Show Notes
In this episode of the Antler Up Podcast, host Jeremy Dinsmore sits down with Steve Sherk Jr., a master of hunting big whitetails in the vast woods of Pennsylvania. Steve opens up about how his approach to hunting has evolved over the years, now balancing the demands of family and his guiding service with his passion for pursuing deer. He highlights his strategic shift toward gun season, with limited time set aside for bow hunting. Steve delves into the significance of trail cam data for choosing prime hunting spots and shares his observations on how deer behavior and bedding areas change as the season progresses, encouraging hunters to adapt their strategies accordingly.
Steve also shares invaluable tips on handling hunting pressure, noting the importance of flanking pressure to locate less disturbed areas. His early spring scouting methods—focused on understanding deer movement and bedding before the landscape thickens—provide key insights into successful hunting strategies. Steve talks about his favorite tactic of hunting from a distance during gun season and explains what he does to mark key beds. He wraps up by discussing the impact of acorn drops, his preference for hunting red oaks over white oaks, and his strategic plan for an upcoming six-day hunting window in late October, emphasizing travel corridors and hot scrapes as prime opportunities for success.
So, grab your gear, sit back, and join us on this episode as we Antler Up with Steve Sherk Jr. on today's episode of the Antler Up Podcast.
Stay tuned, stay safe, and Antler Up!
https://ourgroundscoffeeco.com/
Show Transcript
Antler Up Podcast (01:32.076)
What's up, everybody? Welcome back to the show this week. I'm joined on the other side of Steve Scherp Jr. Steve, it's an honor to always have you on. This is the fourth time and we had you on for two episodes of, we called it the going to Buck School. Last year we did the annual kickoff for the Pennsylvania season and this year we're doing the same thing.
I'm really excited to have this conversation with you. So I greatly appreciate you taking the time to come on, Steve.
Steve (02:04.236)
Now, likewise, I guess if we're gonna make this an annual thing, I'm gonna look forward to it every year. It's always a great conversation. So I'm excited to get to talk with you again.
Antler Up Podcast (02:14.842)
Dude, absolutely. It's funny because as, as the summer months come on by and you know, you're out scouting and doing all that stuff. Like I get excited as obviously we get closer and the calendar flips to September. It's like, okay, we're, we're in the nitty gritty of things. And then once I know I can get you on the, on the line and do that, it really fires me up. So I'm like, I wish, I wish I was going to the, the, the special units next weekend to get hunting just because I'm sure I'll be ready to go after this conversation.
Steve (02:43.004)
Well, I'm glad you feel that way. It means a lot.
Antler Up Podcast (02:45.265)
Yeah, dude. Yeah, man. So Steve, here's, you know, to kind of talk, I guess, about the, you know, the upcoming season, I guess, you you mentioned a little bit about it on on Bo Martonic's East Meets West podcast, you know, you're, you're going to be having a different season, you're still going to be having your clientele for the guiding service that you've always done and do. And, you know, you're a family guy, and you have your son doing a bunch of different sports and activities, and you want to be there for him.
So you mentioned you may not be bow hunting as much. you know, I guess on your side of things, for your personal side of things, I guess you might want to just give the listener just a quick rundown of like, where are you going to be going out more gun season a couple of days? Are you going to maybe if a day, you know, a rain out happens for your boys game or something like that, is that a day you might go out with the bow? You know, what kind of like map are you maybe drawn up for yourself for this year?
Steve (03:43.955)
Sure, mean really what it's all boiled down to is like in the past few years, my son's growing up, I'm just getting more busy with work, especially the guiding. I don't enjoy hunting as much like just winging it for an hour or not always hunting the way that I like. like especially last year when I filled my tag in gun season, I literally had like no guiding going on, nothing going on.
it was just such a huge pleasure to actually hunt, you know, just fully focus on myself, not to sound like selfish, but we're like, literally, you know, I only get it was only getting a handful of days for the most part anyway, but like just being able to have a plan, have a strategy, not have to worry about anything, nothing else on my agenda. I really was, it was just kind of like an eye opener.
I know if that's the right term, but it was just like, wow, that felt so good to like, I was totally just focused on myself. I didn't have clients to scout for, didn't have anything going on family wise. And I just, I'm like, you know what, like the past few years, maybe even longer, like even like when I'm guiding, like a lot of mornings I'll sit for an hour, rarely ever where I want to sit, but like just sitting in in a, a stand that I've just had.
past success with her but it's never been about me it's always like about someone else i got a client coming in got it scout for him you know it's always been that type of style and and it's just like it just i mean it's fun but it's it's not who i am as a hunter like when i hunt you know i want to have a game plan i want to focus on an individual deer and then like i can't even do that much early season anymore because my son does ball baseball
basketball starts in October and it's just getting to be like there's just so much less time every year. I just said this year you know what I'm just going to hold off, focus when I do have more time because I'm having more fun that way. Like this year I do plan to archery hunt but I'll be done guiding November 9th so like the four or five days after that I plan to just do four or five days of bow hunting and PA. If I don't connect then I'll do
Steve (06:11.557)
the first week of gun because I'm only guiding the first three days of gun season then I have like a four or five day break so I'm leaving these little windows of time where I can just like focus on myself and I'd rather like get maybe close to ten good days in Pennsylvania when I can just do it the way I want versus an hour here two hours there not even in a spot that I feel confident in. Now that's the situation I've been running into.
Antler Up Podcast (06:39.997)
Well, and that's where I think because I don't want to say I'm in a similar situation, like not to the exact of you though, Steve, but that's where I think the importance of that trail cam data over the years past, like where that's where you could feel confident. Like you said, you don't like going out doing those hour sits and neither do I. if I do, time I do that is when I know it's a don't only hunt, if I'm going up to my in -laws or the little quick private piece that it's after work, something along those lines where I just
It might be a good time for me to go unwind by my head in a situation. But as far as like that goes, maybe honing in, going to a specific spot, getting in on after a specific buck, that's where that data is really going to come into play, especially when you want to be efficient for those, like you said, four, five, six plus days that you have the opportunity to go after.
Steve (07:32.674)
Yep, exactly. And even that attributed to the success that I had last year. The buck that I did kill, I had pictures of in a certain area through the summer, through like till about early September, then he shifted. But I also knew that it was kind of a wintering area as well. And I knew that deer would go back to that area. So like once again, like that's the kind of stuff that I'm banking off of. But that's
Also, like, I never get to do that because I just don't really have the time when I'm guiding and everything else in life is going on. So, but you you mentioned in like, just keeping track of data and, you know, really dissecting it. Like that's exactly what really led me to my success last year.
Antler Up Podcast (08:23.667)
Yeah, that's the kicker just because for myself, I have a soon to be, I have an eight month old and then I have my 10 year old daughter, they're both, it's like two different spectrums, right? I got one that's in a bunch of different items and I'm the one that needs all the attention in the world. So kind of like you, I have to have those set times, those dates and be more planning efficiently with those and make a...
hopefully you make a smart decision that you could capitalize, but that's my game plan even going into that seat like this upcoming season for as far as that goes. Yeah, absolutely. So here's so, you know, when you look at, know, Steve, you've been on so many great podcasts and you've done so many amazing episodes, you know, with this year in particular, what would you say for the common PA Hunter or
Steve (08:59.97)
Well, I'm glad we're kind of in the same boat.
Antler Up Podcast (09:20.329)
you know, we've got like just in general, what do you think we need to keep tabs on or have a an idea to make sure like we're we're noticing these this this year just because man everything changes so much like everything changes year to year you know that. You know this year what I've noticed with a little bit of time that I had to go out man I've been seeing so many fawns I've been seeing I felt like it was a really light winter.
for the deer and the two spots that I really spend a lot of time in. And the mass crops has been phenomenal. Like right now, where I've seen apples, they've been drying up right now. But it's just, I just wanna just get your take. are some things you think we should really maybe key in on for this 2024 year?
Steve (10:08.992)
Yep. Well, you one thing you brought up, brought up several things that I'll kind of add on to, but I think the deer numbers in my area are up, especially the doe numbers. So I think what you're going to find is during like that lockdown phase when, you know, the majority of does are in heat, I think it's going to make it tougher, tougher hunting. You know, if you're someone that likes to hunt maybe like November 5th to maybe November 15th.
That's because that's and it varies depending on where you're at throughout the country, but that's when I tend to see the heaviest lockdown. I would probably try to avoid some of that that time of year. I'm not saying it's a bad time, but like I would definitely focus more like late October, early November before before things really, you know. You know, I guess just say get locked down.
I've always said in the past that I like that seeking period, that cruising period, which is generally late October, early November. I really think we're going to have to focus more on that time of year just for the fact that if deer numbers keep rising, because honestly, the more out of balance your buck to doe ratio is, the worse the lockdown is, just because it's going to be so easy for bucks to find hot does during that period.
Antler Up Podcast (11:14.687)
you
Steve (11:31.294)
I think it's important to keep aware of that. Then secondly, yeah, you talked about things changing every year. We finally have a good red okay corn crop this year. We haven't had one in probably four years. So I don't know what it's like throughout Pennsylvania and other parts or what it's been like especially, but that changes a lot of things. Like I've really done, I've pulled a lot of cameras. actually I think I made a count yesterday. I only have like maybe
close to 40 out right now, which to some people sounds like a lot, but like I still got about another hundred to put out and I don't think I'm even gonna make it by October 1st. But I'm changing a lot of things because it's just a whole new year, a whole new environment. I am banking on a lot of acorn, productive acorn spots. So these areas haven't produced in a long time, now they have.
Antler Up Podcast (12:08.435)
Thanks.
Steve (12:30.029)
I'm not expecting whatever worked last year to work again. I'm going by what I'm seeing right now. So it's definitely at least where I'm from, but I'm guessing in lot of places. It's going to be a whole new year, a lot of new scenarios. And I think it's important that we're ready and we're able to adapt for this new season.
Antler Up Podcast (12:49.56)
Yeah, I agree with you. I totally agree. same thing, red oaks have been on fire, especially back at home in Northeast Pennsylvania. There's a couple, I want to say like four or five years ago, we didn't have that great of a crop basically when it comes to really all the oaks that we had up there. And then two years ago, it just seems like it's getting better and better. it's been great just because dough have been.
basically living in those local spots like all year round. then once the, you know, the seeking phase starts happening that middle of late October, it's that's it's it's fun, man, like those scrapes just get all times a day at night during the day and just just seeing the seeking. And like you said, those November, I've noticed those November 5 through like the ninth, sometimes they're they're not as you
crazy what they used to be a couple years ago and I don't know what's the reason basically. I can't really put a fingerprint on that one but I've noticed that like you said that lockdown during that time frame it's like man it's you know it is.
Antler Up Podcast (14:02.031)
So like with that I've had more more deer on camera and or on stand or my dad has more opportunities those late October early November time frame and that's what I that's when I get excited to just like you do.
Steve (14:02.459)
That's okay.
Steve (14:18.383)
Yeah, absolutely. Throughout my hunting career, and I know I've said this probably too many times, but I focused more on that time period than any other time. It's just, I always say, when the bucks kind of get a head start, they get a little more antsy than the does. They start covering more ground. The more ground they're covering, the more they're up and moving, the better your odds, for sure.
Antler Up Podcast (14:44.579)
Yeah. So here's the one aspect that I you've in particularly, I felt like helped me grow as a hunter, as my woodsmanship skills over the last three years that, you know, we've that we've been kind of doing this and, you know, I messaged you and you've become on the podcast and I've listened to certain things and that are that are your your your three C's, you know, your cover, your cameras and cold fronts and just watching that transpire over the last couple of years. And there's times, Steve, where
I just recently was on my buddy Mitch's podcast and he brought up asking me how I use cameras. And I like the long -term data plan information rather than I don't, I very rarely use that info to go hunt it now. like the only, it's very situational. guess it would be like, man, two, three days, I'm just constantly getting deer, not necessarily the same deer, but just deer moving. know.
would need maybe need to relocate - and hundred different spot compared to that specific area but - in general those things over the last couple years have helped me. Locate more mature deer and - I'm that's been a big key into my development I guess you could say. So what with the cover the cold fronts the cameras. Is there anything else now that you've kind of added to that repertoire of things that you're now.
keeping an eye on as well. And you could even, if things have changed or with those food cover, or I'm sorry, with the cover cameras and cold fronts, you know, could elaborate on that as well.
Steve (16:20.749)
Yeah, no, you know, Depending on how much time we have in that but I will say something different that I Really keying in on is I noticed that there's a lot of different kind of like unknown shifts throughout the year and even throughout the hunting season that
maybe even some hunters aren't aware of. And I find that just by running cameras in different areas. Especially last year, and I've been noticing the past few years, but last year especially, I would see things being good in certain areas right up until about October 22nd, 23rd. And then what I was noticing, it seemed like those were shifting. And I'm noticing that every year.
Antler Up Podcast (16:39.811)
you
Steve (17:07.198)
It seems like the latter part of October, a lot of these does make a shift and that just changes the whole ball game too, because like me, I'm out there every day paying attention and looking for sign. sometimes it's almost like a light switch or just in the blink of an eye, there's a shift. that's what I'm noticing. A lot of my rut hunting, especially now more rut guiding, like
I'm going by a lot of like, you know, if I have a client coming in say October 25th, anything even up to like October 22nd, 23rd, I'm completely voiding that Intel. I'm banking more on what I can find like right now because I'm noticing a shift in Doze and what they're doing. I think partially what it is is bucks start going into some of these areas, say mid October, I think.
Antler Up Podcast (17:51.217)
you
Steve (18:06.28)
I'm not going to say they're chasing them, but I think they're bothering them. And I think those are just completely removing, you know, moving to new locations. So that's something I'm noticing every year. I also notice, I mentioned this maybe a little bit on Bo's podcast, but I notice another shift in betting once the leaves start to drop, because a lot of your betting cover is more related to just heavy lead. It's amazing the difference in.
thickness once all the leaves drop. So I'll see another shift in bedding and that varies like you can't say that all the leaves drop the same time every year. I that's a lot of that's weather related so that's something I'm paying attention to like why are these areas shutting down and new areas turning on usually sometime around Halloween early November. I'm noticing a shift there. I'm noticing
certain things on my cameras, especially in gun season. I'm finding where there's areas every year that bucks seem to even be summer and through the rut and then all of a sudden they vanish. And I think a lot of that's hunting pressure related. So I'm really paying attention to more of these shifts. Like I'm watching like, when are these areas hot every year? When are they dead? And it's all basically what I'm seeing on my SD cards for the most part.
Antler Up Podcast (19:29.906)
the thing like you say pressure it's like we're not only having these dear move from pressure from humans it's there even getting pressure from within right I could that's like that's the other aspect and - it's funny to watch when the quick when you have time on Stan in the woods and you're seeing what actually you know that time frame because we had that happen back at home where - down in the middle lower half of the -
kind of like the area that my dad and I would hunt. Like the cameras were all of a sudden very dead. And come that middle October timeframe, they're just getting pushed in there and you see like younger bucks, younger bucks, and then boom, you might have a really good deer on camera where you're like, okay, that gets our attention basically. And, you know, it's just like you said, you do notice that shift a little bit and up there, Steve, there's really no human pressure. So it is all just what's happening within, which is, know.
Steve (20:24.905)
Okay.
Antler Up Podcast (20:27.101)
Did it know human pressure is good and it's also bad at the same time just because it's a widespread of acreage and if you got to get in there and your access is very limited. it really tests your ability to get in on these deer.
Steve (20:34.073)
Yeah. Yep, and I will say speaking of pressure, it does not take a whole lot of pressure to bother deer. Like we had an area last year that's one of our best areas. It's about over a mile of just going back on a logging road, which usually walking like you can you anytime you go a mile more back in.
just with your boots, makes a huge difference. Well, the e -bikes are becoming a little bit of a problem now because they're almost, mean, basically they're like mini dirt bikes. I mean, they're effortless to get back in in areas. And I'm not saying I'm against them, but like that's changing things as far as where I like to hunt. Like if there's gated access where the e -bikes can get back now, I'm noticing that those areas aren't as good. We...
It's amazing too, like every year we have a few cameras back in this area and you know we get a ton of daytime activity and then last year it was completely opposite it was way more nighttime activity but there are three or four other guys back in there hunting off e -bikes and I really think that that's what made the difference is just you you get three four hunters in an area consistently hunting, scouting it will change the whole ballgame, it will change what they're doing.
those deer will not go in that area during daytime hours as much. it doesn't take a whole lot of pressure to change things.
Antler Up Podcast (22:06.42)
Yeah, I couldn't agree more. There's been times where I want to say maybe two years ago, the one, well, I think of the two track road going down a mountain and one side is usually where I bounce around to both, but one side in particular, my dad likes to hunt. And there was an older gentleman that like, he recently joined our club that we belonged to and stuff. And my dad kind of had an idea where he was going, but he ended up being a little bit closer than we end.
anticipated and we thought, and my dad didn't really know that. And we were just like, man, like hunting wise, camera wise, just scouting wise, the one spot we didn't see what we have in the past. sometimes like Steve, I'm talking like you would see a good bit of deer for the mountain. And I, the one day during rifle season, I killed a doe when I was walking back up through, was just scouting a little bit. I heard some more, more deer come up through a little bit later when I was, when I was taking care of the deer and
Steve (22:49.229)
Yep.
Steve (23:02.904)
you
Antler Up Podcast (23:04.969)
I was like, what is that? And it was a big kind of like a hunting blind. And I was like, man, no wonder why we haven't seen anything on this side. It's because he put this big sucker up and he was just kind of probably pushing the deer. And since then, since now, things are getting back to normal. But for that year, it was very, we didn't know why. My dad was like, I don't know what he did. And if he put something up there and I was like, he put a big hunting blind up there.
It feels just by himself too as an older gentleman. I'm sure he wasn't the quietest getting in there and putting that up there. yeah, it's like you said, it doesn't take much and it's fascinating to see what the deer end up doing. you know, it's an interesting piece to the puzzle, that's for sure.
Steve (23:51.658)
Yep. And like I always say, I, try to flank hunting pressure. like I don't mind pressure in areas because it helps you eliminate areas. You talked about where you're from. There's just so much acreage. Like it's like, okay, we know this area is getting hunted, but we can kind of flank, you know, half mile over here. You know, it, it really, it helps. And it actually helps in more ways than not, as long as it's not like too spread out or like, you know, you can't have hunters everywhere, but.
you know, just paying attention to where other people are hunting, what they're doing, trying to be a little bit smarter than them as far as maybe not going in there as often, being a little bit more crucial about entering and accessing and those kinds of things. I mean, I love to see other hunters, but it's like, also got to pay attention to what they're doing because I know the deer are doing the same thing.
Antler Up Podcast (24:44.576)
Yeah. So let me ask you this, Steve, just because this has been a topic that's been brought up to me and I've experienced a different outlook on it. Kind of what we were just saying with family and having time span, you know, this past spring and summer was a, I didn't get as much time in the woods as I would normally have, you know, would like to, especially the year prior, how much time I did put in and how much I'd learned. with that, Steve, if you could, know, looking at
If you could really hone in on a time period of you can only focus on scouting one particular time of year, when are you doing that?
Steve (25:22.44)
Yeah, I still always say like probably March, early, early April, you know, before everything gets green. you know, I do mention a lot, like, you know, you can't bank on whatever happened last year to happen again the next year, but yet there's still a lot you can take from it every year. you're still going to learn how deer moving through areas. You get away with so much at that time of year because you can heavily scout areas and it's not going to impact, you know, your season.
you know, in the following season. You can still really get an idea on buck bedding that time of year. Get right in those bedding areas. Literally, you know, if it's a patch of cover, you can cover every square inch of it then and not have to worry. And also too, a lot of times that time of year, you you might be able to find where bucks were bedding in the fall, but they still might be in kind of like that late winter mode.
You might not even be bumping deer at all that time of year. So that's when I do most of my boots on the ground scouting. That's where I've learned more about areas than any other time. Like this time of year, I hate to just go crazy and just trying to look for every nook and cranny. It's just, you hate to be bumping deer right before hunting season, especially deer and mature bucks. They have a sense that it's getting started.
Antler Up Podcast (26:46.602)
Okay.
Steve (26:47.009)
And now's the time of year that you just gotta be a little bit more picky on how you scout. Know where to go, where not to go, and what to do and what not to do. It's important to scout still at all times of year and especially during the season, but you can really go heavy that late winter, early spring time of year. And I just love being in the woods at that time.
Antler Up Podcast (27:12.524)
Yeah, I agree with you. I would say like for me, once Labor Day hits, I usually go home with my dad, do one last kind of hurrah with him just to do that. And after that, we're both out of the woods. And even the locations that usually he and I will hunt up there, we don't get in there until that really good cold snap, probably that middle, late October anyway. So it's like that has almost, over a month and a half basically to kind of die down a little bit and get everything all settled.
and then even locally, I try to try to that Labor Day weekend as well. It's like, I want everything done and set and ready to go that way. I'm not in there until maybe opening day and I can keep tabs on, you know, if I have, I only have one cell camera out, I think on, yeah, one cell camera out on public right now. And that's, you know, hope and it's honestly, it's like, I'm hoping to hunt it. I'm not sure if I'll get to it this year, but if I do great, but the only time.
I really want to keep tabs on other hunters, like you said, the pressure and that. that's kind of my game plan is to kind of be done as well around Labor Day for sure.
Steve (28:20.922)
Yep, I will add like a lot of my in season scouting is down in the creek bottoms, especially because at least where I'm from, there's very little bedding down in the bottoms. It's mostly high elevation, but like you might find some hot sign or maybe you got a camera that it's getting a lot of night pictures, you know, at the bottom of a ridge. Like you're still getting an idea where wherever you're finding these little hot zones down in these bottoms.
You know that somewhere above there is where these deer are bedded most likely. And you can get away with a lot down there because those deer are only mainly coming down at night. So you're not really impacting their daily routines and where they're bedded and where they're feeding. But you start down in those bottoms and then as the season progresses, you start to pick, all right, you know, I know I got that camera up near that bedding area. Maybe I'm just going to check it once.
have my stand on my back, you know, when the wind's right and everything's right. And because that bottom below it's been good, I'm going to go in there and just double check and then I'll pick from there. But that way you're not bouncing around ridge to ridge and just blowing everything out. You know, I try to stay out of areas quite frequently from where I think deer are bedded and spending a lot of their daytime hours.
Antler Up Podcast (29:40.398)
Yeah. Yeah. So when you look at this year, Steve, how you were mentioned earlier, like, you know, you're going to be limited. You're going be selective. What, what kind of, what from last year's hunt, just because I had the chance to read your, article of how you really did that. you briefly mentioned about, you know, having that Intel, you know, what is, what is going to be your key focus on, on like the Steve shirt.
Steve (30:03.619)
Yeah.
Antler Up Podcast (30:10.265)
hunting situation for 2024 for yourself.
Steve (30:14.478)
Sure. Well, you know, yeah, I do got maybe four or five days of archery this year. I just, my confidence is not going to be with archery, especially, I mean, that's a decent time of year, maybe from the ninth to the 14th or whatever it is. But I just got a feeling I'll probably won't connect then and my better chance is going to be in gun season. But one thing I did last year, and I think this is just a dynamite strategy is
Like how I shot my buck was I I was hunting beds from a long distance and like my plan was to get on these beds before these bucks come in, you know, well before daylight. But I'm talking like 150, 200 yards away, like literally, you know, where you can watch these beds from a distance. Like I know a lot of people have tried doing this with a bow, but I think it's more effective with a gun because you got wind, you got noise movement, those kinds of things. And your access like
I think it's a phenomenal tactic that not many people are trying. hear gun season, you're thinking people are tracking people, they're sitting in stands waiting for deer to get pushed around. And at that time of year, like bucks are in that post -rut recovery mode. They're bedded up more than anything, especially I'm you know, the first few days after opening day of gun season, these deer are pressured.
Antler Up Podcast (31:26.17)
Okay.
Steve (31:41.139)
And another thing that I've done too that's crazy is, so like how I screwed up last year was the buck was vetted right where I thought he was.
Steve (31:59.98)
Okay, yeah, so I'm hunting this buck bad and I'm actually probably a little too close but his only spot I thought I could see it good and here the buck that I shot was bedded there the whole time and I waited 15 minutes. Kind of long story short, I got in too late and then I bumped him. But what I'm doing now is I scouted in the postseason as I was, I put ribbons above a lot of these beds are near because I thought I could see the bed and I couldn't. So now like for this coming gun season when I hunt these
Antler Up Podcast (32:09.85)
Thank you.
Steve (32:30.066)
over these beds, if I can see the ribbon, I can see the, most likely see that bed. Cause that there was just a little bit of a knoll that, that was blocking me from seeing that buck. But that's what I really, really, really liked that strategy because you know, getting in there, getting, getting far away or even sometimes knowing exactly where that bed is, you can still hunt in there too. Like I might hunt one bed.
you know before daylight and maybe wait a half hour to an hour then move on to another one but I've learned like how to find ways for the topography where I can peek over ridge and check that bed and knowing exactly where a lot of these bedding areas are and specifically where the bed is like with a rifle I think it's just a dynamite tactic and I really enjoyed doing that.
Antler Up Podcast (33:18.085)
Yeah, are you mainly trying to come, what's your access into those locations? Are you trying more so to come obviously from the top or are you side -heeling? What's your main preference for that?
Steve (33:32.424)
Yes, absolutely. You know, trying to look from from top to bottom. I do think especially like a leeward situation, which you you got to pay attention to the wind. But a lot of these bucks when they're bedded, say in that upper third are looking downhill. So if you know how to access that bed right and keep the wind in your favor, like I'll have like just like one tree mark for like I've already scouted for this coming gun season when I go to check that bed, I know that
If I stand behind this one tree that I get a clear view of that bed like 180 yards out if the wind's right. And all I'm doing is bed hunting all day. Just for the fact that I find that in gun season, most of our bucks are pretty much just locked right down in that hiding mode till after dark. It just, once again, I think it's just a dynamite tactic. It worked last year and that's once again too like.
That's why when I actually got to hunt that way last year and like to really strategize and like even focused on that individual deer that I shot, like that's where it really felt like, like that was just phenomenal feeling to pick out a deer, especially right where he's bedded and kill him. Like that's what I want to do. That kind of stuff versus just like I keep saying every year, hopping a stand for an hour, mediocre spot.
It's just, it's not as fun doing it that way.
Antler Up Podcast (35:01.82)
I'll tell you what Steve, that story was phenomenal. mean, just reading it, like as I was reading that, I'm able to sit there and close my eyes and visualize like what, like you in the moment and like when you're at, like you said, the magazine was back at home with underneath the dog and just, I guess it was just crazy, Steve. like you brought the viewer, like reading it with you and yeah, was a heck of a story and such a cool deer too.
Steve (35:18.905)
Yeah.
Antler Up Podcast (35:31.708)
Like you said, it may not have been your biggest, but man, what a cool, you know, dear of being in a 20 inch spread and set, you know, it was such a cool story.
Steve (35:41.255)
Yep, and especially too, I will just touch on that. If anyone wants to know why did I choose that select bed, well, the biggest reason of all was it was probably like a 30 degree day, if I remember, with like 20, 30 mile an hour winds, and all it was was a wind break. It was right over on the side of a steep ridge where the wind just blows right over. It's just this little bowl situation.
but like that's where I'm also like, as I'm scouting and, know, just trying to learn areas more and more every year, like I would notice whenever I would scout this area and that certain wind, I kid you not, like there'd be a deer. A lot of times I'd bump a buck from that individual bed, like just amazing the information you can collect and actually have an impact. Like I wouldn't have hunted that deer in that particular spot.
had it have been any other day or any situation. Like it was by far my most favorite hunt that I've ever had. I've killed some bigger deer, but yet like I can't believe that everything I thought was gonna happen, happened. Like that deer could have been a lot of other places and that it was in that first bed that I thought it was gonna be given that weather situation. I that was just unbelievable.
Antler Up Podcast (36:53.255)
Yeah.
Antler Up Podcast (37:00.697)
Yeah, so cool. What about, has it been, have you guys been wet or dry this past summer? Cause where I've been, it seems like we've been a little bit of more dry than, than wet.
Steve (37:12.613)
Early on to like May June super wet and then by mid -july it got super dry then we got we got a ton of rain like Early August and then now it's getting dry again one thing I'm noticing too come compared to other years and I'm not quite sure what this means but a lot of our acorns Usually start dropping heavily about right now, which there's quite a few fallen but
Things seem delayed up my way this year. Like there is some white oak. Last year I remember white oak just being like marbles at this time last year. And this year they're still green and barely dropping. So it's just once again, every year is a little bit different. And I'm not sure if drought or what is causing some of this stuff to happen.
Antler Up Podcast (37:58.536)
Yeah.
Antler Up Podcast (38:05.012)
Yeah, I'm with you. My dad has a couple big white oaks in his backyard and same thing sometimes when I go in like, geez, daddy, you can't even walk to these deer targets to try to shoot and practice on because you're it's like it's like walking on ice. It's crazy. But same thing for him. Like when I was just in like that, you barely have any white oaks on the ground. I said the ones that are is the deer coming and scoop them up. But for the most part, you could see them like you said green is all day.
they're still hanging on. it's, it's definitely, but like, man, the red oaks though, back up on the club. And then even here where I live, when I was out scouting a couple of weeks ago, like for that Labor Day weekend, I was just shocked of how many red oaks are, are plentiful right now. It's crazy.
Steve (38:34.081)
Yeah.
Steve (38:51.331)
Yeah, I do think red oaks are going to be the key this year. I know a lot of people like to hunt white oaks and I'll just touch on that because we brought it up like I honestly like red oaks more because I find that red oaks generally are closer to bedding because a lot of our bedding is going to be on east and north slopes. lot of your white oaks are mainly on south and west slopes. So a lot of times those deer will hit those red oaks before they hit the white oak. So that's just something to keep in mind because
Antler Up Podcast (39:00.991)
Mm
Steve (39:20.461)
that's kind of on their way to the white house especially.
Antler Up Podcast (39:22.399)
Yeah. Yeah. All right, Steve, here. Let me ask you this one. You have the opportunity now to have like October, let's say 24 through the 30th. You have a nice six day window. You're given that opportunity. What's your game plan? The conditions on day two are the best. It's you're finally a nice little cold snap. You're dropping maybe 15 plus degrees.
What's your setup? What are you looking at?
Steve (39:54.978)
At least on that hot day and I don't talk a lot or hot day meaning like hot movement day weather wise The hot the best day I would probably do an all -day sit in my best travel corridor Somewhere where I've had that you know just past history it wouldn't even have to be like you know Holy cow this camera's been on fire. I'm gonna hunt here like I would probably just based on historic Intel
sit all day in that spot just because I know it's just a great travel corridor, probably a good funnel. Then probably the rest of that week if that didn't pay off I would do a mix of hunting hot scrapes and then depending on how I thought the movement was if it was prime weather I'd probably mix scrape hunting along with travel corridors because once again that's a time of year where bucks are going to be moving good and I'd probably just keep banking on
those scenarios and that strategy throughout that period until hopefully I get one in my pack.
Antler Up Podcast (40:55.242)
Yeah. When you, when you mentioned like that travel quarter, are you still being a little bit close to that cover?
Steve (41:01.83)
absolutely. Yeah. Like a lot of my best buck travel corridors, they're not like spots where I'm getting tons and tons of pictures every year. Like honestly, I might only get four or five good bucks every year throughout the rut in that travel route. But like that's usually on those best days of the year for movements. It's going to be mostly during that seeking phase.
on a prime weather day and that's my point. Say like every year, if we get good weather late October on this one travel corridor where I got a camera, I usually might get maybe three good bucks on it every year. But you think of your odds. I'm picking the best potential, looks like the best day, best weather day, best time for movement. There's a pretty good chance a good buck's gonna come through there on that day, given the right scenario.
Antler Up Podcast (41:56.46)
Yeah. Man, I hope that happens for you. I hope something, hope weather could cooperate for you. it's like, hey, you got a nice little two day, I could go hunt the 27th or 28th. the one thing too Steve that fascinates me and why I thoroughly enjoy listening to you, one, you're well -spoken. Number one, it's great knowledge and you're out there and not only for yourself, but like you said, for your clients. it's...
Steve (42:00.837)
That's it.
Antler Up Podcast (42:25.627)
I always like hearing what your point of view, just because again, we're hunting the big woods the same way. And I just appreciate your value and your input that you help us all these hunters out. And I'm excited for this year and I'm excited to see what the year kind of transpires for you.
Steve (42:45.95)
Yeah, no and same with you. I always enjoy it You know what I found in life that Or God has blessed me a lot is it seems like the more I give the more he blesses me and that's pretty much what it says in the Bible too, so I just you know, that's partially to why this year like I don't have to hunt as much because I really do get a lot just from doing a podcast like this guiding people like writing articles you name it like
I am just finding more joy from doing that really than anything else. My hunting time is going to be limited this year. I'm going to hunt probably less than I ever have my whole life, but there's going to be no regrets. Honestly, I'm blessed and I'm just still super excited for this season.
Antler Up Podcast (43:33.568)
Awesome, Steve. Steve, I greatly appreciate you taking the time to record this with me today. Where can people continue to check you out and root for you on this year as you get after it?
Steve (43:45.2)
Yeah, just look me up, Shirk's Guide Service on Instagram or same thing on Facebook. Hopefully this year, I am gonna try to get a little bit more involved through social media throughout hunting season. I generally am so busy every year that I start to back away, but also what I have found is that is the time of year where people want to read about.
how to kill a buck. want to see success. They want to see those trail cam photos. So I'm hoping as the season goes on one way or the other, I can get a little bit more involved and kind of keep everyone's lifted if I can help in any way.
Antler Up Podcast (44:26.601)
There you go. was going to say, I'm sure you're not going to have any complaints out of me or anybody else on that one, Steve.
Steve (44:31.517)
Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha
Antler Up Podcast (44:33.901)
Yeah, I appreciate that one. Thanks again, man, for coming on. And thanks again, everybody, for listening. Please go check Steve out. And we'll see you next week, everybody antler up.
