Speaker 1: 0:00

Welcome back to the Garden State Outdoors and Podcast presented by Boondock Hunting.

Speaker 2: 0:04

That's why your tagline.

Speaker 3: 0:05

Mike JCL known perfect. You don't know what that mountain's going to bring. You don't know what that mountain's going to bring. I accidentally drifted my canoe between a sow and a cub.

Speaker 1: 0:17

And she's like charged and hit the back of the canoe.

Speaker 3: 0:22

His head hit the ground before his ass did.

Speaker 4: 0:25

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

Speaker 2: 0:31

You know, the last trip over I shot a great Cape Buffalo with my bow Charging bluegrass, and then the whooping, and then you hear a body drop.

Speaker 3: 0:40

Welcome to the Garden State Outdoorsman Podcast. I'm your new host, Frank Mestica, taking over from Mr Mike Nighttrain.

Speaker 4: 0:48

And I'm the old Squatch, everybody knows me.

Speaker 3: 0:58

How you all doing, and we have an awesome guest today. He actually it's Roger Dean III. He goes by Foguyoutdoors on Instagram. Roger, nice to meet you, man. Welcome to the show.

Speaker 2: 1:04

Nice to meet you guys too, man. Thanks for having me Welcome.

Speaker 3: 1:07

Yeah, Anytime, man, Looking forward to this one. So uh, Roger, why don't you just give us like a little bit of your background, like how you got started? You know, the floor is yours.

Speaker 2: 1:18

Yeah, man, uh started shooting art show when I was about 10 years old. My dad got me my first bow from Walmart. It was on sale for like 25 or 50 bucks in a whole package, so it was a bear, black bear and took my test when I was 11. And since then I've been hooked. I've shot competitive archery over the years, worked in a bunch of shops before I decided to go out on my own and you know now just kind of shoot as much as I can and and set up as many bows and build as many arrows as people let me. So that's about it for me. I have five kids and I like to involve them in everything that I do too, so just kind of trying to carry the tradition and and keep it going, you know.

Speaker 3: 1:59

No, absolutely. I think that that's really important. You know, yeah, cause I got, um, actually a 15 year old daughter and a four year old son took my daughter out when she was smaller. At least she tried it, let's just put it that way. She tried. It came in the tree stand with me Once she was done with the snacks. That said it was daddy. I want to go home and couldn't get her back out after that. But you know it's having my son. He's really into it. I try to incorporate him in everything I do. So I'm looking forward to a couple more years we'll be taking him out heck, yeah, just so unsteady, like my son that I hunt with mostly.

Speaker 2: 2:41

Now he's 18 and, uh, there was a period there where, like I couldn't even I couldn't bribe him with anything to get him to come and sit in the woods with me, and, uh, when he, when he turned 13, he shot his first deer. He thought it was cool for a minute, you know, and then, yeah, kind of fell back out of it. It was, you know, because the way I hunt's not really, um, I guess, modern. I just kind of try to keep it old school and stuff. So we have some dry sets and whatnot. But once he uh, once he hit a certain age, like 14, 15, I mean, he lives for it now just as much as I do. So it's pretty cool. You just got to kind of be patient and let them go at their own pace when it comes to that.

Speaker 3: 3:17

No, absolutely no, that's. That's definitely true. So you know it's tough? Yeah, absolutely, but yeah, so, like, what's your type of hunt? In any way, because I know like do you usually hunt out of tree stands? Because I saw that, that you killed um your first buck with the muzzleloader off the ground. Right, that was my first deer.

Speaker 2: 3:40

That was my first deer off the ground period. So, um, yeah, all of my deer that I've I've shot up until that buck with the muzzleloader. This year that was in connecticut, so that was my first connecticut deer. Uh, first muzzleloader deer and first one off the ground ever. So it was kind of a cool hunt. I mean, the deer didn't, you know, come to any kind of real size, but for me it was just. You know, I don't really live for that kind of stuff, I'm more the experience, but we mobile hunt a lot you know, all from trees and we run cameras periodically, but you know we're not set by them.

Speaker 2: 4:11

This year that did help me running cameras, but we move so much it's hard for us to do that. To do that, you know.

Speaker 3: 4:17

So yeah, no, no. I hear you Now. Do you normally hunt like like state land? Do you have private pieces or is it just strictly state land?

Speaker 2: 4:27

We don't have any private. The only private I've I sat in. The last I couldn't even tell you 10 or 15 years was I got invited to go sit on a lease in Ohio this year to Shockton County, which was cool, but nothing came of it, you know. But all the hunting that we do on our own is is a hundred percent state land.

Speaker 3: 4:45

Nice, nice.

Speaker 4: 4:46

Yeah, squatch was out in Ohio too this year I was out there for a few days, like when we went down it was so hot, man, we caught a heat streak and my cameras were blowing up at home on my target bucks. Here and it was. We saw one decent buck, um, you know, two and a half year old, wasn't big for ohio and my, my son and I let it walk. Uh, one of the other guys in the party ended up shooting it you know, hey, it's okay.

Speaker 4: 5:16

I mean, hey, you know what, he was happy with it. We're happy for him, um, but it was kind of like um, you know. You know, we were tent camp and we got some rain so we were getting homesick. We just wanted to get back home and get after our bucks here. But Ohio was nice. It's a lot like here. I'm, I'm in, uh, the Hudson Valley, upstate, new York, here, and it's, you know, same kind of basically all the same terrain, kind of yeah.

Speaker 2: 5:42

Even up in Connecticut, here it, it's, it's the same. You have some flat spots but it gets terrain-y, you know, rocky. It's all the same stuff out there. But I was probably out there the same week you were.

Speaker 4: 5:51

We dealt the same thing heat and a lot of rain a lot of wind, man, it was a rough yeah it just we were like hoping for better weather and when we got down there it was just like it was 85 degrees and I'm like, yeah, I'm like really man. And he said the first day I got there he's like, do you want to go out? I'm like no, I'm kind of tired from the drive and yeah, chill out your sales when you wake up and you're sweating.

Speaker 2: 6:15

But yeah yeah, we go west every year. We typically do a family trip to indiana. But this year I had like car trouble right before we were leaving, so I was like all right, all right, let's get it going. We got it going. We wound up running two days late, so we decided to stop back in Ohio because I'd already went out there for that. You know that lease hunt. So I had a tag and my son and I went back out and we we jumped on some public.

Speaker 4: 6:37

So I'm actually going to Indiana and uh, in the fall myself for uh, the other podcast. I'm with the whitetail advantage. Uh, crew, um, we, we planned a trip to Indiana, so, uh, I'll be heading out that way in the fall myself.

Speaker 2: 6:56

So it's, it's pretty cool. You kind of like, yeah, keep in touch, man, we're out there every year November, usually the first week of November into the second week. We try to stay like seven to 10 days if we need to. But yeah, yep, hopefully, hopefully we don't need 10 days this year because we want to jump in kentucky too and try to do like a two-stater or something I'll tell you.

Speaker 4: 7:09

Nice, um, I'll tell you what was really hot. When we drove through, uh, west virginia, oh yeah, yeah, holy cow, there was a guy had a 160 or better on the back of his truck like we almost we almost crashed I believe it.

Speaker 2: 7:22

I hung at west virginia in 23 and I was about a week early, and then all the big ones start showing up.

Speaker 3: 7:28

Oh really, of course that's how it always happens that public land is tricky man, you got to have it just right so yeah, yeah, because I I hunt public land here and it's well, it's federal land, so you got to buy like it's 30 for the permit yeah and it was like I didn't.

Speaker 3: 7:46

I didn't have much luck last year. I don't know if it's just because it was so dry this past year and everything, but I mean the years before that I had some, some killer bucks on camera yeah, yeah, I think I think it being dry definitely.

Speaker 2: 8:00

Uh was a big thing from when I went into ohio the first time even the second time it was still pretty dry we were dealing with that drought there in the middle. I think it just kept all them big bucks locked in the bottoms wherever they could find water. I think that's where they were hanging out, oh yeah.

Speaker 3: 8:16

Mike, nice to see you, buddy.

Speaker 2: 8:20

Do you want me to turn my phone sideways? So it's better for yeah.

Speaker 4: 8:23

Yeah, you could probably try that, that might work.

Speaker 3: 8:26

Yeah, he had to do it off his phone, mike.

Speaker 4: 8:28

There you go.

Speaker 3: 8:29

That's better.

Speaker 1: 8:31

So we started already. Yeah, wait for me. The first time I met you Five years.

Speaker 3: 8:39

Late to the party. It was my bad Mike. I got antsy. Late to the party, I got antsy. No worries, it was my bad mike, I got to the party.

Speaker 1: 8:46

I got. No, no worries, I'm excited. I'm I'm excited to see the intro and how, how, how it went. But glad to glad to have you. You start the guys out. It's a pleasure heck.

Speaker 2: 8:57

Yeah, I appreciate you having me back on yeah no, I, I, frank, um, frank.

Speaker 1: 9:04

Hit me up what a couple weeks ago, I think you know when we fully you know, after the uh, hold on, is that a sever hat?

Speaker 3: 9:12

I need one, it is I need a new one, I have an old one, yeah, I was like I need a new one but I need a new one.

Speaker 1: 9:18

But frank, uh, frank, hit me up. Um, after the event, you know, after we, you know we waited for the event and everything like that to to start focusing on on the podcast again and both, now, both podcasts and everything like that. So he was like hey, if it, you know, if there's anyone, you know that, that you want to get on, you know, send them over. You know, yada, yada yada. And I was like, and we were, I think we were talking too, and I know we, I think I, I think I texted you last year Because I wanted to get you back on Schedules and everything like that. It's crazy. But I was like, oh, this is the perfect guy, like let me send this yeah, very busy.

Speaker 1: 9:55

So you know it's great having you, having you back on, and you know A new journey For the Garden State Outdoorsman has officially started. Yeah, definitely cool. A new journey for the Garden State Outdoorsman has officially started. Yeah, definitely Cool, it's much appreciated.

Speaker 3: 10:08

We're excited. So, Rock, I was going to ask you. So you were saying that you were more like a traditional hunter. So what's like your bow set up?

Speaker 2: 10:18

Well, not traditional in the sense of my bow. My bows are definitely pretty modern. I build quite a bit of them and right now I I just set up my new 2025 rig as an elite artist, actually right behind me.

Speaker 2: 10:29

Yeah, yeah, I did, I went with the mossy oak breakup camo on or bottom land, rather, I'm sorry and uh, running a qad, just a three pin slider, some ultra arrows and some slick tricks, standard broadheads, you know. I mean, I guess it's pretty basic in a sense of that. I don't get carried away with anything but right. That's definitely uh up to date no, it's, it's a nice setup.

Speaker 3: 10:53

You got there. I appreciate it. I shot a leap.

Speaker 4: 10:56

I shot a leap for a little while I had got one and, uh, I liked it. I sold it to a good friend of mine because he needed a bow, so uh they're good shooters, I shot them years ago 2015, 2016, when they had the energies, loved it.

Speaker 2: 11:10

And then I kind of, just because I've been in and out of those you know working for shops and started my own thing, I kind of I moved around a little bit to just adapt to all the different you know cam settings and tuning avenues, you know just to kind of learn everything. And Elite and I kind of landed on a deal last year and you know they're good to me, so you know I try to stay good to them.

Speaker 4: 11:31

Yeah, I had to revel, I had to revel.

Speaker 2: 11:34

That's a nice bow.

Speaker 4: 11:35

Yeah, it was cool. The only thing it was a 60% let off, so it took a little bit of getting used to yeah, a little bit of getting used to not. Yeah, a little rough. Yeah, it wasn't a big deal, but it shot very well. It was a. It was a, I got it. It was like a 1300 bow. I got it for like 600 bucks online and deals and deals.

Speaker 2: 11:53

Man, yeah, and it was.

Speaker 4: 11:55

It was good. I set it up just for like doing 3d and stuff and then, like I said, a good friend of mine wanted to get into bow hunting. He came over and he shot it and he loved it. He's like, how much I'm like, just give me what I got into it and you can have yeah, but yeah, very good, bows, man can't, can't take away anything from elite. Very good, I have no complaints?

Speaker 2: 12:12

I started shooting the ethos last year. That was, you know, the most current one up until the one I just built now and that's a 33 inch axle to axle. I like it because I have, you know, a little bit longer of a draw length and silky smooth. No complaints. What?

Speaker 4: 12:24

are you about a 31?

Speaker 2: 12:26

No, I'm only 29 and a quarter. Okay, really. Yeah, I look bigger than I am, I guess.

Speaker 4: 12:31

Yeah, yeah.

Speaker 3: 12:33

I got a long body and short legs.

Speaker 2: 12:35

That's all right. I need help getting into trees, you know.

Speaker 3: 12:40

Yeah, you need that little extra stretch, that's all.

Speaker 4: 12:46

What green-white arrow and stuff are you throwing and what's like your feet per second?

Speaker 2: 12:49

you're getting out of that thing I'm running uh 455 out of the artist 455 grain arrow. So that's just a 300 spine, uh ultra centrum 204 so that's a five millimeter. I got a 50 grain stainless uh half out up front and then I just run 100, 100 grain slick trick standard yep, and uh feet per second. Honestly, I don't chrono my bows, if I'm being completely honest, because I don't want to build my bow around speed.

Speaker 2: 13:17

I want my my bow to be built around effectiveness and I feel like every deer I've ever shot at with a 450 to 475 grain arrow has expired in front of me.

Speaker 4: 13:28

And I've had no issues.

Speaker 2: 13:29

You know that's awesome, I see you.

Speaker 3: 13:33

They are good. I used to shoot the wicked tricks. I shot for a couple of years of slick tricks. Yeah, they're pretty well, yeah, real sharp. But I did see you drop quite a buck. You shot that. You didn't know you didn't shoot that one off the ground. I know it was like that was your first public land buck, buck, wasn't it my biggest.

Speaker 2: 13:52

I shot my biggest public land buck on halloween in 24 this past season and, uh, that was a heck of a story. But if you guys want me to tell you a whole story now, I can't absolutely I would.

Speaker 2: 14:06

I love to hear the story so that endeavor started on october 8th. We were, we get federal permits. We hunt down on, like, uh, southern ocean county, so there's some federal land down there for site property, it's it's, uh, I guess, like they. They have a certain number of permits they offer for it, so it's kind of inclusive. You know you only have so many people on the land, no baiting, um, no permanent stand type deal.

Speaker 2: 14:28

So early season we jump on that. We're like you know there's going to be no pressure in here yet the deer are kind of kind of still on their summer pattern. So we hop in there one night early october. They're just kind of starting to break up and it's like a totally dead set. I got my kid with me. I made some spoof reel that day because it was so, so slow and we're getting ready to climb down like five minutes early, which we never do. We never get done early. But we just knew it wasn't happening and I get like four strides down and my phone goes off and it's one of my cameras that's in a different spot and I'm like you gotta be, I don't even want to look. So I stopped climbing, I look and there's one of my cameras that's in a different spot and I'm like you got to be, I don't even want to look. So I stopped climbing. I look and there's this eight-pointer on the camera and he's 100% a shooter. I'm like you got to be kidding me. So I say to my son he's sitting right next to me. I'm like dude, I'm going to be sick. So I go home, I lose sleep over it for a like really beat myself up because I haven't had anything else decent show up on camera and uh, it gets to like October 27th and 7 38 o'clock at night and all of a sudden I get a picture of a lone doe on one of my cameras and I text my son and I'm like dude, I guarantee you a buck's gonna pop up tonight at some point because they're starting to break apart. 40 minutes later he shows back up dead in front of the camera. I'm like there's no way. So we start texting each other right away. The next morning he daylights at like 7 40. So I let it go. No pictures in the evening. So now we're on the 28th. He daylights 29th. He daylights again at like 8 20. So I know I got to get down there. He's starting to secure the area. There's tons of oaks in there. It's secluded, there's no pressure. He's doing the same thing every day.

Speaker 2: 16:12

I'm in Connecticut at the time I load my truck up head south, I get to my daughter's house, I stay over there, wake up the next morning, go sit. Now it's october 30th and I I just felt I sensed something was was in this spot, like you know. So I started looking around, looking around, and I see this deer about 80 yards off with his head down in the oaks. I knew instantly it was him, so I got in, I got past bedding, I got set up, I got a good wind, it's southwest.

Speaker 2: 16:46

For like four days straight he's in there for like an hour eating acorns and, uh, I'm getting like antsy. You know what I mean. I'm like, yeah, just be patient. I had a couple opportunities to take some farther shots, but I've really been trying to teach myself patience because I feel like, you know, that's kind of what saves a lot of these hunts. So, uh, about another 20 minutes goes by and this hawk comes and lands on this branch between me and the deer, and the deer's all kinds of skittish, not spooked, but he doesn't like it, you know. So, uh, he ends up leaving. So I just watched him eat for like an hour, hour and a half and I'm like there's no way this deer just walked out of my life, like that was it. That was, that's the hunt, you know.

Speaker 2: 17:34

So I get down that morning, come back the afternoon a couple of days, come through feeding. I leave my stand in the woods public land, a hundred percent public land. And I left my stand in the woods because over the years for me that's motivation to get up in the morning. I have a lone wolf hand climber. I'm not letting somebody find my tree stand. I'm going hunting in the morning.

Speaker 2: 17:55

So, uh, next morning, halloween morning, I get up, I get changed, uh, in the parking area, walk in, I'm sitting in my tree and I feel something in my boot. So I'm like what is poking me in the foot, you know? And I'm like it's getting like 720, 730 and this deer's been regular around 750 to 820. So I look around, real good, and I'm like I gotta get this thing out of my boots killing me. I pop my boot off, I'm pulling out a rock or whatever. Well, I can't even remember what it was.

Speaker 2: 18:23

I look up, this deer's on a line coming straight at me at 40 yards and my boot's off 20 feet in the tree. I'm like you have got to be kidding me. So I hurry up, I get my boot on. I got tons of good cover. Grab my bow, I stop this deer. At like 40 yards. He's broadside, but he's behind a tree. At like 40 yards he's broadside, but he's behind a tree. All I have is his last rib and I'm I shoot a lot.

Speaker 2: 18:49

So I was comfortable I could make that shot, but I decided not to. I was like you know, it's just he's too big to kind of take that kind of a chance on, hit him far back or something. He takes a half a step. So I let him walk away. He gets down to the oaks and, uh, disappears. So I was like all right, now it's two days. They're like I'm running out of days. I got to figure something out.

Speaker 2: 19:09

So I'm sitting there trying to like mad at myself again Cause I'm playing with my boot, pull my phone out, try to take my mind off of it. I'm like let me throw a couple of grunts out. So I just get my grunt tube. I hit it one, two soft and about five minutes minutes later I look over to my right and I see this sapling just whip over to the ground and then shoot back up and I was like there's no way that was a squirrel.

Speaker 2: 19:36

So, uh, I look it's him. He keeps coming at me. He's now he's only like 10 yards. He loops around. He's coming closer, closer, closer. This is holly, like five yards in front of me and I got a hole. I would say maybe about eight to ten inches, an opening hole. I'm waiting for him to just put his shoulder in it and uh, so I draw back and he stood still for what felt like forever and then, a couple seconds later, he took that last step and soon as I soon I pulled through that shot. I knew he was dead and he ran. I hit him both his lungs and his heart. He ran about 40 yards. I watched him do a front flip and die.

Speaker 3: 20:15

That's the best feeling.

Speaker 2: 20:17

Sorry that's a long-winded story, but you have to hear the whole thing to appreciate that hunt. Yeah, no that's what you like.

Speaker 3: 20:25

Yeah, that's, that's what you like yeah, that's incredible story.

Speaker 2: 20:27

Yeah, he measured like just under 110, like right around 109, to some change 108 and some change numbers in there. So for state land, south jersey buck that's pretty mature and about as big as they get. You know, we have some that are coming through that are a tad bigger, but he'll do no, absolutely, and that's I mean.

Speaker 3: 20:47

I watched all the picture. It was definitely a hell of a buck. But the story, just hearing the story, how it all came together, and you know we've all been there before, so we all know that feeling and especially, you even have to track them no you can't get better than that.

Speaker 2: 21:03

I was I was texting my son that morning because I was I was solo that day so I was texting him and then I facetimed him. He knew right away and soon as he picked the phone up man, I just lost it I gave it everything I had you know what I mean. It was just one of the coolest ones I've ever been on by myself, if not the coolest, you know.

Speaker 1: 21:18

Solo I've ever been on right so no, that's one thing before we. You know we we keep diving in and you know I just wanted the last time he were on what? Three, four, four years ago, I think, I think 21 when I first started 21.

Speaker 1: 21:37

Yeah, so in the very beginning, right in the beginning stages, um, you know and, and look to where you you've come now and you know the success that you've had so far. You know you, you're where is it you're you're working out of, out of home, correct? Is there ever? Is that just like, hey, we're just gonna do at home, or is there ever a plan to to open up a shop or or something like that? Also, I know you you've been working on the arrows and I, you know and everything like that. So kind of also go into how that whole situation started and where that idea originally came from and things like that.

Speaker 2: 22:15

Sure. So Bogot kind of started on a whim. It was just something that I was working at shops and I have my own way of doing things and I just, you know, not that any of the shops I worked at I have. You know, I have tons of respect for all of them. They're all great shops, reputable shops, good techs Like. I have nothing negative to say about any of them, but I just like doing things my way. You know what I mean.

Speaker 2: 22:34

So I decided to come up with um with a name I wanted to cause I was just working side work, you know, doing bow work. Besides the shop, I had some side work here and there from different areas of the state, because I, you know, I have a pretty broad network and I decided I wanted to brand so I could kind of expand that, throw it online, maybe, you know, grab some new people. So Bow Guy was my handle on eBay since like 2011. So I figured, heck, you know, I'll throw that out there, add a custom archery to the end of it and try to accommodate what people want. So I started doing that and the work kind of kept coming. A lot of it was like word of mouth and then I started really pushing it online Facebook, a lot of the groups and I started really like getting into building arrows and stuff just because there was such a big demand for it and people used to always ask me, so I figured I'd market advertise it. You know, People used to always ask me so I figured I'd market advertise it, you know.

Speaker 2: 23:26

So there to here, I mean, when I first started, it was kind of a struggle to expand past, like my local realm of people which I have no problem with, but I kind of wanted to. My end goal is to kind of make this like an industry name Right. So I had to start marketing. I had to start moving around a little bit more. So I started throwing it up on Facebook. I started coming up with product, you know, started going to more 3D shoots, started making my face more. You know, seen in game dinners, whatever I had to do to kind of just, you know, show people.

Speaker 2: 23:56

I'm just, I'm a regular person. You know, I'm not just this guy who plays online Like this is my whole life, this is what I live for, this is what I live for, this is what I love. So I mean it kind of started off just because or started taking off more, just because I was putting it out there more you know and and the word of mouth was kind of gaining traction and I have a huge uh, not a huge, but a great following, like all my clients I feel are second to none, and they all, they all do their part too to help me grow. So just kind of dedication and hard work and grit and grinds, and now I I could honestly say that every year there's significant growth. You know what I mean.

Speaker 2: 24:36

So yeah that's good, I figure one more year of kind of just grinding out and it should kind of flatten and almost kind of start taking care of some things on its own without having to push so much, you know. But I guess that's where I'm at with it now. It's kind of just starting to get to the top of that hill, you know, and I'm waiting to just kind of coast back down it yeah, no, that's awesome.

Speaker 3: 25:00

Just you know. I just wish you the best, would it look? You know, just like mike said, you were on the show. You know, three, four years ago I wasn't even around then, you know, I was hunting but I wasn't on, you know, instagram or none of that yet, just yet. So you know, see how far you come and how successful you are. That's, that's a huge accomplishment. Man like congratulations.

Speaker 2: 25:22

I appreciate it. And uh, I mean, the biggest thing for me is like, to me, I don't really see it as like, um, I know it's growing, right because numbers don't lie and whatnot, but right to me it's just what I'm doing. You know what I mean. Like, yeah, I don't even let it ever get to me. It's kind of just like I try to stay humble about it and just keep grinding because, like I want to, I want to be somebody that made a positive change in the archery industry, the hunting industry. A lot of times on the Facebook groups and stuff, if I see people bullying and you know I'll jump right on them, just like, yeah, dude, that's not what we're doing here. Like you know, I kind of that's my, my biggest goal, like, not really to to be the guy who works on the arrows and the bows and stuff, but just somebody who, who makes a positive difference and keeps growing what we're trying to keep growing yeah, no, definitely.

Speaker 3: 26:14

We definitely need more, more people like that, because you know, we've all seen online bullying and all that and it just like it gets out of hand and it's it's just. Sometimes it's just ridiculous when people you know have to say or they're you know, it's just crazy I'll shoot a small buck just to post it up.

Speaker 2: 26:31

You know what I mean. Like, yeah, yeah. Like if god, if god's letting that deer walk past me, and that's what's gonna feed me for six months. Yeah, I'll tell you what man I'm gonna brag to everybody that wants to see it and if, if they don't keep on scrolling.

Speaker 3: 26:43

That's it. That's it. Yep, it's funny you say that, because what was it? A couple months ago, squatch, we had somebody comment on one of my posts about it.

Speaker 4: 26:54

Yeah, I jumped on them. Yeah, really.

Speaker 3: 26:56

I didn't see this. What the hell?

Speaker 1: 26:58

Yeah, you didn't see that no, I know I didn't, yeah it was one of uh, I think it was that nine pointer.

Speaker 3: 27:06

I killed the one video that I posted just like of me, like walking up to it and like you know rifle, slug gun rifle I can't remember it was uh it was uh. I'm sorry, it was the slug gun it's hard to keep.

Speaker 1: 27:23

It was hard to keep up with uh, with frank this year, like they stopped answering the phone for me just a killer.

Speaker 2: 27:30

Huh, straight killer. I like it though yeah, I had.

Speaker 3: 27:33

You know it was. It was a good year. Let's put it that way.

Speaker 1: 27:36

I don't want to brag because next year I might suck this coming year so about it, brett, you listen, it's all about like, yes, be humble about it, but like it's a, it's an accomplishment. And especially like, listen you, you're right, you may not have that good of a year next year. You know what I mean yeah, that's why I think it's more like all right, like hey, listen, embrace it like you did. A phenomenal accomplishment, we all know you're not a selfish person that you only care about.

Speaker 1: 28:07

You know what I mean it's. You know it's a. It's a humble brag. It's a humble like, hey, listen, this is, but you earned it. Yeah, a hundred percent. It wasn't like he put in the damn work a hundred percent. Yeah, there was a lot of things that we we've talked about in the past, frank and and squatch over there like, yeah, you know there was a lot of things that we we've talked about in the past, frank and squatch over there like, yeah, you know there's a lot of things that did go wrong. It wasn't like you had a perfect season. You know what I mean. You know it wasn't like. You know you, you, you faced the um, you know the odds and you know the adversity of your hunting season and that's what made it so goddamn successful.

Speaker 2: 28:44

Yeah, you know, that's what makes it so goddamn successful?

Speaker 4: 28:45

Yeah, it makes it a better. You know it's not. Yeah, you know what?

Speaker 1: 28:48

You killed a whole bunch of deer, a hundred percent. You killed a bunch of bucks, yes, but it's what you went through in the beginning. I think that really sets the season aside. And why, you know I, you know I honored you know we're going to do something here at boondocks hunting for our team members like why I honored you as the uh, as the boondock uh hunter of of the year. Just it wasn't because, yeah, if I wanted to give it to somebody, I could have given it to ethan, because that kid, had he killed eight does like he phenomenal year.

Speaker 1: 29:19

You know what I mean too, but it was the uh adversity that you face and that you just kept on going, which some people may quit, some people may just give up and get really hard on themselves.

Speaker 4: 29:29

You know what I mean so it's definitely worth it and when you grind like that, I don't know.

Speaker 2: 29:34

I think you kind of earned the, the right to brag a bit. You know, like you know mike was saying the adversity and stuff and the will to keep going, how many times you walk out of the woods not dragging a deer and you were sure when you got in that spot it was. It's happening to me, dude. Nothing shows up and you're like what am I doing?

Speaker 2: 29:51

you know, and no 100 you just stick with it and then find, like you know, that deer too the the one that I shot this year I had the same kind of feeling. I was like, yeah, I give up my only chance at at a good deer because I hunt public and a lot of times that's how it works. They show up once they're gone, you know.

Speaker 1: 30:05

And yeah, yeah. Another was this in connecticut. Was this in connecticut, that one?

Speaker 2: 30:10

was in jersey, the one with the bell was in jersey. It was in jersey, yeah yeah, yeah, I killed that, uh, the five pointer up here with the muzzle litter in connecticut and that was it. And then, uh, I, I shot that. It was a seven in jersey. We went to ohio, we saw a bunch of deer, didn't kill any, and then I killed. I actually killed a smaller doe too, and in september to earn my buck, so to speak.

Speaker 3: 30:32

But no, that sounds like a nice year too. Now I was gonna ask you are you, you're not a big bear hunter? You, you don't hunt bears, right?

Speaker 2: 30:41

I've hunted bears. I just I'm not close enough to where I could really make it make sense, because we do go out west every year and I don't want to spend weeks of travel in New Jersey to hunt bears. I do want to shoot one. That is a bucket list for me, but because, like the whole family kind of goes out west, that's more of my priority. And when it comes to money distribution, and you know, I'd rather stay out there for 10 days, so that's the only reason I don't. But this year I think we're going to change it up a little bit and start opening and using different weaponry and, you know, try to hunt more animals and stuff. Kind of change it up a little bit. For, you know, social media viewing pleasure.

Speaker 3: 31:21

Yeah yeah, I see you're a pretty big duck hunter too right.

Speaker 2: 31:30

Yeah, I grew up on the coast so we got real big into hunting divers on the bay and puddlers on the bay and you know I did that for a really long time. I haven't duck hunted now in a few years but we're rigging back up this year. My kid wants you know it's. It's such a blessing having my son hunt with me and he kind of pushes me to do different stuff, even though I already did it and maybe got bored of it. It'll be more exciting and more fun because you know I get to, I get to teach him how to do it and you know it's nice having somebody that's that's always willing to go for it and and pushes you to do a little bit different stuff.

Speaker 3: 31:58

So no, absolutely so. I can't wait to take my son. They all know, you know my little man, I'm dying to take him out a couple more years. You know I'm ready to pass it on. So I hope you, you know he enjoys it and he loves it just as much as we all do.

Speaker 2: 32:17

So they will. You just gotta make it fun for him.

Speaker 3: 32:19

Man like my six and my eight-year-old.

Speaker 2: 32:20

They come with me, they'll sit in a blind. I kind of have my time limit figured out like two and a half hours. Our odds are stacked against us because we're hunting in the ground, blind, with a yeah, crossbow, with, you know, two kids that are under 10 years old. It's tough, but I'd rather sit and see nothing and get them out there than you know then not introduce it to them I agree you know, to kind of get them ready for when the opportunity comes for them to do it, you know no, and you know the

Speaker 1: 32:45

thing is it's it's more of an excuse to, not only just to to get your kids out there, but like like, hey, you know what are you going to do, taking your kids out into the woods. That's such like it's a benefit to them, but it's a benefit to, to just everyone, just memories, and there's just so many positives like coming from it and it's like, hey, you know what like, instead of sitting here watching tv all day, you know, you know, and and doing some parents.

Speaker 1: 33:08

They give their kids just the ipads and stuff. Like hey, like yeah, we're just gonna, we're just gonna go out into the woods and you know something? I know the ipad, like it does like giving the ipad in the ipad in into the, into the blind, but it's a lot better than just sitting at home on the couch or something like that and eventually yes, in the very beginning especially, you're going to need that ipad.

Speaker 1: 33:30

That's going to be a huge fundamental in the blind. But little by little, as they get older too, they're going to probably start paying less and less attention to that and focusing more on absolutely what's going on them around them and it could be any kind of game.

Speaker 2: 33:45

Like you know, the spot we sit out here there's turkeys, there's squirrels, there's bobcats, there's foxes, like anytime they see. We have hawks land in by us that they got to watch. Like anytime they see any kind of activity outside of the blind, they're intrigued by it because that's something you don't get to see any. I don't care if you're outside at your house driving down the highway, looking out in a field, you're not necessarily seeing that kind of stuff. The woods kind of has its own environment and its own its own uh schedules for things and it's kind of cool for the kids to to get to experience that like real time in in the woods, you know no, absolutely.

Speaker 3: 34:17

And just you know, just to see their, their excitement, you know on their face and how they get all excited, I mean that makes it all worth it, right there? Absolutely that's the point.

Speaker 2: 34:27

Now we're like they'll come and be like that. Can we watch one thing? I'm like dude, you don't even gotta ask me, just put it on.

Speaker 4: 34:32

Tell me that's it yeah, let me, uh, I would like to say that being that I was brought up, you know, at a young age, with the outdoors, and that drive made me, you know, strive to be the best that I can and shoot, you know, big bucks. I'll do my dad, I'll do my grandfather, you know, not to disrespect him, but just to be the guy. And you know, fast forward, I mean I'm 50. So back when I was hunting, hunting, there was no social media, there wasn't. Computers were just like starting to get popular. Um, you know, I didn't have any of that.

Speaker 4: 35:12

And you know, these kids that are starting out today with these pod, these podcasts, are so informational to to kids starting out or guys who are just starting out. And it's funny, man, because you know you're setting the stage for your children and, and you know Frank is too with his son and you're setting. You gotta remember you're setting that stage because when you fast forward, 50 years later, you got a guy like me that can tell you stuff that they didn't experience yet. But I learned it before technology. Yeah, you know, and it's it's. You don't realize it as you're growing, because up here I'm still a kid, like in my head I'm still 16, 17, 18 I'm gonna put your arm up on your pillow no, no, frankie, I'll tell.

Speaker 4: 36:02

I'm almost falling down through the woods. I can barely walk.

Speaker 3: 36:05

Yeah, a few times when he was like Frank. I got to tell you, man, I don't know.

Speaker 4: 36:11

But, uh, you know, when you sit there and and it's so hard for me because I talk to people on on you know two podcasts. I talk to a lot of people. I'm the older guy at a lot of the guys that I talk to and it's yeah, but they're like yo, you're a plethora of information and I don't see it like that. But I'm just grateful that I had the experiences that my father and my grandfather set the stage and didn't say you know, go, screw off, watch TV, play with cartoons. And I was squirrel hunting, I was freaking bow hunting, I was fishing, I did all that stuff and then all the stuff that you sat there and learn and and and you know what this is. This is the the hanging post now for, like when you got done and you brought your buck to a sporting goods store to show it off. You know, not too much of that goes on anymore at the weigh stage or whatever.

Speaker 4: 37:06

This is the hanging out at the sporting goods store and shooting the shit about what happened. This is why this is so important with these podcasts. And seeing what Mike had established has been great, and now Frank is stepping up to take the the helm here with this part of the show. It's just amazing, you know, and it's growing more and more, and it's like I said, it's just so important that you guys set that stage. It's awesome, it's awesome.

Speaker 1: 37:33

Yeah, and you know it's, it's, it's now it's. Yes, it's the podcast too, but something I've like, you know I found so much love and happiness that makes me just. I know it's stressful at times doing it, but it's now. The events it's now, you know, going to events. You know we talked about it and everything like how much fun we actually had at the Empire State Show and you know I could. I could easily, like Frank and I, we could do this for the rest of our lives, like, honestly, I have no problem where, if we can make it work.

Speaker 1: 38:03

Or, yeah, you know, I would love to go down I know there's a big one down, I think, in nashville or like somewhere in tennessee. You know, I would like to go out, you know, to the midwest, to do one, like I would love to go out and do that. And then now we also we have our own ones that we now do, you know. And yeah, yeah, we're on year two of the game dinner coming up in a couple weeks, and then we're on year two of the game dinner coming up in a couple of weeks, and then we're on year three with the, with the bow shoot in the in the summer, and I would, you know, I've been asked to do another one and you know, once we could figure it out where it works, I would love to add like another event so we can do three, because I know people are busy and that's usually like, ah, I wish we could make it.

Speaker 1: 38:45

And that's the that. That that is the tough part, but yeah, it's so fun because every it's a community, everyone's getting together. You know people who you know. Yet again, I met frank at a show. You know, I met squash for the first. Yeah, we talked on instagram, but I met him for the first time, I think, at the, at the archery shoot. I, I think technically, I think that was our first time. Correct me if I'm wrong. I could be easily, easily wrong.

Speaker 4: 39:03

Oh, it was at the dinner, at the dinner.

Speaker 1: 39:04

At the game dinner. Yes, oh yeah, at the game dinner. Yeah, yeah, I met you at the game dinner down in South Jersey. Yeah, yeah, you know and actually like meeting these people in person and it's just such a great community that we have here.

Speaker 4: 39:21

Oh, the it's, it's just such a great community that we have here and that the camaraderie is like all of us are building.

Speaker 1: 39:24

Yeah, and it's a big family, but it is. It's, it's the storytelling, it's like, it's it's so nice to get in person and everyone has like a common goal because, listen, I love my friends there, I grew up with them and I will always love them, but they don't share the same passion for, for hunting that I do, and I always feel bad because, like when I start talking about hunting I don't stop and I do.

Speaker 1: 39:47

I do it at work. Like people ask me constantly questions about hunting and I don't never know when to not to stop. So like I'm just spewing out information and trying to teach people as much as I can, which it's great and we love to do. But it's so nice when I'm with you guys and, shit, no one's gonna buy, no one's gonna be like, oh man, he's talking about hunting again. Like, oh, never the hell up, like you know. I mean like we just go on and on and on and our wives probably get sick of us, but that's, that's about it.

Speaker 3: 40:17

Hey, it could be worse right that's right, I agree, I'm not, I'm bar, I'm in the tree man. Just let me go home and leave me alone exactly that's it, you know, and just the fact that we all like support each other. Like you see, one of us shoots a big buck, all of us are posting about it, we're all cheering each other on, like that's what it's all about, man 100, and his kids too.

Speaker 2: 40:39

Like my son is 18 and stuff. I tell him all the time I'm like, yeah, like he's in such a position now, with the network that we're building and stuff too, to where like. And he listens, like if I tell him something, like to do something that's hunting related, shooting related, like he could take that and process it and then put it into action. So, like, think of, like the success that these kids today are going to have in 15 or 20 years, like Squatch was saying, like if they just listen, they have such an encyclopedia of information from just so many different facets of people Like you guys.

Speaker 2: 41:14

All you have to do is sound a little different and be like, yeah, I tried this when I was in an area like that and this worked and this worked. And next thing, you know, you start taking some notes and not that it ever become easy, but you're gonna at least have a way bigger head start than than we did when mobile hunting first took off and cameras first took off and I was using trail timers when I was a kid. It was a piece of string like a squirrel could set that off. You're sitting there, you're like all right, 440, that deer's coming through and it never does know. So these kids really got a good chance to really blow this up and make hunting, you know, as big as it can be.

Speaker 1: 41:49

Yeah, no, and I love that and something I love, like you know, I tell everyone it was a really great learning lesson, especially you talk about the whole mobile hunting. You know Frank and Squatchy, you know, and the listeners, the listeners who you know, the ones that are recurring guests, they know this story. But, like how I killed my buck this year, like, yeah, everyone knows like I I move around like crazy and I'm constantly like just moving and moving and moving and just running cameras. But I, I remember I set up this specific camera in that you know, little stream and I knew, like you, they use, especially during the drought. I was like, hey, listen, yeah, let me go put a camera like this has got to be the ruts, like right here, like there's going to be. Does you know, find out? Like I hung that camera and not too long after, you know, I went out for a hunt. I go to set up and I'm probably like six, seven hundred yards away from that camera. I just get climbed up and set up and boom, the camera starts exploding, two just big bucks in there and I was like I had to make a decision. And you know, and I love making this during the rut.

Speaker 1: 42:58

If you're going to get aggressive, this is the time to really get aggressive. Yeah, you're right, because a mistake that you're going to make during the rut might not affect your hunt nearly like it would during any other time of the year. They're not thinking about you know, they're thinking about one thing and that's chasing damn does. So if you're going to try to get away with it, do it now. So I said all right, I was exhausted. I, you know, did everything. Got said all right, I was exhausted. I, you know, did everything. Got that stuff down right away, jumped in the truck, drove all the way to the down the road further, got out, snuck in, found out that I set up right in doe bedding, got set up, saw nine I think nine deer. That hunt had a couple bucks fighting and everything like that.

Speaker 1: 43:37

Next morning went right back into that spot and killed, uh, one of those bucks. The very next morning, less than 24 hours after, he showed up on that trail camera and I got aggressive. I made a. I made a decision that I might not make, but also I learned that from podcasts and talking to people and interacting with all hey, listen, get aggressive, do this, do that's like, and you know what? Okay, I went out, did that, and now that's something. It's a teachable moment to everyone else Like, hey, listen, you can get aggressive during the. You know you can hop right into the betting area. You know, don't second guess yourself kind of during, especially during the rut my kind of thing, just go do it.

Speaker 1: 44:18

You know what, if you fail, hey you fail to do it.

Speaker 2: 44:22

That know what.

Speaker 1: 44:23

And if you fail, hey, you failed Ain't no not to do it Right. That's how you learn. That's how you learn and you know it worked out for me. It's great. Will I try it again next year, of course. Will it work for me next year? Maybe? Not, maybe I won't kill that puck, Maybe I'll get a shot, Maybe I won't you don't know. But you know what. You're going out there, you're doing something, you're getting aggressive and you're utilizing everything that you have in your tool shed there.

Speaker 2: 44:50

Absolutely. Flipping a coin is one of my biggest tools in my pocket. I mean, sometimes there's days where I haven't wanted to go because the conditions weren't ideal, but I knew the time of year was right, you know. So I'm like I literally asked my son like, oh, heads or tails, and never like heads, you know, and we'll go sit heads and it works out. Sometimes you got like, you know, like you're saying Mike, you just got to jump on it and no, if it doesn't work who cares.

Speaker 2: 45:17

It's like it's better than sitting at home and wondering Can sitting at home and wondering can't kill them?

Speaker 3: 45:21

from the couch man. They even know that there was. There was one buck. I was after beautiful 10 pointer. It was in September and I just studied a new piece of property I just got you know my, my buddy's brother ended up buying. It was like 200 acres.

Speaker 4: 45:38

Heck yeah.

Speaker 3: 45:40

And just for me, just watching the cameras. I didn't really even put that many boots on the ground, I walked a little bit, but just hung cameras and just watched and I knew when this buck showed up. I was at work and this buck showed up in the morning and I had this pattern to him where if I knew he showed up in the morning he'd be back that night. I literally I text all the guys to group chat like I'm leaving work right now. I know this buck's going to show up. I think it was like by five 30, I called them screaming oh, I shot him. I shot him it. You know it ended up not working out when it works.

Speaker 3: 46:15

Yup, I mean you know it didn't work too great cause we didn't get them, but you know I ended up shouldering them, hitting them a little high, but you know you still learned from it.

Speaker 2: 46:25

It's a plain work. Yeah, every failure is still. You know I don't see it as a failure. I guess every unsuccessful hunt or anything that goes wrong on a hunt, in that moment it's heartbreaking, but for your career it's definitely. I think it's. It has to happen to kind of you know one hundred and two teach you how to get it right next time.

Speaker 3: 46:47

No, absolutely.

Speaker 4: 46:48

What's great about the network that we have? I mean, frank's my psychologist. When things are going right in the woods, you know, and we we feed off of each other, like what we're seeing, what's going on, mike jumps in because we're all on a group chat and then Mike's got something and we're all helping Mike out with a scenario and that's what's really cool. I mean, you got that brotherhood. Nobody's like, ah, screw you, you know, you already got it there. Nah, it's all cool, man. And yeah, you know, like you know, frank said, you know, here's the video. This is what happened. I think I hit him high, you know. Whatever. Okay, what time do you need me there? Because I'm coming, you know yeah and dude, I jumped in.

Speaker 4: 47:30

He's an hour from me, you know, and then it's like another 15 minutes to where he hunts, but mike came up, I came up yep, mike came up, everybody we teamed up, man, we went out, we gave it our all and and you know that's the important thing, if you didn't get the deer, you gave it your all to get the deer. You didn't just say, well, I was. You know it wasn't a good hit, but you know you try, you try and try yeah, and you find out who your friends are too.

Speaker 2: 47:54

Man exactly got people like that on your side.

Speaker 4: 47:57

I mean, he's called me literally like 9, 30, 10 o'clock. I'm man, but my beau's doing this and I'm like you're fine, you're not bothering me, I don't care.

Speaker 4: 48:09

I know it's hard to sleep when something's going on and driving you crazy. Talk to me what's going on. And when you got to network guys like that, who you're brothers you can count on, it makes your season go smoother. It gives you a little bit of sanity, like you're not going insane thinking like, well, what the hell is going on? I've had this buck show up and now he's not here. What am I doing wrong? Did I? Did I do? No, dude, just calm down, just put your time in. Yeah, he'll come back.

Speaker 4: 48:37

And Holy crap, I had a freaking roller coaster of a season two stuff I was after stuff I hit, stuff I didn't get you know, and then I pulled it together and you know and it's like I'm not the only one, everybody's going through this work If you weren't talking to people, you would just think like, well, that's it. You know, I'm done, I don't want to deal with it. Support. So, if anything, if anybody's going to take something away from this podcast tonight, you know, get a good couple of guys that you can really trust as your brothers, who are going to support you in the good or the bad.

Speaker 2: 49:13

They're going to be there for you and it's bigger than hunting too at that point, man, yeah touching on it, like men's mental health, like it's hard to really talk to people that really understand you, you know so when you have somebody's gonna listen, even if, like mike said, like you could talk about hunting that really understand you, you know so when you have somebody that's just going to listen, even if, like Mike said, like you could talk about hunting until you turn them blue.

Speaker 2: 49:27

You know what I mean. It's just so nice to to, to vocalize words and be understood and you know, talk to people that are kind of on the same page. And if you were, maybe you're having a bad day and, you know, just telling that story made you feel good again for, for you know, for the rest of that day got you through your day. Or hearing a story of somebody else's success, it just gets you through your day when you know sometimes you need that and I think it's good to have just that handful of dudes that you could really count on for something like that.

Speaker 3: 49:52

Yeah no, absolutely, like even when mike shot his book, I mean, here we are in the middle of the run. I'm like I'm texting from the tree. Hey, you know, let me know if you need me, I'll come down, you know. You know, just say the word I'm there, you know. Yeah, you know, it, it's just, it's just, it's awesome to have you know that. You know, like that whole group of support and everything on top of it, because, like, not only for the whole hunting thing, like you know, like my own son actually calls uncle squatch, uncle mike, like that's how, like that's how close we are. Even at the show, my son was trying to sell mike's hats for him. You know, like it was, it's just, you know, it's just awesome, it is a family, you know especially for all the right ones.

Speaker 2: 50:42

Like it seems like the network in new jersey and, you know, even the whole northeast is kind of growing and it's it's evolving there's a lot of really good people that are part of this network that I'm almost certain there's some, you could call it, you've never even met face with and they're going to show up and give you a hand or at least spend some time online or on the phone trying to help you out. To, yeah, yeah, to make sure that you're good, uh, I will 100.

Speaker 1: 51:04

Like everyone knows the midwest, like everyone is, you know, dialed into the midwest, you see what the midwest does, but, like the last, like probably since covid, the northeast really has taken off in a whole different light and is, you know, not only just put the map for hunting but just the, the community and everything like that. And you know, not only just put the map for hunting but just the community and everything like that. And you know exactly what you said. Like you just see the, I could talk to people from, you know, to connecticut. You know, you know, we, we know a couple of guys now from connecticut.

Speaker 3: 51:36

I had no like idea, like you know, there's big deal, yeah, yeah it's, it's insane.

Speaker 1: 51:44

Now, look at, look at, um, look at, uh, the long island boys like, look at, you know all those guys like you know. Look at dave, like what the hell? Like, yes, new jersey is crazy. You think about you know people like new jersey hunting, no, no, no. But then you talk about long island and I'm like I knew, had no idea there was deer on long. There's big deer there and you know just so much that has has just started to come out and you know the last couple years and it's just all avenues of hunting and how much like we have to to offer you know you look anywhere from probably I don't know delaware, maryland, maryland and above.

Speaker 1: 52:28

Look at the hunting that we have here, and not only, it's not just deer hunting, that's the cool thing, no, you know. Look at the waterfowl hunting. Look at the turkey hunting, you know. Then you get into the saltwater obviously, us being on the shore and everything like that. Look at all the saltwater opportunities that we get to do and everything like that. You know bear hunting, you know coyote, all these different things. So like to say, like the east coast isn't like it. It's definitely grown. I think it's just going to continue to grow and more people will see what not just new?

Speaker 1: 53:00

jersey has to offer. But you know, everywhere on the Northeast and everything is, I think, is really going to boom in the next, you know, especially in the next couple of years.

Speaker 2: 53:13

Sure, and I think we have the right people that are growing it on the East Coast. I mean, look at some of these like a lot of the network now. I mean you're pretty fresh on the podcast world as far as you know. What do you want your fifth year? Yeah. So I mean like we're we're kind of the new face. Our generation is kind of the new face. You know we're taking the torch and I think we're doing good by it.

Speaker 2: 53:33

Honestly, I think everybody that you know I follow on Facebook or Instagram or whatever, just all the positivity that the Northeast draws to is kind of like the reason I think everybody flocks to the west and the west has always talked about is like the hospitality out there. For one, it's different walks of life and I think you know just that slower pace, the welcoming and kind of like the northeast hunting uh is kind of taking to that. Like we're kind of there's more hospitality now, there's more acceptance, like I don't need to be better than you, there's enough here for all of us. You know what I mean.

Speaker 2: 54:04

Yeah, and I think that people are getting on board with that and that's what's helping it grow, that's what's helping the Northeast hunting evolve is that there's so much and there's so many people that are willing to put information out there to watch it grow and to keep it going, and, uh, I think without that it really doesn't stand a chance. So I think everybody needs to just keep doing what they're doing, stay humble and and keep, uh, keep fighting the good fight for hunting and outdoors in general yeah, yep, I couldn't agree more definitely you know new jersey too, you take the politics out of it.

Speaker 2: 54:36

It's, there's such an abundance for outdoor activity and wildlife. You know like yeah, oh yeah.

Speaker 1: 54:42

Yeah, oh yeah.

Speaker 3: 54:44

Yeah, yeah.

Speaker 2: 54:47

It's a question.

Speaker 3: 54:49

Yeah, no, it definitely is. There is one thing I wanted to ask you real quick Now I was, I was curious now, do you butcher your own deer or no?

Speaker 2: 54:58

I have. I just really don't feel the need to.

Speaker 3: 55:01

I do enough stuff, so like if I could just pass it off for a hundred bucks and you're going to put I have. I just really don't feel the need to.

Speaker 2: 55:06

I do enough stuff. So if I could just pass it off for a hundred bucks and you're going to put that in some sealed bags or some paper for me and take it out of my hands, I'm more than willing to spread the joy when it comes to things. And you know, I think there's some people that are within my network that kind of rely on that time of year to make a few bucks, that are within my network that kind of rely on that time of year to make a few bucks. So I feel like I'm doing more for the community.

Speaker 1: 55:26

If I just let somebody else that knows what they're doing handle it, no, absolutely pretty fair, yeah, I like you know, it's true, like I, I eventually want to get there, but it's also like it's a whole other work to to do and it's already like a lot we already do so much, especially you know you, you got you know the doing all the archery stuff and you know your own company and you know now frank is going to be you know doing the, the podcast and everything like that, and I got the podcast and the company to grow. You know squash, do you?

Speaker 4: 55:57

you butcher your good dear excuse me, I'm third generation Italian butcher. My great grandfather came from Italy and had a butcher shop in Flushing, queens and Whitestone. My grandfather taught us, and all our cousins and family brought the deer, when I was a kid, to us to butcher up. So I do everything, from the time they hit the ground till they're in the freezer, and I enjoy cooking and you know that's why I'm 240 freaking pounds, but uh no, I do all my own protein I do, I do all my own.

Speaker 4: 56:36

I don't know any different because it's just how I grew up doing it. And, like you said, hey, you're, you're giving work to people who look forward to that stuff for that time of the year. It opens you up to believe me. Believe me, there's times I'm like, oh, I gotta go cut that deer up. There's times, man, but you know, I just I hear my grandfather do you do it, you got to do your own stuff and I, you know it's just me, it's just me personally. But that's how it is with me too.

Speaker 2: 57:06

Like with with the boat work and the arrows and stuff like that. Like everybody keeps me busy enough during the season to where, like I, honestly I don't have the energy or even the the drive to want to learn how to cut my deer up. I want to make sure you're out in the woods and your setup is right and your arrows are right and you have everything you need. So you go kill, like on my spare time during the season. That's what I'm doing.

Speaker 2: 57:30

You know, I'm just trying to make sure everybody's up and running, and you know we do a lot of our stuff's in house. We make our strings in house. I have arrows in stock at all times. I could you know what I mean? I could could fully refurbish your whole entire bow for you during the season. So my priority is just making sure everybody stays up and running, making sure I stay up and running, and just, you know having time of field mixed in with running a business and, you know, having a family and being a dad.

Speaker 1: 57:54

So yeah, I will say, and I don't know if. Oh sorry, Frank.

Speaker 1: 57:58

No no no, go ahead, You're good. I don't know how much you. You know, frank, if you can comment this and everything like that, but the butchers were packed this year multiple times and it's such a great thing to see. Multiple times they're like oh no, we're not accepting. You know, deer, and I've never seen it like that this year, at least, you know, with my guy and everything like that there was just like oh, you know, we can only take 10 more. Thank god I was able to get my deer and everything like that. You know he's, he's my butcher. So, like if he was close, I'm like shit, where the hell do I go?

Speaker 1: 58:31

like I like to go to the same person over and over yeah exactly so, like, I think, hunting, you know it just goes on the fact of everything that we're talking about hunting is in such a great, I think, state right now and it's growing in a phenomenal way and I think more and more people are starting to understand, I think, a little bit more what to do. That one helps with all the podcasts that are out there and every everyone talking social media and stuff like that. Um, but also like for the butchers, like it's good because, yeah, they depend on this, just like you know, just like you you got bow guys and everything like that. Like without the customers, damn, you're at a regular nine to five job. You know I can't do what I'm doing without my clientele, my customers, exactly.

Speaker 2: 59:17

I can't do it, you know, and I feel like the butchers kind of do the same thing, like, hey, they want to have a few extra bucks, and you know, not that it's ever my motive at all, but we stay loyal to each other. You know what I mean. I know that if I'm loyal to him, he's going to be loyal to me and he's going to send them and I'm going to send people, and you kind of just beat off of each other to to continue to grow.

Speaker 3: 59:49

And I think that that's that's how you. You can't do it by yourself. Nope, I agree. What was your craziest animal encounter?

Speaker 2: 59:59

Probably, I don't know. I've had a couple bobcats the last few years and that was kind of odd for me, especially being from south jersey. Um, the first time that happened was out in indiana. I heard something ruckus, and around behind me I thought it was a buck chasing a doe because it was rut. And uh, next thing, you know, a bobcat showed up with a squirrel in its mouth. And then this year in connecticut, same thing. I, you know, I felt like something was watching me and I looked up and there was a bobcat watching me. So I threw the camera on and I recorded it a little bit, but that's about it. I've seen bear turkey hunting and stuff. I mean, I don't know if that's like a wild encounter, just because, like it became regular, it's happened more than once. Yeah.

Speaker 1: 1:00:41

Like no one, like people do the same thing, like oh, like when I tell them like yeah, like I've been 10 feet away from a black bear and looked, stared it right in the eyes and like yeah I don't know like it became so normal that it's not like. It's not like oh my god like it doesn't even kick up my adrenaline like that anymore okay, not anymore. Nope, okay cool. There's a bear Like whatever.

Speaker 3: 1:01:04

That's such a Jersey thing it literally is You're like oh shit, another one.

Speaker 2: 1:01:09

My turkey hunting career started in North Jersey because, like growing up, we always went fishing up at Swartzwood Lake in Sussex yeah, yep, I knew there was tons of birds up there, you know. And we went up and we scattered over by Paul and skill. And I'll never forget, I was sitting down in this Valley and, you know, heard something coming down the Hill and I turned and it was about a four 450 pound bear just making his way and walk right past us, walk right past my dad and I got a little fuzzy for a minute and I was like that was pretty wild. And then the next time we went up there we saw another bear and another. I see all my bears in the spring man when I'm turkey hunting up north. I kill every bear in the woods if I was able to.

Speaker 1: 1:01:45

but really I don't see. I don't see many in the spring. I really don't. I I don't. I usually see them in the summer, but once hunting season starts, like, I start to see them a lot. I don't. Yeah, I don't think I've encountered many bears during the spring. Um, I really don't think, like really at all, which is crazy now that, now that I was, gonna say I see them all the time, man, when I'm different for you like you're, you know you're in the.

Speaker 1: 1:02:18

I was never big into turkey hunting up until last year, and now I'm in an area where I don't have to worry about the bears, really I mean so. And even when we're at the Dell gap we we saw a sign, but we weren't. We actually didn't. I've hunted the Dell gap I think two years now for turkeys and I honestly I can't say that I've seen a bear. I'm pretty sure I saw a mountain lion, but that's about it.

Speaker 2: 1:02:46

Yeah, up by 80 is kind of crazy. You see a lot of activity up there, that's for sure.

Speaker 3: 1:02:51

Yeah, yeah, definitely.

Speaker 2: 1:02:52

I watched a deer swim straight across into Pennsylvania at the water gap one year when they were driving. It was pretty wild, that was probably the best thing I've ever seen in a deer woods.

Speaker 1: 1:03:09

Yeah, that's pretty cool. Um, yeah, I, I got one more for you. Um, you know with with the brand and you know with bo guy, and you know how can you people listen to this and you know they want to get some work done. Like how, what is the process for you to, you know, maybe someone who doesn't live as close or anything like that? Um, what would be the process for them if they're, if they're, interested in getting some work done?

Speaker 2: 1:03:31

so how I do things is kind of it's pretty lucrative. I'm uh, the nice thing about not having, um, a physical brick and mortar, so to speak, is that my it helps me keep my overhead down, so that means I could move around a little bit more, do a little bit more. So if somebody say, lived farther away, I travel so much between shows and shoots and whatnot that a lot of times I set up on my travels between Connecticut and New Jersey, I can set up picking up, dropping off. I've had people mail me bows before. You know what I mean and I do a lot of inquiries through, like Facebook, instagram, you know, email through my website. There's there's a million different ways to get ahold of me, but, like I'm so flexible and I think that that's kind of my versatility, is what's helped me grow, so, uh, there's really the the sky's the limit when it comes to getting stuff to me.

Speaker 2: 1:04:21

In the process, once I have your bow, is you know, or even before I pick it up, is we kind of just go over what you're looking for. I like to ask some questions. Make sure I'm thorough, as you know what you're using your setup for and what your goals are, what your setup, what your effective ranges are. Your setup and I like that, I like you know, that kind of helps me generate a build or set up.

Speaker 2: 1:04:46

You know, and a lot of times a lot of people come to me with ideas and you know we spend 20, 30 minutes on the phone and they realize like, hey, okay, that maybe that was overkill and ends up dumbing it down. They're not buying things that they don't need. You know, I don't like to oversell or so I guess that's. You know, that's kind of the process is just communication and then setting up like a pickup or drop off and that's it kind of try to keep it like a personal experience for everybody and I, I like that a lot, that that you said that, because you know one thing about shops and everything like that like man, it's been tough to pick.

Speaker 1: 1:05:17

You know why I I've been going back and forth and now I'm you know, I'm in a shop, in a shop that I like and everything like that, and they treat me well over there and stuff like that. But I do like the one on one personalization of everything and it's not like, at the end of the day, the shop is great. So I don't want to say anything negative about the shop they got bills to pay they got bills to pay and stuff like that.

Speaker 1: 1:05:41

But they do one, they're a shop, they also have so many and they just want to, and then they sell you and it's not always, it doesn't always feel like personal, like they're not. Yeah, you didn't get what you were trying to get out of it. Exactly you know what I mean. And you know at the end of the day, like, yeah, they're gonna, hey, come buy this. You know, oh, you think you know what I mean. But and you know at the end of the day, like, yeah, they're going to, hey, come buy this. You know, oh, you think you know what I mean. But you kind of breaking it like, ok, maybe you really don't need this, and especially once you get the idea of what they're really trying to achieve.

Speaker 1: 1:06:14

you know you can set that and I love that. I did that with my arrows this year. You know personally like questions were were what do you want them for what? What is your expectations out of of the arrows that I'm going to build you? And sure you know then what are your specs like, and you know it goes into every gritty detail and so you have to ask the boat.

Speaker 2: 1:06:35

Yeah, you have to ask the hard questions. A lot of shops don't want to deal with that like I've had. You know. I think one of the biggest downfalls, so to speak, to any part of the industry is just the upselling of stuff and making people believe they need certain things to achieve success, and we all know that's not true. I mean, it takes dedication and it takes you got to work. You know, and I don't care how nice I set your bubble up, I don't care how cool it looks, I don't care how great or how expensive your arrows are, if you suck, you got to just shoot more. There's no way to fix sucking at something other than just putting the work in.

Speaker 2: 1:07:13

So, that's my biggest thing. My clientele is kind of like I don't oversell, I'll entertain anything you want me to do.

Speaker 3: 1:07:29

But at the same time you got to put the work in, or it's not going to mean anything when it's done. So, yeah, no, it's a very good point, because I think that's why, like especially, by me I think a lot of people picked up crossbow hunting, just because it's, it's easy. Yeah, you know so, you know again, so sorry some guys can't draw a bow, so they can.

Speaker 4: 1:07:45

They have to rely on a crossbow, so that's why it picked up a bit of popularity also.

Speaker 2: 1:07:49

Well, sure, I think everything has its place yeah, yeah, but yeah, hard work, practice like my little sister. She shoots for team usa. She's 100 pro shooter.

Speaker 2: 1:07:59

She's all over for shooting a, and she's 200 arrows a day, 300 hours a day wow, you don't get like that. You know tapes. That's that's why you know she is where she is, that's where anybody who's successful in this industry is where they are, because I mean the podcast and you know the hunch. You guys get your grind, you gotta grind. So that's my biggest push and I feel like that's kind of what my motive is being in my position is to kind of get in shape, stay in shape and, you know, just put into work man, I, I definitely agree, you know you.

Speaker 1: 1:08:31

You just see so much, especially like I always break it down. There's, there's a few different types of hunters out there, right, and I was breaking it up today at work and they were like, oh, like I didn't know, so much goes into it. I'm like man, the obsession is just absolutely. But I'm obsessed Like one of my patients they're like you're a nerd for hunting and I go. I've never been called the nerd once in my life I was like no one ever calls me.

Speaker 1: 1:08:57

But then I was like I was thinking about him, like I am so nerdy when it comes to hunting, like I right, it is like you. You have to break down everything, and we do. We break down every single thing. And listen, let's not even talk about the bow setup, because your bow setup is it could go so many different ways. I I mean, there's so much different and it's.

Speaker 1: 1:09:25

It's gets down to the science of of a lot of it. It's just like, especially when you're throwing in the arrows and everything like that and you know, and then shooting, but just hunting, just alone, just hunting and hunting like you. Look at the deer that we all have hunting these specific deers, how much goes into everything. And Peyton said it best, I think this year or last year, I can't remember. He goes to kill a mature deer. 10 out of 10. Things have to go right and we were a lot of times.

Speaker 4: 1:10:01

We're nine of the tenth there and we're just missing that one, and that's not our preparation.

Speaker 1: 1:10:06

But we have the dedication, but sometimes it's it should. Sometimes it's just not meant to be. Sometimes you know what that buck? He took a whole different trail than you thought. You know what I mean. Maybe he spotted what was able to wind you. The wind swirled it. There's so much that goes on in in the woods and so much um especially we have to go with yeah, especially

Speaker 2: 1:10:28

yeah, you're killing mature deer in new jersey. Man, like, kudos to you. I don't care who you are, congratulations like that's an accomplishment. Private public doesn't matter, bait, no bait. You're still putting work in. That's not an easy task mature deer in any state, let alone but jersey. When you have such a high number of uh tags for bucks. Like yeah, it's not one buck state, there's not tons of mature deer. Like if you get on a mature deer and you kill it like bro, your homework was a plus. You passed every task you were supposed to yeah, so can say better myself.

Speaker 3: 1:11:00

Agreed what about you guys.

Speaker 2: 1:11:04

Any other questions about setups or tuning?

Speaker 1: 1:11:06

or I mean, I imagine we could go for hours and hours and hours.

Speaker 4: 1:11:13

Do you use a saddle setup at all?

Speaker 2: 1:11:15

No, I'm 100% climber right now. We're moving to a little bit more of a compact setup. This year my son and I we're going to a stick and stand XOP compact setup. This year my son and I were going to like a stick and stand. Xop apparently has some decent stuff coming up so we're going to look at, you know, just a lighter setup, move to an e-bike this year so we can be a little bit.

Speaker 1: 1:11:32

How'd you like that? That's that's that and a kayak are two things I want to get into just with with the mobile hunting that I do and everything like that, like I would love to get. Those are two things. So how, how'd you like an e-bike?

Speaker 2: 1:11:45

well, the e-bike I didn't use this past season are you're using it, okay, yeah I'm just kind of adapting to it, seeing what its capabilities are, so I could learn how to build it. You know what I mean, how I want to set it up and whatnot. But I feel like in the early season is when it's going to be the biggest game changer for us. Because I always tell myself early season, like I'm not going to push that hard, we're only going to walk 200 yards and actually you know you're 650 deep and you're sweating your, your ball and you're like another 100 yards.

Speaker 3: 1:12:12

I think the bike's going to save that kind of stuff.

Speaker 2: 1:12:14

It's going to let you be a little bit more aggressive early and um.

Speaker 1: 1:12:19

You know that's not as much. Much. That's a key.

Speaker 2: 1:12:22

That was the motive behind the bike. Late season, I'm already acclimated, I could grind with my legs and you know. But early season I don't want to walk 650. You know, would it stand on my back and a 10-pound belt on my hand.

Speaker 1: 1:12:34

Nope me, neither Nope Early season, Late season. I'm the opposite.

Speaker 2: 1:12:49

Like late season.

Speaker 1: 1:12:49

I don't want to do anything late season I barely want to, barely want to go. Yeah, after buck week I'm I kind of lose motivation, but my body is ready for more. Just my mind I'm. I'm a straight waterfowl hunter. After, uh, after, yeah, probably after, like thanksgiving buck week, the only thing I care about at that point is is waterfowl and but like I don't know, like we were, we're down in delaware this year and like just gonna be doing that more often and like it was, I think it was like 90, it's 92 degrees, like when I was dying and I was like I was hiking out there, I had my whole and I wasn't like the first hunt was a ground hunt, so I had my like I had the whole ghillie puck set up. I had to bring a chair, I had my bow like I'm just drenched.

Speaker 1: 1:13:25

I probably brought more equipment than I really needed because it's it's the first hunt of the year and I'm like, well, what the hell am I gonna do? You know, you're still getting the cobwebs. I'm gonna take everything, you're taking everything. And then I'm walking, I'm like, and then you forget something. At the like I I forgot. I think I had to walk back and forth to the truck multiple times. I tried setting up with the with the saddle no go. So then I went back all the way back, grabbed the ghillie puck and everything like that, switched out some of my stuff, went all the way back, got there and then I can't remember what the hell I forgot. But then I forgot and I walked all the way back, got there and then I can't remember what the hell I forgot. But then I forgot and I walked all the way back, then walked it and I kept just going back and I was drenched in sweat.

Speaker 1: 1:14:12

It was brutal saw me in here, so like it was great, but a nice little e-bike would have been real nice. I probably could have gone farther than you I probably could have just kept going, going that that's gonna be my problem if I get one. I'm just like, oh, you know what I can keep going? I'm just gonna keep going, yeah just keep mine.

Speaker 2: 1:14:31

We got an 80 mile range. Don't get too deep.

Speaker 3: 1:14:33

That's it. He's gonna be calling us for help and be like mike we can't get to you, you're on your own, buddy.

Speaker 1: 1:14:38

I'm gonna call 9-1-1, what, but yeah y'all better come get me.

Speaker 4: 1:14:44

So a little fun fact about the e-bike that I just found out with my job MVP health insurance, as a getting healthy kind of incentive, will give me up to $600 for an e-bike.

Speaker 2: 1:14:57

Oh really, the one I just got was $1,300 with a free trailer. So I mean, that's your halfway there so what?

Speaker 4: 1:15:03

which one did you go with? I gotta be cool I think it's. Oh, I saw it.

Speaker 2: 1:15:07

Yeah, I don't remember what the name of it is. There's so many models, but it's, it's nice. I mean it tops out.

Speaker 4: 1:15:14

I, I could hit 30 on a flat single motor or is it dual motor?

Speaker 2: 1:15:18

single yeah it's rear wheel you know, but a lot of where I hunt in south jersey. That's kind of where I'm at early. It's flat, so I don't really have any kind of need for a two-wheel drive e-bike. I didn't want to, you know, throw the 3500 e-bike, you know yeah, you know just something else to add to my.

Speaker 2: 1:15:36

You know my arsenal and then, like I said, the the lock. I was going to a lock on this year too. I wanted, you know, a smaller setup and whatnot, because in ohio we got in some trouble. We found some really good spots, but no trees to throw a climber, and so we're gonna go platform and stick this year too, man yeah, I mean, listen, I kudos to you guys.

Speaker 1: 1:15:57

Jen, I remember always seeing your video kudos to using the climber's cell and everything like that, like it's all I know. Yeah, it's a. Uh, I mean you might my setup so light and just like I, I love my setup and everything like that. Happy, happy I moved to the, to the saddle and everything like that. But, like I said, and I've said it a bunch of times on on on this podcast and you know, frank knows like it'll probably be when I get my own property, but I plan on killing a deer one year every method of hunting and that would include also, you know, the climber and everything like that I remember when I first started.

Speaker 1: 1:16:33

That's what I was using the climber and I like I still think it was by far the most comfortable hunts I've ever been in. I had the summit one um climber. That was just like the mesh, like kind of seating yeah, you just sink into it so comfortable that was not quite as comfy, but we have lone wolf hand climbers, so they're still.

Speaker 2: 1:16:53

They pack flat but they're still kind of rigid. You know the seats aren't the greatest, but like we could get in some spots super quick, super quiet. Like that's my whole motivation on that. And yeah, you know, just it's so familiar for me, like I could probably get in a tree quicker with a climber than you can almost climb a ladder and strap in. You know, like it's just it's automatic at this point.

Speaker 2: 1:17:12

But old dogs gotta learn new tricks, I guess you know yeah we're gonna, like I said, add that to the arsenal this year and hopefully that helps us get into some new spots. And, you know, kayak would be cool too, though that's on the radar.

Speaker 1: 1:17:28

Yeah, yeah, I think it's on all of us, on all of ours. Yeah, I, I still think to this day. My favorite picture to ever see is always the one when someone's like kayaking and canoeing, a buck out and you just have the buck right.

Speaker 4: 1:17:44

And yet I still think like that is a goal that is the goal.

Speaker 1: 1:17:48

Like every time I say that I think that's just so cool, like that's, yeah it's a bucket list for sure.

Speaker 2: 1:17:55

Like, like you were saying, like different methods of hunting, like I've shot so many deer with a bow, a vertical bow, that like I honestly like in not any kind of bragging sense, I literally probably couldn't give you a real number and that's why this year I moved to the ground blind. I have a Barnett crossbow. I threw some of my strings on in a nice scope. As long as I'm using legal matters to do so, I kind of want to do the same thing. I want to shoot them with a slug gun. Haven't shot, you know, I haven't shot with a crossbow yet and just kind of different methods, just to prove you know I haven't shot a buck over bait. I want to shoot a buck over bait. You know what I mean. Like absolutely it's not my cup of tea. But at the same time, like you got to try everything once and kind of just verse yourself in different experiences, because if not, there's there's not really much to keep you going after it. I want to spear one. That'd be pretty cool. I like watching Tim Wells, oh yeah.

Speaker 3: 1:18:55

Those arms squash. I think you'll be fine.

Speaker 1: 1:18:58

Squatch in the tree. I would love, I would listen. If you get to spear one, I am 100 coming with you and filming that whole.

Speaker 1: 1:19:06

Yeah, a squash in a tree like get in a spear, right I mean, but those hunts are pretty damn cool like those, those spear hunts like you know, you, you watch them and it's like every there there's just so many challenges in in so many different ways and it's like you know that's another one. Like you look at back, back and they let our answer like listen, they're, they're native americans, are using spear, they're using whatever, whatever method they could and you know how many stick right and we always talk and I always hate where people are like oh well, baiting is not.

Speaker 1: 1:19:36

Well, guess what I guarantee you they they drove buffalo off a cliff right you can't tell me what you, you can't tell me what is. You know what I mean? Listen, at the end of the day, their whole whatever is going to get some meat yeah that's all they did, that's all they cared about.

Speaker 1: 1:19:55

And, yeah, we, it should be. As long as it's legal, do it. Yes, some things are not my cup of tea, a hundred percent I I will not be, you know, I'll be the first one to say it. There's certain things that like, but will I try it? Yeah, like, I eventually do want to try, if it's legal, still to go hunt with dogs, like I would, I you know, I think, it's a huge hunt down in in north, I think, north carolina, I think they.

Speaker 1: 1:20:20

They do that and stuff like that yeah, like why not? It's another experience like that's why I pick up the slug gun, that's why I bought a slug gun. I'm not a big gun hunter. You know what I mean. I told frank like I went to a store. I was like hey, you guys got a slug gun for sale. They're like yeah, which one you want? You want the two thousand dollar one or you want the four hundred dollar?

Speaker 4: 1:20:41

I said the four hundred dollar one.

Speaker 1: 1:20:43

Yeah, I'm only gonna go out for a couple days a year, like yeah let's get the.

Speaker 3: 1:20:47

I remember that phone call.

Speaker 1: 1:20:48

You know what I mean like it's a different, it's a different method and after grinding bow season and it like we, it's nice to relax it's. It's a different hunt, it's a relaxing hunt. You know, I tell frank all the time I'm the time. Hey, listen, you want to come out? You want to do that? I don't even care about killing anything at that point. I just want to go out, have some fun, just go be with the boys and everything like that.

Speaker 1: 1:21:12

If I kill one with a slug. I can't wait, I really can't wait. And then the muzzleloader will probably be the next one.

Speaker 2: 1:21:27

That's probably be the next one, like I'm gonna. That's how it wasn't the muzzleloader. Yeah, I set a camera up up here in connecticut and the way the bow season works is like once gun season comes in they break like a lot of state land you can't bow hunt on. So I didn't have a choice, like yeah, I had a camera out and I had a good deer show up on camera and I didn't have a muzzleloader. I had one years ago in jersey. I was like it's too much work, whatever, but here they could, they'll ship you one.

Speaker 2: 1:21:41

So I was like hey, I went on traditions, ordered a muzzleloader, ordered a scope, and some rings went down to jersey, sighted it in, came back and I shot that one out of the ground, blind with the muzzleloader and like I thought it was going to be like ah, whatever. But it was like so dramatic for like what the deer was too, like it was just a five point. But you know, big body, good, decent deer. But I never shot one of muzzleloaders. So like when you pull that trigger and that cloud is in front of you it did the suspense is like killer.

Speaker 4: 1:22:11

You're like did.

Speaker 2: 1:22:12

I get it and then it clears and you see the feet kick and you're like yes. Like it's a whole different experience.

Speaker 4: 1:22:19

I love muzzleloader hunting. Sometimes I've had seasons. I mean I love mozo loader hunting. Sometimes I've had seasons. I mean I've killed four deer with the mozo loaders, like two years ago. I was just racking them, I was like pow, pow. I was like I want to shoot another one.

Speaker 2: 1:22:32

This year too.

Speaker 4: 1:22:33

I mean I got out of work. I worked for a highway department. We had a storm. It was mozo loader season. I got home, the deer were next to my house. I got orchards out behind my house. I ran my fat ass all the way out to the orchard and I got to the first row of trees and I waited.

Speaker 4: 1:22:48

I could see her coming through big hundred and eighty pound doe and I just touched it off and there was just like you said, there was just smoke, and I was like yeah, oh man, I think I got her and when I walked down there I could there was just blood spray all over the snow.

Speaker 2: 1:23:05

I was like, oh yeah, she's done, yeah, it's a whole different feeling, love it you have to really try everything to appreciate the whole entire history of hunting, especially like muzzleloaders that's as close to bow hunting as you're getting. Honestly, it's one and done. If you miss, you might as well pack it up and go home well, I got my recurve.

Speaker 4: 1:23:24

I took my recurve out after 20 years and not shooting it and, uh, I was just shooting last last night, night before, and, um, you know, just starting out at 10 yards, but I'm hitting my own arrows at 10 yards, so I'll move back now to 20 and I'll start working on 20. Yeah, that's one of my objectives is to kill a turkey this spring. I'm going to take the shotgun out, get one down first, and then I'm going to hunt the rest of the season with the recurve.

Speaker 2: 1:23:51

Yeah, I'd like to shoot a deer with the recurve this coming season. Elite just came out with a new one. That's pretty nice, so I'm probably going to get my hands on one of them and set it up and make that an early season goal. I don't know if I'm going to trust myself enough come November to be ripping through the woods with a recurve, but September, I think it's a good way to get your feet wet. That's it.

Speaker 3: 1:24:11

Perfect time to use it.

Speaker 4: 1:24:13

When I took it up 20 years ago. I said, you know, I think I bought that recurve in July and by October I was deadly with with it and I killed a buck that first year I was out. And that feeling I mean I killed a lot of deer I've killed, like you said, I don't even know how many deer I've ever killed, but that primitive feeling is when I when I did that and I hit that deer, perfect and it went 75 yards and dropped dead.

Speaker 4: 1:24:41

No, no sights, just three fingers under the string and let it rip. Man, that was.

Speaker 2: 1:24:46

That was incredible I think that's when you really become a man.

Speaker 4: 1:24:50

It's when you shoot one with a recurve.

Speaker 3: 1:24:53

Yeah, yeah, I ain't there yet I'm not there yet it's on the agenda, but not quite there, there yet.

Speaker 1: 1:25:00

It's on the agenda but not quite there yet.

Speaker 2: 1:25:05

Yeah.

Speaker 3: 1:25:05

I want to be a game longer, yeah, but all right guys. Hey Roger, it was a pleasure having you on. I hope you had fun. I know we all enjoy hearing your stories and you know looking forward to getting you back on and I'm going to see you guys at that game dinner april 5th.

Speaker 2: 1:25:22

Um, I'll be there and then uh gonna try like heck to get to that that orchard shoot, as long as I don't have any kind of sanctioned shoot or anything big going on, yeah, we get out there too, but I move around quite a bit. I don't know who follows me or how long you guys have, but yeah yeah, I mean I have for a while yeah I might have.

Speaker 3: 1:25:40

Yeah, you might be my new guy, especially if especially if you're going to be traveling out.

Speaker 1: 1:25:45

That's why I have it, because when you were I think when you were still living in South Jersey I was like, oh man, I was like that's far, because I wanted you to work on my bow. But now that I know you do the whole traveling, I'm probably going to have some work done, probably next year about it, man.

Speaker 2: 1:25:59

I, just like I said, and you know, I try to keep it fair and just try to turn out good work, so everybody goes in the woods, and I mean I. I get a lot out of that too. Seeing my clientele have success makes me super, super happy, so that's why I do it, man it's awesome, love it, love it.

Speaker 3: 1:26:16

but all right, guys, I guess we'll end there. I just want to give, uh, real quick, just a big shout out to some of our sponsors. We have for Gilly puck, hex hunting, buckshot taxidermy. Also, go check out bow guy, give him a, give him a shout, he'll hook you up with everything you need. But we appreciate you guys staying tuned and hope you guys had fun. We, we all know we did so. Have a good night, guys, and we'll see you guys next time.