WEBVTT - Beginner's Guide to Coon Hunting 0:00:00.400 --> 0:00:03.680 You're listening to the Sportsman's Nation podcast network, brought to 0:00:03.720 --> 0:00:08.320 you by Outdoor Edge in their complete lineup of knives 0:00:08.400 --> 0:00:12.600 and game processing. Kids. These guys right now are doing 0:00:12.640 --> 0:00:17.400 an absolutely huge giveaway where you could win an elk hunt. 0:00:17.480 --> 0:00:20.279 And not just any elk hunt. We're talking about a 0:00:20.400 --> 0:00:25.360 seven or eight mile horseback ride into the back country. 0:00:25.400 --> 0:00:29.120 We're talking a one on one guided hunt. You're gonna 0:00:29.120 --> 0:00:31.120 be sleeping in a wall tent, and you're going to 0:00:31.160 --> 0:00:34.479 be doing that for five days with the founder and 0:00:34.680 --> 0:00:40.239 CEO of Outdoor Edge, David Block. Now, if you've never 0:00:40.280 --> 0:00:43.040 been on an elk hunt before, I'm telling you right 0:00:43.080 --> 0:00:46.320 now go sign up for this because if you ever 0:00:46.640 --> 0:00:50.960 hear a elk bugle, whether it's at four hundred yards 0:00:51.120 --> 0:00:54.640 or it's at forty yards, it is a life changing experience. 0:00:55.320 --> 0:00:58.600 So here's how you enter. Go to outdoor edge dot com. 0:00:58.680 --> 0:01:00.960 There's gonna be a big banner for it somewhere on 0:01:01.000 --> 0:01:04.040 their homepage. All you have to do is click on that, 0:01:04.360 --> 0:01:06.840 go fill out some information I think your name, your 0:01:06.880 --> 0:01:09.640 email address, maybe some other stuff, and that's all you 0:01:09.640 --> 0:01:12.720 have to do. That's how you are entered. They're gonna 0:01:12.720 --> 0:01:16.840 be picking a winner. Oh always from now so you 0:01:16.880 --> 0:01:20.119 have plenty of time to enter. Go visit outdoor edge 0:01:20.600 --> 0:01:29.119 dot com. Sign up today. Here we go. My name 0:01:29.160 --> 0:01:31.480 is Clay Nukeleman. I'm the host of the Bear Hunting 0:01:31.520 --> 0:01:35.880 Magazine podcast. I'll also be your host into the world 0:01:35.959 --> 0:01:40.240 of hunting the icon of the North American Wilderness Prepare. 0:01:40.880 --> 0:01:44.959 We'll talk about tactics, gear conservation. We will also bring 0:01:45.000 --> 0:01:48.000 you into some of the wildest country off the planet 0:01:48.360 --> 0:02:00.200 chasing fair. This week, I'm over in eastern Arkansas with 0:02:00.240 --> 0:02:04.840 my good friend Brent Reeves and Nick Gilliland. We're coon camp. 0:02:05.080 --> 0:02:09.000 We're cooking catfish, we're coon hunting, we're training some young dogs, 0:02:09.000 --> 0:02:11.880 we're letting some old dogs hunt. And we have an 0:02:11.919 --> 0:02:15.440 in depth discussion and I mean in depth about coon 0:02:15.520 --> 0:02:18.360 hunting and we break it down. We break it down. 0:02:18.440 --> 0:02:21.040 This is a beginner's guide to coon hunting because I 0:02:21.080 --> 0:02:24.440 think that coon hunting is a great point for people 0:02:24.639 --> 0:02:29.560 to enter into the outdoor world. You're gonna enjoy this podcast. 0:02:29.600 --> 0:02:34.519 With my friend Brent Reeves and Nick Gilliland. I want 0:02:34.520 --> 0:02:37.160 to talk to you about c v A muzzleloaders. C 0:02:37.320 --> 0:02:40.200 v A has been around since nineteen one. They have 0:02:40.240 --> 0:02:44.160 an incredible guarantee on all their guns. If you don't 0:02:44.200 --> 0:02:48.040 like them, you simply send them back within a specified 0:02:48.080 --> 0:02:50.880 period of time and they will refund your money. What 0:02:50.960 --> 0:02:53.280 I want to talk to you today about is their 0:02:53.400 --> 0:02:58.040 Acura muzzloaders. Their Accura has and I try to treated 0:02:58.080 --> 0:03:01.880 stainless barrel and provides a high level of long range 0:03:02.080 --> 0:03:07.280 performance without sacrificing balance and maneuverability. Like all their Accurate 0:03:07.320 --> 0:03:11.359 series rifles, they all feature genuine Bigara barrels, which are 0:03:11.360 --> 0:03:15.200 recognized as being the most accurate production rifle barrels in 0:03:15.240 --> 0:03:18.360 the world. The nitride treatment hardens on the outer layer 0:03:18.360 --> 0:03:21.519 of the barrel steel and turns a rich black color, 0:03:21.919 --> 0:03:26.799 making these barrels impervious to corrosion. Additional standard equipment on 0:03:26.840 --> 0:03:29.680 this c v A is their quick release breech plug, 0:03:30.160 --> 0:03:32.680 which is basically you don't have to have a tool 0:03:32.760 --> 0:03:35.360 to break it down and clean it. You also find 0:03:35.560 --> 0:03:39.880 their durist site and their quake Claw gun sling on 0:03:40.080 --> 0:03:44.040 all their guns. Hey, check out c v A if 0:03:44.080 --> 0:03:46.680 you're looking for a muzzloader. These are gonna be the 0:03:46.800 --> 0:03:50.360 best muzzloaders on the market. We can't have a coon 0:03:50.440 --> 0:03:54.640 hunting podcast without talking about W Hunting Supply. W Hunting 0:03:54.680 --> 0:03:59.160 Supply has everything that you need for hound hunting. They've 0:03:59.160 --> 0:04:03.240 got leash and collars, They've got garment equipment, they've got 0:04:03.280 --> 0:04:07.440 sport dog equipment. They've got all types in any and 0:04:07.480 --> 0:04:11.200 everything of what you need for your hound, for your 0:04:11.280 --> 0:04:15.160 for your for your squirrel dogs, for your duck dogs, 0:04:15.200 --> 0:04:18.360 for your yard dog, whatever you need. If you need 0:04:18.400 --> 0:04:22.719 dog stuff, you need to check out W Hunting Supply. 0:04:22.880 --> 0:04:27.400 Buddy Woodbury and his team have an incredible acumen for 0:04:27.640 --> 0:04:30.640 customer service they do. I was, I was a customer 0:04:30.800 --> 0:04:34.440 before they were partners of this podcast. You're going to 0:04:34.640 --> 0:04:39.520 enjoy this podcast with Brent Reeves and Nick gettle Land. 0:04:42.080 --> 0:04:44.400 You know, I hate to start off this podcast with 0:04:44.480 --> 0:04:48.000 a biology lesson, but I just learned something that I 0:04:48.040 --> 0:04:52.160 hadn't told you all yet. Out here I was skinning 0:04:52.160 --> 0:04:57.360 this squirrel and did you know, did you know tell 0:04:57.400 --> 0:05:03.440 me the truth that a squirrel has a baculi. A 0:05:03.640 --> 0:05:09.680 buck squirrel has a bone just his man parts, and 0:05:09.720 --> 0:05:13.039 just like the raccoon and the bear. I didn't know 0:05:13.120 --> 0:05:15.560 that it is very small that I did not know. 0:05:16.120 --> 0:05:18.599 I absolutely did not know that it's it's about a 0:05:18.640 --> 0:05:23.680 quarter inch long. I don't recall ever having a conversation 0:05:23.720 --> 0:05:27.200 about one, but but I didn't know that it was 0:05:28.160 --> 0:05:32.320 skinning squirrels with my dad and coon's and he said 0:05:32.360 --> 0:05:39.559 they were of the same ilk. It's the only buck 0:05:39.640 --> 0:05:43.039 squirrel that I've ever skinned that I noted it so 0:05:44.040 --> 0:05:48.560 and it was it was not of the normal persuasion 0:05:48.560 --> 0:05:50.719 of a coon. So again, this is a science lesson. 0:05:51.520 --> 0:05:54.840 So this is this is just what we do. And uh, 0:05:54.880 --> 0:05:58.720 you know, as coon hunters, everybody knows about the Baculai vaccoon. 0:05:59.520 --> 0:06:05.839 You know, it's uh notable. Yes, so I we're in 0:06:05.920 --> 0:06:09.200 East Arkansas. I was just corrected because we I had 0:06:09.240 --> 0:06:11.360 said we were in South Arkansas. Any time I'm like 0:06:11.440 --> 0:06:14.600 in swamp country, I feel like I'm in the South. 0:06:14.640 --> 0:06:16.920 But we're not in the south at all actually, and 0:06:17.880 --> 0:06:22.839 not quite northeast Arkansas. But if Arkansas was split into quadrants, 0:06:23.000 --> 0:06:26.280 it would be we would be in the northeast quadrant. 0:06:26.360 --> 0:06:29.520 Would you say we're above the halfway mark in Arkansas, 0:06:29.600 --> 0:06:32.719 we would be in the southern portion of the northeast parts. 0:06:32.760 --> 0:06:35.440 Kind of like a legal description. Yeah, we have to 0:06:35.480 --> 0:06:38.680 be careful describing the people where we are because we 0:06:38.720 --> 0:06:44.080 don't want to actually know where our secret spot. That's right. Well, 0:06:44.320 --> 0:06:47.200 we're so we're in the northeast, the southern part of 0:06:47.200 --> 0:06:53.360 the northeast quadrant of Arkansas, and we are we're at 0:06:53.440 --> 0:06:56.480 Coon Camp. This is a this is the first for me, 0:06:57.440 --> 0:07:00.799 and I've got Brent Reeves who has been here lots 0:07:00.800 --> 0:07:05.840 of times before, so Brent welcome. Do you have any 0:07:05.839 --> 0:07:09.320 science lessons for us? Just anything you've learned in the 0:07:09.360 --> 0:07:14.000 last hour and a half. Alright, good, Nick, plumbing, I 0:07:14.040 --> 0:07:16.400 can I can give you plumbing a plumbing lesson real quick. 0:07:16.680 --> 0:07:19.560 What the three things you need to know about plumbing? 0:07:20.400 --> 0:07:23.000 Go ahead, hots on the left, don't bite your fingernails, 0:07:23.000 --> 0:07:27.240 and all the bad stuff runs down hill. That's everything 0:07:27.280 --> 0:07:29.600 you need to know about. And the hot water in 0:07:29.640 --> 0:07:35.120 this place is scalid. It's hogs. God. Yeah. Yeah. And 0:07:35.200 --> 0:07:40.520 I've got Nick gili Land from western North Carolina. I 0:07:40.560 --> 0:07:44.240 think any state or any place that has a direction 0:07:44.280 --> 0:07:49.440 attached to it, it's very important that you add a 0:07:49.600 --> 0:07:53.520 second direction in there, to even be more specific, so 0:07:53.560 --> 0:07:56.600 that people aren't confused that there's one Carolina and you 0:07:56.640 --> 0:07:59.920 live on the north side of it. Are you with me? Absolutely? 0:08:00.000 --> 0:08:02.720 Eastern North Carolina I have come to find out that 0:08:02.800 --> 0:08:06.960 the folks that live in the two directional states that 0:08:07.160 --> 0:08:11.880 proceed Carolina were very particular about which one you say 0:08:11.920 --> 0:08:14.600 that they live in. If they live in the north wind, 0:08:14.680 --> 0:08:18.040 don't say don't you live in South Carolina? That isn't no, no, 0:08:18.440 --> 0:08:21.559 I understand, no, do not do that. The mountains literally 0:08:21.600 --> 0:08:26.120 stopped the state line. It's a desert. After that, they 0:08:26.160 --> 0:08:29.160 just drop straight off with this whole different world. Wey, 0:08:29.320 --> 0:08:32.360 what we're gonna do on this on this session is 0:08:32.440 --> 0:08:34.360 we we I want to talk to you guys about 0:08:34.400 --> 0:08:38.000 coon hunting. You guys are big coon hunters. Um. I 0:08:38.040 --> 0:08:42.200 want to overall, I want to talk about what we're 0:08:42.200 --> 0:08:44.600 doing here this weekend. But I want to talk I 0:08:44.640 --> 0:08:47.520 want to walk somebody through who knows nothing about coon hunting. 0:08:48.000 --> 0:08:50.520 I think there's a lot of people that are looking 0:08:50.559 --> 0:08:56.960 for ways to to enjoy public lands, enjoy the outdoors, 0:08:57.840 --> 0:09:02.480 and so they're exploring options of what they enjoy. And 0:09:02.640 --> 0:09:05.480 there's some things in life that just seemed to have 0:09:05.600 --> 0:09:10.120 these these barriers inside of them that are pretty dominant 0:09:10.200 --> 0:09:13.640 and hard to get over. Okay, like, for instance, if 0:09:13.640 --> 0:09:17.960 you're a if you're a golfer, like the barrier to 0:09:18.360 --> 0:09:22.880 entry to golf is so huge because your life would 0:09:22.880 --> 0:09:27.079 have to be so in the tubes for you to 0:09:27.240 --> 0:09:33.079 want to play golf that you would have to be 0:09:33.120 --> 0:09:36.000 it like that. I'm kid, I'm kid. You know that 0:09:36.120 --> 0:09:40.439 there's some things that have these strong barriers to entry 0:09:40.480 --> 0:09:43.160 that if you don't have exposure to them in some 0:09:43.240 --> 0:09:46.080 way or know somebody that does it, you would just 0:09:46.160 --> 0:09:48.400 never know that this was an option for something that 0:09:48.480 --> 0:09:52.280 you could do. And I think coon hunting because of 0:09:52.360 --> 0:09:58.360 it's uh maybe maybe it's reputation. Maybe I find that 0:09:58.480 --> 0:10:02.400 people you're you're either a coon hutter or no a 0:10:02.440 --> 0:10:04.960 lot about it or you know nothing about it. And 0:10:05.040 --> 0:10:07.800 like Brent was saying that the people's main exposure to 0:10:07.840 --> 0:10:11.840 coon hunting is from who was it? Mr Wilson Rawls? 0:10:11.920 --> 0:10:15.520 Wilson rawls Where the red fern grows yep, And so 0:10:15.800 --> 0:10:18.560 that's their exposure. A lot of people have read that 0:10:18.640 --> 0:10:21.960 book and they have this idea of coon hunting. But 0:10:22.360 --> 0:10:24.520 here's here's my take on it. And this is why 0:10:24.559 --> 0:10:29.040 we're talking about it is when I was in high school, 0:10:30.000 --> 0:10:34.400 I this is true, this true story. I foresaw that 0:10:34.520 --> 0:10:36.400 my family was going to be an important part of 0:10:36.400 --> 0:10:38.080 my life and that I was going to be a 0:10:38.120 --> 0:10:42.319 family man and have a wife and have kids, and 0:10:42.360 --> 0:10:44.360 I thought, you know what, if I'm a coon hunter, 0:10:45.400 --> 0:10:47.880 I can put those kids to bed and do all 0:10:47.920 --> 0:10:49.839 the normal things I have to do as a dad, 0:10:50.440 --> 0:10:52.600 and I can coon hunt after that. I remember having 0:10:52.600 --> 0:10:55.080 those thoughts when I was a teenager, like this is 0:10:55.080 --> 0:10:58.640 a wise investment to learn how to do. And maybe 0:10:58.640 --> 0:11:00.760 my dad put that in my mind, and somehow I 0:11:01.000 --> 0:11:03.800 don't know where that came from, but that is my 0:11:03.960 --> 0:11:08.160 selling point for you know, as an option. Like a 0:11:08.160 --> 0:11:10.760 lot of people are busy during the daytime. A lot 0:11:10.760 --> 0:11:13.079 of people are busy, a lot of people have stuff 0:11:13.080 --> 0:11:16.319 to do, a lot of people have commitments. Um, if 0:11:16.320 --> 0:11:18.280 you have a squirrel dog, you've got to hunt that 0:11:18.320 --> 0:11:22.520 dog during the daytime. The daytime is valuable real estate 0:11:22.559 --> 0:11:27.160 on a calendar. The nighttime is when a grown man 0:11:27.360 --> 0:11:32.520 can make a decision to whittle away some leisure time. 0:11:33.760 --> 0:11:37.640 And you know, if you miss a couple hours of sleep, 0:11:38.640 --> 0:11:41.200 you can do that, and you can make that decision 0:11:41.280 --> 0:11:43.880 and you can you can find this new thing to 0:11:44.000 --> 0:11:47.080 enjoy the outdoors. Yeah, and you're you're not using it. 0:11:47.120 --> 0:11:49.640 You don't have to burn vacation time. You don't have 0:11:49.720 --> 0:11:52.160 to take that the limited time that you have away 0:11:52.200 --> 0:11:54.559 from your job that you would need to be spending 0:11:54.600 --> 0:11:58.440 with your family. If they're not interested in going with you, 0:11:58.440 --> 0:12:01.360 you don't have to take that in those hours. And 0:12:01.440 --> 0:12:03.960 you couldn't be spending them with them doing something at 0:12:04.080 --> 0:12:06.840 night because I mean, it's not costing you anything. You 0:12:06.840 --> 0:12:08.959 can still do the other thing. Yeah, and you know, 0:12:09.000 --> 0:12:11.160 if you have a family and they decided to go 0:12:11.240 --> 0:12:12.880 with you, it's one of those things they could actually 0:12:12.880 --> 0:12:14.800 partake of. You know, if you have a young child, 0:12:14.840 --> 0:12:17.000 to take them deer and they'd sit there and be quiet, 0:12:17.760 --> 0:12:19.720 don't move, you know, and all that stuff. But you 0:12:19.760 --> 0:12:21.760 can tow them through the woods or have them walked 0:12:21.760 --> 0:12:24.480 with you and it's no big deal. Well and see 0:12:24.559 --> 0:12:27.120 that's just so okay. So point number one is the 0:12:27.160 --> 0:12:31.079 time when you do it. You can coon hunt during 0:12:31.120 --> 0:12:35.080 the nighttime, not as valuable of real estate except for sleep. Okay, 0:12:35.520 --> 0:12:39.040 number two what Nick just said, Um, you can. You 0:12:39.040 --> 0:12:41.280 can take people with you and there's not as big 0:12:41.280 --> 0:12:44.520 a barrier to entry. Most states, a person that's a 0:12:44.559 --> 0:12:47.040 participant inside of a connut wouldn't even necessarily have to 0:12:47.080 --> 0:12:50.440 have a hunting license if they're not gonna be shooting 0:12:50.480 --> 0:12:53.960 and partaking of game. It's a it's a it's a 0:12:54.040 --> 0:12:57.360 social sport. It's easy to take people. Everybody has heard 0:12:57.480 --> 0:12:59.720 me talk about all the honey that I've done my 0:12:59.760 --> 0:13:03.840 whole life. I have taken more people and introduced them 0:13:03.880 --> 0:13:06.520 to hunting through coon hunting than any other thing that 0:13:06.640 --> 0:13:13.080 I do. Um Number three is that the coons happened 0:13:13.080 --> 0:13:20.080 to be doing really well in the current ecosystem. Messo predators. 0:13:20.120 --> 0:13:23.800 Have you guys heard the theory on messo predators? Okay, 0:13:24.280 --> 0:13:31.920 imagineing Uh basically, uh a pre European colonization or colonized 0:13:31.960 --> 0:13:36.679 North America. Okay, limited human influence. I mean a lot 0:13:36.679 --> 0:13:39.240 of human influence, but a lot less than now. There 0:13:39.240 --> 0:13:42.440 would have been big predators everywhere here in Arkansas. There 0:13:42.480 --> 0:13:44.960 would have been mountain lines. There would have been wolves. 0:13:45.920 --> 0:13:49.600 Uh there there Uh well those were in Bears has 0:13:49.679 --> 0:13:53.720 been the three big main predators. Okay, we essentially, well, 0:13:53.920 --> 0:13:57.000 we removed mountain lines, we removed wolves. Now we only 0:13:57.040 --> 0:14:04.359 have bears. Well, the the natural order has this vacuum 0:14:04.559 --> 0:14:08.319 that's created when predators are removed. So the mid size 0:14:08.400 --> 0:14:17.240 the meso predators increased. Coyotes, coons, skunks, possums, mid sized 0:14:17.280 --> 0:14:22.160 predators filled in the void that the the apex predators 0:14:22.200 --> 0:14:25.480 once filled. And so that's why now the place is 0:14:25.600 --> 0:14:31.200 covered with coons, coyotes, possums, foxes, stuff like that. So 0:14:32.120 --> 0:14:35.560 these are also animals that are not highly coveted by 0:14:35.640 --> 0:14:42.160 most people. Am I right? So there's a lot of 0:14:42.240 --> 0:14:47.040 access if you want to pursue finding a place to cuna. 0:14:47.120 --> 0:14:49.160 And now, Nix, I want to hear nick story about 0:14:49.240 --> 0:14:51.240 how he has a tough time in North Carolina find 0:14:51.240 --> 0:14:53.400 a place to cuna, which is hard for me to believe. 0:14:54.000 --> 0:14:56.320 I mean, I believe you, it's hard. I wouldn't have 0:14:56.360 --> 0:15:01.160 known it. Um. So one is is that you're not 0:15:01.280 --> 0:15:05.760 asking a farmer down here to go hunt his hundred 0:15:05.800 --> 0:15:08.440 and eighty in white tail. You're not asking him to 0:15:08.480 --> 0:15:12.200 go kill a gobbler turkeys. You're not asking to you know, 0:15:13.160 --> 0:15:19.680 it's a small ask. So it's accessible public land. Almost 0:15:19.720 --> 0:15:22.120 all public land we would have in the Midwest would 0:15:22.160 --> 0:15:27.640 have coons. Um. So it's a it's a it's it's 0:15:27.640 --> 0:15:33.240 an accessible thing. Um. I'm I'm I'm building some some 0:15:33.520 --> 0:15:35.880 ideas for why this is a This is about everything. 0:15:36.080 --> 0:15:43.440 Number four, Number seven, we're gonna skip number seven. I 0:15:43.480 --> 0:15:46.800 don't know, I don't know. Number one. You you use 0:15:46.880 --> 0:15:50.880 a dog in this hunt. I think people that have 0:15:51.120 --> 0:15:55.680 never used a dog before in a hunting situation. It 0:15:55.760 --> 0:16:00.480 adds a whole layer of excitement that is totally different 0:16:00.560 --> 0:16:03.720 than big game hunting. I mean, I loved the big 0:16:03.720 --> 0:16:07.280 game hunt. I mean I've built my I've built my 0:16:07.360 --> 0:16:11.760 hunting life around big game hunting. I love it to 0:16:11.840 --> 0:16:14.760 be able to go from a big game hunt, which 0:16:14.800 --> 0:16:18.480 is a solo endeavor typically. You know, no, you're not 0:16:18.560 --> 0:16:22.880 using a dog to go to this social hunt. A 0:16:22.920 --> 0:16:26.640 lot of people that can be involved hunting small game. 0:16:27.400 --> 0:16:29.880 You're you're not trying to kill one coon a year. 0:16:29.960 --> 0:16:33.760 We're gonna this is this is an opportunity game, you know. 0:16:34.960 --> 0:16:38.840 And uh and so it's using the dog is just 0:16:38.880 --> 0:16:46.360 so incredible. Okay, what are you gus thoughts on which part? 0:16:46.440 --> 0:16:51.720 On on on all in every part, all in every part. Now, 0:16:51.960 --> 0:16:54.080 I'm just can you guys think of any other I'm 0:16:54.120 --> 0:16:56.120 just trying to build a case. And then we're gonna 0:16:56.160 --> 0:16:59.720 talk about how we're coon hunting. Well, when you talk 0:16:59.760 --> 0:17:04.879 about to access if you we always talk about you 0:17:04.920 --> 0:17:09.320 and I talk about limiting factors on something enhancing the experience, 0:17:10.359 --> 0:17:14.320 and and like Nicol explained in a minute, the limiting 0:17:14.359 --> 0:17:18.920 factor he has to deal without North Carolina, we actually 0:17:19.000 --> 0:17:21.320 don't the limiting factor we would have here as far 0:17:21.320 --> 0:17:24.879 as gaining access to property, maybe because someone else has 0:17:24.920 --> 0:17:29.760 already beat us to it, because the the landowner, the 0:17:29.800 --> 0:17:32.159 deer hunter, and the turkey hunter. These coons are a 0:17:32.160 --> 0:17:36.080 problem to them. You know, where it's legal to to 0:17:36.080 --> 0:17:39.159 to feed corn, you know, to deer or whatever, to 0:17:39.240 --> 0:17:43.320 use bait. They're they're in competition direct competition with cones. 0:17:43.840 --> 0:17:46.720 Coons are a nest predator for turkeys, you know there 0:17:46.960 --> 0:17:51.480 and in Arkansas especially, you know Clay that the turkey 0:17:51.560 --> 0:17:54.879 hunting in Arkansas has suffered because of the amount of 0:17:54.960 --> 0:18:00.280 predators and the predation on on nesting, on ground nested animals. 0:18:00.400 --> 0:18:04.399 It's been tough to the point at this point number twelve, 0:18:04.880 --> 0:18:09.000 and we're doing a service. And it's very true. Yeah, 0:18:09.119 --> 0:18:12.480 you know, and it's I mean, it's you can tell it. It'sn't. 0:18:12.520 --> 0:18:15.080 And it doesn't take a you know, three or four 0:18:15.160 --> 0:18:17.240 or five years study to do it. I mean you 0:18:17.280 --> 0:18:19.280 can see you see more dead coon's running up down 0:18:19.280 --> 0:18:22.360 the highway and then you and you're seeing list turkeys 0:18:22.359 --> 0:18:25.280 in the woods, hearing fewer gobblers. You know, Hey, I 0:18:25.320 --> 0:18:27.120 want to make a comment on that, and I really 0:18:27.119 --> 0:18:29.920 don't want to monologue. I'm gonna actually talk to you guys, 0:18:29.960 --> 0:18:33.879 but I just wanted to set this preface. Okay, the 0:18:33.960 --> 0:18:39.879 people that are in the know oftentimes will have have 0:18:41.000 --> 0:18:44.159 a refute a little bit, this idea that coon hunters 0:18:44.160 --> 0:18:47.520 are actually doing something for conservation by taking off coons 0:18:47.520 --> 0:18:52.600 off the landscape. Okay, I talked to I corresponded with 0:18:52.640 --> 0:18:57.200 the Mike Chamberlain, the wild Turkey doc uh, the guy 0:18:57.280 --> 0:19:01.560 that was on Big Big One, the top turkey biologists 0:19:01.560 --> 0:19:04.720 in the country. He he actually did has done an 0:19:04.800 --> 0:19:08.359 extensive amount of research on coon's in the South. He 0:19:08.520 --> 0:19:11.320 sent me a bunch of bunch of his research papers 0:19:11.359 --> 0:19:14.160 over the last twenty years that he has written about coon's, 0:19:14.240 --> 0:19:19.800 coon predation, all these different things. So sometimes like we 0:19:19.880 --> 0:19:21.920 might wear a chip on our shoulder saying, hey, we're 0:19:22.080 --> 0:19:27.919 we're saving the predators. And I basically said, tell me 0:19:28.000 --> 0:19:30.600 why we're not, because I hear some people say, well, 0:19:30.600 --> 0:19:35.000 you're not really having an impact. These guys on and Basically, 0:19:35.040 --> 0:19:38.240 what I felt like he insinuated, and I'm not putting 0:19:38.240 --> 0:19:40.399 his words about this is what I insinuated from what 0:19:40.440 --> 0:19:43.400 he told me is that on a on a small scale, 0:19:43.600 --> 0:19:47.399 a coon hunter can make a difference. On a macro scale, 0:19:47.480 --> 0:19:50.640 coon hunters probably can't. Do you understand what I'm saying. 0:19:50.680 --> 0:19:55.000 I mean, because we hunt on these little bitty pockets 0:19:55.040 --> 0:19:57.440 of land, even this ten thousand acre property that we're 0:19:57.440 --> 0:20:00.439 coon hunting this weekend, that is a spa on the 0:20:00.480 --> 0:20:03.360 map when it comes to turkey habitat in the state 0:20:03.400 --> 0:20:08.439 of Arkansas. So like a like a turkey manager for 0:20:08.480 --> 0:20:11.919 the State of Arkansas would be like, coon hunting doesn't 0:20:11.960 --> 0:20:18.399 really impact success in turkey nesting because there is such 0:20:18.400 --> 0:20:21.320 a You've got to have a really special set of 0:20:21.320 --> 0:20:23.360 circumstances for you to be able to run a dog 0:20:23.400 --> 0:20:25.399 on a place. It's got to be a big enough place. 0:20:25.720 --> 0:20:30.760 The landowner's gotta be happy about it. Um And essentially 0:20:31.240 --> 0:20:36.400 he was like, there's no possible way that you're not hurting. 0:20:36.480 --> 0:20:38.320 I mean, there's no possible way that what you're doing 0:20:38.400 --> 0:20:42.960 is negative for turkeys. He said, I can't prove how 0:20:43.040 --> 0:20:45.800 much it is, but the way I think about it 0:20:45.840 --> 0:20:49.280 is if the one coon that we killed last night, 0:20:49.480 --> 0:20:52.240 or we killed a couple, if that was the coon 0:20:53.000 --> 0:20:56.080 that came upon the turkey nest that day or was 0:20:56.119 --> 0:20:59.720 going to and it didn't because it was dead, that's 0:20:59.760 --> 0:21:04.640 a direct impact. Yeah, And so it's hard for sometimes 0:21:05.040 --> 0:21:09.160 research science to say coon hunters are saving wild turkeys. 0:21:09.680 --> 0:21:12.480 Are you with me? So anyway, I just wanted to 0:21:12.520 --> 0:21:18.320 say that there is credible understand because what's happening to 0:21:18.600 --> 0:21:21.399 wild turkey nest is they're getting robbed by predators. I mean, 0:21:21.440 --> 0:21:23.240 that is what is happening now. It's a lot of 0:21:23.280 --> 0:21:26.800 predators and that's what Mike has shown everybody and their 0:21:26.840 --> 0:21:31.200 research is that it's great horned owls and it's skunks, 0:21:31.200 --> 0:21:34.680 and it's coyotes, and it's possums and it's black snakes 0:21:35.520 --> 0:21:39.120 eating a lot of turkey gigs. So anyway, but that's 0:21:39.119 --> 0:21:41.120 a good point, is that we are doing a service 0:21:41.680 --> 0:21:43.880 and in certain places, and I know from the places 0:21:43.880 --> 0:21:47.040 I hunt back home, you can thin out coons on 0:21:47.080 --> 0:21:50.239 a property to where they are hard to find. If 0:21:50.280 --> 0:21:52.040 you're not making an impact for the whole state, I 0:21:52.080 --> 0:21:54.959 guarantee you the farmer of the man leasing that particular 0:21:55.400 --> 0:21:57.200 piece of land. If you've been there for a year 0:21:57.240 --> 0:21:59.640 or two, you can probably see the impact that you're 0:21:59.680 --> 0:22:03.639 having at least, you know. Yeah, Nick, tell me about 0:22:03.720 --> 0:22:08.240 hunting in North Carolina, Like, uh described to me the 0:22:08.359 --> 0:22:11.600 challenges of hunting there. Well, the proof is I'm here 0:22:11.800 --> 0:22:18.240 and not in North Carolina, right, So that's that number one. Well, 0:22:18.280 --> 0:22:20.720 you know, in western North Carolina everything is mountainous. Um, 0:22:20.800 --> 0:22:24.280 so the terrain has a big factor in it, you know. Um, 0:22:24.359 --> 0:22:26.840 it's very hard to hunt just the terrain. In general. 0:22:27.160 --> 0:22:30.240 Everything's laid out different. There's no crops lands, Um, These 0:22:30.320 --> 0:22:33.200 river bottoms and stuff you know that you have here, 0:22:33.280 --> 0:22:35.400 we don't have those, so that makes it more difficult. 0:22:35.760 --> 0:22:38.960 The biggest issue we have is everywhere around the house 0:22:39.080 --> 0:22:42.080 is turned into retirement community. Um. Well it used to 0:22:42.080 --> 0:22:44.800 be where a guy had some bottom farm land and 0:22:44.840 --> 0:22:47.080 he had two or three d acres on the mountain too. 0:22:47.640 --> 0:22:51.760 It's sold off scoff course down the bottoms, million dollar 0:22:51.800 --> 0:22:55.720 homes all over the ridges, gated community. There's absolutely no access. 0:22:55.800 --> 0:22:59.960 Even if Grandpa did hunted, you're not gonna get to. Um, say, 0:23:00.160 --> 0:23:05.720 Joe Blow gives you permission for teen acres next door. 0:23:05.920 --> 0:23:08.360 One the properties nowhere near big enough you can run 0:23:08.359 --> 0:23:10.679 a dog on. More than likely you're gonna end up 0:23:10.680 --> 0:23:12.680 in the gay community. Law is gonna be called. It's 0:23:12.680 --> 0:23:14.879 just too much of a hassle. Tell me. Let me 0:23:14.920 --> 0:23:16.520 stop you right there, because a lot of people might 0:23:16.560 --> 0:23:19.720 have a question about this. What do you think is 0:23:19.720 --> 0:23:22.359 a big enough property to turn loose a dog on. 0:23:23.040 --> 0:23:26.119 I wouldn't turn loose from no less on heart acres, 0:23:26.119 --> 0:23:29.800 And that would be a young dog that is started 0:23:29.960 --> 0:23:33.200 king hunting. Yeah, more than likely. If it has kun 0:23:33.240 --> 0:23:35.919 on heart acres, you can get something going, but the 0:23:35.960 --> 0:23:38.720 dog and dogs probably not gonna go off of it. Yeah, 0:23:38.800 --> 0:23:40.480 more than likely. But if the dog has any kind 0:23:40.480 --> 0:23:43.280 of experience to it, you know, then I probably wouldn't. 0:23:43.960 --> 0:23:47.640 I would need to because he's gonna maybe win one 0:23:47.840 --> 0:23:51.080 from off. He's gonna end up off the property to 0:23:51.080 --> 0:23:53.800 go find one. Yeah, my experience hound, you know, two 0:23:54.000 --> 0:23:56.399 three hundred acres because I can handle him well, I 0:23:56.400 --> 0:23:57.960 can call him off if I need to, and it 0:23:58.040 --> 0:24:00.320 won't hurt him to cut him off the middle of 0:24:00.320 --> 0:24:03.240 the track because he's experienced so that that would probably 0:24:03.240 --> 0:24:05.720 be the memium for him. But you know, a young 0:24:05.800 --> 0:24:07.560 pub you can get by with the Hunter Acres. And 0:24:07.600 --> 0:24:10.840 that's just I can name you maybe five or six 0:24:10.960 --> 0:24:13.639 property owners in my entire county that owned the Hunter Acres. 0:24:14.119 --> 0:24:19.280 You know, that's just that's a that is a regional 0:24:19.440 --> 0:24:23.200 issue because of the population explosion of where you're at 0:24:23.240 --> 0:24:27.360 in western North Carolina. I mean that's like where man, 0:24:27.480 --> 0:24:30.320 I tell you one thing coming from here going back 0:24:30.400 --> 0:24:33.280 east and seeing that world over there is there's a 0:24:33.320 --> 0:24:36.520 lot of people over there. Yeah, I mean more so 0:24:36.640 --> 0:24:40.359 than what word used to here. Everything we used to 0:24:40.400 --> 0:24:43.280 have as far as industry was textiles and plants, and 0:24:43.280 --> 0:24:45.720 then the nineties all those kind of went away, and 0:24:45.760 --> 0:24:47.640