WEBVTT - Ep 37: Bear Grease [Render] - Waterfowlers, AGFC Director, and Guarding the Gate 0:00:00.080 --> 0:00:17.080 Yeah. My name is Clay Nukeleman. This is a production 0:00:17.120 --> 0:00:20.680 of the Bear Grease podcast called The Bear Grease Render, 0:00:21.120 --> 0:00:25.200 where we render down, dive deeper, and look behind the 0:00:25.280 --> 0:00:30.040 scenes of the actual bear Grease podcast presented by f 0:00:30.480 --> 0:00:35.320 HF Gear, American made purpose built hunting and fishing gear 0:00:35.600 --> 0:00:45.320 as designed to be as rugged as the places we explore. Hey, guys, 0:00:45.400 --> 0:00:48.000 I want to take a minute and talk about something 0:00:48.040 --> 0:00:50.519 that I think is really important right now. In the 0:00:50.640 --> 0:00:55.280 United States, the Spring two legislative agendas and public comment 0:00:55.400 --> 0:00:58.120 periods for state agencies are coming out, and as I 0:00:58.160 --> 0:01:01.160 hope you've heard, many have strong wrong anti hunting and 0:01:01.200 --> 0:01:06.240 specifically anti predator hunting agendas. Washington State recently canceled the 0:01:06.280 --> 0:01:09.680 spring twenty two bear season, despite it being recommended by 0:01:09.680 --> 0:01:13.640 their Fishing Wildlife Colorado Bill SP twenty two DASH oh 0:01:13.760 --> 0:01:16.920 three one is set to ban mount Lion, bobcat and 0:01:17.040 --> 0:01:21.480 lynx hunting. Arizona is experiencing a strategic push from the 0:01:21.520 --> 0:01:24.920 animal rights crowd to change current regulations about lying and 0:01:24.959 --> 0:01:29.360 bear hunting by flooding the public comment process. California has 0:01:29.440 --> 0:01:32.839 petitions filed to suspend bear hunting in the state until 0:01:32.880 --> 0:01:36.640 further population studies can be done in Vermont. Anti hunting 0:01:36.640 --> 0:01:39.200 groups are pushing for a full band on the use 0:01:39.280 --> 0:01:42.200 of hounds in hunting, and the list can go on. 0:01:42.840 --> 0:01:45.920 Years ago, if you told me that hunting was strategically 0:01:46.120 --> 0:01:49.200 under attack, I would have called you an alarmist crying 0:01:49.280 --> 0:01:51.880 wolf when there wasn't one here. We all live in 0:01:52.000 --> 0:01:56.280 some version of cocoons with limited visibility of the wider nation. 0:01:56.520 --> 0:02:00.520 That cocoon is partly geographic, but mainly the un is 0:02:00.560 --> 0:02:03.160 our own interest. When I started working with Bear Hounty 0:02:03.200 --> 0:02:06.560 Magazine in twenty thirteen, my eyes popped wide open when 0:02:06.560 --> 0:02:09.480 I saw bear hunting and the crosshairs of many states, 0:02:09.600 --> 0:02:12.280 and I saw how the tools of bear management and 0:02:12.320 --> 0:02:15.720 the methods of take that make bear hunting viable had 0:02:15.800 --> 0:02:19.040 already been banned in many places. Just as a short, 0:02:19.320 --> 0:02:22.880 non complete overview, California band bear hunting with hounds and 0:02:24.120 --> 0:02:27.800 mountain lion hunting in the nineteen nineties. Washington State banned 0:02:27.919 --> 0:02:31.480 hounds and bait for bear in nineteen six, Oregon band 0:02:31.480 --> 0:02:33.840 bear hunting with hounds and bait in the mid nineteen nineties, 0:02:33.960 --> 0:02:38.799 Colorado band bear hunting with hounds and bait in ninety one, 0:02:38.840 --> 0:02:42.120 New Jersey Band all bear hunting completely on the basis 0:02:42.120 --> 0:02:46.200 of public opinion. Several years ago, we started saying that 0:02:46.280 --> 0:02:49.600 we've got to guard the gate. Guard the gate because 0:02:49.680 --> 0:02:53.200 predator hunting is the gate of the anti hunting community 0:02:53.320 --> 0:02:55.760 to come into the space of the North American model 0:02:55.760 --> 0:02:59.440 of wildlife conservation, which I might add is the most 0:02:59.480 --> 0:03:03.080 success full act of wild animal and habitat management on 0:03:03.200 --> 0:03:07.040 planet Earth. Since the frontier days of America, there has 0:03:07.120 --> 0:03:11.440 always been a political and ideological divide between the urban 0:03:11.639 --> 0:03:15.240 and rural areas. The masses often have the attention of 0:03:15.280 --> 0:03:18.600 the politicians because of money and votes, and as I've 0:03:18.600 --> 0:03:22.480 always said, it's a one phase cell. To convince someone 0:03:22.600 --> 0:03:25.720 with no history or knowledge of hunting that killing a 0:03:25.800 --> 0:03:28.720 bear or a predator is bad, it's a much more 0:03:28.800 --> 0:03:31.880 complex story to convince them that it's a good thing. 0:03:32.160 --> 0:03:34.400 And this is why we as hunters have to work 0:03:34.520 --> 0:03:37.760 harder than those that oppose us, and we should because 0:03:37.760 --> 0:03:40.960 we actually have stock in this thing. There is something 0:03:40.960 --> 0:03:43.760 that we've now seen work twice in the last year, 0:03:43.920 --> 0:03:46.200 and it's when hunters from all over the country, hunters 0:03:46.240 --> 0:03:50.920 of every striping creed, participate in communicating with legislators and 0:03:50.960 --> 0:03:53.640 the powers that be. Last year, a California bill was 0:03:53.640 --> 0:03:57.200 submitted to banned bear hunting, and the legislator was bombarded 0:03:57.200 --> 0:03:59.720 by people who love wildlife enough to know the hunting 0:03:59.800 --> 0:04:02.600 is good, and it swayed the political process and the 0:04:02.640 --> 0:04:04.920 bill never made it to the floor. And just the 0:04:05.000 --> 0:04:08.080 last few months, the public outcry of hunters to reinstate 0:04:08.120 --> 0:04:11.320 the spring bear season in Washington got the spring bear 0:04:11.400 --> 0:04:14.240 hunt back on the agenda of the Commission and was 0:04:14.320 --> 0:04:17.920 recently discussed again. Inside of a democracy, the main tool 0:04:17.920 --> 0:04:19.920 that we have as our voices. We all know that, 0:04:20.040 --> 0:04:23.840 and I urge us all to become more active participants 0:04:24.000 --> 0:04:27.160 in every way by making our voices heard. I found 0:04:27.200 --> 0:04:29.359 the easiest way to do this is by following the 0:04:29.440 --> 0:04:33.240 lead of the wildlife organizations that have all this communication 0:04:33.320 --> 0:04:36.359 stuff dialed in. Most of them are a one stop 0:04:36.400 --> 0:04:39.279 shop for letting your voice be heard. I have zero 0:04:39.400 --> 0:04:42.840 affiliation with any of these groups that I'm about to say, 0:04:42.880 --> 0:04:45.400 but I want to give you some groups to check out. 0:04:45.680 --> 0:04:47.839 And what you have to do is just get dialed 0:04:47.839 --> 0:04:50.600 in with these guys systems and the way that they 0:04:50.600 --> 0:04:54.440 communicate with legislators and just do it. A good group 0:04:54.600 --> 0:04:57.760 that I love is Sportsman's Alliance. I would say do 0:04:57.839 --> 0:05:01.320 whatever they say. It's just that some A new group 0:05:01.400 --> 0:05:03.920 that I really like so far, and they are brand 0:05:03.960 --> 0:05:07.800 new is a group called how for Wildlife. They seem 0:05:07.880 --> 0:05:11.600 to be really streamlining the process of communication. There are 0:05:11.640 --> 0:05:16.360 many other groups that are fantastic Hunter Nations, Safari Club International, 0:05:16.480 --> 0:05:18.920 and the list goes on, including a bunch of state 0:05:19.000 --> 0:05:22.680 agencies which are essential that you be members of. Whichever 0:05:22.800 --> 0:05:28.040 group allows you to easily and consistently communicate use them. 0:05:28.080 --> 0:05:30.080 You know, years ago and when I was a kid, 0:05:30.160 --> 0:05:33.240 talking about being a public land hunter wasn't cool. I mean, 0:05:33.279 --> 0:05:36.000 that's where everybody hunted, and it's kind of the place 0:05:36.040 --> 0:05:38.240 you didn't want to hunt. In the last ten years, 0:05:38.360 --> 0:05:42.719 it's become cool to talk about and to hunt public land. Well, 0:05:42.880 --> 0:05:45.679 I can tell you the new thing that we're gonna 0:05:45.720 --> 0:05:48.840 make cool is defending hunting. I love it that some 0:05:48.880 --> 0:05:52.880 people are calling into account social media influencers to use 0:05:52.920 --> 0:05:57.240 their voice in a positive way. I mean, it's really 0:05:57.240 --> 0:05:59.520 a modern issue that we're going to have to deal with, 0:05:59.600 --> 0:06:01.920 and if we really love hunting, we will and will 0:06:02.040 --> 0:06:06.560 joyfully unite our voices in in in very productive, educated, 0:06:06.760 --> 0:06:11.359 classy ways will say hunting is good. Wildlife management in 0:06:11.360 --> 0:06:14.160 this country has worked. We are the good guys that 0:06:14.279 --> 0:06:17.719 love wildlife and want to see all species of wildlife thrive. 0:06:17.920 --> 0:06:21.120 We're the guys that are putting our money towards habitat 0:06:21.200 --> 0:06:24.680 conservation inside of a country where urban sprawl is just 0:06:24.839 --> 0:06:29.040 devouring habitat. We are the good guys where an animal 0:06:29.360 --> 0:06:33.279 has cultural value through hunting, that animal and its habitat 0:06:33.480 --> 0:06:36.400 is protected. And lastly, the best thing that we can 0:06:36.440 --> 0:06:39.320 do to protect this lifestyle that we love is to 0:06:39.440 --> 0:06:43.520 clean the inside of our own cup and make sure 0:06:43.560 --> 0:06:47.440 that we're representing this lifestyle with honor and dignity in 0:06:47.640 --> 0:06:52.120 every aspect of our life. So right on, guys, let's 0:06:52.160 --> 0:07:04.200 get to the render. Speaking of boots, he caught Brent 0:07:04.320 --> 0:07:06.560 on a good day and he's not wearing his Wow, 0:07:06.600 --> 0:07:09.840 this is the first time crocs are flip flips, I think, 0:07:09.960 --> 0:07:12.400 is all I've ever seen Brent Raven. Well, the last 0:07:12.440 --> 0:07:17.239 time we went out to the mew barn, squishing between 0:07:17.280 --> 0:07:21.000 your tube, Well, no, I just didn't have access to everything. 0:07:21.120 --> 0:07:24.840 So yeah, this is the first time I've seen Brent 0:07:24.960 --> 0:07:28.240 where the first time we wear boots. We've been all 0:07:28.280 --> 0:07:33.680 over the country together and not scared of coronavirus. He's 0:07:33.720 --> 0:07:37.440 just worried about getting worms. Yeah wait just a second, 0:07:37.440 --> 0:07:42.720 did you I'm scared of getting him again? Did you 0:07:42.760 --> 0:07:46.160 freak get beer boots? Whenever you all went hunt hunting 0:07:47.000 --> 0:07:50.280 bear camp? What did y'all come back for? He forgot 0:07:50.280 --> 0:07:53.560 his bot, I forgot my boat. Remember it was important, 0:07:55.000 --> 0:07:59.000 would have went barefooted. But welcome to the Burger's Render. 0:07:59.600 --> 0:08:03.000 Doing that, we have we have some man, this is 0:08:03.040 --> 0:08:06.000 a big day at the Burgers Render. We have some 0:08:06.080 --> 0:08:08.840 real guests with US State boys. Or I could tell 0:08:08.920 --> 0:08:10.800 when I when I walked up and I saw you 0:08:10.840 --> 0:08:15.960 in your your dress clothes, think place in dress clothes. 0:08:15.960 --> 0:08:21.160 And Brind's got shoes on, has faded overalls today. He 0:08:24.000 --> 0:08:26.119 very nice. I hung that on a bob war fence. 0:08:26.440 --> 0:08:31.000 Brinton has a zip tie in lieu of a button. Beautiful, 0:08:31.080 --> 0:08:37.679 good custom custom. Yeah, well, we're gonna do something a 0:08:37.679 --> 0:08:40.280 little bit different today. I'm gonna introduce my guests right 0:08:40.320 --> 0:08:43.200 off the bat. Well they go first. Well, I just 0:08:43.360 --> 0:08:45.800 I don't, I just I'm just so excited. I just 0:08:47.200 --> 0:08:49.120 He's just gonna blurt it out at some point if 0:08:49.160 --> 0:08:52.520 he tries to introduce to Yeah. Usually I talked for 0:08:52.559 --> 0:08:56.160 ten minutes before I introduced the mystery guests. Right, Austin Booth. 0:08:56.720 --> 0:08:58.959 Austin Booth, director of the Arkansas Game of Fish, is 0:08:59.000 --> 0:09:01.400 with us. Austin them to have you. Man, it's really 0:09:01.400 --> 0:09:04.240 good to be here. Thanks for coming to Northwest Arkansas 0:09:04.480 --> 0:09:08.480 has excellent boots. Yeah, what kind of tell us? Tell 0:09:08.559 --> 0:09:12.280 us about these boots, Austin, So these are dinner lights. Uh. 0:09:12.320 --> 0:09:15.079 I like them because they're very similar to what I 0:09:15.120 --> 0:09:17.880 wore in the Marine Corps for eight years. Super comfortable. 0:09:17.920 --> 0:09:20.560 Can't tear them up, you can resole them. Really, Santa, 0:09:20.960 --> 0:09:23.760 apparently Santa brought them to you. Santa Claus did indeed 0:09:23.800 --> 0:09:25.720 bring them. Hey, let me tell you. My problem with 0:09:25.800 --> 0:09:29.640 boots like this is I really like what you're doing 0:09:29.679 --> 0:09:33.320 here and that you're you're using them like like dress 0:09:33.360 --> 0:09:35.720 boots almost. I mean, like, you know, they look nice, 0:09:35.760 --> 0:09:38.640 there's not a scuff on them. But you're gonna you're 0:09:38.640 --> 0:09:42.000 gonna walk out of here, and because you have those on, 0:09:42.240 --> 0:09:44.560 you're gonna be like you're gonna like run across the 0:09:44.640 --> 0:09:48.120 ditch or you're gonna go do something, and you're gonna 0:09:48.160 --> 0:09:52.880 scuff them up, and then you've built You've built this 0:09:52.880 --> 0:09:55.160 this idea in your head that these are the boots 0:09:55.200 --> 0:09:57.880 I wear, like these are like my church boots, but 0:09:57.920 --> 0:10:00.840 then they beat up in no time because they're not 0:10:01.040 --> 0:10:04.520 church boots. It messes with my head because I can't 0:10:04.600 --> 0:10:07.480 keep a pair of boots nice. I mean, it's a problem. 0:10:07.600 --> 0:10:11.040 I just heard you say your shoes make you do things. Yeah, 0:10:11.280 --> 0:10:13.520 they do. And I don't wear crocs. I got I 0:10:13.559 --> 0:10:18.160 got crocs for I got crocs from my children, your 0:10:18.240 --> 0:10:20.240 kids listen to this podcast. I know, and I love them. 0:10:20.559 --> 0:10:23.480 I love mused by you, and I will wear those 0:10:23.480 --> 0:10:27.000 crocs at different times, but I will not wear them 0:10:27.160 --> 0:10:33.920 when my family's honor is at stake. The fight that 0:10:34.000 --> 0:10:48.280 happen often crocs, I firmly we have. There was you know, 0:10:48.400 --> 0:10:51.560 sometimes you're around someone and they say something that you're like, 0:10:51.640 --> 0:10:53.400 That's what I've been trying to say my whole life, 0:10:53.400 --> 0:10:56.600 and you just take it from them. Um Ron Bayne 0:10:56.960 --> 0:11:00.880 Hunting Dog Podcast. He says you should never not wear 0:11:01.000 --> 0:11:04.559 shoes that you couldn't protect your family in a volcano. 0:11:05.240 --> 0:11:10.360 Why couldn't you? When have you? Why is the volcano relevant? 0:11:10.480 --> 0:11:14.840 Volcano is a metaphor. I mean volcano. If you're a human, 0:11:15.400 --> 0:11:19.480 I would like that is more culturally relevant. Well I 0:11:19.640 --> 0:11:21.480 get it though when you say that, it's like, yeah, 0:11:21.480 --> 0:11:23.040 you don't want to be wearing flip pups. You wanted 0:11:23.040 --> 0:11:27.560 to be wearing these. Still I'm wearing leather boots, so also, 0:11:27.600 --> 0:11:29.320 I like your boots. That's all we're trying to say. 0:11:29.600 --> 0:11:37.080 Thank you. That's a really other you anticipate this was 0:11:37.080 --> 0:11:39.280 going to start off this way. I knew it was 0:11:39.280 --> 0:11:45.600 gonna be something similar about something meandering and humorous play 0:11:45.679 --> 0:11:59.760 We oh photo evidence that shot. So are other mystery 0:12:00.080 --> 0:12:04.080 us that we're very honored to have. Luke Naylor, Arkansas 0:12:04.120 --> 0:12:08.480 Game Fish Commission waterfowl biologist. Luke was on the Luke 0:12:08.600 --> 0:12:12.520 was on the Main Burgers podcast last week. I told 0:12:12.640 --> 0:12:15.040 I told him he carried the weight of it, carried 0:12:15.080 --> 0:12:18.240 the weight of it as usual. Yep, he did. Great. 0:12:18.400 --> 0:12:22.360 Now I still stand by my analogy that you being 0:12:22.440 --> 0:12:25.360 the lead guy for the Arkansas Game of Fish Commission, 0:12:25.640 --> 0:12:28.679 lead waterfowl guy in the duck hunting capital of the world, 0:12:29.040 --> 0:12:32.040 he is essentially, like I said, Steph Curry of the 0:12:32.040 --> 0:12:36.280 Golden State Warriors. Yeah. Yeah, my jump show is not 0:12:36.320 --> 0:12:42.000 that good. Quite. I don't think that's gonna work. You 0:12:42.040 --> 0:12:44.800 would have typically, I'm about the only guy showing up 0:12:44.800 --> 0:12:47.080 on a on a w A to change in and 0:12:47.120 --> 0:12:50.000 out of hunting boots and wearing my Choco sandals. That's 0:12:50.080 --> 0:12:54.160 pretty much Choco to and from a hunting location. So 0:12:54.480 --> 0:12:58.120 I'm I got problems with volcano, I guess. But but 0:12:58.160 --> 0:12:59.640 it works out. You got all kind of problems if 0:12:59.679 --> 0:13:06.600 you were in Chuckos chaos, I mean, only worn. I 0:13:06.600 --> 0:13:07.920 think there's something that we need to get it out 0:13:07.920 --> 0:13:11.600 of the way with Luke, okay, about a certain object 0:13:11.640 --> 0:13:16.040 that falls from trees. Oh it's true. Yeah. I wanted 0:13:16.080 --> 0:13:18.520 to make a public apology to all my listeners from 0:13:18.559 --> 0:13:22.440 the South about the way Luke pronounced the word acorn an. 0:13:22.640 --> 0:13:27.000 You know what. I listened to it twice one time 0:13:27.080 --> 0:13:28.240 on the way up here, and the only thing I 0:13:28.280 --> 0:13:31.200 could get over was you saying pronouncing I know. I 0:13:31.240 --> 0:13:32.880 knew it would come up. I knew it would come 0:13:32.920 --> 0:13:35.880 up there. I didn't hear I don't you know. I 0:13:35.920 --> 0:13:39.920 honestly didn't remember him saying it either. He did. He's 0:13:39.920 --> 0:13:41.960 had in the truck too on the way here. Yeah, 0:13:42.840 --> 0:13:49.520 get a lot of really Kansas. Yes, I'm a native 0:13:49.600 --> 0:13:58.960 kans and they don't trees. How much was the telephone pole? Yeah? 0:13:59.160 --> 0:14:02.599 Pretty much is so. Yeah, there's there's a few acorn 0:14:02.679 --> 0:14:05.800 berrying trees in Kansas, but not near the number there 0:14:05.840 --> 0:14:08.199 are down here. So you do have some respect for 0:14:08.240 --> 0:14:14.040 where you're at. Just go and call you kind of 0:14:14.080 --> 0:14:16.040 gotta go. I've I've been here for a while and 0:14:16.080 --> 0:14:17.920 I can kind of you just gotta kind of read 0:14:17.920 --> 0:14:21.320 the room and it it's particularly hostile, you go with acre. 0:14:22.560 --> 0:14:26.280 You just just avoid the subject altogether. Yeah, yeah, yeah, 0:14:26.840 --> 0:14:30.080 Well no present company accepted you. You you gave us 0:14:30.160 --> 0:14:33.640 some great knowledge on the podcast. So are you gonna 0:14:33.680 --> 0:14:36.520 introduce the rest of us? Yes, I was gonna say so, 0:14:36.800 --> 0:14:41.320 the regular crew that's here to my right, Misty Nuclem. 0:14:41.440 --> 0:14:43.560 Great to have you, Misty. Did you guys know that 0:14:43.600 --> 0:14:45.960 most of the comments would get about the burglary surrender 0:14:46.000 --> 0:14:49.240 about Misty? Yeah, because she's better than us. Yeah, very 0:14:49.320 --> 0:14:52.120 much so. Brett Reeves. Great to see Brett, great to 0:14:52.120 --> 0:14:56.080 be seen. Josh Billmaker here, glad, I'm glad. Hey, Daniel 0:14:56.120 --> 0:15:00.120 Rupe couldn't be here. His mustache is excellent. I have 0:15:00.200 --> 0:15:03.040 that in my notes what did you guys think? The 0:15:03.200 --> 0:15:06.000 first thing I'll photo was Calfish hunter. Should we possibly 0:15:06.000 --> 0:15:09.560 get some context for why we're talking about Dan's mustache, Well, 0:15:09.600 --> 0:15:12.960 he post we we would not out this information because 0:15:13.000 --> 0:15:20.600 we follow hippo guidelines here at the Barges podcast, we 0:15:20.640 --> 0:15:25.280 probably should talk about what Dan just couldn't be here. 0:15:26.000 --> 0:15:30.040 So last week Daniel saw my mustache and Daniel was 0:15:30.080 --> 0:15:33.360 that the inspiration, no doubt, No, I mean it's not 0:15:33.560 --> 0:15:37.480 really debatable it is. I have to say. It's the 0:15:37.560 --> 0:15:43.320 most fake looking real mustache. You'll see it. It looks great, 0:15:43.360 --> 0:15:46.200 it's fantastic. So Daniel couldn't be here, and then unfortunately 0:15:46.240 --> 0:15:49.440 Gary Newcomb couldn't be here. That's very unfortunate. Yeah, Dad 0:15:49.480 --> 0:15:52.720 couldn't be here either. So so we've got a got 0:15:52.720 --> 0:16:00.680 a great yeah subtle for us. Hey, while we're while 0:16:00.680 --> 0:16:04.480 we're taking care of some business here, I want to 0:16:04.480 --> 0:16:08.000 to two Metta related things. So meet eaters coming out 0:16:08.040 --> 0:16:11.440 with a whole big waterfowl deal. You can go to 0:16:11.680 --> 0:16:15.320 the meat eator dot com forward slash waterfowl and see 0:16:15.320 --> 0:16:17.120 all the stuff that they're doing. So one of my 0:16:17.240 --> 0:16:21.840 guests who on the podcast was Sean Weaver, who is 0:16:21.960 --> 0:16:25.320 meat eaters waterfowl guru. Shawn is a cool guy. Shawn's 0:16:25.320 --> 0:16:29.080 twenty eight years old. He puts seventy thousand miles a 0:16:29.160 --> 0:16:31.600 year on a truck, which is true and has for 0:16:31.640 --> 0:16:35.840 like the last ten years, and he he travels all 0:16:35.840 --> 0:16:39.239 over the country and it's just a genuine good guy. 0:16:39.600 --> 0:16:43.320 And uh so he he came here and I interviewed him, 0:16:43.360 --> 0:16:45.720 and I thought he was so good on the podcast 0:16:45.800 --> 0:16:48.120 because he wasn't from Arkansas. Everybody else was from Arkansas, 0:16:48.120 --> 0:16:51.480 including me, and so we were establishing that Arkansas is 0:16:51.560 --> 0:16:53.920 duck hunting capital of the world. And I was kind 0:16:53.920 --> 0:16:56.920 of playing the why is it? I don't understand and 0:16:56.960 --> 0:17:00.800 Sean to me kind of sealed the heel because he's 0:17:00.840 --> 0:17:04.119 got no stock in Arkansas and his I liked. I 0:17:04.160 --> 0:17:07.160 liked what he said about He just kind of gave 0:17:07.240 --> 0:17:10.720 an outsiders look in Arkansas. I say that to say. 0:17:11.640 --> 0:17:15.400 Meteors coming out with a new series called Duck Lore, 0:17:16.200 --> 0:17:18.720 and it's Sean traveling all over the country hunting with 0:17:18.760 --> 0:17:21.080 people and so it's pretty cool and one of the 0:17:21.080 --> 0:17:25.679 episodes will be in Arkansas maybe maybe maybe not with me, 0:17:26.520 --> 0:17:30.720 there's not an episode in Arkansas. We got big problems 0:17:31.040 --> 0:17:32.880 because this is the kind of capital of the world. 0:17:33.240 --> 0:17:35.040 So you can go to the Meteor dot com forward 0:17:35.040 --> 0:17:38.159 slash Waterfowl and you can see First Light has a 0:17:38.200 --> 0:17:41.760 new waterfowl waterfowl gear system coming out, and you can 0:17:41.800 --> 0:17:45.600 sign up for our newsletter. That is uh, that's good. 0:17:45.640 --> 0:17:48.360 The only other thing on a meeting or agenda is, uh, 0:17:48.440 --> 0:17:53.119 how many you guys know Spencer new Hearth. Yeah, okay, 0:17:53.480 --> 0:18:00.000 our guest series, Spencer new Hearth works hunting editorial guy, 0:18:00.040 --> 0:18:02.840 A good good. Yes. I had a dream the other 0:18:02.960 --> 0:18:06.760 night and I remember nothing about the dream other than 0:18:06.760 --> 0:18:10.360 that Spencer new Hearth walks past me and I call 0:18:10.520 --> 0:18:17.239 him beach Nut, and you're gonna make this public, You're 0:18:17.240 --> 0:18:21.679 gonna release this on the Nut. I just remember addressing 0:18:21.800 --> 0:18:25.720 him very seriously, Mr Nut, beach Nut, come here, you 0:18:25.720 --> 0:18:28.919 know something. So I just I'm doing my part in 0:18:29.160 --> 0:18:31.880 uh to just make sure that that's what everybody calls him. 0:18:31.880 --> 0:18:33.960 I think that's a moniker that I'm pretty sure Steve 0:18:34.000 --> 0:18:36.600 Rinella is on this wagon too, as is everybody else 0:18:36.600 --> 0:18:40.679 at Meat Eater. So beach Nut, we really like, we 0:18:40.720 --> 0:18:43.919 really appreciate what he does for us. Okay, moving right along, 0:18:44.440 --> 0:18:48.360 moving it was weird. It was very weird. Okay, that's 0:18:48.359 --> 0:18:50.760 why I've made it a point. I you know, made 0:18:50.760 --> 0:18:53.639 it a point to make this very public. Okay, moving 0:18:53.720 --> 0:18:58.640 right along. I almost lost my eye yesterday. I feel 0:18:58.680 --> 0:19:01.719 like I had rode with these guys for like twenty 0:19:01.720 --> 0:19:04.639 minutes before I told them that. I wasn't like, you know, 0:19:04.720 --> 0:19:09.560 like either you know, Clay's got pink eye or Clay 0:19:09.720 --> 0:19:16.160 is pink Yeah, that's my first thought. It's like I've 0:19:16.160 --> 0:19:19.919 got small kids, like, oh, if your eyes read, you 0:19:19.960 --> 0:19:24.200 just assume somebody. Yeah. Well, I didn't want it to 0:19:24.240 --> 0:19:27.200 be the first thing I said with you guys. Um No. 0:19:27.520 --> 0:19:32.520 So yesterday I had two of my buddies from Oklahoma 0:19:32.640 --> 0:19:38.600 come up here. Um, Alan Grigg and Brian Wrangles. Very nice, 0:19:38.880 --> 0:19:43.680 very they they they are really good guys. They ride horses. 0:19:43.880 --> 0:19:47.240 They wanted to come up and squirrel hunt on their horses. 0:19:47.320 --> 0:19:49.520 Me on the mule, and we hunted yesterday. And at 0:19:49.440 --> 0:19:53.600 about eleven o'clock yesterday, I was riding to a tree. 0:19:53.960 --> 0:19:56.600 So when you when you're squirrel hunting on mules, part 0:19:56.600 --> 0:19:57.959 of the deal is that you can get to the 0:19:58.000 --> 0:20:01.120 tree quick. So the dog's tree and the squirrel especially 0:20:01.160 --> 0:20:03.800 this time of year. They're going in Den's really quickly. 0:20:03.920 --> 0:20:05.840 Usually it's the quicker you can get there, the better. 0:20:06.560 --> 0:20:08.760 And going to a tree, and I mean, just like 0:20:09.119 --> 0:20:13.560 we've done for lots of miles, riding through thick forest, 0:20:13.880 --> 0:20:15.560 you just kind of put up your arms and just 0:20:15.640 --> 0:20:19.760 go and stuff brushing across you, and you know, And 0:20:19.840 --> 0:20:22.040 I just took a stick. You know, I didn't see 0:20:22.040 --> 0:20:24.000 it happened. I don't know how big it was, but 0:20:24.440 --> 0:20:26.480 it was in your and you didn't see it. Yeah, 0:20:27.040 --> 0:20:31.360 I just took a stick in my right eye. And uh, 0:20:31.480 --> 0:20:35.320 for a minute there, I really thought I'm gonna open 0:20:35.359 --> 0:20:38.119 this eye and I'm gonna see black. You know. I 0:20:38.160 --> 0:20:40.320 was envisioned what I'd look like with a glass eye, 0:20:40.760 --> 0:20:45.080 and like what what I was gonna put that's actually 0:20:45.760 --> 0:20:47.280 in the middle. I wish I would have thought about 0:20:47.280 --> 0:20:50.720 that because I was just the hospital. No, I was 0:20:50.760 --> 0:20:52.600 picturing and walking around with him with a patch. I 0:20:52.640 --> 0:20:56.480 also had visions and I and and because Clay is 0:20:56.480 --> 0:21:00.080 so descriptive in text message, I'm I'm shaking my head. No, 0:21:00.200 --> 0:21:02.720 he's like I had issue with my eye, heading to 0:21:02.760 --> 0:21:06.199 the doctor, may need, may need to ride. And my 0:21:06.359 --> 0:21:09.040 response is on a scale of one to ten, with 0:21:09.119 --> 0:21:14.120 ten being blindness. Where we are and he didn't text back, 0:21:15.320 --> 0:21:18.439 and we called, We talked on the phone. You didn't 0:21:18.480 --> 0:21:20.639 on the phone. You did. But when I talked to 0:21:20.680 --> 0:21:22.080 him on the phone, I was a little concerned, to 0:21:22.080 --> 0:21:24.440 be honest, because you can usually hear it in Clay's 0:21:24.520 --> 0:21:27.840 voice that everything's all right and it's usually a good 0:21:27.880 --> 0:21:30.440 story or whatever. And I couldn't hear that when I 0:21:30.480 --> 0:21:33.200 when I I just got on the phone, it was like, well, 0:21:33.200 --> 0:21:34.879 I mean, it might be hard from the text if 0:21:34.920 --> 0:21:38.000 in fact we are at in blindness. So so I 0:21:38.080 --> 0:21:40.359 just picked up the phone and called him and said, 0:21:40.520 --> 0:21:43.800 what's what's going on? And I could tell he wasn't 0:21:43.840 --> 0:21:48.840 quite sure. Well, it hurt like heck, and at first 0:21:48.880 --> 0:21:50.399 I just thought it would just kind of go away, 0:21:50.400 --> 0:21:52.919 and so we just kept hunting, kept hunting, and I 0:21:53.000 --> 0:21:55.399 just kind of was squinting and it was watering, and 0:21:55.800 --> 0:21:58.560 about four hours later it was worse than when it happened, 0:21:58.600 --> 0:22:00.520 you know, And so we had a hall off the 0:22:00.600 --> 0:22:03.120 hunt and I just was like, man, I can't even 0:22:03.200 --> 0:22:06.280 see you out either eye because when you squinch up 0:22:06.320 --> 0:22:10.240 this eye so hard this I started water in two 0:22:10.280 --> 0:22:12.760 and you just it was. It was pretty painful. I 0:22:12.800 --> 0:22:16.040 went to the eye doctor and I took off a 0:22:16.119 --> 0:22:22.560 chunk out of my cornea and uhry he said. He said, 0:22:22.600 --> 0:22:26.080 if it had been two millimeters further as I'm seeing 0:22:26.200 --> 0:22:29.680 right now to the west, uh he said, it would 0:22:29.680 --> 0:22:31.919 have caused permanent damage. If if you if that happens 0:22:31.920 --> 0:22:35.399 on your pupil, like it's basically I mean, from what 0:22:35.480 --> 0:22:39.600 I could tell, like not, but it's no big deal. 0:22:41.320 --> 0:22:45.960 It's it's almost already healed. Isn't that crazy? But if 0:22:45.960 --> 0:22:48.959 I hadn't gone to the doctor, he said, what happens 0:22:49.000 --> 0:22:52.440 is it's when you get an eye injury, it abraid, 0:22:52.560 --> 0:22:58.480 it abraids your eye, and then when you blink, it 0:22:58.600 --> 0:23:03.080 tears the scam off your every time you play, they 0:23:03.119 --> 0:23:06.280 put it. They put a contact lens, like a medicated 0:23:06.359 --> 0:23:11.280 contact lens over it, and then so that when it 0:23:11.359 --> 0:23:17.560 was like but yeah, to get rid of the worms, 0:23:18.720 --> 0:23:25.920 but it Brent stays for pink. Your eye heels very quickly. 0:23:25.920 --> 0:23:29.040 And I'm serious, like, right now I feel perfectly fine, 0:23:29.760 --> 0:23:33.080 and yesterday I can hardly see how so yeah, miracles 0:23:33.160 --> 0:23:36.800 modern science, folks, Well, what my buddy Alvin says is 0:23:36.840 --> 0:23:41.080 he said, we take for granted how often stuff just 0:23:41.160 --> 0:23:45.080 goes normal, Like you go, you go squirrel hunting and 0:23:45.160 --> 0:23:47.280 you don't get hurt, and you come home and you 0:23:47.320 --> 0:23:52.480 just think that's normal. It's so. Anyway, I lost another 0:23:52.480 --> 0:23:58.720 tooth today. Yeah, yeah, Austin man. You uh so, you've 0:23:59.000 --> 0:24:01.000 you've been at the game and fish now since July 0:24:01.400 --> 0:24:05.680 July one, July one, so little over six months. That's right. 0:24:05.840 --> 0:24:08.760 So give us a little, uh the walk through of 0:24:08.840 --> 0:24:12.760 your career and where you've been and how you got here. 0:24:12.840 --> 0:24:16.200 Grew up in a small town in Lonoak County. UH 0:24:16.600 --> 0:24:20.920 left in two thousand four to go to college. Uh 0:24:21.119 --> 0:24:24.000 dad was a ninja builder. Mom became a nurse after 0:24:24.040 --> 0:24:26.760 she put her kids through college. But anyways, Uh, I 0:24:26.800 --> 0:24:30.040 went to college at the Citadel in Charleston, South Carolina. 0:24:30.280 --> 0:24:32.680 Then I went to law school at the University of 0:24:32.680 --> 0:24:36.920 South Carolina, and uh then took the start taking notes here. 0:24:37.280 --> 0:24:41.200 He's a lawyer. Okay, that's one finger check, yeah, okay. 0:24:41.520 --> 0:24:43.520