Speaker 1: 0:00

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Speaker 2: 0:42

That's why your tagline, my GCL known perfect. You don't know what that man should have been.

Speaker 1: 0:49

You don't know what that man should have been. I accidentally drifted my canoe between a sow and a cub and she charged and hit the back of the canoe.

Speaker 3: 1:00

His head hit the ground before his ass did.

Speaker 2: 1:04

Begging and crying to go with my grandfather, 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 Boys, boys, boys. We are back. It is a pleasure. It has been a long season, very long season, yeah, and it's come to an end officially. I mean, at least the deer hunting part has come to an end. We still have a little bit of time left with predator season. But, boys, what a hell of a year. I think the total what did I say the total was 31 deer.

Speaker 2: 1:54

Yeah.

Speaker 1: 1:56

One bear, half an elk, one mule, deer doe, a couple of foxeses and a whole bunch of geese and ducks. Yep, yeah, congratulations, boys. We, we had ourselves a hell of a year. Yeah, we did so before we get into the breakdown. Ever since I gotta tell a story frank knows this I didn't get a chance yet to tell it on here. I talked about it on the Buckdown podcast, which hasn't dropped yet, so this will be the official first news of it. So I had a little hiccup at work two weeks ago. They suspended me for a week.

Speaker 1: 2:43

I went out waterfowl hunting, killed a bunch of geese, breasted them out and and at least in the state of new jersey I'm not sure what the rule is everywhere else you can't dump. You know, your, your animals where you hunt, basically. So you know we put them in the bag and everything like that, and I meant to go take them home and throw them out in the garbage at home, and we got yeah, it was, it was Ethan. So when I Ethan, I'm just gonna mute you until you, until you start talking, because we can hear the, the feedback coming from your, your sound. It's probably because you have the phone. It's all good, though. No, don't worry about it. So we, I, I, I completely forgot. I got home late, whatever, yada, yada, yada, didn't get to do it.

Speaker 1: 3:31

Went to work the next day, right, and I was like, oh shit, have the geese in the back of the truck. Like they're in, they're in the trash bag, and everything like that. Like, let me just throw them out in the garbage real quick, boom, threw them. And everything like that. Like, let me just throw them out in the garbage real quick, boom, threw them out in the garbage. Three days go by no problems at all. All of a sudden I wake up to a text on that Monday of one of the janitors or whatever went into the garbage and dumped them all on the ground right in front of the hospital, just took them and dumped them. I don't know why he did that, just dumped them all on the ground right. So I'm like, ah, yeah, I'm like here, here we go. No, I, I was getting phone calls and everything like that, and I talked to you know, the, the vp of, of hr, and everything like that, and yeah, it was the.

Speaker 1: 4:27

The weird thing is I explained the story and it seemed like they cared more, that I was hunting, and they're asking me if I had a valid hunting license. Where was I hunting? Who? Who was I hunting with? One of the questions was what weapon did you use? Like, which weapon did you use? And listen, I answered it. I'm legally hey, listen, I'm legally allowed to do this. I have no issues, you know, you know. So I answered all that and they're like well, we have to do an investigation. So you can't come back to work until investigation's over Holy cow, holy cow, mind you.

Speaker 1: 5:06

You know they called the elizabeth police department and they called fish and wildlife, right, so I give fish and wildlife a call, my buddy, I'm like, hey, like I want to make sure I'm covered, like I'm good, hey, you know this happened. And he goes. Oh, that was you, he goes. Yeah, I was the one supposed to respond to that. But I told them I go, it's either a hunter getting throwing out his, his, the remains, or it's somebody who's paranoid about the bird flu and just dumped a whole bunch of geese, like whatever. So after I talked to him, I was like all right, like I, like I was, I was confident, like I was confident going before. But now, after talking to him, like okay, like I was more worried about making sure I didn't get a ticket from fish and wildlife, to be honest, because what I did was legal. And he even said and he goes, it's legal. You did everything that you're supposed to do. He goes. You threw it in the garbage, right, hey, we, he goes. We get calls it in the garbage, right, hey, we, he goes. We get calls. We get calls like this, a lot like it is. This happens pretty often. Um, so this dragged out for a week.

Speaker 1: 6:11

On wednesday they asked me to provide my hunting license and if I could provide documentation on the hunt. So I was like, listen, I know I don't have to do this, but I'm going to just make my life a little easier. So I provided, you know, my, my hunting license, but I told him I go, listen, I don't. We don't have documentation on when I, once I get my hunting license and my tags, whatever area you could legally hunt like, you just go out and hunt Like, I can't provide you documentation on that hunt because that's not how it works. I said I took a screenshot of, like the area that I hunted, said you're allowed to deer hunt here, turkey, like, and everything like that. This is where I was hunting. I'm legally allowed to be there, right, I legally did nothing wrong. I hunted all those birds correctly in the group. I'm allowed three birds myself and it's three birds per per limit. So everyone you know killed their birds and everything like that and all I did was was throw them out.

Speaker 1: 7:16

So Friday I get a phone call like okay, you can come back to work. I'm like all right, cool, I knew that this wasn't the end. I got a write-up. The other day. They wrote and they gave me a write-up for dumping on private property and so I told my boss I go. One, I I get that as private, but I work there. And two, the garbage can that I use wasn't it's not a private garbage can, it's for the public's use, right, if I went into the back of the building and threw it out in the dumpster, then no one can just go use that dumpster, like that's actually a private dumpster, you know.

Speaker 1: 8:04

So my understanding and from the understanding I'm getting around from like a lot of people who work there and everything like that, like I I did say like hey, I just want to just, uh, clarification, you know this, this trash bin is for public use, like I've used it before you know. You have random people, who don't even work there by standards, that use a trash can if it's private and I'm not allowed to use it. Yeah, I was never told this, and also like, of course, me, can you at least put a sign there so I know not to use it, you know? So there's a lot of things that I'm hearing about this and I'll probably fill you guys in after. Like, I don't want it to, I don't want to talk about certain stuff on the podcast and everything like that.

Speaker 1: 8:48

You know, um, but that's what I was dealing with two weeks ago, right before I went to the great American outdoor show. I was off for a week. I was going crazy. I was so bored. Of course, waterfowl season had already ended and I had dropped my truck off at the shop.

Speaker 1: 9:02

So I was sitting in this house doing absolutely nothing worrying about, first of all, what are they going to try to do to me? Like who's? Because you just never know, and a big part of how I feel is these are people that they don't like hunting. They're not used to. They're not used to hunting. So if their agenda, especially being more on the liberal side of things, is that I'm a hunter and they don't like that and they're in a higher position than me. I'm going targeted, a hundred percent, especially like you couldn't.

Speaker 1: 9:45

They were trying to think, do everything in their power to get rid of me because I, like I, hunted you're you're going after, like asking me about my hunting license and all that. That has nothing to do with my job, that has nothing to do with work. Right, everything I did was legal and I'm pretty sure even the warden told those everything was done legally. So once that point was made, like it's done legally, why are we still continuing? I was expecting to be back at work on Wednesday. I was so mad I had to miss like three days of work. I was not happy at all, but yeah, that was what I was dealing with for a week.

Speaker 3: 10:22

Wow yeah, that's unbelievable man.

Speaker 1: 10:26

It's crazy we're good now, guys. Yes, we're, we're good. Now. I'm back to work.

Speaker 1: 10:33

Um, you know, every like everyone was like, all my co-workers are just like are you serious? Like this is what they're focused on. Yeah, like, out of out of everything, this is this is what they're focused on. So, like, out of out of everything, this is this is what they're focused on. So, um, I think they're more upset that somebody dumped the geese out on the ground.

Speaker 1: 10:50

But that wasn't me and I made that very clear. Like, I did every. I did everything I needed to do. They were in the trash bag. I covered, you know, I tied them. Why the hell would somebody go out and dump them all? Okay, you look in the bag, you see one. It's like okay, you know I'm not going to touch these, but why would you take it out and dump it right in front of a hospital? That made that made no sense to me. That one right there was just like what the hell? No, um, yeah, that was. I just had to tell that that story. Um, I kept that one on the on the down low for a little bit yeah, I'm actually probably kind of surprised that they didn't.

Speaker 4: 11:26

They didn't bring in like the hazmat crew or something yeah, so they?

Speaker 1: 11:29

they did well, no, they did call um uh, I'm completely blanking on the name right now um health, what's this? They just had to contact me just to make sure um everything was was good I think, human services and that. Yeah, and I think part of it was like they're one. They're not used to seeing this, but like the paranoia of the bird flu, oh, yeah, and then they then.

Speaker 1: 11:55

Then they thought, like a patient was doing this, like I was here, like I had co-workers and like my friends, like, like, yeah, people are saying that this was a patient and they were putting some type of voodoo spell on the hospital and everything, like like I was hearing it. All people like, of course, people know, they're like, oh, you know, this guy's crazy. Like no, I'm just like just I, and I told, I told my boss too, and I was like, listen, generally I did not want these geese to sit in my truck for a week or two, like that's why, like, when I remembered, I was like, oh crap, let me just go do this right now. Like there's a garbage there, like, yeah, we, you know the we, we use the garbage. I'm allowed to throw it in in any garbage can. Right, let me just do this now, let me, let me get rid of it instead of it sitting in my truck gosh forbid. Knowing myself, I probably would have left it in there for like a week or two before I even realized. Okay, so you know, we've, we've all been there. So I don't, I don't want to do do stuff like that. I wanted, I wanted to get rid of it. Um, you know there's nothing. And I had to tell him like there's nothing malicious about this, like this is me doing, and like the emails that I had to write, and I'd like listen.

Speaker 1: 13:06

I talked to like two or three lawyers too, like I was and still am, like because, like I'm not, I don't, I'm not signing this right up, that's for one thing. Um, you know, and I've made it very clear, um, and I think they kind of made it clear too and kind of figured like I wasn't going to sign this write-up. And then, you know what the crazy thing is, I actually got hit, hit with like two other warnings for being on my phone and like these. So to me it felt like they were really trying to get me. And you know, I had a buddy like listen, they're, they really can't get you on the geese thing, but watch, they're gonna give you a write-up on on other stuff, yeah, and that Friday, when they clear me, I get, they're like, oh well, you know, we, we saw you on your phone, on the camera and this, this and that.

Speaker 1: 13:51

So I'm on, I'm on 90 day reevaluation because of that, because, of course, our evals are up Right, never had an issue. Seven years I've been there. Seven years, right, seven years, right. You know, I I was pretty disappointed, um, and this is the only thing like I kind of ever had to like deal with as a, I guess as a hunter, I guess in in a sense, um, so I wasn't not too happy about it, a little little salty, but you know, at the end day I gotta make money and there's things and honestly, my most important thing is helping the kids. I'm not there to please other people and if you don't like me or if you don't like the fact that I hunt, that's really not my goddamn problem.

Speaker 2: 14:32

I'm surprised they didn't ask you. I'm surprised they didn't ask you Do you carry firearms in your truck?

Speaker 3: 14:37

Yeah right.

Speaker 1: 14:40

I want to say, I think in the beginning, when, so on Monday, when they first originally asked me how I killed them and I said shotgun, like I imagine that probably went through their, through their head, but at the end of the day, like what can they? They can't do anything about that. Like, obviously I don't. You know what I mean. What I mean they could call the cops and what are the cops? Good. But at that point, like you're really targeting me, at that point, and it's like you're going to that length, like I'm not bringing my guns to work, like even if I decide to go hunt after, say, like I want to go do a waterfowl hunt after work, like I'm going to go stop home, for I would never bring a freaking gun to Elizabeth gosh, forbid, freaking targets broken into us. You know, know, I mean I'm I would never, you know, so I, I would just go home and and stuff like that. Are there knives in my truck? Yeah, yeah, you know what I mean. Like that, that's in my truck, you know. But guns, no, I'll keep my bow in my truck, though I'll be very honest about that. Like my bows in my truck, you know.

Speaker 1: 15:41

But no, but no, no guns and you know, there was a few people that a bunch of people that are on my side, and then there was a bunch of people who who weren't on my side. I heard people wanted to say, okay, boom, it happened. And then there's other people that were just trying to get me. So you know, that's yeah, just a just an interesting, interesting couple of weeks for me there, and that happened at the right at the end of the season, but wanted to fill the boys in yeah, so now we can really get into it. How's everyone feeling? Like, is anyone like bored out of their mind yet? Like it's only been like one or two days and I'm excited for turkey season, but to me there's still nothing like deer season. Like I'm just going over all the plans of what I want to do and accomplish and all the data and everything like that. So how are you guys feeling?

Speaker 2: 16:38

I'm feeling good. I've been out predator hunting keeping myself busy. Uh, I got that new 45 70, uh, henry rifle, uh, for next, for next season, and uh, I just put the scope on that. So, uh, did a little ice fishing here and there. You know keeping myself busy and uh, you know, between the storms and everything else, you know I've been going crazy with work and and, uh, you know, just looking forward to the spring, got some ideas ready for. You know how I'm going to attack the turkeys this year and you know different setups and you know I'm actually starting to ride around a little bit and look for where they're roosting. You know, try to get a winter roost and maybe something I can catch them in the early, early beginning of the spring, maybe coming off of that winter roost. You know spot. Yeah, that's all.

Speaker 1: 17:27

Ethan quick question Are you dialing into the turkeys this year? I know it feels like the last couple of years yet again you haven't been able to, but is that something that you're going to do so?

Speaker 5: 17:39

this year. I didn't even apply for the turkey lottery for the permits. I'll probably grab a tag for a week, if I can uh. When everything goes on sale for the over-the-counter, I'm hopeful to get out opening day. Outside of that I'm probably not going to get out much.

Speaker 1: 17:57

Unfortunately got a big wedding to plan what was that got a big wedding to plan?

Speaker 5: 18:05

yeah, and we have, uh, we have a lot of stuff going on over here, a lot of awesome stuff. Uh, the wedding. Everyone knows about a few other things. I have to keep uh under wraps for now, but hopefully I'll be able to bring all that to you guys in the next month or so. Um, yeah, so this whole year is gonna be. I got an idea, but I'm not gonna say it.

Speaker 1: 18:24

I'm gonna wait for you to tell.

Speaker 5: 18:25

Wait, but I got an idea I'm pretty sure you know what it is, brother but uh, yeah, so this whole year is going to be fantastic and, uh, you know, thank god I got a super supportive family, that uh was backing me every step of the way, so that that obviously helps things a lot. But I'm gonna try and get out one day maybe. Maybe two days outside of that I got to stay on the grind.

Speaker 1: 18:49

Yeah, yeah, I got that. We know I listen. I don't even got to ask about Steve, since he's been. We've been talking the last couple of days about birds and everything like that, so I know Steve's out out there. I know Frank is going to be out there hungry, but real quick since we haven't. You know Steve has been a busy, busy man.

Speaker 3: 19:13

You know how did the season shape up for you.

Speaker 1: 19:22

We lost you. Nope, still can't. We'll go to Frank while we try to fix the uh technical situation. Frank, I mean, I'm gonna give you this honor I think. I think next year we're gonna do a vote, a team vote, but this year I got to give you the for the, for the team. The hunter of the year has to go to you this year.

Speaker 3: 19:44

Appreciate it, brother.

Speaker 1: 19:45

I mean, it's an. It's not only cause you. Yes, you shot four bucks, you shot six in total, but I think it had to do like also your first buck shoulder. You know, we Scotch and I were there for that, you know, and you could have easily just gotten so down on yourself. And then what? The next? The next hunt out you. You get another buck. But what's going through your mind at that point? Um, it's a high shot too as well, and you know it took you basically 24 hours to to find that deer. So, like a absolute whirlwind of a lot of emotions, but it wasn't the perfect start. Like it's like damn, what's going on? What's going on with my belt? Is it me? Is it this? Like everyone knows what it's like hitting animals and not recovering them right away. It's a sickening feeling, but you overcome to, and I mean, and had is that your most successful season so far?

Speaker 3: 20:46

yeah, oh, hands down. You know, like it actually the season started off pretty good when I shot that though I mean I hit her perfect, watched her drop, everything was good. So I had, like, I already had all my confidence going into it and I mean, I think, you know, I pretty, I'm pretty sure I sent you guys a text when that buck showed up that morning. It's a guy's like I have to leave work, like I'm pretty sure I'm going to shoot this buck tonight, and I think it was like wasn't even like five o'clock, I think I, you know, I started calling, texting everybody, like I shot, you know, but you know it was unfortunate.

Speaker 3: 21:23

You know, like, and you know that's one of the important things about filming is because, like, we all watch the film, like I sent it to all you guys. It was like what's your guys opinion? Because I was so like Back and forth when I watched, when I first watched him, like hands down, he's dead. When I watched, when I first watched him, like hands down, he's dead, 100%, I got him. And you know, I'm pretty sure even you guys are like, no, like we think the shot's good, let's just just let him lay. Like you know, the only thing that I remember worried me was like I didn't find any blood within the first like 30, 40 yards. But I'm like you know what, like I've had this happen before. So I was like all right, like don't get too much in your head, you know.

Speaker 1: 22:08

But I mean I killed, I barely Found impact. I mean, good thing Is I found the impact, but I saw exactly when she went, but I didn't after the impact, like I didn't really. There was a point where I didn't find Blood for like 30, 40 yards, but then she was just piled because I think I told you guys her it was a quarter and away. So actually you know, her insides actually plugged up the hole, you know. So I wasn't getting good blood and everything like that.

Speaker 1: 22:32

But I'll never forget, like I think that was probably one of my favorite, uh, memories of the season, obviously me killing my buck and everything like that.

Speaker 1: 22:42

And then Peyton's bear, but that's gotta be a top three because we literally was early in the season, the first book, but that one of us shot and just the the group conversation, but then going actually to the property and all of us, you know, just analyzing the shot over and over again and then just piecing every detail from trying to track this animal to OK, you know, this is where it actually hit, or we thought he went this way and this way. It was actually really a remarkable experience and such a learning lesson, um, so I was really happy. I decided to go up there because that was one of the most challenging uh track jobs I think I've ever had to do. But it was a huge satisfaction because we actually were finally able to find the blood and get onto the trail and then realize, okay, you know what, this wasn't what we initially thought it was. Yeah, and you know, let's after a couple hours like all right, we're going to call it. And I know that buck did come back out and unfortunately somebody else shot it much later.

Speaker 3: 23:53

All the way through the season he was like a week left.

Speaker 1: 23:57

Exactly what we thought was going to happen, though, was that deer was going to completely survive and be good and everything like that, so I imagine he got his, his genes out there and everything like that.

Speaker 3: 24:07

So you know is uh, the future is going to be, is going to be strong that property, just the future of that property yeah, it's insane it's insane, like I said, and like I guess, looking back at the shot I was going, based off of that buck's reaction, like you guys all saw, like I've shot a lot of deer with the bow and I've never had them do that reaction, ever Still one of the coolest things I've seen.

Speaker 3: 24:32

I thought that thing was pretty cool. That's why I think I put it in my head Like he's dead, we're going to find them, like wait for you guys and just go to sleep and your your hands, hands, you know your hands are going to be on tomorrow, but uh, you know, it was just one of those things. You know, like I said, thank god he made it. I actually I almost got another shot at him during the rut. He was like at 50 yards and I just didn't want to chance it, you know. So you know what happens and somebody else got him. You know, like the last it was like the last week of muzzleloader up here Somebody ended up getting them. But it's the way it goes, you know, and you know.

Speaker 3: 25:11

Then I kind of had to reset my mind because I knew I was going upstate and I knew I was going to, you know, I kind of, you know, with us, knowing the property, I was like I know I'm going to have another opportunity, maybe not that weekend, but I know I'm going to have another chance. So, like you got you kind of just got to get back in the saddle, so to speak, and just, you know, be ready. I was practicing all week, I felt started building my confidence. I remember telling myself, like just aim low, like just relax, like take your time. And I remember sending you guys the text again as soon as I got up there I'm like, guys, there's a stud out in the field, like I'm pretty sure I'm gonna shoot this buck.

Speaker 3: 25:53

And I think it was the the second morning me up there I ended up shooting them. So you know again, I didn't make the greatest shot. You know again, I don't know if it was me, but actually no, I do remember because I ended up shooting the bow and I remember I think I told some of you guys that it was actually off, just I mean just a little bit. It was just enough to where, since I was high on this ridge and I didn't compensate for I was, he was way below me. So I was shooting such a steep angle that I hit him like right on the top of the back and dropped them and I couldn't believe he got back up. To be honest with you guys, it took him a long time to get back up.

Speaker 3: 26:39

You know, he got up, he ran, he up and he ran. I'm just like huh, well, that was weird, you know, and I remember texting you guys like sending you guys pictures of the blood. I'm calling squats. I'm like yo man, I hate to do this to you, but you're going to have to come up here, you know, cause, like you know, I don't know what's going on and we ended up waiting no-transcript that every text or phone call I got while I was at work I literally said oh, there's another dead deer, oh, there's another dead deer.

Speaker 1: 27:37

Like I knew what Frank was calling for when I was getting calls, like even my patients knew it, I was like oh there I go, did someone kill something? I go? Yep, I go. This is a good phone call, right yeah.

Speaker 3: 27:50

It got to the point where he wouldn't even be like hey brother, what are you up to. He'd be like what did you kill now, you know. So it was definitely a good year for me, you know. And then I ended up going back up there back upstate with the during the rifle season, you know, got a decent six and uh, came back to jersey back on that property and ended up shooting another. Uh, I think I shot a doe first and then I think a week later Shot that eight pointer On there. Then Six day firearm comes around and the weather was shit, you know, for the first couple days and I was like Alright, whatever.

Speaker 3: 28:34

And for some reason the past couple years I've noticed I've always had luck Like Saturday morning Of six day firearm. I've always was luck like Saturday morning of six day fire on. I've always was pretty successful for the past couple of years. And sure enough, here I think it was like seven o'clock here comes that nine walk like 20 yards from me. I couldn't even shoot him because he came in from behind me, so I basically had to let him pass me. He came in so quiet and he was so cautious but I ended up shooting him. I think he was only like 30 yards and he'll think he only went like five yards, but you know it was a good season, man. It was one, one of my best. Definitely you know something to remember. Like you said, that property that you know I was fortunate enough to get because you know the guy was my best friend and you know his brother ended up buying it and stuff. So I mean that property is incredible. I can't wait till next year to see what it brings.

Speaker 1: 29:32

So, oh yeah, I agree, steve, we got you back. Oh yeah, that is. Oh, I don't know how to explain that one. It sounds like Speak one more time. What's that? Can you hear me? Yeah, you sound like crap.

Speaker 5: 29:55

You sound like a robot that's dying.

Speaker 1: 29:58

You sound like a dying robot. Oh my god, this is so much better. This is so much better. Now sound like a dying robot.

Speaker 3: 30:06

we are having a lot of technical difficulties the one podcast he can make in a while has to happen to him we'll get to Ethan now.

Speaker 1: 30:23

I mean another incredible eight does on the ground. I mean just another incredible season from you two as well, and just high numbers. But you know your season started out in Colorado and everything like that. Go through your season and how, how do you feel? Uh, finally getting back into into the swing of things like you used to this season was a lot of highs and lows for me, you know.

Speaker 5: 30:50

You know, like you said, starting off in Colorado, uh, the high of tagging that mule deer doe, then the extreme low of, you know, losing my bull, to then two weeks later having someone find the bull out there and then coming back to jersey shooting seven deer in jersey. All those you know awesome high moments. But I broke three separate bows this year. I went, my vxr went through a v3x went through a lift, all of which had to get sent back for warranty repair, um, so it was a ridiculous. It was an absolutely ridiculous year just in terms of, uh, highs and lows. Um, I know, I mentioned it one of the last episodes I was on of the seven deer that I shot in jersey, I shot six with the bow and of those six deer, I think I shot them with five different broadheads, if I remember correctly yep yep.

Speaker 5: 31:49

So that was super interesting to uh to really gather all that data and, uh, the overall man gets super blessed, super blessed to be able to have a full freezer full of meat. And uh, the last two to three years have been really rough for me. Now I haven't shot a racked buck and by september it'll be three years. Just the car. The stars haven't aligned. But uh, at the very least to get back to having a full freezer. And the last couple of years I was shooting one or two deer max. And I know last year I kept a journal on every hunt that I went on and I was, uh, I was around 85% of my sits I didn't even see a deer. So last year was beyond brutal to this year, where it was pretty much the opposite. I was covered up in deer almost every single sit and to be able to bring home as much meat as I did, I'm definitely super blessed about that nice that's awesome nice.

Speaker 1: 32:49

Yeah, no, speak on that too. I I mean I'm I gotta give you once, I do mine, I gotta give you guys. But I I have all the details of the breakdown of of my season season and I do journal too and I kind of love, I love doing the whole journal thing and you know, just really look at the information. But I mean whether it's a hey, at the end of the day you didn't get a racked buck, but eight, eight, eight makes up a a big time for for not getting a a buck. I mean if I go, uh, another year, say next year, without getting a buck, I mean I would love to have at least eight notes on the ground. That would definitely make up for it. So I think that's a. I think that's a a fair compromise.

Speaker 5: 33:30

You, you would have to say I would say, of the six deer that I shot this year at the bow, I think four of them were days that I was going out specifically hunting for a buck, and it was just one of those. All right, she's sitting at 12 yards and now she's starting to do the foot stomp, starting to bob the head. Well, I either shoot her and go home with some meat or not shoot her and the spot gets blown out anyway. And it just seemed like every day I was going out I was like, well, I don't really have much of a choice here, but, like you said, definitely I'm not complaining.

Speaker 5: 34:05

I had a killer season, um, one that I would love to have again. Uh, and then also I know I mentioned it, uh, I think, last time um, I have sold all. I have now officially sold all of my compound bows. They all sold, they all sold. I have my lift sitting in the corner and I have a deal already made with a guy. It's probably going to be gone by the end of the week. I'm going 100% in on the trad bow next year.

Speaker 4: 34:34

You could have just chosen a different compound company if you didn't have to.

Speaker 5: 34:50

He went full blowed. I'm such an obsessive person that if I I know for myself if I'm going to get into trad, then just with how my brain works, I have to dive into it 100, or else I'm I'm gonna half-ass it and I'm never gonna get everything out of it that I can. Well, that means you're going all lone wolf custom gear and umo flannel too, and all that right, or else I'm going to half-ass it and I'm never going to get everything out of it that I can.

Speaker 4: 35:04

Well, that means you're going all Lone Wolf custom gear and Umo flannel too, and all that right One million percent.

Speaker 5: 35:10

But no, I will say just in the last month or so of shooting that the improvements that I've seen in the shooting have been pretty dramatic and it's a lot of fun. So I'm very excited to see what this next year uh, what this year brings well, that's awesome.

Speaker 4: 35:28

I got a couple buddies that, uh they are. They are on me to get into trad bow and I don't think I can take another, bring a different type of bow into the house without my wife giving me any grief. So I'm not going to make that plunge just yet.

Speaker 5: 35:44

It works out well If you're able to sell a compound set up for $1,500 and then you buy the $100 Amazon long bow. I mean, the math works, brother, it works, yep.

Speaker 4: 36:05

Let me put it this way I have a recurve in the garage that a friend gave me and I still. It's not so much the money it's the time to divest into another, another form of shooting that I don't have time for, but I want to yeah, no, I, I mean it's, I think I'm, I think we're all going to be there at some point.

Speaker 1: 36:29

You know, um, I love, like I, I love it, I think it's going to be cool, I love that you're doing. I'm really excited for the updates and see firsthand of kind of what you're going to be going through and the experience and everything like that. Um, yeah, I definitely agree. Like that is a crazy thing to just like let me just do this, um, you know, and get rid of everything. Um, but I also do remember, from now knowing you for a while, you always have been somebody who you do go full in and just look at what you've done now with gun hunting. I mean, look at how much you dove into that. I mean it went from you're all about bow, bow, bow, bow, nothing, guns, and now you're fully obsessed with guns and everything like that too. So you know that's, that is just your personality, so it's, it's gonna be a fun thing, you know, and you know what you're gonna have to definitely kill something big yeah, and full of transparency.

Speaker 5: 37:39

Um, I was also looking at it from a financial perspective. I did a lot of research and the long bow I ended up picking up was $100 off Amazon and I got to say it shoots lights out. It's a lot of fun to shoot. I'm happy with that purchase, but I knew that I could sell my rig over a grand and between the wedding and everything else going on, I didn't mind having a little extra cash in the bank. This year it made sense on a lot of different levels.

Speaker 1: 38:11

Oh, for sure, For sure, I definitely get that. How about Can we get Steve here now? I don't know. It's three times the charm there you go good.

Speaker 4: 38:25

Good, I don't know. I've never had that, never had those kind of issues before, but uh, anyway, yeah, this has been a good season. It's been a different kind of season than uh previous. It's the first time in four years that I didn't take a buck and I'm okay with that. Well, I'm now okay with that, so it has to be right, the season's over.

Speaker 4: 38:49

But no, I think the biggest thing for me this year was just the amount of opportunities, obviously, and experiences that I had, not only in different states, but also just close encounters and mental mind shift as far as how I approach hunting, the amount of time that I've spent um and finding new joys in it because of that. Um, this was the first year that I got to hunt with other people and probably spent more time obviously more time out of state hunting with other people and people that I now call close friends than I ever have before since back in the days when I hunted with my dad and my uncle. So that was a huge blessing and definitely really enjoyed that. So, spending the opening weekend in Maryland with uh, one of my good buddies, uh, albert and um, and then the time I spent out in the Midwest with tethered. Actually that was the company that I was able to go out and shoot with uh for 10 days out there in November for rut was just really, really incredible and got to make some great relationships and learned a ton. Being able to spend time with somebody like Greg Godfrey for 10 days, just learning and absorbing just a metric ton of information, was really great. And to be able to come home and apply that knowledge immediately in the woods even though I didn't capitalize but just seeing the immediate dividends that were paid from hopefully absorbing even a portion of what I was exposed to in that time was really great. And so I think that's I'm definitely looking forward to hopefully in the next couple of weeks, being able to get out and explore the properties that I did hunt this year.

Speaker 4: 40:49

Uh, I hunt all public, so it's definitely uh, and it was a new area that I hunted so I got to scout some of it. I didn't get to put as much time boots on the ground as I wanted, but I'm hoping to definitely get more time in the woods and the off season, do some shed hunting in there and and really pick apart and figure out where the bucks and um all the movement is, and actually just the other night I was reviewing trail cam footage. Obviously, we all know that when you have cell cams out you don't get every photo or every video that comes back. So it's always fun to retrieve those cameras and be able to see the things that maybe you missed, have a pretty good feeling about one or two bucks that I thought maybe had been taken on this public and as I got to the end of, I guess middle, middle of the way through January, uh, they were still coming up on camera. So that was very reassuring because I hadn't seen, I didn't receive those videos or photos from the trail cam before I retrieved it. So little things like that were definitely encouraging about next season that there's still going to be some, some good animals around and um.

Speaker 4: 42:11

So yeah, it's, it's, it's been different. Obviously, I only took one deer this year, so it wasn't a whole lot of meat in the freezer and definitely have caught some flack from my wife about that. But we're, we're gonna change that next year. We're gonna get some more, more deer. But but it also was a big change too, because I hunted about.

Speaker 4: 42:33

Actual hunting days was probably about a quarter of the hangs that I got last year.

Speaker 4: 42:40

So it was eight days in New Jersey, uh, two days in. Well, eight hunts in New Jersey, actual hangs, and it was four hangs in Maryland on two days, and then I didn't actually hunt, I was just filming when I was out in the Midwest Um, but I've never hung that many days in that a period of time like 14 hangs in seven days, night and day, so some of which were, all you know, basically all day just moving positions. So, yeah, a lot of really good experiences. And, and now on to turkey. It's just, it's a revolving door, right, so some shed hunting. I've already uh, it was pretty cool Got permission on a property that's pretty close to my house where I saw some big toms strutting opening week period A last year in the zone that I live in. So it's very cool to be able to think about putting boots in the ground in that area and do some scouting, maybe even get some cameras up in that area and do some scouting, maybe even get some cameras up.

Speaker 2: 43:46

And.

Speaker 4: 43:46

I'm getting more aggressive even about asking permission for turkey hunting in different areas. I mean I sent Mike a video yesterday. I had 18 Jakes and Toms out in this one field near my house, about four miles from our house, just on the side of the road, in the rain, which is best time to look for turkeys, in my opinion. But um so yeah, so pretty cool, a lot of good things coming this year, and I'd say it was definitely a good season overall yeah for I mean for sure.

Speaker 1: 44:15

I mean, I think, just the experience of learning alone, going out to the midwest and seeing and hunting with those guys, and everything like that, like you, like you said you got to take what you learned and you applied it back home and I mean, yeah, you didn't kill, you know, get the kill. But I mean the buck that you sent me the the other day, I mean just absolute stud. And I think you you said like you just weren't able to get a shot opportunity, but you were, you were there and that's, that's a pretty big win and I always count that, like man, if you could see a, a you know a buck that you're after, and I mean you can get. You know, even within 50 yards, or whatever the case is, you gotta take things as wins, you know.

Speaker 4: 44:56

And absolutely and that's exactly what hunting's about yeah, if there had been because that's the thing if there had been more time, if I had had more time, more hangs as long as someone else didn't get on that deer as well, which I know nobody else was in that area that I was hunting in that time, in that november period, into december like if I just had more hangs I probably would have been able to capitalize. So those are definitely the things that you take away in those in those moments. So, yeah, 100%, yeah, it was, uh, it was very cool stuff. So, and just even being out with those, the guys that tethered, and learning how to run my gear more efficiently, like that was a huge thing, that was awesome. Like I went from you know climbing up and you know sticking up and sticking down to now I repel out of the tree, like it's a huge savings of time, it's possibly even more secure and safer running that way, I don't know. Just a lot of cool stuff like that for sure it's cool yeah no

Speaker 1: 46:07

that that's definitely amazing. Um, and brother squash I mean another one you're yours started early, just like, uh, like mine and and steve's. And yeah, you know you started early with with the bear hunt, with with frank and everything like that in new york. But, um, you know you started early with the with the bear hunt, with with Frank and everything like that in New York. But you know kind of go over what, what your season for for me you're. You know, on a you really heated up in the in the back half of the season and everything like that and got a lot of killing done there. Did that play in any like how was that mentally? You know that challenge and everything because I've been there too. Especially you know when you're, when you're you're in a group, you know everyone's killing. You know, and then you're you're now in another group and you know people are killing and stuff like that. Like I know how hard that gets and how frustrating that gets. So like, what did it do for you mentally?

Speaker 2: 47:05

well, you know, the season had its up and downs and uh, you know when you're, when you're in it this is the first year is really in any kind of competition with anybody. I usually don't do stuff like that, um, but being it was all good people and I I knew it was just you know something that I could deal with it, but I I always feel like it jinxed me, kind of like, you know, because you're, I don't know, it's always on the back of your mind when you're out there hunting and you're trying to say, well, you know, I could shoot this deer and get on board or I could do this, I could do that. But my season started out really awesome. I saw great bucks here. I mean sending pictures back and forth to Frankie and you guys on the text and, um, I have targeted really two, two really beautiful deer. A third one had showed up. They had a drop tine and uh, he beat the crap out of my one buck that I was really after mr perfect, broke a lot of his tines off and uh, I actually targeted another deer that I liked with his. I called him clyde and he was a big mainframe mate and uh, he ran with mr perfect for a while, but then he split up when the rut started.

Speaker 2: 48:20

Um, so season started out. We had the first cold snap, with the full moon rising. It was around october 12th or 15th. Um, I had pictures of a really good buck, got in my stand, I had a 10 yard shot and I freaking blew it. I hit him high in the front of the shoulder. Um, yeah, I don't, I thought it was a kill shot, I really did. I just thought it. The angle would have took the other lung out. I heard him gurgling when he ran away.

Speaker 2: 48:51

Uh, called deer search in, had them come in with the dog and uh, we kicked the deer up around six o'clock that night, still on its feet, feet still going. So I think I was in that nowhere area and, um, you know it was just the way it went. So that was a kick in the teeth, a real kick in the teeth to me. Being a seasoned veteran, you know you don't screw up at 10 yards. Um, I had to reset. Thank God I had Frankie to talk to and uh, you know we confide in each other quite a bit and um took me a little bit but I, I got over it. You know you can't, you can't move on by looking behind you, gotta, you just gotta get on, get on it and keep hunting and realize those things happen. I mean, I made every effort I could to find that deer and you know what it just things happen. It's shitty, shitty. It makes you feel like crap, but it happens to all of us, unfortunately.

Speaker 2: 49:46

Um season went on, I had another eight come in, shot at that eight, uh, running directly basically at me, and then he made me. I was in a two-man stand and there's not much cover, it's more of a rifle stand. He made me, took off, running away from me. I grunted at him. He stopped, turned and shot and I was about a foot over his back when I shot and I'm like looking up and I'm like what did I do? Did I do something wrong? That you're just like oh, I know it's that contest. Yep, it's a freaking contest. Yeah, okay, okay. So, oh, here we go. You know, texted frankie, yeah and uh I.

Speaker 2: 50:30

I got upstairs here in the house because it, you know, it's about the same height I can shoot out of my stand. I let one rip out the window to bathroom and I missed the target. The same way I missed the bucket. I'm like what in the holy hell happened to my bow? So I'm like I don't get it, so I tune it in. Now I'm dead on. I'm like, okay, something happened to the bow and I ain't making up excuses. I might have bounced it around on my truck or something. I I have no idea. Put that crap behind me. I go back out. Here comes Mr Perfect with the broken rack. He walks directly behind me on a doe. I pull back and draw back, shoot over his back. I'm like I'm giving up. I'm like I'm going to take up golf. This hunting stuff is just after like 30-something plus years of doing it. I'm done.

Speaker 4: 51:23

I've had it Came back home shot the bow again.

Speaker 2: 51:27

I was dead on. So it was me. I hiccuped when I shot. But out of all this I'm seeing great deer. I'm seeing incredible deer. Every time I go out I'm on a deer. I'm seeing different bucks. Things are showing up on camera. Fast forward a little bit. Now we're getting into the very last day of season.

Speaker 2: 51:46

Frankie and I had talked in the morning. He's like brother, just let me know if you got something please. I said yeah, I'll give you a shout. 11 o'clock. I look to my left and here comes an eight pointer and I've got literally eight seconds before he hits my shooting window. And this thick stuff that I'm in to decide, is this the buck? I want to shoot with the bow? And I said, well, I'm in that contest. So I got to shoot something with the bow. Always I'm going to look like a putt. So I drew back, hit the buck. Beautiful, he didn't go 20 yards, he was dead. So that was my eight-pointer. Felt really good.

Speaker 2: 52:31

Rifle season started, seen a couple of bucks here and there. You know some stuff I just really didn't care for. And you know things went on and on and you know, back and forth with Frank and the group and we're all having fun and people are getting stuff and happy to hear it. And I said you know what my season's gonna heat up in muzzleloader. I usually I love muzzleloader hunting. I it's like one of my favorite times of the years.

Speaker 2: 52:57

And, uh, I got out with the muzzleloader and I killed two nice heavy doe with that muzzleloader in the end of the season. So I ended up taking three deer and you know I couldn't be happier man. It was just. You know, getting a muzzleloader kill is just awesome. It's, it's. It's not as like gratifying as bow, but it's, it's still fun, man, because you know you got one shot and you know it's just really cool.

Speaker 2: 53:27

You know you're just out there, it's later in the season, you know you don't have to rush to cut the deer up. You know, worrying about how warm it is out and that's when I tend to kill my heavier does and that that ended the season. So, uh, it was great. You know, I supplied, got meat for us and the family and, uh, you know I'm just really looking forward to next year. I got a lot of ideas. There's some new places I'm going to go. Um, you know, of course we got Turkey season right around the corner of trout season starts, you know, april 1st. So I'll be doing that before I get to the turkeys in may and uh, just looking forward to bringing some good quality videos out on my channel and sharing stuff with you guys on the podcast, like we always do.

Speaker 4: 54:10

Yep, yep for sure that bill you killed is bigger than most of the bucks that are down here in south jersey. Man, it's insane's insane. Yeah, it's crazy.

Speaker 2: 54:21

Thanks. I'm blessed, man, blessed, to have really, really quality whitetails around here. We got some big animals, that's awesome.

Speaker 1: 54:28

Yeah, that's, that's you guys sure do. Thank you, before we get into my season and everything like that, I want to. This is the. This is the uh. This is the last episode that I'll be hosting on on the show. Um, our boy, frank, is going to be taking the reins and we're going to be getting back to um, just talking about new jersey hunting and fishing on the show and officially announced not officially announced, but the new show, uh, the chase, the unknown podcast that is going to be officially dropping. I am going to have that episode probably right after our game dinner the next week on the 11th, um, on april 11th. It's going to be a friday. That's the idea. That's where we're gonna. We're gonna do a whole bunch of other stuff over there and have all the people that are not new jersey are going to come on to to that show and everything like that. But I will say trivia night is staying on the garden state outdoorsman podcast. We're going to keep that here, um, so I'm really, I'm really looking forward to that, really looking forward to um, the guests that that Frank's gonna have on and and getting us back to that. Um, that a whole, actually what the name of the show is actually called uh-huh. We've definitely gotten away from that. And then, and whatever guys that are going to come on and help Frank whether it's going to Steve, and all the guys are welcome to come on, and everything like that or if there's specific guests they want on, and things like that. So I'm really excited about that.

Speaker 1: 56:15

We are going to be in upstate New York in literally what? Two weeks Two weeks From February 28th to march 2nd um at the um. Damn what? The why am I having a absolute the empire state having a, yeah, having a, a break. We're gonna be at booth 208. So, if you guys want to come check us out, right next to us is going to be the back damn productions crew and then right down from us is going to be dave and chris. Uh, they're actually, I think, just doing uh, pursuit live. It's not going to be urban pursuit and only bows um, they're doing a pursuit live booth um combining all. Now, yes, they'll be having some merch there from their um separate brands, but they are going to be doing one, one big thing, and then what buckshot taxidermy is going to be there as well. So there's going to be a whole bunch of other stuff, and then also, our tickets are sale for our second annual game dinner. We got Woodsy. Woods is coming, him and his, his crew's coming. We. Mr Reaper is going to be an attendance and in the building. Woods is coming, him and his crew is coming. Mr Reaper is going to be in attendance and in the building. Really looking to seeing a bunch of people who are going to be traveling outside of our core and everything like that, just because we are all pretty close to each other and everything like that. Really looking forward to that. I guess we can.

Speaker 1: 57:44

Megan posted in the group the venison ice cream that is going to be at the minute. She put that in the group. I personally I go. Can you make this for us? She said yes. I said okay, what do you need? I said I will make it happen. Whatever way. I want to try this so badly. Like me, I don't see how it can work. Yeah, but supposedly it, and this isn't the first time I actually heard that it's like this is good, um. So I'm really interested on that.

Speaker 1: 58:17

Trying also to get raccoon. For those who are going to be bold enough to to try some raccoon, I'm trying to get some raccoon at the. At the event, I don't not a hundred percent. Sure, american Mike said they're a pain in the butt to clean. Yeah, but he does. If he does one have leftovers, he will be bringing it. And two, I got like one or two trappers who, if obviously right now it's warm but it's raining, we're supposed to get another cold streak, it's supposed to snow and everything like that, if they can trap a couple and get them done and cleaned quick enough, they will bring me, um, some raccoon and everything like that. But there's no guarantees, just because, yeah, I you know from everyone I've talked to their huge pain in the butt to to clean. Obviously, squash said yeah, so that's definitely got to be true.

Speaker 1: 59:08

But really, looking forward to that, we have a bunch of, we have we've actually had a bunch, I think, woods they're looking to to donate something to the raffle. Um, we're gonna have a whole waterfowl setup. Um, that's gonna be donated, that's gonna be raffled off. I'm probably, we're probably gonna do a turkey a raffle. Then we're gonna, you know, do a bunch of other stuff. I know the guys have a bunch of broadheads and everything like that. I have a stan thumb thumb release that we're gonna be um, raffling off. So, really looking forward to that. Um, I know it's still a little bit timed out, but probably come March we're gonna. We're gonna get a good idea of who's gonna be coming and and things like that. So really looking forward to it. I know we're gonna miss Steve this year and and and things like that, which sucks, but I completely get it.

Speaker 1: 59:58

Vacation it's. It's a tough thing about planning these things. Someone's always going to have vacation, but all right, guys, I mean I think I think that's all the news that we have for now. So for for myself and my season I mean an absolute incredible season I mean I had one of the best seasons I I can really say, especially after my crappy, terrible season last year. Um, you know it started off in delaware and that was, first of all, the coolest thing. Like I was so happy to do that. And now, knowing that's going to be our yearly annual trip, like I'm I'm really excited to keep hitting uh, delaware. Um, I think I got 58 hunts in total so far this year. Um, hoping to get that to at least 60 with uh, two more waterfowl hunts, I mean two more waterfowl, two more predator hunts, but we'll see. Um, but just just an absolute great year.

Speaker 1: 1:00:59

So, like I take notes of everything I did. So what I did was shout out chad gpt um, threw that into the and told them to give me all the stats and everything like that and break it down for me. So here is my 2024 2025 hunting recap, my 2024 2025 hunting recap. Obviously, total hunts were 58, seven of them, seven of those were waterfowl hunts, 47 were deer hunts, I think three bear hunts, um, and then one predator hunt. Roughly 259 deer spotted, 76 of them were bucks, 123 were does. I mean, that's a rough estimate of what I put in the notes and everything like that. There could have been a little more, could have been a little less. You know, I killed two deer, two deer, one doe, one nice buck um.

Speaker 1: 1:02:05

Geese spotted, well over a thousand, I mean. I think we saw a thousand in the first couple hours of the season, um, you know, so I'd probably say anywhere between probably 10 000 ge geese spotted during during the year. We harvested every. Between the groups that would go out 112 geese and seven hunts. I think there was four ducks in there spotted, you know, only two foxes. No, no coyotes this year Didn't see any coyotes and probably roughly spotted about between 50 and 100 turkeys during the deer season, which is everyone knows that, like in the beginning, that's all I was freaking. Seeing were turkeys, turkeys, turkeys. And, of course, the last deer hunter of the year. What do I see? A bunch of long beards, so you know which, which was really cool, like I was fired up seeing that because you know that's the next thing. So, and it's exactly where I planned on, I plan on um turkey hunting and everything like that. So, and I know they stay there basically all year around. Uh, just because that habitat there is, it's just perfect for them.

Speaker 1: 1:03:13

Um, it's a perfect transition yeah, it's a, it's a perfect transition, um, you know. And then of course that the funny thing is like one, the last day of turkey season, yeah, I saw, like I saw a few turkeys, but I saw probably like 50 deer and all I was seeing was deer, deer, deer, deer. So I feel like once one thing gets pressured too much, there you just start seeing the next thing that you're going to be able to hunt. So that that was pretty cool. Um, it broke down my average, my hunting conditions. So my average temperature of hunts I was in was a 57.3 Fahrenheit. My coldest hunt, it says here, was 18 degrees. I know that's not true. There was a waterfowl hunt where I think it was like eight degrees or maybe even lower, and then my warmest hunt was 82 degrees, which I was really surprised about. Um, that's not with the humidity, counting the humidity, but that was two hunts that were 82 was down in delaware and one at um here in new jersey. Uh, windiest days were was four. I don't know how accurate that is. It says 14 miles per hour. I think it was definitely more than that. And it was during bear season when I'm pretty sure everyone I was talking to agreed that it felt like we were flying and that we were gonna come, come, yeah, like everything, like I literally thought I was batman. So, yeah, um, and then the average uh pressure was for me was 30.15 um. On stable pressure days, the 60 of my hunts wait, what is that? Oh, 60 of my hunts at stable or rising pressure, um, most. My most productive day was obviously when we shot 24 geese, yada, yada, yada. My best deer hunting day was on what is that? October 9th um, where I saw, I think, six bucks and like six does and I ended up killing a doe. Um, and then it what it gets. Even better, and this is what I like doing this for.

Speaker 1: 1:05:25

Best days of deer moment uh movement was when the pressure was above 30.2 and they were calm, windy days under five miles per hour. Um, most deer spotted in a single hunt was 19 down in uh. Delaware. Uh, same with most bucks seen in a single hunt was six in delaware. Um. Full moon hunt showed lower success. Full moon nights had lower evening deer activities. Obviously, like it gave stuff on my rut rut activity. Um, and it says pressure matters. Highest deer movement occurred when pressure was above 30.15 and rising Evening hunts outperformed morning hunts. Most deer sighted were after 5.30 PM. Hunts with a north or west wind were more successful. For me, deer hunting was highest on these wind directions.

Speaker 1: 1:06:20

Audit says for predator hunts, hunt need work. That's what it says. Predator hunt need work. Only two foxes spotted during, you know. Granted, I only went out one day so far, but I love how it says it needs work.

Speaker 1: 1:06:33

Um, waterfowl hunts were most successful in december and january. Obviously um and it basically said you know I spotted over 250, like this was a. This is a really good tool um to use and obviously I'm going to still look how I can make this approach better um and it really starts with me not being lazy when I'm actually hunting and really putting more detail and everything like that into my notes. So it's going to help better the the ai with the algorithm and everything like that. But, like I love the breakdown, I love what this does um next year, obviously I got to get a bear um and be more successful during during bear season and everything like that, and that's going to be one of my, my main goals obviously continuing um the success with deer hunting and get a deer down in Delaware and, you know, maybe a couple other States can't wait to head to to the property with Frank and Squatch and go up there and have a good time. But you know, at um, at the the, at his property over there, shout out to you know, frank's fam and everything like that. We're really looking forward to that. Like I, and I think I'm gonna go up for rifle too, but just, uh, be the video man, because I think their tradition, that they got there is just absolutely like that's what hunting really is, you know, and that's what it's all about. So, really looking forward to that, but, you know, looking forward to getting you guys on some waterfowl too, like, hopefully you guys can come out.

Speaker 1: 1:08:03

We had a blast, uh, this year. I, I wish zach could have made it. But, um, you know, he, he got out there for his first and I mean that's another guy I think he killed like another big group. I think he called like five or seven deer too as well, one buck and the rest, rest of those, so that that guy knows how to hunt too. But pretty damn good season. Now it's time to turn the tides and time to get my first turkey. Yeah, that's, that's, that's what it is. Um, but boys, any. You know I I don't want to make this one too long is this is the perfect farewell, not farewell. Farewell, because I'm still going to be on the show, but this is going to be the first. Frank, how are you feeling? Are you going to be nervous at all? Headlining this show now?

Speaker 3: 1:08:49

Probably. There's probably going to be a little nerves at first. Definitely some anxiety probably. I got big shoes to fill.

Speaker 1: 1:08:57

You're going to be practicing in the mirror. Absolutely, don't fuck this up on. You got this. You got this exactly. You're gonna have to have the wife, uh, help you and and and get ready. You're just like, oh babe, wait we, we gotta practice. We can't go to bed without practicing that's it.

Speaker 3: 1:09:14

no, I get it, man, like I said, probably the first couple will probably be a little nervous, but uh, after that, I'm sure you know I've been on doing it with you guys for a while now, so I'll be all right, you can always. That's true as well, and I won't have to do nothing there you go.

Speaker 1: 1:09:45

We just have to name it to the empire state uh podcast, that's all um, you know. So, looking looking forward to, to seeing you guys. Uh, hopefully, ethan you, you can make it to the to the game dinner and everything like that. We'd love to see you and it's been. I don't think I've seen you since we went fishing, right well, no, we were uh in december.

Speaker 5: 1:10:07

We were out in pa for that one day oh yeah, duh.

Speaker 1: 1:10:09

How how can I forget that amazing hunt? Yeah, I completely forgot for a second that honestly, I I was telling the guys about it like that is something that I hope we can all do, uh, next year.

Speaker 5: 1:10:19

That was such a fun hunt yeah, that was a crazy fun hunt. I do think, uh, you get a couple guys together that are really willing to push all day, you'll definitely get a couple deer down for sure.

Speaker 1: 1:10:30

At the very least get some opportunity yeah, I'm gonna have to get into some and the. The crazy thing is like I get into really good shape going into the year but by that time I stopped doing like a lot of my my workouts and everything like that, and that was like doing the without having to drag anything or like whatever. It was really doable. If we're going to shoot some shit, it is going to be like I'm going to have to stay. I'm going to have to get myself a bike down here and just start biking and biking and biking and biking just to get my cardio.

Speaker 1: 1:11:04

It's the cardio that just goes away from me when all we're doing is hunting, eating, freaking quick check or wawa or whatever and little debbies and just snacking like a. And then it's holiday. So, from when halloween to basically new year's, like the only thing I'm eating is and drinking is alcohol and desserts.

Speaker 5: 1:11:25

It's not. It's not good. I feel like crap right now.

Speaker 1: 1:11:29

So I'm going to have to like remember the. This is where we're going to be and you know we're not gonna be able to drive a truck back there. We were, we were five, what five? Six miles in.

Speaker 5: 1:11:38

Yeah, we, we got in pretty far, we got in pretty far, we got in pretty far. That was a beautiful day, though, especially because it just snowed and some of those hills were a little steep.

Speaker 1: 1:11:50

Yeah, I forgot to tell the boys it was funny. So we're leaving and we're getting like, basically right at the front, and we come up off this ridge and then we, we're walking and we see a ground blind and we're like, oh, like, I think we're trying to figure out if there are people in here or not. We're like, oh, like, there's no. No, we're like, oh, wait, there is someone in it. So like, we go around and then ethan goes on, um, we get to the diner and he goes on facebook, his facebook, and in the group, like where the zone that we're in, someone literally like said hey to the guys that are walking around this area, like, basically, like shit talking us because we blew their hunt and everything, like that, meanwhile, dude, you're hunting PA rifle right at right by the parking lot. What do you expect is going to happen? Like they were literally what, maybe I don't know 500, 600, 700 yards away from the parking lot at most they were right off the road.

Speaker 5: 1:13:00

Yeah, and they were chirping us in the freaking group chat. At most they were right off the road.

Speaker 1: 1:13:01

Yeah, and they were chirping us in the freaking group chat.

Speaker 2: 1:13:05

That's funny.

Speaker 1: 1:13:06

Wow, little do they know. We were literally just like five or six miles in like doing some serious hunting and probably saw the only good buck of the day between all the guys. Like we saw one nice buck and like five or six does. I didn't even see the does. I was so on on the bucks freaking. Ethan noticed, noticed the does. He was bedded with with all these does. Um, and yeah, like we, we had a great encounter and we were really getting after it and we're getting chirped by guys, our guys, sitting five or six hundred yards away from the, from the parking lot, in a blind with during pa. So that that was fun. Great food too. That diner was great and if we go, we got to go back next year Cause that was phenomenal.

Speaker 5: 1:13:50

That whole trip was was a blast, and I think that that zone opening day rifle is, I think, the last Saturday of November and, for those of you who don't know, my wedding is going to be December 7th. That would be like the perfect sendoff Cause. Then we're getting married down in Austin, texas, so that'd be like before the big day, so that might work out phenomenal.

Speaker 1: 1:14:18

And I, I think, I definitely think, um, I told Ethan, told ethan we should um, because I plan on joining that, that hunting lodge, we could just stay, we can all just stay there, because I think it's it's actually we passed by it. Going home we're taking the back one. We passed by it so it'd be a lot better, because it was a lot and we said we probably would have stayed out there even longer. But it was sunday, we already drove. Like ethan had to drive an extra hour to my house, yeah, and then I, we had to drive from my house, like a little like what hour? 15, hour, 30, something like that from my house and we get up into pa and we get, and it was so cold. We were literally both like, yeah, is this the right decision? Like, mind you, we have no idea what we're doing. Like the, the people were supposed to go with they, they, they couldn't come and everything like that. So even I, no prior knowledge of this area, just like little what we saw on um, on x and I think some of the recommendations he's gotten from from those other guys and everything like that. But like it was brutally cold, fresh snow, and we, we get, we get there, we're like, all right, well, let's not just walk in blind. So we actually waited till gray light and everything like that.

Speaker 1: 1:15:36

And then what walked in, which actually worked out, really fell up. Uh, perfect for us. We saw a lot of deer sign, like a lot of deer sign. We saw a lot of turkey sign. We saw some bear tracks too. I, I believe, like I think that's going to be a spot, even if we're like, hey, like let's go up there for a deer hunt, like let's go for a weekend deer hunt up there, I think we would do really well, yeah, deer hunting that during the, during the bow season, there's so much land up there and I can imagine, like, just with that cover and everything like that, those deer just moving so much earlier and everything like that, and we we get back kind of like where we were gun hunting. We'd be the only people, I think, up there bow hunting. I don't think people would really like from what we're getting, like, people are amazed that we traveled that far. So it's definitely something to look at. But I think he's and I definitely will be doing it again next year.

Speaker 5: 1:16:30

So, um, you know, we're looking forward to that I'll just never forget the fact that I have been talking with this dude for like six months, six months of planning and prepping and like whatever. And then I get up at like two, 30 in the morning, the day of, literally the day of oh, sorry man, uh, my friend's wife wants me to take his daughter out. So, yeah, not going to be able to go out with you, sorry, bud. So now I'm blowing up his phone 2, 30 in the morning, like dude.

Speaker 5: 1:17:04

There's no way I'm slumped and I was like you still want to do this. I remember we parked at the gas station right down the road we're like this sucks it was cold, it was, it was really cold.

Speaker 1: 1:17:25

My beard, told, turned into, just like, I think ethan goes. I thought you had great gray hair for a second because my whole entire beard was just frozen, solid and and icy. Um, but it, yeah, it was, it was just beautiful, it really was beautiful. Um, you know, it's, it's just, it's so different up there, like it's like being in jersey's cool, like it reminds me of the delaware water gap, but still even like another level above that, and everyone knows, if you hunt at the delaware water gap, like that's jersey's equivalent of being in the middle of nowhere, you know. So you go to pa and this is like I don't even know how big the property that we're on. It was huge, like humongous in miles just, yeah, it's gonna be fun.

Speaker 1: 1:18:10

We're gonna kill one there next year, for for sure. But, boys, I mean hell of a season for our crew. It's gonna going to kick back off. We're going to get it done during turkey season. We're going to kill some birds. I'm projecting at least an 80% success rate for us. At least. I think Zach is going out for his first turkey hunt as well this year too as well. So I'm going 80% success rate for us this year. It's going to be fun, it's going to be nice.

Speaker 1: 1:18:48

It is a nice break now that we have to then, and I'm going to try to do my trapping course too, because that's something I really want to get into is trapping. So I'm going to try to do that while while we wait and where you have some downtime. But, guys, I appreciate it, I will all be seeing you very soon in the next two weeks. Most of you guys. You know, frank and and Squatch. I'll definitely be seeing you guys. I know for the South Jersey guys, there is too far out there out there zone, but I will. I'll be talking to you guys soon and, you know, have a good night. Hope everyone enjoyed this episode good night guys.