Ep. 72: The Finer Points of Hand Signals
31:45 Share

Check engine light on? Take the guesswork out of your check engine light with O'Reilly Veriscan. It's free and provides a report with solutions based on over 650 million vehicle scans verified by ASE certified master technicians. And if you need help, we can recommend a shop for you. Ask for O'Reilly Veriscan today. O, O, O'Reilly Auto Parts.

You ever get that feeling, the walls closing in, the concrete jungle suffocating you? You crave some wide open spaces, the chance to connect with nature, maybe in a spot all your own. Well, head over to land.com. They've got ranches, forests, mountains, streams, you name it. Search by acreage. You can search by location. You can search by the kind of hunting and fishing you're dreaming of. Land.com. It is where the adventure begins.

Market House has the cleanest, leanest, juiciest meat and seafood shipped to your home overnight. Expect the service of a local butcher and the convenience of a large supplier. Unlike many online butchers, you can grab just one meal's worth or lock in for a subscription box. Choose from grass-fed and grass-finished beef, American Wagyu, free-range poultry, grass-fed lamb, wild-caught king crab, seafood, and more.

and more. For 15% off your first order, use code COUNTRY at checkout. Just visit markethouse.com. That's M-A-R-K-E-T-H-O-U-S-E dot com. And use the code COUNTRY.

As a guide and hunter, I've spent thousands of days in the field. This show is about translating my hard-won experiences into tips and tactics that'll get you closer to your ultimate goal, success in the field. I'm Remy Warren. This is Cutting the Distance. There's seriously nothing worse, in my opinion, than planting a stalk on a good deer, getting to exactly where you think you should be, and the place is a ghost town.

What I don't like about it is just not knowing what happened. Did he move? Did he spook? Maybe he just bedded down. You may never know. That's unless you have a spotter. When planning a stalk, it's always easier to have someone watching from an advantage and doing what I call directing traffic. Hand signals can be a great way to guide another hunter in, but if you're not on the same page, it can honestly be more confusing than it's worth.

So this week, I'm going to be breaking down the tried and true use of hand signals. So text your hunting buddy right now to listen in on this podcast because it takes two to tango. But before we go there, I'm going to share the story of today's late season archery mule deer hunt with my wife. I figured if I'm going to tell a hunting story, might as well tell the story of today's hunt. My wife and I drew some late season archery mule deer tags. And this is kind of my wife's like first jump into hunting.

archery hunting earlier this year. She just thought she's been on a few archery hunts with me and thought it'd be pretty exciting to try herself. So we got her shooting a bow and she, we actually went out and did some small games, some grouse hunting, and she's doing really well and just progressing really well, just all in preparation for this tag. So she's been really excited. Unfortunately,

today was the first day we could get out. I was actually had a trip already planned in Alaska and just got back. So we kind of gathered up our stuff and went out today, first morning. I figured, okay, I'll just, we'll continue to hunt and I can do these podcasts at night whenever, after we get back. So we went out and not having any time to scout, I just started to check a few areas that I'd hunted before and

The first part of the morning didn't really see much. You know, we hadn't had a whole lot of weather. Sometimes late season hunts can be a little more migration dependent. We'd got some weather. So I thought, okay, this is going to be great.

And then didn't really see what we were looking for the first part of the day. So we switched areas, kind of got into a new spot away from people. Some weather started moving in. It was cloudy, snowing, cold. Fog started to roll in. So the glassing visibility wasn't that great. But before we lost visibility, spotted a couple bucks down in this valley, like kind of in this patch of aspen trees. So saw one buck and he was actually a nice buck, poor.

pushing some does in the Aspen. So we're like, okay, we'll go over there. The snow is deep where we were at. So we got up to the top and I'm like, all right, it's maybe a mile and a half. Let's go over there and stock in. So on the way there,

We get into a group of deer and my wife's just looking to get her first bow harvest, like first bow kill. So not being super picky, there's a big fork and horn. So we're like, let's stock this. The snow starts moving in. We start crawling in and all of a sudden,

The one deer we saw bedded turned into about 15 deer, mostly does like, man, this is going to be a tough stock, but we're headed for some other deer anyway. So, so let's do a quick stock. If we get in there, great. If not, no tears, you know, is there's probably quite a few other bucks like this one around, but,

So let's just kind of knock the rust off, get a little stock in. It was actually honestly a bad stocking condition. We didn't get very far before the does sauce and blew out and thought, okay, at least they blew up the correct direction. So we continued on as we're now getting closer and

We hit some patches of pretty deep snow, like three, four foot drifts on the backside. And we're like, okay, man, if we got to walk all the way there and then all the way back up the mountain in this snow, it's going to be tough. So we kind of tried to navigate to a spot with a little less snow, pick a different route over there. And on the way, sure enough, here's another buck. Okay. So these other two bucks are feeding and like, okay, these are kind of by themselves. It looks like a bachelor group. Maybe if we see two right now, there might be more.

So we slowly crept in, but just the, I think they definitely heard us. The snow wasn't really, I wouldn't say crunchy, but it wasn't quiet either. They blew out. So like, okay, well we got about 60 yards on those, but she wants to get within 30, 35 yards. It's like, this is going to be tough. So we continue on to that bigger buck that was in those Aspen trees thinking, okay, I just saw like a couple of does and a buck. So we get up over on the hillside where we can look into those Aspen trees and

We're glassing and I'm like, I see the does in there and not the buck. So I start moving down the hill that we're on, like the opposite hill of where they're at.

And sure enough, a deer jumps up. And this is just something that kind of happens in migration areas where you start getting a bunch of deer moving in. In this sage that we had to go through to get to where we're going was just a pocket loaded full of does. Probably 60 does. One blew out and it took the whole hillside running. We didn't even get within 500 yards of the deer we were trying to stalk.

Sure enough, those does blew out, scattered everywhere. We couldn't see them because they were laying in sage that was about neck high. And there went our stock for the day. So we're like, ah, bummer. This sucks. Well, let's head back to the truck. There's a lot of deer around. We might see something. So we head back and we're starting to head out.

And I spot a couple other bucks, but nothing in a good stocking position. I said, okay, we're just not even going to waste our time on these deer that are just unstockable. The wind was bad. They're bedded in a good spot, just not in a good position for stocking. So we're on our way out. And as we're heading out, I spot antler tips coming up the hill in front of us. I'm like, ooh, buck, buck. So

The buck crosses in front of us and then starts feeding. It's perfect. The wind's good. And we're already fairly close within that 200 yards. So we creep in a little bit closer. She gets within range, but then just no shot. It's like, oh man, that was so close yet so far away.

Like, all right, well, let's keep going. So we go just a little bit further and just around the bend, there was this earlier that day I'd spotted this really big, I called it Forkasaurus. It's just a giant Fork and Horn. It was like a, probably a regressed buck, real mature animal, just a big buck, only two points on each side, but very tall tines, just like cool looking deer. And he's with a bunch of does and there's actually two bucks in the group.

I'm like, okay, I'm going to stay here. I got my camera out. I'm like, I'm going to guide you in because that way it's just like less people, less movement. And they're kind of in this tall sage mix and a really steep hill. So

It was kind of hard. It's like hard to know where they're going. So I hold back and she starts to creep up. She's crawling in and now she's like on the steep face below them. It's pretty vertical. So you can't really see until you get close and I can see she's, she's creeping up and I'm directing her up in that group of deer. There's the buck with some does right above her. So as she's creeping in, I can tell she sees a doe. She gets down and she can start seeing the group of deer.

But what she can't see is the buck walked up and around and is now on the other side of her. So I start hand signaling like, right, go right. She looks at me like, right. I'm like, yes, right. She's looking, she can see the deer. She's like, okay, I'm just going to trust his hand signals. So there happened to be two bucks and the bigger bucks circled around and went to this bush. So I just start hand signaling. She's looking at me. She can't see above her because the hill is steep and the brush is

thick. So she's looking back at me, I'm hand signaling over, up. She goes and I just start directing her in. And I can see the deer because I've got this wide view, this panoramic TV view of seeing everything. So I direct her right to the bush and she gets down and then I can tell she sees it. Antler tips right on the other side of the bush. And I mean, from my view, because the two of them are stacked together, it looks like the deer's five feet away. It ended up being 15 yards.

So now this is her first opportunity at a mule deer buck. And I can tell she's pretty excited. So the buck's moving right. I guided her right in to the perfect spot. She draws back. The buck's now feeding and it's just going to walk out right broadside. Perfect. But instead turns and starts going left, not like moving fast, just milling and feeding. So she's already at full draw and she creeps around the point of the bush and I can see her settle the pin and she shoots and

And it just hits the bush right in front of her. Her sight picture was clear, but the bush she was trying to shoot around, she didn't notice that her arrow was lower. And I was like, oh no, the things you learn archery hunting. I mean, I've made that mistake probably myself.

I don't even know how many times I did it on a doll sheep in Alaska once just hammered the rock right in front of me two feet away. And since that time is just one of those like experiences where you just have to have those experiences. You think at 15 yards, there's no way you can miss. And yet you focus in so much that you don't realize your arrow doesn't clear the tree branch right in front of you.

and you've got that deer right in your sight, dead to rights and something goes wrong. And I said, welcome to bow hunting. I mean, that right there perfectly describes to me what bow hunting is. It's everything combined of so many things you need to learn, so many things you need to do. And even when everything looks so perfect, there's still those little things you need to pay attention to that can go wrong. But if she would have just kept creeping on those other deer,

She would have completely had no opportunity at the buck because I was sat back and was able to direct her. And even though she thought, okay, those, I can see deer here. They've got to be right here. Just following those hand signals, um,

It was able to get her within range, within 15 yards of a buck that she probably would have messed up or not even... She wouldn't have even known that that buck peeled off and went in another direction had she just been stalking in or had I been stalking in with her. So there was a huge ability to just like...

helping hand, I call it like a helping hand, guiding her in to the deer when I could take that original view and see everything from the director's chair and kind of help direct her into position to get close enough for a bow shot. Now, I'll be real honest with you. I...

have had a love-hate relationship with hand signals for a very long time. For me, I generally hunt alone. I do a lot of solo hunting when I'm hunting for myself. So I don't have somebody else helping direct me in or even know what happens if I stalk in and then lose the animal or can't find it. I think that often the best way to stalk is

You end up losing sight of whatever you're stocking at some point through the stock because you have to go around the backside, come in from the top. You've got to adjust your plan and you're going to lose sight of him at some point. That's where having somebody there to watch really can pay dividends. Now, for me personally, I've gotten used to hunting without that, but I do...

when I hunt with other people, I realize what a benefit it is to be able to help guide people in. Now, there are some states that allow radios, two-way communication. Me personally, even in states where it's legal, I don't use it and I don't like to use it partially because, I don't know, just personal preference. But I feel like the hand signals are a little bit different because it's more of an archaic form of guiding someone in. And

If you've ever done it, you can realize that a lot can go wrong, even with hand signals. And I think that the thing that goes wrong most is poor communication and poor pre-planning between the two people trying to signal each other in. So if done correctly, however, I will say that it is extremely effective at getting someone into position and it's a way that you can communicate back and forth silently and the

The person with the director's chair, the big view can help guide the hunter as things move. So I think that if we're going to break down hand signals, we first have to talk about the basics. What hand signals are is you've got someone watching and someone stalking. So the hunter's stalking, obviously, the person watching is seeing, hopefully has a view of where the animal is and can then pick up the hunter along the way.

The person signaling his job is to direct the hunter to the animal, obviously. So you're going to need some standard commands. Here are the commands that I think are necessary. And I think any more than this is kind of unnecessary. So your standard commands are going to be up, down, right, left. You need something for yes, something for no, something for I don't know. And then you need something to communicate. It is the same. It has changed. It is over.

O'Reilly Auto Parts are in the business of keeping your car on the road. I love O'Reilly. In fact, the other day, I'm not kidding you. The other day I went into an O'Reilly Auto Parts looking for a part. I needed a different thing that wasn't really in there, you know, only like tangentially related to what they carry.

They did not have it, and the dude told me specifically where I would go down the road to find it is how nice they are. They offer friendly, helpful service and the parts knowledge you need for all your maintenance and repairs. Thousands of parts and accessories in stock, in-store, or online, so you never have to worry if you're in a jam.

They'll test your battery for free. If you need your windshield wipers replaced, a brake light fixed, or quick service, they'll help you find the right part or point you to a local repair shop for help. Whether you're a car aficionado or an auto novice, you'll find the employees at O'Reilly Auto Parts are knowledgeable, helpful, best of all, friendly. These guys are your one-stop shop for all things auto, do-it-yourself,

You can find what you need in store or online. Stop by O'Reilly Auto Parts today or visit them at OReillyAuto.com slash MeatEater. That's OReillyAuto.com slash MeatEater. We've all seen plenty of gadgets and fads come and go, but here's one product that stood the test of time. Seafoam motor treatment. Lots of hunters and anglers know that seafoam helps engines run better and last longer.

It's really simple. When you pour it in your gas tank, seafoam cleans harmful fuel deposits that cause engine problems. I'm talking common stuff like hard starts, rough engine performance, or lost fuel economy. Seafoam is an easy way to prevent or overcome these problems. Just pour a can in your gas tank and let it clean your fuel system. You probably know someone who has used a can of seafoam to get their truck or boat going again. People everywhere rely on seafoam to keep their trucks, boats, and small engines running the way that they should the entire season.

Help your engine run better and last longer. Pick up a can of Seafoam today at your local auto parts store or visit seafoamworks.com to learn more.

This is Brent Reeves from This Country Life. What makes South Dakota the greatest for pheasant hunting? With over 1.2 million pheasants harvested last year, South Dakota boasts the highest population of pheasants in the nation. In fact, you'd have to add up the total harvest from neighboring states just to get that many birds.

There's also millions of wide open acres chock full of different landscapes, meaning the hunt in one county is often completely different from just a few counties over. But what really makes South Dakota the greatest goes way beyond just hunting a colorful bird. It's the pursuit of something more like the camaraderie that awaits all kinds of hunters from all walks of life and partaking in South Dakota tradition over 100 years in the making.

It's about taking the greatest shots and watching your dog work the greatest fields in the greatest lands, carrying on the greatest heritage and making the greatest memories. So what are you waiting for? From the rush of the flush to the stories at the end of the day, experience a thrill like no other. Learn how at huntthegreatest.com. So I'll jump into the, like breaking this down here.

here. So the signaler, the way that I think works the best and what you need is two people to be on the same page. That is the number one key tactic. So whether you're a signaler or you're the stalker, you need to have this down, memorized and understood before you embark on a

The way that I operate hand signals is the signaler should always direct where the person needs to go from where they're looking. So the direction of travel needed. So if I'm looking out at the mountain, I've got the hunter at one point, let's call the hunter at point A and the deers at point B. Point A, from my view, he needs to go right to get to point B. The hunter needs to move right to go to the deer. I put my arm right.

If he needs to go up, I put my arm up above my head. If he needs to go down, down below my head and left, left arm out. So as he's looking, he can look back at the glasser and he goes the direction that he's pointing. So, okay, he's looking and okay, I go that way. Now, you don't want to be pointing at the animal, but you're using your arms as direction. So left, right, up, down.

essentially covers all the directions on a hill that a person can go. Now, you also need something where you can communicate back and forth because this is where hand signals fall apart. The person doesn't know if the deer is where they were before, if the deer has changed, anything like that. So I like to have an easy way of communicating these three things. It is the same. It has changed. It is over.

When the hunter leaves the glasser, I like to set up something where at a glance, they can understand how or what I'm looking at without having to make any signals or anything. So the way I do that, I generally have like a, even if I'm archery hunting or whatever, I have an extra blaze orange vest in my backpack, or I use a game bag, like a white game bag, something easy to see. Before the hunter leaves, I set it on one side of me,

up maybe where I either tie it on my pack or maybe there's a branch or something I can put on. So if I'm sitting down looking at the hill, I generally put whatever I'm using, my orange vest or game bag to the left of my body. So it'll just be sitting there constantly, always to my left. That means that when...

What we're looking at when the hunter leaves, it's the same. So if he's stalking a bedded buck and he looks back at any point during the stalk to check in and sees that that game bag or orange vest is to my left, when he's looking at it, it'd be to my right, obviously, but you do it while he's there or he or she is there so they know where it's at.

They know that it's the same as when they left. So they're going to plan their stock. You're going to plan a stock and you're going to assume that, okay, I'm going to stock into this animal like everything is the same.

When they left. Now, if things change, I move the game bag or the orange vest to the other side of me. So at a glance, the person can look and say, okay, something has changed. They are not in the same place or maybe not the exact same place, but not in the general vicinity. It's moved. I'm going to have to reassess the stock and use more hand signals to go in.

Now, if it's the hunt's blown, I generally take that thing and either put it away or put it on or put it above me or wave it around something to signify that, hey, we need to regroup the stocks over. You either blew it or it's so messed up at this point. The animals move so far that we need to regroup and reassess and restock. The hand signals are no longer going to work.

Just having that where the hunter can check in and identify that takes out a lot of communication problems and communicates a lot of information very simply and a lot of information that's important for directing a person in. When you think about hand signals and directing people, it needs to be something simple and it needs to be in a way that you can communicate clearly. And really all you need to communicate is direction of travel and whether things are working or not.

So I have a couple of signals that I use for yes, no, and I don't know. Yes, I got from when I was scuba diving, trying to communicate underwater, just putting your hands in a circle above your head. That means everything's okay. Like making an O with your arms around your head. That's what I use. It just says, okay, everything's okay. Yes. It's a way of communicating positive.

I use my hands as an X to communicate no. So if they're going somewhere or they're pointing in a direction, I use the X as no. Something's wrong. Look at me. The X is no go. And then sometimes things happen where you're the glasser. You look, the deer is gone. You don't know if he's there. You don't know if he's not there. That's the kind of shrugged shoulders, W shape, like the, I don't know.

I don't know. Arms up to both sides, like it would make a W between your head and your hands. Just like, hmm, I don't know. Is he there? Maybe. And that's a good, having those three things to communicate back and forth with hand signals is huge, but it's also something that's easily identifiable over a long distance.

Now, when we're talking about directions, a lot of times you got to understand that you might be 500, 600, 700 yards away. So it might be hard for the person stalking in to see the hand signals that you're doing. As the director, as the person giving the hand signals, a lot of times I'll just take a game bag out, use that white game bag for the direction so it's easier to see.

Now, what you have to make sure is you have to have some way of communicating back and forth that the person needs a signal. So as the glasser, you're going to be watching the person stalk in. One thing that I do, I often use my hat to get the attention of the glasser. So I'll flash my hat to say, hey, give me a direction. Am I good? Am I okay? What's going on? If I turn my hat backwards, it's saying I'm not really sure where I'm going or what I'm doing and I need some more direction.

the glasser's responsibility is going to be to continually direct the person who's stalking in. This best works with a spotting scope so you can have your hands free. The glasser will be sitting there with the spotting scope watching and then constantly giving direction like up, down, left, right toward the animal. So at any point, the person stalking can check in with their binoculars, see, okay, I need to go this way and then continue on the path.

One thing you have to definitely think about is you need there to be time to communicate over long distances with these hand signals for the person stalking to look with their binoculars, check in with you, then

Then put them down. Then the glasser needs to then check in with their binoculars and see if there's any other communication that's needed. If they don't understand, they could give the shrugging motion. I don't know. Or they can understand a reply that they get what's going on by giving the circle or the X saying, no, I don't get get what you're saying.

I think one of the signals that I want to know the most is if the stock's blown. If I'm stocking in and the animal blows out, have some way of communicating at any point as the hunter checks in that, hey, it's over. And so that might be, you know, before you go have a pre-chosen sign for it's over. A lot of times, like I said earlier, I move that indicator, whether it's that game bag to the left, the right, or just put it away. But you also don't want the person to be stocking and not see that

and come back, oh, I thought it was blown. So you definitely want to be able to check in, wave your arms. Hey, we call it off. It's no longer good. We need to regroup. If I were to give you five tips to keeping hand signals successful, the first would be to keep gestures to a minimum.

Stick to directions, yes, no, maybe, and then the sign of whether things are the same or different. You should be able to communicate what you need to with those. When people start ad-libbing, when they start

thinking that they're communicating something with their hands at a long distance that wasn't pre-talked about, confusion sets in. I've had that happen so many times with people that are new that I've hunted with, friends that I've hunted with. I mean, I can think of more times that it hasn't worked out because somebody's done something like, oh, I was trying to tell you that another one came up behind you and you should draw back and look at that one and then shoot and go that way and watch out for that. And there's just...

It's too difficult to communicate too many things. Keep it simple, stupid. Like that's just how it works with hand signals. Have your directions to the animal from where the hunter is, direct them to the animal. Make sure everybody understands that. Have ways to say yes, no, maybe. And then let them know whether it's how it was when they left or if things have changed. And that, just keeping it simple like that,

is going to lead to a lot more success. The next thing is know what the plan is ahead of time. Plan the stock with the hunter. Sometimes the person hunting just goes off and like, okay, I'm going to get over there. And they don't really plan the stock out. Let the person who's glassing know what your initial plan is. Obviously things change, but it can be very difficult to pick out somebody that's crawling and staying hidden in camouflage.

It also could be difficult knowing, hey, what route are you going to take? Where are you planning to get to? Where do you want to get to? I think where stocks go wrong is people only think about getting to the animal, not getting to a place where they can shoot from. So before I leave, I really plan out the stock with whether I'm the signaler or the person stocking. We plan it out. We say, okay, look, the deer's there. He's bedded. He should stay bedded there.

I'm going to go up around the backside. I'm going to pop over at this tree and look for you. I'm going to check in there and see if I can get hand signals or if it's moved. If it hasn't moved, then I'm going to stalk to that rock just off the left side. It looks like that's downwind of where I'm going. It also looks about 20 to 30 yards and maybe a clear opening. I'm going to get there and wait. If it doesn't look like I can get any closer, I'm going to wait there so long as it hasn't moved. Now, if it moves, which way do you think it might go? Well,

I'd say, oh yeah, as the sun comes, I might go re-bed in these trees over here. So if I move the pack to the moved side and then he's moved, maybe we'll do the okay symbol if he moves to that spot. So those are just ways to pre-plan the stock and pre-plan your communication based on what might happen.

You don't know exactly what's going to happen, but you have a pretty good idea of some of the options. So stick to a plan, formulate a plan, and it makes the communication a lot easier between the signaler and the hunter.

The next thing would be wait and look for the signals. And if you think about it, even like a two-way radio, only one person can be on channel at a time. So the trouble that I find is a lot of people get confused because one guy's signaling, the hunter's signaling, where do I go? I don't know. Do I go this way? And the signalers signaling to the hunter, this, this, this, go do this, do this. And they're doing it at the same time, yet they aren't far enough to visually see with their eyeballs. So you need to make sure it's,

one person signaling and then the other person signaling. Look at each other with binoculars, whatever, get in the optics, confirm that they can see you, do your hand signals, then look back. And when they understand this should give you the okay, okay, I got what you're saying. Now I'm going to do it. So communicating back and forth one at a time and then confirming whether you receive the message or not.

The next thing would be the hunter needs to check in. So many times I've been the guy doing hand signals and hunters like, okay, I'm going to do this stock. I'm going to go up there and, and then they never check in. They never look back at the person signaling. I will have moved my thing saying, oh, the, the animals moved and they continue to get so focused in on the stock that they forget to check back in. You think,

Okay, that's very simple. They wouldn't, but it happens so many times where they don't look back. My wife did a really good job on her stock. And the reason she was able to get 15 yards from that deer as opposed to not even get close to the deer was as she got close, she kept checking back, checking back. Is it right? Am I okay? Does everything look good? Yeah, everything looks okay. Everything looks good.

The next thing would be small gestures don't really translate over big distances, but also the reverses. You don't need big gestures at short distances. So on this particular hunt, you know, okay. Could be having the same thing, but just smaller instead of having to go big over your head. I was actually not that far away. She could see me with her binoculars fairly easy, actually probably with her, her bare eyes. So just giving the okay symbol, like finger thumb and index finger.

you know, okay. Typical, like, yep, it's okay. Finger X's, no, you know, using my hat instead of the game bag hat forward means it's the same hat backwards means it's different. Having those for different, different distances, but then also realizing that,

If you're looking five, six, 700 yards, you need binoculars to see the person. Small hand movements don't translate well over big distances. So you really need to exaggerate. One way as it gets further, what I do is I use my not only hand signals, but my body movement. So I hold my hand right and walk right from where I'm at as they're looking at me, hold my hand up, walk back.

back. Just ways to show that they need to go up, they need to go down, they need to go left, they need to go right, but over a larger distance where it's easily translated into, okay, that's what I need to do. And then the last tip would be to trust your signaler, but don't blame them. So many times I've been hunting with guys or I've been the guy stalking and somebody's been directing me.

The person that's looking at the hill is doing the best of their ability. It's not always easy to tell distances sometimes when they're stacked up against each other. They're directing you based on the way that they see it. Communication is limited in one way.

When you leave the person signaling, you have to have the assumption that I'm going over here to stalk. This person will tell me if it's gone. This person might be able to help direct me in if I get confused or if the animal moves. But I'm not relying 100% on them for my success or failure. It's still hunting. It's a team effort at this point.

you know, blaming your hunting partner because, oh, you didn't understand their signal or whatever is a horrible way to go. I've seen, I've seen many a hunting partners get at each other's throats because one guy was a bad signaler. He didn't understand what he was doing. He did a terrible job. The stock was blown. He would have done better with it. It's just like, I've seen that happen, but also trust the guy signaling. He's got a way better vantage than you. Um,

So, you know, trust in what they're saying. If they're saying go right, go right. There's now, there's our times when you're on the ground, you need to make different decisions, but trust that your signal is saying, okay, at least directing you to where the animal is and giving you a better idea of where you need to go. So trust them, but don't blame them. If you do those things, I think that you'll find yourself a lot more successful at being guided in or guiding in your hunting partner on your next stock.

If you really think about the hunting trips you go on, most hunting trips, people are with friends, with a hunting partner, unless you're by yourself, but it's a great advantage to have to really nail down these hand signals ahead of time, to be on the same page, to communicate these things. You're going to find yourself a lot more successful. Guys that have hunted and done this a lot together. I mean, it's very hard starting out. You might say like,

It seems difficult starting out, but the more you do it, the more you practice it, the better you're going to be at it, both as the hunter and the signaler. That's what makes a really good hunting team is people that can communicate well without the use of electronic devices or having to talk. They can just give hand signals. They understand what they're doing, where they're going, and they're

They're going to be a lot more successful that way. So find a good hunting buddy, get on the same page, work these signals out, practice them in the field, use them as often as you can. And you're going to find that you're going to be a lot more successful for it.

I think we're coming into the Christmas time next week. I'm going to do what I like to call my Christmas special. So there's going to be some gear giveaways like I did last year. I like to reward everybody who listens to this podcast. So I got some cool stuff to give away. Nothing huge, but just a little give back. Thank you. Try to make it a little bit easier odds of winning than some just mass giveaways on social media. So good luck at that. You'll have to listen in to figure out how to collect

claim your prize. It's going to be, I think it's Christmas Eve is the next one. So, you know, you'll probably be enjoying it with your family. Maybe we'll do the giveaway within like the, that week of Christmas Eve and on. So you don't have to, but if you want to listen on Christmas Eve, Christmas, whatever with your family or whatever, that's cool too, but enjoy the time with your family. Hopefully you're thinking about hunting. I'll give you some, some good, uh, I like to think about some good holiday stories and then maybe some good tips on that

that hunting between Christmas and New Year's, maybe getting some family out, whether your kids or just people in your family out and some, just some fun hunts that you can do with other people that may hunt, that may not hunt, that may be thinking about getting into hunting, uh, just some fun stuff to do and maybe some ways to cook up what you take home. So look forward to that until next week, keep them pointed in the right direction.

Hey, we're going to take a little break here and talk about interstate batteries. Now, if you're like me, enjoying the great outdoors, you need gear that is as reliable as it gets. That's why I power my adventures with interstate batteries. I use interstate batteries in my boats. I use interstate batteries in my camper. Great for your truck, too. From Alaska to Montana, they're outrageously dependable.

Battery is essential. With over 150,000 dealer locations, finding one is easy. For all your vehicles, land or sea, choose Interstate. Head to InterstateBatteries.com and find your power today. You ever get that feeling, the walls closing in, the concrete jungle suffocating you? You crave some wide open spaces, the chance to connect with nature, maybe in a spot all your own. Well, head over to Land.com.

They've got ranches, forests, mountains, streams, you name it. Search by acreage. You can search by location. You can search by the kind of hunting and fishing you're dreaming of. Land.com. It is where the adventure begins.