Music and Hunting with Cam Spinks

United States. So stop in to a local retail store ask the guy who works there about their car batteries. In hell, you might as well put one in if they're the best in the business. So Interstate Batteries dot com is their website. Go there, find out more information about the culture of the company, the batteries that these guys carry, or just stop into a local retail store. Interstate Batteries outrageously dependable. My name is Clayton Ukaman. I'm

the host of the Bear Hunting Magazine podcast. I'll also be your host into the world of hunting the icon of the North American Wilderness. There fair we'll talk about tactics, gear conservation, but will also bring you into some of the wildest country on the Planet Chasing Fair. I don't know how much you guys are into, uh, like, modern television. I typically have not been, and I think a lot of people like pride themselves on not being into modern television.

But then when you really dig down, you find that there's a lot of stuff that they actually watch and enjoy. Perhaps perhaps I've found myself in that category and I've been caught red handed because this week on the podcast, we've got a guy who's become a friend of mine that I like got named Cam Spinks. If you know that name, then you have recently been watching The Voice from NBC. The Voice. It's a television show. It's a singing competition. Cam Sphinx is from Alabama and he was

at the Global headquarters this week. He's a big hunter. Cam is a big white tail hunter, turkey hunter, duck hunter. We had a really fun conversation with Cam about his experience being on this show called The Voice, and a lot about his hunting experience and his music. And this is just an all around fun podcast that you're gonna enjoy. Be sure to check out our buddies at Northwoods Bear Products. Northwoods makes commercial bear sense and we've been using them

for years, years and there. If you're painting black bears, brown bears up in Alaska, it makes sense to use a commercial sense. I like their gold Rush, also use their powdered products, but they have all kinds of stuff. Check out Northwoods Bear Products dot net. Well, we're at the global headquarters Bear Honey Magazine global headquarters. This is uh, this is Cam Spink's first time to the global headquarters,

first time in the global headquarters. Um Man, Cam, Okay, before I tell who you are, I've got to tell that you're gonna ruin my reputation. Okay, already are already told him this, So he's ready for it. You're gonna ruin my reputation because now everybody is gonna know that I keep my pulse on the pop culture. Okay, it's true. So Cam was on the Voice the Voice, and if you know what that is, then you're you've got your pulse on pop culture. My wife and I I'm gonna

embarrass him. My wife and I have always we've sort of prided ourselves Cam, I'm not watching like mainstream television, and we have for years. Okay, good and this year I guess it was with like just COVID nineteen stuff. We Uh, the kids started watching the voice. I started watching and I got sucked in. Man, I got sucked in. And who was up on the screen And I wouldn't have known him, Cam Spins. So Cam was on the voice. And so what was wild was I'm gonna say all

this before I even let him talk. He they saw in the voice. They do, they introduce these musicians, so the voices a well tell us what the voice is Cam. So the voices is a singing competition essentially, And uh, they do try to build up, you know, as far

as the beginning of the of the show. Every season, you know, when they're introducing all the a different artists, they try to, you know, basically fit your whole life into a few minutes three people, a brief snapshot of of what you're about, you know, and so um that's what they did. And I have to say, I felt like I was a whole lot different than most of the other people on the show. You've You've You've took me to the point where when I saw his intro,

I immediately said, I said that dude's a hunter. I said that to my wife, Missed. I said that dude's a hunter. And then I saw the picture. There was a little section of the video of you with a with a buck, like not alive buck, and and uh, and I was like, that guy's a hunter. I knew it. I held it for seon and then I went to his Instagram page and sure enough it was like full of hunting photos. And I was like, I knew this guy was a hunter. And and we we watched the

whole season. You know, it came out like once a week for how long is it? I think it ended up? Um, I can't remember how many weeks it was. Probably they had to kind of condense this season to make it a little shorter than they normally would because of the Olympics. NBC the network also had the Olympics scheduled, and so we had a limited amount of time, uh, relative to a normal season. I think it was eight or it was like eight or ten weeks, I believe somewhere in there. Um.

And I made it through. I guess probably half of those before I was eliminated. Um. But uh, yeah, and then the Olympics obviously didn't happen, and the show itself almost didn't happen, you know, it was. It was. It was an interesting, interesting season, unprecedented season to say the least. Well, so I get on his Instagram page find out my

discernment was absolutely correct. Yeah, and then like I don't know, like even after that, like months after that, I saw his page again and I saw that he was in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Which so the whole voice that were saying you from Alabama and that's exactly where you've grown up, that's exactly

just moved to Northwest Arkansas, I did. I moved to Northwest Arkansas in April of this year, late April, um, I believe, no, no, no, it was the beginning of April because it was almost Turkey season, almost Turkey season, um, and probably not enough time for you to find a gobbler. Uh not for lack of effort, I'll tell you that. We'll get into that, I guess. But uh yeah, I had just come off the heels of an incredible season in Alabama and have some turkeys over there. We're covered

in them, um. And so you know, we, my brother and I we had just an exceptional turkey season this this spring. And so I was like still really you know, hot on it, And I was like man, I'm I'm gonna go They're gonna kill a turkey and you and little did I know. The more research I did and the more miles I logged on all these management areas around here, I realized that, you know, it was about as likely as me killing a bull elk in one's West Arkansas. Just really slim. Uh, you know, but it

sounds like you tried. That's cool. Yeah, I did. Like I said, it wasn't for lack of effort. I I went down to I went to the Weddington Management Area Oka. UM. I went to see. This is okay to tell because we always talked about how we don't talk about public hunting areas specifically, but if you're telling how there's no game there whatsoever, it's perfectly fine. Well everywhere um that there were no turkeys to be found anywhere on these

management areas or at lea. I wasn't lucky enough to stumble across one, but I logged a lot of miles on Weddington, on um Lee Creek south down forty nine, and then also on the other side of forty nine at white Rock and um Man. Just not a track, not a feather, nothing, Man, I'm impressed that you. I mean you did to have found that all that country. Yeah, I mean I I I joined all these forums. I mean I was hell bent on trying to find a

turkey up here. Uh. You know, like I said, the more research I did, the more people I talked to, um, the more I understood that if you want to kill a turkey in Arkansas, you need to go south or east. If you want to kill a turkey in Arkansas, you gotta go out of state. Yeah, absolutely, uh hear mains good man. Um. So, okay, so we've we've entered duced how I know that's what That's what I wanted to get and I want to uh man, I'm afraid if we jump into hunting, will never go back probably, So

this is not priority. This, like the order of conversation is not about priority, because I think once we jump into hunt and we're just gonna talk about hunting. But so I want to go back to the voice, Cam. You are, are you a country music artists? I am. I'm a country music artist. I um. I've been writing

and playing for about ten years now. Okay. I was in college and I was trying to find some way to not have to work really hard when I got out and I thought, you know what, I'm just gonna be a musician because they don't they don't look like they have to work. Uh, you know, a musician, a turkey hunter. I didn't know what I was doing for being perfectly honest, but no, I kind of dove in head first. I've always had kind of a knack for for music. I've always loved music, country music in general

and in UM specific. But uh so I just you know, dedicated myself to it. Um So you did you know how to play guitar? Very little? Yes, Um, I had very limited guitar skills at that age. UM, but it always had a guitar around, you know, like probably half of college guys. But um so, yeah, I just started picking up guitar. Had some buddies in my fraternity that also played instruments, and one thing led to another and we started the worst band of all time. UM named

the name of that project. You you're gonna love it. Our mascot in the fraternity was a buzzard, and so we were. We were the backdoor Buzzards. The backdoor Buzzards. We won't get into that, but uh, that was our name. And we played basements, um, and that's about it in Birmingham. In Birmingham, Yeah, we were in Birmingham. UM. And so that was my first project. And then once I got out of college, I was at home, UM, working for

our our family company and UM still doing music. UM, you know, still progressing, and I had some I met several other people that ended up starting another project with more legitimate project. We actually played gigs, you know, we played at bars and things like that. And what was the evolution of this name? Oh man, we kind of dumbed it down for that when it was just the camp Spinx band against my will, I wanted to come up with something creative and cool, but which we did

later on. We ended up morphing into uh, camp Spins in the fifty eight, which that's the first two letters of our tag. I d s in Alabama for the county that we lived in, and all four of us were from the same county. So it was camp Spins in Theft, which I thought was pretty neat. UM. I wish we could. I wish I could still have a band called the fifty eight. But anyways, uh yeah, So then that project kind of phased out and I think that was. I think that one was. I remember exactly

what it was. I moved to Nashville. I was in Nashville for about three years, um pursuing music writing. I wanted to be a writer. I didn't want a tour. I didn't want to be an artist and want to do any of that. So I wanted to get a public publishing deal and just write songs. That's all I god to do. That way, I could, you know, so do you could get up in the morning and go to work and then by you know, three or four

in the afternoon, I was fishing somewhere, you know. So, so you that's one of your strengths, then absolutely, I would say, in in the entire musical spectrum, I would say that, um, my songwriting is what I think is

my biggest strength. Um. Now that that's kind of interesting because I mean, what I learned from watching the Voice is that it's like, I mean, like really top end musicians vocally, it's not necessarily about like what you've written or done, because I mean a lot of these people would I mean, like some of them weren't even really in band. I mean, like Todd Tilman, was he not

having my good friend, Todd Boy. Me and Todd hit it off a lot because we're both from the South, and uh, this is the guy that this is the guy that ended up winning and actually eliminated me from the competition. Um, earlier on, it's because you had a Travis Trip song. Oh, don't get me started on that. Don't get me started on that. My My point is that you have a you have a strong voice, thank you, thank you. And I and I do. I think I

have a pretty good voice. Um, but I'm definitely more proud of my I think I'm a lot more proud of that. Um. Just you know, it's there's a lot of people out there with great voices, but I feel like there's a lot less people out there that can write a great song. UM. So yeah, I'm I'm a little more proud of that for sure. Yeah, it's definitely a different craft for sure. Yeah. So what happened to Nashville? Did it not work? So? Um, I was awfully green when I moved up there. Um, and it wasn't what

I expected early on. And I kind of kept telling myself like, Okay, they you know, they call it a ten year town for a reason, you know. Um, and So okay, man, we're gonna have to get down to why they call it a ten year town, because that's generally how long, uh, it takes for you to be successful in um or at least most people if they get if they find success, they could could if you you give it ten years, and if you're not where you want to be in ten years, then moved back

to Texas. Willie Nelson didn't have a number one hit until he was in his I want to say, thirties, which you think about that that's pretty crazy. But yeah, there's a lot of people that I went to Nashville when they were young. Um, it wasn't what they thought. They left years later, came back and found success. There's plenty of people like that. Um, But I have no

desire to go back. I'll tell you that. I well, for people like me, um, having grown up pretty rural, um you know, kind of walk out your back door and go hunting kind of rural. Um, it was tough living in a city like that and just getting acclimated, which I did and I got used to it. Um, But I just it's such a tough industry on top of having to change my lifestyle that much. That wore me down. Really, I assume you had to like work a normal job. You're trying to do ye my bills.

I was a chim law on technician by trade while I was up there. Um, and then when you drive through Nashville and you see like, just like normal people working, could you assume that some percentage of them are trying to a large portion of them everyone that um is a waitress a waiter dream Yeah, Oh yeah I would, I would say, um, a half. Yeah, it's kind I

was kind of token. I was insuing that is there are um so many people up there trying to to cut their teeth in the music business and having to work you know, jobs to pay the bills on top of it is a grind. It's a hustle, and um, it wore me down a lot quicker than it would a lot I guess millions of other people that are they're trying to do it. But I had I had a great job, you know, available back home, and so I was tired of being broke and discouraged, and so

I moved back home. I guess that was in two thousand and fifteen. I want to say that I moved back home fifteen or six might have been two thousands sixteen. Actually, Um, so I get back home and I just go to work for the company, um real estate and land development. That's what we did. We basically build neighborhoods and build houses and sell them and you know the whole nine. Um. But so I started working, but I was still doing music, you know. Um So that's when Camp Spins in Theft

was formed. It was a lot of the same guys from the previous project before I had moved to Nashville. Kind of ill probably yeah, They're like it was just a matter of time. Been waiting on this call for a couple of years now. But but no, we had a good run with that one. We probably played together for maybe a year or two, I can't remember. And um then at that point, I was like, you know what, nobody in Nashville wanted to buy my songs or no publishers wanted to sign me for X reason or why reason.

So you know what, I'm just gonna start cutting all my songs and putting them out myself. Uh So That's what I did, and that's what I've been doing ever since. And now I have some guys, um a couple of guys from Alabama, a couple of guys from Nashville to play with me. Uh, and they just backed me as Camp Spinks. It's just, you know, that's what it is. Um. There's no like set band. We might you know, filter

through several musicians at at each position. You know, it just depending on what's available, um, which is not a lot right now given the times. Uh. I've always said, especially lately, that I'm glad that I um have other skills and other trades that I'm good at, because if I were a full time musician right now, I would be kicking myself because you are not playing and I probably won't be playing much for the foreseeable future. So UM,

thankful that that I know how to do other things. Um. But that said, the dream is still So you started musician, Yeah, so you started. You started, You're already writing your own music. You started recording your own music as cam Spax. And then so take me to what made you want to try it? For the voice? That's um. Actually that's how they found me. They asked you. They the Voice is very diligent about scouting great talent. There's a very small

percentage of people that make it to the show. That we're a product of those big you know, cattle calls, those big public tryouts. You know, a lot of it is you know, you get an email from a scout and they're like, hey, here's this song and we we really like it. Would you be interested in? Okay, no, and uh an audition for the voice and so that's how they contacted me. Yeah, it was pretty cool, I'll tell you. Um, I had always kind of sworn off

stuff like that. I was like, Nah, I'm not gonna do just like they're gonna you know, they're gonna dictate your every move the whole time, Like it won't even be that much fun like but the But I reluctantly I agreed to go to Atlanta for a try out for some of the producers, and um, by the end of that, they were like, we want to fly you out to l A and um, you know, have you continue on the on the process of getting on the show, And so you know, I said, what the hell, let's

do it. So I flew out California and ended up making it onto the show. Um all the way, and so I spent um how many people originally are on the show, like from like the first episode, I would say from the first from the first episode, Um, I want to say, so the number of people that had a blind audition, which is when they turned their chairs or they don't, there was probably I don't know, fifty six people. Okay, so they have narrowed down that small

of a number before the first episode. Okay, So but fifty or sixty people get a blind audition on television, yes, okay, so, but they don't they don't show all of them. And then there's also or they show like little snippets or you know, the guarantee that they show your actual alternation because maybe you know. I'm let me describe the way it works. Because so there's there's four big chairs that are that are on a swivel. Have you seen it? Code you pop culture? I can't believe you. Just for

somebody for TMZ on the side. So there's there's basically chair the backs of these chairs are faced towards the stage, and and then there's in these chairs are these four really famous people? I wouldn't have known you any of them work except for Blake Shelton, John Legend, Blake Shelton, John Legend, Kelly Clarkson Clarkson and yes, I shouldn't say this, but I had no idea who he was. He's a

brother good. I like that. They were like, I was like, you know because that kind of like there was an episode where they filmed us like all reacting to finding out who he was, because at that point in time, they was there was only three judges from the previous season. They're bringing on a new one and I was supposed to be this big surprise, this mystery, and when I found out who it was, I was like, uh, I'm

missing something, you know. Okay, I knew who he was, but Toby is always I think he's always dreamed of being in a boy band. So basically it is so so a musician comes out and performs, and if the this person in the chair likes what they hear, essentially they spend the chair around and if they don't like it, they don't spend their chair around. And they're trying to

gather teams. So everybody's got so anyway, basically a blind audition, like if you get if a chair turns around, that's like a good thing because some people play and no chairs turned around, and if that happens it's bad. How many people turned on your I had to it was Blake and Kelly. Those two turned yeah well too, I know the lingo now that was the two chair two chair, two chair turn, two chair turn. That's right, and those

are the two that would turn for country. And I was the only UM country male on the season, was the only one Todd. I think Odd was Todd was kind of a hybrid. Todd could do whatever they wanted him to do. He's just an incredibly talented vocalist too. They could have thrown like a you know, a BIG's song at him and he could have or a rap song and he probably could have done it, you know. I mean, he's just his his talent is pretty limitless

in the vocal department. So um, I think um they kind of felt the lack of country in there, so they you know, kind of eased him over a little bit in that lane as which um, honestly I didn't mind, especially when I got to hear him sing that Travis Trip song because it was incredible. Uh. I love that song. I love Travis Trip, and I think Todd did a great job with it. So I was I was glad to see that they were kind of you know, nudging him over into the country, kind of letting you take

that space. Yeah. So okay, So you you go, you go to l A and you do the blind audition, you get chosen to be on uh Blake's team, so ba, Yeah, did you picked Blake? Yes? Did you pick the song yourself? Um? What was it? Wave on Wave? Right? I will pat green wink and tell you yes? Okay. Was that the same song that you would have sung for the producers beforehand? Or was it a different song that is not what I would have chosen to sing. Had I had a

autonomy over that? Yeah? Well, I mean like whenever they sent you to email and you did the first thing where you sang no. Actually, the songs that I sang for that, what did I sing? Um? Oh? Man? What did I sing? Question? Um? I think I think I sang an old Day, like an older David Nail song, which a lot of them probably had no idea what it was. But it was kind of a ballad country song called the Sound of a Million Dreams. That was one of them. And then another song that I played

was Midnight Train to Memphis by Chris Stapleton. That was another guy. Uh just big Stapleton guy. Yeah, that was That's always a favorite of mine to play. And so so okay, so you you get on Blake's team, and then so how far? How far did you go inside the competition? So I made it to what they call the knockout rounds. So I guess that would have been my um, the third round, I guess, yeah, yeah, absolutely.

I was extremely proud. My my goal going in was just my first goal was, all right, let's just try to make it on the show officially, let's try to get a blind audition, whatever happens after that, whatever. And so once I got um a blind audition and I made it to that point, I was like, all right, I want to make it to the live rounds. I want to be able to sing live. And that's just

after the knockout. So my knockout was against Todd. And if I'm being perfectly honest with you, as soon as I found out I was paired against Todd, I should have just packed my bags because I knew that that was probably the end of the road. Um, But honestly, if I had to lose to anyone on the whole thing, I'm glad it was him. Um. We became good for

is and we we've we stay in touch. Um. But yeah, so I made it to what they call the knockout, right, so that would have been like half of the people gone, that's done. I think I guess that would have. Um, so yes, after the knockouts, I think seventeen people remained out of the initial Um you know, I guess each each person had how many did they have? Was it ten per teen? Was forty of us total? Something? I think it was something like that. And so yeah, it's

I probably made it about halfway through the competition. Cool. So what what was your overall impression with the whole deal? Honestly, Um, it was great. I it was a big time commitment and that was my only Uh yeah, I was gonna ask you about that. Yeah, that was the only bone I had to pick with the whole process of everything. Is it just I mean, you know, you're over you're over in l A for X amount of time, uh,

and then you're on TV for two minutes. You know, just the big disconnect between you know, you're there for a month and you do all this filming and prep and wardrobe and you know all kinds of stuff like that. Um, legal social media. Every year you're in meetings and stuff, but then you have a ton of downtime as well, and so, um, you know, just Alabama boy out in

California twiddling his thumbs, you know. And part of that was, Um, I think I was there in well, I was there in January, um, which uh uh duck season and the rut and the southern part of Alabama. And so I was a little annoyed about that, you know, but you know, how annoyed can you be when you're getting the opportunity to be on national television singing. So I kept my perspective, but you know, I just I couldn't believe that it took as much time as it did, as much of

a time commitment. Um. So that was the only that was the only adverse, uh takeaway that I had. The entire process, Um, the way they treat you, I mean, state of the art, I mean just class. You know, it was it was great. I mean I have nothing

bad to say about the show or the way it operates. Um, it is a show, and you have to keep that in mind when you're a part of it, um, and just kind of swallow your pride every now and then Um, but I kind of I I anticipated that going in, so it wasn't too big of all, what did it? What will this do for your music career? Is it gonna help you? Well? Yeah, my goal, uh, my over overwhelming goal, my overarching goal for the for deciding to do it, um, was just to kind of put myself

out there and get some exposure. Good, you know, get a little bit more of a fan base. Look what it's magazine podcast from the global Hey mom, we made it okay, Um, but no, it was just to kind of get more of a following. I thought that if I could get you know, people's attention one way or another on a large scale like that, and direct them towards my original music, that you know, some things could happen. Um. And then of course, uh, the season couldn't have been

at a worse time in in history. Um. So they had to finish the show like on Zoom calls. It was it was, it was, it was um strange. Uh. And at that point, you know, I'm just a spectator. I'm no longer on the show, but I I finished

watching the entire season. You'll watch all my friends, um, And honestly, I have to say I'm kind of glad that I got eliminated when I did, because those were just, in my opinion, it was a little awkward, and I'm just glad I didn't have to go through that part of you know, setting up in your living room and zooming. You know, I just I'm not cut it. I'm not really cut out for the whole uh, you know, relying

on technology that much. So I I uh, I'm obviously I would have liked to have continued on the show, but I'm thankful that I didn't have to do it in that way. Yeah. Yeah, Well, um, so are you uh are you still like pursuing music pretty heavily? Yes? I. UM, my plan post show the whole time was, um, as soon as it's over, let's start putting more music out. I had released, Um, I think I put out maybe ten or twelve songs before the show, and uh, I think it was maybe a week and a half ago.

We finally put maybe two weeks ago. We put out some more. We put out three more songs a couple of weeks ago, and then I've got another one coming out this week actually on Wednesday. UM, and then I'm gonna put out a song a month until songs. Just I feel like it's a cool way to maintain consistency and um, you know, just keep your audience intrigued a

little bit. You know, people they don't like to pay attention to things for too long these days where they're paying there, you know, they get distracted by something else. And so if you're giving them something on a consistent basis, a little bit of a date that they can look forward to for something new, I feel like it could be cool and refreshing. So um, that's my plan right now.

And then on top of that, trying, um scratching and fighting trying to get back into the live music scene, you know, because it's just our hands are tied right now. I've managed to to land a couple of things, um and uh, but you know, like I said, we're still just severely limited on what we can do playing live music.

So just waiting on all that too to pick back up. Um. But yeah, between between all the current events over the last several months and in history, it's been a pretty terrible time to be a musician in my opinion, So um wild, like I said, it couldn't have happened that at a worse time for me and everyone else that was on the show trying to you know, take advantage

of the momentum that you get from that. Um. Yeah, you know, because if we could have kind of hit the ground running right after the show, right after I was eliminated, you know, you know, probably a different story probably would have had some a little bit of momentum. Has it helped with your songwriting and all? Were you able to, like song like, do some songwriting with other contestants that might have done it, or I'll be honest, I'll level with you, I've never been great at writing

with people. Um. His new album is called Leave Me Alone. Yeah, I thought that was just effect for the time, Like, hey, but no, I um, you know, like I said, I spent years in Nashville doing that and and um, first for one reason or another, I just I didn't love it. And some people are like that, you know. Um, and it wasn't that long ago that people wrote all their own songs, you know. So UM, I just I don't spend a whole lot of time doing that. I never have.

I kind of reached a point where I realized this isn't my strong suit writing with people, co writing, um, and so I'm just I'm not gonna, you know, spend a lot of energy trying to make that happen. I still do it from time to time, not gonna lie. Um. Have you ever written a hunting song? Yes? I have. UM. Actually Father's Day this past weekend, I wrote a song called I Got It from my Daddy. Um, and it talks about deer hunting and in the first rifle that

I had and stuff like that. Um. And I think there's been other songs where I've kind of slipped it in little nuances and stuff references. Um, I do a lot of Over the years, I've hunted a lot in Kentucky, and so I write, Um, I've written about parts of Kentucky. Um, you know I love I love that state. I love hunting. That state is gorgeous. Um. Good friend of mine has a farm out there, and so we go every year at least a couple of weekends. Oddly enough, he gets

a lot of ducks really in Kentucky. Yeah, oh man, we smashed up. And what's the So I could give like a spiel about like hunting in Arkansas? What's I really don't know a lot about Alabama other than just like hunting in Alabama. Other than that high deer numbers, it's classic kind uh delta type, bottom land type hunting. But but I don't want to I'm not just talking about deer hunting, Like, what is it? What is it? What is it like to be a hunter in Alabama? Um?

Being a hunter in Alabama is I mean we really never run out of anything to hunt. Um, you could hunt your round if you wanted to. UM, you know, Alabama is the most as far as animals are concerned, we're the most bio diverse state. UM. I want to say, if we're not, we're in the top few because UM, our terrain is so we have a little bit of everything. You know. We have the beaches, we have, the lowlands. We've got we've got a lot of swamps and rivers

and wetlands. We've got, um, we've got some mountains I would southern apple. Actually we've we've got some some high country UM. And it just offers a lot of different game UM. So I mean, obviously, probably the most hunted thing in Alabama is going to be dear followed by um, probably followed by turkeys. We have a lot of turkeys. There's a lot of turkeys in Alabama, there's certain parts whether it's not as much, but you know, just like

any other place. Um, there's higher densities in certain places. But um is there a five bird bag limit. And that's another thing about Alabamas. We can kill five turkeys whoa and a lot of people do it every year. It's a lot of turkeys. The population replenishes. Some of the Western guys don't know how you know. I was out in Montana hunting with some of those guys and there's a essentially a five bird limit in Montana, but you gotta kill them in different parts of the states.

And uh, and turkey hunting is not that big a deal out there, so like guys don't hunt. But for the Southeast, a five bird limits, I mean three, that's a ton of turkeys. We've never been able to high bag limit that was ever in Arkansas was a three bird bag limit in the nineteen eighties. There's people that go back and forth, um with wanting to get it

lowered back down to three. And I think it probably would be wise after this past year because you had so many hunters that were home that weren't at work. The numbers I would not be shocked if we killed twice as many birds in Alabama this year as we did the year before, UM statewide. I haven't, like I said, I haven't checked harvest. I think I heard that almost. It is statistics so many And like I told you, like I mean, we had the My brother and I had the best season of our lives. And then we

have kind of a group of buddies. There's about seven or eight of us that our hardcore dedicated turkey hunters, and I mean maybe one or two of us didn't limit Wow, you know, I mean we're responsible for twenty or thirty dead turkeys, just five or six of us, UM, and we weren't alone. Like I said, was it was a just a hell of a season down there this year, and so I would not be surprised the early season two,

Yes we do. We do it starts on of March. Yeah, Man, if you hadn't listened to this guy, Mike Chamberlain, the Wild Turkey Dock they call him on Instagram Wild Turkey Doc. That's that's his name on Instagram. He's been on Landing Legacy podcast with my Buddies up there Missouri. He's been on Ronella's podcast podcast Steve and uh wild Turkey doc. I think he's from Alabama or somewhere in Georgia, and he uh, he is is the best that I've heard at describing why, or maybe he's just the only guy

we've listened to long enough. But talking about how these early seasons are super hard on turkeys, it may not make sense. I mean, just rationally, you're just like, killing goblin hurrikey on March fift is the same as killing the goblin turkey on April twenty. But he describes the the pecking order and the lack. He talks about a lack, which is like a group of turkeys and how their social hierarchy works. And basically by taking out this dominant bird,

it screws up a lot of their breeding. I would assume, yeah, uh, taking one out early like that, obviously you know he's not gonna be breeding any ends, you know, And he was a dominant one. And if I'm not mistaken, the hens can um you know, they can breed multiple turkeys, and then their bodies actually can select the fertilized eggs that are the eggs that they want to fertilize. Something

crazy like that. And so a lot of times. You know, if you're killing all your mature birds early in the year, it wouldn't be crazy to assume that you're gonna have some hands that don't get up something. Yeah, I mean I could see that. So so turk so deer huns big deer hunts, big turkey hunts big. Now there's no bear season in Alabama though, No, there's no, not to my knowledge, I don't think there there's not. There's about there's not. But there are animals that I enjoy hunting

that you can hunt year round. You know, you're going on hogs year round? Um we um? Now are you? How are you hunting hogs? You go out there in the field and shoot them running dogs? You know, I have a lot of friends that grew up in Florida that would run dogs, And I didn't grow up hog hunting. And when I got to, you know, got to know these guys pretty well in college just hearing them talk about it down there, completely different art, you know. That is, um,

that is some intense stuff. You know, lost a lot of dogs. Um, you know, not hard to do when you're doing that. But no, and I've not done a ton of hog hunting, but you could do it if you wanted to. And then you know, any kind of nuisance animal that you can think of, there's always something that you can go and hunt, always, always, always, but big in Alabama. Um, what else? Dove hunting is big.

A lot of dove hunters in Alabama as well. I've been to several shoots in Alabama, any and George as well. There's parts of the South where little patches where there's just an incredible dove hunting. And we do a shoot

every year at at our farm. Um, but we just we actually just acquired some new land, my dad did, and he was texting me this week and he was like, we're gonna have the dove shoot of all dove shoots this year because there's he said, it's you know, we're at the beginning of the summer and I'm looking at hundreds and hundreds of doves already here and we haven't even we haven't planted anything, we haven't thrown any seed, we haven't done anything. They're just here. Yeah, and um,

so we're anticipating a big shoot. Um. Black River is that in Alabama? Is that a well known black the I think there's a Black Warrior River. Black Warrior River or a section of the Warrior River, that's the Black Warrior. I want to say, um, but no, I'm not familiar

with the Black River Alabama. I'm I'm going deep into the archives of my mind remembering the there used to be in like Outdoor Life and some of these magazines there was there would always be Alabama white tail hunting like this little like black and White ad in the national magazines. It would be like Southern Alabama white tail hunting. And I want to say it was like black something like black. I just I wondered if I threw that out there, if you'd be like, oh, yeah, probably black belt,

black belt, black belt. Yes, So the black belt is that's it. That's it. The black Belt is a strip of extremely fertile agricult a trull land across it kind of runs um if I'm not mistaken, it runs um, kind of a little bit east to west, kind of swooping north in South Alabama. And we I grew up hunting the black Belt pretty much my entire life. That's where you're gonna kill the biggest deer in Alabama without question, on a consistent basis. Like I said, it's just extremely

extremely fertile ground. And anytime you're hunting your agg you know, on a large scale, the deer naturally just gonna be bigger because their diet is you know, that much better. Um. So that's yeah. As far as white tail hunting in Alabama, UM, getting that black belt, that's your best bet for sure. Is there a lot of public land in Alabama? There is?

Fortunately for me, I've never had to hunt a lot of public land, UM, but I live near um several different National forests and management areas, and it's it's popular. There's a lot of hunters on it. They see a lot of pressure. But every year, you know you can, you can. You know, bet your last dollar there's gonna be some stomp down good ones killed off of it.

Because you know, when you've got a massive land that big and that many people putting pressure on it, you know, just statistics, you're bound to have a couple of really really good ones killed. Yeah. But I don't know what it is compared to other states, but I know, um that there is. I would say there's a a fair amount, if not an abundance of public land in Alabama. If you want to hunt in Alabama, you can hunt in Alabama. There's there's nobody saying I just have nowhere to go.

You know, if you want to do what you can do it. What's your what's your favorite hunting in Alabama? My favorite hunting definitely in Alabama. My favorite hunting is definitely white tails. Um, just because I don't know, I guess i've it's it was my first hunting. It was the first hunting that I did. Like legit, you know, we've shot squirrels off the back porch when we were kids, you know, but as far as uh like in any kind of structure to it. UM, just grew up deer hunting.

And honestly, I didn't care for a turkey. I didn't care for a duck. I didn't care for any of it outside of white tails until I was much later in life. Um, which I kind of kicked myself for now because the stuff, the land that I had access to back then, and all the turkeys I probably could have killed. You know, I just what an idiot I was. But um, but no, definitely definitely deer hunting. And then yes, yes, um, I primarily bow hunt now the older I've gotten, UM,

I definitely still rifle hunt. Don't get me wrong, but I've definitely leaned more over into archery the older I've ut. And you see, because you know, I've just spent so many years and had such so much success with a rifle that you know, naturally you want something challenging. So um, so yeah, I've I'm definitely more of a bow hunter now.

But if it gets later in the year, you know, and a lot of our land is a lot of land in Alabama is hard to bow hunt, um because yeah, well there's well there's that, but then on top of that, UM, I want to say, a little over seventy of the state is is uh timber land. It's like like woods, and a lot of that is thickets that you just can't bow hunt, you know. Um. It's not like in the Midwest, when you can pattern. You know, you can literally physically put your eyes on that deer and nowhere

he's betting and nowhere he's feeding. You can't do that hardly in Alabama. It's just it's too dense the terrain two dents um, and so we rely a lot on trail cameras as far as bow hunting is concerned, we rely heavily on trail cameras um and uh, just creating openings in thick areas like that to give ourselves a shot. Um. And then on top of that a lot of the land that I've been fortunate to hunt, there's the timber

industry is huge in Alabama. We were we rely on pines a lot, and so I love hunting and clear cut. They come in and cut all the timber, you know, and you've got this this massive acreage um where a deer feels really really comfortable, you know, a year or two after that timber is cut, but you can still

see him. Um. So I mean, that's one of my all time favorite things to hunt is a uh maybe a two two year cutover because like I said, this year they'll bed in it and they just I mean they stand up and you can see them and they feel completely hidden. They have no idea. That sounds like an old Jackie Bushman trick. Yeah, oh man, Jackie Bushman's from Alabama, from South Alabama, man, you describe, and hunting clear cuts is a lot like southwest Arkansas, where I

grew up doing quite a bit of hunting wheat. So I grew up in the mountains, but we would drive to the good deer numbers a little bit further south out of the mountains, and it was it was a lot of timber country, a lot of pine plantations and absolutely, man, you climb up a thirty you know, a pine tree with no limbs for us, the climbing stands, tickty clock, ticknty clock. Climb up there, sit there and watch a big cut over. It's so much fun. It is so much fun in the rud as well, like just watching

those racks bounce around out there. Those it's I love it so much. But yeah, and we're in recent years of of I've really taken a liking to duck unny and even more recently than that, Turkey's I did not become a hardcore what I would consider a hardcore turkey hunter until maybe five years ago. Okay, yeah, well man, if you're in a good turkey population, you can learn a lot about turkey hunting. Yeah, because you can work a lot of birds, mess up a lot, and it

not affect you around here. You mess one up, you mess one up, you maybe your season is over for real. But so you're started in a good a good place. Yeah, very uh, very friendly to a turkey hunter down there. We had a friend, one of my best friends. His family has a big farm in south south of Montgomery, um um, towards like Auburn. Not far from Auburn, maybe thirty forty minutes outside there, but um big family farm. Beautiful, absolutely one of the prettiest places and wildlife rich places

I've ever seen. Um and free. Years and years we hunted that place and we did not turkey on um. And we would go deer hunting all throughout the whole season and we would see just I mean fifties sixty seventy at a time, you know, just these massive wads of turkeys. And so one year we were like, we're gonna turkey hunt this year. You know, We're just gonna try it out. And so, I mean, I think maybe a dozen of us went down there and over three days,

I don't know how many turkeys we kill. It was incredible. I mean we would have you know, groups of six and seven long beers coming in attacking the I mean just the kind of turkey don't you dream of, you know, attacking the decoys, fighting each other. I mean, it was incredible turkey hunting. And Um. After that, I was hooked. I was absolutely hooked after that, you just said something that is totally off topic. But this is kind of the way we roll. I guess, um, I've never it's

and along. I don't know that I've talked to somebody in Alabama in a format like this. Auburn and Alabama, how does this work? Well, first, I'll say, Um, I'm a I'm a die hard to my core Alabama Crimson Tide Fanum, honestly, is it is? It is? It is? Where where are the colleges? So in relationship to say and let me let me yeah, my so my history is there's one Division one school and the whole state

of Arkansas, University of Arkansas. So everybody's a University of Arkansas fans really easy and there's no yeah, no kid, no kids. Our football teams, yeah, exactly, We're good at that, buddy, We'll run from absolutely. Yeah, we're we got a football team, but as good as our turkey hunting. Uh So, No, we have no professional teams and we have one Division one university. So it's like everybody's a razorback friend. So Alabama,

we've got several Yeah, the two big ones, Abama and Auburn. Um. So Alabama is just west of Birmingham, a little bit south but a little mostly west, so it's college college itself. And then Auburn is kind of southeast towards Georgia, not far from the Georgia line. Really a lot of big Alburn fans in Georgia lots UM and then uh so, I mean they're they're not too far from each other. Um, the colleges aren't that colleges. I mean they're probably support

the population base. I mean, there can't be that many people in Alabama. Um, there's not. But the thing is, if you are in Alabama, you gotta pick one of them. And so you got half the state that's Alburn fans, the other half is tid fans. And then you have all these outliers that might be like a U A B fan, like university I went Birmingham, or university that's

not a division. Yeah, maybe he's like Division one double A. I want to they're like a step below, Like they're not like that, Like they're not in UM, they're not in like what is it? What is what am I looking for? Well? SEC the southeast, so they're not in the SEC. They're in lesser conferences, but they do play okay, Division one, Okay, every year. Um, but yeah, I mean, I mean it's a little bit geographic, but then again

it's not so. I mean you you can have you know, Auburn fans that lived just outside Tuscaloosa and Bama fans that lived just outside All. Okay, what are the I'm breaking this down because I know it's this is so complex that you, being so deep inside of it, gonna have a hard time explaining it. Okay, Um, so I mean is it uh it does one school represent something the other school doesn't represent? Uh? Yeah, you can say that Alabama represents winning and all. I knew this was

too complicated for him. No, no, no, it's uh I'll tell you, Uh the stereotypes, Uh that might put it in a little more perspective and things that I can actually agree with on a certain level. Um, Tuscaloose is a bit of a trashier town than Auburn. Just I'm just gonna lay that out there. I'll admit it. Auburn is a much nicer Alburn is a nicer area, There is no question, and it is. If I had to choose one of those schools to go to, I would

go to Auburn um based on several different things. Um. But um, so Auburn fans have it in their heads that they're the more classy. I mean, from my perspective, they I think they think that they're kind of up at a little bit. Um. And then Bama fans are like, Okay, we know we're kind of rugged, but who cares? You know. And Auburn there season and is a success if they beat Alabama. Alabamas season is not a success unless they win the national championships. So their goals are different. Um.

And I'll just to lay the statistics out there. There's no category in football, Um, no significant category where Alabama has not been more successful than Albert. You've got more national championships, we've got more SEC championships. Um. You know, is Alabama like the best bowl? More Bowl appearances, more Bowl victories? Were But from what you're saying, that's not even a question. Is that? I mean, is there which

is better? You can't question numbers, facts or facts Alleign fans have if it needs to be defended, it doesn't legitimately need to be defended. It only needs to be you know, defended. When you're talking to an Auburn fan who just I mean, I can't look at numbers and deduced that one school is better than the other at football. I feel I just feel like this is bad for the state, such a division. It's it's good and it's bad. Um. You know it's bad because, I mean, it's bad for

a number of reasons. One it criminal acts have been committed as a result of this rivalry, uh, and continue to be committed, I'm sure. Um. But then it's also good because a little banter, a little struggle, a little bit of tension is is healthy. I think a rivalry makes it so much more fun. Yeah, especially rivalry is Alabama. So if it's that close and in the same state, which I just can't relate to, I mean deep down to Auburn fans, are they rooting for Alabama if they're out?

Because that now I know. I don't like college football. I don't watch it. I don't pay attention to it. But I said at the beginning of this and admitted all everybody that I keep my finger on, I keep my pulse on pop culture. Okay, Now, my dad loves college football, and so as soon as the Razorbacks are out, which is always very early, he is just going for SEC guys and so and I'm just like, you know, I'm like whatever. So he you know, he wants Alabama

to win. He if Auburn was in the National Champion, he wants Auburn to win. So so if if if Auburn's out, are the Auburn guy's rooting for Alabama? Um, I feel like there's probably a higher there's probably a majority of them that are not really so they're just like they're like a lot of them have the same mentality towards us that we have towards them. I hope that Auburn never wins a football game. That you're one of those guys, absolutely all right, they never I hope

they never win a game ever. But I hope we get to play them or I don't. I don't. I don't wish any ill will towards the actual players or the school itself. But if they never want another game ever, it would throw me to death. Man see from Alabama and he's rooting against his his his Alabama teams. Okay, good, well you've explained it to me. I'll put it to you this way, just to put the rivalry in perspective

for me, personally. Um, I dated a girl that family had auburn fence in it and it was a point of debate. It was a discussion, yes with my family. Oh wow, oh yeah, it's I mean, I've been wanting to get some clarity on this for a while. So now understand, Well, just you know, to sum it up, Bama, good bad, it's that. It's that, got it, got it? Well, what are your plans for this fall? What are you gonna do. I've got a couple of duck hunts planned. I got one I'm going I'm going duck hunting in

Kansas for the first time. I'm really excited about that. I've never hunted dry fields and so we're doing that for the first time this year. Um, really excited about that. Um. I've got another one planned for South Louisiana duck hunt yep. And what we're gonna do some red fishing two while

we down there, a little cast and blast, you know. Um. And then I'm probably I'm in the process of trying to lock down some kind of private land here in northwest Arkansas, just so that I'm not bored out of my mind when football doesn't happen, because I don't think it's gonna happen, you know, and not that I would. So back home, I could just go hunt and then come back home and watch the you know, it was easy.

I could do it all. But here, I don't have anywhere local or anything close outside of public land um to hunt. And so I'm trying to find something because I mean I even hunt midweek hunt, you know, to hunt the lease. There's not many. There's not a lot of leases in this I've discovered. I've discovered and that's another big difference between here and in Alabama. There is there is a plethora of land that is leased every year. Yeah,

I don't know, I don't know why. I mean, and it's probably, I mean, I'm probably it's just I don't it's just not prevalent. I mean, people just don't think about I've actually we're gonna think I'm crazy. But I I have the on X app on my phone and so I can look up, you know, property owners and things like that. So I'll just be pruising through the map, find the property owner, find there you know, Facebook or

you know, anything I can find. And I've reached out to several people about you know, potentially leasing their land to hunt, and it's it's like they've never heard of it, you know, up here it's incredible, Like just you want to do what you know. I was like, no, I want to give you money so I can hunt your properties to come on and hunt to give me money. Yeah,

there's been a little bit of that, you know. I've just some just some some people that at least verbally, they're like, oh yeah, man, I mean, we'll see how that goes when they realize how crazy I am. And I'm like, oh, we need to put a greenfield there, and uh, what do you think about putting some summer crops over here? You know, like and they're like, what are you talking about? Man, I don't even have a tractor.

But it's that's That's one thing that's been a little eye opening too, is um acquiring uh private land up here to hunt is is a challenge, Yeah, but still chomping away yet. I'm fair something if you speak the ground enough, you'll you'll come up with something. You'll come with So you're so, I've got those duck hunts lined up um late summer. I got several dove shoots that I plan on going to UM and then obviously I can.

I'm gonna take I usually, um, around Christmas and New Year's I take a big block of time right there, um and do a lot of hunting. Whether that's you know, ducks deer um in Alabama, that's we I mean, it's where you go back. Yeah, I'll I have plans. I'll probably so the way of the year will go more than likely is I'll be in Kentucky beginning of September. Then it's then it's oh, yeah, my brother killed a pretty nice one up there last year with his first

velvet deer, beautiful probably eight point really pretty. Um, So we do a lot of uh we both hunt there every year the beginning of season. Uh. Then we'll shoot doves mid September, late September on in October. Well, then season opens here October one correct, well fourth fourth Saturday

in September. So it'll be like so somewhere and there, I could you know, by then hopefully I'll have something or a good friend of mine has a family farm in Mississippi that also opens the beginning of October archery season. So I'll either you know, be hunting here or there one of the two, and then season comes in in Alabama October archery season. Um, and from then on out I'll be there'll be a lot of traveling back and forth.

That's what it's looking like because, um, you know, even if I did have some land here to hunt, I mean, I would still be going back and forth Alabama just because it's such a I've got a great resource at my disposal down there and plenty of land hunt and so have you ever had it out west? Any any of the big game out with I wish. I've been talking to um, one of my good hunting buddies about I mean, this is forever. We talked about it every

year and we never do it. Was like, Man, we're gonna go out west, Um, like Colorado or Montana or something. We're gonna public land hunt for elk. Like that's what we're gonna do, and we've just never done it. It's hard. Um. The hardest thing for us is always scheduling timing, you know, um, because you don't want to go and do it by yourself at least I don't. Uh. But um no, just

for one for whatever reason, Man never made it happen. Um. I got a real good friend that lives in Alaska and hunts like crazy actually killed a giant and I mean a giant brown bear a couple of weeks, like two weeks ago. Oh my god, you're sending me pictures. But anyways, Um, he's been trying to get me to come up there and hunt with him, and is just another thing I haven't been able to make it happen. But yeah, that's always been the all these like destination

type hunts stuff like that. Um, that's always been the When I've got the money and I've got the time, that's the first thing on the on the docket. That's what we're gonna do, you know. You know, I think that there's a lot of guys in the Southeast that that, you know, like growing up in the town I was in from in Arkansas, there was a group of guys that always went to Colorado. But it's a pretty small group.

I would say now that number of people, it's like I feel like it's way more like I feel like it's much more common. I guess just in the age of information being spread so much and on AX podcasts and you know, information just going, people are kind of emboldened to be able to jump in their trucks and drive out west. But anyway, I don't feel bad. I didn't start hunting out west probably five years ago. I mean, I just stayed. I prided myself and never have been

killed a deer outside of the state of Arkansas. And and that actually is true except for Manitoba. I don't think I've killed a deer outside of Arkansas except for Manitoba, Canada. Um. But anyway, so it's cool, you know, I if you don't know, you would you don't know me very well, cam. But I love local hunting, like because it's really easy to look at television and all this stuff that's like far off hunting and and you know, adventure based all this backpack hunting and be like, oh man, I wish

I could do that. But we got this incredible hunting right here close to our house, and that can be just as epic, just as fun. Never just stated it, but I guess we kind of have a similar mentality in that regard, because I mean, I've killed very few deer outside of Alabama, but the ones I have killed, especially in the last maybe seven or eight years, have been within minutes of my house, and so there's a lot I loved it. There's a ton of value in that.

There really is. And and don't get me wrong, I love traveling and hunting and and we've done that extensively the last seven years. But my best hunting is like within a mile or right, you know, right here at home. I don't doubt it. And uh and and it's not best because I killed the biggest animals. It's best because I got to eat dinner with my family and jump in the truck and drive down the road and hunt for two hours or or or you know, whatever the

situation would be. But but uh no, that's cool, man. I just wondered if you've been out west any Yeah, sure, wish, but but no, I, like you, I find immense value in and I guess what you call local gum. And that's what most people do. I mean, most people don't don't have the liberty to travel that much, but just most people don't. But but it is more common than

it's ever been. And it's because I feel like it's just because I've just spread of information, and you know, it just like kind of intel, you know that maybe you didn't have the twenty five years ago. It's interesting, um, how certain components like that technologically have maybe increased the number of hunters. But um, if I'm not mistaken, the state of Alabama has seen a pretty consistent decline in

the number of hunting licenses. And I imagine that's probably not just you know in Alabama, UM, just the technology age. Kids don't grow up doing it like they used to. Um, there's just been a pretty significant decline. Um and I know that, um it East in Alabama, they've there's a few things they've done to kind of incentivize things like that, but um, it's still it's it's you hate to see it, but you kind of love to see it. It's it's kind of a catch twenty two. But um, well, you know,

it's just cure. It's interesting to me how some things, like you said, it looks like there's more people doing it when the numbers are actually saying that there's fewer people, right right, right. Well, you know, we we talk a ton about hunter recruitment, we really do. I mean a lot of times are are mission and kind of what we're doing here. I mean we're talking a ton about hunter recruitment, and and it's it's a bigger deal than just you know, just going to a hunting area and

being less people there. I mean, yeah, I I see what you're saying, Like it could be like sweet, I got this place to myself. But the long term is so much more significant from funding. I mean, when we nerd out about this stuff, and you know, the hunters are funding conservation, you know, license sale are are funding state state groups. You know, we we've got a whole podcasts that nerd out on all that kind of stuff.

But but to your point, we I think we have the infrastructure to have a new wave of hunter recruitment. I've heard some people say that they feel like COVID nightteen stuff is gonna cause in general hunter recruitment to go up. Now. I know it did during the actual quarantine because people weren't working and they had more fruit. Right,

But there's a there's two ways of thought. Like I feel like some of the people that are further disconnected from wild game as a as a protein source are gonna see the COVID nineteen thing as a deal to stay away from wildlife. It started with wildlife and humans. This this started as a wildlife human interaction eating interaction. So it's like, so people that are super disconnected that really have no reference might say, Man, this is even more reason not to go in the woods, not to

you know, stay away from all that. The people that are more connected to whether meat comes from, they're a little bit more educated on where it comes from. I think it's gonna push them the other way because you know, somebody eating an undercooked bat is not equivalent to us. It's not even in the same ballpark as us going out and harvesting a deer, harveston a bear, harvesting a turkey,

cooking and our processing that. I mean, you know, it's just it's just in a different playing field, and it's kind of hard for I kind of want to dig into the science of why it is. I know that it is. I want to dig into the science of it. But I think it's gonna push some people to, man, I better know where my meat comes from. I don't want to be taking any guesses of where my meat comes from. So that's the bigger picture of what is, you know, because no doubt this stuff has changed the

planet for like for good. I mean, like this is like you know that you've all we've all heard it said. I mean, this is like nine eleven type stuff. You know that the Earth just forever was changed after this. Well, I mean that's what's happening, and it's it'll be interesting to see. I I hope that it pushes people more towards you know, responsible outdoor recreation to gather protein and hunting numbers increase. You know, everybody go to Alabama and

kill all camps turkeys. Honestly, if if you let me hunt with you, I just like seeing them. Uh well, uh man, Cam, thanks for uh you know, I almost had you bring your guitar. I wanted. I was like, man, if we hadn't really thought about it, I guess you know. I I hated to ask you to do that because I you know, I just didn't didn't know if you'd be comfortable with that or not. But I wish I had. Yeah,

I don't. We can do a live concert if fewer situations that I'm more comfortable in than that right there, that Gus sitting in a tree stand. But um, yeah, I definitely would have done that. That would have been great. Well, what we might do is uh definitely working. Tell us how people can find your music and find you on social media, music, hunting life in general. You know, you can check me out on Instagram, at camp spins, uh, Facebook,

camp spins, Um, you know, all the all the normals. Um, but I would say, uh, musically, if you purchase my music is available anywhere you purchase your music, or if you're a streamer, you know you can pick it up on Spotify or you know any other big ones iTunes, Amazon, literally any music outlet known to man. I think my music is available on just search camp spins and I'll be there. What should what? What? What song would you

tell him to go listen to? If you're an outdoorsman and you like and you like to hunt, I would say, um, go listen to Got it from my Daddy. I wrote that for my dad, Um about kind of the main things that he's instilled in us over the years, and um, kind of the things that he introduced us to baseball as a kid. He was always our baseball coach for years and years. And then hunting, you know, obviously goes without say um and there's some there's some clever little

lines in there that'll make you laugh too. But um, but yeah, that's as far as of songs that mean something to me, I think that one's up there at the top somewhere. Um. I love that song, love that song a whole lot, um, but so I would check that one out. But honestly, if you just like, you know, well written country music, just listen to my whole catale. Man. I got some I got some pretty good stuff in there. It's not necessarily uh A lot of it's not what

you would hear on country radio. And I'm think I'm kind of proud of that, if we're being perfectly honest, I think the radio suffers a lot at its at its own expense, but not playing um, what I consider to be more sophisticated uh country music. Right on sophisticated country music. I like it. I like it. Um. Okay. So that's where people can find you and then go and go check out all your music. Yeah you're yeah. I was searching some of your stuff earlier day. Yeah,

find it, Cam Spinks, that's it. Call me what what you got anything else for? Cam? I think I'm gonna ask a typical question, who are you musical influences? My musical influences? Over boy, that's the question everyone. You get it so often, But I'm so not pop culture. I didn't know that I needed to ask me this and that that's fair. Yeah. Um no, I would say, Um, you know, I grew up on on nineties country and

kind of southern rock. Um, you know, the the Guards, the Alan Jackson, the you know, all all your all your big time nineties. I'm not gonna sit here and tell you that I was like a huge Whalen fan or a big brol I like those guys. But that's just not what I grew up. When I grew up on good, hearty nineties country Joe Diffy, saw your Brown all that good stuff. Uh. And then on the on kind of the classic rock side, it was you know, Skinnered and Almond Brothers and all that kind of stuff.

But then in recent years, um, kind of the more modern artists that I've taken a liking too, and and some of my music has been influenced by is like Jason is Bowl and Cody Jinks, a lot of these um, Tyler Childer's, you know, a lot of these Appalachia guys, Sturgill Simpson, another Kentucky guy, Stapleton. Um, just kind of the guys that are more edgy country, UM, that don't stick with the the mold of the Nashville mold. If if you will, Um, people that kind of do their

own thing. I love that. Um. So yeah, I would say a lot of those guys, that's that's what I listened to, and that's what I not necessarily try to emulate. But some of it just comes out naturally. That's, you know, because those are the sounds I'm hearing so often. Um, you know that's kind of the stuff I want to incorporate in my music. So um, I feel like I kind of have my own sound, though, like I don't. I try not to sound like someone else. Is that that seems like it would be hard. It's a lot

of people. It is a lot harder. Like let's say your your voice is your voice, you know, Um, you can't change that that much and sustain it. Um, you kind of gotta stay you kind of have to stay in your lane. Like your voice is gonna sound like your voice, and if it sounds like other people, then it sounds like other people. But if it doesn't, you know,

I think that's beneficial. Um. I've been told on multiple occasions that you know, you don't you just don't sound like anyone, and I always take it as a compliment. I love hearing that so um At least vocally, you know. Um So I would say, uh, that's where all my influences lie. And um kind of the the lane that I'm trying to fall into. That's good man. What about hunting influences? I think all of us. I'm gonna throw one at you that UM I hope you know who

it is, Dan Fitzgerald. Yeah, all right, so Dan Fitzgerald the best thing you've said this whole podcast. And his son's name Guy right, yeah, sure is um So. I grew up on Dan Fitzgerald the core. UM. For the first several years of of learning archery. It was all instinctive, even with even with the little I had a psc bandit compound. I didn't have a site on it. Ever. UM I never killed Ado. I was like eight nine

years old, you know I was. Back then it wasn't legal unless you were pulling thirty five pounds, and so I wasn't pulling thirty five pounds. But that's how I learned. I learned instinctively, and later on, UM I did get into instinctive archery for a short period of time. UM I had a long bow. I didn't even go to the recurve route. I went straight to long and um, I got fairly proficient with it. UM hunted with it several times, never had the opportunity to kill anything, but um,

you know I had. There was a hunt where the buck was just a little further than I was comfortable with with that one, and I was like, if I just had my compound, you know. And so from then I kind of slipped back into the compound world. And and uh, but no, I would say, uh, Dan Fitzgerald, for sure, Tim Wells more recently, I love Tim Wells man. Uh And then you mentioned him earlier, Steve Ronella. I I could watch and listen to Steve Ronello for days and never get tired of it. What do you watch

this stuff? Do you watch all of his I watched I watched, Yeah, I watched all of that. But then I've listened to his podcast a little bit, um, but mainly the stuff on Netflix. I just to be able to see it and and and hear it as well. It's just and the things he's been able to do, and then he cooks on top of that. You know. It's just that's another thing I love. It's a pretty eclectic glup group there, Dan Fitzgerald, Tim Wells and Steve

and then and then probably the last big one. I'm a so keeping with the archery theme, I actually did my I did like a sort of a senior thesis in high school, UM on Fred Bear, big Fred Bear guy. At some point I'm gonna get some Fred Bear tattoos. It's gonna happen. Um. And you know, you can't talk about Fred Bear without talking about Ted Nugent. I love love Ted Nugent, his antics. He cracks me the hell up. Oh yeah, yeah, I think I've got a Ted Nugent

for president. I love it. I hope he says Uncle Ted. I can't remember different president. But and then probably another guy that I really really really respect, not only for his for his efforts in hunting and stuff, but just his conservation efforts and his depth of knowledge of hunting in so many different cultures in different places around the world is obviously Jim Shaky. Yeah. I'm and that guy. If there was if there was one um hunter figure hunting figure that I could just meet and sit down

and have a beer with, it would be Jim Sharkey. Yeah. Yeah, big Jim Sharkey fan. Yeah yeah, I feel like that guy did it. Right, Yeah, yeah, I have a lot of respect for Jim Shocky for sure. Yeah, yeah, those are my good group. Yeah. And then if you guys are if you guys have never heard of t K and Micael, how old you must be? Like exactly, my boy, I'm thirty. You're way younger than me. I'm thirty years old. But you know, I've assembled a Porto Pooper or two in my day, so I grew up on those guys

as well. Uh TK and love it? Yeah, w W the water you see a piece upper where you don't see him? Oh? Good, love, it's good. That's good. What about the The Misadventures of Bubba? Oh my god, was it Jim Barney? Oh man, that's funny. Yeah, those were classics. Oh that's good man. Hey, thanks a ton for thanks a ton for coming out here and mean with us man anytime, anytime. It's it's been an enjoyable conversation. And

and uh man, congratulations on you know. I'm always like, I'm I'm conscious, I'm always consciously like perusing media trying to see a hunting figure in mainstream media. And I think that's what caught my even though they didn't say

you were a hunter. But I knew you were a hunter even even then when we talking about that, well even to the point in uh and and part of Blake's deal that he did he had like some deer mounts or something in the back and behind him, and I was like, hey, I'll take it super mainstream outlet like kind of being okay with like a deer head Like that's I think that's a win. But now anyway, just congratulations on on you know, going as far as you did on the voice and just your career in

music and stuff. And man, I really do wish you the best up here in Northwest Arkansan. I know you're new up here and getting my feet wet. Yeah yeah, But right on, any closing thoughts, anything you wanna, Man, I'm sure your listeners have heard it once or twice before, but I am thoroughly impressed with this room and it's decor. Thanks man, It's intriguing. Man. And like I said, having never been hunted before, I'm anxious to it too, to

jump into that world as well. Yeah, just another thing that's spend my money on, you know, Yeah, another thing for my fiance to get mad about. Right on, right on, I'm sure y'all don't know anything about that. Well, now, pleasure to have you, and uh yeah, we'll stay in touch for sure, and yeah, check out check out camp spins, look him up, look up of music, and uh yeah, keep the wild places wild because that's where the bears live.

Heard that I've got an on F one Hunter Model sixty four, reading old cone or red paint three on the floor. People try to buy off me. I'll never sell at chess. I got it from my dad, somewhere in my close. It's my own baseball clothe the post boys. It's a warmer, but that game was my first love. I never got to play it past eight. And I've got the guitar and another dream. I got it from my dad. Got it from my daddy. I ain't scared to get a little dirty. My forehead is bigger than

he used to be. I'm stopping in as the days long, and it's how I always be. And I got it from my dadsy, I got it from my daddy. That's a rifle in the corner two forty three. It's cute mount a white tail all across the southeast. Me and that gun and made some memory. Got a fashion for the great outdoors in me. I got it from my daddy. I got it from my daddy. I ain't scared to get a little dirty. My fold is bigger than he used to be. So then as the days long, and

it's how I long. I got it from my daddy. Yeah, got it from my dadaddy, she