1 00:00:05,400 --> 00:00:07,000 Speaker 1: I pulled in. He was there at the store and 2 00:00:07,040 --> 00:00:09,239 Speaker 1: I got out, and as I got out, there was 3 00:00:09,240 --> 00:00:11,680 Speaker 1: an arrest team took him and he said, what's going on? 4 00:00:11,800 --> 00:00:13,560 Speaker 1: I said, I don't know what I'm getting out of here. 5 00:00:13,960 --> 00:00:16,680 Speaker 1: I got far, I left, drove on down the road. 6 00:00:16,760 --> 00:00:18,840 Speaker 1: The next one. They said, hey, what happened Old So 7 00:00:18,880 --> 00:00:21,000 Speaker 1: and So? I said, hey, didn't show then come out 8 00:00:21,040 --> 00:00:23,080 Speaker 1: and they rest him. So we went all the way 9 00:00:23,120 --> 00:00:25,800 Speaker 1: down the line and I'd make an excuse at each 10 00:00:25,840 --> 00:00:27,880 Speaker 1: stop of why nobody was with me. 11 00:00:30,080 --> 00:00:34,320 Speaker 2: Welcome to Bear Grease's first bonus episode. We interviewed so 12 00:00:34,360 --> 00:00:37,560 Speaker 2: many people each year and aren't able to tell all 13 00:00:37,640 --> 00:00:40,800 Speaker 2: the stories in our regular episodes, so we're trying to 14 00:00:40,880 --> 00:00:44,920 Speaker 2: remedy that. And as many of our regular listeners know, 15 00:00:45,440 --> 00:00:48,559 Speaker 2: the Bear Grease podcast has two kinds of shows. We 16 00:00:48,680 --> 00:00:52,839 Speaker 2: have our premium documentary style like True Bear Grease episodes, 17 00:00:52,840 --> 00:00:56,240 Speaker 2: where we dive deep to uncover some of those wild, 18 00:00:56,360 --> 00:00:59,360 Speaker 2: gritty American stories that we love. But we also have 19 00:00:59,400 --> 00:01:03,480 Speaker 2: our Bear Grease's Render podcast, which comes out every other week, 20 00:01:03,760 --> 00:01:06,200 Speaker 2: where we gather up a group of five or six 21 00:01:06,240 --> 00:01:09,000 Speaker 2: folks instead around and have a conversation about the last 22 00:01:09,000 --> 00:01:10,800 Speaker 2: Bear Grease. It's a lot of fun, it's a lot 23 00:01:10,840 --> 00:01:15,320 Speaker 2: more informal. Well, what you're listening to today is different, 24 00:01:15,480 --> 00:01:20,319 Speaker 2: it's bonus content. It's shorter but highly relevant. We've spent 25 00:01:20,360 --> 00:01:23,720 Speaker 2: the last two Beargrease episodes listening to two stories from 26 00:01:23,840 --> 00:01:28,360 Speaker 2: United States Forest Service Special Agent Russ Arthur from Tennessee. 27 00:01:28,480 --> 00:01:32,360 Speaker 2: In the first episode, called runt Over, he told of 28 00:01:32,560 --> 00:01:35,720 Speaker 2: citing a man for illegal squirrel hunting and how later 29 00:01:35,880 --> 00:01:39,040 Speaker 2: in retribution, the man tried to kill him and ended 30 00:01:39,120 --> 00:01:43,280 Speaker 2: up in prison. Later, Russ would work an unrelated marijuana 31 00:01:43,400 --> 00:01:46,560 Speaker 2: grow case in the National Forest and sent the man 32 00:01:46,640 --> 00:01:50,120 Speaker 2: to prison for the second time. Truly a wild story 33 00:01:50,480 --> 00:01:53,440 Speaker 2: with every type of twist and turn. In the last 34 00:01:53,480 --> 00:01:58,360 Speaker 2: episode about Yellowstone, Russ found himself working undercover in Montana 35 00:01:58,880 --> 00:02:02,640 Speaker 2: trying to bust an illegal outfittering gun thief. Truly and 36 00:02:02,800 --> 00:02:06,400 Speaker 2: unbelievable story as well. Well, what you're about to hear 37 00:02:07,000 --> 00:02:12,480 Speaker 2: is a story of timber theft, arson, rattlesnakes, and barefoot 38 00:02:12,520 --> 00:02:16,040 Speaker 2: criminals in the swamps of Florida. I really doubt that 39 00:02:16,040 --> 00:02:18,480 Speaker 2: you're going to want to miss this one, and let 40 00:02:18,560 --> 00:02:24,720 Speaker 2: us know what you think of this episode on social media. 41 00:02:30,360 --> 00:02:33,000 Speaker 2: My name is Clay Knukem and this is the Bear 42 00:02:33,080 --> 00:02:38,040 Speaker 2: Grease Podcast, where we'll explore things forgotten but relevant, search 43 00:02:38,120 --> 00:02:41,799 Speaker 2: for insight and unlikely places, and where we'll tell the 44 00:02:41,840 --> 00:02:45,959 Speaker 2: story of Americans who live their lives close to the land. 45 00:02:46,639 --> 00:02:52,320 Speaker 2: Presented by FHF gear, American made purpose built hunting and 46 00:02:52,400 --> 00:02:56,160 Speaker 2: fishing gear as designed to be as rugged as the place. 47 00:02:56,160 --> 00:03:08,600 Speaker 1: As we explore, well, they all got different different flavors 48 00:03:08,639 --> 00:03:13,840 Speaker 1: and favorites, but probably one of my first undercover was 49 00:03:15,160 --> 00:03:18,720 Speaker 1: one of the most interesting and nerve wracking and kind 50 00:03:18,720 --> 00:03:22,960 Speaker 1: of had it all. There was a group of guys 51 00:03:23,040 --> 00:03:28,359 Speaker 1: on the Appalacha Cola River that was stealing Atlantic white 52 00:03:28,400 --> 00:03:32,720 Speaker 1: cedar juniper, and that's a tree species that kind of 53 00:03:32,760 --> 00:03:35,720 Speaker 1: grows between the swamps and what they call the ridges 54 00:03:35,920 --> 00:03:40,200 Speaker 1: the hills, and it was highly sought after for decking 55 00:03:40,240 --> 00:03:44,040 Speaker 1: wood for cutting up, and it was very resilient and 56 00:03:44,600 --> 00:03:47,960 Speaker 1: highly sought after him. And there was a meal down 57 00:03:48,000 --> 00:03:52,680 Speaker 1: there that they were selling it to, and the and 58 00:03:52,760 --> 00:03:55,080 Speaker 1: these guys were all friends. There was four or five 59 00:03:55,160 --> 00:03:58,000 Speaker 1: of them. It turned out Bend and the agent down 60 00:03:58,040 --> 00:04:01,320 Speaker 1: there had done a lot of background on on the 61 00:04:01,360 --> 00:04:06,080 Speaker 1: best way to infiltrate this ground. But Uh. I went 62 00:04:06,160 --> 00:04:10,440 Speaker 1: down and UH basically hired on as a sawyer for 63 00:04:11,320 --> 00:04:13,840 Speaker 1: and I portrayed a guy that was down his luck. 64 00:04:15,720 --> 00:04:18,000 Speaker 1: I just needed I needed a job. I was from 65 00:04:18,040 --> 00:04:22,120 Speaker 1: Tennessee and uh and uh they took me in and 66 00:04:22,800 --> 00:04:24,719 Speaker 1: you know, told me not, you know, obviously, not to 67 00:04:24,760 --> 00:04:26,680 Speaker 1: tell anybody, and they could get me a little bit 68 00:04:26,720 --> 00:04:29,680 Speaker 1: of a little bit of money and it would all 69 00:04:29,720 --> 00:04:34,040 Speaker 1: be based on what all we sold. And that was 70 00:04:34,200 --> 00:04:38,320 Speaker 1: early years of technology were wearing a wire was very 71 00:04:38,320 --> 00:04:41,960 Speaker 1: hard to do, and especially in an environment of cutting wood, 72 00:04:43,200 --> 00:04:47,800 Speaker 1: and there's a lot of legal you know, sideboards on 73 00:04:49,200 --> 00:04:51,240 Speaker 1: when you can turn a tape recorder on, when you 74 00:04:51,240 --> 00:04:53,719 Speaker 1: can turn it off, do you run it continuously? Do 75 00:04:53,800 --> 00:04:56,440 Speaker 1: you just run it for you know, a few minutes 76 00:04:56,560 --> 00:04:59,320 Speaker 1: or you'd being selective of you know, you turn it 77 00:04:59,360 --> 00:05:01,599 Speaker 1: on and off. There was a lot of pressure on 78 00:05:01,640 --> 00:05:03,800 Speaker 1: a young kid. I was still in my twenties. Then, 79 00:05:06,040 --> 00:05:08,360 Speaker 1: so U hired on with them. And then they would 80 00:05:08,440 --> 00:05:11,919 Speaker 1: cut timber all at night, really in the dark, in 81 00:05:11,960 --> 00:05:14,880 Speaker 1: the dark, in the swamps, and. 82 00:05:15,240 --> 00:05:17,440 Speaker 2: One of them using headlamps. 83 00:05:17,520 --> 00:05:20,400 Speaker 1: Yep, not even head lamps, it was handhails. I mean 84 00:05:20,680 --> 00:05:25,200 Speaker 1: headlamps really hadn't come around on the mid late eighties 85 00:05:25,279 --> 00:05:29,240 Speaker 1: yet and uh, they just using handhad lights and uh. 86 00:05:29,920 --> 00:05:32,359 Speaker 1: And one of them actually lived in the swamps and 87 00:05:32,400 --> 00:05:37,799 Speaker 1: no electricity, no plumbing. It was just kind of sad. 88 00:05:37,880 --> 00:05:40,560 Speaker 1: But would later find out what he's done with all 89 00:05:40,600 --> 00:05:44,760 Speaker 1: his money. But anyway, he he would always do barefooted 90 00:05:46,160 --> 00:05:49,920 Speaker 1: and uh. And I'll never forget one night we uh, 91 00:05:50,600 --> 00:05:53,960 Speaker 1: we were riding around through there and they had found 92 00:05:53,960 --> 00:05:56,800 Speaker 1: something during the day they wanted to cut, and we 93 00:05:56,800 --> 00:05:59,400 Speaker 1: were just throwing these on the on on the back 94 00:05:59,440 --> 00:06:03,720 Speaker 1: of the f two fifty in handload them. I shined 95 00:06:03,800 --> 00:06:07,080 Speaker 1: my light and he was standing facing away from me, 96 00:06:07,160 --> 00:06:11,480 Speaker 1: and there was this huge rattlesnake and it was laying 97 00:06:12,279 --> 00:06:15,960 Speaker 1: stretched out about six inches from the back of his heels, 98 00:06:17,040 --> 00:06:21,320 Speaker 1: and he was barefooted. And I'll never forget. I called 99 00:06:21,320 --> 00:06:24,279 Speaker 1: his name and I said, man, that is a don't move. 100 00:06:24,320 --> 00:06:28,120 Speaker 1: There's the biggest rattlesnake that you've ever seen right behind 101 00:06:28,160 --> 00:06:31,640 Speaker 1: your feet. And I'll never forget. He mumbled, I know 102 00:06:31,720 --> 00:06:33,960 Speaker 1: where that one's out. There's usually two of them. I'm 103 00:06:34,040 --> 00:06:40,520 Speaker 1: looking for that second one. And I remember thinking, this 104 00:06:40,680 --> 00:06:48,680 Speaker 1: pretty rough crowd. What happened? We continued on, Well, I 105 00:06:48,760 --> 00:06:50,920 Speaker 1: mean he just stepped away from Yeah, he just stepped 106 00:06:50,920 --> 00:06:53,200 Speaker 1: away from the snake. Now why was he barefoot? He 107 00:06:53,839 --> 00:06:56,520 Speaker 1: never wore shoes. I never seen wear shoes. Just he 108 00:06:56,720 --> 00:06:59,560 Speaker 1: never did wear a pair of shoes. It drank old 109 00:06:59,600 --> 00:07:01,640 Speaker 1: mill while he's best, and he never had a cooler 110 00:07:01,760 --> 00:07:03,320 Speaker 1: put it in. He'd always drink it. 111 00:07:03,279 --> 00:07:07,200 Speaker 2: Hot and just logged barefoot. 112 00:07:07,279 --> 00:07:10,920 Speaker 1: Yeah, right right. They'd get a tree hung, you know, 113 00:07:12,080 --> 00:07:14,120 Speaker 1: with a maker, into the top of another tree, and 114 00:07:14,400 --> 00:07:18,040 Speaker 1: he'd climb up at barefooted, limit it till it shook down. 115 00:07:18,240 --> 00:07:20,480 Speaker 1: I mean, it's a wonder they didn't get killed out there. 116 00:07:21,760 --> 00:07:25,400 Speaker 1: But uh but I would go down and I'd cut 117 00:07:25,520 --> 00:07:27,560 Speaker 1: timber with him, and we'd take it to the meal. 118 00:07:29,320 --> 00:07:31,720 Speaker 1: Uh we'd always get the meal right when it opened, 119 00:07:31,720 --> 00:07:36,400 Speaker 1: and uh then we would. I'd do that for like 120 00:07:36,440 --> 00:07:38,560 Speaker 1: a month with him, and that I'd tell him I 121 00:07:38,560 --> 00:07:42,920 Speaker 1: was going back to Tennessee and we'd process everything, you know, 122 00:07:44,520 --> 00:07:47,240 Speaker 1: you were recording over a lot of it. I would, 123 00:07:47,840 --> 00:07:51,920 Speaker 1: you know, obviously not when the saws running, but uh then, 124 00:07:52,080 --> 00:07:55,160 Speaker 1: uh then i'd call him and come back, you know, hey, 125 00:07:55,160 --> 00:07:59,920 Speaker 1: you got more work. And they were uh that all 126 00:08:00,000 --> 00:08:03,600 Speaker 1: always take me back in and because the rumor had it, 127 00:08:03,640 --> 00:08:07,480 Speaker 1: they were setting fires too, and so of course we're 128 00:08:07,520 --> 00:08:12,080 Speaker 1: working with our federal prosecutors, and they wanted me to. 129 00:08:12,600 --> 00:08:14,400 Speaker 1: They made it clear one night they wanted me to 130 00:08:14,400 --> 00:08:19,840 Speaker 1: go with them to said a wildfire. Well it was 131 00:08:19,880 --> 00:08:22,960 Speaker 1: my job talking out of it. Now that might sound funny, 132 00:08:23,480 --> 00:08:25,440 Speaker 1: but you know, we didn't want to be the ones 133 00:08:25,800 --> 00:08:28,920 Speaker 1: part of setting the wildfire that ended up burning up 134 00:08:28,920 --> 00:08:32,360 Speaker 1: a community, you know. So uh, we never did. 135 00:08:33,000 --> 00:08:34,920 Speaker 2: Like you were there to say no, let's not do it, 136 00:08:34,960 --> 00:08:36,559 Speaker 2: and then if they did it, it was. 137 00:08:36,480 --> 00:08:39,000 Speaker 1: All the wrong. I wasn't going to be there, you know. 138 00:08:39,120 --> 00:08:41,800 Speaker 1: I voted, hey, let's don't do it, you know, and 139 00:08:41,800 --> 00:08:45,280 Speaker 1: that was through guidance from the from our prosecutors. You know, 140 00:08:45,600 --> 00:08:47,679 Speaker 1: we're not going to be involved in setting any of these. 141 00:08:48,280 --> 00:08:50,240 Speaker 1: You know, a matter of fact, we need to discourage it, 142 00:08:50,679 --> 00:08:53,480 Speaker 1: you know. So uh uh you know. So, so some 143 00:08:53,559 --> 00:08:56,760 Speaker 1: interesting guys and then one of them, there was five 144 00:08:56,800 --> 00:09:00,320 Speaker 1: of them. They lived in five separate four differents separate 145 00:09:00,320 --> 00:09:03,960 Speaker 1: communities up and down the Apple Takota River and uh 146 00:09:05,320 --> 00:09:09,160 Speaker 1: and one of them invited me down to come down 147 00:09:09,200 --> 00:09:10,960 Speaker 1: and help him, and I ended up helping him with 148 00:09:11,000 --> 00:09:15,480 Speaker 1: his with his marijuana grow. So you know, went in 149 00:09:15,559 --> 00:09:18,280 Speaker 1: and found out who he was selling it to, and 150 00:09:18,320 --> 00:09:21,439 Speaker 1: it was a lady in Tallahassee, and so that had 151 00:09:21,480 --> 00:09:24,360 Speaker 1: become a spur off of that temper theft case was, 152 00:09:24,760 --> 00:09:28,840 Speaker 1: you know, the marijuana grow case, and so it was 153 00:09:29,120 --> 00:09:32,760 Speaker 1: that was an interesting case and we had all successful prosecutions, 154 00:09:32,800 --> 00:09:37,640 Speaker 1: and it was kind of funny the day of the takedown. 155 00:09:38,880 --> 00:09:43,200 Speaker 1: We had it was five separate arrest warrants for each 156 00:09:43,280 --> 00:09:46,440 Speaker 1: one of them, and we had it all mapped out 157 00:09:46,440 --> 00:09:52,880 Speaker 1: where they all lived, and I had contacted the one 158 00:09:52,920 --> 00:09:55,640 Speaker 1: that had a telephone and only one of them had 159 00:09:55,640 --> 00:09:59,400 Speaker 1: a telephone at their house and told him said, hey, 160 00:10:00,480 --> 00:10:03,360 Speaker 1: said that if y'all want to help me out on 161 00:10:04,040 --> 00:10:06,480 Speaker 1: I think it was Saint George Island, that's out there. 162 00:10:07,320 --> 00:10:09,439 Speaker 1: You want to help me out on Saint George Island, 163 00:10:10,160 --> 00:10:13,520 Speaker 1: I've got a deck to building, y'all. We all make 164 00:10:13,600 --> 00:10:17,280 Speaker 1: some good money. Because during that it was a year 165 00:10:17,280 --> 00:10:20,960 Speaker 1: and a half spread out, I had kind of established 166 00:10:21,000 --> 00:10:24,640 Speaker 1: that I had this this little construction thing going, and 167 00:10:24,760 --> 00:10:28,600 Speaker 1: actually the agent that was overseeing the case was seen 168 00:10:28,679 --> 00:10:31,760 Speaker 1: out there as kind of a builder. So they all 169 00:10:31,880 --> 00:10:35,600 Speaker 1: bet hoo, hookline, sinker on, we're gonna we're gonna meet 170 00:10:35,720 --> 00:10:39,760 Speaker 1: this guy Tennessee and we're gonna we're gonna eat, make 171 00:10:39,840 --> 00:10:43,520 Speaker 1: us a couple hundred bucks in a day to build 172 00:10:43,559 --> 00:10:45,600 Speaker 1: this deck. And I told him i'd pick him up, 173 00:10:46,520 --> 00:10:49,079 Speaker 1: and I said, let so and so no, I'll pick 174 00:10:49,160 --> 00:10:52,520 Speaker 1: him up at eight at that store. And I identified 175 00:10:52,559 --> 00:10:56,400 Speaker 1: these five different areas that I was gonna pick them up, 176 00:10:56,440 --> 00:10:59,960 Speaker 1: and they were all, you know, relative to the time. 177 00:11:00,200 --> 00:11:03,160 Speaker 1: Said what it would take us to drive between them 178 00:11:03,640 --> 00:11:08,480 Speaker 1: from north to south? As we were going to go, 179 00:11:09,440 --> 00:11:11,960 Speaker 1: I told him I drive. And the first one we met, 180 00:11:13,040 --> 00:11:14,640 Speaker 1: I pulled in. He was there at the store and 181 00:11:14,720 --> 00:11:16,880 Speaker 1: I got out, and as I got out, there was 182 00:11:16,920 --> 00:11:20,040 Speaker 1: an arrest team took him and he said, what's going on? 183 00:11:20,160 --> 00:11:21,880 Speaker 1: I said, I don't know what I'm getting out of here. 184 00:11:22,320 --> 00:11:24,480 Speaker 1: I got in the car and I left, drove on 185 00:11:24,559 --> 00:11:26,920 Speaker 1: down the road. The next one they said, hey, what happened? 186 00:11:26,920 --> 00:11:28,640 Speaker 1: Oh so, and so I said I he didn't show 187 00:11:28,760 --> 00:11:30,880 Speaker 1: get and then they'd come out and they had rest him. 188 00:11:31,320 --> 00:11:33,440 Speaker 1: So we went all the way down the line and 189 00:11:33,520 --> 00:11:36,040 Speaker 1: I'd make an excuse at each stop of why why 190 00:11:36,080 --> 00:11:40,439 Speaker 1: nobody was with me? And of course this was back 191 00:11:40,480 --> 00:11:42,160 Speaker 1: in the day where they didn't have cell phones and 192 00:11:42,200 --> 00:11:44,960 Speaker 1: communications so stuff like that work back then. 193 00:11:49,800 --> 00:11:53,560 Speaker 2: You were in your twenties. Yeah, what what does it 194 00:11:53,679 --> 00:11:57,160 Speaker 2: take to be able to hold your cover? I mean 195 00:11:57,440 --> 00:11:59,920 Speaker 2: you work up with these guys that are so rough 196 00:12:00,360 --> 00:12:04,840 Speaker 2: and man, you you you had to be believable or 197 00:12:05,000 --> 00:12:08,040 Speaker 2: it could have been a dangerous situation. How did you 198 00:12:09,000 --> 00:12:12,240 Speaker 2: Can you describe what it's like to be deep undercover? 199 00:12:12,840 --> 00:12:17,320 Speaker 1: Well, you know, if if you're going to go undercover 200 00:12:17,400 --> 00:12:20,520 Speaker 1: for any length of time, you have to have what's 201 00:12:20,559 --> 00:12:24,319 Speaker 1: called a good backstop. A good backstop in today's world 202 00:12:25,200 --> 00:12:28,439 Speaker 1: is a social media profile. It's it's the whole nine 203 00:12:28,520 --> 00:12:33,840 Speaker 1: yards through the world of electronics. A good backstop. Back 204 00:12:33,880 --> 00:12:38,840 Speaker 1: when I was doing it was you had you had 205 00:12:38,840 --> 00:12:41,560 Speaker 1: an identification and maybe a little bit of criminal record 206 00:12:41,600 --> 00:12:44,160 Speaker 1: that was created by the state for you, and there's 207 00:12:44,160 --> 00:12:46,800 Speaker 1: a process to go through with that. And you had 208 00:12:46,840 --> 00:12:49,600 Speaker 1: an ID, you had a social Security number, and there's 209 00:12:49,600 --> 00:12:54,520 Speaker 1: a process to go through that, and you set up yourself. 210 00:12:54,800 --> 00:12:57,719 Speaker 1: You have a phone line at your residence if you're 211 00:12:57,720 --> 00:13:01,200 Speaker 1: going to use your residence, and most of the time 212 00:13:02,280 --> 00:13:06,400 Speaker 1: you'll do undercover and you'll stay in a temporary quarters 213 00:13:07,000 --> 00:13:11,320 Speaker 1: and that's what you would do sometimes is like rent, 214 00:13:11,760 --> 00:13:15,640 Speaker 1: like an apartment or something under that same name. Uh. 215 00:13:16,440 --> 00:13:19,760 Speaker 1: And but you the biggest thing is is to have 216 00:13:21,120 --> 00:13:26,840 Speaker 1: knowledge of don't be somebody or not. And I was 217 00:13:26,960 --> 00:13:29,880 Speaker 1: very lucky in that. You know, I worked constructions for 218 00:13:29,960 --> 00:13:33,200 Speaker 1: so many years. I could talk to talk of of 219 00:13:33,200 --> 00:13:35,760 Speaker 1: of a brick layer, you know, I could talk to 220 00:13:35,800 --> 00:13:39,480 Speaker 1: talk of a land mountain stone, you know, some some 221 00:13:39,480 --> 00:13:44,080 Speaker 1: some of the construction work. So you want to tell 222 00:13:44,120 --> 00:13:47,439 Speaker 1: people your profession is something that you can talk about, 223 00:13:47,480 --> 00:13:51,560 Speaker 1: first of all. And back in the day, they didn't 224 00:13:51,640 --> 00:13:55,000 Speaker 1: have Facebook they could check you. The only thing they 225 00:13:55,040 --> 00:13:56,600 Speaker 1: could check you on is maybe if they had a 226 00:13:56,640 --> 00:13:59,520 Speaker 1: friend in the police department, they could They may figure 227 00:13:59,520 --> 00:14:01,360 Speaker 1: out a way to get your driver's license and run 228 00:14:01,400 --> 00:14:04,800 Speaker 1: your driver's license, you know in some of these small communities. 229 00:14:05,160 --> 00:14:08,240 Speaker 1: You know, even though it's illegal, somebody might could do 230 00:14:08,320 --> 00:14:12,760 Speaker 1: that and or run your tag number. You know, I 231 00:14:12,800 --> 00:14:15,000 Speaker 1: haven't run your tag number, make sure so you'd always 232 00:14:15,040 --> 00:14:18,000 Speaker 1: want to have that vehicle tied back to that driver's license. 233 00:14:18,040 --> 00:14:21,240 Speaker 1: So so it wasn't that complicated back in the day. 234 00:14:22,280 --> 00:14:25,320 Speaker 1: And especially if you set it up to where I'm 235 00:14:25,360 --> 00:14:29,920 Speaker 1: not from this area, I'm just down here looking for work. 236 00:14:30,040 --> 00:14:33,800 Speaker 1: I'm actually from a state or two a way, you know, 237 00:14:34,440 --> 00:14:38,080 Speaker 1: and it seemed it seemed to work. You know, Yeah, 238 00:14:38,120 --> 00:14:40,680 Speaker 1: you can be compromised, and if you are, you've got 239 00:14:40,680 --> 00:14:45,040 Speaker 1: to recognize the way out. One time I thought I 240 00:14:45,080 --> 00:14:48,520 Speaker 1: was compromised before I even left, and I pulled out. 241 00:14:48,880 --> 00:14:51,920 Speaker 1: It turns out I wasn't compromised. But the way the 242 00:14:51,960 --> 00:14:56,080 Speaker 1: guy was talking to me. We had a case in 243 00:14:56,120 --> 00:14:59,720 Speaker 1: Alaska that I was going to be a part of 244 00:15:00,680 --> 00:15:04,480 Speaker 1: on a brown bear hunt. I hadn't paid the down 245 00:15:04,520 --> 00:15:07,960 Speaker 1: on the hunt yet. We were just communicating. Something came 246 00:15:08,040 --> 00:15:13,120 Speaker 1: up to where he he was questioning me, and I 247 00:15:13,200 --> 00:15:16,120 Speaker 1: just did just didn't feel right. And it was going 248 00:15:16,200 --> 00:15:19,960 Speaker 1: to be me and another undercover agent, because when you're 249 00:15:19,960 --> 00:15:23,000 Speaker 1: going into a remote area you need to you really 250 00:15:23,040 --> 00:15:28,320 Speaker 1: need two people. And this was actually an agent from 251 00:15:28,360 --> 00:15:30,320 Speaker 1: Arkansas was going to go with me, and I called 252 00:15:30,360 --> 00:15:32,280 Speaker 1: him up. I said, look, I don't feel good about 253 00:15:32,320 --> 00:15:35,040 Speaker 1: this guy. He said, well, I'm not getting that failing Well, 254 00:15:35,080 --> 00:15:37,280 Speaker 1: I told my boss. I said, I'm just not failing it. 255 00:15:37,960 --> 00:15:42,720 Speaker 1: So he got somebody else and he and the other 256 00:15:42,800 --> 00:15:46,920 Speaker 1: agent went and it turned out that that it was 257 00:15:47,640 --> 00:15:52,440 Speaker 1: it was legit. He just was really intrigued about my background. 258 00:15:52,440 --> 00:15:55,560 Speaker 1: He did he didn't. Oh, so this guy was quizzing, right, 259 00:15:55,720 --> 00:15:58,480 Speaker 1: he was quizzing, quizzing me. And it turned out they 260 00:15:58,520 --> 00:16:00,160 Speaker 1: went ahead and worked the case and they made the 261 00:16:00,200 --> 00:16:02,360 Speaker 1: case and it was a good case. And he said, man, 262 00:16:02,400 --> 00:16:05,560 Speaker 1: you missed it. It was some beautiful country. And uh, 263 00:16:05,720 --> 00:16:10,040 Speaker 1: but the thing about it is we he he wasn't 264 00:16:10,080 --> 00:16:14,120 Speaker 1: on to me, and but it was my own gut feeling, 265 00:16:14,200 --> 00:16:16,800 Speaker 1: which you know, that's just that's just the way it goes. 266 00:16:17,640 --> 00:16:21,520 Speaker 1: And a lot of people have a misconception. You know. 267 00:16:21,640 --> 00:16:23,920 Speaker 1: Some of my friends all talk to him, and you know, 268 00:16:24,080 --> 00:16:27,360 Speaker 1: and and I don't talk that much, even to my 269 00:16:27,360 --> 00:16:29,560 Speaker 1: close friends about some of the work I've done. I'm just, 270 00:16:30,120 --> 00:16:34,240 Speaker 1: you know, just don't. But the ones that really don't 271 00:16:34,320 --> 00:16:36,320 Speaker 1: know me, they'll hear about it. They say, man, you've 272 00:16:36,360 --> 00:16:38,920 Speaker 1: got it made. You've got to see the bitter roots, 273 00:16:38,920 --> 00:16:43,280 Speaker 1: say away wilderness area, you've got to see Yellowstone, You've 274 00:16:43,320 --> 00:16:49,640 Speaker 1: got to see all this going on undercover. It is 275 00:16:49,680 --> 00:16:55,200 Speaker 1: not fun because normally the only fun part about it 276 00:16:55,240 --> 00:16:58,480 Speaker 1: is seeing country that you probably normally wouldn't see. And 277 00:16:58,480 --> 00:17:04,920 Speaker 1: and that intrigues me. I love love that. But being 278 00:17:05,000 --> 00:17:10,439 Speaker 1: with somebody that you know, it's been violating for a 279 00:17:10,440 --> 00:17:13,720 Speaker 1: long time. You may or may not know a lot 280 00:17:13,760 --> 00:17:17,000 Speaker 1: more about the resources than they do, and you having 281 00:17:17,040 --> 00:17:20,640 Speaker 1: to listen to them and do what they tell you. 282 00:17:21,200 --> 00:17:26,920 Speaker 1: It's not funny that there is. There's no glory in that, 283 00:17:27,040 --> 00:17:30,280 Speaker 1: because nine times out of ten, the people that do 284 00:17:30,320 --> 00:17:33,280 Speaker 1: that are slots, And it's just not the type of 285 00:17:33,280 --> 00:17:38,600 Speaker 1: people that you would enjoy hanging around around. You know, uh, 286 00:17:39,560 --> 00:17:41,160 Speaker 1: you know. Do I want to hang around a guy 287 00:17:41,200 --> 00:17:46,640 Speaker 1: that you know in the swamps of Florida that uses 288 00:17:46,680 --> 00:17:49,520 Speaker 1: a hole in the Florida to do his business into 289 00:17:49,560 --> 00:17:51,720 Speaker 1: the swamp because he don't have a toilet. You know, 290 00:17:51,760 --> 00:17:53,239 Speaker 1: that's not the type of people I want to hang 291 00:17:53,280 --> 00:17:56,080 Speaker 1: around with. Do I want to hang around the guy 292 00:17:56,920 --> 00:17:59,800 Speaker 1: that's guided me twenty two miles in the back country 293 00:18:00,359 --> 00:18:02,440 Speaker 1: that I know is getting ready to try to steal 294 00:18:02,480 --> 00:18:06,560 Speaker 1: my pre sixty four Winchester because he's running guns too. 295 00:18:07,080 --> 00:18:08,600 Speaker 1: You know, that's not the kind of guy I want 296 00:18:08,640 --> 00:18:11,240 Speaker 1: to Yeah, I see what you're saying, hang out with? 297 00:18:12,200 --> 00:18:14,280 Speaker 1: Do I want to wake up at five point thirty 298 00:18:14,280 --> 00:18:15,960 Speaker 1: in the morning over there in some of the most 299 00:18:16,000 --> 00:18:19,439 Speaker 1: pressed in country that God put on this earth and 300 00:18:19,480 --> 00:18:23,399 Speaker 1: set there by the fire, drinking coffee listening to Elk 301 00:18:23,480 --> 00:18:27,280 Speaker 1: bugle all around me and the guides in there snoring 302 00:18:27,320 --> 00:18:29,920 Speaker 1: because he stayed up drunk all night. That's not the 303 00:18:30,000 --> 00:18:33,800 Speaker 1: kind of guy I want to hang out with. And 304 00:18:33,880 --> 00:18:36,240 Speaker 1: that stuff happens. Yeah, that has happened. 305 00:18:36,600 --> 00:18:46,119 Speaker 2: Yeah, the level of stress on an undercover agent is 306 00:18:46,160 --> 00:18:49,520 Speaker 2: hard to comprehend. If you haven't listened to our Secret 307 00:18:49,560 --> 00:18:52,800 Speaker 2: Agent Man series we did with Rtie Stewart out of 308 00:18:52,840 --> 00:18:57,000 Speaker 2: Ohio in twenty twenty two. Those are episodes seventy eight 309 00:18:57,040 --> 00:19:01,240 Speaker 2: through eighty four. You probably should really some wild stories 310 00:19:01,240 --> 00:19:04,040 Speaker 2: in there. And I mean, I guess we talked to 311 00:19:04,080 --> 00:19:07,760 Speaker 2: an undercover agent almost every week. Brent reeves. You know 312 00:19:07,880 --> 00:19:11,119 Speaker 2: he's working me. I think we all do. I can't 313 00:19:11,160 --> 00:19:14,960 Speaker 2: thank Russ enough for opening up with us about these stories. 314 00:19:15,480 --> 00:19:18,680 Speaker 2: Like was said before, he doesn't talk about this often 315 00:19:19,040 --> 00:19:21,120 Speaker 2: and I had to twist his arm to get him 316 00:19:21,160 --> 00:19:24,359 Speaker 2: to tell these stories. I hope you enjoyed this extra 317 00:19:24,480 --> 00:19:28,160 Speaker 2: drop and we'll see you on the next episode. Thanks 318 00:19:28,200 --> 00:19:31,439 Speaker 2: a ton for listening to Bear Grease and Brent's This 319 00:19:31,560 --> 00:19:34,639 Speaker 2: Country Life podcast. Be sure to leave us a review 320 00:19:34,680 --> 00:19:38,120 Speaker 2: on iTunes and share this podcast with you friends. Thank 321 00:19:38,160 --> 00:19:42,200 Speaker 2: you