Show Identity And Jersey’s Range

SPEAKER_00 0:00

This is the Garden State Outdoors and Podcast. Built on early alarms, muddy boots, and stories that only the woods can write. New Jersey is one of the most underappreciated states in the outdoors. And little do they know what it really holds. From hard-earned public land deer to waterfowl, predators, and everything in between. This state produces more than people give it credit for. Now let's dial in with the men and women around the state of New Jersey who live this life every day. In New Jersey, excuses don't survive. Only the grinders do. Alright, everyone. We are back for another episode of the Garden State Outdoors Podcast. Today I am brought to you by Ken or Kenny Cockerell. Welcome to the show.

SPEAKER_02 0:52

What's up, fellas? Nice to meet you guys. It's been a pleasure listening to the show for shit. Now I have a big interest in Jersey outdoors. I think it's one of the most slept-on states ever.

SPEAKER_00 1:06

Preach, preach, preach. Well, first of all, thank you for listening all these years. And you know, that that's exactly what really got us started was like to show everybody what's what's out there in in New Jersey. And it's uh yeah, we're such a slept-on state. You know, no one thinks of of New Jersey when you think I I think that's like the theme of every every guy that I get on, or or what woman that I get on from Jersey, and we always started off with like, yeah, no one understands what we really have here.

SPEAKER_02 1:38

We have everything. Like this past year, uh, of course, there's a plane flying by as soon as we hop on, but this past year was my first year actually traveling up to North Jersey, and I spent three, three days in the archery season chasing bear, and then four days during gun season. And like I didn't know Jersey had mountains too. I'm from South Jersey. I'm hunting the swamps and and the pines, and then I go an hour and a half up north, and it's it's like the Poconos. It's crazy.

SPEAKER_00 2:11

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. So you're you're the for everyone who's listening, and you know, maybe you're you're new to our show and everything like that. Like Jersey is a state, yes, we're small, but we're so diverse. So where he's from in South Jersey, it's all flat. You have the Pine Barrens, which is absolutely huge. I think what the Pine Barrens is a couple million acres, if if I'm not mistaken.

SPEAKER_02 2:36

Yeah, it's it's baffling. I I I go there often, and you can hold a new piece of the public every day.

SPEAKER_00 2:44

Yeah, yeah, it's and then you go to like then you go all the way up to northwest Jersey, and you literally like, holy shit, like, yeah, we act, yeah, we have mountains, like we have good sized mountains now. They're not like Virginia and everything like that, but these are mountains that if you're still not accustomed to the elevation change, uh hunting up a ridge and and doing all that is a is a big difference. We have bear, you know, every everyone knows this. We have bears, we have bobcats, we have turkeys, we have deer, we have fox, we have gray fox, we have just about everything, and we're not even talking about fishing. So, for all you guys who who are listening who's new, that's kind of what we're working with and what what what he's talking about. It's a night and day difference hunting where he hunts, and then coming up to to basically where I am. It's uh it's a whole different world.

SPEAKER_02 3:38

I hunt yeah, I hunted a lot of uh farmland too in like Salem County area when I was growing up, and that like that was what I grew up hunting, and then to go up north and experience that it's it's I consider it a blessing to be here because we literally get the best of we we get to try everything.

Tags, Seasons, And Harvested Meat

SPEAKER_00 3:59

Yeah, it's all yeah, no, I agree, and then our tags like yes, there's a lot to complain about with certain stuff, but at the end of the day, we start the second week of September. Depends on where you are, you can go to all the way to the second week of February. You have basically almost seven bucks and unlimited dose. Would I like to see some things change with certain stuff? Sure, but the opportunity to hunt here is unmatched by any state, and it's not even, I don't even think it's close.

SPEAKER_02 4:28

That's another big reason why um I love it so much here because uh seven years ago I made the decision to exclusively eat meat that I personally harvest. Like, so living in New Jersey gives me that capability. I could eat all I eat is deer meat. Yeah. And if I were to live in Pennsylvania, I'm getting one buck tag and one dough tag for each permit I purchase. And like, you know, Jersey, you can live off of the land. It's it's it's incredible.

SPEAKER_00 5:03

Yeah, yeah. How many? So you you move to that, and obviously we're gonna get into everything that that you do and everything like that, but you move to to eating everything that you well, obviously only what you harvest. What did what did that look like? Like, how many deer now are you are you taking per season four? Just let's just say yourself. Let's not even talk about your family, just for yourself, how much how many deer do you do you need to eat uh or you need to harvest within a within a year?

SPEAKER_02 5:30

I have it down well, I eat like a ton of protein. I eat almost like a pound a day, and I've got it scheduled to like one deer per month. So like 12 deer, and I'm eating per I'm good until like the next September, October, and it's it's been timing up perfect. Wow. And it also helped me like crazy. Like I was it it it it helped me change my life. Like I I spent the first 20 years of my life uh you know a little overweight. I was touching like 310 pounds at one point, and then I switched to wild game exclusively, changed my whole life around, and now I lost 100 pounds and I feel healthier than ever.

SPEAKER_00 6:20

Yeah, yeah, no, that's uh that's incredible. And and that's like the big thing where you know, I always tell people like, well, especially here in America, what we eat is just so not good for you, you know, and we are the most obese country, and I don't even think it's even close at not even close that matter. But like, you know, eating venison and or you know, just any type of wild game and stuff like that, it just has so many different, so much different benefits for you. Exactly. Not even close, then yeah, you're going to feel better mentally mentally, like my one buddy who he sweats he to basically a diet the same thing, but he does only um he only eats meat. Um uh carnivore diet? Yeah, yeah, he does a carnivore diet and everything like that. And he said mentally he feels a lot better. Like his whole you know, all the fogginess and everything like that kind of lifted, and he does feel so much better.

SPEAKER_02 7:16

Yeah, my body has actually like started rejecting like added sugar and like high fructose corn syrup. Like I can't I can't mess with any of that where I'll feel I'll feel sick.

SPEAKER_00 7:28

Yeah, super thankful actually, because you know, I I get no no no isn't it crazy though, like you look at what we've what we've been doing our whole entire our whole entire lives and then and what we've been eating and everything like that, and then when you you change it up, your body naturally starts to to reject it.

SPEAKER_02 7:55

Yeah, it's it's crazy. It's like I uh yeah, and I think another aspect uh eating meat that I harvest, like I'm super in tune with my body, and I'm super thankful for like the basic meals, like just a pound of ground meat, like ah, that that's like the uh filet mignon to me. It it's it's uh I think it makes a huge difference. And another thing that I don't want to get into too much, but I I was always a big fan of Ted Nugging U. And let me tell you, when you eat exclusively wild game meat, the spirit of the wild, it definitely uh it definitely has its effect.

SPEAKER_00 9:21

And then my one earbud died, and then it switched, um for some reason it switched up to my headphone or or like my earbud and everything like that. Everything just keeps going going awry. This is just a terrible day for technology.

SPEAKER_02 9:46

Terrible day for technology.

SPEAKER_00 9:50

Yeah, terrible day for technology. Nothing wants to work right now. We're we're we're gonna go old school. Can you hear me all right?

SPEAKER_02 10:27

Yeah, we're good now, brother.

SPEAKER_00 10:29

Okay, all right.

Kenny’s Outdoor Roots And MMA Path

SPEAKER_00 10:32

God, it was one of those days. Um so as as I was saying, um, you know, get why don't you go through and and give the listeners a little uh backstory about yourself, you know, maybe uh some of our listeners who don't know you and everything like that, kind of give them a rundown of, you know, your your childhood, when you got into the outdoors and and some of the things that you do now.

SPEAKER_02 10:55

We'll do. So I was uh blessed with the outdoors my whole childhood. My dad got me into upland bird hunting at uh three. The the first picture of me is at three years old holding a pheasant up, and the pheasant is just about as tall as I am. And I was I basically grew up outside, like you know, my house backed up to woods. I spent my childhood shooting bows and chasing squirrels, chipmunks, various animals, and I always hunted, like always, but it wasn't until uh 18, 19 when like I really got into hunting. And at the same time, I it's funny, at the as I grew up hunting, I also grew up uh doing martial arts my whole whole childhood. And then I got out of it like 15, I kind of got out of hunting too, like you know, just went with my dad because I kind of had to, like I the love for it wasn't there. And then like around 18, 19, something clicked. And I got back into martial arts, I got back into hunting, and now I am that's all I do. Um I compete in mixed martial arts, uh, work cage fighting other people's car. And I also hunt as much as possible for everything you could think of besides ducks, because I just don't, I just don't have time.

SPEAKER_01 12:27

Like, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 12:29

Between deer hunting, I just got uh a Brocco Italiano puppy that I'm training to be a bird dog and a blood tracking dog. So like that's the one, and I have nothing against duck hunting, it's just like the same time as deer season for me.

SPEAKER_00 12:46

So, you know, gotta you gotta take one or the other, and that that's really kind of how it is.

SPEAKER_02 12:52

And I hunt to eat, so like one duck is one meal, one deer is a month's worth of meals. So you know what I mean? I gotta make a sacrifice somewhere.

SPEAKER_00 13:02

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. No, I I listen, I completely get it. Like at the end of the day, like I I I love waterfowl hunting, but like it's way more bang for your buck with with with deer or with a bear, you know what I mean? Uh which you which you were um, you know, which you saw and everything like that. Just those big game animals, just the amount of meat you're gonna get is you know undeniable. And when you're literally eating everything that you that you kill, and only the meat that you that you harvest, you have no choice but to you gotta pick the big game. Like you you you have no choice at that point, and especially doing what you're doing. So, like I imagine also, so for for what you're doing for work, for getting up there for for deer hunting and and and everything like that, and then also training too on top of that, because yet again, you gotta be in uh tip top shape and and everything like that. So you don't have the extra time to maybe go out and and go even, you know, go shoot a shoot a duck or you go duck hunting or or go set up because at the end of the day, like that's the time that you're gonna use maybe to to be in the gym, or maybe you know, rest your your body, or you know, if you're getting ready for your you know a pre-fight and everything like that, all the things that you gotta go into and and and stuff like that.

SPEAKER_02 14:22

Exactly. And and I also never really had like the introduction of someone that knew what they were doing. Like, I always, you know, my dad took me bird hunting, showed me everything, and multiple members of my family took me deer hunting, but like I don't know, duck hunting just never never got my I never fell in love with it. Every other type of hunting, I could do it every day for the rest of my life, and one day I will.

SPEAKER_00 14:48

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. No, 100 100%. Um, so you you kind of grew up and you know, you're you're remember you there's a picture of you at three with with the pheasant and everything like that. Like, when did you know, obviously, like when did your your first hunt ever happen? Like, do you do you remember when your first hunt was?

SPEAKER_02 15:07

Yeah, I do. Well, multiple. My first bird hunt was my youth day in 2010. And you know, that I that was just your classic. We went out, I think we were done by 8:30. We got our two birds, and that was just the classic best day. But my first deer hunt was actually, uh, as much as I hate to say, it was a high fence farm. My dad took me when I was nine. Yeah, actually, I'm lying. My first hunt ever was a hog hunt in Georgia where where I actually was able, I forgot all about this, I was able to harvest two, two hogs, and I actually shot a third one that got away. So I shot him at 20 yards with a 30-30 rifle, dropped him. He gets up, crawls away, crawled into a creek, and got eaten by a he got eaten by an alligator. Yeah, this is a true story. The the the guys bring out tracking dogs, and the track, the tracking dogs get on the trail, and one of the tracking dogs went into the same creek that the hog went into, and the alligator got the got the dog as well. And them Georgia people are different, dog. They were they were not upset about that dog whatsoever. They were like, damn, she was a good dog, and that was it.

SPEAKER_00 16:30

You know why? I I feel like it's because for them, I don't know, like there are people who work with dogs like that in a way like they probably can't grow attached to them like the rest of us and normal people. Because if if a damn if something eats my damn dog, I'm gonna I'm gonna kill that thing. Like I will spend my whole entire time hunting it until like it's dead.

SPEAKER_02 16:57

I'm I'm spending the rest of my life being like Troy from Swamp People. I'm getting a hundred a year, dude. Like I would I would become the biggest gator hater there is. Yeah, I couldn't believe it. But that was my first hunt, you know. Like I said, I've been really blessed. My dad hooked me up, like he he embraced that father-son hunting relationship, took me to every youth day, took me to Georgia, took me on a high-fence deer farm or a high-fence farm in PA, and had me, you know, I kill a 10-point buck for my first deer. Like, I'll never ever go back to a high fence farm, but when I was 10, that was I was the man.

SPEAKER_00 17:36

Like, yeah, right. Who cares? At that age, it's like it doesn't even matter. Like, yeah, I'm I'm the shit. Like, I just so many games where like you and also like I don't know, like I think if my especially like there's ways that you play out, but you want to it's like doing anything else for your kid. Like, you want them to experience things that you never got to do, you know what I mean? So like big time taking like a a your your 10-year-old's uh kid to to a high fence hunt is like hey, like I've never got to do this. He loves hunting, and you know what, it became a long-lasting memory. So, like at the end of the day, like it was a hundred percent worth it. I think people just more have issue with like I don't know if you're just willing to to hunt it like any other way, like as a grown adult, and you you don't, like, I guess that's that's kind of what people, you know have issues with. But honestly, I don't I don't really care um how it gets done. I think I I I I generally don't like listen, people gotta make money, people gotta do what they gotta do. Um, you know, and there is a profit for it. There's there's people out there that can spend the money, you and that we're not spending the money on, you know what I mean? Like I'm not gonna spend the money, but there are people out there that that's probably chump change to them.

SPEAKER_02 19:00

And also, like he he documented the whole experience with uh like you know, old school camera back then. Oh, that's sick. You could you could see all the pictures like us sitting in the blind, and then like when when the deer comes out, and then when I dropped them, like the smile on my face, like neither of us will ever ever forget that. And like, how long would that take to go hunt Jersey Public to kill a 10-pointer with your 10-year-old son? Come on, man. Yeah, yeah, no, no. Like working full time, because my me and my dad do the same thing. He's a heavy equipment operator 30 years, so like it's damn that that I know it and it and it makes complete sense.

SPEAKER_00 19:43

Like, you know, it's listen, you gotta do what you gotta do, you know, and at the end of the day, yeah, it's all about the memory. And the fact that it's on video too, that's even better on a time period where like yeah, like people videoed their hunt, but not like it is today. Like if someone's like, oh yeah, like my you know, I videoed my 10-year-old son now, it's like, yeah, okay, because everyone everyone videos stuff nowadays, but like, yeah, back back then, right? 2000 you said 2010? Yeah, or oh nine, actually, 2009. 2009, yeah. So like shit, we still I think I was I think I had a Blackberry as a phone, or or people, and people still had the flip phones. I don't even think like iPhones were were even popular yet, and you know what I mean. So that was that was during the the OG, definitely the OG uh era uh for the days. That's pretty sick. That's pretty

Land Loss And Modern Mapping Tools

SPEAKER_00 20:37

sick. Um now you you go what what was it like? And I I always ask everyone this, especially hunting in Jersey, like what do you remember kind of what it was like hunting in Jersey at that time period compared to now? Like I imagine like you see a lot of developments now, you know what I mean, and and a lot of land has has been lost and everything like that. Um, obviously not in the pine barrens, but like have has that been something that you've noticed, like maybe less less deer, less quality, you know, less stocking of the pheasants I've I've heard and everything like that. Uh definitely.

SPEAKER_02 21:17

As far as like property-wise, I feel like every like eight out of my 10 old hunting spots are gone now to development, whether it be a data center or or you know, a storage, storage unit or something, something something. It's all of it's just, you know, eventually it's all gonna change. But the hunting I remember back then, I remember like having to take my deer to the check-in station every time I would I would get one. And that was like a big deal. And back then, I actually like, you know, because I always would just be able to go with my pops. It was one deer, two deer a year. We were mostly just bird hunters because, you know, I was probably a little annoying to sit in the blind with. I know I would never shut up. And I remember I remember countless times on youth day and everything, blowing it. And and now when I look back on it, I I got the most respect. Cause like, dude, I would damn it takes some patience to hunt with a kid, especially one that won't shut up, won't stop shaking, won't stop moving everything. But yeah, I feel like um, you know, back then I was just following behind him. Now with with on X and being able to know who owns what and reach out for permission and find public. It's it's it's a lot easier now. But you know, the land just isn't isn't there as much. And the Pine land, the Pinelands is is cool because I guess that'll never disappear. Like I know they signed something, it it's state land forever or whatever. But I don't know.

SPEAKER_00 22:56

Yeah, I mean, I mean, first the the it's yeah, it's crazy. Like it's literally crazy to see all the land that that people are are are seeing lost. Like, and you you talk to like the really old, like probably like your dad and everything like that. I imagine like you know, he could probably tell you, like, yeah, this used to be here, this, you know, I used to be able to do this and that. It's it's it's it's a big shame. And I feel like what South Jersey probably has a lot more data centers than I think up here.

SPEAKER_02 23:26

Yeah, and eight 80% of them I or the warehouses I see just sit empty. I don't understand. I'm actually I'm part of the problem because I'm literally building one right now next to three next to three empty ones that are still for sale. Like that's where I go for work every day. But you know, I gotta pay the bill somehow.

SPEAKER_00 23:46

Yeah, right. Yeah, it it it's it sucks, but you gotta pay the bill somehow. And it's at the end of the day, it's whether you do it or not, it's gonna get built anyway. You know what I mean? Exactly. Exactly. Nothing, nothing you can do there.

First Jersey Deer And Giving Back

SPEAKER_00 23:59

What um your first buck or your first deer, you know, in Jersey, what was that like? Kind of kind of go through the story of what what you remember. I imagine you probably remember every everything, every detail, and everything like that. Go over that kind of like what would what was that like and and and the situation?

SPEAKER_02 24:17

That was a brutal one. Um, I believe it was opening day of sixth day, but I think you could shoot those where I was hunting. Okay. Because I remember sitting, it was it was in the pines, uh yeah, somewhere down south. I forget exactly. But I remember sitting all day in a ground blind. It might have been single digits. We were freezing, and like the last five minutes of light, these two little yearlings came out, and and I remember my dad looked at me and he was like, Do you want to shoot one? I was like, Yeah, please. And you know, I had a I still I still used the same gun, a 870, 20 gauge youth model with the uh with a slug barrel, slug gun. And I remember shooting that deer, and you know, it running off and it got dark immediately after, and we were out there for like three hours. It was ridiculous. But we found it, and then this is the craziest part about it. We found that deer, it was maybe 90 pounds, and like as passionate as I am about eating the meat and stuff now, I'll never forget we gave that deer away to one of my dad's hunting partners that had gotten cancer and you know couldn't hunt that year. And like that was just like the crazy that I don't know, it was like a core memory for me and my dad because we sat there all day, froze our bucks off, got one, and then gave it away. And it was like I don't know, that's what it's all about. Like it was it was cool. It was something that I'll never forget.

SPEAKER_00 25:54

I I I love it. You first of all, you you earned it. Like you it wasn't just something you you went out and like I especially at that age, like and I'm I'm trying to do that.

SPEAKER_02 26:03

That wasn't the first hunt either. That was that was about the fifth or sixth hunt.

SPEAKER_00 26:06

The fifth, yeah. So you you really earned it, like you, you put in the time, you did everything correct, and then you guys still I I think that's the class of what hunters really are. Where you know, you you hear what these bad stories, and there's always bad apples somewhere. But I would say like outdoorsmen, hunters, fish, like they're all like just down-to-earth people, and they'll do whatever they can for you know their fellow outdoorsmen or family and friends and and stuff like that. And you know, like, yeah, it's that's your that was your first year, but you know what? You guys made the decision and a great decision to like, hey, you know what, this this guy really needs it. You know, he wasn't able to get out this year and you're able to donate your your meat. And that's what it's really about. Like, yeah, you want to eat your own meat, but it's like giving to to people who who who can't provide for themselves for whatever the reason is in that opportunity, and doing it for them is the is the most important thing. And and setting the the standards high for your for your dad too, for for to show you basically that and everything like that's a you know a big impression, I imagine, uh on you as a kid as well. It definitely was. It definitely was. Um, so yeah, no, that's yeah, single digits is is no listen, it's especially as a kid, is no easy thing.

SPEAKER_02 27:31

Oh yeah, I don't know how I did it as a kid. Now, now I you know I don't I like if it's that cold, I'm rarely sitting. I'm I'm moving around keeping the blood moving. Like back then we used to sit in ground blinds religiously 12 hours a day, and like I don't know how I did that.

SPEAKER_00 27:51

Yeah, yeah, when when you're younger, like it's it's a lot easier to just do all that. You're like, damn, how the hell did I do all that shit? As we get older, it's like, oh we were we were crazy all all back in the day.

Bowhunting Setbacks Then Daily Practice

SPEAKER_00 28:06

Um but yeah, so you know you you go from there, you you get the you get the does, or you know, you're you're gun hunting, you're so were you bow hunting at at that young of an age too? Uh was that later when you got really okay, so you are.

SPEAKER_02 28:21

I was yeah, I the that this is actually a a pretty cool story. I bow hunted, I had a bow my my whole childhood, and I ended up shooting a little button buck for my first first compound kill, and you would have thought that I got a giant. I was so proud of that thing. But eventually I ended up struggling with the compound, and I shot two really, really nice deer, and I lost both of them. I lost the blood truck, I followed blood for like a mile for each of them. And I ended up quitting compound hunting completely. Because one, uh now I can say honestly, I didn't practice enough, not nearly enough. Two, I I just I don't know, I just didn't didn't have it in me. I remember anytime a deer would step out and I would have a compound, things changed. I would shake so bad. I quit completely, got a crossbow, you know, haunted with a crossbow for probably five, six years, got a haunted deal with it. A nice, really nice buck down in Salem County. And then I was like, am I gonna let the compound beat me? I've I I I made the decision. I was like, I'm done with the crossbow. I'm getting, um, I ended up buying a uh a bear adapt, the THP bear datt. I bought that bow and I started shooting every single day, every day. And you know, then I conquered, I conquered that uh that little hurdle because now I've I've gotten bucks with my compound last year, this year, the year before on public, and I'm very good with the bow now. I upgraded to I have both a Hoyt and a Matthews, but I'm literally obsessed with compound hunting now. Same like I shoot every single day. I I it's it's abnormal for me not to shoot at least 40, 50 arrows a day.

SPEAKER_00 30:28

Yeah, no, wow, that's that's impressive. That's that's impressive, and like it's it's it's a good thing to to do. I think more than anything, it's it's nowhere near like a gun. And I always tell people like fuck, there there's just no adrenaline rush like hunting with I you know what I actually I can't say that because probably when you do traditional long boat and everything like that, like I I bet that might be a little more intense than than with the compound boat. But when you when you really like there's nothing compared to it when you're when you look at like from guns and to crossbows, like I I just doesn't just doesn't get it for me. I mean, um, you know, it it's with a gun, I shot my bear with a gun. And it don't get me wrong, it was fun, it was great, like I loved it. I was so proud. But with bow hunting, the adrenaline rush, and then your yourself, like you feel like you set such a or you you accomplished something that honestly not many really do. You you really look at the statistics, uh, you know, when when they come in every year for for New Jersey, and you know, less guys are with compound bows, less guys are with, you know, the old, you know, traditional way and everything like that, and way more crossbows and not, you know, and way more guns and and and everything like that. And you know, yet again, I get it to a certain extent. And like you look at your situation, like it beats you that that first, like it is something you have to practice. It it beats you, but you you came right back and you, you know, then you're able to beat it and conquer it. And now look, like you are you're absolutely not, and 50 arrows a day is you know, just say give or take, you know what I mean, is a hell of a a way to get to where you are as a as a bow hunter.

SPEAKER_02 32:22

Yeah, and it's it's it's also like it's like my my therapy. Like, you know, I I go back around my dog every day, and I just nothing, you know, I pull back and the world shuts off. The only thing that matters is that arrow. And as far as hunting, there's not there's nothing like it. Like I'm dying to try the Tim Wells, you know, spear, try to spear something. I I I gotta check my local regulations. I know that's not legal everywhere, but like bow hunting for me, there it's it's like so addicting. And I was able up in the uh Poconos, I was able to get a black bear at 10 yards with a bow. And that bear was from the time I shot him till the time he put put his last breath out, was two seconds. Yeah, literally two seconds. And that was like my proudest moment because like that, I I've I've never killed something with a gun. That was I mean, I have, I guess, but like I with a bow to be dead that quick, it was crazy. It was a perfect shot. And 10 yards away, like it was yeah, there's something about bow hunting that's just not it's not like any other type of hunt, that's for sure.

SPEAKER_00 33:38

Yeah, yeah, no,

Bears Up Close And Tracking Risk

SPEAKER_00 33:39

definitely. Was uh the the bear you killed, was that with um the picture with the coyote as well?

SPEAKER_02 33:47

Yes, that was that was the uh the bear with the bow, yeah. My body actually I I was in a hot spot. I found blueberries that that year, and I just sat on the blueberries. We saw four bears that day. I I was able to get one. My buddy was able to hit one with a muzzle odor. I found him three hours later and he was still alive, unfortunately. And he just ran away, and we were in mountain laws up 12 foot high, and we ended up losing him, unfortunately. But uh I got my little tracker dog now, so we ain't losing no more.

SPEAKER_00 34:25

I'll tell you, isn't it crazy when you're I don't know, like I've tracked a lot of deer, and you don't like even if you like you wound it or whatever, like it ain't nothing like tracking a bear that's oh you don't know it's dead, like you know, every little step and every little stormbush, laurel, what you know, that you're going through and every little bend is like kind of like this could be like the last like step I kind of I kind of take. Like, you know, especially you know when they're when they're injured and they're uh it it's it's just incredible. Like I I had a story um on here where a guy was like, yeah, he shot a bear, tracked it, and where he stopped that track for the night, the bear was actually like a couple yards away, like in this like blown down like tree. And when they went back the next day, it was it was actually dead. But he said when they pulled it out, the bear was actually facing towards them. So he 100% believed that like that bear was got in there, was still alive, and if we would have just gotten a little closer, it probably would have tore would have torn him the hell up.

SPEAKER_02 35:45

Yeah, yeah. I have a friend that lives in, he calls it Pennsylvania. It's it's the middle of Pennsylvania, and he he ended up shooting a I believe it weighed out to like 600 pounds with a crossbow. And he tracked it at night because it was in the early season, and bear, I'm sure you know, they go, they expire quick.

SPEAKER_01 36:07

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 36:07

So if you want to eat them, you gotta you gotta go get them. He was tracking them at night, and he shot him with a crossbow, but when he was tracking them, he had shotguns, pistols, and everything. The bear ended up charging them and he emptied it, emptied the clip to kill him. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Neighbor, but uh the very unfortunate part about this story, uh, the neighbor or local game warden heard the shots, and he ended up getting the bear, the meat, everything taken away, losing his license for a year because apparently self-defense wasn't in effect. He should he should have waited until the next day. Sometimes I don't agree with the laws, and that's one of the times where I don't agree with it.

SPEAKER_00 36:52

Yeah, that that doesn't make much sense of wait, wait till the next day. I mean, at least in Jersey. I I don't yet again, I don't know what the hell the law obviously you can't carry pistols with you in your jersey. Maybe they've they've changed it before if you have your conceal carry, but whatever. You can go fully, you're not allowed to bring a weapon with you. I know that, right? But yeah, like if you're tracking an animal, you're tracking an animal at night. I've never heard like that's still self-defense. He didn't do anything wrong. He was he was tracking a animal, um, you know, and it just happens that that animal was alive and charged him. That's crazy. Yeah, sometimes these rules, they they get you. They, you know, no matter what, they the it they find a way to get you, which is which really makes no sense to me. Unless you're like poaching or something like that. Like I get that, right?

SPEAKER_02 37:46

But this was a giant black bear. And I mean, yeah, what do you what are you gonna bring? Your bow out at night, like yeah, or your crossbow in case he charges you. This ain't this ain't the wall. Like I understand bringing bringing a shotgun, but they got him with uh harvesting a bear with a firearm during archery season, and I was like, dude, that's heartbreaking.

SPEAKER_00 38:10

Even though you shot uh that's I guess because I I think I've heard like it's whatever finishes, like does the finish and kill, I guess is what well, even though that, yeah, whatever. We we could go, we would we could go down a rabbit hole, and I imagine a lot of people would would agree with with what we're saying and everything like that. So we're not gonna even but that's yeah, that's that's crazy and and very unfortunate.

SPEAKER_01 38:33

Unfortunate.

SPEAKER_00 38:34

Um so yeah, and and you know, all off of that, like you you so you hunt, how often are you are you in PA? Is it like a yearly thing too that you that you go to PA? I mean, obviously you're you probably live not not too far away from from PA, but uh like where where are you going? You usually in the Poconos and everything like that, or or what?

SPEAKER_02 38:56

I have I have a place in the Poconos that I go that's like my little getaway. I go up there for trout season, bow season. My big my big week up there is uh bear buck doe with the bow. It's it's bear season, yeah. Buck season. It's everything's open with the bow. That's my favorite. That's when I've been uh successful with the with the bear with the bow. And then rifle season, PA rifle is like that's a holiday.

SPEAKER_00 39:25

You you gotta go to yeah, we we've we started doing it. I've I shot my first PA deer last year. It was my second year hunting the PA rifle opener. Um, been on deer every year. Um, and yeah, it's it's now become like a tradition of of ours to like to go up there and go hunt the PA rifle opener. It's it is a lot of fun.

SPEAKER_02 39:46

Even that though, that has changed because I remember like when I was a kid, rifle season would be like opening day of pheasant season in in Jersey, which is World War III. Yeah, but you the I would I remember counting over a hundred gunshots one day, and now you're lucky to hear 10 or 15 where I'm at, which is crazy.

SPEAKER_00 40:07

Yeah, it it's uh do you think that has to do with less hunters, less less gear, the the laws have just changed?

SPEAKER_02 40:17

Definitely less hunters, and I can say that confidently because uh I've tried to get a lot of uh younger kids into hunting, like kids my age growing up, and maybe two for every 10 stick with it, and it's uh I I don't want to sound sound any type of way, but they just don't make them like they used to. Like no, no, they definitely don't like to you know be outside, I feel like as much as our older generation does. But I don't know, I could be I could be wrong.

SPEAKER_00 40:57

No, I I I think you you hit it the nail on the coffin right there. I mean, it's a with everything that's available to to everyone now, everyone wants everything easy, everything's on your phone, tablet, and like also here here and here are two other things. And one, this is not people's fault, is hunting has become a a rich person's sport. You know what I mean? Like everything is stupid money, and don't get me wrong, I uh I spend that money, but most people cannot afford to spend that money. Right? So you're limiting and also just on daily life of you what are you gonna sacrifice hunting all day, like family, kids, uh everything like that. Right. But also it it's just yeah, the it's just not people much rather play on video games. And don't get me wrong, I like playing video games and everything like that, but I I I do that to just get away from everything because I spend so much time in the outdoors and I I l live and die for for the outdoors and and stuff like that. People are not built people are not built like they used to. You know, our hunters are not hunters are a special breed and hunting can be super, super challenging, which which I know, which you know, and everything like that, like there's a lot of challenges. It's not easy. It it's a it could be a very difficult, difficult sport, both physically and mentally on you.

SPEAKER_02 42:25

Super difficult. And one of the like one of the things that that people have said to me time and time again, like, why why would you go out there and sit in a tree all day waiting on a deer? Can you just go to the store? And like people just don't get it. It's so different. It's everything's different. Like the the obviously people like us are obsessed with the hunt and not, you know, we could we could go anywhere and shoot a deer and and you know, have but like the hunt for specific animals and I don't know you know you natural and natural natural exact what it's it's what we are supposed to it's honestly what we're supposed to do.

SPEAKER_00 43:09

Like it's your your senses are on overdrive, like dude, you're from your eyesight to your hearing to your smell to like every little thing is just hitting, and then the adrenaline, the adrenaline rush, and like I don't think I'll ever stop telling people about it. Like it's like something you've never experienced before, and like you you've been in, you know, you fight and everything like that, and for for professionally and everything like that, and that's gotta be a whole other that that's a whole other world too.

SPEAKER_02 43:42

But that's believe it or not, it is hunting or seeing an animal that you make the decision that you're gonna harvest and stepping into a cage are two of the most similar feelings. Like I can't, I can't I don't know why, I can't describe it, but they do the same thing. Primal. Primal. Primal, exactly.

SPEAKER_00 44:02

It's literally both those are the two cunning, fighting, sex. The three most primal things, especially for men, where it's you you can't describe really the adrenaline rush and the it's it's a drug. It's a liter it's literally a drug.

SPEAKER_01 44:30

Yeah, yeah, it's a dick thing.

SPEAKER_00 44:32

It's addicting. It it is, right? It it's it's so addicted. And I'll tell you too, like also off of like just eating. I

Getting Others To Try Wild Game

SPEAKER_00 44:40

I I got into turkey hunting. This is my third year, shot my first two birds this year. Oh hell yeah, congratulations. Thank you. And I'll tell you yet again, like I tell people, I never want to buy a turkey again from the store ever since again because it does not even come remotely close to tasting nearly as good as as wild turkey. Like I I it it it it is upsetting to me where people won't even like give it a try. Like, listen, if you don't want to hunt, cool, I I get it. Well, at least try, like, hey, if I have food, like I appreciate when people try. And I've had a lot of people try, don't we? Like, it's great. Like, I've had very good success with people eating um venison that that I've cooked and everything like that. What I haven't had success is people wanting to switch to it kind of and and do it like you know, like we were talking about earlier, where you had you know buddies and maybe two of them stuck with it. Yep. So that's it, it it's definitely tough.

SPEAKER_02 45:45

I'll never understand the people that won't try wild game, but they will eat any store-bought piece of meat. That that part blows my mind, and I I see that a lot. They're like, dude, no, you shot this, this is deer, and they act like it's poison. I'm like, dude, this is healthier than everything you could buy. Every everything you could buy, like this is the best. This is 99 to one ground meat. Like you're you're paying $18 a pound for 95.5. It's crazy, right?

SPEAKER_00 46:15

Right, right. It's yeah, it's ridiculous. Like, and yet again, people it everything's associated in in the wrong way, you know what I mean? And and a part of it is is you look at Bambi and you look at the TV show Bambi, and I think that was a big like it portrays hunters in a certain way, and you know, it something that just has died, the sport that's died.

SPEAKER_02 46:42

One thing that blew my mind when I went up to North Jersey to chase bear, I ran into more stop the bear hunt lawn signs than I did other hunters. And really that was shocking to me. I was up there, like, you know, I bounced around to like three or four different spots, and there were lawn signs everywhere that said stop the bear hunt.

SPEAKER_00 47:07

I wonder, uh yeah, I can only imagine I I'm not sure where like I've been very yet again fortunate. Me and my guys, like for the most part, we haven't really come across that. Um, you know, I've even talked to to people who live in the area and they're like, Yeah, please get like get the bears. Like they they live there, and you know, they have kids and the bears are in their backyards and everything like that. So they like I I've been I can't imagine what like I I don't want to run into anybody like that. I I what I do want that I would like to see, I love going to you know the check-in station. And you know, I heard on the first day, on the first day, it's usually a madhouse, and there's usually news reporters and there's protesters and and everything like that. I would kind of like to see what what that is, um, you know, and and see like what the yeah, like what what's the reasoning behind it? Like, I I don't think I've ever gotten a good answer from anybody. And I'm challenging anybody out there who wants to come on and discuss or debate the the whole situation. I would love to get somebody who from the other side to to come on and and and go over that and everything like that, but it it it's crazy, and on off the hunters, too. I think besides Sussex, like we very rarely run into bear hunters too as well. Like it's a very like very rare thing.

SPEAKER_02 48:35

I was shocked when I was up there. Like I hit at least four different pieces of public during this segment A, and I ran into one other person that was hunting, and he was using an old it's this was it later in the week, he was using like an old flintlock style muzzle loader, and I was like, dude, I thought I was cool with a compound. That's cool. You know, he had like a musk, it was crazy. And yo, what we were just to hit back what we were saying earlier, I I had just met this dude. I'm like, yeah, I'm a South Jersey guy. You got any tips for me? He was like, Yeah, go here, here, here. You're definitely gonna see a bear. If you need any help, meet me back here with dark and I'll have my whole gang come help you. Um, and like, dude, I met this guy five minutes ago. He's offering this whole gang to help me get a bear. Like, that's what kind of people you run into in the woods.

SPEAKER_00 49:24

Oh, uh uh a hundred percent. I've I've had 99.9% of my interactions with people have have been pretty good in the woods. Not let me knock on on wood, and I don't want to have that. I don't want to, you know what I mean. Um, but it it it's yeah, and especially for you being a South Jersey boy. I mean, yet again, you've been in PA and stuff like that, so it's not like you haven't, you know, experienced bears or you've been, you know, but to do it in Jersey, you know what I mean, has got to be a different thing because yet again, like you're from South Jersey. You're you're it's flat, you know, you got the pines, you maybe have ads and and stuff like that. And when you go to PA, that's what you're expecting is to be in the big mountains, the big woods and everything like that. But you don't see that version of New Jersey. So then seeing it and be like, holy shit, you know, the the bear and then the bear numbers in Jersey are absolutely insane. And the more, you know, West Jersey you go, the the crazier they they get and everything like that. And like I I have a a joke with our our out of state guys, and I'm like, yeah, you get up to Sussex, Jersey, you could throw a rock, and you're probably gonna hit a bear.

SPEAKER_02 50:36

Yeah, I was lucky enough I was able to run into two of them within the first half hour of my hunt up there, and they actually pulled a Houdini on me. Like, went behind, went behind a little knoll, and like I'm sitting there getting ready to draw for like 10 minutes, and like nothing happens, and I creep up and they're just gone. Gone. And it wasn't a sail and a cub, it was like at least a 200-pounder that saw another really big one and ran off. And then the really big one is the one I was trying to get, but didn't get any this year. But I was up there for Buck Week in the snow, and the tracks uh were crazy. There were so many bear tracks. I thought you know, half of them would probably be hibernating. They were not hibernating, they were walking out and about.

SPEAKER_00 51:23

It's it's a thing what I've noticed too. Yeah, I've noticed two things about bears in Jersey in winter. Um, the early part of the winter, when even when it's cold and snowy, they're not necessarily all dened up, right? You'll definitely get some, but they're still out, you know, food, especially if there's a their dens nearby. Um, usually like even like during sixth day, the first part is sixth day, and we had that snowstorm and everything like that. Like, I had bears up until I think like the second week when they extended the the bear season. Then I did not have a single bear on on camera. I think at that point that had just dened up and everything like that. It was cold this year, it was extremely cold this year, and years in the past, we haven't had that, so they haven't been denting up.

unknown 52:19

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 52:20

Because they've had all the food that they can freaking eat and you eat. Jersey, I know people are probably sick and tired of me in every episode talking about bears, but I do love bear hunting. Everyone knows how much I love bear hunting because I can talk about it all all day. Uh, but yeah, it it's it's one of those things that you know, you'll and if you go up there this year again, listen, we'll we'll be up there, we'll we'll meet up. You know, if you need to help drag it out, we'll we'll we'll we'll be up there and and everything like that. Um, you know, but I got like a couple more for you uh before before we head up.

Bear Headdress And Fighting Ambitions

SPEAKER_00 52:54

One, you know, you with with your, you know, you wear after, I don't know if it's for before, but I know definitely after your matches, you have the bear. Is that an actual bear coat that you that you shot?

SPEAKER_02 53:07

That was my first ever bear. Yes. That is uh well, I'll tell you, I'll tell you how I got the bear first. Me and my buddy, my hunting partner forever now, uh, a kid named Evan, I grew up with. We were making our way in the Poconos. We're probably three and a half miles back on public, and we're we're hiking up this piece of like this mountain. It's this steep. I'm pulling myself up. It's first thing in the morning. We're getting we're like five feet from the top, and I turned around to him. I'm like, dude, this is so beautiful up here. I turned back around, and that bear was five yards away running at, running straight at me. And I was only a bluebelt at the time, so I didn't trust my grappling skills. So I threw my 243 rifle up and shot, and he fell right back down the mountain. I just climbed up. And I actually ended up rattling in a beautiful eight-pointer that that year, too, like two hours after I killed that bear. That that was probably my best day hunting ever. Big eight-pointer, big, or not big, he was only 120-pound black bear, but Pennsylvania black bear and a Jersey black bear, two different things.

SPEAKER_00 54:22

I tell people two different things. Yep.

SPEAKER_02 54:24

I hunted PA for 15 years before I saw a bear. Like, truly, and I'm talking all day sits. Like, I never seen one until I, you know, became a little crazy and started hiking real far back and going where other people won't. And that's when I started being successful. But yeah, as soon as I got that bear, I was like, you know, we go back to the primal feeling. I was like, I don't, I don't want to get this full mounted, but I want to do something that like I'm proud of because this is my first ever bear. And I'm getting it made into a headdress to wear when I fight. I ended up hitting up this dude. Uh I gotta shout him out. His his business is Forever Soft Taxidermy, based out of somewhere clear, Clearfield, Pennsylvania, maybe. I could be messing that up. But I hit him up and I was like, yo, dude, I love all your work. I think it's awesome. I've only seen it on Facebook, but I love all your work. I have this idea. Would you be able to do it? And he was uh, it's just crazy, but he actually was an uh MMA fighter back in the 90s, back before Oh, really? Yeah, back back before it was cool. And he he answered, he was like, dude, this is incredible. Send it to me right now. I'll have it done for you by this date because I had a fight date set selected out already. He was like, I'll I'll have it done a hundred percent. I ended up shipping it to him six months later. I got back a headdress and I wear it for weigh-in and walk out.

SPEAKER_00 56:03

That is sick. It is so sick. That is legit sick. Like I I love it. Love it.

SPEAKER_02 56:11

There's a couple different fighters with throughout the UFC and everything that wear uh different type of hats or fur.

SPEAKER_00 56:19

Yeah, but have they have they killed it themselves?

SPEAKER_02 56:22

That's the there's only one there's only one man out there that that is wearing his kill, and I believe that is Nick.

SPEAKER_00 56:30

Um you do you know uh off and I want to get real quick uh a little bit into into some of the fighting stuff before we go and everything like that. Are you do you do you know any of the guys that that fight, even if it's like in the UFC or anything like that, hunt um or that you follow or anything like that?

SPEAKER_02 56:48

Yeah, um Jim Miller actually just fought. He's actually a Jersey guy. He's from he's from Sparta, yeah. And he first off, I gotta give him his respect. He is the epitome of a martial artist. Like the guy is, I think, 45 years old and still competing in the UFC, still winning in the UFC, still taking great care of himself. And he uh yeah, I know he's like a big backcountry elk hunter and stuff, but as far as like the biggest hunter with throughout the UFC is Joe Rogan. That's who that's that and he's a commentator. So I think you know it should be uh a bigger deal, but you know, a lot of people in the UFC won't, you know, they're just obsessed with with training and fighting.

SPEAKER_00 57:42

You know, uh Corey Anderson.

SPEAKER_02 57:44

Oh, hell yeah. I ran into him with Lancaster Archery.

SPEAKER_00 57:47

Oh, did you really? He's he's a he's a great guy. We've had him on. He's a he's a killer. He loves hunting and and everything like that. And outdoors with overtime. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Pretty big, pretty big fighter, uh, obviously, and everything like that. Um, I I know him um as in like one of the yeah, you don't you don't see too many, like you would think there would be more, but uh yet again, it's like what we talked about right in the beginning, like the dedication that goes into you know training and really training, like all everyone who's training and and everything like that is like you are fully dedicated from you know from your first fight till you to your last fight. It's just like any other sport that you play and even for for hunting, you're just completely dedicated and dialed in in what you do.

SPEAKER_02 58:34

Yeah, and and it's easy to become obsessed, especially during during the peak post season. Like you're out there every day, every single day. And then with hunting, and all right, I'm sorry, with training, that was for me like when I first I've I like I said I did martial arts forever, but when I uh tried jujitsu again, that was it. Like I had to do it every single day. I tailored my whole college schedule around it, and it was just that became my obsession. It still is. I train every day. I'm taking off tonight, you know, to do do the podcast, and I got a little neck injury going on, but no, really. Yeah, if I'm if I'm awake, I'm training.

SPEAKER_00 59:21

Yeah, yeah, yeah. No, which which which makes sense. And I I think you know, from you know, correct me if I'm wrong, but you do you still hold the do you are you still holding the title? You I believe you won a title, correct?

SPEAKER_02 59:35

Yes, I did. I won uh the Art of War welterweight title. I'm still an amateur martial artist right now. I fought for a title in December, actually the day before Buck or the Saturday before Buck Week started, which I'll never ever do again. But that was just because it was the third third time that got canceled. That's a whole nother story. But yeah, I won the Art Award welterweight title on December 6th, and then this past Saturday, uh two Saturdays ago, May 2nd, I made my CFFC debut and won first round via submission, and then August, I should be getting a CFFC title shot in Atlantic City at the Hard Rock.

SPEAKER_00 1:00:20

Oh shit. That's dope.

SPEAKER_02 1:00:23

Yeah, I'm just gonna keep keep building, and probably next year I'm gonna make my uh pro debut and just keep building from there and work my way to the UFC.

Consistency, Training, And Staying Hungry

SPEAKER_00 1:00:35

The the the the one thing real quick, but what does it look like for you, your training regimen, you know, and kind of what you have to go, maybe even on a day-to-day basis, and and things do that help you also with hunting and to endure the long grind of the season and the mental toughness of especially bow hunting?

SPEAKER_02 1:01:00

Yeah, uh well, fighting. I tell everybody this fighting is 90% mental. It's it's just about showing up even when you don't want to show up, and to get extreme, like when you're in the cage or in a in training, and you know, you have one man's will versus another man's will, and one's gonna break before the other, and you just gotta keep pushing until you find out. And I relate that to hunting, is like for me, the most grueling time for of hunting is like September, October. Like when you're setting up your saddle and you are drenched in sweat, and then you finally just sit down and you're like, dude, I just how am I gonna not smell? I'm drenched in sweat. It's 89 degrees, mosquitoes are radiating every part of my body. I'm like, what am I doing? Like that's that's but you know, it always ends up working out, but that's like you know, showing up every single day for training, you know, whether your body feels 100% or not, like it's you just gotta keep showing up no matter what. I'm big on consistency and consistency just pays off. For me, it's always paid off. Like as far as bow hunting, like if I want to fill a tag, I'm gonna go out there every day. I don't care if I have 30 minutes to hunt, like I'm gonna go and try.

SPEAKER_00 1:02:27

And if I try pay off, you know, yeah, and and and that's what sets a lot of people aside aside in in every single day, not just even hunting and and uh you know fighting and everything like that, but your day-to-day life, like you gotta grind 24-7. And you know what? The people listen, I always tell people like these people who are billionaires, yeah, some of them got it by you know inheriting it, but a lot of them they gotta bust their ass to continue. And then once you then once you've made it, you have to continue to do what you're doing because then the money just dries up. You know what I mean? The most successful people in the world are the ones that they just bust their ass and they continue to bust their ass.

SPEAKER_02 1:03:19

And I can I can relate that super close with martial arts because like there's no making it, in my opinion. Because when you make it to the UFC, okay, now you gotta build up. And like, say you become a world champion, you know how many people got to target on you now? You gotta just keep getting better, you just gotta keep going until you know whatever tells you it's time to stop.

SPEAKER_00 1:03:44

But that's that's life. Now, some of the and rope, could your opinion, because this is what I think and a bunch of people that I talk about, but you would have more of an ideal of maybe you you watch them a little more closely and everything like that. You look at like, you know, Connor McGregor, Ronda Rousey, and everyone like that, the two people that have really made it big, they got all that money. They started maybe stretch them stretched themselves a little too thin, and they were traveling where they were shooting movies and TV shows and everything like that, and weren't really able to focus on their craft. And that's why I I would say like they had a rough, I think at least last two losses that before they they kind of like moved off and everything like that was a big part was that they didn't have that maybe that fight, that anger, the same, you know, will and drive that they had before coming up, and they kind of let it slip.

SPEAKER_02 1:04:40

A hundred percent. Um there's an old saying, like it's it's tough to wake up at 4 30 and go to the gym when you're waking up in silk sheets. Like it's especially with fighting, like it's it's not you know choreographed. There's no, you know, you like I said earlier, it's one will against another's will. And like someone's gonna have to break, and the consequences are probably the most extreme of any consequence. Like I always look at it like you know, I lose in basketball, or not me, I shouldn't use me, but like two dudes are playing each other in basketball and one beats the other. What's it always result to? All right, I'll still kick your ass. Like that it's it's the end all be all almost. And it it's the sport that you gotta be all in, or someone that is all in is gonna take you out.

SPEAKER_00 1:05:40

Yeah, I love it. Uh yeah, no, I I definitely love

Wrap Up And Where To Follow

SPEAKER_00 1:05:44

that. Um, but we we are we're at our hour mark. We we yeah, we're we're getting you back on, you know, uh again, you know. I mean, we're we definitely will. I know your your schedule will get crazy and everything like that, but we're we're definitely getting you back on a fellow Jersey guy. The whole Hopefully we we can meet up uh up in uh bear camp or or something like that. But and any last words you got?

SPEAKER_02 1:06:09

No, that's it. I I would like to say how thankful I am for you having me on. It's been awesome talking to you. And like you said, I really hope we could get together up at Bear Camp, hopefully over some successful harvest. And you know, I would love to meet the whole gang because I love what you're doing, you know, the the video in your hunts, educating people about what what not only what Jersey is, but what the outdoors is about. You're you're doing awesome stuff, and I'm very grateful to be a part of it at this point. And I appreciate that.

SPEAKER_00 1:06:41

Definitely, definitely appreciate that. And yeah, man, and on also please let us know, you know, when all your upcoming fights and everything like that. Eventually, I would I would definitely like to to make one. I I love watching fighting. I'm big into uh the martial arts and everything like that. Uh big UFC guy. That's awesome. I used to, you know, what before I got older and had to uh start going to work and everything like that. From I think when the time I turned 21, like we would always like, oh, there's a fight on we're going to Buffalo Wild Wings, and we'd sit at Buffalo Wild Wings the whole entire night and watch the literally from start to finish and just get absolutely just loaded and and just watch watch uh people beat the shit out. I listen, it it it's it's so much fun in in my opinion. Like you hunting and and and fighting, like I like told you, and and pro I mean you can't even say sex now because sex is so fake and everything like now, and and depending who you who you ask, but um those are the two two pure real things, especially fighting. Like it's definitely like that one real pure, I think it's still very pure. Um, at least when you look into martial arts and everything like that, of just like everything just kinds of fade away and you just do what what what you're meant to do.

SPEAKER_02 1:07:55

Yeah, it's it's I I tell everybody it's the most primal form of entertainment that there ever was. Because if you look back as far as it's gonna be a good thing ever will be, yeah, ever will be. As far as you could go, what have men been doing? They've been they've been fighting each other for entertainment. What have they also been doing? They've been killing their own game.

SPEAKER_00 1:08:16

There you go. Amen. Amen. I I I absolutely love it. But uh, everyone, we hope you guys enjoy this episode. Make sure you check uh we're over we're gonna put your Instagram in the in the Jesus Christ in the description below. Make sure you check them out. Listen, any upcoming fights, let us know. We'll also post it and everything like that. Hopefully we can get down to to go see you one of these days in in Atlantic City and watch one of your fights. That'd be truly amazing. And uh yeah, really looking forward to to the next time.

SPEAKER_02 1:08:50

Thank you, brother. I appreciate you. Um, my Instagram is at Kenny Cockrel, and then I also am starting a YouTube channel. I got just shorts posted right now. It's at KKC Outdoors. I'm gonna try, you know, introducing my Brocco Italiano puppy, and I'm really gonna bite down and try and video all my hunts and stuff this year. I'm taking after you actually. I I I look I've watched a lot of your stuff and and the dude uh rogue or rogue white tail or who's the dude you just. Oh, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:09:22

That I just had on. Oh, I've had rogue white. I've had rogue white great stuff.

SPEAKER_02 1:09:28

The other guy though that just killed that killed the bit the big bear this year.

SPEAKER_00 1:09:33

Oh, um Brian Melvin. Yeah, he his timber uh Tim Timber's heads. Those boys, yeah, he is, you know. I don't know if you listened to our last uh Garden State episode that we um I did, I did. He's big into filming. He's big, big. Like I the class that he took is a class that I've kind of wanted to take. I just haven't had the time, but I th I told all our guys, I was like, if I was like, we should go do this next year, and like because there's still things like obviously I don't want to get to, but there's still a lot of things that I'm learning about the cameras. Like I have the angles and kind of like I know how to kind of create it is using the cameras correctly in the proper settings and and everything that that I think um me personally that I look at that I'm that I'm lacking and everything like that. And I think a lot of people have difficulty, like that's they teach you a lot about that as the proper settings and and everything like that, uh, too, as well. So yeah, he those those boys are killing it. It also helps too when you kill a potential world record uh flacker like that thing was my so fun fact, yet again, sorry people. Um that day where he killed that bear, we I was so close to going to um the check-in station. So at one of our guys, Peyton, he killed his uh one of his bears, and we're debating on going, and it ended up being like a little too far. And the rest of us, we wanted a scout. So we're like, you know what? Screw it, we're not gonna go. Like, I think I still had to go and break down camp and everything like that, and then I was gonna go scout. He hits us up and he's like, yo, this giant bear is light behind, like, literally, he Peyton was in line, and uh Brian was literally right by him. He got to see that bear firsthand in person and everything like that. And I kicked myself, I was like, shit. I was like, that would have been so cool to see that bear in person. Like, I couldn't imagine.

SPEAKER_02 1:11:42

I neither can I. And that's another reason why I'm so obsessed with bear. Like, dude, a 900-pound bear that was living in Jersey. Like, how I I the diamond bear that was just harvested this year, didn't it do? Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:11:55

Yeah, one of their guys, one of their guys, he was he was on um, he was on uh we did a an episode with with Emral 2 for our field notes episode. Yeah, diamond bear, yeah, 600 600 pound, uh, 600 pound bear, I think it was.

SPEAKER_02 1:12:08

Wasn't it like 27 years old though?

SPEAKER_00 1:12:10

Yeah, it was yeah, it was like a 27-year-old, um, somewhere in the 20-year-old bear of like he's he's been hunting that bear for a very long time. And I think if I remember correctly, I think it like actually disappeared for a little bit, then came back, disappeared again this year, and I think he had it they had to change up the bait because I think it they they said it got um like rot gut because it was eating too much sugar and everything like that. So I think they switched to peanuts, and that bear ended up coming back on, yeah, yeah, yeah. And they yeah, and yet again, Jersey has giant bears. I we were chasing, I was chasing probably close to five, six hundred-pound bear belly touching the the ground and and everything like that. Um yet again, if this happens, I I am telling everybody, everyone who I'm friends with, if you owe me something, if it's money or whatever, all dear debts will be cleared because I am going to be calling you, especially if it's like a 600, 500 pound plus bear, I'm probably even 400 pound plus bear. I will call you. And if you come out, all are all your debt that you have with me, any favors that you owe me would be clear done. There you go. It's out because like we're we're hiking it out.

SPEAKER_02 1:13:36

Yeah, put me on the call list because I I'll just do it for the love of the game because I love that shit.

SPEAKER_00 1:13:41

Listen, same, say, listen, and if you ever get one, just I love yeah, dude. We yet again, we can go all day. Let's let's end this end this episode before we make it another another hour. Um man, I I really appreciate you you coming on, everyone. We hope you guys enjoyed this episode, and we'll see you guys next time.

SPEAKER_02 1:14:01

See you later, brother. Thank you again. You have a wonderful rest of your night. You too, brother. Peace. See you.