Between Land and Sea: Long Island Babes And Bucks

Speaker 2: 0:21

Welcome back to the Garden State Outdoors and Podcast presented by Boondocks Hunting. I'm your host, mike Maitre, and today it's been three long years. It's great to get you back on. How have you been?

Speaker 1: 0:35

I've been good, just busy, you know, hunting, fishing, all that fun stuff.

Speaker 2: 0:42

All, yeah, all the adult stuff that they don't tell you about in high school and everything like that. You know taxes, you know working constantly, rent this, yada, yada, yada. So the BS, and then at least you get out for some of the fun stuff with the hunting and fishing.

Speaker 1: 1:01

Oh, absolutely.

Speaker 2: 1:04

Last time we didn't get much. I think we talked about hunting basically the whole entire time Last time. So what we're going to do before we get into the hunting is we're going to talk about. You know it is summertime. You've been doing a lot of fishing. You know where's your love for. You know saltwater fishing come from.

Speaker 1: 1:24

Well, I'm sorry. What was the last thing you said?

Speaker 2: 1:26

Where's your love for the ocean and saltwater fishing come from?

Speaker 1: 1:31

Oh well, I think it's because I'm a Pisces, I'm a water person by nature. You know, like I said, like, like I said three years ago, I didn't quarrel hunting or fishing, for sure. But you know, we've always grown up by the beach, hiking, always in the outdoors, you know. And then once they really got into the fishing, that's when, like you know, it really took off. And I'm always, you know, torn between, especially in the fall, like, am I going to do some fall fishing or am I going to do hunting. So that's always a battle for me.

Speaker 2: 2:03

Yeah, no, I know a couple of people that have that same battle and usually in the early season they do pick fishing a lot, just because with hunting season we do have so much time and it's the nice weather and who doesn't want to be out on the water? Basically.

Speaker 1: 2:16

Right, and now also, you know I've been duck hunting for the last few years, so that's like another thing. That's another thing that I got to choose between am I going to be in the woods or in the water, or in a blind, like you know?

Speaker 2: 2:28

so, oh man, that's that's. That's a tough one. That that's a tough choice. I mean, you know I've gotten bigger into the waterfowl game, but you know, Justin, praise about and preach is about a console, and I finally did it. It's exactly everything that he said it was to be. So I mean that's tough choice that you got there. You know and correct me if I'm wrong I could have scored, didn't you? Last year or two years ago? Did you catch a great white shark?

Speaker 1: 2:58

Yeah, yeah, you sure did. Yeah, real one in it was. It was a small one, but you know, you never know what you're going to get till you start seeing some color at the top. So yes, we did. I did reel in a great white. That was a lot of fun. Oh yeah, and then I reeled in a thrusher that I believe it was that year, and then, a few weeks to go, my boyfriend and our friend, we got a nice thrusher too.

Speaker 2: 3:21

Yeah, I remember seeing all of this. So shark fishing, take us through it. You know what is it like. You know shark fishing, the apex predator, basically, of the ocean.

Speaker 1: 3:34

Well, I'm going to be totally honest it can be boring.

Speaker 2: 3:37

Really.

Speaker 1: 3:38

Because you, you know, you set everything up, you put your lines out, you get your balloons going and then you just wait. You sit and wait and you know, and you know hopefully you get the right bite. And then you know the line starts running. It's like, and then you got to reel everything else in. It's all hands on deck from there. So it's a whole, you know team effort. Whether you're reeling it in or you're clearing, you know things off the deck, it's just definitely a team effort for sure.

Speaker 2: 4:08

And you know say, when you do hook into one, you know, and he said it's a whole team, what is the? How long are we taking? You know we're looking at like a, let's say, a decent, you know average size shark, like how long is that? Is that taken a reel in? And you know, are you switching also with with people if someone needs a break, or something like that.

Speaker 1: 4:30

Yeah. So I think there's a few things to consider here. You know whether, what kind of upper body strength you have if this is your first time, what else you know? So for me, when I reeled in my Thresher, I think it was 183 pounds. You know that was the first time I've ever reeled in anything of that size. I did have a harness on. That wasn't fitted for me, it was too big, but I did the best that I could. I think it took me about I don't know an hour and a half to fight With that being my first shark.

Speaker 1: 5:04

And then I remember the day after I went on a tuna trip so I had to reel in tuna. My arms were absolute jello. It was insane. We did an all girl tuna trip and we were being filmed for this really fun show. And I remember, like, looking at the camera guy, I'm like can you edit me out? Because I was reeling in like such, like it was so pathetic. It goes like I just reeled in a shark the day before I'm exhausted. But you know, I think it just depends. You know, like, when we went, when I went with, a few weeks ago, my boyfriend and our friend Jimmy Jimmy's like six feet and he's like built, you know so he could withstand that, you know, you know. So I think it just depends on certain factors. You know, I'm sure it's different for everyone how long it's going to take for you to reel in a shark. So there's, you know, few things you get tired you know, especially if you're not used to that.

Speaker 2: 5:50

Yeah, I've heard it's pretty exhausting. And for you to reel in a shark one day and then a tuna I mean the sheer size of you, these tuna are just absolutely like. It's breathtaking to see these animals and um.

Speaker 1: 6:05

I mean yesterday or two days ago my boyfriend and I we went Kobe fishing. So the thing with Kobe is you know you're fishing the bunker pods and you know you get a bite and you might not know at first what you're getting and it's like you have to weed through At least this is our experience Every Kobe that we've ever caught. We probably caught a few sharks right before that. So by like the fourth bite, I'm at a point where I'm like, oh no, because it's usually Tommy and I fishing, so hold you the whole, steer the boat and I generally have to reel in a lot of the stuff. But, like if I'm absolutely dying, I'm like can you reel it in? Can we switch off? So that's what you know. Definitely a team effort, for sure, but it gets after reeling in, like your third brown shark, spinner shark, it's just draining. You know I'm pushing outside and hot sun all day.

Speaker 2: 6:50

Yeah, yeah, yeah, please, plays a big factor, you know, being on the ocean and everything like that. Yeah, when, when, let's go to when you were fishing for. Not even meaning what were you fishing for when you were, when you caught that great white shark?

Speaker 1: 7:06

Oh, we were going for Thresher.

Speaker 2: 7:08

Okay, so you're going for Thresher. You know, you know you hook something and you never. You said you never know what you really hook until.

Speaker 1: 7:18

I mean I would you know, probably the more experienced you know anglers might like you. I mean for saltwater fishermen. You know when you have a fluke the head shakes. You know what a black sea bass feels like. There's certain bites you know, or you can kind of get an idea of how, based on how they react. But for me personally I really don't know until I see color, and I think for most people that could be the case, could be wrong, but I never really know what I have with in terms of sharks until you start seeing color at the top.

Speaker 2: 7:48

Yeah, I think. So what was going through your mind when you saw the shark?

Speaker 1: 7:52

Which would the great weight?

Speaker 2: 7:53

Yeah.

Speaker 1: 7:54

Well, first I was like well, it's not that great, it was really small, it was a little, it was small, but their mouths are huge. They have like a really cool mouth and it was just wild to see. You know, see one up close. You know, there was definitely something off the bucket list, for sure, and it's not something that I set out to do, but it just happened, which is pretty cool?

Speaker 2: 8:15

Were you kind of like I don't know. Like you? Of course you always want to catch a giant shark, you know, and we all know, how big and powerful great weights are. But were you kind of like, all right, I was able to get a bucket list done but not catch a? You know, an 18 foot great weight or a 20 foot great weight, you know well, even though it's smaller, it's kind of like, all right, I was still able to accomplish something really amazing that I'd never heard of anyone else catching one in. You know, in our area, oh, 100%.

Speaker 1: 8:52

I mean it was definitely pretty cool. But, like you know, like I said, when you think of great weight, you think of joys, you think of these huge creatures, and then when I was like oh, is that a great weight? And you know, yeah, it was, so it was just cool to see it. You know definitely. You know definitely was in any day in the water, in the woods, is, you know, a great day in my book?

Speaker 2: 9:11

Yeah, no depth. What was, even though the smaller one, what was the? What was the fight like compared to a structure shark or something like that?

Speaker 1: 9:22

Honestly, I just black out, kind of, when it's all the same to me. It's just, it's exhausting, it's just you know, and if, when you've been doing it all day and you know, if you've reeled in a few sharks and it's not the right kind, you know, so it's like you put in all this energy, I guess you know, reeling it in your praying that when you, when it hits the top, it's the right one and it's not. It's like you feel a little defeated but at the same time it's pretty cool that you're able to get out there and do that.

Speaker 2: 9:49

Yeah, definitely, you know, and going to another big fit like the tuna and stuff like that. You know what was your first experience like tuna fishing. You know what are some of the strategies that you can talk about, you know, to maybe help somebody else out there. What are you looking for when you're tuna fishing?

Speaker 1: 10:12

You want to look for like signs of life. You know any, any signs of life for good? Some sea chicks are good, you know, first light, first bite. You, just, you know, you just kind of got to read, read the water and see what's going on out there.

Speaker 2: 10:26

Okay, got you. Yeah, I've never. I've always said I wanted to go do it, like eventually I'm going to you know kind of what we were talking about before we started recording. I just just never had the time with hunting, but tuna is definitely worth it.

Speaker 1: 10:40

I've done a few old girls trips which are so much fun, you know. You get a whole bunch of the girls to go and it's really great. Everyone takes turns cranking on it. I remember the last trip we did not last summer but the summer, so two years ago we had a nice mixed bag of actually I think we just got we got mahi and then like a few, a few tuna, so it was a nice little trip. It's just. It's also exhausting. So if you've never even fished for like five hours on a boat, it's exhausting because depending on what time you're leaving, you know if you have to be at the boat like 330, you're on all day and you might not come back to the dock till like three o'clock in the afternoon. So it's a full day, you know, in the sun on the water, but um you know the girls, never the girls are really, oh my God, it's the best sleep, the best sleep.

Speaker 1: 11:30

The sleep on the way out and the sleep on the way in is the best.

Speaker 2: 11:34

Oh man, that's, that's absolutely. It's bright, I mean, it's got to be so beautiful and just though, oh, I'm you know what?

Speaker 1: 11:41

I said this on a bunch of my posts, of my stuff that I posted the best sunrises and sunsets are found on the water, in the woods. Hands down 100%. You can't beat it. You really can't beat it.

Speaker 2: 11:55

Now, if you could only pick one, which would you do? The woods or the water?

Speaker 1: 11:59

You know, someone asked me that question. I like, I really struggle with it, I really do Um, I don't know. I mean, I really, I really don't know. I both, I can't decide.

Speaker 2: 12:15

I mean.

Speaker 1: 12:16

I mean in the summer, every weekend. You know, we're out fishing every week and we're out there and um, we went to Lake George last summer and we did, uh, freshwater fishing, which is totally out of my element, and um, we like hi-act around this huge, beautiful lake. I didn't catch anything, but it was just being out there, you know, change of scene. It was really nice. But yeah, going back to your question, I really can't choose, honestly. It's just, you know, I enjoy both equally and, um, yeah, I could never choose.

Speaker 2: 12:48

Yeah, okay that I mean that's it's hard it is. It is a hard thing to do when you, when you love something so much and you know, you, you, you do it all the time, whether it's fishing in the woods, you're constantly doing it, you know, when you're not working or got other things to do. So I, I listen, I get that. I it's tough to to put something down. Now you add you know the waterfowl hunting and everything like that, and those sunrises are just breathtaking as well, you know especially.

Speaker 2: 13:19

I love it in the later season too, when it's cool or chilly, a little snowy and everything like that, and then you got those birds flying in. I mean everything's unique and great in its own way. Basically, and it's it's hard to. It is hard to pick one, you know, because then you're going to get people who are like, oh man, nothing's better than you know. A sunrise in the turkey woods, you know.

Speaker 2: 13:44

Or a sunrise in Alaska when you're you're going for Alaskan bulls, or sunrise for elk or something like that, like so there's just so many different scenarios and beauties to to establish. I definitely will say that.

Speaker 1: 14:02

Oh, absolutely it's. You know. Whatever, whatever your passion is, you know, your course, everything's going to just be 10 times better.

Speaker 2: 14:09

Yep, definitely, and I noticed you. You bring the dogs on the boat a lot.

Speaker 1: 14:15

Yeah, yep, we bring, we bring Parker on Bella. It's been like I said, it's been really hot and we're on a center console, no T-top, so it get you know Bella's 15. So sometimes I don't, plus, coming out of the inlet it could be a little rough. So I haven't brought her as much lately. But she usually comes and she's got a little shark, a little shark life jacket and a. Parker loves the boat, he absolutely loves it. You can't, you can't not like step on the boat without him like saying, take me to, and he's cute. I'm usually the last one out the house in the morning. So whole face the back, whole face the back door, like waiting for me to come out, like making sure like mom, you're coming too right. It's so funny.

Speaker 2: 14:53

Oh man, that's pretty cool, I mean, and that's so cool to see. Like you know, hey, dogs are part of the family and, listen, they go everywhere where we go and it's you know. If you can get a dog like that go out on the ocean, everything like that, what's perfect. Can't ask for anything better than that.

Speaker 1: 15:11

And you know it too. It comes full circle because you know we supplement our dogs food with. You know dog food kibble plus goose, venison fish, pretty much everything that we harvest. You know we'll, vacuum, seal it, we'll, we'll put in the crock pot, shred it up for them and we supplement them. And you know you can't eat that. They're getting, you know, all the nutrients they could ever need.

Speaker 2: 15:33

Yep, Definitely, definitely Great. And, speaking on that like you're free, what type of freezer are you rocking with? Because you've got to have a big freezer with with everything that you do and all the types of meats and fish and like, wait, you got to have yourself a pretty good, good freezer. Do you give a lot of weight?

Speaker 1: 15:51

I do. I always keep, you know I tradition. I always keep the first year I shoot buck or buck or doe. I always keep entirely all that meat for myself and kind of every other deer, like the next year. Then you know for my girlfriends that either they haven't been successful or they don't hunt but they really enjoy venison. You know, I'll give them, I'll give them a lot of it. I definitely give a lot of weight to friends and you know it's really nice giving it away to people that don't hunt but respect it and enjoy it. So that's something I like to do also. But I usually like to keep, you know, a half for myself, half giveaway, because the freezer I mean I don't honestly I don't know how big it is, but it's a nice chest freezer, it's deep, it's got like the bottom shelf, so I got some fish in there, venison goose, so nice little mixed bag in there.

Speaker 2: 16:38

And then we also have.

Speaker 1: 16:39

we also have our the old fridge that I was. We got a new fridge, so the old fridge is in the garage, so that will keep like bait, like shark bait, tuna bait anything or? Bait that we catch, that we need for later.

Speaker 2: 16:51

So that's cool. That's cool, and you know, with the tuna, you know, and when you guys go out for tuna, fish and stuff like that, what's your meal? What are you cooking up, or are you doing a sushi? What type of style is your favorite when it comes to tuna after you guys catch it?

Speaker 1: 17:10

Oh, you got to bring the wasabi, you got to bring it right on the boat. Right on the boat, If you have it right then, and there you can make tuna steaks and grill it right up. Tommy's really good. With that. You can make pokey bowls. We've made. We've made sushi before. If you ever look at any of the food picks or on the babes and bucks page, we post a lot of the wild game that people, people make from their harvest. But tuna, you know, the definitely top two is pokey bowl or sushi rolls, for sure.

Speaker 2: 17:40

Gosh, I'm getting hungry.

Speaker 1: 17:42

I've been in a little bit and I'm just absolutely starving.

Speaker 2: 17:47

So strippers, how, how, how were the strippers for you this year? I mean, you've caught some pretty impressive strippers over over the years and everything like that. So like what was that? Like you know, I know the regulations are the regulations. They must be the same right from where you are to New Jersey, and like all over the East Coast, I would imagine.

Speaker 1: 18:09

I don't, like I said, I'm only. I only just really pay attention to where I'm fishing. I know there's. There was like back and forth with the regulations for a few of the species for this season. So we did, I did some spring. I did do the spring run a little bit. I usually do the fall bass run more right before, like when hunting gets really good. We do like the fall bass run, which is a lot of fun.

Speaker 2: 18:38

Okay, all right. So you know what, when, when you're out and about and you know it's, it's getting late, like for me, it's easy for me to just walk back in, you know, to my truck and everything like that, doing freshwater fishing. But when you're out on the water, like is there what's the time limit? Is there a certain time where you got to just head back in? Are you fishing while you guys are heading back in? Like what's the case with that?

Speaker 1: 19:11

Because I don't know, I mean it's you know a few things. If the weather's bad or if you have something to do, you got to be home. That's why we don't really fish with a lot of people, because you know when, you know the saying, when people say what you want to boat, don't ask what time we're going to be in, because we're out there.

Speaker 1: 19:27

We're out there from like 6am to like 3, 4, 5pm, so it's, it's a long day and you know if we're driving in, if we head in, all right, you know we're done, we're going to come in. If we see something that looks good or there's a lot of life, or we see, like you know, birds dropping down for bait, or we see a bunker pod, then we'll stop. You know you can't, can't, not stop, but it's, you know, there's really no like set time or set reason why you come in. You come in because you're tired, or because you caught your limit, or because you got something to do, or you don't have that much gas.

Speaker 2: 20:04

That that last one's definitely a definitely a must time to get back in If you're running out of gas.

Speaker 1: 20:13

Yeah, for sure, but there's. I don't know about you, but you know there's a few places you could stop on the water to fill up, so that's all I wish I knew, I wish Justin was here.

Speaker 2: 20:23

Justin would be able to tell you I am so not, and listen, I go to the ocean. I can go in the water. I could. You know, I love the water. I love the water up until a certain point. And I've been on a boat and I've been in the ocean like we've gone out fishing before. But and there's huge but I get very uncomfortable.

Speaker 1: 20:47

What do you mean? Like you get that far.

Speaker 2: 20:50

No, no, no, I've never gotten six these days. I know myself I am just the ocean scares the crap out of me it does. It is terrifying. Yes, it's cool to be on and I could be, I could be in the, in the boat for you know, whatever. But when I start thinking about it, I'm just how deep it is and how far it goes down and navigate it like I can navigate in the woods, but navigating in the ocean I would have no idea what I was doing.

Speaker 1: 21:23

You know it's funny, the other, like Sunday yeah, Sunday, when we were out it was really really hot and you know I get like a little child I shut down in the heat like I was just, you know, I was really tempted, we wanted to jump in the water but we were, we were pretty far out and there's nothing around us and I just wanted to jump in so quick. But you know, we don't, you don't know what's under there, especially because we were, you know, targeting sharks and all kinds of things. So you know, you never know what's in there.

Speaker 2: 21:49

But yeah, and I heard when you're, when you're going for thrusters and, I believe, tuna. Correct me if I'm wrong. You are going pretty far out.

Speaker 1: 21:57

Yes, yep, or you know it depends. You think sometimes they're closer to inshore but you're still offshore. But you know it all depends where people are catching them. But you know it's funny. I've definitely gotten lost in the woods, especially on public land and sposh that I haven't really scouted out too much. And there's nothing worse than when your phone's on 2%, you're walking out, yeah, yeah, and then your headlamp batteries die Like it's a whole thing and it's definitely happened to me and everything just looks like the Blair Witch Project at that point.

Speaker 2: 22:31

That, yes, and it's always a fear Like it is.

Speaker 1: 22:36

I don't know what happens. It's just a panic mode, exactly.

Speaker 2: 22:41

Exactly. And you know, I saw, like where I work and you know, with the children and everything like that, we watch a lot of Bear Grylls and like all these, just like survival stuff and everything like that. And I remember he forget what episode it was, but he goes. I think it was one of the first ones. He's like listen when, when you get lost or when something goes wrong or your life, he goes. It's just natural for the human body to get into the fight or flight mode and your anxiety starts to kick up and you start to panic. You have to weather that storm. He goes because what most people do, they start rushing and they start walking fast and they start doing all these things. And I remember the one time I got in the woods, that's exactly what I did. Yeah, I got into that mode and my pace just picked up like 10 fold and I was like freaking out and it's, it's, it's scary.

Speaker 1: 23:33

It's, it's the strangest thing.

Speaker 1: 23:34

I mean I don't have to worry, like you know, I don't have to worry about bears, but like the minute, like the sun starts setting and I have no service and I don't know where I am, it's just like a whole nother level.

Speaker 1: 23:43

I just I'll never forget. I just started, like you said, I started picking up the pace, I started running, I was dripping sweat, full camo and carrying my bow and my backpack and then, all of a sudden, I see a light and it's like some persons, I ended up in some neighborhood, so like, I guess the public landspot, backed up to a neighborhood on one side of the woods and I just see this fence. I threw my bow, my bag over, I hopped the fence and I just never, and like, this family was like in their kitchen eating dinner and I could see them in the backyard and I just remember being out of breath and sweating and just like thanking God and it was just definitely an experience and a lesson learned. You know a few lessons there always bring an extra battery from your phone or charger or whatever, extra batteries with headlamps.

Speaker 2: 24:28

So yeah, no, and I always. I have a portable charger in my bag now and make sure it's always charged. I have all these different. I have, you know, a cord to charge my phone. I always try to make sure my phone is always at the highest charge it can possibly be before I go out into the woods. Right, absolutely, batteries. And I actually carry multiple flashlights. I don't just carry one, I carry multiple, I carry my head and then I have actual flashlight and you know it's a kind of a good practice because where we are, you know in Jersey, you know Long Island people who hunt in Connecticut and everything like that. For the most part, yeah, you can get lost and you know especially, like I could speak on Jersey like we do have some pretty big state lands and stuff like that where you are going to get lost and I don't really like that. But there's a big part of the state that it's your resident. Your odds of you bumping into someone or you finding a road or our house or something, that is pretty high.

Speaker 1: 25:32

Wow.

Speaker 2: 25:33

So you know there are certain spots like we when we head up to Delaware. Best believe you, you definitely need to bring everything and, you know, make sure somebody knows where you're going and yeah, like there you're in the middle of you know, I guess you can say nowhere when you're up there in those mountains and you know on the red, red, everything like that. So but the rest of the state, you know you'll be okay at some point. I you know, I believe.

Speaker 1: 26:03

Yeah, no for sure. And you know I always tell, like any new hunter, especially like the girls at X me, advice. You know I always say practice. You know, if you're hunting a spot, practice walking in and out in the morning, at night, with a headlamp. Practice climbing up, you know, in different weather rain, cold. You know you're going to hunt it in any kind of weather. So it's better to kind of be a little bit more familiar with that than finding out that you have a hard time climbing a I don't know like a tree stand when it's raining, you know, because that's where accidents happen.

Speaker 2: 26:34

Yep, no, and you know that is perfectly said, and also know that I tell people who are new or if you're scouting a new area. How I do it is, of course I, you know I use on X or you can use whatever there's so many nowadays but I always mark where I am and then I don't go crazy and above and try to get every trail and everything like that. I do little by little and I kind of do great searches throughout the season just so I can familiarize myself with the property or the area that I'm hunting. You know, instead of you know as much and as juicy as sometimes where I want to take a extra trail, I don't want to get turned around, so I'll mark it and be like, all right, I'm going to come back maybe another day or one of the case you know, and come back another day and further my scouting experience and it's just going to get me to familiarize myself with the land.

Speaker 1: 27:34

Yeah, and you know there's a few things that you can do too. Like you said, marking on on X I've used on X Sometimes too I'll just drop a pin, click on my like my Google Maps right on my phone and my friend Rob from Mountain man deer processing, he actually makes these little like pins that you can like, little like markers you could put on the trees to kind of like they look like little reflector things to like help you. You know, when you're walking in early in the morning or late at night you could see not late at night sunset you could see like where you're walking like a little reflector, the only down there, and they're the black ones.

Speaker 2: 28:10

These are. These are the black ones that came in. Yeah, yeah.

Speaker 1: 28:14

The only downside to that, though, is if someone knows where you hunt, they'll be able to see where you marked, but yeah.

Speaker 2: 28:21

And you know we actually have a. That episode should be dropping at some point this summer. You know we're always talking to him about it and you know it's of course if it's late and someone's using a flashlight like, yeah, someone's going to find it, but the reason why he did it the color of the black it's supposed. You know that is harder to see during the day.

Speaker 2: 28:45

Yeah, you know, instead of the regular ones that you know you could spot that from. You know a pretty good distance Right. So you know that is a. I mean I told him I love that idea the minute he came out with that and I kind of had I wish I could say I had that problem where someone followed. I don't put trackers but to say I did, someone followed my trackers.

Speaker 2: 29:12

But today when I was out in the woods I went to a spot that has probably my second or third biggest buck. I mean this deer is beautiful. It's up on a ridge. I hunted it, I think maybe once last year, but it was one of those those chess matches that I was playing with this year. So I pulled my camera out after winter and everything like that, you know, took everything out, left my stand there. And I go back today and somebody put a camera right in my mineral site and when I mean my mineral, like you can see my stand just right there and we're pretty sure we know who it is in. This guy and we've talked about it before this guy has admitted to watching one of us go up on the ridge, watch us leave. He got down from his stand and went and hunted my stand.

Speaker 1: 30:09

Well, that's when you got to get another camera and you put it up like 10 feet higher than the other ones and you could see really what's going on.

Speaker 2: 30:16

Yeah, and it's. It's such a pain in the ass because, regardless, whatever you do, you know someone sees you, someone, someone can can follow you, Someone finds your, your reflectors, they can find your spot. Unfortunately, when you're on, when you're on public state land, whatever you're on, those are the things that you are. You're going to just come across.

Speaker 1: 30:37

Oh, 100%, people stealing stands. Oh, my God.

Speaker 2: 30:41

It is annoying absolutely annoying.

Speaker 1: 30:45

I've had it happen to me. It's just, it's not fun. Your heart sinks when you come up to it, knowing that it's gone.

Speaker 2: 30:52

Yeah, now it's, it's it's money and it's it's hard work that was dedicated and you know, unfortunately those are the bad apples, but you know.

Speaker 1: 31:03

I mean they're definitely everywhere. Same thing with fishing, you know, it happens everywhere, but I had everywhere Everything we do.

Speaker 1: 31:12

I mostly I hunt mostly private, but I do have a few public spots and I'm. So when I had my tree stand stall and I remember I walked by and someone was in it and I kind of just you know what am I going to do, we're both trying to hunt I just waved kind of, just looked at him and it is what it is. You know, like there's. There's worse things to waste your energy on, in my opinion.

Speaker 2: 31:33

Yeah, no, I definitely there really is. You know, at the end of the day, you know, like, if someone needs to go out of the way to steal what. On state land. I mean for, at least for us and I imagine for you guys, if it is a public, it is legal to do that.

Speaker 1: 31:49

Oh correct, and then you know you go in any of these you go in any of these, like hunting groups, they'll have very strong opinions on that, you know. And people read their stands all year round on public land, so you know when they, when they cry and complain that their shit got sorry, when their stuff got stolen in the middle of summer, like what do you expect? You know People.

Speaker 1: 32:10

I've seen people put locks and crazy things on it. You know to try and keep it Like I get it, it's a pain to set up every season and take down, set up, but it's your risking. You know your risking your equipment getting stolen.

Speaker 2: 32:24

And this that's exactly what I tell people, and here's the thing you can put a lock that doesn't really mean anything. You know if someone really wants it, they are going to get it.

Speaker 1: 32:35

Get some cutters and they'll get it.

Speaker 2: 32:37

Yeah, you know and I know, and I tell people a time listen, when I leave my standout, I know there's a chance I don't buy, I don't not leave my standout, that's for damn sure. You know I'll buy, you know, a cheap one, and if someone steals it it's unfortunate and I'm going to oh yes, I'm going to be pissed, but that's also part of hey, I kind of know that, that it's possible to happen.

Speaker 1: 33:03

You know what you, you know on on the flip side, you just get a climber and you can just zip around wherever you want and not have to worry about anything.

Speaker 2: 33:09

But you know climbers aren't for everyone and yeah, yeah, yeah, I wouldn't see me in a climber not, not anymore. I remember when I first used them. I I'm a saddle person. I love my saddle but I love having you know tree stands, that you know sometimes if I'm in a rush or I don't have all the time in the world to go set up in the saddle, I love being able to go to certain spots that that do have a stand.

Speaker 2: 33:33

Yeah, I like to work around my stand. You know I have main stands at some of my main public land spots that I just I work around those, those stands. I'm not going to hunt those stands all the time. I've. I got stands that I hunt once or twice but I'll work around around those stands with the saddle.

Speaker 1: 33:52

You know you definitely got to rotate your spots. You know, don't over hunt and you got to know when you want to hunt certain spots, like during the rut, you know. So that mean all that stuff. So it's all like the preseason, you know, studying your spots, studying your cameras, seeing what their patterns are, and all that stuff.

Speaker 2: 34:09

It's a never ending cycle, that's for sure. Never ends.

Speaker 1: 34:12

Never ends.

Speaker 2: 34:14

You know since, since we've been talking about hunting a little bit, what was your, what is the last two seasons? You know how have they gone for you. You know what is, what is the experience that you learned in the last two years, since we last talked?

Speaker 1: 34:28

Well, I've actually never I don't think I've publicly talked about this. I could. I'll send you the video too so you can get an idea of what was going on.

Speaker 1: 34:39

I was, I was hunting and you know, sometimes I can go after work. So if I get a few hours in, I'm rushing to my one spot. So this was my one honey hole and it's a private spot that I manage and I pull up. I'm kind of a little late, meaning like I'm going to get in the stand a little later than I'd like to. So I have a specific, I have a specific routine or way that I get dressed and put on my stuff, my little, you know, hunting ritual. So the groundskeeper, who was just like overseeing I don't know something going on at the house, he came up and started talking to me, totally just threw me off of my routine and I was trying to be polite but also trying to just kind of, like you know, hurry him up so I could get to my stand and I had forgotten but I didn't know it at that time a very crucial piece of equipment that I would need.

Speaker 1: 35:31

So I, you know, I'm all pumped, you know, when you walk into your stand and you kind of just like, you know I'm not going to see anything today. That's kind of how I felt, but I was so excited to get in there.

Speaker 1: 35:41

So I'm in the stand, probably about like I don't know, two weeks after I shot a doe and the exact from the exact same spot, I had this beautiful eight pointer five yards cruising under my stand, cruising, and he stopped right against this tree and from the stand to that tree, from my hang on actually to that tree, it's literally six yards. I'm like holy shit, this is good, this is happening, this is going to be a thing and I go to position my release and my release is not on my wrist.

Speaker 2: 36:21

Oh no.

Speaker 1: 36:22

So I'm like I I blacked out. I literally just stood there. I'd recorded him walking right under me and I'm like, I'm like crying, like I'm whimpering, I'm crying. And then, as soon as he, I didn't want to spook him, I didn't want anything because you know he could come back. I've had it happen where they come back. So I wait for him to be out of sight, totally out of sight. I slipped down, I think I jumped halfway down, ran to my car, got my release, ran all the way back and I got there and I was ready and waiting to go, and of course he doesn't come back. But that was the worst day of my hunting experience last season, for sure. So going back.

Speaker 1: 37:02

what did I learn is to pack another release, which you know. I was told that since day one, but I'm a creature habit. There's one release that I like a true fire. It was my first release. It's just so worn in, I love it, it's perfect. I don't know if I could shoot anything else, but yeah, that was rough. I didn't hunt for like a week after that.

Speaker 2: 37:25

You hear the horror stories about that too, like you always hear about it and it's like no, it's never going to be, it's never going to be me, it's never going to be me. And then when?

Speaker 1: 37:33

it happens. No, well, it sure was Yep.

Speaker 2: 37:36

And like no, my friends are like I would.

Speaker 1: 37:39

My friends are like I would have jumped right on him and tackle them, or they're like I would have just you know like pulled it back with your fingers. You know what as unethical as that was. If I had my older bow, my diamond, I might have considered it. But I upgraded a few years ago to the Matthews V3 and I'm just pulling. I'm at 52 pounds, so I definitely don't feel comfortable just pulling it back without a release. But man, it was wild. I'll have to send you the video when we finish this, because it was just absolutely insane.

Speaker 1: 38:09

Like I'm not like there's no zoom in, it's totally just, it's right. He was right there.

Speaker 2: 38:14

But what are? What are the like people usually, who forget, like, like you said, you're, you're not. You have this feeling that you're not going to see anything. You know there's, there's times where, okay, you'll see some doze, or like a spike or a four pointer or something like that, like I get happy about those all the time.

Speaker 1: 38:31

Those are great. I love those. I'm not.

Speaker 2: 38:34

I listen, we, we love, we shoot doze like crazier right. But, like, what I'm saying is like, out of all times, for this big eight pointer to show up, right Is is now when I, when I let my release you know when I, when I forgot it it wasn't on me at that at that exact moment, like, oh, that's, that's heartbreaking. I've been on a lot of people's hearts just broke, right now.

Speaker 1: 38:59

No, it was. I haven't like publicly talked about that. I was thinking about posting the video and coming up with something funny like oh, I asked me why I'm recording this video. You know but kind of just to make a light joke that everyone makes mistakes. You know hunters, however much experience you have, everyone has made a mistake. Everyone has shot high, everyone has shot low. Everyone has done a gut shot. Everyone has shot a deer and couldn't find it. Everyone has done the hey, I'm going to have a dog. So you know, it's all learning experience really, and just embracing it and growing as a hunter is all you could do.

Speaker 2: 39:30

Oh, yeah, I mean anyone who's new, that's listening to this, anyone who is looking to get into hunting. It happens to the best, like no one is perfect. There are so many factors that go into hunting and fishing and everything that we do in the outdoors that you know you have no idea at the end of the day what's going to happen. You can send that arrow and that deer could duck. That deer can move like it can hit a twig. There's so many different scenarios that can happen. You could be pulling back and you know a deer, that deer spot, you are another deer spot. Like you just have no idea and you're really opening frame that everything goes as smoothly as it possibly can.

Speaker 1: 40:16

Because you need to be a little bit lucky as well, absolutely. You know, it all has to come together. You know, that's what I think.

Speaker 2: 40:26

Everything has to come together to execute.

Speaker 1: 40:28

You know, good, clean, kill.

Speaker 2: 40:30

Yeah, no, I definitely agree with that. But I guess you know I try to look at everything as a positive and you know I think it's as unfortunate. It is just a valuable lesson. You know, and anyone out there who's listening, it's a really good teaching moment to everybody out there 100% and you know.

Speaker 1: 40:55

It just shows you that you know, whether you're experienced or not, things like these can happen to you. You know, and it's all part of it, and there's not one person that could sit there and say they've never made a mistake or they've never fired off a bad shot. You know.

Speaker 2: 41:13

Yeah, I mean we're all guilty of the bad shots.

Speaker 1: 41:17

People probably don't want to admit it, but you know, as I'm saying, they're still probably inside going. Yeah, she's right, you know, but I think it's important to talk about, you know, the highs and the lows that come with it.

Speaker 2: 41:28

I think, the more that social media has grown with hunting and just kind of because you, I would definitely agree, like, with the fact that back even probably like five years ago, you wouldn't hear people talking about missing. You know, when you go on the outdoor channel or the sportsman channel, everything like that on the TV everything always goes perfectly and I love talking about this with people and on this podcast is you know, it is so flawed, those shows.

Speaker 1: 42:00

Well, they're all edited, they're all edited together, they're totally edit, which you know do what you gotta do for the ratings, you know. I mean, I had an experience with that. I was filmed for a show on PBS and it was educating, you know, people about hunting and they shot it over. When did we do this? Like last, like May last year, in May, may, june obviously hunting is not in season. I actually do have a nuisance permit but I didn't get my tags yet for that and they wanted me.

Speaker 1: 42:33

You know, they wanted, they really wanted to showcase the different parts of it, but when it was going to air it was going to be in the fall, but obviously it wasn't filmed. So I kind of dressed as if I was kind of in my fall gear a little bit, but you can kind of tell with the. You know the weather, the leaves and everything, because they just wanted to get the whole idea of what it's like. You know what do I wear, what do I do, and I can totally understand that.

Speaker 1: 42:52

So I remember they like had me shooting my bow at a target and then they wanted to edit it where it looks like I was shooting a deer and I was highly against it because I don't know, for me it was just a misrepresentation and I was like I understand you want to show people what it actually looks like, but to me it just looks kind of like cheating. You know you're filming me in the off season but you want me to educate people, which is great, I totally get that. But I just, I don't know, I just didn't like that. They wanted to edit it me shooting my target but have it make like it was actually shooting a deer.

Speaker 2: 43:28

Yeah, no, and how? Editing that? It's just, there has to be realism into it.

Speaker 1: 43:37

Especially like everyone who's going to be watching, and maybe not everyone, but like a good check, like you can effind it, you could tell unless you're a movie producer you know, and exactly, and I didn't want them to portray me or hunters in general Like this is what happened, you know, and the the announcer, he kind of explained you know, this isn't the season for hunting, she's shooting at a target, you know, blah, blah, blah. So that's, you know. They gained a lot of my respect when they did that because, you know, I never wanted to be portrayed in a false way and I think if they edit it that way, just you know, it wouldn't be right.

Speaker 2: 44:14

Yeah, now what when this opportunity came about? Like what? What was your first, first thoughts on this? Like you know, just just the idea of doing something like this what being filmed, just just being filmed, you know, basically.

Speaker 1: 44:34

I don't, you know, I didn't ask for it, I just they, literally I think. They told me they found me because they Googled female hunters. And then, you know, when we did the New York Times article that came out and a few other things came up and they just found me on my social media and reached out to me that way and at first I was like is this Laj Bella? At first I was like sorry she's barking.

Speaker 2: 44:53

No, we're not At first.

Speaker 1: 44:54

I was like I don't know if it was legit, but actually, like I Googled the producer's name and it was, everything was all legit and they just. I was a little, a little hesitant because I feel like PBS is a little bit liberal.

Speaker 2: 45:06

Yeah.

Speaker 1: 45:07

I didn't know how they were going to feel, especially in New York Times too. I didn't know how they were going to feel. But you know they wanted to do it and, honestly, they portrayed hunters very you know, with respect and it was very tasteful it's if you're a non-hunter too.

Speaker 2: 45:23

Which is something that we definitely need, and so I understand why, where you know you're looking at in my coffee head, this could be also a little tricky because you like you said it they're really known for being a little more liberal and and New York Times is, you know you don't know what you're going to get when you're a time. So, in the era that we are, where so many people are already against hunting you know and already have a bad taste in their mouths, mouth or thought about hunting this really needed to be shot and portrayed correctly. But it was, you know, and it was a very needed. I guess you could say when I guess for for the hunting community. Yeah, I agree.

Speaker 1: 46:09

Absolutely. I mean, you know I can't speak for every hunter but myself. I'm not out here to change anyone's opinion or change anyone's mind on what they think about me or what they think about what I do. All I can do is just educate and show them, you know, that everything is done as ethically as possible. I utilize personally, I utilize as much of it as I can and, you know, nothing really goes to waste.

Speaker 2: 46:34

Yeah, and that and that's because you know yet again what you see in movies and you know maybe on TV shows. It is the furthest thing from what hunting and fishing is.

Speaker 1: 46:47

Yeah, you know, I'll watch these shows that my boyfriend and like that's so fake, or he didn't reel in that fish, like they'll edit it to him reel in a fish and then like the next fish they show, the fish is dead. You know there's a lot of magic that happens in the on those shows. Yeah.

Speaker 2: 47:04

And it's you know, and we don't get to see it. So it's pretty cool that you get to kind of get got to see firsthand and you know that they were willing to work with with that idea and not do what you know, what you didn't want to happen, which I think worked out, you know, absolutely perfect. And you know Shadalai, especially cool being I also like how it wasn't a traditional hunting market, you know.

Speaker 1: 47:31

Yeah, that's what you know. That's what really got me. I was like you guys sure you want to do the story, you know, and it's a. It was definitely flattering. It was really nice to do, actually, and I enjoyed the whole experience, you know, and the videographer, he learned a lot too and it was funny. One of the first things I said to him I was like I was like are you, do you know, do you eat meat? And he was like no, I'm a vegan vegetarian. This sat in the other thing, cause I was going to, I was going to gift him some venison. And I was like, oh no. And he was like but don't worry, I respect it. So I was like all right, cause we're going to have a hard time filming this if you can't handle it.

Speaker 2: 48:06

So man what that is. What are the chances of that too, as well Like.

Speaker 1: 48:14

Oh, you know what? There was another time. We did a babes and fox fishing trip on on the James Joseph, like two summers ago, and news day came on the news day, that's a local paper on the island. They came on the boat cause they wanted to do a story about the group and women in the outdoors and stuff. So I remember speaking with the editor from news day and I said, hey, you know, if you could help it, and I kind of said it like sarcastically you know, try not to have someone that's like a vegan or doesn't like blood, cause there's you're going to see blood on these fish. You know she was like, okay, no problem.

Speaker 1: 48:46

So the, it was a girl. She came out with her camera and take pictures the whole day. So she stuck with us on the boat for a whole day and it turns out she was a vegan and she was miserable. She was absolutely miserable. I felt so bad. She will come out, take some pictures and go inside and then come back out, take pictures and go back inside, and she did not want to be on that boat.

Speaker 2: 49:09

Some people, just you know they don't have the stomach. Bless you, thank you. They don't have the stomach. They don't have, they didn't grow up around it.

Speaker 1: 49:21

But not even that, if you don't, people don't realize, like especially with tuna, like how bloody it is, you know, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Speaker 2: 49:29

And then they'll be like oh, you shoot deer, but you're over there eating tuna rolls.

Speaker 1: 49:32

You know how that looks on the boat.

Speaker 2: 49:35

Listen, I go over there over it all the time with people. So I'm at work and I made myself the night before a Crock-Pot Venison roast and I made it to pulled venison right. Amazing, came out, amazing brought it to work. You know, most of my, almost all my coworkers they, you know, they like it, they'll try it, they'll eat it, things like that right Couple of the new coworkers they have yet to try it. So I always offer people, you know, and one of the girls she took it without even I just said hey, do you want some? Do you want to try this? Right, Took a bite, loved it. Once she asked what it was, I said oh, it's venison. You're her like everything just changed and I go. But you literally just admitted to me that you loved it. You know, you're just in your own head right now just because it's deer meat, but you have no problem eating burgers and chicken and stuff like that and it's it's no problem, oh God, and that's no problem.

Speaker 2: 50:36

It's not humane yeah, yeah, and yeah, it's a completely different way. And then I had a I was explaining to some of the staff and some of the kids because they love asking me questions about hunting and everything and there a lot of them are very interested into like why I do it. You know the tracking process, the gutting process, what I, what you can eat from the deer like, and how you cook it Right. And the one girl, she kept running back and forth to the bathroom to throw up Really and what I mean.

Speaker 2: 51:06

I wasn't even saying anything, gore, because yet again I have to watch kind of what I say in front of the kids. So I wasn't like, yeah, my hand was all the way, you know what I mean. I was just like, yeah, you know you. You just you know you, you you track it, you got it, bring it to the butcher or you do it yourself and and there you go. And then you know we eat this. And then we, some of the kids got into like, oh well, what else have you eaten? And I was like I've tried iguana before, I've done this snake girl all the different things.

Speaker 2: 51:35

Amazing If you get the opportunity to. It is absolutely amazing. I wasn't sure how I was going to like it. It also could have been a way that it was cooked, so it was. I mean, I loved it. The meat fell right off the bone, everything like that it was. It was really good. Turtles really good too as well. That, that is a a one, of course. I think I don't know if we talked about this the last time. Bear Bear Me is amazing. I'm funny with Bear Meat.

Speaker 1: 52:06

I like I won't eat the Bear Meat, I don't know, makes me nervous.

Speaker 2: 52:10

I don't know too much about it.

Speaker 1: 52:11

I talk about it with Rob a lot, but it's got to be cooked in a certain way and I like my meat medium rare all day.

Speaker 2: 52:17

I was. I was freaking out the first time I had it. I was like, oh my God, what if I didn't cook it well enough? What if, what if this? What if, what if I get tricked Like, oh yeah, but I mean I did. So that's why I do like having the crock pot and just throwing in the crock pot and making just like a like a pull, a pulled bear, like our tacos or something like that, where you know it's cooked long enough. Right, you know a? Yes, I would love a bear steak, medium rare. If we could do that book. We can.

Speaker 1: 52:49

I've had you know it was pretty wild for me. I went to Texas two years ago and I had frog legs.

Speaker 2: 52:55

Oh, frog legs are really good. I'm a fan of frog legs. Frog legs are are really good. Do you? I'm crushing? Do you? I don't know? Do you? Do you eat the heart and liver Of?

Speaker 1: 53:08

what the deer Of deer Yep I had. I'm not, I'm not really like crazy about it, but I definitely have given it away. I've tried it, but I'm not like ooh, let me keep this for myself exclusively. If someone's like oh, can I have it, make sure yeah.

Speaker 2: 53:24

Liver. Liver is the one thing where, if somebody asks for it, I will give away, definitely for sure. Or we use it for cat fishing. You know we'll use that. But the heart I've become a very big fan of heart, and even with the waterfowl too, that we hunt where I will actually. We'll take the hearts out of that too, and I will eat that as well.

Speaker 1: 53:48

You'll have to send me some heart recipes.

Speaker 2: 53:51

Can I tell you I don't. I don't do much, I'm not a, I'm not a. I always try everything and I can't remember what episode we talked about this on but I always try everything, basically with nothing, first To see how I like it and to see how I can. If I'm ever in a survival situation, I need to know that I can, I can do something kind of that's how my mind works, I right.

Speaker 1: 54:18

That's not a bad way to look at it.

Speaker 2: 54:21

And then I will add, like salt pepper. I did a raspberry Chipotle sauce two years ago. That was. That turned out amazing and I marinated it for 24 hours and then I cooked the heart and that marinade and it was. I mean, I loved it. I'm a huge berry person and, you know, a Chipotle type of person.

Speaker 1: 54:48

That sounds really good.

Speaker 2: 54:50

So those are type of my recipes where I liked I'll just let it sit in. You know something that I really like? I'll do a rubs I'm big on rubs, obviously because of the steaks and I got like a maple and maple honey rub that I'll use. Or I got a you know a spicy one, or I'll add some type of spice to it. It's basically anything that you really like doing with a regular steak. You can do with a heart. I always say a heart is like a steak, it's just a little more rubbery and chewier.

Speaker 1: 55:23

Huh, now I'm going to have to definitely save it and try it next season.

Speaker 2: 55:27

Yeah, I definitely do recommend it. If you don't want to eat, listen, if anyone doesn't want to eat the liver out there, I completely get it. Not for anyone. Even if you let it sit in milk or lemon juice or whatever you're going to do to get the blood out as best as you can, there's still always going to be a metallic taste to me.

Speaker 1: 55:47

Yeah.

Speaker 2: 55:48

And that is the one. I don't care how much you season it there is. Once you get past that seasoning, it still tastes like liver.

Speaker 1: 55:59

Oh, I'm sure I can like taste it in my mouth already.

Speaker 2: 56:02

Yeah, it's a rough one. So you haven't gotten out on the woods yet, right, so you've been I haven't been in a few months, so I'm definitely due to get in-. You're doing a lot of fishing stuff when you do go to the woods. You know Usually August is when I like flip my switch.

Speaker 1: 56:27

I mean I should have been in there sooner. But you know we do a lot of fishing on the weekends. We both work during the week, so we're just really on the water a lot.

Speaker 2: 56:36

And which you know, that's, you do need your break sometimes, and when you're still fishing, I mean, then from what it sounds like it's absolutely draining. So I don't blame you at all for not being able to get to the woods?

Speaker 1: 56:49

Yeah, it definitely is, especially because we don't go out just for like two, three hours. We're out there for like all day. You know we bring tons of food and water and drinks and it's, you know, it's a heat that gets you and you just get sun all day. That's what really gets you.

Speaker 2: 57:03

So when you do, what's the first steps looking like for you when you're going to get back into a wood? What are some of the off-season chore lists that you need to get done?

Speaker 1: 57:16

So I'll go to like Costco and I'll grab a whole bunch of batteries because I'll do my rounds and swap out batteries. I have cell cam and regular cameras. You know, maybe get some new cards for the cameras and buy a few cameras just because I want to put them out at different spots. I just got a, so I slowly acquired things. I'm not knocking on anyone, but I'm not one of those people hunter or angler for that matter that goes out and buys best of the best of everything all at once. I've worn a mixed match camo for years. You know, I think my first outfit was from Walmart not hating on it and it didn't match. It was whatever was on sale. You know it would totally work. My way up, I upgraded my bow. I got some Sica pieces that definitely keep me warm. Where am I going with this? So I'll get some cameras, batteries, things like that. Oh, I was saying that I just got a hand saw I got a really good one from Home Depot and I was so excited, I was so excited about it.

Speaker 1: 58:17

So, yeah, I'll go to each of my stands, kind of look at the pull, the cards, look at the camera, see what kind of action's going on. That'll kind of help tell me, like, all right, should I move my stand? Or you know, last season I didn't really see anything coming from this way. Maybe I should face it this way I have a little book of notes that I write down what their food patterns are, where's the water source, like what's going on? Then start going around swapping out ratchet straps, tightening them up, making sure I have my my, like the bow hangers, making sure you know things have to be tightened, trimming shooting lanes, which is a pain because I'm usually by myself. So I got to climb up in the stand, sit there, and I can, if I can, trim it from where I'm sitting. You know, or sit down or have to climb back down, trim it, go back up. Look, so it's like a lot of up down, up down. So a lot of a lot of sweating going on. Parker, get out, come here. Parker.

Speaker 1: 59:11

I'm sorry, you could edit that out no worries at all.

Speaker 2: 59:16

So yeah, things like that, you know, and then just thinking, just anticipating the season, you know, getting ready for it, and like how you said, change ratchet straps, and that's a really key, like how often do you do you change them every year? How often are you doing that?

Speaker 1: 59:34

I usually so at the end of the season I loosen them. That way they're not, there's not so much stress pulling on them. You know I do my maintenance. I go around, I just see what needs to be changed, what looks really beaten up, worn down, you know. You know I usually keep myself in good condition, but I do leave my equipment out all year round. So probably every I don't know it depends, it really just depends Maybe every season or every other season. But I try to. You know, I mean that's just me. I don't know what anyone else does. I don't judge it. Anyone else does. I'm sure someone's listening, someone's probably listening, going she's doing it wrong.

Speaker 1: 1:00:13

Whatever works for you, I love that for you, and what works for me, I love that for me.

Speaker 2: 1:00:17

You know With what you just said and, honestly, the reason why I asked, because I was like damn, I have stands out there where I have not changed my ratchet straps since I put those stands up and some of them are like seven, eight years, yeah, I would probably be talking about that I need to yeah. So I think, after this episode is done, I will be going to my Amazon account and I will be ordering a whole bunch of new ones.

Speaker 2: 1:00:42

Cause I do the maintenance, I do check them over before I get in and everything like that. But at the end of the day you never know because once I do that check, I don't check it until the next year. So it could happen during the fall, the winter, you just have no idea. So it's a very smart thing to do 100%.

Speaker 1: 1:01:03

I mean anyone listening definitely recommend, like I said at the end of the season, I definitely recommend loosening the straps. So you're kind of releasing that tension, you're releasing that pressure from that stand has been maintaining all season long. I think it helps with the longevity of the ratchet straps. Otherwise I just buy a big pack of the. I like the camo ones. The black ones work too, but I've always used the camo ones.

Speaker 2: 1:01:31

That's a really good tip. I definitely do like that tip. That's a very useful one, also letting me know when anyone else out there's, cause there's probably some people listening like damn, I probably need to go do that too, as well, yeah, I mean, sharing knowledge is power, you know, if you can't help another hunter out, what's the point?

Speaker 1: 1:01:51

Because everyone's been there at one point Everyone's had to learn, had to YouTube things. I actually had to YouTube how to trim my my, my turkey call. I was using the mouth call and it just I had to trim it down cause it wasn't sitting right. That was a whole thing, but I figured it out hey listen, you can learn everything on YouTube has everything. Literally everything.

Speaker 2: 1:02:17

You know, that's what's the joke. I think it's a YouTube degree where people can learn. See, you can learn everything. It's besides, maybe like surgery or something like that, which I imagine at this point you know they have full on demonstrations on how to do surgeries and stuff like that Like you can learn just about everything and you know it's. It's a very useful tool, wow, and something I think I need to do too is also trim my freaking mouth calls as well. Yeah, now, now that you, now that you say that, so, um, waterfowl it. Let's talk a little bit about waterfowl. You're okay. When did you just when was your first waterfall hunt? How? How did that go? Where? Where did you decide to to start picking up the waterfowl game?

Speaker 1: 1:03:09

That was about three years ago. I went with a few friends that were avid waterfowl hunters and I got to tell you I was nervous as heck to just even like shoot at them. I was, I was, so I don't know why I was so nervous. I like I didn't feel comfortable, I was out of my like. I said I'm a creature of habit, like bow hunting, I'll do that with my eyes closed, just kidding, but I'm just saying like I'm so comfortable with it. You know what I mean.

Speaker 1: 1:03:38

So this was out of my comfort zone and you know, shooting in front of people and it could be nerve wracking, you know, like, so all those people that love to record themselves hunting and have people film them, I love that they can do that. For me it's a little nerve wracking. You just feel like pressure, I don't know. But so, yeah, a few years ago, and yeah, I was hooked. But, like I said, I slowly got. I think I went one more time and then it's like all right, you know, I'm going to get this, I'm going to, I'm going to do it, got the gear, I got a, a Remington, I, you know, did it and it's, it's been fun, and now I take Parker with me goose hunting.

Speaker 2: 1:04:16

You know we're both still learning, but it's a lot of fun it is, it's it's a blast and there's a lot to learn. You know it's not as simple as, honestly, I thought it's just to show up to the thing. If those are decoys out, you do a little bit of calling and then the birds will come in. But it, you know it is a very detailed, a very. You need to go with people who who know what they're doing.

Speaker 1: 1:04:40

Yeah, definitely you have to go with people that are willing to show you, teach you, be patient with you. But it definitely is addicting and I was like great, something else, another hobby to add and another expensive hobby to add yeah, yeah.

Speaker 1: 1:04:54

So it's been fun, though I've taken Parker hunting with me in the ground, blind, for goose a few times and see he's two. So it's not like we trained him as a puppy. But you know, when I'm setting up the decoys he's running through them, thinking it's a game, he's having a blast, and then I'm like all right, parker, we got to go and sit in the blind and he's like what I love.

Speaker 2: 1:05:16

I love that and that's so cool that you can take your dog. You know, because I've heard of dogs. My buddy has a dog, justin, who does all the work. They got their dog things specifically for waterfowl hunting and he's gunshot and he can't be around the gun. So it's always good to to get yourself a dog that can just even be around it all. And it's all excited, because who doesn't want their dog to experience everything that you get to experience?

Speaker 1: 1:05:47

Yeah, absolutely. I remember I asked Tommy. I was like, do you think Parker was going to be good with, like you know, the gunshot sounds? And you know he was like, oh, he's firing on fireworks, so it you know. I was like, all right, so it worked out, he was totally fine with it. Bella, I think she's half deaf, so she would be fine with it. But yeah, tommy's brother, he was telling me that I could take, take like a frozen wing or take like a take, keep a wing you know from the season and freeze it, and then I could use that to train him to like track it and sniff it out. So hopefully I can get around to doing that this season.

Speaker 2: 1:06:24

Hopefully. I really, really hope so, Cause that would be. That'd be pretty cool and clutching well.

Speaker 1: 1:06:29

Yeah, we did. We did it all girls Pheasant hunt out East two two years ago last year and that was a lot of fun and the people we were with they had GSP's with us, so that was a blast to hunt with them. I had so much fun and I was so excited because one of the dogs was kind of next to me the whole time I was. You know anything about me. You know I love dogs. I was so excited about that. But that was a lot of fun too. Pheasant hunting is a lot of fun, definitely, you know. I tell everyone try it at least once. It was definitely fun. Whether you go with the guide or whether you know you know someone that takes you to a spot. It's fun.

Speaker 2: 1:07:06

Yeah, but I think bird hunting is. I think the reason why a lot of people do it is cause it's just a unique, different dynamic where it's more chilled, more relaxed, more I mean because obviously, when you're deer hunting, bear hunting, something like you're quiet, you're in the zone Like you you have to be very careful about. With birds, I mean, for the most part you could sit, you could talk, you could smoke a cigar, you could you could do all different types of things.

Speaker 1: 1:07:36

I was mind blown when, when you know, I first started doing it, I was like, wait a minute, you could talk. Or I was like, wait a minute, you could eat, you could cook, like what?

Speaker 2: 1:07:42

Yep yeah, and that's a big thing. The cooking like these full on, like like meals, it's actually, have you seen some of the duck line setups?

Speaker 2: 1:07:52

Have you seen something set up there Like I want one, but like every time I find one, I send it to Justin. I'm like this is what we need in the future, like we need your own stuff spot where we can set this all up. Like there's one that I think it goes. It's like a dugout for a baseball team and you, they go inside and it's got nice couches, they big flat screen TV, they're cooking up eggs and bacon and whole thing.

Speaker 1: 1:08:20

It's a whole entire thing, and there's heaters coffee maker heater. Yeah, I, um, Megan and I, we want to. We were trying to coordinate and we wanted to definitely do. We didn't get a chance to do it this year, but we definitely want to plan and do, like, do a few hunts together. So I'm like I'm excited about that. Have her come out by me. I want to come out with her hunt, with her and her dog. So we'll see, yeah.

Speaker 2: 1:08:42

So doing stuff like that it's always always a pleasure. It's always great doing it with with friends, other people that hunt stuff like that, Like having a good crew with you is always the and that's what you guys have built over there for now the last three, four years, you know since, since I've been following you guys now and you know it's getting bigger, better at all times. You guys are always doing things to really help and grow the outdoors Very like that and it's very obvious with with all these, with PBS and all these things that have reached out and done stuff with you guys. It's a big testament to what you guys have over there.

Speaker 1: 1:09:23

Thank you, yeah, I really appreciate it. You know all the, all the women, girls, kids, everyone works hard at it and you know, like Julia, one of the co-founders, she's really just, she's doing so many things. She has her D, she just got her DC license, so she's going to be an instructor and I don't know if you saw the post, but we're she's in the work.

Speaker 1: 1:09:43

She's in the works of coordinating an all female hunting class, which will be nice. So she's coordinating that and she does a lot of the the tick control for shelter island. You know she does a there's I forget what she calls it, but there's basically like a community freezer in shelter island. So some of the deer that gets harvested gets put into that freezer and it's for the community which is nice. Yeah.

Speaker 2: 1:10:08

That's pretty cool yeah.

Speaker 1: 1:10:09

No that's.

Speaker 2: 1:10:10

That's pretty cool and you know with, and I believe from when I read, you guys had done the course before correct, have done the, what, the, the all girls um hunter safety course. Yeah, she did that, Yep.

Speaker 1: 1:10:26

She did one in shelter island, Yep, Before. So it's nice, you know, and it's like a bring a friend or bring someone that might want to try it or just have their license under the belt but they're not yet ready for it. You know, stress-free environment, so it's nice.

Speaker 2: 1:10:41

Yeah, and these type of events, it's because you do, you got a lot of people that are on the fence, you know, and that's normal, especially, like you said, when you don't grow up in it and you see hunting and fishing and everything like. There's so many. What, if or how do I do this? Or you know, that's the big thing, it's a how it's the how do I?

Speaker 1: 1:11:04

where do I start? You know, I have a friend that I grew up with and we reconnected and she was like you know what, after seeing your stuff, I want to try archery. Okay. So took her to the archery shop, I think we went to Smith's Point, and then she got a bow and then we practice shooting, and then she started. Then, probably a year later, she started all right, I think I'm ready to consider hunting now, okay. So she already had her licenses. So I said why don't you come to one of my spots? You know, let's practice climbing in a stand. And then she was just sitting in a stand. See, see what, if you like it up there, because if you don't like heights and that's like I don't know, I don't know how you know.

Speaker 1: 1:11:42

I don't know what you're going to do, but just hunt from the ground line. But she really liked it so I was like, all right, why don't we practice shooting from the stand? You know, I'll move it back like five yards, eight yards, 10 yards. She really enjoyed it, and then few. You know, a few days later she's like I think I'm ready. So that was really exciting for me just to see the process of her thinking about it, implementing a plan and, you know, executing it. And she's gone on a few hunts since then.

Speaker 2: 1:12:05

That's great, that's absolutely great. You know, and that's how it is, and that's how it's. If we're going to grow the outdoors and get more people involved or even just show people what, what we're about, that's kind of those are the things that are going to help and make this sport thrive in the future. I would definitely say, you know, it's those people who are on the bubble or just have been friends and have been a family, who've just been watching and just you know they're curious and they want to do it, you know, so they reach out and that's all it. It's a simple thing. Yeah, why don't we? We start with a small step? Why don't you shoot my bow? And then why don't we do this? And it's building that. You know that foundation.

Speaker 1: 1:12:50

Yeah Well, I never. I never say shoot my bow because, as you know, you know your bow.

Speaker 2: 1:12:56

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Speaker 1: 1:12:58

Your bow. I mean, I'm not a fan of people like my cousins, my brother, oh, can I shoot your bow? Like no, and they don't understand why. And I'm, they're like I could pull it back. I'm stronger than you. I said it's not about that. I said it's tailored to literally me my body, the length of my arms, like everything about me, it's made for me. You know you're not going to. You know I'm plus, if someone that doesn't know what they're doing, dry fire and it's a whole mess. So anyone that's ever like, oh I'm, can I shoot your bow? I'm like, all right, meet me at the shop. Well, you know, sometimes they'll have a like a demo bow or a recurve you could shoot just to even like it, you know.

Speaker 2: 1:13:33

Yeah, and that's like, I have this old, old bow that I don't really care about. But that's another reason we want to get a recurve. It's like, all right, like you could. Just you could play it, you could shoot that, and okay. Well, if you like this, then you're definitely, you're definitely going to like the compound, because usually most people will start with the compound or with a crossbow, work their way up from crossbow to compound to eventually the final step is usually like that recurve, traditional style. So like if you, if you could say you liked that in the beginning, you're going to love you know shooting crossbow, shooting a compound bow, and you know I tell, people.

Speaker 1: 1:14:10

I tell people too, because I get it you don't want to drop. We all know how expensive it is, like what I spent on my first bow to what I spent on my current bow, customizing it, personalizing it, stylizing it. And again, if you, if you know me, you've been following me there's two things that are certain I love dogs and I love pot pink. So I made sure to have all my pink accents on my bow. But you know people that want to get into it but they don't want to break the bank. You know they have great, really affordable setups for beginner archers. You know we're talking like 500 bucks. You know, get a dozen arrows. You know it's still a great learning tool. It's still a great piece of equipment and you can always upgrade. You know I know people that slay deer season after season with their first bow, which could be a beginner bow. You know.

Speaker 2: 1:15:00

Yeah, no, I, I, I. I don't even want to get back into into the. You know how expensive it's. Just like, just looking at my bow right now, it's just like, uh, gosh, the things, the places I would be before hunting and everything if I didn't hunt. But, um, that is so cool about archery is the customization and I love that. You know you're rocking the pink stuff Like you know it's your favorite, like go for it, like that's exactly what it is.

Speaker 1: 1:15:29

You know, and, and that's me, and it's a way to express myself, and you know I get the joke, so the deer can see that. And I always say, whenever someone tries to be, either put me down or say something snarky, and they're like, oh, but the deer can see it, you know, I'll point to my freezer and like, oh, those deer didn't see it coming, you know. So I don't know, that's just me, but you know.

Speaker 2: 1:15:50

I, that's bull. I tell people I'm like, oh, that's bull crap, I go, that is bull If they're not going to see a bright orange. Or you know, back in the day when they hunted and freaking red flannel, I go. They're not seeing freaking a bright I. There's a reason why archery hunting you can hunt in all camo or you can basically wear jeans. You know, I know, people wear jeans and a t-shirt.

Speaker 1: 1:16:19

I've been in jeans and a black t-shirt, camo pants and a black shirt. I've even hunted in scrubs because I'm so excited and I just got out of work and I can, like, get there before you know, get an hour to in, but I didn't bring hunting clothes. So usually I always have from October 1st to January 1st. I always have clothes, something with me. But one day I did it and I think I was in black scrubs actually and crocs and I was like you know what I'm going, I don't care, and I did it.

Speaker 2: 1:16:46

Yeah, no, I listen, I, you can do it. However you want it, anyone can do it. I rock, I rock a lot of pink in October for um, obviously, for you know, best cast their awareness month. That's like my, like, hey, listen, that's I rock the pink, I hunt with pink. I have, I have my own pink custom. You know, veins and everything and error wrapped in black and pink. Like that's that's what I do. Listen, if I, if I could switch my strings out all the damn time, I would, I would go with black and pink for, or if I had enough money where I could get a backup bow and I only use it in the month of October, it would be a. It would have black and pink, you know, in it. Like, love that, love, that idea. The color is just, it's bullshit.

Speaker 2: 1:17:35

And you see, everyone now has the neon green. You know, neon green has gotten so big. I mean, I'm looking my arrows like they're all near neon green. My, my strings are neon green, my, my, one of my rounds is neon green. So whoever says that, yeah, I hate when people say that it's the biggest bullshit. You know it's, it's.

Speaker 1: 1:17:52

I think it's just a preference. I think it's just preference and whether you have extra money to spend. You know, like all that stuff adds up, Like my. You know, the peep is hot pink, my release is pink, my strings are paying. You know, my arrows are black and hot pink.

Speaker 2: 1:18:10

Yes, and I think you isn't there. Black and pink, aren't they like black stripes or something like?

Speaker 1: 1:18:16

that, yeah, like a leopardy thing, I don't know. They're the Ted Newson arrows, my favorite arrows. I've been shooting them forever.

Speaker 2: 1:18:23

Yeah, I remember seeing those things. I was like those are badass, like I I don't know, and that's the cool thing about, about archery and stuff like that, and just you know you get to do all all these different types of things and customization and and just unique things where you it's personal, you know, archery is very just personal.

Speaker 1: 1:18:42

It really is. It really is, it really is. Everyone does things differently and you know, whatever works for you works for you. Whenever it works for me might not work for you. So it really is such a personal, intimate thing If you kind of think about it.

Speaker 2: 1:18:55

Yeah Now, um, listen, I love it. I love it. Obviously, it costs me too much damn money all the time. And like I told myself, I was like you know, I'm not going to get new arrows this year. I'm not going to get new arrows this year. I get arrows every single year, even though I don't need to, and I I promise myself. But guess what? Most likely I'm about to buy myself brand new tall Eastern access arrows so I can do a whole nother custom build with, with different colors.

Speaker 1: 1:19:23

You know what, though it's like. It's like it's like the first day school you got to have a new app. It, you know, you got to have new arrows Exactly.

Speaker 2: 1:19:30

I always get a fresh pack of.

Speaker 1: 1:19:31

I get a fresh pack of broad heads, and I usually get a fresh pack of lighted knocks every season, because you're always going to need them.

Speaker 2: 1:19:37

It is, and I love how you said that, but that hits it right on that. It's like school all over again, your first freaking day, like you had to have the right uh binders and you know you got to write pens and you know you got to make sure your outfit was what's good, but it couldn't be. Like you got to make sure you had a cool outfit and you know the colors, skis, everything had to go correct. All the kids who and this was a time where, especially early middle school, like it was cool to have braces, yeah.

Speaker 1: 1:20:11

See, I didn't have them till I was. I had them freshman year. I had them for one year and that was in college and I had the clear braces, so I didn't get to experience that they offered middle school stage.

Speaker 2: 1:20:22

Well it's. It's kind of basically what we're doing now with getting our custom arrows and everything and colors and everything, because that's what we did in middle school. It was like damn, why I'm going to go with, I think, one of mine. I think I did black and pink in middle school. I think I did like a neon green kind of like you have now, like red, blue, like all these different colors, and that's what everyone did was who could come up with a cool color scheme? Who could, who could come this Like? It was always like that customization. So I remind you, right, you hit it really on that.

Speaker 1: 1:20:55

Or I remember with like the holidays, like my friends would have, like black and orange for Halloween, red and green for Smith gold for Hanukkah.

Speaker 2: 1:21:03

Yep, you know and it's. I'm looking here like just at the clothes and now all the hats that I have and everything like that's like I care more about now what I'm wearing into the woods than than anything else in my life. Like I was on the phone with my girlfriend earlier and I think we're talking about something about like clothes or we're talking about Sika and we were supposed to return one of my Sika outfits because we got the wrong wrong camera or whatever. I guess I said I was going to keep it, whatever but it. I just didn't have anything else in that camo and I go. It's crazy Cause, like every day, me, I could care less if I match, you know, I, I, I. Right now I'm wearing a green, I'm wearing green shorts and a blue shirt and I'm kind of goes with your summer colors.

Speaker 2: 1:22:03

I've been feeling like it, like I think it goes, but I don't think my, you know, my girlfriend is probably going to think it goes and I'm probably going to put it on an orange, a bright orange. Hunter safety hat on, okay. To go for my walk and I'm going to have camo. I'm going to have camo, I'm going to have tan crocs on her. So it's like that, like that's what I do when I'm not home.

Speaker 1: 1:22:27

You know it's funny in the beginning of the season, like the first day of school, I'm like ooh, can't wait to wear my matching camo set. I have like three sets. I have an early season matching set and again, I only just started acquiring matching sets. I had mixed match stuff. So I get really excited to rock that in the beginning of the season. Then I start to not care. Then it starts to get a little colder, so I wear my like mid season matching set and then again I start to not care and I just wear whatever. And then I get really pumped up for like January because I could finally wear my like heavy season Sica gear. And then that gets old too. I just throw on whatever's on top. But it isn't, it's fun, it's exciting, it's all part of it.

Speaker 2: 1:23:06

Ever since I started wearing Sica, I have to match. I don't know what it is, and the only thing that doesn't match with me is usually my backpack, because I'm not paying for a $300 something backpack that has you know why not you pay for a $500 pants and five? I need that. I need that. I like, I definitely need that. I'm not paying for a $500 pants. It keeps me so warm, you know, and I want to buy more Sica clothing, so that's why I don't.

Speaker 1: 1:23:32

I want to splurge on the Sica turkey vest, but I just don't. I can't justify it because I don't turkey hunt enough to justify that vest. And they opened up the season in Mon Island for the first time in a while, so that was really exciting this season.

Speaker 2: 1:23:49

Oh, okay. Well, right after we, we will finish that, this episode with with Turkey. But what you besides that, what Sica has besides the turkey? They have waiters for waterfowl, but supposedly there's so much money and I don't want to say, and I don't want to say the wrong number, but you know, if someone can correct me if I said it wrong, I think it's like $700. Wow, I mean something ridiculous, but it's a lifetime warranty, I believe, on it.

Speaker 1: 1:24:26

See, I don't know if I could do that, that's like I don't know. But you know what, though, they do have? If you get a military discount, that's definitely yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, I got.

Speaker 2: 1:24:39

I got some friends that either have a military discount or a part of their pro staff team or whatever would get like 40% discount.

Speaker 1: 1:24:47

That's the way to go.

Speaker 2: 1:24:49

It's so, like, who knows, y'all might be seeing me in some new waiters this year. I might just work some some overtime like I. Here you go, here's my. That might be my 30th birthday present to myself this year.

Speaker 1: 1:25:03

Do it, I might do that, and then you have to do a full review on it.

Speaker 2: 1:25:07

I definitely. They better be the warmest, best waiters I've. I'd wear them all year round fishing season. Spending that much damn money on it? I definitely would, absolutely.

Speaker 1: 1:25:21

I mean, I'm looking forward to this review, if you got them.

Speaker 2: 1:25:26

I'll. If I do get it, I will. I'll let you know. You'll be one of the first people to know.

Speaker 1: 1:25:31

Awesome.

Speaker 2: 1:25:33

So turkey season. Well, we'll end it on with with the turkey season. So this was the the first year that you guys were allowed to turkey hunt.

Speaker 1: 1:25:44

Yeah, so they usually do. Let me back up so they usually do. Like a youth turkey hunt in Long Island, okay so, but this time they opened it up to adults, so that was pretty exciting.

Speaker 2: 1:25:56

I didn't know that.

Speaker 1: 1:25:57

Yeah. So all like you know all the the archery shops, they were selling turkey stuff, which was cool to see, cause they never like usually like when I would go to state to do my turkey hunt. Um, you know the the local shops don't really carry it cause there's not really a big market for it in Long Island, you know, because it's just the youth turkey hunts. So I unfortunately was not successful in my turkey hunting in Long Island. I only went out a handful of times, but I know I have a few friends that did really well. So it's always nice to see everyone succeed.

Speaker 2: 1:26:30

What's it like turkey hunting on the you know in Long Island, like, I guess, because years in the past they've only done the youth. Is that because the number? I mean I don't know if you you would know this, but is that because the number hasn't been there?

Speaker 1: 1:26:46

And now I am not a hundred percent sure why. Um, I've only prior till this season, I've only done my turkey hunting upstate. I just I honestly I don't know. That'd be something that you know I could look into and report back to you.

Speaker 2: 1:26:58

I'm not, oh yeah, no, I would. I would definitely be interested in and seeing why it's that's such a. You know you're you're doing a youth hunt every year, but you're not opening up for everyone else. So, like you know, it's a very curious, curious thing, like why?

Speaker 1: 1:27:15

Yeah, I feel like I used to know why I just I don't know why. I straight up don't know. But I definitely. Now I want to look. As soon as I go to the point I'm going to, I'm going to do some research myself on it, but yeah, Do you?

Speaker 2: 1:27:27

do? You see a lot of birds in Long Island when you're out deer hunting or out stout or just driving around?

Speaker 1: 1:27:33

Again, I can't speak for you, know everyone, but for me, when I'm just driving around, you know, driving from work, driving out east, some of my hunting spots have turkeys there, Some people, it's funny, they're just like deer, Like it's like they know when the season starts and the season ends they're just strutting around all over. I think it depends mostly where you live too. You know more, you'll see them more out east. But yeah, the way people spot cows, I'm like, oh there's a deer, oh there's a jerky, so they're definitely, you know, they're definitely out here.

Speaker 2: 1:28:08

Turkeys and you know they're such a I don't know, they are an animal. That really that drives me crazy. I haven't gone full-fled turkey hunter, so like I dabbled in it I guess you could say dabbled right, but it hasn't gotten me hooked yet to the point. But they are an animal and I made the post that I wish I could. Let me see if I could find the quote. I think it's like your first time turkey hunting is for, you know, sport or whatever, and it goes every other time after that is for a event, something along those lines. And that was the most accurate thing in the world, because those birds have stumped me every single year. And yeah, I make it out once or twice or three times during the year, but like, if I get out once, twice or three times to hunt deer, I'm probably going to kill a deer. At least have a really good opportunity at killing a deer.

Speaker 1: 1:29:08

You know, yeah, it's definitely. It's definitely a lot harder. My friend Carl, you and I we did a turkey hunt upstate let let's bring and that was a, it was a wild, it was a great experience and the way that we like positioned ourselves, which, looking back, I wish we kind of both sat next to each other. She was kind of sitting more in front and I was kind of sitting kind of behind her like diagonal, and I was like all right, you know, we were with our friends and there was just like a whole like three or four of them came in and I feel like if I was sitting like right next to her up there, we we both could have had like perfect shots on him, but nevertheless she was able to have a really good shot. She, you know, turkey dropped right there and she hasn't, she didn't kill anything that season, so I was really excited for her.

Speaker 2: 1:29:57

Man, that's great. Yeah, it was fun and you know turkey hunting is, is it? Do you find it like? Or did she find it addicting, like after that what she hooked, or is this something that she just does you know?

Speaker 1: 1:30:18

No, she really liked it and she actually just relocated to South Carolina, so she's she's been. What does she do down there?

Speaker 2: 1:30:23

Dove hunting, Dove hunting is really down there, so she was doing that.

Speaker 1: 1:30:27

Yeah, and she took the. She did something with the tail feathers she made. I forgot what she did with it, but she made a really nice display with it.

Speaker 2: 1:30:36

So it was really nice. That's pretty cool. That is that's pretty damn cool, you know. And how about for you for for for turkey hunting for you, you know, with the? How do you feel on it? Well, I know you said that, you know we talked a little, you talked about a little bit before, but is that something that you could see yourself kind of falling in love with, like you do with deer hunting, you know with saltwater fishing, and now you know water fell hunting, or is that still something kind of like on the back burner? You'll do it, but it's not like fully there yet.

Speaker 1: 1:31:13

Um, I think it's funny, cause some people are like die hard deer, some people are die hard turkeys. I enjoy turkey hunting but I guess, like you said, like I'm not like there yet with the obsession or or passion for it, like if I go out two or three times I'm good.

Speaker 2: 1:31:32

Um, yeah, yeah, yeah, I feel the same.

Speaker 1: 1:31:34

I, I, you know I enjoy doing it. I maybe over time the more I do it. But I think it's like the season is so short.

Speaker 2: 1:31:43

It's a short year, it's also in spring and this is listen. I've been in the day, working the hours that you know and being in you know, somewhere in the medical field and working in the hospital like you're. You're working long hours, you know, and to wake up at two or three o'clock in the morning or you know just that one week it's very difficult because you have that. You know. At least in Jersey we have that that week A and we have B week and we have C week. Then we have like B week and then every Saturday is E, for like a month and a week or two, I can't even fully say, but it's. It's like hey, like we just got out of gear season, I need to be working. But it's also like do I really want to wake up at three o'clock in the morning?

Speaker 1: 1:32:32

Yeah, you get a little burnout. I definitely get like the mid-seat you know what it is. It's, it's driving to where you got to go setting up Like I don't know what's worse setting up to go for a hunt or, when you're done, packing up and putting everything away. Like there are times I just take everything off and just throw it in my car. I'm like doing the morning cause I'm just so tired, but same.

Speaker 2: 1:32:53

Yeah, no, definitely same. But for us here we can only hunt till 12. For Turkey, you know, and I I don't know what other state regulations are and everything like that up until I think the last two weeks is where you can an after 12, but it's like, okay, well, I'm getting up, I'm going to be absolutely exhausted. Yeah, you know I'm going to hunt. It's a lot of moving and grooving sometimes, you know, especially hunting with Justin or or something like that. Like he's a, you know he calls for 50 minutes. If there's no action, like you go and find the action. So like you're doing five, six miles from you know, basically when you get out into the woods until 12 o'clock and then, yeah, you have the rest of your day, but then you're burnt out or you have to go to work or something like that. So like I think the the opportunity, the time of the year, the short season, and I think just the fact that everyone has to wake up so early is a big off-putting for for turkey hunting.

Speaker 1: 1:33:55

Yes, absolutely, and I'm not really a morning person.

Speaker 2: 1:33:59

So no, no, listen, I'm trying to be a morning person. You know I've changed my work schedule. You know I try every day to get up at at a certain time, but jeez, and I could do it during the deer season, Don't get me wrong, Like I can do it 100%, 100% and same with fishing.

Speaker 1: 1:34:15

but even Sunday I almost I didn't want to go. My boyfriend's more of a morning person than I am. I just I almost didn't want to go Sunday. I was being a brat. But you know, once you're up and running, you're up.

Speaker 2: 1:34:29

And you know with and a morning person, people like for me, like I, can get up in the morning. I wake up at six or whatever, and I'm talking when we're talking about at least with morning, we're talking about early morning for hud. So that is a it's a difficult, difficult situation at times.

Speaker 1: 1:34:47

Especially when it's like 40 degrees, 30 degrees. You don't want to get up, it's hard.

Speaker 2: 1:34:54

Or you've or you've been hunting or working all week.

Speaker 1: 1:34:57

Yeah, it gets strange.

Speaker 2: 1:34:59

And it's like, it's like, oh, that late in the season, when the sun's barely out, and you know you're already, you know we're here, you just know, you're just going to go there and sit and freeze for all day, just to come home and then shower, eat and go to sleep. You know it does. You know hunting, hunting and fishing. It's a grind Whenever you do it, I think obviously in the summer it is a little. You know, you got daylight for so damn long and everything like that.

Speaker 2: 1:35:26

But that winter grind is. It's exhausting and you do get burnt out.

Speaker 1: 1:35:32

Yeah, it's, you know, and especially like the, you hunt so hard at least I do. I hunt so hard in the beginning, like, like October, try to get out every weekend, and then you know, then you got to, you get, you get tired and the rut comes and he's got to. You know recharge.

Speaker 2: 1:35:49

It's, it's, it's 100% true, it's from for us from September, from the second week of September all the way till probably the end, actually even till till gun season for us, up until six day, you know, which were. There's a second bear season Now. I think we're getting our bear season back for for Bo, I'm hoping Right. So, and now with with waterfowl hunting, you know what you know, you know you know I mean, there really is no, there really is no break. Yeah, yeah, you know you're, you're, you're adding more things.

Speaker 2: 1:36:22

So it's like, okay, the more, the more hunting, which is great and, don't get me wrong, like we're, we're not complaining about being able to go out and everything like that, but you do, there is a period and I like to take my, my rest period, kind of like that, two weeks from whenever, two weeks till till Christmas, kind of till that new year, new year period, and especially if I've had success in the season where I've I've shot some deer, you know, I've shot some waterfowl and stuff like that, like okay, like I could take the holidays and I've kind of given the holidays early to my family and everything like that now where you can recharge the batteries and then get back out there for like a winter boat, late season. Whatever you're doing, coyote, steve, let me grind and you know you said the holidays.

Speaker 1: 1:37:06

I'll be like mom or Tom, like what time do we have to be somewhere? And like, oh cool, two o'clock Great, I can do a morning hunt, I can find a perfect spot. Yeah.

Speaker 2: 1:37:16

No, it's definitely, definitely you know. But you know what. One last thing you know with, with the company, with the page, with. You know all the, the, the following, the team that you guys have around you. You know the, the bond, the events, everything that you guys are doing over at Long Island. Babes and bucks like what's next in store for you guys.

Speaker 1: 1:37:48

You know, we we try to think like where, where do we see the group going? And we never thought it would be what it is now. All we know is that when we started back in 2020, it was right when the pandemic hit, you know, the New York Times article came out. All these people were asking us like, oh, like you know, my daughter wants to hunt, or you know she wants to fish, but she has no one to go with. Like where can she go? Or can she fish with you? Or hunt with you, like all these things, and that's how it really started. We're like we got to do something. Like all these people hunting fish, or all these girls want to get into it, don't know where to go. You know, don't, don't know who to turn to. That's really how it started. And then you know as far as where it's going. It's just only keep inspiring, educating, empowering, you know, and giving women and kids the opportunity to do things that you know they might not have the means to do. Hello.

Speaker 2: 1:38:39

I was muted. I was muted on that one. I always do that, like once the episode how many members are you guys looking at right now, like from when you first started to where you guys are at now? You know on a go over, like how many people you're out, people you guys have.

Speaker 1: 1:38:57

I think we have I don't even know like maybe around almost 5000 followers. And then so the Facebook group. That's private, that's just women only. There's about like 300 something women in there. So it's nice. And you know, it's not about numbers, it's not about the following. We're not out here paying for followers. We're not out here trying to get people to follow us. People find us from all over the country like, or even out of the country too. It's like we have like women that want us to post their pictures, like from Texas, florida, georgia. It's really, it's really cool, and sometimes I'm just like well, why do you want our page Like? We're just little long island, paves and bucks. You're in Texas, you're in like you know, one of the mechas of hunting and they're like oh you know, because everyone out here hunting, because everyone does the same thing, everyone's out to do it. You know you guys are different and it's nice to hear that stuff.

Speaker 2: 1:39:48

Yeah, no, I definitely. I feel that because you know it's a, it's a market that no one hears about it. It's a, it's an area, it's a tradition, it is, you know, showing ladies and you know the, the really the younger generation, and you know the girls who can look up to somebody, because this is not just a a guy's sport, it's not just a a white sport, it's not just this, it's not just that Like, it is for everyone. You know and I was, I was talking about it with a Gerard from MacEdder today you know there's a lot of growing. You know this is a sport for everybody. You know, and you guys are prime example of you know girls can do it too and we love you know, seeing what you guys are doing over there. You guys are absolutely killing it.

Speaker 1: 1:40:37

You know it's a, it's definitely a pleasure to get you on.

Speaker 1: 1:40:42

I appreciate it. You know all the girls work hard, all the girls put the time and effort in. You know everyone's doing it just to be a better angler, hunter, hunter, and you know really branching out. The best part is like the friendships that some of these girls have made from the group and the hobbies that they picked up from the group and just seeing how they've grown. You know it's just from when I first met them until until now. Like some girls have never picked up a fishing rod and now they're going on tuna trips. So it's it's really nice to see that.

Speaker 2: 1:41:12

Yeah, definitely, definitely, you know it's. It's keep doing what you guys are doing. You know, let the ladies know over there. You know he everyone's doing a great job and we, we, we love what you guys are are showing up and, hey, one day we'll be doing it.

Speaker 2: 1:41:24

We need to definitely get a a, get a bunch of you guys on and try to get an episode with. You know as many as you can and maybe do some stuff, and personally, you know we do have a couple. We will be having a bunch of events upcoming next year and every night that we are going to be putting together. So we'll definitely keep you guys in the loop and you know, I want to thank you yet again for coming on and it was, it was a great talk.

Speaker 1: 1:41:49

Yeah, I appreciate it and we do have. We do have a barbecue coming up in August which you are more than welcome to come to. We we were hosting it with strong island bow hunting, one of the other long island hunting groups that we call them like our brother group. They really supported us from day one. And then we usually do twice a year, in September before the hunting season and then in February after the hunting season, which I'm sure you've seen pictures of the 3D shoot, the indoor 3D shoot guys versus girls. You guys should definitely come down for that. It's a lot of fun, it gets us up before the season and then it's something to do when the season ends, so it's nice.

Speaker 2: 1:42:22

I will definitely try to come for the February one. I already looked and I was like damn, we cannot make it, because that is our opening day for deer season here in New Jersey All right so.

Speaker 2: 1:42:33

February eight is February up. I will definitely just you know, shoot me a reminder and I'll put in the calendar and you know. Thank you and everyone go. Please go check them out. The link is going to be in the description and below. If anyone's got any questions, any ladies out there that are interested in the hunting, please ask them away. They are tons of help. They are absolutely, you know, getting everyone they can involved in the great outdoors and you know we'll see you guys next time.

Speaker 1: 1:43:01

Awesome. Thank you so much.