1 00:00:05,080 --> 00:00:08,719 Speaker 1: Welcome to this country Life. I'm your host, Brent Reeves 2 00:00:09,160 --> 00:00:12,559 Speaker 1: from coon hunting to trotlining and just in general country living. 3 00:00:12,640 --> 00:00:14,400 Speaker 1: I want you to stay a while as I share 4 00:00:14,480 --> 00:00:19,040 Speaker 1: my experiences in life lessons. This Country Life is presented 5 00:00:19,079 --> 00:00:23,320 Speaker 1: by Case Knives from the Store More Studio on Meat 6 00:00:23,320 --> 00:00:27,280 Speaker 1: Eaters Podcast Network, bringing you the best outdoor podcast that 7 00:00:27,440 --> 00:00:31,319 Speaker 1: airways have to offer. All right, friends, grab a chair 8 00:00:31,560 --> 00:00:35,760 Speaker 1: or drop that tailgate. I've got some stories to share. 9 00:00:39,760 --> 00:00:46,920 Speaker 1: The project. Every successful project usually starts with a good plan. 10 00:00:47,440 --> 00:00:50,040 Speaker 1: It kind of goes hand in hand and you think 11 00:00:50,040 --> 00:00:53,080 Speaker 1: it'd become a knowledge, and it probably is the most folks. 12 00:00:53,760 --> 00:00:57,680 Speaker 1: But me and my brother Tim, we ain't most folks, 13 00:00:57,920 --> 00:01:01,360 Speaker 1: and our kind of knowledge, well, it ain't too common. 14 00:01:02,360 --> 00:01:04,400 Speaker 1: I'm gonna tell you how I finally got around to 15 00:01:04,480 --> 00:01:11,840 Speaker 1: making a plan, But this first story will illustrate why. 16 00:01:15,520 --> 00:01:20,840 Speaker 1: The definition of project is an individual or collaborative enterprise 17 00:01:20,959 --> 00:01:28,119 Speaker 1: that is carefully planned to achieve a particular aim. I've 18 00:01:28,120 --> 00:01:30,600 Speaker 1: been involved in a lot of projects over the years. 19 00:01:30,640 --> 00:01:35,320 Speaker 1: Some would closely fit that definition I just recited, Some 20 00:01:35,360 --> 00:01:39,280 Speaker 1: wouldn't even come close. Some are borderline unsafe, and I 21 00:01:39,440 --> 00:01:42,520 Speaker 1: doubt I'd have much trouble convincing you to believe that 22 00:01:42,600 --> 00:01:47,560 Speaker 1: a handful were downright psychotic looking back, and fords me 23 00:01:47,720 --> 00:01:51,600 Speaker 1: a clear view of the results of ill conceived calamity, 24 00:01:51,760 --> 00:01:56,760 Speaker 1: regardless of the initial intentions. What it doesn't do is 25 00:01:56,840 --> 00:01:59,840 Speaker 1: explain the thought process that would have allowed a reasonable 26 00:02:00,440 --> 00:02:04,320 Speaker 1: like yours truly to arrive at the conclusion that whatever 27 00:02:04,400 --> 00:02:07,320 Speaker 1: this ridiculous idea my brother Tim would come up with, 28 00:02:08,040 --> 00:02:11,359 Speaker 1: they could convince me to join forces on yet another 29 00:02:11,880 --> 00:02:17,800 Speaker 1: of his inept collaborations. Oh yeah, now I remember. Here's 30 00:02:17,919 --> 00:02:20,880 Speaker 1: how he'd tricked me into helping him with one of 31 00:02:20,919 --> 00:02:26,720 Speaker 1: his crazy projects. Hey, Brent, what want to help me 32 00:02:26,800 --> 00:02:29,639 Speaker 1: with a project? Yep, I want to know what it is. 33 00:02:29,880 --> 00:02:34,960 Speaker 1: Don't care, Let's go. It might be dangerous, expensive, and 34 00:02:35,040 --> 00:02:40,880 Speaker 1: highly probable illegal in some states. Okay, we'll take my truck. 35 00:02:41,480 --> 00:02:45,679 Speaker 1: It has new tires. He would fall just as easily 36 00:02:45,760 --> 00:02:48,919 Speaker 1: to any of my ill fated ideas for wealth, famed 37 00:02:49,000 --> 00:02:53,920 Speaker 1: fund and adventure. And afterwards, when the smoke cleared and 38 00:02:53,960 --> 00:02:58,360 Speaker 1: the bandages had been applied, either literally or figuratively, we'd 39 00:02:58,440 --> 00:03:02,800 Speaker 1: reassess what had happened in and just our future endeavors accordingly. 40 00:03:03,919 --> 00:03:07,040 Speaker 1: Now that's just part of the process for starting a project, 41 00:03:07,760 --> 00:03:11,880 Speaker 1: at least that's how we did it back in the day. 42 00:03:13,040 --> 00:03:15,480 Speaker 1: Doubling the size of our duck camp was a prime 43 00:03:15,520 --> 00:03:19,120 Speaker 1: example of a project that was an unforeseen struggle that 44 00:03:19,200 --> 00:03:25,120 Speaker 1: absolutely no one saw coming, but one person hinted at it, 45 00:03:26,000 --> 00:03:30,679 Speaker 1: and that person was our banker. We were in year 46 00:03:30,760 --> 00:03:33,359 Speaker 1: three or four of guiding duck hunters from all over 47 00:03:33,400 --> 00:03:36,720 Speaker 1: the country, and we hunted public land and private land. 48 00:03:36,760 --> 00:03:40,000 Speaker 1: It just depended on where the ducks were. We hadn't 49 00:03:40,040 --> 00:03:44,000 Speaker 1: advertised at all. The Internet was new, and my first 50 00:03:44,040 --> 00:03:48,520 Speaker 1: experience for the hunting form was weird. I can't tell 51 00:03:48,520 --> 00:03:51,720 Speaker 1: you what form it was because I don't remember. I 52 00:03:51,840 --> 00:03:54,680 Speaker 1: was only there for about twenty four hours before I 53 00:03:54,720 --> 00:04:00,640 Speaker 1: got banned. This website was all about hunting everything from 54 00:04:00,720 --> 00:04:05,119 Speaker 1: squirrels to giraffes. There was a form for everyone. Him 55 00:04:05,160 --> 00:04:07,120 Speaker 1: had seen it while at work, and since the only 56 00:04:07,200 --> 00:04:10,360 Speaker 1: online computers we had access to were at his work, 57 00:04:11,160 --> 00:04:13,400 Speaker 1: he showed it to me one evening when I stopped 58 00:04:13,400 --> 00:04:18,840 Speaker 1: by while on patrol. I dialed it up. That's right, 59 00:04:19,720 --> 00:04:22,479 Speaker 1: dialed it up, and in a matter of minutes, I 60 00:04:22,600 --> 00:04:25,640 Speaker 1: was connected to the interwebs and scrolling through the myriad 61 00:04:25,680 --> 00:04:29,440 Speaker 1: of topics being discussed by my fellow field sports enthusiasts 62 00:04:29,839 --> 00:04:33,679 Speaker 1: from all over the globe. This was going to be fun. 63 00:04:35,279 --> 00:04:37,520 Speaker 1: I moved the cursor along until I found the duck 64 00:04:37,560 --> 00:04:41,799 Speaker 1: hunting part. I clicked in there, and a seemingly endless 65 00:04:41,800 --> 00:04:45,360 Speaker 1: list of topics ready to duck hunting appeared. Holy Moses, 66 00:04:45,920 --> 00:04:47,920 Speaker 1: I could spend the rest of my shift right here 67 00:04:48,160 --> 00:04:51,200 Speaker 1: talking to all these wonderful people who like duck hunting 68 00:04:51,600 --> 00:04:55,280 Speaker 1: just like me and Tim, instead of fighting crime. I 69 00:04:55,320 --> 00:04:57,880 Speaker 1: asked him how to write something on there, and he 70 00:04:58,000 --> 00:05:01,640 Speaker 1: explained how to register to get access to a post 71 00:05:01,720 --> 00:05:04,640 Speaker 1: or a topic, or replied to one that was already there. 72 00:05:05,520 --> 00:05:07,920 Speaker 1: It seemed silly to a lot. I'm sure that there 73 00:05:08,000 --> 00:05:12,200 Speaker 1: was a time when we didn't all automatically know how 74 00:05:12,240 --> 00:05:17,279 Speaker 1: to do that. It's also something unusual seeing Tim was 75 00:05:17,320 --> 00:05:20,080 Speaker 1: ever in a position to give anyone advice on how 76 00:05:20,080 --> 00:05:25,120 Speaker 1: the Internet works. Anyway, after he showed me what to 77 00:05:25,200 --> 00:05:30,080 Speaker 1: do and I created and registered my Aol email account, 78 00:05:30,640 --> 00:05:33,239 Speaker 1: I got on there, and in two or three topics 79 00:05:33,240 --> 00:05:36,400 Speaker 1: where folks were asking about places to hunt ducks, I 80 00:05:36,440 --> 00:05:39,960 Speaker 1: took it upon myself to post something akin to my 81 00:05:40,200 --> 00:05:42,800 Speaker 1: brother and I guide for ducks and flooded Timber in 82 00:05:42,960 --> 00:05:49,279 Speaker 1: Arkansas message for details. The registration information for the hunting 83 00:05:49,320 --> 00:05:52,320 Speaker 1: site advised against publishing your phone number at any time, 84 00:05:52,360 --> 00:05:56,000 Speaker 1: so I didn't art, but I wanted to. But people 85 00:05:56,040 --> 00:06:00,840 Speaker 1: could send you messages through the forum. Wow, this is cool. 86 00:06:02,200 --> 00:06:04,200 Speaker 1: I went back to the radio room to tell Tim 87 00:06:04,200 --> 00:06:07,240 Speaker 1: that I figured the clients would start rolling in after 88 00:06:07,360 --> 00:06:10,680 Speaker 1: I'd made those posts, and he agreed. I told him 89 00:06:10,720 --> 00:06:12,880 Speaker 1: i'd come back later that night and check it, or 90 00:06:13,000 --> 00:06:15,120 Speaker 1: if I had a bunch of reports while on patrol 91 00:06:15,200 --> 00:06:17,839 Speaker 1: that I just checked the next day. When I started 92 00:06:17,839 --> 00:06:22,720 Speaker 1: my shift the next evening, I swung by the headquarters 93 00:06:22,760 --> 00:06:24,760 Speaker 1: and went to the Spare office to dial up the 94 00:06:24,800 --> 00:06:28,600 Speaker 1: rest of the world on the Hunting Forum website. As 95 00:06:28,680 --> 00:06:31,480 Speaker 1: soon as I logged in, I had one message in 96 00:06:31,480 --> 00:06:35,960 Speaker 1: my inbox and nearly a hundred responses to what I'd said. Oh, 97 00:06:36,200 --> 00:06:41,040 Speaker 1: this internet thing is gonna make us rich. I checked 98 00:06:41,080 --> 00:06:44,240 Speaker 1: the responses to the topics I'd posted, and all I 99 00:06:44,279 --> 00:06:48,279 Speaker 1: saw was little pictures of cans of spam, one after 100 00:06:48,320 --> 00:06:54,520 Speaker 1: the other, spam, spam and more spam, some with cuss words, 101 00:06:55,000 --> 00:06:58,600 Speaker 1: others with acronyms and abbreviations. For cuss words and phrases 102 00:06:58,640 --> 00:07:03,880 Speaker 1: i'd never heard of. I know what spam was, but lol, 103 00:07:04,560 --> 00:07:08,520 Speaker 1: rofl and others I won't mention were all new to me. 104 00:07:09,920 --> 00:07:12,960 Speaker 1: But it must mean something good, because spam is good, 105 00:07:14,240 --> 00:07:19,800 Speaker 1: alas it did not. The message from the admin infored 106 00:07:19,800 --> 00:07:22,680 Speaker 1: me that I had been banned for two weeks for spam. 107 00:07:24,040 --> 00:07:27,320 Speaker 1: I walked in the radio room where Tim was and asked, Hey, 108 00:07:28,280 --> 00:07:32,040 Speaker 1: what spam? And he said, no, one knows for sure, 109 00:07:32,080 --> 00:07:34,400 Speaker 1: but I wish I had some frid right now. Why? 110 00:07:35,480 --> 00:07:38,480 Speaker 1: And I told him about what happened. He accused me 111 00:07:38,520 --> 00:07:40,480 Speaker 1: of talking ugly on the forum. I said, I didn't 112 00:07:40,480 --> 00:07:43,880 Speaker 1: say nothing ugly, and I didn't say anything about spam. 113 00:07:45,200 --> 00:07:47,440 Speaker 1: I would learn that what they were referring to was 114 00:07:47,600 --> 00:07:53,080 Speaker 1: advertising for free and that wasn't allowed. I didn't realize 115 00:07:53,120 --> 00:07:55,800 Speaker 1: what I was doing, but I was just as incensed 116 00:07:55,800 --> 00:07:58,320 Speaker 1: that anyone would defile the good name of spam as 117 00:07:58,320 --> 00:08:02,920 Speaker 1: being anything but wonderful. How do I know spam is 118 00:08:03,000 --> 00:08:06,360 Speaker 1: like manner from heaven? Because my city mouse wife, who'd 119 00:08:06,360 --> 00:08:09,600 Speaker 1: starved slapped to death before she knowingly had a squirrel. 120 00:08:10,400 --> 00:08:14,880 Speaker 1: Now I noticed, I said, knowingly, we'll wreck a plate 121 00:08:15,000 --> 00:08:18,960 Speaker 1: of fried spam as quick as I will. So not 122 00:08:19,000 --> 00:08:21,880 Speaker 1: only did I learn what spam means on the interwhells, 123 00:08:21,920 --> 00:08:24,760 Speaker 1: I also got a crash course on cyber bullying and 124 00:08:24,880 --> 00:08:30,360 Speaker 1: keyboard warriors. Why are all these folks so angry that 125 00:08:30,520 --> 00:08:33,840 Speaker 1: was over thirty years ago. Well, guess what, they're still mad, 126 00:08:34,280 --> 00:08:40,559 Speaker 1: and they've recruited help. Anyway, our business didn't need any advertising. 127 00:08:40,600 --> 00:08:43,800 Speaker 1: Word of mouth was getting us booked beyond anything we'd 128 00:08:43,800 --> 00:08:48,560 Speaker 1: ever imagine. We needed to enlarge our camp, our project. 129 00:08:49,240 --> 00:08:54,840 Speaker 1: We decided to double it. We went to the bank 130 00:08:54,880 --> 00:08:57,640 Speaker 1: and sat down with our banker, mister Freddie Mobley, the 131 00:08:57,800 --> 00:09:01,520 Speaker 1: husband of my sixth grade teacher, Mary Anne Mobley, who 132 00:09:01,600 --> 00:09:06,120 Speaker 1: I've talked about on here before. Anyway, we told him 133 00:09:06,120 --> 00:09:08,000 Speaker 1: what we wanted to do, and he looked at us 134 00:09:08,000 --> 00:09:10,840 Speaker 1: and said, well, y'all have been doing pretty good. I 135 00:09:10,880 --> 00:09:14,080 Speaker 1: hear he did some clicking on his keyboard and looking 136 00:09:14,120 --> 00:09:17,080 Speaker 1: at his monitor. I see you've been making you payments 137 00:09:17,120 --> 00:09:20,080 Speaker 1: in advance. That's good. You have a lot of folks 138 00:09:20,200 --> 00:09:25,280 Speaker 1: book this coming year, Yes, sir, what about the year after? Well, 139 00:09:25,800 --> 00:09:28,360 Speaker 1: people usually coming at the same time every year, and 140 00:09:28,400 --> 00:09:30,960 Speaker 1: we're growing fast. That's why we borrowed the money from 141 00:09:30,960 --> 00:09:33,480 Speaker 1: you to buy the camp in the first place. We 142 00:09:33,520 --> 00:09:35,800 Speaker 1: couldn't hold them all in that place we were renting, 143 00:09:35,840 --> 00:09:38,480 Speaker 1: and now we're running out of room in the place 144 00:09:38,520 --> 00:09:42,599 Speaker 1: we bought. He slightly nodded his head in approval. He 145 00:09:43,200 --> 00:09:45,840 Speaker 1: got quiet for a moment, and we could tell he 146 00:09:45,960 --> 00:09:49,120 Speaker 1: was thinking years in advance of the next duck season. 147 00:09:49,160 --> 00:09:52,000 Speaker 1: And even though he was a duck hunter himself, he 148 00:09:52,120 --> 00:09:55,440 Speaker 1: wasn't thinking like a duck hunter. He was thinking like 149 00:09:55,480 --> 00:10:02,320 Speaker 1: a businessman. Tim and I were not. His eyes darted 150 00:10:02,360 --> 00:10:04,960 Speaker 1: back and forth to me and Tim over his computer screen, 151 00:10:05,000 --> 00:10:07,640 Speaker 1: and back to us. He folded his hand together and 152 00:10:07,679 --> 00:10:13,600 Speaker 1: he said, what if the ducks don't come? That was 153 00:10:13,640 --> 00:10:16,920 Speaker 1: a question I was not prepared for. He might as 154 00:10:16,920 --> 00:10:19,679 Speaker 1: well ask me what if the world stops turning a 155 00:10:19,880 --> 00:10:21,920 Speaker 1: the blink of a ny I was running a million 156 00:10:21,960 --> 00:10:25,599 Speaker 1: scenarios through my head of what I thought could possibly 157 00:10:25,679 --> 00:10:28,679 Speaker 1: stand in the way of mister Freddy denying our loan. 158 00:10:29,679 --> 00:10:32,839 Speaker 1: The absurdity of the ducks not migrting was on the list, 159 00:10:32,920 --> 00:10:37,559 Speaker 1: but it was way after meteor striking the eleventh Biblical plague. 160 00:10:37,800 --> 00:10:41,200 Speaker 1: Tim and I both literally lo eled when he said that, 161 00:10:42,080 --> 00:10:45,720 Speaker 1: And by then I knew what that meant. Why would 162 00:10:45,720 --> 00:10:48,640 Speaker 1: the ducks not migrate? They've been doing that ever since 163 00:10:48,720 --> 00:10:53,360 Speaker 1: ducks grew feathers. He didn't laugh, he just smiled, and 164 00:10:53,400 --> 00:10:58,400 Speaker 1: then he said, what if people quit booking? This dude 165 00:10:58,640 --> 00:11:01,480 Speaker 1: was a laugh a minute, a straight up comedian. He 166 00:11:01,559 --> 00:11:04,000 Speaker 1: missed his calling by going into bakon when he should 167 00:11:04,040 --> 00:11:07,600 Speaker 1: have been doing stand up. Well, we guide a lot 168 00:11:07,720 --> 00:11:10,679 Speaker 1: of corporate groups and business folks, and they're the ones 169 00:11:10,800 --> 00:11:15,160 Speaker 1: book in a year or more in advance. He loaned 170 00:11:15,200 --> 00:11:18,520 Speaker 1: us the money and we got two years into having 171 00:11:18,559 --> 00:11:21,559 Speaker 1: our duck camp doubled in size when the economy took 172 00:11:21,600 --> 00:11:27,440 Speaker 1: a nosedive, and believe it or not, the migration started changing. Now. 173 00:11:27,440 --> 00:11:31,079 Speaker 1: I don't care what you call it, global warming, climate change, 174 00:11:31,200 --> 00:11:34,600 Speaker 1: freaking nature, years of bad hatches, loss of habitat, rest 175 00:11:34,720 --> 00:11:38,679 Speaker 1: areas up north, holding all the ducks, whatever, it doesn't matter. 176 00:11:39,800 --> 00:11:45,280 Speaker 1: What matters is the duck hunting got worse, and businesses 177 00:11:45,360 --> 00:11:49,000 Speaker 1: cut back on corporate entertainment due to the economy, and 178 00:11:49,160 --> 00:11:54,040 Speaker 1: some of them stopped it altogether. That was the biggest 179 00:11:54,120 --> 00:11:58,120 Speaker 1: project we'd put together that required a total reassessment of 180 00:11:58,280 --> 00:12:01,280 Speaker 1: how we did the admin's side out of our guiding business. 181 00:12:02,360 --> 00:12:05,920 Speaker 1: That project was that big, kicking the breeches before it 182 00:12:06,080 --> 00:12:10,160 Speaker 1: ever got squared away, And that was one of the 183 00:12:10,280 --> 00:12:13,400 Speaker 1: many reasons that guiding a duck hunting in general started fading. 184 00:12:13,480 --> 00:12:16,920 Speaker 1: And it's lure to me. I couldn't do one without 185 00:12:17,000 --> 00:12:20,199 Speaker 1: the other. If we were to keep that place, we 186 00:12:20,240 --> 00:12:23,560 Speaker 1: would have to work for it. There was very little 187 00:12:23,679 --> 00:12:26,840 Speaker 1: room for recreational hunting. We'd have to hustle up business 188 00:12:26,920 --> 00:12:29,080 Speaker 1: now before we were having to turn it away. At 189 00:12:29,120 --> 00:12:32,960 Speaker 1: any time your fund gets like work, well, it ain't 190 00:12:33,040 --> 00:12:50,200 Speaker 1: fun no more. We retired, we sold it, and then 191 00:12:50,240 --> 00:12:53,400 Speaker 1: a few years ago I started going again a little 192 00:12:53,480 --> 00:12:55,720 Speaker 1: here and there on the cash with my friends at 193 00:12:55,760 --> 00:12:59,240 Speaker 1: the coon camp and own some private land. And then 194 00:12:59,320 --> 00:13:01,560 Speaker 1: I went with the r into some public land last 195 00:13:01,640 --> 00:13:04,600 Speaker 1: year that I used to guide on and I killed 196 00:13:04,679 --> 00:13:08,079 Speaker 1: ducks both places, and I didn't have to do any 197 00:13:08,200 --> 00:13:10,720 Speaker 1: racing because I didn't want to go to the places 198 00:13:10,720 --> 00:13:14,559 Speaker 1: where people race. There's still some spots out there that 199 00:13:14,679 --> 00:13:16,640 Speaker 1: are good that don't get of a lot of attention, 200 00:13:16,760 --> 00:13:21,080 Speaker 1: and those are my favorites. But beyond anything else, I've 201 00:13:21,320 --> 00:13:25,040 Speaker 1: always wanted to develop and manage a place from start 202 00:13:25,080 --> 00:13:29,000 Speaker 1: to finish. A project of habitat enhanced for ducks that 203 00:13:29,040 --> 00:13:32,400 Speaker 1: will benefit all the creatures on the landscape that lived there. 204 00:13:34,160 --> 00:13:37,719 Speaker 1: That's the new project and an unforeseen opportunity that of 205 00:13:37,840 --> 00:13:41,079 Speaker 1: all people, my daughter Bailey arranged for me to have 206 00:13:41,320 --> 00:13:46,960 Speaker 1: through her love for competition dancing. Remember the episode where 207 00:13:46,960 --> 00:13:48,840 Speaker 1: a lot of us went to New York City last 208 00:13:48,920 --> 00:13:52,000 Speaker 1: year for the girls to see rockets and took enough 209 00:13:52,120 --> 00:13:56,560 Speaker 1: kids and parents for three basketball teams. Well, among those families, 210 00:13:56,600 --> 00:13:59,920 Speaker 1: as well as a few more, we've grown particularly fun 211 00:14:00,480 --> 00:14:03,120 Speaker 1: and close to. And when I say family, I mean 212 00:14:03,200 --> 00:14:06,960 Speaker 1: the whole family, brothers and sisters, grandparents, friends, the whole 213 00:14:07,160 --> 00:14:10,920 Speaker 1: circle of them. Their friends and family have become irish 214 00:14:10,920 --> 00:14:13,200 Speaker 1: and vice versa. I talk about them all the time. 215 00:14:14,040 --> 00:14:16,040 Speaker 1: But the guy that used to be known as Avery's 216 00:14:16,160 --> 00:14:20,280 Speaker 1: dad is now known to me as John. John and 217 00:14:20,400 --> 00:14:24,160 Speaker 1: I have become friends. Our girls initiated this a dance, 218 00:14:24,240 --> 00:14:27,760 Speaker 1: then we all tagged along. Now we all have a 219 00:14:27,840 --> 00:14:31,400 Speaker 1: standing date every Wednesday for supper. We used to go 220 00:14:31,480 --> 00:14:34,840 Speaker 1: out and eat, and we still sometimes do, but mostly 221 00:14:34,920 --> 00:14:37,640 Speaker 1: we take turns cooking for each other. It has become 222 00:14:37,840 --> 00:14:41,560 Speaker 1: one of the favorite parts of my week, a standing 223 00:14:41,600 --> 00:14:44,000 Speaker 1: supper date with a family and a bunch of people 224 00:14:44,040 --> 00:14:47,359 Speaker 1: who I look forward to see him at every opportunity. 225 00:14:52,920 --> 00:14:56,040 Speaker 1: John likes to hunt and I like to hunt. John 226 00:14:56,160 --> 00:14:58,920 Speaker 1: builds houses and has a dirt business, both of which 227 00:14:59,040 --> 00:15:01,840 Speaker 1: take up a lot of his He told me I 228 00:15:01,920 --> 00:15:04,040 Speaker 1: could have the run of his properties. In the last spring, 229 00:15:04,160 --> 00:15:07,200 Speaker 1: I walked onto a piece of bottom land property that's 230 00:15:07,240 --> 00:15:11,000 Speaker 1: as pretty a patch of woods as there is. There 231 00:15:11,080 --> 00:15:13,400 Speaker 1: was a little turkey sign here and there, but not much, 232 00:15:13,720 --> 00:15:15,960 Speaker 1: but I was thrilled to see enough squirrels there to 233 00:15:16,000 --> 00:15:19,640 Speaker 1: wear out a tree dog. There was water standing from 234 00:15:19,680 --> 00:15:22,040 Speaker 1: recent range. As I waited along with the ankle deep 235 00:15:22,120 --> 00:15:25,720 Speaker 1: water and swatted mosquitoes, and I saw how it looked 236 00:15:25,800 --> 00:15:28,920 Speaker 1: like the flooded timber that Arkansas is famous for, you know, 237 00:15:29,520 --> 00:15:33,760 Speaker 1: the duck hunting kind. Well, months passed it. As John 238 00:15:33,800 --> 00:15:35,720 Speaker 1: and I got more acquainted, I learned that he liked 239 00:15:35,760 --> 00:15:39,760 Speaker 1: the duck hunt and sold his oldest son, Ethan. Ethan 240 00:15:39,800 --> 00:15:42,160 Speaker 1: works in the family business with his dad, and they 241 00:15:42,200 --> 00:15:45,720 Speaker 1: have a lot of equipment, excavators and dump trucks, skid steers, 242 00:15:45,800 --> 00:15:50,120 Speaker 1: and bulldozers to do the jobs that they do. One night, 243 00:15:50,200 --> 00:15:52,320 Speaker 1: we were all eating supper at John's house and he 244 00:15:52,440 --> 00:15:54,640 Speaker 1: started telling me about a piece of property where he 245 00:15:54,760 --> 00:15:57,880 Speaker 1: used to duck hunt several years ago. It was the 246 00:15:57,960 --> 00:16:00,680 Speaker 1: property that I'd waited on back in this spring looking 247 00:16:00,720 --> 00:16:04,000 Speaker 1: for turkeys. I told him where I waited to that day, 248 00:16:04,040 --> 00:16:06,520 Speaker 1: and he mentioned that where I had turned around to 249 00:16:06,600 --> 00:16:09,240 Speaker 1: walk back out of the water was close to where 250 00:16:09,280 --> 00:16:14,560 Speaker 1: he used to hunt ducks. I wasn't discounting John's duck 251 00:16:14,640 --> 00:16:17,680 Speaker 1: hunting a buildy or knowledge, but duck hunting in any 252 00:16:17,760 --> 00:16:20,200 Speaker 1: area that I've never been to, or much less even 253 00:16:20,320 --> 00:16:24,000 Speaker 1: heard of in Arkansas always makes me wonder how good 254 00:16:24,200 --> 00:16:27,640 Speaker 1: could it really be? What are they comparing it a 255 00:16:27,800 --> 00:16:32,200 Speaker 1: quality to not hunting at all? Well, I didn't know, 256 00:16:32,800 --> 00:16:36,640 Speaker 1: and I didn't judge either. One man's trash being another 257 00:16:36,720 --> 00:16:40,040 Speaker 1: man's treasure is never more true than when talking about 258 00:16:40,120 --> 00:16:43,080 Speaker 1: duck hunting. There were times in my youth when I 259 00:16:43,080 --> 00:16:46,360 Speaker 1: wouldn't have walked across the road for anything less than 260 00:16:46,440 --> 00:16:49,320 Speaker 1: the limit of green heads in the timber, never thinking 261 00:16:49,360 --> 00:16:52,000 Speaker 1: about the folks who felt fortunate just to see a 262 00:16:52,080 --> 00:16:55,680 Speaker 1: wood duck buzz through at daylight. He kept telling me 263 00:16:55,760 --> 00:16:57,880 Speaker 1: about this property having ducks on it, and how he 264 00:16:58,040 --> 00:16:59,920 Speaker 1: and the fellow he got it from used to duck 265 00:17:00,000 --> 00:17:06,520 Speaker 1: cut it, and I asked him finally, Mallards. Yeah in 266 00:17:06,680 --> 00:17:11,639 Speaker 1: that timber, Yeah, over there where I waited water in 267 00:17:11,760 --> 00:17:16,800 Speaker 1: that flat last spring. Yeah. And I've always wanted to 268 00:17:16,880 --> 00:17:19,639 Speaker 1: develop that into something good for ducks and wildlife. I 269 00:17:19,680 --> 00:17:23,560 Speaker 1: have the equipment and the desire to make it something special. 270 00:17:24,680 --> 00:17:27,040 Speaker 1: I just need someone with the knowledge of the animals 271 00:17:27,440 --> 00:17:30,600 Speaker 1: and the trees. Would you be interested in helping me? 272 00:17:32,600 --> 00:17:34,680 Speaker 1: I had to fight the urge to do a backflip. 273 00:17:35,359 --> 00:17:37,240 Speaker 1: Not that I can or could ever do one. I 274 00:17:37,400 --> 00:17:40,760 Speaker 1: just had to fight the urge to try it. Yep, 275 00:17:41,800 --> 00:17:45,880 Speaker 1: I sure would. And with that conversation from a few 276 00:17:45,960 --> 00:17:50,040 Speaker 1: weeks ago, we began to plan. Now here's the advantage 277 00:17:50,040 --> 00:17:53,800 Speaker 1: of doing anything with a house builder. They don't do 278 00:17:53,960 --> 00:17:57,640 Speaker 1: anything without a set of plans. Tim and I learned 279 00:17:57,640 --> 00:17:59,879 Speaker 1: that lesson the hard way when we didn't have a 280 00:18:00,040 --> 00:18:04,639 Speaker 1: planned for a downturn in the commercial hunting business. Now, 281 00:18:04,720 --> 00:18:07,600 Speaker 1: the best thing about making a plan with John is 282 00:18:07,680 --> 00:18:12,520 Speaker 1: that the equipment was already there. There was no overwhelming 283 00:18:12,640 --> 00:18:16,359 Speaker 1: initial investment for a kabillion dollars and stuff to work with, 284 00:18:17,359 --> 00:18:20,720 Speaker 1: most of it was sitting on that property. There would 285 00:18:20,760 --> 00:18:23,760 Speaker 1: be nothing to invest other than sweat equity, and what 286 00:18:24,080 --> 00:18:27,320 Speaker 1: brain power I could muster to start a planning Before 287 00:18:27,359 --> 00:18:32,480 Speaker 1: we ever moved a teaspoonful of dirt. We walked the 288 00:18:32,560 --> 00:18:35,359 Speaker 1: land from corner to corner and studied the topography and 289 00:18:35,480 --> 00:18:39,000 Speaker 1: John's extensive knowledge of the land's history, how rainwater moved 290 00:18:39,119 --> 00:18:42,359 Speaker 1: naturally along the flooding that they had taken advantage of 291 00:18:42,480 --> 00:18:46,560 Speaker 1: in the past. We researched the permits, the rules and 292 00:18:46,680 --> 00:18:50,639 Speaker 1: regulations about flood control, pumping, water levees, and everything that 293 00:18:50,720 --> 00:18:54,520 Speaker 1: a builder would have to research before starting construction on 294 00:18:54,640 --> 00:18:58,000 Speaker 1: any piece of ground for any kind of building. Now, 295 00:18:58,000 --> 00:19:03,560 Speaker 1: wouldn't you know it already holds every license required. How fortunate. 296 00:19:05,440 --> 00:19:09,040 Speaker 1: Several trips to those woods, long conversations on the phone, 297 00:19:09,080 --> 00:19:12,639 Speaker 1: and it supper had us last Saturday, starting early, clearing 298 00:19:12,720 --> 00:19:18,680 Speaker 1: the whole of infear and non acorn producing trees. Hackberry, ironwood, 299 00:19:18,720 --> 00:19:22,000 Speaker 1: and sweet gum were removed and stacked and set ablaze, 300 00:19:22,040 --> 00:19:24,640 Speaker 1: along with a massive red oak that had fallen due 301 00:19:24,680 --> 00:19:28,399 Speaker 1: to a windstorm a couple of years ago. It's what 302 00:19:28,760 --> 00:19:32,680 Speaker 1: led us to survey that spot, which is close to 303 00:19:32,760 --> 00:19:34,800 Speaker 1: the center of the property and not far from where 304 00:19:34,840 --> 00:19:38,479 Speaker 1: they eight hundred years ago. That big red oak hit 305 00:19:38,600 --> 00:19:41,200 Speaker 1: Mother Earth. The loss of that canopy opened up a 306 00:19:41,280 --> 00:19:43,399 Speaker 1: hole in that timber that was right for just a 307 00:19:43,560 --> 00:19:48,639 Speaker 1: little tlc. It's a natural opening that would attract ducks, 308 00:19:49,040 --> 00:19:51,480 Speaker 1: and there were native grasses growing in that open that 309 00:19:51,560 --> 00:19:55,199 Speaker 1: had flooded. The ducks would have surely found. By opening 310 00:19:55,320 --> 00:19:58,040 Speaker 1: that canopy even more, we were going to let in 311 00:19:58,240 --> 00:20:02,080 Speaker 1: more sunlight. Now. Initially you think, ah, the ducks will 312 00:20:02,119 --> 00:20:04,640 Speaker 1: have more room to fly in and land, which which 313 00:20:04,760 --> 00:20:08,960 Speaker 1: is true. But that's only part of the reason. Sunlight 314 00:20:09,080 --> 00:20:11,200 Speaker 1: on the floor is going to help tremendously with what 315 00:20:11,440 --> 00:20:15,320 Speaker 1: we're planning next year. You get the grocers on the 316 00:20:15,400 --> 00:20:17,760 Speaker 1: ground that they like to eat, and the size of 317 00:20:17,840 --> 00:20:21,160 Speaker 1: the opening won't keep them out. Ducks will start dropping 318 00:20:21,240 --> 00:20:24,040 Speaker 1: in a coggleline, wearing safety goggles and tolding the hatchet 319 00:20:24,119 --> 00:20:27,359 Speaker 1: if they have to. I still hadn't been completely sold 320 00:20:27,440 --> 00:20:30,840 Speaker 1: on the mallards in that area. I never doubted John's word, 321 00:20:30,920 --> 00:20:33,600 Speaker 1: but still, this ain't the River bottoms where I grew up, 322 00:20:34,280 --> 00:20:38,560 Speaker 1: or the Mississippi River Delta, you know what, They ain't 323 00:20:38,640 --> 00:20:41,800 Speaker 1: far away. So I sat on my computer a couple 324 00:20:41,840 --> 00:20:44,560 Speaker 1: of nights before we were set to start clearing out 325 00:20:44,640 --> 00:20:47,360 Speaker 1: that hole, looking it all X and getting the lay 326 00:20:47,440 --> 00:20:49,960 Speaker 1: of the lad with the photography and how the water flows, 327 00:20:49,960 --> 00:20:52,720 Speaker 1: and what creeks slews or bios that would be close 328 00:20:52,840 --> 00:20:56,240 Speaker 1: enough to be our co conspirators, and the flooding. John 329 00:20:56,320 --> 00:20:59,280 Speaker 1: talked about shooting ducks in years ago and that I 330 00:20:59,440 --> 00:21:05,239 Speaker 1: witnessed the spring. That's when I saw it. I'd been 331 00:21:05,320 --> 00:21:08,760 Speaker 1: living here for over a decade oblivious to some key features, 332 00:21:08,760 --> 00:21:11,080 Speaker 1: and that it wasn't like I didn't know where they were. 333 00:21:11,240 --> 00:21:13,840 Speaker 1: I just I just hadn't paid any attention to them. 334 00:21:13,880 --> 00:21:17,320 Speaker 1: As far as waterfowl go. I have places to do 335 00:21:17,520 --> 00:21:20,359 Speaker 1: that that I've been going to forever, way before I 336 00:21:20,480 --> 00:21:23,240 Speaker 1: ever moved here, and those are the places that I 337 00:21:23,359 --> 00:21:27,960 Speaker 1: go because I didn't need anything else. Then, after looking 338 00:21:28,000 --> 00:21:31,719 Speaker 1: at the satellite view of the natural land features, the creeks, 339 00:21:31,800 --> 00:21:35,200 Speaker 1: the rivers, and the boos, and the government waterfowl rest 340 00:21:35,280 --> 00:21:38,240 Speaker 1: areas and the thousands of acres of rice, soybeans and 341 00:21:38,359 --> 00:21:43,320 Speaker 1: corn that surround that spot, it became abundantly clear that 342 00:21:43,560 --> 00:21:48,680 Speaker 1: John knows exactly what he's talking about. I'll tell this 343 00:21:48,760 --> 00:21:50,639 Speaker 1: a little funny on the both of us as to 344 00:21:50,720 --> 00:21:54,840 Speaker 1: how excited and dedicated we are to be working together 345 00:21:55,119 --> 00:22:00,720 Speaker 1: on this project, but John running the heavy equipment, Ethan 346 00:22:00,720 --> 00:22:02,679 Speaker 1: and I were in charge of running the chains all 347 00:22:02,800 --> 00:22:05,159 Speaker 1: getting the fire started on the brush he was piling 348 00:22:05,240 --> 00:22:08,480 Speaker 1: up in the middle of that hole. The morning turned 349 00:22:08,560 --> 00:22:12,879 Speaker 1: into afternoon, and afternoon turned into night. We continued on 350 00:22:13,160 --> 00:22:15,920 Speaker 1: through the night, watching the fire as it slowly ate 351 00:22:16,000 --> 00:22:18,720 Speaker 1: away the brush, limbs and logs we piled on top 352 00:22:18,800 --> 00:22:22,240 Speaker 1: of each other. Ethan took off around one thirty the 353 00:22:22,359 --> 00:22:26,720 Speaker 1: next morning. I'd gotten up the day before at four thirty, 354 00:22:27,160 --> 00:22:30,920 Speaker 1: and not on purpose, just by sheer excitement and enthusiasm 355 00:22:31,000 --> 00:22:34,160 Speaker 1: to get started. I couldn't wait to get in there. 356 00:22:35,480 --> 00:22:37,720 Speaker 1: Twenty hours in and I was starting to feel the 357 00:22:37,840 --> 00:22:42,560 Speaker 1: drain on my batteries. At three am. We'd been sitting 358 00:22:42,640 --> 00:22:45,920 Speaker 1: in silence for quite some time, staring at the flames, 359 00:22:47,200 --> 00:22:49,960 Speaker 1: a glance occasionally at John and looked just as tired 360 00:22:49,960 --> 00:22:52,240 Speaker 1: as me, but never mentioned or made a move. The 361 00:22:52,320 --> 00:22:55,840 Speaker 1: call of the day and go home. The fire couldn't 362 00:22:55,880 --> 00:22:58,760 Speaker 1: get out. There was nothing for it to burn and 363 00:22:58,880 --> 00:23:02,359 Speaker 1: nowhere for it to go. We've seen to that well 364 00:23:02,520 --> 00:23:06,640 Speaker 1: before we struck the first match. I wanted to go home, 365 00:23:07,000 --> 00:23:12,119 Speaker 1: rest awhile shower come back, but John he didn't budge 366 00:23:13,080 --> 00:23:15,680 Speaker 1: if he stayed. I'm staying. It's a privilege for me 367 00:23:15,760 --> 00:23:18,440 Speaker 1: to be there. There's no way I disrespect him or 368 00:23:18,520 --> 00:23:22,840 Speaker 1: what we're doing here by suggesting we go home. We 369 00:23:22,960 --> 00:23:30,880 Speaker 1: were leaving Bee when John said we want three thirty three, 370 00:23:31,040 --> 00:23:37,359 Speaker 1: forty five finally four a m I was gassed, still excited, 371 00:23:37,440 --> 00:23:43,720 Speaker 1: but plumb wore out. John been a long time since 372 00:23:43,800 --> 00:23:50,520 Speaker 1: four thirty yesterday morning. Yep. A few minutes went by 373 00:23:50,600 --> 00:23:53,560 Speaker 1: and I got the gumption to ask him, how long 374 00:23:53,600 --> 00:23:56,160 Speaker 1: do you want to stay? John looked at me quickly 375 00:23:56,160 --> 00:24:00,560 Speaker 1: and said, oh, I'm here for you. Love it, madity. 376 00:24:00,680 --> 00:24:03,200 Speaker 1: We could have been home hours ago, but neither of 377 00:24:03,320 --> 00:24:06,720 Speaker 1: us wanted to be the first to holler cafro. I 378 00:24:06,960 --> 00:24:09,919 Speaker 1: was as wolved as a rended mew. And we saddled 379 00:24:10,000 --> 00:24:13,280 Speaker 1: up and we went to the house seven hours later. 380 00:24:13,840 --> 00:24:18,520 Speaker 1: Who are right back at that project. It's gonna be fun, 381 00:24:19,160 --> 00:24:23,320 Speaker 1: and it's gonna get funer. And I hope y'all enjoy 382 00:24:23,440 --> 00:24:25,560 Speaker 1: the reports from this endeavor that I'm going to bring 383 00:24:25,640 --> 00:24:28,160 Speaker 1: you throughout the years we worked through the different stages 384 00:24:28,200 --> 00:24:34,359 Speaker 1: of preparation and anticipation of next season. Thank y'all so 385 00:24:34,720 --> 00:24:37,120 Speaker 1: much for listening, and if you really want to help 386 00:24:37,200 --> 00:24:40,159 Speaker 1: meet Clay at Old Lake, just consider writing her. If 387 00:24:40,200 --> 00:24:42,760 Speaker 1: you were better, still sharing our shows with others you 388 00:24:42,920 --> 00:24:46,800 Speaker 1: think might enjoy. Until next week, this is Brent Reeves 389 00:24:47,000 --> 00:24:49,159 Speaker 1: signing off. Y'all be careful.