1 00:00:00,520 --> 00:00:03,840 Speaker 1: You're listening to the Sportsman's Nation podcast network, brought to 2 00:00:03,840 --> 00:00:07,080 Speaker 1: you by Lacrosse Boots. Now Lacrosse is at it again 3 00:00:07,240 --> 00:00:10,560 Speaker 1: with a new line of lace up hunting boots, the 4 00:00:10,680 --> 00:00:14,280 Speaker 1: Navigator series. And in that Navigator series there are two models. 5 00:00:14,560 --> 00:00:17,159 Speaker 1: There's the Atlas for men and the wind Rows for 6 00:00:17,280 --> 00:00:20,480 Speaker 1: both men and women. To find out more information about 7 00:00:20,520 --> 00:00:30,680 Speaker 1: this new Navigator series, visit Lacrosse Footwear dot com. My 8 00:00:30,800 --> 00:00:33,000 Speaker 1: name is Clay Nucleman. I'm the host of the Bear 9 00:00:33,080 --> 00:00:37,360 Speaker 1: Hunting Magazine podcast. I'll also be your host into the 10 00:00:37,360 --> 00:00:42,200 Speaker 1: world of hunting the icon of North American wilderness. There, 11 00:00:42,800 --> 00:00:46,840 Speaker 1: we'll talk about tactics here conservation. We will also bring 12 00:00:46,880 --> 00:00:50,600 Speaker 1: you into some of the wildest country on the planet chasing. 13 00:00:56,880 --> 00:01:00,160 Speaker 1: For all you houndsman out there, check out our friends 14 00:01:00,160 --> 00:01:05,039 Speaker 1: over at W Hunting Supply tu supply dot com. W 15 00:01:05,319 --> 00:01:08,840 Speaker 1: has been in business since two thousand, so for almost 16 00:01:08,920 --> 00:01:12,960 Speaker 1: twenty years. They've been serving houndsmen and their biggest thing 17 00:01:13,360 --> 00:01:16,600 Speaker 1: is that they hunt with the products that they use. 18 00:01:16,760 --> 00:01:19,360 Speaker 1: They really do. When you call the guys at W 19 00:01:20,080 --> 00:01:23,960 Speaker 1: the ladies at W, they know these products their houndsmen 20 00:01:23,959 --> 00:01:27,200 Speaker 1: and hounds women, and they're gonna bend over backwards to 21 00:01:27,240 --> 00:01:30,640 Speaker 1: give you incredible customer service and stand behind all the 22 00:01:30,720 --> 00:01:35,880 Speaker 1: products that they sell. They've also got a very unique 23 00:01:36,480 --> 00:01:40,440 Speaker 1: and custom line of T shirts Hound t shirts with 24 00:01:40,600 --> 00:01:46,319 Speaker 1: cool graphics and you're gonna like w Hunting Supply. Also, 25 00:01:46,720 --> 00:01:50,720 Speaker 1: check out our friends at Northwood's Bear Products. And we're 26 00:01:50,760 --> 00:01:53,919 Speaker 1: coming into the fall. Bear baiting season is winding down, 27 00:01:54,440 --> 00:01:57,520 Speaker 1: but we can't talk enough about the fact if you're 28 00:01:57,560 --> 00:02:01,960 Speaker 1: baiting bears, you you need to be using commercial sense 29 00:02:02,560 --> 00:02:07,160 Speaker 1: and check out Northwoods Bear Products full line of sense 30 00:02:07,600 --> 00:02:13,200 Speaker 1: at Northwoods Bear Products dot net. Check them out. And lastly, 31 00:02:13,840 --> 00:02:17,880 Speaker 1: are good buddies at the Western Bear Foundation. You know, 32 00:02:18,200 --> 00:02:23,520 Speaker 1: sometimes just having a voice inside of a situation is 33 00:02:23,560 --> 00:02:27,639 Speaker 1: really important. Sometimes just showing up is the most important 34 00:02:27,680 --> 00:02:30,040 Speaker 1: thing that we can do. And the Western Bear Foundation 35 00:02:30,400 --> 00:02:35,000 Speaker 1: is a voice out there with the bear conflict mitigation 36 00:02:35,080 --> 00:02:36,840 Speaker 1: and right out there in the heat of the battle 37 00:02:36,960 --> 00:02:40,400 Speaker 1: right now with the the listing of the grizzly and 38 00:02:40,560 --> 00:02:43,600 Speaker 1: uh and there a voice of reason in a voice 39 00:02:43,639 --> 00:02:46,040 Speaker 1: of the hunter, and a voice for conservation, and a 40 00:02:46,120 --> 00:02:49,320 Speaker 1: voice for the North American Bottle of Wildlife conservation out 41 00:02:49,360 --> 00:02:53,839 Speaker 1: there in a pretty crazy conversation with people that don't 42 00:02:53,880 --> 00:02:56,840 Speaker 1: understand our way of life, and and uh, the Western 43 00:02:56,840 --> 00:02:59,200 Speaker 1: Bear Foundation is just a voice. Just this week they 44 00:02:59,200 --> 00:03:03,119 Speaker 1: were a petition and people to just for Sportsman's sportsman 45 00:03:03,160 --> 00:03:06,520 Speaker 1: to just go to a public event where they were 46 00:03:06,520 --> 00:03:10,880 Speaker 1: looking for feedback from the public. And uh, again it's 47 00:03:10,919 --> 00:03:15,160 Speaker 1: these kind of services that bring attention to needed things 48 00:03:15,200 --> 00:03:20,760 Speaker 1: in the outdoor community. Anyway, valuable organization. They're driven by membership, 49 00:03:20,880 --> 00:03:26,160 Speaker 1: nonprofit hunting conservation organization. Check out the Western Bear Foundation. 50 00:03:29,360 --> 00:03:33,120 Speaker 1: This week, I have a very special guest at the 51 00:03:33,120 --> 00:03:37,400 Speaker 1: global headquarters today and that guest is my daughter, River 52 00:03:37,520 --> 00:03:40,920 Speaker 1: Nukem High River. This is your first time, your long 53 00:03:41,000 --> 00:03:46,560 Speaker 1: time listener, first time guest on the podcast. Is that right? Okay, Well, 54 00:03:47,160 --> 00:03:51,440 Speaker 1: what we're gonna do is we're gonna talk about Rivers 55 00:03:51,520 --> 00:03:54,160 Speaker 1: hunt because the River had a successful bear hunt here 56 00:03:54,160 --> 00:03:57,240 Speaker 1: in Arkansas about just a few weeks ago, and just 57 00:03:57,280 --> 00:04:00,880 Speaker 1: this week we released a video that called River's Bear 58 00:04:01,320 --> 00:04:03,480 Speaker 1: And if you if you haven't seen that video, I 59 00:04:03,520 --> 00:04:05,720 Speaker 1: don't know if it would be it might be better 60 00:04:05,720 --> 00:04:08,960 Speaker 1: to listen to the podcast first, but you gotta if 61 00:04:08,960 --> 00:04:10,960 Speaker 1: you're listening to this podcast, you got to watch the 62 00:04:11,080 --> 00:04:15,080 Speaker 1: video of all the video that that I've produced. I 63 00:04:15,120 --> 00:04:17,000 Speaker 1: feel like it's one of the best films, not just 64 00:04:17,040 --> 00:04:20,719 Speaker 1: because my daughter was in it, which that could potentially 65 00:04:20,760 --> 00:04:24,839 Speaker 1: make me make me biased in some way, but the 66 00:04:24,839 --> 00:04:30,640 Speaker 1: the story spanned two years, a serious accident, a mule wreck, 67 00:04:31,880 --> 00:04:35,360 Speaker 1: and an encounter with a giant color phase bear that 68 00:04:35,400 --> 00:04:40,799 Speaker 1: we did not capitalize on, and then eventually River taken 69 00:04:40,880 --> 00:04:43,840 Speaker 1: a really nice bear in Arkansas, I mean a very 70 00:04:43,960 --> 00:04:48,080 Speaker 1: nice bear, pope and young nineteen inch plus skull bear 71 00:04:48,200 --> 00:04:52,000 Speaker 1: in Arkansas. And but more important than that, the whole 72 00:04:52,000 --> 00:04:56,320 Speaker 1: sequence of events from the perspective of a father was 73 00:04:56,360 --> 00:05:00,120 Speaker 1: really powerful because River had to endure a lot, she 74 00:05:00,160 --> 00:05:04,840 Speaker 1: had to practice a lot of restraint, and uh so 75 00:05:04,960 --> 00:05:09,000 Speaker 1: what we're gonna talk about all those details, But so River, 76 00:05:09,560 --> 00:05:12,120 Speaker 1: I want to start off with a little little history. 77 00:05:12,800 --> 00:05:14,880 Speaker 1: When River was how old are you when you saw 78 00:05:14,920 --> 00:05:16,760 Speaker 1: your first bear out there with when we were baiting 79 00:05:16,760 --> 00:05:19,520 Speaker 1: bears when we were I was like four the first 80 00:05:19,560 --> 00:05:23,800 Speaker 1: bear I saw. Do you remember? I remember that so vividly? Yeah, 81 00:05:24,000 --> 00:05:27,080 Speaker 1: tell us that story. Well, we had a bait and 82 00:05:27,360 --> 00:05:29,800 Speaker 1: you're you didn't. We didn't have any picture to the 83 00:05:29,800 --> 00:05:34,120 Speaker 1: bear or just any bear, and you were gonna you 84 00:05:34,200 --> 00:05:36,800 Speaker 1: were we were gonna move the bank and move somewhere else. 85 00:05:36,839 --> 00:05:38,200 Speaker 1: But that night I was gonna go with you the 86 00:05:38,240 --> 00:05:41,880 Speaker 1: next day. And that night I had a dream that 87 00:05:41,960 --> 00:05:44,000 Speaker 1: we were at the bear bait and there's bear, there's 88 00:05:44,040 --> 00:05:45,560 Speaker 1: like cubs. It was just a bunch of cups. The 89 00:05:45,560 --> 00:05:48,440 Speaker 1: bear had left. That's what happened. The bears. The bears 90 00:05:48,440 --> 00:05:51,280 Speaker 1: were gone. Like I was baiting bears and I had 91 00:05:51,360 --> 00:05:53,760 Speaker 1: one bait and the and the bears left, and so 92 00:05:53,920 --> 00:05:55,200 Speaker 1: you know, I would have come home. You'd have been 93 00:05:55,200 --> 00:05:57,200 Speaker 1: four and might have been dramatic. I was like, the 94 00:05:57,240 --> 00:06:01,640 Speaker 1: bears are gone, you know, Yeah, Okay, that's probably what happened. 95 00:06:01,680 --> 00:06:03,880 Speaker 1: And then you had a dream and yeah, I had 96 00:06:03,880 --> 00:06:05,720 Speaker 1: a dream and there was just a bunch of bears 97 00:06:05,839 --> 00:06:09,880 Speaker 1: at the bait and you're four years old. Yeah, And 98 00:06:09,920 --> 00:06:11,840 Speaker 1: I begged you to let us bait it one more time. 99 00:06:11,880 --> 00:06:14,240 Speaker 1: And so we went out like a couple of days later, 100 00:06:14,560 --> 00:06:16,880 Speaker 1: and we had the back filled with bread and we 101 00:06:16,960 --> 00:06:18,520 Speaker 1: carried it back there. You gave me like a little 102 00:06:18,520 --> 00:06:20,279 Speaker 1: Walmart sack and you had a big old trash bag 103 00:06:20,320 --> 00:06:22,120 Speaker 1: and I carried it out there and I was just 104 00:06:22,160 --> 00:06:24,719 Speaker 1: like not, I was just like dancing through the woods 105 00:06:24,720 --> 00:06:26,880 Speaker 1: with my little trash bag of bread, and I looked 106 00:06:26,960 --> 00:06:28,680 Speaker 1: up and you were like crouching down on the ground 107 00:06:28,680 --> 00:06:30,080 Speaker 1: and you were looking at me with your finger over 108 00:06:30,080 --> 00:06:32,480 Speaker 1: your mouth, telling me to be quiet. And I tiptoed 109 00:06:32,480 --> 00:06:34,160 Speaker 1: over there, and you pointed out and there was like 110 00:06:34,440 --> 00:06:36,960 Speaker 1: to me, it was a massive bear and it looked 111 00:06:37,000 --> 00:06:41,320 Speaker 1: so big, and I was scared. I just grounded on 112 00:06:41,360 --> 00:06:43,159 Speaker 1: your arm and was like, oh my gosh, yeah, I 113 00:06:43,200 --> 00:06:45,880 Speaker 1: remember exactly what you said. You were just like happy, 114 00:06:45,920 --> 00:06:49,920 Speaker 1: go lucky, and then you saw the bear immediately latched 115 00:06:49,960 --> 00:06:53,200 Speaker 1: onto my leg and said let's go. You just said, 116 00:06:53,279 --> 00:06:55,320 Speaker 1: you just said let's go. I mean, you were just like, 117 00:06:55,880 --> 00:06:58,880 Speaker 1: I don't want any man. When in my mind when 118 00:06:58,880 --> 00:07:00,920 Speaker 1: I looked back, I remember that being awesome and not 119 00:07:01,000 --> 00:07:04,400 Speaker 1: being scared. But it was so funny because you were 120 00:07:04,440 --> 00:07:07,720 Speaker 1: just like just immediately just like let's go, let's get 121 00:07:07,720 --> 00:07:10,280 Speaker 1: out of here. So so that was Rivers like first 122 00:07:10,320 --> 00:07:14,840 Speaker 1: thing first like like sequence of interacting with bears and 123 00:07:14,840 --> 00:07:16,720 Speaker 1: and so for years we were like River had a 124 00:07:16,800 --> 00:07:21,240 Speaker 1: dream that the bears came back, and actually yeah, and 125 00:07:21,240 --> 00:07:25,720 Speaker 1: and uh so that was that, and then you would 126 00:07:25,720 --> 00:07:30,600 Speaker 1: have bear baited with me and stuff for years. But 127 00:07:31,000 --> 00:07:34,280 Speaker 1: so I saw a lot of people letting their young 128 00:07:34,480 --> 00:07:38,200 Speaker 1: kids shoot bears over bait, which man more power to them, 129 00:07:38,200 --> 00:07:42,760 Speaker 1: that's awesome. I did not want the newcome kids to 130 00:07:42,920 --> 00:07:45,320 Speaker 1: kill a bear until I felt like they could truly 131 00:07:45,360 --> 00:07:48,080 Speaker 1: appreciate it. Yeah, And you had it instilled in us 132 00:07:48,120 --> 00:07:50,520 Speaker 1: that like a bear was this majesting animal and if 133 00:07:50,560 --> 00:07:52,440 Speaker 1: you were going to kill it, you were gonna earn it. Yeah. 134 00:07:52,520 --> 00:07:54,400 Speaker 1: And that's a lot of the video. Like when watching 135 00:07:54,400 --> 00:07:55,960 Speaker 1: the video, you see that we weren't gonna be able 136 00:07:56,000 --> 00:07:57,840 Speaker 1: to kill a bear. Let's we could shoot it with 137 00:07:57,960 --> 00:08:01,000 Speaker 1: bo Yeah. And that was the challenge pretty much. Well 138 00:08:01,360 --> 00:08:04,280 Speaker 1: and and uh and not to take something away from 139 00:08:04,280 --> 00:08:06,200 Speaker 1: somebody that lets a six or seven or eight year 140 00:08:06,240 --> 00:08:09,400 Speaker 1: old kids shoot a bear, that's that's any parents progative. 141 00:08:09,440 --> 00:08:11,960 Speaker 1: But I just knew that it would cheapen it a 142 00:08:12,000 --> 00:08:14,400 Speaker 1: little bit if you were that young. And so you 143 00:08:14,440 --> 00:08:16,840 Speaker 1: were the first nucom that I ever let bear hunt. 144 00:08:17,160 --> 00:08:19,360 Speaker 1: I mean, for years, y'all were totally capable. Y'all were 145 00:08:19,400 --> 00:08:24,800 Speaker 1: killing deer, y'all were killing turkeys. Uh. Yeah, and you 146 00:08:24,880 --> 00:08:27,040 Speaker 1: knew that, you knew what was happening and everything. But 147 00:08:27,120 --> 00:08:30,480 Speaker 1: you were thirteen years old when you could pull the 148 00:08:30,720 --> 00:08:33,600 Speaker 1: weight limit for archery in Arkansas, and I was like, 149 00:08:33,679 --> 00:08:35,600 Speaker 1: I worked for that all summer. It's like, you, ever, 150 00:08:35,800 --> 00:08:38,480 Speaker 1: this is the year where I want you to kill 151 00:08:38,480 --> 00:08:43,840 Speaker 1: a bear and uh. And so that was and you 152 00:08:44,000 --> 00:08:47,400 Speaker 1: just turned thirteen and uh and you killed a bear 153 00:08:47,920 --> 00:08:50,680 Speaker 1: the first first afternoon we hunted. I mean you helped 154 00:08:50,679 --> 00:08:52,000 Speaker 1: me bait and do a bunch of stuff that you 155 00:08:52,080 --> 00:08:55,040 Speaker 1: killed a really nice colored face bear out at at 156 00:08:55,120 --> 00:08:59,959 Speaker 1: James Lawrence's old home place and out in the mountains, 157 00:09:00,640 --> 00:09:04,079 Speaker 1: and uh, that was a really awesome experience. And we 158 00:09:04,280 --> 00:09:07,120 Speaker 1: you killed the bear, knew come killed the bear. Well, 159 00:09:08,320 --> 00:09:11,480 Speaker 1: So as it goes in our family, we don't just 160 00:09:11,559 --> 00:09:15,200 Speaker 1: have unlimited access to be able to hunt and shoot 161 00:09:15,200 --> 00:09:17,439 Speaker 1: bears over bait. I mean, we've got some good properties, 162 00:09:17,440 --> 00:09:19,800 Speaker 1: but usually what it boils down to is we work 163 00:09:19,840 --> 00:09:22,480 Speaker 1: our fingers to the bone and when opening day comes, 164 00:09:22,520 --> 00:09:25,880 Speaker 1: we have one spot. That's good. Yeah, because I killed 165 00:09:25,880 --> 00:09:28,280 Speaker 1: that bear when I was thirteen, and then the next 166 00:09:28,400 --> 00:09:31,640 Speaker 1: year I didn't. I sat on a bait for a 167 00:09:31,679 --> 00:09:34,160 Speaker 1: long time, I didn't even see a bear. And when 168 00:09:34,160 --> 00:09:40,560 Speaker 1: I was fifteen we went back where well point being, 169 00:09:41,000 --> 00:09:46,800 Speaker 1: the next year I decided to bypass our oldest son 170 00:09:47,400 --> 00:09:50,000 Speaker 1: and and skip down to our youngest son and let 171 00:09:50,080 --> 00:09:52,680 Speaker 1: him bear because Bear wanted to kill it. On. Well, 172 00:09:52,880 --> 00:09:56,480 Speaker 1: we've made a we I feel like every kid is 173 00:09:56,520 --> 00:10:00,160 Speaker 1: so different that you can't just script out just they're 174 00:10:00,160 --> 00:10:03,360 Speaker 1: supposed to do. Baron Newcomb, he was hunting with me 175 00:10:03,400 --> 00:10:06,600 Speaker 1: in the mountains in National Forest and I just said, hey, Bear, 176 00:10:06,920 --> 00:10:10,040 Speaker 1: how about you not kill a bear overbait? You you 177 00:10:10,040 --> 00:10:14,600 Speaker 1: you restrain yourself from that, and you just take five 178 00:10:14,720 --> 00:10:17,000 Speaker 1: years and let's try to kill one in the mountains. 179 00:10:17,720 --> 00:10:19,920 Speaker 1: And so he's not hunted over bait until this year. 180 00:10:20,000 --> 00:10:22,559 Speaker 1: He went hunting with James overbait one day without me knowing. 181 00:10:22,559 --> 00:10:24,680 Speaker 1: They were supposed to go deer hunting. Did you know that? 182 00:10:24,880 --> 00:10:28,520 Speaker 1: I thought Mr James was taking bear deer hunting and 183 00:10:28,559 --> 00:10:30,400 Speaker 1: they went and said on that bait, good thing, he 184 00:10:30,400 --> 00:10:32,880 Speaker 1: did get one, good thing, he didn't get one. Well, 185 00:10:33,280 --> 00:10:39,120 Speaker 1: so so Bear rivers younger brother has been bypassed. And 186 00:10:39,200 --> 00:10:42,240 Speaker 1: Shepherd killed the bear, and I really wanted to kind 187 00:10:42,240 --> 00:10:44,720 Speaker 1: of throw Shepherd a bone, and he had a lot 188 00:10:44,720 --> 00:10:48,120 Speaker 1: of desire, and for whatever reason, I just felt like 189 00:10:48,160 --> 00:10:51,600 Speaker 1: I needed to give him a taste of success fairly easily. 190 00:10:52,120 --> 00:10:54,240 Speaker 1: And I feel like that's played out very well because 191 00:10:54,240 --> 00:10:59,320 Speaker 1: now Shepherd is like, I mean in like well, in 192 00:10:59,440 --> 00:11:01,760 Speaker 1: like June, and he's like, hey, Dad, we gotta start shooting. 193 00:11:01,960 --> 00:11:04,160 Speaker 1: We gotta start getting ready. Where are we gonna bait? What? 194 00:11:04,240 --> 00:11:05,880 Speaker 1: You know? He's like, He's like, he always makes sure 195 00:11:05,880 --> 00:11:11,559 Speaker 1: I'm shooting my bow. Yeah, and so Shepherd yeah, so 196 00:11:11,559 --> 00:11:16,319 Speaker 1: so well he sell that to say. In twenty eighteen, 197 00:11:16,960 --> 00:11:20,559 Speaker 1: we gained access to a piece of property that was 198 00:11:21,440 --> 00:11:26,120 Speaker 1: inaccessible by vehicle. Okay, you could not drive a four 199 00:11:26,160 --> 00:11:30,079 Speaker 1: wheeler in there, legally you could not. The only way 200 00:11:30,120 --> 00:11:32,920 Speaker 1: to get in there is either by foot or by 201 00:11:33,000 --> 00:11:35,679 Speaker 1: equine animal. And is it basically a mile and a 202 00:11:35,760 --> 00:11:38,560 Speaker 1: half from where we could park the truck straight up 203 00:11:38,559 --> 00:11:42,840 Speaker 1: a mountain, a lot of elevation gain for Arkansas. And 204 00:11:43,160 --> 00:11:45,079 Speaker 1: we gained access to hunt this piece of private land. 205 00:11:45,120 --> 00:11:47,360 Speaker 1: And in Arkansas we can only bait bears on private 206 00:11:47,480 --> 00:11:52,200 Speaker 1: land in certain zones, okay, And so we knew that 207 00:11:52,240 --> 00:11:55,120 Speaker 1: this property was gonna be pretty good. We really did, 208 00:11:55,320 --> 00:11:58,800 Speaker 1: just because of how secluded it was typically in Arkansas 209 00:11:58,920 --> 00:12:02,400 Speaker 1: and and pretty much anyway, the more secluded, the more 210 00:12:03,840 --> 00:12:08,400 Speaker 1: access to vast amounts of public land around where you're baiting, 211 00:12:09,240 --> 00:12:11,440 Speaker 1: the more of that the better. So we knew this 212 00:12:11,480 --> 00:12:15,280 Speaker 1: place was going to be good. So in UH in 213 00:12:15,400 --> 00:12:19,240 Speaker 1: early September, we gained access to the property and we 214 00:12:19,320 --> 00:12:24,240 Speaker 1: started baiting on September. Is that correct? Is that when 215 00:12:24,520 --> 00:12:31,800 Speaker 1: it happened? It was? But yeah, yeah, let's just say 216 00:12:31,800 --> 00:12:36,280 Speaker 1: it was. So on September two thousand and eighteen, River 217 00:12:36,360 --> 00:12:40,120 Speaker 1: and I basically bushed whack in bush whacked into where 218 00:12:40,160 --> 00:12:43,120 Speaker 1: we could where we could park. We had two mules 219 00:12:43,400 --> 00:12:47,160 Speaker 1: with paniards. We loaded up the mules with probably a 220 00:12:47,280 --> 00:12:50,640 Speaker 1: hundred fifty to two h pounds of bait each. UH 221 00:12:50,640 --> 00:12:55,800 Speaker 1: season opened in like eight days. It opened on September, 222 00:12:56,760 --> 00:12:59,120 Speaker 1: so we were just baiting like seven days, seven days 223 00:12:59,160 --> 00:13:03,640 Speaker 1: before season. We went up there. We didn't carry a 224 00:13:03,679 --> 00:13:06,400 Speaker 1: barrel in. We just put the bait right on the ground, 225 00:13:06,480 --> 00:13:09,400 Speaker 1: put up a fair box and a cutting back camera 226 00:13:09,640 --> 00:13:12,840 Speaker 1: and left it and just had no idea what was like. 227 00:13:13,800 --> 00:13:15,480 Speaker 1: You know, when you start a new bait, even if 228 00:13:15,480 --> 00:13:18,200 Speaker 1: it's in a good location, a lot of times these 229 00:13:18,240 --> 00:13:22,120 Speaker 1: bears are fixed in on baits and other places. Like 230 00:13:22,280 --> 00:13:24,760 Speaker 1: baiting does kind of change the bear landscape for a 231 00:13:24,760 --> 00:13:29,840 Speaker 1: certain period of time because bears are extremely habitual, even 232 00:13:29,880 --> 00:13:32,200 Speaker 1: down to the day of when they show up at 233 00:13:32,200 --> 00:13:34,600 Speaker 1: a bait site, there really are river um It's it's 234 00:13:34,640 --> 00:13:37,760 Speaker 1: like a it's like a biological thing. Like if a 235 00:13:37,800 --> 00:13:41,440 Speaker 1: bear knows that this certain section of a white oak 236 00:13:41,520 --> 00:13:45,200 Speaker 1: ridge always produces, he remembers that for his entire life, 237 00:13:45,640 --> 00:13:47,560 Speaker 1: and he goes back there and checks it every year. 238 00:13:47,880 --> 00:13:50,080 Speaker 1: And I remember Will Beason one time told him that 239 00:13:50,120 --> 00:13:52,240 Speaker 1: he used to leave cameras up year around on his 240 00:13:52,320 --> 00:13:55,720 Speaker 1: bait sites even when he wasn't baiting, and the bears 241 00:13:55,760 --> 00:13:58,520 Speaker 1: would always show for like years in a row. The 242 00:13:58,600 --> 00:14:02,200 Speaker 1: bears showed up on the very same day, even before 243 00:14:02,240 --> 00:14:05,760 Speaker 1: he started bating. Yeah, like like they they they were 244 00:14:05,800 --> 00:14:09,400 Speaker 1: real meticulous about when they started baiting bears. And uh 245 00:14:09,480 --> 00:14:12,240 Speaker 1: in a bear would have not been there for months 246 00:14:12,280 --> 00:14:14,920 Speaker 1: and would show up the day before they started baiting. 247 00:14:15,600 --> 00:14:18,560 Speaker 1: And they just know they're just so. I say that 248 00:14:18,640 --> 00:14:21,840 Speaker 1: to say, even if you have a good location, you 249 00:14:21,920 --> 00:14:23,680 Speaker 1: never know if you're gonna be able to draw bears 250 00:14:23,680 --> 00:14:27,880 Speaker 1: because bears maybe you know, I mean bear movement is 251 00:14:27,880 --> 00:14:32,080 Speaker 1: is navy is influenced by bear baits. When you can 252 00:14:32,120 --> 00:14:34,440 Speaker 1: bait bears, it's pulling bears away. So we didn't know 253 00:14:34,600 --> 00:14:38,840 Speaker 1: well and just like I wanted to kill a bear 254 00:14:38,920 --> 00:14:41,800 Speaker 1: that year, I didn't kill the bear. I think I 255 00:14:41,840 --> 00:14:43,880 Speaker 1: was fifteen and I hadn't kill a bear since I 256 00:14:43,920 --> 00:14:46,240 Speaker 1: was Well, you hunted, you killed the bear in fifteen, 257 00:14:46,240 --> 00:14:49,320 Speaker 1: you hunted sixteen and seventeen and didn't kill anything. I 258 00:14:49,400 --> 00:14:51,160 Speaker 1: wanted kill the bear, and we were like, why don't 259 00:14:51,160 --> 00:14:54,520 Speaker 1: we kill it? For whatever reason? When I got access 260 00:14:54,520 --> 00:14:56,560 Speaker 1: to this property, I was just like, Yeah, this is 261 00:14:56,640 --> 00:14:58,560 Speaker 1: gonna be river spot, did you know? I mean, I 262 00:14:58,560 --> 00:15:00,680 Speaker 1: didn't know that. I was just like gonna go bating 263 00:15:00,680 --> 00:15:03,560 Speaker 1: with you and maybe well, I mean I could have 264 00:15:03,600 --> 00:15:06,640 Speaker 1: done anything with that spot. I could or like a 265 00:15:06,640 --> 00:15:08,800 Speaker 1: lot of times on the day or like a couple 266 00:15:08,840 --> 00:15:11,080 Speaker 1: of days, like we'd be driving down to where we're 267 00:15:11,080 --> 00:15:13,120 Speaker 1: gonna bear hunt and we'd be like, okay, River's gonna hunt. 268 00:15:13,120 --> 00:15:15,040 Speaker 1: Hear Chevard's gonna here. I was just going baiting with 269 00:15:15,080 --> 00:15:17,720 Speaker 1: you the day one. I didn't know that was gonna 270 00:15:17,760 --> 00:15:20,960 Speaker 1: be my spot. I didn't know. Probably just weren't paying 271 00:15:20,960 --> 00:15:23,600 Speaker 1: attention when I told you, probably not. But but I 272 00:15:23,640 --> 00:15:25,120 Speaker 1: just had not like I would just going to bait 273 00:15:25,160 --> 00:15:28,000 Speaker 1: with you, like I wasn't well, I had in my 274 00:15:28,040 --> 00:15:30,200 Speaker 1: mind from the very beginning for whatever reason. I was 275 00:15:30,280 --> 00:15:31,760 Speaker 1: just like, this is gonna be river spot because I 276 00:15:31,800 --> 00:15:33,920 Speaker 1: knew it's gonna be really hard. Yeah, pretty quick I 277 00:15:33,960 --> 00:15:35,480 Speaker 1: realized like this is gonna be my spot, and this 278 00:15:35,560 --> 00:15:39,440 Speaker 1: is like a significant mountain. But and and it was 279 00:15:41,320 --> 00:15:43,440 Speaker 1: I knew it was gonna be incredible. I really did. 280 00:15:43,760 --> 00:15:46,000 Speaker 1: And uh, and I just I just had this. I 281 00:15:46,080 --> 00:15:48,080 Speaker 1: just I don't know, it's just like from the very beginnings, 282 00:15:48,120 --> 00:15:49,720 Speaker 1: like this gonna be river spot. I mean, I've never 283 00:15:49,840 --> 00:15:55,720 Speaker 1: killed a bear up there, you know. Um September two, eighteen, 284 00:15:55,880 --> 00:15:58,040 Speaker 1: we go up there, we put out our bait, we leave, 285 00:15:58,200 --> 00:16:00,480 Speaker 1: and it's hard to get up comment. It's it's a 286 00:16:00,600 --> 00:16:04,840 Speaker 1: it's an hour and a half walk and we're leading 287 00:16:04,920 --> 00:16:08,120 Speaker 1: mules in but on foot. Okay, so we're not riding 288 00:16:08,160 --> 00:16:10,320 Speaker 1: the mules in most of the time. We're leading the 289 00:16:10,400 --> 00:16:12,720 Speaker 1: mules in there, carrying all our gear on our bait. 290 00:16:13,040 --> 00:16:15,400 Speaker 1: So we're getting a heck of a workout hour and 291 00:16:15,400 --> 00:16:17,520 Speaker 1: a half through the mountains up to this spot, which 292 00:16:17,920 --> 00:16:20,160 Speaker 1: on the on the garment, it's it's really only about 293 00:16:20,200 --> 00:16:23,000 Speaker 1: a mile and a half, but you're gaining about you're 294 00:16:23,000 --> 00:16:26,720 Speaker 1: gaining a lot of elevation for these mountains. Yeah, it 295 00:16:27,080 --> 00:16:31,920 Speaker 1: really does. It really does. But so here's what happened, 296 00:16:32,000 --> 00:16:34,040 Speaker 1: is is we had a riding saddle on my young 297 00:16:34,120 --> 00:16:36,280 Speaker 1: mule Easy, which a lot of you guys may have seen. 298 00:16:36,840 --> 00:16:41,240 Speaker 1: I was training Issy and stuff. Well I was just like, hey, Riever, 299 00:16:41,280 --> 00:16:43,320 Speaker 1: you want to ride Easy down the mountain and she's 300 00:16:43,360 --> 00:16:46,800 Speaker 1: like yeah, and I was like okay. And it truly 301 00:16:46,880 --> 00:16:49,000 Speaker 1: is one of the biggest just kind of like blind 302 00:16:49,080 --> 00:16:51,600 Speaker 1: spot mistakes that I've made. Is a father that put 303 00:16:51,720 --> 00:16:53,880 Speaker 1: my kids in danger for real, I look at it 304 00:16:53,960 --> 00:16:56,000 Speaker 1: like that because I just I was just like, yeah, 305 00:16:56,000 --> 00:16:58,960 Speaker 1: I just ride that three year old mule down down 306 00:16:59,000 --> 00:17:03,080 Speaker 1: this big mount and uh, soon as you got on 307 00:17:03,120 --> 00:17:07,720 Speaker 1: it is he was kind of just just high spirited. 308 00:17:07,760 --> 00:17:09,560 Speaker 1: I remember, you're kind of having a little bit of 309 00:17:09,680 --> 00:17:14,040 Speaker 1: trouble controling her or just lends being so low. That's right, 310 00:17:14,560 --> 00:17:16,720 Speaker 1: that's what. That's what. And I thought that was just 311 00:17:16,720 --> 00:17:18,480 Speaker 1: gonna be at the top of mountain, like at first 312 00:17:19,000 --> 00:17:22,840 Speaker 1: I got caught in not a big mule, but she's 313 00:17:22,840 --> 00:17:24,639 Speaker 1: not a short mule, so you're kind of up in 314 00:17:24,680 --> 00:17:28,040 Speaker 1: the trees. And yeah, boy, riding in Arkansas, that's the 315 00:17:28,040 --> 00:17:31,040 Speaker 1: biggest hazard of riding the way that we're using these 316 00:17:31,119 --> 00:17:33,960 Speaker 1: mules in the mountains of Arkansas is that you're constantly 317 00:17:34,040 --> 00:17:36,400 Speaker 1: ducking and fighting thems, and you could get raked off 318 00:17:36,440 --> 00:17:38,560 Speaker 1: a mule pretty easy if you're not moving around and 319 00:17:38,640 --> 00:17:42,240 Speaker 1: limber and mounting around. And so I just let her 320 00:17:42,320 --> 00:17:44,160 Speaker 1: ride and I was gonna lead my other mule down 321 00:17:44,200 --> 00:17:47,119 Speaker 1: the mountain because we only had a sawbuck. Sawbuck is 322 00:17:47,160 --> 00:17:50,479 Speaker 1: a is a pack saddle that you can't ride, So 323 00:17:50,560 --> 00:17:54,440 Speaker 1: you had a riding saddle. Ellie at the time had 324 00:17:54,520 --> 00:17:59,360 Speaker 1: that pack saddle, you know, And so there just there 325 00:17:59,400 --> 00:18:01,359 Speaker 1: you go off the mount and no, you know, no 326 00:18:01,400 --> 00:18:03,120 Speaker 1: big deal. I didn't even think of think about it. 327 00:18:03,240 --> 00:18:07,400 Speaker 1: Well directly, you get out about fifty yards in front 328 00:18:07,440 --> 00:18:11,240 Speaker 1: of me, maybe forty, and I see Izzie start trotting, 329 00:18:12,320 --> 00:18:14,400 Speaker 1: and then all of a sudden, I started here you 330 00:18:14,440 --> 00:18:18,680 Speaker 1: start yelling, and I see Izzy go into a full gallop. 331 00:18:19,560 --> 00:18:22,560 Speaker 1: What happened? She? We got out a little ways in 332 00:18:22,560 --> 00:18:25,320 Speaker 1: front of you, and there's a limb. There's a limb 333 00:18:25,400 --> 00:18:28,439 Speaker 1: hanging down and it was just like it wasn't It 334 00:18:28,520 --> 00:18:30,480 Speaker 1: was just about as stick as your wrist, and it 335 00:18:30,600 --> 00:18:31,919 Speaker 1: was coming in. It was just gonna hit me like 336 00:18:32,000 --> 00:18:34,359 Speaker 1: right in the chest. And so I bent overside. She 337 00:18:34,440 --> 00:18:37,960 Speaker 1: wasn't trotting yet, and I bent over sideways the duck 338 00:18:38,040 --> 00:18:41,280 Speaker 1: under that limb, which wasn't smart. And when I bent over, 339 00:18:41,400 --> 00:18:43,840 Speaker 1: grabbed the saddle horn and she took off run and 340 00:18:43,880 --> 00:18:45,680 Speaker 1: she just didn't. I guess you just didn't like that. 341 00:18:46,119 --> 00:18:49,200 Speaker 1: I think you squeezed her with your legs, queuing her 342 00:18:49,359 --> 00:18:51,760 Speaker 1: to run, That's probably what it was. And she just 343 00:18:51,800 --> 00:18:55,280 Speaker 1: took off like she she was running fast on that mountain, 344 00:18:55,800 --> 00:18:57,639 Speaker 1: and I didn't have the reins, and you kept you 345 00:18:57,640 --> 00:18:59,480 Speaker 1: were telling me like, yank the rent. You're telling me 346 00:18:59,520 --> 00:19:02,159 Speaker 1: to just pull on it. You're telling me to do something, 347 00:19:02,680 --> 00:19:05,760 Speaker 1: and I was just like I was yelling at the 348 00:19:05,800 --> 00:19:08,080 Speaker 1: top of my lungs. Yeah. And I mean I just 349 00:19:08,400 --> 00:19:12,200 Speaker 1: wasn't gonna let go with that side a word. Yeah. 350 00:19:12,320 --> 00:19:15,920 Speaker 1: And so what I see is I see this mule 351 00:19:16,080 --> 00:19:20,240 Speaker 1: at a full gallop just disappear over the crest of 352 00:19:20,280 --> 00:19:24,399 Speaker 1: this steep hill with with rivers sliding off the side. 353 00:19:24,480 --> 00:19:26,560 Speaker 1: That's the last image I've had of you was you 354 00:19:26,680 --> 00:19:30,359 Speaker 1: about halfway off of the mule, like going down and 355 00:19:30,359 --> 00:19:33,639 Speaker 1: this mule running as fast as a mule can run downhill. 356 00:19:34,880 --> 00:19:38,159 Speaker 1: And I've ever since we've been riding mules and with 357 00:19:38,240 --> 00:19:42,359 Speaker 1: the kids involved. I mean there's inherent danger and pretty 358 00:19:42,440 --> 00:19:48,119 Speaker 1: much everything that we do. Um, and I've always just thought, 359 00:19:48,680 --> 00:19:51,119 Speaker 1: you know, I mean, this is dangerous, but this is 360 00:19:51,200 --> 00:19:56,080 Speaker 1: something that we're gonna do. And anyway, this was the 361 00:19:56,200 --> 00:19:59,560 Speaker 1: bad dream that I thought could happen, and it was 362 00:19:59,560 --> 00:20:03,680 Speaker 1: happening out before my eyes. And I dropped the rain 363 00:20:03,840 --> 00:20:06,159 Speaker 1: the leader on my mule and just take off running. 364 00:20:06,280 --> 00:20:08,600 Speaker 1: And I finally catch up with you guys, and I 365 00:20:08,640 --> 00:20:13,920 Speaker 1: see Izzy facing me with no river newcum on her back, 366 00:20:14,000 --> 00:20:17,359 Speaker 1: and I see you head first on the ground on 367 00:20:17,400 --> 00:20:20,239 Speaker 1: your back, with your head down the mountain and your 368 00:20:20,320 --> 00:20:23,240 Speaker 1: legs up the mountain, and I honestly didn't know if 369 00:20:23,280 --> 00:20:26,760 Speaker 1: you if you were alive, And so I run to 370 00:20:26,920 --> 00:20:31,399 Speaker 1: you and yeah, go ahead and go ahead, um, because 371 00:20:31,600 --> 00:20:34,880 Speaker 1: when we were going down, she was like I hung 372 00:20:34,880 --> 00:20:36,320 Speaker 1: on for a long time. I hung out for a 373 00:20:36,320 --> 00:20:38,919 Speaker 1: long time. I'll give you that. Yeah, yeah, And she 374 00:20:39,040 --> 00:20:42,639 Speaker 1: was like jump jumping, like she was like jumping like 375 00:20:42,760 --> 00:20:45,560 Speaker 1: logs and and going through ditches and stuff. And my 376 00:20:46,640 --> 00:20:49,560 Speaker 1: I can't remember why, but somebody it might have been you, 377 00:20:49,640 --> 00:20:51,879 Speaker 1: But somebody told me, if you ever get in a 378 00:20:51,920 --> 00:20:54,640 Speaker 1: situation like that, just kind of roll off. And I'm 379 00:20:54,680 --> 00:20:57,760 Speaker 1: not sure that person was credible, but that's what I'm thinking. God, 380 00:20:57,840 --> 00:21:00,119 Speaker 1: that's what I was thinking in the moment. And my 381 00:21:00,320 --> 00:21:02,480 Speaker 1: foot was like stuck in the stir and the stirrup 382 00:21:02,520 --> 00:21:04,640 Speaker 1: on the other side, and I was leading like I 383 00:21:04,680 --> 00:21:08,120 Speaker 1: was like, I was just riding on like my I 384 00:21:08,160 --> 00:21:09,919 Speaker 1: was not sitting straight up on her. I was like, 385 00:21:10,240 --> 00:21:13,640 Speaker 1: yeah you were, and she was just running on purpose. 386 00:21:13,920 --> 00:21:16,880 Speaker 1: No no, but I was like like no, no, no, 387 00:21:16,880 --> 00:21:19,120 Speaker 1: no, no no, no, no, no, I did not. My advice 388 00:21:19,280 --> 00:21:21,480 Speaker 1: is to ride it out. Yeah, that's what you've always 389 00:21:22,200 --> 00:21:25,520 Speaker 1: Somebody said, if you're going to fall, Yeah, that's what 390 00:21:25,560 --> 00:21:27,760 Speaker 1: you've always thought. But somebody said, if you're gonna follow, 391 00:21:27,840 --> 00:21:30,560 Speaker 1: just roll off, because I mean, I wasn't even hardly 392 00:21:30,640 --> 00:21:33,240 Speaker 1: on her, Like my one leg was not in the 393 00:21:33,240 --> 00:21:35,600 Speaker 1: stir up anymore. I don't know how that happened, but 394 00:21:35,680 --> 00:21:37,080 Speaker 1: I was just hanging off the side of her as 395 00:21:37,160 --> 00:21:39,199 Speaker 1: she was running, and my other leg was just stuck 396 00:21:39,400 --> 00:21:42,960 Speaker 1: and I couldn't get off Anyways, the saddle like kind 397 00:21:42,960 --> 00:21:46,119 Speaker 1: of broke like something happened, and so kind of probably 398 00:21:46,160 --> 00:21:48,439 Speaker 1: spun a little bit off. Yeah, it suthing happened, and 399 00:21:48,520 --> 00:21:51,200 Speaker 1: I like she jumped over a log and my leg 400 00:21:51,280 --> 00:21:53,400 Speaker 1: finally just got loose and I just hit the ground. 401 00:21:53,640 --> 00:21:55,480 Speaker 1: And at first, I was just kind of like, what 402 00:21:55,600 --> 00:21:58,159 Speaker 1: the heck? And I thought if anything was wrong, it 403 00:21:58,200 --> 00:21:59,760 Speaker 1: was gonna be that I had just broken my leg 404 00:22:00,280 --> 00:22:02,199 Speaker 1: because it twists and side like. I didn't even realize 405 00:22:02,200 --> 00:22:06,160 Speaker 1: that my head is like bleeding or anything at first. 406 00:22:06,560 --> 00:22:10,119 Speaker 1: So I run up to you and I'm like, you know, 407 00:22:10,240 --> 00:22:12,640 Speaker 1: are you okay? Are you okay? Don't move, don't move, 408 00:22:13,359 --> 00:22:17,440 Speaker 1: and and I kind of just started like poking you, 409 00:22:18,359 --> 00:22:20,600 Speaker 1: like you know, and I just thought, if she's if 410 00:22:20,640 --> 00:22:25,080 Speaker 1: she's broken somewhere, you know, you'll be really tender. And 411 00:22:25,160 --> 00:22:28,600 Speaker 1: I kind of, you know, I couldn't find anything broken, 412 00:22:29,000 --> 00:22:32,760 Speaker 1: and I put my head behind your, my hand behind 413 00:22:32,800 --> 00:22:34,760 Speaker 1: your head and pulled my hand out. In my hand 414 00:22:34,880 --> 00:22:36,840 Speaker 1: had a bunch of blood on it, and that's always 415 00:22:36,880 --> 00:22:39,439 Speaker 1: saw the cut on your head, and we didn't think 416 00:22:39,480 --> 00:22:41,240 Speaker 1: it was that big deal. But I remember reaching back 417 00:22:41,240 --> 00:22:43,960 Speaker 1: and like it was deep, like you could feel until 418 00:22:44,000 --> 00:22:48,920 Speaker 1: it was deep. Well, we'll cut we'll shorten the story 419 00:22:48,960 --> 00:22:53,360 Speaker 1: a little bit here. The basically, it was a cut 420 00:22:53,400 --> 00:22:57,080 Speaker 1: so deep that you could see her skull and the 421 00:22:57,160 --> 00:23:00,240 Speaker 1: river can't walked all the way off the mountain eating 422 00:23:00,240 --> 00:23:02,879 Speaker 1: then a mule. I mean, we sat there on the ground. 423 00:23:02,880 --> 00:23:04,399 Speaker 1: I'll tell you exactly what we did. We sat there 424 00:23:04,400 --> 00:23:07,840 Speaker 1: on the ground and we prayed and I just thank 425 00:23:07,920 --> 00:23:13,440 Speaker 1: God that you were alive. And uh and I mean 426 00:23:13,840 --> 00:23:16,520 Speaker 1: we're way back in the mountains, no cell cover. I mean, 427 00:23:16,840 --> 00:23:18,320 Speaker 1: what else we're gonna do. We just walked out of 428 00:23:18,320 --> 00:23:21,920 Speaker 1: there and you were you were, you were capable of that, 429 00:23:22,600 --> 00:23:26,639 Speaker 1: and just shook up and bleeding and um. And we 430 00:23:26,720 --> 00:23:30,879 Speaker 1: go to the nearest medical facility and basically have a 431 00:23:30,920 --> 00:23:34,680 Speaker 1: pretty terrible experience. We stayed there for like eight hours. Yeah, 432 00:23:34,720 --> 00:23:36,719 Speaker 1: we're in the waiting room for six hours, and then 433 00:23:36,760 --> 00:23:38,639 Speaker 1: we went back there and sat there for two hours. 434 00:23:38,640 --> 00:23:45,080 Speaker 1: So River turns out has a a concussion, and uh, 435 00:23:45,280 --> 00:23:48,080 Speaker 1: we believe that she probably fractured her rib. They never 436 00:23:48,119 --> 00:23:51,000 Speaker 1: did any x rays on that, but it's because you know, 437 00:23:51,200 --> 00:23:53,440 Speaker 1: there'sn't really not much they can do about a fractured rib. 438 00:23:53,640 --> 00:23:55,639 Speaker 1: But a doctor that we know said it was probably 439 00:23:56,200 --> 00:23:59,679 Speaker 1: And then she had eight staples in her head and 440 00:23:59,760 --> 00:24:04,000 Speaker 1: with out anesthesia. Yeah, it was hours like while the 441 00:24:04,119 --> 00:24:09,040 Speaker 1: guy came in like hours after we'd been there. We 442 00:24:09,480 --> 00:24:11,600 Speaker 1: sat in the rading room for six hours and and 443 00:24:11,600 --> 00:24:14,320 Speaker 1: he said, hey, has she been given any talent all 444 00:24:14,440 --> 00:24:17,440 Speaker 1: or anything for pain? And River and I just looked 445 00:24:17,480 --> 00:24:20,280 Speaker 1: up at him. It was like, no, we hadn't seen anybody. 446 00:24:21,320 --> 00:24:23,760 Speaker 1: And basically he was like, oh my gosh, you've been 447 00:24:23,760 --> 00:24:25,960 Speaker 1: here this long and I I hadn't had any pain. And 448 00:24:26,320 --> 00:24:31,359 Speaker 1: River it's like she she's very just physically tough. She's tough. 449 00:24:31,760 --> 00:24:36,600 Speaker 1: She's been taught to ignore pain like Rambo. And so anyway, 450 00:24:36,920 --> 00:24:39,359 Speaker 1: we I felt terrible because I don't know, I just 451 00:24:39,400 --> 00:24:44,200 Speaker 1: didn't think about it. Anyway, they they put seven eight 452 00:24:44,240 --> 00:24:50,160 Speaker 1: staples the head, and long story short, we're still kind 453 00:24:50,200 --> 00:24:54,000 Speaker 1: of recovering from that in some ways. But so we 454 00:24:54,040 --> 00:24:56,359 Speaker 1: had a mule reck. Well we better start talking about 455 00:24:56,359 --> 00:25:01,840 Speaker 1: barre Hunt. Um so the next year, well, no, no week. 456 00:25:02,440 --> 00:25:06,600 Speaker 1: The next week we go back up on the mountain 457 00:25:07,400 --> 00:25:10,520 Speaker 1: and and we we couldn't get there the first day 458 00:25:10,520 --> 00:25:12,600 Speaker 1: of opening season. This is this is stuff we couldn't 459 00:25:12,600 --> 00:25:15,240 Speaker 1: tell in the video because it was just two complex 460 00:25:15,240 --> 00:25:18,359 Speaker 1: of a story. But we had like flash floods opening 461 00:25:18,400 --> 00:25:20,920 Speaker 1: day of season September Twe we tried to find other 462 00:25:20,960 --> 00:25:23,560 Speaker 1: ways up there, and we drove back into like the 463 00:25:23,600 --> 00:25:27,800 Speaker 1: craziest stuff and tried to in the middle of the woods. 464 00:25:28,320 --> 00:25:31,639 Speaker 1: Well we couldn't cross. There's a creek that we had 465 00:25:31,640 --> 00:25:33,600 Speaker 1: to cross. Well, we couldn't get across. It was too high. 466 00:25:33,640 --> 00:25:37,120 Speaker 1: So we tried to go upstream several miles and come 467 00:25:37,200 --> 00:25:39,480 Speaker 1: in a whole different direction to get back in where 468 00:25:39,520 --> 00:25:41,280 Speaker 1: and we just couldn't do it. So we ended up 469 00:25:41,280 --> 00:25:44,240 Speaker 1: not hunting the first day of season. We went back 470 00:25:44,320 --> 00:25:47,479 Speaker 1: up there the second day the water went down and 471 00:25:47,520 --> 00:25:51,160 Speaker 1: we go up go up there, and it's probably one 472 00:25:51,160 --> 00:25:53,960 Speaker 1: of the hottest bear baits I've ever seen in Arkansas. 473 00:25:54,760 --> 00:25:58,119 Speaker 1: And uh, we had one big bear coming in and 474 00:25:58,359 --> 00:26:01,520 Speaker 1: River was committed to shoot that bear. I mean, you know, 475 00:26:01,560 --> 00:26:03,920 Speaker 1: we kind of we kind of talked this through, is 476 00:26:03,960 --> 00:26:05,919 Speaker 1: that if we're going to commit to hunting this spot, 477 00:26:05,960 --> 00:26:08,680 Speaker 1: we're not just trying to shoot a bear, We're trying 478 00:26:08,720 --> 00:26:11,679 Speaker 1: to shoot the bear, you know. And so she was 479 00:26:11,720 --> 00:26:15,520 Speaker 1: committed to wait for a big, big mail. That's what 480 00:26:15,560 --> 00:26:17,080 Speaker 1: we wanted to do. That was our goal. That's why 481 00:26:17,160 --> 00:26:19,359 Speaker 1: we put in that much effort and work to go 482 00:26:19,400 --> 00:26:22,240 Speaker 1: in there. Let me say to baiting this spot for 483 00:26:22,359 --> 00:26:25,280 Speaker 1: us was it was in a full day of work 484 00:26:25,880 --> 00:26:27,639 Speaker 1: because it's two and a half hours from where we 485 00:26:27,720 --> 00:26:32,280 Speaker 1: live one way, so that's five basically five hours of driving, 486 00:26:33,000 --> 00:26:37,600 Speaker 1: hauling the mules, loading mules on, you know, putting all 487 00:26:37,640 --> 00:26:40,720 Speaker 1: attack and taking the attack off. I mean basically, you 488 00:26:40,800 --> 00:26:42,399 Speaker 1: left here early in the morning and you got home 489 00:26:42,440 --> 00:26:45,399 Speaker 1: at dark. Baiting this place one time, and so a 490 00:26:45,400 --> 00:26:47,080 Speaker 1: lot of work, a lot of work went into it. 491 00:26:47,800 --> 00:26:50,719 Speaker 1: We go up there and the first day river passed 492 00:26:50,880 --> 00:26:53,960 Speaker 1: seven bears and the big bear never came. Do you 493 00:26:54,000 --> 00:26:56,919 Speaker 1: remember getting out of that stand? I do. That was 494 00:26:56,960 --> 00:27:00,560 Speaker 1: the worst there was. I mean, do you single time 495 00:27:00,600 --> 00:27:02,200 Speaker 1: a bear would come in, I would just be like, 496 00:27:02,320 --> 00:27:04,760 Speaker 1: that is a monster, and I would stand up and 497 00:27:04,760 --> 00:27:07,160 Speaker 1: that would be like, that's probably a two pounds sow 498 00:27:07,880 --> 00:27:11,520 Speaker 1: and I was like, oh, and more bears right then 499 00:27:11,640 --> 00:27:15,639 Speaker 1: then most people will see in a lifetime. It was crazy, 500 00:27:15,680 --> 00:27:19,040 Speaker 1: It really was. But like right before we left, I 501 00:27:19,080 --> 00:27:21,520 Speaker 1: was gonna have to go we had a school trip 502 00:27:21,560 --> 00:27:22,880 Speaker 1: and I was going to go on the school trip 503 00:27:22,920 --> 00:27:24,280 Speaker 1: and I did not want to go on the school 504 00:27:24,280 --> 00:27:27,040 Speaker 1: trip without a bear. I was just I was I 505 00:27:27,080 --> 00:27:30,480 Speaker 1: just did not want to do that on this opportunity. Yeah, yeah, 506 00:27:30,600 --> 00:27:33,000 Speaker 1: And I was at full draw, like I was. I 507 00:27:33,119 --> 00:27:35,480 Speaker 1: was just so close dark. I was like, if you 508 00:27:35,520 --> 00:27:40,600 Speaker 1: want to shoot one of these bears, go ahead. And 509 00:27:38,920 --> 00:27:42,760 Speaker 1: the four bears in front of us, and it was 510 00:27:42,760 --> 00:27:45,119 Speaker 1: getting dark, and you had to leave the next morning early, 511 00:27:45,240 --> 00:27:47,560 Speaker 1: and I I just was I just knew if I 512 00:27:47,560 --> 00:27:48,960 Speaker 1: was gonna get on that bus and I was gonna 513 00:27:48,960 --> 00:27:50,240 Speaker 1: go on that trip, I was gonna come back and 514 00:27:50,240 --> 00:27:52,359 Speaker 1: there's gonna be no bears and I was not gonna 515 00:27:52,359 --> 00:27:54,040 Speaker 1: get a bear again. And I just did not want 516 00:27:54,040 --> 00:27:55,840 Speaker 1: to do that. So I was at full draw and 517 00:27:55,880 --> 00:27:57,760 Speaker 1: I had that pin on one of the bears. I 518 00:27:57,800 --> 00:28:00,800 Speaker 1: don't remember how big it was, but I was just like, 519 00:28:01,080 --> 00:28:04,360 Speaker 1: I can't do it. Man, I'm so glad you didn't. Well, 520 00:28:04,720 --> 00:28:07,760 Speaker 1: this is what I asked, if you remembered. So we're, 521 00:28:07,800 --> 00:28:10,520 Speaker 1: you know, an hour from a truck way back in 522 00:28:10,560 --> 00:28:13,240 Speaker 1: the mountains. We got the mules tied up a quarter 523 00:28:13,280 --> 00:28:16,840 Speaker 1: mile from us, and it gets dark, and that mountain 524 00:28:17,200 --> 00:28:20,560 Speaker 1: was covered in fog, and there were four bears within 525 00:28:20,600 --> 00:28:23,199 Speaker 1: ten yards of our tree. And I turned on I 526 00:28:23,280 --> 00:28:26,600 Speaker 1: turned on my light to just I thought this flashlight'll 527 00:28:26,600 --> 00:28:28,280 Speaker 1: spook them off. Man. I turned on that light and 528 00:28:28,320 --> 00:28:31,720 Speaker 1: they didn't care. I remember when I crawled down and 529 00:28:31,760 --> 00:28:35,080 Speaker 1: got on the ground. I shined my flashlight out and 530 00:28:35,119 --> 00:28:37,600 Speaker 1: there was a bear about eight yards from me this way. 531 00:28:37,960 --> 00:28:39,960 Speaker 1: And I turned the flashlight this way and there was 532 00:28:40,000 --> 00:28:43,600 Speaker 1: a bear about ten yards from me behind me, remember that. 533 00:28:44,080 --> 00:28:46,000 Speaker 1: And I was just like, River, we gotta get out 534 00:28:46,000 --> 00:28:48,320 Speaker 1: of here. And you crawled down and we hooked it 535 00:28:48,320 --> 00:28:51,840 Speaker 1: out of there. I've never I've never quite had an 536 00:28:51,840 --> 00:28:54,320 Speaker 1: experience like that. Um. I mean we've been we've been 537 00:28:54,320 --> 00:28:56,920 Speaker 1: around bears close, but for something about being that far 538 00:28:57,000 --> 00:29:00,960 Speaker 1: back in and that's foggy, it was. It was good. 539 00:29:01,080 --> 00:29:04,440 Speaker 1: It was good. Um. So the river comes back the 540 00:29:04,480 --> 00:29:08,840 Speaker 1: next Saturday, we get there and the absolute perfect situation 541 00:29:08,960 --> 00:29:13,080 Speaker 1: for a bear baiter happens. A giant bear had showed 542 00:29:13,160 --> 00:29:15,280 Speaker 1: up that very day at the bait. He had never 543 00:29:15,320 --> 00:29:17,760 Speaker 1: been there before. What I believe was probably a four 544 00:29:18,160 --> 00:29:22,640 Speaker 1: fifty five pounds solid black bear had been there most 545 00:29:22,680 --> 00:29:25,120 Speaker 1: of the day and he had he had just found 546 00:29:25,160 --> 00:29:26,800 Speaker 1: it that morning. I mean we could tell by truckcre 547 00:29:26,840 --> 00:29:28,680 Speaker 1: and pictures like that bear had never been there until 548 00:29:28,720 --> 00:29:31,520 Speaker 1: that day. Some ways, that was good. In some ways 549 00:29:31,520 --> 00:29:33,440 Speaker 1: it was bad. It was bad because now we were 550 00:29:33,480 --> 00:29:36,840 Speaker 1: there and if he smelled us, I knew because he wasn't. 551 00:29:37,240 --> 00:29:38,880 Speaker 1: He'd never been to the bait, he had never smelled 552 00:29:39,000 --> 00:29:41,160 Speaker 1: human there, that he was going to be real sensitive 553 00:29:41,200 --> 00:29:43,680 Speaker 1: to human intrusion, where the other bears that had been 554 00:29:43,720 --> 00:29:45,760 Speaker 1: there the whole time we've been baiting would probably be 555 00:29:45,760 --> 00:29:48,360 Speaker 1: a little bit more tolerant of the human smell. Well, 556 00:29:48,440 --> 00:29:51,680 Speaker 1: that turned out exactly right. At four o'clock, the big, 557 00:29:51,720 --> 00:29:55,000 Speaker 1: big black bear came in and got down the wind 558 00:29:55,040 --> 00:29:57,480 Speaker 1: of us and disappeared. We never saw him again, am 559 00:29:57,480 --> 00:30:00,120 Speaker 1: I right? We we We didn't even show that in 560 00:30:00,160 --> 00:30:02,080 Speaker 1: the video. I mean you just couldn't because I mean 561 00:30:02,080 --> 00:30:04,720 Speaker 1: it's just like this image of this like bear way 562 00:30:04,760 --> 00:30:07,760 Speaker 1: off and I couldn't even tell that part of the story. Well, 563 00:30:08,960 --> 00:30:11,960 Speaker 1: about forty five minutes before dark, the bear that we 564 00:30:11,960 --> 00:30:14,520 Speaker 1: were well, that the other bear that we were after, 565 00:30:14,800 --> 00:30:22,040 Speaker 1: showed up a dark, chocolate, very large board. I haven't 566 00:30:22,080 --> 00:30:27,520 Speaker 1: officially asked h Ryan grabbed my official Arkansas bear Bait 567 00:30:27,640 --> 00:30:32,800 Speaker 1: wait guess or champion, but I'm pretty sure that he 568 00:30:32,800 --> 00:30:35,560 Speaker 1: would agree that the bear was easily over four hundred 569 00:30:35,880 --> 00:30:40,960 Speaker 1: and probably in the four fifty range. That's what I believe. Um, 570 00:30:41,080 --> 00:30:44,160 Speaker 1: and the bear smells us, he knows we're there, We're 571 00:30:44,200 --> 00:30:46,520 Speaker 1: up in a tree stand and he comes right in 572 00:30:46,880 --> 00:30:51,720 Speaker 1: and he's at like eight yards broadside, and River shoots 573 00:30:51,760 --> 00:30:54,240 Speaker 1: him high. I mean, and and you'll see it in 574 00:30:54,240 --> 00:30:59,320 Speaker 1: the video. It's like heartbreaking. Hits him right in a 575 00:30:59,360 --> 00:31:03,760 Speaker 1: backstrap with a forty pound bow and the Arab penetrates 576 00:31:03,760 --> 00:31:06,880 Speaker 1: in about five inches and the bear runs off. We 577 00:31:06,920 --> 00:31:10,280 Speaker 1: spend the entire next day looking for the bear, would 578 00:31:10,320 --> 00:31:14,160 Speaker 1: never find the bear. We get trail camera pictures of 579 00:31:14,240 --> 00:31:17,560 Speaker 1: the bear. It was actually three days later. We get 580 00:31:17,560 --> 00:31:20,200 Speaker 1: trail camera pictures of the bear with a big white 581 00:31:20,240 --> 00:31:24,040 Speaker 1: spot on his back, fully alive, and he continued to 582 00:31:24,040 --> 00:31:26,000 Speaker 1: stay at that bait the rest of the year, only 583 00:31:26,040 --> 00:31:34,240 Speaker 1: coming in at dark. And we were crushed. Oh my goodness. 584 00:31:34,400 --> 00:31:38,080 Speaker 1: It was hard to take that. It really was hard 585 00:31:38,120 --> 00:31:41,680 Speaker 1: to take. I mean, obviously for for reasons that could 586 00:31:41,680 --> 00:31:44,440 Speaker 1: even go and stated, I mean, you know, for new 587 00:31:44,520 --> 00:31:47,560 Speaker 1: hunters that might be listening to this, I mean, it's 588 00:31:47,600 --> 00:31:50,960 Speaker 1: a it's a massive deal to wounded animal. I mean, 589 00:31:51,400 --> 00:31:54,960 Speaker 1: it's never your goal. It's an outlier in terms of 590 00:31:55,360 --> 00:31:59,440 Speaker 1: it doesn't happen that often, but it did. The good 591 00:31:59,480 --> 00:32:01,840 Speaker 1: news was is that we knew for sure that this 592 00:32:01,920 --> 00:32:06,600 Speaker 1: bear lived and was okay, which was fantastic in that respect. 593 00:32:06,920 --> 00:32:09,080 Speaker 1: We spent the entire next day looking for that bear 594 00:32:09,920 --> 00:32:12,080 Speaker 1: and the Holy cow. I mean, just like it was over. 595 00:32:12,720 --> 00:32:15,400 Speaker 1: Like there's only so many times we could go down there, 596 00:32:15,440 --> 00:32:17,120 Speaker 1: and it's not like we could just keep hunting for 597 00:32:17,120 --> 00:32:20,040 Speaker 1: another week, and we did. We came back another day 598 00:32:20,160 --> 00:32:22,720 Speaker 1: and one bear came in, yeah, which was which was 599 00:32:22,760 --> 00:32:27,520 Speaker 1: not normal. Things things dry up quick, like like in Arkansas. 600 00:32:27,560 --> 00:32:30,200 Speaker 1: It's like you get this short window before the acrons fall, 601 00:32:30,680 --> 00:32:32,480 Speaker 1: and uh, and we knew it was gonna drive quick, 602 00:32:32,800 --> 00:32:37,640 Speaker 1: and it did. And uh and River and I came 603 00:32:37,680 --> 00:32:40,160 Speaker 1: out of the season having invested all this work and 604 00:32:40,160 --> 00:32:43,200 Speaker 1: we're just kind of dang that it didn't happen. And 605 00:32:43,240 --> 00:32:45,719 Speaker 1: we were both kind of like shocked and surprised, and 606 00:32:46,080 --> 00:32:47,880 Speaker 1: we really you learned a lot, though, didn't you. River 607 00:32:49,360 --> 00:32:54,000 Speaker 1: talked to me about exactness. That was a phrase that 608 00:32:54,640 --> 00:32:58,160 Speaker 1: that we we we kind of used a lot this 609 00:32:58,240 --> 00:33:04,080 Speaker 1: year in at your arrow was just a little bit off. Yeah, 610 00:33:04,120 --> 00:33:06,120 Speaker 1: and because of that, I didn't I came out without 611 00:33:06,120 --> 00:33:08,160 Speaker 1: a bear. Yeah, And so I mean you took that 612 00:33:08,200 --> 00:33:10,440 Speaker 1: as a principle for your life though, I want to 613 00:33:10,480 --> 00:33:15,080 Speaker 1: hear you, Um, Yeah, exactness was a word that we 614 00:33:15,200 --> 00:33:20,080 Speaker 1: used a lot in this last year. And um hm, 615 00:33:22,280 --> 00:33:24,720 Speaker 1: like as a hunter, you know, going and you know, 616 00:33:24,920 --> 00:33:29,719 Speaker 1: like we would we know there's a specific spot on 617 00:33:29,800 --> 00:33:32,520 Speaker 1: that bear that you need to hit, and like we 618 00:33:32,560 --> 00:33:34,400 Speaker 1: would look at we look at the bear targets, we 619 00:33:34,400 --> 00:33:36,200 Speaker 1: would look at pictures and we would watch videos and 620 00:33:36,240 --> 00:33:39,240 Speaker 1: like you knew where to hit the bear. And on 621 00:33:39,360 --> 00:33:41,440 Speaker 1: the day I was like two inches off. And because 622 00:33:41,520 --> 00:33:43,320 Speaker 1: that I came out without a bear, and there was 623 00:33:43,360 --> 00:33:46,520 Speaker 1: like that was kind of a thing that we talked about. 624 00:33:46,800 --> 00:33:48,440 Speaker 1: I don't even know how to do, but we we 625 00:33:48,520 --> 00:33:52,240 Speaker 1: talked about it as a principle for life, is that 626 00:33:52,480 --> 00:33:56,000 Speaker 1: you know there are places where not just in shooting bows, 627 00:33:56,080 --> 00:33:59,160 Speaker 1: but in other places in life that you know you 628 00:33:59,240 --> 00:34:02,440 Speaker 1: needed to be more exact and more intentional and aware. 629 00:34:03,320 --> 00:34:05,600 Speaker 1: And I think you did a great job of taking 630 00:34:05,640 --> 00:34:08,439 Speaker 1: this principle you learned from hunting and applying it back 631 00:34:08,440 --> 00:34:10,879 Speaker 1: into your life. That's what I heard you say all year, 632 00:34:12,719 --> 00:34:15,280 Speaker 1: is that is that you were thinking about that with school, 633 00:34:15,440 --> 00:34:18,439 Speaker 1: you were thinking about that with other things. Is that 634 00:34:18,760 --> 00:34:21,480 Speaker 1: you know it seems like such a small miss because 635 00:34:21,480 --> 00:34:24,239 Speaker 1: it was like if you watched the shot, like even me, 636 00:34:25,880 --> 00:34:27,839 Speaker 1: you know, in the stand. I'm like, man, I think 637 00:34:27,880 --> 00:34:30,120 Speaker 1: you probably got his lungs. I mean, like it's it's 638 00:34:30,160 --> 00:34:32,239 Speaker 1: like one of those shots that you're kind of like, yeah, 639 00:34:32,239 --> 00:34:34,480 Speaker 1: I was a little high, but it might work. So 640 00:34:35,200 --> 00:34:40,360 Speaker 1: it's like it was inches away from being just a 641 00:34:40,400 --> 00:34:45,440 Speaker 1: tin ring shot, but because because it was off, the 642 00:34:45,480 --> 00:34:50,239 Speaker 1: whole thing I mean. And so inside of life, man, 643 00:34:50,400 --> 00:34:53,840 Speaker 1: sometimes you gotta be exact. Yeah, And there's just a 644 00:34:53,840 --> 00:34:56,400 Speaker 1: lot of places, like a lot of practical things like 645 00:34:56,440 --> 00:34:58,840 Speaker 1: in school or even at home, where there are things 646 00:34:58,840 --> 00:35:02,440 Speaker 1: that it's like you can be just two inches off 647 00:35:02,520 --> 00:35:05,359 Speaker 1: or you can be a little ways away, and if 648 00:35:05,360 --> 00:35:07,839 Speaker 1: you don't hit the mark, it doesn't like, it doesn't count. 649 00:35:07,880 --> 00:35:10,120 Speaker 1: It doesn't count. That was just the thing for that. 650 00:35:10,719 --> 00:35:14,319 Speaker 1: And so River and I we I've got a confession. 651 00:35:14,760 --> 00:35:21,880 Speaker 1: We like Adele um like and what's the song that 652 00:35:21,960 --> 00:35:27,080 Speaker 1: we sing someone like you talking about that? Uh, well, 653 00:35:27,120 --> 00:35:28,879 Speaker 1: you were the first one that said that. One day 654 00:35:28,880 --> 00:35:32,399 Speaker 1: we were listening to music on just driving. In this song, 655 00:35:32,480 --> 00:35:35,920 Speaker 1: it's just really sad like love song about how she 656 00:35:36,239 --> 00:35:41,040 Speaker 1: is looking for someone like you and it's and it 657 00:35:41,120 --> 00:35:44,400 Speaker 1: was talking about this love lost like Adele had like 658 00:35:44,600 --> 00:35:47,359 Speaker 1: had this man she lost him and now she's looking 659 00:35:47,440 --> 00:35:50,839 Speaker 1: for someone like you. And so River and I are 660 00:35:50,840 --> 00:35:53,200 Speaker 1: singing this and she's like, this is the bear from 661 00:35:53,239 --> 00:35:56,560 Speaker 1: last year, and I was like yeah, And so every 662 00:35:56,600 --> 00:35:58,799 Speaker 1: time we heard that, I'm serious. I bet we did 663 00:35:58,840 --> 00:36:01,160 Speaker 1: that many times this year When we heard that song, 664 00:36:01,600 --> 00:36:03,839 Speaker 1: we would say, this is bear. We're gonna get that bear. 665 00:36:03,880 --> 00:36:06,480 Speaker 1: We're gonna get that bear. We're looking for someone like you. 666 00:36:07,440 --> 00:36:10,800 Speaker 1: And we'd say this huge image of this giant, world 667 00:36:10,800 --> 00:36:16,200 Speaker 1: class chocolate bear that slipped through our fingers. But you know, 668 00:36:17,000 --> 00:36:19,640 Speaker 1: we learned from it. And so that brings us to 669 00:36:19,680 --> 00:36:25,000 Speaker 1: twenty nineteen. Okay, And you know, honestly, coming off the 670 00:36:25,000 --> 00:36:26,920 Speaker 1: mountain last year, I'm not sure that you wanted to 671 00:36:26,920 --> 00:36:29,239 Speaker 1: go back up on the mountain. That it's a really 672 00:36:29,280 --> 00:36:32,960 Speaker 1: special mountain because every single time we would walk up 673 00:36:32,960 --> 00:36:35,080 Speaker 1: that mountain and I get settled on that tree stand 674 00:36:35,080 --> 00:36:37,760 Speaker 1: and I'd be like, I am never doing this again. 675 00:36:37,800 --> 00:36:40,400 Speaker 1: Like it was not easy. And it kind of sounds 676 00:36:40,440 --> 00:36:42,239 Speaker 1: ridiculous when you say it's just a mile and a half, 677 00:36:42,920 --> 00:36:44,799 Speaker 1: but like it was not easy to get back. It 678 00:36:44,840 --> 00:36:47,200 Speaker 1: was not easy to get back up there. And I 679 00:36:47,239 --> 00:36:50,239 Speaker 1: mean I had a concussion that whole season, and I 680 00:36:50,280 --> 00:36:53,839 Speaker 1: had a fractioned rib and like that hurts, like it's 681 00:36:54,000 --> 00:36:58,080 Speaker 1: about that, and yeah, yes, like it was hard to 682 00:36:58,120 --> 00:37:01,840 Speaker 1: get up there. Yeah, so that's that's the one problem 683 00:37:01,840 --> 00:37:04,359 Speaker 1: with like video, Like you watched this twelve minute video 684 00:37:04,560 --> 00:37:07,800 Speaker 1: that we made and you kind of feel like everything 685 00:37:07,960 --> 00:37:10,320 Speaker 1: was just like perfect, like you see the tribulation. But 686 00:37:10,640 --> 00:37:15,480 Speaker 1: it was tough. It really was, like, Yeah, there would 687 00:37:15,520 --> 00:37:17,000 Speaker 1: be times when we get off that mountain it would 688 00:37:17,040 --> 00:37:19,400 Speaker 1: be so hot, we would have been walking for a 689 00:37:19,400 --> 00:37:22,000 Speaker 1: long time and I had a concussion and we would 690 00:37:22,000 --> 00:37:24,160 Speaker 1: get up there and it's just like I could hardly, 691 00:37:24,239 --> 00:37:27,440 Speaker 1: like and I had a pretty bad concussion, I could hardly. 692 00:37:27,600 --> 00:37:29,040 Speaker 1: It was just it was hard. Like it was just 693 00:37:29,320 --> 00:37:31,520 Speaker 1: it was hard. And we would go up there again 694 00:37:31,680 --> 00:37:35,000 Speaker 1: and again and again, and every time we come out 695 00:37:35,000 --> 00:37:36,600 Speaker 1: of there without a bear. And one time we came 696 00:37:36,640 --> 00:37:37,960 Speaker 1: out of there and we were like, I'm gonna have 697 00:37:37,960 --> 00:37:39,759 Speaker 1: to go back up here tomorrow and track a bear 698 00:37:39,800 --> 00:37:43,560 Speaker 1: that I just wounded. That was hard, that man, that 699 00:37:43,680 --> 00:37:46,359 Speaker 1: was very That was hard for me. I came back 700 00:37:46,400 --> 00:37:48,680 Speaker 1: and it took me about a week to get back 701 00:37:48,719 --> 00:37:51,040 Speaker 1: on track mentally. It was just to get excited about 702 00:37:51,120 --> 00:37:54,040 Speaker 1: hunting again. Yeah, I mean it was it was ridiculously hard. 703 00:37:54,160 --> 00:37:56,239 Speaker 1: And every time we go up that mountain, I would saying, 704 00:37:56,280 --> 00:37:59,120 Speaker 1: I am going down this mountain and I'm never coming back. 705 00:37:59,600 --> 00:38:01,080 Speaker 1: And then I didn't get a bear, and I was like, 706 00:38:01,080 --> 00:38:03,080 Speaker 1: I'm gonna have to come back next year. I think 707 00:38:03,080 --> 00:38:07,160 Speaker 1: you can't just end it like this. Yeah. Yeah, Well, 708 00:38:07,360 --> 00:38:09,200 Speaker 1: we weren't even sure that we were gonna be able 709 00:38:09,239 --> 00:38:12,560 Speaker 1: to bait back up there this year. Uh, just because 710 00:38:12,560 --> 00:38:15,000 Speaker 1: of the time commitments and it just it just takes 711 00:38:15,000 --> 00:38:17,960 Speaker 1: your whole season basically, or the first of your season. 712 00:38:18,680 --> 00:38:21,000 Speaker 1: But we we were like, yeah, we're gonna do it, 713 00:38:21,520 --> 00:38:25,040 Speaker 1: and uh, and so we started baiting bears this year 714 00:38:25,160 --> 00:38:29,919 Speaker 1: on about September again and that we had a new mule. 715 00:38:30,760 --> 00:38:37,040 Speaker 1: We went up there, we we put out bait um 716 00:38:37,120 --> 00:38:39,480 Speaker 1: and I mean basically we went in there and hunted 717 00:38:40,080 --> 00:38:43,800 Speaker 1: and and we didn't have Uh, we had some really 718 00:38:43,800 --> 00:38:45,920 Speaker 1: good bears coming in. But this year was way different 719 00:38:45,920 --> 00:38:48,200 Speaker 1: than last year. Last year was a pretty incredible year 720 00:38:48,239 --> 00:38:50,719 Speaker 1: for bears responding to bait because of the lack of 721 00:38:50,880 --> 00:38:54,680 Speaker 1: mass crop here and this year mass crop was heavy, 722 00:38:55,640 --> 00:38:58,680 Speaker 1: and um, so I knew the odds were gonna be harder, 723 00:38:59,400 --> 00:39:03,480 Speaker 1: but we we we shot the bow all summer. I 724 00:39:03,560 --> 00:39:05,680 Speaker 1: was I was wishing you'd shot a little bit more 725 00:39:05,760 --> 00:39:10,120 Speaker 1: at times, didn't I Yeah, But you did good. The 726 00:39:10,239 --> 00:39:16,440 Speaker 1: River is a good shot. And we we practiced everyone 727 00:39:16,560 --> 00:39:18,920 Speaker 1: up there, baby with we set everything up and we 728 00:39:19,239 --> 00:39:27,680 Speaker 1: came back on opening day, which this year was September nine. Um, 729 00:39:27,719 --> 00:39:29,879 Speaker 1: it was actually the second day of the season when 730 00:39:29,920 --> 00:39:33,440 Speaker 1: you killed the bear. Yeah. Yeah, But we went in 731 00:39:33,480 --> 00:39:36,759 Speaker 1: there and and we we sat for several hours and 732 00:39:36,800 --> 00:39:40,359 Speaker 1: only saw two smaller bears, which by this point, this 733 00:39:40,400 --> 00:39:42,120 Speaker 1: was the only time that River was going to get. 734 00:39:42,120 --> 00:39:44,400 Speaker 1: The hunt was basically these two days, and I knew 735 00:39:44,440 --> 00:39:46,440 Speaker 1: that the next weekend the bears would be gone. So 736 00:39:46,480 --> 00:39:48,000 Speaker 1: it's like, man, if we're gonna make this happen, we 737 00:39:48,040 --> 00:39:50,080 Speaker 1: gotta make it happen River. And so I was just 738 00:39:50,400 --> 00:39:52,680 Speaker 1: I was just like I'm not getting off this mountain, 739 00:39:52,719 --> 00:39:56,280 Speaker 1: like I wasn't. I did not want to leave without 740 00:39:56,280 --> 00:39:58,200 Speaker 1: a bear, and like I didn't last time, but this 741 00:39:58,239 --> 00:40:02,080 Speaker 1: time it was like if it's dark and there's a 742 00:40:02,120 --> 00:40:05,239 Speaker 1: smaller bear, yeah, And I was with it. And I 743 00:40:05,280 --> 00:40:07,880 Speaker 1: was trying to take all the pressure off for any 744 00:40:07,960 --> 00:40:12,880 Speaker 1: type of size or anything, because you know, at different 745 00:40:12,880 --> 00:40:16,839 Speaker 1: times I would have you know, probably influenced you not 746 00:40:16,920 --> 00:40:19,279 Speaker 1: to take a smaller bear. So we were just like, hey, 747 00:40:19,320 --> 00:40:20,759 Speaker 1: let's just go kill a bear. I mean, that's kind 748 00:40:20,760 --> 00:40:21,840 Speaker 1: of the way I took it, was like, let's just 749 00:40:21,880 --> 00:40:24,080 Speaker 1: go kill a bear up there. We got the mules, 750 00:40:24,120 --> 00:40:26,879 Speaker 1: we can call it off. And I wanted to test 751 00:40:26,960 --> 00:40:30,240 Speaker 1: my mules. I wanted to see this whole system work, 752 00:40:30,840 --> 00:40:32,759 Speaker 1: which is, if we kill a bear back there, can 753 00:40:32,840 --> 00:40:36,160 Speaker 1: we get it out number one? Um. I just wanted 754 00:40:36,200 --> 00:40:39,239 Speaker 1: to test the whole system and kind of reap some 755 00:40:39,280 --> 00:40:41,000 Speaker 1: of the reward of all the work that we've done. 756 00:40:41,320 --> 00:40:44,640 Speaker 1: And so we go up there and and and and 757 00:40:44,960 --> 00:40:49,719 Speaker 1: where it's not real promising what we're seeing. Um. And 758 00:40:49,880 --> 00:40:53,640 Speaker 1: right at dark, right at dark on the second day 759 00:40:53,680 --> 00:40:56,920 Speaker 1: of the season, we see a big bear come in 760 00:40:57,000 --> 00:41:00,000 Speaker 1: from the south on the horizon. And did you see 761 00:41:00,040 --> 00:41:04,000 Speaker 1: him up there? You can you can just seventy yards away, 762 00:41:04,200 --> 00:41:06,200 Speaker 1: and you can just you can tell is a mature bore. 763 00:41:07,560 --> 00:41:09,840 Speaker 1: But the wind had supposed to be blowing out of 764 00:41:09,840 --> 00:41:12,160 Speaker 1: the south, and it was blown directly out of the north, 765 00:41:12,640 --> 00:41:16,040 Speaker 1: which was sending our scent right up where this bear was. 766 00:41:16,080 --> 00:41:19,800 Speaker 1: I knew for sure that he was smelling us. Well, 767 00:41:20,239 --> 00:41:22,480 Speaker 1: he just kind of disappears, and I just think, well, 768 00:41:22,640 --> 00:41:25,640 Speaker 1: it's a done deal. He's not coming in. Well, it 769 00:41:25,760 --> 00:41:29,600 Speaker 1: starts to get dark, I mean so dark that you 770 00:41:29,640 --> 00:41:33,480 Speaker 1: could only see about forty yards probably, and I see 771 00:41:33,680 --> 00:41:39,799 Speaker 1: the bobbing tan nose of a bear out there and 772 00:41:39,840 --> 00:41:42,000 Speaker 1: just a silhouette of black. And I see this bear, 773 00:41:42,040 --> 00:41:44,320 Speaker 1: bob in his head out there at about forty yards 774 00:41:44,800 --> 00:41:48,759 Speaker 1: and I go wherever he's right, he's over there, and 775 00:41:48,800 --> 00:41:50,719 Speaker 1: I watched him and watch him, and he's sitting on 776 00:41:50,800 --> 00:41:53,120 Speaker 1: his rump and he's just they just it's almost like 777 00:41:53,160 --> 00:41:55,399 Speaker 1: he's just he's torn, like he wants to come in, 778 00:41:55,520 --> 00:41:59,000 Speaker 1: but he knows that that we're somewhere around. He just 779 00:41:59,040 --> 00:42:03,280 Speaker 1: had to have and I just watched him just Bob's 780 00:42:03,280 --> 00:42:06,680 Speaker 1: head and Bob's head move around and and finally when 781 00:42:06,719 --> 00:42:09,880 Speaker 1: it just got dark enough. And I've seen older boars 782 00:42:10,000 --> 00:42:13,960 Speaker 1: do this several times. It doesn't always happen, but when 783 00:42:13,960 --> 00:42:16,360 Speaker 1: it got to just like a certain point, he was 784 00:42:16,400 --> 00:42:19,840 Speaker 1: just like, Okay, I'm going in. It's dark enough, And 785 00:42:19,880 --> 00:42:22,920 Speaker 1: I mean he just walked right in. And it was 786 00:42:23,400 --> 00:42:27,720 Speaker 1: probably within minutes of being not being able to shoot. 787 00:42:27,760 --> 00:42:29,200 Speaker 1: It was that dark, and you can see on the 788 00:42:29,239 --> 00:42:33,120 Speaker 1: camera it was dark. I didn't know if River could 789 00:42:33,520 --> 00:42:35,680 Speaker 1: see your pins or not. And I we sure weren't 790 00:42:35,680 --> 00:42:40,160 Speaker 1: gonna mess around and take a bad shot, and so 791 00:42:40,200 --> 00:42:42,080 Speaker 1: I just said, if you can see your pins, pull 792 00:42:42,080 --> 00:42:44,000 Speaker 1: your bow back and just see what you can see. 793 00:42:44,719 --> 00:42:47,280 Speaker 1: So she pulls her bow back, and I'm focused on filming, 794 00:42:47,320 --> 00:42:51,040 Speaker 1: and I've got my right ear turned to her. Okay, 795 00:42:51,440 --> 00:42:57,239 Speaker 1: I am basically deaf in my right ear, and River 796 00:42:57,719 --> 00:43:00,279 Speaker 1: is at full draw and this bear is like it 797 00:43:00,480 --> 00:43:04,920 Speaker 1: like probably ten yards and she's not shooting. She's not shooting. 798 00:43:05,040 --> 00:43:08,120 Speaker 1: She's not shooting. He was a little bit quartering too 799 00:43:08,239 --> 00:43:11,759 Speaker 1: righte coarter he was, And I was just trying to 800 00:43:11,760 --> 00:43:16,799 Speaker 1: make sure that he wasn't like I was just I 801 00:43:16,880 --> 00:43:19,360 Speaker 1: was so scared of getting a bad shot like what 802 00:43:19,440 --> 00:43:21,280 Speaker 1: happened last year. I did not want to have anything, 803 00:43:22,040 --> 00:43:24,400 Speaker 1: and so I was gonna like take my time. And 804 00:43:24,440 --> 00:43:26,040 Speaker 1: I was trying to ask him. I was trying to 805 00:43:26,120 --> 00:43:27,600 Speaker 1: you were you were talking to me? And I couldn't. 806 00:43:27,920 --> 00:43:29,400 Speaker 1: I was trying to just be I was just like, 807 00:43:29,520 --> 00:43:33,240 Speaker 1: he's not too turned, right, he's not too turned and 808 00:43:33,239 --> 00:43:37,160 Speaker 1: and so well you were saying, can I shoot in that? 809 00:43:37,239 --> 00:43:39,640 Speaker 1: What you're saying, just trying to make sure that she 810 00:43:39,840 --> 00:43:42,960 Speaker 1: wasn't Can I shoot? Can I shoot? And I'm thinking, 811 00:43:43,120 --> 00:43:46,760 Speaker 1: but not saying anything. I'm thinking, shoot shoot. And finally 812 00:43:46,880 --> 00:43:49,080 Speaker 1: she's held the bow for so long. I leaned around 813 00:43:49,120 --> 00:43:51,759 Speaker 1: the tree and I say, let your bow down. And 814 00:43:51,840 --> 00:43:53,520 Speaker 1: she lets her bow down, and I said, could you 815 00:43:53,560 --> 00:43:56,160 Speaker 1: see your sights? And she said yeah? And I said 816 00:43:56,160 --> 00:43:59,200 Speaker 1: why didn't you shoot? She said, I was asking you shoot? 817 00:43:59,520 --> 00:44:03,480 Speaker 1: And I said shoot that about the yeah. And when 818 00:44:03,520 --> 00:44:04,840 Speaker 1: you said let your boat down, I thought you were 819 00:44:04,880 --> 00:44:06,279 Speaker 1: gonna tell me not to shoot it. Well, I don't 820 00:44:06,320 --> 00:44:08,200 Speaker 1: know why, but I told you let your bow down 821 00:44:08,239 --> 00:44:10,560 Speaker 1: because you held up for so long. I was afraid 822 00:44:10,600 --> 00:44:12,680 Speaker 1: you're gonna get tired and maybe make a bat shot. 823 00:44:12,760 --> 00:44:15,080 Speaker 1: And so when you let your bow down, I said, 824 00:44:15,160 --> 00:44:17,640 Speaker 1: could you see your pens? And and you said yeah? 825 00:44:17,880 --> 00:44:19,840 Speaker 1: And I said why do you shoot? And you said, 826 00:44:20,280 --> 00:44:22,080 Speaker 1: I mean the way I remember it was. You were like, well, 827 00:44:22,120 --> 00:44:23,759 Speaker 1: I was asking you if I could shoot. I was like, 828 00:44:23,960 --> 00:44:27,879 Speaker 1: I didn't hear you the right side, yea. And we 829 00:44:27,960 --> 00:44:31,240 Speaker 1: obviously weren't yelling, and we were whispering, and I just said, 830 00:44:32,719 --> 00:44:36,600 Speaker 1: and shoot that bear. And and so she pulls her 831 00:44:36,600 --> 00:44:39,239 Speaker 1: bow back and just has no trouble, find her a pin, 832 00:44:40,040 --> 00:44:43,600 Speaker 1: put it on this bear. And and man, when I 833 00:44:43,640 --> 00:44:47,200 Speaker 1: heard that arrow hit, I knew we were in the chips. 834 00:44:47,760 --> 00:44:50,880 Speaker 1: You can hear it on the video. That's a classic 835 00:44:51,200 --> 00:44:55,839 Speaker 1: passed through, you know, cavity shot. And uh, I mean 836 00:44:55,840 --> 00:45:00,040 Speaker 1: it just and and I knew it passed through, and 837 00:45:00,160 --> 00:45:03,360 Speaker 1: I did not at first. I was actually very very nervous, 838 00:45:03,360 --> 00:45:05,399 Speaker 1: which is wild because it's a you're pulling forty five 839 00:45:05,400 --> 00:45:09,279 Speaker 1: pounds and we were shooting one of those uh day 840 00:45:09,400 --> 00:45:12,200 Speaker 1: six evo hundred grain broad heads, which is a good 841 00:45:12,200 --> 00:45:14,600 Speaker 1: bow or a good a really good cut on impact 842 00:45:14,680 --> 00:45:18,799 Speaker 1: sharp broad head. And uh. And I'm like, how did 843 00:45:18,800 --> 00:45:20,040 Speaker 1: it feel? How did it feel? And she was like 844 00:45:20,200 --> 00:45:22,640 Speaker 1: it felt good. It felt good. Anyway, we crawled down 845 00:45:22,640 --> 00:45:24,480 Speaker 1: and River goes over there and finds her arrow and 846 00:45:24,520 --> 00:45:28,279 Speaker 1: it's just coded in blood. I mean, just like I 847 00:45:28,320 --> 00:45:32,160 Speaker 1: remember telling the guys that I called afterwards. I was like, man, 848 00:45:32,280 --> 00:45:34,239 Speaker 1: she picked up the arrow and her hand was just 849 00:45:34,440 --> 00:45:36,839 Speaker 1: covered in blood after picking up that era, I mean, 850 00:45:36,880 --> 00:45:40,279 Speaker 1: you know, meaning it's a good shot. And what we 851 00:45:40,320 --> 00:45:42,360 Speaker 1: didn't realize it was a little bit far back and 852 00:45:42,360 --> 00:45:44,280 Speaker 1: it was and it was probably a liver shot, probably 853 00:45:44,360 --> 00:45:50,080 Speaker 1: one long liver shot. The bear was slightly quarter in two. Anyway, 854 00:45:50,520 --> 00:45:53,600 Speaker 1: we tracked and again you gotta remember, we're a long 855 00:45:53,640 --> 00:45:56,040 Speaker 1: waist from the truck. Now it is black dark because 856 00:45:56,080 --> 00:45:59,239 Speaker 1: we waited about twenty minutes before we even got down. 857 00:45:59,280 --> 00:46:02,080 Speaker 1: So I mean it's like black dark. Were long ways 858 00:46:02,160 --> 00:46:06,200 Speaker 1: from the truck. Um, we don't have cell rank. We 859 00:46:06,320 --> 00:46:08,439 Speaker 1: got cell coverage up on top, but not when we're 860 00:46:08,480 --> 00:46:10,759 Speaker 1: off the side. And anyway, we tracked the bear for 861 00:46:10,760 --> 00:46:13,560 Speaker 1: a little while and and figure out that it was 862 00:46:13,600 --> 00:46:15,840 Speaker 1: the hit was a little bit far back by a 863 00:46:15,880 --> 00:46:19,120 Speaker 1: few things we saw, and uh so I was like, okay, 864 00:46:19,120 --> 00:46:22,280 Speaker 1: we gotta get out of here. So we we dropped 865 00:46:22,280 --> 00:46:25,919 Speaker 1: off the mountain and came back the next morning, and 866 00:46:26,160 --> 00:46:28,239 Speaker 1: I actually had to put a pretty good track job 867 00:46:28,280 --> 00:46:30,600 Speaker 1: on the bear. Found him about probably he probably ran 868 00:46:30,640 --> 00:46:34,200 Speaker 1: three hundred yards through a pop off thicket. Ryan Grab, 869 00:46:34,280 --> 00:46:37,200 Speaker 1: my good buddy, Ryan Grab came and Forest Teeter came 870 00:46:37,880 --> 00:46:40,640 Speaker 1: and we brought the mules up, and I mean we 871 00:46:40,640 --> 00:46:43,919 Speaker 1: found the bear fairly easily, but still we had to work. 872 00:46:44,480 --> 00:46:46,680 Speaker 1: You know, we blood trailed them for three yards. Yeah, 873 00:46:46,719 --> 00:46:50,879 Speaker 1: there's nothing about this hunt that was. So we get 874 00:46:50,960 --> 00:46:55,399 Speaker 1: up to the bear and it's it's a beautiful, big bore. 875 00:46:56,200 --> 00:46:58,279 Speaker 1: Ryan and I both felt like he probably weighed in 876 00:46:58,320 --> 00:47:02,359 Speaker 1: the three pound change, which is a good bear at 877 00:47:02,400 --> 00:47:06,360 Speaker 1: a big old head. Um. I would later Green score 878 00:47:06,400 --> 00:47:10,840 Speaker 1: the skull at over nineteen inches, which is like you know, 879 00:47:10,920 --> 00:47:13,279 Speaker 1: Poping Young's eighteen inches. I mean, that's a that's a 880 00:47:13,320 --> 00:47:16,040 Speaker 1: big bear. Guys, go to Canada and don't kill bears 881 00:47:16,080 --> 00:47:20,120 Speaker 1: that big. It's a beautiful bear. In the night, the 882 00:47:20,160 --> 00:47:24,200 Speaker 1: bear had been scavenged on by another bear. A bear 883 00:47:24,239 --> 00:47:28,080 Speaker 1: had come in and basically gutted him for us. It's 884 00:47:28,080 --> 00:47:31,640 Speaker 1: pretty wild. I mean it was almost like he didn't 885 00:47:31,640 --> 00:47:33,320 Speaker 1: need any of the meat. He didn't tear up the 886 00:47:33,400 --> 00:47:38,680 Speaker 1: hide except on the belly. And uh, basically he that 887 00:47:38,880 --> 00:47:43,120 Speaker 1: bear ate the guts out of that bear, which was 888 00:47:43,120 --> 00:47:47,520 Speaker 1: pretty wild. Um. And while we were skinning your bear, 889 00:47:47,600 --> 00:47:50,399 Speaker 1: a bear came in on us and got about eight 890 00:47:50,440 --> 00:47:53,120 Speaker 1: It was coming back to the to the carcass to 891 00:47:53,160 --> 00:47:55,520 Speaker 1: get some more dinner. The wind was in our favor, 892 00:47:55,960 --> 00:47:57,839 Speaker 1: and the bear got to about eight yards from us, 893 00:47:58,120 --> 00:47:59,880 Speaker 1: and we just sat there and we're just gonna watch it, 894 00:48:00,080 --> 00:48:03,879 Speaker 1: you know, and uh, it spooked when it finally saw 895 00:48:03,960 --> 00:48:06,439 Speaker 1: us or got down window of this one and then 896 00:48:06,800 --> 00:48:09,879 Speaker 1: we uh, we couldn't get the mules right to where 897 00:48:09,880 --> 00:48:11,719 Speaker 1: the bear was at because of how thick it was. 898 00:48:12,280 --> 00:48:15,160 Speaker 1: So we hauled all the quarters and all the meat 899 00:48:15,239 --> 00:48:17,880 Speaker 1: and hide out to the mules. And this was actually 900 00:48:17,960 --> 00:48:22,439 Speaker 1: is his first time to carry a bear hide. She'd 901 00:48:22,440 --> 00:48:25,560 Speaker 1: carry bear meat. And uh, it took a little bit 902 00:48:25,600 --> 00:48:27,520 Speaker 1: of convincing, but we got the bear hide on her 903 00:48:27,560 --> 00:48:32,760 Speaker 1: back and Ace our old mule, Colby's mule, uh carried 904 00:48:33,000 --> 00:48:35,719 Speaker 1: carried the meat, no problem. I mean he could have 905 00:48:35,760 --> 00:48:37,880 Speaker 1: carried less. About the smell of the bear. He was 906 00:48:37,880 --> 00:48:40,600 Speaker 1: just like, let's go, let's go home. So he we 907 00:48:40,719 --> 00:48:43,440 Speaker 1: put all the quarters on him and came off the 908 00:48:43,480 --> 00:48:46,879 Speaker 1: mountain man. And that's our story. The river got her bear. 909 00:48:47,200 --> 00:48:51,280 Speaker 1: You you I calculated. I think you passed eleven bears 910 00:48:52,360 --> 00:48:54,720 Speaker 1: and and uh, you know, we let one get away, 911 00:48:55,600 --> 00:48:58,640 Speaker 1: so I'm not counting that with the pass. So, um, 912 00:48:58,719 --> 00:49:02,240 Speaker 1: you passed eleven errors. And some of them were nice, 913 00:49:02,640 --> 00:49:08,239 Speaker 1: nice bears, but just not not big older males. And um, yeah, 914 00:49:08,239 --> 00:49:12,960 Speaker 1: that's our story. You want to do it again, kil 915 00:49:13,000 --> 00:49:16,360 Speaker 1: bar him. Yeah, of course, what are we gonna do 916 00:49:16,440 --> 00:49:20,040 Speaker 1: next year? M I probably have to kill one, not 917 00:49:20,200 --> 00:49:23,640 Speaker 1: on a bait. Yeah, I don't know what I want 918 00:49:23,680 --> 00:49:28,080 Speaker 1: to do. It's so much work up there. It's incredible 919 00:49:28,080 --> 00:49:31,239 Speaker 1: bear hunting though. Yeah, that was one of the most 920 00:49:31,239 --> 00:49:33,839 Speaker 1: shocking things is that we would sit like that first 921 00:49:33,880 --> 00:49:35,520 Speaker 1: bear I killed and then the other two years that 922 00:49:35,520 --> 00:49:37,680 Speaker 1: are hunting. I mean I would sit on that bait 923 00:49:38,000 --> 00:49:42,319 Speaker 1: for hours, and I mean we saw one and we 924 00:49:42,360 --> 00:49:45,680 Speaker 1: got out there and like we had just got settled 925 00:49:45,719 --> 00:49:47,440 Speaker 1: in and a bear walked up and just came to 926 00:49:47,520 --> 00:49:49,640 Speaker 1: the bottom of the tree and shook it. And that 927 00:49:49,719 --> 00:49:52,279 Speaker 1: bear left and seconds later another bear came and it 928 00:49:52,320 --> 00:49:54,279 Speaker 1: was like that all day long. I mean we got 929 00:49:54,280 --> 00:49:57,319 Speaker 1: to watch sting cubs and it was like it was 930 00:49:58,120 --> 00:50:00,839 Speaker 1: that was crazy and it was amazing, and like that's 931 00:50:00,840 --> 00:50:04,880 Speaker 1: something that can't really be appreciated unless you're like sitting 932 00:50:04,920 --> 00:50:07,279 Speaker 1: in a tree with the bear at the base of 933 00:50:07,280 --> 00:50:11,840 Speaker 1: your tree shaking your tree. Yeah. Well it was a 934 00:50:11,840 --> 00:50:14,719 Speaker 1: great it was a great experience. And uh, you know, 935 00:50:15,360 --> 00:50:18,160 Speaker 1: at the end of the video, I kind of give 936 00:50:18,200 --> 00:50:23,440 Speaker 1: a charge about guarding the gate, and uh, you know, 937 00:50:24,440 --> 00:50:30,320 Speaker 1: there's something really beautiful, really powerful about in modern times 938 00:50:30,360 --> 00:50:33,760 Speaker 1: to be able to hunt a majestic beasts as awesome 939 00:50:33,800 --> 00:50:37,000 Speaker 1: as a bear, and in Arkansas in all the places 940 00:50:37,040 --> 00:50:40,839 Speaker 1: that we can. It's an incredible privilege to be able 941 00:50:40,840 --> 00:50:43,919 Speaker 1: to hunt a bear and to and to to eat 942 00:50:43,920 --> 00:50:47,600 Speaker 1: a bear. I mean we eat bear meat were we 943 00:50:47,800 --> 00:50:51,920 Speaker 1: bear meat all the time, healthy organic, good meat. People 944 00:50:51,960 --> 00:50:54,200 Speaker 1: come to our house that aren't hunters and eat it 945 00:50:54,239 --> 00:50:57,319 Speaker 1: and like it, do they not? Am I just making 946 00:50:57,360 --> 00:51:00,799 Speaker 1: that up? No? Yeah, we could name names of all 947 00:51:00,840 --> 00:51:04,120 Speaker 1: the people that come to our house. And bear nucom 948 00:51:04,200 --> 00:51:07,480 Speaker 1: has been winning, uh some bets at school. There's a 949 00:51:07,520 --> 00:51:10,560 Speaker 1: there's a little boy at school that is not from 950 00:51:10,600 --> 00:51:14,000 Speaker 1: he's let's just say he's not from Arkansas, and uh, 951 00:51:14,040 --> 00:51:16,640 Speaker 1: he knows that we hunt. He's a great, good little boy. 952 00:51:16,680 --> 00:51:20,480 Speaker 1: He's our friend. But he found out, you know, he's 953 00:51:20,520 --> 00:51:23,880 Speaker 1: kind of new and he knows that we're hunters, and 954 00:51:23,920 --> 00:51:27,279 Speaker 1: he has no context for hunting at all. And so 955 00:51:27,360 --> 00:51:30,200 Speaker 1: he's like asking, my son, Bear, why are y'all hunting? 956 00:51:30,280 --> 00:51:32,319 Speaker 1: Why are y'all hunting? Bears? Why are you even killing him? 957 00:51:32,440 --> 00:51:35,040 Speaker 1: You just like to kill him? And bears like, no, yeah, 958 00:51:35,120 --> 00:51:37,000 Speaker 1: we do like to kill him, but we eat him 959 00:51:37,120 --> 00:51:40,080 Speaker 1: and we use the hide and we it's it's good. 960 00:51:40,160 --> 00:51:43,359 Speaker 1: And Bears said he quote unquote gave him the conservation 961 00:51:43,440 --> 00:51:47,640 Speaker 1: speech and uh. And so this little boy was like, no, 962 00:51:47,760 --> 00:51:50,680 Speaker 1: you don't eat bears and wild me. They were talking 963 00:51:50,719 --> 00:51:52,880 Speaker 1: about deer hunting baron and Bear said, I bet you 964 00:51:52,920 --> 00:51:55,839 Speaker 1: a dollar tonight we will eat wild game at our 965 00:51:55,880 --> 00:52:00,200 Speaker 1: house and uh. And in that night he came home 966 00:52:00,239 --> 00:52:01,840 Speaker 1: and he said, Dad, what are we having for dinner? 967 00:52:01,920 --> 00:52:05,040 Speaker 1: And I said, bear chili. We have bear chili? What 968 00:52:05,160 --> 00:52:09,640 Speaker 1: we have? No, you know it was bear nachos. Oh yeah, 969 00:52:09,800 --> 00:52:13,319 Speaker 1: it was ranch being bear nachos, that's what. Yeah, And 970 00:52:13,360 --> 00:52:15,319 Speaker 1: he said yes, And I said why are you saying that? 971 00:52:15,800 --> 00:52:17,960 Speaker 1: And he said, I just want to bet with such 972 00:52:18,000 --> 00:52:20,520 Speaker 1: and such. And then so he came back to the 973 00:52:20,600 --> 00:52:23,719 Speaker 1: next day and Bear said, I bet you too. Did 974 00:52:23,760 --> 00:52:26,440 Speaker 1: you bet him two dollars? Did they bet a dollar? Yeah? Yeah, 975 00:52:26,480 --> 00:52:28,600 Speaker 1: and the bets keep going up. Okay, that's that's the 976 00:52:28,640 --> 00:52:30,840 Speaker 1: way I heard. He's like, well, we're gonna have to 977 00:52:30,880 --> 00:52:34,920 Speaker 1: tell them stuff. Um, he's done. They're just kind of joking. 978 00:52:34,920 --> 00:52:37,279 Speaker 1: They're really not exchanging money. But Beart was like, I 979 00:52:37,320 --> 00:52:40,000 Speaker 1: bet you two dollars that we eat while game tonight 980 00:52:40,040 --> 00:52:41,920 Speaker 1: at our house. And Bart had no not And he 981 00:52:41,960 --> 00:52:43,400 Speaker 1: comes home. He says, Dad, what are we doing? And 982 00:52:43,400 --> 00:52:45,840 Speaker 1: I said, man wearing fried deer meat tonight and potatoes 983 00:52:46,120 --> 00:52:48,200 Speaker 1: and he was like yes, And I was like, yeah, 984 00:52:48,200 --> 00:52:50,240 Speaker 1: I know, it's good dinner. He's like no, I'm happy 985 00:52:50,320 --> 00:52:54,879 Speaker 1: because I want another bet. It's so now appoint being 986 00:52:55,880 --> 00:52:58,759 Speaker 1: the lifestyle that we live. Were privileged to be able 987 00:52:58,840 --> 00:53:02,439 Speaker 1: to live it, and uh and and guarding the gate. 988 00:53:02,640 --> 00:53:05,440 Speaker 1: What guarding the gate means is that the bear hunting 989 00:53:05,800 --> 00:53:08,920 Speaker 1: is the lowest rung on the ladder for the anti 990 00:53:09,000 --> 00:53:12,880 Speaker 1: hunting community to enter into our sphere of hunting really is. 991 00:53:12,960 --> 00:53:15,400 Speaker 1: They're not after elk hunters, they're not after dove hunters, 992 00:53:15,400 --> 00:53:18,280 Speaker 1: they're not after duck hunters. They are after bear hunters, 993 00:53:19,040 --> 00:53:23,160 Speaker 1: and so bear hunters in twenty nineteen, we have got 994 00:53:23,160 --> 00:53:27,279 Speaker 1: to have a powerful narrative and a powerful ethic for 995 00:53:27,360 --> 00:53:29,960 Speaker 1: why we do what we do. And you know, we 996 00:53:30,000 --> 00:53:31,600 Speaker 1: talked about it all the time, but I mean, hunting 997 00:53:31,640 --> 00:53:34,920 Speaker 1: over bad is highly selective, and you were a powerful 998 00:53:34,960 --> 00:53:38,480 Speaker 1: display of that, young lady. You passed eleven bears, You 999 00:53:38,520 --> 00:53:41,279 Speaker 1: passed juveniles and females and waited for an older, mature male. 1000 00:53:41,600 --> 00:53:44,560 Speaker 1: And my buddy Brad Green always tells me that I 1001 00:53:44,600 --> 00:53:47,960 Speaker 1: need to say that that's not always the best thing 1002 00:53:48,000 --> 00:53:52,640 Speaker 1: for conservation. Some management plans want you to take whatever 1003 00:53:52,760 --> 00:53:55,600 Speaker 1: bear or whatever type of animal because there's sometimes when 1004 00:53:55,600 --> 00:53:58,640 Speaker 1: they're trying to reduce the population, you know, So I 1005 00:53:58,680 --> 00:54:02,440 Speaker 1: will say that, I mean it's not every bear hunter 1006 00:54:02,480 --> 00:54:07,040 Speaker 1: shouldn't always just do what we're doing, but so, um, 1007 00:54:07,080 --> 00:54:12,320 Speaker 1: that's true. But guard the gate means having an intimate 1008 00:54:12,360 --> 00:54:14,239 Speaker 1: knowledge of why we do what we do, why we 1009 00:54:14,360 --> 00:54:16,680 Speaker 1: use hounds as a management tool for bears, why we 1010 00:54:16,840 --> 00:54:19,879 Speaker 1: use bait as a management tool, why it's ethical. It's 1011 00:54:19,920 --> 00:54:23,759 Speaker 1: actually really ethical way to hunt bears because you're you 1012 00:54:23,800 --> 00:54:25,640 Speaker 1: know where they're gonna be standing. You can set up 1013 00:54:25,640 --> 00:54:27,439 Speaker 1: your tree stand in such a way that you're gonna 1014 00:54:27,440 --> 00:54:30,840 Speaker 1: get a good shot. Um, you get to age these bears, 1015 00:54:30,880 --> 00:54:33,120 Speaker 1: sex these bears. You know where the sALS are, you 1016 00:54:33,160 --> 00:54:35,320 Speaker 1: know where you know, you know the sALS have cubs 1017 00:54:35,360 --> 00:54:37,960 Speaker 1: because of pictures, And it's like it's actually a really 1018 00:54:38,040 --> 00:54:43,000 Speaker 1: clinical way to manage bears. Also highly challenging, also very 1019 00:54:43,000 --> 00:54:46,080 Speaker 1: difficult to kill an older mature mail over bait, and 1020 00:54:46,400 --> 00:54:50,879 Speaker 1: super exciting and adventurous. I mean, I think we hunt 1021 00:54:50,920 --> 00:54:53,120 Speaker 1: for a lot of different reasons. We hunt because honey 1022 00:54:53,160 --> 00:54:56,120 Speaker 1: is a management tool. We hunt because we want meat, hide, 1023 00:54:56,160 --> 00:55:00,080 Speaker 1: claw and fang of we want wildlife related commodities, we 1024 00:55:00,120 --> 00:55:04,680 Speaker 1: want bear oil and setting our window luck right there um. 1025 00:55:04,719 --> 00:55:07,640 Speaker 1: But we also hunt because we're hunters and we love 1026 00:55:07,640 --> 00:55:10,040 Speaker 1: it and we want adventure, and we don't want to 1027 00:55:10,080 --> 00:55:13,239 Speaker 1: just be office clerks all of our life, and some 1028 00:55:13,320 --> 00:55:15,480 Speaker 1: parts of our life we have to be office clerks. 1029 00:55:15,520 --> 00:55:17,640 Speaker 1: But then the other parts of our life we get 1030 00:55:17,640 --> 00:55:20,440 Speaker 1: to go out into wild places and have adventures and 1031 00:55:20,680 --> 00:55:27,360 Speaker 1: interact and beautiful places with majestic animals. And that is 1032 00:55:27,400 --> 00:55:30,600 Speaker 1: an experience that is powerful and that is what. That's 1033 00:55:30,600 --> 00:55:33,200 Speaker 1: what People that don't hunt don't understand it, and it's 1034 00:55:33,200 --> 00:55:35,480 Speaker 1: not their fault. They just they've they've never seen it. 1035 00:55:35,520 --> 00:55:39,160 Speaker 1: They don't know. Yeah, you can't have like when people, 1036 00:55:40,400 --> 00:55:42,879 Speaker 1: if you're gonna respect that animal, there's nothing that I'll 1037 00:55:42,880 --> 00:55:46,160 Speaker 1: teach you how to respect a bear more than looking 1038 00:55:46,200 --> 00:55:49,000 Speaker 1: at it like head on and staring in the eyes 1039 00:55:49,040 --> 00:55:52,200 Speaker 1: of like a monster bear, or or walking up to 1040 00:55:52,400 --> 00:55:54,719 Speaker 1: bear that you just killing, and laying your hands on 1041 00:55:54,719 --> 00:55:57,160 Speaker 1: that bear and knowing no man has probably ever even 1042 00:55:57,440 --> 00:56:00,400 Speaker 1: seen this and much less touched it like that, Like 1043 00:56:00,520 --> 00:56:03,000 Speaker 1: that is the most beautiful thing in the world. Is 1044 00:56:03,760 --> 00:56:06,160 Speaker 1: putting in all that work and hiking at that fountain 1045 00:56:06,760 --> 00:56:10,120 Speaker 1: and and just like washing bears all day, Like that's 1046 00:56:10,120 --> 00:56:12,879 Speaker 1: how you gain respect. And there's nobody in the world 1047 00:56:12,920 --> 00:56:15,200 Speaker 1: that can respect those bearing more than people that have 1048 00:56:15,280 --> 00:56:20,399 Speaker 1: done that. Yeah, well said, Well said, Well, we got 1049 00:56:20,400 --> 00:56:25,640 Speaker 1: to remember that the people that are the anti hunting 1050 00:56:25,680 --> 00:56:28,279 Speaker 1: world are the people that don't know hunting. They're they're 1051 00:56:28,320 --> 00:56:32,279 Speaker 1: not our enemies in a sense. A lot most of 1052 00:56:32,280 --> 00:56:34,960 Speaker 1: them just don't know. And those are the people that 1053 00:56:35,000 --> 00:56:36,840 Speaker 1: we're trying to influence as the people that don't know, 1054 00:56:36,920 --> 00:56:40,439 Speaker 1: Like this little boy at school who now we'll bring 1055 00:56:40,480 --> 00:56:43,319 Speaker 1: him around the corner at some point and he'll be like, Yeah, 1056 00:56:43,400 --> 00:56:45,600 Speaker 1: what they're doing is good. It's a it's a good 1057 00:56:45,600 --> 00:56:50,480 Speaker 1: way to gather meet for your family. Um and uh. 1058 00:56:50,800 --> 00:56:52,879 Speaker 1: And we've got to tell our story or somebody else 1059 00:56:52,880 --> 00:56:56,879 Speaker 1: will tell it for us. And uh. I think that 1060 00:56:56,920 --> 00:56:59,360 Speaker 1: being a hunter makes you a better human if you 1061 00:56:59,400 --> 00:57:02,560 Speaker 1: do it right, It really does. Did we not on 1062 00:57:02,600 --> 00:57:05,800 Speaker 1: that mountain River Nukem. When we came off that mountain, 1063 00:57:06,080 --> 00:57:09,080 Speaker 1: I said, let's make a deal. I said, I think 1064 00:57:09,120 --> 00:57:13,040 Speaker 1: God has helped us. You killed this bear, I think. 1065 00:57:13,800 --> 00:57:16,280 Speaker 1: And we talked, we we talked about a few parameters 1066 00:57:16,320 --> 00:57:19,200 Speaker 1: for your life that we felt like needed needed an upgrade, 1067 00:57:19,240 --> 00:57:22,400 Speaker 1: didn't we. That's an honorable thing. I'm not saying anything negative. 1068 00:57:23,000 --> 00:57:26,280 Speaker 1: And I said, okay, let's do that. I said, we've 1069 00:57:26,440 --> 00:57:30,480 Speaker 1: we have partaken of this wonderful thing that we just 1070 00:57:30,520 --> 00:57:35,960 Speaker 1: did together two years, two year adventure to take this 1071 00:57:36,000 --> 00:57:42,920 Speaker 1: one animal. Let's leverage that and make it make us 1072 00:57:43,320 --> 00:57:47,840 Speaker 1: be better humans, didn't we. We talked about school, we 1073 00:57:47,920 --> 00:57:50,920 Speaker 1: talked about some other things, and and we kind of 1074 00:57:50,960 --> 00:57:56,120 Speaker 1: made a little commitment. And uh and that's that's powerful 1075 00:57:56,160 --> 00:57:59,720 Speaker 1: stuff and good stuff. So well, we'll have to forget 1076 00:57:59,800 --> 00:58:04,160 Speaker 1: what we're gonna do next year. Yeah, but uh no, 1077 00:58:04,720 --> 00:58:07,200 Speaker 1: it was awesome. So yeah, check out check out the 1078 00:58:07,560 --> 00:58:10,440 Speaker 1: videos called Rivers Barrett's on the Barony Magazine YouTube channel. 1079 00:58:10,680 --> 00:58:12,240 Speaker 1: And hey, the best thing that you could do for 1080 00:58:12,320 --> 00:58:15,640 Speaker 1: us is go subscribe to our YouTube channel, watch our videos, 1081 00:58:15,680 --> 00:58:18,200 Speaker 1: and comment like it helps us to comment. The other 1082 00:58:18,240 --> 00:58:20,080 Speaker 1: thing that you could do for us, as far as 1083 00:58:20,120 --> 00:58:25,240 Speaker 1: an ask is, uh, leave a leave a review of 1084 00:58:25,240 --> 00:58:28,680 Speaker 1: this podcast, like a written review. Even if you just 1085 00:58:28,720 --> 00:58:32,520 Speaker 1: say this podcast is good or this is whatever. Just 1086 00:58:32,880 --> 00:58:35,920 Speaker 1: leave us, leave us review, give us some give us 1087 00:58:35,960 --> 00:58:38,720 Speaker 1: some stars on how we're doing, and we're about to 1088 00:58:38,760 --> 00:58:40,880 Speaker 1: pound out some really great content. I think I'm gonna 1089 00:58:40,880 --> 00:58:44,400 Speaker 1: go on a podcast tour over in Tennessee, maybe hit 1090 00:58:44,440 --> 00:58:47,959 Speaker 1: from Missouri. UH got some special guests that are gonna 1091 00:58:48,000 --> 00:58:52,640 Speaker 1: be on. But anyway, River Knew com Thank you. Anything 1092 00:58:52,680 --> 00:58:55,720 Speaker 1: you'd like to say to the peeps out there in 1093 00:58:55,720 --> 00:59:03,400 Speaker 1: the podcast world, how about you say m hm, you 1094 00:59:03,440 --> 00:59:06,680 Speaker 1: don't want to say that. Ah So keep the wild 1095 00:59:06,760 --> 00:59:08,800 Speaker 1: places wild because that's where the beards live.