WEBVTT - First Lite Layering with Kevin Harlander 0:00:00.360 --> 0:00:04.000 You're listening to the Sportsman's Nation podcast network, brought to 0:00:04.080 --> 0:00:08.039 you by Lacrosse Boots. So here's what Lacrosse has recently done. 0:00:08.280 --> 0:00:12.000 They've taken their one hundred plus years of experience to 0:00:12.080 --> 0:00:15.560 create a new line of lace up hunting boots called 0:00:15.920 --> 0:00:20.360 the Navigator Series. Now, the Navigator Series comes in two options, 0:00:20.680 --> 0:00:23.840 the Atlas for men and the wind Rows for both 0:00:23.920 --> 0:00:26.200 men and women. Now, if you want to find out 0:00:26.320 --> 0:00:30.319 more about their high quality, awesome boots, you need to 0:00:30.360 --> 0:00:39.680 go to Lacrosse Footwear dot com. My name is Clay Nucleman. 0:00:39.720 --> 0:00:43.280 I'm the host of the Bear Hunting Magazine podcast. I'll 0:00:43.360 --> 0:00:46.199 also be your host into the world of hunting the 0:00:46.600 --> 0:00:53.160 icon of North American wilderness to Bear. We'll talk about tactics, gear, conservation, 0:00:53.680 --> 0:00:55.960 but will also bring you into some of the wildest 0:00:56.040 --> 0:01:06.120 country on the planet chasing betterment. I was in Bozeman, 0:01:06.200 --> 0:01:10.160 Montana last week, and Kevin Harlander and I sat down 0:01:10.600 --> 0:01:13.559 and we had a great conversation. Kevin is the First 0:01:13.640 --> 0:01:17.600 Light community manager. We get into the nitty gritty of 0:01:17.800 --> 0:01:22.640 layering systems, Marino wool, and how to effectively use first 0:01:22.720 --> 0:01:24.880 light gear. So this is kind of a technical podcast 0:01:24.920 --> 0:01:28.399 with with with gear stuff, clothing stuff, but Kevin and 0:01:28.440 --> 0:01:30.400 I also have a great time. You'll get to learn 0:01:30.440 --> 0:01:33.679 about Kevin some of his hunting. He's a he's a 0:01:33.720 --> 0:01:36.399 super elk hunter. Grow up in Minnesota. You're gonna enjoy it. 0:01:36.959 --> 0:01:41.640 I want to bring your attention to a code, a 0:01:41.720 --> 0:01:44.440 code that we're gonna give out where you canna get 0:01:44.480 --> 0:01:47.600 five dollars off of subscription to Bear Hunting Magazine right now, 0:01:47.640 --> 0:01:50.200 we're working on September October issue. If you go to 0:01:50.240 --> 0:01:54.480 our new subscription section at Bear hyphen Hunting dot com, 0:01:54.480 --> 0:01:57.480 bear dash Hunting dot com, you can type in the 0:01:57.520 --> 0:02:01.200 code b h M twenty, So that's like Bear Hunting 0:02:01.240 --> 0:02:06.560 Magazine acronym be a GM twenty. Get five dollars off 0:02:06.880 --> 0:02:11.120 a new subscription. Lastly, I want to talk about our 0:02:11.160 --> 0:02:15.600 buddies at the Western Bear Foundation. Western Bear Foundation is 0:02:15.600 --> 0:02:20.880 a nonprofit hunting conservation organization that's situated right out there 0:02:21.280 --> 0:02:25.440 and uh in Cody, Wyoming, right amongst right in amongst 0:02:25.560 --> 0:02:28.639 all the the some of the difficulty that they're having 0:02:28.680 --> 0:02:32.560 with with with the grizzly bears, black bears, a lot 0:02:32.560 --> 0:02:36.399 of things going on out there that that we need 0:02:36.440 --> 0:02:39.040 a voice and The Western Bear Foundation is creating a 0:02:39.040 --> 0:02:42.200 new narrative for hunters out there by a lot of 0:02:42.240 --> 0:02:46.120 the stuff they're doing their membership based organization. So they're 0:02:46.200 --> 0:02:49.880 they're they're fueled by the funds brought in by members. 0:02:50.120 --> 0:02:53.840 So I want to encourage it. Joined the Western Bear Foundation. 0:02:54.560 --> 0:02:58.359 Check them out. Great organization fighting for the rights of 0:02:58.440 --> 0:03:03.520 hunters and the the good the black bears. Hey onto 0:03:03.600 --> 0:03:18.560 the podcast from Bozeman, Montana. Kevin Harlander all right, welcome 0:03:18.600 --> 0:03:24.360 to the Bear Hunting Magazine podcast. I am in Bozeman, Montana, 0:03:24.520 --> 0:03:29.080 also known as the Bozone. I've learned that Bozeman, Montana 0:03:29.160 --> 0:03:34.519 today and I've got I've got with me Kevin Harlander 0:03:35.120 --> 0:03:40.040 of First Light. Kevin is the community manager Community manager 0:03:40.160 --> 0:03:44.920 First Lights. Yeah, we are, man, this is really cool 0:03:44.960 --> 0:03:48.040 for me. We're at the Meat Eater Global Headquarters. Now, Kevin, 0:03:48.760 --> 0:03:51.080 you may not you may not know this about Bear 0:03:51.160 --> 0:03:54.920 Hunting Magazine, but we have we call the Bear Hunting 0:03:55.000 --> 0:03:58.600 Magazine where we're where we're at the global headquarters. I 0:03:58.720 --> 0:04:00.440 like that. That's what it says on a signed the 0:04:00.440 --> 0:04:03.440 global headquarters at first like two over and catch him yeah, 0:04:03.600 --> 0:04:07.640 first like global HQ. Yeah. Yeah, So man, we're at. 0:04:07.880 --> 0:04:11.400 We're actually in the podcasting studio of of Meat Eater, 0:04:11.560 --> 0:04:14.720 which is a cool thing. And to give a little 0:04:14.800 --> 0:04:19.320 context of why that we're here, is that First Light, 0:04:19.360 --> 0:04:22.200 as everybody would know, has recently been acquired by meat 0:04:22.240 --> 0:04:27.240 Eater and uh and so Kevin it was in First 0:04:27.320 --> 0:04:30.040 Like it's based out of Catchum, Idaho, about five hours 0:04:30.040 --> 0:04:33.920 from here, and you guys came down and our are 0:04:34.360 --> 0:04:37.200 are showing some of the new products, talking about some 0:04:37.279 --> 0:04:40.600 of the stuff with uh, with with the people here 0:04:40.640 --> 0:04:42.679 at meat Eater. Yeah, that's correct. So we've been working 0:04:42.680 --> 0:04:46.080 with meat Eater and Steve specifically for a long time. 0:04:46.120 --> 0:04:49.200 He's one of our our longest partners, and so yeah, 0:04:49.240 --> 0:04:52.320 we've been recently acquired and nothing's changing on our end, 0:04:52.360 --> 0:04:55.360 and UH, it's been really positive just to be able 0:04:55.400 --> 0:04:57.839 to collaborate with these guys on a closer level. So 0:04:57.839 --> 0:04:59.440 we're up here with Bridget and Forward in a bunch 0:04:59.440 --> 0:05:02.240 of our marketing team and I'm just kind of showcasing 0:05:02.279 --> 0:05:04.800 some of our product that we're putting in a gear 0:05:04.839 --> 0:05:08.240 testing for these guys help out a lot with that, um, 0:05:08.279 --> 0:05:11.080 since they're in the field so often. UM. And then yeah, 0:05:11.080 --> 0:05:13.760 I just kind of kind of seeing the home home 0:05:13.800 --> 0:05:15.640 turf for these guys. And it's always fun to come 0:05:15.680 --> 0:05:17.640 to Bozeman. It's a kind of the the heart and 0:05:17.680 --> 0:05:19.800 soul of of the outdoor industry. So it's gonna catch 0:05:19.880 --> 0:05:22.960 up with I don't know that people people outside the 0:05:23.000 --> 0:05:26.880 industry would necessarily know them, but in Bozeman, right here 0:05:27.880 --> 0:05:31.160 is you. You tell me the companies you know that 0:05:31.279 --> 0:05:35.159 are right here in Bozeman, Sick Gear on x Mry Ranch, Um, 0:05:35.240 --> 0:05:38.760 I'm gonna forget a bunch more. But obviously meat Eater, Stone, Glacier, 0:05:39.400 --> 0:05:44.920 Ums Boots is a town of about It's just not 0:05:45.000 --> 0:05:47.200 like this. It's not like a massive city. Yeah, and 0:05:47.240 --> 0:05:49.720 I'm not the best expert obviously on on Bosen, Montana. 0:05:49.760 --> 0:05:51.160 If used to roll through here on the way to 0:05:51.640 --> 0:05:54.479 fire season. I was in college a lot. But um, 0:05:54.520 --> 0:05:56.520 it's a great place, great place and a lot of 0:05:56.560 --> 0:05:58.880 good people too. It's fun to we're out at dinner 0:05:58.960 --> 0:06:00.480 last night and you run into olks from like the 0:06:00.480 --> 0:06:03.520 Wild Cheap Foundation, and then there's guys rolling in from 0:06:03.560 --> 0:06:06.000 two Percent for Conservation. It's kind of just this revolving 0:06:06.080 --> 0:06:10.560 door folks. It's fun here they are. Yeah, yeah, we're 0:06:10.560 --> 0:06:12.400 actually gonna go over there stephan un and trying some 0:06:12.440 --> 0:06:15.360 of their boots. So I've actually never worn SNAE boots. 0:06:15.520 --> 0:06:19.719 Uh yeah, so we'll check them out. Nice. Well. Bozeman 0:06:19.800 --> 0:06:21.960 is in neat town. I've never spent much time here 0:06:22.040 --> 0:06:26.040 on our way to where we hunted in Western Montana 0:06:26.120 --> 0:06:29.000 for Spring Bear. This year, we pulled in with our 0:06:29.120 --> 0:06:32.960 mules and our trailer and parked like directly in the 0:06:32.960 --> 0:06:37.279 alley behind says we were. We were like making blocks around, 0:06:37.400 --> 0:06:39.599 trying trying to we just wanted to pull in there 0:06:39.640 --> 0:06:43.599 just to say. We went to and right behind the store, 0:06:43.600 --> 0:06:46.679 it's like this downtown area, like a really nice downtown area, 0:06:46.720 --> 0:06:49.440 like old downtown with these small shops along main street, 0:06:49.480 --> 0:06:52.960 you know, just buzzing people. Yeah, yeah, just buzzing with people. 0:06:53.240 --> 0:06:56.440 And so we pull up like right behind their back door, 0:06:56.880 --> 0:06:59.080 and I was like, they're not gonna tow us. So 0:06:59.200 --> 0:07:02.560 we're in there for like fifteen minutes with mules. So man, 0:07:02.600 --> 0:07:05.400 we just put the flashers on, went in there. But 0:07:05.640 --> 0:07:07.280 that was my first time. It's a neat that's a 0:07:07.320 --> 0:07:11.560 neat store. Yeah, I'm excited. Excited. The Bozeman is uh, 0:07:11.720 --> 0:07:14.360 I mean, I guess for a western town. Maybe this 0:07:14.520 --> 0:07:18.160 is like standard, but I mean basically in any direction 0:07:18.200 --> 0:07:22.560 that you look, you're seeing these big snow cap mountains. 0:07:22.880 --> 0:07:25.840 I mean here it is July. I mean that's pretty spectacular. 0:07:25.880 --> 0:07:28.200 You guys out west are used to this kind of stuff, 0:07:28.240 --> 0:07:30.960 but we're pretty lucky that way. And it's, uh, it's 0:07:31.000 --> 0:07:33.520 a beautiful place. And especially as you get into sort 0:07:33.520 --> 0:07:35.440 of the inner mountain West and and uh in the 0:07:35.520 --> 0:07:38.240 Rocky Mountains. It's just it's rugged country and beautiful and 0:07:38.280 --> 0:07:40.000 we hold onto our snow. Although this year has been 0:07:40.000 --> 0:07:44.040 pretty hot, um midsummer, so we'll see it's uh, hopefully 0:07:44.040 --> 0:07:46.840 we won't get too many fires. Yeah, other's I mean 0:07:46.880 --> 0:07:48.200 it looked like a lot of snow to me, but 0:07:48.280 --> 0:07:52.360 any snow is a lot of snow. Rkanzas. But hey, 0:07:52.480 --> 0:07:54.720 before we jump into so what I want to do 0:07:54.720 --> 0:07:56.400 on the podcast, let's I want to talk about some 0:07:56.440 --> 0:07:59.360 of the First Light stuff. But but but before we 0:07:59.400 --> 0:08:02.640 do that, I wanna I want to learn some stuff 0:08:02.640 --> 0:08:05.640 about you. I just met Kevin like this morning. They 0:08:05.680 --> 0:08:08.680 basically this morning, and the only reason I recognized and 0:08:09.280 --> 0:08:13.440 because I watched, uh, I watched on Facebook First Light's Uh, 0:08:13.560 --> 0:08:16.000 you guys recorded a deal where you were cooking elk burgers. Yeah, 0:08:16.000 --> 0:08:18.840 we're doing this. It's called Fuel the Fundamentals, and it's uh, 0:08:18.880 --> 0:08:21.040 it's awesome. It's just guys from the office and uh, 0:08:21.160 --> 0:08:24.920 we're cooking up just just really simple basic recipes, but easy, 0:08:24.960 --> 0:08:27.360 easy recipes to kind of mess up. So yeah, but 0:08:27.640 --> 0:08:29.560 I learned something though. I mean, like really, when I 0:08:29.600 --> 0:08:33.080 went into a burger cooking video, I mean I really 0:08:33.160 --> 0:08:36.720 wasn't thinking I'm gonna learn something. But the butter, Yeah, 0:08:37.240 --> 0:08:39.680 that was that came out of lift for me. But 0:08:39.760 --> 0:08:43.600 I get it. Man. Yeah, but crispy, you know, crispy 0:08:43.640 --> 0:08:45.679 gun and then also right on the burger itself, right, 0:08:45.720 --> 0:08:47.960 you just kind of crisp up the exterior of that burger, 0:08:48.000 --> 0:08:51.400 and it just helps with We had, um, my girlfriend 0:08:51.400 --> 0:08:53.640 and I last summer raised some hogs, so we we 0:08:53.800 --> 0:08:56.160 mixed in the bacon ends into that into that elkrine 0:08:56.200 --> 0:08:58.160 and it just turned out really delicious. But the butter 0:08:58.240 --> 0:08:59.920 on top, right, and especially when you're putting on like 0:08:59.920 --> 0:09:03.000 a hot fire, like instantly crisps and it's just like 0:09:03.040 --> 0:09:05.480 a little I'm not crunchy, but just a little bit 0:09:05.480 --> 0:09:09.800 of crispiness on the outside. Yeah, I'm definitely gonna everything 0:09:09.840 --> 0:09:12.520 is better, definitely gonna do that. Yeah, I want to 0:09:12.520 --> 0:09:16.199 hear about your hogs too. We raised some pigs. Yeah, cool, 0:09:16.280 --> 0:09:19.080 but it's all. But I want to introduce you. I 0:09:19.080 --> 0:09:23.480 want to hear about your history and uh so, and 0:09:23.880 --> 0:09:26.120 it's cool that you work for first Light. I mean, 0:09:26.120 --> 0:09:29.000 that's my question. What I just personally wanted to ask 0:09:29.040 --> 0:09:30.880 you is how the heck did you start working for 0:09:31.000 --> 0:09:32.600 first Light. That's a lot, but it's kind of a 0:09:32.600 --> 0:09:35.880 long road, you know. Yeah, but give me kind of 0:09:35.880 --> 0:09:38.520 a I know you're a hunter. You know you're a 0:09:38.520 --> 0:09:41.599 good elk hunter. I know that if you were a firefighter, 0:09:42.040 --> 0:09:46.640 you're you're tough and mountain warn That's good. But now 0:09:46.800 --> 0:09:49.280 just give me a little history of just your personal 0:09:49.320 --> 0:09:52.240 history where you grew up. But yeah, that sounds great. 0:09:52.280 --> 0:09:55.000 I'm from St. Paul, Minnesota, so born and raised there 0:09:55.000 --> 0:09:57.720 and lived there until I went to school and to 0:09:57.840 --> 0:10:01.200 college in Northeastern Iowa. School called Worst College, kind of 0:10:01.200 --> 0:10:03.760 in the heart of white Tail Country. So I grew 0:10:03.800 --> 0:10:06.080 up white Tail Honey, and we had a family place 0:10:06.160 --> 0:10:07.920 up in northern Minnesota right on the headwaters in the 0:10:07.920 --> 0:10:11.360 Mississippi or near it Um. I spent a lot of 0:10:11.400 --> 0:10:13.480 time up there as a kid, and it was always 0:10:13.520 --> 0:10:16.440 interesting growing up in the city and and and then 0:10:16.679 --> 0:10:19.319 being outside all the time in our neighborhood and kind 0:10:19.320 --> 0:10:21.280 of in our in our area, and then going up north. 0:10:21.280 --> 0:10:23.439 We called it going up north. Every every time, every 0:10:23.520 --> 0:10:25.880 chance we get it seemed like every weekend, my mom 0:10:25.920 --> 0:10:28.320 would kind of get everything rolling and my dad would 0:10:28.400 --> 0:10:30.000 roll home from work and we just head for the hill. 0:10:30.080 --> 0:10:32.240 Is there a culture, I know in Michigan there's this 0:10:32.320 --> 0:10:35.840 culture of everybody wanted to go to the up vacation. 0:10:36.320 --> 0:10:40.160 Is it kind that everybody but yeah, and everybody other 0:10:40.280 --> 0:10:42.160 neighbor has a place on the lake, right and they 0:10:42.160 --> 0:10:44.040 call them cabins and just cabins on the lake. And 0:10:44.080 --> 0:10:46.400 that's really the heart and soul, I would say in 0:10:46.440 --> 0:10:49.800 Minnesota summer culture and winter culture. So it's everybody in 0:10:49.840 --> 0:10:53.120 the in the Midwest, specifically in St. Paul in Minneapolis 0:10:53.280 --> 0:10:55.800 and and the surrounding area seems to have a place 0:10:55.880 --> 0:10:58.800 up north and with a place up north. So there's 0:10:58.880 --> 0:11:01.959 like a my grace into the North country every every 0:11:02.040 --> 0:11:05.320 so most of the population would be further sound. Yeah, certainly, 0:11:05.360 --> 0:11:07.559 you know, Minnesota a long state right to the tail, 0:11:07.679 --> 0:11:11.120 but the heart of the population all resides sort of 0:11:11.120 --> 0:11:15.800 in that central to south central part of the states. Um. Yeah, 0:11:15.800 --> 0:11:17.480 we spent a lot of time going up north and 0:11:17.800 --> 0:11:19.760 learned to fish and hunt from my dad and my 0:11:19.800 --> 0:11:22.600 mom as well, and my grandfather and my brothers and 0:11:22.679 --> 0:11:24.560 so we we that was always a part of who 0:11:24.640 --> 0:11:26.720 we were growing up. And we we always ate a 0:11:26.720 --> 0:11:29.240 lot of fish, ate a lot of medicine, um and 0:11:29.360 --> 0:11:31.920 Grallison ducks and geese. So it was so grew up 0:11:32.559 --> 0:11:34.360 we did. Yeah, And it's totally different than any of 0:11:34.400 --> 0:11:36.640 the deer hunting I've ever done in the West end 0:11:36.679 --> 0:11:39.280 in Iowa too. So we were hunting in northern Minnesota 0:11:39.400 --> 0:11:42.640 with you know, basically I think my first, yeah, the 0:11:42.640 --> 0:11:44.959 first gun I ever shot a deer with, UM was 0:11:45.000 --> 0:11:49.400 that thirty thirty lever action. So everything's brushy, thick country. Um. 0:11:49.440 --> 0:11:51.600 All the deer are really big bodied white tales. But 0:11:51.679 --> 0:11:53.640 you wouldn't like if you shot at what would they 0:11:53.640 --> 0:11:57.079 would call in northern Minnesota eight point right four by 0:11:57.080 --> 0:12:00.520 four and in the west pointer don't get Okay, that's 0:12:00.559 --> 0:12:03.079 about this Western stuff, man, that's right. So the truth 0:12:03.120 --> 0:12:06.040 it's an eight point four if you shoot an eight 0:12:06.080 --> 0:12:08.719 pointer in in Minnesota. That in northern Minnesota. That is 0:12:08.760 --> 0:12:12.240 like a dandy in a small basket act. So small 0:12:12.400 --> 0:12:16.120 small rack deer, but tough northern deer. Yeah, because it's 0:12:16.160 --> 0:12:19.000 cold hunting up there. But now they do a lot 0:12:19.000 --> 0:12:22.240 of drives or a little bit terrain features and mostly 0:12:22.320 --> 0:12:24.959 just corridors. You're in the rut, so you're just hunting 0:12:25.120 --> 0:12:27.719 travel corridors for the most part, but thick country. We 0:12:27.880 --> 0:12:29.720 drive once in a while, usually like on a Sunday 0:12:29.720 --> 0:12:33.640 afternoon where you're heading out go home. Yeah we do. Yeah, 0:12:34.760 --> 0:12:37.400 that's right. Um so yeah. And then so we spent 0:12:37.440 --> 0:12:38.880 a lot of time up there when I was a kid, 0:12:38.880 --> 0:12:41.760 and we're always enjoying sort of the the way to 0:12:41.840 --> 0:12:44.080 up north to there's a lot of great state parks 0:12:44.360 --> 0:12:46.560 and rack areas in Minnesota, and they do a good 0:12:46.640 --> 0:12:49.800 job of keeping those places wild, which is I'm really 0:12:49.840 --> 0:12:52.880 fortunate to have grown up there. Um So, then I 0:12:52.880 --> 0:12:55.880 went to college in Iowa, played baseball down there, and 0:12:55.880 --> 0:12:59.120 and uh and whitetail hunting quite a bit really and 0:12:59.240 --> 0:13:03.920 Iowa public land well, actually the the doozy about Iowa 0:13:03.920 --> 0:13:05.679 a little bit. There's a lot of public land, not 0:13:05.880 --> 0:13:08.920 compared to the wester or even parts of the Midwest. 0:13:08.960 --> 0:13:13.240 But what's interesting about Iowa is there's a real culture around, 0:13:13.640 --> 0:13:17.160 like agriculture mixed with wild land or watching is a 0:13:17.240 --> 0:13:19.960 wildlife habitat. So there's a lot of people, especially when 0:13:20.000 --> 0:13:22.600 I was coming up through some biology programs, they're trying 0:13:22.640 --> 0:13:26.120 to change the way they thought about land use. Rather 0:13:26.160 --> 0:13:30.360 than just a sort of um reap the land situation 0:13:30.400 --> 0:13:32.760 with pure agriculture, they're trying to work in sort of 0:13:32.760 --> 0:13:38.440 this regenerative, regenerative, healthy ecosystem management with um some hunting, 0:13:38.880 --> 0:13:40.800 and I think what was really cool is I got 0:13:40.880 --> 0:13:42.480 to be a part of a couple of different farms 0:13:42.480 --> 0:13:46.080 that were transitioning from strictly just agriculture to wildlife management 0:13:46.120 --> 0:13:50.760 as well. And I did kill some decent deer. Yeah, 0:13:50.880 --> 0:13:52.920 like I think, like a decent deer and I was 0:13:52.920 --> 0:13:56.480 probably like one, right, And then they talk about these 0:13:56.920 --> 0:13:59.240 seventy inch deer as you get farther into in the 0:13:59.360 --> 0:14:02.400 southern than Iowa, but we were just a little bit 0:14:02.440 --> 0:14:06.440 farther north from where the real like boomer Boomer bucks 0:14:06.480 --> 0:14:08.880 go down. So that was a great experience and it 0:14:08.880 --> 0:14:11.200 was cool because everybody, like my baseball coach in college 0:14:11.240 --> 0:14:13.800 was an avid deer hunter, so he took me out 0:14:13.840 --> 0:14:16.280 a few times and I sort of relearned how to 0:14:16.400 --> 0:14:18.200 how to white tail hunt. That it would be totally 0:14:18.200 --> 0:14:22.040 different than northern Minnesota certainly forced yeah, exactly. So you're 0:14:22.080 --> 0:14:23.880 hunting a lot of field edges, a lot of like 0:14:24.280 --> 0:14:28.200 travel corridors, UM, managing different chunks of ground. You know, 0:14:28.200 --> 0:14:31.680 I never really knew what a food plot was, UM 0:14:31.720 --> 0:14:34.400 until I until I went to Iowa. So then in 0:14:34.440 --> 0:14:36.760 the summertime when I was in college, I was heading 0:14:36.760 --> 0:14:39.960 out to Oregon to UH to fight wildland fire. So 0:14:39.960 --> 0:14:41.600 I did that's that was just like a summer job. 0:14:41.680 --> 0:14:43.880 It was. Yeah, it's the greatest summer job ever because 0:14:43.960 --> 0:14:45.680 you're you're on the road a lot, and you're working 0:14:45.720 --> 0:14:47.800 a lot of hours, can't spend any money. And then 0:14:48.000 --> 0:14:49.440 then in the summer we just hand to check over 0:14:49.480 --> 0:14:53.480 to school just like back to it UM. But met 0:14:53.560 --> 0:14:56.920 a lot of my greatest friends doing that UM. And 0:14:56.960 --> 0:14:59.880 then what's really interesting is that's how I introduced Alka. 0:15:00.600 --> 0:15:03.960 So I stayed a couple of seasons later into September 0:15:04.080 --> 0:15:06.040 and just started going with these guys and hunting with 0:15:06.080 --> 0:15:09.080 these guys, and the greatest part about that was I 0:15:09.120 --> 0:15:11.520 just had this real opportunity to learn from people that 0:15:11.600 --> 0:15:14.680 lived in this country all the time, and so we're 0:15:14.680 --> 0:15:17.240 out cutting and and that was a great gift and 0:15:17.280 --> 0:15:20.200 something I'm really grateful for. So just a phenomenal state. 0:15:20.240 --> 0:15:22.680 Oregans wonderful. I lived in Eastern Oregon for the better 0:15:22.680 --> 0:15:25.360 part of ten years on and off, UM and just 0:15:25.520 --> 0:15:28.120 really fell in love with that place. And um, yeah, 0:15:28.160 --> 0:15:30.280 now I'm now I'm over in Idaho. So the short 0:15:30.280 --> 0:15:32.520 of it is like, yes, I suppose we're gonna get this, 0:15:32.600 --> 0:15:35.760 but um, I was working after I was done fighting fire, 0:15:35.800 --> 0:15:37.920 I was managing the marketing and sales for a brewery 0:15:38.160 --> 0:15:41.160 in eastern Oregon. UM. And while I was doing that, 0:15:41.200 --> 0:15:43.120 I was guiding al khnts with my good friend James 0:15:43.240 --> 0:15:46.280 nash Um. He runs outfit called six Ranch Outfitters. So 0:15:46.360 --> 0:15:49.000 we worked together for a couple of years. And then 0:15:49.040 --> 0:15:51.880 I was also doing some film work um for Ben 0:15:51.960 --> 0:15:55.680 Potter at con Outdoor. So we did some waterfowl projects together, 0:15:55.800 --> 0:15:57.560 and I was kind of I was like dipping my 0:15:57.680 --> 0:16:00.280 toe into the outdoor industry because I was really scared 0:16:00.280 --> 0:16:02.640 about like, Okay, I love this so much. If I 0:16:02.760 --> 0:16:05.560 go in full on Um, you know, am I gonna 0:16:05.640 --> 0:16:07.920 ruin it? I'm gonna get burned out on this? Or 0:16:08.040 --> 0:16:10.800 is it not gonna be fun? And um, So I've 0:16:10.800 --> 0:16:13.360 always been kind of caution or cautious I should say, 0:16:13.360 --> 0:16:16.760 about mixing my passions in my work. So um, but 0:16:16.840 --> 0:16:18.760 it's been the best decision I've ever made. Man, this 0:16:18.840 --> 0:16:20.760 has been the greatest. I started like in beginning to 0:16:20.840 --> 0:16:22.840 May and I's s been a whirlwind, just been awesome. 0:16:22.840 --> 0:16:26.360 So you you're jump into full time outdoor industry. It's 0:16:26.360 --> 0:16:29.080 just been just this year. Yeah, just this year, and 0:16:29.240 --> 0:16:31.440 it's been just phenomenal. So my role, I get to 0:16:31.440 --> 0:16:34.600 work with so many different cool people and managed a 0:16:34.640 --> 0:16:37.080 team of the best pro team in the in the country. 0:16:37.080 --> 0:16:39.280 I think they're just awesome guys. We've got great guys 0:16:39.320 --> 0:16:42.840 and outfitters and just a really solid, solid team put 0:16:42.880 --> 0:16:45.080 together at First Light. And so so you were doing 0:16:45.520 --> 0:16:48.480 marketing and media and photography and some video and learning 0:16:48.480 --> 0:16:51.160 from some really good guys like this can Outdoors And 0:16:51.200 --> 0:16:55.080 so how the heck did that translate into I mean 0:16:55.120 --> 0:16:56.840 you just applied for a job at First Light or 0:16:56.880 --> 0:16:59.760 did you know some of the First Light folks? So um. 0:16:59.760 --> 0:17:02.640 Through James Nash My friend I just mentioned he uh, 0:17:02.880 --> 0:17:04.840 him and Cody Rich became pretty good friends. And Cody 0:17:04.920 --> 0:17:07.439 runs a podcast and a bunch of other businesses. That 0:17:07.440 --> 0:17:11.159 guy's a genius marketer and a and a really good dude. Um, 0:17:11.200 --> 0:17:13.240 So Cody and I have become pretty close and and 0:17:13.359 --> 0:17:15.600 Cody and I have worked together a little bit. And 0:17:15.640 --> 0:17:18.160 a job popped on First Letting and I've been trying 0:17:18.200 --> 0:17:19.800 to think about my girlfriend and I were like, we 0:17:19.840 --> 0:17:23.280 should We're gonna move, We're gonna do something new. Um, 0:17:23.320 --> 0:17:25.520 and we're actually in Norway, of isn't in her family 0:17:25.680 --> 0:17:29.760 and her families from from the country in Norway, and um, 0:17:29.800 --> 0:17:31.399 I just saw this job pop and I was kind 0:17:31.400 --> 0:17:32.480 of I was just laying in bed and I was like, 0:17:32.520 --> 0:17:34.400 I'm gonna apply for this thing. And so I called 0:17:34.480 --> 0:17:37.359 Cody and he's like, yeah, man, I'll talk to those guys. 0:17:37.400 --> 0:17:40.040 And we just set up a meeting and was able 0:17:40.080 --> 0:17:43.760 to kind of secure the deal and it's been just phenomenal. Yeah. Yeah, 0:17:44.240 --> 0:17:46.800 So you've been at First Light since May? Yeah, awesome, 0:17:46.840 --> 0:17:52.240 pretty quick, it's been quick. Well that's great. Um, now 0:17:52.280 --> 0:17:56.560 I know, so are you you're hunting public land Elk 0:17:56.640 --> 0:18:01.720 and I don't know. Yeah, I'll that's where you learned 0:18:01.760 --> 0:18:04.440 your Yeah, and I will say, like, you know, I've 0:18:04.520 --> 0:18:06.960 killed a few off with my bow, um and the 0:18:07.000 --> 0:18:08.840 majority of it's been on public land, but there are 0:18:08.880 --> 0:18:11.520 a lot of it's been on private too, just because um, 0:18:11.560 --> 0:18:13.399 I think one of the things that's interesting growing up 0:18:13.400 --> 0:18:16.359 in the Midwest, you know, we had a skill set 0:18:16.400 --> 0:18:19.040 that I developed from learning from other folks of how 0:18:19.080 --> 0:18:20.880 to ask for permission, you know, and not just coming 0:18:20.920 --> 0:18:23.680 and taking right. It's like, hey, I see mr, you've 0:18:23.720 --> 0:18:26.600 got some fence down, Can I rebuild that for you? Can? 0:18:26.640 --> 0:18:30.600 I can I get you a quarter? Will can rebuild fence? Trip? Yeah? 0:18:30.680 --> 0:18:32.720 And it. You know, the thing is, it's like those 0:18:32.720 --> 0:18:35.280 guys work their butts off on their ground, you know, 0:18:35.320 --> 0:18:36.960 they take a lot of pride in their in their 0:18:37.000 --> 0:18:39.320 property and things like that. So I wanted to try 0:18:39.359 --> 0:18:42.080 to figure out a way to uh utilize that skill 0:18:42.119 --> 0:18:45.240 set of talking with people and doing that to to 0:18:45.359 --> 0:18:48.120 gain some access. So I've learned and and sort of 0:18:48.359 --> 0:18:53.320 um facilitated some relationships through through that. So that's good. Yeah, 0:18:53.359 --> 0:18:57.240 that's great. Yeah, Well maybe this is a good place 0:18:57.280 --> 0:19:03.399 to get into some of the first light. Well, I 0:19:03.440 --> 0:19:05.600 think we can we can say this is that the 0:19:06.560 --> 0:19:09.360 meat Eatier acquisition of First Light. For those in the industry, 0:19:09.359 --> 0:19:12.840 it was pretty I mean, I mean it was kind 0:19:12.840 --> 0:19:17.280 of like, wow, that that's surprising. Um. But then once 0:19:17.280 --> 0:19:20.879 it happened, maybe it wasn't surprising. But uh. Steve Ronnella 0:19:21.040 --> 0:19:25.360 obviously has been the kind of the main First Light 0:19:26.000 --> 0:19:29.520 media guy. For sure. He's not he's not had any 0:19:29.600 --> 0:19:31.920 he's not owned first I mean, he's just been somebody 0:19:32.000 --> 0:19:34.639 that has Warren first Light helped them build their brand, 0:19:34.680 --> 0:19:37.160 and I mean somebody that the outdoor industry. I mean, 0:19:37.240 --> 0:19:40.600 in my mind he's at the top of the heap. Yeah, certainly. 0:19:40.640 --> 0:19:42.440 I just his ability to just to bring people into 0:19:42.440 --> 0:19:44.920 the fold is just incredible. You know, we're talking about 0:19:44.920 --> 0:19:47.520 guys that maybe and women and men that have never 0:19:47.560 --> 0:19:49.359 picked up a rifle and never spent any time in 0:19:49.359 --> 0:19:52.080 the woods, and they're being they're attracted to this model 0:19:52.160 --> 0:19:55.119 that that Steve's built. Um. One of the things I 0:19:55.280 --> 0:19:57.159 talked about Ben O'Brien a little bit too, was just 0:19:57.200 --> 0:20:00.359 like how many how much opportunity Steve's brought for so 0:20:00.400 --> 0:20:02.639 many people in the industry to have a voice to 0:20:02.680 --> 0:20:04.879 talk about what they want to talk about um. So 0:20:04.920 --> 0:20:06.520 it's been awesome to get to know him a little 0:20:06.520 --> 0:20:08.960 bit as well. So did you start working for first 0:20:09.000 --> 0:20:14.320 Light It was before the acquisition, Yeah, just pretty quick 0:20:14.359 --> 0:20:20.480 before actually yeah cool. Yeah. Well, what I want to 0:20:20.520 --> 0:20:25.159 do is I kind of want to act like nobody 0:20:25.560 --> 0:20:32.440 knows anything about about Could we categorize first Light gear 0:20:32.480 --> 0:20:36.440 It's like technical hunting gear. That would be the most 0:20:36.480 --> 0:20:39.160 simple description of what it would be, because I think, 0:20:39.200 --> 0:20:41.920 I mean a lot of my listeners would be probably 0:20:41.920 --> 0:20:47.960 from the South and Midwest mainly, and I mean historically 0:20:48.200 --> 0:20:55.160 and still that those hunters are massively dominated by cotton yea, honestly, 0:20:56.800 --> 0:21:00.240 I mean but it but it's I mean, it's uh 0:21:00.280 --> 0:21:01.919 And when I say that, I mean just you know, 0:21:02.280 --> 0:21:04.359 kind of standard hunting gear that we've all used and 0:21:05.359 --> 0:21:07.639