Show Notes
In this episode of the Antler Up Podcast, host Jeremy Dinsmore is joined by fellow PA hunter Travis Melochick to get into the nuances of hunting. They discuss the importance of fine-tuning your existing hunting areas instead of constantly chasing new ones, emphasizing that simplicity often leads to success. Travis shares his belief that while skill is crucial, luck also plays a significant role in hunting, and it’s vital to acknowledge and appreciate the unpredictability of the sport. The conversation touches on the value of humility, avoiding the pitfalls of overcomplicating your approach, and steering clear of hunting gimmicks that promise more than they deliver.
Jeremy and Travis also highlight the significance of enjoying the journey and the camaraderie that comes with hunting. They stress the importance of prioritizing family, ensuring that hunting doesn’t overshadow the meaningful moments in life. Understanding that each hunting area and deer herd is unique, they encourage listeners to focus on the little things, like meticulous scouting and fine-tuning specific spots, rather than searching for one-size-fits-all solutions. This episode is a reminder to cherish the experiences, the friendships, and the lessons that hunting brings, both in the woods and in life.
So, grab your gear, sit back, and join us on this episode as we Antler Up with Travis Melochick on today's episode of the Antler Up Podcast.
Stay tuned, stay safe, and Antler Up!
https://ourgroundscoffeeco.com/
Show Transcript
Jeremy (03:46.102)
Welcome back to the show. I'm joined by PA Brother and I got the Cole Honkey himself on. I got Travis Malachik on. Travis dude, welcome back to the show, dude.
Travis (03:59.158)
Good to be back, man.
Jeremy (04:01.791)
Dude, is, you know, it's funny. You're an individual that throughout the whole year, man, I love that we could text each other, send messages over social media, all that stuff, and just a good time to chat, man. And we're getting down to that nitty gritty time of we're just, we're honing in on things like the last minute preparedness to be ready for the season. So I'm anxious to talk to you because
You, you set a message the other day and a, and a post that really hit home to me. And I was like, I want to have that conversation. Right. And, and that was where, you're like, yeah, dude, let's do it. And that's where I feel in the same boat that you are. And it's kind of like that message that I think for past episodes, the last couple, depending on the guests and the topic, it's been brought up multiple times. and that's just kind of, of just hunting your hunt. Number one, but then number two, just.
following your gut and number three, just like just letting it happen and you know, and doing all that stuff. And I was reading some of the comments on that post and you know, basically in a nutshell, we could get into that here in a minute, but like it's just a matter of, we always feel like you don't do enough. And in reality, I know for dang sure,
Travis (05:02.537)
Yeah.
Jeremy (05:24.023)
You yourself have done enough just from watching from the outside and just keeping tabs on you throughout the year. But you always have that self doubt. So that's what we'll kind of discuss today. But other than that, man, what's new with you in your life, dude? What's cracking?
Travis (05:41.273)
honestly, just been really trained for a strong man. So that's been a lot of big focal point of my whole year. And it's just a different challenge, different mentality, going into it. And, yeah, it's, I want to say maybe that's taken off a little bit of my, my scouting time, but I, I told you, said, I'm not really worried about it. I'm confident in the work I've put in the years past and I just kind of got to let it play out.
So, I mean, that's pretty much the only real new thing that's going on with me.
Jeremy (06:15.807)
When is that event for you?
Travis (06:18.24)
September 7th, so right before the season.
Jeremy (06:21.556)
Nice, so it's fast approaching from when we are recording this, so you're honing in, you're gonna be peeking here soon.
Travis (06:29.285)
Yep. I've actually just had my, I would say my hardest training session was sessions where this past week I'll taper down this week. And then next week is just completely relaxed, you know, do a lot of stretching warmups and just go through the motions of the events, just lightweight, just to get, keep the muscle memory there. And then, you know, it's go time then.
Jeremy (06:52.287)
Yeah. Yeah. Well, like you were saying, this isn't new to you. I know you've competed in this field of strong man stuff in years past. Dude, how does that, like you said, like the mentality of things, how does that kind of translate into White Tail season? Just because...
I'm big into that whole mind game of trying to better yourself. I just think that's a part of the reason why I'm so fascinated with it is just because I think of the way like we grew up in that same blue collar family, Northeast Pennsylvania, that sort of things. And I look at today's, unfortunately, how things are ran in this world and being a teacher, I see those kids and then I see the other side of kids where I'm just like,
Travis (07:25.042)
Mm -hmm.
Travis (07:38.798)
Mm -hmm.
Jeremy (07:39.359)
I'm a little bit worried about you when you don't have that spoon anymore. You know what I mean? So how does that kind of translate for you in the Whitetail Woods, that mentality side?
Travis (07:44.38)
Yep.
Travis (07:51.688)
discipline, determination. You got to have that. You have to have that. And it's just a mentality of, you know, it's going to suck, but it's going to pay off in the end. you just got to, you know, put the work in now to reap the rewards later. Just like anything else, you just got to have that drive and be disciplined. mean,
Jeremy (07:55.592)
Yeah.
Travis (08:15.324)
You got to go to the gym and days you don't want to those are the days that matter. You may not have a good day that day, but you still made it in there. You still won that little mental victory. So, and it's the same thing with hunting. You wake up those mornings where the winds howling and it's a little bit drizzly and you really don't want to go out there. But you know what you say to yourself, I have to go out there. I put the time in, I put the effort in finding the spots and be able to hunt them. The weather's not ideal, but you know what the days
that you don't want to go out there and you do, that's when that stuff happens. it's, that's the way the mental, the mentality of it kind of like wraps around into it.
Jeremy (08:52.937)
Yeah, I'm with you man. It's like we just have like we just like you got to kill us to to beat us You know what I'm saying? Like like you said man, you said yeah, like you just you said it perfectly when It's you know, it's going to suck and it's for some reason I feel like that that mind frame. We enjoy that stuff. You know what I mean? Like I don't know. It's just yeah
Travis (09:00.564)
You're not wrong. You're not wrong.
Travis (09:13.594)
You do, you do. In the moment you don't necessarily enjoy it. Like this sucks, it's cold, it's windy, what am I doing out here? You question yourself so many ways and so many times and then when it does come together, or even if it doesn't come together, let's say you don't kill something, you just have a great experience out there, you get close to one or you see deer or whatever, you look back on that and go, man, that was awesome. That was actually pretty cool. You know, I'm glad I stuck that out.
Jeremy (09:32.116)
Hmm.
Travis (09:41.166)
And it makes that experience, that story so much more important to you. Because when all's said and done, at the end of the day, at the end of your hunting career, and all you have is looking back on those memories, those are the ones that stick out. Like I said, those are the ones that are important.
Jeremy (09:57.716)
Yeah.
Yeah. How was, how was it to follow and, and see your, your niece's success this past spring and summer, man, she frigging absolutely wrecked it.
Travis (10:08.581)
She definitely stepped up to another level. think it was not long ago, I think it was last year, she was doing well. And she was just on the cusp of breaking through into the top fives constantly. She was just right underneath the top tier. And she really had no type of professional coaching.
So to speak, my brother and his friend John and a few others kind of helped coach her along the way. And she said, stepped off to the side and said to her dad, I appreciate everything you've done for me. You guys have been great. goes, but I want to take this up to next level. need professional coaching. And he stepped up and he went and sought help. And they said, we really don't have much shooting form wise and stuff to really teach her. She's amazing, but we'd like to get her to know her.
intimately inside and out and that's only going to bolster her confidence that she knows the equipment she's using and that she can make those adjustments herself on the fly.
Jeremy (11:11.626)
you
Travis (11:16.975)
So, you and obviously that's, you you saw the results. mean, she's just boom, boom, boom, boom, boom. She keeps going, going, going. And even when she gets flustered or mad, like, you know, she can be a little bit catty with the other girls sometimes, I guess. But when she gets mad, she actually gets better. And I told my brother, said, we got to keep a lid on that because, you know, that's a rare quality where somebody can get
angry or mad or frustrated and get better. It makes them concentrate more. That's a rare quality. So I said, we gotta keep on her with that.
Jeremy (11:50.25)
you
Jeremy (11:54.111)
Yeah, dude.
Jeremy (11:58.185)
Yeah, she was definitely from afar from outside. She was phenomenal. Like you said, dude, just to watch. And it was really cool just because it was my first time really diving in into that competitive world of attending a couple here and there. anybody, anybody I had a chance to meet and have a conversation with, I told them, I was like, you got to watch out for this little young stud, man. She is going to be doing some great things. And in the archery community and archery world, I
and just said everything she does. I'm like, she's on the platform. And like you said, you could see that killer instinct. I liked when I had a chance to meet her and meet your brother at that first shoot and just see the mentality side again, kind of going back to that mental side of things of just the steps she was taking and having your brother check in on her with that.
Dude, like you said, she killed a great buck even last year. You know what mean? So it's like, she's already getting her feet wet too in the whitetail wood. dude, it's just so cool to see that.
Travis (12:56.115)
Mm -hmm. Yeah.
Travis (13:04.662)
Yeah, I give her little bit of an ego check every once in a while when it comes to hunting, she'll say, I shot two bucks already, and this, that, and the other. And then she'll be like, I shoot better than you on the 3D course. I'm like, OK, time to really end. I said, go find me, deer. Go find me, deer. I said, you've been taken by the hand. Here's the tree. Here's where the deer come. I said, you go find me, deer, and kill one. Then I'll start giving you props. And she just looks at me and goes, fair point taken. Yeah, so.
Jeremy (13:09.034)
You
Jeremy (13:19.549)
Yeah.
Jeremy (13:31.391)
Yeah.
Travis (13:32.799)
I gotta keep her humble sometimes I guess but she humbles me every time we line up and shoot and she'll go, you're slapping the trigger, you're punching the trigger. I'm all right, fine, fine, I'm doing all that. She'll correct me so, but you know, family's family.
Jeremy (13:46.975)
Yeah. Yeah. Yep. just the one the one thing obviously everything that she's done this past summer was was amazing to see and see her compete. But when you told me where she placed at IBO she took it right.
Travis (14:02.196)
She took second at IBO. She took second place,
Jeremy (14:04.188)
She took seconds. And it was her first time ever judging and doing all that stuff. And she came in second place. And man, kudos to her, man.
Travis (14:10.58)
Mm -hmm.
Travis (14:13.961)
Well, took first at the qualifier and then she took second at Worlds. yeah, so she was, that was her first time competing in IBO. was new shooter and she went out and practiced it once on the course and said, I feel confident. And then she went and she did what she said she was going to do. So, yeah.
Jeremy (14:22.334)
Yeah, just.
Jeremy (14:36.137)
Yeah, not many people could do that, I love it. Yeah, dude. So let's, let's get into that, that aspect of things. So I guess paint the picture, man, for, for everybody that, you know, maybe not has the social media aspect or, or not falling along, you know, basically in a nutshell, I'll T it up the, this part for you and you could then go back to that. But, know, we,
Travis (14:38.726)
No, no, and she's cold. Ice cold with it.
Jeremy (15:04.733)
You had some postseason scouting sessions in shed season was great to you. Picked up a good amount of sheds. You got your, your time in there and you know, kind of re RIA fine tune things, I guess you could kind of say. And then it took a step back, like you mentioned. So I guess tee that up to what, you know, how you were feeling now and why you feel confident and like why you had those doubts and all that stuff. Cause it's just because man, it's important for us to all.
to understand that just because I'm in that same boat and I'll be able to elaborate more on it, but I want you to tell it just because man, you're another individual that in past has put a lot of time in on Saturdays, on Sundays, whether it be, and it's okay that you haven't, right? Like you knew those areas. So I want you to get into all that fun stuff.
Travis (15:55.652)
Okay, I said starting out this year, I had a great shed season, like you said, just reiterating that. And I went into all my hunting areas and just a few observations I made while I was hunting, noticing where deer were traveling and whatnot. just kind of like further poked and prodded around in those areas, just a little bit beyond, you know, where I was seeing travel and whatnot, see if I could put a little food or pieces in a puzzle together. And what I did find was like one of my big areas, Grape City and such.
I connected the dots between an area that I was kind of interested in and then script so that whole area just basically a further extension to that piece and that tied that in together and then a couple other places I put it together put the pieces together. Okay I marked them and then after that I was just like okay I'm good like I really felt confident.
And I had a...
Place that I showed you pictures from this Yesterday I went up there as well and Just rear just redid some scouting that I you know Did the previous year just kind of like followed up on it and everything was just as I you know suspected same Same type of sign and everything and just a little bit We've got it out a little bit further from that and found the same consistency and it was just like we're really there's nothing left for me to go about
Are there other areas out there I can go and scout? But I didn't want to get to that point of where I was like conflicted on where to go, too many places to go. You know, I wanted to really settle in and focus on and fine tune, focus in on areas and put time into those areas to up my chances instead of like, well, maybe I can go here, maybe I'll go there and then be so indecisive and then really maybe I'll fumble the ball there.
Jeremy (17:36.958)
Mm -hmm.
Travis (17:55.819)
But yeah, I think where I was getting at with that post is we overthink things, overanalyze things, you you overcomplicate it for yourself. Keep it simple. know, the acronym KISS, keep it simple, stupid. And by doing that, think backing out, giving those deer as much, you know, room as possible.
Instead of constantly barging in there, educating deer, checking cameras and scouting more and more and more and more. Yeah, you might not be scouting your hunting area, but you're still in the same general vicinity, educating the same deer. Yeah, just kind of back off and let it happen. Have fun with it. You know, I think we all get to the point where it can be too much and we're almost taking the fun out of it. Now, sometimes that unknown makes it that much more enjoyable.
Jeremy (18:48.506)
Mm -hmm.
Jeremy (18:54.579)
I couldn't agree more with all everything that you said, Trav, because that was the key, even the early summer. And I know I was busting earlier, but I was saying about how I was having these conversations with some of these people that I really respect or have done a lot of success. I was talking to Andy May and was like, let's keep it simple. We were talking to other individuals of how, what?
Travis (19:17.993)
Mm -hmm.
Jeremy (19:21.407)
you know, how can we continuously do that? Because when you talk to somebody and you explain deer hunting in a nutshell, it's like you locate deer, you find deer, you sneak in and you know, you do the precautionary things that not get busted. You practice, you shoot, you know, you luckily you kill the animal, you go home, everybody's happy. And it's like you say it, it's that simple. And sometimes it is like I had a very simple season last year.
Travis (19:48.147)
Mm -hmm.
Jeremy (19:48.715)
Did I ever have a season like that ever in my life since I was hunting since I was 12? No, God, no. Right. Do what do I know this year will be like that? No. And to be honest with you, I hope it's not because like when I look back on it, it's like, holy shit, what we were just saying earlier, like I like when things suck a little bit, not to the point where it's like I'm not seeing deer, but I want to work like I was very fortunate and I love I love the way the season went because it allowed me more experiences, especially with the family situation I had at that point in time. But it's like
Travis (20:04.477)
Mm -hmm.
Jeremy (20:18.293)
You know what I mean? But like right now, man, it's you over people over complicate everything, not just hunting, just everything. Just keep shit simple. Right. Like and the other thing is you've been hunting those areas, like you said, fine tuning them. And somebody that commented on that tailor, my buddy, and I liked where he said you that spot, you've been ready to hunt that from three, four years ago. Right.
Travis (20:26.982)
You're right.
Jeremy (20:45.227)
I think the only the only time where you could go in there where where you look like gibberish is going all through your brain and everything like that is when you just step foot on a brand new piece. That's that's when things get a little bit a little bit dicey. But if you know for a fact, you are going to a spot that you've been in, have had history in. Things might change a little bit. But man, for someone that's been in there and doing as much time and experiences, that's the other key thing experiences your.
Travis (20:54.748)
Mm
Jeremy (21:14.087)
you'll figure it out. You could do some, you know what I mean? You're going to observe situations and see what's in front of you. And I just think I found that very telling in that post just with the whole of just feeling how that does feel. Cause I felt that way. It's like, holy crap, like the new baby I'm trying to do, trying to shoot my bow a lot because I want to go to whatever.
shoot I was participating in and not make an ass out of myself and just shoot like an idiot and score bad or whatever. You know what I mean? So it's like I was in instead of maybe going scouting and the other piece was man. So when you think about it, it's like, get up at five o 'clock. Well, that's the time when I was needed most to be at home. Right. And then it's like, go in the evening. That's the other time when I'm needed most. Right. That during the day part, was it a hundred degrees and
Travis (21:44.827)
Yeah.
Travis (22:04.954)
Mm
Jeremy (22:08.307)
all that tick infected, all that stuff, like, okay, I'll be a puss about it. And I'm like, you know what? I'd rather get something done around the house or take my oldest daughter, daughter swimming or do something along those lines and just be a family guy. Because I know when this time comes, it's like, man, I, any chance I want to get, I hope I could cash in on, those situations. So dude, I felt the same way. And, it's, I'm sure, I'm sure someone listening to it's like, yeah, me too. Hopefully.
Travis (22:20.634)
Yeah.
Travis (22:32.346)
Yeah.
Travis (22:37.294)
Yeah, it's different. said just a little background for the people that don't know, usually run, I said I have an excess of 50 some cameras and I usually run that many cameras and I've done that for the past three, three, four seasons now going that hard, full tilt. I mean, as I was sitting back and I'm thinking to myself writing that post, was like, man, I really do think I could have done more. feel like I could have done more. I know I could have done more, but at the same time, am I
risking myself of burning out on something I love so much. Am I taking it too far? It comes to the point where, okay, take a step back and just let it happen. And a lot of people don't realize that luck is a huge part of this and no Instagram hunter, Insta influencer can tell me different. I'm sorry. Yeah, preparation meets opportunity is whatever bullshit.
Jeremy (23:27.727)
yeah.
Jeremy (23:32.361)
I'm with you.
Travis (23:36.414)
There's a lot of luck that goes into this that people don't want to talk about or admit to because it's not selling their product It's not selling their their method. It's not selling them and I'm not here you to sell you shit I'm here to tell you the facts facts are you know, you could go in and Not hunt a spot based on wind and guess what? Some Joe blow could go in there hunted on that same wind and kill that buck that you're after because we've all had mature bucks come in with the wind
You know, right in their face, come right towards you, no matter what. It all depends on the state of mind they're in, the time of year it is. And it's, like I said, all based on luck and in those situations. So I said, you could be 95 % right on everything. You still need that last 5 % of luck. And if you ain't got that on your side, it just not happening. If it's meant to, I hate this. My dad says it all the time. It drives me up the wall. If it's meant to be, it's meant to be. So.
Jeremy (24:35.218)
Dude it's funny though because I I'll say that to certain certain situations to my wife and I know it drives her crazy But I'm I'm with you though on that whole luck thing I've always said man you need that luck it is more like you could be in that that right location and that deer could hold up at Just five yards past your shooting distance, right? Three yards past past your shooting distance You just need that little bit of luck where he or that doe takes that extra
couple steps and comes into that. yeah, I've dude majority of my, of, of my harvest throughout my whole life. I look at them and say, yeah, I would say that was definitely more luck than anything. Like it is what it is. Like you need to, like you said, you need to be lucky. Dude. The first deer I ever shot with the bow when I was 12 or 13, I shot and totally just whiffed and the dough just like took a bound.
Travis (25:18.824)
Yeah.
Jeremy (25:30.995)
started feeding again while I'd knocked an arrow, probably as loud and as moving as you can probably think I was at that age, shaking like a leaf, drew back and had a chance to shoot the deer and I ended up killing her. But like, that is all luck. How many times have we shot at and missed a deer since then and the deer just bounds away and says, you later. Like just something, some luck was in the air that night where I was like, that was something, you know.
Travis (25:47.034)
Yeah.
Travis (25:56.433)
Yup.
Jeremy (25:58.196)
Probably just because I was only pulling the legal amount at the time, but holy hell, man. Like I'm with you, man. You do need a little bit more luck than any.
Travis (26:05.313)
Yeah, you do. like I said, people just don't want to talk about that nowadays because that's not cool to talk about. They don't want to say they got lucky. They want to say it was this product or that product or they heard it on this podcast or they talked to this person with it. Yeah, they again, it goes back to over complicating it. I don't know why people over complicate things. Maybe because like I said, social media is putting pressure on people to
to seem smarter than they really are, dumb shit like neoepinephrine coming off of trees to make buck rubs them and shit. Like, shut up. Stop talking stupid. Keep it simple.
Jeremy (26:34.155)
people that.
Jeremy (26:44.97)
So, so, so wait, so wait, you're not going to take those rub, those rub things into the.
Travis (26:51.944)
Yeah, yeah, I ain't gonna take them in into the woods man. You're 39 .99 you can make your own rub line.
Jeremy (26:58.058)
Dude I saw what
my gosh. When I saw that man, I, that was, I was like, what is this? Just, it's just bizarre. So those of you that don't know, there's apparently some, looks like a towel that has Velcro on the back that looks, makes it like a mock, rub. It looks like, my God. Just.
Travis (27:17.948)
rub without hair. Yeah.
It is the biggest cash grab, like, money gimmick, hunting gimmick you could think of. It's, it's dumber than the Acorn Cruncher is by far the dumbest thing I've ever heard of. But even, even so, like I said, there was comments in the, you know, in the section that were, people were trying to talk down to the guy that was making money off of this. Right. They saw he deserves balls busted for coming up with such a dumb idea. But,
They were trying to make themselves sound smarter and it was just like, stop, just stop. You're an influencer, we all see it, but you know, we get it. You're smart, but you're really making a mess out of yourself. So that's just my thoughts, my opinions, but what do I know? I'm just a dumb coal honky.
Jeremy (27:54.494)
Yeah.
Jeremy (28:10.282)
Speaking of which man, let me ask you this to kind of go back to something. Since you had a good post season and you kind of sat back and you felt good with everything and you were fine tuned everything, what's something that you would change from the end of hunting season to now? Is there anything that you would change?
Travis (28:33.957)
from the end of last year to this year? Honestly, I would say, you know what? Not necessarily scouting wise, I probably should have started shooting earlier. I'm not gonna lie about that. I definitely procrastinated and put that off and put that off and put that off. no, was just honestly, I met somebody, she's a great girl and it just kind of like took up a lot more time and I was okay with that. You you normally were...
Jeremy (28:36.84)
Yeah, like the end of, yeah.
Travis (29:03.011)
balls into archery season, I'm shooting way ahead in time and everything else. I was willing to sacrifice that time to spend with her and really start enjoying life on a different angle.
Jeremy (29:15.443)
Yeah, dude. So let me, let me run this by you. So I, I, I took my oldest daughter shopping to King of pressure this past weekend, to visit my sister. And my sister always has taken her now since, know, she's been, been in school. It's something that we did as a family with my grandmother. My sister would always wanted to take up that mantle. She doesn't have kids and my wife wasn't feeling good and the baby wasn't feeling that great. So
Travis (29:25.913)
Okay.
Jeremy (29:41.438)
this was our only chance to go before school. so, Nora really wanted to go. we went and I told her, said, hey, listen, you could watch your iPad movies or play your games. I'm gonna listen to some podcasts if that's cool. She said, yep, you're good. I was like, all right. So the way down, I kind of listened to one and on the way back home, I listened to one. it was, like I said earlier, I really like listening to Andy May talk. just feel like he talks very confidently. He knows his stuff. And it was on, he was with Mark.
Kenyon on the Wired to Hunt podcast and haven't really tuned into Mark to the Wired to Hunt podcast in quite some time. There's certain guests that he'll have on that I will tune in on just because I like that individual or something. And so he was talking to him, but man, Mark went on a really good rant before. So he had on like all those guys and it was the mental, the mindset of these hunters and
Yeah, I just, it's going to sound like I contradict myself being that it's like, my gosh, he wanted to get into the minds of these successful whitetail hunters that he condones and that he thinks are these guys. And, some of them, they're just not my cup of tea. So I didn't really tune into them, right? Like it, just, is what it is. but it was fascinating to hear Mark. Obviously Mark's a family guy. He has a couple of kids. He has his marriage and he's doing things for meat eater, but I felt like he took, he took like a.
Travis (30:49.344)
Yeah.
Jeremy (31:06.095)
everything off the table. And he, you could tell he, he spoke from the heart. had a different tone about him. And he was just like, you know what, man? Like in a nutshell, basically he was saying how, you know, when we are dying, no one's going to give a shit about if our wall has one 50s, one 60s, one 70s, two hundreds, all this stuff. And if that meant like, if I was sitting there and thinking, man, I wish I would have gone to see my daughter's
Travis (31:12.588)
Mm
Travis (31:24.587)
No.
Jeremy (31:35.978)
when she was 10, her last big Halloween thing. You know I mean? Like just like he, he brought that aspect up and it was funny because my daughter must've, she heard the word dad and she must've paused what she was doing and she was listening to, to what Mark was saying. And I don't know. I don't know how she worded it to me, but she was like, Hey daddy, I love you. And you know, thank you for, for not missing certain things.
Travis (31:39.436)
Mm
Travis (31:49.836)
Mm
Jeremy (32:03.72)
And I told her, was like straight up, was like, honey, was like, listen, for how many, you know how much hunting means to me. was like, but you always know that you're number one. You know I mean? And I told her, I was like, listen, if there was a situation and I use that example, I was like, I haven't really, I haven't missed like a Halloween trick or treating. I said to her, was like, but you know, when mom takes you up to our local high school to just go around the thing, like you, you even say go hunting dad or do that. Like those ones, those ones are okay in a sense to her.
Travis (32:11.776)
Yeah.
Travis (32:30.891)
Yeah.
Jeremy (32:33.685)
But the big ones, like I won't miss that. And I don't know. You just, I've always heard those bad stories and I don't know from just random hunters. I'm not talking, it's not particular one of just like how shitty of parents they were just because they've always blown those events and, always put a deer first. And it's like, it's a deer. Like I love it more than anything outside of the family side of things, but it's like, it's a deer. You know I mean? I don't know, man.
Travis (33:01.417)
Yeah.
Jeremy (33:03.466)
It was just, it was just fascinating to hear. don't know where I was really going with that, but it was just, it was interesting to hear just, just because I know how sometimes I know how you feel about what, like that influence out there. And I know I have the podcast, but it's like, man, I'm just an everyday dude. I work a full -time job. I love this as much as, as you do. but it's just like, yeah, some people just take it a little too far in my opinion.
Travis (33:08.947)
Nah, hey, hey.
Travis (33:30.879)
I mean, different strokes, different folks. I was that guy for years and years and years, because I fucking loser. All I did was just hunt, hunt, hunt, hunt, hunt. I didn't have a girlfriend. didn't have kids or anything like that. I wasn't a family guy. So that was my thing. That was my release. It still is, like I said. I haven't lost the knack for it or anything.
Like I said, I think this year made me step back and realize, okay, maybe I'm pushing it a little bit beyond the point of where I don't want to burn myself out on something that I've come to love so much. And it is a very big part of me. And it's never not going to be because, you know, I work hard all year round at my job and I save up all my vacation time. It's what I do to rest and relax and heal myself from slaving away at a job.
You know, it's my getaway. So, you know, I need that. You know, it's just the way it is. And I've explained that to her and she understands it. But stepping back and letting things play out after years and years of hard work, it's going to be interesting to see. I'm excited. I'm more excited this year than I have been in the last three years where I put all that work in.
Jeremy (34:35.114)
Yeah.
Travis (34:54.054)
I'm more anxious to see how this pays off. that last three years of work has truly benefited me in this way. So that's where I'm kind of like going with this. It's like the unknown to me makes it more exciting.
Jeremy (35:03.57)
Right. Yeah, that's a once you brought that you circled it back around, you brought it home for me is when you mentioned that you met somebody. So you kind of were doing something. That's what that that's what the light bulb went off about bringing up the Mark Kenyon thing that I heard just because it did. It touched home and.
Travis (35:22.942)
Yep.
Jeremy (35:26.579)
along those lines and dude, you know, and that's the other piece of why it was important for you to take care of the little things, the previous seasons for that. You know what I mean? Of, of putting a couple more cameras in, seeing what the deer behavior is like, because that's the other aspect that I wanted to talk to you about. It's like you, you're one of the individuals that I know that does take care of the little things. you know, when, when you're out there scouting or, and, and breaking the pieces down,
and all that stuff. like when I do say taking care of the little things to you, Travis, like, what does that mean to you? Especially when it comes to like, I mean, it could be anything as far as the hunting, your, your hunting aspect of things, your hunting lens, or you could break it down into something micro and say like, when I'm out scouting and I see this, this is the little things I like to make sure it is taken care of.
Travis (36:17.579)
boy. That's an interesting question. And I could sit here and talk out my ass and try and make it seem like I know what I'm talking about. I really could. But honestly, when I go out, the first thing I'm doing is, you know, I look on, like I said, just like anybody else, I break things down, I go out, I find a sign. One of the best ways I do, I go about it.
Jeremy (36:27.039)
You
Travis (36:45.627)
Walk these Enduro trails that around here or I walk the pole lines I find a big set of tracks and I work back I find the sign I just work my way back to deeper and thicker cover deeper thicker cover when I get to an area where I find All the sign I hunt the hot sign. I don't try and over complicate it I find those high find those big scrapes next to security cover and I work and I you know overmark them as I've been saying for years the same fashion I've been doing it and I just put my time in I mean, it's not net there's no
There's no miracle tool or gadget or gizmo that's going to make you an elite hunter. is sum total of time and effort. Gene Wenzel said that, and I still believe it. That was said in one of his books from 1980s. And I still believe that the sum total of time and effort will make you a great deer hunter. You it's just, you're going to fail. And a lot of these people nowadays, they're all looking for the shortest cut. They're listening to every single podcast or
Listen to every single influencer. They're buying every gadget, every gear, every gizmo, and they're trying to shortcut the process. You're going to fail. And I put it up on a post a while back. Get acquainted with failure. Get comfortable with failure. Because every time you fail in failure, those lessons you learn from it are sewn deeper into your mind. So don't try to overcomplicate it. Like I said, I, I
Jeremy (38:10.061)
Yeah.
Travis (38:15.564)
As far as little things, mean, I really can't think of something where you would say I show up to little things from my lens, maybe from your lens, you could explain to me what you see, but from my lens, I really can't see much more than any different than what I explained, really. I try to keep it.
Jeremy (38:34.172)
Yeah. I, I, I would even say like from, from like what I see from you, Trav is just that going out there, breaking down that piece and really honing in on that specific spot. Like you said earlier, not having a, a, a map where there's a thousand different, man, I'm, could go here. I could go there. I could go here with this wind and that wind. You have that. You remind me of Tim, my buddy Tim where you might pick that big chunk.
but then you fine tune certain pieces within that big chunk and that big chunk becomes smaller and that smaller piece becomes even smaller. Like you really find, you know what I mean? Like you really seem to fine tune those. And that's where like, I couldn't agree more with you that I'm happy for you that you feel confident because after seeing what the work and and boots on the ground, plus the camera data.
Travis (39:11.577)
Okay.
Travis (39:28.589)
Mm
Jeremy (39:31.403)
plus then the boots on the ground again for postseason, plus the observation that you had. You know what mean? Like there's all, there's this big equation basically that it's, it's takes care of itself. And now you just have to put yourself out there and have some luck on your side. and that's where I think, like you said, like going back to the, the little things, it's just putting that, that, that effort in and understanding your, your, where you hunt instead of just, I was in there one time and I'm going to hope I, I'm going to hope something
Travis (39:37.666)
Yeah.
Travis (39:46.2)
Yeah
Travis (40:00.672)
Yeah.
Jeremy (40:01.384)
happens and it's the same. You know what I mean? Like, you know where things go and how maybe things could shift. That's what I think as far as like the little things.
Travis (40:10.903)
What you have to think of too, and it came to my mind as you're saying this, by breaking down land and whatnot, I go about it. Brought back to the forefront of my brain here, a clinic I did with Howell Blood back in 2020. He said, you want to be in the 90 -10. You want to be in the 10 % of ground where deer spend 90 % of their time. And you'll know it. You'll feel it when you get to that point. You'll see all that sign there.
You'll see where all their browsing, you'll see where all the shit is, you'll see all the movement, the trails, the tracks, the scrapes, the rubs, everything will be coming together and you'll know it. You just get that feeling. I'll look at like Luke or I'll look at my buddy Tim and we'll look at each other and be like, this is the 90 10. You you get that, that feeling on the back of your neck. The hair raises up a little bit, you know, and I'll look at Luke and he goes, it feels kind of deersy in here. It does. It does. You get that, you get them vibes.
Jeremy (41:07.665)
Yeah.
Travis (41:08.873)
And it's good to have guys like that, you know, is one thing I do a lot. I'll find these spots and then I'll bring those two out and I'll say, am I bullshit or am I genius? Tell me now and tell me why. And I like to bring those guys around because they'll tell me if I'm missing something or I'm right, but do I know why I'm right? Or am I just going on feeling? And that's usually where Tim steps in. Tim will be Tim's the Forester. He've had him on recently.
Jeremy (41:28.062)
Mm -hmm.
Jeremy (41:34.036)
Right.
Jeremy (41:38.483)
Yep.
Travis (41:38.66)
And he'll say, you're right about this spot because X, Y, and Z. Did you realize X, and Z? And maybe I'll have missed one of those points. Or there's something he could point out that, okay, this is a really good spot, but maybe just over here is a little bit better because of X, Y, and Z.
Jeremy (41:58.514)
Yeah. Yeah, I like that, that, that sense of thinking and that logic, especially I, dude, I love when I bring someone else with me to a spot that I've already checked out that I might be a fan of or more of a fan of just because then it's, is getting that dude, you're right. But then it's also, you know what I mean? But it's also then check this out or like you just that one little piece that I know for a fact, either I let slip or
Travis (42:11.891)
Mm -hmm.
Travis (42:16.873)
Con.
Travis (42:21.598)
Mm -hmm.
Jeremy (42:26.783)
just another different way of thinking of their approach. That's my favorite. I love having those opportunities with friends. So let me ask you this one, Trav. So over the three years, four years of fine tuning these spots, man, when you look at, say, the cameras that you ran and the hunting observations you have and the sign, what kind of deer behavior have you been able to understand with them? Just because it's different, man. Like you're hunting...
Travis (42:31.508)
you
Jeremy (42:56.126)
Different terrain, different wildlife is in your neck of the woods of what you're dealing.
Travis (43:03.83)
Again, deer activity... Well, I have noticed that in the coal pockets that I hunt, it's almost fruitless. You try to pay attention to the wind as much as you possibly can, but it's kind of pointless at some points because of the man -made...
land features from the pits, vent shafts, the comb banks that are in, the overgrown comb banks in there, the wind and the thermals, it's chaotic. And that's why those deer are in there, because they have the advantage, but you just gotta shut up and hunt. You gotta go, you go ahead and pick what you think is marginally the best one, just go in and hunt. And if it switches, be it. You just kinda let that luck go up in the air. Because like said, I've seen big bucks come in where they're straight downwind to me and they're not.
Karen, then again, I've seen a big mammy doe, as soon as she hits my wind, whoop, she's doing a backflip to get out of there. but another aspect I started noticing about all these hours in the woods and on the ground and trail cameras, individual personalities of bucks, individual personalities. There's some that are bullies, there are some that are just complete psychopaths, there's some that are just passive.
Jeremy (44:01.233)
Yeah.
Travis (44:23.088)
And it doesn't always have to be a giant buck that's, you know, a bully. doesn't have to be a giant buck that's actually passive. I've seen plenty of big mature deer that with smaller racks that just run off another big mature deer that has a bigger rack. Now I have one that I call a bully buck. He's probably 18, 19 inch wide, eight point may go 110 inches, but he's probably about 250 on the hoof.
And then there was another buck that's probably just north of two bills on the hoof and he was probably about a 140. This bully buck just, just dominated him. Yeah. I had pictures of him going one way with his ears pinned back to bull. should say the, the bigger buck. He went out of, went out of the camera screen and then the bully buck came marching through a couple of minutes later with his ears pinned back. The bigger buck came back, he had half a rack and he was all scuffed up. So.
Jeremy (45:14.91)
Yep.
Travis (45:19.095)
I've also had that one that I've been after for years called the Berserker Buck. And that deer haunts my dreams all the time. he, every scrape that I overmark in his territory, he rips the lichen branch off of, completely destroys it. Last year, I have pictures of it, I'll send it to you afterwards. He just completely ripped the entire laurel brush out of the ground that I had my scrape set up on. So he has an attitude about him that no matter if he smells another unknown buck in that area using his area.
Jeremy (45:28.931)
Geez.
Travis (45:49.035)
he just completely destroys that scrape. The wicking branch comes right off. So there I am putting it back on and hopefully I can peg him down one of these days. He's going to make a mistake. I had two opportunities where he was within shooting range that I just didn't take advantage of. He caught me off guard both times, but I adjusted fire last year and I got back on him. So this year's could be one of my
Last chance is Adam.
Jeremy (46:22.524)
Dude how bad is that because when you know a deer survives and he know he's he's giving you to slip and you're like dang This might be the last year I could potentially hope maybe like kill like you said earlier like you would be fine killing any of those deers that You've had on camera or that want to come and play that that dance with you and do that with you And I'm the same way. I have that same mentality. Trust me. I
Travis (46:42.464)
Mm
Jeremy (46:46.387)
If I could designate more time, more effort to find and kill that monster that is haunting my dreams too, man, I would do it. But I don't, right? I don't have the time and I don't have, I can't put in all that effort for that one deer. And man, it's funny though, cause this year I was talking to a couple other people and they're like, dude, do you know if he's alive? I'm like, last I heard he is. And last that we've seen, like we never really, I got him.
Travis (46:59.423)
Yup.
Jeremy (47:14.586)
one picture in velvet from like two years ago. Yeah, that was it. And I finally checked that camera. So it's like come October or mid late September, if he hits one of those cameras, that's when I'll know for sure. And then it's like, man, this might be the last chance. It's like, geez, like it's a weird, it's a weird thing to have that feeling about a deer.
Travis (47:26.816)
Yeah.
Travis (47:36.733)
Yeah, absolutely. But yeah, like I said, that's what I noticed over the past couple of years really getting on this is just different deers' demeanors. And that's why I try to say to people, you listen to podcasts, you go to these hunting clinics, and people say a lot of blanket statements. And I just can't buy off into it because every area is individually unique.
Every herd is individually unique. The deer, the way they operate around the around the area is unique and every deer is individually different. So you cannot make blanket statements out there. General, I guess there are no absolutes in hunting. I've been preaching that for a long time. There are no absolutes. So anybody tries to sell you something that this is going to work because I shot this one out in the Midwest on a highly manicured, you know, private property. This will work for you. Bullshit. So.
Travis (48:35.974)
No way to cut it.
Jeremy (48:36.007)
You're not going to go down to that to that hub scrape. You don't want to do the hub scrapes.
Travis (48:42.012)
Yeah, yeah, I I said they are important. There's others.
There's small nuances to everything where, yeah, okay, you can take bits and pieces, but just the blanket statements is that they're gonna, there's gonna be here at this time now. Now. It doesn't work like that. Hunt your hunt, be your own hunter. Don't model, don't like completely model yourself after somebody. Find your own individuality.
Jeremy (48:56.447)
Yeah.
Jeremy (49:03.529)
Yeah, dude.
Jeremy (49:13.959)
Yeah, I like, you know, when you when you like somebody and you maybe had a chance to meet them or you take something away, like I always like think of it as like a build yourself your own transformer or like your own like Power Ranger, you know, Megazord thing, like build little pieces and try it out and learn from it. And, you know, how many times have you heard heard someone say, man, like mock scrapes don't work for me? You know what mean? Or like whatever. And that's
Travis (49:31.974)
Mm -hmm.
Travis (49:41.261)
Yeah, yeah, absolutely.
Jeremy (49:43.07)
them. They have another tactic, right? But mock scrapes work for me. They work for you, all that type of stuff. So you got to get out there. You got to get your hands dirty and try it. Try what works for you and your, you know, your neck of woods. Like, like how you were saying earlier about your niece busting on you about punching a trigger. It's like, dude, I've come to realize that I, I, I have some form of just that control. I'm going to let it off. Do you know what I mean? Like I'm not
just slapping it or if, you know, I'm not doing that. It's just, I've come to realize, to realize that I, I, I feel better mentally and shoot better when I know I could do a controlled, I guess you could say punch, in a sense where it's like, know I'm saying? Like, like I just, I just feel like I I'm here and I just like, okay, okay. And just like pull and break. But when I watch slow motion, my thumb is doing that all day long.
Travis (50:26.873)
Yeah, controlled punch.
Yeah.
Travis (50:40.612)
Mm -hmm.
Jeremy (50:41.006)
You know what mean? It's not that it doesn't move and like whatever and there's times where I do have like a good clean clean break man. It's just figure out what works for you and that obviously it goes for shooting. It goes for for hunting all that jazz man. Do you have do have any go ahead go ahead Trav.
Travis (50:54.116)
I've got -
I've gotten to the point with shooting, like you said with the release and what not, it didn't even hurt busting me. I got to the point where I don't even really think about it. I just try and just shoot. Shoot to shoot and if I feel confident, you know, I know when the shot's gonna be bad and I know what I did wrong. So I try and get all those out before the season starts. And when it comes crunch time, I don't even think about it. It just becomes part of the process. So, just no thought.
Jeremy (51:21.95)
Yep. Yeah. Yeah. Whatever works. Right. I mean, that's that's the key. As long as it's working. And if it works, don't break it. Don't fix it. What any trips for you this year at all? Or you stay staying home?
Travis (51:27.606)
Yep.
Travis (51:36.065)
Definitely going to Maine. I missed out on Maine last year and I decided at the last minute not to do it because I was having such awesome action in Pennsylvania. But not making that mistake again. I loved that trip too much to cut out on it. So me and Tim will be heading up to Maine again the third week of November.
Jeremy (51:57.506)
Dude, I love what you said. You love that trip so much. You don't want to miss it like that that right there Like remember that one. Do you know what saying? Like anybody listening that is that's huge just because That's an experience that you love that you want to partake in whether you kill a deer or not That's an experience with a friend With the environment that is surrounding you that you don't get a chance to be around very much very often
Travis (52:06.347)
Mm -hmm.
Jeremy (52:26.718)
That's the shit that we're after, brother.
Jeremy (52:32.871)
it. Sweet dude. Man, I'm glad that we had a chance to catch up before the season and just because once that comes into play, shit gets crazy for us.
Travis (52:43.108)
yeah, absolutely, So, but yeah, if you ever,
Jeremy (52:46.984)
Alright brother, where could people find you? Go ahead.
Travis (52:51.113)
I just say if you ever want to get a hunting, you let me know. You're always welcome to come up with me, buddy.
Jeremy (52:55.782)
yeah. Absolutely, dude. I appreciate that. Where can people find you and follow along with your antics that you got going on, brother?
Travis (53:05.09)
You can find me on Facebook, can find me on Instagram, and you can find me on YouTube at Anthracite Antler Attics. That's where we're at. It's just little bit of documentation of our misadventures in hunting me and a couple of other guys. Some of the things that we post may get a laugh out of you.
Jeremy (53:26.247)
yeah, they always get a laugh.
Travis (53:28.464)
You
Jeremy (53:30.9)
Dude, what's funny is that's what they are. They're for a laugh, but man, I'm sure somebody gets a little, little hurt.
Travis (53:36.904)
Booty bothered. Little bit of booty bother going on, but you know what? You gotta have a sense of humor in all this. Can't take things too seriously.
Jeremy (53:39.05)
I
Jeremy (53:45.342)
Yeah. No, man. Well said, dude. I appreciate you coming on. Thanks again for everybody for tuning in. Go check out Trav and his buddies. Luke's a good kid, man. Trav's taking him under his wing, and he's a funny one. Not only that, but he's turning into a good hunter. So check them out over at anthracite antler addicts. See you next week, everybody. Antler up.
