1 00:00:02,880 --> 00:00:06,440 Speaker 1: Welcome to the Wired to Hunt podcast, your home for 2 00:00:06,519 --> 00:00:11,479 Speaker 1: deer hunting news, stories and strategies, and now your host, 3 00:00:11,880 --> 00:00:16,600 Speaker 1: Mark Kenyon. Welcome to the Wired to Hunt podcast. I'm 4 00:00:16,640 --> 00:00:19,400 Speaker 1: your host, Mark Kenyan, and this episode number one thirty 5 00:00:19,480 --> 00:00:22,000 Speaker 1: seven tay in the show, we are joined again by 6 00:00:22,079 --> 00:00:24,560 Speaker 1: Donnie Vincent, and this time we're diving deep into his 7 00:00:24,640 --> 00:00:46,479 Speaker 1: hunting and habitat improvement experiences on his own Wisconsin property. 8 00:00:47,200 --> 00:00:50,360 Speaker 1: Hey there, folks, welcome to the Wired to Hunt podcast, 9 00:00:50,440 --> 00:00:54,480 Speaker 1: brought to you by Sick of Gear. And today we're 10 00:00:54,520 --> 00:00:58,080 Speaker 1: back again with a very recent guest, Donnie Vincent. And 11 00:00:58,160 --> 00:01:00,320 Speaker 1: in our last episode with him back during the fall, 12 00:01:00,400 --> 00:01:02,800 Speaker 1: we talked about a bunch of different things, but right 13 00:01:02,840 --> 00:01:05,440 Speaker 1: towards the end of that conversation we really briefly touched 14 00:01:05,440 --> 00:01:07,800 Speaker 1: on the fact that Donnie had been doing some habitat 15 00:01:07,800 --> 00:01:11,320 Speaker 1: work and hunting on a property of his own in Wisconsin. 16 00:01:11,560 --> 00:01:13,959 Speaker 1: And after that episode went live, both Donnie and I 17 00:01:14,000 --> 00:01:16,720 Speaker 1: got feedback from folks wanting to hear more about that 18 00:01:16,760 --> 00:01:18,640 Speaker 1: side of what Donnie's doing. You know, you hear a 19 00:01:18,640 --> 00:01:21,399 Speaker 1: lot about Donnie's big sheep hunts, and I don't know 20 00:01:21,400 --> 00:01:23,280 Speaker 1: moose hunts or bear hunts all over the place, but 21 00:01:23,319 --> 00:01:25,440 Speaker 1: not often do we get to hear about what he's doing, 22 00:01:25,760 --> 00:01:27,840 Speaker 1: you know, on a regular piece of property that he 23 00:01:27,920 --> 00:01:30,880 Speaker 1: owns and manages kind of like us. So today we 24 00:01:30,959 --> 00:01:34,000 Speaker 1: wanted to specifically talk about, you know, how Donnie found 25 00:01:34,040 --> 00:01:37,600 Speaker 1: this property, how he acquired this property, what his habitat 26 00:01:37,640 --> 00:01:40,360 Speaker 1: and deer management goals and plans have been, what has 27 00:01:40,400 --> 00:01:43,680 Speaker 1: he specifically done, why do it all that kind of stuff, 28 00:01:43,720 --> 00:01:45,120 Speaker 1: and also kind of catch up on some of his 29 00:01:45,120 --> 00:01:47,760 Speaker 1: more recent hunts there too since last time we talked. 30 00:01:47,800 --> 00:01:51,000 Speaker 1: So that's the plan for today and then and then 31 00:01:51,040 --> 00:01:53,360 Speaker 1: also on top of that, I did want to follow 32 00:01:53,440 --> 00:01:56,040 Speaker 1: up on something that we talked about again last time, 33 00:01:56,040 --> 00:01:58,200 Speaker 1: and that was a book that Donnie had mentioned that 34 00:01:58,240 --> 00:02:00,240 Speaker 1: he reads. I think he said he reads every year, 35 00:02:00,560 --> 00:02:02,280 Speaker 1: and I've read it recently while I read it several 36 00:02:02,360 --> 00:02:05,880 Speaker 1: years ago again recently, and that's a Sand County Almanac 37 00:02:06,000 --> 00:02:10,560 Speaker 1: by Aldo Leopold. And Leopold someone you've probably heard about 38 00:02:10,560 --> 00:02:13,880 Speaker 1: when it comes to the history of hunting and conservation 39 00:02:14,040 --> 00:02:15,720 Speaker 1: in this country, But if you haven't read the book, 40 00:02:16,160 --> 00:02:18,400 Speaker 1: you might not know a lot about his ideas, or 41 00:02:18,480 --> 00:02:21,600 Speaker 1: in particular his idea about a land ethic, which is 42 00:02:21,600 --> 00:02:24,880 Speaker 1: something that's guided much of the conservation movement over the 43 00:02:25,000 --> 00:02:27,760 Speaker 1: last I don't know, thirty fifty years or so. So 44 00:02:28,080 --> 00:02:29,919 Speaker 1: I'm hoping we can dive into this idea of a 45 00:02:30,000 --> 00:02:31,840 Speaker 1: land ethic too, because I think Donnie is going to 46 00:02:31,880 --> 00:02:34,600 Speaker 1: have some interesting insights to share on that front. And Uh, 47 00:02:34,639 --> 00:02:39,360 Speaker 1: this whole topic of a land ethic and conservation and 48 00:02:39,440 --> 00:02:42,440 Speaker 1: wildlife and wild places that's been on both of our 49 00:02:42,440 --> 00:02:45,320 Speaker 1: minds a lot lately, hasn't it been. That's a fact man. 50 00:02:45,880 --> 00:02:48,959 Speaker 1: You you sent me a message today and you said, hey, 51 00:02:49,000 --> 00:02:51,760 Speaker 1: can we get on a little bit earlier today because 52 00:02:52,000 --> 00:02:53,960 Speaker 1: I need to. I need to vent about some of 53 00:02:53,960 --> 00:02:55,360 Speaker 1: this kind of stuff. And and I love it when 54 00:02:55,400 --> 00:02:57,720 Speaker 1: I get those messages from you, because when you need 55 00:02:57,800 --> 00:02:59,440 Speaker 1: to vent, I know, it's usually about something that I 56 00:02:59,440 --> 00:03:03,160 Speaker 1: want to vent up out to. So, right, what's what's 57 00:03:03,200 --> 00:03:06,639 Speaker 1: on your mind? Well? And you know, this all kind 58 00:03:06,680 --> 00:03:10,720 Speaker 1: of started. I mean it didn't really start, but it 59 00:03:11,360 --> 00:03:13,600 Speaker 1: diesel was dumped on the flame, so to speak, at 60 00:03:13,639 --> 00:03:16,400 Speaker 1: the A T A Show when I realized, you know, 61 00:03:16,600 --> 00:03:19,960 Speaker 1: when it I shouldn't say, I realized I felt that 62 00:03:20,639 --> 00:03:24,240 Speaker 1: there was not enough emphasis on conservation or the animal 63 00:03:24,480 --> 00:03:29,239 Speaker 1: or you know, the keep it public movement, UM, that 64 00:03:29,400 --> 00:03:32,560 Speaker 1: we hunters should be really focusing on. And I don't 65 00:03:32,600 --> 00:03:36,840 Speaker 1: just mean we, I mean every person in the industry, 66 00:03:36,840 --> 00:03:40,240 Speaker 1: whether you sell a product or you make your money 67 00:03:40,400 --> 00:03:44,080 Speaker 1: off of advertising dollars like some of the hunting celebrities do, 68 00:03:44,480 --> 00:03:48,560 Speaker 1: or even you know, guys like me and you, um, 69 00:03:48,600 --> 00:03:51,400 Speaker 1: and I'm just as guilty of it. There needs to 70 00:03:51,440 --> 00:03:55,520 Speaker 1: be more focus on it. And uh, if you are 71 00:03:56,440 --> 00:04:00,360 Speaker 1: to the point where if you are in the end street, 72 00:04:00,880 --> 00:04:04,360 Speaker 1: it should be mandatory because you are making your money 73 00:04:05,000 --> 00:04:10,120 Speaker 1: off of um uh, a natural resource that is kind 74 00:04:10,160 --> 00:04:14,120 Speaker 1: of being treated as like, uh, I don't know, like 75 00:04:14,160 --> 00:04:18,000 Speaker 1: a commodity. Almost. Yeah, no, absolutely. It's funny you mentioned 76 00:04:18,040 --> 00:04:23,280 Speaker 1: that commodity piece because there's there's some really interesting things 77 00:04:23,279 --> 00:04:26,400 Speaker 1: that Leopold had to say about the difference between looking 78 00:04:26,440 --> 00:04:29,760 Speaker 1: at the land and wildlife in our natural resources as 79 00:04:29,800 --> 00:04:32,640 Speaker 1: a commodity versus as something that we are part of 80 00:04:32,640 --> 00:04:36,240 Speaker 1: a community with UM and I and and later when 81 00:04:36,240 --> 00:04:37,960 Speaker 1: we're Donnie, I want to actually read a couple of 82 00:04:38,040 --> 00:04:40,000 Speaker 1: things about that, because I think he has some powerful 83 00:04:40,040 --> 00:04:44,040 Speaker 1: things to say. But but dude, you're so right. Um, 84 00:04:44,120 --> 00:04:47,280 Speaker 1: And it's funny. I was just thinking about this too, 85 00:04:47,320 --> 00:04:53,640 Speaker 1: and how you know whether it's the public land's issue specifically. Um, well, hey, 86 00:04:53,680 --> 00:04:55,839 Speaker 1: I think what you're saying is a right in general 87 00:04:55,880 --> 00:04:58,040 Speaker 1: when it comes to conservation or just taking care of 88 00:04:58,640 --> 00:05:01,480 Speaker 1: the land that we hunt, or the environment, all these 89 00:05:01,480 --> 00:05:03,520 Speaker 1: different things, but also when it comes to this kind 90 00:05:03,520 --> 00:05:06,520 Speaker 1: of public lands thing specifically. I was sitting here and thinking, 91 00:05:06,560 --> 00:05:10,039 Speaker 1: you know, okay, like I care about public lands because 92 00:05:10,560 --> 00:05:13,080 Speaker 1: I have got to experience them a lot. I've gotten 93 00:05:13,120 --> 00:05:15,240 Speaker 1: to hunt on them, I've gotten a fish on them, 94 00:05:15,279 --> 00:05:17,839 Speaker 1: I've gotten a camp and hike and backpack and kayak 95 00:05:17,880 --> 00:05:20,880 Speaker 1: and and and and see these places. Um, but some 96 00:05:20,920 --> 00:05:23,919 Speaker 1: people maybe have not ever gotten to one of these places, 97 00:05:23,920 --> 00:05:26,400 Speaker 1: you know. And I start wondering, you know, what, do 98 00:05:26,440 --> 00:05:28,200 Speaker 1: these people care about it at all? Like I do? 99 00:05:28,320 --> 00:05:30,080 Speaker 1: Like do they hear me talking about this stuff all 100 00:05:30,080 --> 00:05:32,120 Speaker 1: the time and just like roll their eyes and say 101 00:05:32,400 --> 00:05:34,760 Speaker 1: Mark again on in one of his rants about public land. 102 00:05:34,760 --> 00:05:37,600 Speaker 1: And I started thinking, like, should these people that only 103 00:05:37,640 --> 00:05:39,560 Speaker 1: hunt private land that have never been to these plates 104 00:05:39,560 --> 00:05:41,520 Speaker 1: some of these bigger western maybe public lands, or maybe 105 00:05:41,520 --> 00:05:43,080 Speaker 1: haven't hunted public land here in the East or the 106 00:05:43,080 --> 00:05:45,400 Speaker 1: Midwest or south, Like, should they care about this kind 107 00:05:45,440 --> 00:05:47,880 Speaker 1: of thing, And I'm actually writing an article right now 108 00:05:48,120 --> 00:05:50,920 Speaker 1: about it, kind of laying out like four or five 109 00:05:51,040 --> 00:05:54,480 Speaker 1: reasons why I think they should um even from like 110 00:05:54,520 --> 00:05:57,640 Speaker 1: a selfish standpoint being that, you know, really quick not 111 00:05:57,680 --> 00:05:59,320 Speaker 1: to like steal the thunder of the article that I 112 00:05:59,360 --> 00:06:03,360 Speaker 1: still but but really quickly like, Okay, I think about this. 113 00:06:03,560 --> 00:06:06,840 Speaker 1: Even if you only hunt private land out here, what 114 00:06:07,000 --> 00:06:09,919 Speaker 1: happens if all the public land around you or around 115 00:06:09,920 --> 00:06:13,040 Speaker 1: the country. What if that public land is so mismanaged 116 00:06:13,080 --> 00:06:16,800 Speaker 1: and degraded and developed that it can't support wildlife populations 117 00:06:16,839 --> 00:06:18,839 Speaker 1: anymore and you can't hunt there, or what if it 118 00:06:18,880 --> 00:06:21,719 Speaker 1: just gets sold? So what happens if the millions of 119 00:06:21,800 --> 00:06:25,599 Speaker 1: hunters that do utilize public lands all of a sudden can't, Well, 120 00:06:25,800 --> 00:06:27,760 Speaker 1: they're going to start trying to hunt private land, or 121 00:06:27,760 --> 00:06:29,720 Speaker 1: they're gonna try to find private land. So that means, 122 00:06:29,880 --> 00:06:32,200 Speaker 1: you know, more competition for the pieces that you have 123 00:06:32,240 --> 00:06:34,760 Speaker 1: permission on. There might be more people trying to lease properties, 124 00:06:34,760 --> 00:06:37,200 Speaker 1: There might be more hunting on your property borders that 125 00:06:37,240 --> 00:06:39,040 Speaker 1: are bugging you. You You know, competition is like a thing 126 00:06:39,080 --> 00:06:42,000 Speaker 1: already for private hunters. It's going to be a lot 127 00:06:42,000 --> 00:06:44,440 Speaker 1: worse if there's no public access at all. So there's 128 00:06:44,520 --> 00:06:47,000 Speaker 1: one simple reason, like just purely, if you want to 129 00:06:47,000 --> 00:06:49,400 Speaker 1: think about how it will impact you as as a 130 00:06:49,400 --> 00:06:52,880 Speaker 1: private land hunter, there's one simple way. Or what about 131 00:06:52,920 --> 00:06:57,359 Speaker 1: the fact that new hunters traditionally typically don't have a 132 00:06:57,360 --> 00:06:59,280 Speaker 1: place to hunt, So a lot of new hunters are 133 00:06:59,320 --> 00:07:02,040 Speaker 1: dependent on lands because that's that's the easiest way to 134 00:07:02,080 --> 00:07:05,600 Speaker 1: get out in the woods and try this hunting thing. Um. Right, Well, 135 00:07:05,640 --> 00:07:07,640 Speaker 1: if we don't have public lands or there's not public 136 00:07:07,760 --> 00:07:10,400 Speaker 1: lands available to hunt easily, you know, we're not going 137 00:07:10,440 --> 00:07:12,320 Speaker 1: to gain those new hunters as as easily as we 138 00:07:12,400 --> 00:07:14,559 Speaker 1: might have otherwise. And as we've talked about in the past, 139 00:07:14,800 --> 00:07:17,640 Speaker 1: you know, if the numbers of hunters continue to decline, 140 00:07:17,920 --> 00:07:21,280 Speaker 1: we will lose our influence in democracy where you know, 141 00:07:21,400 --> 00:07:26,200 Speaker 1: votes equal privilege. Right, So I won't go down this 142 00:07:26,320 --> 00:07:28,080 Speaker 1: road any further, but it's it's been something I've been 143 00:07:28,080 --> 00:07:30,000 Speaker 1: thinking about two and it's something that I think it 144 00:07:30,080 --> 00:07:33,960 Speaker 1: does impact all of us. Right. I saw I saw 145 00:07:34,080 --> 00:07:38,920 Speaker 1: a article or comment on social media where and this 146 00:07:39,560 --> 00:07:41,800 Speaker 1: it's it kind of goes back to the two percent 147 00:07:41,880 --> 00:07:47,880 Speaker 1: for conservation organization. How you know, I feel that as 148 00:07:47,960 --> 00:07:54,239 Speaker 1: hunters we should demand that the companies who are making 149 00:07:54,280 --> 00:07:57,320 Speaker 1: money off of hunting give back in some way, shape 150 00:07:57,360 --> 00:08:00,760 Speaker 1: or form. Therefore, you know, we can say, all right, 151 00:08:01,280 --> 00:08:04,960 Speaker 1: I would love to see you support two percent for conservation, 152 00:08:05,120 --> 00:08:09,120 Speaker 1: you know, and and because of that, then I will 153 00:08:09,120 --> 00:08:11,280 Speaker 1: buy I will continue to buy your product, you know 154 00:08:11,280 --> 00:08:15,360 Speaker 1: what I mean? Um, I just feel that there's so 155 00:08:15,520 --> 00:08:20,280 Speaker 1: much money out there that could be given to conservation 156 00:08:20,320 --> 00:08:25,400 Speaker 1: efforts that's currently not Yeah, whether that's commercial or individuals 157 00:08:25,440 --> 00:08:27,800 Speaker 1: like ourselves, right, And I'll tell you what I don't. 158 00:08:27,840 --> 00:08:30,560 Speaker 1: I don't know if this is just because I'm kind 159 00:08:30,600 --> 00:08:33,760 Speaker 1: of weird like this, but I think that that is 160 00:08:33,800 --> 00:08:36,200 Speaker 1: some of the best marketing a company can do. Like 161 00:08:36,280 --> 00:08:40,360 Speaker 1: I see companies that do support conservation or you know, 162 00:08:40,480 --> 00:08:42,240 Speaker 1: the environment or whatever it might be, whether it's two 163 00:08:42,240 --> 00:08:44,960 Speaker 1: percent for conservation or one percent for the environment, or 164 00:08:45,040 --> 00:08:46,640 Speaker 1: you just hear about some of the different things that 165 00:08:46,760 --> 00:08:49,200 Speaker 1: companies are doing. When I know there's a company that 166 00:08:49,280 --> 00:08:52,719 Speaker 1: prioritizes that, um consistently, and I hear about that, and 167 00:08:52,760 --> 00:08:54,920 Speaker 1: I understand that that's something that matters to to the 168 00:08:54,960 --> 00:08:58,000 Speaker 1: people there, Um, I'm way more likely to spend my 169 00:08:58,040 --> 00:09:01,360 Speaker 1: money with them. Um, that's a fact. I mean, I 170 00:09:01,360 --> 00:09:03,480 Speaker 1: can't remember if I've talked about it before, but you know, 171 00:09:03,880 --> 00:09:05,880 Speaker 1: so obviously, as we talked about all the time, I 172 00:09:05,920 --> 00:09:08,200 Speaker 1: wear sick A gear for like all my hunting stuff 173 00:09:08,240 --> 00:09:10,320 Speaker 1: of course, and they're great supporters of this, but like 174 00:09:10,400 --> 00:09:13,960 Speaker 1: for for my non hunting um stuff like fishing gear 175 00:09:14,040 --> 00:09:15,480 Speaker 1: and some of that type of stuff. I'm a big 176 00:09:15,559 --> 00:09:18,360 Speaker 1: supporter of Patagonia because of how much they do on 177 00:09:18,400 --> 00:09:20,120 Speaker 1: that front. Like if you look into the things they're 178 00:09:20,120 --> 00:09:22,720 Speaker 1: doing to help a lot of causes related to public 179 00:09:22,800 --> 00:09:25,000 Speaker 1: lands and wildlife and stuff like that, Like they're doing 180 00:09:25,000 --> 00:09:27,240 Speaker 1: some really cool stuff there too. Um, And that's like, 181 00:09:27,600 --> 00:09:30,120 Speaker 1: if I'm going to spend you know, however many dollars 182 00:09:30,160 --> 00:09:32,080 Speaker 1: it is on a pair of waiters or something, I'd 183 00:09:32,200 --> 00:09:34,240 Speaker 1: rather spend it with a company like that who's doing 184 00:09:34,320 --> 00:09:37,320 Speaker 1: some good things with that money versus you know, someone 185 00:09:37,320 --> 00:09:39,960 Speaker 1: who's just like looking to make a dime. So I 186 00:09:40,000 --> 00:09:42,240 Speaker 1: think it drives sales too. It can help companies, and 187 00:09:42,280 --> 00:09:44,520 Speaker 1: it's also the right thing to do. Right now, I 188 00:09:44,559 --> 00:09:48,079 Speaker 1: have a question about the Patagonia is and maybe I'm 189 00:09:48,080 --> 00:09:51,520 Speaker 1: thinking of a completely different company. Um, they're an out 190 00:09:51,600 --> 00:09:57,040 Speaker 1: they're an outdoors company, but from a backpacking or camping standpoint, Um, 191 00:09:57,240 --> 00:10:01,080 Speaker 1: is Patagonia pro hunting. So Pentagonia, as far as I 192 00:10:01,120 --> 00:10:03,680 Speaker 1: understand is now they're not like a hunting company at all. 193 00:10:03,720 --> 00:10:06,280 Speaker 1: But I know that I know that Ivan Shnard is 194 00:10:06,320 --> 00:10:09,240 Speaker 1: the founder, and I know he hunts um and I 195 00:10:09,240 --> 00:10:11,679 Speaker 1: know upland hunting and he I know he lives in Jackson, 196 00:10:11,720 --> 00:10:13,520 Speaker 1: Wyoming and eats a lot of elk and eats a 197 00:10:13,559 --> 00:10:15,040 Speaker 1: lot of deer from some of his friends that are 198 00:10:15,080 --> 00:10:18,600 Speaker 1: hunters and stuff. So from everything I've read and seen, um, 199 00:10:18,640 --> 00:10:22,320 Speaker 1: they've been you know, hunting neutral and pro public lands, 200 00:10:22,320 --> 00:10:25,600 Speaker 1: pro environment all that kind of stuff. Um So, so yeah, 201 00:10:25,600 --> 00:10:27,240 Speaker 1: as far as I'm concerned, that's that's the type of 202 00:10:27,280 --> 00:10:29,200 Speaker 1: company that I'm that I'm interested in support. And now, 203 00:10:29,240 --> 00:10:31,439 Speaker 1: of course, you know, if I found out otherwise, you know, 204 00:10:31,440 --> 00:10:33,760 Speaker 1: there's definitely some companies out there that are you know, 205 00:10:33,880 --> 00:10:37,600 Speaker 1: pro environment but anti hunting, and those are the types 206 00:10:37,640 --> 00:10:39,839 Speaker 1: of companies that I definitely you know, would like to 207 00:10:39,880 --> 00:10:43,360 Speaker 1: see change that stance. And there's there's two and this 208 00:10:43,400 --> 00:10:44,959 Speaker 1: is this is a whole another thing we're getting into. 209 00:10:45,080 --> 00:10:49,320 Speaker 1: But you know, there's I don't know, I think there's 210 00:10:49,360 --> 00:10:54,360 Speaker 1: a lot of ways that the non hunting environmental movement 211 00:10:54,640 --> 00:10:58,520 Speaker 1: and the hunting, environmental or conservation movement, however you want 212 00:10:58,520 --> 00:11:00,480 Speaker 1: to phrase it. I think there's a lot of things 213 00:11:00,480 --> 00:11:02,880 Speaker 1: we have in common. So, like one of my big 214 00:11:02,920 --> 00:11:04,520 Speaker 1: things is I'm always trying to find was, like, how 215 00:11:04,520 --> 00:11:06,800 Speaker 1: can we try to bridge that gap a little bit more. 216 00:11:07,120 --> 00:11:09,040 Speaker 1: I know, sometimes it's not always going to be possible. 217 00:11:09,120 --> 00:11:11,320 Speaker 1: There's going to be crazies on that side that refused 218 00:11:11,320 --> 00:11:12,959 Speaker 1: to look at the world that we the way we do, 219 00:11:13,520 --> 00:11:14,920 Speaker 1: and so that's kind of a lost cause. But I 220 00:11:14,920 --> 00:11:17,840 Speaker 1: think there are people that are willing to listen and 221 00:11:17,880 --> 00:11:20,040 Speaker 1: willing to work with us if we don't like shut 222 00:11:20,080 --> 00:11:22,800 Speaker 1: them out, if we don't like automatically assume well, because 223 00:11:23,360 --> 00:11:25,439 Speaker 1: you're a quote unquote tree hugger, I don't want to 224 00:11:25,440 --> 00:11:29,240 Speaker 1: have anything to do with you. Um, when maybe of 225 00:11:29,240 --> 00:11:32,240 Speaker 1: those people actually are, hey, pretty okay with what we do, 226 00:11:32,280 --> 00:11:33,680 Speaker 1: when they find out what we do and how we 227 00:11:33,720 --> 00:11:35,760 Speaker 1: do it, and hey, maybe we can work together. My 228 00:11:35,880 --> 00:11:38,840 Speaker 1: I'm just like advocating for let's let's have an open mind, 229 00:11:38,960 --> 00:11:40,640 Speaker 1: and but on both sides, asking for them to have 230 00:11:40,640 --> 00:11:42,360 Speaker 1: an open mind, asking for us to have an open mind, 231 00:11:42,360 --> 00:11:45,240 Speaker 1: and like, let's work together, because whether it's public lands 232 00:11:45,400 --> 00:11:48,600 Speaker 1: or clean air, or clean water or healthy wildlife populations 233 00:11:48,640 --> 00:11:51,319 Speaker 1: like all that stuff. We both want the same things, 234 00:11:52,000 --> 00:11:55,840 Speaker 1: um and and I think if we hunters don't you know, 235 00:11:55,920 --> 00:11:58,599 Speaker 1: recognize that and don't like start caring about that a 236 00:11:58,640 --> 00:12:01,000 Speaker 1: little bit more. Hey, we're not going to have any 237 00:12:01,080 --> 00:12:03,160 Speaker 1: deer to to fill the freezer put on the wall, 238 00:12:03,200 --> 00:12:05,320 Speaker 1: and we're not gonna have places to go have these 239 00:12:05,360 --> 00:12:08,080 Speaker 1: incredible adventures were not you know, our way of life 240 00:12:08,080 --> 00:12:11,320 Speaker 1: just doesn't exist if those core elements aren't there, right, 241 00:12:11,760 --> 00:12:15,320 Speaker 1: And I think that's that goes to an organizational level 242 00:12:15,320 --> 00:12:19,440 Speaker 1: as well, where you know, companies I don't know, hunt 243 00:12:19,600 --> 00:12:22,120 Speaker 1: some kind of hunting organization, let's say, like the Rocky 244 00:12:22,120 --> 00:12:27,040 Speaker 1: Mountain el Foundation or National Deer Alliance partners with someone 245 00:12:27,080 --> 00:12:30,920 Speaker 1: who they might never partner with, like the National Federation 246 00:12:31,040 --> 00:12:33,840 Speaker 1: of Bird Watchers, you know, you know, something like that 247 00:12:33,920 --> 00:12:36,520 Speaker 1: where where I don't even know if that's a real 248 00:12:36,600 --> 00:12:39,640 Speaker 1: thing first of all, but it could be. Or you know, 249 00:12:39,920 --> 00:12:45,280 Speaker 1: the you know, people who are into kayaking or you know, 250 00:12:45,600 --> 00:12:48,640 Speaker 1: backpacking and you know, like just going out backpacking and 251 00:12:48,679 --> 00:12:51,600 Speaker 1: coming back in Really we should, like you said, we 252 00:12:51,679 --> 00:12:54,800 Speaker 1: share way more in common than we have in differences. 253 00:12:54,840 --> 00:12:58,800 Speaker 1: The only differences we we kill an animal and we 254 00:12:58,880 --> 00:13:02,679 Speaker 1: eat it. That's really that's really the only difference between 255 00:13:02,960 --> 00:13:07,600 Speaker 1: myself and someone who goes out and backpacks. Yep, it's 256 00:13:08,559 --> 00:13:11,120 Speaker 1: we share the same we share the same beliefs, we 257 00:13:11,160 --> 00:13:13,760 Speaker 1: share the same interest we we share the same love 258 00:13:13,800 --> 00:13:19,280 Speaker 1: for nature and the same uh you know, the same 259 00:13:19,280 --> 00:13:23,440 Speaker 1: you know, the respect for the public lands. Yeah, it's 260 00:13:23,520 --> 00:13:27,600 Speaker 1: very true. It's it's just sometimes people get bogged down 261 00:13:27,720 --> 00:13:30,920 Speaker 1: in the one piece that is different, and understandably that's 262 00:13:30,920 --> 00:13:33,560 Speaker 1: a big thing, and some people can't get over that. Um. 263 00:13:33,600 --> 00:13:36,000 Speaker 1: But I'm just I'm just trying to say, hey, there 264 00:13:36,040 --> 00:13:38,160 Speaker 1: are some people who can who can see through that 265 00:13:38,200 --> 00:13:40,320 Speaker 1: and see the value of what we do, and let's 266 00:13:40,400 --> 00:13:42,480 Speaker 1: let's let's let's put a hand out to those folks 267 00:13:42,480 --> 00:13:46,440 Speaker 1: at least. So well, I got a question for you, Dan, Okay, 268 00:13:48,200 --> 00:13:49,959 Speaker 1: when was it? And I don't know if you can 269 00:13:49,960 --> 00:13:52,520 Speaker 1: think of a moment or in an experience, but was 270 00:13:52,559 --> 00:13:56,320 Speaker 1: there any moment for you when like you started to 271 00:13:56,480 --> 00:13:59,560 Speaker 1: feel this way like for me, you know, for the 272 00:13:59,600 --> 00:14:02,440 Speaker 1: longest time, you know, I hunted just because I hunted, 273 00:14:02,600 --> 00:14:04,000 Speaker 1: and I was outside all the time, and I loved 274 00:14:04,000 --> 00:14:07,080 Speaker 1: the outdoors and I love fishing. I loved killing deer 275 00:14:07,120 --> 00:14:08,880 Speaker 1: and eating deer and doing all these things, and I 276 00:14:08,920 --> 00:14:12,040 Speaker 1: was obsessed with it um But then like at some point, 277 00:14:12,120 --> 00:14:15,720 Speaker 1: like within the last like eight years, eight or nine years, 278 00:14:15,720 --> 00:14:17,720 Speaker 1: it really last like five years, especially the last like 279 00:14:17,760 --> 00:14:20,800 Speaker 1: three years, really really like something clicked for me. And 280 00:14:20,840 --> 00:14:23,000 Speaker 1: I don't know if it was some of these experiences 281 00:14:23,000 --> 00:14:24,360 Speaker 1: I've had, but something clicked for me where all of 282 00:14:24,360 --> 00:14:26,120 Speaker 1: a sudden I went from just wanting to do that 283 00:14:26,200 --> 00:14:30,440 Speaker 1: thing to like really wanting to make sure this thing 284 00:14:31,120 --> 00:14:33,440 Speaker 1: is taken care of and avail in the future. Like 285 00:14:33,720 --> 00:14:35,600 Speaker 1: do you remember any kind of moment like that for you? 286 00:14:36,720 --> 00:14:40,120 Speaker 1: Is there an experience that kind of epitomizes that? So 287 00:14:40,720 --> 00:14:44,600 Speaker 1: I don't even know. I'm gonna say early nineties, mid nineties, 288 00:14:45,160 --> 00:14:48,800 Speaker 1: probably early nineties. My dad took me and my brother 289 00:14:49,280 --> 00:14:55,920 Speaker 1: from Iowa to Colorado on a UM on the amtrack 290 00:14:56,000 --> 00:14:58,520 Speaker 1: train and we drove all we wrote on it all 291 00:14:58,560 --> 00:15:00,400 Speaker 1: through the night, got in Denver, rented a car, and 292 00:15:00,440 --> 00:15:03,200 Speaker 1: went up into the mountains. We went to Rocky Mount 293 00:15:03,360 --> 00:15:06,600 Speaker 1: Mountain National Park, and I don't remember all of it 294 00:15:07,040 --> 00:15:09,960 Speaker 1: because I was younger. And then we went to a 295 00:15:09,960 --> 00:15:14,000 Speaker 1: couple other places, all public land, right, and you know, 296 00:15:14,120 --> 00:15:16,240 Speaker 1: just drove up in the mountains and it took my 297 00:15:16,320 --> 00:15:19,080 Speaker 1: breath away. And I had already had a love for 298 00:15:19,160 --> 00:15:21,440 Speaker 1: nature because I did a lot of fishing and trapping 299 00:15:21,480 --> 00:15:24,480 Speaker 1: when I was younger, but just going out there and 300 00:15:24,520 --> 00:15:27,880 Speaker 1: experiencing like the mountains and and and stuff like that 301 00:15:29,360 --> 00:15:33,200 Speaker 1: was for me kind of a game changer. But as 302 00:15:33,240 --> 00:15:38,680 Speaker 1: far as me realizing that it's time to actually start, 303 00:15:39,040 --> 00:15:41,520 Speaker 1: you know, like take action and time to put in 304 00:15:41,560 --> 00:15:44,400 Speaker 1: work and you know, enough of this bullshit talk that 305 00:15:44,680 --> 00:15:49,880 Speaker 1: everybody talks, but very few people follow through with action. 306 00:15:50,840 --> 00:15:56,600 Speaker 1: And it it was just, I guess ever since I 307 00:15:56,640 --> 00:16:00,200 Speaker 1: went on that elk hunt with you in I'd home, 308 00:16:01,320 --> 00:16:04,040 Speaker 1: there was a fire that was lit in me where 309 00:16:05,400 --> 00:16:10,120 Speaker 1: I want to live this life. Not not necessarily I 310 00:16:10,160 --> 00:16:12,760 Speaker 1: want to I want to live It's it's hard to 311 00:16:12,760 --> 00:16:16,400 Speaker 1: explain because it's more of a feeling than it is words. Right. 312 00:16:16,840 --> 00:16:20,040 Speaker 1: I want my kids to have the same opportunity to 313 00:16:20,240 --> 00:16:23,160 Speaker 1: go out and experience, even if they're not hunters, but 314 00:16:23,240 --> 00:16:26,360 Speaker 1: to go out and stand on a mountaintop and just 315 00:16:26,520 --> 00:16:29,360 Speaker 1: look and not see any buildings, or if they want 316 00:16:29,400 --> 00:16:33,040 Speaker 1: to disappear into the wilderness, they have the opportunity to 317 00:16:33,120 --> 00:16:36,280 Speaker 1: do that. If they want to go, you know, to 318 00:16:36,640 --> 00:16:40,680 Speaker 1: a public boat access or a public access waterway and 319 00:16:40,800 --> 00:16:44,800 Speaker 1: someday go fishing, you know, fly fishing or even fishing 320 00:16:44,920 --> 00:16:48,680 Speaker 1: around Iowa. I want them to have the same opportunities 321 00:16:49,080 --> 00:16:56,320 Speaker 1: that that I did, because I feel that nature can 322 00:16:56,440 --> 00:17:02,320 Speaker 1: really change your life. And like I said, it's it's 323 00:17:02,360 --> 00:17:04,840 Speaker 1: hard to put into words because it's it's a feeling. 324 00:17:04,960 --> 00:17:07,280 Speaker 1: Just like you know, I talked about how bow hunting 325 00:17:07,400 --> 00:17:09,480 Speaker 1: kind of changed my life, how I jumped into bow 326 00:17:09,560 --> 00:17:13,600 Speaker 1: hunting and it kind of took me off of this weird, 327 00:17:13,680 --> 00:17:17,280 Speaker 1: you know, this self destructive path. I feel that nature 328 00:17:17,320 --> 00:17:23,080 Speaker 1: has these these healing powers, not just not necessarily physically, 329 00:17:23,480 --> 00:17:28,439 Speaker 1: but for the human spirit and like emotionally as well, 330 00:17:28,920 --> 00:17:31,719 Speaker 1: you know, without a doubt. And I gotta believe anyone 331 00:17:31,720 --> 00:17:34,080 Speaker 1: who has done this kind of thing long enough can 332 00:17:34,119 --> 00:17:36,760 Speaker 1: relate to that. Like we've all had those moments where 333 00:17:37,600 --> 00:17:42,440 Speaker 1: it's revives you and it brings you back to life. 334 00:17:42,480 --> 00:17:45,560 Speaker 1: Almost sometimes when no matter how bad the badest stuff 335 00:17:45,600 --> 00:17:47,439 Speaker 1: is in the rest of your life, you can go 336 00:17:47,480 --> 00:17:50,119 Speaker 1: out and whether that's the back forward behind your house 337 00:17:50,359 --> 00:17:52,840 Speaker 1: or if that's a piece of public land and you're 338 00:17:52,880 --> 00:17:55,520 Speaker 1: able to get away from it all like that has, 339 00:17:55,880 --> 00:18:00,159 Speaker 1: like you said, a serious kind of healing power. Um. 340 00:18:01,119 --> 00:18:03,879 Speaker 1: But I do think that sometimes it takes like some 341 00:18:03,960 --> 00:18:06,679 Speaker 1: kind of experience or enough immersion in that to like 342 00:18:07,160 --> 00:18:10,359 Speaker 1: begin to realize it. Like I mean, you know, you 343 00:18:10,920 --> 00:18:15,400 Speaker 1: can't expect someone to care about something or to take 344 00:18:15,440 --> 00:18:18,119 Speaker 1: action on something until they've actually experienced it and felt 345 00:18:18,160 --> 00:18:20,639 Speaker 1: that type of thing that you're talking about. Um. But 346 00:18:21,080 --> 00:18:23,520 Speaker 1: to our point, most hunters have felt something like that. 347 00:18:23,640 --> 00:18:25,359 Speaker 1: It's just a manner of like being thoughtful and mindful 348 00:18:25,359 --> 00:18:27,360 Speaker 1: of that and realizing that and realizing, hey, this isn't 349 00:18:27,359 --> 00:18:30,320 Speaker 1: a guaranteed thing unless we take that action. But I mean, 350 00:18:30,400 --> 00:18:34,600 Speaker 1: think about this, Dan. Back when we're hunting elk in Idaho. Right, 351 00:18:34,920 --> 00:18:36,760 Speaker 1: We've got our our two tents set up on that 352 00:18:36,800 --> 00:18:39,200 Speaker 1: little knob, and we've got the forest and the mountains 353 00:18:39,320 --> 00:18:43,280 Speaker 1: rising up behind us. But then looking downhill, you've got 354 00:18:43,280 --> 00:18:45,240 Speaker 1: this big valley and then that great big mountain and 355 00:18:45,560 --> 00:18:47,359 Speaker 1: ridge lines on the other side of the valley, and 356 00:18:47,440 --> 00:18:50,240 Speaker 1: you and me. After a long day hunting, it's dark out. 357 00:18:50,280 --> 00:18:52,000 Speaker 1: We hiked all the way back to camp. We put 358 00:18:52,000 --> 00:18:54,600 Speaker 1: our pull our food down from the bare bags, grabbed 359 00:18:54,600 --> 00:18:57,760 Speaker 1: our little portable backpacking stoves and a little pot and 360 00:18:57,840 --> 00:19:00,480 Speaker 1: fill those up with water and set on our butts 361 00:19:00,520 --> 00:19:02,280 Speaker 1: right there on the edge of that knob, and are 362 00:19:02,440 --> 00:19:05,879 Speaker 1: the waters boiling for our little freeze dried meal. And 363 00:19:06,359 --> 00:19:08,639 Speaker 1: the sun is set, but there's a little bit that 364 00:19:08,680 --> 00:19:10,919 Speaker 1: little line of orange, you know, on the horizon, but 365 00:19:10,960 --> 00:19:13,680 Speaker 1: the stars already coming out above you, and the mountains 366 00:19:13,680 --> 00:19:15,520 Speaker 1: in front of you now are just a silhouette, but 367 00:19:15,520 --> 00:19:19,240 Speaker 1: a very clear black silhouette. I mean, do you remember 368 00:19:19,240 --> 00:19:21,719 Speaker 1: that moment, just sitting there and it's perfectly quiet, and 369 00:19:21,800 --> 00:19:24,159 Speaker 1: it's just you sit there in a moment like that, 370 00:19:24,200 --> 00:19:27,600 Speaker 1: and you see no lights, you see no civilization, It's 371 00:19:27,640 --> 00:19:31,760 Speaker 1: just you and this wilderness. And I don't think you 372 00:19:31,800 --> 00:19:33,600 Speaker 1: can sit there and have an experience like that and 373 00:19:33,680 --> 00:19:38,120 Speaker 1: not like feel something, um and feel like I think. 374 00:19:38,760 --> 00:19:41,720 Speaker 1: I think though in a way, um, you were there 375 00:19:41,760 --> 00:19:45,840 Speaker 1: once and although you did experience it, I think a 376 00:19:45,920 --> 00:19:52,120 Speaker 1: majority of the people out there. For me, it's I 377 00:19:52,160 --> 00:19:56,800 Speaker 1: feel I have this negative feeling towards my cubicle and 378 00:19:57,440 --> 00:20:01,120 Speaker 1: I dislike it, you know, like I feel like I'm 379 00:20:01,119 --> 00:20:04,200 Speaker 1: in a cage at times. I dislike it. Like, don't 380 00:20:04,240 --> 00:20:07,160 Speaker 1: get me wrong, I love the people I work with. 381 00:20:07,240 --> 00:20:09,720 Speaker 1: It is a great job. I love doing my job, 382 00:20:10,480 --> 00:20:15,719 Speaker 1: but sitting in my cubicle gives me kind of the 383 00:20:15,720 --> 00:20:18,240 Speaker 1: opposite feeling of sitting on top of a mountain, you 384 00:20:18,280 --> 00:20:21,280 Speaker 1: know what I mean, or walking through the timber looking 385 00:20:21,280 --> 00:20:26,119 Speaker 1: for sheds or whatever. But I feel that that negative 386 00:20:26,240 --> 00:20:32,840 Speaker 1: energy can trigger positive energies without necessarily without necessarily experiencing 387 00:20:33,000 --> 00:20:35,960 Speaker 1: what you're talking about. So I feel I feel that 388 00:20:36,000 --> 00:20:39,800 Speaker 1: can be motivating to want change, even though you may 389 00:20:39,840 --> 00:20:43,920 Speaker 1: not have experienced it up front in your face. Yeah. Yes, 390 00:20:43,960 --> 00:20:46,560 Speaker 1: so you're saying by vertus with the fact that so 391 00:20:46,640 --> 00:20:51,159 Speaker 1: much negative energy out of this current experience, that you 392 00:20:51,200 --> 00:20:53,399 Speaker 1: want to ensure that there is the potential for that 393 00:20:53,480 --> 00:20:56,240 Speaker 1: positive out there, which which there's you know, there's something 394 00:20:56,280 --> 00:20:58,480 Speaker 1: to be said about the fact that I can't remember. 395 00:20:58,480 --> 00:21:01,800 Speaker 1: I think it was well. This guy is famous writer 396 00:21:01,880 --> 00:21:06,440 Speaker 1: named Wallace Stegner was writing about the importance of wilderness 397 00:21:06,840 --> 00:21:09,160 Speaker 1: and he wrote this thing called this this letter called 398 00:21:09,200 --> 00:21:12,320 Speaker 1: the Wilderness Letter, back in the year sixties or seventies 399 00:21:12,320 --> 00:21:15,800 Speaker 1: when the Wilderness Act was passed, And you should google 400 00:21:15,800 --> 00:21:18,080 Speaker 1: this and read the letter. It's it's it's very it's 401 00:21:18,280 --> 00:21:21,879 Speaker 1: very profound writing about the value of wilderness and He 402 00:21:21,960 --> 00:21:24,040 Speaker 1: said something in the lines of the fact that you know, 403 00:21:24,160 --> 00:21:26,639 Speaker 1: even if you're never ever going to step foot in 404 00:21:26,720 --> 00:21:28,399 Speaker 1: a in a wilderness area, you know, in one of 405 00:21:28,400 --> 00:21:31,439 Speaker 1: these places where you know there aren't cars and parking 406 00:21:31,480 --> 00:21:34,600 Speaker 1: lots and lots and people and buildings and businesses and 407 00:21:34,640 --> 00:21:36,280 Speaker 1: all that stuff, even if you're never going to go 408 00:21:36,320 --> 00:21:40,520 Speaker 1: to one of those places, there's an inherent value just 409 00:21:40,640 --> 00:21:42,320 Speaker 1: knowing it's out there, Like when you're sitting in your 410 00:21:42,320 --> 00:21:45,600 Speaker 1: cubicle miserable and work down to the bone and you've 411 00:21:45,600 --> 00:21:48,359 Speaker 1: got fluorescent lights staring down on you for twelve hours 412 00:21:48,359 --> 00:21:51,000 Speaker 1: a day. Just the fact that you know that there 413 00:21:51,200 --> 00:21:56,080 Speaker 1: is something still wild and free and available out there. 414 00:21:56,720 --> 00:21:58,600 Speaker 1: I think that has some power. And he said that 415 00:21:58,640 --> 00:22:01,679 Speaker 1: you know that those those places, those last vestiges of 416 00:22:01,720 --> 00:22:04,800 Speaker 1: like that hope out there. He called that the geography 417 00:22:04,800 --> 00:22:07,160 Speaker 1: of hope and um and that's kind of a pretty 418 00:22:07,160 --> 00:22:09,800 Speaker 1: powerful thing. I think even if you aren't there right now, 419 00:22:09,880 --> 00:22:11,960 Speaker 1: or can't be there, or never plan on being there, 420 00:22:12,480 --> 00:22:14,640 Speaker 1: there's a value just to know that there's still places 421 00:22:14,680 --> 00:22:18,640 Speaker 1: like that out there. Yea. And it motivates me, yeah, 422 00:22:18,680 --> 00:22:22,280 Speaker 1: Like it motivates me to do good on my podcast 423 00:22:22,320 --> 00:22:25,400 Speaker 1: so I can someday maybe step away from my cubicle. 424 00:22:25,680 --> 00:22:28,880 Speaker 1: It motivates me to save my money so I can 425 00:22:28,920 --> 00:22:31,800 Speaker 1: take my family out there to show them what it's 426 00:22:31,800 --> 00:22:33,680 Speaker 1: all about. I talked to my I talked to my daughter. 427 00:22:34,720 --> 00:22:37,239 Speaker 1: I'd say once a week, and I always say, ay, 428 00:22:37,280 --> 00:22:38,639 Speaker 1: but do you want to come to the mountains with 429 00:22:38,720 --> 00:22:40,679 Speaker 1: Daddy sometimes? Yeah? I want to come go to the 430 00:22:40,680 --> 00:22:44,680 Speaker 1: mountains with you sometimes, And I cannot wait for that 431 00:22:44,800 --> 00:22:49,840 Speaker 1: day to take her to some you know drop, you know, 432 00:22:50,119 --> 00:22:53,399 Speaker 1: drive up overlook of the giant Valley somewhere, it doesn't 433 00:22:53,440 --> 00:22:55,720 Speaker 1: matter what state it's in, and just be like, look 434 00:22:55,720 --> 00:22:58,480 Speaker 1: at all this we could explore if you wanted to. Yeah, 435 00:22:58,600 --> 00:23:02,360 Speaker 1: we can do we can do whatever you want. Yeah, 436 00:23:02,440 --> 00:23:04,399 Speaker 1: that's and that's gonna be a pretty awesome moment. And 437 00:23:04,600 --> 00:23:09,200 Speaker 1: then I'll say, though, too, right, the tiny at home 438 00:23:09,520 --> 00:23:12,639 Speaker 1: wilderness quote unquote areas are are just as important to 439 00:23:12,720 --> 00:23:16,440 Speaker 1: whether it be you know, the little county park or 440 00:23:16,640 --> 00:23:18,919 Speaker 1: you're hunting property. I mean, I think I think the 441 00:23:18,960 --> 00:23:22,119 Speaker 1: things we're talking about, like the valuing these places and 442 00:23:22,119 --> 00:23:25,119 Speaker 1: trying to find a way to protect them or um 443 00:23:25,320 --> 00:23:27,720 Speaker 1: help conserve them in some way like that can be 444 00:23:27,760 --> 00:23:30,000 Speaker 1: applied to big Western public lands, but it can also 445 00:23:30,040 --> 00:23:32,639 Speaker 1: be applied to your little farm too, and showing that 446 00:23:32,800 --> 00:23:36,000 Speaker 1: care and respect even here. Um. And I think that's 447 00:23:36,080 --> 00:23:38,960 Speaker 1: kind of kind of where our conversation is going to 448 00:23:39,040 --> 00:23:40,880 Speaker 1: go from here. As we talked to Donnie, I really 449 00:23:40,920 --> 00:23:43,040 Speaker 1: want to hear about how he's implementing these types of 450 00:23:43,080 --> 00:23:46,239 Speaker 1: ideas on a little property here in Wisconsin, just like 451 00:23:46,320 --> 00:23:49,200 Speaker 1: any one of us listening could probably do. UM, because 452 00:23:49,200 --> 00:23:51,080 Speaker 1: there's something special about that too. I think you've got 453 00:23:51,080 --> 00:23:52,679 Speaker 1: to kind of feel that even a little bit. Just 454 00:23:52,680 --> 00:23:54,760 Speaker 1: planning a food plot this year, you know, it's kind 455 00:23:54,760 --> 00:23:57,920 Speaker 1: of cool to to to to give back in some little, 456 00:23:57,920 --> 00:24:01,320 Speaker 1: tiny way and see the wildlife using that and benefiting 457 00:24:01,359 --> 00:24:03,200 Speaker 1: from it. I mean, didn't that feel pretty special in 458 00:24:03,280 --> 00:24:08,960 Speaker 1: a small way? Yeah? It Uh, I don't know, man, 459 00:24:09,200 --> 00:24:11,240 Speaker 1: Like I said, it's it's more feeling for me than 460 00:24:11,640 --> 00:24:17,320 Speaker 1: than words. I I got so much enjoyment out of it. 461 00:24:17,400 --> 00:24:20,320 Speaker 1: Was almost like check me out, I'm a man, right. 462 00:24:20,640 --> 00:24:24,720 Speaker 1: I planted stuff and it grew like beat my chest. 463 00:24:24,960 --> 00:24:27,439 Speaker 1: There's there's a little a little bit of that, and 464 00:24:27,480 --> 00:24:29,480 Speaker 1: at the same time there was this, hey man, this 465 00:24:29,560 --> 00:24:36,159 Speaker 1: is awesome. I helped feed the animals through breaking of ground, 466 00:24:36,880 --> 00:24:39,760 Speaker 1: I don't know it was. Well, it's it's another one 467 00:24:39,760 --> 00:24:42,520 Speaker 1: of those ways that we connect back to the earth 468 00:24:42,640 --> 00:24:44,640 Speaker 1: kind of you know, and I think every time we're 469 00:24:44,680 --> 00:24:48,520 Speaker 1: reminded of that connection, it like it. It's so it's natural, right, 470 00:24:48,520 --> 00:24:51,280 Speaker 1: I mean, humans have been doing this forever. It's only 471 00:24:51,320 --> 00:24:53,800 Speaker 1: just recently that there have been all these kind of 472 00:24:54,119 --> 00:24:56,000 Speaker 1: I don't know what you call them, obstructions put in 473 00:24:56,040 --> 00:24:58,960 Speaker 1: the way between our relationship with the land and us. 474 00:24:59,280 --> 00:25:02,440 Speaker 1: Now there's grocery stores and you know, all these other 475 00:25:02,480 --> 00:25:04,679 Speaker 1: things that keep us from being connected to it. So 476 00:25:04,720 --> 00:25:07,840 Speaker 1: every time that we can reconnect that, you know, whether 477 00:25:07,840 --> 00:25:10,760 Speaker 1: it be through you know, planting a garden yourself, or 478 00:25:10,760 --> 00:25:13,440 Speaker 1: planting a food plot for wildlife or hunting, I think 479 00:25:13,440 --> 00:25:15,520 Speaker 1: all these things that were tap into something that's like 480 00:25:15,680 --> 00:25:19,800 Speaker 1: very human and um, it just feels right, you know. 481 00:25:20,000 --> 00:25:23,800 Speaker 1: Or even something as simple as leaving your phone in 482 00:25:23,960 --> 00:25:27,439 Speaker 1: your truck or your vehicle and going and sitting down 483 00:25:27,720 --> 00:25:34,760 Speaker 1: next to a pond or lake and just not being connected. Yeah, 484 00:25:35,040 --> 00:25:37,680 Speaker 1: so true, so true. I think I think people feel 485 00:25:37,720 --> 00:25:40,280 Speaker 1: vulnerable and that's what scares them on some of this. 486 00:25:40,640 --> 00:25:42,200 Speaker 1: You know, this is a little hippie talk, you know 487 00:25:42,240 --> 00:25:46,520 Speaker 1: what I mean. But hippie podcast episode, right, But this 488 00:25:46,640 --> 00:25:49,800 Speaker 1: is definitely it's definitely needed. It makes I feel, it 489 00:25:49,800 --> 00:25:54,119 Speaker 1: makes people better. I agree. I agree. Speaking of better, 490 00:25:54,800 --> 00:25:57,440 Speaker 1: is is your daughter feeling better after screaming back there 491 00:25:57,520 --> 00:26:01,840 Speaker 1: in the background. I told you every podcast there's gonna 492 00:26:01,840 --> 00:26:05,320 Speaker 1: be the random outbursts, and that there it was, and there. 493 00:26:06,200 --> 00:26:08,160 Speaker 1: I love it. But it was perfect because we need 494 00:26:08,160 --> 00:26:10,760 Speaker 1: to we need to take a break now and we 495 00:26:10,840 --> 00:26:12,840 Speaker 1: gotta get ahold of donning. But first we're gonna take 496 00:26:12,840 --> 00:26:15,960 Speaker 1: a fast break to thank our partners at Sitka Gear. 497 00:26:17,280 --> 00:26:20,000 Speaker 1: So if you heard our episode last week discussing the 498 00:26:20,080 --> 00:26:23,000 Speaker 1: Archer Trade Show, you might remember us mentioning that Sitka 499 00:26:23,119 --> 00:26:26,520 Speaker 1: is launching a new big game line and camera pattern 500 00:26:26,600 --> 00:26:29,440 Speaker 1: this year called Subalpine. And today, to give you just 501 00:26:29,480 --> 00:26:32,439 Speaker 1: a little more insight into what this whole Subalpine thing 502 00:26:32,520 --> 00:26:34,200 Speaker 1: is all about, I wanted to share with you guys 503 00:26:34,240 --> 00:26:36,840 Speaker 1: a little snippet of the video they're released to help 504 00:26:36,840 --> 00:26:42,400 Speaker 1: with this announcement. We don't design all purpose gear, because 505 00:26:42,440 --> 00:26:47,119 Speaker 1: all purpose gear really translates to designed to compromise. We 506 00:26:47,240 --> 00:26:56,480 Speaker 1: designed specialized gear an improves the experience. So it's a 507 00:26:56,520 --> 00:27:01,440 Speaker 1: constant questioning are we doing everything to land to optimize 508 00:27:01,480 --> 00:27:05,560 Speaker 1: for the pursuit. Our core big game hunters start chasing 509 00:27:05,560 --> 00:27:08,199 Speaker 1: Elkin Yell during late summer and it can be hot 510 00:27:09,119 --> 00:27:13,159 Speaker 1: at that point. Weight and breathability mean everything. So we 511 00:27:13,200 --> 00:27:19,640 Speaker 1: developed the lightest system we've ever created. This is close 512 00:27:19,720 --> 00:27:23,679 Speaker 1: quarters Huney. So we've optimized these systems with an all 513 00:27:23,760 --> 00:27:28,000 Speaker 1: new pattern called Opti Fate Subalpine. It's designed for engagements 514 00:27:28,040 --> 00:27:30,760 Speaker 1: of fifty yards or less on the ground in bench 515 00:27:30,840 --> 00:27:36,920 Speaker 1: Dave Terin. And so it comes back to experience. It's 516 00:27:36,960 --> 00:27:40,840 Speaker 1: our desire to go further, to get closer, to stay longer, 517 00:27:42,400 --> 00:27:45,399 Speaker 1: and it's through a focused approach they were able to 518 00:27:45,400 --> 00:27:53,080 Speaker 1: experience more. If you would be interested in learning more 519 00:27:53,119 --> 00:27:57,000 Speaker 1: about Sitka's new Subalpine line, you can visit sitka gear 520 00:27:57,080 --> 00:28:00,639 Speaker 1: dot com, slash sub Alpine and out. We're gonna get 521 00:28:00,680 --> 00:28:04,800 Speaker 1: back to the show and give Donnie a call. Al 522 00:28:04,880 --> 00:28:08,480 Speaker 1: right back with us for round three is Donnie Vincent? 523 00:28:08,520 --> 00:28:12,560 Speaker 1: Thanks for joining us again, Danny, Yeah, thanks for having that. 524 00:28:12,680 --> 00:28:14,919 Speaker 1: At least it's not two years in between like the 525 00:28:15,000 --> 00:28:17,600 Speaker 1: last time. That's true, that's true. It's it's only been 526 00:28:17,680 --> 00:28:19,800 Speaker 1: like a couple of months or something like that. And 527 00:28:19,800 --> 00:28:22,480 Speaker 1: and like we were talking about um before we got 528 00:28:22,520 --> 00:28:24,480 Speaker 1: you on here. You know, when we talked with you 529 00:28:24,600 --> 00:28:27,280 Speaker 1: last time this fall, we talked all about, you know, 530 00:28:27,280 --> 00:28:29,480 Speaker 1: your deer hunts in North Dakota, and we talked about 531 00:28:29,480 --> 00:28:32,520 Speaker 1: some different things with kind of current events and everything. 532 00:28:32,560 --> 00:28:34,639 Speaker 1: But at the very end we had touched on, you know, 533 00:28:34,680 --> 00:28:36,720 Speaker 1: really briefly, the fact that you have this property in 534 00:28:36,720 --> 00:28:39,720 Speaker 1: Wisconsin that you're working on and hunting all that kind 535 00:28:39,760 --> 00:28:43,160 Speaker 1: of stuff, and we just very briefly touched on. So 536 00:28:43,160 --> 00:28:45,880 Speaker 1: I thought today we could really focus there, um, you know, 537 00:28:45,920 --> 00:28:49,640 Speaker 1: talk about how you found this property, how you start 538 00:28:49,720 --> 00:28:52,080 Speaker 1: thinking about it, what were the things of your goals plans, 539 00:28:52,160 --> 00:28:54,959 Speaker 1: what did you actually do all that kind of stuff. Um. 540 00:28:55,040 --> 00:28:57,120 Speaker 1: So does that all sound pretty good Donny if we 541 00:28:57,160 --> 00:29:01,200 Speaker 1: go down that road? Yeah? Absolute? Really In fact, um, 542 00:29:01,240 --> 00:29:04,800 Speaker 1: after our last podcast, UM, I had quite a few 543 00:29:04,880 --> 00:29:08,600 Speaker 1: people write me just questions here and there about things 544 00:29:08,600 --> 00:29:11,800 Speaker 1: that I've done, management, Why why this? Why not this? 545 00:29:11,960 --> 00:29:15,040 Speaker 1: So there's definitely some interest even though we just touched 546 00:29:15,040 --> 00:29:18,720 Speaker 1: on it towards the end there. Yeah. So I think 547 00:29:18,720 --> 00:29:20,560 Speaker 1: when most of us think about you, Donny, we think 548 00:29:20,600 --> 00:29:23,400 Speaker 1: about you know, your films. The rivers divide out there 549 00:29:23,400 --> 00:29:27,840 Speaker 1: in North Dakota or Terra Nova hunting Caribou. I think 550 00:29:27,880 --> 00:29:32,320 Speaker 1: that was in Nova Scotia or something like that. Um, Newfoundland, Newfoundland. 551 00:29:32,600 --> 00:29:35,280 Speaker 1: Thank you and your bare hunts out in Canada or 552 00:29:35,360 --> 00:29:37,080 Speaker 1: last all these different things. I don't think many people 553 00:29:37,080 --> 00:29:40,200 Speaker 1: think about you hunting a little egg property in Wisconsin 554 00:29:40,240 --> 00:29:43,040 Speaker 1: like all the rest of us. Um, can you can 555 00:29:43,080 --> 00:29:45,440 Speaker 1: you tell us a little bit just about like your 556 00:29:46,160 --> 00:29:48,600 Speaker 1: history from a deer hunting perspective in that part of 557 00:29:48,600 --> 00:29:50,520 Speaker 1: the country, because that's like where you've lived and hunted 558 00:29:50,560 --> 00:29:54,680 Speaker 1: for quite a while when it comes to deer, right, Yeah, 559 00:29:54,760 --> 00:29:59,200 Speaker 1: I've I've hunted Wisconsin since oh Man, um, since the 560 00:29:59,280 --> 00:30:02,720 Speaker 1: early two since I had a friend of mine, Like 561 00:30:02,760 --> 00:30:04,720 Speaker 1: when I was in college. I had a friend of 562 00:30:04,760 --> 00:30:09,000 Speaker 1: mine that owned fifty three acres in Manominee, Wisconsin, which 563 00:30:09,040 --> 00:30:12,400 Speaker 1: is about, I don't know, call it two hours east 564 00:30:12,760 --> 00:30:17,280 Speaker 1: of Minneapolis, uh in you know central Wisconsin and people 565 00:30:17,280 --> 00:30:20,400 Speaker 1: in north central Wisconsin. And I leased that from him 566 00:30:20,440 --> 00:30:22,440 Speaker 1: for years and years and years, and then a few 567 00:30:22,480 --> 00:30:24,360 Speaker 1: years ago he ended up selling that property. And it 568 00:30:24,440 --> 00:30:28,080 Speaker 1: was fantastic because it was fifty three acres. It was 569 00:30:28,120 --> 00:30:31,160 Speaker 1: a rolling wooded ridge with a little trout stream what's 570 00:30:31,200 --> 00:30:34,920 Speaker 1: my eastern border and you think fifty three acres whatever, 571 00:30:34,960 --> 00:30:37,720 Speaker 1: what could that be? But um lo and behold. It 572 00:30:37,800 --> 00:30:40,320 Speaker 1: had fantastic wildlife on it, and I had a couple 573 00:30:40,360 --> 00:30:43,320 Speaker 1: of really I never killed one. It was a difficult 574 00:30:43,320 --> 00:30:45,600 Speaker 1: property to hunt, but I had some books that lived 575 00:30:45,640 --> 00:30:48,680 Speaker 1: there that were you know, world class one and you know, 576 00:30:48,680 --> 00:30:52,000 Speaker 1: if you're talking inches of antler, I'm talking one sixties 577 00:30:52,040 --> 00:30:54,920 Speaker 1: to one nineties things like that, that of deer that 578 00:30:54,960 --> 00:30:57,320 Speaker 1: I had, um that were you know, that lived in 579 00:30:57,360 --> 00:31:02,760 Speaker 1: that valiant. And so when my friends sold that property, um, 580 00:31:02,840 --> 00:31:05,479 Speaker 1: you know, I just kind of would hunt with friends 581 00:31:05,520 --> 00:31:08,200 Speaker 1: here and there. But I was very much interested in 582 00:31:08,240 --> 00:31:12,320 Speaker 1: finding another property the lease or buy, um just because 583 00:31:12,360 --> 00:31:15,840 Speaker 1: I love obviously I love hunting their home. Not everything 584 00:31:15,960 --> 00:31:19,160 Speaker 1: can be a huge expedition. And I've had some really 585 00:31:19,640 --> 00:31:25,080 Speaker 1: very real adventures and very real, um sensational hunts, you know, 586 00:31:25,240 --> 00:31:27,560 Speaker 1: an hour from my house or minutes from my house, 587 00:31:27,600 --> 00:31:29,960 Speaker 1: I've I've seen some really fantastic things. So I never 588 00:31:30,480 --> 00:31:33,240 Speaker 1: I never turned my nose down to hunting around locally. 589 00:31:33,280 --> 00:31:36,720 Speaker 1: And I always like to, you know, have something some 590 00:31:37,160 --> 00:31:39,000 Speaker 1: place to go, a place that's my own, you know, 591 00:31:39,040 --> 00:31:41,480 Speaker 1: where I can just go and Wednesday night when I 592 00:31:41,480 --> 00:31:42,960 Speaker 1: get when I get out of the office, I could 593 00:31:42,960 --> 00:31:45,000 Speaker 1: sneak into a tree like everyone else for a couple 594 00:31:45,040 --> 00:31:47,600 Speaker 1: of hours. Do you have any one of those hunts 595 00:31:47,680 --> 00:31:50,040 Speaker 1: or experiences that close to home hunt or experience that 596 00:31:50,160 --> 00:31:52,479 Speaker 1: stands out is like one of those that right off 597 00:31:52,480 --> 00:31:53,880 Speaker 1: the top that you heard like that was one of 598 00:31:53,880 --> 00:31:58,720 Speaker 1: those really special moments even though it was just right there. Yeah, 599 00:31:59,200 --> 00:32:01,920 Speaker 1: I'll be uh, to be honest with you. One of 600 00:32:01,960 --> 00:32:04,280 Speaker 1: the ones that I think of often, there's there's two 601 00:32:04,360 --> 00:32:07,520 Speaker 1: of them. One is the very first white tail buck 602 00:32:07,600 --> 00:32:09,520 Speaker 1: that I ever killed with a bow was on that 603 00:32:09,600 --> 00:32:12,000 Speaker 1: fifty three acres. Because I didn't start bow hunting until 604 00:32:12,040 --> 00:32:14,760 Speaker 1: pretty late in life. Um so I was in my 605 00:32:14,840 --> 00:32:20,000 Speaker 1: twenties when I started bow hunting, and and I had 606 00:32:20,280 --> 00:32:23,600 Speaker 1: I got off that super early in the morning, and 607 00:32:23,600 --> 00:32:26,240 Speaker 1: and this was back when I was just fanatical about 608 00:32:26,720 --> 00:32:30,160 Speaker 1: quote unquote scent controls. So I had all my clothes washed. 609 00:32:30,200 --> 00:32:32,000 Speaker 1: I had washed my street clothes because I had a 610 00:32:32,040 --> 00:32:34,480 Speaker 1: long drive, trolled all the way from my house in 611 00:32:34,560 --> 00:32:39,360 Speaker 1: Minneapolis to my property. And I got out in my 612 00:32:39,480 --> 00:32:41,840 Speaker 1: driveway and I was getting dressed. It was chilly. Morning, 613 00:32:41,880 --> 00:32:44,280 Speaker 1: was awesome. It was in November, I was just starting 614 00:32:44,280 --> 00:32:47,120 Speaker 1: to snow a little bit and I realized that I 615 00:32:47,120 --> 00:32:50,680 Speaker 1: had forgotten my release on my kitchen table in Minneapolis. 616 00:32:51,760 --> 00:32:54,720 Speaker 1: I was just my word, I forgot my release, so 617 00:32:54,840 --> 00:32:58,400 Speaker 1: really quickly. I tried to come to full draw with 618 00:32:58,440 --> 00:33:00,080 Speaker 1: my compound boat and I was shooting a whole it 619 00:33:00,120 --> 00:33:02,120 Speaker 1: at the time, and I tried to come to full 620 00:33:02,200 --> 00:33:04,000 Speaker 1: draw with just fingers, and I was like, can I 621 00:33:04,040 --> 00:33:06,120 Speaker 1: do this? And I and I did come to full draw, 622 00:33:06,160 --> 00:33:07,880 Speaker 1: and I was like, I cannot do this. This is 623 00:33:08,040 --> 00:33:10,000 Speaker 1: this is gonna be messed up, you know, because I 624 00:33:10,440 --> 00:33:12,280 Speaker 1: was still learning. So I was like, no, this can't happen. 625 00:33:12,280 --> 00:33:14,880 Speaker 1: So I was like, calm down, chill out, because I was, 626 00:33:15,480 --> 00:33:19,360 Speaker 1: you know, very very high energy about hunting perfectly as 627 00:33:19,360 --> 00:33:21,200 Speaker 1: perfectly as I could. So I just got back on 628 00:33:21,280 --> 00:33:25,560 Speaker 1: my truck, calmly, drove all the way home, walked inside 629 00:33:26,040 --> 00:33:28,120 Speaker 1: literally my releases sit right down in the kitchen table, 630 00:33:28,120 --> 00:33:30,360 Speaker 1: and grabbed it, walk right back outside, got in my truck, 631 00:33:30,760 --> 00:33:34,640 Speaker 1: drove another two hours back to the property, and I 632 00:33:34,680 --> 00:33:37,000 Speaker 1: got there about I don't know, it's like nine thirty 633 00:33:37,160 --> 00:33:39,480 Speaker 1: ninety five in the morning something like that. Got my 634 00:33:39,520 --> 00:33:41,400 Speaker 1: stuff on. I was like I was just quietly walking, 635 00:33:42,360 --> 00:33:46,640 Speaker 1: and I walked in big puffy snowflakes coming down, and um, 636 00:33:46,720 --> 00:33:49,880 Speaker 1: I've always been afraid of heights, and so early on 637 00:33:49,920 --> 00:33:52,160 Speaker 1: I was very afraid of heights. I've gotten much more 638 00:33:52,200 --> 00:33:54,640 Speaker 1: comfortable over years of hunting and being in the mountains 639 00:33:54,680 --> 00:33:57,360 Speaker 1: and in the cliffs. I've just kind of come to 640 00:33:57,400 --> 00:33:59,440 Speaker 1: the realization of dealing with it. But back then, I 641 00:33:59,520 --> 00:34:02,680 Speaker 1: was terrified of being twenty ft in a tree, and 642 00:34:02,720 --> 00:34:05,240 Speaker 1: so I hunted with a summit climber. You guys know 643 00:34:05,320 --> 00:34:08,040 Speaker 1: those things, right, climbing up the tree that way. Yeah, 644 00:34:08,840 --> 00:34:11,040 Speaker 1: So I really like hunting with a climber because it 645 00:34:11,160 --> 00:34:13,200 Speaker 1: had that rail that was around my body and I 646 00:34:13,200 --> 00:34:16,279 Speaker 1: would just feel so much safer in that manner. So 647 00:34:16,320 --> 00:34:19,480 Speaker 1: I had my climber, I hiked into my spot, set 648 00:34:19,520 --> 00:34:24,000 Speaker 1: my climber up, and I sat there, you know, all 649 00:34:24,040 --> 00:34:27,080 Speaker 1: the way up got into my spot, this is absolutely 650 00:34:27,080 --> 00:34:29,799 Speaker 1: true story. And I was pulling my bowl, roll up 651 00:34:30,760 --> 00:34:32,960 Speaker 1: my bow rope, pop yet my bow up. I was 652 00:34:32,960 --> 00:34:34,960 Speaker 1: pulling it up, and just as I got it to 653 00:34:35,000 --> 00:34:37,879 Speaker 1: the base of my stand, I bumped my quiver off 654 00:34:38,320 --> 00:34:40,040 Speaker 1: and it fell all the way down to the bottom 655 00:34:40,080 --> 00:34:43,680 Speaker 1: and I just literally stop there like and im a 656 00:34:43,760 --> 00:34:48,279 Speaker 1: state like, okay, just everybody chill out where it's still. 657 00:34:48,320 --> 00:34:52,200 Speaker 1: There's a lot of hours left. It's a beautiful November day, USA. 658 00:34:52,719 --> 00:34:58,719 Speaker 1: So I all the way down, grabbed my quiver all 659 00:34:58,719 --> 00:35:03,200 Speaker 1: the way up, and I had, um, this is gonna 660 00:35:03,200 --> 00:35:06,719 Speaker 1: be kind of gross, but I had drank a couple 661 00:35:06,719 --> 00:35:09,200 Speaker 1: of theses of tea while I was driving back force. 662 00:35:09,280 --> 00:35:13,000 Speaker 1: I'm like that P So I pulled my PA battle out. 663 00:35:13,400 --> 00:35:17,560 Speaker 1: I'm going pe Actually, let me interrupt myself. I decided 664 00:35:17,560 --> 00:35:20,080 Speaker 1: I'm going to do a rattling sequence, then I'm going 665 00:35:20,160 --> 00:35:23,160 Speaker 1: to pee, then I'm going to sit down. And so 666 00:35:23,320 --> 00:35:27,400 Speaker 1: I rattled, as you can guess. In the midst of peeing, 667 00:35:27,640 --> 00:35:31,880 Speaker 1: I looked down and here comes the buck of my dreams, 668 00:35:32,280 --> 00:35:34,960 Speaker 1: comes walking in circles of the tree at twenty yards 669 00:35:35,000 --> 00:35:38,279 Speaker 1: and I shoot him perfectly. This was my first year 670 00:35:38,320 --> 00:35:40,719 Speaker 1: with the ball, first buck with the ball, and it 671 00:35:40,800 --> 00:35:43,920 Speaker 1: was really funny. I shoot him perfectly. He runs just 672 00:35:43,960 --> 00:35:48,040 Speaker 1: a short distance, tips over dead um, and I text 673 00:35:48,080 --> 00:35:50,920 Speaker 1: a couple of my friends and said, I just shot 674 00:35:51,000 --> 00:35:55,960 Speaker 1: a hundred and fifty ten. And when I got down 675 00:35:56,080 --> 00:35:58,600 Speaker 1: and got to him, he ended up being a hundred 676 00:35:58,600 --> 00:36:05,080 Speaker 1: and twenty one inch seven. Well, and he looked absolutely 677 00:36:05,120 --> 00:36:09,279 Speaker 1: monstrous to me. After after a hunting a day like that, 678 00:36:09,360 --> 00:36:13,000 Speaker 1: I'd say, any buck is a giant. Well yeah, hang 679 00:36:13,040 --> 00:36:16,719 Speaker 1: on a second, Hang on a second. You didn't you 680 00:36:16,760 --> 00:36:20,560 Speaker 1: didn't like finished the story where you were? I mean, 681 00:36:20,600 --> 00:36:24,760 Speaker 1: did you? My mind instantly goes to, did you shoot 682 00:36:24,800 --> 00:36:28,719 Speaker 1: this buck with your Johnson hanging out? I was, I 683 00:36:28,760 --> 00:36:33,600 Speaker 1: was not. I was not put away. Okay, that makes 684 00:36:33,640 --> 00:36:38,759 Speaker 1: the story even better. I we did it. We did 685 00:36:38,800 --> 00:36:42,000 Speaker 1: it in the moment. Yeah, it was just free Willy 686 00:36:42,080 --> 00:36:44,759 Speaker 1: if you will, Well that is that is a very 687 00:36:44,880 --> 00:36:48,799 Speaker 1: memorable story, Donny. I wasn't expecting one that. And I've 688 00:36:48,800 --> 00:36:51,120 Speaker 1: had lots of them, man, I've had lots of you know, 689 00:36:51,360 --> 00:36:53,839 Speaker 1: awesome turkey mornings. I love the turkey on I've got 690 00:36:53,880 --> 00:36:57,239 Speaker 1: awesome big white tails and and um, I've just been 691 00:36:57,280 --> 00:37:02,960 Speaker 1: fortunate enough to I am. People think this is a line. 692 00:37:03,200 --> 00:37:06,480 Speaker 1: But whether I'm hunting stone sheep in British Columbia or 693 00:37:06,560 --> 00:37:09,280 Speaker 1: you and I link up on a Thursday evening and 694 00:37:09,280 --> 00:37:11,000 Speaker 1: and we're gonna go and shoot a dough or we're 695 00:37:11,000 --> 00:37:14,800 Speaker 1: gonna go hunt does on my hunting lease, literally, those 696 00:37:14,800 --> 00:37:18,280 Speaker 1: two things are the exact same thing to me, They weren't. 697 00:37:18,320 --> 00:37:21,640 Speaker 1: Always when I was younger, the bigger expeditions, I thought 698 00:37:21,760 --> 00:37:25,600 Speaker 1: they meant more. But the more I went on them, 699 00:37:25,760 --> 00:37:29,960 Speaker 1: the more every day on the expedition it was first day, second, 700 00:37:30,080 --> 00:37:32,279 Speaker 1: third day, the more I realized that these were just 701 00:37:32,400 --> 00:37:35,239 Speaker 1: little sub days of the exact same thing that I 702 00:37:35,280 --> 00:37:40,120 Speaker 1: was doing at home, and that I shouldn't um It 703 00:37:40,200 --> 00:37:43,960 Speaker 1: wasn't even a cognitive thought. It just became that I 704 00:37:44,520 --> 00:37:47,880 Speaker 1: was getting just as excited. I didn't have to mentally 705 00:37:47,920 --> 00:37:50,040 Speaker 1: get there. I was getting just as excited to hunt 706 00:37:50,080 --> 00:37:53,000 Speaker 1: at home as I was to hunt in far off places. 707 00:37:53,200 --> 00:37:56,160 Speaker 1: And it just happened because I realized that no matter what, 708 00:37:56,520 --> 00:37:59,200 Speaker 1: whether it be in my backyard or in the Arctic Circle, 709 00:37:59,719 --> 00:38:04,320 Speaker 1: they're both fantastic. Yeah, yeah, very true, very true. So 710 00:38:04,480 --> 00:38:06,879 Speaker 1: and that and that's not the line. That's literally I 711 00:38:07,000 --> 00:38:11,280 Speaker 1: literally wrapped my hand around that right now. I love it. 712 00:38:11,280 --> 00:38:12,799 Speaker 1: It kind of falls right in line with something we 713 00:38:12,800 --> 00:38:15,600 Speaker 1: were talking about earlier before you got on, just the 714 00:38:15,920 --> 00:38:19,040 Speaker 1: just talking about how there is, you know, this special 715 00:38:19,160 --> 00:38:23,160 Speaker 1: kind of experience and value in having big wilderness places, 716 00:38:23,200 --> 00:38:25,360 Speaker 1: but then there's also a special type of value and 717 00:38:25,400 --> 00:38:28,399 Speaker 1: experience and enjoyment of just the tiny little patches behind 718 00:38:28,440 --> 00:38:32,279 Speaker 1: the house, and how there's a different kind of um 719 00:38:32,480 --> 00:38:37,440 Speaker 1: special experience in both absolutely absolutely and they and they 720 00:38:37,480 --> 00:38:41,359 Speaker 1: and they can hold tremendous value. Right that's like, right now, um, 721 00:38:41,400 --> 00:38:43,600 Speaker 1: what we're about to talk about, I'm trying to manage 722 00:38:43,719 --> 00:38:47,440 Speaker 1: or starting to change, not even managed, that's that's not 723 00:38:47,520 --> 00:38:49,600 Speaker 1: even the word I want to use. But I'm trying 724 00:38:49,640 --> 00:38:55,239 Speaker 1: to implement good into this small property because even a 725 00:38:55,320 --> 00:38:59,200 Speaker 1: small strip of grass or a small tree cutting or 726 00:38:59,280 --> 00:39:02,640 Speaker 1: planting a small section of pines or whatever it is 727 00:39:02,719 --> 00:39:06,400 Speaker 1: I'm doing, I'm just trying to make that little section better. 728 00:39:06,520 --> 00:39:09,120 Speaker 1: And you'd be amazed the impact that you can have 729 00:39:09,200 --> 00:39:14,040 Speaker 1: by managing just bye bye planting and and um implementing 730 00:39:14,080 --> 00:39:17,600 Speaker 1: habitat and just a small little pieces. It's incredible. Yeah, 731 00:39:17,760 --> 00:39:20,239 Speaker 1: So take us back to the beginning. How did you 732 00:39:20,360 --> 00:39:22,320 Speaker 1: go about you know, because it sounds like you've hunted 733 00:39:22,640 --> 00:39:26,000 Speaker 1: Wisconsin at your buddy's place least different things like that, 734 00:39:26,040 --> 00:39:29,680 Speaker 1: But how did you actually go to deciding to purchase? 735 00:39:29,719 --> 00:39:33,560 Speaker 1: Because he did purchase this farm right now, and um, no, no, 736 00:39:33,640 --> 00:39:35,920 Speaker 1: I I only leased this farm. I leave it. I 737 00:39:35,920 --> 00:39:38,920 Speaker 1: don't I haven't purchased. I haven't purchased it yet. The 738 00:39:39,000 --> 00:39:41,680 Speaker 1: landowner and myself I talked about it. We've been talking 739 00:39:41,719 --> 00:39:44,400 Speaker 1: about it. He really wants me to own it, but um, 740 00:39:44,520 --> 00:39:47,280 Speaker 1: we just haven't went down that road as of yet. Okay, 741 00:39:47,320 --> 00:39:49,200 Speaker 1: So then can you tell us how you found this 742 00:39:49,280 --> 00:39:50,719 Speaker 1: property to lease? Because I know a lot of people 743 00:39:50,719 --> 00:39:52,239 Speaker 1: are always trying to fait. How do you find the least? 744 00:39:52,239 --> 00:39:54,440 Speaker 1: How do you get a good lease? So how how 745 00:39:54,480 --> 00:39:56,360 Speaker 1: did this work out? How do you know this is 746 00:39:56,400 --> 00:39:57,759 Speaker 1: the place that you want to hunt? How do you 747 00:39:57,760 --> 00:40:02,480 Speaker 1: pick it? That kind of stuff? Yep, Um, it happened 748 00:40:02,480 --> 00:40:08,359 Speaker 1: to be the building maintenance man of where we have 749 00:40:08,400 --> 00:40:12,560 Speaker 1: our offices for Sickmanta in Hudson. Uh. He's a local 750 00:40:12,560 --> 00:40:15,960 Speaker 1: school teacher. He teaches uh special needs kids but in 751 00:40:16,160 --> 00:40:19,080 Speaker 1: his uh not free time, but in his you know, 752 00:40:19,160 --> 00:40:22,680 Speaker 1: this is like his second job. He's an awesome handyman carpenter. 753 00:40:23,040 --> 00:40:25,399 Speaker 1: So he takes care of several buildings in town when 754 00:40:25,400 --> 00:40:28,960 Speaker 1: he's not teaching the special needs kids and so and 755 00:40:28,960 --> 00:40:30,680 Speaker 1: he has he has a lot of free time because 756 00:40:30,680 --> 00:40:34,840 Speaker 1: he gets off early um at school. And so justin 757 00:40:35,080 --> 00:40:37,880 Speaker 1: just a happenstance out speaking with him one day and 758 00:40:37,960 --> 00:40:39,919 Speaker 1: he was telling he had a nineteen year old son, 759 00:40:40,719 --> 00:40:44,560 Speaker 1: um at the time, and he's taught me about him 760 00:40:44,560 --> 00:40:47,200 Speaker 1: and his son have this property out of town that 761 00:40:47,239 --> 00:40:50,360 Speaker 1: they love to go to and just walk around the woods, 762 00:40:50,400 --> 00:40:53,120 Speaker 1: and and he had just noticed around our offices, you know, 763 00:40:53,160 --> 00:40:55,080 Speaker 1: the pictures of the wildlife and things like that. So 764 00:40:55,080 --> 00:40:56,560 Speaker 1: he's like, oh, yeah, I have I have a chunk 765 00:40:56,560 --> 00:40:59,040 Speaker 1: of woods east the town here that me and my 766 00:40:59,120 --> 00:41:00,800 Speaker 1: kids love to go out on. And so I was 767 00:41:00,840 --> 00:41:02,600 Speaker 1: asking him about it. He's like, yeah, it's it's a 768 00:41:02,680 --> 00:41:06,120 Speaker 1: hundred and fifty three acres. And then I started asking. 769 00:41:06,200 --> 00:41:08,919 Speaker 1: I said, does anyone hunt it? And he said yeah, 770 00:41:08,920 --> 00:41:12,239 Speaker 1: there's there's a house on the property, and the guy 771 00:41:12,280 --> 00:41:15,719 Speaker 1: that rents the house, he hunts it. And so I said, okay, cool. 772 00:41:15,760 --> 00:41:19,279 Speaker 1: I said, well, if that ever changes, um, let me 773 00:41:19,320 --> 00:41:21,600 Speaker 1: know I'd be interested in potentially leasing that thing. I'd 774 00:41:21,640 --> 00:41:22,680 Speaker 1: have to go out there and look at it, but 775 00:41:22,680 --> 00:41:24,560 Speaker 1: i'd be I'd be interested in leasing it for a 776 00:41:24,560 --> 00:41:27,640 Speaker 1: long term. He's like, oh, let's talk about it right now, 777 00:41:27,680 --> 00:41:29,720 Speaker 1: because the guy that rents the house is like seven 778 00:41:29,719 --> 00:41:36,640 Speaker 1: months behind. And read Oh, well that's fantastic. So I'll 779 00:41:36,680 --> 00:41:38,760 Speaker 1: leave you to deal with that gentleman in the house. 780 00:41:38,800 --> 00:41:42,200 Speaker 1: But I basically went in and least I didn't do 781 00:41:42,239 --> 00:41:45,000 Speaker 1: it maliciously, but I basically went in and and least 782 00:41:45,000 --> 00:41:48,759 Speaker 1: the hunting rights out from underneath this landowner. So um, 783 00:41:48,920 --> 00:41:53,000 Speaker 1: you know, are are superhero. Just basically once the rent 784 00:41:53,040 --> 00:41:56,880 Speaker 1: e the renter and just said, hey, uh, you no 785 00:41:56,960 --> 00:41:59,960 Speaker 1: longer have any hunting rights here. Uh you know, obviously 786 00:42:00,000 --> 00:42:02,280 Speaker 1: you're still in the house. We'll we'll figure out rent 787 00:42:02,360 --> 00:42:04,960 Speaker 1: that way. But the hundred and fifty three acres and 788 00:42:05,000 --> 00:42:09,280 Speaker 1: as a whole, I've leased it to another guy. And 789 00:42:09,280 --> 00:42:11,719 Speaker 1: and so I basically just went out there and checked 790 00:42:11,760 --> 00:42:16,880 Speaker 1: the property out. And what it was is, um it's 791 00:42:17,120 --> 00:42:21,960 Speaker 1: mostly wooded with secondary growth deciduous hardwoods lots and maple 792 00:42:22,080 --> 00:42:25,399 Speaker 1: lots of popular things like that. UM. And then the 793 00:42:25,480 --> 00:42:28,719 Speaker 1: whole center of the property, basically right down the middle 794 00:42:28,800 --> 00:42:31,279 Speaker 1: like a you know, like a landing strip, is a 795 00:42:31,360 --> 00:42:36,680 Speaker 1: twenty seven acre old agricultural field. Now, when when our 796 00:42:36,760 --> 00:42:41,840 Speaker 1: super bought it, heat that field was, UM saw it 797 00:42:41,920 --> 00:42:45,480 Speaker 1: had completely become overgrown and had little patches of cedar 798 00:42:45,520 --> 00:42:48,799 Speaker 1: trees and then amongst it. But he was approached a 799 00:42:48,840 --> 00:42:51,239 Speaker 1: few years ago, I think like four or five years 800 00:42:51,239 --> 00:42:54,080 Speaker 1: ago by a local farmer and he said, hey, I'd 801 00:42:54,120 --> 00:42:56,000 Speaker 1: love to come in there and rent that twenty seven 802 00:42:56,000 --> 00:42:58,600 Speaker 1: acres from you to do roll crops, soybeans and corn. 803 00:42:59,400 --> 00:43:01,919 Speaker 1: And at the time, he you know, he just wanted 804 00:43:01,960 --> 00:43:03,839 Speaker 1: to make more rent on the property, just to make 805 00:43:03,840 --> 00:43:07,200 Speaker 1: the property make more sense. So he was very reluctant 806 00:43:07,320 --> 00:43:11,080 Speaker 1: as his nineteen year old son, Um really wanted to 807 00:43:11,280 --> 00:43:14,440 Speaker 1: He had a vision of you know, he wanted to 808 00:43:14,440 --> 00:43:17,200 Speaker 1: go out there and build tent platforms for him and 809 00:43:17,239 --> 00:43:19,040 Speaker 1: his dad and so that if you go camping out 810 00:43:19,040 --> 00:43:21,920 Speaker 1: there and camp amongst the you know, black eyed Susans 811 00:43:21,960 --> 00:43:24,239 Speaker 1: and the prairie flowers and stuff like that, and just 812 00:43:24,360 --> 00:43:27,440 Speaker 1: enjoy their time out there. But um, you know, so 813 00:43:27,840 --> 00:43:29,880 Speaker 1: they ended up leasing it to this road crop farmer. 814 00:43:30,360 --> 00:43:33,680 Speaker 1: He came in started to start doing road crops. Um. 815 00:43:33,920 --> 00:43:36,480 Speaker 1: Then I came in and started leasing the hunting rights, 816 00:43:36,600 --> 00:43:39,680 Speaker 1: and then you know, I just saw this thing. It's 817 00:43:39,719 --> 00:43:42,800 Speaker 1: just you know, it's awesome having the farmer there and 818 00:43:42,840 --> 00:43:45,160 Speaker 1: the crops and everything. But you know, as soon as 819 00:43:45,160 --> 00:43:47,600 Speaker 1: the farmer would harvest, you know, he just leaves this 820 00:43:48,000 --> 00:43:49,880 Speaker 1: you know, you know what I'm saying that he just 821 00:43:49,960 --> 00:43:55,680 Speaker 1: leave this giant muddy are you know? Craft fest behind 822 00:43:55,760 --> 00:43:58,600 Speaker 1: when they were done harvesting their crop out, and I 823 00:43:58,680 --> 00:44:02,040 Speaker 1: was just like, man, I would of to do more here, 824 00:44:02,040 --> 00:44:05,879 Speaker 1: because I would just look at literally as simply as 825 00:44:05,920 --> 00:44:08,440 Speaker 1: I look at the woods and say, okay, the woods 826 00:44:08,440 --> 00:44:10,920 Speaker 1: are doing this. Look at this field, which is basically 827 00:44:11,000 --> 00:44:13,839 Speaker 1: essentially came up a parking lot, and then I look 828 00:44:13,880 --> 00:44:15,640 Speaker 1: at the other side of the wood and say, okay, 829 00:44:15,680 --> 00:44:18,239 Speaker 1: this wood's over here is doing this. And so then 830 00:44:18,280 --> 00:44:20,160 Speaker 1: I just started thinking like, what if I could change 831 00:44:20,200 --> 00:44:24,080 Speaker 1: this from a parking lot into actually having some value? Um, 832 00:44:24,120 --> 00:44:26,440 Speaker 1: And so I sat down and talked to talk to 833 00:44:26,680 --> 00:44:30,759 Speaker 1: the super and just said, hey, UM, would you anticipate 834 00:44:30,880 --> 00:44:33,360 Speaker 1: would you have an interest at least in the entire 835 00:44:33,400 --> 00:44:37,040 Speaker 1: thing to me? And as it were, Um, sadly enough, 836 00:44:38,080 --> 00:44:40,920 Speaker 1: his nineteen year old son ended up passing away right 837 00:44:40,960 --> 00:44:44,400 Speaker 1: at about that same time that I had asked him 838 00:44:44,400 --> 00:44:48,000 Speaker 1: if I could lease the entire property, and so UM 839 00:44:48,080 --> 00:44:51,160 Speaker 1: we had a very heartfelt conversation about me coming in 840 00:44:51,680 --> 00:44:55,760 Speaker 1: and returning much of that seven acres back to how 841 00:44:56,280 --> 00:44:58,879 Speaker 1: his oldest son kind of had a vision of going 842 00:44:58,920 --> 00:45:00,920 Speaker 1: out there and camping with at and just bringing that 843 00:45:00,960 --> 00:45:05,560 Speaker 1: place back to being very wildlife centric and turning it 844 00:45:05,600 --> 00:45:10,560 Speaker 1: into a place that had prairie and uh and more 845 00:45:10,600 --> 00:45:13,799 Speaker 1: wildlife and and than than it had evolved into with 846 00:45:13,840 --> 00:45:18,160 Speaker 1: the road crops. If if you will, hm. Wow. So 847 00:45:18,960 --> 00:45:21,080 Speaker 1: when you first saw it, you know, when you first 848 00:45:21,120 --> 00:45:24,799 Speaker 1: started leasing it, you know, what did you see there 849 00:45:24,840 --> 00:45:27,120 Speaker 1: that made you think it had potential? And I guess 850 00:45:27,160 --> 00:45:29,880 Speaker 1: what we're I know it sounds like your goals changed 851 00:45:29,880 --> 00:45:31,759 Speaker 1: when you start seeing that. You know, you just kind 852 00:45:31,760 --> 00:45:33,719 Speaker 1: of had this camera parking lot in the middle and 853 00:45:33,760 --> 00:45:35,600 Speaker 1: you could do more. But in the beginning, did you 854 00:45:35,640 --> 00:45:37,360 Speaker 1: ever look at and say, wow, this could be a 855 00:45:37,360 --> 00:45:39,239 Speaker 1: long term great thing or did it kind of grow 856 00:45:39,239 --> 00:45:43,280 Speaker 1: on you? Um? It kind of grew on me actually 857 00:45:43,320 --> 00:45:48,640 Speaker 1: because the first I'm not a very um I'm not 858 00:45:48,800 --> 00:45:52,200 Speaker 1: an over anxious type of hunter. I'm not somebody that 859 00:45:52,239 --> 00:45:57,239 Speaker 1: gets completely fixated on um. You know, I guess I 860 00:45:57,320 --> 00:45:59,719 Speaker 1: leased it for at leased the property for two years 861 00:45:59,719 --> 00:46:02,000 Speaker 1: before I even ever hunted it. I mean not, I 862 00:46:02,000 --> 00:46:05,920 Speaker 1: did not step foot on it for two years. I 863 00:46:06,040 --> 00:46:08,160 Speaker 1: just want I knew it was something that I want 864 00:46:08,200 --> 00:46:10,360 Speaker 1: to put myself into, but I was so busy traveling 865 00:46:10,360 --> 00:46:11,680 Speaker 1: and I didn't have a lot of time to put 866 00:46:11,840 --> 00:46:13,840 Speaker 1: so I just put a bunch of cameras up on 867 00:46:13,920 --> 00:46:17,200 Speaker 1: the property in different locations and just you know, trail 868 00:46:17,239 --> 00:46:20,640 Speaker 1: photo trail cameras, and just left them and then became 869 00:46:20,800 --> 00:46:24,600 Speaker 1: increasingly interested in seeing. Like when I went back and 870 00:46:24,640 --> 00:46:26,840 Speaker 1: looked at the photos, I didn't have any big bucks 871 00:46:26,880 --> 00:46:29,200 Speaker 1: on on the pictures or anything like that, but just 872 00:46:29,320 --> 00:46:33,880 Speaker 1: watching the box interactions. I had taught several bucks, fighting, 873 00:46:34,760 --> 00:46:38,840 Speaker 1: making scrapes, all of this stuff. And then ironically, the 874 00:46:38,960 --> 00:46:44,440 Speaker 1: property was owned by an elderly woman prior to my 875 00:46:44,560 --> 00:46:48,920 Speaker 1: super buying it, and she was I believe she was widowed, 876 00:46:49,320 --> 00:46:52,320 Speaker 1: and she was a deer hunter. So on my entire 877 00:46:52,440 --> 00:46:56,080 Speaker 1: eastern border of the farm field, she had planted apple 878 00:46:56,120 --> 00:46:58,360 Speaker 1: trees all the way down that edge so that she 879 00:46:58,400 --> 00:47:00,960 Speaker 1: could shoot deer underneath the apple trees with a rifle. 880 00:47:02,120 --> 00:47:04,600 Speaker 1: And so I was starting to get pictures of these 881 00:47:04,640 --> 00:47:08,080 Speaker 1: box under these apple trees and just getting tons of 882 00:47:08,160 --> 00:47:11,440 Speaker 1: daylight movement, Like most of the photos I was getting 883 00:47:11,480 --> 00:47:13,160 Speaker 1: up the box were in the middle of the day, 884 00:47:13,200 --> 00:47:15,359 Speaker 1: broad daylight, and as you well know, as you start 885 00:47:15,360 --> 00:47:19,600 Speaker 1: to hunt a property, that very quickly transitions to nighttime movement. 886 00:47:19,640 --> 00:47:21,759 Speaker 1: If you're not you know, if you're not stealthy bot 887 00:47:21,840 --> 00:47:24,320 Speaker 1: or if you're over hunting the property. So just seeing 888 00:47:24,360 --> 00:47:28,000 Speaker 1: that the box were just moving throughout the property without harm. 889 00:47:28,080 --> 00:47:31,279 Speaker 1: And then I've done some turkey hunts there and I 890 00:47:31,320 --> 00:47:34,319 Speaker 1: went out three or four mornings in a row, not 891 00:47:34,440 --> 00:47:36,440 Speaker 1: a row, but went up there three or four mornings 892 00:47:36,440 --> 00:47:38,520 Speaker 1: and said, let's say like a week and a half. 893 00:47:39,160 --> 00:47:42,239 Speaker 1: I ended up calling in like thirty five different coms 894 00:47:43,280 --> 00:47:44,880 Speaker 1: on the property. And so there are a lot of 895 00:47:44,920 --> 00:47:47,280 Speaker 1: turkeys out there gobbling their heads off and do a stuff. 896 00:47:47,280 --> 00:47:50,480 Speaker 1: So I thought, man, there's all this going on when 897 00:47:50,480 --> 00:47:54,360 Speaker 1: this is just a farm field, Like, what what pencil 898 00:47:54,400 --> 00:47:58,200 Speaker 1: would this have if I actually started doing grasses and 899 00:47:58,200 --> 00:48:01,040 Speaker 1: and planted some food that I laft year round and 900 00:48:01,040 --> 00:48:05,280 Speaker 1: started planting food for both deer and birds and songbirds 901 00:48:05,400 --> 00:48:07,359 Speaker 1: and you know, right on down the line. And so 902 00:48:07,640 --> 00:48:10,560 Speaker 1: that's when it started to just kind of you know, 903 00:48:10,719 --> 00:48:13,400 Speaker 1: started to roll in my head, started to kind of 904 00:48:13,960 --> 00:48:16,759 Speaker 1: gain steam, and that I wanted to do more and 905 00:48:16,760 --> 00:48:19,920 Speaker 1: and make the place pretty cool or try to anyway. Yeah, 906 00:48:20,160 --> 00:48:22,680 Speaker 1: So how did that process then go when you started 907 00:48:22,760 --> 00:48:26,120 Speaker 1: thinking about that you want to do more here? What 908 00:48:26,120 --> 00:48:28,560 Speaker 1: what was your vision? How did you start putting a 909 00:48:28,600 --> 00:48:34,560 Speaker 1: plan together? Well, I oddly enough, UM, I have a 910 00:48:34,600 --> 00:48:39,040 Speaker 1: small infatuation with warm seasoned grasses. Don't ask me why. 911 00:48:39,320 --> 00:48:41,840 Speaker 1: I just think they're pretty cool. Like my house is 912 00:48:41,920 --> 00:48:46,480 Speaker 1: completely spotted by prairie. Yeah, and they're just like and um, 913 00:48:47,080 --> 00:48:48,959 Speaker 1: you guys know that Mark Jury is a good friend 914 00:48:48,960 --> 00:48:51,319 Speaker 1: of mine and and uh, you know, I talked to 915 00:48:51,400 --> 00:48:56,400 Speaker 1: Mark often about habitat and about white tail management and 916 00:48:56,480 --> 00:48:59,560 Speaker 1: white tail hunting and um, you know, and he sends 917 00:48:59,560 --> 00:49:01,640 Speaker 1: me his videos every year. And I watched his video 918 00:49:01,880 --> 00:49:03,840 Speaker 1: just like everyone else, and I, you know, I was 919 00:49:03,920 --> 00:49:06,360 Speaker 1: looking at how he sets his properties up and just 920 00:49:06,440 --> 00:49:09,759 Speaker 1: kind of seeing, you know, Because even though I have 921 00:49:09,920 --> 00:49:13,080 Speaker 1: worked as a research biologist, I'm not very much of 922 00:49:13,120 --> 00:49:16,000 Speaker 1: a white tilt biologist. I'm a deer hunter, but I've 923 00:49:16,000 --> 00:49:19,160 Speaker 1: never spent that much time studying the white til deer. 924 00:49:19,280 --> 00:49:22,239 Speaker 1: So while I had some ideas that I really liked 925 00:49:22,320 --> 00:49:24,560 Speaker 1: warm season grasses, I knew I wanted to have a 926 00:49:24,640 --> 00:49:27,200 Speaker 1: year round food things like this, I really didn't know 927 00:49:27,800 --> 00:49:32,359 Speaker 1: what to implement. And so, um, I actually reached out 928 00:49:32,840 --> 00:49:35,959 Speaker 1: last year to Ben Harshine, who was a new friend 929 00:49:36,000 --> 00:49:39,360 Speaker 1: of mine. I had met Ben the year before, uh 930 00:49:39,440 --> 00:49:42,480 Speaker 1: and really loved his maps that you know, Ben owns 931 00:49:42,520 --> 00:49:48,560 Speaker 1: hun Teren makes these absolutely beautiful and ridiculously functional maps, 932 00:49:49,320 --> 00:49:51,880 Speaker 1: and so we had spoken on the phone. I was like, hey, 933 00:49:51,920 --> 00:49:53,920 Speaker 1: would you make me a map of this property? And 934 00:49:54,120 --> 00:49:56,000 Speaker 1: they're like, yeah, man, I'd be honored to, you know. 935 00:49:56,080 --> 00:49:59,160 Speaker 1: And so we started a relationship there and the maps came, 936 00:49:59,239 --> 00:50:03,960 Speaker 1: and that solidified my ideas even more. Right. That got 937 00:50:03,960 --> 00:50:05,920 Speaker 1: the wheel spinning even more because now I had this 938 00:50:06,000 --> 00:50:08,000 Speaker 1: bird's eye view, and not just a bird's eye view, 939 00:50:08,040 --> 00:50:11,920 Speaker 1: not just a pople map, but in the way that 940 00:50:11,960 --> 00:50:14,239 Speaker 1: Ben does his maps, you know, I was able to 941 00:50:14,280 --> 00:50:19,560 Speaker 1: see um edge. You know. You know, some people know 942 00:50:19,680 --> 00:50:22,160 Speaker 1: that white tailed deer and different animals do really well 943 00:50:22,200 --> 00:50:24,880 Speaker 1: where there's an edge where you know, goes from controvers 944 00:50:24,920 --> 00:50:28,400 Speaker 1: to all hardwoods or conifers to a field or a 945 00:50:28,400 --> 00:50:31,800 Speaker 1: hardwoods to a field whatever. Wherever there's a distinction and habitat, 946 00:50:32,400 --> 00:50:34,719 Speaker 1: the deer do really well. So I started looking with 947 00:50:34,840 --> 00:50:38,400 Speaker 1: Ben's map. I could see because Ben used Ben uses 948 00:50:38,440 --> 00:50:40,279 Speaker 1: the sunlight, if you will, to kind of show you 949 00:50:40,320 --> 00:50:42,040 Speaker 1: the shaded there is to show you to parking. And 950 00:50:42,040 --> 00:50:45,759 Speaker 1: I started seeing edge in the woods um that I 951 00:50:45,760 --> 00:50:49,640 Speaker 1: didn't realize it's there, stands up conifers butting up against 952 00:50:49,680 --> 00:50:52,160 Speaker 1: the siduus trees that I didn't really see how they 953 00:50:52,200 --> 00:50:53,960 Speaker 1: laid out until I got this map. So it's started 954 00:50:53,960 --> 00:50:56,440 Speaker 1: to get me excited that I called Ben because he 955 00:50:56,520 --> 00:50:59,080 Speaker 1: does a lot more with quality deer management. He does 956 00:50:59,120 --> 00:51:01,680 Speaker 1: a lot more with white tail management stuff that I do, 957 00:51:02,320 --> 00:51:04,279 Speaker 1: and um, it's just not a world that I live in. 958 00:51:04,600 --> 00:51:07,240 Speaker 1: And I said, hey, do you know of any white 959 00:51:07,239 --> 00:51:10,000 Speaker 1: tail managers or wildlife managers that could give me a hand? 960 00:51:10,280 --> 00:51:13,840 Speaker 1: And very quickly he introduced me to a gentleman named 961 00:51:14,320 --> 00:51:17,759 Speaker 1: um Eric Long who owns Drumming Log Wildlife Management. I 962 00:51:17,760 --> 00:51:20,359 Speaker 1: think that's the name of company, Drumming Log, you know, 963 00:51:20,360 --> 00:51:24,799 Speaker 1: like Grous Drumming. And he introduced me to Eric, and 964 00:51:24,920 --> 00:51:29,279 Speaker 1: I just wanted to Um. I knew I wanted to 965 00:51:29,280 --> 00:51:31,320 Speaker 1: do cool things out here. I knew I wanted to 966 00:51:31,400 --> 00:51:35,000 Speaker 1: change it up, but I didn't really know what to 967 00:51:35,040 --> 00:51:37,000 Speaker 1: do or how to do it, or when to do it. 968 00:51:37,480 --> 00:51:40,319 Speaker 1: And as lazy as this sounds, I just didn't have 969 00:51:40,360 --> 00:51:42,360 Speaker 1: the time to do all the research on the plants 970 00:51:42,400 --> 00:51:44,000 Speaker 1: and the timings and all this tiff and stuff. And 971 00:51:44,000 --> 00:51:46,759 Speaker 1: I'm certainly not a farmer. And so I reached out 972 00:51:46,760 --> 00:51:50,000 Speaker 1: to Eric and just started the ball rolling. We had 973 00:51:50,000 --> 00:51:53,000 Speaker 1: a conversation and it actually started out when I said, hey, 974 00:51:54,120 --> 00:51:56,480 Speaker 1: I don't want to creep you out. I love warm 975 00:51:56,560 --> 00:52:00,200 Speaker 1: season glasses. He said, well, I love warms eas and 976 00:52:00,239 --> 00:52:04,719 Speaker 1: grasses too, So we're gonna get along this time. And 977 00:52:04,760 --> 00:52:08,640 Speaker 1: that's kind of how it started. Um, And you know, 978 00:52:08,640 --> 00:52:13,680 Speaker 1: and we slowly grew the project. Um. And luckily they 979 00:52:13,760 --> 00:52:17,359 Speaker 1: both become friends. And you know, they have come here 980 00:52:18,120 --> 00:52:22,680 Speaker 1: um very often on their own dime, have come up, 981 00:52:23,040 --> 00:52:26,160 Speaker 1: driven up here, or or flew up here um to 982 00:52:26,760 --> 00:52:30,880 Speaker 1: come in onto the property and grab a chainsaw and 983 00:52:30,920 --> 00:52:34,759 Speaker 1: grab you know, a handseater and and come and help 984 00:52:34,840 --> 00:52:37,200 Speaker 1: me when just out of the love of getting their 985 00:52:37,239 --> 00:52:40,000 Speaker 1: hams dirty. So um, you know, that's kind of how 986 00:52:40,000 --> 00:52:44,399 Speaker 1: it started, that's how it perpetuated. So we last time 987 00:52:44,400 --> 00:52:46,839 Speaker 1: we talked to you briefly mentioned that you guys did 988 00:52:46,840 --> 00:52:48,680 Speaker 1: a bunch of hinge cutting, I think, or cutting at 989 00:52:48,760 --> 00:52:52,000 Speaker 1: least in the woods, and you had planned the grasses 990 00:52:52,040 --> 00:52:55,000 Speaker 1: and some food plots. But how much how much work 991 00:52:55,040 --> 00:52:57,360 Speaker 1: did this actually entail? I mean, was this was this 992 00:52:57,520 --> 00:52:59,600 Speaker 1: all of the course of like one or two weekends, 993 00:52:59,719 --> 00:53:02,120 Speaker 1: or this over the course of the entire year and 994 00:53:02,120 --> 00:53:07,600 Speaker 1: what specifically did all you end up putting in place? Sure, um, 995 00:53:07,640 --> 00:53:10,319 Speaker 1: it ended up being it was a considerable amount of work, 996 00:53:10,400 --> 00:53:14,120 Speaker 1: but it didn't um, you know, it didn't envelope a 997 00:53:14,160 --> 00:53:17,279 Speaker 1: ton of time. It's certainly enveloped much of I mean 998 00:53:17,320 --> 00:53:21,200 Speaker 1: I talked to Eric and then often not daily, but 999 00:53:21,360 --> 00:53:25,720 Speaker 1: often um in you know, April, May and June certainly, 1000 00:53:25,960 --> 00:53:28,440 Speaker 1: and actually March, April, May and June, because we did 1001 00:53:28,480 --> 00:53:30,840 Speaker 1: the majority of our cutting. We had a warm March 1002 00:53:30,920 --> 00:53:33,600 Speaker 1: here last year, so Ben and I and and Eric 1003 00:53:33,600 --> 00:53:36,400 Speaker 1: were able to get in and and um and we 1004 00:53:36,480 --> 00:53:39,319 Speaker 1: wanted to cause some disruption. Right, I'm not gonna sit 1005 00:53:39,400 --> 00:53:41,680 Speaker 1: here and tell you that, you know, Eric did help 1006 00:53:41,800 --> 00:53:44,600 Speaker 1: us lay out and map out exactly where we wanted 1007 00:53:44,600 --> 00:53:46,960 Speaker 1: to cut with the chainsaws and everything that we've done 1008 00:53:47,120 --> 00:53:50,399 Speaker 1: so far, I've been incredibly happy with. I can't tell 1009 00:53:50,440 --> 00:53:53,440 Speaker 1: you that I'm wrapping up like twenty years study on 1010 00:53:53,480 --> 00:53:56,200 Speaker 1: this because you know, I'm going into my second summer 1011 00:53:56,200 --> 00:53:59,200 Speaker 1: now where we've actually altered things. But we wanted there 1012 00:53:59,280 --> 00:54:05,480 Speaker 1: is literally a sea a secondary girls trees right literally 1013 00:54:05,840 --> 00:54:10,200 Speaker 1: of having um, you know, having three trunks that were 1014 00:54:10,640 --> 00:54:14,120 Speaker 1: two feet around down two four inches around and just 1015 00:54:14,160 --> 00:54:15,840 Speaker 1: an absolute see of them. Like if I told you 1016 00:54:15,880 --> 00:54:17,440 Speaker 1: to run in a straight line of stats that you could, 1017 00:54:17,480 --> 00:54:19,400 Speaker 1: you couldn't because you'd kill yourself. You know what I mean. 1018 00:54:19,400 --> 00:54:22,160 Speaker 1: It's just literally a wall. So we wanted to create 1019 00:54:22,239 --> 00:54:26,280 Speaker 1: some sort of disruption and and open up that canopy 1020 00:54:26,360 --> 00:54:28,960 Speaker 1: to get some secondary girls. And it was great because 1021 00:54:29,320 --> 00:54:31,160 Speaker 1: I went in there with Ben and we did a 1022 00:54:31,160 --> 00:54:35,200 Speaker 1: bunch of cutting and everything has kind of worked out 1023 00:54:35,239 --> 00:54:37,479 Speaker 1: exactly how we wanted to. But it was also great 1024 00:54:37,520 --> 00:54:39,680 Speaker 1: because Eric came back after we did a bunch of 1025 00:54:39,719 --> 00:54:41,960 Speaker 1: cutting and he came in the woodard us and he's like, 1026 00:54:42,000 --> 00:54:44,280 Speaker 1: you guys did a great job, but you did it wrong. 1027 00:54:44,760 --> 00:54:48,480 Speaker 1: And we're like, okay, well, uh, this is fantastic to 1028 00:54:48,560 --> 00:54:50,920 Speaker 1: know because we were sitting there at high five and 1029 00:54:50,960 --> 00:54:52,719 Speaker 1: fatting ourselves on the back all the way back to 1030 00:54:52,760 --> 00:54:54,919 Speaker 1: the truck. We're a sandwich, so this is awesome going 1031 00:54:55,680 --> 00:54:58,440 Speaker 1: and and basically it was like, you didn't do it wrong, 1032 00:54:58,800 --> 00:55:02,400 Speaker 1: but you did. Basically, we did a bunch of hinge 1033 00:55:02,400 --> 00:55:05,600 Speaker 1: cutting and we did a bunch of true cutting. I 1034 00:55:05,640 --> 00:55:07,279 Speaker 1: don't know if that's really a term, but I'm gonna 1035 00:55:07,280 --> 00:55:08,920 Speaker 1: make it up. We did a bunch of true cutting, 1036 00:55:09,400 --> 00:55:14,760 Speaker 1: but we didn't dismember these trees well enough and dropped 1037 00:55:14,800 --> 00:55:16,839 Speaker 1: them down all the way to the fourth floor so 1038 00:55:16,880 --> 00:55:19,440 Speaker 1: that we could get really good growth coming up. We 1039 00:55:19,560 --> 00:55:22,440 Speaker 1: basically just dropped their canopies down to the ground. They 1040 00:55:22,440 --> 00:55:25,080 Speaker 1: still ate up sunlight, they still consumed ground. So we 1041 00:55:25,120 --> 00:55:28,440 Speaker 1: went in there a second time and clean them up 1042 00:55:28,480 --> 00:55:30,759 Speaker 1: even more. Once we had Eric's direction where he came 1043 00:55:30,800 --> 00:55:33,759 Speaker 1: in and you know, it's kind of funny because you know, 1044 00:55:33,760 --> 00:55:36,000 Speaker 1: we're sitting there like the protege like looking at him 1045 00:55:36,040 --> 00:55:37,719 Speaker 1: and looking at the spot and looking at him and 1046 00:55:37,719 --> 00:55:40,160 Speaker 1: going what do you think? And he's like rubbing his 1047 00:55:40,320 --> 00:55:43,000 Speaker 1: chin on and you know, you know it's bad and 1048 00:55:43,160 --> 00:55:46,560 Speaker 1: he's rubbing and saying goes, well, you know, I mean 1049 00:55:46,719 --> 00:55:49,000 Speaker 1: you did a good job, and you're like, trap, here 1050 00:55:49,080 --> 00:55:52,880 Speaker 1: we go and he's like yeah. So we did the 1051 00:55:52,920 --> 00:55:55,359 Speaker 1: cutting and we knew like and I think we're even 1052 00:55:55,360 --> 00:55:58,279 Speaker 1: gonna do more cutting this spring. Um. And then we 1053 00:55:58,320 --> 00:56:01,440 Speaker 1: took the twenty seven acres. And I'll be honest with 1054 00:56:01,480 --> 00:56:03,880 Speaker 1: I think Eric will admit this to Ben will admit this. 1055 00:56:04,040 --> 00:56:07,399 Speaker 1: I'm still per plats. I'm still sitting scratching my head. 1056 00:56:07,400 --> 00:56:09,880 Speaker 1: But we took the twenty seven acre's this open palette. 1057 00:56:09,880 --> 00:56:13,279 Speaker 1: We could do whatever we wanted, and we made an 1058 00:56:13,360 --> 00:56:16,719 Speaker 1: idea of where we wanted to plant grasses, where we 1059 00:56:16,760 --> 00:56:19,520 Speaker 1: wanted to plant food, and kind of how the deer 1060 00:56:19,640 --> 00:56:23,160 Speaker 1: might move and how some of the other animals, both 1061 00:56:23,200 --> 00:56:27,080 Speaker 1: game species like pheasants and grouse, turkeys and also non 1062 00:56:27,160 --> 00:56:29,680 Speaker 1: game species would kind of move and utilize the property. 1063 00:56:30,160 --> 00:56:34,080 Speaker 1: And so um, you know, we made the best gas 1064 00:56:34,400 --> 00:56:36,640 Speaker 1: and we went in there. We ended up planting I 1065 00:56:36,680 --> 00:56:40,080 Speaker 1: think eleven or twelve acres of switch grass, and then 1066 00:56:40,120 --> 00:56:44,000 Speaker 1: we planted some sorghum um, some soybeans, and then we 1067 00:56:44,080 --> 00:56:48,000 Speaker 1: planted a few other areas with you know, different different 1068 00:56:48,200 --> 00:56:51,920 Speaker 1: um cultures of our different different clusters of you know, 1069 00:56:52,080 --> 00:56:55,279 Speaker 1: brassicas and radishes and things like that, things that would 1070 00:56:55,280 --> 00:56:58,600 Speaker 1: give because we have harsh winters here, so we wanted, um, 1071 00:56:58,680 --> 00:57:01,719 Speaker 1: the deer and the turkeys. We wanted these animals to have, 1072 00:57:01,760 --> 00:57:04,799 Speaker 1: these larger animals to have lay season food source. And 1073 00:57:04,840 --> 00:57:07,360 Speaker 1: it's actually amazing the other animals that I'm seeing feeding 1074 00:57:07,360 --> 00:57:10,600 Speaker 1: on them now. But you know, we laid everything out, 1075 00:57:11,360 --> 00:57:13,799 Speaker 1: we made our best you know, not not I'm not 1076 00:57:13,800 --> 00:57:16,120 Speaker 1: going to say our best lay plan. We made a plan, 1077 00:57:16,240 --> 00:57:19,240 Speaker 1: because when you do this stuff, you know, you have 1078 00:57:19,360 --> 00:57:21,960 Speaker 1: to sling some crap against the wall. Right. We don't 1079 00:57:22,000 --> 00:57:24,320 Speaker 1: anyone that's gonna sit there and tell you, Okay, this 1080 00:57:24,400 --> 00:57:26,200 Speaker 1: is exactly how I'd laid the thought, and this is 1081 00:57:26,200 --> 00:57:30,360 Speaker 1: exactly how it's gonna go. And this this, this is 1082 00:57:30,400 --> 00:57:33,160 Speaker 1: going to be profession is lying to your face. Right. 1083 00:57:33,200 --> 00:57:37,280 Speaker 1: You have to try and adjust, try and adjust, try 1084 00:57:37,320 --> 00:57:41,160 Speaker 1: and adjust. And so we tried last year. Um, and 1085 00:57:41,200 --> 00:57:44,400 Speaker 1: then we took our information and then now you know, 1086 00:57:44,440 --> 00:57:49,200 Speaker 1: this spring, we'll make some adjustments for sure, but um, 1087 00:57:49,600 --> 00:57:54,000 Speaker 1: but that's essentially what we implemented was eleven acres of 1088 00:57:54,000 --> 00:57:57,560 Speaker 1: warm season grasses strategically throughout the property, most of them 1089 00:57:57,640 --> 00:58:01,560 Speaker 1: hugging the the edge of the fours um and creating 1090 00:58:01,640 --> 00:58:05,760 Speaker 1: some travel quotaurs for the deer. And then um, and 1091 00:58:05,760 --> 00:58:07,760 Speaker 1: then we planned to the bean field that we left, 1092 00:58:07,760 --> 00:58:10,240 Speaker 1: We planned to the sorghan field that we left, and 1093 00:58:10,280 --> 00:58:12,160 Speaker 1: then and then some of the green plots and stuff 1094 00:58:12,160 --> 00:58:14,360 Speaker 1: for the deer to utilize now now that it's freezing 1095 00:58:14,360 --> 00:58:17,720 Speaker 1: cold and there's snow. Yeah, So when you decided to, 1096 00:58:18,640 --> 00:58:22,080 Speaker 1: you know, do all of this work on this property, 1097 00:58:22,200 --> 00:58:26,440 Speaker 1: and especially when you were talking about planning some of 1098 00:58:26,440 --> 00:58:30,680 Speaker 1: these grasses and some of this food. You mentioned something 1099 00:58:30,760 --> 00:58:35,360 Speaker 1: about grouse and turkeys, but was your main focus on 1100 00:58:35,440 --> 00:58:38,680 Speaker 1: white tails or were you trying to better this property 1101 00:58:39,080 --> 00:58:49,000 Speaker 1: for an overall game habitat, for overall game habitat and 1102 00:58:49,000 --> 00:58:51,880 Speaker 1: and non game species. And I mean, I mean that sincessarily. 1103 00:58:51,960 --> 00:58:55,520 Speaker 1: Like I started hunting the property when Eric came and 1104 00:58:55,560 --> 00:58:58,160 Speaker 1: met with me um and ben les here and and 1105 00:58:59,760 --> 00:59:02,240 Speaker 1: you know, said what are your goals? And I said, 1106 00:59:02,280 --> 00:59:05,880 Speaker 1: I really want to create a habitat here. I mean 1107 00:59:06,040 --> 00:59:08,920 Speaker 1: definitely was interested in the white tile deer in the 1108 00:59:08,960 --> 00:59:12,160 Speaker 1: wild turkey. I very much enjoy hunting both of them. 1109 00:59:12,240 --> 00:59:17,680 Speaker 1: I very much enjoy hunting healthy populations and healthy age 1110 00:59:17,720 --> 00:59:20,160 Speaker 1: class of both those animals. And so I wanted to 1111 00:59:20,200 --> 00:59:23,960 Speaker 1: create a habitat a property that these animals called safe 1112 00:59:23,960 --> 00:59:26,840 Speaker 1: at that they weren't being over hunted at, and they 1113 00:59:26,880 --> 00:59:29,880 Speaker 1: could get some actually get some refuge from my neighbors. 1114 00:59:29,880 --> 00:59:33,520 Speaker 1: Because this is Wisconsin, right there's hunted very heavily, reffal 1115 00:59:33,520 --> 00:59:35,600 Speaker 1: season muggled or season archery season. So I wanted it 1116 00:59:35,640 --> 00:59:38,440 Speaker 1: all encompassing. But I told Eric right away, like the 1117 00:59:38,480 --> 00:59:40,600 Speaker 1: first day, he said, well, what are your goals? And 1118 00:59:40,640 --> 00:59:43,160 Speaker 1: I said, well, this may sound silly, and I'm sure 1119 00:59:43,240 --> 00:59:46,680 Speaker 1: you don't ever hear this from other clients, but I've 1120 00:59:46,720 --> 00:59:48,760 Speaker 1: been on this property now for a few years. I've 1121 00:59:49,200 --> 00:59:52,080 Speaker 1: never seen a snake on this property. I know that 1122 00:59:52,160 --> 00:59:54,560 Speaker 1: sounds silly, but with all the times of walking through 1123 00:59:54,560 --> 00:59:57,160 Speaker 1: these fields, all the times they're walking through these woods, 1124 00:59:57,160 --> 00:59:59,280 Speaker 1: and I have a few crick bottoms, and like, I've 1125 00:59:59,320 --> 01:00:02,000 Speaker 1: never seen a turtle. I've not seen a box turtle. 1126 01:00:02,080 --> 01:00:04,919 Speaker 1: I've seen a few frogs, and I have never seen 1127 01:00:04,960 --> 01:00:09,200 Speaker 1: a snake. And um, and He's like, Okay, I totally 1128 01:00:09,200 --> 01:00:12,040 Speaker 1: get that. And so it's not that I was trying 1129 01:00:12,080 --> 01:00:14,360 Speaker 1: to create a property that's crawling with snakes, although I 1130 01:00:14,400 --> 01:00:16,400 Speaker 1: would love that. I was trying to create a property 1131 01:00:16,440 --> 01:00:19,320 Speaker 1: that all of these animals. I wanted to elevate the 1132 01:00:19,520 --> 01:00:23,800 Speaker 1: entire property so that you know, the songbirds are doing better. 1133 01:00:23,960 --> 01:00:28,760 Speaker 1: The grouse, like I would um every spring when I 1134 01:00:28,800 --> 01:00:30,960 Speaker 1: was hunting turkeys, that here a couple of grows, drumming. 1135 01:00:31,080 --> 01:00:33,960 Speaker 1: That's it. This year now, since planting some of this 1136 01:00:34,080 --> 01:00:36,640 Speaker 1: food and adjusting some of the cover and getting some 1137 01:00:36,680 --> 01:00:39,360 Speaker 1: of the grasses near the field edge, I mean I've 1138 01:00:39,400 --> 01:00:42,280 Speaker 1: averaged of you know, I flushed like four to six 1139 01:00:42,320 --> 01:00:45,320 Speaker 1: grouse every time I've went out there, which is fantastic 1140 01:00:45,400 --> 01:00:48,720 Speaker 1: to see. Now, did I create more grouse? Absolutely not. 1141 01:00:48,840 --> 01:00:52,160 Speaker 1: All I did was pulled grows from my neighbors or 1142 01:00:52,240 --> 01:00:55,920 Speaker 1: pull grouse centrally to utilize the food and habit that 1143 01:00:56,040 --> 01:00:58,560 Speaker 1: that I planted. But in the long run, this is 1144 01:00:58,600 --> 01:01:00,760 Speaker 1: definitely going to you know, this will bump off the 1145 01:01:00,760 --> 01:01:04,040 Speaker 1: grouse habitat. But it was a total ecosystem change that 1146 01:01:04,120 --> 01:01:07,720 Speaker 1: I wanted to do with an emphasis on the white 1147 01:01:07,760 --> 01:01:09,920 Speaker 1: to thea right. If I wasn't a deer hunter, I 1148 01:01:09,960 --> 01:01:13,760 Speaker 1: probably would have put in even more grasses and and 1149 01:01:13,800 --> 01:01:16,760 Speaker 1: did even more betting and try to increase some natural 1150 01:01:16,840 --> 01:01:19,040 Speaker 1: browsing different things like that if I didn't want to, 1151 01:01:19,200 --> 01:01:20,560 Speaker 1: if I didn't want to hunt the deer and I 1152 01:01:20,560 --> 01:01:23,160 Speaker 1: didn't want them to to reside on the properties, that 1153 01:01:23,240 --> 01:01:28,280 Speaker 1: make sense, ye, sure. So, so Dan planted his first 1154 01:01:28,320 --> 01:01:30,880 Speaker 1: food plot this year. And I've been planning and doing 1155 01:01:30,880 --> 01:01:33,880 Speaker 1: different habitat management type projects for probably five or six 1156 01:01:33,960 --> 01:01:35,600 Speaker 1: or seven years now. And we were just talking a 1157 01:01:35,600 --> 01:01:40,240 Speaker 1: little while ago about this kind of intangible feeling of 1158 01:01:40,280 --> 01:01:44,480 Speaker 1: accomplishment or something special about doing this kind of work 1159 01:01:44,560 --> 01:01:47,800 Speaker 1: and giving back to the wildlife and and and that 1160 01:01:47,840 --> 01:01:50,440 Speaker 1: little piece of ground there you're working on. Did you 1161 01:01:50,480 --> 01:01:52,400 Speaker 1: feel at all after doing these projects and now that 1162 01:01:52,440 --> 01:01:55,360 Speaker 1: you're kind of interacting with this landscape in a different way, 1163 01:01:58,880 --> 01:02:04,040 Speaker 1: you know what? It's absolutely I mean, you know, get 1164 01:02:04,120 --> 01:02:08,479 Speaker 1: tremendous value in watching, you know, sitting in a tree 1165 01:02:08,480 --> 01:02:11,560 Speaker 1: stand or in the ground blind or even just um 1166 01:02:11,600 --> 01:02:14,440 Speaker 1: being out there and glassing and seeing you know, a 1167 01:02:14,480 --> 01:02:16,880 Speaker 1: big fat dough come out of the woods with two 1168 01:02:16,920 --> 01:02:19,720 Speaker 1: fonds and they're out there cooker in their town. They're 1169 01:02:19,760 --> 01:02:22,880 Speaker 1: running around like mad men and they're eating. And you know, 1170 01:02:22,960 --> 01:02:26,400 Speaker 1: you're watching these plants that you planted, that you purchased. 1171 01:02:26,440 --> 01:02:29,080 Speaker 1: Right this is expensive, you know, and and a lot 1172 01:02:29,120 --> 01:02:33,840 Speaker 1: of work went into this. Consulting Ben consulting, Eric, we 1173 01:02:33,840 --> 01:02:37,160 Speaker 1: we we got all of our seeds from a company. UM. 1174 01:02:37,960 --> 01:02:39,280 Speaker 1: I don't know if you guys have ever worked with 1175 01:02:39,720 --> 01:02:42,760 Speaker 1: Have you ever heard of Merit seed in Ohio? I have 1176 01:02:42,720 --> 01:02:47,120 Speaker 1: have not? Okay, so Merit seed n e R I 1177 01:02:47,280 --> 01:02:48,960 Speaker 1: T just put it in the back of your brains. 1178 01:02:48,960 --> 01:02:52,480 Speaker 1: There's a guy there named John, There's a wildlife genius. 1179 01:02:52,800 --> 01:02:55,000 Speaker 1: And I would call John like when I couldn't get 1180 01:02:55,000 --> 01:02:57,360 Speaker 1: ahold of Eric, or Eric would call it John, their friends. 1181 01:02:57,400 --> 01:02:59,560 Speaker 1: They worked together all the time. But I would call 1182 01:02:59,680 --> 01:03:02,760 Speaker 1: him and talk to him about all these different plants 1183 01:03:02,840 --> 01:03:07,040 Speaker 1: and seedings, and and he's just a wildlife freak. He 1184 01:03:07,160 --> 01:03:10,800 Speaker 1: just loved growing wild life. So, you know, consulting all 1185 01:03:10,800 --> 01:03:14,080 Speaker 1: these different gentlemen, buying the seed, buying all these different 1186 01:03:14,080 --> 01:03:16,880 Speaker 1: things that go into the property, and then actually seeing it. 1187 01:03:17,000 --> 01:03:20,120 Speaker 1: And I actually seen the animals utilizing it, actually seeing 1188 01:03:20,120 --> 01:03:23,240 Speaker 1: them hoping they're gonna have not such a harsh winter 1189 01:03:23,320 --> 01:03:26,360 Speaker 1: and hopefully they're gonna grow big and strong and fulfill 1190 01:03:26,440 --> 01:03:29,720 Speaker 1: their lives. Only a couple of them are gonna potentially 1191 01:03:29,760 --> 01:03:35,040 Speaker 1: get killed by my bow or a friend's arrow. And uh, 1192 01:03:35,360 --> 01:03:37,800 Speaker 1: but the value, the value of seeing it and the 1193 01:03:37,880 --> 01:03:42,120 Speaker 1: value value of experiencing it is tremendous, tremendous. I just 1194 01:03:42,160 --> 01:03:45,360 Speaker 1: went out there the other day two weeks ago. Maybe 1195 01:03:45,400 --> 01:03:48,480 Speaker 1: I've never seen a pheasant on the property ever, never, 1196 01:03:48,520 --> 01:03:51,320 Speaker 1: ever have I seen a pheasant, And just naturally walking 1197 01:03:51,360 --> 01:03:53,600 Speaker 1: through there's I have an old growth field that I 1198 01:03:53,720 --> 01:03:56,560 Speaker 1: just left as it is. It's all golden rod and 1199 01:03:56,560 --> 01:04:00,560 Speaker 1: and grasses and some shrubbery. Some of those are dog 1200 01:04:00,640 --> 01:04:04,840 Speaker 1: with things. Again, I walked through there. Um I flushed. 1201 01:04:06,280 --> 01:04:09,600 Speaker 1: I flushed six hens and three roosters. I've never seen 1202 01:04:09,600 --> 01:04:12,800 Speaker 1: a pasant on the property. It's just just cool seeing it, 1203 01:04:12,840 --> 01:04:16,720 Speaker 1: you know, it's just fantastic seeing I saw several snakes 1204 01:04:16,800 --> 01:04:19,760 Speaker 1: this summer. I saw a box turtle, like you know, 1205 01:04:19,800 --> 01:04:22,440 Speaker 1: it's just it's just cool to see these things. And again, 1206 01:04:23,000 --> 01:04:25,480 Speaker 1: I don't have this delusion that we have changed the 1207 01:04:25,520 --> 01:04:28,120 Speaker 1: world in a single year, but I know we've made 1208 01:04:28,160 --> 01:04:33,760 Speaker 1: some enhancement that have made these animals move in um, 1209 01:04:33,800 --> 01:04:36,080 Speaker 1: and it's just really cool. It's it's really cool to 1210 01:04:36,120 --> 01:04:40,000 Speaker 1: see and and and feel. And I know, I remember 1211 01:04:40,040 --> 01:04:42,160 Speaker 1: I made a comment to you at our last podcast 1212 01:04:42,200 --> 01:04:44,520 Speaker 1: where I said, and I don't have any bucks anymore. 1213 01:04:44,600 --> 01:04:49,400 Speaker 1: You remember that, Yeah, And so it's funny because I 1214 01:04:49,440 --> 01:04:52,040 Speaker 1: had a couple of people write me and say, oh 1215 01:04:52,040 --> 01:04:54,520 Speaker 1: my god, like you got rid of your box and 1216 01:04:54,640 --> 01:04:57,880 Speaker 1: oh my god, like this Eric guy got rid of 1217 01:04:57,880 --> 01:05:00,400 Speaker 1: your box. And I just thought, oh my god, No, 1218 01:05:00,560 --> 01:05:04,200 Speaker 1: I can't believe that people think that we have the 1219 01:05:04,240 --> 01:05:10,000 Speaker 1: ability too, you know, grow white tailed deer or two 1220 01:05:10,760 --> 01:05:14,560 Speaker 1: produce whitetailed deer in a fashion of if you you know, 1221 01:05:14,680 --> 01:05:16,680 Speaker 1: if you're hiring a white tail manager to come on 1222 01:05:16,760 --> 01:05:18,600 Speaker 1: your property. I'm sure you guys know this. I hope 1223 01:05:18,600 --> 01:05:20,120 Speaker 1: you know this. But if you're hiring a white tulp 1224 01:05:20,160 --> 01:05:23,640 Speaker 1: property to come onto your land and and alter your land, 1225 01:05:23,760 --> 01:05:26,880 Speaker 1: and suddenly there's gonna be a hundred sixty d sev 1226 01:05:27,840 --> 01:05:31,400 Speaker 1: deer running all around and you have to work less too, 1227 01:05:31,760 --> 01:05:35,680 Speaker 1: um shoot big giant box old boxing, and this is 1228 01:05:35,720 --> 01:05:38,480 Speaker 1: why you're doing it, then I think you're doing it 1229 01:05:38,560 --> 01:05:42,240 Speaker 1: for a tremendously wrong reason. And and I think that 1230 01:05:42,280 --> 01:05:47,440 Speaker 1: you're gonna probably be greatly disappointed in that wildlife manager's 1231 01:05:47,480 --> 01:05:52,520 Speaker 1: ability to turn your property into shang rulat what what 1232 01:05:52,560 --> 01:05:54,640 Speaker 1: you're paying for? This is in my mind's diet, what 1233 01:05:54,680 --> 01:05:57,320 Speaker 1: you're paying for. It is, well, this is how I 1234 01:05:57,360 --> 01:06:00,160 Speaker 1: think about it. You're paying for that wallet man, your 1235 01:06:00,320 --> 01:06:05,200 Speaker 1: failures and sample set, his data set that's in his head. 1236 01:06:05,240 --> 01:06:09,480 Speaker 1: Like Eric has set up a billion more properties than 1237 01:06:09,520 --> 01:06:12,920 Speaker 1: I have, He's failed as setting up a billion more 1238 01:06:13,000 --> 01:06:16,080 Speaker 1: properties than I have. Because anything that any of us do. 1239 01:06:16,280 --> 01:06:19,160 Speaker 1: You know, if he wanted to make a film, if 1240 01:06:19,480 --> 01:06:23,000 Speaker 1: he attempted to make a hunting film, I'm sure that thing. 1241 01:06:23,120 --> 01:06:27,240 Speaker 1: I'm positive his first hunting film would be not good. 1242 01:06:27,520 --> 01:06:29,840 Speaker 1: And if you would have come to me. I could say, hey, 1243 01:06:30,720 --> 01:06:33,480 Speaker 1: look at if you did these three things here, I 1244 01:06:33,600 --> 01:06:35,560 Speaker 1: made these same mistakes. You know. It's just like we 1245 01:06:35,640 --> 01:06:39,080 Speaker 1: do anything in life. But um I had some people 1246 01:06:39,120 --> 01:06:40,480 Speaker 1: right and you're like, oh my god, he got rid 1247 01:06:40,480 --> 01:06:41,960 Speaker 1: of your box and just made me laugh. It's like, no, 1248 01:06:42,000 --> 01:06:44,200 Speaker 1: he didn't get rid of my box. My box probably 1249 01:06:44,240 --> 01:06:46,959 Speaker 1: got shot, not my box. Can you even I can't 1250 01:06:46,960 --> 01:06:51,360 Speaker 1: believe I'm even saying this. The boss probably probably got 1251 01:06:51,440 --> 01:06:54,280 Speaker 1: I mean, this isn't Disney, probably got shot by my neighbors, 1252 01:06:54,440 --> 01:06:58,560 Speaker 1: or moved over to another neighbor who planted a field 1253 01:06:58,680 --> 01:07:01,600 Speaker 1: and didn't harvest it because it was too wet or whatever. Like. 1254 01:07:01,680 --> 01:07:05,160 Speaker 1: These animals are free to move throughout their range. And 1255 01:07:05,720 --> 01:07:09,880 Speaker 1: I actually found it quite comical that, Um, I had 1256 01:07:09,920 --> 01:07:12,120 Speaker 1: several bucks the year before, and then I went in 1257 01:07:12,440 --> 01:07:14,000 Speaker 1: and then we did all this work, and then this 1258 01:07:14,200 --> 01:07:17,040 Speaker 1: year I'm sitting They're going, it's not funny. We spent 1259 01:07:17,120 --> 01:07:19,120 Speaker 1: all this money, did all this work, all this blood, 1260 01:07:19,120 --> 01:07:23,280 Speaker 1: sweat and tears, and and I'm seeing less dear less, mature, 1261 01:07:23,360 --> 01:07:26,200 Speaker 1: antler deer than I was the year before. Fast forward 1262 01:07:26,560 --> 01:07:30,120 Speaker 1: to right now. So we we did that podcast in November. 1263 01:07:30,120 --> 01:07:32,880 Speaker 1: Did that song right or was that December? I think 1264 01:07:32,880 --> 01:07:36,840 Speaker 1: it was late November, Okay, so I think it was beginning. Yeah, 1265 01:07:36,840 --> 01:07:39,360 Speaker 1: I think it right because the beginning of December um 1266 01:07:39,440 --> 01:07:42,160 Speaker 1: and actually made me chuckle because I went out there. Um, 1267 01:07:42,200 --> 01:07:43,760 Speaker 1: I had been out of property a long time. I 1268 01:07:43,840 --> 01:07:46,600 Speaker 1: checked my cameras and boom, I had like five or 1269 01:07:46,640 --> 01:07:49,720 Speaker 1: six big deer that I've never seen before, and now 1270 01:07:49,760 --> 01:07:52,200 Speaker 1: they're residing on my place. How they got there, I 1271 01:07:52,240 --> 01:07:55,680 Speaker 1: don't know, But I created the type of haboitcat that 1272 01:07:55,800 --> 01:07:58,880 Speaker 1: makes it very welcoming in the late season. Will they 1273 01:07:58,960 --> 01:08:02,000 Speaker 1: stay next year? Wud else? I don't care. But I 1274 01:08:02,120 --> 01:08:04,520 Speaker 1: just want to do better things for my property, do 1275 01:08:04,560 --> 01:08:07,200 Speaker 1: better things through my neighborhood. Do I care if my 1276 01:08:07,200 --> 01:08:09,640 Speaker 1: neighbor shoots a big buck that lives on my property. 1277 01:08:09,680 --> 01:08:13,040 Speaker 1: Absolutely not. I just want everything in the area to 1278 01:08:13,080 --> 01:08:18,599 Speaker 1: get better. And so it's it's very rewarding. It's tremendously rewarding. 1279 01:08:18,640 --> 01:08:21,960 Speaker 1: But if you're chasing big deer, um, you might end 1280 01:08:22,040 --> 01:08:25,120 Speaker 1: up being disappointed at the end of the road, at 1281 01:08:25,120 --> 01:08:27,760 Speaker 1: the end of the journey. Yeah. And it's a process. 1282 01:08:27,800 --> 01:08:31,040 Speaker 1: It's a process. And to your point, if all you're 1283 01:08:31,080 --> 01:08:34,320 Speaker 1: concerned about is the eventual outcome or whatever your outcome 1284 01:08:34,360 --> 01:08:36,439 Speaker 1: in your head is, You're gonna be very disappointed if 1285 01:08:36,479 --> 01:08:38,560 Speaker 1: you aren't also enjoying the process and the fact that 1286 01:08:38,600 --> 01:08:41,120 Speaker 1: it takes time and takes work, and that stuff has 1287 01:08:41,200 --> 01:08:45,400 Speaker 1: value in and of itself. So and it will never 1288 01:08:45,439 --> 01:08:48,000 Speaker 1: live up to your expectations, right, it will never ever 1289 01:08:48,080 --> 01:08:50,240 Speaker 1: Even if you kill a one eight, then what next 1290 01:08:50,320 --> 01:08:52,559 Speaker 1: year you want a one ninety? Like That's that's not 1291 01:08:52,640 --> 01:08:54,400 Speaker 1: how to go about this thing. I think if you 1292 01:08:54,479 --> 01:08:57,839 Speaker 1: change habitat more than dear, you're gonna come out winning 1293 01:08:57,840 --> 01:09:01,960 Speaker 1: on all sides. So so on this, on this kind 1294 01:09:01,960 --> 01:09:07,960 Speaker 1: of topic, we talked well, whenever it was late November 1295 01:09:08,000 --> 01:09:10,679 Speaker 1: early December we last talked. You talked about the fact 1296 01:09:10,680 --> 01:09:13,599 Speaker 1: that you had read Elder Leopold's Book of Sand County 1297 01:09:13,640 --> 01:09:15,360 Speaker 1: Almanac a number of times. I think you maybe even 1298 01:09:15,360 --> 01:09:16,720 Speaker 1: said that you you try to read it once a 1299 01:09:16,800 --> 01:09:19,280 Speaker 1: year or something like that, and um, I picked it 1300 01:09:19,360 --> 01:09:21,559 Speaker 1: up again recently and was looking at it again recently. 1301 01:09:21,760 --> 01:09:23,240 Speaker 1: And a lot of this stuff we're talking about now, 1302 01:09:23,240 --> 01:09:26,639 Speaker 1: you know, giving back to a property or conservation, whether 1303 01:09:26,640 --> 01:09:28,840 Speaker 1: it being a small personal scale or a big public 1304 01:09:28,960 --> 01:09:31,680 Speaker 1: land scale. It's got me thinking a lot about the 1305 01:09:31,760 --> 01:09:35,519 Speaker 1: land ethic that Leopold talked about in his book, and 1306 01:09:36,120 --> 01:09:38,120 Speaker 1: I kind of wanted to pick your brain about that 1307 01:09:38,200 --> 01:09:40,400 Speaker 1: land ethic we've never talked about in the podcast before 1308 01:09:40,400 --> 01:09:42,439 Speaker 1: for people. But I think people hear the name, although 1309 01:09:42,479 --> 01:09:45,080 Speaker 1: Leopold a lot here has kind of float that name 1310 01:09:45,120 --> 01:09:48,320 Speaker 1: out there, but maybe people don't really know what he 1311 01:09:48,600 --> 01:09:51,479 Speaker 1: was suggesting, what he was recommending and how that maybe 1312 01:09:51,760 --> 01:09:54,360 Speaker 1: has has kind of changed the path of the conservation 1313 01:09:54,400 --> 01:09:56,519 Speaker 1: movement to a degree here in the last fifty years 1314 01:09:56,600 --> 01:09:58,640 Speaker 1: or so. So if you guys will indulge me for 1315 01:09:58,680 --> 01:10:01,519 Speaker 1: a quick second here for those that haven't read the book, 1316 01:10:01,520 --> 01:10:03,920 Speaker 1: I just wanted to read a passage here real quick, 1317 01:10:03,960 --> 01:10:05,720 Speaker 1: and then I wanted to get your your thoughts on it. 1318 01:10:05,800 --> 01:10:10,920 Speaker 1: Donning so excuse my poor reading skills if I fumble here, 1319 01:10:10,960 --> 01:10:13,120 Speaker 1: but but real quick from a sand County element, I 1320 01:10:13,160 --> 01:10:15,800 Speaker 1: want to quote this right here. Although said that all 1321 01:10:15,960 --> 01:10:19,360 Speaker 1: ethics so far evolved rest upon a single premise that 1322 01:10:19,479 --> 01:10:23,160 Speaker 1: the individual is a member of a community of interdependent parts. 1323 01:10:23,200 --> 01:10:25,479 Speaker 1: His instincts prompt him to compete for his place in 1324 01:10:25,479 --> 01:10:28,960 Speaker 1: that community, but his ethics prompted him also to cooperate, 1325 01:10:29,320 --> 01:10:31,160 Speaker 1: perhaps in order that there may be a place to 1326 01:10:31,200 --> 01:10:35,040 Speaker 1: compete for. The land ethic simply enlarges the boundaries of 1327 01:10:35,040 --> 01:10:39,000 Speaker 1: the community to include soils, waters, plants, and animals, or 1328 01:10:39,040 --> 01:10:43,200 Speaker 1: collectively the land. This sounds simple. Do we not already 1329 01:10:43,200 --> 01:10:45,360 Speaker 1: sing our love for and the obligation to the land 1330 01:10:45,400 --> 01:10:47,880 Speaker 1: of the free and the home of the brave? Yes? 1331 01:10:48,479 --> 01:10:51,360 Speaker 1: But just what in whom do we love? Certainly not 1332 01:10:51,439 --> 01:10:55,080 Speaker 1: the soil which we're sending helter skelter downriver. Certainly, not 1333 01:10:55,160 --> 01:10:58,000 Speaker 1: the waters, which we assume have no function function except 1334 01:10:58,080 --> 01:11:01,679 Speaker 1: to turn turboines, float barges, and care off sewage. Certainly, 1335 01:11:01,680 --> 01:11:04,160 Speaker 1: not the plants of which we exterminate whole communities without 1336 01:11:04,160 --> 01:11:06,720 Speaker 1: batting an eye. Certainly not of the animals of which 1337 01:11:06,720 --> 01:11:08,840 Speaker 1: we have already extirpated many of the largest and most 1338 01:11:08,880 --> 01:11:12,000 Speaker 1: beautiful species. A land, I think, of course, cannot prevent 1339 01:11:12,040 --> 01:11:15,840 Speaker 1: the alteration, management, and use of these resources. But it 1340 01:11:15,880 --> 01:11:18,760 Speaker 1: does affirm the right to continued existence, and, at least 1341 01:11:18,760 --> 01:11:22,920 Speaker 1: in spots, their continued existence in a natural state. In short, 1342 01:11:22,960 --> 01:11:25,519 Speaker 1: a land ethic changes the role of Homo sapiens from 1343 01:11:25,560 --> 01:11:28,719 Speaker 1: conquer of the land community to plane member and citizen 1344 01:11:28,800 --> 01:11:31,840 Speaker 1: of it. It implies respect for his fellow members and 1345 01:11:31,920 --> 01:11:36,920 Speaker 1: also respect for the community as such. So Downny there 1346 01:11:37,160 --> 01:11:40,200 Speaker 1: is a brief snapshot of what Eldo Leopold was talking 1347 01:11:40,240 --> 01:11:41,920 Speaker 1: about when he said that we need to have this 1348 01:11:41,920 --> 01:11:45,439 Speaker 1: this land ethic. What what does that mean to you? 1349 01:11:45,479 --> 01:11:47,800 Speaker 1: How do you interpret those words from Eldo and how 1350 01:11:47,840 --> 01:11:51,760 Speaker 1: has that kind of been played out through your life? Maybe? 1351 01:11:52,760 --> 01:11:58,000 Speaker 1: Wells Um, you know it's in a word, it's harmony, right, Um. 1352 01:11:58,000 --> 01:12:00,360 Speaker 1: In a word, he describes that we're not here, and 1353 01:12:00,400 --> 01:12:03,360 Speaker 1: you can you can hear it in his writing. Um, 1354 01:12:03,400 --> 01:12:07,200 Speaker 1: you know we're not here. Um. To use everything. Having 1355 01:12:07,280 --> 01:12:11,160 Speaker 1: a renewable resource doesn't mean that you use it beyond 1356 01:12:11,240 --> 01:12:16,800 Speaker 1: belief for selfish reasons to make your life better, your 1357 01:12:16,880 --> 01:12:21,920 Speaker 1: life easier, and to propel the mechanized world and and 1358 01:12:22,000 --> 01:12:27,120 Speaker 1: make your you know, your day, Uh, you know, less busy, 1359 01:12:27,320 --> 01:12:31,200 Speaker 1: less full of hard work. Um. It's it's much more 1360 01:12:31,240 --> 01:12:35,840 Speaker 1: about you existing within the land and contributing as much 1361 01:12:35,880 --> 01:12:41,200 Speaker 1: as you're taking and and being being one with the land. Right. 1362 01:12:41,200 --> 01:12:48,240 Speaker 1: It's it's um, he's absolutely absolutely. You can catch and 1363 01:12:48,320 --> 01:12:51,040 Speaker 1: keep a fish and enjoy a fish for dinner. You 1364 01:12:51,080 --> 01:12:55,680 Speaker 1: can shoot a dock and shoot a deer and um, 1365 01:12:55,760 --> 01:12:59,640 Speaker 1: and you can cut trees down, but certainly all of it, 1366 01:13:00,000 --> 01:13:02,640 Speaker 1: whether you're killing a deer or planting a tree or 1367 01:13:02,680 --> 01:13:05,600 Speaker 1: cutting a tree down, um, all of it has to 1368 01:13:05,640 --> 01:13:09,720 Speaker 1: be done with great wherewithal on what your contribution is 1369 01:13:10,200 --> 01:13:12,840 Speaker 1: and what you're taking away from the resource, and how 1370 01:13:12,880 --> 01:13:17,240 Speaker 1: you're belonging in the resource, not dominating the resource, belonging 1371 01:13:17,360 --> 01:13:21,320 Speaker 1: in the resource, and so um in my life it 1372 01:13:21,400 --> 01:13:24,200 Speaker 1: has been you know, I had to learn these things. 1373 01:13:24,240 --> 01:13:28,920 Speaker 1: Obviously I didn't have this in not genius enough for 1374 01:13:29,280 --> 01:13:31,120 Speaker 1: at all to have this in my mind as a 1375 01:13:31,120 --> 01:13:35,439 Speaker 1: young man. So as I learned these principles, things that 1376 01:13:35,920 --> 01:13:38,160 Speaker 1: we're stirring in the back of my mind started to 1377 01:13:38,200 --> 01:13:41,840 Speaker 1: make sense. Uh. You know, when I was coming when 1378 01:13:41,840 --> 01:13:44,640 Speaker 1: I had encounters with grizzly bears, or I had encounters 1379 01:13:44,640 --> 01:13:48,120 Speaker 1: with different animals and different situations in my life, I 1380 01:13:48,280 --> 01:13:52,679 Speaker 1: really appreciated them and and wasn't I just wasn't always 1381 01:13:52,720 --> 01:13:56,719 Speaker 1: this um for lack of a better term, bloodthirsty hunter. 1382 01:13:56,800 --> 01:13:59,880 Speaker 1: It wasn't. I just didn't want to just um kill 1383 01:14:00,000 --> 01:14:02,760 Speaker 1: as much as I could and take away from the 1384 01:14:02,840 --> 01:14:04,599 Speaker 1: land as much as I could. When I was in 1385 01:14:04,640 --> 01:14:08,679 Speaker 1: these places, I wanted to envelope myself into the place 1386 01:14:08,760 --> 01:14:12,680 Speaker 1: as much as I could exist with the wildlife, with 1387 01:14:12,840 --> 01:14:15,639 Speaker 1: the fishes, with the plant as much as I could 1388 01:14:15,640 --> 01:14:18,439 Speaker 1: and participate in the present. And I didn't. Again, I 1389 01:14:18,439 --> 01:14:20,160 Speaker 1: didn't know any of the stuff. And then I started 1390 01:14:20,200 --> 01:14:23,439 Speaker 1: reading his writings and some other writings and some other 1391 01:14:24,160 --> 01:14:27,240 Speaker 1: um conservationists and the hunters, that I started to realize 1392 01:14:27,240 --> 01:14:30,000 Speaker 1: that that that's where I was getting. I had some 1393 01:14:30,080 --> 01:14:33,639 Speaker 1: similar concepts in my head that that they were lining out. 1394 01:14:33,640 --> 01:14:36,320 Speaker 1: And of course he's a beautiful, brilliant writer, and he 1395 01:14:36,400 --> 01:14:41,800 Speaker 1: had tremendous respect for the smallest pieces of land, and 1396 01:14:41,840 --> 01:14:44,000 Speaker 1: one of the things he also had that I have 1397 01:14:44,200 --> 01:14:47,000 Speaker 1: no idea how he accomplished this, but he had a 1398 01:14:47,080 --> 01:14:50,880 Speaker 1: fantastic idea of the history of the land. And maybe 1399 01:14:50,880 --> 01:14:54,160 Speaker 1: it was easier back then, maybe there were such significant 1400 01:14:54,280 --> 01:14:57,759 Speaker 1: events that went on and there was such a small 1401 01:14:57,880 --> 01:15:01,840 Speaker 1: human population that you could really put your finger down 1402 01:15:01,880 --> 01:15:04,879 Speaker 1: on timelines and really lay it out. But he literally 1403 01:15:05,720 --> 01:15:09,760 Speaker 1: has such a mental timeline, such a date book in 1404 01:15:09,840 --> 01:15:13,200 Speaker 1: his head of when things happened and how big changes 1405 01:15:13,240 --> 01:15:15,959 Speaker 1: happened and why they happened. And like he's talking about 1406 01:15:16,000 --> 01:15:19,840 Speaker 1: the extirpation of these major animals, well, that's all of 1407 01:15:19,920 --> 01:15:23,120 Speaker 1: that is from overuse from human beings. Everything that he 1408 01:15:23,240 --> 01:15:27,600 Speaker 1: listed off, everything, the commonality, the one commonality is the 1409 01:15:27,680 --> 01:15:31,760 Speaker 1: human being. And um, we're the ones that create overuse. 1410 01:15:32,200 --> 01:15:34,600 Speaker 1: We're the ones that are burning down entire pastures for 1411 01:15:35,800 --> 01:15:39,000 Speaker 1: you know, what he quotes is no particular reason. Um, 1412 01:15:39,240 --> 01:15:41,320 Speaker 1: someone else, you know, the rancher, if you will, just 1413 01:15:41,479 --> 01:15:43,639 Speaker 1: picking this out. But the rancher might think he has 1414 01:15:43,640 --> 01:15:46,559 Speaker 1: a tremendous reason. I have to create more brows from 1415 01:15:46,560 --> 01:15:49,200 Speaker 1: my cows. Um, and this is how this all works. 1416 01:15:49,240 --> 01:15:53,400 Speaker 1: But for him, he's saying, there's there's a way to 1417 01:15:53,479 --> 01:15:57,960 Speaker 1: do this in harmony, and can you do with eight 1418 01:15:57,960 --> 01:16:00,720 Speaker 1: billion people on the globe. Absolutely not. So we've had 1419 01:16:00,760 --> 01:16:05,760 Speaker 1: to make we've had to make up you know, adjustments 1420 01:16:05,800 --> 01:16:08,760 Speaker 1: all along the way. And that's where you start to 1421 01:16:08,800 --> 01:16:12,200 Speaker 1: have these extirpations of animals, right when you when you 1422 01:16:12,320 --> 01:16:15,519 Speaker 1: realize that, you know, Minnesota used to have woodland carible 1423 01:16:15,600 --> 01:16:17,799 Speaker 1: in it. Why doesn't have littleland caribou in it anymore? 1424 01:16:18,439 --> 01:16:20,479 Speaker 1: Because the white tail deer pushed them out, Because the 1425 01:16:20,479 --> 01:16:23,120 Speaker 1: white til deer started become more successful, because the different 1426 01:16:23,200 --> 01:16:26,000 Speaker 1: edges that were being created. You know, people talk about 1427 01:16:26,040 --> 01:16:28,080 Speaker 1: back in the day, but there were so few white 1428 01:16:28,080 --> 01:16:30,759 Speaker 1: deil beer that if you saw one, you told everyone 1429 01:16:30,800 --> 01:16:33,680 Speaker 1: in town about it. And now we have them everywhere, 1430 01:16:33,680 --> 01:16:36,719 Speaker 1: and people think, oh my god, we're doing such amazing 1431 01:16:36,760 --> 01:16:40,040 Speaker 1: things with management. We now have deer everywhere, But people 1432 01:16:40,080 --> 01:16:45,519 Speaker 1: don't realize that this animal has become incredibly abundant because 1433 01:16:45,560 --> 01:16:47,880 Speaker 1: of the changes that we've done to the landscape, the 1434 01:16:47,960 --> 01:16:51,000 Speaker 1: force we've cut down, the fields that we've burned, the 1435 01:16:51,120 --> 01:16:54,000 Speaker 1: fires that we've stopped when they needed to burn, and 1436 01:16:54,120 --> 01:16:59,200 Speaker 1: thus these animals become overpopulated. And you can cheer about 1437 01:16:59,240 --> 01:17:02,479 Speaker 1: this and think you're the champion of bringing these animals 1438 01:17:02,520 --> 01:17:05,880 Speaker 1: to a greater population, but it really wasn't meant to 1439 01:17:05,880 --> 01:17:10,240 Speaker 1: be right. These animals thrived in a smaller population in 1440 01:17:10,320 --> 01:17:12,680 Speaker 1: a big forest. And I'm just using this as a 1441 01:17:12,720 --> 01:17:16,439 Speaker 1: single example, as people you know, are fixated on deer, 1442 01:17:16,600 --> 01:17:18,800 Speaker 1: fixated on this type of movement. But you see what 1443 01:17:18,840 --> 01:17:21,320 Speaker 1: I'm saying. There was a there was a harmony with 1444 01:17:21,400 --> 01:17:24,040 Speaker 1: each thing that we do. We are creating way more 1445 01:17:24,120 --> 01:17:27,719 Speaker 1: disruption than we are harmony. And I think that's where 1446 01:17:27,720 --> 01:17:31,040 Speaker 1: he really lived with his ideas. That's why his writing 1447 01:17:31,160 --> 01:17:33,960 Speaker 1: is so beautiful and so eloquent because you can see 1448 01:17:33,960 --> 01:17:36,880 Speaker 1: in his heart and in his words that he wanted 1449 01:17:36,880 --> 01:17:39,760 Speaker 1: that harmony. And when you read about it and see it, 1450 01:17:39,800 --> 01:17:41,960 Speaker 1: whether he's cutting down a dead tree or cutting up 1451 01:17:41,960 --> 01:17:44,240 Speaker 1: a dead tree, or catching a trout and putting in 1452 01:17:44,280 --> 01:17:48,479 Speaker 1: his creole, everything was done with tremendous wherewithal and it's 1453 01:17:48,479 --> 01:17:54,960 Speaker 1: it's a really fantastic notion to belong to. Yeah, yeah, agree. So, 1454 01:17:54,960 --> 01:17:58,040 Speaker 1: so Elda wrote this back in the forties, I think 1455 01:17:58,120 --> 01:18:02,080 Speaker 1: late forties or early fifties, and so he had these 1456 01:18:02,120 --> 01:18:04,920 Speaker 1: ideas and he was, you know, talking about this given 1457 01:18:04,960 --> 01:18:07,519 Speaker 1: the context of that time period and the impacts that 1458 01:18:07,520 --> 01:18:09,120 Speaker 1: have already been seeing at that timp here. But now 1459 01:18:09,160 --> 01:18:11,160 Speaker 1: fast forward, you know, sixty five years or whatever has 1460 01:18:11,200 --> 01:18:13,920 Speaker 1: been now when you're looking at the world we live 1461 01:18:13,960 --> 01:18:18,000 Speaker 1: in today and the situation we have with wildlife and land, 1462 01:18:19,400 --> 01:18:21,960 Speaker 1: do you how do you feel about this concept of 1463 01:18:22,000 --> 01:18:26,040 Speaker 1: the land ethic that although you know, recommended or hope 1464 01:18:26,080 --> 01:18:28,599 Speaker 1: described us to have we have we do you think 1465 01:18:28,600 --> 01:18:30,439 Speaker 1: we put that into play or do you see that 1466 01:18:30,560 --> 01:18:32,080 Speaker 1: we have not been able to find a land ethic 1467 01:18:32,160 --> 01:18:37,879 Speaker 1: from your perspective, No, there's there's no land ethic anymore. Um, 1468 01:18:38,000 --> 01:18:42,040 Speaker 1: that's that ship has sailed. That's why, UM, I think, 1469 01:18:42,320 --> 01:18:45,919 Speaker 1: I think so. I'm truly not smart enough to understand 1470 01:18:45,960 --> 01:18:50,880 Speaker 1: the variables UM around it in all the difference UM, 1471 01:18:50,920 --> 01:18:54,760 Speaker 1: society and human interests that come into play. But UM, 1472 01:18:55,000 --> 01:18:59,280 Speaker 1: there are definitely, certainly individuals, certainly organizations, and certainly areas 1473 01:18:59,280 --> 01:19:02,120 Speaker 1: of the world that are chasing this harmony and try 1474 01:19:02,160 --> 01:19:07,479 Speaker 1: to live in such harmony. But you know, by and 1475 01:19:07,600 --> 01:19:10,439 Speaker 1: large we have thrown that any sort of land epic 1476 01:19:10,479 --> 01:19:14,920 Speaker 1: out the window. And that's why you know myself, UM, 1477 01:19:15,040 --> 01:19:18,439 Speaker 1: that's why I I chase off to these places, right, 1478 01:19:18,479 --> 01:19:20,479 Speaker 1: That's why I love going to the Arctic Circle because 1479 01:19:20,880 --> 01:19:23,639 Speaker 1: while it's not the same unic circle that was there 1480 01:19:23,640 --> 01:19:27,439 Speaker 1: in n I still get to look around and watch 1481 01:19:27,520 --> 01:19:31,639 Speaker 1: caribou migrate, watch wolves hunt, and and watch grizzy beerris 1482 01:19:31,680 --> 01:19:33,760 Speaker 1: deep blueberries and big for the ground squirrels and I 1483 01:19:34,320 --> 01:19:37,120 Speaker 1: And that's why I celebrate the same fact of going 1484 01:19:37,160 --> 01:19:40,040 Speaker 1: and slipping into a tree stand or a ground blind 1485 01:19:40,120 --> 01:19:43,240 Speaker 1: or even off to the lease, because I might bump 1486 01:19:43,280 --> 01:19:45,320 Speaker 1: into a garter snake and I might plush it as 1487 01:19:45,360 --> 01:19:47,920 Speaker 1: an or see a deer, or see the black eyed 1488 01:19:47,920 --> 01:19:51,200 Speaker 1: Susans in full bloom, and just for that split second, 1489 01:19:51,560 --> 01:19:54,400 Speaker 1: which is very important to me, just to let split second. 1490 01:19:54,439 --> 01:19:59,120 Speaker 1: I kind of am experiencing an alleged harmony, right, I'm 1491 01:19:59,160 --> 01:20:04,480 Speaker 1: convincing my off that I'm in the woods. I'm outside. Um. 1492 01:20:04,600 --> 01:20:09,400 Speaker 1: Our lives are finite. The clock is ticking. I might 1493 01:20:09,479 --> 01:20:11,640 Speaker 1: die in my truck tonight on my way along. I 1494 01:20:11,720 --> 01:20:13,320 Speaker 1: might I might get killed in a car, I said, 1495 01:20:13,320 --> 01:20:15,360 Speaker 1: when we get off the phone with this, So I'm 1496 01:20:15,360 --> 01:20:18,719 Speaker 1: going to try to live the life. You're to live 1497 01:20:18,760 --> 01:20:21,599 Speaker 1: your life like you're dying. Is is a foolish concept. 1498 01:20:21,640 --> 01:20:24,160 Speaker 1: It's a fantastic idea, but none of us can actually 1499 01:20:24,240 --> 01:20:28,720 Speaker 1: do it. But anytime you can steal away one of 1500 01:20:28,720 --> 01:20:32,920 Speaker 1: those seconds or a moment or the present in the outdoors, 1501 01:20:33,000 --> 01:20:36,960 Speaker 1: I really think that you've conquered that that realm of 1502 01:20:37,120 --> 01:20:39,559 Speaker 1: wanting to live in the moment. And for me, all 1503 01:20:39,560 --> 01:20:44,080 Speaker 1: those little things are my little personal land ethic. Right. 1504 01:20:44,160 --> 01:20:46,240 Speaker 1: If I sit in my office and think about eight 1505 01:20:46,280 --> 01:20:50,680 Speaker 1: billion people, If I think about the Internet, Facebook, social media, Instagram, 1506 01:20:51,120 --> 01:20:54,599 Speaker 1: the elections, all the freaking nuts, so I try not 1507 01:20:54,640 --> 01:20:58,680 Speaker 1: to pay attention to any of it, um, and I 1508 01:20:59,120 --> 01:21:01,280 Speaker 1: try to just go all I try to just go 1509 01:21:01,320 --> 01:21:05,280 Speaker 1: about my life. If I could spend time in the 1510 01:21:05,320 --> 01:21:07,760 Speaker 1: wild places that I want to be and be with 1511 01:21:07,840 --> 01:21:09,920 Speaker 1: my friends and be with my family because it's very 1512 01:21:09,960 --> 01:21:12,920 Speaker 1: important to me. But I can share my life with 1513 01:21:12,960 --> 01:21:18,200 Speaker 1: the wildlife. And that's greaty as it sounds and business like, 1514 01:21:18,479 --> 01:21:20,479 Speaker 1: is this sounds if I could do that stuff and 1515 01:21:20,560 --> 01:21:24,200 Speaker 1: create films that that people really enjoy to see. If 1516 01:21:24,439 --> 01:21:26,240 Speaker 1: if you can't get to the Autic circle, but I 1517 01:21:26,280 --> 01:21:28,920 Speaker 1: can show you some sites from the Arctic circle. It 1518 01:21:29,000 --> 01:21:31,760 Speaker 1: really gives you goose bumps or makes you well up 1519 01:21:31,760 --> 01:21:34,600 Speaker 1: inside with your mind, or sit in the theater and 1520 01:21:34,600 --> 01:21:37,320 Speaker 1: and maybe kind of forget that your mouth is wide 1521 01:21:37,320 --> 01:21:39,920 Speaker 1: open or that you're even supposed to be breathing right now. 1522 01:21:40,040 --> 01:21:42,360 Speaker 1: Like that's the stuff that I really love, is trying 1523 01:21:42,400 --> 01:21:46,920 Speaker 1: to trying to celebrate this stuff through film. And you know, 1524 01:21:47,000 --> 01:21:49,920 Speaker 1: sometimes we're successful. Sometimes we fell so visibly it's not 1525 01:21:49,960 --> 01:21:53,960 Speaker 1: even funny. Um, but that's that's Those are the little 1526 01:21:54,200 --> 01:21:56,719 Speaker 1: times that I try to steal away myself, right I don't, 1527 01:21:57,800 --> 01:22:01,800 Speaker 1: I don't, Um, I just that that's hunting for me, 1528 01:22:02,080 --> 01:22:05,120 Speaker 1: that's hunting everything for me, and and um, there's a 1529 01:22:05,200 --> 01:22:07,479 Speaker 1: lot of hunting that's going on right now that's not 1530 01:22:07,560 --> 01:22:09,920 Speaker 1: for me, and I don't even care to talk about it. 1531 01:22:10,000 --> 01:22:15,000 Speaker 1: But that harmony that Aldo wrote about, um, that's what 1532 01:22:15,080 --> 01:22:17,559 Speaker 1: I want to chase the rest of my life. Yeah. 1533 01:22:18,120 --> 01:22:21,639 Speaker 1: So so for those people that that that resonates with, 1534 01:22:22,280 --> 01:22:24,080 Speaker 1: for other people out there right now that this whole 1535 01:22:24,120 --> 01:22:27,800 Speaker 1: idea resonates with. But to your point, if you sit 1536 01:22:27,920 --> 01:22:30,640 Speaker 1: and you look on the web, you know, if you 1537 01:22:30,640 --> 01:22:32,439 Speaker 1: look on the web, or if you watch the news 1538 01:22:33,040 --> 01:22:35,639 Speaker 1: or anything, I think you know, continue with Eldo quotes. 1539 01:22:35,680 --> 01:22:37,680 Speaker 1: He had some kind of he mentioned something in the 1540 01:22:37,720 --> 01:22:41,559 Speaker 1: lines of like the curse of having an education in 1541 01:22:41,600 --> 01:22:44,360 Speaker 1: ecology is the fact that you will forever live in 1542 01:22:44,360 --> 01:22:46,519 Speaker 1: a world with a million wounds, or with your eyes 1543 01:22:46,600 --> 01:22:48,639 Speaker 1: open to a world of a million wounds, you know, 1544 01:22:48,960 --> 01:22:51,519 Speaker 1: saying that when you start paying attention to the things 1545 01:22:51,560 --> 01:22:54,879 Speaker 1: going on to the land, to wildlife, to the environment, 1546 01:22:55,280 --> 01:22:56,720 Speaker 1: you all of a sudden open your eyes up to 1547 01:22:57,000 --> 01:23:01,160 Speaker 1: just so many things that are going wrong, and it 1548 01:23:01,200 --> 01:23:04,280 Speaker 1: can be like disheartening, it can be depressing. I'll sit 1549 01:23:04,320 --> 01:23:06,320 Speaker 1: here and then the more I've started paying attention to this, 1550 01:23:06,400 --> 01:23:08,400 Speaker 1: the more it's like, oh my gosh, it almost seems 1551 01:23:08,439 --> 01:23:11,240 Speaker 1: like insurmountable, Like how can we stop some of this stuff? 1552 01:23:11,280 --> 01:23:13,880 Speaker 1: How can we make a positive difference, you know, how 1553 01:23:13,920 --> 01:23:16,720 Speaker 1: can we create a world where there is some type 1554 01:23:16,760 --> 01:23:18,559 Speaker 1: of land ethic. I mean when when you sit and 1555 01:23:18,560 --> 01:23:22,600 Speaker 1: think about that stuff, what what is the answer? I 1556 01:23:22,640 --> 01:23:24,639 Speaker 1: mean for someone listening, what is the answer for that person? 1557 01:23:24,680 --> 01:23:26,760 Speaker 1: How can we all build a little bit of this 1558 01:23:26,920 --> 01:23:31,840 Speaker 1: land ethic in our own world? You have to contribute, right, 1559 01:23:31,920 --> 01:23:36,759 Speaker 1: you have to do the best you um Like, um, 1560 01:23:36,840 --> 01:23:41,080 Speaker 1: for instance, I'll talk about something so so, for instance, 1561 01:23:41,760 --> 01:23:44,719 Speaker 1: you have a quarter of an acre next to your house. 1562 01:23:45,000 --> 01:23:48,599 Speaker 1: It's just Kentucky blue grass. It's grass that you every 1563 01:23:48,600 --> 01:23:51,480 Speaker 1: Saturday morning you get up and mow that thing, and 1564 01:23:51,479 --> 01:23:54,120 Speaker 1: and you know, you sit on the riding on more. 1565 01:23:54,160 --> 01:23:56,280 Speaker 1: You push your riding on more half hoping that a 1566 01:23:56,320 --> 01:23:59,320 Speaker 1: sniper's bullet catches you on the forehead before you finish. 1567 01:23:59,680 --> 01:24:02,040 Speaker 1: But what if you took that little strip of land 1568 01:24:02,479 --> 01:24:05,880 Speaker 1: and planted, you know, grasses. What if you just said, 1569 01:24:05,880 --> 01:24:07,679 Speaker 1: you know, like this summer, I'm gonna have a project. 1570 01:24:07,680 --> 01:24:10,040 Speaker 1: I'm gonna kill this up. I'm gonna kill this Kentucky 1571 01:24:10,120 --> 01:24:12,639 Speaker 1: blue grass. I'm gonna plant grasses, or I'm gonna plant 1572 01:24:13,040 --> 01:24:17,599 Speaker 1: a little stand of of pine trees or whatever it is. Um, 1573 01:24:17,640 --> 01:24:20,559 Speaker 1: and you create a little strip of habitat next year house. 1574 01:24:20,640 --> 01:24:25,479 Speaker 1: You know, is that going to do anything ecologically towards harmony. No, 1575 01:24:25,840 --> 01:24:28,880 Speaker 1: but it's going to do a little tiny bit to 1576 01:24:29,360 --> 01:24:31,320 Speaker 1: the animals that are in your neighborhood. Is going to 1577 01:24:31,320 --> 01:24:33,320 Speaker 1: do a little tiny bit to the animals that live 1578 01:24:33,360 --> 01:24:37,120 Speaker 1: around your house, to your intrinsic value of your own home, 1579 01:24:37,560 --> 01:24:39,600 Speaker 1: because you'll see butterflies and you know, you know, you 1580 01:24:39,600 --> 01:24:41,120 Speaker 1: go out there, your son or your daughter and you're 1581 01:24:41,160 --> 01:24:44,400 Speaker 1: gonna see different song birds utilizing the grasses and you 1582 01:24:44,439 --> 01:24:47,040 Speaker 1: were seeing before and and even catching one of the 1583 01:24:47,160 --> 01:24:52,240 Speaker 1: glimpses of them, or experiencing just having some dichotomy in 1584 01:24:52,280 --> 01:24:56,320 Speaker 1: your life rather than just mowing that lawn. Is uh, 1585 01:24:56,400 --> 01:24:59,040 Speaker 1: you know, that's that's taking a step in the right direction. 1586 01:24:59,080 --> 01:25:01,280 Speaker 1: And I think, you know, we just have to go 1587 01:25:01,960 --> 01:25:03,640 Speaker 1: if you take a look around and you see all 1588 01:25:03,640 --> 01:25:06,400 Speaker 1: the ecological wounds of living with your eyes wide open, 1589 01:25:06,840 --> 01:25:10,400 Speaker 1: like Algo says, you know, you can chase yourself into 1590 01:25:10,439 --> 01:25:14,360 Speaker 1: disgust and despair, but really, um, you just have to 1591 01:25:14,400 --> 01:25:19,599 Speaker 1: try to be better. You make better decisions and and 1592 01:25:19,920 --> 01:25:23,320 Speaker 1: do everything that you can to try to perpetuate good 1593 01:25:23,840 --> 01:25:26,960 Speaker 1: And you should hunt the same way. Um. You know, 1594 01:25:27,000 --> 01:25:32,479 Speaker 1: if you're hunting for um, a four bowl elk, and 1595 01:25:32,560 --> 01:25:35,680 Speaker 1: you could care less how you do it, or you 1596 01:25:35,720 --> 01:25:38,719 Speaker 1: could care less the things that you see along the way. 1597 01:25:39,000 --> 01:25:40,840 Speaker 1: You just want to get this animal balance so you 1598 01:25:40,880 --> 01:25:42,640 Speaker 1: can snap some photos of it to throw it up 1599 01:25:42,640 --> 01:25:44,640 Speaker 1: on Instagram so all your friends can say what a 1600 01:25:44,680 --> 01:25:48,759 Speaker 1: badass you are. Um, that's just gross. It's just not 1601 01:25:49,120 --> 01:25:53,240 Speaker 1: It's just not the same hunting that that I think about. 1602 01:25:53,360 --> 01:25:56,800 Speaker 1: And we've all fallen victim to it. We've all chased 1603 01:25:56,800 --> 01:26:00,320 Speaker 1: the big animals. We've all um lost their way at times, 1604 01:26:00,360 --> 01:26:05,000 Speaker 1: that's for certain. But I think you just have to 1605 01:26:05,080 --> 01:26:08,680 Speaker 1: do little things. You have to chase the good. You 1606 01:26:08,760 --> 01:26:11,040 Speaker 1: have to be better than you are right now and 1607 01:26:11,120 --> 01:26:14,160 Speaker 1: just constantly try to make you know, make changes. I'm 1608 01:26:14,160 --> 01:26:16,360 Speaker 1: gonna do that to this you know, do that to 1609 01:26:16,400 --> 01:26:18,280 Speaker 1: this hunting least that I'm working on. I'm just going 1610 01:26:18,360 --> 01:26:20,920 Speaker 1: to try to make it better. Is me changing that 1611 01:26:20,960 --> 01:26:23,720 Speaker 1: twenty seven acre field going to do anything to the 1612 01:26:23,760 --> 01:26:28,479 Speaker 1: ecology of that neighborhood? Probably not. Um, it might do 1613 01:26:28,600 --> 01:26:31,360 Speaker 1: some really good little things. UM, I don't know. Maybe 1614 01:26:31,400 --> 01:26:34,479 Speaker 1: it's gonna have a greater impact than I think it is. UM, 1615 01:26:34,520 --> 01:26:36,120 Speaker 1: but I don't know. But I'm gonna try to just 1616 01:26:36,240 --> 01:26:39,880 Speaker 1: keep keep focusing on the good and keep trying to 1617 01:26:39,920 --> 01:26:43,880 Speaker 1: do good things. We we just so many people on 1618 01:26:43,920 --> 01:26:46,640 Speaker 1: the globe right now that it's just really hard to 1619 01:26:46,680 --> 01:26:52,559 Speaker 1: find some alone time and and some wilderness space and people. 1620 01:26:53,240 --> 01:26:57,519 Speaker 1: You know, it's it's um. It's one of the things 1621 01:26:57,560 --> 01:27:02,640 Speaker 1: that drives me most nuts about um. Anti hunters or 1622 01:27:02,720 --> 01:27:07,800 Speaker 1: non hunters that try to celebrate untouched ecology. They're just 1623 01:27:08,040 --> 01:27:11,920 Speaker 1: absolute fools about it. And it drives me bananas that 1624 01:27:12,000 --> 01:27:17,200 Speaker 1: you think, if we stop killing wolves, or if we 1625 01:27:17,320 --> 01:27:21,840 Speaker 1: never hunt grizzly bears, or if we um, I can't 1626 01:27:21,840 --> 01:27:24,120 Speaker 1: even think of some of the idiotic things that some 1627 01:27:24,160 --> 01:27:26,280 Speaker 1: of these people come up with. But if we if 1628 01:27:26,320 --> 01:27:29,960 Speaker 1: we chase some of these things, um, and you think 1629 01:27:30,040 --> 01:27:32,479 Speaker 1: that things are going to perpetuate into shangra law, are 1630 01:27:32,479 --> 01:27:35,800 Speaker 1: going to perpetuate into the the happy place that that 1631 01:27:35,920 --> 01:27:39,920 Speaker 1: Walt Disney creates in his sketches and in his art, Um, 1632 01:27:39,960 --> 01:27:42,360 Speaker 1: you're absolutely nuts. And it's to go the same goals 1633 01:27:42,400 --> 01:27:44,640 Speaker 1: for hunters guys that you know, I see guys with 1634 01:27:44,720 --> 01:27:47,080 Speaker 1: stickers on the truck to say smoke a packet day, 1635 01:27:47,120 --> 01:27:49,760 Speaker 1: you know, shoot all the wolves you can. It's just 1636 01:27:50,080 --> 01:27:53,320 Speaker 1: as foolish if you think that you're gonna do if 1637 01:27:53,320 --> 01:27:55,840 Speaker 1: you think you're going to come in and change ecology 1638 01:27:55,920 --> 01:28:00,360 Speaker 1: and change a particular area or spot by killing all 1639 01:28:00,479 --> 01:28:03,519 Speaker 1: the wolves, are killing all of the coyotes, You're you're 1640 01:28:03,520 --> 01:28:06,040 Speaker 1: a fool. You're an absolute fool. Are there places that 1641 01:28:06,080 --> 01:28:09,160 Speaker 1: wolves need to be killed? Absolutely? Are the places where 1642 01:28:09,200 --> 01:28:11,800 Speaker 1: kyles need to be killed. Absolutely. There's also places where 1643 01:28:11,840 --> 01:28:14,879 Speaker 1: deer have to be killed, and where you know, species 1644 01:28:14,920 --> 01:28:16,799 Speaker 1: of trout need to be killed out of a stream, 1645 01:28:17,040 --> 01:28:19,800 Speaker 1: or microbes that are killing the trout or plants. There's 1646 01:28:19,920 --> 01:28:26,479 Speaker 1: lots of imbalance. But celebrating any of those with absolute certainty, 1647 01:28:26,760 --> 01:28:30,519 Speaker 1: um just points out to me that you're clear cut 1648 01:28:30,640 --> 01:28:33,400 Speaker 1: a fool. Absolutely, if you think you things can be 1649 01:28:33,439 --> 01:28:36,000 Speaker 1: reduced to a single variable and that you're going to 1650 01:28:36,080 --> 01:28:40,680 Speaker 1: have an impact with your rifle a foolish. It all 1651 01:28:40,720 --> 01:28:43,960 Speaker 1: comes back down to that concept of harmony, right we 1652 01:28:44,720 --> 01:28:48,640 Speaker 1: That's like we have indelibly left our mark, you know, 1653 01:28:48,720 --> 01:28:50,640 Speaker 1: human beings on this earth. We've left a mark that 1654 01:28:50,720 --> 01:28:53,960 Speaker 1: can't be taken off unfortunately or fortunately however you choose 1655 01:28:53,960 --> 01:28:56,280 Speaker 1: to look at it. And because of that, there is 1656 01:28:56,280 --> 01:28:59,439 Speaker 1: a can right, there's a chance once we all die 1657 01:28:59,439 --> 01:29:02,080 Speaker 1: off and we had to restart point we you, you 1658 01:29:02,160 --> 01:29:03,720 Speaker 1: and I won't be here to see it, but it 1659 01:29:04,160 --> 01:29:08,240 Speaker 1: will happen, right true, in the in then more near 1660 01:29:08,360 --> 01:29:10,639 Speaker 1: term future, though at least like that. There's no way 1661 01:29:10,680 --> 01:29:14,720 Speaker 1: to wholly remove our influence on ecosystems and everything. That's 1662 01:29:14,760 --> 01:29:16,920 Speaker 1: all we can try to do is as best as possible, 1663 01:29:17,040 --> 01:29:21,479 Speaker 1: find some means of harmony and balance. But but that's 1664 01:29:21,520 --> 01:29:24,439 Speaker 1: the challenge. And to your point, I think anytime you 1665 01:29:24,560 --> 01:29:27,960 Speaker 1: try to skew that balance in the favor of one 1666 01:29:28,240 --> 01:29:31,320 Speaker 1: person or group's interests. You know, when you say, well, 1667 01:29:31,360 --> 01:29:33,800 Speaker 1: we don't care about X animal because we just want 1668 01:29:33,840 --> 01:29:36,400 Speaker 1: a lot of why I mean, you know, to the 1669 01:29:36,520 --> 01:29:40,439 Speaker 1: to the example you've shared, predators. I think that this 1670 01:29:40,520 --> 01:29:42,840 Speaker 1: is a dangerous thing sometimes that we as hunters get 1671 01:29:42,880 --> 01:29:46,439 Speaker 1: into when we worry about our competition. Understandably, there needs 1672 01:29:46,479 --> 01:29:48,719 Speaker 1: to be balanced, but at the same time, the idea 1673 01:29:48,840 --> 01:29:52,880 Speaker 1: of eliminating predators completely just because we want tons and 1674 01:29:52,920 --> 01:29:55,519 Speaker 1: tons and tons of tons of deer, will you lose 1675 01:29:55,520 --> 01:29:57,960 Speaker 1: that harmony there too, And then what what you're left 1676 01:29:58,000 --> 01:30:03,120 Speaker 1: with is not a holy harmonious ecosystem. And it is 1677 01:30:03,160 --> 01:30:06,719 Speaker 1: not natural and you lose something there too, And I think, UM, 1678 01:30:06,760 --> 01:30:09,000 Speaker 1: we've got to be careful to to know that, yes 1679 01:30:09,040 --> 01:30:12,000 Speaker 1: we need, we have to have a piece apart in 1680 01:30:12,040 --> 01:30:14,479 Speaker 1: this whole system. But at the same time there has 1681 01:30:14,520 --> 01:30:19,439 Speaker 1: to be balanced to m HM and certainly live you know, 1682 01:30:19,520 --> 01:30:23,720 Speaker 1: live your life, find your harmony, find find your interactions. 1683 01:30:23,760 --> 01:30:25,880 Speaker 1: You know. A few years ago, I was in the 1684 01:30:25,920 --> 01:30:28,640 Speaker 1: Arctic Circle and I happened to be fortunate enough to 1685 01:30:29,320 --> 01:30:32,479 Speaker 1: um get surrounded by a pack of wolves, and UM, 1686 01:30:32,520 --> 01:30:34,719 Speaker 1: could I have shot one? Absolutely how a wolf tag 1687 01:30:34,720 --> 01:30:36,680 Speaker 1: in my pocket there were ten yards away from me, 1688 01:30:36,760 --> 01:30:40,360 Speaker 1: had my bow. Um, I chose not to shoot one. 1689 01:30:41,120 --> 01:30:42,800 Speaker 1: I just did not want to shoot a wolf. Did 1690 01:30:42,800 --> 01:30:44,280 Speaker 1: not want to shoot a wolf in that instance. I 1691 01:30:44,280 --> 01:30:46,280 Speaker 1: didn't want to shoot a wolf on that trip. Right then, 1692 01:30:46,640 --> 01:30:50,639 Speaker 1: I was hunting moose. Fast forward a year, another gentleman 1693 01:30:50,640 --> 01:30:52,840 Speaker 1: that I know that was hunting the same region. He 1694 01:30:52,880 --> 01:30:55,040 Speaker 1: went in there with his hunting partner, and they shot 1695 01:30:55,080 --> 01:30:58,040 Speaker 1: two of those same wolves out of that pack. Um 1696 01:30:58,080 --> 01:31:01,320 Speaker 1: that had surrounded me. Either one of us was right 1697 01:31:01,479 --> 01:31:04,040 Speaker 1: or wrong. I did not choose to shoot a wolf. 1698 01:31:04,080 --> 01:31:07,080 Speaker 1: It was not um what I wanted to do. UM. 1699 01:31:07,120 --> 01:31:10,360 Speaker 1: He chose to shoot two wolves. That area has a 1700 01:31:10,400 --> 01:31:13,600 Speaker 1: healthy population of wolves, that pack is a healthy population 1701 01:31:13,640 --> 01:31:16,519 Speaker 1: of wolves, and he shot two adults out of the pack. 1702 01:31:16,840 --> 01:31:19,320 Speaker 1: M is the packing to feel it, absolutely is the 1703 01:31:19,400 --> 01:31:23,000 Speaker 1: packing to recover. Absolutely. You know, both of us lived 1704 01:31:23,080 --> 01:31:26,320 Speaker 1: on lives, Both of us lived in the harmony that 1705 01:31:26,360 --> 01:31:29,400 Speaker 1: we wanted to be in in that area, UM, and 1706 01:31:29,439 --> 01:31:31,559 Speaker 1: both of us had a different experience, but neither neither 1707 01:31:31,600 --> 01:31:35,000 Speaker 1: one of them was right or wrong. Yeah, yeah, very true. 1708 01:31:35,600 --> 01:31:38,000 Speaker 1: So I kinda want to wrap this up down we can. 1709 01:31:38,080 --> 01:31:40,120 Speaker 1: I could talk about this stuff for for really very 1710 01:31:40,120 --> 01:31:41,880 Speaker 1: long time, and there's a lot we haven't touched on 1711 01:31:41,920 --> 01:31:43,439 Speaker 1: that I would like to talk to you about, but 1712 01:31:43,439 --> 01:31:45,760 Speaker 1: but we do need to wrap it up. UM. I 1713 01:31:45,800 --> 01:31:48,840 Speaker 1: want I want to kind of get your final thoughts 1714 01:31:48,840 --> 01:31:53,840 Speaker 1: though on the message that you want to leave with people. 1715 01:31:53,880 --> 01:31:57,360 Speaker 1: I mean, when Donnie Vincent is dead and gone someday 1716 01:31:57,400 --> 01:32:00,960 Speaker 1: and you've done your work, what message do you want 1717 01:32:01,000 --> 01:32:04,840 Speaker 1: to have left hunters or people anyone who's seen your 1718 01:32:04,880 --> 01:32:08,080 Speaker 1: work or been influenced by you. What is that thing 1719 01:32:08,320 --> 01:32:11,920 Speaker 1: or concept or idea or message that you hope will 1720 01:32:11,960 --> 01:32:16,439 Speaker 1: be left to those people. You know, it's very very 1721 01:32:16,479 --> 01:32:21,479 Speaker 1: similar to all those message and that UM, as as 1722 01:32:21,479 --> 01:32:25,840 Speaker 1: I went through my life filming and writing and just 1723 01:32:25,960 --> 01:32:28,800 Speaker 1: experiencing and being in wild places either by myself are 1724 01:32:28,880 --> 01:32:33,760 Speaker 1: with people, that UM, I've really chased that harmony and 1725 01:32:33,800 --> 01:32:36,720 Speaker 1: it's more and more every day. And I don't know 1726 01:32:36,760 --> 01:32:41,200 Speaker 1: if it's because I'm getting older and wiser and more aware, UM, 1727 01:32:41,280 --> 01:32:45,599 Speaker 1: but that's that's exactly what I want people to, um, 1728 01:32:45,640 --> 01:32:48,720 Speaker 1: to hang their hats on. Is that. UM. The way 1729 01:32:48,760 --> 01:32:52,240 Speaker 1: I hunted off camera or on camera is the same 1730 01:32:52,280 --> 01:32:57,080 Speaker 1: for me and my interactions with wildlife and habitat and 1731 01:32:57,160 --> 01:33:02,000 Speaker 1: just being present with in wild places with just UM, 1732 01:33:02,040 --> 01:33:05,639 Speaker 1: I try to go forth every time with harmony. Obviously, UH, 1733 01:33:06,200 --> 01:33:11,479 Speaker 1: it's not always perfect, um, but but it's it's it's 1734 01:33:11,479 --> 01:33:14,519 Speaker 1: where I really enjoy it's where I really enjoy living, 1735 01:33:14,560 --> 01:33:18,599 Speaker 1: and it's it's how I really enjoy interacting and and UM, 1736 01:33:19,400 --> 01:33:21,599 Speaker 1: you know that's basically and I mean that that book 1737 01:33:21,640 --> 01:33:23,559 Speaker 1: means so much to me. Is writing means so much 1738 01:33:23,600 --> 01:33:27,400 Speaker 1: to me. It's I can't articulate as well as he 1739 01:33:27,520 --> 01:33:32,400 Speaker 1: can not, not nearly in his writings, but so much 1740 01:33:32,400 --> 01:33:35,120 Speaker 1: of his words ring true to how I live my 1741 01:33:35,160 --> 01:33:36,960 Speaker 1: life and want to continue to live my life. From 1742 01:33:37,000 --> 01:33:42,000 Speaker 1: here on out. Yeah, I can say the same things too. 1743 01:33:42,080 --> 01:33:44,960 Speaker 1: There's really a lot there to be um to be digested. 1744 01:33:45,200 --> 01:33:47,519 Speaker 1: And from what I from what I've seen from the 1745 01:33:47,560 --> 01:33:49,280 Speaker 1: work down, you think you're well on your way to 1746 01:33:49,280 --> 01:33:53,240 Speaker 1: to communicating that message as well. So I appreciate that. 1747 01:33:53,320 --> 01:33:56,280 Speaker 1: I appreciate what you're doing. And uh, and hopefully we'll 1748 01:33:56,320 --> 01:33:59,880 Speaker 1: we'll see plenty more in the future. Thanks, man. I 1749 01:34:00,000 --> 01:34:02,200 Speaker 1: really appreciate the time to talk. It's uh. I really 1750 01:34:02,280 --> 01:34:05,160 Speaker 1: enjoy speaking with you, gentlemen. Yeah, and I gotta say 1751 01:34:05,240 --> 01:34:07,960 Speaker 1: Dan actually had to drop off the phone call. As 1752 01:34:08,000 --> 01:34:10,880 Speaker 1: our listeners know, sometimes he has baby issues and he 1753 01:34:10,920 --> 01:34:14,200 Speaker 1: had one of those right now. So so Dan is 1754 01:34:14,200 --> 01:34:16,840 Speaker 1: attending to the family. But but from both of us, 1755 01:34:16,880 --> 01:34:20,360 Speaker 1: t Yeah, from both of us though, thank you so much, 1756 01:34:20,560 --> 01:34:23,960 Speaker 1: and uh, we'll hopefully talk to you again soon. I 1757 01:34:24,040 --> 01:34:27,120 Speaker 1: appreciate it. Mark, thank you. And there you have it. 1758 01:34:27,320 --> 01:34:30,200 Speaker 1: Another episode is in the books. And as we said before, 1759 01:34:30,520 --> 01:34:33,880 Speaker 1: if you haven't gotten to check out Elderlyopold Sand County Almanac, 1760 01:34:34,160 --> 01:34:36,040 Speaker 1: pick up a copy and give it a shot. You 1761 01:34:36,040 --> 01:34:38,400 Speaker 1: know what it's It's amittately a little bit dense at times. 1762 01:34:38,439 --> 01:34:40,920 Speaker 1: It's not one of those quick, easy fund reads necessarily, 1763 01:34:40,960 --> 01:34:43,760 Speaker 1: but if you're reading little bits and take it over 1764 01:34:43,800 --> 01:34:45,439 Speaker 1: time and kind of chew on it, I do think 1765 01:34:45,479 --> 01:34:49,240 Speaker 1: you'll find something very valuable there. So moving on, I 1766 01:34:49,280 --> 01:34:50,880 Speaker 1: want to thank any and all of you who have 1767 01:34:50,920 --> 01:34:53,599 Speaker 1: left reviews all this podcast on iTunes. That's been such 1768 01:34:53,600 --> 01:34:56,000 Speaker 1: a big help over the years, and I appreciate that 1769 01:34:56,000 --> 01:34:57,800 Speaker 1: feedback so much. I just want to take an extra 1770 01:34:57,840 --> 01:34:59,920 Speaker 1: second to to call all of you out and thank you. 1771 01:35:00,160 --> 01:35:01,920 Speaker 1: And I also want to thank our partners who have 1772 01:35:01,960 --> 01:35:04,920 Speaker 1: helped to keep this podcast on the air. Big thanks 1773 01:35:04,960 --> 01:35:09,080 Speaker 1: to Sick Gear, Redneck Blinds, hunter a Maps, Yetie Coolers, Ozonics, 1774 01:35:09,200 --> 01:35:12,280 Speaker 1: Carbon Express, Maven Optics, and the White Tailed Institute of 1775 01:35:12,360 --> 01:35:16,080 Speaker 1: North America. And finally, thank you for being with us today. 1776 01:35:16,200 --> 01:35:18,120 Speaker 1: I hope you were able to stick with us on 1777 01:35:18,160 --> 01:35:20,280 Speaker 1: this one as we've kind of weaved our way through 1778 01:35:20,280 --> 01:35:23,000 Speaker 1: these topics of conservation and giving back and having a 1779 01:35:23,040 --> 01:35:25,800 Speaker 1: land ethic. I know, you know that's not always as 1780 01:35:25,800 --> 01:35:29,200 Speaker 1: exciting or entertaining as talking about new strategies and hunting 1781 01:35:29,200 --> 01:35:31,720 Speaker 1: stories and all that good stuff, but but ultimately I 1782 01:35:31,760 --> 01:35:33,960 Speaker 1: do think it's just as important, if not more so. 1783 01:35:33,960 --> 01:35:35,559 Speaker 1: So I thank you for being a part of this 1784 01:35:35,680 --> 01:35:38,800 Speaker 1: ongoing conversation that we've been having over these past few years, 1785 01:35:39,080 --> 01:35:43,679 Speaker 1: and finally, until next time, thank you all and stay 1786 01:35:44,280 --> 01:35:45,479 Speaker 1: wired to hunt.