Ep. 401: Ch-ch-ch-changes and Lessons for 2023

people we're recording this before. It's a long No, it's not a long story. Listening on the second dude, it takes him and stuff to turn around, So this is it's not the new year. We're gonna talk about new yourself because it's a new year mood. Dude, Like on Spotify, Oh yeah, that was the stupidest thing in the world. I mean, God bless him loves Spotify. I listened to listen you wanna you wanna know something? I'm in the way ass. See in my house, I have a Sonos system,

but I run Spotify through Sonos. I'm in the way ass top tier of time spent listening, and I am in. I am in the point oh one top percent of Sharon Vanett and fans Sharon Vanett and I've listening to more based on this room I listen. I listened to more Sharon van Att and theoint I don't. I can't even do the math If I'm in the top point oh one percent of fans? What what? Who am I? Who? How many more? What percent am I listening to more of?

So you're so you're you're Spotify wrapped. Wasn't completely bungled by your kids? Because mine, that's its completely, it's gone. It doesn't know. Those sons of bitches. I can't stand when they do that. It's terrible. I've had, like I don't want to name names, but I had someone affiliated with my household really screw up my program. They weren't able to I like wage war on them on that.

They have an Alexa you know the Alexa deals. It's it's tide to your account, right, Yeah, but you should not have Like Amazon never had any music, but now they have. They went they're kind of going to Spotify. Now they have a ton of music, but they just opened up something where you know, like normally they're like Amazon had its own service, but there wasn't a huge selection first launch, but now they've got a lot more. So you'd be like, uh, play me some hold addie, right,

and they be like here, here's something similar. But now they got a bunch. Anyhow, somehow my kids figured out for a while how to get into Spotify. I was throwing my stuff off because they like those stupid songs. Now you're in the top. No, they're not into that, but they like a song called Pancake roll Dumb. It's just these these goofy songs. There's one that my kids love called jingle Burgers. It's just it's terrible. It's just it's adult singing and high pitched voices to just to like,

you know, I don't know, kids love it. And there was recently something that came out. Here's why I hate like one of the reasons I hate virality. This is a good kick off to the New Year's thing, right, one of the years I hate I hate Like. Did you say something that was everywhere? It was like a kid talking about corn. Oh yeah, it's like, who gets listen, let me tell you something, people, why you cute? People liked it? Because people liked it, meaning if I took

a hundred Americans off. Let's say I had that recording and I'm the only guy that knew about the recording. Okay, I pull a hundred Americans randomly off the street. I sit them down, I say, watch this video on my phone. Is this a life changing video for you? They'd all go, no, kid's cute, Kid's cute. But no. However, if you pump into America's head that something has that like everyone is liking it. They like it. They like it because they

like it. For instance, whenever it became like a thing to say, like a dad joke, Okay, once it had a name, it became a thing. But they need language, Like Americans need language to make things a thing, and they need like they're like a dad, this a dad bod Okay. So like this whole genre of like dad bob dad joke came out and then everybody becomes aware of it because there's now language to dis gribes something that's always existed, but they didn't know to care because

they had no language around it. Likewise, the stupid kid with the corn thing, there's a song, but they took the kid talking about corn and said it the music. My kids play that all the time. Yeah, I used dad bod now, but before I would just be like, I'm getting kind of fat because you do you know what. People would describe The Whole Steady as dad rock. Sure, that's like drug addict. It's all about it's like they're

all it's all drug addict stuff. Yeah, but they're all they're all cleaned up and old now so you're thinking as yacht rock. No, dad, dad rock is a dad. Dad rocks the thing. Yea rocks a whole different thing. I'm I'm trying to I'm here with you. The Whole Steady is all about. Wilco is another example of dad rock.

Absolutely yeah, And there's like a lot of like there's a lot of there's a lot of weirdly, they have a lot of drug references and a lot of spousal abuse references, which is like a wrinkle the Whole Steady. It's just like drug addict music. It's like about drug addicts, but dads love it. It's not it's not like it's not you know, it's not music about dad's. Uh, that's a great band. Well the time about you were talking about how you're the best band ever sharing how it's like,

oh I know what I was getting at. Jeez, man, it's been a long time since I started making my point point being it has the feeling of the end of the year because I just got served, uh my Spotify, that stupid thing with the like psychedelics on Spotify that tells you what you're up to. Over to course, your favorite genre is a song. It's just joining and it's all like you're looking through a kaleidoscope. Yeah, I don't

like it. Um So, anyways, it's in the air. It's a long road to get there, but we got there in New Year's in the air. Chester just told me something New Year's ish. Yeah, there's a ice out there, starting to be some ice out there. Oh no, no, no, no, you're you're dip, quit and plan. Oh yeah, Well I got two other buddies, and those guys are real into fitness. Are they real into dip? First of all? So yeah, but I want to get to how what you said

wasn't that smart? We're going yeah, I'm I'm getting there. I mean, that's not what I They're real into fitness, and all three of us occasionally like to dip. Actually occasionally we like to dip. And they were like how about whoever caves first, meaning we're gonna try and quit chewing, and whoever puts it a dip in their lip has to swim a mile in the pool. And I pointed out,

if they're into fitness, how is it a punishment? I think if you had a bunch of like a bunch of unathletic fats's who hate any kind of exercise and they wanted to quit dip and the punishment would be you had to swim a mile in the pool. No, I get it, And that's why I responded to them, like how hard it is it to swim a mile in a pool? Like I need some context here because I could probably benefit from this swimming thing, you know.

But they said it's extremely difficult, especially if you don't swim. So they don't want to swim the mile on the pool. I don't know because they I don't think they do, but you do see what I'm saying. Of course, It's it's like like you said, like if all of us were like, whoever has a drink first, they have to go hunting, like you, like you just said exactly when my old man quit smoking, and I'll tell what he did. He how he finally quit. It was like a money

related bet. He gave ten to one odds and got to be There was no way he could afford to not There's no way he could afford to not quit because he was given ten dollars on the dollar to a bunch of people, a lot of people. How much did he make in the I think he made seven hundred if I remember right, he made seven hundred and would had a fork out seven grand if you didn't quit. It's better than swimming a mile in a pool making seven.

Here's your thing. You're not getting anything out of winning, true? Oh you're getting is that It's like all you know is that somewhere someone swimming in the pool while mild Man's walking around the fat wallet. Maybe you can like stand on the edge of the pool and make sure he doesn't like touch the edge or something. You know, you could heckle him if you go a dred percent Zin does that count as queen chewing tobacco? I would just count it as nicotine, you know, is what I

am addicted to. So you're trying to get off a nicotine altogether. Yeah, because you switched to dip alternative. Now you're doing the next thing, right, and I've I've tried tried quentin. I tried quitting about every other week probably. Well, you know, um, I like to follow the firm market, dude. This is like New Year's is. Because I was just reading the firm market report for coming up and uh, like the whole Russia things got everything whacked out in

various ways. Uh, they buy a lot of her um traditionally, like a lot like us fur will go to Russia. The other thing is there's a sable market, so like there's a lot of sable, they get trapped sable. Our European like Eurasian Martin, that's what they call sables. And when Martin, when American Martin are sold, they're sold as sable, so like in the old days you get like a sable brush that was like the hair in the brush, or like a sables scarf. Even American Martin I wind

up being used as sable. So the Russians eyes buy a shipload of her and that's all screwed up. Uh. Oh, you know that the Russians. The Rooski's reached out trying to the Rooski reached out trying to do a Roosky version of one of our books. Pretty it felt pretty good to make a political statement because especially because it only cost five Yeah. I was like, I'm reading this thing, and do you remember what book it was? It was the Survival book, okay, the will Yeah, the Wilderness Skills Book,

which they may need over there, I know. So like this Russian publisher wanted to buy our will buy, then by the Russian rights to do a translation of the Wilderness Skills Book, and then the whole time I'm like, oh man, this is like, you know, it's gonna be like you can't do it. You know, you can't do it because all the boycott stuff. But man, but I got the end. It was only five bucks, so they'll be like hell no. I was like, oh good, not not costing me anything to be uh. So here's an

interesting thing, man um beavers. So in the beaver market, beavers are sold as like most beavers go into that what's called the hatter market. So if you go back to the old days, you go back to the mountain man era. Um, all those beavers that were trapped by all those mountain man Rocky mountain beaver trappers and others were all used to make hats. They shred the whole thing and make wolf felt. Uh so Abe Lincoln like the top hat and all that, right, beaver wolf felt

top has their water resistant warm very fashionable. Uh well, he might have been the silk hat era, because when when they started making hat some silk, it killed the old beaver market. But today everything but the best. So like you might have a lot of beavers that come out of the Upper Great Lakes, extreme northern Midwest, like very dark, heavy beavers like those go to certain uses.

Most of all the beavers, most other beavers from the south, all the beavers in the West going to the hatter market. They're going to making statsuns. This this bobcat guy, Mercer Long, he's gonna be coming on the podcast. He used to be a he still is a fur trapper. But he also when researchers are trying to do catch bobcats, the collar him. He's the go to you guy when you want to put a collar on a bobcat. He's like Joe Bobcat. He sent me a text. Let me let

me tell you another. Let me let me give you another. He has some interesting insights. He said this one day. So here's a here's him. Why does it bother me so much? These guys with this Why does it bother me so much? These guys with the seventy tho dollar land cruisers and jeeps with all the stupid ship bolted to the outside of it, water jugs, gasoline traction boards

and handyman jack's. Can you imagine actually spending any time on dirt roads and one of those things all that crap it's bolt of them things just rattle off or the racks are just fall to pieces. Eventually, there isn't a single lift point on one of those vehicles that you could even use the high lift jack on. And then you see them out there when you're trapping on their big adventure, a dozen of them making a big deal about driving down a trail that you check traps

on every single day most of the time. You'd be hard pressed to find a half bottle of water in your vehicle and your spare tire has been flattened the bed for a week and a half. No, this guy is really your buddy. This guy knows how to get to your heart. Here's a taxi to sent me. Do you suppose the liberal save all the animals? Hollywood? Folks involved with the TV show Yellowstone realize they are almost single handedly pushing the beaver market orders for forty to

fifty thousand skins to supply the hatter industry. You suppose they even know that those Western hats are made with beaver felt. Probably not a lot of people do. But also the guy that runs Yellowstone, Taylor Shardan's a pretty centrist dude. He's not he's a beaver trapper. He's a face of friend of the beaver trappers. I keep we keep getting pitched a podcast guests from various angles, who's it sounds like an anti beaver trapper to get them on?

They wrote beaver Land. I just got pitched them again. Today they have startling startling findings about the secretive contemporary fur trade. Oh so it's based on It's not like environmental No, it's about like, hey, beavers make damns. You know. It's like news alert and then um, you don't say, and then uh and then um it's it has startling discoveries about the contemporary fur trade. I don't maybe we

should have that person. Definitely that sounds interesting. Uh oh, another heads up for we get we got caught things to talk about here's in our heads up, you know, like um speaking of like you know, the liberal Hollywood types. You know how all everything in Disney is like like how it's just like NonStop like anti hunting stuff, like if you watch it's not Disney, but like Wild Crats for instance, Like the bad guy is a wild game chef in Wild Crats. You watch that show? You kids?

Ever watch that show? And like the these two brothers and I used to have an actual shoulder. I mean, I don't know if they got too old and they started they turned them into carton much younger cartoon people. But yeah, the hunters are always the bad guys, like when the animals are the characters, like the buffoon hunters, Like, yeah, there's a wild game chef. There's three, there's one. One of the bad guys is kind of like a very he's like an urban dweller, very fussy and and like

how do I put it? How do I put it? Very effeminate, fussy urban knight who kind of hates animals. One of the bad ad guys is no joke, a chef who wants to like eat the last of things. Yeah, and then you know every other thing like if you watch a movie and there's a couple and there's a hunter in it. It's like, what is he? He's from the South, He's from the American South. He's careless and and like ruthless I have. This is a hot tip for parents with kids. Adventure Time. That's me and my

kids show. I love it, ten fifteen minute episodes. We watched them that night before bed. All their houses taxidermy. They sleep under animal skins. Everything in their house is draped and animal hides. What's this one called adventure Time? It's a dystopian no it's like a utopian post apocalyptic world where like you gather that it's like also kind of fantasy in medieval it's like a whole it's it's cool. It's a cool. Humans are all gone except for one kid.

In Animate objects have become animate and now and then you see like an ice burgl wash up on the beach and it's full of humans wearing business suits with pustules all over their face. Like humans are gone, and it's a kid and his dog and they have a lot of adventures and sometimes like I was watching one

the other day and it just ends inexplicably. They just come in and he's holding like a big dead animal and drops it on the floor and his buddy's got an arrow sticking out of his head um, and yeah, they sleep under his bed. Is all bear hides and rugs. Where can you watch it? Is it like a YouTube? It was on it was on cartoon Network, but you can watch it. It's on HBO Max and like any

sort of cartoon network. We have the kind of TV you talk into and um my kids just talking to it in one of those smart ones that they have now. They just talk into it and it plays it. But I don't understand where it's coming from. That's a hot to adventure time when when Oscar can start watching. It has a lot of talking animals. But I just I watch it for the taxidermy. I watched it for the I watch it for the tan hides, the beds made of nothing, but they just sleep under rugs. People like

the ft up Bold tax Darmy calendar. Good. I mean they're never going to like as much as the deer stands calendar. But yeah, good, we well speaking to another good. Yeah, I got a couple of ethics, a couple of ethics questions we gotta get into well, yeah, if you don't have a calendar for this year yet, would be ethical to buy one. Yeah, there's like just a few left, right, I think. Yeah. I think I saw an email that it was like thousand I've already been shipped out. Oh

so they sold a good pile. Yeah, oh sweet man. And then and then there was some of the promo, like like for certain orders. I think in the last like last year when they were getting rid of them, it was if you make any order, you could any you get a free calendar with any order. So people would order a calendar, right, because then you're buying like a cheap item, so you're paying like whatever, fourteen bucks,

and then your free item is a calendar. Yeah. So it's basically like two for one calendars and a lot of calendars sold like that. But yeah, it's not too late. You. I hope you can still go get him. We've talked about this, man. It comes up all the time. Here's a guy, here, here's a guy writes in states. As previously discussed on the podcast, hunters are placed in moral

and legal dilemmas often I'm quoting. On the opening day of rifle season, I experienced quite the predicament, Still quoting Honey public Land, I heard someone shooting a small caliber semi automatic firearm, sending out multiple shots. After about ten to fifteen minutes, I hear an animal head in my direction. I look up to see a small buck, very wounded, limping into the area. Upon looking at him through my scope, I can see that he has been shot through the

front leg at the joint. Upon seeing this, decided to do the morally correct thing and dispatch the deer. As I checked out the deer, I began to see he was shot multiple times, twice in the neck, once through the front leg, and once in the ham. I proceeded away over an hour and hopes that someone would show up looking for the deer they had wounded. But they put about as much time in finding the wounded animal

as they did at the gun range. I know taking a wounded animal has been discussed on the podcast before, but how would you have played this one? Use your only rifle buck tag on a small buck that has been shot up, harvest the animal and not tag him let him walk. I respect the opinions from the meat eater, as y'all do the nice nice He ends with some nice things um, what would you have done? I want to first lay out like what you should, what you

what you need legally? This is what This is why I saw about ethics because I've been in a situation. I've been in a station situation two times more than that. Well, I was in a situation yesterday in a weird way because I'm driving down the road. We're going out set some Martin sets, and there's a deer all busted up on the side of the road, laying there looking around

cars whizzing by. You can see where to kind of dragged itself off into the snow, And like we thought about alwaysould probably shoot deer that you're actually not supposed to do that, right, that's breaking the law. It's breaking a law to shoot the deer. But twice I have killed severely messed up deer that I did not tag. One time, the first time I did it, We're camping and I took a backstrap off it, and then I felt like kind of bad about that. You stepped across

the line at that. Well, it was listen, it was a deer that got hit in the lower back ham. It was just pack full of dirt. The leg was just dragon. Oh just a mess, and I was like, I'm not gonna it's like a total mess. It was obviously a hunting related it was hunting season. You could tell it had been shot. Um I shot it, and I'm like, man, I don't want to, like, I don't know. And that night we ate a backstrap, which was wrong, but that was probably more I don't know. I don't

want that. One's moral legally wrong for sure. The other time I killed one a little fun. They had gotten out onto an island in a river and it had been hamstrung by coyotes. It was just a total mess and dieing anyways, and I shot it. Didn't touch it. Both times that was illegal because you didn't use your tag, didn't use a tag, and didn't contact game warden. So

I'll do mine that you guys can do years. I'll do mine for what I think this individual, what I would have done in this individual shoes, if I was being my best person. Yeah, if you're being any best person, you wouldn't have messed with it. If you didn't want it, your second best person, you just shot it. Realized it was full of holes, realize that no one came and looked for it, and call a game ward and be like, I don't I saw a deer coming, I knew it was shot, I shot it. I didn't realize it was

this shot. And where the hell's the guy that shot it? I think if you, if you really laid it out and the in the game, Warden was quite convinced you're telling the truth, there's a good chance and he probably he probably would have done some asking around about who had been plugging away at it and probably would not have forced you to take it. If you're like like, I don't know, here it comes. It's got four brand new holes in it. I don't want it, but who

where is he? Yeah? I think if I would, I'd shoot the deer, go up to it and realize how shot up it was. If you, if I could get a bunch of meat off, I'd probably just take the deer. But if it was just demolished, what if it was your only buck tag? Yeah, you had like another week to hunt chester. I I mean, I'd love to shoot a bigger buck, but it's just like meat. At least at this point in my life, the meat is more

important than that. But in this case, you're not gonna like the meat is gonna be all right shot up, And if it was all shot up, I'd do exactly what you guys are saying and called the called the game warden. I've tagged two shot up animals are tagged A shot up turkey with Yanni and we jumped it out of brush pole and that couldn't fly and I shot it tagged um full story. I think we're it was like the last couple of minutes of our hunt. Uh. And then I shot a cous deer on the show

one time they've been shot through the foot. She got some yield off of that, though it's not wrong shot. What's interesting is, uh, after I killed it, we're caught it up and here comes the guy. We got to hit it a couple of days before in the foot and still all the mountains looking for it. M hm. In Arizona wasn't on that one. Do you give it to him? No? He was totally cool about it, and he didn't want, He just wanted. He was still up looking for You want to know what happened? He was

happy to ship. I just like, is it like the morally correct thing to do? Like? Are you morally obligated? Like? I don't know if that's would now now knowing? Would I now know? I would just if I knew something was messed up, I'd be like, let's they tell you not the mess that I'm not gonna miss. You know, I don't think you're morally obligated to do anything. The one area I think that, the one area where I think that I used to practice civil disobedience is picking

up road kill stuff back when it was illegal. Yeah, and mostly now it's like more every year, like more and more states make illegal. When it was illegal to pick up road kill, I would picked up road kill. I wouldn't even be discreet about it. And I was looking forward to going down to court and being like, yes, your honor, there was a deer dead on the side of the road that was gonna rob on the side of the road, and I ate it. Guilty is charged?

Have you shot? And to see what actually happens to you? Have you done the putting a wounded animal out and tagged or untagged? Or one time going up one thirty one one that was hit by a car. Yeah, yeah, I was a young hotshot ELK. I had always had a pistol in my car and just needed a reason to just charged that side of a gun, and there it was. I knew, I knew it was a reason carrying out for ten years. Um, I think that that's

been that was the only time. Yeah, I don't. I don't know that I'm gonna burn my tag in that situation. That's no, I'm not. I mean, you can, but it's not like a thing. I don't feel like I have to do it for this reason that like this animal has to be put out of its misery. Um, I don't know. For some reason, the older I get, I don't believe in that quite as much anymore as I used to. I think those animals are a lot tougher

than than than we think they are. And I think we're there's a little bit of anthropop or snation that goes on when we when we think, oh, let's put it out of its misery. You don't know how well that dear yesterday laying outside of the road, dude was not getting any better. No, it's not. I'm not saying it's gonna get any better. It's gonna we'll see here, it's gonna get eaten by something. But here's the art. Here's another wrinkle in this to consider. These are huge.

He'sawing about human caused, which I view like human part of nature. I know. No, that's good point, that's good point. But I mean it's the morally correct thing because that's the one you saw. Like if you're out there hunting in firearms season in Wisconsin, there is a she it load of bounded deer running around in the woods. You know what I mean. But just because it's the one you saw it, you know what I mean, it's my it's my belief that, like we talked about this a

long time yesterday I was talking without some folks. It's my belief that the wound loss on archery elk is one to one. Everyone I know that archery hunts has a story. Man, it's one to one I think for every elk to dies and elkots wounded. So if you imagine all those like you know, and so many of those recover, it's kind of like, yeah, you see something coming along, you don't know what it's gonna happen to it. Here's a good one. I recently harvested a duck that

caused me some confusion. Yesterday I was out jumped shooting some local creeks. This is really interesting. I had bag three green heads. That's good, that's a good little jump shoot. I had bag three green heads. And because the limit is four mallards here in Skinny Chester, I could shoot one more. As I walked along, a flock of three erupted from the bank below me. I picked out the one bird of the green head, and a white collar pulled up and crunched it. Hadn't heard that before. Crunched

it means you got it. Yeah. I had never heard anybody used crunched in the place of got it, shot it, folded it, folded it ever ever heard anybody's little aggressive Just this is the first time right now, just imagining bones shattering, which I don't think is the image that you want. Well, I think a lot. I did some waterfowl hunting last week, and sometimes when you do get like a really good shot on one and they crumpled it,

they crumpled, which I could see. I could see that that could you know you could flip that to crunch pretty easy, kind of look like they get pillowed pillowed. And when I was in college, I had to do this thing. Did I tell you about this story? You'll remember if I told you this, I found an academic

paper because you're you know, you're usually here, right. I found an academic paper where they took a room full of women from a college who all knew each other, okay, and they had like fifteen minutes to think of all the words they could think of for male genitalia. I don't remember that. And then they took the same number I've heard it at least ten times you've heard us for they Hey, look a hunter sitting over there, like

he wants to hear what they called. So, and they took the same number of guys that they got, found guys that all knew each other, and put them. It was a linguist that did the research. So the women all generated for fifteen minutes. Is free form generated his main names they could think of for male genitalia. Then you had a group of guys and they free form generated as many names for male genitialia as they could think of. And a stark difference in the stock like

a stark difference in the lists. The males had forty figures like the commissioner, the Governor's terrible cojack like authority figures. So the authority figures were coming from the men I'm guessing yeah, yeah, for sure. And the female is just like a wildly different list, you know, like like just

like very different point being. I think it'd be like, thinking about this crunched, crunched, it would be interested to go around the country just like for five minutes, give me, you'd be like harvested, took right, somebould be like whacked crunch goods. Just have a map and what are the kind of terms? Need one for the gen z s? Yeah, so the interesting research. So back to our duck hunter. I picked out the one bird of the green head and white collar, pulled up and crunched it. Something seemed

off about the bird. I figured it was just a juvenile drake, seeing as I had harvested two of those already that day Harvard. When I stripped down waited across the creek, I was just saying, it's got some waiters. When I stripped down and waited across the creek, I found what was clearly a domestic duck. I have no ethical dilemma about shooting a domestic duck. I was in the heart of public land and escape Domestic breeds can be quite damaging to the genetics of our wild mallards.

What I struggled with was whether or not it should count towards my limit of mallards or my limit of ducks at all. I understand that it's a descendant of a mallard, but a feral dog is a descendant of a wolf. Should you then be required to put your wolf permit on a feral dog? If you shot one? Last time I shot one, I didn't or say I had my own domestic ducks. If I already shoot a limit of wild ducks, would that prevent me from being able to butcher my own that day? He's you know,

he's making a point, right. I don't think he's He's right. He's like asking, what are those hypothetical theoreticals? I don't know. Yeah, he's just laying out an extreme possibility. I think. Um. I I had a similar experience last year. My boy got a duck, UM, a strange duck, and we you speculated about what it was and more I did online research. I had found a it was a Mallard Muscovie cross, which even has a name. So then you're like, we

counted it towards the limit. I would think that in this case, this individual, I would think that you might get cited, but when you went to court, you're not gonna get in trouble. You'd have to how do you prove it's a domestic duck? Though, if if you cared that much you get it, you'd get it tested. It says, couldn't it be that that duck is just hatched out from a hand that made it, a wild hand that made it with ye you know, yeah, but you see those crazy like ponds full of those crazy like not

quite mallards all the time. I mean it's one duck, Like, why not just call it a day, right? Because he's a curious person. I look at this all this job, look at all of his like another one credentials, He does have some credentials. Another one of those things. Another one of those situations though, where it's just like if you really wanted to keep hunting, you just could call up your authorities and kind of see what they think.

You know, yeah, I think they're gonna be. On the other hand, what do you think you can't be called like, you can't be every day calling you can't be every day calling the game ward and weird stuff to happen to. But that does this stuff doesn't happen. That's what happened now. But how often does this stuff? But you know I don't. I feel like my local game Ward likes getting a phone call from an inquisitive n Yeah, and I apologize him every time I do. He looks at that phone.

He's like, God, damn, it's every time I do it. I'm like, hey, man, I hate to buggy this kind of stuff. Man, but like, what if it's their job? Yeah, No, he likes because he's like an intellectual. Um, I would have have hunting bonus nut. Here's what I would have done. I'm telling this is why my better self would have would have just my better self would have I'm bagged out. Uh,

I'm done hunting. But in the back of my mind when I see a game Ward and I'm gonna say to that game Ward, hey I got one for you, and you're like, I'm not going to call him this time and be like, hey, I got one for you. Here's the thing that had to me. What would have been your attitude to that. I wouldn't have shot another one, planning and arguing my way out of it. M He'd like, well,

you'd be like you get caught with me. Duch's like, well, you'll notice it seems like that you want to clarify first and then figure out right, yeah, the third time, the third time you had three regular mallards and one, uh bonus domestic mallard. He might start asking questions carry a little white out worth he or somebody just kind of make him a little different. Here's one. This is an ethical this is a strategy. We've talked about this too. I know, okay, the subject line of the question is

um two pee or not to pee? Is that handler Macbeth Hamlet Hamlet to pee or not to pee in a tree stand? I know the subject line of this email is a little weird, but it gets right to my question. I hope it will help settle the years long debate within the group I deer hunt with in Minnesota. When you're on stand for hours on end, should you refrain from peeing in the woods New York stand or

doesn't really matter? He points out that he's uh searching past articles on our website that's not on our website, hasn't found anything. Point that out. We should point that

out the spencer. Growing up, honey, my dad taught me to try to minimize your sent while hunting, and peeing near where you're going to be hunting was a big no no. I still follow this rule today, and I have to go on stand, and and and if I have to go a while on stand, I founded a large Gatorade bottle of milky jos and he goes trucker right into a Gatorade bottle. Other guys p at the base of their elevated stands, please help me settle this debate. Oh,

come on. The best one, though, is that some guys have a funnel with a garden hose that is then dog into the ground at the base of the tree to really hide that. Sorry, I've I've seen other elevated stands that have a funnel in the corner of the stand attached to a garden hose that runs down into the ground. I checked that for fetishists, man, After all that house business we got into, I would check that holes for fetishist every time I went out there. Do

you know what I mean? Make sure it's not someone hiding the leaves. I think I'm pretty sure I know guys that p on their scrapes that they make You got buck man, If you're dog during Yeah, that's where the buck is gonna be. Yeah, I like, I want to like this seems like this seems like a real Mark Canyon question, because you know, I could picture him

getting into it. But I've I've heard, I've like that, I've heard like piss his pissed for the most part, And there's some subtle differences, but it's kind of a volatile thing. And what you wind up with if you wind up with like ammonia, right, And it doesn't really matter when I I don't do a ton of when I when I was young, I peed up when I used to hunt out a tree stand for white tails all the time. I didn't pee out of it strategically.

I peeed out of it out of expediency because we didn't do anything properly according to like contemporary understanding of like how to actually do everything you know, no, like no send control or I just kind of the wheels blowing the wrong way. That sucks. You just spent some time in a tree stand in Wisconsin, pete a lot right out of the tree and uh no no negative and and and specifically paying attention to it, like within an hour doze down wind and uh I feel like

I did a pretty good job. Like we had some company, I think Cold Blue. Maybe somebody had shipped a big box of stuff here. So I had some scent elimination type stuff with me, and mostly I was spraying down my uh first one or two uh sticks that I was climbing on because a couple of years ago I felt like, yeah, she came right as soon as her nose got like parallel with that ladder. You know what

else happened this year? They did They actually went by my stand, so they actually came from down one where I didn't think they'd come, went by my stand, didn't smell us. As Tyler and I up in the tree together and I had a trail camera on a trail the trail I was gonna try to kill these deer on and I didn't like where it was, and so I had moved it, yeah, with gloves on, moved it. And they gotten that didn't like, got next to that trail camera and just immediately like noses up in the

air looking around, we'll not seeing it. And I was like, what the hell's at No? No, no smelled my And that camera has been there for a year now and I had just touched it and that tipped him off, but he didn't no p away. I say, now are you are you h dribbling her down the tree or you you're shooting straight off because I'll dribble it down the tree on purpose, so is not to make noise, or I don't know why I shoot it. I shoot it at the tree because you can make some noise

dry leaves. You know. I'm in the saddle these days, so it's I usually just kind of turn ninding and just go. I've never archa. It's more fun that way, try and keep it out. I think I was thinking about I don't know noise and like just I don't know, just like kind of it seems like on the tree you'd leave a much larger like you gotta climb down that too, which, as we know an hour later, it's just ammonia. But if you're a fetisher, you might be

into that. Well that's not where my mind was, and I feel like, yeah, I don't feel like I don't feel that I'm climbing back down through it. Well, I don't know how many sides there a tree there are, but there a lot of sides of a treat. Yeah it is, but you're bear hugging the tree? Is you climbed down? Um, we're in the tree a lot of times with a cinematographer, and so that's hard being Yeah, so it's it's just nicer to turn turn your back to him and pee away from the tree. Yeah, that's

awkward situation can be. Yeah, they just looked around the tree and you're like, I'm just dribbling down the tree trunk here, bud, don't don't worry about me. Sorry about your boot. Okay, that's that. Oh okay, yeah, hold on before it before we cap that off, I just need to add that, in fact, our beloved kin has in fact written on this. It's a article called human or dear urine. Doesn't make a difference. This guy must not be very good internet searches. Maybe maybe he didn't find this.

It might not be it might not be cataloged properly. So here's what Canyon had to say, Mark Kenyon. All the research I've seen on this points to human yearine being indistinguishable from deer or other critters after a very short period. So I just let it fly anytime anywhere. I'm not once seen a dear spook from it. I also pee and mock scrapes and have seen bucks immediately start using them with no negative response. That says a lot Clay. I've had mixed success. Pianout of stands that

could be read at hundred ways. He peed down his bibbs. I don't know, let's read down. Is that all I wrote? End quote? I thought that's what you're getting at. That's all you wrote that. No, I had this recently. Man where I was there was I was interviewed for an article recently, and it's like, I feel like if you're talking to a journalist, you could say you could say I'd don't eat dear meat when I'm vomiting, right, and you'd read the next day be like, I don't need

dear meat, says Ronella. Uh, I've had mixed success. Pean out of stands. I've seen dear spook and not spook. Supposedly after some period of time, the yeurine is indistinguishable interesting the same word choice as kenyan from other mammal urine. However, I do like peeing in scrapes after a morning hunt.

But if you plan to have deer within bow range of your tree peeing out of the tree, see This is screwing it up because now we should have read his first as a dissenting view and then given like overwhelming, But now we're leaving him with a seated out. Yeah, but he contradicts himself, like, how can pean in this scrape be good? But pean out of a tree is bad? I don't understand, and I wish we hadn't even asked Clay. However, I do like to read again play says, However, I

do like peean and scrapes after a morning hunt. But you've planned to have deer within bow range. If your tree, peean out of the tree isn't the best option, in my opinion, then why in a scrap? To what I'm saying, I think they'd be even tougher to get him in bo range. If they like get in the scrape, why wouldn't they like it next your tree? If Clay thinks the way he thinks, for really, you know you ought to do He ought to make a big p funnel, p way out one way, pe way out the other way,

and leave a pe gap right at your tree. Maybe maybe it's just something eats channeling oak or something. Don't eat any oak and you'll be good jud that Jerry klower line. But uh, when he was a kid date so much boiled oak or their socks wouldn't stay up. Okay, here's what we want to do for here's what we want to do to should takeet everybody rolling on. Um. We want to talk about impactful things from two and how they may have changed your your perspective, change your

life course. Right, And it's important because that's why you live. You live an introspective life. You try to make sense out of stuff. So that was what everybody was tasked to do. Who wants to start? It's a big task. Yeah, I still haven't thought of mine. It was I can't think of one. I mean, I got a bunch, but I can't think of which one is the most impactful thing. I know what it should be, but I can't. It

wouldn't seem impactful to anybody. You should try us get get the ball rolling because it's all the yeah, too much context. No no, no, no no. I'd be like saying, um, it would be like saying, uh, that was the most important day of my life except when I got married and had kids. You know what I mean? Where you gotta right, you talk about a thing. Then people are like, yeah, but what about whatever? Like when Chester goes he's gonna do his big concert not having his kid, and then

people are gonna condemn him. I can tie him both in there in a way. So who's going first? Brody? Sure I can go first? Um, what happened to two that you feel will change your course? Uh? Taking my wife on her first successful hunt ever, she drew an. We both threw antalope tags for out in the eastern Montana and uh, playing a hunt for opening weekend of antelope rifle season. Um, she'd been she's been hunting a couple of times at four honest, almost put her on

a turkey a couple of years ago. But um, she didn't really show any interest in hunting until we moved to Montana a few years ago and kind of slowly took more interest in it. Why didn't you want to hunt Colorado when you guys had all that hunting right out of your door. I don't know, that's a good question. Maybe it's all this, you know what I think it is what your kids are getting older and it's not

such a pain, and you ask anymore? Probably, Yeah, So I think about it gives a chance to think about something else. Yeah, definitely, definitely um and over the uh, the pandemic. She took her Hunter's safety course because it was something to do. You could do it online, you know, the whole thing. Anyway, she drew the tag, we both drew antelope tags. We went out to eastern Montana, and I was like nervous, man, Like, I did not like,

I don't get that way taking my kid hunting. I have old I have friends who started hunting late in life that like, I didn't ever get nervous taking them, um, because I knew, like if things went badly, I just had a feeling it's something she wouldn't never do again, Like if she ended up having a horrible time or wounded an animal and we didn't get it, it's very that was very much like weighing on me, like putting things together in a way that everything went well, but

we know, I mean, neither of us knew up until the moment she pulled the trigger. If she would even pull the trigger, she might decide it's not something she wanted to do. Um. So anyway, we went out. We had a couple of stocks, like right off the bat at first light and I was kind of glad they didn't work out, because you wanted to like get some experience in there. You don't to be like first toime

step off the road, boom, it's over. Then she'd be like, yeah, exactly. Um. So we chased a bunch of antelope around for two or three hours, got busted, you know, a couple of times it didn't work out. And then late morning I saw a little buck a dough in a fawn like laying a it's the base of this little knob. They were in the perfect spot to like come up behind him on top of the hill and shoot down on

that little buck. Um. But man, I was like heart pounding, like very worried about how it was going to go. It was just the the ecotomy between like the husband wife thing was different. Man. It was because you thought you were afraid she's gonna cripple one up or miss one. I wasn't so much worried about missing like that. I think would be easier to get through than wounding one. Um. And you're like the whole time, you're acting like you would not act with a buddy, Like I'm not saying

like hurry up, don't you see him? Like, you know, things you were doing that I was not. I was like, I've been doing that, I know, but I was like exactly, yeah, I I feel like I can't act like that. There's like I can't make this into something like getting in a fight over the dishes at home, Like if I start irritating her in a way like that, like this is not going to be good. Um. So it ended

up all working out. Like it's a short shot hundred yards the animal he runs a little ways and tips over and she was freaking out that because he ran he was wounded, But it all worked out. Um and I and I don't know, man, the whole thing like taught me maybe I should be acting like that around other people, not just my wife when I'm out hunting

with him, like be more patient. Kind of realized that not everyone has the experience, not everyone can see the game that what you know what I mean, he's gonna turn nice. That's not I'm not saying that there's still start petting all dogs, like the whisper yelling is not not gonna end. But it was definitely like maybe there's something to that. Taking things a little slower, explaining things a little better, you know it goes a long way. Yeah, yeah,

people like that. See, yeah, because I find myself yelling. I like yell at my kid about the need to be calm. But which is a contradiction. Think about if it was Katie, you would not like, oh, dude, I'll be walking on eggshells exactly. Oh yeah, well, oh my god. I'd be like, yeah, it was well, you know, I could see why you're doing it that way, but you know, another way to look at it would be that you'd walk quietly. Yeah, but you know now that I's only

see your point. Yeah, I just thought, um, you know, and it was emotional for which I'm not saying it's not emotional for me. But to see an adult in their forties like their reaction to the their first ever kill is a big game animal. It's an animal. It's not a squirrel or even a turkey. You know, it's different, and uh, yeah, I think I'll take away a lot

of lessons from that. When I took my wife squirrel hunting for the first time, she hit one in the ear, and uh, they left a little blood trail and snow, but we couldn't find it tore up. She thought it was more binary, right, She thought, it's like it dies or it gets away. She didn't know about an ear shot. Yeah,

they're not shoulder. I I don't really know, but that that that squirrel's gonna be fine in spite of the little drips of blood that it came off as a year but you like got him in the ear like earhole, No, like like pierced his ear. Oh I got you know, not the ear hole like like like creased, it's ear area pierced. I'm surprised that a little blood trail. Yeah I didn't in the snow, you know, by my mom's place.

That gets me excited to go hunt. But I watched that squirrel for a long time, running up down, you know, getting away. But yeah, increased him, increase a little melan. She felt horrible. Yeah, he'll be all right. Crunched him. So you can start being super nice everybody. No, no, she she got her first count out. Now I can. Now I can like act like I normally would. But no, it taught me a lot. Like you take for granted the experience you have, you know, and you can't just

act like you do with people. What exactly is the problem, you know, what exactly is your problem. It was cool, it was good. Or another thing you'll do is you get like really condescending. Not you one one will get really condescending where you're like, okay, so tell me where you're not getting it. Like, there's a deer in front of us, right, do you see the deer? You know, different, different approaches like that I find to be very helpful. Yeah, would you rather have me shoot the deer? Um? Yeah,

that's good. It's nice. Totill go hunting with your wife. Yeah, I don't think it'll be something she's you know, she's not gonna be out there filling four or five tags a year. But if she does one big game hunt in a turkey hunt in the spring, that'd be great. It will be good. I'm gonna be done hunting a couple of years. Yeah, I'm just I mean, that's the thing is, uh, you start getting those tags filled from other people and all your time's taking up doing that.

My boy he got he got four big game animals. That's two more than I did. It's like I'm I'm I'm wrapping her und Yeah. We pulled in a couple of extra big game animals, a couple of turkeys. So imagine what not. You know, I'll pretty soon all have three hunters. I won't hut any more. No, you're gonna have to be nice. I don't know. You got pretty lucky with James, and he seems to respond well to your condescending technique, but the other two might not. Yeah,

that's what I ask because Rosie's gonna be up. She's fired, but she's fired off. Do you anticipate having to handle No, I'm going to act totally different with her than her brother. That's what I wanted, way different. Yeah, I'm gonna act totally different. But she's she got a turkey last year, didn't she killed two turkeys? But hunting big game. I'm gonna act different. I just know I will, because there's

just a dynamic. It's like trying not like I don't have the I don't have the dynamic of being that that like. I want her to go hunt like more than I want my boy to go right, because I want I don't want to fall prey like. I want her to feel compelled to do it and not fall into this like boy girl. However, I just know that I'll act different to her. Yeah, I just more. I mean like I'm just flat out I'm more tolerant. I'm

more talent with her than I am. I mean, I like, I act out my I've taken my dad's role and I've given my kid my role, and it just we're in the trap of we're in the father son trap. Yeah, I do find that I with my daughter, I explained things a lot more than my dad did to me with my son who's hunting now, Like I feel like it was just like do this back in the old days, and you just did that. But now I find myself

saying why we're doing things, which is good hunter. So yeah, this year was um my first time going past Tennessee to hunt west. So. I grew up on the Chesspeake Bay and so saltwater fishing Chesspeake Bay, outer banks hunting in Virginia, UM, North Carolina and Tennessee. So as soon as I came on the mediator, you know, and so you got work, colleagues, friends, you know, getting tags kind of get into that I had been putting in over

the last couple of years, tags unsuccessful and successful. This year I got success on a rifle tag for a problem horn. Now I started watching videos trying to get myself, you know, excited about it, and and I was, and then instantly kind of turned into like, now, what hell am I going to do? I didn't want to bug anybody in the office, you know, it was to what to do? So in August Um, I went with Hayden, what would you not want to bug anybody out? Everybody?

That's why you work here? Yeah? Man, Well, I mean I just figured everybody's got you know, they've got their own tags, they've got things going on, and the last thing they need is a hanger on or to you know, well, going forward after this event, yeah, I can't. You just wouldn't want to go hunting and have someone just yell condescending things into your ear while you have animals, So you do realize we're hunting, right. That's that's how the story kind of felt like it was getting to in

a minute. Um. But yeah, in August Um Hayden drawn a archery tag prong horn. So that was like my first you know, situational experience. I quickly realized after about a day, who the hell is gonna you know, stock a rocket ship in a flat field with a bow. It just it seemed like it was impossible. So I kind of knew that. Like that trip it was my desk was like spotting on the scope and giving pep talks on blowing stalks. You got a buddy, You'll you'll get the next one. It just takes one. Just it

just takes one or twenty. Um. But yeah, like inside of my head, I was kind of going and you got it made with this rifle tag. I mean not like in a cocky way, but just in a way like all these all these program hornies can't get with. I just thought, well, I'm gonna tag out day one or two. I might as well go ahead and put Hayes Taxidermy into my phone. You know it's gonna be you know, easy, It's gonna be a giant. Yeah. I haven't gotten them yet, but exactly let me know, John.

But so come October, you know, two months later, that confidence level starts sinking a little bit, probably not unlike when you felt confident going to the open up for trampled by turtles, and then come showtime, that nerves starts kicking. So um, day one, Um, you know, I'm kind of I'm in a local unit around here, which I kind of learned quickly that the prong horner going to be mainly out towards the eastern side of the state, the

open country, in the open country. So I'm I'm kind of basically day one hitting little B M A s and state state pieces. And I did see a small herd, but they were so far on private and today we're going to get to public anytime soon, and they didn't that day Day two and three, I didn't see anything. Now,

confidence levels dropping. I'm getting in my head time's ticking, like I've got so excited for this tag that you know it's gonna be uh, let me flying back with tag suit call the text and there was back yeah, trying to get your deposit back. So it was It made me think in my head, I'm like, you know, okay, a lesson learned here would have been studying the ship out of the units. No, what's got more access than others and what holds you know, whatever you're hunting for.

The only question I had when I read your story earlier in the notes was right here, because I figured someone gave you advice on where to apply. You didn't just potentially pick this unit out of a hat and apply right right, So I want to know who's to blame who. After the podcast, I can go point my finger out and go why did you tell them? And

go get there? I thought so. So I think that's that's an important point though, because I think a lot of people that are planning their first Western hunt they may not do the kind of research like you might find a unit that's easy to draw for like whatever your antelope, there might be a reason why it's easy to draw. There's no public land, you know. Listen, I did the exact same thing on a mountain range nearby here. I won't name any and it was it was a

prong Horn tag too. It's like my first or second year here and Dan Doty, the old producer of Meter and I were like, look at this, it's like almost it's so close, and we got the tags, were like sweet, we're partying. And then we started driving around and literally could not access a single piece of public land, not a one. In the end, we ended up going down a road that, judging by the map, it was pretty much open, and got into one and shot to prong Horn box left and the next day we're like, oh,

that's right. To other people in the office. It also apply to the same hack. We're like, let's come back here. This is awesome. We got a spot. We get there locked gate, so I think we had got we had done a little bit of trespassing to get to you the state land, you know. Um. But anyways, so you're not You're not alone in this. Yeah. Yeah, it's a

common mistake, I think. So all through the first three days, Um, you know, Garrett had Garrett long had texted me and and I had a good relationship with Garrett and the fact that he's probably who I dealt with the most over the last couple of years. So I tell him no, no luck, no luck. Day four comes along and he's like, hey, I've got some permission on a private piece. Um. So my comfidence level starts to go back up. I'm like, okay, off Garrett with me. You know, he'll he'll be good

to have their tax sermons back. Yeah, exactly. Um, but that's when I realized that I'm now I'm really letting ship get in my head because now I see it. Now I'm saying, Okay, this is actually gonna happen. I've got caret here, who I naturally would feel completely comfortable with. But with this being my first tag, I felt the pressure of like, man, he's gone out of his way to get the permission. I gotta get this done. Well, I missed the first shot. I couldn't believe it. I

was just, you know, shook up. In this particular field is probably about two sixty seven seventy. That sounds a little bit like what he told me, is you walk back to the truck at golf term. You might not know, but when you were bearing down on him, was it like were there nerves? Oh yeah, My breathing was out of control, of heart going through my chest, you know, just everything to build up of like this being the first Western hunt, was all happening right there. Did he

ask you what exactly was the problem? In a little bit he did. So I shot and there's this sort of like um crested ridge that runs through like dissects the center of this property. Well, they had taken off off the backside and I couldn't see him, trenaline still pumping. All of a sudden, the buck must have turned and comes right up to the ridge line about seventy five

yards from me. So now I'm a wreck. I'm trying to swing around I got bipod legs flailing everywhere, and I'm looking through a scope that because I'm just worried that he's gonna bolt magnified way too much. Couldn't get him in in the scope miss two. Now, I thought you couldn't get him to the sculpe just because you know, it's so magnified, and I'm just trying to find him and locate him in that scope quickly. But I found him. And yeah, well, how is the missing him related to

not be able to find him? I don't know, just general flustered nous. Yeah, yeah, so because you didn't just shoot without finding them in there? No? No, no, Yeah, the wheels of calling off day way off. And I and I remember at this point, I'm not sure if if f bombs flew out or I think what happened was I just kind of like pulled my head down and stared at the dirt and I just said, hey, Garrett, can we not mention this to Steve? I haven't heard until now. Yeah, Well that's good. I know I can

count on him. But yeah, so on the way back walk into the truck, he was like a buddy, how was a big buck? He's like I said, how close was that? How close was he on this? Probably seventy you could have thrown a rock at him, you know. It just kind of ribbing me having fun. So day four comes along and they're in the same exact spot. So I'm like, all right, I remember where I screwed up on day three. I'm going to do this all

every but this time I'm further. I'm probably I'm on the other side of the property, eating over two ridges and neural on the ridge line. Do you check your rifle? Yeah? All good? There. Um, we sat there for like twenty minutes. I thought, calm so I could rule out, you know, and I can't. I can't explain it. I don't know why m three and at this point now it's not I can't look at it and go that was because I was flustered or whatever. I can't explain why it happened.

And I'm embarrassed, you know, I'm just like crushed. I just want to tucktail and walk off. Uh. But yeah, he's he's great at consoling. So final day and I'm I'm a wreck, you know. I mean, I'm talked to my wife that night on the phone and she's trying to talk about the ledge. You'll be fine. I got one more day, and I'm thinking, you know how the other daste went. The next day starts off horrible. I got I haven't had a nose eat since I was a kid, and it was just pouring out of my nose.

Trying to get out of the house to go meet him, I'm shoving cleanex in my nose, trying to lace my boots. Inexplicable nose bleep from the dryer, from dryer, so I guess it is applicable. Yeah, lace on my boots and and and head off and I meet him and there they are again. You know, it's like, well, I don't think they were worried at that point. Yeah, some of might shoot over here, but just sound just you're good,

you're good. So, um, Garrett's there for a little bit and he's like, well, hey, buddy, I got a meeting I to go go to. And I all right, it's cool. I'm thinking you probably just can't stay seeming us the fourth time. So um, yeah, I'm there by myself and I'm seeing him on the ridge line, and like I said, the way that it crested, I'm trying to say, okay, well,

if they come off my side, I'm good. But if they go off the back side, I've got to somehow managed to get all the way around to out the side of the property before they get off the line. Came off to my side. Long story short, crawled quickly into position, got in the corner, first shot perfect right behind the shoulder. I think I was about two eight

two ninety on that one. Maybe um good poke yeah, yeah, and you know, the rest of them took off and he just stood there for a second and then just dropped. Um and Garrett was there or not there, not there on that one, so said, I don't know if he met I got to leave in a minute, but he left, Yeah, he had already left. So I was there a glass and I'm probably about an hour hour and a half. And as a matter of fact, it just texted me like maybe five minutes before he's like, hey see anything.

I'm like, now they're still there not I think no, sooner did I kind of like look down for a second look up. They had gotten up and started kind of walking to the line. Um. Yeah, so I made sure, uh you know that he was down in uh called my wife felt that was the right thing to do. First, thank thanks for the pep talk. Quickly called Garrett because I wanted to sort of redeem myself after those those days.

He was excited and chucked it in the back of the rental vehicle, gutted it, and then chucked it in the back of the rental vehicle. Learned that trying to take pictures when you're by yourself and setting timers on your phone to prop it up on your pack and try to get a picture sucks. Um, but yeah, toss it in the rental vehicle. Um, take it back to Hayden's and started cutting ups quick as I could. Had to delay my flight an extra day, Yeah, because I wanted to make sure I got it frozen. But um

but yeah, now I was. I was excited. Finally had to make that call to to John send it up there. Um, so John Hayes is gonna do it. What's he gonna do it? He's gonna do it. Wasn't a shoulder mount, but it was like a shoulder mount. And normally I would do a free him or you know your amount, but with this just being my first wed and I wanted to do something special. Um, so yeah, I was very excited about that. And I'll quickly recap my second hunt. Um,

I won't. I won't go as long into it. But um I went to Nebraska probably sixteen days after that to Jordan buds and um So, I took my wife out there and we're out there for a week. And uh, ironically the Nebraska episode for Meat Eater aired. Why I was there, um So there, I was sitting out in the exact same field that you guys were hunting, watching it in her truck on her phone with her and

I and listeners. I'm not blowing smoke because Steve sitting here, but your demeanor in that episode, just talking about like telling Jordan, hey, I'm having a great time, yeah, that she's sweating it, and then telling her at the end you know what and about you know what and about that. For me on this trip, it just it kind of just was like a turning point in my head, you know, just kind of resonated. Um So, I didn't feel that

like pressure that I had on the Pronghorn hunt. Um had a good time, laugh the whole time last day buzzer Beater, last hour of my hunt before we had to pack up, and had a rapid city. Um yeah, beautiful buck starts coming up the river bed and this was an archery tag and got to about forty yards and let it fly and perfect shot. Crunch. Yeah. So you sent me the prong horn, but you didn't send me that. I'll send it to you. Yeah, and it

was great. It was great being there, um whether I mean yeah, she as a matter of fact, she had seen that same bug. I didn't realize that when I shot it that it was a buck, but she had sent me a picture and he was out of range on like the second day, and um, I was like, man, I hope you get to see him again and show me the picture. Um so yeah, you along with Jordan. You didn't get in a fight with Jordan. No, she's

she's she's great. Uh, I had my Um, I don't know if you'll be able to tell him this picture, but see if you recognize Um, let me turn it real quick. Did Garrett or Jordan's speak condescending words into your ears as you were trying to shoot at these animals by himself? Um, I was in a pop up blind actual Yeah, yeah, yeah, she's yeah, she said you recognize the buy no harness, I didn't look I was looking at the deer. So in the see if you no the chairs, is that the one that from the thing? Yeah,

that's cool. Yeah, so it was kind of deemed up my good luck charm. That's great man. So that was from the auction house? Yeah cool? Yeah, yeah, so no, it was. It was great and um, definitely and I don't really know how to practice it, but I think getting my big takeaway was like, yeah, you need to prep physically, but man mentally, it just seems like if you can let it get in your head and you can, you can nose dive quick. Um. I would like to work on not having last eight kills before you have

to take off because that's a little stressful. Yeah, keeping your head right, yeah yeah. Yeah. So that was great. Excited, excited to be in this room with you guys sharing it. I mean, person I probably influenced me the most. And you know, it's kind of cool not being in here talking about an art project but actually talking about you know, speaking the same language. Did you guys talk about every week? Thanks?

Man's good. That's great. You should definitely trying to work yourself into a hunt with Steve to get to experience that what it's like to be, you know, constantly put down. You want the wheels to fold off in the first thirty minutes. Yeah, yeah, you just you'll be forged by fire. That's right. Every hunt after that will be you weren't talking about. Yeah, that's the that's the way to do it, so that you don't have you don't your wheels will

never fall off again. After one hunt with Steve, everything you else will just seem like cakewalk. When people are afraid of flying and they strapping into those planes. Maybe it's a guy girl thing, but but when Steve took me spear fishing, I didn't experience any of that. I think he can't talk to you through the water. That's true. He was trying to. He was trying to do things with bubbles, but getting the message is not like that. For me. It's only big game hunt well, score on.

But yeah, for some reason, I don't get that feeling with spearfishing, because that's probably like frustrating the hell out of you. I couldn't even stay in the same place get that. I don't get that super like blood lust like I get home where I just want someone to get something bad. I've been spear fishing with Steve, and it's been great speaking of that head headspace just like

you're talking about. Has been like an incredible year. Some of the highlights were was actually spear fishing for me when I was in Hawaii and Louisiana kind of like ground breaking moments where you can, like if you put your head in your mind to anything you can you can make a lot happen if you calm your nerves and whatnot. From going from not being able to break the surface in Louisiana to like diving a decent amount. But anyways, that was a highlight and can interrupt real

quick on that thought. Greg Fonts early on when I started hanging out and explained to me that, um, if there's something wrong with you, spear fishing is where you'll find it, meaning like all there's no hiding from anything. Yeah, total like in a total health perspective, it'll find you, like mentally, physically. Yeah. He's just like, if there's a problem,

it'll emerge. It emerged there, dude. That's interesting though, because after I learned how to dive a little bit, right, I don't I felt very calm, very very calm, but I just had to do something that was one of the hardest things I've ever done in my life, which is open up for a band called Trampled by Turtles, which all of you guys probably already know. This story, long story short, Karin Hook got my number to Dave Sevenette, who is the lead singer for Trampled by Turtles. This

was in July. This is my wife is pregnant. We're sitting on the couch and I get a text from Dave saying basically, do you want a gig? Do you want to place? Pitch you to Dave? Just what do you think about my idea? So those guys actually used the word gig. He used the word gig. Who reached out to? Who Dave sent texted me with an idea? And he was like, what do you think about this? And you know, like should I ask him? And you know, if yes, like should I? Can I have his contact information?

And immediately I just thought it was the best idea I ever And that's all so that makes even better they're searching you out. Yeah, it had seen like a video of Chester singing and he just thought he was really talented. Who told me? Dude? Anyways, like if people like I am not. I learned how to play guitar a couple of years ago and I picked it up and I was like, I want to learn how to play this for my wife at the wedding. And I learned, you know, the basic chords, and I took some online stuff,

tried to take lessons, ended up playing the show. I would have never in a million years I thought I would be standing in front of like six people two years later with a guitar in my hand trying to get through a set list. Like never in a million years. So you girls, get away, l Yeah, let's get out of here, Carl. It's getting crazy. So Dave texted me, and I'm sitting on the couch with my wife, like I said, we were pregnant, and he said, you want to open for it? She was? She was, she was pregnant.

I don't know why I always say that, but yes, I was not pregnant. It was my wife and uh, he said, do you want a gig December one? And it's July. And I thought about it, and she was jumping up and down, saying you have to do it, you have to do it. So I called Dave back and I said, I think I'm gonna do it, but I really got to buckle down. So I just played guitar as much as I could. I hadn't played in front of anybody. I did a few sets at the

same restaurant in Bozeman twice, Bridget Brewing. They went okay, but then you're saying you played at Bridget Brewing again, but a different branches and different branch locations, so it was like two shows. Yeah. They really helped me out, you know. So I asked Carl to do this with me. Carl Hansen, he worked with us, and he's, uh, he plays in some metal bands and things like that, and I just needed some help, you know, to help me

along on this. So we got a sett list together and we practiced, um, I don't know, once a week, starting in September maybe is when we started practicing with Carl in the days are ticking down. And another element to this is we thought we were going to have our child this uh when was November nine, which would be ten days before this gig was actually supposed to

happen in Atlanta, Georgia. So I didn't really I've never had a kid, and it hadn't really hit me of how hard that would have actually been if our first son was born on that date. He came four weeks early October nine, which is actually just like a blessing in disguise because I was able to help my wife out with that first week or two, which is extremely challenging. Um,

I was able to be at home. I was able to practice more, which if I wasn't able to be at home, I don't know if I would have it would have been hard to to do pull this off. I think. So everything worked out, and here it is. We Carl and I flew down to Atlanta, Georgia with I had two guitars and he had his bass a little tambourine on one foot and kick drum on his

other foot. And uh, we show up at this this theater, the Buckhead Theater in Atlanta, and I walk in there and it's like full on rock star like green rooms, really nice. There's fog. You walk in and there's like fog rolling out of the door from the smoke machine. You know, we get badges, um the whole trample guys. Are they like you stuff in the green room? No, I could have looking back, I could have asked for that, but they had put it in your rider contracted no mint,

yes exactly. Now, I just asked for some light beer and water. Um. I could have asked for a little more annoying, but I didn't need much. So Carl and I show up there and the Trampled guys are out on stage doing sound check, and I walked out where the crowd would be standing and it is like full on, just obviously a legit set up. They got like props and lights and the sound guys working his magic and it's like bumping, like people are going to be able

to hear me kind of thing. Things start to set in. Um, and we do sound check and I'm not nervous at all, and uh, we do sound check and it goes pretty well. I was calm and and things were working out, and you know, I was getting all amped and excited. We go back to the green room. Hours start taking by, people start showing up. You know, my hearts starting to kind of do this. My breathing is a little bit, it's a little harder to breathe. I tuned my guitar.

This is a moment when it really hit me. Backstage and I walk out onto the stage and there's already a crowd out there, not a full room. But I walk out there and all of a sudden, I hear Chester. Yeah, like whoa, there's like a vine of people in front just to see me. Like they showed up early obviously heard about it on the podcast and stuff. And it

was great. Like I was like, hey, guys, like thanks, But I get back, you know, in the green room, I'm just like, holy cow, here it goes, you know, And Carl's all jacked and give me a pep talk and whatnot. And I walk out on stage for the first song and I don't know why I get like this sometimes, but I am nervous. It makes me nervous a little bit thinking about it. But my leg was shaken a little bit. Um. I felt like I couldn't

feel my fingers, you know. And I felt like with Seth got Mercury Pois and call that yeah, right, that's I'm sure you just didn't have Yeah. I was like, did I tune them before anyways? Like that's not a good feeling, but especially when you gotta play with your hands. Yeah, And I got through the first song, and I'm saying I got through it. People will say I did great,

but I missed some notes and things like that. I sang it got through all all the lyrics and whatnot, and uh, it was kind of a relief because then after that I introduced ourselves how we got there. The crowd, I can't thank them enough. It was They were absolutely fantastic and it's a good thing that you know, we mentioned it. Steve mentioned it because if it was just like a trampled by Turtles crowd, who knows, they might not have been as as h That's one thing I noticed.

I wasn't there, but I've watched a lot of the videos, and the crowd was being super respectful and listening, and that's kind of a hit or miss thing in concerts. But with the opening act they could just be on their phones and talking to their friends and everything, but everyone was locked in. We fluffed, We fluffed the dickens out of them on the show, though, I mean we were promoted it too, so we and everybody knew not to expect too much of you. Yeah, because you downplayed it.

Jess was like, I'm gonna go down there and rock their world, you know, But no matter what you did, if Chester had gotten up there and it sucked, yeah, they would have been on their phones. That's the world we live in today, and they would have been with their bodies. They would have gone to go get more beers or whatever. But but but I also think, well, well, a performer is more than is the work. It's just as a very lovable person. So I feel like it

would be harder to disrespect Chester than someone else. Yeah, most of those people didn't know Chester. Yeah, so I mean they like you think that I'm saying. No, I'm not saying he didn't do a good job. I'm not saying good I'm saying he'd like he brings goodwill from the world. I try, definitely try try and make that an effort. Um. But yeah, so I introduced ourselves and the crowd was like, like you said, very much so

listening I made it. I mean I was like making eye contact with people, and um, did the show go perfect? As an like an performer? No? Um, but I got done with every song everyone cheered. Did you feel like like as you progressed down the line, like he got looser, are more comfortable and it got easier as he went along?

Ye that shakin went away? Um, I was starting to I was starting to smile, you know, Like I walked out there and I was like, yeah, a little still a little stiff, but you can tell like the crowd was getting into it. Whoever. I think Steve had shared the video or somebody. You could see their head and and Dave sent me as he was on stage, Dave sent me a text he was happy as hell and you had just gotten started. That's great, Dave. Dave was awesome.

I actually asked him. This was Carl's idea. He's like, what do you think about playing one of their songs? And I was like, huh. He's like, yeah, So we learned um one of their songs, It's and living buying how I choose. Ain't never been a gambler because I'm always bound to lose. But we played that one up there, and uh, Dave was kind of like, all right, and those guys are like, you're pretty baldy for opening up with one of our songs. But I'm really glad we did. No,

I did it. Yeah, And I looked at their set list and he said I'd be We'd be honored. But you know, I could tell that the other band guys were like drop and just said done. But I'm really happy that he let me do that because people knew the words to that song and after they sang that, it definitely loosened me up and I was I think I even said, like, all right, this is starting to actually be fun. I think I said that I'm anna, are you gonna get more? Have you got any more gigs?

I have no more gigs. But what I what I did learn from this experience is that like if you put your mind to something, you can almost do anything if you really put your mind to it and dig down. I mean, I had to deal with that little bit of anxiety, which I absolutely hate, and I knew I was maybe gonna have that. But the more you do this stuff, I feel like the more relaxed I'll get. And my goal now is two get good at guitar. Like before, I kind of skipped a whole bunch of stuff,

you know what I mean. But you you have to learn your craft before you get fancy UM and I kind of ended up trying to get fancy. I think the quote is, um, learn to play guitar, then get sexy. Yes, I think that was given to It was either given or came from someone from UM. Leonard skinnered if I'm not mistaken. But I like to quote a lot, so

I'm going to do more gigs. I actually had a great time and it was fun and there's so much room for improvement and so much like just playing that gig definitely helped me grow as a person um and like focus on the task at hand, good practice. It's just I don't know, it's a great experience and I'm gonna now get good at guitar because you're already sexy. Yeah right. Uh do you feel that there's like a compromise or a deal to be made between fishing and

guitar playing? Who no, no, I'm gontai stay true deficient for sure. It's just like twenty minutes a day of good practice. There's a difference between going and playing that same song over and over. But if you like focus on let's say, cross picking or flat picking and just work on tech your picking technique for fifteen minutes a day, it's amazing. You want to be like Eddie van Halen.

Doubt that, but definitely improvement, you know. And uh, all that said and done, Like appreciate my wife for being very supportive. And it's a real thing once you actually have a child and being gone and like missing them. It's like very nice and relaxing to be back in Bozeman and hanging out with Oscar and Danielle for the holidays. So there's a lot of people in the world that don't do anything that requires any kind of discipline. After a certain point in life, you just fall in the

total automatic pilot. I feel like it's important no discipline. We got a lot of years left, all of us. Do you know, good for your brain to reading you're doing challenging stuff playing music because you fall into that, like the kind of metal space. Just watch one of those shows and they get people on stuck out of ditches all night long and your your brain pass he

just goes down. Yeah, challenge yourself Chester, Do you feel like a different person in a way, like in terms of yourself identifying, Um, you know prior to guitar and then now, um, I don't know about prior to the guitar. After this show, I feel a little bit like I got done with that show, and I went in the crowd to give my aunt and uncle hug and there are people coming up to me wanting pictures, saying I did a great job. Saying they love me, Eaters saying

they love the podcast. And still in my mind, I'm like, I'm I'm just you know, I'm just chester Man. Like it's hard to you can legitimately use the word gig now like you're you're in, you can say, you can say it. Yeah, I don't know. I don't feel different. I feel enlightened in a way. Yeah, you're still opportunity to leave. Yes, that's the craziest thing. People like authenticity. You look at that ship paternity leave. Believe when I heard he came up in the wrong time. But it's

times changed. It's like I've had nine months a kid. I missed out on nine months of just like dicking around all day long by not having well. And that's that's here in the States. If you lived in Latvia and there will be, it's gonna be mandatory soon for the dads to take off three months mandatory nine months of just doing nothing. Me nine months. No, what I'm saying, I had three kids. If I was, if I was coming up of age now, I would have enjoyed nine

months of just whatever, have some more kids. But it's too late now, why I mean, maybe not six months it's two months. I think it's two, not three. Well, I think you can. I'm not quite sure. I think you can maybe do three if you need it, but there might be some Well, when I found out about it, was perturbed what I did as I said, if it's three and three, I said, we should take one of them from the guys and give it to the girls. Make it to four. Yeah, I just don't see why

they're off, like, it's just not the same thing. You didn't have a baby, Yeah, yeah, but you could be the one who's staying home taking care of the baby. Come on, and a child, A child is not just raised by its mother. When I heard that it was three and three, I never followed up on it. I said, it shouldn't be three and three, be four and two. They should guys should give one of theirs up for

the girls. I agree. It is very very nice though, like being there for her, especially since it's our first kid, and learning how it all works and still being able to go do things on our own. I'm sure a lot of time as nice that that female is out of her work, out of the workforce, and not participating in her career for then an extra two months longer than that male is they don't say you have to take it. That's that's true. You don't take any that's true.

Let's move on. I'm excited to get back to work. I'm not a policy guy that I'm excited to get back to work. But I tried to figure out. I try to figure out who said that quote, just because if you're good to know, because you like to say it and throw it around. I can't find it. But what this does tell me from doing this quick little Google search of putting that in there, is that playing or even just holding a guitar makes you sexy. The top the top six articles are apparently the matter Apparently

this matters. Holding a guitar makes you sexy? Sexy mf by Prince the Guitar's power of seduction. Men who play guitar are instantly more attractive. It goes on and on. Do you want me to tell you who told me that quote? There's a writer name look him up? Does a writer named Paget Howell? M hmmm part of him? I act your Southerner. So the writer Paget Powell told me that, and I think he was friendly with the Lenyard skinnerd Fellers. He told me that story so it

might not be captured on the internet. Yeah, I think I got that from you, but I butchered the quote. Okay, you ready. I don't know. That's a tough one to follow, but I'll give him my best for you guys. Um, well, great year I had again, as I tend to have. I can't remember the last time I had a bad year. Because you're you're a half glass full exactly, You're nail your nail in the quotes today have class bowl, you only have half class always full. But I was born

with a half glass. I was gonna recount in his Uh, who's my oldest daughter her first Latvian deer camp experience? And what I learned from that? And Uh, what's interesting about that is that I was just thinking as I was gathering notes in my head, is that that is The story starts about a year earlier when I was back in Wisconsin for the rifle hunt after already being there for a week archery hunting, and I was texting with Steve and he's like, where are you? I said,

I mean Wisconsin rifle deer hunting. He's like again, So yeah, he said, made sure to get to hunt a lot without your kids. I'm like, yeah, well, I'm not sure. I don't think that's what I said. Well, okay, what did you say? I said, you get your kids with you. Okay, you got your kids with you, Which is kind of like you can say that same thing saying that you're hunting without your kids because you're at the Latvian family Camp. Uh are you're asking? So you thought that my kids

would be with me? And I thought there was some talk of that, so well, I was talking at the at the time I was, and I was told you, I said, I don't know if it's a hundred percent cool to have females in this camp. It's always been a male camp. And the one instance I can remember when a wife showed up it was and this was I was a long time ago. I was like, I remember there being some friction around this, and I later found out that it wasn't because she was a female.

That she was there. Being a female is because there are some other just drama amongst people like people like to do and that's what causes So I had nothing to do with her being But you read it one way at that, Yeah, sure, I was, you know, in my teens probably and uh so anyways, I asked if I could bring my oldest daughter that last year and everybody was like, yeah, for sure, bringer so it was

unanimously supported. Yeah, totally. And uh at the time, I didn't think that I would have any sort of um, you know, apprehension about it, but I did once. It was like, as the trip was kind of coming up.

You know, it's no different than taking your wife out on her first you know, hunter whatever, you start to get this apprehension of like you want everything to go right, you want the crew to accept who this new person that you're bringing in when you want Iena to be like, this is something I want to do the rest of my life. Yea, pent so you're trying to make it great, you know. So I bought like a thousand it was.

Of course, it hasn't been cold in Wisconsin for the only day of rifle season since I don't know when, and the forecast is like highs of sixteen Like oh boy, so but like a thousand handwarmers, body warmers, told warmers. My dad showed up with a blind had him get me one of the buddy heaters, and uh, I've never done that set up that works slick, so slick that iena. Um. We would get to the blind and get in there and get her pact full handwarmers and body warmers everywhere

and get the buddy heat or going. She was wearing the first light sanctuary kit in like not even five minutes. I'd look I'd be like, okay, cool, we're all setting. I'd look over and she's sleeping. I don't know how you could get so comfortable in one of those like folding camp chairs, but yeah, she's snuggled right in and there'd be a solid ninety minutes. I'm like, well, this is great. The wind's right, it's very quiet. If a

deer comes by, we'll get a shot. Um. She didn't get to see any deer the first morning because when I'd see them, I'd be like, she'd be like, you know, she'd there'd been barely any movement, no, no, no dear coming, you know, and by the time she'd actually wake up, you know, open her eyes, you know, they'd be long gone.

But she didn't get see any deer that day. Um. But it was great because the we only hunted two days, where there maybe two and a half days, and it was great to see, Like the way everybody took care of her, accepted her, you know, made her field part of the group. And the way that my daughter was able to just at eleven roll into you know, a deer camp with I think we had twelve or thirteen

this year. You know, most she knew a couple of people, my brother was there, my dad was there, but you know, a do ten people that she's never met before and just roll with the punches, you know, and be social and be comfortable and chit chat with everybody. Um. She enjoyed that part of it, the camaraderie as much as she did you know, being out in the woods with me, which was great to see, you know, and then go ahead, which is a big part of the Wisconsin deer culture exactly. Yeah.

And that was gonna be a point I was gonna bring up too, is I realized this year, with having her there is how important that camp has been in my life and that experience, you know, and being able to go there not every year but off and on for you know, coming on forty years. Um, it's a

pretty special deal. And you and you realize how many people don't have that, you know, like how many people haven't never even been to like a real deer camp let alone for fifty years in a row, like some of the people that you know go there have you know, I mean there's a real connection there. And I think that you know, those bonds and friendships are in forms people, you know. I mean, it's certainly that camp is influence

who I am, you know, as a as a person. Um, it was cool to have three generations of potelis Is in one camp, you know, something I didn't you know, think about beforehand, but then being there and seeing my dad and me and my daughter, you know in a picture, it was it was a cool thing to see. Um,

so great great weekend overall. Um, I guess I don't think there's a one general takeaway or thing I'll learn from it, but things that I'm reminded of that I try to live this and but it's hard to always remember because, like you say, it's easy to go on autopilot. But you know, doing things that might make you feel

nervous or difficult or whatever, it might be hard. If you just go and do them, you're gonna come out either side, you know, a better person probably, you know, whether it's getting up and doing a show or taking your daughter into a you know, a camp full of men where for me personally, it would be a lot easier to go there without my kids hang out stress, you know, not have that stress there and just be doing the old guy thing and you know, drinking a

few extra beers whatever it might be. This is the harder version, but then in hindsight, it's like definitely the best version. You know, it could be the ass they are, but that brings up like the other sort of you know, take away from it, and it's, uh, the reap what you So, it's like we've done you're experiencing it too. I think Matt is finally getting there where he's not so much of paying the butt. My girls have really grown out of that completely. Oh yeah, my kids are

all rational now. It's fun. It's paying the butt. It's like paying the button. It's a lot of wet, muddy stuff, you know, but it's great. I mean, it's just there's no relax. There's no relax. Still isn't no relax. Rea, Well, I'm starting to like I'm starting to reap a little bit of relax and just get to enjoy their company and then enjoy and just see like all that time and effort that we put into which hasn't when you look back at now, when you're in the mix of it,

you're like, oh my god, it's never gonna end. Now looking back on it, you wish you had more years doing it, because it's over and those ten years have flown by. You know that we put all this effort into it, and you've sort of now created these you know, not quite adult humans, but getting there, and uh, they are who they are, you know, and so it's it's it's cool to sit back and go, oh, yeah, it all it worked. You know. I'm glad we spent more

time reading and less time on tablets. And I'm glad that we said no so many times and taught him to be polite and taught them to talk to adults or whatever it might be, just general raising adults. Um. I heard a quote the other day, I can't remember who said it. She said, I never raised any kids, I was raising adults. I like that, thinking you're not

really raising kids, right. I think one of the and that thing, I think one of the best strategies I've had, like one of the things that we've done that that paid off. The best is I always make my kids go up and shake people's hands, introduced themselves. Always huge impact. That doesn't come naturally. No, it doesn't know they're going to be able to learn to go in and shake someone's hand and say what their name is and asking what their name is. Yeah, you know these not like

it now, they just do it. Yeah, are they going to do yourself? No, I've been there plenty of times for that. When you do that with your kids, and uh, I feel nervous for the kids. You're I gotta go back for a set. You're still not like relaxing at all. No, No, with all three when they're all to gather, all three of them know, yes, well what day it was? Sunday? We got a good Christmas tree okay, and we did like I said, we did an extreme Christmas tree hunt.

We saw trees never before seen by man, trophies trophy. However, I don't the gear management. I don't understand. Yeah, well yeah, I mean like this super slick hillside covered in powder snow and they're sliding down and we haven't started hunting trees yet. If you're like, you're not allowed to have while we're out now where this is gonna land. I know what it's gonna land. I know that one's gonna be crying because he's cold. Because he's cold and he

got Michael. I just want to give him my gloves. Then I just want to know my hands are cold. You're supposed to bring extra hats and neckid you honest, I'm starting to get to the relaxation stage a little bit. Man, You'll get there, don't worry. I love it. There's nothing to rather do. It's the only time I don't feel guilty in my life because you're with your kids. Because I'm like, I'm doing all the things I'm supposed to do.

I'm not wasting my life. I'm doing what I want to do, and then they're there, so I'm not being like a bad dad. It's the only time I'm happy. I was kind. I just want to drop one more thing because axcid of funny. I was over over analyzing the hunting because I was trying to get us success, you know, and I wanted I had to, you know, see see a kill, and which brings up another thing with two because I'm like, well, you know, I'm only gonna shoot like a you know nice buck know, and

should we shoot a deal or not? We can go back to Montana and shoot does And I hadn't really asked her, but on the last evening when we're like watching some deer run around in front of her, She's like, I'd be happy if you shot anything. And of course then I didn't have another opportunity, and so whatever. She she wasn't bummed out about it. But as we're hunting along, I'm trying to include her in the process. Where do you think we should go? Did you like that spot

where we were yesterday morning? You know, the wind's doing this, the deer should be better at this. I'm just like, hey, do you have any input at all? Her answer every single time is there gonna be action there. Let's go where the action, don't I'm like, and it did hit me. I'm like, that's right, keep it simple, stupid, just like, go where the action is. And we did. We literally went to the spot where, even though someone had already shot a buck out of there, there was a bunch

of tracks in that zone. People had seen deer in there, like the cameras had picked up a you know, a few pictures of deer, and we went there in old we got to watch two bucks fight and another one messing around, and they all chased one doll around for like thirty minutes. It's quite the wildlife encounter. You know what's good? Yeah, there you go. There's my uh advice or three go where the action is. Yeah, I like that, or be a good dad too. Here's here's my thing.

It's not that monumental, but just as something that stays in my head early and let me back up, let me back up. In Michigan, I was I like to trap a whole bunch growing up, and um was real heavy duty and new I thought that's all I was gonna do for a living. And you were allowed to catch a bobcat and quite a ways, yeah, our drive had you had to go about an hour hour and a half north where you're allowed a bobcat, and um, I never did it because those Michigan bobcasts are not

valuable at all. So like bobcats in the high like high planes bobcats or you know, great Basin bobcats they might be like five six hundred bucks, they're like fifteen dollars in Michigan. They don't have the white belly there's dingy um. So never could justify because I would just catch stuff to sell it and it wasn't valuable. One time though I was this most have been in ninety four. I think I would go up to Macosta County, a

big rap is Michigan. We trapped beaver through the ice after everything froze up so late December January, trapped muskrats and beaver through the ice. And I was on this big marsh and there's all these beaver lodges, three or four beaver lodges through this big marsh in one day walking along where I had sets, and this bobcat had walked from lodge to lodge like on our tracks. And I had laid a beaver down in the ice. And when something drowns, it will bleed out its nose a

little bit. I had laid a beaver around the ice, and it had left a little blood patch that bobcat had kind of like walked around smelling that blood patch. And uh, I thought from then on always about how like it just seemed mysterious. I was wanting to catch a bobcat. And then I promptly moved away, left left the area. Thought and thought, thought, about it, and last year right in January trying to think. No, I can't

remember December January. Either way, it went out and spent a week trying to catch a bobcat for like seven days. I didn't catch one. Then last year in January, I caught one on accident in a Martin set. So he got caught one of my Martin boxes and I didn't know it. I get into my Martin box and the traps out, all kinds of branches are broken, and there's white fur in the trap, and am I try to think,

what the hell would have done that, you know? And I thought maybe like a weasel and something to ate it. But there's no blood, there's no nothing, And I just wrote it off like a mystery you'll never solve. I go to the next Martin box fifty yards away in the area is dead and your door nill. He like crammed his hand his head, like he had to squeeze his head into that thing, gets caught. Um, how unsatisfying to catch him by accident. I'm glad, I was glad.

I'm glad I got him. I got him registered. He's hanging to my office. But um, like the role of luck and intention man so unsatisfying. I didn't even kind of scratch the itch. Are you it's not getting the bobcat? Yeah, it's on whose terms you're you know what I mean? Yeah? Completely, you know, kind of like the same way you used to say, like getting a something that it's been collared, that somebody's already gotten it before on accident? Are you

gonna get back at the bob yea? On purpose? It's like it never happened, but as it trap, I was glad. I was like, oh, you know, but no I wasn't. It was like it was honestly, it was the most mixed It was the most mixed emotion feeling. It was more like I was watching it happened to someone else. But as a trapper, I've been thinking about that all years. But as a trapper, you it's like bound happened that bycatch.

But it's like there's certain things that I just was there's a thing I wanted to do and haven't done it, and then I did it on an accident. It just kills me. Chest A wold be kind of like if you're at fishing for perch nine ten inch perch and shipped into a ten pound walley Yeah, like you're doing the dumbest thing in the world, you're doing the least Walleye thing in the world, and you catch a state record Walleye and then don't you just experience that as

a really nice surprise. I've been trying for a year. I still can't get there. When I walk I walk out of my office, I see that Bob Kat hanging there. You think at a point of just be glee. I see that Bob Kat hanging there, and I still stings me. A year later, I totally get that. That makes sense. Yeah, I'm glad I got it. I don't want it to go away. I'm glad I got it every single time I look at it. It's not a you know, it's like you know on accident Blind Squirrel to make you

be like a suck at Bobcat track. No, it just it's like, um, yeah, but you know what, it gave you a good story, and you got a good story out of the deal. I feel like it's how people to inherit a lot of money feel when they look like if you made a lot of money through entrepreneurial ship and risk, you're looking at big fat bank account.

You're probably like, hell, yeah you did that. But if you like, if you just got it like from your grandpa, you know, like generational, Well, yeah, you're probably looking at any like and then you look at that. Yeah you don't look at it. You're not like yeah, yeah, you're like yeah, you know kind of felt I when you set that trap. Bobcats were the first thing from your mind, right, you know, I didn't think a bobcat could fit his head, right, So I get it. I don't think he thought he's

gonna fit his head. And if you were playing like a one on one golf game with Tiger Woods and it was neck and neck up until the end, and then Tiger was just swings and misses and lands on his ass and ships his pants, and you're like, oh, I guess I win. But like Tiger Woods probably shouldn't have fallen down or he had a stroke and you beat him. It's not a stroke like a stroke like a swing. Yeah, yeah, I got it. It's like you didn't sink the long puppet he three putted. Yeah. Yeah.

It still kills me every time I look at him. I'm glad I got him. He's beautiful. Yeah, but it's not and I'm saying, we're doing a fundraiser dinner, and I'm gonna, um, We're doing in a fundraiser dinner, and I'm cooking that bobcat up I got was too little, two little legs and throws up. Ye had four safe. I did some gumbo with my bobcat. It was delicious, is it? That's another cool thing about bobcats, Like you catch kyo. You know, I've I've learned my lesson. I'm

eating kyos. But bobcats people, people enjoy them. Oh yeah, they're tasty. Man, Gumbo sounds good right about now. There's the season. So I'm trying to take a word that leaves people confused. If you're going after something and it doesn't work out the way you plan, just keep on trucking. Yeah, be um, you know what it is. Don't take credit for something you didn't do. Take care of your daughter, but when lots of rock and roll, but when luck

shines upon you. And if you take your wife hunt and don't freak out on her, it's m h. And make your kids always make your kids feel real awkward. Make him go, introduce them cells to people. Calm down, Calm down, out of the room to just make him come downstairs, just introduce them cells to someone. It'll pay off. I'm just it'll play off. I'm Steve. I'm just picturing Matt doing that though, like kind of like regretting. Like he gets in there, he gets it done. Man, he

does a good job. Just fight two. Someone rings the doorbell one of the kids lives, run over where they can see, and I'll be watching from this, going to just stand there looking out. I'm like, well, now what happens? You go and bite them in, you know. It's kind of like the is this the Ranella household? No? Yeah, they race over and look at the person through the window. Happy New Year. I'm trying to think of one of

legiti really like what I'm gonna do. As much as I hate resolutions, I'm trying to think what I'm legitimately gonna do. Catch a bob cat. I mean, like like in terms of personal behavior, I'm gonna trying not to freak out of my kids as much. Mm hmm. That's a good one. Every year, hard, hard, hard when you're trying to freak out on him as much. My dad freaked out him me all the time. It's like in my blood. It's gonna be a good year. It's gonna be a good year. Mm hmm. Make it a good year.

There you go with Chester. Alright, but happy happy New year, ma'am. Don't take credit for something you didn't do. Thanks, but get a tanned Definitely get a be appreciative set