1 00:00:00,360 --> 00:00:03,080 Speaker 1: You're listening to the Sportsman's Nation, brought to you by 2 00:00:03,360 --> 00:00:06,600 Speaker 1: Exodus Trail Cameras. Now, if you guys aren't familiar with 3 00:00:06,720 --> 00:00:09,960 Speaker 1: Exodus Trail Cameras, I'm gonna recommend you go to their website. 4 00:00:09,960 --> 00:00:13,000 Speaker 1: Tons of great information about their products. Right. The cool 5 00:00:13,080 --> 00:00:16,000 Speaker 1: part is is they're turning four. 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Right, put the SD 15 00:00:50,200 --> 00:00:54,200 Speaker 1: card in format the card, turn it on, and it 16 00:00:54,240 --> 00:00:56,960 Speaker 1: takes pictures period. Right, And that's what we want trail 17 00:00:56,960 --> 00:00:59,840 Speaker 1: cameras to do. They work every single time. Take advantage 18 00:00:59,840 --> 00:01:06,040 Speaker 1: of off. Go to their website, Exodus outdoor gear dot com. 19 00:01:06,200 --> 00:01:10,280 Speaker 1: Do some research about all the functionality of their cameras. Right, 20 00:01:10,680 --> 00:01:12,480 Speaker 1: you can take a look at your price. You can 21 00:01:12,520 --> 00:01:14,640 Speaker 1: find the one that's right for you. You can enter 22 00:01:14,640 --> 00:01:18,400 Speaker 1: the discount code year four y E A R the 23 00:01:18,520 --> 00:01:28,080 Speaker 1: number four and save. My name is Clay Nucleman. I'm 24 00:01:28,120 --> 00:01:31,920 Speaker 1: the host of the Bear Hunting Magazine podcast. I'll also 25 00:01:32,040 --> 00:01:35,039 Speaker 1: be your host into the world of hunting the icon 26 00:01:35,600 --> 00:01:41,360 Speaker 1: of North American Wilderness. We'll talk about tactics, gear conservation, 27 00:01:41,880 --> 00:01:44,160 Speaker 1: but will also bring you into some of the wildest 28 00:01:44,240 --> 00:01:52,880 Speaker 1: country on the planet. Chasing the Better Man on X 29 00:01:53,040 --> 00:01:55,520 Speaker 1: with baiting, it's basically equivalent to hunting out of a 30 00:01:55,560 --> 00:02:02,440 Speaker 1: helicopter with a machine gun. In Chad Newton attend helicopter 31 00:02:02,680 --> 00:02:06,880 Speaker 1: machine gun is equivalent to baiting bear using on it Yeah. 32 00:02:07,040 --> 00:02:11,440 Speaker 1: With Colby moorehead yeah, okay, bam and smoke Yeah, smoke. 33 00:02:11,480 --> 00:02:14,080 Speaker 1: You should not be fair, Chase. Yeah, Smokey is not fair, Chase. 34 00:02:17,240 --> 00:02:21,720 Speaker 1: This is the third podcast in our Montana Tour series. 35 00:02:22,240 --> 00:02:25,640 Speaker 1: We did a podcast with Justin Rebecca Spring. Justin is 36 00:02:25,680 --> 00:02:28,640 Speaker 1: the director of records for the Boon and Crockett Club. 37 00:02:28,680 --> 00:02:32,160 Speaker 1: We did a podcast with Gym Sessions Jared Peterson with 38 00:02:32,280 --> 00:02:35,519 Speaker 1: Huska MA Optics and Best of the West Rifles and 39 00:02:35,600 --> 00:02:41,000 Speaker 1: Cody Wyoming. This podcast is where Colby moorehead the Bear 40 00:02:41,080 --> 00:02:43,400 Speaker 1: Tech and I sit down and talk about our do 41 00:02:43,480 --> 00:02:51,280 Speaker 1: it yourself mule based Montana backcountry spring black bear hunt. 42 00:02:51,880 --> 00:02:54,880 Speaker 1: This is a in depth podcast that we just go 43 00:02:54,960 --> 00:02:58,000 Speaker 1: through all the details of our hunt. You're gonna be 44 00:02:58,080 --> 00:03:01,280 Speaker 1: able to watch this hunt at some point very soon 45 00:03:01,360 --> 00:03:05,640 Speaker 1: on the Bear Hunting Magazine YouTube channel, and we want 46 00:03:05,720 --> 00:03:10,720 Speaker 1: to invite you to check out our YouTube channel, and uh, 47 00:03:10,760 --> 00:03:14,960 Speaker 1: we've got some incredible videos on there that you're gonna enjoy. 48 00:03:15,639 --> 00:03:19,280 Speaker 1: Without further ado, I want to continue to remind you 49 00:03:19,320 --> 00:03:23,200 Speaker 1: about our Patreon page. The Bear Hunting Magazine Patreon page 50 00:03:23,520 --> 00:03:28,120 Speaker 1: is designed for those who want to support the podcast, 51 00:03:28,240 --> 00:03:32,080 Speaker 1: but also our YouTube channel, which is free content. So 52 00:03:32,200 --> 00:03:36,960 Speaker 1: check out Patreon. But more importantly, or likewise, or both, 53 00:03:38,080 --> 00:03:42,000 Speaker 1: check out Bear Hunting Magazine. Bear Hunty Magazine is the 54 00:03:42,000 --> 00:03:47,160 Speaker 1: world's only all bear hunting print magazine. We've been in 55 00:03:47,200 --> 00:03:51,520 Speaker 1: print for twenty years. By supporting Bear Hunting Magazine, you 56 00:03:51,560 --> 00:03:57,440 Speaker 1: are supporting the ancient and honorable culture of hunting in 57 00:03:57,480 --> 00:04:01,240 Speaker 1: North America. And uh, it's a great magazine. We print 58 00:04:01,280 --> 00:04:04,200 Speaker 1: six issues a year. We worked hard. We worked hard 59 00:04:04,280 --> 00:04:08,119 Speaker 1: to make it as relevant and as real as possible. 60 00:04:08,120 --> 00:04:10,640 Speaker 1: We're not just trying to fill the pages with stuff. 61 00:04:11,160 --> 00:04:14,680 Speaker 1: We really are trying to give show the full gamut 62 00:04:14,680 --> 00:04:17,120 Speaker 1: of bear hunting in North America. Hey, you're gonna enjoy 63 00:04:17,160 --> 00:04:20,359 Speaker 1: this podcast. We talked about the challenges of the hunt, 64 00:04:20,680 --> 00:04:25,200 Speaker 1: we talked about bears, we talked about hunting out west. 65 00:04:25,880 --> 00:04:34,080 Speaker 1: It's a great podcast. You couldn't enjoy it. This podcast 66 00:04:34,200 --> 00:04:38,159 Speaker 1: is gonna be the third or fourth in our Montana 67 00:04:38,279 --> 00:04:42,400 Speaker 1: Tour series of podcasts. So Colby Moorehead and I have 68 00:04:42,440 --> 00:04:45,680 Speaker 1: the Bear Tech got back about ten or twelve days 69 00:04:45,720 --> 00:04:49,120 Speaker 1: ago from Montana. About ten days ago. Today we're at 70 00:04:49,160 --> 00:04:52,400 Speaker 1: the Global headquarters and we've had ten or twelve days 71 00:04:52,480 --> 00:04:58,400 Speaker 1: to ruminate upon the events of are we were gone 72 00:04:58,400 --> 00:05:04,000 Speaker 1: eleven days on our do it yourself Montana mule based 73 00:05:04,560 --> 00:05:08,520 Speaker 1: black bear hunt. Um, let me give just a little 74 00:05:08,520 --> 00:05:13,520 Speaker 1: bit of the story behind this year I had. This 75 00:05:13,600 --> 00:05:18,400 Speaker 1: was my third trip to Montana in I went to 76 00:05:18,440 --> 00:05:21,640 Speaker 1: Montana with my wife. We drove up there and we 77 00:05:21,720 --> 00:05:24,640 Speaker 1: hunted in western Montana. We were kind of hosted by 78 00:05:24,800 --> 00:05:29,080 Speaker 1: Justina Rebecca Spring near Missoula, Montana. They told us some 79 00:05:29,160 --> 00:05:31,840 Speaker 1: places that we should go and we did a backpack 80 00:05:31,920 --> 00:05:36,440 Speaker 1: based five and a half day hunt. No equine animals. 81 00:05:36,720 --> 00:05:38,520 Speaker 1: We just packed in gear. I think I had a 82 00:05:38,560 --> 00:05:41,520 Speaker 1: sixty pound pack. Misty carried like a forty five pound pack. 83 00:05:42,000 --> 00:05:44,320 Speaker 1: We went into the back country for five full days. 84 00:05:44,760 --> 00:05:46,640 Speaker 1: The first day we were there we saw a sound 85 00:05:46,680 --> 00:05:49,520 Speaker 1: of cub We didn't see bears for four days. Finally, 86 00:05:49,560 --> 00:05:51,680 Speaker 1: on the fifth day we saw a bear that we 87 00:05:51,720 --> 00:05:55,040 Speaker 1: couldn't get too big Boor. It was our first like 88 00:05:55,240 --> 00:05:58,880 Speaker 1: western back country hunting experience. I came away from that 89 00:05:58,960 --> 00:06:01,679 Speaker 1: hunt with it with my tail took between my legs 90 00:06:01,760 --> 00:06:04,159 Speaker 1: really because it was a difficult hunt, I mean, and 91 00:06:04,200 --> 00:06:06,719 Speaker 1: we didn't kill a bear, And to me, it's always 92 00:06:06,800 --> 00:06:10,000 Speaker 1: such a It is a difficult thing to invest that 93 00:06:10,080 --> 00:06:13,440 Speaker 1: much time and energy into a hunt and you not 94 00:06:13,720 --> 00:06:16,599 Speaker 1: get what you went there for. Obviously, that's part of 95 00:06:16,800 --> 00:06:21,800 Speaker 1: fair chase hunting is that there are no guarantees. Um. So, 96 00:06:22,760 --> 00:06:25,039 Speaker 1: with the knowledge of that game from this hunt, in 97 00:06:25,160 --> 00:06:30,400 Speaker 1: twenty seventeen, Jim Sessions and I from Huska my Best 98 00:06:30,400 --> 00:06:33,760 Speaker 1: of the West, went back to pretty much the same 99 00:06:33,839 --> 00:06:39,159 Speaker 1: region of Montana on an equine based hunt. We really 100 00:06:39,160 --> 00:06:42,359 Speaker 1: didn't have that much information. Jim is a veteran Western hunter, 101 00:06:42,920 --> 00:06:45,440 Speaker 1: but he had never been to these areas before, and 102 00:06:45,520 --> 00:06:48,279 Speaker 1: we went up to Montana and we hunted for six 103 00:06:48,520 --> 00:06:53,760 Speaker 1: full days and we the closest that we got to 104 00:06:53,839 --> 00:06:58,120 Speaker 1: a bear was like a thousand yards for real, um, 105 00:06:58,279 --> 00:07:02,160 Speaker 1: super difficult hunt, and and we didn't kill any bears. 106 00:07:02,960 --> 00:07:05,960 Speaker 1: But I learned. So so now I have these two 107 00:07:06,240 --> 00:07:08,200 Speaker 1: six days, five and a half days, eleven and a 108 00:07:08,200 --> 00:07:12,880 Speaker 1: half days in Montana, and I in and what people 109 00:07:12,960 --> 00:07:16,080 Speaker 1: were telling me was or what I was seeing from 110 00:07:16,120 --> 00:07:19,720 Speaker 1: my sources in Montana, my local sources, is that guys 111 00:07:19,760 --> 00:07:25,680 Speaker 1: were killing bears basically by driving around, being mobile and 112 00:07:25,720 --> 00:07:28,600 Speaker 1: finding bears and clear cuts, walking roads in the in 113 00:07:28,640 --> 00:07:30,480 Speaker 1: the comments, so, I mean, these guys were kind of 114 00:07:30,520 --> 00:07:32,760 Speaker 1: like wild Clay, You spent eleven days in Montana and 115 00:07:32,800 --> 00:07:35,800 Speaker 1: he didn't kill a bear. You're doing something wrong, okay. 116 00:07:36,320 --> 00:07:38,760 Speaker 1: And I kind of agreed with them in a sense 117 00:07:38,840 --> 00:07:42,679 Speaker 1: because I knew that the methods that they were employing 118 00:07:42,720 --> 00:07:45,480 Speaker 1: were probably more effective, but it was more important for 119 00:07:45,520 --> 00:07:47,640 Speaker 1: me to do it kind of the way I wanted 120 00:07:47,680 --> 00:07:49,720 Speaker 1: to do it in terms of being a back country hunt. 121 00:07:49,920 --> 00:07:53,200 Speaker 1: And then we introduced mules and horses, which to me 122 00:07:53,680 --> 00:07:56,400 Speaker 1: is the way that I want to spring bear hunt 123 00:07:56,440 --> 00:07:59,120 Speaker 1: in the West. That's just why I wanted to do it. 124 00:07:59,320 --> 00:08:02,960 Speaker 1: I've got we'll get into my mules and stuff, and 125 00:08:03,000 --> 00:08:06,480 Speaker 1: so they were like, you're doing it wrong. You should 126 00:08:06,480 --> 00:08:09,080 Speaker 1: have killed a bear. Um. And these people were trying 127 00:08:09,080 --> 00:08:13,160 Speaker 1: to help me. Obviously, these were like my friends. And 128 00:08:13,200 --> 00:08:18,160 Speaker 1: so what we did in twenty nineteen was we did 129 00:08:18,880 --> 00:08:23,320 Speaker 1: kind of a morphed hunt between these two things, which 130 00:08:23,320 --> 00:08:26,640 Speaker 1: we brought equine animals. We were in back country, but 131 00:08:26,760 --> 00:08:32,360 Speaker 1: the equine animals allowed us two access areas that we 132 00:08:32,440 --> 00:08:35,360 Speaker 1: just probably couldn't have on foot in a day or 133 00:08:35,400 --> 00:08:38,960 Speaker 1: two and carried all the equipment that we needed. But 134 00:08:39,080 --> 00:08:42,440 Speaker 1: we were mobile. We went to multiple different places. In 135 00:08:42,480 --> 00:08:45,520 Speaker 1: the times past, I had locked myself into certain regions 136 00:08:45,520 --> 00:08:47,120 Speaker 1: like I would be like we're going to this place 137 00:08:47,160 --> 00:08:50,560 Speaker 1: and we're gonna stay there for six days. Well this 138 00:08:50,640 --> 00:08:53,400 Speaker 1: time we said, hey, we're gonna be mobile. We're gonna 139 00:08:53,559 --> 00:08:56,080 Speaker 1: we're gonna day hunt into places on the mules and 140 00:08:56,080 --> 00:08:58,160 Speaker 1: then come back out. If we get in there and 141 00:08:58,240 --> 00:09:01,800 Speaker 1: find critters, we're gonna stay there. We're gonna camp, but 142 00:09:01,840 --> 00:09:04,040 Speaker 1: we're gonna be mobile. And that's what we did. So 143 00:09:04,120 --> 00:09:08,160 Speaker 1: that that brings up to speed with where we're talking about. 144 00:09:08,160 --> 00:09:10,320 Speaker 1: So in this podcast we're just gonna talk about the 145 00:09:10,320 --> 00:09:12,960 Speaker 1: details of the time we did a gear related podcast before. 146 00:09:13,400 --> 00:09:17,600 Speaker 1: But the cool thing is is that Kolby went with me. 147 00:09:18,200 --> 00:09:22,239 Speaker 1: How many days before this hunt did I'd like say, Kobe, 148 00:09:22,840 --> 00:09:26,640 Speaker 1: you're coming with me to Montana, maybe like six six 149 00:09:26,760 --> 00:09:30,719 Speaker 1: or seven six or seven days? Yeah, so you had 150 00:09:30,760 --> 00:09:34,079 Speaker 1: plenty of time to prepare and to get physically in shape. 151 00:09:34,240 --> 00:09:42,160 Speaker 1: Yeah yeah, No, No, you didn't jump on like the 152 00:09:42,880 --> 00:09:46,480 Speaker 1: trendy fitness plan to like. No, I figured that my 153 00:09:48,120 --> 00:09:50,280 Speaker 1: I wouldn't be able to get through my first initial 154 00:09:50,280 --> 00:09:52,679 Speaker 1: soreness before we were going to be there. Yea from 155 00:09:52,760 --> 00:09:54,880 Speaker 1: light really hitting it. I don't even have Arkansas legs 156 00:09:54,960 --> 00:09:57,400 Speaker 1: yet at this point, and it's like, let's go to Montana. 157 00:09:58,480 --> 00:10:02,200 Speaker 1: Trekking polls saved my life. Yeah, well, it was a 158 00:10:02,320 --> 00:10:05,720 Speaker 1: unique situation. I was looking for somebody to go that. 159 00:10:07,480 --> 00:10:11,560 Speaker 1: First of all, I needed a video man and uh, 160 00:10:11,880 --> 00:10:14,120 Speaker 1: I needed a video man documentary and I and I 161 00:10:14,160 --> 00:10:16,360 Speaker 1: needed somebody that was flexible. And that's why I didn't. 162 00:10:16,440 --> 00:10:18,560 Speaker 1: I mean, there was lots of people that could have gone. 163 00:10:18,559 --> 00:10:21,000 Speaker 1: I would have enjoyed going, but I needed somebody that 164 00:10:21,080 --> 00:10:23,560 Speaker 1: was flexible because we were basing this trip based a 165 00:10:23,600 --> 00:10:26,079 Speaker 1: lot upon the weather, and I wanted to do an 166 00:10:26,080 --> 00:10:28,240 Speaker 1: early season hunt, but I didn't want it to be 167 00:10:28,240 --> 00:10:30,800 Speaker 1: too early. And so I mean just a week before 168 00:10:30,800 --> 00:10:33,120 Speaker 1: we went is really when we decided we were gonna go, 169 00:10:33,360 --> 00:10:35,719 Speaker 1: and then we even delayed it. I think you had 170 00:10:35,760 --> 00:10:38,560 Speaker 1: six days before we originally planned, but then we delayed 171 00:10:38,600 --> 00:10:41,400 Speaker 1: the trip five days, so you actually had eleventh days, 172 00:10:41,400 --> 00:10:44,240 Speaker 1: so you could have been in shape by that. I 173 00:10:44,360 --> 00:10:47,040 Speaker 1: totally could have been. No, And so I totally sprung 174 00:10:47,120 --> 00:10:51,160 Speaker 1: this on Kolbe. And so there were a couple of 175 00:10:51,240 --> 00:10:55,559 Speaker 1: challenges in that we were gonna this was gonna be 176 00:10:55,600 --> 00:10:58,640 Speaker 1: a mule based hunt, and you've never written a meal, 177 00:11:00,080 --> 00:11:02,560 Speaker 1: So how did you? So we prepare you for this 178 00:11:03,640 --> 00:11:06,720 Speaker 1: twenty minutes on the back of Smoky at my house 179 00:11:06,800 --> 00:11:10,040 Speaker 1: the day before we left. Yeah, literally the day before 180 00:11:10,080 --> 00:11:12,560 Speaker 1: we left, or two days before now it was. It 181 00:11:12,600 --> 00:11:15,680 Speaker 1: was it was that Saturday, we left Sunday night, that's right. 182 00:11:16,200 --> 00:11:18,240 Speaker 1: I was like, hey man, we probably better make sure 183 00:11:18,320 --> 00:11:22,400 Speaker 1: that like everything's okay and that, and so we we this. 184 00:11:22,400 --> 00:11:24,520 Speaker 1: This was my friend Trey Autrey's mule. If you watched 185 00:11:24,520 --> 00:11:27,760 Speaker 1: our our film hundred Dollars Squirrel, there's a white mule 186 00:11:28,200 --> 00:11:32,240 Speaker 1: that Trey Autry rides, and uh, we borrowed Smokey, and 187 00:11:32,280 --> 00:11:34,160 Speaker 1: Smokey's like, we don't even know how old he is, 188 00:11:34,200 --> 00:11:38,080 Speaker 1: but he's just like an old warrior safe, like just 189 00:11:38,160 --> 00:11:41,480 Speaker 1: a dead, broke, awesome mule. And so I knew that 190 00:11:41,559 --> 00:11:44,800 Speaker 1: Colbe would be safe because that was my number one thing. 191 00:11:45,160 --> 00:11:48,040 Speaker 1: I knew he couldn't ride a young mule like I'm riding. 192 00:11:48,600 --> 00:11:52,599 Speaker 1: Just you would have you've probably been killed. But I 193 00:11:52,640 --> 00:11:55,240 Speaker 1: knew Smoky to take care of you. But still some 194 00:11:55,360 --> 00:11:57,880 Speaker 1: close calls. Well, we had some close calls. But so 195 00:11:57,920 --> 00:12:02,000 Speaker 1: you came to my house. We saddled up. We I 196 00:12:02,080 --> 00:12:04,760 Speaker 1: just basically said, all right, get up there, go for 197 00:12:05,040 --> 00:12:07,360 Speaker 1: I said, ride for thirty or forty five minutes, just 198 00:12:07,800 --> 00:12:10,520 Speaker 1: kind of get your feel on this animal. Found out 199 00:12:10,559 --> 00:12:14,600 Speaker 1: I had legs shorter than the schoolgirl. I'm gonna let 200 00:12:14,600 --> 00:12:17,040 Speaker 1: you tell that story. We had to meete. We had 201 00:12:17,320 --> 00:12:21,680 Speaker 1: we had well you remember Trey, Okay, I'm gonna have 202 00:12:21,679 --> 00:12:25,600 Speaker 1: to so we borrowed the saddle from Trey and Trey 203 00:12:25,679 --> 00:12:29,640 Speaker 1: goes Clay. My daughter rode this mule last time. And 204 00:12:29,679 --> 00:12:31,800 Speaker 1: so these stirrups are like really short, you're gonna have 205 00:12:31,840 --> 00:12:37,480 Speaker 1: to lengthen him, if only. And so when Kobe gets 206 00:12:37,480 --> 00:12:39,000 Speaker 1: on the mule, he's like, is there any way to 207 00:12:39,000 --> 00:12:43,560 Speaker 1: make these stirrups shorter? And I was like, man, a 208 00:12:43,679 --> 00:12:46,640 Speaker 1: thirteen year old girl wrote the single last time, but 209 00:12:46,720 --> 00:12:52,280 Speaker 1: she's all legs. Well, so Kobe, she must be. She 210 00:12:52,440 --> 00:12:56,040 Speaker 1: must be. I don't know, Kobe. Uh. So he rode 211 00:12:56,080 --> 00:12:58,360 Speaker 1: the mule. Everything was good. He did good, and I 212 00:12:58,400 --> 00:13:02,880 Speaker 1: mean it was just like I knew you could do it, though, 213 00:13:02,960 --> 00:13:06,360 Speaker 1: And that's an ultimate compliment for real, I wouldn't I mean, 214 00:13:06,520 --> 00:13:09,880 Speaker 1: I wouldn't have taken somebody that I knew would fail. 215 00:13:09,960 --> 00:13:13,240 Speaker 1: I knew that you would have the mental stability and 216 00:13:13,240 --> 00:13:15,360 Speaker 1: toughness to do, because that's what it takes. I mean, 217 00:13:15,400 --> 00:13:19,200 Speaker 1: people get scared of equine animals. Almost almost everybody that 218 00:13:19,280 --> 00:13:22,920 Speaker 1: I talked to about mules and horses that have experienced 219 00:13:22,960 --> 00:13:25,120 Speaker 1: with them in the back country, unless they are a 220 00:13:25,200 --> 00:13:30,960 Speaker 1: straight up cowboy or just love equine animals, either love 221 00:13:31,000 --> 00:13:32,920 Speaker 1: them or you hate them. And there's a whole lot 222 00:13:32,960 --> 00:13:35,560 Speaker 1: more people that hate them than love them. And when 223 00:13:35,559 --> 00:13:39,160 Speaker 1: you dig down into why people hate them, it's because 224 00:13:39,800 --> 00:13:42,280 Speaker 1: they're afraid of them. And it's not their fault. I'm 225 00:13:42,320 --> 00:13:45,680 Speaker 1: not faulting someone for being afraid of an animal that uh, 226 00:13:45,720 --> 00:13:48,000 Speaker 1: they've had a bad experience with, because tons of people 227 00:13:48,000 --> 00:13:49,800 Speaker 1: and and that would have been me even through or 228 00:13:49,800 --> 00:13:53,960 Speaker 1: four years ago. But for some reason, Colby, I knew 229 00:13:53,960 --> 00:13:56,480 Speaker 1: that you could handle it, um And I knew that 230 00:13:56,480 --> 00:13:59,640 Speaker 1: that smoke was gonna be safe as safe as a 231 00:13:59,720 --> 00:14:04,240 Speaker 1: mule could be. He's not a big mule, um And 232 00:14:04,240 --> 00:14:06,840 Speaker 1: and he's old. And I've just been around him enough 233 00:14:06,880 --> 00:14:08,960 Speaker 1: and seemed trade mess with him enough to know that 234 00:14:09,040 --> 00:14:10,840 Speaker 1: he's he was the he was the one for the 235 00:14:10,920 --> 00:14:16,480 Speaker 1: job for you. And so but so we so there's 236 00:14:16,520 --> 00:14:18,839 Speaker 1: many things on this trip that we were totally testing out. 237 00:14:19,120 --> 00:14:21,720 Speaker 1: Like I had already been to the Montana back country, 238 00:14:21,760 --> 00:14:25,840 Speaker 1: but we had never carted stock all the way across 239 00:14:26,280 --> 00:14:29,480 Speaker 1: the country, which has his challenges for sure, no doubt. 240 00:14:30,160 --> 00:14:34,560 Speaker 1: I mean, so from northwest Arkansas to let's just say 241 00:14:34,600 --> 00:14:40,360 Speaker 1: Montana is twenty four hours on the GPS, and that 242 00:14:40,520 --> 00:14:45,200 Speaker 1: is driving the speed limit and doesn't include stops and 243 00:14:45,320 --> 00:14:50,000 Speaker 1: different things. And so when you're when you're when you're 244 00:14:50,000 --> 00:14:53,280 Speaker 1: pulling a trailer full of mules, full of equipment, you're 245 00:14:53,320 --> 00:14:56,640 Speaker 1: not driving the speed limit. Most of the time. You're 246 00:14:56,800 --> 00:14:59,640 Speaker 1: don't think we ever hit the speed limit. Yeah, I 247 00:14:59,640 --> 00:15:06,880 Speaker 1: mean rarely. And so we're like the trip took, I 248 00:15:07,200 --> 00:15:10,160 Speaker 1: couldn't tell you how long, many more, probably six more hours, 249 00:15:10,200 --> 00:15:12,040 Speaker 1: and it's it's probably a thirty hour. We're probably in 250 00:15:12,040 --> 00:15:14,880 Speaker 1: the road thirty hours counting the times when we stopped 251 00:15:14,880 --> 00:15:18,920 Speaker 1: and everything. And but I want to say that that 252 00:15:19,000 --> 00:15:24,120 Speaker 1: in itself was probably the most uh challenging or stressful 253 00:15:24,280 --> 00:15:29,880 Speaker 1: part of the trip for me, because I was using, 254 00:15:30,120 --> 00:15:34,280 Speaker 1: uh a horse trailer that probably was built in the 255 00:15:34,360 --> 00:15:38,480 Speaker 1: nineteen sixties. Yeah, for real, the old horse trailer. And 256 00:15:38,480 --> 00:15:42,280 Speaker 1: if you saw a hundred dollar squirrel, you saw me say, 257 00:15:42,440 --> 00:15:44,600 Speaker 1: you can tell a lot about a man's expendable income 258 00:15:44,680 --> 00:15:47,200 Speaker 1: by his mule trailer. Well, but there was there was 259 00:15:47,240 --> 00:15:50,680 Speaker 1: some major upgrades to this, to this trailer, no doubt. Yeah. 260 00:15:50,720 --> 00:15:54,320 Speaker 1: I had some fresh paint, some some official bear Hunting 261 00:15:54,320 --> 00:15:57,640 Speaker 1: magazine stickers. Yes it looks good. There's some new shoes. 262 00:15:58,320 --> 00:16:01,120 Speaker 1: Yes we put we So we did our homework with 263 00:16:01,120 --> 00:16:04,040 Speaker 1: this trailer. Though I had the re the barings repacked 264 00:16:04,080 --> 00:16:07,840 Speaker 1: a couple of whenever ago. We we painted it, uh 265 00:16:08,000 --> 00:16:10,960 Speaker 1: just for just so we wouldn't be profiled on the highway. 266 00:16:11,000 --> 00:16:13,840 Speaker 1: It's like, man, those guys are no telling what they 267 00:16:13,920 --> 00:16:16,400 Speaker 1: got in the back of that. I mean drug dealers. 268 00:16:16,000 --> 00:16:18,320 Speaker 1: I mean, I mean the roof even matches the truck. 269 00:16:18,440 --> 00:16:21,840 Speaker 1: So I mean we're color coordinated. It looked good. Got 270 00:16:21,840 --> 00:16:25,040 Speaker 1: our stickers on there. Got our insurance, you know, I 271 00:16:25,080 --> 00:16:29,920 Speaker 1: got yep, I gotta equine based like equine. It was 272 00:16:29,960 --> 00:16:35,600 Speaker 1: called American Equestrian or something. But what I was thinking was, 273 00:16:36,120 --> 00:16:39,040 Speaker 1: what do you do when you're in downtown Denver, downtown 274 00:16:39,160 --> 00:16:41,440 Speaker 1: Kansas City and you have a flat tire on your 275 00:16:41,440 --> 00:16:46,000 Speaker 1: trailer and rush hour traffic and four lane interstate and 276 00:16:46,080 --> 00:16:49,520 Speaker 1: you've got these animals that you you aren't getting out 277 00:16:49,560 --> 00:16:51,720 Speaker 1: of the trailer at that point, I mean on the 278 00:16:51,720 --> 00:16:53,480 Speaker 1: side of the highway, you know, if you're sitting there 279 00:16:53,520 --> 00:16:55,360 Speaker 1: for four or five hours trying to figure out what 280 00:16:55,400 --> 00:16:58,120 Speaker 1: to do in anyway, Now, for like a hundred and 281 00:16:58,120 --> 00:17:02,000 Speaker 1: fifty bucks a year, about this Equestrian insurance And basically, 282 00:17:02,040 --> 00:17:04,119 Speaker 1: if you break down, your trailer breaks down, your truck 283 00:17:04,160 --> 00:17:08,159 Speaker 1: breaks down anywhere in the country, they will send a 284 00:17:08,240 --> 00:17:12,200 Speaker 1: record service that's equipped to help people that are traveling 285 00:17:12,200 --> 00:17:14,840 Speaker 1: with equin animals that bring the water and hay, and 286 00:17:15,240 --> 00:17:17,760 Speaker 1: they have boarding facilities put up. Let's say you blow 287 00:17:17,800 --> 00:17:20,000 Speaker 1: a motor where you know, and you're not gonna be 288 00:17:20,040 --> 00:17:22,760 Speaker 1: back on the road in three hours, you know. So 289 00:17:23,440 --> 00:17:28,240 Speaker 1: that was that was good, got new tires, um. But 290 00:17:28,320 --> 00:17:30,800 Speaker 1: we made it the first day to Spearfush, South Dakota, 291 00:17:30,800 --> 00:17:33,160 Speaker 1: and stayed with one of our good friends up there 292 00:17:33,480 --> 00:17:35,240 Speaker 1: that has a farm, and we're able to put the 293 00:17:35,280 --> 00:17:37,480 Speaker 1: animals in a crowd. So that's about a fourteen hour 294 00:17:37,560 --> 00:17:40,879 Speaker 1: trip to Spiritfus, South Dakota, and from Spearfish over to 295 00:17:40,880 --> 00:17:45,880 Speaker 1: western Montana was another well bye bye map another ten hours. 296 00:17:46,800 --> 00:17:50,960 Speaker 1: And uh so by the time we got to spear Fish, 297 00:17:51,040 --> 00:17:53,719 Speaker 1: I felt like our equipment was solid and that we 298 00:17:53,720 --> 00:17:57,520 Speaker 1: were gonna make it up there, right. And uh so 299 00:17:58,040 --> 00:18:00,959 Speaker 1: that was just part of the battle that a lot 300 00:18:00,960 --> 00:18:03,080 Speaker 1: of people wouldn't think about. But you can't you can't 301 00:18:03,160 --> 00:18:05,560 Speaker 1: keep animals in a trailer for long periods of time, 302 00:18:05,880 --> 00:18:08,760 Speaker 1: I mean, for like twenty hours. You know, you want 303 00:18:08,800 --> 00:18:11,560 Speaker 1: to let them out about every every eight hours at least. 304 00:18:12,119 --> 00:18:14,399 Speaker 1: Let them walk around, let them stretch their legs, let 305 00:18:14,400 --> 00:18:17,160 Speaker 1: them roll if they want to roll, give them some grass, 306 00:18:17,320 --> 00:18:20,879 Speaker 1: just kind of let them be horses and mules, um. 307 00:18:20,920 --> 00:18:26,080 Speaker 1: And so we did that um. We we then made 308 00:18:26,080 --> 00:18:30,200 Speaker 1: it to Montana. UM. Once we made it to Montana, 309 00:18:30,520 --> 00:18:35,119 Speaker 1: we went and met with our friends and stayed with them, 310 00:18:35,280 --> 00:18:41,879 Speaker 1: and basically we the first evening we were there, we 311 00:18:41,880 --> 00:18:43,520 Speaker 1: bought our tag and so we had to wait twenty 312 00:18:43,520 --> 00:18:45,720 Speaker 1: four hours. Bought our tag at eleven o'clock on the 313 00:18:45,800 --> 00:18:48,120 Speaker 1: day we entered Montana. We had to wait twenty four 314 00:18:48,119 --> 00:18:50,160 Speaker 1: hours before that tag was ready, so we couldn't hunt 315 00:18:50,200 --> 00:18:54,919 Speaker 1: the next day till eleven o'clock. That evening we weren't hunting, 316 00:18:55,400 --> 00:18:59,280 Speaker 1: but we spotted a bear from several miles away, at 317 00:18:59,359 --> 00:19:03,960 Speaker 1: least two to three miles away. We spotted the bear 318 00:19:04,960 --> 00:19:07,760 Speaker 1: and it was in a place we could hunt. It 319 00:19:07,800 --> 00:19:09,800 Speaker 1: was on public land. It was in a place where 320 00:19:09,800 --> 00:19:14,840 Speaker 1: you could just glass forever. And we found a bear 321 00:19:14,960 --> 00:19:16,960 Speaker 1: on the first day. That was encouraging. Yeah, and we 322 00:19:17,000 --> 00:19:19,800 Speaker 1: felt like it was mature enough to go after yeah, 323 00:19:19,840 --> 00:19:22,879 Speaker 1: you know, just from a distance. But it didn't like 324 00:19:22,920 --> 00:19:26,280 Speaker 1: a juvenile. Yeah. It was a good bear. And we 325 00:19:26,400 --> 00:19:29,359 Speaker 1: knew that if there was one bear up there that 326 00:19:29,400 --> 00:19:32,359 Speaker 1: we could see, we thought that potentially on the way 327 00:19:32,640 --> 00:19:37,760 Speaker 1: into this bear that we would find other bears. So 328 00:19:39,080 --> 00:19:42,840 Speaker 1: the next day we we figured out how to get 329 00:19:42,880 --> 00:19:45,760 Speaker 1: into this place, which wasn't straightforward like from where we 330 00:19:45,800 --> 00:19:48,720 Speaker 1: spotted it. We were probably only three miles, but from 331 00:19:48,720 --> 00:19:51,320 Speaker 1: the information we had at the time, the only way 332 00:19:51,359 --> 00:19:55,359 Speaker 1: in there was way around the back side of this 333 00:19:55,520 --> 00:19:59,119 Speaker 1: mountain range and up on public land because it was 334 00:19:59,200 --> 00:20:02,600 Speaker 1: kind of separated by some private land. Between us and 335 00:20:02,640 --> 00:20:04,480 Speaker 1: where we saw the bear was private land, so he 336 00:20:04,480 --> 00:20:07,640 Speaker 1: couldn't just walk straight to this bear. So we had 337 00:20:07,640 --> 00:20:10,760 Speaker 1: to go way around, I mean like thirty minute drive around, 338 00:20:11,760 --> 00:20:16,879 Speaker 1: parked in on some public there's a gated road. And 339 00:20:16,960 --> 00:20:21,400 Speaker 1: so it starts day one, right the day of Kobe's trials. 340 00:20:22,359 --> 00:20:24,879 Speaker 1: That's what we have labeled the Day of Cody, the 341 00:20:25,000 --> 00:20:30,200 Speaker 1: day Kobe became a mule skinner. So we start off 342 00:20:30,280 --> 00:20:33,120 Speaker 1: on the mules. And if you've ever written equine animals, 343 00:20:33,359 --> 00:20:38,160 Speaker 1: they're they're always they're always feisty, full of energy, jumpy, 344 00:20:38,520 --> 00:20:41,919 Speaker 1: ready to roll, like right out of the gate. And 345 00:20:42,000 --> 00:20:44,480 Speaker 1: these animals also have been in a trailer for two 346 00:20:44,520 --> 00:20:48,040 Speaker 1: full days, and they're a new and a new environment. 347 00:20:48,119 --> 00:20:50,760 Speaker 1: And I'll go ahead and interject here that I was 348 00:20:50,880 --> 00:20:54,119 Speaker 1: riding my easy mule. She's three and a half years old. 349 00:20:55,000 --> 00:20:59,920 Speaker 1: She's that's young from you that's like, you know, a teenager. 350 00:21:00,040 --> 00:21:02,920 Speaker 1: It's like having a seventeen year old, you know, mature 351 00:21:03,440 --> 00:21:09,480 Speaker 1: physically eighteen, you know, but but still very young. And uh, 352 00:21:10,200 --> 00:21:15,119 Speaker 1: Izzy's done phenomenal for me. I've I've ridden her extensively 353 00:21:15,200 --> 00:21:19,919 Speaker 1: in the mountains here in Arkansas, UM and in this 354 00:21:20,000 --> 00:21:24,240 Speaker 1: hunt really was a lot about me and Izzy. For 355 00:21:24,240 --> 00:21:28,280 Speaker 1: for me, it was when I first got Izzy in 356 00:21:28,520 --> 00:21:34,800 Speaker 1: twenty mark February. She was basically an untouched mule. She 357 00:21:34,840 --> 00:21:36,840 Speaker 1: had a bride loner. I mean, the guy that raised 358 00:21:36,840 --> 00:21:38,720 Speaker 1: her had you know, he could handle her just a 359 00:21:38,720 --> 00:21:42,679 Speaker 1: little bit, but I mean untrained. And I trained Izzy 360 00:21:42,760 --> 00:21:44,560 Speaker 1: and it was the first time I'd ever trained a mule, 361 00:21:45,080 --> 00:21:50,960 Speaker 1: and it was an incredible life changing experience, truly was um. 362 00:21:51,000 --> 00:21:53,520 Speaker 1: I learned a ton about training animals. And the whole 363 00:21:53,600 --> 00:21:57,600 Speaker 1: point in my mind was to get deeper and stay 364 00:21:57,640 --> 00:22:00,520 Speaker 1: longer in wild places. That's why I had this mule, 365 00:22:01,000 --> 00:22:03,119 Speaker 1: and I wanted to take her to Montana. That's what 366 00:22:03,240 --> 00:22:05,840 Speaker 1: I wanted to do. It's just just kind of in 367 00:22:05,880 --> 00:22:07,600 Speaker 1: the mule world. When you hear people say, oh, that 368 00:22:07,680 --> 00:22:10,639 Speaker 1: mule has been out west, You're like, oh, that's a 369 00:22:10,640 --> 00:22:13,400 Speaker 1: good one. Like that, that's kind of like the statis 370 00:22:13,480 --> 00:22:17,000 Speaker 1: factor for mules, you know, because if you if if 371 00:22:17,040 --> 00:22:19,280 Speaker 1: you could trust that animal to take it all the 372 00:22:19,320 --> 00:22:22,080 Speaker 1: way out west and not die, then this is a 373 00:22:22,080 --> 00:22:24,760 Speaker 1: good animal. If both of you come back, okay, it's 374 00:22:24,760 --> 00:22:28,480 Speaker 1: a really good meal. Yes, yes, And so I had 375 00:22:28,520 --> 00:22:31,320 Speaker 1: this idea that I wanted to take easy out west 376 00:22:31,359 --> 00:22:35,720 Speaker 1: and so this was that. Um just for somebody that's 377 00:22:35,720 --> 00:22:39,080 Speaker 1: listening that maybe never has it doesn't hasn't been following 378 00:22:39,240 --> 00:22:42,160 Speaker 1: the Bear Hunting magazine stuff for a while. The video 379 00:22:42,280 --> 00:22:45,119 Speaker 1: there's a video on the Barning Magazine YouTube channel right 380 00:22:45,160 --> 00:22:49,119 Speaker 1: now that has over a million views and it's an 381 00:22:49,160 --> 00:22:53,560 Speaker 1: eleven minute video that encompasses the full training experience that 382 00:22:53,680 --> 00:22:56,320 Speaker 1: me training easy. So it's it's pretty neat. I mean, 383 00:22:56,359 --> 00:22:59,200 Speaker 1: it kind of went viral, especially in the equine world. 384 00:22:59,280 --> 00:23:02,960 Speaker 1: It's called Project Hunting the Mule, and there's actually six 385 00:23:03,080 --> 00:23:05,639 Speaker 1: or seven videos, but the final one has over a 386 00:23:05,680 --> 00:23:08,720 Speaker 1: million views, just bumped over a million, and uh I 387 00:23:08,760 --> 00:23:13,560 Speaker 1: was I was fried by the equine community in many places. 388 00:23:14,160 --> 00:23:16,680 Speaker 1: Uh Man, trolls are everywhere. They're not just in the 389 00:23:16,720 --> 00:23:20,639 Speaker 1: hunting world, but they're in every world. There's there's people 390 00:23:20,680 --> 00:23:22,639 Speaker 1: that just love to just get on there and just 391 00:23:22,680 --> 00:23:26,639 Speaker 1: say you're an idiot, but yeah it is. He's a 392 00:23:26,640 --> 00:23:32,240 Speaker 1: good mule now, um despite me not being very uh 393 00:23:32,480 --> 00:23:37,520 Speaker 1: me being green, but is he's an incredible animal. So 394 00:23:38,720 --> 00:23:40,119 Speaker 1: back to the start of our hunt. We make the 395 00:23:40,160 --> 00:23:43,960 Speaker 1: Montana we ride and I would within the first hour 396 00:23:44,080 --> 00:23:49,439 Speaker 1: of the hunt the ride you you were tested. Do 397 00:23:49,440 --> 00:23:51,399 Speaker 1: you want you want to tell this person? Try? I 398 00:23:51,440 --> 00:23:54,119 Speaker 1: don't know if it's better from my perspective. You're your perspective. 399 00:23:54,119 --> 00:23:55,520 Speaker 1: Will you tell the first you tell it and then 400 00:23:55,560 --> 00:23:57,720 Speaker 1: I'll add to it. All right? Yeah, so we get 401 00:23:57,760 --> 00:24:01,560 Speaker 1: the ride. First, first thing we come against is I 402 00:24:01,560 --> 00:24:05,200 Speaker 1: I have to go under uh a tree that's fallen. 403 00:24:05,280 --> 00:24:07,959 Speaker 1: But there's enough space for for me and old Smokey 404 00:24:08,000 --> 00:24:11,200 Speaker 1: because he's we're both short. Yeah, I think you got off? 405 00:24:11,680 --> 00:24:14,399 Speaker 1: Yeah I got off. Yeah. I was like, I'll just 406 00:24:14,400 --> 00:24:17,200 Speaker 1: try it might as well. Anyways, so we made it okay. 407 00:24:17,520 --> 00:24:19,600 Speaker 1: I was feeling feeling a little bit better. And then 408 00:24:19,640 --> 00:24:22,320 Speaker 1: we we went up and there's some switchbacks and there 409 00:24:22,400 --> 00:24:24,520 Speaker 1: was I guess what you call it? Dead fall? Yeah, 410 00:24:24,560 --> 00:24:26,800 Speaker 1: it was just dead fall. Yeah, in the West, there's 411 00:24:26,880 --> 00:24:30,639 Speaker 1: dead fall all over roads that just because of the 412 00:24:30,680 --> 00:24:34,919 Speaker 1: snow and fire that burns up trees kills them that 413 00:24:35,040 --> 00:24:38,000 Speaker 1: like unmaintained roads are just full of deadfall. So we 414 00:24:38,000 --> 00:24:40,040 Speaker 1: we'd come off a main road and we're on a 415 00:24:40,160 --> 00:24:44,360 Speaker 1: side old log and trail that was totally unmaintained. Well 416 00:24:44,359 --> 00:24:46,720 Speaker 1: before we got to to this dead fall there was 417 00:24:47,320 --> 00:24:48,959 Speaker 1: the road had a lot of ups and downs, Like 418 00:24:49,080 --> 00:24:51,040 Speaker 1: I don't know, it was just really really rough. I 419 00:24:51,040 --> 00:24:53,080 Speaker 1: don't know what you would call that, um, but it 420 00:24:53,119 --> 00:24:54,840 Speaker 1: just kind of seemed like carved out to where it's 421 00:24:54,840 --> 00:24:57,800 Speaker 1: like imagine like several different triangles that you had to 422 00:24:57,840 --> 00:25:00,320 Speaker 1: go over. And uh, I had to little bit of 423 00:25:00,320 --> 00:25:02,280 Speaker 1: confidence because smoke he took me through it is he 424 00:25:02,359 --> 00:25:04,600 Speaker 1: was like, I don't know what this is. Oh yeah, 425 00:25:04,680 --> 00:25:07,640 Speaker 1: the dirt piles where yeah, they tried to close off 426 00:25:07,640 --> 00:25:10,600 Speaker 1: the road. Yeah yeah, so they piled up big big 427 00:25:10,600 --> 00:25:13,640 Speaker 1: piles of dirt keep cars and foreweathers out of there. Yeah, 428 00:25:13,680 --> 00:25:16,000 Speaker 1: So so Is he was like, I've never seen this before. 429 00:25:16,000 --> 00:25:18,600 Speaker 1: So Smokey just chucked on through and then she just 430 00:25:18,600 --> 00:25:21,400 Speaker 1: followed along. And so like we would do this thing 431 00:25:21,480 --> 00:25:23,840 Speaker 1: to where is he and Clay would lead and then 432 00:25:23,880 --> 00:25:27,320 Speaker 1: whenever we would come to something that, uh maybe is 433 00:25:27,440 --> 00:25:30,240 Speaker 1: he had an encounter before she was uneasy about. Smokey 434 00:25:30,359 --> 00:25:32,359 Speaker 1: was like, let me add it. Like, you know, I 435 00:25:32,359 --> 00:25:34,639 Speaker 1: would have to hold him back not to go. He's like, 436 00:25:34,720 --> 00:25:36,719 Speaker 1: I'll show how it's done on this part. You know. 437 00:25:37,160 --> 00:25:39,679 Speaker 1: He's very He was a good mentor for Is. He 438 00:25:40,520 --> 00:25:44,680 Speaker 1: he was certain areas because he just didn't care, you know. Uh. 439 00:25:44,800 --> 00:25:47,119 Speaker 1: And then anyways, we came to some dead fall to 440 00:25:47,240 --> 00:25:50,920 Speaker 1: where like the to where the tree had fallen across 441 00:25:50,960 --> 00:25:55,080 Speaker 1: the road and then uh, the low part was on 442 00:25:55,119 --> 00:25:57,680 Speaker 1: the outside edge of the of the road, so there 443 00:25:57,760 --> 00:26:01,200 Speaker 1: was like a decent like drop off I guess, like 444 00:26:01,280 --> 00:26:05,600 Speaker 1: a high, high steep degree of of drop beside it. 445 00:26:05,720 --> 00:26:07,320 Speaker 1: And so Is he just went up to it and 446 00:26:07,359 --> 00:26:10,240 Speaker 1: just stepped over it. No problem. Smoke he's a jumper, 447 00:26:10,240 --> 00:26:14,680 Speaker 1: we found out. He went up and he looked at it, 448 00:26:15,040 --> 00:26:17,840 Speaker 1: and then he just decided I got to jump this thing. 449 00:26:19,640 --> 00:26:22,360 Speaker 1: But in the part of him jumping, his back leg 450 00:26:22,480 --> 00:26:27,520 Speaker 1: called a called a limb too, And so I I 451 00:26:27,560 --> 00:26:30,000 Speaker 1: don't know if I think this is where your perspective 452 00:26:30,040 --> 00:26:33,239 Speaker 1: needs to come in. Yeah, well, let me say too. 453 00:26:33,320 --> 00:26:35,880 Speaker 1: There was all this There were all these limbs, as 454 00:26:35,960 --> 00:26:39,520 Speaker 1: we call it in the industry, widow makers sticking back 455 00:26:39,560 --> 00:26:41,879 Speaker 1: towards us, and we were kind of navigating just a 456 00:26:42,000 --> 00:26:45,560 Speaker 1: small hole through this dead fall. And it actually happened 457 00:26:45,600 --> 00:26:48,080 Speaker 1: twice in about thirty minutes Kobe where we had to 458 00:26:48,119 --> 00:26:51,359 Speaker 1: cross these logs. And the first time is he and 459 00:26:51,400 --> 00:26:54,040 Speaker 1: I made it across, and I turned around just in 460 00:26:54,119 --> 00:26:58,080 Speaker 1: time to see Smoke just sailing through the air. And 461 00:26:58,800 --> 00:27:01,639 Speaker 1: Kobe wasn't ready for it, I guess. And uh, I 462 00:27:01,680 --> 00:27:03,520 Speaker 1: mean you wouldn't have known he was a jumper. I mean, 463 00:27:03,640 --> 00:27:05,359 Speaker 1: is he stepped over and that's kind of what you 464 00:27:05,359 --> 00:27:06,960 Speaker 1: want a mule to do. You really don't want him jump. 465 00:27:07,040 --> 00:27:09,280 Speaker 1: But it was high enough that I think Smoke had 466 00:27:09,320 --> 00:27:12,720 Speaker 1: to jump. And uh, and man, I look back and 467 00:27:12,760 --> 00:27:16,600 Speaker 1: I see about eight inches of air between Colby's butt 468 00:27:16,640 --> 00:27:20,439 Speaker 1: in the saddle, and I see it appeared like your 469 00:27:20,440 --> 00:27:23,600 Speaker 1: feet were out of the stirrups too. I mean, all 470 00:27:23,680 --> 00:27:26,439 Speaker 1: you were holding onto was the reins. If if we 471 00:27:26,480 --> 00:27:28,280 Speaker 1: could have had like a snapshot of that, it would 472 00:27:28,280 --> 00:27:30,880 Speaker 1: have been incredible. And I I just know, I mean, 473 00:27:30,920 --> 00:27:34,199 Speaker 1: like there's not a question. It's like Colby's gonna hit 474 00:27:34,200 --> 00:27:38,800 Speaker 1: the dirt. Like I knew that. And you know, equine 475 00:27:38,840 --> 00:27:45,920 Speaker 1: rex um basically all involved someone hitting the dirt and it. 476 00:27:45,920 --> 00:27:47,760 Speaker 1: It seems like it wouldn't have been that big a deal. 477 00:27:47,840 --> 00:27:50,720 Speaker 1: But I mean, like you hit the dirt while you're 478 00:27:50,720 --> 00:27:52,919 Speaker 1: carrying a forty pound pack, you have a pack on. 479 00:27:53,000 --> 00:27:55,080 Speaker 1: I think at that time, didn't you know we didn't 480 00:27:55,080 --> 00:27:59,520 Speaker 1: have well I mean it sounds simple, but like you 481 00:27:59,600 --> 00:28:01,959 Speaker 1: hit the dirt, you might break your leg. I mean 482 00:28:02,000 --> 00:28:04,359 Speaker 1: there was a steep hill off to the right side. 483 00:28:05,000 --> 00:28:07,640 Speaker 1: I was I was worried about getting impaled by dead fall, 484 00:28:08,160 --> 00:28:10,320 Speaker 1: like for real, or you know, not impaled like you're 485 00:28:10,359 --> 00:28:14,800 Speaker 1: gonna die, but like that dead fall could have put 486 00:28:14,840 --> 00:28:17,639 Speaker 1: a gash on your legs. So big we had, I mean, 487 00:28:17,680 --> 00:28:19,600 Speaker 1: there's a lot of different things that could have happen. Anyway, 488 00:28:19,600 --> 00:28:22,720 Speaker 1: I see Kolbe in the and I just think, I 489 00:28:22,800 --> 00:28:26,720 Speaker 1: just think, man, he's about to eat dirt. And man, 490 00:28:26,840 --> 00:28:30,440 Speaker 1: you landed that thing like a like a skier, like 491 00:28:30,480 --> 00:28:33,919 Speaker 1: an Olympic skier on those big jumps, and bam, you 492 00:28:34,040 --> 00:28:36,199 Speaker 1: stuck it. You stuck the landing. And I was like, 493 00:28:37,000 --> 00:28:40,400 Speaker 1: all right, and then we go and just a little 494 00:28:40,440 --> 00:28:42,320 Speaker 1: bit up, the same thing happened again, did it not? 495 00:28:42,600 --> 00:28:45,480 Speaker 1: That's the way I remember, And you did this well 496 00:28:45,640 --> 00:28:49,400 Speaker 1: this time I got off is he and That's that's 497 00:28:49,440 --> 00:28:52,320 Speaker 1: when I came over and I was gonna try to 498 00:28:52,560 --> 00:28:54,800 Speaker 1: just like be there. I didn't know what I was 499 00:28:54,840 --> 00:28:57,720 Speaker 1: gonna do. But that's when smokes back foot back feet 500 00:28:57,720 --> 00:29:00,600 Speaker 1: caught the log and the log slam into the back 501 00:29:00,640 --> 00:29:04,440 Speaker 1: of my leg as it jumped. It was a smaller log, Yeah, 502 00:29:04,960 --> 00:29:07,440 Speaker 1: and I thought we were both gonna be in the dirt, 503 00:29:08,320 --> 00:29:11,000 Speaker 1: and anyway, we stayed on. So that was that was 504 00:29:11,040 --> 00:29:15,240 Speaker 1: the first like trial by fire that you survived to 505 00:29:15,360 --> 00:29:17,440 Speaker 1: skip ahead just a little bit. The other thing that 506 00:29:17,560 --> 00:29:21,240 Speaker 1: happened that got you your mule skinner wings was on 507 00:29:21,400 --> 00:29:27,040 Speaker 1: day two. Yeah, tell us what happened. I hit the ground. Yeah, Yeah, 508 00:29:27,080 --> 00:29:30,080 Speaker 1: I hit the snow. It was almost inevitable. It was 509 00:29:30,120 --> 00:29:32,000 Speaker 1: gonna happen at some point. We at the end of 510 00:29:32,000 --> 00:29:33,840 Speaker 1: the day when we were talking about how I had 511 00:29:33,880 --> 00:29:37,880 Speaker 1: have this, this full mule experience, there's just the stuff 512 00:29:37,920 --> 00:29:41,200 Speaker 1: that we had done and except for falling off and 513 00:29:41,200 --> 00:29:43,920 Speaker 1: then day two long behold like it was like a 514 00:29:44,000 --> 00:29:50,680 Speaker 1: foreshadowing of U events that were a certainty. Yeah. And 515 00:29:50,800 --> 00:29:53,240 Speaker 1: so we're coming up, we're driving, We're coming down a 516 00:29:53,360 --> 00:29:55,840 Speaker 1: road and there's a big snow bank. We're up in 517 00:29:55,880 --> 00:29:59,280 Speaker 1: about six thousand feet and there's a pretty deep snow bank, 518 00:30:00,000 --> 00:30:03,120 Speaker 1: and the mules are really self preserving, and my in 519 00:30:03,160 --> 00:30:05,160 Speaker 1: my mind, I was like, well, if the mules will 520 00:30:05,400 --> 00:30:09,120 Speaker 1: walk on the snow bank, then it's safe. And so 521 00:30:09,520 --> 00:30:12,960 Speaker 1: smoke just he's out in front leading and he's walking 522 00:30:12,960 --> 00:30:16,640 Speaker 1: across the snow bank. And then you tell me what happened. Well, 523 00:30:16,880 --> 00:30:21,320 Speaker 1: you know, Clay turned on his GoPro and he was like, oh, 524 00:30:21,360 --> 00:30:24,200 Speaker 1: this is a cool shot. Well, we're what you know, 525 00:30:24,280 --> 00:30:26,120 Speaker 1: we're walking and all of a sudden, all I see 526 00:30:26,240 --> 00:30:30,080 Speaker 1: is like smoke He's right front foot just disappears, or 527 00:30:30,160 --> 00:30:33,520 Speaker 1: his his hoof his leg and then I mean, I 528 00:30:33,560 --> 00:30:36,840 Speaker 1: get real close to the ground, real quick. But the 529 00:30:36,960 --> 00:30:38,920 Speaker 1: video makes it look a little graceful though, like this 530 00:30:39,080 --> 00:30:43,280 Speaker 1: kind of slow mo. So basically the Smokey's front right 531 00:30:43,320 --> 00:30:46,280 Speaker 1: foot just went to the ground, which was about two 532 00:30:46,280 --> 00:30:48,920 Speaker 1: ft beneath the surface of the snow. Well, I think 533 00:30:49,000 --> 00:30:51,600 Speaker 1: on the video that's what we thought happened in the 534 00:30:51,680 --> 00:30:53,920 Speaker 1: video when we were watching it. He actually just it 535 00:30:53,920 --> 00:30:57,640 Speaker 1: looked like he slipped. Okay, yeah, there's a new I've 536 00:30:57,640 --> 00:31:01,360 Speaker 1: watched it again and again and now have even revised 537 00:31:01,360 --> 00:31:05,000 Speaker 1: what I thought happened. He fell through the snow, just 538 00:31:05,080 --> 00:31:08,720 Speaker 1: like we thought, quickly pulled his leg out of the 539 00:31:08,720 --> 00:31:12,120 Speaker 1: snow while you're still on him, puts his hoof back 540 00:31:12,160 --> 00:31:15,800 Speaker 1: on the snow and slips. So he did both. But 541 00:31:15,880 --> 00:31:19,719 Speaker 1: when he slipped is when you went off canter and 542 00:31:19,880 --> 00:31:22,960 Speaker 1: spot the snow. Because I could have sworn I saw 543 00:31:22,960 --> 00:31:25,120 Speaker 1: his let go through through. Well, you were right, And 544 00:31:25,120 --> 00:31:26,800 Speaker 1: then when we watched, I was like, it didn't even 545 00:31:26,800 --> 00:31:29,200 Speaker 1: go through the snow. He just slipped. It went through 546 00:31:29,200 --> 00:31:32,640 Speaker 1: the snow. Then he slipped, then he went down, and 547 00:31:32,680 --> 00:31:35,680 Speaker 1: that's when you went down. And luckily I had all this. 548 00:31:36,360 --> 00:31:37,840 Speaker 1: It was the first time I turned on the go 549 00:31:37,960 --> 00:31:41,120 Speaker 1: pro the whole trip, and I like thirty seconds before 550 00:31:41,160 --> 00:31:42,760 Speaker 1: I turned on the go pro because it was just 551 00:31:43,080 --> 00:31:45,600 Speaker 1: it was really pretty. We're coming across the snow and 552 00:31:45,800 --> 00:31:47,960 Speaker 1: captured on film, which everybody will be able to see 553 00:31:48,000 --> 00:31:53,160 Speaker 1: Colby hitting the ground on YouTube and social media platforms. Yeah, 554 00:31:53,360 --> 00:31:55,440 Speaker 1: if you're if you're around me, you've already seen it. 555 00:31:55,520 --> 00:31:57,400 Speaker 1: I don't know. It's just something cool about It's like 556 00:31:58,080 --> 00:32:01,480 Speaker 1: what happened? You got in some street crib around these parts, smoke, 557 00:32:01,520 --> 00:32:04,240 Speaker 1: you broke me in, getting dumped off the mule and then, 558 00:32:04,520 --> 00:32:08,160 Speaker 1: to make a long story short, we rode eighteen and 559 00:32:08,200 --> 00:32:12,080 Speaker 1: a half miles the first day trying to get back 560 00:32:12,080 --> 00:32:14,360 Speaker 1: to where this bear was. From where we saw it again, 561 00:32:14,360 --> 00:32:16,840 Speaker 1: it was only three miles, but to get there we 562 00:32:18,040 --> 00:32:20,240 Speaker 1: and as the crow flies, from where we parked to 563 00:32:20,240 --> 00:32:22,400 Speaker 1: where the bear was may have only been like five 564 00:32:22,520 --> 00:32:25,640 Speaker 1: or six miles. But the switchbacks, like these mountains are 565 00:32:25,640 --> 00:32:29,200 Speaker 1: super steep, and if you're following logging roads, you're following 566 00:32:29,200 --> 00:32:31,800 Speaker 1: these switchbacks. And so I mean you would you'd go 567 00:32:31,880 --> 00:32:35,000 Speaker 1: for a half a mile one direction and turn and 568 00:32:35,040 --> 00:32:37,600 Speaker 1: go for another half mile back the same direction and 569 00:32:37,680 --> 00:32:41,120 Speaker 1: look down in the road would be like seventy five 570 00:32:41,200 --> 00:32:45,680 Speaker 1: yards below you. So you've only gained very little. But 571 00:32:46,120 --> 00:32:50,080 Speaker 1: you really can't take these mules up stuff that's steep 572 00:32:50,120 --> 00:32:52,360 Speaker 1: and stay on them. I mean something that's like a 573 00:32:52,960 --> 00:32:54,840 Speaker 1: I don't know what degree slope it would be, but 574 00:32:55,160 --> 00:32:57,840 Speaker 1: I'm gonna say a seventy degree slope. I mean, like, 575 00:32:58,080 --> 00:33:02,840 Speaker 1: dang here, straight up. You just can't ride up that stuff. Now, 576 00:33:02,840 --> 00:33:04,760 Speaker 1: a mule could go up it, you could lead that 577 00:33:04,840 --> 00:33:06,880 Speaker 1: animal up it, but then you might as well just 578 00:33:06,920 --> 00:33:10,280 Speaker 1: be walking because you're walking up the mountain, you know. 579 00:33:10,320 --> 00:33:12,240 Speaker 1: So I mean, so you you you choose to use 580 00:33:12,280 --> 00:33:14,400 Speaker 1: these logging roads to have these switchbacks pretty easy on 581 00:33:14,440 --> 00:33:18,520 Speaker 1: the mule, but it does take time. Um and uh, 582 00:33:18,640 --> 00:33:21,600 Speaker 1: you know, our mules aren't big mules. They're not super fast. 583 00:33:22,080 --> 00:33:25,520 Speaker 1: There uh there you know is these almost fifteen hands 584 00:33:25,520 --> 00:33:29,800 Speaker 1: and smoke it's probably fourteen or less and uh, you know, 585 00:33:29,960 --> 00:33:32,320 Speaker 1: so they're not fast. You know, some guys have these 586 00:33:32,400 --> 00:33:37,440 Speaker 1: uh uh Tennessee Tennessee walking horses and and and different 587 00:33:37,440 --> 00:33:40,800 Speaker 1: things that are probably have a little a little a 588 00:33:40,800 --> 00:33:43,640 Speaker 1: little better pace than our mules. But we weren't interested 589 00:33:43,680 --> 00:33:46,160 Speaker 1: in speed. We're just interested in getting there safe and 590 00:33:46,160 --> 00:33:50,440 Speaker 1: and so that's what we did. But first day, we 591 00:33:51,280 --> 00:33:52,920 Speaker 1: we get to the top of the mountain and we 592 00:33:52,960 --> 00:33:57,200 Speaker 1: realize that we're in too deep to turn around. We're 593 00:33:57,280 --> 00:34:01,920 Speaker 1: further away than than we just couldn't get back really, 594 00:34:02,160 --> 00:34:06,960 Speaker 1: and long story short, we make it to the spot 595 00:34:07,000 --> 00:34:10,400 Speaker 1: where we can see where this bear was, and we 596 00:34:10,480 --> 00:34:13,480 Speaker 1: glassed for maybe thirty minutes from that point, and we 597 00:34:13,520 --> 00:34:17,200 Speaker 1: find the bear at five o'clock that afternoon. So we 598 00:34:17,280 --> 00:34:20,239 Speaker 1: started at eleven because we left kind of right when 599 00:34:20,280 --> 00:34:24,560 Speaker 1: we could start hunting, and it took us six hours 600 00:34:24,560 --> 00:34:27,960 Speaker 1: to get to where to get within a mile or 601 00:34:28,000 --> 00:34:30,240 Speaker 1: the bear, because it's not like we were two hundred 602 00:34:30,320 --> 00:34:31,920 Speaker 1: yards from the bear. We were like a mile, but 603 00:34:31,960 --> 00:34:34,600 Speaker 1: we could see the bear. And then we're like, well, 604 00:34:34,600 --> 00:34:38,120 Speaker 1: here we go, let's go find him. And so it 605 00:34:38,200 --> 00:34:42,040 Speaker 1: takes us an hour to ride around to get to 606 00:34:42,080 --> 00:34:47,520 Speaker 1: where the bear is. We come around this point, I 607 00:34:47,600 --> 00:34:52,840 Speaker 1: see the bear across the canyon six yards. Well, do 608 00:34:52,840 --> 00:34:55,160 Speaker 1: you want to talk about my other trial? Which one 609 00:34:55,440 --> 00:34:57,520 Speaker 1: the one where we had to lead the mules down 610 00:34:57,560 --> 00:35:00,440 Speaker 1: from where the one logging road into it down to 611 00:35:00,520 --> 00:35:02,880 Speaker 1: the lower one. That's where you you turned around and 612 00:35:02,920 --> 00:35:06,000 Speaker 1: I kept on him like rolling and falling. Okay, okay. 613 00:35:06,160 --> 00:35:08,360 Speaker 1: We learned that when you get off these animals to 614 00:35:08,440 --> 00:35:13,640 Speaker 1: lead them like I was able to lead Izzy pretty 615 00:35:13,640 --> 00:35:16,759 Speaker 1: easily down these real steep things. And then Kobe was 616 00:35:16,800 --> 00:35:19,560 Speaker 1: coming behind me, and Smoke would want to catch up 617 00:35:19,560 --> 00:35:23,520 Speaker 1: with us, and so Smoke would be like leading me, 618 00:35:23,800 --> 00:35:26,479 Speaker 1: leading you, and I had said, whatever you do, don't 619 00:35:26,520 --> 00:35:29,919 Speaker 1: let that animal go. That was my thing, and so 620 00:35:30,440 --> 00:35:34,239 Speaker 1: I turned around and Smoke is like dragging you down. 621 00:35:34,960 --> 00:35:37,560 Speaker 1: You're like rolling. Really I turned around four times in 622 00:35:37,600 --> 00:35:40,680 Speaker 1: the period of probably four minutes. Just check on. I mean, 623 00:35:40,719 --> 00:35:43,640 Speaker 1: I was trying to survive myself. So I wasn't that 624 00:35:43,760 --> 00:35:46,319 Speaker 1: worried about you, Koble. I'm sorry, but every time I 625 00:35:46,320 --> 00:35:49,120 Speaker 1: turned around and you were on the ground, and finally 626 00:35:49,160 --> 00:35:52,360 Speaker 1: I just yelled, just let him go, and and and 627 00:35:52,440 --> 00:35:55,520 Speaker 1: everything worked out fine. Like when we let him go, 628 00:35:56,239 --> 00:35:58,440 Speaker 1: he just came and got right behind Izzy. That was 629 00:35:58,480 --> 00:36:01,200 Speaker 1: our method going forward. You just have to let him go. 630 00:36:02,120 --> 00:36:06,200 Speaker 1: I got I got pretty whooked. Yeah, he just rolled 631 00:36:06,239 --> 00:36:08,560 Speaker 1: you down the mountain. And let's jump right to the 632 00:36:08,640 --> 00:36:11,839 Speaker 1: to the shot. Because the first day, first day, and 633 00:36:11,960 --> 00:36:14,720 Speaker 1: remember this is a culmination of two years of hunting 634 00:36:14,760 --> 00:36:18,040 Speaker 1: for me, um, and I had yet to even fire 635 00:36:18,040 --> 00:36:20,799 Speaker 1: a shot at a bear, and so on the first day, 636 00:36:21,280 --> 00:36:24,239 Speaker 1: we come around this corner bear is six hundred for 637 00:36:24,280 --> 00:36:28,319 Speaker 1: the yards, I want to I want to qualify the 638 00:36:28,440 --> 00:36:30,600 Speaker 1: shot because I did take a shot at that distance. 639 00:36:30,719 --> 00:36:35,440 Speaker 1: I'm shooting the best of the west right long range rifle, 640 00:36:35,640 --> 00:36:37,720 Speaker 1: and I could take some heat for taking a shot 641 00:36:37,760 --> 00:36:41,840 Speaker 1: that far, and I'm okay with that because I know 642 00:36:41,920 --> 00:36:44,200 Speaker 1: what that gun is capable capable of, and I know 643 00:36:44,239 --> 00:36:47,040 Speaker 1: what I'm capable of. I'm a good shot with that gun. 644 00:36:47,239 --> 00:36:50,319 Speaker 1: I've shot at a lot at those distances. Um the 645 00:36:50,440 --> 00:36:54,400 Speaker 1: gun is validated the quote unquote out to nine yards, 646 00:36:54,440 --> 00:36:58,759 Speaker 1: which means that it literally has been proven accurate by 647 00:36:58,800 --> 00:37:00,839 Speaker 1: the best of the west guys before I even got 648 00:37:00,840 --> 00:37:05,799 Speaker 1: the gun. At nine yards, the Husking turrets, you can 649 00:37:05,840 --> 00:37:08,840 Speaker 1: dial the yard agen directly, so there's no m o A, 650 00:37:08,960 --> 00:37:12,640 Speaker 1: there's no calculation, there's no hold over. Okay, Usually with 651 00:37:12,680 --> 00:37:15,120 Speaker 1: a scope you would say six and fourty yards and 652 00:37:15,160 --> 00:37:17,160 Speaker 1: you would know the amount to hold over the animals. 653 00:37:17,160 --> 00:37:19,640 Speaker 1: So there's still some guessing that goes on. But with 654 00:37:19,719 --> 00:37:23,000 Speaker 1: the Husk Myth system, you know exactly because there's no 655 00:37:23,120 --> 00:37:26,560 Speaker 1: guessing because their turret is in yardage. So you range 656 00:37:26,600 --> 00:37:30,040 Speaker 1: the barrett six and fifty yards and you put you 657 00:37:30,280 --> 00:37:32,200 Speaker 1: turn the turret to six fifty and you put the 658 00:37:32,239 --> 00:37:34,920 Speaker 1: cross hairs exactly where you want to hit. And so 659 00:37:36,120 --> 00:37:39,560 Speaker 1: that's exactly what we did. I the only thing that 660 00:37:39,560 --> 00:37:45,279 Speaker 1: we didn't calculate for was the wind. And I've got 661 00:37:45,280 --> 00:37:49,040 Speaker 1: a super good prone to position rest rest on the backpack. 662 00:37:49,160 --> 00:37:51,600 Speaker 1: Had you take your beanie off, put the beanie on 663 00:37:51,680 --> 00:37:56,440 Speaker 1: the back butt of the gun, I squeeze the trigger 664 00:37:56,880 --> 00:38:00,759 Speaker 1: and fully confident that this bear is gonna hit the dirt. 665 00:38:01,239 --> 00:38:05,000 Speaker 1: I've I've shot extensively at long range with this gun 666 00:38:05,480 --> 00:38:08,600 Speaker 1: out well beyond six hund fifty yards, and and that 667 00:38:08,640 --> 00:38:11,440 Speaker 1: would be about the effective range that I feel like 668 00:38:11,440 --> 00:38:13,680 Speaker 1: I would shoot an animal for real, I wouldn't. I 669 00:38:13,719 --> 00:38:16,120 Speaker 1: wouldn't want to shoot one much further than that, just 670 00:38:16,200 --> 00:38:20,400 Speaker 1: because I do know my capabilities and uh and and 671 00:38:20,480 --> 00:38:25,200 Speaker 1: honestly I can hit and this is not this is 672 00:38:25,239 --> 00:38:29,600 Speaker 1: not uh. This can't be equated to how good the 673 00:38:29,640 --> 00:38:31,640 Speaker 1: best of the west rifles are because they're actually better 674 00:38:31,719 --> 00:38:35,960 Speaker 1: than this. But I Clay Knucomb can consistently hit something 675 00:38:36,040 --> 00:38:38,280 Speaker 1: the size of a beach ball at eight hundred yards 676 00:38:38,360 --> 00:38:41,400 Speaker 1: with a two point prone rest. That's a good So, 677 00:38:41,520 --> 00:38:43,880 Speaker 1: I mean, that's pretty pretty good shooting size of a 678 00:38:43,920 --> 00:38:47,480 Speaker 1: beach ball, so big black bear, I mean, that's within bounds. 679 00:38:48,239 --> 00:38:51,120 Speaker 1: But six fifty you know you're gonna drop that circle 680 00:38:51,160 --> 00:38:54,399 Speaker 1: down just a little bit smaller. So totally a legitimate shot. 681 00:38:54,440 --> 00:38:57,040 Speaker 1: But well, we didn't calculate was the wind Kolbe and 682 00:38:57,160 --> 00:38:59,160 Speaker 1: there was a cross wind, and at the time from 683 00:38:59,200 --> 00:39:01,160 Speaker 1: where we were at there wasn't much of a wind. 684 00:39:01,920 --> 00:39:05,240 Speaker 1: We couldn't we couldn't really feel a wind anyway. Soon 685 00:39:05,320 --> 00:39:07,920 Speaker 1: after we shot, we realized there was a cross wind 686 00:39:07,960 --> 00:39:10,759 Speaker 1: in this canyon. You saw the bullet hit far to 687 00:39:10,840 --> 00:39:15,640 Speaker 1: the right of the bear, and the bear was unhit. Yeah, 688 00:39:15,840 --> 00:39:19,400 Speaker 1: he scampered off up the mountain, looking around, trying to 689 00:39:19,400 --> 00:39:22,120 Speaker 1: figure what was happened. You know, heard a clap of thunder, 690 00:39:22,239 --> 00:39:26,399 Speaker 1: heard the dirt pop off to his left, and there's 691 00:39:26,520 --> 00:39:30,279 Speaker 1: right and uh so here we are in day one. 692 00:39:30,560 --> 00:39:33,920 Speaker 1: We've just traveled I believe at this point where like 693 00:39:34,400 --> 00:39:37,080 Speaker 1: twelve or thirteen miles I'm not sure away from the 694 00:39:37,120 --> 00:39:41,240 Speaker 1: truck per the amount we've traveled per on x Okay 695 00:39:42,080 --> 00:39:46,960 Speaker 1: and um the so we're in pretty deep and it's 696 00:39:47,000 --> 00:39:51,279 Speaker 1: like six o'clock and it's way too far to go 697 00:39:51,400 --> 00:39:54,000 Speaker 1: back to get to the truck. I mean, if we 698 00:39:54,080 --> 00:39:55,640 Speaker 1: if we went back the way we came, we'd be 699 00:39:55,760 --> 00:40:00,319 Speaker 1: riding for several hours in the dark. Um And it's 700 00:40:00,360 --> 00:40:03,360 Speaker 1: at this point that we have to make a decision 701 00:40:03,880 --> 00:40:08,120 Speaker 1: about how we're gonna get out of here. And it's 702 00:40:08,160 --> 00:40:09,880 Speaker 1: the only time in my hunting career that I've actually 703 00:40:09,960 --> 00:40:11,960 Speaker 1: thought that I was gonna have to stay the night 704 00:40:12,200 --> 00:40:15,160 Speaker 1: unplanned on the mountain. It was it was getting cold, 705 00:40:15,200 --> 00:40:18,040 Speaker 1: it was getting down below freezing at night. We had 706 00:40:18,040 --> 00:40:21,399 Speaker 1: no tent, no sleeping bag, no water. I think I'd 707 00:40:21,440 --> 00:40:24,000 Speaker 1: probably had my jet boil, may have had a jet 708 00:40:24,080 --> 00:40:26,399 Speaker 1: boil like for I'm not sure if I had brought 709 00:40:26,400 --> 00:40:29,280 Speaker 1: any food, but I had jet boil for making coffee. 710 00:40:29,320 --> 00:40:31,279 Speaker 1: I think we had some Becca bars, had some beck 711 00:40:31,360 --> 00:40:35,600 Speaker 1: Of bars. Becca bars are our friend Rebecca Spring makes 712 00:40:35,640 --> 00:40:42,400 Speaker 1: these uh granola chocolate chip raising not raising like cranberry 713 00:40:42,440 --> 00:40:46,439 Speaker 1: dried cranberry big bars with all They're good, so good 714 00:40:46,560 --> 00:40:48,799 Speaker 1: beck Of bars. We I did. We did have some 715 00:40:48,840 --> 00:40:53,440 Speaker 1: Beca Bars. And as we're coming out of there, I 716 00:40:53,520 --> 00:40:55,399 Speaker 1: was it was the only time I've really thought we're 717 00:40:55,400 --> 00:40:57,080 Speaker 1: gonna have to stay the night on the mountain. I 718 00:40:57,160 --> 00:41:01,280 Speaker 1: was envisioned taking the wool saddle pad off my mule 719 00:41:01,360 --> 00:41:04,600 Speaker 1: and using it as a blanket and widen up underneath it, 720 00:41:04,680 --> 00:41:07,600 Speaker 1: and all I really thought there was no other way. 721 00:41:07,880 --> 00:41:11,840 Speaker 1: And at this point is when we pull out the 722 00:41:12,000 --> 00:41:15,680 Speaker 1: on X our on X on our phones and we 723 00:41:15,840 --> 00:41:19,719 Speaker 1: find a route that we previously had not seen that 724 00:41:19,920 --> 00:41:24,560 Speaker 1: came through. It was it was a legal route to 725 00:41:24,600 --> 00:41:28,080 Speaker 1: get out of this place that took us directly down 726 00:41:28,719 --> 00:41:30,840 Speaker 1: the mountain, and we found it. And I want to 727 00:41:30,840 --> 00:41:34,040 Speaker 1: take just a second here to talk about and this 728 00:41:34,120 --> 00:41:36,640 Speaker 1: is an un this is this is a just an 729 00:41:36,719 --> 00:41:41,439 Speaker 1: off the cuff plug for on X. Ridiculously good. And 730 00:41:41,600 --> 00:41:43,400 Speaker 1: I said this while we were on the mountain colbe 731 00:41:43,400 --> 00:41:46,239 Speaker 1: People talk about fair chase these days, you know what 732 00:41:46,320 --> 00:41:49,280 Speaker 1: makes a fair chase hunt? I mean, just let's hunt 733 00:41:49,320 --> 00:41:52,160 Speaker 1: like they did five years ago when it was just 734 00:41:52,320 --> 00:41:56,160 Speaker 1: man versus beast and no technology camp bait bears talk 735 00:41:56,200 --> 00:41:59,719 Speaker 1: about fair chase. Man on X ought to be not 736 00:42:00,040 --> 00:42:04,920 Speaker 1: fair chase. And I'm joking, I'm exaggerating to make a 737 00:42:04,960 --> 00:42:09,360 Speaker 1: point about how good these this on X mapping system is. 738 00:42:09,400 --> 00:42:10,920 Speaker 1: We would not have been able to do what we 739 00:42:10,960 --> 00:42:14,040 Speaker 1: did in six days of hunting. Without on X, would 740 00:42:14,040 --> 00:42:15,879 Speaker 1: have been lost. We would have been lost. We would 741 00:42:15,880 --> 00:42:17,640 Speaker 1: have been we wouldn't have been able to find roads, 742 00:42:17,719 --> 00:42:19,880 Speaker 1: we wouldn't have been able to find private land boundaries 743 00:42:20,239 --> 00:42:23,719 Speaker 1: like ridiculous with on X. I joke. I joke all 744 00:42:23,760 --> 00:42:26,520 Speaker 1: the time with people about like they're upset with us 745 00:42:26,520 --> 00:42:30,600 Speaker 1: for using bait for bears, for using hounds for bears, 746 00:42:30,600 --> 00:42:32,799 Speaker 1: saying that that's fair chase. Let me tell you what's 747 00:42:32,840 --> 00:42:36,520 Speaker 1: not fair chase. Using on X. I'm obviously joking. I 748 00:42:36,560 --> 00:42:38,040 Speaker 1: think we should be able to use on X. It 749 00:42:38,080 --> 00:42:40,600 Speaker 1: makes the back country experience better. But there's all these 750 00:42:40,600 --> 00:42:44,360 Speaker 1: different ways to evaluate how we gain advantage over an animal. 751 00:42:44,560 --> 00:42:47,160 Speaker 1: And for someone to turn a blind eye to optics, 752 00:42:47,840 --> 00:42:51,239 Speaker 1: do you think, uh, prehistoric man had optics. We would 753 00:42:51,280 --> 00:42:54,640 Speaker 1: have never found this bear without high quality optics on 754 00:42:54,680 --> 00:42:57,600 Speaker 1: the first night from three or four miles away. So, 755 00:42:57,640 --> 00:43:00,279 Speaker 1: I mean, people have to if people are are not 756 00:43:00,360 --> 00:43:03,239 Speaker 1: wanting to be powerfully hypocritical, they've got to be real 757 00:43:03,360 --> 00:43:06,640 Speaker 1: careful about where they pass judgment on ways that people hunt. 758 00:43:06,760 --> 00:43:10,480 Speaker 1: And obviously at Bear Hunting Magazine we are pro predator 759 00:43:10,600 --> 00:43:15,360 Speaker 1: hunting in every legal method, hunting that's based upon science 760 00:43:15,719 --> 00:43:19,400 Speaker 1: for regulating predator populations for the good of the whole ecosystem, 761 00:43:19,480 --> 00:43:21,279 Speaker 1: for the good of the ungulates, and for the good 762 00:43:21,280 --> 00:43:26,160 Speaker 1: of the bears themselves. And so hounds, bait, trapping, whatever 763 00:43:26,480 --> 00:43:29,560 Speaker 1: is legal, we gotta we gotta maintain it and inside 764 00:43:29,600 --> 00:43:31,600 Speaker 1: the honey. And this is a perfect segue into my 765 00:43:31,680 --> 00:43:33,839 Speaker 1: pet peeve is that there's all these people that are 766 00:43:33,880 --> 00:43:38,000 Speaker 1: big game hunters and and don't understand baiting and hounds 767 00:43:38,000 --> 00:43:43,080 Speaker 1: and these different things, and sometimes by their but inadvertently 768 00:43:43,160 --> 00:43:46,920 Speaker 1: they are actually against us in some way by the 769 00:43:46,960 --> 00:43:49,080 Speaker 1: way the stands that they take on these things, and 770 00:43:49,120 --> 00:43:52,680 Speaker 1: that's hurting the whole hunting community. And so we can 771 00:43:52,760 --> 00:43:57,880 Speaker 1: use bait, Well, you get to use on XA. I 772 00:43:57,880 --> 00:44:00,359 Speaker 1: hope that point is clear. It's it's kind of a joke, 773 00:44:00,480 --> 00:44:05,040 Speaker 1: but baiting man on X with baiting is basically equivalent 774 00:44:05,080 --> 00:44:09,120 Speaker 1: to hunting out of a helicopter with a machine gun. 775 00:44:09,719 --> 00:44:14,440 Speaker 1: Ted nugent, ted nugent helicopter machine gun is equivalent to 776 00:44:15,000 --> 00:44:19,400 Speaker 1: baiting bear. Using on X with Colby moorehead yeah, okay, 777 00:44:19,440 --> 00:44:23,359 Speaker 1: bam and smoke yeah, smoke. You should not be fair chase. Yeah, 778 00:44:23,360 --> 00:44:27,239 Speaker 1: smokey is not a fair chase. So we're we're in 779 00:44:27,280 --> 00:44:28,960 Speaker 1: a predicament. We think we're gonna to spend the night. 780 00:44:29,200 --> 00:44:32,880 Speaker 1: We basically navigate our way through some private land and 781 00:44:32,960 --> 00:44:36,239 Speaker 1: find a way out, okay, and we end up at 782 00:44:36,360 --> 00:44:39,320 Speaker 1: dark riding up to the house that we were staying 783 00:44:39,360 --> 00:44:42,160 Speaker 1: at the night before. We're supposed to be driving our 784 00:44:42,200 --> 00:44:44,600 Speaker 1: truck back to this plate. Well, we actually we're gonna camp. 785 00:44:45,040 --> 00:44:48,560 Speaker 1: We ride our mules down these like paved roads and 786 00:44:48,600 --> 00:44:52,040 Speaker 1: get back to our hosts home, knock on their door 787 00:44:52,080 --> 00:44:54,680 Speaker 1: and like, hey, could we borrow your truck to go 788 00:44:54,800 --> 00:44:57,440 Speaker 1: get our truck and we had gone about eighteen and 789 00:44:57,480 --> 00:44:59,920 Speaker 1: a half miles that day, which is an incredible day. 790 00:45:00,000 --> 00:45:03,400 Speaker 1: And you know, to me that is a power that 791 00:45:03,400 --> 00:45:06,919 Speaker 1: that day was an iconic experience for big game hunt 792 00:45:06,960 --> 00:45:09,200 Speaker 1: big game hunting for me. I mean, we worked our 793 00:45:09,200 --> 00:45:12,440 Speaker 1: tails off, went into New country, found the bear that 794 00:45:12,480 --> 00:45:14,400 Speaker 1: we were after, got a shot at the bear we 795 00:45:14,400 --> 00:45:19,040 Speaker 1: were after, failed, got in a sticky situation with daylight. 796 00:45:19,320 --> 00:45:20,759 Speaker 1: I thought we're gonna have to spend the night on 797 00:45:20,800 --> 00:45:26,600 Speaker 1: the mountain without provisions, ended up using technology to navigate through, 798 00:45:27,280 --> 00:45:30,800 Speaker 1: and ended up back to where we're going after dark. 799 00:45:30,920 --> 00:45:34,080 Speaker 1: But after a hard, long day and after day like that, 800 00:45:34,120 --> 00:45:37,960 Speaker 1: you do feel accomplished. You don't feel victorious because if 801 00:45:37,960 --> 00:45:40,080 Speaker 1: we had killed the bear, we'd have felt victorious, But 802 00:45:40,160 --> 00:45:45,399 Speaker 1: you feel accomplished. I feel victorious just for surviving. Yeah, yeah, 803 00:45:45,560 --> 00:45:49,560 Speaker 1: you did get man. You when when you rode eighteen 804 00:45:49,560 --> 00:45:52,359 Speaker 1: miles and stayed on that day, I was like, we're 805 00:45:52,360 --> 00:45:55,400 Speaker 1: gonna be okay. Yeah, Kobe and I and I actually 806 00:45:55,480 --> 00:45:57,880 Speaker 1: thought I was right. I knew he could do it, 807 00:45:58,360 --> 00:46:01,919 Speaker 1: and you knew you could do it too. Mostly, there's 808 00:46:01,960 --> 00:46:04,200 Speaker 1: a lot of people that couldn't have though, And I say, 809 00:46:04,239 --> 00:46:06,719 Speaker 1: that as a compliment to you. I remember just like 810 00:46:06,800 --> 00:46:08,719 Speaker 1: my legs giving out one of the times that we 811 00:46:08,760 --> 00:46:10,640 Speaker 1: had to lead, and I was just kind of like 812 00:46:10,760 --> 00:46:12,840 Speaker 1: I had that Grandpa walk down the mountain. It was 813 00:46:12,920 --> 00:46:17,840 Speaker 1: like angles, angles, but just like a little like half steps. Yeah. Well, 814 00:46:17,880 --> 00:46:20,799 Speaker 1: it was a great day. So let's let's skip through 815 00:46:20,840 --> 00:46:23,520 Speaker 1: the next two days. Basically, the next two days were 816 00:46:23,680 --> 00:46:27,279 Speaker 1: fairly uneventful. We tried some new areas, we went into 817 00:46:27,320 --> 00:46:30,560 Speaker 1: some new places. We we stayed overnight at one place, 818 00:46:30,960 --> 00:46:34,160 Speaker 1: Glass the Big Valley. The next morning Glass of the 819 00:46:34,200 --> 00:46:38,319 Speaker 1: same valley. Didn't see any bears on the second day, 820 00:46:39,320 --> 00:46:42,879 Speaker 1: third day, we ended up having to come back out 821 00:46:42,960 --> 00:46:46,799 Speaker 1: for some provisions, for some water, to charge some batteries, 822 00:46:47,320 --> 00:46:49,560 Speaker 1: went back up on the mountain where we shot the 823 00:46:49,600 --> 00:46:52,200 Speaker 1: bear on the first day. We got up there, spent 824 00:46:52,280 --> 00:46:57,200 Speaker 1: the evening glassing and did not see a bear that evening. 825 00:46:58,400 --> 00:47:00,120 Speaker 1: That's correct, we didn't see a bear. There were two 826 00:47:00,160 --> 00:47:03,680 Speaker 1: days we didn't see bear, I think, so let's just 827 00:47:03,719 --> 00:47:07,040 Speaker 1: say that for all purposes, we we certainly didn't put 828 00:47:07,040 --> 00:47:09,400 Speaker 1: a stock on a bear on day three. It was 829 00:47:09,520 --> 00:47:13,160 Speaker 1: day four when things started heating up. But on day 830 00:47:13,440 --> 00:47:17,919 Speaker 1: day so the morning of day four is when from 831 00:47:17,920 --> 00:47:22,160 Speaker 1: our camp and by this time we've now spent two 832 00:47:22,239 --> 00:47:25,160 Speaker 1: nights in the back country and we're camping up where 833 00:47:25,200 --> 00:47:28,600 Speaker 1: we missed the bear on the first day. We're overlooking 834 00:47:28,640 --> 00:47:33,640 Speaker 1: this big draw. It's a burn area, so there's patchy timber, 835 00:47:33,760 --> 00:47:37,960 Speaker 1: but you can see in multiple directions long distance. And 836 00:47:38,000 --> 00:47:39,799 Speaker 1: the thing about hunting up here is like you could 837 00:47:39,840 --> 00:47:42,600 Speaker 1: see a bear, like have a clear sight of a bear, 838 00:47:43,040 --> 00:47:46,000 Speaker 1: but him be hours away from you. And that's what 839 00:47:46,040 --> 00:47:48,160 Speaker 1: it's hard for people to understand. It's hard for me 840 00:47:48,239 --> 00:47:50,680 Speaker 1: to understand. Like sometimes when I think about hunting the West, 841 00:47:50,719 --> 00:47:54,239 Speaker 1: I'm just like, well, there's a bear, go go kill it. Man. 842 00:47:54,239 --> 00:47:56,440 Speaker 1: It is not that easy. I think. The other thing 843 00:47:56,520 --> 00:47:58,440 Speaker 1: about where we were camping was the fact that the 844 00:47:58,480 --> 00:48:01,040 Speaker 1: wind was great for where where we weren't gonna be 845 00:48:01,040 --> 00:48:03,160 Speaker 1: blowing out a lot of a lot of bears if 846 00:48:03,200 --> 00:48:05,319 Speaker 1: they were close, you know. It's the way we came 847 00:48:05,360 --> 00:48:08,520 Speaker 1: in with the wind that just was blowing our scent 848 00:48:08,719 --> 00:48:11,120 Speaker 1: away from the areas where we had seen that before. 849 00:48:11,480 --> 00:48:13,040 Speaker 1: And so I think I don't think we would have 850 00:48:13,080 --> 00:48:14,840 Speaker 1: camped there if we didn't have the new access to 851 00:48:14,880 --> 00:48:17,400 Speaker 1: come in from that other direction. But it would end 852 00:48:17,480 --> 00:48:19,520 Speaker 1: up being perfect well, and we hadn't talked about the 853 00:48:19,520 --> 00:48:23,480 Speaker 1: new access yet. We we skipped over that. We we 854 00:48:23,640 --> 00:48:27,839 Speaker 1: basically looked up a landowner, went and contacted him by 855 00:48:27,880 --> 00:48:31,160 Speaker 1: phone and just said, hey, we're from Arkansas. We kind 856 00:48:31,160 --> 00:48:34,319 Speaker 1: of pulled the Arkansas mule card, which gets a lot 857 00:48:34,360 --> 00:48:38,439 Speaker 1: of sympathy and empathy seems to um and we're like, hey, 858 00:48:38,480 --> 00:48:41,919 Speaker 1: we're bear hunting. Would it be possible to go through 859 00:48:41,960 --> 00:48:44,879 Speaker 1: your land? And he was like, sure, no problem if 860 00:48:44,920 --> 00:48:47,759 Speaker 1: people ask, I don't have any problem and uh. And 861 00:48:47,840 --> 00:48:49,520 Speaker 1: I said, well, thank you so much. And I said 862 00:48:49,560 --> 00:48:51,719 Speaker 1: I want to come by and meet you and and 863 00:48:51,760 --> 00:48:53,359 Speaker 1: he was like, well, okay, if you want to do that. 864 00:48:53,520 --> 00:48:55,319 Speaker 1: We went over and shook his hand, talked to him 865 00:48:55,320 --> 00:48:57,880 Speaker 1: for a minute. He was an old outfitter, petted the dogs, 866 00:48:58,040 --> 00:49:01,880 Speaker 1: petted his dogs. That was key. Yeah, we accept your 867 00:49:01,880 --> 00:49:05,719 Speaker 1: animals too. So we we gained access and that's the 868 00:49:05,760 --> 00:49:07,279 Speaker 1: reason we're able to get back in there. I'm glad 869 00:49:07,320 --> 00:49:09,920 Speaker 1: you said that, because that sometimes these stories all come together. 870 00:49:10,320 --> 00:49:12,360 Speaker 1: The first day we had to ride twelve miles to 871 00:49:12,520 --> 00:49:15,280 Speaker 1: get to that spot. Now we only had to ride 872 00:49:15,280 --> 00:49:17,480 Speaker 1: three or four miles to get to that spot because 873 00:49:17,520 --> 00:49:22,760 Speaker 1: of the access we had. So day four, we're glassing 874 00:49:23,200 --> 00:49:26,600 Speaker 1: and you spot a bear across the canyon at nine 875 00:49:26,600 --> 00:49:29,920 Speaker 1: o'clock in the morning. Somehow, somehow, it's just like a 876 00:49:29,960 --> 00:49:33,160 Speaker 1: little opening between the trees. And I spotted him, and 877 00:49:33,200 --> 00:49:36,320 Speaker 1: then whenever I came and told you came back, we 878 00:49:36,320 --> 00:49:39,480 Speaker 1: couldn't find him. Yeah, you were just like, I know, 879 00:49:39,560 --> 00:49:42,239 Speaker 1: it was a bear there, and it looked like you. 880 00:49:42,400 --> 00:49:44,239 Speaker 1: I remember you saying it looked like a good bear. 881 00:49:44,680 --> 00:49:47,600 Speaker 1: I mean, just a mature just a just a solid bear. 882 00:49:48,400 --> 00:49:51,720 Speaker 1: And and so from there we were glass and glass 883 00:49:51,719 --> 00:49:53,759 Speaker 1: and glass, try to find us bear. Again, we can't 884 00:49:53,760 --> 00:49:56,279 Speaker 1: find him, but there's a lot of timber over there, 885 00:49:56,280 --> 00:49:59,640 Speaker 1: so we just figure he's in the timber. Well, we 886 00:49:59,800 --> 00:50:04,240 Speaker 1: just ide to go down the mountain to get directly across. 887 00:50:04,600 --> 00:50:06,719 Speaker 1: Didn't you glass him before we made the move, Like 888 00:50:07,440 --> 00:50:11,279 Speaker 1: right before we moved. I we finally found him at 889 00:50:11,320 --> 00:50:14,000 Speaker 1: two hours later. It was at eleven o'clock. He was 890 00:50:14,040 --> 00:50:18,400 Speaker 1: walking down that logging road about probably a quarter mile 891 00:50:18,520 --> 00:50:21,680 Speaker 1: from where you originally saw him, and he yeah, you're right, 892 00:50:21,680 --> 00:50:23,239 Speaker 1: he was walking down the logging road and we saw 893 00:50:23,320 --> 00:50:26,400 Speaker 1: him disappear into a little patch of timber. Yeah, do 894 00:50:26,440 --> 00:50:30,120 Speaker 1: you remember, and and that's actually where I ended up 895 00:50:30,320 --> 00:50:34,439 Speaker 1: spoiler alert killing the bear. The next day, we see 896 00:50:34,560 --> 00:50:36,200 Speaker 1: him going to this patch of timber and we're like, okay, 897 00:50:36,200 --> 00:50:39,880 Speaker 1: he's in that timber. We gotta get down across the 898 00:50:39,920 --> 00:50:42,960 Speaker 1: canyon from him and watch that block of timber until 899 00:50:43,000 --> 00:50:46,440 Speaker 1: he comes out. So we we ride the mules, uh, 900 00:50:46,600 --> 00:50:50,439 Speaker 1: probably a mile from our camp. We led him away, well, 901 00:50:50,440 --> 00:50:52,640 Speaker 1: we had to lead him because we we had to 902 00:50:53,560 --> 00:50:55,360 Speaker 1: traverse or a bunch of stuff where it was in 903 00:50:55,560 --> 00:50:59,759 Speaker 1: trails or anything. And we we got directly across the 904 00:50:59,800 --> 00:51:02,120 Speaker 1: camp Indian from this bear and just staked him out. 905 00:51:02,200 --> 00:51:05,719 Speaker 1: I remember we got there, I don't know, twelve thirty 906 00:51:05,840 --> 00:51:08,120 Speaker 1: or one o'clock something like that. And and and the 907 00:51:08,120 --> 00:51:11,279 Speaker 1: whole time we're riding, we we we saw the bear 908 00:51:11,320 --> 00:51:13,120 Speaker 1: going to the timber to eleven. The whole time we're riding, 909 00:51:13,160 --> 00:51:16,120 Speaker 1: we're glass in this like making sure he doesn't leave. 910 00:51:16,800 --> 00:51:19,440 Speaker 1: And we finally get over there and we're confident that 911 00:51:19,480 --> 00:51:21,239 Speaker 1: he's still there. We felt like if he had left, 912 00:51:21,280 --> 00:51:23,719 Speaker 1: we'd have seen him. We just set up camp. We're 913 00:51:23,760 --> 00:51:28,320 Speaker 1: still probably six seven yards away across the canyon. Wind 914 00:51:28,440 --> 00:51:31,279 Speaker 1: is perfect, It's never gonna hurt us. And we just 915 00:51:31,320 --> 00:51:34,359 Speaker 1: set up camp right there, metaphorical camp. We just sit 916 00:51:34,440 --> 00:51:39,760 Speaker 1: down and glass um. While we are sitting there waiting 917 00:51:39,760 --> 00:51:44,360 Speaker 1: for this bear. At four o'clock, a bear appears a 918 00:51:44,440 --> 00:51:46,919 Speaker 1: hundred and twenty six yards away from us, on our 919 00:51:47,000 --> 00:51:51,880 Speaker 1: side of the mountain. And I'm sleeping, Colby's asleep, dead asleep. 920 00:51:52,040 --> 00:51:54,319 Speaker 1: I wake up the rocks being chunked at me. Yeah, 921 00:51:54,360 --> 00:51:58,319 Speaker 1: I sorry, cold, is like ten ft away. Um, laying 922 00:51:58,360 --> 00:52:00,840 Speaker 1: down on the other side of this log, and I 923 00:52:01,920 --> 00:52:06,239 Speaker 1: hollered at you first, you know, uh, muffled holler, you know, 924 00:52:06,400 --> 00:52:08,919 Speaker 1: call me, call me and you And so I picked 925 00:52:08,960 --> 00:52:11,640 Speaker 1: up a rock and through it hit you. You did it, 926 00:52:11,640 --> 00:52:15,279 Speaker 1: didn't budge you through another one bam. And then your 927 00:52:15,280 --> 00:52:18,040 Speaker 1: eyes popped open and I said, there's a bear right here, 928 00:52:18,400 --> 00:52:22,719 Speaker 1: and you jump up, grab the camera. The bear is 929 00:52:22,760 --> 00:52:26,600 Speaker 1: walking directly towards us, And pretty quickly I was able 930 00:52:26,640 --> 00:52:28,759 Speaker 1: to evaluate that it wasn't a bear that I was 931 00:52:28,840 --> 00:52:32,160 Speaker 1: interested in taking. But it still took a few minutes. 932 00:52:32,200 --> 00:52:34,680 Speaker 1: I just wanted to make sure it wasn't, you know, 933 00:52:34,719 --> 00:52:39,439 Speaker 1: a shooter bear, and and you had a tag. And 934 00:52:40,120 --> 00:52:42,080 Speaker 1: after watching the bear for just too short I mean, 935 00:52:42,080 --> 00:52:44,560 Speaker 1: just the second that I realized I didn't want to 936 00:52:44,600 --> 00:52:46,719 Speaker 1: shoot it. I said, do you want to shoot that bear? 937 00:52:47,200 --> 00:52:51,239 Speaker 1: And you said yes, I do, yeah, And and so 938 00:52:51,400 --> 00:52:55,359 Speaker 1: we switched places. You jump on the gun. This bear 939 00:52:55,480 --> 00:52:58,120 Speaker 1: doesn't know we're here, and he's walking straight towards us 940 00:52:58,120 --> 00:53:00,799 Speaker 1: down the road like feeding on grass. Im And in 941 00:53:00,840 --> 00:53:02,880 Speaker 1: my mind when you jumped down on the gun, it 942 00:53:03,000 --> 00:53:05,239 Speaker 1: was like, we're gonna be skinning a bear in about 943 00:53:05,320 --> 00:53:09,600 Speaker 1: twenty minutes. And uh, what happened. As soon as I 944 00:53:09,680 --> 00:53:12,640 Speaker 1: touched the gun, that bear just decided he was gonna 945 00:53:12,640 --> 00:53:14,600 Speaker 1: go up a path up the forest. Like I don't 946 00:53:14,600 --> 00:53:16,920 Speaker 1: think he knew we were there. It just he just 947 00:53:17,040 --> 00:53:20,600 Speaker 1: kind of just went up through the trees, never had 948 00:53:20,600 --> 00:53:23,920 Speaker 1: a shot. I mean, it was miraculous. Yeah. And then 949 00:53:23,920 --> 00:53:27,200 Speaker 1: when later we had what two coyotes that came up 950 00:53:27,239 --> 00:53:32,160 Speaker 1: and went up that same path, so like step for step, 951 00:53:32,600 --> 00:53:37,440 Speaker 1: called the same path as that bear. So Colby Colby's 952 00:53:37,440 --> 00:53:41,080 Speaker 1: opportunity slipped through his hands, which truly, I I I 953 00:53:41,600 --> 00:53:43,799 Speaker 1: that's the only part of the trip that I look 954 00:53:43,880 --> 00:53:45,920 Speaker 1: back on now and I just wish it had been different, 955 00:53:45,920 --> 00:53:47,400 Speaker 1: because it would have been awesome if you to kill 956 00:53:47,480 --> 00:53:49,200 Speaker 1: the bear, and you know, the rest of the trip, 957 00:53:49,239 --> 00:53:54,799 Speaker 1: you never got an opportunity to um. So when that 958 00:53:54,840 --> 00:53:58,520 Speaker 1: bear leaves, we continued to watch across the hillside for 959 00:53:58,560 --> 00:54:02,040 Speaker 1: the big bear. He never showed. Was never shows, never shows, 960 00:54:02,320 --> 00:54:06,200 Speaker 1: never shows. Finally it gets like seven o'clock, seven thirty. 961 00:54:06,440 --> 00:54:10,120 Speaker 1: We've been sitting there since one or two. Yeah, we've 962 00:54:10,120 --> 00:54:11,719 Speaker 1: been sitting there for six hour. I think we sit 963 00:54:11,800 --> 00:54:15,440 Speaker 1: there for six hours, and um, we decided that we're 964 00:54:15,440 --> 00:54:18,360 Speaker 1: gonna walk down the trail to get a little bit 965 00:54:18,480 --> 00:54:21,640 Speaker 1: different vantage point. We go down to that vantage point 966 00:54:21,680 --> 00:54:23,239 Speaker 1: and we leave the mules where they are. We leave 967 00:54:23,280 --> 00:54:29,000 Speaker 1: the mules, we start glassing, and what do we spy Blondie, 968 00:54:29,520 --> 00:54:35,800 Speaker 1: a spectacular blonde bear down weighed down in the canyon. 969 00:54:35,920 --> 00:54:38,880 Speaker 1: We've been kind of looking up high pretty much. People 970 00:54:38,960 --> 00:54:41,239 Speaker 1: had told me, and what we had seen was that 971 00:54:41,360 --> 00:54:44,480 Speaker 1: the bears were between four and six thousand feet that's 972 00:54:44,520 --> 00:54:47,640 Speaker 1: just typically where they were. Well, this bear was probably 973 00:54:48,040 --> 00:54:51,720 Speaker 1: three thousand feet down in the bottom of this valley. 974 00:54:51,880 --> 00:54:54,919 Speaker 1: And it was Man, I'll never forget finding that bear 975 00:54:55,080 --> 00:54:57,480 Speaker 1: in the by nose because when I first came out 976 00:54:57,480 --> 00:54:59,480 Speaker 1: and the bear wasn't moving, it just looked like this 977 00:54:59,640 --> 00:55:03,319 Speaker 1: br out of place yellow dot and I was just like, 978 00:55:04,280 --> 00:55:06,440 Speaker 1: no way, that's a color face bear. But dang, it 979 00:55:06,480 --> 00:55:08,880 Speaker 1: sure looks like one. It's but was facing me so 980 00:55:08,880 --> 00:55:10,839 Speaker 1: I couldn't see it's profile. I can see this just 981 00:55:10,880 --> 00:55:16,279 Speaker 1: like bright blond, yellow hump. I get to watching it 982 00:55:16,600 --> 00:55:20,000 Speaker 1: and it didn't move. But before it I just I 983 00:55:20,080 --> 00:55:23,640 Speaker 1: was like, that's a bear, color face bear. And finally 984 00:55:23,680 --> 00:55:26,000 Speaker 1: it moved. I saw its head and I was like, 985 00:55:26,160 --> 00:55:29,120 Speaker 1: that is a color face bear. Ranged and it was 986 00:55:29,160 --> 00:55:32,560 Speaker 1: seven dred yards away. I'm like, Kobe, we got to 987 00:55:32,560 --> 00:55:37,439 Speaker 1: get down there quick. We barrel off the mountain and 988 00:55:37,640 --> 00:55:41,600 Speaker 1: uh get pretty quickly within three and fifty yards of 989 00:55:41,640 --> 00:55:44,759 Speaker 1: it wins in our favor. I get down on the 990 00:55:44,760 --> 00:55:47,000 Speaker 1: gun and I'm gonna take that shot three and fifty 991 00:55:47,040 --> 00:55:51,440 Speaker 1: yards um and dial it in and the bear just 992 00:55:51,600 --> 00:55:54,000 Speaker 1: kind of is it is actually moving away from us. 993 00:55:54,040 --> 00:55:56,040 Speaker 1: So by the time I get down, I just almost 994 00:55:56,080 --> 00:55:58,680 Speaker 1: squeeze the trigger a couple of times, but then like, no, no, 995 00:55:58,800 --> 00:56:01,240 Speaker 1: wait wait if I of the bear kind of goes 996 00:56:01,320 --> 00:56:03,520 Speaker 1: out of sight. So we pick up all our gear 997 00:56:04,200 --> 00:56:07,000 Speaker 1: bust after the bear, and then it kind of becomes 998 00:56:07,000 --> 00:56:10,360 Speaker 1: a rodeo of us, of me trying to get a 999 00:56:10,360 --> 00:56:12,239 Speaker 1: shot on this bear, and what ends up happening is 1000 00:56:12,280 --> 00:56:14,640 Speaker 1: we're on a road above this bear, you know, a 1001 00:56:14,680 --> 00:56:19,680 Speaker 1: logging road, just to shut off small overgrown logging road, 1002 00:56:20,200 --> 00:56:23,600 Speaker 1: not overgrown, but and and this bear is down a 1003 00:56:23,719 --> 00:56:27,120 Speaker 1: very steep hill directly below us, and we can just 1004 00:56:27,200 --> 00:56:28,920 Speaker 1: see parts of the bear, like I can see the 1005 00:56:28,920 --> 00:56:33,520 Speaker 1: top of the bears back. I can see. That's mainly 1006 00:56:33,560 --> 00:56:36,080 Speaker 1: the challenge I was faced with. I had your shooting sticks, 1007 00:56:36,440 --> 00:56:40,720 Speaker 1: and I'm looking downhill and just right at this bear. 1008 00:56:40,840 --> 00:56:44,080 Speaker 1: It's an odd shot angle. And basically we move up 1009 00:56:44,080 --> 00:56:47,759 Speaker 1: and down the road multiple times trying to get a 1010 00:56:47,840 --> 00:56:50,160 Speaker 1: shot on this bear. As it's moving down the mountain. 1011 00:56:50,200 --> 00:56:52,759 Speaker 1: It has no idea that we're directly above it. The 1012 00:56:52,760 --> 00:56:56,759 Speaker 1: therminals are going up at that point, and so it's 1013 00:56:56,840 --> 00:57:01,160 Speaker 1: I mean, this is about to happen. And I remember, 1014 00:57:01,239 --> 00:57:03,000 Speaker 1: right before I squeezed the trigger, I turned to you 1015 00:57:03,000 --> 00:57:05,160 Speaker 1: and I said, I don't think that's a very big bear. 1016 00:57:06,560 --> 00:57:10,200 Speaker 1: And now that I reflect on it, it was not 1017 00:57:10,320 --> 00:57:12,560 Speaker 1: a very big bear. I believe it was a soal 1018 00:57:12,800 --> 00:57:16,680 Speaker 1: most of these real bright colored bears out west or south. Well, 1019 00:57:16,680 --> 00:57:20,240 Speaker 1: we saw another sal that first day, right with two 1020 00:57:20,320 --> 00:57:23,720 Speaker 1: cubs the color facials. Oh that's right, we did. We 1021 00:57:23,760 --> 00:57:25,600 Speaker 1: forgot about the first day we saw a sal two 1022 00:57:25,640 --> 00:57:30,800 Speaker 1: cups um. But here I am on the now the 1023 00:57:30,880 --> 00:57:34,160 Speaker 1: third trip to Montana. This is the closest I've been 1024 00:57:34,160 --> 00:57:37,400 Speaker 1: to a bear. And you know, from my position, I 1025 00:57:37,440 --> 00:57:40,560 Speaker 1: want to shoot older mature males. I mean I preached that, 1026 00:57:41,200 --> 00:57:44,000 Speaker 1: and I wasn't sure about this bear. I mean it's 1027 00:57:44,040 --> 00:57:47,400 Speaker 1: it was only upon reflection that I really I was like, yeah, 1028 00:57:47,600 --> 00:57:51,400 Speaker 1: that was a sow and uh, but I'm gonna take 1029 00:57:51,440 --> 00:57:56,080 Speaker 1: this bear. I mean the or fifteen cumulative day of 1030 00:57:56,160 --> 00:57:58,640 Speaker 1: hunting in Montana, three trips, I mean, this is a 1031 00:57:58,680 --> 00:58:02,080 Speaker 1: big deal. And and I've I've never I have that's 1032 00:58:02,160 --> 00:58:06,560 Speaker 1: the only bright blonde bear. Well, I have seen one 1033 00:58:06,560 --> 00:58:09,520 Speaker 1: in Saskatchewan. I take that back. I saw bright blond 1034 00:58:09,560 --> 00:58:14,000 Speaker 1: bear and Saskatchewan, but spectacular animal Western bear is this 1035 00:58:14,040 --> 00:58:16,560 Speaker 1: is this is where I want to take long story short, 1036 00:58:17,000 --> 00:58:21,000 Speaker 1: I bury the crosshairs on that bare shoulder and shoot. 1037 00:58:22,000 --> 00:58:23,920 Speaker 1: And now I hadn't even told you this. I went 1038 00:58:23,960 --> 00:58:26,400 Speaker 1: back and looked at the footage like just on the 1039 00:58:26,440 --> 00:58:30,800 Speaker 1: big screen, I was I was fourteen inches above that 1040 00:58:30,840 --> 00:58:36,360 Speaker 1: bears back. Well, I'm serious. The ground just it hits 1041 00:58:36,400 --> 00:58:39,560 Speaker 1: some rocks. I mean, it was that it was. I 1042 00:58:39,560 --> 00:58:41,960 Speaker 1: bet it was fourteen inches over that bears back. I'm 1043 00:58:41,960 --> 00:58:46,720 Speaker 1: glad they cameraman captured that you did right over the shoulder. Yeah, 1044 00:58:46,720 --> 00:58:49,160 Speaker 1: and they'll get to see it on bear horizon. I'm 1045 00:58:49,200 --> 00:58:52,960 Speaker 1: not ashamed to put it on there. And I missed 1046 00:58:52,960 --> 00:58:56,760 Speaker 1: the bear. It bounds off like a gazelle that I 1047 00:58:56,800 --> 00:59:00,800 Speaker 1: had the arc, the range compensating or the the angle 1048 00:59:00,840 --> 00:59:04,880 Speaker 1: comme sitting range finder, your vortex. Bam. The bear was 1049 00:59:05,000 --> 00:59:08,320 Speaker 1: fifty two yards. I think in in line of sight 1050 00:59:08,400 --> 00:59:10,560 Speaker 1: it was probably eighty yards. I mean it was that 1051 00:59:10,680 --> 00:59:15,400 Speaker 1: steep and uh to this day, and I wish someone 1052 00:59:15,440 --> 00:59:18,080 Speaker 1: could explain to me the gun of zero to two 1053 00:59:18,120 --> 00:59:24,320 Speaker 1: hundred yards. I had the gun at zero um, and 1054 00:59:25,040 --> 00:59:29,000 Speaker 1: I just put the crosshairs mid body. I mean, I 1055 00:59:29,040 --> 00:59:30,760 Speaker 1: was just thinking, you know, I might be an inch 1056 00:59:30,840 --> 00:59:33,520 Speaker 1: or too high. I really wasn't thinking, to be honest, 1057 00:59:34,000 --> 00:59:35,880 Speaker 1: but I mean I I had a rest, I was 1058 00:59:35,920 --> 00:59:41,160 Speaker 1: steady squeezed, and I was way high. So maybe somebody 1059 00:59:41,200 --> 00:59:43,560 Speaker 1: could give us some insight for why I missed. We 1060 00:59:43,560 --> 00:59:47,040 Speaker 1: we kind of speculated, and the bear bounds off and 1061 00:59:47,040 --> 00:59:50,840 Speaker 1: and that's it. And I actually went down there and 1062 00:59:51,520 --> 00:59:53,919 Speaker 1: you know, just made sure that the bear wasn't laying 1063 00:59:53,960 --> 00:59:56,520 Speaker 1: down there dead. You know, we looked. We actually came 1064 00:59:56,560 --> 00:59:59,080 Speaker 1: back the next day and looked for the bear. We 1065 00:59:59,080 --> 01:00:01,400 Speaker 1: we went way out of away, went down to the 1066 01:00:01,400 --> 01:00:04,960 Speaker 1: bottom of that drainage, scouted around down in there, and 1067 01:00:05,120 --> 01:00:10,120 Speaker 1: never the bear. The bear is still being a bear 1068 01:00:10,840 --> 01:00:14,920 Speaker 1: out there today. Man. So now it's day four and 1069 01:00:15,000 --> 01:00:19,160 Speaker 1: I've missed two bears. Well, but then i missed another one. 1070 01:00:19,160 --> 01:00:22,600 Speaker 1: I'm forgetting Kobe. No, no, but the end of that day, 1071 01:00:23,080 --> 01:00:25,160 Speaker 1: you went back for the mules, and I stayed there, 1072 01:00:25,240 --> 01:00:28,200 Speaker 1: and then I see the bear that we were immedially after, 1073 01:00:28,760 --> 01:00:31,640 Speaker 1: going back the opposite direction, like going the direction from 1074 01:00:31,640 --> 01:00:34,000 Speaker 1: which he came. And so we would have never had 1075 01:00:34,040 --> 01:00:36,360 Speaker 1: a play on that bear from where we were with 1076 01:00:36,480 --> 01:00:38,600 Speaker 1: what what he was doing. Yeah, So after we shoot 1077 01:00:38,680 --> 01:00:40,720 Speaker 1: this colored bear, we see the bear that we were 1078 01:00:40,760 --> 01:00:44,120 Speaker 1: originally after, and oh man, he just strutted down that 1079 01:00:44,160 --> 01:00:47,760 Speaker 1: mountains from us, not a care in the world, No 1080 01:00:47,840 --> 01:00:50,320 Speaker 1: way we could have got to him. I mean it 1081 01:00:50,400 --> 01:00:54,520 Speaker 1: was a but we did get intail from that that 1082 01:00:54,680 --> 01:00:57,080 Speaker 1: the bear was on that side of the mountain, and 1083 01:00:57,120 --> 01:00:59,320 Speaker 1: you know, we hoped he would still be there the 1084 01:00:59,360 --> 01:01:02,960 Speaker 1: next day. Yea. So we go back to our our 1085 01:01:03,120 --> 01:01:07,920 Speaker 1: backcountry camp and eat a couple of mountain houses. You didn't, 1086 01:01:08,080 --> 01:01:12,360 Speaker 1: I did. Um. I went into some mode where I 1087 01:01:12,360 --> 01:01:15,200 Speaker 1: just didn't hardly eat. Yeah, he really did. We he 1088 01:01:15,240 --> 01:01:17,240 Speaker 1: didn't really eat. And now that was the day that 1089 01:01:17,360 --> 01:01:20,480 Speaker 1: I well, by the time I dropped off the mountain 1090 01:01:20,640 --> 01:01:23,520 Speaker 1: and came back up, I think we figured out climbed 1091 01:01:23,520 --> 01:01:30,080 Speaker 1: about vertical feet that day. Um. Um. We we wake 1092 01:01:30,160 --> 01:01:32,560 Speaker 1: up the next morning. Let's just jump to the next day, 1093 01:01:32,600 --> 01:01:36,520 Speaker 1: which is day five, and uh, then we go out 1094 01:01:36,560 --> 01:01:39,640 Speaker 1: because we're needing water and stuff. I think that's right. Yeah, 1095 01:01:39,680 --> 01:01:42,400 Speaker 1: because we didn't hunt until that afternoon. Yeah, we had 1096 01:01:42,400 --> 01:01:44,600 Speaker 1: to for some reason, we had to come out. Yeah, 1097 01:01:44,840 --> 01:01:47,160 Speaker 1: we did go out. I think we needed water and 1098 01:01:47,280 --> 01:01:49,880 Speaker 1: just like different things. Yeah. I think that's the morning 1099 01:01:49,880 --> 01:01:53,640 Speaker 1: of the epic breakfast. Oh you're right. Yeah, Yeah, we 1100 01:01:53,680 --> 01:01:59,520 Speaker 1: had a big breakfast down at down at the spot. Yeah. Um, 1101 01:01:59,800 --> 01:02:02,160 Speaker 1: the water. But we go back in because we now 1102 01:02:02,240 --> 01:02:05,320 Speaker 1: have this this shortcut into this place. It's not that 1103 01:02:05,400 --> 01:02:07,480 Speaker 1: hard it you know, it takes us about two hours 1104 01:02:07,600 --> 01:02:10,880 Speaker 1: by mule to get back to our camp. So we 1105 01:02:10,920 --> 01:02:16,440 Speaker 1: get back to our camp. Uh, we get back to 1106 01:02:16,480 --> 01:02:19,240 Speaker 1: our camp kind of late Yeah, it was like three 1107 01:02:19,240 --> 01:02:21,439 Speaker 1: o'clock in the afternoon. Yeah, it might have been even 1108 01:02:21,520 --> 01:02:25,560 Speaker 1: later in the because I I stayed there because we're 1109 01:02:25,560 --> 01:02:27,680 Speaker 1: tearing down camp and setting it up every day, because 1110 01:02:27,720 --> 01:02:31,000 Speaker 1: we remember, we're trying to stay mobile. So we get 1111 01:02:31,040 --> 01:02:33,320 Speaker 1: back to camp at three or four or maybe even five, 1112 01:02:34,440 --> 01:02:38,120 Speaker 1: and I say, we make the decision, Kobe, you just 1113 01:02:38,200 --> 01:02:41,640 Speaker 1: stay here in glassroom camp, set up our camp, and 1114 01:02:41,680 --> 01:02:43,640 Speaker 1: I'm going to take off on foot. We're gonna leave 1115 01:02:43,680 --> 01:02:47,840 Speaker 1: the mules here. And so I go out to the 1116 01:02:47,880 --> 01:02:50,080 Speaker 1: point where we had set up the day before, where 1117 01:02:50,120 --> 01:02:52,680 Speaker 1: we'd seen the bear. And it took me. I mean 1118 01:02:52,720 --> 01:02:55,240 Speaker 1: I had in Glass thirty minutes and I saw the 1119 01:02:55,280 --> 01:02:59,160 Speaker 1: bear and he's in basically the same spot, the same 1120 01:02:59,200 --> 01:03:02,520 Speaker 1: patch of timber. And I watch him and watch him 1121 01:03:02,560 --> 01:03:05,840 Speaker 1: and watch him, and he can't I can't decide which 1122 01:03:05,880 --> 01:03:08,880 Speaker 1: direction he's gonna go because the direction that he goes 1123 01:03:09,200 --> 01:03:13,040 Speaker 1: will we'll determine which direction that I go. And if 1124 01:03:13,040 --> 01:03:20,240 Speaker 1: he goes out the mountain to the south, he'll he's 1125 01:03:20,320 --> 01:03:23,160 Speaker 1: kind of out of play. But if he goes to 1126 01:03:23,280 --> 01:03:25,960 Speaker 1: the north, back up to the head of the hollow, 1127 01:03:26,000 --> 01:03:29,000 Speaker 1: oh man, it's game on. I can eat him well. Yeah, 1128 01:03:29,040 --> 01:03:31,960 Speaker 1: that all those roads kind of narrow to that point. 1129 01:03:32,000 --> 01:03:35,560 Speaker 1: And so towards the head of the you're basically together 1130 01:03:35,680 --> 01:03:38,240 Speaker 1: like the top of a triangle. Yes, the closer you 1131 01:03:38,560 --> 01:03:41,080 Speaker 1: because you get to the head of the hollow, the 1132 01:03:41,440 --> 01:03:45,440 Speaker 1: closer the shot distances across the canyon. Yeah. And I'm 1133 01:03:45,480 --> 01:03:48,240 Speaker 1: glassing this bear from a different spot, and you know, 1134 01:03:48,360 --> 01:03:53,560 Speaker 1: not knowing what's going on, I'm like, man, that bears yeah, yeah, 1135 01:03:53,960 --> 01:03:58,520 Speaker 1: if it was a different now it was the same bear. Yeah. Well, 1136 01:03:58,600 --> 01:04:00,400 Speaker 1: and so I'm trying to determine what the spaar is 1137 01:04:00,400 --> 01:04:03,440 Speaker 1: gonna do. And finally it's kind of like he's just 1138 01:04:03,560 --> 01:04:06,480 Speaker 1: stalling over there. And I felt like he only had 1139 01:04:06,520 --> 01:04:08,600 Speaker 1: two decisions and that he was gonna do one or 1140 01:04:08,600 --> 01:04:11,720 Speaker 1: the other, go north or south, but he really didn't. 1141 01:04:11,760 --> 01:04:14,720 Speaker 1: He kind of just stayed there. Um. But it was 1142 01:04:14,760 --> 01:04:17,080 Speaker 1: hard to determine that because he would be out of 1143 01:04:17,160 --> 01:04:20,680 Speaker 1: visibility and invisibility, and basically I felt like he was 1144 01:04:20,720 --> 01:04:23,480 Speaker 1: going to go back to the north, which would have 1145 01:04:23,520 --> 01:04:26,560 Speaker 1: been to my advantage. And so I start heading up 1146 01:04:26,560 --> 01:04:30,400 Speaker 1: the hollow, but he never comes. In long story short, 1147 01:04:30,440 --> 01:04:33,920 Speaker 1: I make the decision to try to beat darkness and 1148 01:04:33,920 --> 01:04:36,080 Speaker 1: go get on his side. Of the mountain. It's kind 1149 01:04:36,080 --> 01:04:39,160 Speaker 1: of like he's not doing anything. I'm gonna have to 1150 01:04:39,160 --> 01:04:41,560 Speaker 1: go over there to him, and so I just start 1151 01:04:41,760 --> 01:04:45,919 Speaker 1: hooking it. And it's a couple a mile walk, uh, 1152 01:04:45,960 --> 01:04:48,560 Speaker 1: you know, around the head of this canyon. And I mean, 1153 01:04:48,600 --> 01:04:51,520 Speaker 1: I remember, I'm just walking as fast as I can walk, 1154 01:04:52,120 --> 01:04:55,240 Speaker 1: just just pound and pound and pounded. Now wasn't happened 1155 01:04:55,240 --> 01:04:57,120 Speaker 1: to There was only one time when I had to 1156 01:04:58,000 --> 01:05:02,400 Speaker 1: gain some elevation um. But for the most part it 1157 01:05:02,480 --> 01:05:06,000 Speaker 1: was relatively easy walking. Others just long distance, other than 1158 01:05:06,120 --> 01:05:08,080 Speaker 1: this one section where it had to gain about five 1159 01:05:08,400 --> 01:05:13,560 Speaker 1: feet elevation um. And basically I get over there, and 1160 01:05:14,240 --> 01:05:16,200 Speaker 1: at this point it really didn't matter if the wind 1161 01:05:16,280 --> 01:05:18,000 Speaker 1: was in my favor or not. I mean, we're on 1162 01:05:18,120 --> 01:05:20,800 Speaker 1: day five. I know there's a bear back over here, 1163 01:05:21,680 --> 01:05:25,080 Speaker 1: and luckily the wind was in my favor. But even 1164 01:05:25,160 --> 01:05:27,240 Speaker 1: if it wasn't, I think I still I still would 1165 01:05:27,240 --> 01:05:30,280 Speaker 1: have gone. I mean, we were were. There comes a 1166 01:05:30,320 --> 01:05:31,920 Speaker 1: point in a hunt when you just have to make 1167 01:05:32,000 --> 01:05:35,400 Speaker 1: something happen and you just have to like feel you 1168 01:05:35,480 --> 01:05:38,840 Speaker 1: just have to say something good it's gonna happen. And 1169 01:05:38,880 --> 01:05:44,080 Speaker 1: so I come around this point and man, the bear 1170 01:05:44,160 --> 01:05:47,760 Speaker 1: is just right there. He's a hundred and sixty nine 1171 01:05:47,840 --> 01:05:51,080 Speaker 1: yards standing on this logging road. And when I say road, 1172 01:05:51,160 --> 01:05:56,680 Speaker 1: this is like a what do they call it? Defunctionalized road. 1173 01:05:56,720 --> 01:05:59,760 Speaker 1: There's a phrase that they use out there, a reclaimed 1174 01:06:00,240 --> 01:06:02,000 Speaker 1: I mean it hadn't you couldn't have ridden a four 1175 01:06:02,040 --> 01:06:04,520 Speaker 1: with her on. I mean just a old logging road 1176 01:06:05,000 --> 01:06:06,800 Speaker 1: and the and the bears right there, and I mean 1177 01:06:06,800 --> 01:06:10,280 Speaker 1: that's totally in range. He doesn't know him. They're hundred 1178 01:06:10,320 --> 01:06:12,720 Speaker 1: and sixty nine yards. I mean that's like a chip shot. 1179 01:06:13,200 --> 01:06:17,960 Speaker 1: And man, the excitement and satisfaction of seeing that bear, 1180 01:06:18,600 --> 01:06:21,640 Speaker 1: it was incredible. Of all my hunting experiences, it was 1181 01:06:21,800 --> 01:06:25,040 Speaker 1: as good as any of them in terms of and 1182 01:06:25,080 --> 01:06:28,120 Speaker 1: it's kind of hard to describe because of the work 1183 01:06:28,160 --> 01:06:29,680 Speaker 1: that we put in up and at that point, not 1184 01:06:29,840 --> 01:06:32,120 Speaker 1: but just this time, but with the other two, and 1185 01:06:32,160 --> 01:06:35,439 Speaker 1: it's like, finally, I'm really within striking distance of a bear. 1186 01:06:35,840 --> 01:06:37,840 Speaker 1: I'm gonna have time to get down on him. He 1187 01:06:37,880 --> 01:06:41,880 Speaker 1: doesn't know him. Here it's just perfect, and I'm getting 1188 01:06:41,880 --> 01:06:47,080 Speaker 1: a proposition. You know, put the gun zero to two hundred, 1189 01:06:47,160 --> 01:06:51,120 Speaker 1: put it right behind his shoulder. Bam, you hear the 1190 01:06:51,160 --> 01:06:53,720 Speaker 1: shot go off. You can't see us. You can't see 1191 01:06:53,960 --> 01:06:56,040 Speaker 1: no idea what's going on. I just knew one shot 1192 01:06:56,120 --> 01:06:59,480 Speaker 1: meant one of you is gonna die. I'm just kidding. 1193 01:06:59,520 --> 01:07:02,560 Speaker 1: You were like, please don't miss again. You watched me 1194 01:07:02,640 --> 01:07:05,960 Speaker 1: miss twice at long and close and they're like, man, 1195 01:07:06,040 --> 01:07:10,400 Speaker 1: he's he's explored the gamut of potential misses here. Yeah. 1196 01:07:11,400 --> 01:07:13,440 Speaker 1: I decided that the third times of charm, we're I'm 1197 01:07:13,440 --> 01:07:17,040 Speaker 1: gonna start giving you a hard time. Yeah. Well, in 1198 01:07:17,080 --> 01:07:20,080 Speaker 1: between two, it's to note that we went and shot 1199 01:07:20,120 --> 01:07:22,360 Speaker 1: the gun upon the mountain because we were like, it's 1200 01:07:22,360 --> 01:07:26,680 Speaker 1: something wrong. Missed twice, one at close range, when it 1201 01:07:26,760 --> 01:07:29,000 Speaker 1: long range, you know, is the gun off? And we 1202 01:07:29,080 --> 01:07:32,240 Speaker 1: did go and shoot and right where, shot at tunity 1203 01:07:32,320 --> 01:07:36,600 Speaker 1: yards at a rock about probably seven inch rock, and 1204 01:07:36,680 --> 01:07:41,640 Speaker 1: just just so we felt good about the gun. But 1205 01:07:41,760 --> 01:07:44,720 Speaker 1: still after missing twice, it does take some of your confidence. 1206 01:07:45,640 --> 01:07:49,040 Speaker 1: But when I squeezed the trigger, I felt like the 1207 01:07:49,080 --> 01:07:51,200 Speaker 1: bear was hit. You know, sometimes with a rifle shot, 1208 01:07:51,240 --> 01:07:54,440 Speaker 1: it's amazing you you don't. You feel like they're just 1209 01:07:54,440 --> 01:07:56,480 Speaker 1: gonna roll over. But you know, I hit him in 1210 01:07:56,520 --> 01:07:58,440 Speaker 1: the lungs, so so if I had hit him in 1211 01:07:58,480 --> 01:08:00,680 Speaker 1: the shoulder, he probably would have folded up. But oh 1212 01:08:00,720 --> 01:08:04,280 Speaker 1: my god, I wish that would have happened. He still 1213 01:08:04,280 --> 01:08:06,320 Speaker 1: would have barreled off there because he was off the 1214 01:08:06,440 --> 01:08:09,880 Speaker 1: edge of the road, but he might have just rolled 1215 01:08:09,920 --> 01:08:14,480 Speaker 1: down there rather than a hundred yards he but when 1216 01:08:14,480 --> 01:08:18,479 Speaker 1: I shot, he sailed like a superhero off that mountain, 1217 01:08:18,960 --> 01:08:21,200 Speaker 1: and I just I never see him again. It's just 1218 01:08:21,240 --> 01:08:24,800 Speaker 1: a flash, and I run over there, thinking I'm gonna 1219 01:08:24,800 --> 01:08:26,800 Speaker 1: get a second shot if he's still moving, and I 1220 01:08:26,880 --> 01:08:28,479 Speaker 1: hear him. I don't hear him death moon, but I 1221 01:08:28,520 --> 01:08:32,160 Speaker 1: hear him growling down there. Pretty much, if you hear 1222 01:08:32,240 --> 01:08:35,680 Speaker 1: a vocalization I've found after a shot, it's usually a 1223 01:08:35,720 --> 01:08:39,080 Speaker 1: good thing. And UM felt like the barrel is dead. 1224 01:08:40,040 --> 01:08:42,880 Speaker 1: I go over there and pretty much immediately just go 1225 01:08:43,000 --> 01:08:45,599 Speaker 1: down to the bear, and I find the bear. UM 1226 01:08:45,960 --> 01:08:49,479 Speaker 1: find the bear probably eight two hundred yards below the road, 1227 01:08:49,840 --> 01:08:52,639 Speaker 1: And that sounds like he ran far. He didn't run far. 1228 01:08:52,960 --> 01:08:55,479 Speaker 1: He just he probably made three or four big bounds 1229 01:08:55,479 --> 01:08:58,320 Speaker 1: and then just rolled that. That's how far. It was. 1230 01:08:58,360 --> 01:09:00,560 Speaker 1: Pretty it was pretty down. It was Uh it was 1231 01:09:00,600 --> 01:09:07,160 Speaker 1: straight down. So man, I was incredibly excited. UH made 1232 01:09:07,200 --> 01:09:10,720 Speaker 1: it back to camp surprisingly before dark, and per on 1233 01:09:11,040 --> 01:09:14,160 Speaker 1: X I traveled like seven and a half miles round 1234 01:09:14,160 --> 01:09:17,559 Speaker 1: trip that afternoon from camp, and Man, we went back 1235 01:09:17,560 --> 01:09:19,840 Speaker 1: in there the next day with the mules, and it's 1236 01:09:19,880 --> 01:09:23,559 Speaker 1: kind of a another story, but one of the big 1237 01:09:23,600 --> 01:09:27,160 Speaker 1: things that we didn't know was whether our mules would 1238 01:09:27,160 --> 01:09:30,080 Speaker 1: carry a bear. We didn't We really didn't know. Is 1239 01:09:30,120 --> 01:09:33,800 Speaker 1: he was untested, is he is he's carried coons, turkeys. 1240 01:09:34,040 --> 01:09:37,400 Speaker 1: I know she'll carry a deer. I've had a deer 1241 01:09:37,479 --> 01:09:41,200 Speaker 1: here that uh put up on her back. Um, she's 1242 01:09:41,200 --> 01:09:43,920 Speaker 1: had some bad experiences with bears though. When we're baiting 1243 01:09:43,960 --> 01:09:46,439 Speaker 1: bears in Arkansas, she had some We had some live 1244 01:09:46,520 --> 01:09:50,120 Speaker 1: bears come in on us while we're baiting bears multiple times. 1245 01:09:50,520 --> 01:09:54,719 Speaker 1: Kind of freaked her out. Smoke he's the great mystery. Yeah, 1246 01:09:54,720 --> 01:09:56,599 Speaker 1: and we don't know about Smoke. I mean, a mule 1247 01:09:56,640 --> 01:09:58,439 Speaker 1: could go either way. You could have the best mule 1248 01:09:58,439 --> 01:10:00,960 Speaker 1: in the world quote unquote like Hiden mule and him 1249 01:10:01,000 --> 01:10:04,240 Speaker 1: be petrified of the game. We do not know. We 1250 01:10:04,280 --> 01:10:07,280 Speaker 1: don't know Smokey's history trade. It only bought Smoky about 1251 01:10:07,280 --> 01:10:09,400 Speaker 1: a year before and had never carried big game on. 1252 01:10:09,439 --> 01:10:14,479 Speaker 1: Smoky just carried squirrels on him. So, Man, we start 1253 01:10:14,520 --> 01:10:18,200 Speaker 1: bringing up meat and hide and that's a whole other story. 1254 01:10:18,240 --> 01:10:20,160 Speaker 1: But we got it up out of there, quartered him 1255 01:10:20,200 --> 01:10:22,360 Speaker 1: up on the side of the mountain, brought him out 1256 01:10:22,360 --> 01:10:26,680 Speaker 1: of there, and big footholes to get back up. Yeah, yeah, yeah, 1257 01:10:26,720 --> 01:10:31,000 Speaker 1: it was, it was. It was. It was true Western 1258 01:10:31,040 --> 01:10:34,040 Speaker 1: experience for a hundred yards. Because we had to pack 1259 01:10:34,120 --> 01:10:36,760 Speaker 1: that thing out of there. It wouldn't have been that 1260 01:10:36,800 --> 01:10:39,080 Speaker 1: bad once we got it up out of that ravine. 1261 01:10:39,240 --> 01:10:41,479 Speaker 1: Then it had just been two hours of just kind 1262 01:10:41,479 --> 01:10:48,240 Speaker 1: of downhill walking. But basically Izzy was okay with the meat, 1263 01:10:48,320 --> 01:10:50,519 Speaker 1: and to make a long story short, she carried the 1264 01:10:50,560 --> 01:10:54,960 Speaker 1: meat no problem, but she flipped out on the hide. 1265 01:10:55,640 --> 01:10:59,720 Speaker 1: So for all you following Project Honey mule, um, I've 1266 01:10:59,760 --> 01:11:02,639 Speaker 1: got to be honest about the update. She flipped out. 1267 01:11:03,320 --> 01:11:04,960 Speaker 1: I mean flipped out to the point I thought she 1268 01:11:05,000 --> 01:11:08,800 Speaker 1: was gonna hurt herself. Uh, she's tied, she's tied to 1269 01:11:08,840 --> 01:11:11,760 Speaker 1: a tree, and uh, I mean I think like she's 1270 01:11:11,800 --> 01:11:14,960 Speaker 1: gonna break her neck trying to get away from this 1271 01:11:15,040 --> 01:11:17,840 Speaker 1: bear high or break the lead. She hit it hard. Yeah, 1272 01:11:17,880 --> 01:11:21,200 Speaker 1: it's so much so that I tied another rope onto 1273 01:11:21,200 --> 01:11:25,000 Speaker 1: her halter, thinking she's gonna break that lead and bust 1274 01:11:25,000 --> 01:11:27,640 Speaker 1: out of here, and we're gonna have to catch her, 1275 01:11:27,680 --> 01:11:30,559 Speaker 1: and at least we'll have another lead on her that 1276 01:11:30,720 --> 01:11:33,880 Speaker 1: maybe we can catch her. Well, we just took our time. 1277 01:11:34,680 --> 01:11:38,280 Speaker 1: If there's one thing that I do understand about training 1278 01:11:38,320 --> 01:11:40,479 Speaker 1: equine animals, as you just got to give them time 1279 01:11:40,520 --> 01:11:42,800 Speaker 1: and you can't pressure them. And so we sat there 1280 01:11:42,800 --> 01:11:45,360 Speaker 1: with that hide within about thirty feet of her for 1281 01:11:46,240 --> 01:11:49,080 Speaker 1: probably twenty thirty minutes, just chilled out, just kind of 1282 01:11:49,120 --> 01:11:52,760 Speaker 1: set around, messed with the animals. I'll put the meat 1283 01:11:52,800 --> 01:11:55,879 Speaker 1: on Izzy, which I was very happy with, very pleased 1284 01:11:56,280 --> 01:11:58,000 Speaker 1: that that she let me put the meat on her. 1285 01:11:58,320 --> 01:12:01,519 Speaker 1: Had no problem with that. Um, I'd bring meat over 1286 01:12:01,880 --> 01:12:05,080 Speaker 1: in my hands were just covered in bare smell, and 1287 01:12:05,120 --> 01:12:08,280 Speaker 1: I would feed her these you know, our our range cubes. 1288 01:12:09,360 --> 01:12:11,719 Speaker 1: So she's having to put her nose down in bear 1289 01:12:12,360 --> 01:12:16,040 Speaker 1: and and and eat. I've fed her on top of 1290 01:12:16,360 --> 01:12:20,280 Speaker 1: some of the meat bags, put grain on them, or 1291 01:12:20,320 --> 01:12:24,280 Speaker 1: you know, the cubes. And but every time I would 1292 01:12:24,360 --> 01:12:27,800 Speaker 1: inch towards her with that hide, she would flip out. 1293 01:12:28,240 --> 01:12:31,920 Speaker 1: So pretty much this is a stressful situation because we 1294 01:12:31,960 --> 01:12:34,120 Speaker 1: don't know if Smokey's gonna do the same thing. Long 1295 01:12:34,160 --> 01:12:37,280 Speaker 1: story short, we bring smoke over and he could care 1296 01:12:37,560 --> 01:12:40,760 Speaker 1: less about that bear. Yeah. I mean I put some 1297 01:12:40,920 --> 01:12:43,519 Speaker 1: range cubes on the bear hide and he's just like, 1298 01:12:43,760 --> 01:12:46,960 Speaker 1: oh cool range cube. He's just like eating the range 1299 01:12:47,000 --> 01:12:49,360 Speaker 1: cubes off of this bear hide. I'm like, okay, that's 1300 01:12:49,360 --> 01:12:53,439 Speaker 1: a good sign. I mean a I was praying, yeah, 1301 01:12:53,520 --> 01:12:56,080 Speaker 1: I really was. I was just like, God, help us 1302 01:12:56,080 --> 01:13:01,840 Speaker 1: to make this work somehow. And man's moke saved the day. 1303 01:13:02,360 --> 01:13:04,920 Speaker 1: And we just threw that hide over the saddle horn 1304 01:13:05,120 --> 01:13:08,080 Speaker 1: smoke and just came out of there, no big deal. 1305 01:13:08,360 --> 01:13:11,200 Speaker 1: And it is like she was getting closer and closer 1306 01:13:11,280 --> 01:13:14,080 Speaker 1: and getting okay with it, like yeah, so I think 1307 01:13:14,160 --> 01:13:17,639 Speaker 1: I think smoke even helped her something. So for two 1308 01:13:17,680 --> 01:13:22,639 Speaker 1: hours coming out of there, she was riding right behind Smoky. 1309 01:13:22,680 --> 01:13:26,320 Speaker 1: He's carrying this bear hide. She's down window that she's 1310 01:13:26,400 --> 01:13:29,320 Speaker 1: watching it. And so it was actually a great experience 1311 01:13:29,400 --> 01:13:31,360 Speaker 1: for her. I mean when we stopped, she eating, like 1312 01:13:31,439 --> 01:13:34,240 Speaker 1: went up put her nose up to it and see, 1313 01:13:34,280 --> 01:13:35,960 Speaker 1: these are the things that you have to do as 1314 01:13:36,000 --> 01:13:39,120 Speaker 1: an animal trainer. Is that you know, like somebody that 1315 01:13:39,200 --> 01:13:42,519 Speaker 1: didn't they didn't know, might have just been like, well, 1316 01:13:42,520 --> 01:13:45,920 Speaker 1: that mule is never gonna carry carry hides. You know 1317 01:13:45,960 --> 01:13:48,639 Speaker 1: that Peo will never carry a bear hide, or if 1318 01:13:48,640 --> 01:13:51,200 Speaker 1: we'd have pressured her, we truly could have ruined her 1319 01:13:51,240 --> 01:13:53,200 Speaker 1: from it. Like if I would have just been just 1320 01:13:53,240 --> 01:13:55,599 Speaker 1: like thrown it on her and just said buck all 1321 01:13:55,640 --> 01:13:57,599 Speaker 1: you want. I mean, like that would have been a 1322 01:13:57,600 --> 01:14:01,000 Speaker 1: massive mistake that you might not ever be will recover from. 1323 01:14:01,479 --> 01:14:03,400 Speaker 1: But the way we did it, I was I was 1324 01:14:03,520 --> 01:14:05,639 Speaker 1: very happy. I mean I would have been real happy 1325 01:14:05,640 --> 01:14:06,960 Speaker 1: if she had just walked up there and I could 1326 01:14:06,960 --> 01:14:09,759 Speaker 1: have just thrown it on her back. But it didn't happen, 1327 01:14:10,360 --> 01:14:14,000 Speaker 1: and so but she carried all meat out of there 1328 01:14:14,160 --> 01:14:16,240 Speaker 1: and out of there we came when he got back 1329 01:14:16,240 --> 01:14:18,519 Speaker 1: to the truck about two o'clock in the afternoon. We 1330 01:14:18,560 --> 01:14:21,880 Speaker 1: had left our camp at daylight. So it took us 1331 01:14:21,920 --> 01:14:28,519 Speaker 1: like eight hours with mules to get that bear out 1332 01:14:28,520 --> 01:14:31,160 Speaker 1: of there. We were that far back. It just it 1333 01:14:31,240 --> 01:14:32,920 Speaker 1: was just hard. It just everything about that kind of 1334 01:14:32,960 --> 01:14:36,760 Speaker 1: hunting and it's hard. Uh, smoke got wore out. I mean, 1335 01:14:37,240 --> 01:14:40,439 Speaker 1: this last track, this is day six now, and per 1336 01:14:40,560 --> 01:14:43,559 Speaker 1: on X after the full thing we had traveled. I 1337 01:14:43,560 --> 01:14:46,760 Speaker 1: think I calculated like fifty eight point five miles or 1338 01:14:46,840 --> 01:14:50,439 Speaker 1: something by the time we finished day six with the 1339 01:14:50,439 --> 01:14:52,880 Speaker 1: bear hut out and on the way up the mountain 1340 01:14:52,920 --> 01:14:56,320 Speaker 1: on day six, smoke was pretty much done. He was, Yeah, 1341 01:14:56,360 --> 01:14:59,280 Speaker 1: he wasn't living life. He was just like, I mean, 1342 01:14:59,360 --> 01:15:02,680 Speaker 1: he's he wasn't lame. You know, sometimes you can get 1343 01:15:02,680 --> 01:15:06,320 Speaker 1: an animal in the back country and they they just 1344 01:15:06,360 --> 01:15:09,080 Speaker 1: pretty much get where they can't walk and they just 1345 01:15:09,120 --> 01:15:11,519 Speaker 1: need to rest for three days, and that's a bad 1346 01:15:11,640 --> 01:15:14,200 Speaker 1: situation to be in. Smokey just found his granny gear 1347 01:15:14,240 --> 01:15:17,439 Speaker 1: and just would chug along. But every chance he would 1348 01:15:17,439 --> 01:15:19,120 Speaker 1: get he would want to go back down the mountain. 1349 01:15:19,360 --> 01:15:21,439 Speaker 1: You know, he was trying to just found his low 1350 01:15:21,520 --> 01:15:23,519 Speaker 1: gear and he's like, this is what I'm willing to give. 1351 01:15:24,000 --> 01:15:26,040 Speaker 1: And we finally on the way up, had to get 1352 01:15:26,080 --> 01:15:28,720 Speaker 1: you off of him and we had to walk him 1353 01:15:28,760 --> 01:15:33,720 Speaker 1: just to get him going. But thankfully the way down 1354 01:15:33,800 --> 01:15:36,639 Speaker 1: the mountain he did great. And man, we came out 1355 01:15:36,680 --> 01:15:40,360 Speaker 1: of there feeling like a couple of heroes with a 1356 01:15:40,360 --> 01:15:43,960 Speaker 1: bear hide over the saddle horn and meat and kolbe. 1357 01:15:44,120 --> 01:15:49,479 Speaker 1: To me, that was iconic moment that as a bear hunter, 1358 01:15:49,640 --> 01:15:54,400 Speaker 1: I wanted to experience equine based my mules. I mean, 1359 01:15:54,800 --> 01:15:58,800 Speaker 1: smoke wasn't my mule, but close enough. Yeah, Uh, my 1360 01:15:58,920 --> 01:16:03,160 Speaker 1: mule that I trained road the whole week. Um, we 1361 01:16:03,200 --> 01:16:06,800 Speaker 1: went back in there, we killed a bear. Um. You know, 1362 01:16:06,840 --> 01:16:09,479 Speaker 1: we've got this this shirt that I made earlier in 1363 01:16:09,520 --> 01:16:13,320 Speaker 1: the year of some artwork that I did. Um, I 1364 01:16:13,439 --> 01:16:16,759 Speaker 1: like to draw and stuff anyway, mule riding bear hunter. 1365 01:16:16,760 --> 01:16:20,439 Speaker 1: And it's a picture of a guy, um coming out 1366 01:16:20,560 --> 01:16:22,640 Speaker 1: with on a mule with a bear draped over the 1367 01:16:22,640 --> 01:16:27,160 Speaker 1: saddle horn. And uh, this was that to me. And 1368 01:16:27,400 --> 01:16:30,280 Speaker 1: you know, there's all these different categorization of bear hunts, 1369 01:16:31,160 --> 01:16:32,960 Speaker 1: you know, I mean, you can go to southeast Alaska 1370 01:16:33,040 --> 01:16:36,200 Speaker 1: and hunt these bears back in these estuaries, you know, 1371 01:16:36,280 --> 01:16:40,280 Speaker 1: tidal estuaries, and you can go uh to Arkansas and 1372 01:16:40,360 --> 01:16:42,640 Speaker 1: hunt bears over bait. You can go up north and 1373 01:16:42,880 --> 01:16:45,600 Speaker 1: hunt bear in the boreal forest. You can go to 1374 01:16:45,640 --> 01:16:49,040 Speaker 1: the Appalachians and hunt bear over hounds with those guys 1375 01:16:50,520 --> 01:16:54,400 Speaker 1: Western equine based do it yourself. A rifle hunt bear 1376 01:16:54,800 --> 01:16:58,639 Speaker 1: is its own category. And so I've experienced a wide 1377 01:16:58,680 --> 01:17:02,719 Speaker 1: swath of success and all these different types of hunting, 1378 01:17:03,160 --> 01:17:06,479 Speaker 1: and I wanted to do it out west and and 1379 01:17:06,520 --> 01:17:09,120 Speaker 1: so it was a big deal and and it was 1380 01:17:09,160 --> 01:17:12,000 Speaker 1: a great experience and uh, and it was cool getting 1381 01:17:12,040 --> 01:17:14,320 Speaker 1: to do it with you. But being your first time 1382 01:17:14,600 --> 01:17:18,400 Speaker 1: out there, first time on mules and uh, I mean 1383 01:17:18,439 --> 01:17:22,800 Speaker 1: you you did incredible. I mean especially for having seven 1384 01:17:22,880 --> 01:17:26,599 Speaker 1: days to prepare. Guys prepare like six months for these 1385 01:17:26,680 --> 01:17:29,600 Speaker 1: kind of things. I tried to get tough quick. Yeah, 1386 01:17:29,720 --> 01:17:33,240 Speaker 1: and that's what I that's what I commend you for 1387 01:17:34,000 --> 01:17:36,400 Speaker 1: is mental toughness, like you never you know when you're 1388 01:17:36,479 --> 01:17:40,120 Speaker 1: you're choosing a hunting partner. Colby never complained, he never 1389 01:17:40,680 --> 01:17:44,479 Speaker 1: he never got a sour attitude. He never you know, yeah, 1390 01:17:44,560 --> 01:17:47,920 Speaker 1: we talked about being sore and being hard, I mean 1391 01:17:48,000 --> 01:17:53,360 Speaker 1: just but that never was. It was never like Colby 1392 01:17:53,400 --> 01:17:57,640 Speaker 1: wants to go home and and spoiler alert, if you 1393 01:17:57,680 --> 01:18:00,920 Speaker 1: ever hunt with me, the worst thing that you can 1394 01:18:00,960 --> 01:18:04,479 Speaker 1: do is give that vibe of you want to do 1395 01:18:04,560 --> 01:18:07,120 Speaker 1: something else. I mean just just sort it just spoils 1396 01:18:07,160 --> 01:18:10,000 Speaker 1: the whole thing for me. Then I've just learned I 1397 01:18:10,040 --> 01:18:12,439 Speaker 1: don't hunt with people like that. I mean my dad 1398 01:18:12,479 --> 01:18:14,439 Speaker 1: taught me that when I was a kid. I mean 1399 01:18:14,479 --> 01:18:18,320 Speaker 1: like in the sixth grade, if I was like, Dad, 1400 01:18:18,360 --> 01:18:20,479 Speaker 1: how long are we going to be here? I think 1401 01:18:20,479 --> 01:18:23,280 Speaker 1: he kind of pounded that out of me and I 1402 01:18:23,360 --> 01:18:26,200 Speaker 1: was like, I could have taken it negatively, but I 1403 01:18:26,240 --> 01:18:28,960 Speaker 1: took it as positively. I was like, okay, for us 1404 01:18:29,000 --> 01:18:34,120 Speaker 1: to be successful, I cannot let him know that I'm 1405 01:18:34,160 --> 01:18:37,600 Speaker 1: not having a good time. Yeah, and and again I 1406 01:18:37,640 --> 01:18:40,559 Speaker 1: think that could have warped somebody, or not warped, but 1407 01:18:40,640 --> 01:18:42,960 Speaker 1: could have made it a negative experience, like as soon 1408 01:18:42,960 --> 01:18:44,880 Speaker 1: as I get out of here, I ain't never come back. 1409 01:18:45,479 --> 01:18:49,320 Speaker 1: But for me, it gave me insight into how that 1410 01:18:49,360 --> 01:18:53,320 Speaker 1: you manage type two difficulty, you know. I mean, yeah, 1411 01:18:53,400 --> 01:18:56,400 Speaker 1: it's hard, like, yeah, I don't ride in eighteen miles 1412 01:18:56,400 --> 01:18:59,360 Speaker 1: and missing a bear and the stress of not knowing 1413 01:18:59,400 --> 01:19:01,760 Speaker 1: if we're gonna sleep on the mountain with no provisions. 1414 01:19:01,800 --> 01:19:05,360 Speaker 1: I mean, like that's not giggly fun, you know. I 1415 01:19:05,360 --> 01:19:08,759 Speaker 1: mean that that was stressful to me. But it wasn't 1416 01:19:08,800 --> 01:19:10,960 Speaker 1: like I was going Colby, We're gonna come off this 1417 01:19:10,960 --> 01:19:13,920 Speaker 1: mountain and we're going home. I mean was there times 1418 01:19:13,960 --> 01:19:17,880 Speaker 1: I thought that, Yeah, like lots of times in six 1419 01:19:17,960 --> 01:19:20,040 Speaker 1: days of honey, and I'm like, dang, why do we 1420 01:19:20,080 --> 01:19:23,160 Speaker 1: even do this? But you just can't say that. I mean, 1421 01:19:23,160 --> 01:19:25,680 Speaker 1: it's it's a leadership principle, it really is. Is that 1422 01:19:25,920 --> 01:19:29,720 Speaker 1: not that you hide your emotions or high difficulty, But 1423 01:19:30,320 --> 01:19:32,920 Speaker 1: it's like we're on a mission. We're gonna complete this mission, 1424 01:19:33,560 --> 01:19:40,560 Speaker 1: and I'm not because emotions, emotions, attitudes are absolutely contagious, 1425 01:19:40,600 --> 01:19:45,240 Speaker 1: you know. And that's really truly what I appreciated about 1426 01:19:45,240 --> 01:19:48,120 Speaker 1: you as you never got discouraged. You're always ready to go. 1427 01:19:48,840 --> 01:19:51,920 Speaker 1: I mean, you know, you never were wanting to take shortcuts. 1428 01:19:51,960 --> 01:19:54,920 Speaker 1: That's the other thing inside of hunting partnerships is sometimes 1429 01:19:55,000 --> 01:19:57,320 Speaker 1: you have somebody that wants to take shortcuts. It's like, 1430 01:19:57,560 --> 01:19:59,720 Speaker 1: you really to do this, right, we need to do 1431 01:19:59,760 --> 01:20:02,360 Speaker 1: this this way. We need to go up the mountain 1432 01:20:02,479 --> 01:20:05,000 Speaker 1: this way. We need to get there, we need to 1433 01:20:05,040 --> 01:20:07,679 Speaker 1: camp there, we need to do this, and it's harder. 1434 01:20:08,400 --> 01:20:09,960 Speaker 1: And then it's like, well, why don't we just do 1435 01:20:10,040 --> 01:20:11,720 Speaker 1: it that way? Well, we don't do it that way 1436 01:20:11,760 --> 01:20:14,200 Speaker 1: because we want to win. We don't want to lose. 1437 01:20:14,439 --> 01:20:16,680 Speaker 1: We will lose if we do it that way. Well 1438 01:20:16,760 --> 01:20:19,880 Speaker 1: that's easier. Well, you know, you get what I'm saying. Yeah, 1439 01:20:20,040 --> 01:20:24,960 Speaker 1: I definitely modified some downhills though I'm I'm a mountain slider. Yes, yes, 1440 01:20:25,479 --> 01:20:27,719 Speaker 1: And I'll tell you that I was surprised I didn't 1441 01:20:27,760 --> 01:20:29,559 Speaker 1: have holes in the bottom of all my first light, 1442 01:20:30,000 --> 01:20:33,160 Speaker 1: my first life, because I mean, that was the way 1443 01:20:33,160 --> 01:20:37,160 Speaker 1: to keep up. Yeah, you were sliding. Yep, you were 1444 01:20:37,160 --> 01:20:39,120 Speaker 1: sliding on your ear end most of the time on 1445 01:20:39,160 --> 01:20:42,519 Speaker 1: those downtairs. But it worked. It was steep enough for that. Yeah, 1446 01:20:42,680 --> 01:20:46,559 Speaker 1: yeah where it was. Well, it was an incredible trip. 1447 01:20:47,160 --> 01:20:50,200 Speaker 1: Uh we've been Uh. We just wanted to bring to 1448 01:20:50,320 --> 01:20:54,400 Speaker 1: you the totality of this adventure in one podcast. And 1449 01:20:54,640 --> 01:20:56,759 Speaker 1: you know, I would just say I would encourage people 1450 01:20:57,120 --> 01:20:59,760 Speaker 1: go out and spring bear hunt out west and don't 1451 01:21:00,040 --> 01:21:03,160 Speaker 1: spect to have just immediate success. I kind of did. 1452 01:21:03,760 --> 01:21:05,559 Speaker 1: I kind of felt like the first trip out there, 1453 01:21:05,560 --> 01:21:07,640 Speaker 1: we'd be bringing home a bear. Then there's lots of 1454 01:21:07,640 --> 01:21:09,719 Speaker 1: people that do. I mean, it's really just a game 1455 01:21:09,800 --> 01:21:15,679 Speaker 1: of of of chance and finding that moment of good fortune, 1456 01:21:16,400 --> 01:21:19,800 Speaker 1: like of just when you when you connect on a barrier. 1457 01:21:19,800 --> 01:21:22,000 Speaker 1: And I mean maybe that happens on the third day 1458 01:21:22,040 --> 01:21:25,479 Speaker 1: of your first time out west. Maybe it does, but 1459 01:21:25,520 --> 01:21:27,880 Speaker 1: maybe it doesn't. And I and I don't think I 1460 01:21:27,920 --> 01:21:31,559 Speaker 1: was prepared for that, uh, because the second time I 1461 01:21:31,600 --> 01:21:34,840 Speaker 1: went and made the twenty four hour drive home by 1462 01:21:34,880 --> 01:21:39,639 Speaker 1: myself in a vehicle without a bear, I was just like, dang, 1463 01:21:40,479 --> 01:21:42,640 Speaker 1: I want to do this again. And that's kind of 1464 01:21:42,680 --> 01:21:46,080 Speaker 1: what you think. Um, and I actually took a year 1465 01:21:46,120 --> 01:21:51,320 Speaker 1: off and then came back and uh and and we're successful. 1466 01:21:51,400 --> 01:21:55,600 Speaker 1: And now I'm starting to build this build this database 1467 01:21:55,880 --> 01:21:58,640 Speaker 1: of ways that I feel like it takes to be 1468 01:21:58,680 --> 01:22:02,479 Speaker 1: successful out west. I think you've gotta be mobile. You 1469 01:22:02,560 --> 01:22:05,400 Speaker 1: gotta be willing to get into back country and stay 1470 01:22:05,439 --> 01:22:07,960 Speaker 1: there if they're bears, but if they're not bears, you've 1471 01:22:07,960 --> 01:22:10,360 Speaker 1: gotta be able to get out of there. Um. You 1472 01:22:10,400 --> 01:22:14,760 Speaker 1: gotta be willing to sitting glass. Um. Those are the 1473 01:22:14,840 --> 01:22:19,840 Speaker 1: keys for me being mobile. But the main key was 1474 01:22:20,040 --> 01:22:23,040 Speaker 1: we didn't over commit. Like when we would go in, 1475 01:22:23,760 --> 01:22:25,760 Speaker 1: we would just take the provisions that we needed to 1476 01:22:25,800 --> 01:22:28,800 Speaker 1: just stay like one or two days. If if if 1477 01:22:28,840 --> 01:22:31,160 Speaker 1: it had been much more of a production than that, 1478 01:22:31,439 --> 01:22:33,160 Speaker 1: I think it would have slowed us down too much. 1479 01:22:33,160 --> 01:22:35,760 Speaker 1: But we're pretty mobile. Who made it work? And it 1480 01:22:35,880 --> 01:22:38,519 Speaker 1: was early season hunt. I believe I killed the bear. 1481 01:22:38,520 --> 01:22:42,680 Speaker 1: I made the fifth it was whatever that Sunday was, Yeah, 1482 01:22:42,760 --> 01:22:45,680 Speaker 1: or made the fifth or sixth? Um, I think it 1483 01:22:45,720 --> 01:22:47,240 Speaker 1: was the fifth. Oh yeah, I told you that you 1484 01:22:47,360 --> 01:22:50,000 Speaker 1: never look at Sinko to Mayo the same weekend. Yes, 1485 01:22:50,200 --> 01:22:54,840 Speaker 1: that's right, that's right. Yeah, Well, what you're closing thoughts 1486 01:22:54,840 --> 01:22:58,400 Speaker 1: on the hunt? Kolbe Oh, it was definitely hard. Uh 1487 01:22:58,439 --> 01:22:59,960 Speaker 1: it was fun though. It's one of those hunts such 1488 01:23:00,040 --> 01:23:01,960 Speaker 1: you know that it's just so hard you're going to 1489 01:23:02,040 --> 01:23:04,240 Speaker 1: appreciate it afterwards, you know, the one one that you're 1490 01:23:04,240 --> 01:23:08,240 Speaker 1: gonna look back on finally. Um, definitely learned a lot. 1491 01:23:08,280 --> 01:23:11,240 Speaker 1: I mean this was my first like back country hunting 1492 01:23:11,320 --> 01:23:14,760 Speaker 1: that way. Like I've been, you know, kind of on 1493 01:23:14,800 --> 01:23:17,479 Speaker 1: a back country hunt, but it was like truck hunt, 1494 01:23:17,520 --> 01:23:22,720 Speaker 1: I mean camping, yeah, Walton, driving the roads, glassing here 1495 01:23:22,760 --> 01:23:25,520 Speaker 1: and there, and it was just a totally different experience. 1496 01:23:25,560 --> 01:23:28,400 Speaker 1: And I mean it was it was really it was 1497 01:23:28,439 --> 01:23:31,599 Speaker 1: really good and um, you know, I think it definitely 1498 01:23:31,680 --> 01:23:34,479 Speaker 1: is going to to help with my ability to navigate 1499 01:23:34,520 --> 01:23:36,960 Speaker 1: those things in the future, like looking at switch but 1500 01:23:37,000 --> 01:23:40,320 Speaker 1: those switch backs a different way learning where like you 1501 01:23:40,360 --> 01:23:43,040 Speaker 1: can uh go from one road to the other to 1502 01:23:43,080 --> 01:23:46,960 Speaker 1: cut out a a half mile or whatever. Uh. I 1503 01:23:47,000 --> 01:23:49,439 Speaker 1: mean the mules was a big thing. I mean even 1504 01:23:49,520 --> 01:23:52,519 Speaker 1: like like the first day we sidehilled a lot and 1505 01:23:52,560 --> 01:23:54,640 Speaker 1: that It's like that was a weird feeling, you know. 1506 01:23:55,080 --> 01:23:57,040 Speaker 1: I was like, man, the saddle's not gonna slip off 1507 01:23:57,600 --> 01:24:00,280 Speaker 1: or something. And uh, I was definitely impress us with 1508 01:24:00,360 --> 01:24:03,320 Speaker 1: everything that the mules could do. Um And I think 1509 01:24:03,400 --> 01:24:06,680 Speaker 1: like after that first day, whenever we uh learned how 1510 01:24:06,760 --> 01:24:09,759 Speaker 1: to manage the relationship between the two mules were Smokey 1511 01:24:09,880 --> 01:24:12,519 Speaker 1: just wanted to be on our heels. It helped a lot, 1512 01:24:13,200 --> 01:24:16,200 Speaker 1: at least for for me. Uh. But I think like 1513 01:24:16,320 --> 01:24:18,080 Speaker 1: just being able to push through those things that just 1514 01:24:18,120 --> 01:24:21,760 Speaker 1: like builds character like inside of you to just you know, 1515 01:24:21,920 --> 01:24:23,920 Speaker 1: whenever you come up against something. I think the biggest 1516 01:24:23,960 --> 01:24:26,240 Speaker 1: thing about these back country hunts is you come to 1517 01:24:26,280 --> 01:24:28,880 Speaker 1: a point of like flexibility to where it's like, well 1518 01:24:29,479 --> 01:24:32,120 Speaker 1: that didn't work. What now, you know, Like how do 1519 01:24:32,200 --> 01:24:35,600 Speaker 1: we adjust and how do we engage this particular scenario 1520 01:24:36,160 --> 01:24:38,120 Speaker 1: to where we can come to a point of success, 1521 01:24:38,240 --> 01:24:42,280 Speaker 1: you know, or whatever success is inside of our minds. Um. 1522 01:24:42,320 --> 01:24:44,759 Speaker 1: But I think just the ability to be flexible and fluid, 1523 01:24:44,800 --> 01:24:46,720 Speaker 1: you know, like if your tree stand hunting, you're just 1524 01:24:46,760 --> 01:24:48,519 Speaker 1: gonna go and you're gonna sit in that stand for 1525 01:24:48,560 --> 01:24:50,760 Speaker 1: the most part. You might hunt to and from it, 1526 01:24:50,800 --> 01:24:52,760 Speaker 1: but for the most part, you're committed to that thing. 1527 01:24:52,840 --> 01:24:56,680 Speaker 1: And I think that being mobile and and moving back 1528 01:24:56,720 --> 01:25:00,280 Speaker 1: and forth and just you know, just being you being 1529 01:25:00,320 --> 01:25:03,080 Speaker 1: fluid with what your plans are and not holding onto 1530 01:25:03,160 --> 01:25:05,840 Speaker 1: them too tight. I think that was a big thing 1531 01:25:05,880 --> 01:25:08,160 Speaker 1: because I mean, you wouldn't have had a shot at 1532 01:25:08,160 --> 01:25:11,400 Speaker 1: that blonde bearry even if we had sat there in 1533 01:25:11,479 --> 01:25:14,200 Speaker 1: the bear with adopts. It way like just being willing 1534 01:25:14,240 --> 01:25:16,840 Speaker 1: not to hold onto anything too tightly. I think it 1535 01:25:16,960 --> 01:25:20,200 Speaker 1: was was an important key. Uh you know, even being 1536 01:25:20,240 --> 01:25:22,040 Speaker 1: willing to shoot that other bear. You know, well what 1537 01:25:22,080 --> 01:25:24,080 Speaker 1: happens to the other one, Well, this bears right here, 1538 01:25:24,400 --> 01:25:31,479 Speaker 1: you know it's right yep. So well, incredible experience and 1539 01:25:32,040 --> 01:25:36,920 Speaker 1: this is we're gonna have multi more, multiple more podcast 1540 01:25:37,040 --> 01:25:40,360 Speaker 1: from the Montana tour. Like we said, we we interviewed 1541 01:25:41,120 --> 01:25:45,400 Speaker 1: Joe Condela's interviewed Brian Strickler, an interview Barren Snyder all 1542 01:25:45,479 --> 01:25:48,240 Speaker 1: on this trip. They weren't necessarily about this trip, but 1543 01:25:48,320 --> 01:25:54,200 Speaker 1: we referenced this trip on this podcast. Hey, thanks for 1544 01:25:54,320 --> 01:25:58,920 Speaker 1: joining us, and uh, keep the wild places wild because 1545 01:25:58,920 --> 01:26:02,360 Speaker 1: that's where the bears live. Peo