Speaker 1: 0:00

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Speaker 2: 0:42

That's why your tagline like JCL known, perfect.

Speaker 3: 0:45

Don't know what that means for the game. Don't know what that means for the game.

Speaker 1: 0:52

I accidentally drifted my canoe between a sow and a cub and she like charged and hit, like the back of the canoe.

Speaker 3: 1:00

But his head hit the ground before his ass did.

Speaker 1: 1:03

Begging, begging and crying to go with my grandfather and go with my father on these deer drives.

Speaker 3: 1:09

You know, the last trip over I shot a great Cape Buffalo with my bow, charging through the grass and then the whooping.

Speaker 1: 1:16

And then you hear a body drop. What's up, boys? Welcome back to Field Notes. This is our first recording of 2025. So it's been a couple of weeks. We're at that point of the season where everything's slow. We got Ethan and Zach with us today. What's up, guys?

Speaker 3: 1:37

What's going on, guys?

Speaker 1: 1:40

And before we get into the show, I'm going to say in the beginning of the podcast. And before we get into the show I'm going to say in the beginning of the podcast we are going to be at the Empire State Show from February 28th to March 2nd. Friday show is from 12 noon to 8 pm. Saturday is from March. Saturday, march 1st is 10 am to 7 pm. Saturday is from march or saturday march 1st is 10 am to 7 pm and sunday march 2nd is 10 am to 5 pm.

Speaker 1: 2:13

Catch us there at rockland community college field house in suffer, new york, um. And we are going to be at booth 207. Um, 207, 208 is going to be our boost. We're going to be at 207. American mike is going to be at 208. Um. So the back damn production, and then dave from urban pursuit, they're going to be there as well, and also, um, chris from from only bows is going to be there, um, so hope to see you guys there. Um. Also check out the discount codes below for um, for your tide, tide we. Um, we are going to be running a bunch of discounts for tide we. So if anyone's interested, go check down in below also for gilly, puck, racketer and and all our other great um companies that that we use um. Go check them out in the the description below. But, boys, we're back. Zach, I'm gonna start with you. You tried something completely new and it seemed like it. It worked very well. So are you a brand new waterfowl hunter?

Speaker 2: 3:26

Yeah, man, I'm addicted, I'm totally addicted. We got out the last couple Saturdays and first time out we got out in the evening and we were set up in a cut cornfield on the edge of a river and, uh, we had. We saw good action, we saw a bunch of birds, but we didn't have a lot of decoys. We only had maybe what 15 decoys out there and uh yeah, probably about yeah, and uh, we shot a couple birds.

Speaker 2: 4:00

We got two, you shot one and payton shot one, and uh, we had some geese start landing in the next field over and once that, once they started landing over there, um, the action in our field pretty much died. Every, every group that would fly over would see all those birds in the other field and go straight over there.

Speaker 1: 4:18

Um, can't compete with live, live birds.

Speaker 2: 4:23

Yep yep, but, and this saturday, this past saturday was a bit better we, we did. What did we get 20, some 20 birds or something between the eight of us, um, yeah yeah, because yeah we got so we got.

Speaker 1: 4:44

We got 20 out of 21 between the seven us.

Speaker 2: 4:50

And then plus Peyton with his three.

Speaker 1: 4:55

And then, yeah, because Peyton had to go home early to go watch the Baltimore Ravens game, so he dipped out a little early, but um, um, but yeah, I mean it was great, it was. Um, it was a great. I mean it snowed and anytime you can hunt, I think, any animal in the snow, it's like it's phenomenal. But watching the sunrise and then having geese and ducks and everything like we were working ducks and something that's picked up is is the ducks to? Obviously with the colder temperatures and everything has a moving down more south and everything like that.

Speaker 1: 5:36

But we had ourselves a hell of a time and we actually I think that was the most work we've had to put in with goose hunting, because we had to move. We moved our setups three separate times. Almost season's almost done. These birds are pressured as hell. So you know they were a little hesitant and what Justin had said is you know he definitely thought that us, being closer to the wood, line the birds in there, they didn't really feel comfortable with that, probably because they've been shot at so many damn times so far this season. Once we moved into the middle of field, like that first group, right right after we just sat down and got everything. They came in from far out and landed right in and we were able to to blast them, but um.

Speaker 2: 6:27

Yeah, that was we definitely. As soon as we moved out into the field like that, it seemed like they were a lot more willing to land.

Speaker 1: 6:35

Yeah, um, they, they were comfortable, and it's something that he even said. And, um, waterfowl hunting, everything has to be perfect. That's something that I'm starting to pick up with the more, the the more that we do it like if something's not working, you're gonna have to change something. It could be your decoy spread, it could be like you. You kind of have to be hyperactive because it seems like a lot that the birds, except for maybe a few dumb ones, they're gonna keep doing the same thing as they're gonna. They're interested and they're they're doing everything they can.

Speaker 1: 7:06

But then there's just something like all right, now, this isn't where we need to be, this isn't, this isn't right. So then they go, they go somewhere else and then also something else. That was crazy. I mean, we had multiple chances at a snow goose and I don't think no one in the group has a shot snow goose yet. And Justin's brother got a little too excited. He got that snow goose fever and the trigger finger got a little itchy and he shot a little before he probably should have. But it was a fun time and we have until next Saturday, so hopefully we can get out like, like, hopefully as a group like that at least one more time and I'm hoping to get out at least like two, two or three more times, probably two, I think two will be will be enough, I think I'll.

Speaker 2: 7:55

Yeah, we got two more weekends right. What's it go till? Yeah?

Speaker 1: 7:58

And I and I can't go out this Saturday. It's my nephew's birthday party, so I don't know if I'm hunting tomorrow. I might Well, if everyone listened to this, it'll be today, on Tuesday, I'll see. I'm going to text Justin tomorrow. I'm either deer hunting or waterfowl hunting. Tomorrow and then next week. Definitely I'm going to try to get out Monday, tuesday and then definitely the last day of the season. Definitely get out next Saturday. I want to get out at least one more time. Yeah, it's last. It's addicting, Like it's really addicting.

Speaker 2: 8:31

It is Now that I've killed a few. So my first shot, you know, my first shot at an animal and with a gun, and I've never shot a 12 gauge. I was bar, I was me and Peyton. We're passing back and forth and we had a group come. A group was, I think it was two birds came in. This is our, our. I think it was the first nose, our second setup. It was right after, I think, we moved to the second setup and uh had to come in and they wanted to land. They didn't, they didn't, they didn't quite commit and they started flying away. It was a bit of a poke. They were out there, but uh put the beat on them and just followed through and when I pulled that trigger, man, it knocked us both down. The bird fell out of the sky and I fell back into my seat. I'd never shot a 12 gauge before and uh, yeah, I didn't know how or anything, but hey, I'll tell you it it was.

Speaker 1: 9:35

It was funny because, like this group that came in, so we had two new waterfowl hunters with us, um, so we let them the first, uh, small group that came in. We're like all right, like just just, these two guys are gonna shoot, right, and you know, the one guy shoots, shoots and misses, and right, I think pay and I had the same like zach isn't shooting yet, like you know, there's already been a few shots that um, that already went off and like I looked to zach and he's just like looking down the barrel, like he's perfectly setting everything up, he's being calm, he's being, you know, patient, he's kind of doing it the correct way and all of a sudden just squeezes the trigger and the bird, just you just see it get hit and just just drops. And that was. That was pretty cool and I was a little I think we were a little nervous because we didn't think you were going to shoot at all, because I I don't know if, because I swear waterfall hunting especially when you have a bunch of birds come in, it could be sometimes very overwhelming where you do have to pick out that one um and what sucks about it and will not suck. But it's funny like, especially when you get those big flocks, when you have a lot of people um, hunting, you know you can have a bird picked out, and this happens a lot I think more with ducks than it does with geese for me. But I'm like, all right, I'm shooting that. One boom, somebody else shoots it. It completely throws you off and then you start like rushing and then you just start shooting at like whatever and everything like that. But, um, I, I love it. Um, it has become such a tradition. Um, and you know, pan and I just picked up, I think, three dozen decoys. Um, that were.

Speaker 1: 11:27

You know that we're going to add to the to the collection and you know, next year I'll I'm probably going to get my own water. I keep saying that but I'm going to get my own waterfall gun. I have to. As much as I love the old um pump action, uh, shotgun it's, I love it. I've killed all my birds with it. But I want a proper waterfowl gun, semi-automatic. Yeah, it's nice. So, yeah, I mean, it's been a phenomenal season so far with the waterfowl and we've still got two weeks left, so we're hoping it's warmed up here a little bit. I think it's going to be in the 40s, but it's supposed to cool back down, so we should get everything up and going and have ourselves at least one more good hunt. But how do you like eating it?

Speaker 2: 12:19

I'll tell you what that mallard was delicious. I did the mallard, uh, with the skin on, I plucked it. And well, I plucked it and separated the thighs and the breast and, uh, just pan seared the breast the other night and, man, that was delicious. Um, I got some goose right now in the in the dehydrator making some jerky.

Speaker 1: 12:39

So yeah, um, I love it. I mean duck, I like geese, I like goose, don't get me wrong, but man duck, because you know, cooking with the skin on it just brings that flavor really out. I also think it's not, as it's a little more tender than than goose.

Speaker 2: 12:59

Um, it seemed a little milder too, yeah yeah um, a little bit of a gamey flavor to it, but it's not bad at all yeah, yeah I like them both I love it.

Speaker 1: 13:09

I still love it, I still. You know, I have tons of of goose meat in the freezer now, hoping to get more and everything like that. Um, I'll actually have some in the in the fridge. So, going to be the ones that we shot the other day, that in the fridge, and I'm going to cook that up tomorrow. I'll usually like, if I'm going to cook it after a hunt, like if I don't do it right away, I'll let it sit probably in the fridge for like two days and then what I'm going to do tomorrow is think I'm going to go get some this certain type of milk, let it sit in that, get my seasonings and then I'm going to pound it.

Speaker 1: 13:46

I'm going to try pounding it out Just cause it is a, it is a little bit gamier. Um, with duck, I, you'd never have to do that. Um, I think a little bit. Especially, I noticed a couple of these birds did get shot, um, and you know so I in the breast and everything, like there are a few that were unfortunately on, just just cooked, I mean just completely shredded, with just the blood vessel, everything. It was just and it was. It was no good but, um, I was able to salvage some of it, um, and I think, the last hunt. What I'm gonna do is I'm gonna take the, the thighs and everything, like you do, and do you throw that in the slow cooker yeah, I've been doing them in the pressure cooker.

Speaker 2: 14:27

I throw them in the pressure cooker for like an hour and uh, and then just shred the meat and that's delicious, yeah I'm gonna have to, I'm gonna have to try that too.

Speaker 1: 14:36

And then I think, the last hunt too, I think I'm gonna do a full melt, because I want to. I, I should have my, hopefully I should have my duck done by at least the end of the year, cause I have a Mallard that should be getting done. And then I want a goose done too, because I want everything that I've shot. You know, I want, like, everything that I shot on the wall.

Speaker 2: 14:57

Is it going to be in flight, or or?

Speaker 1: 14:59

I don't. I'll probably do it in flight, like I think. I don't know, we'll see you should get him cupped up, coming like he's coming down oh, yeah, yeah, um, it'll be a lot easier once, like we, we find our like kind of like a forever place where I know like, okay, I, I, I have this much room to work with and everything like that. Um, but probably cupped up would would probably be great I think that'd be awesome.

Speaker 2: 15:21

I was just thinking about that yesterday and it's ethan it is.

Speaker 1: 15:25

It is this thing, because I don't think you've waterfowl hunt and you have the open invitation whenever you want to come out to with us. Um, it is so majestic just watching them just soar in and when they get cupped up it is like a you you get into a trance of just watching them and it's, it's one of the coolest things um, that you can watch, because with ducks you can, you can kind of, but ducks go so much faster, um, so sometimes they're in the decoys, like that, like a blink of an eye, um, where obviously geese are just so much bigger. Um, you get to see in a, you know, I definitely imagine zach could tell, because he, you know, he got to see it for the first time though the last two weeks of just like how they work. They, you know, especially when it's windy they'll do these like back flips and everything like that, and they do all these things where it's like animals are just absolutely just insane. They're, they're just so cool to watch yeah, it's cool.

Speaker 2: 16:25

I mean I've seen, you know you see thousands of geese every every winter, but I never really paid much attention to it. But yeah, it's cool just to watch how they fly and how they, how they uh air out of their wings, like you were talking about, when they spin and they almost spin upside down.

Speaker 1: 16:40

It's cool yeah, I, I love them and there's a lot of communication and that's a cool thing. Like people talk about elk hunting, you know you're communicating. You know turkeys, you're communicating. Geese and ducks, you're, you're doing just like you're. You have to communicate.

Speaker 1: 16:56

Your hide has to be perfect and your decoys have to be good yep so it takes a little more um than I think all the rest, but your, your communication skills need to, because they're actually very, they're very vocal. Yeah, and that's something that both payton and justin especially justin does phenomenally well is the the calling and when to call, when not to call, what calls to use. Like that's the. The one thing that's also so interesting about waterfowl hunting too is like that aspect, and that's what I want to learn. You know, you saw me doing a little bit of calling and that was my first time actually like calling out in in a hunt like that, and it's just a night and day difference. And then I'll even say, like peyton's good, but it's also a night and day difference between Justin and Peyton, and that's no shot at Peyton or anything like that, and he'll probably tell you the same, you know, but just the knowledge that Justin has when it comes to waterfowl hunting or just hunting birds in general, is just like phenomenal.

Speaker 2: 17:57

Yeah, it was cool to see Like we were talking about it before Justin got there. We were like, man, there's something that these birds aren't liking. Every time they would want to come in and land they would. They would just see something that wasn't quite right. And as soon as justin got there, he was like all right, we got to change this. We got to make a move here. We got to move these that set these few decoys in tighten up the spread. We got to, you know, he knew exactly what we had to and we made those changes and started knocking them down.

Speaker 1: 18:23

Yeah, cause up until that point we only shot one goose, and it was when I think it was kind of like in the beginning.

Speaker 2: 18:32

First thing in the morning you guys went back to the trucks to grab something, I think, and me and Peyton were out there and I think, yeah, peyton shot the first one One lonely goose and we haven't had any luck this year with having solos come in.

Speaker 1: 18:45

We've had no luck with the solos this year and that was the one time we had solos and and peyton got him. But funny, funny story. So we're, we're sitting there, you know we're. We're all the way on the other side of the field and we knew some deer, like a few deer hunters went in all of a sudden well, I only knew of a few, because I saw that I saw the three guys.

Speaker 1: 19:09

Yeah, I saw the three guys and I was talking to them a little bit. But we're all sitting down, whatever, and all of a sudden you see orange here, orange here, and it's like all right, like there's a guy that he got up in the stand real quick, another guy got in a stand and then all of a sudden we just started seeing orange, orange, orange, orange, then more orange and like I think what we counted like between 15, I think, hunters 16 and it was insane, like they came out of the woodworks and just were all pushing this, this property, and they all met up and there's almost like 20 guys while we're waterfowl hunting all the on the other side, just but like we couldn't believe it because we didn't know where the hell they were coming from.

Speaker 1: 19:56

They were just coming from everywhere and every time we would see one, oh, there would be two more, like right behind him, and they just kept coming and coming and coming. So I guess that's more the you guys had to be there to to get it. But I mean we were, we were laughing and cracking up and I mean it was, it was a good hunt, uh, through and throughout, um, but, but, ethan, your total is eight for the year, eight on the year.

Speaker 3: 20:24

You are done 8.5. I consider the elk a half kill.

Speaker 1: 20:29

Okay, so 8.5. So you had yourself yet a phenomenal year. You're able to hunt like you used to and everything like that no bucks, but you sure made up for it with the mule, deer, the does, the half uh, the half of elk that you, that you got everything like that a trip. So kind of take us back of, like, your expectations coming into the season and now that, um, you're gonna call it for for the season and everything like that, so you can focus on some other things like what goes through your mind well, I mean the whole beginning of my season.

Speaker 3: 21:09

I uh, I had planned on my western trip this year to be quite possibly the last one for a while, just because I don't, if I don't know if you guys know or not, but I'm getting married at the end of 2025. I got engaged this past November, so I call her my wife because, even though it's not official yet, I've been with her for so dang long. She might as well be my wife at this point.

Speaker 1: 21:33

I think you guys were together when we first started talking. I believe correct, we've been together for 10 years.

Speaker 3: 21:39

Yeah, so definitely We've been together for a while. We've been together for 10 years. Yeah, so definitely we've been together for a while. Um and uh, I realized the other day that she was.

Speaker 3: 21:46

We were talking about all this wedding stuff and I was like I know, like where we're gonna have it and outside of that, like I don't know anything else.

Speaker 3: 21:55

And that's when I was really like, yeah, you have two months of planning on this whole thing and I haven't even lifted a finger, like I have to start being around. So that's when I was going into this past week I was like, yeah, I uh, I think I'm gonna have one one last week to get after it and then I'm gonna call it, but when it comes, I went off track there. But this past, uh, this past western trip I knew was going to be the last one, with the wedding and everything coming up, and I put so much effort and energy into that and for that to be such a successful trip. I came back and I really had no whitetail scouting, done whatsoever and I pretty much just said, being that I've killed so few deer the last couple years, I don't care if I shoot a buck, I just want to fill the freezer with meat and from that perspective, I had a banner year.

Speaker 1: 22:44

So I'm uh, I'm very happy um, yeah, no, I, I think it's. Um, we, we've talked so many times and you know, I know it's something you're always looking forward to, your western trips and everything like that. Um, you know, since the the first time you went and you know it's, it's great. Um, you know you put so much effort into that, especially if it's going to be, you know who knows when you're going to get back out there and everything like that. I know it makes it might be a little easier now that you're more of a gun guy too, because didn't they take away over the counters for archery only, though, right?

Speaker 3: 23:23

Correct. Yeah, they're still over the counter for rifle in a lot of units in Colorado. However, there there is talks of that being taken away as well.

Speaker 1: 23:34

So you know, but now it's it's, it's the big step, it's to plan the wedding and everything like that. And I mean you still, you went there, killed a muley, shot at a nice bull, found that, had someone else found that bull, it's almost, as you know, without getting your hands actually on him, and finding him like just pure success of what you went through, pure success of of what you went through. And then you come back and you didn't do much for for scouting, but seven, yeah, seven whitetail does, yep, you can't that. That's just as successful as getting a a mature buck. Uh, you know, I would have to say I mean, seven is that that's a lot? You put a lot down, you filled up the freezer, you know. So in the last, the last one was shot with a. Would you go with on this one?

Speaker 3: 24:35

That was the one that I shot this past weekend. I shot with with the bow. I used an iron. Will single bevel?

Speaker 1: 24:43

And how was that for you? No, no issues, nothing like that.

Speaker 3: 24:46

So this one. So I shot two deer this year. I know we talked about the last time I was on. I pretty much use a different broadhead for every deer that I've shot this year, for the most part. Um, after this one, I've now shot two deer with the iron will single bevel? The first one put her down fast. I was not impressed with the blood trail. This one was quite the opposite. Um, so she was perfectly broadside and, uh, it was a bit of a smaller doe and with my poundage and my setup, I I didn't have any worries about penetration. So I actually I put my pin right on her shoulder and I blasted through both shoulders and uh, yeah, it was. It was pretty wild. That single bevel pretty much cracked that shoulder blade completely in half and tore the heart apart and, um, yeah, she just pile drived like 50 yards to the brush and died and the blood was pretty phenomenal, probably one of the better blood trails that I've had. So, um, both deer that I shot with the iron will died very, very quickly.

Speaker 3: 25:47

I was very confused on that end. One of them there was no blood, the other one there was an incredible amount of blood. So I guess the jury is still out in my mind.

Speaker 1: 25:58

Listen, it's something I will preach forever both have. Whether you're shooting fixed or mechanical, there's always going to be positive and negative. Sometimes they're going to perform perfectly, sometimes they're not Like. It's just one of those things. That's archery, and I just want people to kind of relax a little bit. Oh, one's better than the other, because I truly don't believe fixed is better than mechanical and mechanical is better than fixed, because I truly don't believe fix is better than mechanical, mechanical is better than than fix.

Speaker 1: 26:28

Honestly, you may have some issues. Oh yeah, you know what. You know when you use and you know a something like I will you definitely don't have to worry about the shoulder, but then, yet again, you may have to worry about tracking. You know, with with blood, like, especially if you don't hit it perfectly, you know if you don't get that blood, hey, you could have shot it. You know as best as you can, you may still not find that deer, you know. So there's always going to be a give and take and I, I think you, using as many broad heads that you did, are a perfect example If you killed all your deer. There are some times where it was really good. There were some times where you weren't pleased with certain things. You know, and that's just going to be that's. That's just going to be what it is.

Speaker 3: 27:21

Yeah, and to go off what you just said. So I shot that deer on Saturday and to go off what you just said, so I shot that deer on saturday. Uh, I went out on friday and I had actually planned for pretty much the entirety of winter bow season, up until this point, to shoot one final deer with the g5 mega meat. That was going to be an additional, because I just had one laying in the quiver for forever.

Speaker 3: 27:42

That's going to be an additional broadhead and just more test results and more things to talk about here and I went out on friday and I was so pissed I had a stud of a doe like probably would have been the biggest doe that I shot all year, just an ancient old nanny at 17 yards, probably 20 minutes.

Speaker 3: 28:03

But she was quartered towards me real hard and I was looking at those long slender blades on the g5 mega meat and I was like I'm not putting that through his shoulder. And I was just I had the bow in my hand the whole time was waiting for her to turn and she never turned and she walked off and I was like that. That was the reason I put the iron will on the next day, because I was like I knew that that was going to be my last hunt, no matter what, whether or not I killed, I didn't want to have an angled shot like that. That I didn't want to take, still upset about it because I really wanted to see how that G5 performed. But that would be for next year maybe.

Speaker 2: 28:41

What iron wills are you shooting the solids?

Speaker 3: 28:45

The single bevels.

Speaker 2: 28:46

Yeah, the single bevel 125s Just the standard solid single bevels. Yep Nice.

Speaker 3: 28:52

I'm a huge fan of the structural integrity of those heads. I've put them through pretty much. When I look back on every deer that I've shot with those heads, they've been relatively close. I haven't shot a deer like any extended distance past 25 but every one has been directly through both shoulders embedded in the ground. The other side just carnage. The only issue that I've had is on some of those deer I had very, very small blood trails yep, I've noticed the same thing.

Speaker 2: 29:22

I've been shooting the magnus single bevels this year, okay and uh. Yeah, I've noticed the same thing. Actually, a couple of these deer I've blown through, not even like the, the scapula, the flat shoulder bone, but like the, the heavy, like what's like the not the humerus, yeah, the knuckle there.

Speaker 3: 29:39

One I split, split right through the knuckle where that humerus meets the scapula, and the other one I split the the humerus right in half and um, and almost every deer I've shot with those things has gone down within like 40 or 50 yards yep but, actually, while we're, while we're discussing, uh, archery gear and all that, I have something that I think both of you are going to find very interesting oh boy, here we go I, uh, I think that this last deer might be the last deer I shoot with a compound for a really long time yeah, really.

Speaker 1: 30:14

Oh, you went trad, you, someone bought you a trad no, no one bought me one, I bought one myself for 90 on amazon, the one I sent to the uh group chat.

Speaker 2: 30:26

Uh, possibly the black hunter yeah, yep oh, yeah, I bought that, I got that what was that. Have you shot it yet?

Speaker 3: 30:33

uh, just at like five yards in the apartment. Um, I'm waiting to get all my arrow building stuff so I can get like an actual arrow set up for it, and then I'm gonna be taking it out this week so I heard heard a lot of what that is.

Speaker 1: 30:45

It's about the arrow, more than anything.

Speaker 3: 30:48

Well, so, yeah, so the big thing, and correct me if I'm wrong, but with compounds nowadays, like many times, people will build an arrow and they'll tune that bow around the arrow. It's the polar opposite. With a recurve or a longbow, there's nothing to tune on the bow itself. So you're tuning that arrow, whether it be by point weight or shaft length or whatever, um, to find the arrow that shoots best out of that bow. Yep, but you want to know the reason that I officially made the switch, and I think I'm going to go all trad for the next at least year. You know those issues that I've been having I've talked to you about a bit in the past mike with, uh, my matthew's bows having the split limbs yeah had this lift for three months dude.

Speaker 3: 31:31

Before I went out for my hunt on saturday I checked the limbs.

Speaker 1: 31:34

Top limb got split again do you think that's more just a matthew problem? I have no idea. It has to be a matthew problem I have no first things first.

Speaker 3: 31:46

I know I'm just extremely unlucky with it because I mean this happened four times now over three bows. I have Matthews on the phone, by the way, their customer service I'm a huge Matthews guy their customer service left a lot to be desired. But regardless, I'm pretty much just saying it's definitely my fault for doing the work myself, even though I spent all the money on the Matthews-specific fingers for the press and being shown by archery shops how to do it properly the whole nine. So yeah, that definitely left a little bit to expire.

Speaker 3: 32:25

It's your fault. Yeah, yeah, they said yeah, whoever's putting that bow in the press is definitely their fault, but regardless, whatever it is. So, yeah, I got that bow sent back to get some new limbs put on it, and then I think I'm going to put it in the case and just leave it sit.

Speaker 1: 32:41

I'm going to go all in with the trad bow for this offseason and next year, I think all in with the Trad bow for this offseason and next year, I think, well, that is going to make for a hell of a discussion for this upcoming offseason and see the journey that you're going to go on. I'm very interested to see that You're going to be the first one in the crew to go Trad. I mean, I definitely know it's on the on the horizon, I think for a lot of us, um, but I mean, yeah, when you have that many issues too with the bow, I mean they're so damn expensive that we should not be having these problems um, and then you don't blame the customer. That's even, that's even wilder, yeah I was.

Speaker 3: 33:26

Uh, I was. I think I just caught the guy on a bad day because I've talked with massey's customer service before for unrelated issues and they've been phenomenal. This guy just picked up the phone and, uh, you could tell he was not in a good mood and he showed and I was pretty upset and I hung up the phone on him. After about five minutes talking to him and getting nowhere, I was like, screw this, I'm getting a trad bow. And I hung up the phone on him after about five minutes talking to him and getting nowhere, I was like screw this, I'm gonna trad bow. And I went on amazon one up for 90 bucks and here we are there we go, there we go.

Speaker 1: 33:54

Uh, zach, do you have what? Do you have any uh plans on picking up a trad? Eventually, I feel like you're the trad guy too I got one.

Speaker 2: 34:02

I got a long bow. I haven't I've hunted with it a bit. I missed three does last year in one sit with it had had a group of like four does come in and uh, it was late season, like late January, and uh, had them come into like 15 yards feeding per you know perfectly broadside. I draw back, shoot right over the top of the back of one of them and this bow is whisper quiet. So they didn't even react. They barely even moved when I shot. So I knock another arrow, take another shot, same thing right over her back and I shot all three arrows that I had missed and they just slowly fed off.

Speaker 3: 34:52

There's nothing you could do about it at that point. No more arrows like oh, do you have a black hunter as well, or do you have?

Speaker 2: 34:55

something else. No, I got a st patrick lake longbow. It's a, it's a uh, american semi longbow they're called. It's like a hill style, like howard hill style longbow. Okay, it's basically a straight limb bow where there's no, no curve to the limbs or anything. It's just a straight. I got it right up here, actually on the wall, hanging up there. It's just a straight, basically just a straight piece of wood and, uh yeah, super quiet and it's pretty free. I mean, I've never shot a recurve, only only these long bows.

Speaker 3: 35:32

So how heavy are the arrows you're pushing out of it?

Speaker 2: 35:35

uh, like 550 or no, no, no, I think they're closer to six. 600 because I moved up in point weight, because I was shooting like a 150 grain head but, then I felt like they were. They were tuning a little better with like a closer to a 200 grain head, so that's what I'm shooting now. I got like 600, 600 grains total arrow weight.

Speaker 3: 35:57

And what's the draw weight?

Speaker 2: 35:59

It's just under 50 at my draw length. It's like 40, 48 at my draw length.

Speaker 3: 36:04

Okay.

Speaker 2: 36:06

Yeah.

Speaker 3: 36:06

Going from an 80 pound compound, I picked up a my longbow. I got it in 40 and I figured it would be a breeze and just not being used to pulling back a trad bow, I was like okay this is very humbling, in a very good way very different well, the good thing about that black hunter, you can change it.

Speaker 2: 36:23

You know you can change out the limbs on it easily, so you want to go up to 50 or whatever I got.

Speaker 3: 36:28

I wouldn't be surprised like in the future I end up upgrading, but just from the little bit that I've shot it now and the reviews that I've read like seems to be a killer bow, for I've heard nothing but good things about that bow, yeah yeah, no, it's gonna.

Speaker 1: 36:45

I can't wait to see it. I can't wait to hear about it. I'm really really excited about that.

Speaker 2: 36:50

But, um, boys, I what sorry, I said I'm gonna try and take out the longbow before the season ends. Here we got till middle of february, so I'll go try and shoot something with it zach, what's your?

Speaker 1: 37:05

what's your your plans come the rest of the season? Are you on any bucks or are you just going for whatever?

Speaker 2: 37:13

Yeah, I'm on a good buck right now. I'm on a big eight point. I've seen him twice in the last like two weeks, but I haven't had him.

Speaker 1: 37:26

So the other thing Is that where you and Peyyton are, where you guys are hunting, or a different, different piece it's on a different piece.

Speaker 2: 37:33

Same area it's on a different piece. This is like a county property that I this is the first year I've hunted it okay, gotcha yeah, um, got eyes on them last week I think it was a week ago, just a week ago last Monday and just caught a glimpse of them coming out of the marsh, out of this Phragmites and can't run trail cameras on this property, so just going off the sightings and tracks.

Speaker 1: 38:09

Oh, boy, hopefully you can close the deal, hopefully you can get it done. You know, boys, it's been always great. We're going to keep this one short. We got two weeks left of waterfowl. Ethan is done with his season, with his eight and a half total. Um, you know, zach, how many you got so far six, I got a five, so far zach's at six, I'm at two.

Speaker 1: 38:41

Um, looking to get at least one more to get in the freezer, especially for our our game dinner Cause I usually we usually use a lot. We used a lot of meat last year, but, yeah gosh, I can't believe it's almost over. We got the goose in the in the in the bag. After that, we got, we got turkey season. We're almost like done with this and then onto our preparations. I gotta start getting my minerals ready and everything like that, especially because it seems like this is gonna be. This is already shaping up to be much colder of a winter than it has been in years in the past, and you know we're already at two snowfalls and usually january, february, are the coldest points of of the winter. So, um, it's all looking good.

Speaker 1: 39:30

Um, everyone, like I said, we're going to be at the empire state show, booth 208. Alongside us at 207 will be the back damn production and urban pursuit and only bows. Um, they will be there as well. Um, then we are before that, we're actually heading up to the Great American Outdoors show. Bianca and I will officially be there from the first day to the fourth. I believe Dave and Chris from Urban's Pursuit and Only Bows are going to be up there on the opening day and I think into Sunday, and then, whenever the rest of the guys get to go, they will imagine be up there at some point too.

Speaker 1: 40:12

And then April 5th is our game dinner. More details will be out on that, but the date is locked up. Ticket sales will be going on shortly. I'll be releasing some of the sponsors that we have. I'll be releasing um also one of the um key key speakers there. We're at least doing one, maybe even two, so we will see um. But yeah, just anyone who's interested, just let us know um zach, as long as oh, how the did he get backstage? Give me one sec, we lost you. Oh, there he is, um, and yeah, that's, that's kind of it everyone. I hope you guys enjoyed this episode and we'll see you guys next time.