shot him, but I mean, for— for his first year, all good.

Yeah, I mean, yeah, a lot of meat on it.

Popped his— popped his cherry, so nothing wrong with that.

Yep.

Yeah, I mean, good stuff. So yeah, so then I went up to go get the truck to drive it down so we don't have to try to drag it all the way back up to the cabin.

Um, I was about to throw it over my shoulder and carry it up, but that was a heavy deer. It was heavy. It was very heavy.

You're waiting for the morning for that.

That's right.

Big body deer. I mean, what did we weigh out the meat after we, uh, cleaned it up? And it was like 90 pounds.

Yeah, yeah.

So I mean, with the bones and everything else, I don't— I mean, it was 200.

I'm thinking of the one last year that was like, I think, 190. And he— I mean, do we weigh him?

Yeah, that was a big deer too.

I don't know, he, he was probably pretty close. Yeah, probably just shy.

Let's call him 185.

That's what I would say.

Okay, 185. Yeah, so I mean, he's a good deer. Yeah, yeah. So then apparently a doe ran right back and I had the rifle, so when I was going up to go get the truck. And so Tony could have shot a doe too.

Oh, he saw— he actually saw a doe run through.

Oh wow, that ran. Yeah, I know, he told me within 10 yards of him. Yeah, he's like, I saw a doe started going towards Old Metal, which is where you were.

Yeah, yeah.

So he's like, go. I was like, all right, I'll go try and find it. So then that's when I was like, I'll start trying to push it towards you.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

But I never saw anything. Oh, that's funny.

Yeah, but apparently the doe is one that Casman, he could have shot. So he was just telling us the story earlier this evening. Because apparently— so he saw it and he went to shoot and his gun misfired.

Oh, I heard him say that.

How was that dope?

Yeah, that was the same doe that was in the trail.

And so it was big enough to shoot.

Yeah, it was a shooter.

He just didn't get a chance to fire. Yeah, no, he pulled up, he pulled the trigger and he said—

Gun screwed up. Yeah, he said that like apparently the round that he had in, like the firing pin hit it and it just didn't shoot.

Oh my gosh, that's crazy. That's some terrible luck.

Wow.

Well, it happens.

Yeah.

Wow, that blows.

Yeah, what are you gonna do?

It's, you know, it's all part of it.

Get back out there and do it again.

Yep, for sure, for sure.

So then we spent the past, you know, hour, hour and a half maybe, cleaning up, gutting it. Got it up, got— had to call it in, tag it. All that fun stuff. And then, uh, cleaning up, making dinner. Oh yeah, we had to wash dishes and then clean up, make dinner. What'd we have for dinner?

Uh, are we calling it—

it's homemade stew? Deer can—

I don't know what we're saying.

I mean, we used some venison from, um, some, you know, venison, like deer sausage that from last year.

There's some barbecue in there.

Put a little barbecue. We put a whole bunch of like bone broth and like some Kettle and Fire chili and tomato soup and a whole bunch of stuff.

A bunch of Tabasco— was Tabasco?

Tabasco, Cholula, Light Ya Up, a bunch of seasonings. Yeah, it was good.

I mean, it turned out really well considering all the random things we put in there.

Yeah, yeah. I mean, it might need to be a deer camp staple.

You say beans? Put in—

yeah, baked beans.

Yeah, yeah, I'd eat it again.

I mean, you know, just Toss everything in there. I mean, see what happens.

Those ingredients, hard— it's hard to mess it up. Yeah, it's hard to mess it up. Throw some cheese and sour cream on it.

That would have been good.

Oh yeah.

Oh yeah, maybe some carrots.

Yeah, that's a good idea.

I'm getting hungry again. Let's go, let's make another stew. So what's the plan for tomorrow?

Bag 'em, tag 'em.

Me, see, see some deer. It's amazing the difference. Like, so with George, we were hunting in the enclosed box, the hunting box, and like, even if you open the windows, you just don't feel like you're outside. Like, when I was sitting in Old Meadow, I was like, oh my gosh, I can hear everything because it's so— even with the windows open, like, it's very soundproof.

Yeah, you got to rely totally on your eyes. Oh, for sure.

Yeah. And I feel like in— when I'm in a stand, I rely heavily on my ears.

So I totally agree. Like yesterday morning, yeah, that's almost entirely what I was relying on, especially early morning when you can't see that much yet. However, it was so windy this afternoon.

Oh yeah, you can't hear that much because it rained so much.

It's so much quieter.

Yeah.

So then you're forced to rely upon your eyes looking for movement, but that's even harder when it's windy because leaves are moving.

Yeah, that's a good point.

Grass, etc. So that makes it a lot harder.

Yeah, that is. Yeah, but no, I mean, it was just— it was nice to just sit in the stand. Yeah. Um, I mean, there's some—

that box sounds pretty cozy. I'm not gonna lie, I haven't hunted up there yet.

Hey, well, I mean, early tomorrow, early morning, like early morning, it's amazing difference. You do want to be there? No?

Why? No, I mean, we— how many, how many years have we been coming here? Haven't seen a deer in that field yet.

Uh, do you remember the first year when we saw all those deer in the field?

I don't remember that.

Was it—

was it—

all those ran across? Yeah, it was cut.

But that's when you, you planted a bunch of stuff.

But that was before I planted anything.

Really?

Yep.

I don't remember that. I didn't see that.

You don't remember that? Because you guys were coming down from, um, Double Trouble and there was like 4 deer that ran across the field and like we had multiple shots. We couldn't take it because they didn't stop running.

I don't think that was me.

That was definitely you.

I almost feel like they're just closer to the river.

I think that was actually when you and David were both in the stand.

I can't remember. I don't know.

I can't remember that far back.

I could believe that.

You might be right. I have no idea.

It's only like 5 or 6 years. Yeah, but still.

Yeah, I don't know. I got one more shot of this before I have to go back to Texas, so yeah, I need to pick a prime, prime location tomorrow morning.

Prime location.

Yep, stay put. Yeah, well, it'll be a good time. Um, I'm planning to hunt, I think, boundary stand tomorrow. I'm not sure yet, we'll see. I know Joey wants to, wants to take a, take a shot at getting a deer, but the boys gotta head back tomorrow anyway, so, so we'll see.

Hope— I mean, I think it's supposed to get a little bit chilly tonight, which will hopefully help, help things.

Yeah, I think there'll be more movement. I think we'll have much better luck tomorrow morning than we did this morning.

Of course.

I mean, seeing the— that buck chase that doe this afternoon, um, Makes me think the rut is still on, but then not seeing that much later, we may be nearing the end of it and they're starting to lock down. Yeah, which there may not be as much movement, so who knows.

That's true.

Um, but then, you know, that little buck that Tony got, um, could still be just, you know, searching out does.

Yeah, could get some stragglers. Yeah, it'll be fun.

Find out.

Fun either way.

Yeah, guess we will find out.

Yep. I think that's the— I think it was a few years ago, uh, maybe, maybe 3 years ago of coming to deer camp. And I think it was— well, I think it was the year that no one got anything.

And was that 2 years ago?

Maybe it was 2 years ago.

I think it was.

I think it would have been 2018, I think.

Yeah, I think you're right. I think you're right.

Last year.

Yeah. And I think, I think with deer camp, like, it's, it's— it would be easy to say like, oh my gosh, like No one got anything. Like, was it even worth it? But like, it's just fun.

It's always worth it.

Oh, it's just so tons of fun. Like, even, even just sitting in the stand and just like listening and watching and getting to see some deer here and there.

How— so I'm trying to think back to 2018, and I'm having trouble remembering exactly, um, everything that went on that year. But do we— how many deer do we see? Do we see a lot? We just let a lot pass by? Because I mean, we're always pretty particular.

I don't know. Yeah, I don't think we saw—

I don't think we saw many that year.

I think, I think it's just a very—

wasn't, wasn't that, um, wasn't that the year that there's that weird supermoon? You guys remember that?

Uh, was that during deer camp?

I think it was. I'm pretty sure, because if it was 2018, I remember I had a co-worker who, who loves to hunt and hunts a lot, and he was talking about opening weekend and this supermoon And a lot of other people that I talked to— I'm pretty sure it was 2 years ago— like, not many people saw much activity at all.

See, and I thought that they were supposed to move more when there's a supermoon going on. Like, the brighter it is, because then they're more likely to move. I know.

I don't know. I've heard mixed things. Like, it messes up their normal patterns and—

Their night vision?

Yeah. I don't know. I don't know. There's a lot of speculation with all that.

Yeah, I'm not sure.

Yeah, it was definitely 2 years ago. I think we had— wasn't Joe and Josh, weren't they both here? Uh, I think they were.

Would that have been 2 years ago?

Yeah, Joe was here last year. Was he here 2 years ago?

I thought he was.

Yeah, I think you're right. Was Josh here too? I kind of, I kind of thought—

nah, I don't know what— that's Tony.

Tony would remember.

That's right. Yeah, he's, he's wicked good memory.

He's got the best memory here, and he's working on the, the book to commemorate Everything. So yeah, the book of bucks.

Book of bucks.

Yeah, but even if nobody sees anybody, anything, and nobody shoots anything, like, it's still just incredible time.

Yeah, I mean, across the board, tell stories, bust some balls. We eat really good, drink even better, hang out in nature. I, I've always said, I mean, the best part is just sitting in a stand just watching nature wake up in the morning, you know? Yeah, it's super cool. The squirrels come out. It's always interesting to me where you can hear the squirrels when they're coming out of their nest, when they're waking up. Yeah, yeah. And then, you know, oh man, I'm not gonna be able to hear deer now because these damn squirrels are being so loud. Yeah, but I mean, you can always tell, and it's, it's pretty interesting. Then you hear the birds waking up and, you know, singing, making noise, all that stuff.

Getting ready, ready for the day. Yeah, it is pretty neat.

Yeah, it's always just fun just to be in nature and, uh, you know, reconnecting with, uh, where we came from and hopefully being the opportunity to harvest, um, a nice deer.

But is there particular gear after this weekend up to this point that you think I should either upgrade or I need something else or need more or need— I don't know, that you do more? No, in general, is there some specifically? Yeah, you guys in general, is there some, some, some gear that you're like, I wish I had this, or this didn't work as well as I thought, I wish I had different kind, or upgrade, whatever the case?

I think that question that you're asking means that there is gear that you think that you need to change or upgrade. So let's hear—

Oh, there's a ton. I have a long, long list.

I'm gonna think about it, but, uh, let's hear your thoughts, Adam.

From skinning knife to new boots to new camo Um, all right, what new camo do you want?

What are you using right now? What do you want to replace it with?

So currently I have Under Armour. How do you feel about Under Armour pants? And I mean, they, they're working all right, but they're not, they're not great. They get stuck going through, you know, thorns or bushes, trees, whatever.

Are there any that don't do that though?

Um, I believe there are. I don't know for sure.

Who makes them?

So I'mma— I don't— I have— I don't want you to quote me on this, but so I have a couple—

I'm gonna quote you.

You're putting me on the spot.

Yeah, I have this brand which I need to look it up. I have a couple other pairs of pants. They do— I don't— I have not looked to see if they have camo pants.

Okay.

Specifically, but the material that they have—

Is it quiet as well?

The material, yes.

Is it?

That sucks. Wait, you've tried them on before, actually.

Oh yeah.

I'm trying to remember the brand. I can look it up. It's a very strange name.

Does it have like a T and an X?

What kind of stuff do they make?

I'll tell you. Well, so they have—

do they make some tactical stuff?

Actually, that's the swag roll that I showed you. It's the same brand.

I'll show you. Okay.

Okay. So they have this— actually, this is another piece that I want. They call it a swag roll. It's basically like a It's a poncho, it's a tarp, it's a sleeping bag, it's a— it's an outer layer that you put on, it's got a hood.

It's like a bivy?

It's like a combination because you can unzip it.

Then you can wear it kind of?

You can wear it and you can also use it for sleeping.

Okay, it's an interesting idea.

Yeah, it's basically like a one-stop shop in regards to like being outdoors with you. Um, let me see if I can— I'll tell you the brand in just a second. But that would be— that would be another piece of gear that would be an outer layer for like this morning when it's raining. You throw that on and it would protect you from the rain. Oh yeah, uh, because it kind of overlays and you could even put like— if you have your bag with you, you put it underneath you, right?

From that.

Um, I'll—

So why are you looking that up? Uh, what other gear though?

The other gear would be—

Because you said skinning knife.

Yeah, skinning knife.

What were you using and what do you wish you had?

Um, I was using that little Gerber skinner.

Okay.

Which—

You liked it or no?

No, it wasn't great.

Okay.

Granted, yeah, you could sharpen it, make it a little better, but—

Sure.

I think having a hook is huge.

You like having a hook on it?

Yeah, having that option I think is good. So whether it's separate by itself or with it, I just didn't have it in it.

So Benchmade makes the Mountain Skinner that has a hook on it.

Yeah, they do, don't they?

Yeah, yeah, something like that.

Is that what you're thinking?

Yeah.

Um, I feel like that's such a, a, uh, individual preference.

Yeah, like some people love them, some people just—

I mean, it's a convenience, but I don't know if it's necessary.

Yeah, I don't think it's necessary. Um, I think it can help. I think it's—

I mean, you can definitely unzip them a lot quicker.

Yeah, but I mean, you know, you got a decent blade, you can—

No, if you have a decent blade and it's sharp enough, you're gonna be fine. Uh, a saw. I need for a saw like the chest cavity, like—

Oh yeah, like a bone saw.

Um, yeah, yeah, like the little one that Castamonu had. That was, that was cool. Yes. I'm not sure what that was. I mean, the problem is because those are all serrated, how do you sharpen that thing? That's a pain in the ass to do.

I have no idea.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Sharpening—

I mean, like those double teeth.

Yeah.

Yeah. I, I'm not sure how—

That's part of the problem.

Serration is hard to sharpen.

Right.

Never gets dull.

Yeah. It's a tough one.

Yeah.

Hmm.

Well, while you're looking that up, Adam.

Yes.

Uh, David, what, what gear do you think that you—

I mean— Felt like did a really good job.

Yeah. in so far, or that you feel like you need to trade out, or you want to upgrade? Yeah, etc.

I've been on the bino hunt for a while.

Yep.

Um, so that's— that'll definitely be an upgrade from next year.

What are you looking at right now? Man, you trade out my Zeiss.

Yeah, those were nice. Those were nice. Um, I mean, I've looked at anything from Vortex to Leupold to Maven to Carson to— that's It's another like—

I'm not familiar with those.

It's not a real well-known brand. Um, so I don't, I don't know yet. I've, I've played around with a few.

You're not going all the way to Swarovski?

Not yet, not yet. Um, I don't know, we'll, we'll see what I land on. I mean, I have a Leupold rangefinder that I love, um, that works really, really well, so I could see myself landing with some, some Leupold binos, but we'll, we'll see.

Um, Vortex makes nice stuff. I seriously looked at those.

Yeah, people— I mean, people really seem to like their, their stuff. I've played around with some of their, um, binoculars before.

You know, you can get those binos that have the rangefinder built in.

Yeah, I don't know how I feel about it.

Yeah, and I, I know it's definitely convenient because then you don't have to have— it is separate units.

I don't know, I've heard I— it's like a newer technology. I just don't know if they have it perfected yet.

Yeah.

That it works super well. Um, that's kind of one, one drawback I've heard. So I mean, if, if they've got it hammered out where it works well, that— I mean, that would be, that would be nice. That way if you're glassing, you can just use your rangefinder. Um, but that's, that's one thing. Uh, what else? I need to get a new bowstring next, or, uh For next year.

You weren't bow hunting though?

Not yet. Still a couple days left though.

Um, still rifle season, so true, true. You're trying to get some meat for the freezer.

True. Um, I'll probably, I'll probably upgrade my boots next year.

What are you looking at?

Uh, I don't know yet. I'm, I'm in the early phases. I mean, I know people really like Crispies. Schnee's people really like, um I don't know yet. Early, early phases of looking into that. Um, what else? That— I mean, I would say those are the 2 big things.

Here's that. I found that brand. All right, Helikon-Tex.

Yeah, that's right.

H-E-L-I-K-O-N dash T-E-X. There's the—

Okay, cool.

So you ba— it's basically like an overlayer, and it's kind of like a poncho. Yeah, it's like a poncho. It's thicker. So it's warm, but it also has the capability of turning into—

Do they call that a Watchman's jacket or something like that?

Maybe so. I think I have seen that.

Watchman's, like from Game of Thrones?

Yeah, something like that.

I don't know. I feel like I've heard— Doesn't look like it, but I don't know.

So, but this comes in different colors, but it comes in camo. It comes in black and like tan.

And what camo pattern?

Um, I'll show you. Well, okay, well, there's a couple different ones actually.

Okay, here, this is a good question. What camo patterns are you guys digging right now?

Man, that's a good one.

Come on now.

I mean, I, I think, I think Sitka has good camo patterns for whitetail.

You like theirs?

Okay, yeah, I think they, I think they do a really good job. Um, I think First Light does a good job.

Which ones?

Um, it's the, um—

I like the Fusion.

Fusion. Yep, yep, yep.

I have one of them.

Really good.

I have one of their, uh, pullovers.

Yep, yep, that's a good one. Um, Kryptek does make, uh, the, um—

You like the Highlander or the Dower? Well, no, the Dower is the lime.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Uh, what's, what's the camo pattern? The one that I'm thinking of.

I can see the other one, but I can't, uh, forget the name.

Yeah, what what is the name of that? I don't know. Anyway, I like the Highlander.

Yeah, that's a good one. No, I think those three are. I mean, I don't think you can go wrong with them.

I mean, there's always the old standby like Real Tree and um uh what's the other one?

Um oh um Dark Something Timber.

There's a yeah, I can't think of it.

Adam, do you ever Jamie pull that up?

A little Logan or Rogan reference.

Rogan's Jamie. We need a little Jamie over. It could be Tony.

He's back checking.

Yeah, well, I mean, except we don't really have Wi-Fi out here because we're recording this from the cabin. Sure, there's no electricity, no running water.

Yeah, that's the beauty of it.

Yeah, exactly. Yeah, what, uh, we're recording this in the dark right now.

What cam patterns are you liking, Seth?

Um, I like— I'm digging First Light's Fusion pattern. I mean, and I, I I like Kryptek's, uh, their Highlander. You know, I've been using that for a few years and I dig it. Um, I mean, I'm not super particular about it. I mean, because at the end of the day, I think that its smell is probably a little bit more important than sight, as long as you're breaking up the, the sight pattern. Yeah.

I don't know that it's that big a deal.

I mean, it's also— I feel like a lot of these more modern camo patterns, whether No matter what the company is, whether that's Sitka or Kryptek or First Light or whatever, um, they're not quite so, um, like redneck looking, I guess, for lack of a better term.

Yeah, yeah.

Where it's just like, uh, okay, I'm in the Deep South or in Alabama or Mississippi or whatever, and that's all I wear. I'm going to Walmart and whatnot. Um, yeah, no, I mean, because, you know, you're right, it changes the perception. No, there's definitely a perception because it looks a little bit more modern. But yeah, I mean, and then there's also like the military camo that's like the, um, uh, I don't even know what you call it. It's like a pixelated weird thing that I don't like those either.

Yeah, because they change that quite a few years.

Yeah, they keep changing it.

Yeah, yeah.

So I don't know. I mean, it's not like the jungle fatigue type camo, right? Like from like the Vietnam era and all that stuff, or, you know, whatever. But yeah, um, yeah, because I mean, you can get away with it for wearing it for different things, like just everyday stuff. And it looks cool, you know?

Yeah, that's true.

I remember growing up when camo shorts were in style. Remember that? Oh my God, there's like a period where that was—

that was never in style.

It was. Yes, it was.

It was.

It was. You could buy them at American Eagle or Abercrombie, but for our age range, it wasn't.

No one actually wore those. Yes, they did.

I did, so that's what matters.

American Eagle, you could buy them all day.

Yeah, you really could. But Dave, yesterday we were literally just talking about— we were like sitting there looking at our camera and they were like, we have these really bright vests on, really bright orange hats, and we're like, what does it really matter what camera you really have?

Because we were talking about the deer, how, how well they blend in and they're tan.

Yeah, we're like, why are we wearing this when this isn't even matching the trees? And like, why don't we just wear khaki?

Yeah, you're wearing that to stand out so you don't get shot.

We know about the orange. Yeah, we're saying like the deer, they're so camouflaged in this, especially where we are right here, and we have completely different coloring on the deer.

Like, well, but remember, we're in stands and we're higher up, so it's getting camoed against the trees and the brush and things like that. And they're down like lower down, like in the grasses and things like that. And it's really interesting, especially when you're sitting in a stand and you're glassing things. You know, like, and, and I've been doing that all weekend because this is the first year that I had like a really good set of binoculars. Um, the, the Zeiss HD Conquest is what I got. And so just looking in, because a lot of the oak trees, so they still have leaves on, everything else, all the leaves are gone. Um, but it just looking through and you can see how easy it is for them to get camouflaged within that.

Right.

Um, because all the sticks and the brush and the leaves and the trees and all that stuff.

Yeah.

Um, but it's different for them looking at us, like, up in the trees, which deer aren't typically looking up.

Sure. Which I think we're, we're on Casman's Rock when we were talking.

Yeah, because we're like looking around, we're like, we're in, we're in plain view of any deer that looks up.

Well, see, but that's, that's the thing. Like, when Joey and I were sitting out there at Casman's Rock today, you know, we had that little, uh, I mean, you call it a blind. I don't know, whatever. I don't know what you call it, but it's kind of like a blind. It's like a half It's basically like a little fence that goes around you.

A quarter blind.

And so they're not seeing anything. I mean, they're seeing your— maybe your heads, when— which are, you know, we're wearing an orange hat and whatnot, right? Um, so, but, you know, but today anyway, their heads are down, they're sniffing the trail. The bucks are looking for does, the does looking for food. Yeah. And then they're trying to get wherever they're going, and so they're not even paying attention.

Yeah, great.

It was also pretty windy, and the wind was in our favor, um, and it It rained a lot, so it wasn't, uh, the leaves weren't crunching that much. So, uh, yeah, it was just kind of a different environment too.

Yeah, that's true.

Have you guys ever looked into, uh, I think it's called a Hex if I remember correctly, and it's this base layer that you can wear. A lot of, um, well, not a lot, but some bow hunters swear by it, that it— I can't remember all the technology, but It blocks like some sort of radio frequency that we put off that supposedly deer can sense.

We're putting off a radio frequency?

It's something like that. I'd have to reread it, but I'm not familiar with this.

No, but that sounds pretty fascinating.

There's some bow hunters that swear by and say they can get like super close to deer with this, and it's like a base layer.

It's really interesting.

Yeah, so it's just a base layer? They're wearing something over it or what?

I— the, the stuff that I've looked at has just been a base layer that you wear.

I'm not sure.

Yeah, it's kind of interesting. It's called Hex, I think. I'm pretty sure that's what it is. I'd have to go back and look. It's been, been a while since I've actually looked into it.

Hmm.

Yeah, I'm not familiar with that.

Interesting.

Yeah, I'll have to check it out. Yep. Um, okay, so any other gear that you guys wish you had or you want to change out?

I mean, it's, it's a, it's a continuation.

Yeah, it's an ongoing learning and research camp.

You You do a lot of reflecting.

I mean, this is the Rewild Gear Podcast, so yeah. Or we're calling it the Rewild Hunting Podcast for this weekend, I guess.

Yeah, yeah. I mean, I, I think my 2, my 2 big ones from the weekend as of now are the, are the binos and boots.

Gotcha.

But we'll see what the week—

I will say that, so helping, uh, my son skin out the deer, um, that he got tonight using that Argali knife, uh, was fantastic. Super sharp, super lightweight. Yeah, really, really impressed with that. Um, I can't think of the model name, but they only make 2 different ones right now. But I was very impressed with that.

It's a nice knife. Yeah, I used it for a little bit.

Yeah, and this is the first year that I've ever, um, hunted hardcore with a set of binoculars. And so those Zeiss Conquest HDs, and I was using a Marsupial, uh, bino case for it Um, like a chest rig. Um, that worked really well. It got a little hot while hiking up and down, um, the trails and stuff a little bit, but, uh, but it was nice.

Would you change anything with that, uh, Marsupials glass pack, or—

Oh yeah, for sure. Um, it was— the, the binos fit in there well, but, uh, yesterday morning it was a little chilly still because I think it got down to like 31 or something. So not super cold, but in the morning it was still a little chilly. So I wish it had, uh, like MOLLE webbing underneath so I could run like a hand warmer through it just to attach. That would have been really convenient. Um, maybe some additional attachments on the side where I could put like a call or something, or like a grunt call or something like that in. Um, yeah, just, just additional attachment points would, would be nice.

Does it, does it have a spot for like a rangefinder on the side at all, or—

It has a little pocket, but yeah, it's whether you could fit one in or not. Yeah, I don't think You can't fit a rangefinder in there. I mean, because I've seen some where they do have like an attachment point for a rangefinder. Yeah, but I'm only going to do that if I'm bow hunting. If I'm rifle hunting, I'm not. At least not here, right? If I'm out west, then yeah, sure. Yeah, uh, but I'm probably ranging it a lot more before. I mean, because that's more spot and stalk anyway.

Yeah, yeah, different style. Yeah, definitely.

Which is what I would love to go do next.

Yep, that's— that'll be coming up.

For sure.

Mm-hmm. Alrighty, well, it is getting late. I'm tired. I need you guys tired.

I'm beat.

Any last thoughts for anyone?

No, I mean, there's always tomorrow where we may or may not be successful and get another deer or two, right? Um, yeah, so, you know, we got lots of, uh, lots of product things to work on as well. We still have to finish going over the cookware stuff.

Yep, it's gonna be a late night.

Oh boy, the bane of our existence.

We're getting there.

Yes.

All right, but the knife is coming along pretty well, so we're getting real close. All right, should we wrap it up?

I think so.

All right, until next time. Until next time, stay wild.

Let's do it.

Be good.

Peace.

Thanks for listening to the Rewild Gear Podcast. You could check out the show notes for today's episode at rewildgearpodcast.com. If you're ready to spend more time in the wild, our line of high-quality, minimalistic outdoor gear can help you do just that. Check us out at rewildgear.com.