1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:04,080 Speaker 1: Oh hey, everybody, Episode ninety three. I'm the Hunting Collective. 2 00:00:04,120 --> 00:00:07,080 Speaker 1: I'm super excited about this one. Phil. Uh, this is 3 00:00:07,080 --> 00:00:10,240 Speaker 1: the first of our best us and I feel like 4 00:00:10,280 --> 00:00:12,520 Speaker 1: these best us are as cool as anything we do. 5 00:00:12,720 --> 00:00:15,319 Speaker 1: It's it's like a it's like visiting an old friend, 6 00:00:16,239 --> 00:00:18,040 Speaker 1: an old friend come over for Christmas that you haven't 7 00:00:18,040 --> 00:00:21,960 Speaker 1: seen in a while. You get to enjoy and think 8 00:00:22,000 --> 00:00:23,880 Speaker 1: about what they mean to you, and so that's what 9 00:00:23,960 --> 00:00:26,440 Speaker 1: this is for me. So somehow, in a weird way, 10 00:00:26,480 --> 00:00:29,720 Speaker 1: that lines up for our holiday. But before we get 11 00:00:29,760 --> 00:00:32,560 Speaker 1: to all of that, phil what do you think about 12 00:00:32,600 --> 00:00:35,199 Speaker 1: this best of situation? Are you digging it? Yeah? I 13 00:00:35,200 --> 00:00:37,200 Speaker 1: think it's a great idea. It's a great idea. Should 14 00:00:37,200 --> 00:00:41,440 Speaker 1: we do more of them? That's like maybe every every 15 00:00:41,440 --> 00:00:44,440 Speaker 1: few years? Oh every few years? Yeah, really sprinkle them 16 00:00:44,440 --> 00:00:47,960 Speaker 1: in like sparsely. Well, I mean you can only what 17 00:00:48,000 --> 00:00:49,880 Speaker 1: are we gonna do another one in six months? Or 18 00:00:49,960 --> 00:00:53,240 Speaker 1: you like, the best Little has had like a few 19 00:00:53,240 --> 00:00:55,080 Speaker 1: more episodes. You're like, now we're gonna do the best 20 00:00:55,080 --> 00:00:58,040 Speaker 1: of those episodes, the best of the last week. Yeah, 21 00:00:58,080 --> 00:01:02,120 Speaker 1: exactly that. Yeah, that's that's a little it self agrandizing. 22 00:01:02,480 --> 00:01:04,920 Speaker 1: I think, all right, Philip, well, let's get into it 23 00:01:05,440 --> 00:01:15,200 Speaker 1: episode three. Enjoy. I guess I grew up on an 24 00:01:15,200 --> 00:01:18,640 Speaker 1: older road, a pedal to the medals. I always did 25 00:01:18,680 --> 00:01:22,039 Speaker 1: what I told until I found out that my brand 26 00:01:22,040 --> 00:01:25,240 Speaker 1: new closed a game second hand from the rich kid's 27 00:01:25,319 --> 00:01:28,320 Speaker 1: next door. And I grew up fast. I guess I 28 00:01:28,319 --> 00:01:31,000 Speaker 1: grew up. I mean, there are a thousand things inside 29 00:01:31,000 --> 00:01:33,440 Speaker 1: of my head I wish I ain't seen, and now 30 00:01:33,480 --> 00:01:36,759 Speaker 1: I just wanted to a real bad dream or being 31 00:01:36,760 --> 00:01:39,399 Speaker 1: and like I'm coming a part of the seams. But 32 00:01:39,800 --> 00:01:47,319 Speaker 1: thank you, Jack Daniel. Hey, everybody, Merry Christmas. Philip ho 33 00:01:47,319 --> 00:01:57,600 Speaker 1: ho ho. I didn't feel it. Try that again if 34 00:01:57,600 --> 00:02:01,400 Speaker 1: you want a better version of Santa Claus. Travel over 35 00:02:01,480 --> 00:02:04,920 Speaker 1: the meat Eator podcast that launched yesterday. What were we 36 00:02:04,920 --> 00:02:08,600 Speaker 1: called the Christmas Spectacular? I don't. I don't think as 37 00:02:08,720 --> 00:02:10,679 Speaker 1: this recording, I don't think it has an official name yet. 38 00:02:10,919 --> 00:02:12,720 Speaker 1: We'll call it that, but Steve calls it the some 39 00:02:12,919 --> 00:02:16,880 Speaker 1: Bitch and Christmas Special Metator some Bitch and Christmas Special, 40 00:02:17,400 --> 00:02:21,120 Speaker 1: including uh, let me call something out. I am very 41 00:02:21,200 --> 00:02:25,240 Speaker 1: sad that every episode of THHC has uh an email 42 00:02:25,360 --> 00:02:28,840 Speaker 1: notification from my laptop. I'm sorry. If you've been listening 43 00:02:29,240 --> 00:02:31,679 Speaker 1: every every episode has like a I think it's the 44 00:02:31,720 --> 00:02:33,440 Speaker 1: trademark of the show. It's really part of the show. 45 00:02:33,480 --> 00:02:36,600 Speaker 1: I like it. Yeah, so I actually muted that just now. Um, 46 00:02:36,639 --> 00:02:40,239 Speaker 1: the Christmas Some Bitch and Christmas Spectacular from Meat Eater 47 00:02:40,840 --> 00:02:43,840 Speaker 1: is over there at the Meat Eater Podcast. So go 48 00:02:43,880 --> 00:02:47,040 Speaker 1: download that. You'll get a little taste of one. Ben 49 00:02:47,080 --> 00:02:52,400 Speaker 1: O'Brien as Santa Claus. So I read, I read a poem, 50 00:02:52,639 --> 00:02:55,720 Speaker 1: talk some talk, some stuff to the crew. It's happy 51 00:02:55,760 --> 00:02:58,560 Speaker 1: to take part. So go listen to the Meat Eater 52 00:02:59,240 --> 00:03:05,079 Speaker 1: Christmas Bitching Spectacular light show. It was great, Phil, It's 53 00:03:05,120 --> 00:03:08,880 Speaker 1: really well if you if you really want to know 54 00:03:08,919 --> 00:03:11,839 Speaker 1: who the mind behind it is, it's Phil. I'd say 55 00:03:11,880 --> 00:03:16,519 Speaker 1: it's it's mostly Karan and then me and then you. Yeah, 56 00:03:17,120 --> 00:03:21,800 Speaker 1: but thanks producer Korean, shout out to you. All right, Well, 57 00:03:21,960 --> 00:03:24,560 Speaker 1: this is a different kind of show than we've done 58 00:03:24,600 --> 00:03:27,000 Speaker 1: in the past. We talked about this last couple of weeks, 59 00:03:27,320 --> 00:03:32,320 Speaker 1: but episode ninete is volume one, the best of THC. 60 00:03:33,240 --> 00:03:36,000 Speaker 1: I gotta tell you, I spent a whole day working 61 00:03:36,000 --> 00:03:39,720 Speaker 1: on this stuff, going back pension time codes World. Phil 62 00:03:39,800 --> 00:03:42,560 Speaker 1: here listening to old podcast man and it. It brought 63 00:03:42,600 --> 00:03:44,840 Speaker 1: a tear to my eye, a couple of times, memories 64 00:03:44,920 --> 00:03:51,320 Speaker 1: of of conversations, past, ghosts of conversations, topical, topical. Because 65 00:03:51,360 --> 00:03:56,320 Speaker 1: it's Christmas, and so I think that we'll get right 66 00:03:56,360 --> 00:03:58,120 Speaker 1: to it. But before we do that, we have to 67 00:03:58,320 --> 00:04:00,640 Speaker 1: we're winding down. As we said last week, we're winding 68 00:04:00,680 --> 00:04:03,920 Speaker 1: down on our not so sharp moments, winding down. It's 69 00:04:03,960 --> 00:04:06,160 Speaker 1: coming to the end. We only have a couple more left. 70 00:04:06,320 --> 00:04:09,560 Speaker 1: Time for reflection. It's a time to think about all 71 00:04:09,640 --> 00:04:12,920 Speaker 1: the dumb ship that you've done over the last year, 72 00:04:13,360 --> 00:04:17,039 Speaker 1: really your entire life. So Phil and I will pause 73 00:04:17,080 --> 00:04:19,560 Speaker 1: for a moment and let you reflect on the year's past. 74 00:04:19,560 --> 00:04:22,640 Speaker 1: Feel will put in some sort of sound effect here. 75 00:04:32,960 --> 00:04:35,839 Speaker 1: All right, we're back. I hope you felt your shame. Yeah, 76 00:04:36,040 --> 00:04:40,600 Speaker 1: And so you have been a terrible human. Ten we're 77 00:04:40,640 --> 00:04:43,200 Speaker 1: at the THHC. We're like to you should acknowledge that 78 00:04:43,440 --> 00:04:47,480 Speaker 1: and move forward as a better, better human. Um. There's 79 00:04:47,480 --> 00:04:49,640 Speaker 1: a lot of self help podcasts out there. This isn't 80 00:04:49,680 --> 00:04:52,760 Speaker 1: one of them. This is a self shaming podcast. And 81 00:04:52,839 --> 00:04:56,800 Speaker 1: I know I know what you're thinking. I'm terrible and 82 00:04:56,800 --> 00:04:59,719 Speaker 1: then you're probably right. And so in the new year, 83 00:05:00,240 --> 00:05:05,440 Speaker 1: get it together all right. It was inspirational. Yeah, it was. 84 00:05:05,600 --> 00:05:09,080 Speaker 1: That was I should have been a motivational speaker, shouldn't I. Yeah, 85 00:05:09,120 --> 00:05:10,800 Speaker 1: it's not too late, it's not too late. I want 86 00:05:10,839 --> 00:05:15,560 Speaker 1: to do it, all right. Play the jingle, Phil, not 87 00:05:15,720 --> 00:05:20,280 Speaker 1: the sharp moment, so you don't have to. I'm gonna 88 00:05:20,279 --> 00:05:23,360 Speaker 1: miss that jingle. When it goes away, it might come back. 89 00:05:23,400 --> 00:05:25,480 Speaker 1: It'll live on in all of our hearts, in our 90 00:05:25,480 --> 00:05:31,919 Speaker 1: hearts and minds and the deepest, darkest depths of our synapses. Alright, 91 00:05:32,200 --> 00:05:36,479 Speaker 1: this is from this is I have a child's mind. 92 00:05:36,520 --> 00:05:39,280 Speaker 1: And this made me laugh just reading the subject line. 93 00:05:40,200 --> 00:05:43,719 Speaker 1: In the subject line, this is from Justin Snaveley. The 94 00:05:43,720 --> 00:05:47,880 Speaker 1: subject line was not so sharp moment. I'm sorry. What 95 00:05:47,920 --> 00:05:53,760 Speaker 1: was that? Not so sharp moment? Shart? Moment? Shark got it? Okay? 96 00:05:54,120 --> 00:05:56,239 Speaker 1: Do we needed to find what a shart? I don't believe. 97 00:05:56,279 --> 00:05:59,280 Speaker 1: So I think we're gonna figure it out here, all right, 98 00:05:59,400 --> 00:06:03,640 Speaker 1: Justin said, as I write this to you with a 99 00:06:03,720 --> 00:06:07,080 Speaker 1: humble heart. That is tough to relive this not so 100 00:06:07,640 --> 00:06:11,719 Speaker 1: sharp moment. This past both season in Colorado, I decided 101 00:06:11,720 --> 00:06:14,880 Speaker 1: to take on my very first El cont I trudged 102 00:06:14,920 --> 00:06:18,680 Speaker 1: around the wilderness the day before opener, and during opening 103 00:06:18,760 --> 00:06:21,080 Speaker 1: day looking for elk sign in the area I had 104 00:06:21,160 --> 00:06:23,840 Speaker 1: never been. On the night of the opener, I sat 105 00:06:23,880 --> 00:06:26,040 Speaker 1: by my fire and listened to a few bulls crack 106 00:06:26,080 --> 00:06:29,440 Speaker 1: off right before I hit the hay. I woke up 107 00:06:29,440 --> 00:06:32,200 Speaker 1: in the morning bright eyed and bushy tailed, And during 108 00:06:32,240 --> 00:06:34,960 Speaker 1: my morning coffee I heard a couple of cows off 109 00:06:34,960 --> 00:06:37,880 Speaker 1: in the meadow below me. I cracked off a bugle, 110 00:06:38,200 --> 00:06:40,240 Speaker 1: and low and behold, I had a bull return the 111 00:06:40,279 --> 00:06:45,320 Speaker 1: call about a quarter mile from camp. I figured, why heck, 112 00:06:45,600 --> 00:06:48,000 Speaker 1: let's go get him. I made my way up the 113 00:06:48,080 --> 00:06:50,120 Speaker 1: ridge and called until I was roughly a hundred yards 114 00:06:50,160 --> 00:06:52,760 Speaker 1: away from the bull, but he held fast that would 115 00:06:52,800 --> 00:06:55,400 Speaker 1: not come an inch closer. I figured I'd let him 116 00:06:55,400 --> 00:06:58,360 Speaker 1: calm down and mosey on about while I regrouped at 117 00:06:58,400 --> 00:07:01,080 Speaker 1: my camp. I thought it would chase him after I 118 00:07:01,120 --> 00:07:05,240 Speaker 1: got my pack all put back together. Well, as you 119 00:07:05,279 --> 00:07:09,279 Speaker 1: may know, coffee is quite the laxative. It's quite the turn. 120 00:07:10,040 --> 00:07:12,120 Speaker 1: It was a hunting story and then just went right 121 00:07:12,440 --> 00:07:14,640 Speaker 1: as you know, as you will. I don't know that 122 00:07:14,640 --> 00:07:17,800 Speaker 1: I don't drink coffee, but I can assume, yeah, um, 123 00:07:18,000 --> 00:07:20,520 Speaker 1: would you agree with coffee is quite the laxative. Yes, 124 00:07:20,520 --> 00:07:24,120 Speaker 1: it can be, especially after a quick little john upper 125 00:07:24,200 --> 00:07:28,240 Speaker 1: ridge and back. I clasped my chest buckle and thought, 126 00:07:28,400 --> 00:07:30,800 Speaker 1: today is going to be the day I shoot my 127 00:07:30,920 --> 00:07:33,920 Speaker 1: first elk. As I began to let loose what I 128 00:07:34,000 --> 00:07:37,760 Speaker 1: thought to be a frog stopper, it quickly turned into 129 00:07:37,800 --> 00:07:41,360 Speaker 1: molten hot sludge traveling down by life. Okay, a whole 130 00:07:41,360 --> 00:07:43,880 Speaker 1: pause there for a second. I've heard the term shirt. 131 00:07:43,960 --> 00:07:48,560 Speaker 1: I'm sure most people have. Frog stomper is new to me? 132 00:07:48,760 --> 00:07:50,920 Speaker 1: Is that new to you? Yes? I believe it means 133 00:07:50,960 --> 00:07:53,000 Speaker 1: that when, like you, you stepped on a frog, and 134 00:07:53,000 --> 00:07:56,520 Speaker 1: that's the noise it would make. Okay, I could be wrong, 135 00:07:56,520 --> 00:07:58,400 Speaker 1: but that's that's that makes sense? Does it make sense? 136 00:07:58,560 --> 00:08:01,600 Speaker 1: All right? We'll go with it. I was quick and 137 00:08:01,640 --> 00:08:05,080 Speaker 1: deliberate to take my pants and underwear as they had 138 00:08:05,120 --> 00:08:10,520 Speaker 1: seen their version of a pass through. The dirty pants 139 00:08:10,520 --> 00:08:14,440 Speaker 1: were saved, However, my last wet wipes used up, used up, 140 00:08:14,800 --> 00:08:17,520 Speaker 1: and my pride quickly humbled as I said a final 141 00:08:17,560 --> 00:08:23,400 Speaker 1: goodbye to my underwear and the elk woods for that day. 142 00:08:23,600 --> 00:08:27,960 Speaker 1: As I said, my undergarments ablaze along with my hopes 143 00:08:28,520 --> 00:08:32,720 Speaker 1: and dreams. You can see this man just like sadly 144 00:08:32,800 --> 00:08:37,560 Speaker 1: burning his his underwear. We could do that Hulk music 145 00:08:37,600 --> 00:08:40,840 Speaker 1: that we do for me in commons. As I hiked 146 00:08:40,880 --> 00:08:44,560 Speaker 1: through the woods my backup pair of white leggings, I 147 00:08:44,600 --> 00:08:47,520 Speaker 1: took my walk of shame back to the truck for 148 00:08:47,600 --> 00:08:52,280 Speaker 1: clean pants. I hope you enjoyed my not so sharp moment. 149 00:08:53,200 --> 00:09:02,880 Speaker 1: Justin play the jingle field not so sharp moment. Oh boy, well, Justin, 150 00:09:02,960 --> 00:09:06,840 Speaker 1: this is the most somber, not so sharp moment yet Justin. 151 00:09:07,400 --> 00:09:10,400 Speaker 1: This is a sad ning. Yeah, this is really I mean, 152 00:09:10,440 --> 00:09:12,960 Speaker 1: you're by yourself in the woods, burning your shitty underwear. 153 00:09:13,960 --> 00:09:16,400 Speaker 1: It is Uh, that's a low point for you. Yeah, 154 00:09:16,440 --> 00:09:19,720 Speaker 1: but hey, listen, we're about bringing people back from the 155 00:09:19,760 --> 00:09:24,480 Speaker 1: depths terrible shame, but then come back like a phoenix 156 00:09:24,559 --> 00:09:28,160 Speaker 1: rising from the earlier. You're all terrible, but now I'm 157 00:09:28,160 --> 00:09:30,560 Speaker 1: gonna tell you can come back, just like Justin's underwear 158 00:09:31,080 --> 00:09:35,280 Speaker 1: from the depths of the ash rises a free work 159 00:09:35,400 --> 00:09:38,760 Speaker 1: sharp field sharpener from the folks here at t C. 160 00:09:39,880 --> 00:09:42,040 Speaker 1: And so thank you work Sharp, and thank you Justin 161 00:09:42,080 --> 00:09:45,480 Speaker 1: for putting it out there for everyone. All your shame 162 00:09:45,559 --> 00:09:50,559 Speaker 1: and your just just all your the poop running. Then 163 00:09:50,559 --> 00:09:54,080 Speaker 1: you're like early In the morning. And I will say 164 00:09:54,120 --> 00:09:56,520 Speaker 1: that as a non coffee drinker, let's not blame this 165 00:09:56,600 --> 00:10:00,400 Speaker 1: on coffee, or should we. It was probably a factor, 166 00:10:01,360 --> 00:10:05,800 Speaker 1: but there's no way to know. It's it's all justin then. Yeah, 167 00:10:06,040 --> 00:10:08,960 Speaker 1: there's no way to know, so listen. I don't know 168 00:10:09,000 --> 00:10:10,600 Speaker 1: if I want not so short moment to be a 169 00:10:10,600 --> 00:10:14,560 Speaker 1: thing or not. I think one might be good. Yeah, 170 00:10:14,600 --> 00:10:16,400 Speaker 1: I'm a little scared of what this could turn into. 171 00:10:17,080 --> 00:10:19,559 Speaker 1: And I don't want to spend my days reading your 172 00:10:19,559 --> 00:10:23,959 Speaker 1: short stories. So don't you dare send me a short story? 173 00:10:24,080 --> 00:10:27,600 Speaker 1: No more, don't you dare send that to me? Please? 174 00:10:28,320 --> 00:10:30,840 Speaker 1: All right, this is, like I said, a different type 175 00:10:30,880 --> 00:10:35,079 Speaker 1: of show, Phil, This show is the best of I 176 00:10:35,120 --> 00:10:39,520 Speaker 1: went through all ninety some episodes of this podcast. I 177 00:10:39,600 --> 00:10:43,720 Speaker 1: listened to every single one of them. Phil, ninety hours. Wow, yeah, 178 00:10:45,480 --> 00:10:48,360 Speaker 1: there's more each show. So it was more like a 179 00:10:48,600 --> 00:10:51,719 Speaker 1: dight hours I stay on average. Yeah. I spent at 180 00:10:51,760 --> 00:10:56,120 Speaker 1: my house alone in my underwear that we're clean and 181 00:10:56,200 --> 00:10:59,679 Speaker 1: not not on fire, that were that we're not a flame, 182 00:11:00,480 --> 00:11:04,160 Speaker 1: listening to every conversation I've had. I also feel shame. 183 00:11:05,000 --> 00:11:07,680 Speaker 1: Yeah that's pretty egoistical. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know. It 184 00:11:07,760 --> 00:11:14,120 Speaker 1: was a pretty sad little weekend, but I also felt 185 00:11:15,000 --> 00:11:19,160 Speaker 1: m heartened by some of the better people we've had 186 00:11:19,160 --> 00:11:21,079 Speaker 1: on this podcast, and a lot of them you know 187 00:11:21,120 --> 00:11:24,560 Speaker 1: how early and if if you've listened every episodes podcast, 188 00:11:25,160 --> 00:11:28,199 Speaker 1: first let me say thank you, because that's quite defeat. 189 00:11:28,640 --> 00:11:31,320 Speaker 1: When it started, I only really had to draw from 190 00:11:31,360 --> 00:11:32,800 Speaker 1: I wasn't part of METI eat, and only really had 191 00:11:32,800 --> 00:11:34,839 Speaker 1: a draw from the people that I knew a right, 192 00:11:35,000 --> 00:11:37,440 Speaker 1: the people that I knew in my life that I 193 00:11:37,480 --> 00:11:39,760 Speaker 1: thought had a good story to tell. And so that's 194 00:11:39,760 --> 00:11:42,240 Speaker 1: really how this this podcast started. It's kind of changed 195 00:11:42,320 --> 00:11:45,720 Speaker 1: over the years and what I'll call the pre filled days. 196 00:11:46,480 --> 00:11:50,199 Speaker 1: Oh wow, yeah, pre Phil, there was a bunch of 197 00:11:50,200 --> 00:11:55,200 Speaker 1: people that I would call friends, people that have impacted 198 00:11:55,240 --> 00:11:58,400 Speaker 1: my life, whose stories impacted me, and I wanted to 199 00:11:58,400 --> 00:12:01,800 Speaker 1: share their stories with you. And so that was really 200 00:12:01,840 --> 00:12:04,240 Speaker 1: the impetus for this podcast in the beginning, and it 201 00:12:04,320 --> 00:12:07,160 Speaker 1: still is to a large extent. But at some point 202 00:12:07,559 --> 00:12:09,120 Speaker 1: you're trying to do a weekly show. You've got you 203 00:12:09,120 --> 00:12:12,160 Speaker 1: can't just interview people you know every week, and so 204 00:12:13,240 --> 00:12:16,840 Speaker 1: in the pre filled days, pre fill so much like 205 00:12:17,000 --> 00:12:20,839 Speaker 1: we do, we designate the years A D B. C. 206 00:12:21,240 --> 00:12:26,360 Speaker 1: You're equating me joining the podcast to Jesus two thousand eighteen, 207 00:12:26,400 --> 00:12:30,079 Speaker 1: coming to two thousan p P, P b P and 208 00:12:30,160 --> 00:12:33,680 Speaker 1: p P pre fill. But why baby, wait we'll go okay, yeah, 209 00:12:34,000 --> 00:12:37,079 Speaker 1: but I was getting post phil and before. That's a 210 00:12:37,160 --> 00:12:40,400 Speaker 1: better way to do it. B Yeah, okay, this is 211 00:12:40,440 --> 00:12:46,880 Speaker 1: two thousand eighteen, b P, PPP two thousand all right, 212 00:12:46,960 --> 00:12:53,440 Speaker 1: I think we can post fill. He's cut that all out. Uh. 213 00:12:53,840 --> 00:12:57,559 Speaker 1: Most people would say that that BP were the with 214 00:12:57,640 --> 00:13:01,040 Speaker 1: the golden d b P. You as goal nears PP, 215 00:13:01,200 --> 00:13:04,920 Speaker 1: it's going it's gone way downhill. Uh in the PP years. 216 00:13:07,360 --> 00:13:11,439 Speaker 1: So I'm cutting. I'm cutting cutting this. Come on, I 217 00:13:11,520 --> 00:13:14,280 Speaker 1: don't cut this. Uh. Phil has all his power over 218 00:13:14,360 --> 00:13:16,959 Speaker 1: the show. He can just I don't remember anything I say, 219 00:13:17,040 --> 00:13:18,599 Speaker 1: so he can cut parts he doesn't like and I 220 00:13:18,720 --> 00:13:21,439 Speaker 1: totally forget they were even there. So if you're hearing this, 221 00:13:21,880 --> 00:13:26,200 Speaker 1: it's because of Phil's kindness and wanting to have wanting 222 00:13:26,240 --> 00:13:29,120 Speaker 1: you to hear this. So this, this this episode, I 223 00:13:29,200 --> 00:13:31,520 Speaker 1: think is about what I just said, not the p P, 224 00:13:31,720 --> 00:13:35,400 Speaker 1: P P stuff, but the the stuff about people in 225 00:13:35,440 --> 00:13:38,079 Speaker 1: my life that have impacted it. And a lot of 226 00:13:38,120 --> 00:13:41,439 Speaker 1: this is very personal for me. These are you know, 227 00:13:41,559 --> 00:13:46,360 Speaker 1: exceptional humans that whose story UH invigorated me the first 228 00:13:46,400 --> 00:13:50,280 Speaker 1: time I heard it. Being around them is inspiring, and 229 00:13:50,400 --> 00:13:52,760 Speaker 1: so trying to bring that to to all of you 230 00:13:52,880 --> 00:13:54,560 Speaker 1: in a way that made sense for for the person 231 00:13:54,600 --> 00:13:57,719 Speaker 1: telling the story and for the person listening. And I 232 00:13:57,800 --> 00:14:02,240 Speaker 1: think the Hunting Collective very much is about gathering perspectives 233 00:14:02,280 --> 00:14:04,760 Speaker 1: from all over this country, all over this world, and 234 00:14:04,840 --> 00:14:07,760 Speaker 1: trying to mash them all together in a better understanding 235 00:14:07,920 --> 00:14:10,679 Speaker 1: of hunting and why we do it. And so this 236 00:14:10,800 --> 00:14:13,120 Speaker 1: first best of is very much exactly that. It's very 237 00:14:13,160 --> 00:14:16,080 Speaker 1: much the ethos of this show and why I wanted 238 00:14:16,120 --> 00:14:17,880 Speaker 1: to do it in the first place. And so you're 239 00:14:17,920 --> 00:14:20,320 Speaker 1: gonna hear probably the audio quality won't be as good 240 00:14:20,720 --> 00:14:25,440 Speaker 1: because is pp b P BP it was bad. You 241 00:14:25,520 --> 00:14:27,560 Speaker 1: will hear a difference. You'll hear a difference because it 242 00:14:27,760 --> 00:14:31,080 Speaker 1: is b P, it is pp UM and and these 243 00:14:31,120 --> 00:14:33,560 Speaker 1: were all done and random places around the country, And 244 00:14:33,720 --> 00:14:37,120 Speaker 1: so that's what this show is about. This best of 245 00:14:37,760 --> 00:14:40,240 Speaker 1: is about the people in my life that I feel 246 00:14:40,240 --> 00:14:42,560 Speaker 1: like they're most have been most impactful, and have the 247 00:14:42,640 --> 00:14:48,280 Speaker 1: best stories to tell. And so hopefully you enjoy these conversations. 248 00:14:48,320 --> 00:14:51,240 Speaker 1: And we've chosen or I've chosen three people that I 249 00:14:51,320 --> 00:14:54,880 Speaker 1: think fit that bill. The first of those three people 250 00:14:55,440 --> 00:14:57,640 Speaker 1: his name is Wyman Menzer. You know who that is, 251 00:14:57,680 --> 00:14:59,360 Speaker 1: Phil I do not know. Let me tell you. I'll 252 00:14:59,360 --> 00:15:02,800 Speaker 1: tell you all about woman. I first met Wyman and 253 00:15:03,080 --> 00:15:07,120 Speaker 1: Uh on a coyote hunt in a little town called Benjamin, Texas. Benjamin, 254 00:15:07,200 --> 00:15:09,440 Speaker 1: Texas is in the middle of the big empty is 255 00:15:09,520 --> 00:15:12,480 Speaker 1: Wyman calls it in northern Texas, just north of Dallas, 256 00:15:12,560 --> 00:15:15,920 Speaker 1: not too far. It's a big, wide open country. And 257 00:15:16,040 --> 00:15:19,760 Speaker 1: in this in this interview you will hear uh Whyoman 258 00:15:19,840 --> 00:15:24,440 Speaker 1: describe it? Wyman. I met Wyman on on a coyote hunt, 259 00:15:25,160 --> 00:15:27,120 Speaker 1: and I was first struck by a few things about him. 260 00:15:27,280 --> 00:15:31,040 Speaker 1: Number One, anytime he blows on a call, okyote comes running, 261 00:15:31,240 --> 00:15:32,960 Speaker 1: and it's pretty much a hundred percent of the time. 262 00:15:33,440 --> 00:15:35,800 Speaker 1: He is an artist when it comes to hunting and 263 00:15:36,240 --> 00:15:40,200 Speaker 1: photographing coyotes. He also is a renaissance man in the 264 00:15:40,240 --> 00:15:43,600 Speaker 1: way that he looks at the world. He has done 265 00:15:43,640 --> 00:15:46,840 Speaker 1: things like taken old jail house in the town of Benjamin, 266 00:15:47,040 --> 00:15:49,480 Speaker 1: an old eighteen hundred jail house and turn it into 267 00:15:49,560 --> 00:15:54,040 Speaker 1: like a cottage. That was featured on the Some Fancy 268 00:15:54,080 --> 00:15:58,160 Speaker 1: Pants channel about what's that called h G TV. That's it. 269 00:15:58,280 --> 00:16:00,600 Speaker 1: How did you know of Terrible should work on a 270 00:16:00,680 --> 00:16:02,960 Speaker 1: lot of shows for h So he was on like 271 00:16:03,200 --> 00:16:06,680 Speaker 1: HDTV just because he took an old jail house and 272 00:16:06,720 --> 00:16:08,720 Speaker 1: turned it into his family's home for a while, and 273 00:16:08,760 --> 00:16:12,840 Speaker 1: it's a beautiful place. He is also a biologist by 274 00:16:12,920 --> 00:16:16,960 Speaker 1: trade and has been trapping and killing KaiOS for most 275 00:16:17,000 --> 00:16:19,200 Speaker 1: of his life. He has a book. The first time 276 00:16:19,240 --> 00:16:20,920 Speaker 1: I met him, he showed me this book that goes 277 00:16:21,000 --> 00:16:23,720 Speaker 1: back to the seventies of every single kayode he ever killed, 278 00:16:23,760 --> 00:16:26,080 Speaker 1: where he killed it, who he was with, how much 279 00:16:26,120 --> 00:16:29,160 Speaker 1: it weighed. He has blood. Uh, he would take his fingerprint, 280 00:16:29,200 --> 00:16:31,120 Speaker 1: put it in their blood, put it on his book. 281 00:16:31,960 --> 00:16:35,800 Speaker 1: So he has this treasure trove, this totem of his 282 00:16:35,960 --> 00:16:38,920 Speaker 1: history with one animal, and his life is really defined 283 00:16:39,000 --> 00:16:42,880 Speaker 1: by predator hunting and kyot hunting and trapping. As you'll 284 00:16:42,920 --> 00:16:46,760 Speaker 1: hear in this podcast. I immediately when I first met Wyman, 285 00:16:47,160 --> 00:16:51,480 Speaker 1: I immediately knew this is a special person, not only 286 00:16:51,520 --> 00:16:54,880 Speaker 1: because his hunting prowess is out there for everyone to see, 287 00:16:55,520 --> 00:16:58,560 Speaker 1: but he's got this the depth of soul that you 288 00:16:58,640 --> 00:17:01,200 Speaker 1: just don't find many places, and you definitely don't find 289 00:17:01,240 --> 00:17:05,440 Speaker 1: it in the big wide empty of northern Texas and 290 00:17:05,560 --> 00:17:08,480 Speaker 1: so I was able to do a lot with woman. 291 00:17:08,520 --> 00:17:10,080 Speaker 1: I've spent a lot of time with him over the 292 00:17:10,200 --> 00:17:12,919 Speaker 1: years and enjoyed every single moment of it. We did 293 00:17:13,000 --> 00:17:16,359 Speaker 1: a film UM called Chasing Light with the Eddie about 294 00:17:16,400 --> 00:17:19,680 Speaker 1: Woman about his life, so you could go watch that. UM. 295 00:17:20,119 --> 00:17:22,520 Speaker 1: We did uh this podcast and a bunch of other 296 00:17:22,560 --> 00:17:25,680 Speaker 1: stuff with a man who was a writer, a photographer, UM, 297 00:17:26,119 --> 00:17:28,760 Speaker 1: a friend of many. So I think very highly of 298 00:17:28,800 --> 00:17:31,960 Speaker 1: this man. So we've cut out a little bit about 299 00:17:32,040 --> 00:17:34,720 Speaker 1: his life and the early part of his life, which 300 00:17:34,800 --> 00:17:37,480 Speaker 1: he lived in a dugout on an old ranch I 301 00:17:37,520 --> 00:17:41,120 Speaker 1: believe called the Pitchfork Ranch near his home. He lived 302 00:17:41,160 --> 00:17:45,760 Speaker 1: in this dugout, lived alone, trap got all his money 303 00:17:45,960 --> 00:17:48,800 Speaker 1: from trapping, and it was a pretty transformative time in 304 00:17:48,880 --> 00:17:52,000 Speaker 1: his life. So as you're listening to this, understand that 305 00:17:52,400 --> 00:17:55,920 Speaker 1: that what I pulled here is the genesis of this 306 00:17:56,040 --> 00:17:58,840 Speaker 1: great man's life, and he reflects on it in some 307 00:17:58,960 --> 00:18:13,159 Speaker 1: beautiful ways. So enjoy wyman men, warm and serbian. How 308 00:18:13,200 --> 00:18:17,399 Speaker 1: are you, sir? I'm well, thank you. Oh we're in Benjamin, Texas, 309 00:18:17,440 --> 00:18:20,400 Speaker 1: are we not? Yes, sir, you lived here your entire 310 00:18:21,240 --> 00:18:23,760 Speaker 1: the entire life Yes, I was raised on a ranch 311 00:18:23,800 --> 00:18:27,480 Speaker 1: about eleven miles out of Benjamin. Yeah, you don't have 312 00:18:27,560 --> 00:18:32,880 Speaker 1: to tell your age, but yeah, sixty seven years old. 313 00:18:32,920 --> 00:18:35,639 Speaker 1: I'll go ahead and be honest. I didn't want to 314 00:18:35,720 --> 00:18:39,359 Speaker 1: pressure you in anything at all. Uh. Well, that's an 315 00:18:39,359 --> 00:18:42,960 Speaker 1: impressive that's an impressive feat given a lot of times today. 316 00:18:43,119 --> 00:18:46,000 Speaker 1: You know, guys my age don't stick around their home 317 00:18:46,080 --> 00:18:50,840 Speaker 1: place very very often. Yeah, you know, I really didn't 318 00:18:50,840 --> 00:18:53,080 Speaker 1: think that I would once I got out of college. 319 00:18:54,119 --> 00:18:57,280 Speaker 1: I wasn't went to Texas Tech University. But it came 320 00:18:57,359 --> 00:19:01,520 Speaker 1: back and circumstances were such that I felt like this 321 00:19:01,560 --> 00:19:05,520 Speaker 1: would be a good place to headquarter. And it worked 322 00:19:05,520 --> 00:19:10,080 Speaker 1: out in spades, in spades. Well, I mean, might as 323 00:19:10,080 --> 00:19:12,120 Speaker 1: well start at the very beginning. You grew up here, 324 00:19:12,840 --> 00:19:15,760 Speaker 1: uh with a brother and a sister, right right, Um, 325 00:19:16,080 --> 00:19:18,120 Speaker 1: you grew up on a ranch not far from here, 326 00:19:18,160 --> 00:19:19,600 Speaker 1: and tell you just tell me about growing up and 327 00:19:19,880 --> 00:19:22,600 Speaker 1: and you call it the big empty Well we uh 328 00:19:22,720 --> 00:19:26,959 Speaker 1: the ranch that uh that we were reared on as 329 00:19:27,000 --> 00:19:29,280 Speaker 1: a twenty seven thousand acre, which is not a big 330 00:19:29,600 --> 00:19:32,000 Speaker 1: outfit in this part of the country, but it's it's 331 00:19:32,000 --> 00:19:34,800 Speaker 1: a decent size, definitely good for a couple of boys 332 00:19:34,800 --> 00:19:36,720 Speaker 1: to be raised on. My dad was a foreman there 333 00:19:37,640 --> 00:19:40,879 Speaker 1: and he was there for thirty years and uh raised 334 00:19:40,920 --> 00:19:44,159 Speaker 1: up as a as a cowboy and learned to to 335 00:19:44,600 --> 00:19:49,000 Speaker 1: work cattle and break horses in the whole deal. And uh, 336 00:19:49,520 --> 00:19:54,680 Speaker 1: but my main love wash wash was hunting and studying 337 00:19:54,760 --> 00:19:58,480 Speaker 1: the natural history of various species, and as always going 338 00:19:58,600 --> 00:20:02,520 Speaker 1: and collecting bird eggs and inspecting birds that I had 339 00:20:02,560 --> 00:20:06,480 Speaker 1: to shot with a bb gun and and uh a 340 00:20:06,600 --> 00:20:10,200 Speaker 1: key and them out. And it it led to to 341 00:20:10,320 --> 00:20:13,840 Speaker 1: what I'm I'm doing today for for for sure. Yeah. 342 00:20:14,240 --> 00:20:17,400 Speaker 1: And we were talking about this at breakfast this morning, 343 00:20:18,240 --> 00:20:20,760 Speaker 1: you know, and even and over whiskey last night, about 344 00:20:21,040 --> 00:20:23,520 Speaker 1: growing up in that environment and what that how that 345 00:20:23,640 --> 00:20:26,119 Speaker 1: shapes you and what that makes you, the grit that 346 00:20:26,240 --> 00:20:28,600 Speaker 1: it gives you, the drive and work hard. I mean 347 00:20:28,680 --> 00:20:31,840 Speaker 1: you were raising a hard work and hard scramble and 348 00:20:32,400 --> 00:20:36,679 Speaker 1: life this country, you know, it it's pressure, I mean 349 00:20:37,160 --> 00:20:41,959 Speaker 1: it is it's it's not an easy place to live. Um. Uh. 350 00:20:42,720 --> 00:20:46,720 Speaker 1: You know, we find a lot of old house places 351 00:20:46,840 --> 00:20:50,000 Speaker 1: we found there on the ranch. Um in the early 352 00:20:50,119 --> 00:20:55,000 Speaker 1: nineteen hundreds, people really came in here in droves and 353 00:20:55,720 --> 00:20:59,000 Speaker 1: you know, um farms, you know, cut out a little 354 00:20:59,040 --> 00:21:01,200 Speaker 1: piece of parcel of end and tried to farm it, 355 00:21:02,440 --> 00:21:08,000 Speaker 1: and through time the land pretty well, um weeded out 356 00:21:08,400 --> 00:21:12,240 Speaker 1: to where it's now probably at its carrying capacity. Early 357 00:21:12,359 --> 00:21:15,600 Speaker 1: on it was it was just you know, overgrazed more 358 00:21:15,680 --> 00:21:19,000 Speaker 1: or less, I guess you could say. And so even 359 00:21:19,080 --> 00:21:21,320 Speaker 1: today though, it's hard because you know, it's just mostly 360 00:21:21,359 --> 00:21:25,639 Speaker 1: big ranch country and uh ranching practices of change. You 361 00:21:25,680 --> 00:21:28,760 Speaker 1: don't need as many people working on ranches. And so 362 00:21:29,520 --> 00:21:32,159 Speaker 1: the town of Benjamin itself used to be a population 363 00:21:32,240 --> 00:21:36,280 Speaker 1: of like six hundred. Now it's like two. But that's 364 00:21:36,520 --> 00:21:40,359 Speaker 1: basically what it what it should be. And so my 365 00:21:40,560 --> 00:21:43,680 Speaker 1: dad and mom were both raised in the Depression years, 366 00:21:44,320 --> 00:21:47,680 Speaker 1: raised hard. My dad was in a large family and 367 00:21:47,760 --> 00:21:50,280 Speaker 1: that where they parceled out the kids to other families 368 00:21:50,320 --> 00:21:53,280 Speaker 1: where they could have enough to eat. My mom lived 369 00:21:53,320 --> 00:21:56,320 Speaker 1: in dugouts and tents during the Depression. She has bad 370 00:21:56,440 --> 00:22:00,440 Speaker 1: memories about it, but they were resilient people. And they've 371 00:22:00,480 --> 00:22:02,720 Speaker 1: taught my brother and I, especially my brother and I 372 00:22:03,440 --> 00:22:07,080 Speaker 1: my sister not so much, but taught us, you know, 373 00:22:07,280 --> 00:22:10,520 Speaker 1: how to how to be independent and to appreciate doing 374 00:22:10,640 --> 00:22:14,320 Speaker 1: things for yourself. And I appreciate that very much. And 375 00:22:14,400 --> 00:22:17,440 Speaker 1: it's and it's uh, it's been good good to me 376 00:22:17,640 --> 00:22:21,920 Speaker 1: because so much of my life revolves around, you know, uh, 377 00:22:22,480 --> 00:22:24,840 Speaker 1: doing things your own way and trying to figure things 378 00:22:24,920 --> 00:22:27,440 Speaker 1: out and uh and to make it work and make 379 00:22:27,520 --> 00:22:30,320 Speaker 1: do Yeah. Yeah, I mean the early part of your 380 00:22:30,400 --> 00:22:35,520 Speaker 1: story is very much just you know, the life most 381 00:22:35,600 --> 00:22:38,879 Speaker 1: kids would dream about, right, I mean, a roaming around 382 00:22:38,920 --> 00:22:42,440 Speaker 1: this country on horseback, roaming at willed your parents to 383 00:22:42,680 --> 00:22:48,840 Speaker 1: uh did not um uh you know, stay on you constantly, 384 00:22:48,960 --> 00:22:50,800 Speaker 1: you know where are you going. It was just like 385 00:22:50,960 --> 00:22:54,600 Speaker 1: watch for rattlesnakes. That that was the warning when we 386 00:22:54,760 --> 00:22:57,600 Speaker 1: were kids. When you go outside, y'all, watch for rattlesnakes. 387 00:22:58,280 --> 00:23:00,639 Speaker 1: And if you got a half a mile from the 388 00:23:00,720 --> 00:23:03,320 Speaker 1: house with your baby gut or you're twenty two and 389 00:23:03,520 --> 00:23:06,760 Speaker 1: mothers missed you, will she'd host jard holler and you 390 00:23:06,800 --> 00:23:09,040 Speaker 1: could hear a mile away. She had a shrill voice, 391 00:23:09,119 --> 00:23:11,200 Speaker 1: and you knew it was time to come back home. 392 00:23:11,280 --> 00:23:14,040 Speaker 1: But they just didn't keep a rain tight rain on you. 393 00:23:14,200 --> 00:23:16,720 Speaker 1: You were allowed to go out and be yourself and 394 00:23:16,840 --> 00:23:22,720 Speaker 1: explore and be creative and in doing uh fighting things 395 00:23:22,800 --> 00:23:25,280 Speaker 1: to do. And it was it was it was a 396 00:23:25,359 --> 00:23:28,480 Speaker 1: good thing. It's a good life. Well, I mean you 397 00:23:28,600 --> 00:23:31,399 Speaker 1: got a good power of description. I mean describe for 398 00:23:31,480 --> 00:23:33,480 Speaker 1: people listening that I've never been to this country. Of course, 399 00:23:33,560 --> 00:23:35,800 Speaker 1: this is north you call north central Texas, and I 400 00:23:35,840 --> 00:23:38,840 Speaker 1: would say, um, what this country looks like. I mean 401 00:23:39,040 --> 00:23:42,119 Speaker 1: the think, the land, the animals, just the feeling of 402 00:23:42,200 --> 00:23:48,399 Speaker 1: being here. Well, Uh, first off, weatherwise, it's we have 403 00:23:48,560 --> 00:23:53,240 Speaker 1: some fairly cool cold winters, very hot summers, so it's 404 00:23:53,320 --> 00:23:56,879 Speaker 1: it's kind of one extreme to the other. Um. It 405 00:23:57,480 --> 00:24:00,119 Speaker 1: we have a thousands of acres what they call all 406 00:24:00,200 --> 00:24:03,399 Speaker 1: the bad lands and local bad lands, Knox County bad lands, 407 00:24:04,560 --> 00:24:07,959 Speaker 1: and uh, it's it's just the old red beds, ancient 408 00:24:08,040 --> 00:24:14,920 Speaker 1: red beds, uh apparently old river beds because you'll find uh, gravel, 409 00:24:15,320 --> 00:24:17,680 Speaker 1: layers of gravel, and the edges of the cliffs with 410 00:24:17,760 --> 00:24:23,280 Speaker 1: a lot of of mammoth bones. I've actually had paleontologies 411 00:24:23,359 --> 00:24:26,320 Speaker 1: come out and I chow them these skeletons and they say, yes, 412 00:24:26,359 --> 00:24:30,560 Speaker 1: that's mammal, that's a's camel as the ancient horse bones. 413 00:24:31,280 --> 00:24:34,120 Speaker 1: And then you have your your deep soil sites where 414 00:24:34,160 --> 00:24:37,720 Speaker 1: there's a lot of mesquite. The bad lands pretty well 415 00:24:38,200 --> 00:24:43,720 Speaker 1: um is uh um dominated by by juniper. And then 416 00:24:43,800 --> 00:24:47,639 Speaker 1: you're you're deep soil size from a squite and to 417 00:24:47,760 --> 00:24:51,520 Speaker 1: boast the grass buffalo grass. We have whitetailed deer, a 418 00:24:51,720 --> 00:24:56,000 Speaker 1: lot of wild of wild farrell hogs, a lot of 419 00:24:56,119 --> 00:25:00,200 Speaker 1: coats and um and quite a few bobcats. We don't 420 00:25:00,200 --> 00:25:03,600 Speaker 1: have any foxes to speak of. They live more or 421 00:25:03,680 --> 00:25:07,560 Speaker 1: less in the in town where they're where they're protected 422 00:25:07,640 --> 00:25:11,639 Speaker 1: from codes. Because coyotes even like hot dogs, they hang 423 00:25:11,680 --> 00:25:14,119 Speaker 1: out at the bars, so they they hang out in 424 00:25:14,160 --> 00:25:17,879 Speaker 1: people's garages up in the attics because if they get 425 00:25:17,920 --> 00:25:20,560 Speaker 1: out of town, the coats eat them. And because we 426 00:25:20,640 --> 00:25:23,280 Speaker 1: have in the wintertime this is a central flyway, so 427 00:25:23,400 --> 00:25:27,680 Speaker 1: we have a good, uh, a good population of snow 428 00:25:27,760 --> 00:25:31,159 Speaker 1: geese and the and the Canadians come through. Not a 429 00:25:31,280 --> 00:25:34,400 Speaker 1: lot of ducks. Back in the sixties, you know, I've 430 00:25:34,440 --> 00:25:39,719 Speaker 1: seen a transition in the in the waterfowl, the makeup 431 00:25:39,800 --> 00:25:43,520 Speaker 1: of the water waterfowl population. In the sixties it was 432 00:25:43,600 --> 00:25:46,560 Speaker 1: just the opposite. We had a lot of crane sandhill 433 00:25:46,680 --> 00:25:53,520 Speaker 1: cranes that stayed here through the winter, tremendous almost unimaginable 434 00:25:53,680 --> 00:25:59,520 Speaker 1: numbers of green heads, canvasbacks, and a few uh Canadian geese. 435 00:25:59,640 --> 00:26:02,159 Speaker 1: And now it's just reversed. We have a few cranes 436 00:26:02,240 --> 00:26:07,040 Speaker 1: come in early along with your your teal and and 437 00:26:07,480 --> 00:26:11,280 Speaker 1: and those little species, and then the cranes move on 438 00:26:11,760 --> 00:26:15,840 Speaker 1: up to the Panhandle, right, and then the ducks they 439 00:26:15,960 --> 00:26:17,679 Speaker 1: just we just don't have the duck numbers we did 440 00:26:17,720 --> 00:26:20,640 Speaker 1: in the sixties. And I don't understand why, because we've 441 00:26:20,680 --> 00:26:25,680 Speaker 1: got as much or more water. But it may have 442 00:26:25,760 --> 00:26:30,439 Speaker 1: they switched. They've switched their flyaway there. Well, I mean 443 00:26:31,200 --> 00:26:33,879 Speaker 1: that's a good description of this place, and I mean 444 00:26:33,960 --> 00:26:36,159 Speaker 1: it's it's shaped you in a lot of ways. It 445 00:26:36,359 --> 00:26:40,119 Speaker 1: has um you know, like I say, growing up on 446 00:26:40,200 --> 00:26:43,800 Speaker 1: the ranch and and being raised as as an independent person. 447 00:26:44,400 --> 00:26:46,639 Speaker 1: And of course when I went to Texas Tech, I 448 00:26:46,720 --> 00:26:50,280 Speaker 1: studied wildlife biology and then whenever I laughed, instead of 449 00:26:50,320 --> 00:26:54,399 Speaker 1: getting a job, I became a coon hunter, professional kyban 450 00:26:54,440 --> 00:26:57,159 Speaker 1: hunter and living out on a pitchfork ranch and a 451 00:26:57,240 --> 00:27:00,960 Speaker 1: half dugout. And there's where you really became independent, because 452 00:27:01,040 --> 00:27:02,639 Speaker 1: you know, you go into town once week to get 453 00:27:02,720 --> 00:27:07,600 Speaker 1: groceries and um, and basically you were your own man. 454 00:27:07,720 --> 00:27:09,960 Speaker 1: I mean, there was there was nobody to ask questions to, 455 00:27:10,160 --> 00:27:13,600 Speaker 1: nobody to talk to to exchange ideas with. It was 456 00:27:13,720 --> 00:27:16,200 Speaker 1: just you in the land. Yeah, I want to go 457 00:27:16,359 --> 00:27:19,520 Speaker 1: through that specifically specific But I don't know if you've 458 00:27:19,760 --> 00:27:21,480 Speaker 1: ever talked about other than the time you told me 459 00:27:21,560 --> 00:27:23,800 Speaker 1: the first time you saw a hippie on the Texas 460 00:27:25,200 --> 00:27:28,000 Speaker 1: the first time you encountered a hippie who was having 461 00:27:28,040 --> 00:27:31,080 Speaker 1: a deep conversation with some fire and it was some 462 00:27:31,160 --> 00:27:34,400 Speaker 1: red ants, some harvest dance, so he was probably having 463 00:27:34,440 --> 00:27:39,359 Speaker 1: a good talk with him, apparently. So they're circumstances exactly. Um, 464 00:27:40,280 --> 00:27:42,760 Speaker 1: but you went to Texas Tech and wildlife biology was 465 00:27:42,840 --> 00:27:48,880 Speaker 1: the choice of trade. Was that just because the intense 466 00:27:49,119 --> 00:27:52,479 Speaker 1: connection you had to this place and the animals, all 467 00:27:52,520 --> 00:27:54,399 Speaker 1: those things, that's what drove you to that. And then 468 00:27:55,240 --> 00:27:58,440 Speaker 1: and the study of that kind of reaffirmed right. And 469 00:27:58,520 --> 00:28:01,080 Speaker 1: I knew that. I knew there were no job opportunities. 470 00:28:01,440 --> 00:28:04,159 Speaker 1: I was aware of that at the time, and but 471 00:28:04,359 --> 00:28:06,960 Speaker 1: I was determined to get a degree in wildlife apology 472 00:28:07,160 --> 00:28:11,080 Speaker 1: while back then they called it wildlife management. And um 473 00:28:12,000 --> 00:28:14,960 Speaker 1: but uh uh, you know, I mean I could have 474 00:28:15,000 --> 00:28:18,159 Speaker 1: been a cowboy heaven forbid. I mean, I respect, I 475 00:28:18,280 --> 00:28:22,560 Speaker 1: love cowboys. I love that life way. I still um 476 00:28:23,320 --> 00:28:25,840 Speaker 1: across paths with work with them. In some of my 477 00:28:25,880 --> 00:28:29,840 Speaker 1: photo shoots. I can speak their language. It's just that 478 00:28:29,920 --> 00:28:33,520 Speaker 1: I've smelled enough horse flat horse sweat my life. It's 479 00:28:33,560 --> 00:28:38,040 Speaker 1: just that I really loved working with with wild creatures. 480 00:28:38,800 --> 00:28:40,720 Speaker 1: That and I actually aspired at one time to be 481 00:28:40,760 --> 00:28:44,960 Speaker 1: a paleontologist and found out that it took too much math. 482 00:28:45,120 --> 00:28:48,440 Speaker 1: And so I'm not a mathematician. That I I still 483 00:28:48,680 --> 00:28:53,120 Speaker 1: have a great interest in paleontology. Yeah, well that so 484 00:28:53,240 --> 00:28:56,160 Speaker 1: you graduate from college, you go through the process there, 485 00:28:56,400 --> 00:29:00,400 Speaker 1: and you decide pretty much immediately right to to come 486 00:29:00,440 --> 00:29:05,440 Speaker 1: back come a professional hunter. You lived in a in 487 00:29:05,560 --> 00:29:08,880 Speaker 1: a It was a there's a no half dugout. It 488 00:29:08,960 --> 00:29:11,240 Speaker 1: was built in nineteen forty eight when the Pitchfork bought 489 00:29:11,960 --> 00:29:14,520 Speaker 1: that portion of the ranch from the Matador. And I 490 00:29:14,560 --> 00:29:18,720 Speaker 1: actually I actually knew uh the man who helped build 491 00:29:18,760 --> 00:29:24,280 Speaker 1: it in nineteen forty eight, and and so um uh 492 00:29:24,400 --> 00:29:27,280 Speaker 1: it was um just a little one room shack with 493 00:29:27,320 --> 00:29:30,840 Speaker 1: a fireplace in the end, and uh partially you know, 494 00:29:30,960 --> 00:29:32,880 Speaker 1: the windows up was out of the ground and the 495 00:29:32,920 --> 00:29:36,520 Speaker 1: windows down was below ground. And it was in the 496 00:29:36,600 --> 00:29:39,000 Speaker 1: middle of a hundred and sixty eight thousand ranch, a 497 00:29:39,120 --> 00:29:42,360 Speaker 1: Pacer ranch, And of course I had surrounding ranches that 498 00:29:42,400 --> 00:29:46,080 Speaker 1: I hunted on also, uh you had the bags fifty 499 00:29:46,120 --> 00:29:49,320 Speaker 1: thousand acres, and you had uh an old fellow name 500 00:29:49,360 --> 00:29:52,520 Speaker 1: of Hubert Young, and he had ten thousand acres, and 501 00:29:52,600 --> 00:29:55,480 Speaker 1: then you had the Springer. It was forty thousand and 502 00:29:55,560 --> 00:30:01,160 Speaker 1: another ten thousand acre ranch. And that was before commercial hunting. 503 00:30:01,600 --> 00:30:03,680 Speaker 1: I was the only guy out there. I never heard 504 00:30:03,720 --> 00:30:07,360 Speaker 1: a rifle shot. I never saw another person hunting. The 505 00:30:07,520 --> 00:30:10,240 Speaker 1: years that I spent three winners that I spent, actually 506 00:30:10,360 --> 00:30:13,040 Speaker 1: five winners. I spent three winners living in the dugout, 507 00:30:13,560 --> 00:30:16,480 Speaker 1: and then two other winners hunting out there still working 508 00:30:16,520 --> 00:30:20,080 Speaker 1: out of Benjamin. I never saw anybody else having And 509 00:30:20,160 --> 00:30:22,520 Speaker 1: it was it was like you stepped back into the 510 00:30:22,600 --> 00:30:27,000 Speaker 1: eighteen hundreds in nineteenth century. Yeah, you're living in You're 511 00:30:27,040 --> 00:30:29,360 Speaker 1: living in a one room dugout. Very much that was 512 00:30:29,840 --> 00:30:32,840 Speaker 1: very much akin to when it was built in the forties, right, 513 00:30:33,000 --> 00:30:35,240 Speaker 1: I'm seeing pictures. I mean it is. It was literally 514 00:30:35,280 --> 00:30:37,520 Speaker 1: a one room hole in the in the side of 515 00:30:37,560 --> 00:30:43,440 Speaker 1: the hill and you're you get up every morning, you're 516 00:30:43,560 --> 00:30:49,040 Speaker 1: running traplines, weren't you and just talked about the daily life. 517 00:30:49,120 --> 00:30:51,680 Speaker 1: Because I think we've talked a lot about this in 518 00:30:51,760 --> 00:30:53,880 Speaker 1: this visit when we've visited a bunch of times, but 519 00:30:53,960 --> 00:30:58,880 Speaker 1: in this particularly visit a lot about what how soft 520 00:30:58,960 --> 00:31:01,280 Speaker 1: our life is right now? Yeah? You know, my like 521 00:31:01,360 --> 00:31:04,080 Speaker 1: how how I'm trying to escape the softest of life 522 00:31:04,160 --> 00:31:06,720 Speaker 1: by going out and hunting. You came out of college 523 00:31:07,160 --> 00:31:16,040 Speaker 1: and plunged into the headlong into the hardest, hardest life 524 00:31:16,160 --> 00:31:18,960 Speaker 1: imaginable it was, you know. Of course I didn't. I 525 00:31:19,040 --> 00:31:23,240 Speaker 1: didn't going to a dog pool, slid or anything like that. 526 00:31:23,360 --> 00:31:26,240 Speaker 1: I had my forward drive pick up. But every morning 527 00:31:26,360 --> 00:31:28,720 Speaker 1: was it was a ritual, every every day I took 528 00:31:28,760 --> 00:31:31,800 Speaker 1: out when I when I moved in, I took five 529 00:31:31,880 --> 00:31:35,560 Speaker 1: thousand rounds twenty ammunition and a couple of hundred rounds 530 00:31:35,560 --> 00:31:38,720 Speaker 1: a high powered rifle to shoot my cos with my 531 00:31:38,800 --> 00:31:42,280 Speaker 1: twenty two I used to dispatch animals and trapped in practice, 532 00:31:43,560 --> 00:31:47,440 Speaker 1: and of course my my food stuff. And then in 533 00:31:47,520 --> 00:31:51,240 Speaker 1: the mornings, I would get get up before daylight, eat breakfast, 534 00:31:51,840 --> 00:31:56,720 Speaker 1: fixed my lunch, same lunch every day, a summer saucege sandwich, 535 00:31:57,360 --> 00:32:05,280 Speaker 1: canteena water, and a peanut peanut patty candy bar that 536 00:32:05,400 --> 00:32:08,240 Speaker 1: I would not eat a piece of it until I 537 00:32:08,360 --> 00:32:11,480 Speaker 1: caught an animal. When I called a code, I would 538 00:32:11,480 --> 00:32:16,360 Speaker 1: break a piece off to reward myself, and all day 539 00:32:16,520 --> 00:32:19,040 Speaker 1: I went along the trap line like fifty sixty miles 540 00:32:19,640 --> 00:32:21,720 Speaker 1: and then when I got back to cabin in the evening, 541 00:32:22,480 --> 00:32:25,960 Speaker 1: I skinned stretched and if I had enough time, I 542 00:32:26,000 --> 00:32:31,520 Speaker 1: would practice shooting with my Winchester and mountain and uh 543 00:32:31,600 --> 00:32:34,560 Speaker 1: then I'd cut for firewood, draw my water for that 544 00:32:34,760 --> 00:32:37,760 Speaker 1: night for either a bath only took one bath a week, 545 00:32:38,360 --> 00:32:42,680 Speaker 1: or washing dishes, and then I would finish dinner, wash 546 00:32:42,760 --> 00:32:45,840 Speaker 1: the dishes right in my journal, sit in front of 547 00:32:45,880 --> 00:32:49,720 Speaker 1: the fire, and then go to bed. Every night, seven 548 00:32:49,800 --> 00:32:52,960 Speaker 1: days a week, thirty days a month. All went along. 549 00:32:53,200 --> 00:32:55,080 Speaker 1: That's what that was alive, and it was great. I 550 00:32:55,160 --> 00:32:59,360 Speaker 1: loved it. I loved it. First winter was fabulous. Second 551 00:32:59,400 --> 00:33:03,840 Speaker 1: winter got at tougher. Third winner was real tough because 552 00:33:03,880 --> 00:33:09,560 Speaker 1: I've become a little bit more uh social, and living 553 00:33:09,640 --> 00:33:12,160 Speaker 1: down there, you were pretty restricted. I mean you're a 554 00:33:12,240 --> 00:33:14,360 Speaker 1: young man at this point, right, you know. I needed 555 00:33:14,360 --> 00:33:17,160 Speaker 1: to see somebody. Yeah, And so every once in a 556 00:33:17,160 --> 00:33:19,479 Speaker 1: while cowboy would come by and I'd say hi to him, 557 00:33:19,560 --> 00:33:20,920 Speaker 1: be able to talk to him. But other than that, 558 00:33:21,680 --> 00:33:24,400 Speaker 1: I'd go to a day or two days without saying anything. 559 00:33:25,600 --> 00:33:27,720 Speaker 1: And that that kind of got to you after a while. Yeah, 560 00:33:27,880 --> 00:33:31,880 Speaker 1: I imagine it would. So you're killing coyotes, bobcats. You're 561 00:33:32,120 --> 00:33:36,400 Speaker 1: you're earning money right from from the pelts, right, so 562 00:33:36,720 --> 00:33:41,000 Speaker 1: you were how many coyotes, uh, among how many kids 563 00:33:41,080 --> 00:33:43,480 Speaker 1: the season? And how many bobcats? Well, how much money 564 00:33:43,480 --> 00:33:46,160 Speaker 1: would you make? Well, you know we did our coach 565 00:33:46,280 --> 00:33:49,840 Speaker 1: here in Texas. Weren't worth that much. You're fifteen bucks piece. 566 00:33:50,680 --> 00:33:53,040 Speaker 1: But I needed to make four. I need to catch 567 00:33:53,080 --> 00:33:56,600 Speaker 1: four animal units today. And I considered an animal unit 568 00:33:56,720 --> 00:33:59,640 Speaker 1: a coyote bobcat was worth two animal units of fox 569 00:33:59,720 --> 00:34:03,680 Speaker 1: three order of the unit. And uh, with four animal 570 00:34:03,760 --> 00:34:06,360 Speaker 1: units today, I could make my pickup payment, my college 571 00:34:06,480 --> 00:34:09,399 Speaker 1: loan payment, and buy groceries and have some spending money. 572 00:34:10,280 --> 00:34:13,280 Speaker 1: And so my goal was to get four animal units today. 573 00:34:13,360 --> 00:34:16,000 Speaker 1: And I did a lot of people nowadays say I'm 574 00:34:16,040 --> 00:34:18,360 Speaker 1: a professional hunter. That is what you were. It was 575 00:34:18,520 --> 00:34:22,960 Speaker 1: professionally that was hunting and trapping, right, Yeah, I mean 576 00:34:23,000 --> 00:34:25,400 Speaker 1: what did? I ask many questions about that time in 577 00:34:25,440 --> 00:34:27,080 Speaker 1: your life, But one of I always thought was like, 578 00:34:28,080 --> 00:34:31,400 Speaker 1: what are your main takeaways? Because well, I'll tell you. 579 00:34:31,640 --> 00:34:36,000 Speaker 1: You know, uh, you know, with age, you you know, 580 00:34:36,200 --> 00:34:38,759 Speaker 1: you you become mellowed out, you don't hunt as much. 581 00:34:38,840 --> 00:34:42,640 Speaker 1: But I can look back on those years and realize 582 00:34:42,800 --> 00:34:48,000 Speaker 1: that hunting at that level it is people can't fathom 583 00:34:49,040 --> 00:34:53,360 Speaker 1: being that involved in hunting today, uh, back in the 584 00:34:53,440 --> 00:34:59,440 Speaker 1: eighteen hundred year. But you become so you become so 585 00:34:59,600 --> 00:35:03,680 Speaker 1: involved solved in the natural history of the species that 586 00:35:03,800 --> 00:35:08,160 Speaker 1: you were after every I mean every track. You know, 587 00:35:08,320 --> 00:35:11,879 Speaker 1: you studied the tracks, You studied the what you thought 588 00:35:12,000 --> 00:35:14,200 Speaker 1: was the time of day or night the tracts were made. 589 00:35:14,520 --> 00:35:19,680 Speaker 1: You watched weather patterns. Uh, you anticipated animal movements in 590 00:35:19,760 --> 00:35:24,680 Speaker 1: accordance to weather patterns. Uh. You learned that cos travel 591 00:35:24,800 --> 00:35:28,640 Speaker 1: in certain areas in the daytime versus night time. And 592 00:35:29,560 --> 00:35:32,800 Speaker 1: your average person today who goes out and quote hunts, 593 00:35:33,320 --> 00:35:38,719 Speaker 1: has no idea of that level of understanding of the 594 00:35:38,840 --> 00:35:43,480 Speaker 1: natural history of animals that you have to that you 595 00:35:43,640 --> 00:35:47,160 Speaker 1: have to have in order to be a professional hunter. 596 00:35:48,280 --> 00:35:51,520 Speaker 1: And and it's I wouldn't trade for those years. Well 597 00:35:51,600 --> 00:35:55,560 Speaker 1: not only did or your professional hunter, but you were 598 00:35:55,719 --> 00:36:01,000 Speaker 1: as a biologist, logging your kills the blood exactly I 599 00:36:01,080 --> 00:36:04,000 Speaker 1: took all. I was very much a note taker, and 600 00:36:04,280 --> 00:36:07,160 Speaker 1: and I would document each animal, uh, you know, at 601 00:36:07,200 --> 00:36:08,960 Speaker 1: the distance that I shot it. Or the trap I 602 00:36:09,000 --> 00:36:11,840 Speaker 1: caught it in, what foot I caught it on? And 603 00:36:12,120 --> 00:36:15,200 Speaker 1: um and I still have all those that information today 604 00:36:16,239 --> 00:36:20,000 Speaker 1: from all all the way back in the journals. Now 605 00:36:20,480 --> 00:36:23,200 Speaker 1: I've I've with a rifle. I've shot one thousand, seven 606 00:36:23,320 --> 00:36:25,880 Speaker 1: hundred and sixty with a rifle alone, and I was 607 00:36:26,120 --> 00:36:30,040 Speaker 1: not counting traps. It was another hundred or sold with traps, 608 00:36:30,800 --> 00:36:35,920 Speaker 1: eight hundred and seventy seven bomb cats and so you know, 609 00:36:36,040 --> 00:36:38,279 Speaker 1: and and it's something and it's not something that I'm 610 00:36:38,320 --> 00:36:41,319 Speaker 1: necessarily proud of. It is just that was a way 611 00:36:41,360 --> 00:36:44,600 Speaker 1: of life. Yeah, you know. And and as like I said, 612 00:36:44,640 --> 00:36:46,560 Speaker 1: as an older person, I don't hunt like I used to. 613 00:36:47,640 --> 00:36:50,120 Speaker 1: I have a softer heart than I used to have. 614 00:36:50,440 --> 00:36:53,560 Speaker 1: That's always the most interesting storyline about you know, when 615 00:36:53,600 --> 00:36:56,400 Speaker 1: I think about your life, which is this tremendous tapestry 616 00:36:56,480 --> 00:37:00,960 Speaker 1: of you know, something that's to be admired really and 617 00:37:01,120 --> 00:37:03,719 Speaker 1: in all its stages. But when you're when you're back 618 00:37:03,760 --> 00:37:07,200 Speaker 1: there and you're killing these kayaks for a living, you 619 00:37:07,239 --> 00:37:09,759 Speaker 1: know a lot of people nowadays might say, well, what 620 00:37:09,880 --> 00:37:11,960 Speaker 1: a terrible thing. You're going out there and just taking 621 00:37:12,080 --> 00:37:15,320 Speaker 1: life and wholesale and make money and you're selling furs, 622 00:37:15,440 --> 00:37:18,320 Speaker 1: and you know, in the modern day that might be 623 00:37:18,440 --> 00:37:21,880 Speaker 1: looked at as as a negative to the landscape. But 624 00:37:22,360 --> 00:37:24,560 Speaker 1: describe in that place in time, you know how you 625 00:37:24,640 --> 00:37:26,680 Speaker 1: thought about the animal, you respect for it. I mean, 626 00:37:26,719 --> 00:37:28,560 Speaker 1: I know just from knowing you that that's the case 627 00:37:28,719 --> 00:37:31,120 Speaker 1: I did have and I still do. I mean, I'll 628 00:37:31,160 --> 00:37:33,040 Speaker 1: always have great respect for the cord And I think 629 00:37:33,080 --> 00:37:37,520 Speaker 1: they're very intelligent u uh an animal that uh they 630 00:37:37,560 --> 00:37:40,840 Speaker 1: can make those make the changes with man, whereas the 631 00:37:40,880 --> 00:37:45,600 Speaker 1: wolf could not, and they were pretty well exterminated from Texas. 632 00:37:45,719 --> 00:37:54,080 Speaker 1: But the couches uh very adaptive and very sharp, and 633 00:37:54,400 --> 00:37:59,120 Speaker 1: so early on the one of the reasons that I 634 00:37:59,200 --> 00:38:01,120 Speaker 1: started taking no it was that I just wanted to 635 00:38:01,200 --> 00:38:05,680 Speaker 1: learn more about them. And so the earliest notes came 636 00:38:05,800 --> 00:38:08,759 Speaker 1: whenever I was in uh like a sophomore at TAG 637 00:38:09,640 --> 00:38:12,080 Speaker 1: and I wanted to become a better code hunter, and 638 00:38:12,160 --> 00:38:15,480 Speaker 1: so I thought, well, I'm going to have to understand 639 00:38:15,719 --> 00:38:18,839 Speaker 1: the feeding habits of code. So I conducted a full 640 00:38:19,000 --> 00:38:23,360 Speaker 1: year of research on my own by collecting stomach samples, 641 00:38:23,480 --> 00:38:30,520 Speaker 1: fecal samples, and uh documenting the areas um separating them 642 00:38:30,600 --> 00:38:38,440 Speaker 1: by vegetation, topographical geogy, geological features, and then I received 643 00:38:38,480 --> 00:38:43,600 Speaker 1: a grant to study another year and so, um, you know, 644 00:38:43,719 --> 00:38:46,120 Speaker 1: all of this, this note taking has been a very 645 00:38:46,200 --> 00:38:49,000 Speaker 1: positive thing because to this day, I'll sit down, I'll 646 00:38:49,040 --> 00:38:51,600 Speaker 1: get bored some danger sitting with all those notes and 647 00:38:51,760 --> 00:38:55,719 Speaker 1: go through them just to remember and and uh and 648 00:38:55,800 --> 00:38:58,520 Speaker 1: I'll see things that I've forgotten, you know, in in 649 00:38:58,640 --> 00:39:01,800 Speaker 1: thirty years since I've seen and it's uh, he just 650 00:39:01,920 --> 00:39:05,400 Speaker 1: continues to be a learning process even after all these years. 651 00:39:06,120 --> 00:39:10,080 Speaker 1: I mean, didn't when you were a professional hunter back 652 00:39:10,120 --> 00:39:12,680 Speaker 1: in those days. You're living in a dugout, do you 653 00:39:12,760 --> 00:39:14,480 Speaker 1: remember having Do you have any of that? Do you 654 00:39:14,520 --> 00:39:18,320 Speaker 1: sit here now and your grandfather and time has passed, 655 00:39:18,360 --> 00:39:20,440 Speaker 1: you look back and have any remorse for for the 656 00:39:20,480 --> 00:39:25,560 Speaker 1: animals you killed? Yes, yes I do. I do. I 657 00:39:25,600 --> 00:39:30,800 Speaker 1: I can recall some instances, especially one one day that 658 00:39:31,040 --> 00:39:35,120 Speaker 1: that touched my heart into this day, and that has 659 00:39:35,160 --> 00:39:39,360 Speaker 1: been forty four years ago to this day still tugged 660 00:39:39,400 --> 00:39:43,880 Speaker 1: at my heart. And um, and it was the kids 661 00:39:43,920 --> 00:39:47,799 Speaker 1: I've caught in a trap and uh and I don't 662 00:39:47,800 --> 00:39:50,000 Speaker 1: know that that kyd he just he just sat there 663 00:39:50,080 --> 00:39:52,839 Speaker 1: and just and just looked at me. I didn't try 664 00:39:52,880 --> 00:40:00,959 Speaker 1: to fight. And then whenever I I dispatched it. There 665 00:40:01,200 --> 00:40:09,080 Speaker 1: there was there was a look of helplessness that it 666 00:40:09,239 --> 00:40:11,879 Speaker 1: knew it was going down. And and I sat down 667 00:40:11,960 --> 00:40:15,879 Speaker 1: in my pickup and cried. After all those all those 668 00:40:15,920 --> 00:40:19,120 Speaker 1: animals had taken, that particular animal made me sit down 669 00:40:19,160 --> 00:40:22,040 Speaker 1: in my pickup and cry. And to this day I 670 00:40:22,120 --> 00:40:24,160 Speaker 1: still think about it. It tugs at my heart. And 671 00:40:24,280 --> 00:40:27,799 Speaker 1: another one in particular, is one of the first really 672 00:40:27,880 --> 00:40:30,520 Speaker 1: neat shot photographs i'd take him because at that time 673 00:40:30,600 --> 00:40:33,359 Speaker 1: I was working on my photography. I remember I called 674 00:40:33,400 --> 00:40:35,200 Speaker 1: him in the J two pasture on the pitch for 675 00:40:35,280 --> 00:40:39,719 Speaker 1: a real rough country, just savagely rough country. And it 676 00:40:39,840 --> 00:40:42,080 Speaker 1: was at the dead end of an old bulldozed road 677 00:40:42,120 --> 00:40:45,399 Speaker 1: and I caught this big mail code and I mean 678 00:40:45,480 --> 00:40:47,640 Speaker 1: he stood up and fought me like a lion. I 679 00:40:47,680 --> 00:40:49,360 Speaker 1: mean I got out of the pick up and he 680 00:40:49,520 --> 00:40:52,080 Speaker 1: was snarling. He was caught up in a number four 681 00:40:52,200 --> 00:40:54,920 Speaker 1: new house trap, no way of getting out. And I 682 00:40:55,080 --> 00:40:57,279 Speaker 1: had the greatest respect for that animal. And I pulled 683 00:40:57,320 --> 00:41:00,120 Speaker 1: a camera out and took a photograph of him, and 684 00:41:00,160 --> 00:41:02,560 Speaker 1: I mean, he's got his teeth bared and he's just saying, 685 00:41:02,800 --> 00:41:06,080 Speaker 1: you know, I know, this is it bringing home? And 686 00:41:06,520 --> 00:41:09,320 Speaker 1: and I still think of that that animal and that 687 00:41:09,560 --> 00:41:12,399 Speaker 1: that that bravery that he showed in the face of death. 688 00:41:13,040 --> 00:41:16,200 Speaker 1: That picture was selected by Texas Monthly as one of 689 00:41:16,280 --> 00:41:18,440 Speaker 1: their greatest pictures of twenty five years that they had 690 00:41:18,480 --> 00:41:22,480 Speaker 1: published that magazine. Wow. Yeah, I mean that that's a 691 00:41:22,560 --> 00:41:26,880 Speaker 1: great I find myself. I'm not I got a lot 692 00:41:26,920 --> 00:41:28,680 Speaker 1: of years to live, hopefully a lot of years to hunt. 693 00:41:28,680 --> 00:41:31,759 Speaker 1: But I find myself examining those those that relationship with 694 00:41:31,840 --> 00:41:34,840 Speaker 1: the animals that you kill me because you said, you 695 00:41:34,960 --> 00:41:38,600 Speaker 1: kill thousands upon thousands of these animals, but it doesn't 696 00:41:38,640 --> 00:41:43,640 Speaker 1: mean that you don't have an emotional connection to him. Uh. Today, 697 00:41:43,719 --> 00:41:45,480 Speaker 1: And and then, like I said, it was just a 698 00:41:45,600 --> 00:41:47,879 Speaker 1: way of life. Is a way of Life's what you did. 699 00:41:48,040 --> 00:41:50,640 Speaker 1: It was a way of life and and uh and 700 00:41:50,760 --> 00:41:53,600 Speaker 1: I also I was enjoying just being a part of 701 00:41:53,640 --> 00:41:57,040 Speaker 1: the land. You know, every day, the sunsets, the sun rises, 702 00:41:57,120 --> 00:42:01,600 Speaker 1: the weather changes, all of those things still have an 703 00:42:01,640 --> 00:42:04,799 Speaker 1: impact on me today. I still refer back to those 704 00:42:04,920 --> 00:42:09,160 Speaker 1: years and and what I learned in in the animal movements, 705 00:42:09,200 --> 00:42:12,880 Speaker 1: animal patterns, Like I can say, like, for instance, a 706 00:42:12,920 --> 00:42:16,840 Speaker 1: couple of days ago, I saw a rattlesnake crawling. Anytime 707 00:42:16,920 --> 00:42:21,400 Speaker 1: that I start seeing an immediate, uh, an increase in 708 00:42:21,640 --> 00:42:24,239 Speaker 1: animal movement. When I'm walking in the mornings, You'll start 709 00:42:24,320 --> 00:42:29,240 Speaker 1: seeing various creatures. Tracks suddenly appear, and I'll tell slender 710 00:42:29,280 --> 00:42:32,400 Speaker 1: my wife, we got weather coming. And I learned that 711 00:42:33,560 --> 00:42:36,640 Speaker 1: from those years as a professional hunter, because I studied, 712 00:42:36,719 --> 00:42:40,560 Speaker 1: I lived and breathed those habits, those weather changes and 713 00:42:40,640 --> 00:42:44,520 Speaker 1: how they affected animals behavior and uh, and it's just 714 00:42:44,719 --> 00:42:47,640 Speaker 1: and it still serves me today. Yeah, that's amazing. You 715 00:42:47,680 --> 00:42:51,160 Speaker 1: don't have to become an animal yourself. You're out there, yeah, 716 00:42:51,239 --> 00:42:53,680 Speaker 1: not not speaking for some days, and I'm sure I 717 00:42:53,719 --> 00:42:56,279 Speaker 1: can feel like that. You're getting your own head. Yeah, 718 00:42:56,360 --> 00:42:59,000 Speaker 1: you're getting your own head big time. You better like yourself, 719 00:42:59,080 --> 00:43:02,480 Speaker 1: so all I can say you better like, Yeah, you 720 00:43:02,600 --> 00:43:06,399 Speaker 1: better enjoy just you know, appreciate you being you because 721 00:43:06,440 --> 00:43:09,520 Speaker 1: you're gonna learn yourself. Did you I mean, when you 722 00:43:09,600 --> 00:43:12,239 Speaker 1: were doing that, did you think, Hey, look, four years 723 00:43:12,280 --> 00:43:13,960 Speaker 1: from now, I'm gonna look back and there's gonna be 724 00:43:14,040 --> 00:43:15,759 Speaker 1: the golden years. Do you think, Man, this is I'm 725 00:43:15,760 --> 00:43:18,640 Speaker 1: a crazy son picture for doing this. I mean, was 726 00:43:18,680 --> 00:43:21,160 Speaker 1: there a self realization at any point during this? Now 727 00:43:21,239 --> 00:43:28,480 Speaker 1: I realized that the days would end? And uh, and 728 00:43:28,520 --> 00:43:30,960 Speaker 1: I remember drawing on the wall and it's been covered 729 00:43:31,040 --> 00:43:35,920 Speaker 1: up since then. It was the last few days of 730 00:43:36,080 --> 00:43:39,000 Speaker 1: that first winter, that first winner was the golden winter. 731 00:43:39,120 --> 00:43:42,640 Speaker 1: That was the best because I've been seemingly all my 732 00:43:42,760 --> 00:43:45,880 Speaker 1: life in school. As most guys that go to college realized, 733 00:43:46,160 --> 00:43:49,240 Speaker 1: you go from the well in my day's first grade 734 00:43:49,800 --> 00:43:54,080 Speaker 1: to college and there's no break. And he's like, I've 735 00:43:54,120 --> 00:43:56,440 Speaker 1: been going to school forever, and I was sick of it. 736 00:43:56,640 --> 00:43:59,880 Speaker 1: And man, going out and being on your own and 737 00:44:00,080 --> 00:44:03,920 Speaker 1: of course immersing yourself in the land with a rifle. 738 00:44:04,160 --> 00:44:07,040 Speaker 1: I always love to hunt. Wasn't that bigger fisherman, but 739 00:44:07,160 --> 00:44:10,680 Speaker 1: I love to hunt and uh and I love just big, 740 00:44:10,760 --> 00:44:14,120 Speaker 1: wide open country with with lots of elbow room. And 741 00:44:14,239 --> 00:44:16,960 Speaker 1: I realized something told me that first winter, at the 742 00:44:17,160 --> 00:44:21,600 Speaker 1: end that my days were limited. This freedom would some 743 00:44:21,800 --> 00:44:24,640 Speaker 1: day in this this level of freedom. I mean, I'm 744 00:44:25,040 --> 00:44:27,120 Speaker 1: free and happy today, I'm doing what I wanna do. 745 00:44:28,000 --> 00:44:32,040 Speaker 1: But back then, man, it was it was really indescribable. 746 00:44:32,719 --> 00:44:35,920 Speaker 1: And I drew on the door, on the closet door, 747 00:44:35,960 --> 00:44:38,240 Speaker 1: and that had a little tiny closet in the corner, 748 00:44:38,280 --> 00:44:41,359 Speaker 1: and that that dugout a dug out, and I drew 749 00:44:41,360 --> 00:44:45,439 Speaker 1: a cowd in a trap, and in the distance were 750 00:44:45,640 --> 00:44:49,399 Speaker 1: these two prominent hills called Double Mountains. They've been They've 751 00:44:49,480 --> 00:44:54,440 Speaker 1: been mentioned in in uh Ronald Mackenzie's books on his 752 00:44:54,680 --> 00:44:58,640 Speaker 1: fight with the Indians commands in eighteen seventies. They've been 753 00:44:59,040 --> 00:45:02,279 Speaker 1: landmarked for probably ten thousand years. But I could see 754 00:45:02,360 --> 00:45:06,040 Speaker 1: him in the distance from my trap line, and I 755 00:45:06,120 --> 00:45:08,920 Speaker 1: drew those heels, and I drew this code in a 756 00:45:09,000 --> 00:45:11,759 Speaker 1: trap and drag marks leading up to where it caught, 757 00:45:12,239 --> 00:45:15,800 Speaker 1: being caught up and couldn't go any further. And I 758 00:45:15,920 --> 00:45:22,719 Speaker 1: wrote beneath it, uh, something to the effect of to 759 00:45:22,920 --> 00:45:26,359 Speaker 1: this end, Let's see what was it? Uh? I too, 760 00:45:26,560 --> 00:45:30,520 Speaker 1: I too shall to realize this end, meaning that this 761 00:45:30,960 --> 00:45:36,200 Speaker 1: grand life of freedom will someday be over. And uh 762 00:45:36,280 --> 00:45:38,320 Speaker 1: it got painted over a few years ago, and it 763 00:45:38,360 --> 00:45:41,440 Speaker 1: just makes me sick. I'm thinking about going back out 764 00:45:41,480 --> 00:45:44,839 Speaker 1: there and trying to redraw. Yeah. Did you ever get 765 00:45:44,880 --> 00:45:46,719 Speaker 1: a photo of it? Or just I did not know? 766 00:45:47,520 --> 00:45:50,480 Speaker 1: I did not? Oh? Yeah, I mean that too. It 767 00:45:50,600 --> 00:45:54,520 Speaker 1: was to this end, I too shall pass, To this end, 768 00:45:54,600 --> 00:45:57,000 Speaker 1: I too shall pass. And it was a code in 769 00:45:57,080 --> 00:46:01,000 Speaker 1: a trap, and knowing that the end was near, and 770 00:46:01,120 --> 00:46:03,880 Speaker 1: seeing that great land or those heels in the distance, 771 00:46:03,920 --> 00:46:07,600 Speaker 1: and knowing the freedom and it would be over. And 772 00:46:07,719 --> 00:46:09,160 Speaker 1: that's the way I felt at the end of that 773 00:46:09,239 --> 00:46:12,640 Speaker 1: first winter, and it was true. I've never have never 774 00:46:12,760 --> 00:46:15,520 Speaker 1: been able to feel that kind of magic again. I've 775 00:46:15,600 --> 00:46:19,360 Speaker 1: had great life, wonderful life of of traveling and seeing 776 00:46:19,400 --> 00:46:22,560 Speaker 1: the land and going on ranches where nobody else hardly 777 00:46:22,600 --> 00:46:26,080 Speaker 1: ever goes, but with a camera in hand. But there's 778 00:46:26,120 --> 00:46:28,880 Speaker 1: always that restriction now that I didn't have it back then. 779 00:46:29,360 --> 00:46:36,040 Speaker 1: I was young, totally completely healthy, lots of ammunition and 780 00:46:36,360 --> 00:46:38,040 Speaker 1: and more land than I knew what to do with. 781 00:46:38,640 --> 00:46:40,359 Speaker 1: And I've never known that sense. And of course now 782 00:46:40,440 --> 00:46:44,120 Speaker 1: with commercial hunting taking over, that land doesn't exist anymore. 783 00:46:44,520 --> 00:46:47,920 Speaker 1: It's gone. I can still go to that cabin and 784 00:46:48,000 --> 00:46:50,920 Speaker 1: I'm welcome to the rancher says, hey, go out there 785 00:46:50,960 --> 00:46:54,040 Speaker 1: and do whatever you wanna do. You know you're part 786 00:46:54,080 --> 00:46:55,759 Speaker 1: of this ranch as well. You think you're part of 787 00:46:55,800 --> 00:46:59,160 Speaker 1: the history. But all that country's lease. And so I 788 00:46:59,280 --> 00:47:02,600 Speaker 1: go down there and I work on the cabin. I'll 789 00:47:02,640 --> 00:47:05,920 Speaker 1: pop open a beer, eat some deer sausage, sat down 790 00:47:05,960 --> 00:47:10,560 Speaker 1: on the porch and remember, and then I'll leave. Yeah, 791 00:47:11,520 --> 00:47:15,520 Speaker 1: I mean that isn't every person in some way chasing 792 00:47:15,560 --> 00:47:18,160 Speaker 1: that sense of freedom? Like not everybody knows exactly how 793 00:47:18,200 --> 00:47:21,000 Speaker 1: they're gonna get to it. Believe me, I whenever I 794 00:47:21,120 --> 00:47:24,239 Speaker 1: give presentations and I talk about I have one presentation 795 00:47:24,320 --> 00:47:27,000 Speaker 1: that I give quite often, and it's called the Evolution 796 00:47:27,080 --> 00:47:30,600 Speaker 1: of a Texas Photographer, And and I give that part 797 00:47:30,640 --> 00:47:34,480 Speaker 1: of my life and almost without failed, people come up 798 00:47:34,520 --> 00:47:38,280 Speaker 1: to me, older people especially, and say, how I wish 799 00:47:38,440 --> 00:47:41,080 Speaker 1: I would have taken the opportunity to do that, because 800 00:47:41,080 --> 00:47:43,960 Speaker 1: there's only a small window of time. If I give 801 00:47:44,080 --> 00:47:49,000 Speaker 1: presentations to say to a college class, I will, I 802 00:47:49,160 --> 00:47:53,480 Speaker 1: will every time on the time, I will say, when 803 00:47:53,520 --> 00:47:57,759 Speaker 1: you finish college, you have this small wind o opportunity 804 00:47:58,520 --> 00:48:02,000 Speaker 1: to do exactly what you want to do. And I said, 805 00:48:02,040 --> 00:48:06,080 Speaker 1: when you let that window pass, it's over your stab. 806 00:48:06,280 --> 00:48:09,400 Speaker 1: You become that's in that established line of life, you know, 807 00:48:09,560 --> 00:48:14,000 Speaker 1: and that so called rut, and it's hard to turn back. 808 00:48:14,280 --> 00:48:16,000 Speaker 1: I said, So, if you have any kind of a 809 00:48:16,560 --> 00:48:21,000 Speaker 1: a dream, you know, some heartfelt message that you want 810 00:48:21,040 --> 00:48:24,840 Speaker 1: to go try out for a year, do it. Because 811 00:48:25,000 --> 00:48:27,520 Speaker 1: it is sad to talk to those people who will 812 00:48:27,719 --> 00:48:30,600 Speaker 1: will visit with me and say I had that opportunity, 813 00:48:30,719 --> 00:48:34,560 Speaker 1: and I didn't take it. Yeah, but I can go 814 00:48:35,560 --> 00:48:43,720 Speaker 1: if I pass tomorrow. I have no regrets. I guess 815 00:48:43,760 --> 00:48:46,239 Speaker 1: I grew up on an older row. All right. That 816 00:48:46,360 --> 00:48:50,080 Speaker 1: was Wyman Menzer. Thanks to him, thanks to his wife Selenda, 817 00:48:50,560 --> 00:48:53,359 Speaker 1: thanks to their kids for letting me come and bother them, 818 00:48:53,400 --> 00:48:57,040 Speaker 1: and Benjamin and it's home. Uh. I love that guy. 819 00:48:57,280 --> 00:48:59,719 Speaker 1: So you go back and listen to that podcast with 820 00:49:00,040 --> 00:49:02,640 Speaker 1: Wyman and here the rest of it. There's a whole 821 00:49:02,680 --> 00:49:04,279 Speaker 1: lot of good stories you didn't get out of that bit. 822 00:49:04,960 --> 00:49:08,200 Speaker 1: So go find that podcast, download it and listen to it. 823 00:49:08,360 --> 00:49:11,920 Speaker 1: Even if you already have. It's worth the time. We're 824 00:49:11,960 --> 00:49:13,719 Speaker 1: gonna move on to someone else in my life that Phil, 825 00:49:13,760 --> 00:49:15,919 Speaker 1: you might not be aware of. Did you ever hear 826 00:49:15,960 --> 00:49:21,080 Speaker 1: the Doucheon Smantana podcast, mother Lord? So well, let me 827 00:49:21,160 --> 00:49:25,800 Speaker 1: tell you a little bit Phil about Ducheon when you 828 00:49:25,960 --> 00:49:28,000 Speaker 1: when you break into this this clip that we've cut 829 00:49:28,560 --> 00:49:32,560 Speaker 1: for this podcast with Dushantana, we're gonna be in his 830 00:49:32,680 --> 00:49:35,800 Speaker 1: house here in on the outskirts of Bozeman, right on 831 00:49:35,840 --> 00:49:39,000 Speaker 1: the Gallatin River, and we we it was actually like 832 00:49:39,080 --> 00:49:41,160 Speaker 1: maybe a year or so ago that we recorded this, 833 00:49:42,239 --> 00:49:45,440 Speaker 1: and du Sean likes to sit by the fire. It 834 00:49:45,480 --> 00:49:46,799 Speaker 1: doesn't really, I don't eve think it has a TV 835 00:49:46,880 --> 00:49:49,000 Speaker 1: in his house. He likes to sit by the fire, 836 00:49:49,640 --> 00:49:54,759 Speaker 1: drinking plum brandy, telling stories. Outside of his house is 837 00:49:54,840 --> 00:49:58,920 Speaker 1: a is a big building that holds all his homing pigeons. 838 00:49:59,480 --> 00:50:02,960 Speaker 1: He raced, is them, these homing pigeons, And so to 839 00:50:03,040 --> 00:50:06,759 Speaker 1: paint the picture, we're sitting there drinking plum brandy by 840 00:50:06,840 --> 00:50:10,440 Speaker 1: the fire in the home that he helped build himself 841 00:50:11,280 --> 00:50:14,640 Speaker 1: when he moved here. You'll hear all that story. And 842 00:50:14,680 --> 00:50:17,200 Speaker 1: then homing pigeons are just flying around and he just 843 00:50:17,320 --> 00:50:19,560 Speaker 1: like watches them as they go and there, and he's 844 00:50:19,600 --> 00:50:21,560 Speaker 1: watching every little part of how they fly and which 845 00:50:21,600 --> 00:50:24,120 Speaker 1: ones and first, and which one is the fastest. And 846 00:50:24,239 --> 00:50:26,759 Speaker 1: that's that's the scene of this podcast. But du Sean, 847 00:50:26,960 --> 00:50:32,759 Speaker 1: as you'll hear, ah, immigrated here from communist Czechoslovakia. And 848 00:50:32,840 --> 00:50:35,759 Speaker 1: his story of how the most impactful thing about this, 849 00:50:35,880 --> 00:50:40,040 Speaker 1: I think to me was how du Sean grew up 850 00:50:40,120 --> 00:50:42,840 Speaker 1: hunting in a in a very foreign place to me 851 00:50:43,200 --> 00:50:45,640 Speaker 1: or or probably all of you listening, how they looked 852 00:50:45,640 --> 00:50:49,920 Speaker 1: at hunting in Czechoslovakia in his in his youth, and 853 00:50:50,000 --> 00:50:54,080 Speaker 1: how he brought those principles over to America. Here's the 854 00:50:54,080 --> 00:50:56,640 Speaker 1: guy who dreamed of Montana, not even knowing what it 855 00:50:56,840 --> 00:50:59,759 Speaker 1: was like, heard stories, heard crazy stories of what a 856 00:50:59,800 --> 00:51:01,960 Speaker 1: Mary might be like as a child, and for some 857 00:51:02,040 --> 00:51:05,280 Speaker 1: reason dream to Montana. And as far away as Montana 858 00:51:05,400 --> 00:51:09,120 Speaker 1: was from his tangible and intangible life, he found his 859 00:51:09,200 --> 00:51:13,360 Speaker 1: way here just through pure want and grit and it 860 00:51:13,440 --> 00:51:15,160 Speaker 1: made his way to Montana and has built quite the 861 00:51:15,239 --> 00:51:18,520 Speaker 1: life here and it's quite the photographer. So I happenstance. 862 00:51:18,600 --> 00:51:22,120 Speaker 1: These first two folks in this podcast are photographers, um, 863 00:51:22,200 --> 00:51:25,680 Speaker 1: but but du Sean has a lot to say not 864 00:51:25,800 --> 00:51:29,320 Speaker 1: only about raising kids but about living life and his story. 865 00:51:29,600 --> 00:51:31,839 Speaker 1: So let that inform you. And as we moved through 866 00:51:31,880 --> 00:51:33,879 Speaker 1: this podcast, you'll know that you're you're getting to hear 867 00:51:34,480 --> 00:51:37,000 Speaker 1: the genesis of Wyoman Menser and now the genesis of 868 00:51:37,080 --> 00:51:41,080 Speaker 1: this man, Dushan's matana Um And both of those they 869 00:51:41,160 --> 00:51:44,560 Speaker 1: both became renowned outdoor photographers and they can't they couldn't 870 00:51:44,560 --> 00:51:49,200 Speaker 1: have come from more different backgrounds, and so I think 871 00:51:49,200 --> 00:51:52,440 Speaker 1: it's really cool to hear that from Dushan. And so 872 00:51:52,800 --> 00:51:55,120 Speaker 1: you're excited Phil for this one. Yeah, this guy sounds 873 00:51:55,120 --> 00:51:58,040 Speaker 1: like a most interesting man in the world, and I 874 00:51:58,080 --> 00:51:59,560 Speaker 1: gotta just take you over to see him here. After 875 00:51:59,640 --> 00:52:02,360 Speaker 1: we're done, you would will have some plum brandy. It 876 00:52:02,400 --> 00:52:05,080 Speaker 1: sounds great to rip it out, uh, du Sean is 877 00:52:05,200 --> 00:52:08,040 Speaker 1: is an amazing human being. Not only are you hearing 878 00:52:08,120 --> 00:52:10,800 Speaker 1: his voice, you just hear it in his voice, the 879 00:52:10,880 --> 00:52:14,320 Speaker 1: way he speaks his sensibilities. It's all a bear. And 880 00:52:14,400 --> 00:52:17,600 Speaker 1: this clip from our podcast with two Shan Santana enjoy. 881 00:52:21,680 --> 00:52:26,279 Speaker 1: I guess I grew up on an alder road. Sean, 882 00:52:26,320 --> 00:52:30,480 Speaker 1: how are you, sir? Yes, how are you? I'm very well. 883 00:52:30,600 --> 00:52:34,000 Speaker 1: I'm drinking a little bit of mint tea with a 884 00:52:34,120 --> 00:52:37,640 Speaker 1: spike of plum brandy on. It's not actually it's it's 885 00:52:37,640 --> 00:52:40,560 Speaker 1: not that chilly but Montana day, is it? No, it's beautiful, 886 00:52:41,480 --> 00:52:48,680 Speaker 1: blue sky sunshine. Uh, sleep over, it's time. It's beautiful. 887 00:52:48,719 --> 00:52:51,480 Speaker 1: And and for folks that like I always try to 888 00:52:51,520 --> 00:52:54,000 Speaker 1: start these podcasts, obviously, people can't see where we are. 889 00:52:54,760 --> 00:52:58,879 Speaker 1: Can you give your best description of where where we're 890 00:52:58,880 --> 00:53:01,040 Speaker 1: sitting right now? And and really just I guess you're 891 00:53:01,080 --> 00:53:04,120 Speaker 1: homestead here and well we are in bows man Um 892 00:53:05,560 --> 00:53:13,480 Speaker 1: in my house have a small farm by Gullaton River. Uh. 893 00:53:14,120 --> 00:53:17,840 Speaker 1: Raise different kind of animals for us have sheep and 894 00:53:18,239 --> 00:53:23,960 Speaker 1: pigs and chickens and ducks and turkeys and uh, homing pigeons. 895 00:53:24,080 --> 00:53:26,120 Speaker 1: Homing pigeons. Yeah, we're gonna talk about that a lot. 896 00:53:26,360 --> 00:53:31,880 Speaker 1: And just just to heaven. You know, I love Montana, 897 00:53:32,160 --> 00:53:35,560 Speaker 1: I love the name. I love everything about it. So 898 00:53:35,640 --> 00:53:38,640 Speaker 1: I'm glad you get to move here. You're gonna experience that. Yeah, 899 00:53:38,680 --> 00:53:41,239 Speaker 1: I'll be right. Uh, not too far, I said. It's 900 00:53:41,239 --> 00:53:43,400 Speaker 1: like a two minute commute up up the road and 901 00:53:43,760 --> 00:53:46,880 Speaker 1: around the corner, and five minutes across the river. Five 902 00:53:46,920 --> 00:53:49,680 Speaker 1: minutes across the river, and we're sipping tea and brandy 903 00:53:49,760 --> 00:53:53,120 Speaker 1: by the fire at your place. They do your wife, Lurka, 904 00:53:53,239 --> 00:53:54,920 Speaker 1: and yourself? Did you guys, you guys put a lot 905 00:53:54,960 --> 00:53:59,279 Speaker 1: of this house together? We did? You know, we tried 906 00:53:59,360 --> 00:54:03,759 Speaker 1: to research um. When you travel, you see different things 907 00:54:03,800 --> 00:54:06,480 Speaker 1: around the world, and you see how people build differently. 908 00:54:06,600 --> 00:54:11,080 Speaker 1: Have they designed different homes or structures to live? And 909 00:54:11,760 --> 00:54:14,960 Speaker 1: once I came and sit down with the architect, you 910 00:54:15,040 --> 00:54:16,719 Speaker 1: kind of tell him we'll be one. We really like 911 00:54:16,880 --> 00:54:18,800 Speaker 1: to read in the heat and the concrete floor, but 912 00:54:18,920 --> 00:54:23,520 Speaker 1: like insuaded house, so you don't wish your energy heating it. Um, 913 00:54:23,840 --> 00:54:26,800 Speaker 1: And we like the simplicity modern you know, the concrete 914 00:54:26,800 --> 00:54:29,880 Speaker 1: floor are awesome for cleaning. And we knew we're going 915 00:54:29,920 --> 00:54:35,360 Speaker 1: to have a kids, so um, somehow you know, figure 916 00:54:35,400 --> 00:54:40,000 Speaker 1: out how not to let them just destroy the house. 917 00:54:40,760 --> 00:54:42,319 Speaker 1: So you have that kin in mind. If I would 918 00:54:42,360 --> 00:54:45,160 Speaker 1: do that, I would definitely not put any kitchen cabinets, 919 00:54:45,440 --> 00:54:48,560 Speaker 1: a bunch of hay bales and drain in the middle, 920 00:54:48,680 --> 00:54:51,799 Speaker 1: and I think that will do. But you just got 921 00:54:52,040 --> 00:54:54,800 Speaker 1: new house and kids, so you'll see how much damage 922 00:54:54,840 --> 00:54:57,279 Speaker 1: he'll do. That's right. And I and my wife and 923 00:54:57,320 --> 00:54:59,200 Speaker 1: I discussed that. She's like, well, we could get the 924 00:54:59,280 --> 00:55:02,320 Speaker 1: nice carpet, that we could get the nice carpet, but 925 00:55:02,480 --> 00:55:04,560 Speaker 1: every nice thing we get has the ability to be 926 00:55:04,719 --> 00:55:07,680 Speaker 1: made less so by our little dude. Although he's pretty 927 00:55:07,880 --> 00:55:11,879 Speaker 1: he's pretty low low maintenance but still but it's nice 928 00:55:11,960 --> 00:55:14,840 Speaker 1: to have a house, you know, nice to own some land. 929 00:55:15,960 --> 00:55:19,920 Speaker 1: Um and another tink or concept of our house. Who 930 00:55:19,960 --> 00:55:22,920 Speaker 1: has to make not to pick our houses square feet 931 00:55:23,560 --> 00:55:27,840 Speaker 1: perfect for two kids and couple and no maintenance. So 932 00:55:27,920 --> 00:55:31,080 Speaker 1: if you put meler roof, and if you put stacko 933 00:55:31,440 --> 00:55:34,240 Speaker 1: and plaster and inside, you know there's not much maintenance, 934 00:55:34,400 --> 00:55:36,000 Speaker 1: so you don't want to and if you choose good 935 00:55:36,080 --> 00:55:40,439 Speaker 1: windows so you don't have to repay them, Um, then 936 00:55:40,600 --> 00:55:43,439 Speaker 1: you just you know, houses never done, but you try 937 00:55:43,480 --> 00:55:46,239 Speaker 1: to minimize all the extra expenses down the road. Yeah, 938 00:55:46,239 --> 00:55:47,680 Speaker 1: and you have quite the homestead here. I mean it 939 00:55:48,560 --> 00:55:50,680 Speaker 1: feels like, I don't know how most of describe it. 940 00:55:50,760 --> 00:55:52,600 Speaker 1: It's like a farmat where you have. I mean you're 941 00:55:52,640 --> 00:55:55,719 Speaker 1: right here on the Galton River, stricting beautiful and farm 942 00:55:55,760 --> 00:55:59,880 Speaker 1: animals around and and you guys are square with plumb 943 00:56:00,040 --> 00:56:02,680 Speaker 1: randy and a nice fire here and it's it's a 944 00:56:02,760 --> 00:56:06,400 Speaker 1: beautiful view. Yeah, life is good on a farm. R 945 00:56:06,719 --> 00:56:10,080 Speaker 1: I you know, I would love to get even more land, 946 00:56:10,160 --> 00:56:13,759 Speaker 1: but there is not much here available. But I think 947 00:56:13,800 --> 00:56:16,000 Speaker 1: they have a little farm. It's a security for me. 948 00:56:16,880 --> 00:56:18,239 Speaker 1: You know, I grew up in a farm, and I 949 00:56:18,280 --> 00:56:20,680 Speaker 1: grew up in a small village where the animals kind 950 00:56:20,680 --> 00:56:23,680 Speaker 1: of take care of you so um, and you can 951 00:56:23,719 --> 00:56:26,880 Speaker 1: get the woods, so you kind of eliminate the thinking 952 00:56:26,960 --> 00:56:30,279 Speaker 1: that food comes from grocery store and the heat comes 953 00:56:30,320 --> 00:56:34,279 Speaker 1: from furnace. Yeah, you have to chop the heat. Chop 954 00:56:34,400 --> 00:56:36,719 Speaker 1: the chop the heat, and you raise your animals and 955 00:56:36,760 --> 00:56:39,920 Speaker 1: you butcher them and you eat them and that's more 956 00:56:40,000 --> 00:56:43,560 Speaker 1: security to meat than have several thousand dollars in the bank. 957 00:56:43,719 --> 00:56:45,520 Speaker 1: You know, my house is surround a bit firewood, and 958 00:56:45,560 --> 00:56:49,200 Speaker 1: freezers are full of meat. Bring it, bring it? Yeah, 959 00:56:49,280 --> 00:56:52,200 Speaker 1: you have so you have chickens and goats. Here what 960 00:56:52,320 --> 00:56:57,800 Speaker 1: else we have? Sheep clinic sheep. And I got that 961 00:56:57,920 --> 00:57:01,359 Speaker 1: idea from traveling to Argentine in the last twenty years 962 00:57:01,440 --> 00:57:04,239 Speaker 1: or so, and then low how they cooked it what 963 00:57:04,360 --> 00:57:09,320 Speaker 1: they call asada lamb asade over the fire and after 964 00:57:09,960 --> 00:57:12,200 Speaker 1: I think a couple of dinners in the US, you know, 965 00:57:12,560 --> 00:57:15,839 Speaker 1: I noticed that the lamb was the most expensive meat. 966 00:57:16,840 --> 00:57:19,120 Speaker 1: And then suddenly, just click six years he goes like, well, 967 00:57:19,120 --> 00:57:22,600 Speaker 1: why can I have my own lamb sheep and and 968 00:57:22,760 --> 00:57:25,280 Speaker 1: raise and he and I talked to my wife, did 969 00:57:25,440 --> 00:57:28,680 Speaker 1: research me find the Icelandic sheep, and they are low 970 00:57:28,720 --> 00:57:31,280 Speaker 1: and maintenance, they're very hearty, they don't need any structures, 971 00:57:32,000 --> 00:57:36,280 Speaker 1: and they're very yummy. So it's a nice combination with 972 00:57:36,400 --> 00:57:38,680 Speaker 1: the hunting. You know, when when you get the elk 973 00:57:38,760 --> 00:57:42,000 Speaker 1: and lopoor deer, there's not much grease there, but with 974 00:57:42,080 --> 00:57:44,840 Speaker 1: the antelope, I mean with the lamb, you just have 975 00:57:44,960 --> 00:57:48,440 Speaker 1: extra fats and grease and fat. Yes, we came over 976 00:57:48,520 --> 00:57:51,320 Speaker 1: here a month or so, maybe even longer ago, and 977 00:57:51,440 --> 00:57:55,280 Speaker 1: had you did the assada for us over the fire 978 00:57:55,320 --> 00:57:59,280 Speaker 1: and it was unbelievable. Tell folks well, and you gave 979 00:57:59,320 --> 00:58:01,080 Speaker 1: me a lot of brandy then too, so I could 980 00:58:01,120 --> 00:58:03,200 Speaker 1: have been I could help out. I don't know, I 981 00:58:03,280 --> 00:58:09,200 Speaker 1: don't know. More you drink better, more tests, tell people 982 00:58:09,240 --> 00:58:11,640 Speaker 1: about your your strategy for making this out, and like 983 00:58:11,760 --> 00:58:14,120 Speaker 1: you know where you learned in your influences from Argentina 984 00:58:14,120 --> 00:58:17,520 Speaker 1: and you know and U I know that as you 985 00:58:17,600 --> 00:58:19,760 Speaker 1: get older you try to I think you get more 986 00:58:20,040 --> 00:58:23,960 Speaker 1: into what I call homie. You just get into cooking, 987 00:58:24,240 --> 00:58:28,040 Speaker 1: you get into gardening, You get into little skills and 988 00:58:28,200 --> 00:58:31,160 Speaker 1: hobbies did you always want to do but never had time? 989 00:58:32,480 --> 00:58:34,880 Speaker 1: Um those as it could be challenges, you know. You 990 00:58:35,040 --> 00:58:37,240 Speaker 1: you get into raising sheep and you try to figure 991 00:58:37,240 --> 00:58:38,760 Speaker 1: out how to hey so then you get in the 992 00:58:38,840 --> 00:58:42,959 Speaker 1: tractor and you try to cut and bail. So it's 993 00:58:43,160 --> 00:58:46,640 Speaker 1: U still very entertained, you know, with these with all 994 00:58:46,680 --> 00:58:49,040 Speaker 1: these activities, and they love it because it's completely distract 995 00:58:49,120 --> 00:58:51,560 Speaker 1: me from from the photography. I don't have to think 996 00:58:51,600 --> 00:58:55,920 Speaker 1: of oh framings, and you know all the outtors you 997 00:58:55,960 --> 00:58:58,640 Speaker 1: have when you're taking photos, I completely forget about them, 998 00:58:58,720 --> 00:59:01,200 Speaker 1: you know, I always I'm a full time farmer and 999 00:59:01,240 --> 00:59:05,680 Speaker 1: part time photographer. You've crafted quite quite the job title 1000 00:59:06,360 --> 00:59:10,960 Speaker 1: in living here. Um, you know you're not listening with 1001 00:59:11,520 --> 00:59:13,680 Speaker 1: a lot of we A lot of people glorify living 1002 00:59:13,720 --> 00:59:16,080 Speaker 1: off the land or you know, just a lifestyle of 1003 00:59:16,080 --> 00:59:18,720 Speaker 1: of living off what's around you. And you have have 1004 00:59:18,920 --> 00:59:23,520 Speaker 1: that here and well specifically around the sheep. How do 1005 00:59:23,600 --> 00:59:26,400 Speaker 1: you treat them? And you raise them? You know, when 1006 00:59:26,440 --> 00:59:28,760 Speaker 1: do you harvest one? Like, how do you how do 1007 00:59:28,840 --> 00:59:31,640 Speaker 1: you treat that with your family? So the lambs are 1008 00:59:31,720 --> 00:59:34,720 Speaker 1: usually born middle of May, beginning of May, and we 1009 00:59:34,800 --> 00:59:38,080 Speaker 1: have running around and it's kind of cute to see 1010 00:59:38,160 --> 00:59:41,880 Speaker 1: kids going in there and lifting those animals and looking 1011 00:59:41,920 --> 00:59:43,560 Speaker 1: at them and put them back and try to catch 1012 00:59:43,640 --> 00:59:46,840 Speaker 1: them again. And we graze them in out of land 1013 00:59:46,880 --> 00:59:50,400 Speaker 1: and our neighbor's land to be make small padducts of 1014 00:59:51,440 --> 00:59:54,840 Speaker 1: two three acres and once a week we'll move them. 1015 00:59:55,080 --> 00:59:58,160 Speaker 1: So we rotated and nice thing being in the river 1016 00:59:58,240 --> 01:00:01,520 Speaker 1: bottom you have so much submoisture at the grass grow 1017 01:00:01,640 --> 01:00:04,200 Speaker 1: nicely and by the time you finish one and you 1018 01:00:04,240 --> 01:00:07,760 Speaker 1: can start another one and when it comes September and October. 1019 01:00:08,160 --> 01:00:11,160 Speaker 1: You know this sheep, they are wild, they're from Iceland 1020 01:00:11,200 --> 01:00:14,720 Speaker 1: and they they haven't been improved by British scientists to 1021 01:00:14,760 --> 01:00:18,160 Speaker 1: gain weight and lose some matter trade. So they eat bark. 1022 01:00:18,360 --> 01:00:23,160 Speaker 1: They eat um leaves, so we don't have to deep 1023 01:00:23,160 --> 01:00:25,520 Speaker 1: warm them since we have it just a t thirty 1024 01:00:25,560 --> 01:00:28,760 Speaker 1: of them. And when October comes, and of October, then 1025 01:00:28,800 --> 01:00:32,120 Speaker 1: we slaughter the lambs. We keep the replacement cheap. Then 1026 01:00:32,160 --> 01:00:35,080 Speaker 1: we slaughter maybe some old sheep that we don't they're 1027 01:00:35,160 --> 01:00:37,640 Speaker 1: not they're getting old. And you know, we use some 1028 01:00:37,760 --> 01:00:40,880 Speaker 1: of that meat. And I would use lots of other 1029 01:00:41,000 --> 01:00:44,280 Speaker 1: parts of those animals for my hunting dogs, for the 1030 01:00:44,360 --> 01:00:48,560 Speaker 1: bird dogs. Um, you know, I feed them the lungs, liver, heart, 1031 01:00:49,360 --> 01:00:52,800 Speaker 1: even stomach the tribe and opened the stomach and empty 1032 01:00:52,840 --> 01:00:56,040 Speaker 1: the green and cut it up. And that's two three meals. 1033 01:00:56,440 --> 01:00:58,840 Speaker 1: Eat stomach for the dogs with all the enzymes and 1034 01:01:00,000 --> 01:01:05,640 Speaker 1: minerals and nutritions. Now your kids take you have two children, Um, 1035 01:01:07,200 --> 01:01:09,120 Speaker 1: do they take part in the entire process with you? 1036 01:01:09,800 --> 01:01:13,720 Speaker 1: They help, you know, they watch, they help eat. They 1037 01:01:13,800 --> 01:01:16,720 Speaker 1: still don't know that they're eating liver. You know, they 1038 01:01:16,800 --> 01:01:21,840 Speaker 1: like liver with onions, that's actually traditional or big tradition 1039 01:01:21,920 --> 01:01:24,000 Speaker 1: in Europe where as soon as you harvest any animal 1040 01:01:24,080 --> 01:01:26,880 Speaker 1: and you have access to fire, you chop onions and 1041 01:01:27,000 --> 01:01:30,520 Speaker 1: you eat the you know, the red deer liver or 1042 01:01:30,720 --> 01:01:35,160 Speaker 1: road deer liver. Um. So it's you know, they help 1043 01:01:35,200 --> 01:01:36,640 Speaker 1: and they see that night. I don't know if they're 1044 01:01:36,640 --> 01:01:40,560 Speaker 1: gonna pursue that kind of lifestyle be here, but options 1045 01:01:40,600 --> 01:01:44,480 Speaker 1: are there for them. You know they will remember. But um, 1046 01:01:44,760 --> 01:01:47,520 Speaker 1: I am going exactly back as I grow up. I 1047 01:01:47,600 --> 01:01:51,720 Speaker 1: mean I see that that. You know, I want to 1048 01:01:51,760 --> 01:01:53,400 Speaker 1: take care of myself. I want to take care of 1049 01:01:53,960 --> 01:01:58,720 Speaker 1: the firewood. I want to grow our own potatoes and carrots. 1050 01:01:59,400 --> 01:02:03,360 Speaker 1: I want to have my own honey. It's um, you know, 1051 01:02:03,880 --> 01:02:05,720 Speaker 1: thirty years ago I would I would not think that 1052 01:02:05,800 --> 01:02:10,400 Speaker 1: I would have that because it was so distant. But yeah, 1053 01:02:10,600 --> 01:02:12,200 Speaker 1: well it seems it seems to call them you a 1054 01:02:12,280 --> 01:02:15,560 Speaker 1: bit those things. Yeah, I think the influence and the childhood, 1055 01:02:15,760 --> 01:02:17,200 Speaker 1: how do you grow up and where you grew up, 1056 01:02:17,280 --> 01:02:19,120 Speaker 1: it just influenced you. And then later on do you 1057 01:02:20,000 --> 01:02:23,200 Speaker 1: you seek that and it's you know, it's up to 1058 01:02:23,280 --> 01:02:24,960 Speaker 1: you how deep you're gonna go over that? Yeah, I 1059 01:02:25,000 --> 01:02:27,800 Speaker 1: mean you're you know and you're professional life. You're a 1060 01:02:27,800 --> 01:02:33,120 Speaker 1: photographer for many brands, of course Cabela's being a big one. Um, 1061 01:02:35,200 --> 01:02:36,720 Speaker 1: how do you balance those two things? I mean to 1062 01:02:36,840 --> 01:02:38,760 Speaker 1: travel And we were just talking before we hit record 1063 01:02:38,800 --> 01:02:41,840 Speaker 1: about your traveling and not being around Montana as much 1064 01:02:41,840 --> 01:02:44,480 Speaker 1: as you'd like to be. And but but but you 1065 01:02:44,600 --> 01:02:46,080 Speaker 1: need to travel the world and knowing a lot of 1066 01:02:46,120 --> 01:02:48,640 Speaker 1: places and allowing that to inform how you live here 1067 01:02:48,680 --> 01:02:52,520 Speaker 1: in Montana. Yeah. So I've been fortunate and last twenty 1068 01:02:52,600 --> 01:02:54,720 Speaker 1: five years I did get to travel quite a bad 1069 01:02:54,800 --> 01:02:58,960 Speaker 1: around around the world. But it's nice too, always nice 1070 01:02:59,000 --> 01:03:01,880 Speaker 1: to come home. Um, you know, you've got to do 1071 01:03:02,000 --> 01:03:05,760 Speaker 1: something for a living. So I you know, I don't 1072 01:03:05,760 --> 01:03:07,480 Speaker 1: think I have a bad gig. I mean, I think 1073 01:03:07,520 --> 01:03:10,200 Speaker 1: it's wonderful to just take photos and meet new people 1074 01:03:10,320 --> 01:03:15,840 Speaker 1: and interact, learn about different languages, cultures, meet people who 1075 01:03:15,920 --> 01:03:20,000 Speaker 1: are in all kind of professions and hear their stories. Um, 1076 01:03:20,240 --> 01:03:23,560 Speaker 1: talk to hunting GUIDs in South Africa or Australia or 1077 01:03:23,800 --> 01:03:27,240 Speaker 1: Germany and just see what's their lives about, how their 1078 01:03:27,280 --> 01:03:30,800 Speaker 1: backgrounds look like, how did they shelter their animals, you know, 1079 01:03:30,920 --> 01:03:32,800 Speaker 1: what kind of fire, what kind of would they use? 1080 01:03:33,560 --> 01:03:35,640 Speaker 1: You know, all those things are so interesting for me. 1081 01:03:35,840 --> 01:03:39,240 Speaker 1: And and so the traveling is great. But one bad 1082 01:03:39,320 --> 01:03:41,800 Speaker 1: thing that I said, or not bad, but it's just 1083 01:03:42,160 --> 01:03:45,160 Speaker 1: weird that I don't know very much about Montana. I 1084 01:03:45,240 --> 01:03:49,200 Speaker 1: get this request from local magazines and I never been 1085 01:03:49,280 --> 01:03:52,640 Speaker 1: to those places. You know, Montana is so big, So 1086 01:03:52,760 --> 01:03:54,200 Speaker 1: I would like to change it a little bit and 1087 01:03:54,280 --> 01:03:58,960 Speaker 1: explore more Montana and kind of balance with the traveling. 1088 01:03:59,040 --> 01:04:01,680 Speaker 1: And traveling is a four months a year, but the 1089 01:04:01,720 --> 01:04:04,080 Speaker 1: rest of them the rest of the time I'm here. Yeah, 1090 01:04:04,760 --> 01:04:07,720 Speaker 1: so yeah, I mean this is as I said, moving 1091 01:04:07,760 --> 01:04:10,000 Speaker 1: here for me. I mean, you just I feel like 1092 01:04:10,840 --> 01:04:14,400 Speaker 1: the opportunity, immense opportunity to explore the West is it 1093 01:04:14,440 --> 01:04:17,480 Speaker 1: could take me thirty years and I still wouldn't have 1094 01:04:18,320 --> 01:04:20,680 Speaker 1: much knowledge of what i'd want to what I want 1095 01:04:20,680 --> 01:04:23,280 Speaker 1: to go explore. But that's a fun that's a fun 1096 01:04:23,320 --> 01:04:26,040 Speaker 1: idea to have. I mean, I don't know, you know, 1097 01:04:26,080 --> 01:04:28,400 Speaker 1: I think what informs a lot of your life is 1098 01:04:28,640 --> 01:04:30,360 Speaker 1: is how you grew up. I mean that's you know, 1099 01:04:30,440 --> 01:04:33,080 Speaker 1: and where you grew up. Um, yeah, this is a 1100 01:04:33,120 --> 01:04:35,480 Speaker 1: big playground. Yes, I mean, if you're a hunter and 1101 01:04:35,560 --> 01:04:41,760 Speaker 1: fishermen and skier and you know, river guide or kayaker 1102 01:04:42,000 --> 01:04:44,520 Speaker 1: or mountain climber, ice climber. I mean, we have it, 1103 01:04:45,000 --> 01:04:47,280 Speaker 1: and it's just amazing the variety of the outdoor sports 1104 01:04:47,400 --> 01:04:51,240 Speaker 1: we have here and the people here. Last time we 1105 01:04:51,320 --> 01:04:54,280 Speaker 1: came here for the Assada, I was struck that in 1106 01:04:54,440 --> 01:04:57,560 Speaker 1: your house was like this wonderful bunch of wonderful people 1107 01:04:57,600 --> 01:05:00,480 Speaker 1: and they were from all over this country, in this 1108 01:05:00,680 --> 01:05:04,400 Speaker 1: world that had collected here around your place and around 1109 01:05:04,440 --> 01:05:07,919 Speaker 1: this river and this state. I mean, it was amazing. Yeah. 1110 01:05:08,240 --> 01:05:11,560 Speaker 1: I mean people in Bozemen are are really nice. I 1111 01:05:11,600 --> 01:05:15,880 Speaker 1: mean people in Montana and generally nice. And and they're inquisitive. 1112 01:05:15,960 --> 01:05:18,680 Speaker 1: You know, you meet these locals, they are they're asking 1113 01:05:18,720 --> 01:05:21,240 Speaker 1: you questions. You know, there are these ranchers that they 1114 01:05:21,280 --> 01:05:23,360 Speaker 1: see where you come from? What are you doing here? 1115 01:05:23,440 --> 01:05:25,800 Speaker 1: You know, why do you want to hunt in his place? 1116 01:05:26,000 --> 01:05:28,280 Speaker 1: Or you know when you get to meet and then 1117 01:05:28,400 --> 01:05:31,920 Speaker 1: they go, oh, we remember that our grandfather was from Czechoslovakia, 1118 01:05:32,120 --> 01:05:35,880 Speaker 1: or it was from Germany, or I never felt once 1119 01:05:36,120 --> 01:05:40,240 Speaker 1: living in the U S that somebody would be prejudice 1120 01:05:40,320 --> 01:05:42,640 Speaker 1: because they come from different countries. I think it works 1121 01:05:42,680 --> 01:05:47,160 Speaker 1: to our advantages. Always say, and and you know, there's 1122 01:05:47,240 --> 01:05:50,280 Speaker 1: so much public land to hunt in the top of it. 1123 01:05:50,360 --> 01:05:52,920 Speaker 1: There's so much private land that you could hunt. You 1124 01:05:53,040 --> 01:05:55,240 Speaker 1: just have to go and knock in the door, you know, 1125 01:05:55,360 --> 01:05:58,440 Speaker 1: not one month before the season opened or the opening day, 1126 01:05:58,520 --> 01:06:02,160 Speaker 1: but go there in May, in June and and put 1127 01:06:02,200 --> 01:06:04,440 Speaker 1: a little work in. Yeah, helping me the cattle, is 1128 01:06:04,480 --> 01:06:09,800 Speaker 1: helping me the fans, and not too many doors will 1129 01:06:09,840 --> 01:06:12,960 Speaker 1: be closed. That's right. Yeah, I've I found it. I 1130 01:06:13,040 --> 01:06:15,120 Speaker 1: found a lot of places in the country, but especially here. 1131 01:06:15,120 --> 01:06:18,520 Speaker 1: I mean Texas has its own way of treating people 1132 01:06:18,560 --> 01:06:21,200 Speaker 1: in its own culture and and there's some bravado and 1133 01:06:21,280 --> 01:06:25,720 Speaker 1: brashness there. But here in Montana there's it's it's welcoming. 1134 01:06:26,360 --> 01:06:29,080 Speaker 1: I mean, you know, I don't speak like they speak 1135 01:06:29,120 --> 01:06:34,200 Speaker 1: here in Rder you you bet, but that but that, 1136 01:06:34,520 --> 01:06:36,760 Speaker 1: I mean, you've got quite a community along this river 1137 01:06:36,800 --> 01:06:38,640 Speaker 1: of people out of your neighbors. And you're you know, 1138 01:06:38,880 --> 01:06:41,080 Speaker 1: your and my wife, he said, well, she loves the 1139 01:06:41,160 --> 01:06:46,439 Speaker 1: local community. She's part of this group of um woman 1140 01:06:46,520 --> 01:06:49,760 Speaker 1: of the dirt. There's a group of eighty or ninety ladies, 1141 01:06:51,000 --> 01:06:58,960 Speaker 1: dirty woman and they surround themselves with this old experience. 1142 01:06:59,240 --> 01:07:03,080 Speaker 1: People who who've been gardering for sixty seventy years, who've 1143 01:07:03,080 --> 01:07:05,960 Speaker 1: been dealing with animals and issue in Montana for many years, 1144 01:07:06,480 --> 01:07:10,080 Speaker 1: and just share the informations. You know, the exchange eggs 1145 01:07:10,160 --> 01:07:15,400 Speaker 1: for breeding stocks were I don't know, different type of chickens, 1146 01:07:15,800 --> 01:07:19,600 Speaker 1: and and what tools to use, how to check the 1147 01:07:19,720 --> 01:07:23,000 Speaker 1: soil for pH and in a million out of things. 1148 01:07:23,320 --> 01:07:26,680 Speaker 1: Don't listen, everybody out there, listen. Don't google dirty women Montana. 1149 01:07:27,840 --> 01:07:31,880 Speaker 1: You're not going to get that club woman of the 1150 01:07:31,920 --> 01:07:35,280 Speaker 1: dirt Club. Now. Your wife is a very impressive person 1151 01:07:35,360 --> 01:07:38,800 Speaker 1: as well. And you guys have, um the life you 1152 01:07:38,960 --> 01:07:41,880 Speaker 1: have carved out here is is is amazing. And your 1153 01:07:41,920 --> 01:07:43,640 Speaker 1: kids are are amazing. I mean they look you in 1154 01:07:43,680 --> 01:07:45,800 Speaker 1: the eye, they shake your hand. I mean, they're you know, 1155 01:07:46,560 --> 01:07:49,880 Speaker 1: wonderful people in their own right. I mean, and what 1156 01:07:49,960 --> 01:07:54,280 Speaker 1: are your philosophies on raising children? And and I mean 1157 01:07:54,320 --> 01:07:57,480 Speaker 1: you brought them here to Montana for a reason. I'm sure. Yeah, 1158 01:07:57,640 --> 01:08:03,919 Speaker 1: I think you know. I love kids, love being with them. 1159 01:08:05,120 --> 01:08:08,240 Speaker 1: And I didn't have the greatest example when I was 1160 01:08:08,280 --> 01:08:10,120 Speaker 1: a kid. You know, my parents were divorced when I 1161 01:08:10,240 --> 01:08:13,440 Speaker 1: was year old. My fire was drinking a lot, so 1162 01:08:13,520 --> 01:08:15,760 Speaker 1: there was lots of struggles there. There were lots of abuses, 1163 01:08:15,960 --> 01:08:18,719 Speaker 1: but I always say the boat of the parents showed 1164 01:08:18,720 --> 01:08:22,160 Speaker 1: me a beautiful example how now to do things, So 1165 01:08:22,240 --> 01:08:25,080 Speaker 1: I always think about it and just try to do different. Now. 1166 01:08:25,160 --> 01:08:28,120 Speaker 1: We've seeing some people in my village where they were 1167 01:08:28,200 --> 01:08:31,400 Speaker 1: interacting with the kids, where they were they were loving them, 1168 01:08:31,439 --> 01:08:33,320 Speaker 1: they were putting hands on them, they were kissing them, 1169 01:08:33,360 --> 01:08:36,479 Speaker 1: they were just you know they and I always just 1170 01:08:36,760 --> 01:08:39,080 Speaker 1: envy that, um And that's what I want to have. 1171 01:08:40,320 --> 01:08:42,280 Speaker 1: So when somebody asked me, we're only gonna have kids, 1172 01:08:42,360 --> 01:08:43,800 Speaker 1: it's like, what do you mean to win? I mean, 1173 01:08:43,880 --> 01:08:45,920 Speaker 1: I just like I will have kids as soon as 1174 01:08:45,920 --> 01:08:47,720 Speaker 1: I can. That's part of the life that I want 1175 01:08:47,760 --> 01:08:51,639 Speaker 1: to live. It's nice to raise another set of kids 1176 01:08:51,760 --> 01:08:56,400 Speaker 1: that will appreciate this world and may be contribute with 1177 01:08:56,960 --> 01:09:01,360 Speaker 1: with something and just keep going. Yeah, your kids are 1178 01:09:02,840 --> 01:09:08,519 Speaker 1: great examples of thank you, adjusted human beings. UM. So 1179 01:09:08,560 --> 01:09:10,720 Speaker 1: I think people a lot learn a lot from the 1180 01:09:10,720 --> 01:09:12,840 Speaker 1: way you guys treat that with their lives and a 1181 01:09:12,880 --> 01:09:15,320 Speaker 1: little where they live. Yeah, thank you. Yeah they are 1182 01:09:15,439 --> 01:09:18,840 Speaker 1: they are good kids. And I read somewhere that they 1183 01:09:18,920 --> 01:09:20,840 Speaker 1: are my kids, but they are not mine. They're the 1184 01:09:20,920 --> 01:09:24,400 Speaker 1: kids of the world. You basically cannot You can show them, 1185 01:09:24,840 --> 01:09:27,719 Speaker 1: you can take them to places but you really cannot 1186 01:09:27,720 --> 01:09:29,320 Speaker 1: make them to do They can do their own thing. 1187 01:09:30,600 --> 01:09:32,560 Speaker 1: So it will be I'm very excited to see what 1188 01:09:32,640 --> 01:09:35,760 Speaker 1: would become of them. You know how they're gonna how 1189 01:09:35,800 --> 01:09:37,280 Speaker 1: are they gonna deal with their life? You know what 1190 01:09:37,400 --> 01:09:39,479 Speaker 1: can the jobs still have? Maybe those jobs are not 1191 01:09:39,640 --> 01:09:43,160 Speaker 1: created yet for them. You know this everything goes so 1192 01:09:43,360 --> 01:09:46,960 Speaker 1: fast nowadays, and see how they're going to balance it now. 1193 01:09:48,080 --> 01:09:49,800 Speaker 1: I think I had the advantage to grow up in 1194 01:09:49,880 --> 01:09:53,960 Speaker 1: them what would you say? A poor community but wealthy 1195 01:09:54,080 --> 01:09:58,960 Speaker 1: and relations between people. Um. And you know, moving to 1196 01:09:59,120 --> 01:10:02,439 Speaker 1: us and living here there, I have everything that can 1197 01:10:02,520 --> 01:10:06,040 Speaker 1: passible ask for. You know, you just we are getting 1198 01:10:06,120 --> 01:10:08,920 Speaker 1: We are well paid here, We have the opportunity to 1199 01:10:09,000 --> 01:10:12,840 Speaker 1: do whatever we want. The things are relatively inexpensive. You 1200 01:10:12,880 --> 01:10:18,240 Speaker 1: can save lots of money. Um. And we'll see what 1201 01:10:18,360 --> 01:10:20,160 Speaker 1: happened to them, you know, see how they're gonna see 1202 01:10:20,160 --> 01:10:23,360 Speaker 1: if they're gonna see the opportunity or or not. Well, 1203 01:10:23,400 --> 01:10:25,439 Speaker 1: it's such a perspective that you have on that right 1204 01:10:25,439 --> 01:10:28,719 Speaker 1: because you know, how you grew up is so different. 1205 01:10:28,760 --> 01:10:32,280 Speaker 1: How that how they're growing up. And you can tell 1206 01:10:32,360 --> 01:10:35,080 Speaker 1: them listen, this is you are lucky. Yeah, you can't 1207 01:10:35,080 --> 01:10:37,600 Speaker 1: tell them, but you can over boil that pot, you know, 1208 01:10:37,680 --> 01:10:41,320 Speaker 1: because he just they were tired of it. So I will. 1209 01:10:41,800 --> 01:10:43,439 Speaker 1: You know, I took my son already to Europe a 1210 01:10:43,439 --> 01:10:45,599 Speaker 1: couple of years ago, and he gets to see where 1211 01:10:45,640 --> 01:10:48,400 Speaker 1: I grew up, where I live. You get to see 1212 01:10:48,439 --> 01:10:50,760 Speaker 1: the soccer field that I play soccer, and he did play. 1213 01:10:50,800 --> 01:10:53,800 Speaker 1: He went to the mountains where we hunt, He saw 1214 01:10:53,880 --> 01:11:00,280 Speaker 1: the cemetery in the church, and just exposing to those 1215 01:11:00,439 --> 01:11:03,639 Speaker 1: thinks I think they should on their own. Somehow realized 1216 01:11:03,640 --> 01:11:07,559 Speaker 1: when they get back to us that what they have. Yeah, 1217 01:11:08,280 --> 01:11:10,400 Speaker 1: so I'm hoping that that would work, but they they 1218 01:11:10,439 --> 01:11:12,599 Speaker 1: need more visits. So we are doing another visit next 1219 01:11:12,680 --> 01:11:16,000 Speaker 1: year in Spain. And and I think that is it's 1220 01:11:16,040 --> 01:11:17,800 Speaker 1: kind of important for kids to see the world so 1221 01:11:17,840 --> 01:11:20,479 Speaker 1: they can put things in perspectives, provide perspective and let 1222 01:11:20,560 --> 01:11:22,519 Speaker 1: it go from there. And we know that too. I mean, 1223 01:11:22,600 --> 01:11:25,120 Speaker 1: you travel, travel and you go, like you said, you 1224 01:11:25,200 --> 01:11:29,719 Speaker 1: go to Nepal and you see somebody's holding basket with apples, 1225 01:11:29,840 --> 01:11:31,720 Speaker 1: but has bigg a smile than somebody who has a 1226 01:11:31,840 --> 01:11:35,639 Speaker 1: brand new Cadillac. Yeah. We could go on that subject 1227 01:11:35,680 --> 01:11:37,560 Speaker 1: for days, but yes, I think we talked about that 1228 01:11:37,680 --> 01:11:41,000 Speaker 1: last time. We were here and roughly remember through the 1229 01:11:41,080 --> 01:11:44,519 Speaker 1: break the all the stomach full of lamb and a 1230 01:11:44,800 --> 01:11:47,600 Speaker 1: belly full of brandy that we talked about that. But 1231 01:11:48,840 --> 01:11:51,720 Speaker 1: it is the perspective of the world. You know. It 1232 01:11:51,760 --> 01:11:54,760 Speaker 1: can inform you, for sure, but it also can drive 1233 01:11:54,840 --> 01:11:58,880 Speaker 1: you to you know, to be a better version of yourself. Um. 1234 01:11:59,240 --> 01:12:01,960 Speaker 1: That certainly has or me because it's one of those 1235 01:12:02,000 --> 01:12:06,120 Speaker 1: things where I'm always stopping to you know, adjust, you know, 1236 01:12:06,479 --> 01:12:10,400 Speaker 1: if I'm frustrated from traffic, or if I'm frustrated from 1237 01:12:10,479 --> 01:12:13,120 Speaker 1: something at work, and I stopped and adjusting, Like, Wow, 1238 01:12:13,520 --> 01:12:15,680 Speaker 1: how is this bringing me happiness? And why am I 1239 01:12:15,760 --> 01:12:19,439 Speaker 1: not allowing it to? You know, someone with nothing in 1240 01:12:19,560 --> 01:12:23,240 Speaker 1: Nepal or wherever you find that person is can smile 1241 01:12:23,360 --> 01:12:28,400 Speaker 1: and play a song. Um, in abject poverty. Why can't 1242 01:12:28,439 --> 01:12:31,400 Speaker 1: I find that same smile when I'm you know, sitting 1243 01:12:31,439 --> 01:12:35,360 Speaker 1: on the heated seat driving to work. Oh, it's a 1244 01:12:35,439 --> 01:12:39,480 Speaker 1: community and it's a people you know. Um. The realtors 1245 01:12:39,600 --> 01:12:43,240 Speaker 1: have the famous saying location, location, locations, Well, I think 1246 01:12:43,280 --> 01:12:46,400 Speaker 1: the people, people people, It's kind of more important to me. 1247 01:12:46,640 --> 01:12:49,439 Speaker 1: And it's your personality, it's your uniqueness. Did you get 1248 01:12:49,479 --> 01:12:52,960 Speaker 1: to use in work or with your friends and that 1249 01:12:53,200 --> 01:12:56,439 Speaker 1: kind of influence and craft your journey through this world. 1250 01:12:56,680 --> 01:12:58,640 Speaker 1: So if you surround yourself with the right people that 1251 01:12:58,720 --> 01:13:02,800 Speaker 1: will help you, they don't drain you. Um and and 1252 01:13:02,960 --> 01:13:08,760 Speaker 1: outdoors has the tendency to make better people. You know, 1253 01:13:08,840 --> 01:13:13,280 Speaker 1: I haven't seen it these trips, gosh, I've been. I mean, well, 1254 01:13:13,320 --> 01:13:17,200 Speaker 1: let's say over a hundred hundred trips around the world, 1255 01:13:17,240 --> 01:13:19,559 Speaker 1: and you have all these people. You get ten guests, 1256 01:13:19,680 --> 01:13:23,040 Speaker 1: they go with me or or more sell them. You 1257 01:13:23,160 --> 01:13:26,720 Speaker 1: find someone who is not happy holding fishing ground or 1258 01:13:26,800 --> 01:13:29,640 Speaker 1: gun in their hands, you know. So it's just like, well, 1259 01:13:29,680 --> 01:13:31,800 Speaker 1: what happened to all these nasty people that you read about? 1260 01:13:31,920 --> 01:13:34,759 Speaker 1: You know all this? It's just the outdoors have tendency 1261 01:13:34,880 --> 01:13:38,160 Speaker 1: to just just make you better, to relax you. And 1262 01:13:38,240 --> 01:13:41,080 Speaker 1: I don't know if that's the exercise did you get 1263 01:13:41,200 --> 01:13:43,920 Speaker 1: with that hunting, or or it's just being up there 1264 01:13:45,120 --> 01:13:49,200 Speaker 1: for fresh air. I'm sure it's there's it's a complex 1265 01:13:49,439 --> 01:13:51,800 Speaker 1: tale of what it actually gives you, but it works. 1266 01:13:51,880 --> 01:13:56,120 Speaker 1: It's something. Yes, it is a medicine, and part of 1267 01:13:56,439 --> 01:13:58,400 Speaker 1: my struggle. I'm sure you have it too. Is it 1268 01:13:58,439 --> 01:14:00,560 Speaker 1: when you get that medicine and you go all without it. 1269 01:14:00,640 --> 01:14:05,559 Speaker 1: You're you suffer yourself suffers. You you got you think, well, man, 1270 01:14:05,600 --> 01:14:08,240 Speaker 1: I could use a day just so. The Bozeman is 1271 01:14:08,280 --> 01:14:11,800 Speaker 1: a perfect example. And you have to builderness experience and 1272 01:14:11,960 --> 01:14:14,559 Speaker 1: the beauty of our doors. Yet do you have all 1273 01:14:14,640 --> 01:14:17,880 Speaker 1: the amenity of modern life. We have electricities, we have propanes, 1274 01:14:17,920 --> 01:14:23,600 Speaker 1: we have roads. It's not far. Yeah, I mean I 1275 01:14:23,720 --> 01:14:26,200 Speaker 1: think that's My wife said that. I mean, she's not 1276 01:14:26,479 --> 01:14:29,120 Speaker 1: an outdoors these type of person um really at all, 1277 01:14:29,240 --> 01:14:32,880 Speaker 1: but she just said seeing the mountains provide some comfort 1278 01:14:32,960 --> 01:14:35,680 Speaker 1: that I can't explain. It's like just looking out there 1279 01:14:35,680 --> 01:14:39,120 Speaker 1: and seeing that provides something that I can't There's something 1280 01:14:39,160 --> 01:14:42,240 Speaker 1: I can't articulate like I can articulate because I've been 1281 01:14:42,240 --> 01:14:44,400 Speaker 1: on those mountains. It's it's that medicine that I can 1282 01:14:44,439 --> 01:14:46,760 Speaker 1: see it. Every morning I wake up like if if 1283 01:14:46,840 --> 01:14:49,240 Speaker 1: life is getting me down, if if I'm spun up 1284 01:14:49,280 --> 01:14:51,479 Speaker 1: in a way that I can't overcome, I'll just go 1285 01:14:51,640 --> 01:14:54,680 Speaker 1: over there and I'll climb that mountain and look, just 1286 01:14:54,840 --> 01:14:57,160 Speaker 1: keep going and there are millions of acres around here. 1287 01:14:57,520 --> 01:15:00,760 Speaker 1: And one of my favorite thinks earlier was to go 1288 01:15:00,960 --> 01:15:04,280 Speaker 1: chase elk with the bow and by myself for eight 1289 01:15:04,479 --> 01:15:07,880 Speaker 1: ten days. Just fill up the back back with spam 1290 01:15:08,120 --> 01:15:12,839 Speaker 1: and sardines and bread and bagels and garlic and onions, 1291 01:15:12,920 --> 01:15:15,680 Speaker 1: and just go ahead and pretend that was the that 1292 01:15:15,800 --> 01:15:18,240 Speaker 1: was the Indian and just try to mess up with 1293 01:15:18,360 --> 01:15:22,640 Speaker 1: the elk and slip under the open skies. I love that, yeah, Um, 1294 01:15:23,160 --> 01:15:25,400 Speaker 1: the access to that, Yeah, I mean it's it settles 1295 01:15:25,520 --> 01:15:27,640 Speaker 1: you somehow, even just know when it's there, even if 1296 01:15:27,640 --> 01:15:29,280 Speaker 1: you're too busy to get to it all the time. 1297 01:15:29,400 --> 01:15:32,040 Speaker 1: Like I can see it at least I know if 1298 01:15:33,120 --> 01:15:36,760 Speaker 1: if dire straits are here, I can retreat, get back, 1299 01:15:36,840 --> 01:15:39,640 Speaker 1: to get back to that mountain. But you you know, 1300 01:15:39,760 --> 01:15:44,080 Speaker 1: you grew up in Czecho, Swakia. Um, I mean I'd 1301 01:15:44,120 --> 01:15:48,040 Speaker 1: love to hear the whole story, really, I mean tell 1302 01:15:48,080 --> 01:15:50,799 Speaker 1: me about you know, the place, the people, your parents, 1303 01:15:50,880 --> 01:15:53,960 Speaker 1: your upbringing. So it's a small village and the Carpathian 1304 01:15:54,040 --> 01:15:59,360 Speaker 1: mountains named Krivani. You know, about five people lived there, 1305 01:16:00,400 --> 01:16:04,040 Speaker 1: but each house have three generations, you know, living together, 1306 01:16:04,240 --> 01:16:07,479 Speaker 1: and that was I think that was kind of unique 1307 01:16:07,880 --> 01:16:11,639 Speaker 1: because you really were better prepared for the world because 1308 01:16:11,680 --> 01:16:13,680 Speaker 1: you have the comfort of your parents and also the 1309 01:16:13,760 --> 01:16:16,040 Speaker 1: wisdom of your grandparents, and you can reach into that 1310 01:16:16,200 --> 01:16:21,559 Speaker 1: well and just drink it when you need it. Um. 1311 01:16:23,160 --> 01:16:26,360 Speaker 1: So everybody had their animals. Everybody had the garden. You know, 1312 01:16:26,439 --> 01:16:31,759 Speaker 1: they have communal way of taking turns in grazing the animals. 1313 01:16:31,960 --> 01:16:33,600 Speaker 1: Every morning they would open the gate and all the 1314 01:16:33,680 --> 01:16:35,559 Speaker 1: cows with bells would come out and one guy would 1315 01:16:35,560 --> 01:16:37,400 Speaker 1: take them in the mountain's graze and bring them back 1316 01:16:38,600 --> 01:16:41,800 Speaker 1: was somebody's elster. Next day with cheap they've done same thing. 1317 01:16:42,880 --> 01:16:47,519 Speaker 1: It was a small community where hunting was respected. You know, 1318 01:16:47,600 --> 01:16:51,479 Speaker 1: in Czech Republic the name for hunters miss yvetts, which 1319 01:16:51,520 --> 01:16:53,599 Speaker 1: means double meaning could be hunter or the one who 1320 01:16:53,600 --> 01:16:56,479 Speaker 1: would think, because the hunter actually have to make the 1321 01:16:56,560 --> 01:17:01,479 Speaker 1: decision to to see which animal to eliminate from the pool. 1322 01:17:02,600 --> 01:17:04,679 Speaker 1: From the pool, you know, he looked at the stag 1323 01:17:04,720 --> 01:17:06,320 Speaker 1: and said, all the stag is too all things to 1324 01:17:06,400 --> 01:17:09,360 Speaker 1: get out, you know, he was danger goring outer stacks, 1325 01:17:09,560 --> 01:17:12,640 Speaker 1: or he was he was no good. Or there were 1326 01:17:12,720 --> 01:17:16,840 Speaker 1: younger animals where um, they didn't grow well, so they 1327 01:17:16,880 --> 01:17:19,080 Speaker 1: need to be eliminated from the pool. And we talked 1328 01:17:19,080 --> 01:17:24,479 Speaker 1: about earlier, um and it just you know, it reminded 1329 01:17:24,479 --> 01:17:28,720 Speaker 1: me of the responsibility of a hunter. Yeah, and you 1330 01:17:28,800 --> 01:17:30,800 Speaker 1: got to go to school. I think we went for 1331 01:17:30,840 --> 01:17:32,600 Speaker 1: a couple of years or one year to school, and 1332 01:17:32,680 --> 01:17:35,599 Speaker 1: you have to learn the fauna and flora, but because 1333 01:17:35,680 --> 01:17:38,680 Speaker 1: is kind of fun fuel Latin, the names. You have 1334 01:17:38,760 --> 01:17:42,240 Speaker 1: to learn how many eggs pheasant lays, what's the incubations, 1335 01:17:42,840 --> 01:17:45,920 Speaker 1: and you learned about stream, about fish, about trees different 1336 01:17:45,960 --> 01:17:50,320 Speaker 1: kind of tree, hardwood, softwood, and then it was kind 1337 01:17:50,360 --> 01:17:53,680 Speaker 1: of interesting. Then you had to put as many as 1338 01:17:53,760 --> 01:17:57,160 Speaker 1: hours as you put on working around forests. For example, 1339 01:17:57,240 --> 01:17:59,719 Speaker 1: of a building tree stands, you were cleip picking trash, 1340 01:18:00,640 --> 01:18:03,320 Speaker 1: you were building bridges over the streams. How many hours 1341 01:18:03,400 --> 01:18:09,320 Speaker 1: you put that counts towards um you know, better selections 1342 01:18:09,360 --> 01:18:11,600 Speaker 1: of the game you could hunt. For example, if you 1343 01:18:11,640 --> 01:18:13,400 Speaker 1: put ten hours, you only get two hunt rabbits, but 1344 01:18:13,520 --> 01:18:16,320 Speaker 1: you put hundred hours, you get two hundred stack. So 1345 01:18:16,560 --> 01:18:19,639 Speaker 1: it was something more than just go buy a license 1346 01:18:19,720 --> 01:18:22,759 Speaker 1: and go hunting, which you know, it's just a different system, 1347 01:18:22,800 --> 01:18:26,200 Speaker 1: but people were more connected to it. But so as 1348 01:18:26,240 --> 01:18:28,320 Speaker 1: the kids, you know, we love to hang with hunters. 1349 01:18:28,520 --> 01:18:32,160 Speaker 1: I mean those whiskery gray faces. There were you know, 1350 01:18:32,240 --> 01:18:34,439 Speaker 1: drinking plumber and they'd have a little flask and they 1351 01:18:34,479 --> 01:18:36,960 Speaker 1: were sitting by the fire and telling stories about how 1352 01:18:37,040 --> 01:18:40,840 Speaker 1: they out fox fox, you know, sitting in the haystacks 1353 01:18:40,960 --> 01:18:44,400 Speaker 1: and and just waiting for them to come. Where wolf 1354 01:18:44,520 --> 01:18:47,120 Speaker 1: stories And of course every kid wanted to be cowboy. 1355 01:18:47,160 --> 01:18:49,840 Speaker 1: In Indian you know, we we had these books from 1356 01:18:50,640 --> 01:18:54,760 Speaker 1: Germany by writer's name Carl May. Then we have some 1357 01:18:54,840 --> 01:18:57,800 Speaker 1: books Fennimore Cooper, The Last of the Mohicans. And I 1358 01:18:57,960 --> 01:19:00,439 Speaker 1: love reading. I mean I was a book. I was 1359 01:19:00,520 --> 01:19:03,679 Speaker 1: reading in a school, in a church, in a train, 1360 01:19:04,000 --> 01:19:08,640 Speaker 1: under blankets, just reading and reading. And I was fascinated 1361 01:19:08,680 --> 01:19:10,880 Speaker 1: by the wild West. You know, how people can ride 1362 01:19:10,960 --> 01:19:13,840 Speaker 1: horses and sleep in the tpis and shoot their bows 1363 01:19:13,920 --> 01:19:18,080 Speaker 1: and troves spears and live. So I was always dreamed 1364 01:19:18,080 --> 01:19:19,519 Speaker 1: as a man, I would like to do that. And 1365 01:19:19,640 --> 01:19:22,800 Speaker 1: I was eight ten twelve and one of those books 1366 01:19:22,920 --> 01:19:26,080 Speaker 1: one year there was a name Montana, and I just 1367 01:19:26,200 --> 01:19:28,880 Speaker 1: really loved that name Montana. It's like, what I'm gonna 1368 01:19:28,920 --> 01:19:33,640 Speaker 1: go there? Okay, well, eleven twelve, you just really, you know, 1369 01:19:33,760 --> 01:19:38,120 Speaker 1: you cannot predict your future. But um, you know, the 1370 01:19:38,160 --> 01:19:40,639 Speaker 1: communists of course would not let you leave because everybody 1371 01:19:40,680 --> 01:19:42,840 Speaker 1: would leave and there would be nobody to work for them. 1372 01:19:43,680 --> 01:19:47,200 Speaker 1: But as things start changing in n you know, the 1373 01:19:47,320 --> 01:19:51,800 Speaker 1: Soviets were losing rains and losing the Cold War. I 1374 01:19:51,920 --> 01:19:54,280 Speaker 1: keep applying for six years to get out, and I said, 1375 01:19:54,280 --> 01:19:56,519 Speaker 1: I'm gonna go to Montana and I want to see 1376 01:19:56,600 --> 01:19:58,200 Speaker 1: my mother. My mother at that time was living in 1377 01:19:58,240 --> 01:20:02,840 Speaker 1: West Germany that I did not know very much about her, 1378 01:20:02,920 --> 01:20:04,920 Speaker 1: but I use her as an example that I want 1379 01:20:04,960 --> 01:20:07,280 Speaker 1: to see her as a humans, right just to writing 1380 01:20:07,400 --> 01:20:11,200 Speaker 1: letter to United Nations and everywhere. And you know, they said, well, 1381 01:20:11,320 --> 01:20:12,840 Speaker 1: if you put one more year at the work, I 1382 01:20:12,920 --> 01:20:15,600 Speaker 1: said okay, and oh, if you go to military for 1383 01:20:15,680 --> 01:20:18,400 Speaker 1: two years. I said, okay, Well I get back from 1384 01:20:18,439 --> 01:20:20,240 Speaker 1: military after a couple of years. And they said, oh no, 1385 01:20:20,479 --> 01:20:24,000 Speaker 1: we were joking, you're not going anywhere. Well, now i'm 1386 01:20:24,160 --> 01:20:28,200 Speaker 1: twenty twenty one, I'm exploding. You know, I'm just troublemaker. 1387 01:20:28,320 --> 01:20:30,760 Speaker 1: As like I want to get out, I don't. That's 1388 01:20:30,800 --> 01:20:33,800 Speaker 1: what the communism finally grab ahold of me. Because when 1389 01:20:33,800 --> 01:20:36,839 Speaker 1: you're a kid, you really don't understand. You didn't understand 1390 01:20:36,880 --> 01:20:39,040 Speaker 1: what's going on. Why all these people are so depressed, 1391 01:20:39,080 --> 01:20:41,080 Speaker 1: Why all the people drink while all the people have 1392 01:20:41,240 --> 01:20:44,400 Speaker 1: no freedom. You know, they cannot own guns, they cannot always, 1393 01:20:44,680 --> 01:20:49,280 Speaker 1: they cannot, they cannot do very much. You know, they 1394 01:20:49,320 --> 01:20:52,439 Speaker 1: can just celebrate their march for the Communist and they 1395 01:20:52,520 --> 01:20:55,320 Speaker 1: finally grabbed me. That's what this is a strange place. 1396 01:20:55,439 --> 01:20:57,560 Speaker 1: I feel like a sheep in a shelter where I 1397 01:20:57,600 --> 01:20:59,639 Speaker 1: am just surrounded and tell what to do all the time. 1398 01:21:00,240 --> 01:21:04,880 Speaker 1: Some more letters, more more annoyances for them and me, 1399 01:21:05,920 --> 01:21:09,000 Speaker 1: until one day I just got this letter that oh, 1400 01:21:10,280 --> 01:21:13,479 Speaker 1: you can go to US permission granted. It's like, what 1401 01:21:13,600 --> 01:21:18,120 Speaker 1: the heck happened? So, um, there was a chain of 1402 01:21:18,200 --> 01:21:20,200 Speaker 1: command where I have to apply. You have to apply 1403 01:21:20,320 --> 01:21:22,760 Speaker 1: to my direct boss and bosses boss and bosses boss, 1404 01:21:22,800 --> 01:21:25,920 Speaker 1: and twenty other people passed that have to approve before 1405 01:21:26,120 --> 01:21:28,360 Speaker 1: you can get to the main guy at the end 1406 01:21:28,439 --> 01:21:31,800 Speaker 1: who was living in Prague. But all of a sudden, 1407 01:21:31,840 --> 01:21:33,240 Speaker 1: I just keep all these guys and I wrote in 1408 01:21:33,400 --> 01:21:35,880 Speaker 1: direct letter that's my human rights to visit matter and 1409 01:21:35,920 --> 01:21:37,519 Speaker 1: I want to go, and he just replaced it. What 1410 01:21:37,680 --> 01:21:41,160 Speaker 1: goes on? So I got the permission, I get the 1411 01:21:41,280 --> 01:21:44,839 Speaker 1: US embassy in Prague, and I see all these German 1412 01:21:44,960 --> 01:21:47,720 Speaker 1: jumping fences. You know, German from East Germany were kind 1413 01:21:47,720 --> 01:21:51,320 Speaker 1: of jumping fences to West German embassy and things were 1414 01:21:51,400 --> 01:21:53,960 Speaker 1: changing slowly in the big cities, but we didn't know that. 1415 01:21:54,160 --> 01:21:56,760 Speaker 1: You know, we were in the mountains. We didn't have 1416 01:21:56,840 --> 01:21:59,680 Speaker 1: any local news or anything other than you know, with 1417 01:21:59,840 --> 01:22:03,120 Speaker 1: my grandfather was listening to BBC or Voice of America. Well, 1418 01:22:03,160 --> 01:22:04,840 Speaker 1: it seems like there was a stark change, like as 1419 01:22:04,880 --> 01:22:08,800 Speaker 1: a child, there's some romance and and you know where 1420 01:22:08,840 --> 01:22:10,559 Speaker 1: you were. And then as you grew up you started 1421 01:22:10,560 --> 01:22:12,640 Speaker 1: to realize, you know, there's a bigger world. There's a 1422 01:22:12,680 --> 01:22:17,080 Speaker 1: bigger world, and I'm in a communist cage here. That yeah, 1423 01:22:17,160 --> 01:22:19,040 Speaker 1: and if we didn't know anything, you know, the communist 1424 01:22:19,040 --> 01:22:20,840 Speaker 1: would tell us, if you keep working hard, you're gonna 1425 01:22:20,920 --> 01:22:24,120 Speaker 1: have really good lifestyle, just like the Russians have. All 1426 01:22:24,160 --> 01:22:27,120 Speaker 1: the Russian had world lifestyle, then we did. And I 1427 01:22:27,120 --> 01:22:31,200 Speaker 1: also we didn't know anything about the US other than um, 1428 01:22:31,600 --> 01:22:34,599 Speaker 1: you know, during the depression, many checks in Slovak left 1429 01:22:34,640 --> 01:22:37,439 Speaker 1: for America. So we would have every third fourth house 1430 01:22:38,240 --> 01:22:42,000 Speaker 1: would have a family member that immigrated to US. So 1431 01:22:42,200 --> 01:22:44,640 Speaker 1: we really like America. Did you get a lot of 1432 01:22:44,680 --> 01:22:47,000 Speaker 1: stories back from there? We did, but it was all 1433 01:22:47,120 --> 01:22:50,599 Speaker 1: deceiving because my grandfather always said Americans always wear white 1434 01:22:50,680 --> 01:22:55,120 Speaker 1: clothes all day long. Oh well, maybe butcher or somebody, 1435 01:22:55,200 --> 01:22:57,080 Speaker 1: but yeah, I mean we don't know, you know, they 1436 01:22:57,120 --> 01:22:59,760 Speaker 1: were white eyes and white clothes. Not after Labor Day. 1437 01:22:59,840 --> 01:23:02,800 Speaker 1: My friend, yeah, my friends thought that Americans are sitting 1438 01:23:02,840 --> 01:23:04,880 Speaker 1: in the ditches because that's what we were doing as 1439 01:23:04,920 --> 01:23:06,560 Speaker 1: a kids, you know, running them out and sitting in 1440 01:23:06,560 --> 01:23:09,160 Speaker 1: the ditches, put your feet up, sticking in one hand, 1441 01:23:09,200 --> 01:23:11,439 Speaker 1: and was just beating bushes and said, all they do 1442 01:23:11,640 --> 01:23:14,640 Speaker 1: just sit in those ditches and fried chicken come by. 1443 01:23:14,680 --> 01:23:18,120 Speaker 1: They just grab it and need it. I mean totals, 1444 01:23:18,520 --> 01:23:22,840 Speaker 1: I mean sign what do you call it? Sign? Sci fi? 1445 01:23:23,640 --> 01:23:27,280 Speaker 1: We had no idea how people live in US, absolutely zero. 1446 01:23:28,360 --> 01:23:30,280 Speaker 1: So when I come to the US, finally when I 1447 01:23:30,360 --> 01:23:33,160 Speaker 1: get the permissions and I can go, my mother took 1448 01:23:33,200 --> 01:23:37,240 Speaker 1: me to Walmart or Kmart, and I couldn't believe it. 1449 01:23:37,600 --> 01:23:40,360 Speaker 1: You know, from this little store when they were selling beer, butter, wine, 1450 01:23:40,400 --> 01:23:47,360 Speaker 1: and bread. There were everything forty different breads, twenty different butters, 1451 01:23:47,680 --> 01:23:51,479 Speaker 1: you know, hundreds of different wine, and shoes and clothes 1452 01:23:51,680 --> 01:23:54,400 Speaker 1: and tools. You know, I knew pitchfork and shovel and 1453 01:23:54,439 --> 01:23:56,880 Speaker 1: maybe rake. Where are tools? They had no idea what 1454 01:23:57,000 --> 01:23:59,599 Speaker 1: do you do with? So I spent all day, all 1455 01:23:59,680 --> 01:24:01,439 Speaker 1: day at store, and next day asked me, where you 1456 01:24:01,479 --> 01:24:03,519 Speaker 1: want to go back to Walmart. I still have some 1457 01:24:03,720 --> 01:24:07,280 Speaker 1: things to see there. So we were living completely in 1458 01:24:07,360 --> 01:24:10,840 Speaker 1: the darkness. And you know that was thirty years ago, 1459 01:24:10,920 --> 01:24:15,599 Speaker 1: not that far and what a different world in the eighties. Yeah, yeah, 1460 01:24:15,640 --> 01:24:18,479 Speaker 1: I think. And your mother came with you. You know, 1461 01:24:18,600 --> 01:24:21,640 Speaker 1: my mom took a vacation from West Germany, that's what 1462 01:24:21,760 --> 01:24:24,240 Speaker 1: she lived, and she went to Florida and she decided 1463 01:24:24,280 --> 01:24:26,720 Speaker 1: to stay here for a while. But it wasn't for her. 1464 01:24:26,880 --> 01:24:30,000 Speaker 1: She had a hard time to learn language, and and 1465 01:24:30,080 --> 01:24:32,360 Speaker 1: she was kind of disappointed why so many people are 1466 01:24:32,439 --> 01:24:35,120 Speaker 1: so poor with all the possibilities they have. She couldn't 1467 01:24:35,200 --> 01:24:41,240 Speaker 1: understand why everybody were leaving paycheck to paycheck. So I 1468 01:24:41,320 --> 01:24:43,280 Speaker 1: don't think it was for her. So she left went 1469 01:24:43,360 --> 01:24:46,080 Speaker 1: back to Germany and I, you know, I stayed in 1470 01:24:46,200 --> 01:24:50,280 Speaker 1: Florida for a year, and um, I couldn't speak in English. 1471 01:24:50,479 --> 01:24:53,880 Speaker 1: You know, there was just shaking hands and moving eyes 1472 01:24:54,200 --> 01:24:58,160 Speaker 1: and smile. Uh. It's it's just kind of interesting feeling 1473 01:24:58,280 --> 01:25:01,280 Speaker 1: to this day. I still like to understand. I mean 1474 01:25:01,360 --> 01:25:04,840 Speaker 1: it really enjoyed it. Yeah, it really just brings something 1475 01:25:04,880 --> 01:25:06,759 Speaker 1: out of you that you really tried to get across. 1476 01:25:07,640 --> 01:25:12,160 Speaker 1: But not orally, but it's just moving, yeah, and it's 1477 01:25:12,320 --> 01:25:14,080 Speaker 1: it was kind of fun. So I stayed and went 1478 01:25:14,120 --> 01:25:17,560 Speaker 1: to school. After after work, I was working at the 1479 01:25:17,600 --> 01:25:22,559 Speaker 1: boatyard scraping barnacles and painting boats and working the body shops, 1480 01:25:23,200 --> 01:25:26,760 Speaker 1: you know, grinding cars and taping windows because those jobs 1481 01:25:26,800 --> 01:25:29,439 Speaker 1: you really don't have to speak English. Do you remember 1482 01:25:29,479 --> 01:25:31,840 Speaker 1: the first folks I kind of that you would say, 1483 01:25:31,960 --> 01:25:35,120 Speaker 1: took you in and yeah. So there was a people 1484 01:25:35,200 --> 01:25:38,080 Speaker 1: at a wrinkling breader circus and lots of the circus 1485 01:25:38,160 --> 01:25:41,360 Speaker 1: people were from all over the Europe. They immigrated or 1486 01:25:41,479 --> 01:25:44,599 Speaker 1: they got kind of sponsorship or something. And my mother 1487 01:25:44,720 --> 01:25:46,719 Speaker 1: told me about the lady who is from Czech Republic 1488 01:25:47,439 --> 01:25:50,599 Speaker 1: and she was good and trampoline and trapezes and ropes. 1489 01:25:50,880 --> 01:25:53,680 Speaker 1: Her name was Maria. She was a wonderful lady, and 1490 01:25:53,880 --> 01:25:58,040 Speaker 1: so I just went to her. And I didn't want 1491 01:25:58,040 --> 01:25:59,759 Speaker 1: a knock in the door because I showed it in midnight. 1492 01:25:59,800 --> 01:26:02,360 Speaker 1: So I just spent my first name under the palm tree. 1493 01:26:02,960 --> 01:26:04,800 Speaker 1: And I was so thirsty and so hungry, and I 1494 01:26:04,840 --> 01:26:09,519 Speaker 1: saw this beautiful um oranges hanging, said, I grabbed one 1495 01:26:09,600 --> 01:26:11,639 Speaker 1: and I bide it and it was just not ready. 1496 01:26:11,800 --> 01:26:14,360 Speaker 1: But you know it was. It was this feeling that 1497 01:26:14,640 --> 01:26:16,479 Speaker 1: what the heck am I doing here? In the morning, 1498 01:26:16,560 --> 01:26:20,360 Speaker 1: I started hearing some dishes and noises and knocking the 1499 01:26:20,439 --> 01:26:23,600 Speaker 1: door and says, hi, and names do Sean? And my 1500 01:26:23,720 --> 01:26:26,599 Speaker 1: mom said that she knows a friend of your friend. 1501 01:26:26,720 --> 01:26:28,160 Speaker 1: And I was just wondering if you can help me. 1502 01:26:31,000 --> 01:26:33,519 Speaker 1: Ladies looking at me, I was like, oh yeah, come 1503 01:26:33,560 --> 01:26:35,600 Speaker 1: and let's have a coffee. So we started talking and 1504 01:26:35,720 --> 01:26:39,680 Speaker 1: then um, she asked, what am I gonna do? You know. 1505 01:26:39,760 --> 01:26:42,920 Speaker 1: She was living at that time with her grandson who 1506 01:26:43,080 --> 01:26:46,519 Speaker 1: was eight years old, and I kind of play with 1507 01:26:46,600 --> 01:26:49,120 Speaker 1: the kid a little bit. And after I stayed there 1508 01:26:49,120 --> 01:26:50,880 Speaker 1: a couple of days, she said, I stay another week. 1509 01:26:51,360 --> 01:26:53,439 Speaker 1: So I helped her with the house. I was raking alan, 1510 01:26:54,680 --> 01:26:58,240 Speaker 1: cutting grass, cleaning different things. You said, last another month, 1511 01:26:59,080 --> 01:27:00,360 Speaker 1: I said, you know what, you can just stay as 1512 01:27:00,400 --> 01:27:04,880 Speaker 1: long as you want. So she really helps me, you know, 1513 01:27:05,000 --> 01:27:08,120 Speaker 1: to to just to just understand that I need help. 1514 01:27:08,200 --> 01:27:09,720 Speaker 1: And I was able to find a job and take 1515 01:27:09,760 --> 01:27:13,120 Speaker 1: care of myself. And but the Florida wasn't for me. 1516 01:27:13,400 --> 01:27:14,920 Speaker 1: You know, I grew up in the mountains. I like 1517 01:27:15,000 --> 01:27:17,960 Speaker 1: to hike collect to were you always and I know 1518 01:27:18,040 --> 01:27:20,280 Speaker 1: you said Montana was interesting to you from the beginning, 1519 01:27:20,360 --> 01:27:23,880 Speaker 1: but I mean getting out of Communist, check Republican, getting 1520 01:27:23,880 --> 01:27:25,800 Speaker 1: every here. Was it always Montana for you or did 1521 01:27:25,880 --> 01:27:27,560 Speaker 1: you just lose it and find it again when you 1522 01:27:27,640 --> 01:27:30,400 Speaker 1: got to know? I always started Montana. And when teacher, 1523 01:27:30,920 --> 01:27:34,080 Speaker 1: you know school at they call s classes English is 1524 01:27:34,120 --> 01:27:36,080 Speaker 1: the second language. They always asking what would you want 1525 01:27:36,080 --> 01:27:38,479 Speaker 1: to do? Where do you want to go? So when 1526 01:27:38,520 --> 01:27:40,240 Speaker 1: I could say Montana, I said, well I want to 1527 01:27:40,280 --> 01:27:42,080 Speaker 1: go to Montana, said well, what are you gonna do there? 1528 01:27:42,840 --> 01:27:45,240 Speaker 1: It's like, well, I was in the forest trees, so 1529 01:27:45,280 --> 01:27:47,560 Speaker 1: I can be Lumberjack Loger. I mean, Montana must have 1530 01:27:47,640 --> 01:27:53,439 Speaker 1: lots of trees. Um. And my teacher, um, you know, 1531 01:27:53,560 --> 01:27:57,080 Speaker 1: she was very cool. She she actually was teaching English 1532 01:27:57,160 --> 01:28:00,880 Speaker 1: on the on the Guard Brooks tape. You know, so 1533 01:28:01,000 --> 01:28:03,160 Speaker 1: the old tapes when you put in the recorder come 1534 01:28:03,240 --> 01:28:07,679 Speaker 1: with a little paper folder and then the singer was singing, 1535 01:28:07,760 --> 01:28:10,120 Speaker 1: you could follow with the words. The problem was there 1536 01:28:10,200 --> 01:28:13,200 Speaker 1: was lots of slang, you know, so we just do 1537 01:28:13,240 --> 01:28:15,680 Speaker 1: you remember any Garth Brooks song? Oh? Yeah, gosh, I 1538 01:28:15,760 --> 01:28:18,280 Speaker 1: remember all of them from that song I Got Friends 1539 01:28:18,360 --> 01:28:21,960 Speaker 1: in the Low Place, Yeah, that's know. That was awesome. 1540 01:28:22,240 --> 01:28:24,880 Speaker 1: So that was upgrading because before that teacher just came 1541 01:28:24,920 --> 01:28:27,800 Speaker 1: to the board and draw pictures of cat and go meo, meo, 1542 01:28:27,920 --> 01:28:32,160 Speaker 1: meo cat dog. So that's how we have to start. 1543 01:28:32,280 --> 01:28:34,360 Speaker 1: You know, you have this twenty some year adults and 1544 01:28:34,479 --> 01:28:37,160 Speaker 1: we are learning language. I'm coming ever, we're gonna come over, 1545 01:28:37,240 --> 01:28:40,400 Speaker 1: bring garth Brokes, drink brandy. And that's about the fire 1546 01:28:40,479 --> 01:28:44,280 Speaker 1: that because products, that's where the good days. And then 1547 01:28:44,360 --> 01:28:47,080 Speaker 1: that the school teacher introduced me to another wonderful lady. 1548 01:28:47,160 --> 01:28:50,799 Speaker 1: Her name is Cissy, and she was moving back to Bozeman. 1549 01:28:52,280 --> 01:28:57,000 Speaker 1: So I said, well, um, come with you, and he goes, oh, 1550 01:28:57,000 --> 01:28:59,000 Speaker 1: I would love to take her. She was just very nice. 1551 01:29:00,720 --> 01:29:03,160 Speaker 1: You know, my dear friend. Now she was driving along 1552 01:29:03,400 --> 01:29:06,519 Speaker 1: your hold truck betrailer, and she did have no experience. 1553 01:29:06,560 --> 01:29:08,639 Speaker 1: I saw her cutting corners and I was in military. 1554 01:29:08,680 --> 01:29:10,280 Speaker 1: When I was in military, was driving sem. I said 1555 01:29:10,439 --> 01:29:12,840 Speaker 1: I can help with the driving. So I drove her 1556 01:29:12,880 --> 01:29:15,479 Speaker 1: to Montana and we got here I think in nineteen 1557 01:29:17,240 --> 01:29:22,760 Speaker 1: ninety one two in March, and I parked this your 1558 01:29:22,800 --> 01:29:24,639 Speaker 1: whole truck in the Bozeman. I was full of snow 1559 01:29:24,720 --> 01:29:28,040 Speaker 1: and there was this little girl, barefooted standing in the 1560 01:29:28,120 --> 01:29:31,760 Speaker 1: snow looking at me. Bee ther arms up and goes, 1561 01:29:32,080 --> 01:29:34,760 Speaker 1: let me get this straight. Are you moving in removing out? 1562 01:29:37,160 --> 01:29:39,439 Speaker 1: So I thought, well, this is gonna be a good place. 1563 01:29:40,200 --> 01:29:42,920 Speaker 1: And you know, with all this opportunity that I have 1564 01:29:43,160 --> 01:29:51,120 Speaker 1: to live anywhere else, this was gold mine. I guess 1565 01:29:51,200 --> 01:29:54,320 Speaker 1: I grew up on an older Okay, thank you du 1566 01:29:54,400 --> 01:29:57,519 Speaker 1: Sean As always, again, if you want to listen to that, 1567 01:29:57,640 --> 01:30:01,200 Speaker 1: go back find Duson's Metano podcast and listen to the 1568 01:30:01,280 --> 01:30:03,679 Speaker 1: whole thing. There's another hour in there that you missed. 1569 01:30:04,320 --> 01:30:07,400 Speaker 1: It's a worthy hour, so go and find it. Give 1570 01:30:07,439 --> 01:30:10,280 Speaker 1: it a listen if you have some time. Last, but 1571 01:30:10,600 --> 01:30:13,000 Speaker 1: certainly not least here there's another person that Phil has 1572 01:30:13,040 --> 01:30:15,360 Speaker 1: no idea about. Well, no, you will know this person. 1573 01:30:15,640 --> 01:30:19,400 Speaker 1: You will know this person, I hope. Charles Rodney, the 1574 01:30:19,520 --> 01:30:22,280 Speaker 1: Rabbit Man. Oh yeah, you've talked you've talked about him. Yeah, 1575 01:30:22,280 --> 01:30:25,519 Speaker 1: you talked about him on the podcast with Carolin Finney. Yeah, 1576 01:30:25,520 --> 01:30:31,839 Speaker 1: there you go. So we've at Charles Rodney is another 1577 01:30:32,200 --> 01:30:35,960 Speaker 1: beautiful individual. And again, if you if you line these 1578 01:30:36,000 --> 01:30:40,439 Speaker 1: things up, you have three people, their backstory, how they 1579 01:30:40,479 --> 01:30:41,840 Speaker 1: came to be where they are, how I came to 1580 01:30:41,920 --> 01:30:45,320 Speaker 1: know them, being as interesting as anything, But they all 1581 01:30:45,640 --> 01:30:48,040 Speaker 1: love hunting and they can't. They couldn't come from any 1582 01:30:48,120 --> 01:30:51,680 Speaker 1: more disparate backgrounds. You have in Charles Rodney, the son 1583 01:30:51,760 --> 01:30:55,120 Speaker 1: of a sharecropper in Louisiana, and Wyman Men's Aer the 1584 01:30:55,200 --> 01:30:58,439 Speaker 1: son of a rancher in North Texas, and then Shan 1585 01:30:58,640 --> 01:31:02,080 Speaker 1: Spitana who grew up in poverty in Chechoslovakia. But all 1586 01:31:02,160 --> 01:31:05,599 Speaker 1: of them have these weird stories that kind of coalesce 1587 01:31:05,640 --> 01:31:10,040 Speaker 1: around hunting, coalesce around the values of hunting and why 1588 01:31:10,120 --> 01:31:12,519 Speaker 1: we do what we do. And so as I went 1589 01:31:12,600 --> 01:31:14,679 Speaker 1: through this, I'm thinking, man, what a what a great 1590 01:31:14,720 --> 01:31:17,200 Speaker 1: way to kind of illustrate how our lives are affected 1591 01:31:17,240 --> 01:31:20,560 Speaker 1: by this pastime. So we'll start that. We'll start that 1592 01:31:20,720 --> 01:31:23,599 Speaker 1: with with Charles Rodney. Charles Rodney is probably the most 1593 01:31:23,680 --> 01:31:26,760 Speaker 1: interesting person to listen to. I call it the Church 1594 01:31:26,840 --> 01:31:29,280 Speaker 1: of rabbit Hunting. He preaches on rabbit hunting as if 1595 01:31:29,320 --> 01:31:31,800 Speaker 1: he's at the pulpit, and he basically is. In this case. 1596 01:31:32,960 --> 01:31:36,280 Speaker 1: He was the son of a share cropper in segregationist 1597 01:31:36,720 --> 01:31:38,080 Speaker 1: if that's the right word to use, I'm sure it 1598 01:31:38,200 --> 01:31:42,760 Speaker 1: is Louisiana. He grew up in relative poverty, and he 1599 01:31:42,880 --> 01:31:45,240 Speaker 1: talks about this in this in this interview, he talks 1600 01:31:45,240 --> 01:31:47,519 Speaker 1: about his life and what it meant kind of what 1601 01:31:47,680 --> 01:31:53,160 Speaker 1: hunting was for the more prominent landowners, what hunting was 1602 01:31:53,280 --> 01:31:56,840 Speaker 1: for the poor share croppers that worked their place, and 1603 01:31:56,960 --> 01:32:00,479 Speaker 1: so that that's a big part of what I appreciate 1604 01:32:00,520 --> 01:32:02,880 Speaker 1: about Charles. But also I appreciate his zest for life. 1605 01:32:02,960 --> 01:32:06,160 Speaker 1: And if you go in his house, his wife, he 1606 01:32:06,240 --> 01:32:08,400 Speaker 1: and his wife like cook cooks me breakfast. It's like 1607 01:32:08,479 --> 01:32:11,120 Speaker 1: the best breakfast you'll ever have, is all all Louisiana 1608 01:32:11,160 --> 01:32:14,160 Speaker 1: home cooking. I met him over a rabbit hunt. He's 1609 01:32:14,160 --> 01:32:17,000 Speaker 1: got beagles and uh, I'll give you a little example 1610 01:32:17,040 --> 01:32:19,519 Speaker 1: phil what it's like to hunt with Charles Rodney. He 1611 01:32:19,600 --> 01:32:22,559 Speaker 1: has these beagles running around, they're sent sent trailing rabbits 1612 01:32:22,760 --> 01:32:24,400 Speaker 1: and to get him all together and get him work. 1613 01:32:24,400 --> 01:32:26,120 Speaker 1: And he goes like, oh yeah yeah yeah, yeah yeah 1614 01:32:26,400 --> 01:32:29,800 Speaker 1: yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah, come on, get him, 1615 01:32:29,920 --> 01:32:33,320 Speaker 1: get him And that's pretty much the whole That's what 1616 01:32:33,439 --> 01:32:36,200 Speaker 1: you hear the entire time you hunt with Charles. Uh, 1617 01:32:36,320 --> 01:32:39,920 Speaker 1: it is fantastic. He's a fantastic human. I've I've had 1618 01:32:40,000 --> 01:32:42,920 Speaker 1: him on the podcast twice. Now I hope to hunt 1619 01:32:42,960 --> 01:32:47,599 Speaker 1: with him. This February four cotton tails on the Eastern 1620 01:32:47,680 --> 01:32:51,400 Speaker 1: Shore of Maryland. So please enjoy this little clip from 1621 01:32:51,439 --> 01:32:55,519 Speaker 1: my conversation with Charles the Rabbit Man, Rodney, the Church 1622 01:32:55,640 --> 01:33:04,800 Speaker 1: of Rabbit Hunt. Alright, we're recording Charles. How are you, sir? 1623 01:33:05,040 --> 01:33:08,880 Speaker 1: I'm doing fine. Well, thanks for having me to your home. Well, 1624 01:33:08,960 --> 01:33:12,719 Speaker 1: you're quite welcome, my pleasure. UM. I want to start 1625 01:33:12,760 --> 01:33:16,200 Speaker 1: by saying, you know how long when did we rabbit hunt? 1626 01:33:16,200 --> 01:33:18,760 Speaker 1: It was a year. It was about two years ago, 1627 01:33:19,040 --> 01:33:23,920 Speaker 1: two seasons ago, two seasons ago, um on the Eastern Shore, Maryland. 1628 01:33:24,600 --> 01:33:26,920 Speaker 1: And I wish we could have done it last year. 1629 01:33:27,000 --> 01:33:30,599 Speaker 1: We were just talking about having children, that being busy 1630 01:33:30,640 --> 01:33:33,639 Speaker 1: and how that that does it. But when we hunted 1631 01:33:33,680 --> 01:33:36,160 Speaker 1: together on the Eastern Shore, it struck me that that 1632 01:33:36,240 --> 01:33:38,880 Speaker 1: was a hunt I would do every year, and I 1633 01:33:39,000 --> 01:33:41,920 Speaker 1: think you should. It was an awesome hunt. Yeah, it 1634 01:33:41,960 --> 01:33:44,040 Speaker 1: was a great hunt. And it also struck me that 1635 01:33:44,920 --> 01:33:46,560 Speaker 1: the one the first thing we should talk about is 1636 01:33:46,600 --> 01:33:52,000 Speaker 1: how delicious rabbit meat cotton tails are. Rabbit meat is 1637 01:33:52,400 --> 01:33:55,960 Speaker 1: one of the best meat and it's it's it's all 1638 01:33:56,160 --> 01:34:00,800 Speaker 1: natural and there's hardly any fat. They eat, only troll things, 1639 01:34:01,200 --> 01:34:04,519 Speaker 1: grass and leaves and twigs out in the woods and 1640 01:34:04,600 --> 01:34:07,040 Speaker 1: they're running and they literally eat soybean and stuff that 1641 01:34:07,200 --> 01:34:11,080 Speaker 1: they can get to. Uh, but they're running, so they're 1642 01:34:11,200 --> 01:34:15,000 Speaker 1: healthy there. There are no fat on them, and uh, 1643 01:34:15,200 --> 01:34:17,519 Speaker 1: it's one of the healthiest foods you can find. A 1644 01:34:17,560 --> 01:34:19,680 Speaker 1: lot of people don't know that, and a lot of 1645 01:34:19,680 --> 01:34:21,920 Speaker 1: people see them running around their backyard. They don't even 1646 01:34:21,920 --> 01:34:25,679 Speaker 1: think about what's right. So after that, we hunted in February. 1647 01:34:25,760 --> 01:34:28,880 Speaker 1: After that hunt we did, my dad was along. We 1648 01:34:29,000 --> 01:34:32,160 Speaker 1: went Super Bowl Sunday. We cooked up a bunch of 1649 01:34:32,280 --> 01:34:35,120 Speaker 1: rabbit legs. We soaked him in milk, a little bit, 1650 01:34:35,280 --> 01:34:37,640 Speaker 1: fried them up, put a little old bay on them, 1651 01:34:38,200 --> 01:34:41,360 Speaker 1: served him at a Super Bowl party. Everybody that was 1652 01:34:41,360 --> 01:34:43,759 Speaker 1: there eating them like these chicken. These chicken legs are great. 1653 01:34:44,880 --> 01:34:47,439 Speaker 1: These are best chicken legs in her hat. So that's 1654 01:34:47,439 --> 01:34:51,640 Speaker 1: a rabbit. Most city people don't know. They were What 1655 01:34:52,360 --> 01:34:56,160 Speaker 1: where'd you get this chicken? Well? I got it on 1656 01:34:56,200 --> 01:34:59,640 Speaker 1: the Eastern Shore, and it's a damn rabbit, said I 1657 01:34:59,640 --> 01:35:02,360 Speaker 1: always struck with me. Is not only is rabbit hunting fun, 1658 01:35:03,400 --> 01:35:06,040 Speaker 1: we're talking about it earlier here. Not only is it fun, 1659 01:35:06,880 --> 01:35:08,800 Speaker 1: is it easy to do? But you end up with 1660 01:35:09,840 --> 01:35:11,679 Speaker 1: you know a bunch of rabbits to go home skin 1661 01:35:11,760 --> 01:35:14,280 Speaker 1: and eat. That's fun for a kid to do. And 1662 01:35:14,560 --> 01:35:18,040 Speaker 1: rabbits um. Not only are they good and good for you, 1663 01:35:18,840 --> 01:35:22,680 Speaker 1: but they're one of the easiest game to clean. You 1664 01:35:22,800 --> 01:35:26,680 Speaker 1: can clean. I can clean a bunch of rabbits by 1665 01:35:26,760 --> 01:35:30,240 Speaker 1: the time I cleaned two squirrels. And and it you 1666 01:35:30,360 --> 01:35:33,559 Speaker 1: just cut a little slit and you pull them opposite 1667 01:35:33,640 --> 01:35:35,760 Speaker 1: in and all of her come off. You pull, you 1668 01:35:35,840 --> 01:35:39,120 Speaker 1: slip behind the tail or slit. I usually slip over 1669 01:35:39,200 --> 01:35:41,400 Speaker 1: the back, around the stomach and put my finger in 1670 01:35:41,520 --> 01:35:44,840 Speaker 1: and just pull out with yes right, and it comes 1671 01:35:44,880 --> 01:35:46,960 Speaker 1: off the off the back, legs and over the head. 1672 01:35:47,000 --> 01:35:48,800 Speaker 1: Now a lot of other guys do it a little 1673 01:35:48,840 --> 01:35:51,080 Speaker 1: bit different. And then I just take a knife and 1674 01:35:51,280 --> 01:35:55,360 Speaker 1: and and got them and I'm done. And if they're 1675 01:35:56,080 --> 01:35:58,920 Speaker 1: if they're a little bloody, I soaked them. I got 1676 01:35:59,040 --> 01:36:02,040 Speaker 1: a big one of and big wash tubs. So come 1677 01:36:02,120 --> 01:36:05,519 Speaker 1: for eight to ten hours overnight usually and all that 1678 01:36:05,640 --> 01:36:08,559 Speaker 1: blood comes out and then you clean it off, wrap 1679 01:36:08,680 --> 01:36:10,920 Speaker 1: it in freeze of paper. A lot of guys you shrink, 1680 01:36:10,960 --> 01:36:14,120 Speaker 1: wrap and label them and there you go and you're 1681 01:36:14,240 --> 01:36:17,280 Speaker 1: you're ready and so forth. Did your wife cook up 1682 01:36:17,280 --> 01:36:20,519 Speaker 1: a lot of rabbits. My wife actually is a city girl. 1683 01:36:20,840 --> 01:36:25,559 Speaker 1: I'm a country boy from Louisiana and we've been married. 1684 01:36:25,680 --> 01:36:30,040 Speaker 1: Tomorrow September to twenty two, will be forty six years. 1685 01:36:31,000 --> 01:36:34,920 Speaker 1: Can't get her to even go out and look at 1686 01:36:34,960 --> 01:36:37,560 Speaker 1: the dogs when I get a new one, but she 1687 01:36:37,720 --> 01:36:40,360 Speaker 1: gives me support. So I do all the rabbit cooking. 1688 01:36:40,400 --> 01:36:42,519 Speaker 1: I do all the rabbit cleaning. I have a special 1689 01:36:42,720 --> 01:36:46,760 Speaker 1: freezer just for a whild game, because a lot of 1690 01:36:46,840 --> 01:36:52,280 Speaker 1: the people I take rabbit hunting give me other games elk, moose, dear, 1691 01:36:52,360 --> 01:36:56,720 Speaker 1: whatever they hunt while waterfowl, and we eat some of it. 1692 01:36:57,560 --> 01:37:03,160 Speaker 1: But there are loads of people that I supply rabbit 1693 01:37:03,320 --> 01:37:07,760 Speaker 1: every year. I have names to give rabbits in my 1694 01:37:08,080 --> 01:37:11,479 Speaker 1: cut of the take, in my group we'll get over 1695 01:37:11,600 --> 01:37:15,200 Speaker 1: two hundred, and in my take I usually get about 1696 01:37:15,280 --> 01:37:19,000 Speaker 1: forty forty five. So some guys come just to shoot 1697 01:37:19,320 --> 01:37:23,439 Speaker 1: the hunt, shoot the breeze. Some guys take one or two. 1698 01:37:23,880 --> 01:37:26,160 Speaker 1: Some guys said, well, I don't want many, so whatever 1699 01:37:26,240 --> 01:37:29,360 Speaker 1: they don't take, I take because I have a market 1700 01:37:29,439 --> 01:37:32,559 Speaker 1: for giving them away. I don't sell anything. I don't 1701 01:37:32,680 --> 01:37:35,439 Speaker 1: expect anything in return. All I expect is to thank you. 1702 01:37:35,520 --> 01:37:37,240 Speaker 1: And and if I don't get that or a big 1703 01:37:37,320 --> 01:37:39,560 Speaker 1: smile on your face, and that's thank you enough. So 1704 01:37:39,680 --> 01:37:43,600 Speaker 1: there are lots of older people who lived in the 1705 01:37:43,720 --> 01:37:48,760 Speaker 1: country of Maryland, Southern Maryland, and some city folks North Carolina, 1706 01:37:48,840 --> 01:37:52,960 Speaker 1: South Carolina, they did it. Uh, their family hunted and 1707 01:37:53,040 --> 01:37:55,400 Speaker 1: they can't get them anymore. And they say, hey at church. 1708 01:37:55,640 --> 01:37:57,719 Speaker 1: I got a lot of people say you take rabbits 1709 01:37:57,760 --> 01:38:00,679 Speaker 1: to church. I say sure, I said, all the old people. 1710 01:38:00,720 --> 01:38:02,519 Speaker 1: I said, well, what mans are you going to tomorrow? 1711 01:38:02,560 --> 01:38:06,360 Speaker 1: We're cat like And I bring him a rabbit. It's clean, 1712 01:38:06,680 --> 01:38:12,519 Speaker 1: it's wrapped, it's label and um, they enjoy it. And 1713 01:38:12,800 --> 01:38:15,960 Speaker 1: and that's my treat to them. Yeah, that's awesome. Yeah, now, 1714 01:38:16,040 --> 01:38:18,800 Speaker 1: and get people. You know, there's a lot of people 1715 01:38:18,840 --> 01:38:20,599 Speaker 1: like you said, you can't go out and do That's right. 1716 01:38:20,720 --> 01:38:22,400 Speaker 1: They don't have place to go or time to go, 1717 01:38:22,600 --> 01:38:25,920 Speaker 1: or not physically physically unable to go and share it 1718 01:38:26,000 --> 01:38:30,680 Speaker 1: with him. That's awesome. So you you're from Louisiana, you 1719 01:38:30,760 --> 01:38:34,120 Speaker 1: found your way here to Maryland, and we'll get into that, 1720 01:38:34,200 --> 01:38:35,479 Speaker 1: but I want to just kind of go back to 1721 01:38:36,640 --> 01:38:38,920 Speaker 1: your upbring and when you first started hunting, because I 1722 01:38:38,960 --> 01:38:41,439 Speaker 1: know we talked a little bit about swamp rabbits, which 1723 01:38:41,439 --> 01:38:45,800 Speaker 1: I thought was fun. Fun term. When did you first 1724 01:38:46,640 --> 01:38:48,639 Speaker 1: start hunting? And when did you first start rabbit hunt? 1725 01:38:48,680 --> 01:38:50,960 Speaker 1: What was the thing that got you excited about it? Well? 1726 01:38:51,479 --> 01:38:55,000 Speaker 1: Growing up, we grew up we were share croppers in Louisiana, 1727 01:38:55,439 --> 01:38:58,040 Speaker 1: so we lived on somebody else laying my dad and 1728 01:38:58,120 --> 01:39:03,960 Speaker 1: my uncle next door farm and when we would go hunting, um, 1729 01:39:05,160 --> 01:39:07,760 Speaker 1: you just walked behind the house into the fields and 1730 01:39:07,840 --> 01:39:12,040 Speaker 1: you would hunt there. I started about eight years old, 1731 01:39:12,400 --> 01:39:17,040 Speaker 1: mainly following my big older brother who was eleven years 1732 01:39:17,080 --> 01:39:19,800 Speaker 1: older than me. He loved to hunt and they would 1733 01:39:19,880 --> 01:39:22,479 Speaker 1: let me follow him. The rule was I would walk 1734 01:39:22,640 --> 01:39:24,439 Speaker 1: right behind him. I didn't have a shot GUNNA had 1735 01:39:24,439 --> 01:39:27,400 Speaker 1: a bb gun, and most time nothing. I carried whatever 1736 01:39:27,479 --> 01:39:31,360 Speaker 1: he killed. And I learned that way, and as time 1737 01:39:31,520 --> 01:39:35,800 Speaker 1: got I got older and teenager. There was a friend 1738 01:39:36,000 --> 01:39:39,800 Speaker 1: who had a couple of dogs, and uh we hunted. 1739 01:39:40,000 --> 01:39:42,439 Speaker 1: Were hunted in the cotton fields and on the ditches 1740 01:39:42,560 --> 01:39:45,040 Speaker 1: and in the woods, and we'd get cotton tails in 1741 01:39:45,120 --> 01:39:47,320 Speaker 1: the field and then if you wanted the big rabbits, 1742 01:39:47,320 --> 01:39:49,600 Speaker 1: you're going in the woods, in the deep woods, and 1743 01:39:49,720 --> 01:39:53,040 Speaker 1: which was only probably half a mile walk and we 1744 01:39:53,240 --> 01:39:57,000 Speaker 1: we would get one or two, but we never had 1745 01:39:57,439 --> 01:40:01,360 Speaker 1: being poor, we never had quality dog dogs. Okay, we 1746 01:40:01,520 --> 01:40:05,160 Speaker 1: had your dogs that could hunt rabbits too, and and 1747 01:40:05,280 --> 01:40:07,679 Speaker 1: do a lot of other things. Uh. These were multi 1748 01:40:07,760 --> 01:40:12,679 Speaker 1: purpose dogs, so they would get something. And then I hunted, 1749 01:40:12,960 --> 01:40:16,120 Speaker 1: uh throughout my teen years and after college in in 1750 01:40:16,240 --> 01:40:21,639 Speaker 1: Baton Rouge, I moved here in seventy two, got married 1751 01:40:22,280 --> 01:40:26,920 Speaker 1: and started hunting a little bit here with my wife 1752 01:40:27,000 --> 01:40:31,200 Speaker 1: too uncle, and we'd go down southern Maryland. We had 1753 01:40:31,200 --> 01:40:33,000 Speaker 1: a couple of little small spots, would get one or 1754 01:40:33,040 --> 01:40:37,200 Speaker 1: two rabbits. Then when the kids started coming, I quit, 1755 01:40:38,120 --> 01:40:42,680 Speaker 1: and then as they got older and in college in 1756 01:40:42,920 --> 01:40:46,519 Speaker 1: in upper high school, I started back. So I told 1757 01:40:46,600 --> 01:40:48,840 Speaker 1: my wife, I said, you know, I was relying on 1758 01:40:48,920 --> 01:40:52,160 Speaker 1: another fellow who wasn't too dependable and and didn't have 1759 01:40:52,240 --> 01:40:55,599 Speaker 1: good dogs. I liked this so much, I'm gonna start 1760 01:40:55,720 --> 01:41:00,000 Speaker 1: doing it. So I had an old truck that my family. 1761 01:41:00,080 --> 01:41:02,120 Speaker 1: It was our dad's, and when he passed they gave 1762 01:41:02,200 --> 01:41:04,240 Speaker 1: it to me and I brought it up from Louisiana 1763 01:41:04,280 --> 01:41:07,200 Speaker 1: and we build a little common dog box. I got 1764 01:41:07,280 --> 01:41:11,160 Speaker 1: some dogs, made all of the mistakes, bought the wrong dogs, 1765 01:41:11,880 --> 01:41:16,639 Speaker 1: the dogs by. First I bought a dog name um Rowdy, 1766 01:41:17,400 --> 01:41:20,920 Speaker 1: and then I had one name Slim or something like that. Well, 1767 01:41:20,960 --> 01:41:23,560 Speaker 1: I didn't know much about dogs, and the guy that 1768 01:41:23,720 --> 01:41:26,479 Speaker 1: sold them to me, he took me for a ride 1769 01:41:27,080 --> 01:41:30,400 Speaker 1: because I just wanted two dogs, and he told me 1770 01:41:30,760 --> 01:41:34,760 Speaker 1: one dog that was slower and a fast dog. Now 1771 01:41:34,920 --> 01:41:38,639 Speaker 1: I know what I know. Now that's a bad mixture. 1772 01:41:38,880 --> 01:41:42,000 Speaker 1: You want all of your dogs the same speed. You 1773 01:41:42,080 --> 01:41:45,439 Speaker 1: want them all medium, all slow, are all fast. You 1774 01:41:45,520 --> 01:41:47,880 Speaker 1: want them when they're running to be in a bunch 1775 01:41:48,000 --> 01:41:50,439 Speaker 1: together on the scent line. You don't want one to 1776 01:41:50,560 --> 01:41:54,400 Speaker 1: be here in won fifty yards away. So I made 1777 01:41:54,439 --> 01:41:57,519 Speaker 1: all of the mistakes, bought the wrong dog dogs, and 1778 01:41:57,600 --> 01:41:59,519 Speaker 1: then I got some other dogs, and I didn't know 1779 01:41:59,840 --> 01:42:04,000 Speaker 1: the ran deer, so I lost dogs dogs spent the 1780 01:42:04,160 --> 01:42:08,120 Speaker 1: night in the in the woods. So gradually I started 1781 01:42:08,200 --> 01:42:12,040 Speaker 1: talking to some veteran hunters that I trusted, who raised 1782 01:42:12,120 --> 01:42:14,760 Speaker 1: dogs and bread dogs, and they gave me a lot 1783 01:42:14,840 --> 01:42:17,800 Speaker 1: of tips, and I started reading, and I started using 1784 01:42:17,880 --> 01:42:21,719 Speaker 1: better judgment of people that are bought dogs from. Because 1785 01:42:22,040 --> 01:42:24,400 Speaker 1: I don't breathe my own dogs. I bomb when they're 1786 01:42:25,120 --> 01:42:29,120 Speaker 1: started one to two years. So they gave me loads 1787 01:42:29,240 --> 01:42:33,720 Speaker 1: of advice, which I I'm proud to have received this 1788 01:42:33,840 --> 01:42:36,759 Speaker 1: advice from them. They told me all of the dudes 1789 01:42:36,880 --> 01:42:40,680 Speaker 1: and don't And I learned from my errors, and I 1790 01:42:40,840 --> 01:42:44,120 Speaker 1: learned how to break dogs using it was try tronics 1791 01:42:44,240 --> 01:42:46,960 Speaker 1: at the time, the training collars. Some people call them 1792 01:42:47,000 --> 01:42:51,160 Speaker 1: the shock callers now garment, and I used those faithfully, 1793 01:42:52,080 --> 01:42:56,200 Speaker 1: and I put them on live, dear and break them. 1794 01:42:56,680 --> 01:42:59,919 Speaker 1: Now I don't have to because the deers have invaded 1795 01:43:00,080 --> 01:43:02,280 Speaker 1: the neighborhood where we live. So I can break them 1796 01:43:02,400 --> 01:43:05,160 Speaker 1: right here in the yard. And he's got your dogs 1797 01:43:05,240 --> 01:43:07,360 Speaker 1: chasing deer in the in the yard he had the deers. 1798 01:43:07,760 --> 01:43:09,680 Speaker 1: The deer is coming to yard to eat all the 1799 01:43:09,760 --> 01:43:14,240 Speaker 1: flowers and things of that sort. So recently last year, 1800 01:43:14,240 --> 01:43:17,559 Speaker 1: I built an eight foot fence around my vegetable garden 1801 01:43:17,600 --> 01:43:20,040 Speaker 1: so we can have vegetable. It looks like a prison camp. 1802 01:43:20,520 --> 01:43:23,040 Speaker 1: All I need is a little towel on there. But 1803 01:43:23,320 --> 01:43:26,559 Speaker 1: this is a multipurpose dogs that you're trading your dogs 1804 01:43:27,040 --> 01:43:29,160 Speaker 1: on deer, keeping them hell out of your yard. At 1805 01:43:29,160 --> 01:43:32,320 Speaker 1: the same time, well, the deer. Now that the dogs 1806 01:43:32,360 --> 01:43:35,280 Speaker 1: are in the pin. The dogs, only one out of 1807 01:43:35,439 --> 01:43:38,360 Speaker 1: six will look at the deer and bark. The other 1808 01:43:38,439 --> 01:43:41,400 Speaker 1: five go about their business, and the deer know that 1809 01:43:41,520 --> 01:43:43,719 Speaker 1: they can't get out, so they go about their business. 1810 01:43:43,760 --> 01:43:47,679 Speaker 1: They just trot along. But I learned from these people, 1811 01:43:48,320 --> 01:43:52,840 Speaker 1: so all of this valuable knowledge. Now I know how 1812 01:43:52,920 --> 01:43:56,640 Speaker 1: to select dogs and have known for many years. So 1813 01:43:57,240 --> 01:44:00,599 Speaker 1: in the last fifteen or twenty years. Twenty years, maybe 1814 01:44:01,040 --> 01:44:05,400 Speaker 1: I have not had one dog run off. Deers will 1815 01:44:05,439 --> 01:44:07,920 Speaker 1: get up in front of him, will cross the track, 1816 01:44:08,080 --> 01:44:10,479 Speaker 1: will be laying in the brush. They'll see the deer. 1817 01:44:10,560 --> 01:44:13,720 Speaker 1: They paid no mine because you know that deer scent 1818 01:44:13,920 --> 01:44:16,719 Speaker 1: is much hotter than a rabbit sense, so they don't 1819 01:44:16,760 --> 01:44:19,559 Speaker 1: paid any mine, and we keep hunting. So when they 1820 01:44:19,640 --> 01:44:22,519 Speaker 1: go in the brush and they start barking, I don't 1821 01:44:22,560 --> 01:44:24,920 Speaker 1: have to panic that a big bucket is gonna run 1822 01:44:24,960 --> 01:44:27,240 Speaker 1: out the other side. And they're gonna run, because if 1823 01:44:27,280 --> 01:44:30,439 Speaker 1: they chase deer, then they're no good to us as 1824 01:44:30,560 --> 01:44:34,280 Speaker 1: rabbit hunters. And a deer will run straight for miles. 1825 01:44:34,720 --> 01:44:37,479 Speaker 1: The dog will if he survived the highways that they're 1826 01:44:37,479 --> 01:44:40,800 Speaker 1: gonna cross, then he's no good for you because you 1827 01:44:40,880 --> 01:44:43,800 Speaker 1: don't trust him. But now when I go with six 1828 01:44:44,520 --> 01:44:47,880 Speaker 1: come back and and guys will tell me Charles the 1829 01:44:48,000 --> 01:44:50,439 Speaker 1: deer just got up. What do you want to do? 1830 01:44:50,520 --> 01:44:53,280 Speaker 1: I say, don't do anything. They're not gonna chase him. 1831 01:44:53,320 --> 01:44:56,200 Speaker 1: Just wait for that rabbit to come back. And and 1832 01:44:56,360 --> 01:45:00,439 Speaker 1: it happens over and over. But when you pick quality 1833 01:45:00,560 --> 01:45:07,400 Speaker 1: dogs from quality people, because um, a lot of guys 1834 01:45:07,560 --> 01:45:10,120 Speaker 1: dog tree, they'll tell you that this dog will do 1835 01:45:10,280 --> 01:45:14,920 Speaker 1: all sorts of things and so forth. And you've got 1836 01:45:15,000 --> 01:45:17,519 Speaker 1: a deer running, You've got a dog that's gunshine everything. 1837 01:45:17,600 --> 01:45:20,640 Speaker 1: So I buy quality dogs, I work them, and I 1838 01:45:20,760 --> 01:45:23,640 Speaker 1: buy my dogs only in the summertime so that I 1839 01:45:23,760 --> 01:45:27,280 Speaker 1: have time to train them and let them get used 1840 01:45:27,280 --> 01:45:30,320 Speaker 1: to my voice each other and so forth. Because the 1841 01:45:30,439 --> 01:45:35,800 Speaker 1: season starts always in Maryland the first Saturday in November. 1842 01:45:36,640 --> 01:45:40,840 Speaker 1: So I'll buy dogs in April, May, June and work 1843 01:45:40,880 --> 01:45:44,040 Speaker 1: them and train them, and when the season come they're 1844 01:45:44,080 --> 01:45:46,840 Speaker 1: in shape. And so I don't have that problem. I 1845 01:45:46,880 --> 01:45:50,439 Speaker 1: have none but rabbit runners only. And I've seen it 1846 01:45:50,520 --> 01:45:55,439 Speaker 1: in action. It is unbelievable. Let's go back, uh, because 1847 01:45:55,479 --> 01:45:58,760 Speaker 1: we'll we'll talk dogs forever here. But when you were 1848 01:45:58,920 --> 01:46:02,240 Speaker 1: you mentioned a few things. You came up poor. Yes, um, 1849 01:46:02,960 --> 01:46:06,439 Speaker 1: you came up it seemingly close to your family, and 1850 01:46:06,840 --> 01:46:10,760 Speaker 1: you came up hunting. You feel like, uh, how that 1851 01:46:10,960 --> 01:46:13,320 Speaker 1: shaped you as a person? You know, how you became. 1852 01:46:13,560 --> 01:46:15,960 Speaker 1: You know, you've been married for we say forty eight years, 1853 01:46:17,040 --> 01:46:19,559 Speaker 1: six years when I get that number correct. Your wife 1854 01:46:19,640 --> 01:46:21,720 Speaker 1: cooks the hell of a breakfast. You probably if we 1855 01:46:21,880 --> 01:46:24,519 Speaker 1: just got finished that, I'm sure you've eat many of those. 1856 01:46:25,200 --> 01:46:31,280 Speaker 1: Um but it seems like, yeah, kids, wife, you have 1857 01:46:32,400 --> 01:46:36,160 Speaker 1: a good life. Everything has turned out well, you know, 1858 01:46:36,720 --> 01:46:40,200 Speaker 1: very happy and productive. And I always try to look 1859 01:46:40,280 --> 01:46:42,360 Speaker 1: back and and how you were raised and what that 1860 01:46:42,520 --> 01:46:44,880 Speaker 1: might have given you. Do you have any insight as 1861 01:46:44,960 --> 01:46:47,880 Speaker 1: to your upbringing and what it meant? Well. We were 1862 01:46:47,960 --> 01:46:51,280 Speaker 1: raised in a in a Christian family in South Louisiana. 1863 01:46:51,680 --> 01:46:54,040 Speaker 1: Most of the people are Catholic. There are other faiths 1864 01:46:54,080 --> 01:46:57,639 Speaker 1: there and they're good people. They taught us the value 1865 01:46:57,760 --> 01:47:01,240 Speaker 1: of working together. We lived on a farm, so if 1866 01:47:01,240 --> 01:47:03,680 Speaker 1: we finished early, we helped the next guy and my 1867 01:47:03,800 --> 01:47:05,599 Speaker 1: uncle next to them. We helped people up and down 1868 01:47:05,680 --> 01:47:10,280 Speaker 1: the road, and they helped us. And Daddy grew a 1869 01:47:10,479 --> 01:47:14,120 Speaker 1: large vegetable garden. When I mean a large vegetable garden. 1870 01:47:14,160 --> 01:47:16,639 Speaker 1: He wasn't selling. He grew and we kept wondering, why 1871 01:47:18,000 --> 01:47:20,720 Speaker 1: are we growing all of this stuff? Well back then 1872 01:47:21,280 --> 01:47:24,320 Speaker 1: we didn't have freezes, so the old mason jars. We 1873 01:47:24,520 --> 01:47:27,840 Speaker 1: kenned everything and what we what we didn't use, we 1874 01:47:27,920 --> 01:47:31,600 Speaker 1: gave away. And I was the youngest of seven, so 1875 01:47:31,760 --> 01:47:34,840 Speaker 1: I got the luxury of peaking when my older brothers 1876 01:47:34,880 --> 01:47:39,160 Speaker 1: and sisters started leaving and so forth. So we were 1877 01:47:39,280 --> 01:47:42,840 Speaker 1: raised up in in two family and a mother and 1878 01:47:42,880 --> 01:47:49,240 Speaker 1: a father um, and we were raised up in Catholic school. 1879 01:47:49,280 --> 01:47:53,400 Speaker 1: We went to Catholic elementary and then on the public school. 1880 01:47:54,080 --> 01:47:56,720 Speaker 1: But we were raised with good Christian values that you 1881 01:47:56,920 --> 01:47:59,880 Speaker 1: help people and you do for people, and that's your 1882 01:48:00,040 --> 01:48:02,400 Speaker 1: thank you, and that you enjoyment. And that sticks with 1883 01:48:02,560 --> 01:48:05,320 Speaker 1: me today because I do some of the same thing, 1884 01:48:05,400 --> 01:48:08,360 Speaker 1: even though I hated it. When we grew all those 1885 01:48:08,400 --> 01:48:11,160 Speaker 1: big gardens and Daddy with somebody would come and there 1886 01:48:11,200 --> 01:48:14,000 Speaker 1: were certain people who came by. Then you win. The 1887 01:48:14,200 --> 01:48:17,439 Speaker 1: sweet corn made, then you when the figs made, then 1888 01:48:17,520 --> 01:48:20,320 Speaker 1: you win. This mayed and the Pecans were at the countries, 1889 01:48:20,680 --> 01:48:22,920 Speaker 1: and being the youngest, I got to go in that 1890 01:48:23,040 --> 01:48:25,840 Speaker 1: hot sun and go get these things and box these things. 1891 01:48:25,880 --> 01:48:28,280 Speaker 1: But I didn't know it. In reality, I was enjoying it. 1892 01:48:28,520 --> 01:48:31,640 Speaker 1: I do the same thing today. I grow garden. And 1893 01:48:31,760 --> 01:48:35,400 Speaker 1: many of my hunting friends grow big gardens. There's a 1894 01:48:35,479 --> 01:48:39,160 Speaker 1: guy that grow greens and he plants them for the 1895 01:48:39,320 --> 01:48:41,760 Speaker 1: deer so he can stick an arrow on him because 1896 01:48:41,760 --> 01:48:44,800 Speaker 1: he can't shoot a gun where he lives, and so 1897 01:48:45,160 --> 01:48:47,960 Speaker 1: he plants the greens for the last four or five years. 1898 01:48:48,479 --> 01:48:50,880 Speaker 1: He doesn't sell them, he doesn't give him away. Guess 1899 01:48:50,920 --> 01:48:52,519 Speaker 1: what he does. He tells me, Charles, going there and 1900 01:48:52,600 --> 01:48:54,880 Speaker 1: take him, because you give him the people. And we, 1901 01:48:55,160 --> 01:48:58,000 Speaker 1: my cousin and I will go and we'll pick two 1902 01:48:58,040 --> 01:49:00,280 Speaker 1: pickup trucks load and we'll give to every bout and 1903 01:49:00,320 --> 01:49:03,320 Speaker 1: their brother will take him to church, to his church, 1904 01:49:03,439 --> 01:49:05,080 Speaker 1: to my church and the people and we can. So 1905 01:49:05,160 --> 01:49:08,599 Speaker 1: we're giving back the way we were taught to give back. 1906 01:49:08,640 --> 01:49:11,400 Speaker 1: And his old country boar from Maryland too. So those 1907 01:49:11,520 --> 01:49:17,480 Speaker 1: family values stick today. And when where we live, everybody 1908 01:49:17,600 --> 01:49:22,840 Speaker 1: knew us. Okay, the races were separate, Okay, predominantly white 1909 01:49:22,920 --> 01:49:25,880 Speaker 1: and black. We will creole. My folks spoke creole. I 1910 01:49:26,000 --> 01:49:28,439 Speaker 1: know a little bit of it. But they have that 1911 01:49:28,560 --> 01:49:32,080 Speaker 1: intrinsic value that you help you, fella man, regardless. And 1912 01:49:32,160 --> 01:49:36,800 Speaker 1: I do the same thing today. Uh. I give people. 1913 01:49:36,920 --> 01:49:39,479 Speaker 1: I give service to the church. I give service to people. 1914 01:49:39,800 --> 01:49:42,799 Speaker 1: I have a lot of older friends, I mean older 1915 01:49:42,840 --> 01:49:45,960 Speaker 1: friends in the upper nineties and close to a hundred 1916 01:49:46,560 --> 01:49:49,960 Speaker 1: and one man is nine, and we still I take 1917 01:49:50,040 --> 01:49:53,719 Speaker 1: him rabbits twice a year. The last last two hunts, 1918 01:49:53,800 --> 01:49:56,160 Speaker 1: he wrote on a little cart, and he just come 1919 01:49:56,240 --> 01:50:00,120 Speaker 1: to here on a little John, dear little John. I'm 1920 01:50:00,160 --> 01:50:03,280 Speaker 1: their four wheel of things, and he rides along and 1921 01:50:03,400 --> 01:50:06,400 Speaker 1: he hunts, and we've become friends in three years, and 1922 01:50:06,560 --> 01:50:10,839 Speaker 1: he at ninety three. He grows a big truck garden. 1923 01:50:11,479 --> 01:50:14,240 Speaker 1: So he sells everything fifty cents a pound. So I 1924 01:50:14,360 --> 01:50:18,360 Speaker 1: go sometime and I'll buy a truckloads. You'd be surprised 1925 01:50:18,360 --> 01:50:20,439 Speaker 1: how much stuff you can buy for fifty dollars. And 1926 01:50:20,479 --> 01:50:22,920 Speaker 1: I give it away and so forth. So I even 1927 01:50:22,960 --> 01:50:25,839 Speaker 1: take something to the We have nun's sisters at the convent, 1928 01:50:26,120 --> 01:50:28,160 Speaker 1: so I take stuff to them. They tell me they 1929 01:50:28,240 --> 01:50:30,519 Speaker 1: like deer. So I got some friends who are gonna 1930 01:50:30,640 --> 01:50:33,000 Speaker 1: who gives me a couple of deers, and I give 1931 01:50:33,040 --> 01:50:36,120 Speaker 1: it away, and so i'm I said, And they're from 1932 01:50:36,160 --> 01:50:39,360 Speaker 1: all over the world. They're they're about twelve of them there, 1933 01:50:39,400 --> 01:50:42,000 Speaker 1: but they're about ten different ethnic groups. And they move 1934 01:50:42,080 --> 01:50:44,519 Speaker 1: them in and out. So they enjoyed. I give them 1935 01:50:44,680 --> 01:50:47,320 Speaker 1: all kinds of vegetables and so forth. You spread the 1936 01:50:47,360 --> 01:50:51,799 Speaker 1: gospel of wild game, oh, wild game and vegetable and service. 1937 01:50:51,880 --> 01:50:56,240 Speaker 1: People call me and and so say, Charles, you have this. 1938 01:50:56,360 --> 01:50:58,040 Speaker 1: Can you tell me why? I said, I'll get you something. 1939 01:50:58,320 --> 01:50:59,680 Speaker 1: And I get in and they said, well, what can 1940 01:50:59,760 --> 01:51:02,639 Speaker 1: I pay? You said, there's no money. There's no money. 1941 01:51:02,680 --> 01:51:05,960 Speaker 1: You give back. When you give back, it comes back 1942 01:51:06,360 --> 01:51:09,559 Speaker 1: to you. And and we'll talk about that in detail. 1943 01:51:10,160 --> 01:51:15,880 Speaker 1: How um, the many people who have invited mina hunt 1944 01:51:15,880 --> 01:51:18,960 Speaker 1: on their land. It will get to that too, because 1945 01:51:18,960 --> 01:51:20,639 Speaker 1: I want to kind of go in order here. Okay, 1946 01:51:20,720 --> 01:51:23,840 Speaker 1: go ahead, But but there is this amazing thing that 1947 01:51:23,920 --> 01:51:26,040 Speaker 1: you do. You said that a lot of people think 1948 01:51:26,080 --> 01:51:28,760 Speaker 1: you're an outfitter, right, but I remember you went well. 1949 01:51:28,760 --> 01:51:30,320 Speaker 1: When I mentioned we hunted the other you gave me 1950 01:51:30,400 --> 01:51:34,000 Speaker 1: your business card and it says it's to some effect 1951 01:51:34,080 --> 01:51:37,600 Speaker 1: like Charles the rabbit Hunter Rodney, and it says the 1952 01:51:37,720 --> 01:51:40,559 Speaker 1: only game in town for me. It's the only game 1953 01:51:40,600 --> 01:51:42,439 Speaker 1: in town for me because I don't I don't want 1954 01:51:42,479 --> 01:51:45,200 Speaker 1: to insult any of the other hunters. But this is 1955 01:51:45,280 --> 01:51:48,880 Speaker 1: all that I do, which is wonderful and it did. 1956 01:51:49,000 --> 01:51:51,000 Speaker 1: It doesn't say like call me for hunts. It doesn't 1957 01:51:51,000 --> 01:51:53,920 Speaker 1: say an outfitter, a guy, there's nothing of that. You literally, 1958 01:51:54,240 --> 01:51:59,559 Speaker 1: for no money, go hunting rabbits with anybody who desires 1959 01:51:59,600 --> 01:52:01,840 Speaker 1: to do so, and that well, you'll take the time 1960 01:52:01,880 --> 01:52:04,679 Speaker 1: to do it. And I tell people, as my wife 1961 01:52:04,760 --> 01:52:07,960 Speaker 1: made the card up, she said, you can call started company. 1962 01:52:07,960 --> 01:52:09,640 Speaker 1: She said, you need a card so these guys can 1963 01:52:09,680 --> 01:52:11,559 Speaker 1: call you. So it's got to sell in the house 1964 01:52:11,640 --> 01:52:14,680 Speaker 1: them and the email thing on there. And this was 1965 01:52:14,760 --> 01:52:19,719 Speaker 1: way before texting. So I passed them out to various people, 1966 01:52:20,439 --> 01:52:24,519 Speaker 1: and um, a lot of people say, are you an outfitter? Well, 1967 01:52:25,080 --> 01:52:26,840 Speaker 1: how do I get on your schedule? What do you 1968 01:52:26,920 --> 01:52:29,599 Speaker 1: try to say? Hold up, let me clear this up. 1969 01:52:29,960 --> 01:52:34,800 Speaker 1: I am not an outfitter. I'm just a guy that love. 1970 01:52:35,080 --> 01:52:39,200 Speaker 1: I'm passionate about rabbit hunting and having good dogs, and 1971 01:52:39,320 --> 01:52:43,479 Speaker 1: I enjoy people, and I meet people easy people. We 1972 01:52:43,720 --> 01:52:47,000 Speaker 1: we tend to take to each other. I can tell 1973 01:52:47,120 --> 01:52:49,960 Speaker 1: the ones that's laying a lot of bs out okay. 1974 01:52:50,560 --> 01:52:53,040 Speaker 1: And I don't hunt with half crazy people. If if 1975 01:52:53,080 --> 01:52:55,920 Speaker 1: they talk foolish, they won't get invited. And if they 1976 01:52:56,040 --> 01:52:58,559 Speaker 1: come and hunt one time and they do something wrong 1977 01:52:59,439 --> 01:53:03,840 Speaker 1: that's not uh good hunting mannerism. Then they're on their 1978 01:53:03,880 --> 01:53:07,080 Speaker 1: first and they last, and they only hunt. But I'm 1979 01:53:07,160 --> 01:53:10,800 Speaker 1: a good judge of people. And some of the people 1980 01:53:10,880 --> 01:53:15,080 Speaker 1: I've been hunting with for ten twelve years, and they've 1981 01:53:15,160 --> 01:53:19,960 Speaker 1: bring many of their friends and family members and so forth, uh, 1982 01:53:20,400 --> 01:53:23,400 Speaker 1: and most of them have some of the same hunting times. 1983 01:53:23,479 --> 01:53:27,120 Speaker 1: It's like in February when the water fouling deer season 1984 01:53:27,200 --> 01:53:33,240 Speaker 1: is over. Um, the four saturdays in February and Presidency, 1985 01:53:34,000 --> 01:53:40,080 Speaker 1: they belong to the same four people, and nobody can 1986 01:53:40,160 --> 01:53:42,720 Speaker 1: break that lineup. They enjoy it so much they won't 1987 01:53:42,760 --> 01:53:45,280 Speaker 1: give it up. That's what it's about. I mean, it's 1988 01:53:45,400 --> 01:53:48,160 Speaker 1: it's I think it goes back to what you're saying, 1989 01:53:48,680 --> 01:53:52,959 Speaker 1: having a garden, eating what you kill, having a community 1990 01:53:53,040 --> 01:53:55,880 Speaker 1: people that share those same values enough to the fact 1991 01:53:55,880 --> 01:53:58,200 Speaker 1: they want to come and get your vegetables, but they 1992 01:53:58,280 --> 01:54:01,200 Speaker 1: know they're they're ready to be luck. That's just a 1993 01:54:01,800 --> 01:54:04,439 Speaker 1: life of giving, right, a life of sharing, a life 1994 01:54:04,520 --> 01:54:07,120 Speaker 1: of you. You become passionate about something, the first thing 1995 01:54:07,160 --> 01:54:08,760 Speaker 1: you think of is to share it with people, right. 1996 01:54:08,920 --> 01:54:12,600 Speaker 1: And we grew up that way. We shared, Um, we 1997 01:54:12,760 --> 01:54:16,679 Speaker 1: shared with many people and there were people just as poor, 1998 01:54:17,000 --> 01:54:20,360 Speaker 1: poor as us or poor and the rich people we 1999 01:54:20,479 --> 01:54:22,240 Speaker 1: knew who they were. They were to big land on 2000 01:54:22,400 --> 01:54:26,200 Speaker 1: us who want all the land. Uh. And you know 2001 01:54:26,280 --> 01:54:29,439 Speaker 1: they didn't congregate around you because you are of that 2002 01:54:29,640 --> 01:54:34,520 Speaker 1: other class, whether you're black or white. But um, you 2003 01:54:34,600 --> 01:54:38,160 Speaker 1: know that's how it was, and the value was instilled 2004 01:54:38,480 --> 01:54:42,280 Speaker 1: in me. Two treat people the way you want to 2005 01:54:42,320 --> 01:54:46,240 Speaker 1: be treated. Yeah, and it works well, yeah, it seems to. 2006 01:54:46,840 --> 01:54:48,680 Speaker 1: So you met your I want to hear about just 2007 01:54:48,680 --> 01:54:51,440 Speaker 1: because your life or your wife is as lovely and 2008 01:54:51,800 --> 01:54:53,080 Speaker 1: and I just want to hear about it. It's your 2009 01:54:53,080 --> 01:54:54,640 Speaker 1: anniversary coming up, so I want to hear about how 2010 01:54:54,680 --> 01:54:57,280 Speaker 1: you guys met because that's about the reason you came 2011 01:54:57,320 --> 01:55:03,120 Speaker 1: to Maryland. Well, my brother recently, he's a Catholic priest. 2012 01:55:03,160 --> 01:55:07,440 Speaker 1: He recently celebrated his fiftieth anniversary as a priest in 2013 01:55:07,680 --> 01:55:11,839 Speaker 1: May of this year. So he was the assistant pastor 2014 01:55:12,360 --> 01:55:17,760 Speaker 1: after he was ordained. He was ordained in sixty eight. So, uh, 2015 01:55:18,120 --> 01:55:26,120 Speaker 1: I came up in December or of seventy to visit 2016 01:55:26,200 --> 01:55:31,440 Speaker 1: with him, and he was assistant pastor of a church 2017 01:55:31,560 --> 01:55:35,080 Speaker 1: here in Washington, d C. St. Luke's Catholic church and 2018 01:55:35,320 --> 01:55:39,880 Speaker 1: my wife uh worked there as a student, typing and 2019 01:55:40,120 --> 01:55:43,520 Speaker 1: answering the phone on weekend. So I caught her eye, 2020 01:55:44,480 --> 01:55:46,120 Speaker 1: but she didn't want to have anything to do with 2021 01:55:46,760 --> 01:55:51,240 Speaker 1: the first year. So I had my hair long at 2022 01:55:51,280 --> 01:55:54,360 Speaker 1: the time, and tell you the truth, I had been 2023 01:55:54,400 --> 01:55:56,680 Speaker 1: out with some of the local boys and we were 2024 01:55:56,760 --> 01:56:01,560 Speaker 1: drinking uh we call it pluck, she wine and gin, 2025 01:56:02,080 --> 01:56:07,160 Speaker 1: and my eyes was a little red and she oh, 2026 01:56:07,280 --> 01:56:11,200 Speaker 1: I had a big, big, wild looking after back the time, 2027 01:56:11,880 --> 01:56:19,040 Speaker 1: UM quite different. Yeah, we're talking. We're talking seventies and 2028 01:56:19,200 --> 01:56:21,400 Speaker 1: we were going through all of the cultural changes, in 2029 01:56:21,480 --> 01:56:24,120 Speaker 1: the cultural shocks. So she didn't want to have anything 2030 01:56:24,160 --> 01:56:26,720 Speaker 1: to do it. But I like what I saw, and 2031 01:56:27,800 --> 01:56:30,520 Speaker 1: the next year I said, I'm going back. So I 2032 01:56:30,600 --> 01:56:33,760 Speaker 1: went back on semester Christmas break the next year, and 2033 01:56:34,040 --> 01:56:37,920 Speaker 1: I cut my hair and I didn't drink anything, so 2034 01:56:38,080 --> 01:56:43,680 Speaker 1: my eyes, it was all intentional by me. And she 2035 01:56:44,000 --> 01:56:48,560 Speaker 1: claimed she didn't have a boyfriend. Then dad broke up, 2036 01:56:48,640 --> 01:56:51,920 Speaker 1: so she was looking and so we got to talking 2037 01:56:51,960 --> 01:56:55,520 Speaker 1: and visiting. Then we corresponding and visiting, and after college, 2038 01:56:56,040 --> 01:56:58,800 Speaker 1: I came back in the next summer and we got 2039 01:56:58,880 --> 01:57:03,240 Speaker 1: married in September. So so that's the short end of 2040 01:57:03,360 --> 01:57:05,800 Speaker 1: the of the love story. And so what did I 2041 01:57:05,920 --> 01:57:10,200 Speaker 1: move here? Because there were jobs here and in Baton Rouge, 2042 01:57:10,360 --> 01:57:13,760 Speaker 1: most of the jobs were kind of menial, working in 2043 01:57:13,840 --> 01:57:16,160 Speaker 1: the chemical plants, and I never wanted to work in 2044 01:57:16,200 --> 01:57:19,720 Speaker 1: the chemical plants. I knew many people who did that work. 2045 01:57:19,760 --> 01:57:22,520 Speaker 1: I said, I can do better. So I came here 2046 01:57:22,680 --> 01:57:24,960 Speaker 1: and I got a job in the federal government down 2047 01:57:25,040 --> 01:57:28,520 Speaker 1: at the Naval Arden and Station in Indian Head, Maryland. 2048 01:57:29,440 --> 01:57:32,040 Speaker 1: Worked there a few years and then work some other 2049 01:57:32,120 --> 01:57:34,760 Speaker 1: federal agencies. And she was working for the Navy Department. 2050 01:57:35,480 --> 01:57:40,040 Speaker 1: And we progress along the promotion chain and did well. 2051 01:57:40,160 --> 01:57:43,560 Speaker 1: We both ended up in human resources. So that's one 2052 01:57:43,600 --> 01:57:47,240 Speaker 1: of my other qualities. I know people from a human 2053 01:57:47,360 --> 01:57:54,000 Speaker 1: resource standard. We hired, promoted, classified, did pay changes. Um. 2054 01:57:54,720 --> 01:57:57,720 Speaker 1: I worked six years in Equal Employment Opportunity where I 2055 01:57:57,800 --> 01:58:00,960 Speaker 1: dealt with all the people's problems to emination and all 2056 01:58:01,000 --> 01:58:03,760 Speaker 1: of the things associated with that not being treated fairly, 2057 01:58:04,240 --> 01:58:07,840 Speaker 1: perception or otherwise. So I got to know people well 2058 01:58:08,240 --> 01:58:13,160 Speaker 1: in handling problems, hiring, firing, all of that counseling. So 2059 01:58:13,640 --> 01:58:17,000 Speaker 1: I got to know people quite well. People people in 2060 01:58:17,080 --> 01:58:19,960 Speaker 1: a part of people. And it all stems back to 2061 01:58:20,160 --> 01:58:26,360 Speaker 1: my upbringing, so um, and then we just we progress on. 2062 01:58:26,600 --> 01:58:30,040 Speaker 1: We both did about thirty plus years in the federal government. 2063 01:58:30,120 --> 01:58:32,839 Speaker 1: We've been retired for a few years. I've been retired 2064 01:58:32,920 --> 01:58:38,200 Speaker 1: for fifteen years and she twelve years. And we raised 2065 01:58:38,240 --> 01:58:40,640 Speaker 1: our three children in this house. Matter of fact, the 2066 01:58:40,720 --> 01:58:44,120 Speaker 1: last one who's thirty seven, she was three days old 2067 01:58:44,160 --> 01:58:47,560 Speaker 1: when we moved into this house. And they're all gone. 2068 01:58:47,720 --> 01:58:53,720 Speaker 1: So uh, we're comfortable, and we give thanks to God 2069 01:58:53,840 --> 01:58:55,760 Speaker 1: all the time for all of our blessing. We have 2070 01:58:56,160 --> 01:59:01,360 Speaker 1: three beautiful kids. They each have two children, and they 2071 01:59:01,440 --> 01:59:06,879 Speaker 1: all went to Catholic elementary, Catholic high school, and college. 2072 01:59:07,960 --> 01:59:10,960 Speaker 1: And two of them have advanced degrees. So and they're 2073 01:59:11,000 --> 01:59:14,840 Speaker 1: doing quite well with their families. So as they say, 2074 01:59:14,880 --> 01:59:17,320 Speaker 1: the apple don't fall far from the tree, so they 2075 01:59:17,400 --> 01:59:20,560 Speaker 1: have they have good quality and good skills to good 2076 01:59:20,720 --> 01:59:24,080 Speaker 1: so well. I mean what strikes me in that whole 2077 01:59:24,280 --> 01:59:27,080 Speaker 1: thing is, you know, you grew up in segregated Louisiana 2078 01:59:27,720 --> 01:59:31,640 Speaker 1: sixties and seventies, and then you move here and you 2079 01:59:32,040 --> 01:59:36,120 Speaker 1: you you're working in human resources and discrimination. What was 2080 01:59:36,200 --> 01:59:38,280 Speaker 1: that like kind of going from you know, where you 2081 01:59:38,320 --> 01:59:40,800 Speaker 1: grew up. I mean, as you said, that's how you 2082 01:59:40,880 --> 01:59:43,240 Speaker 1: grew up how it was at the time, you didn't 2083 01:59:43,280 --> 01:59:45,520 Speaker 1: think much of it, But then you get to a 2084 01:59:45,560 --> 01:59:47,040 Speaker 1: different part of the world and you start to deal 2085 01:59:47,080 --> 01:59:49,240 Speaker 1: with those problems in a more modern sense. Well, it's 2086 01:59:49,280 --> 01:59:52,840 Speaker 1: it's it's a survival thing, you know. The culture dictated 2087 01:59:52,920 --> 01:59:55,400 Speaker 1: how you behave and how you act, to where you associated. 2088 01:59:55,520 --> 02:00:00,120 Speaker 1: I remember going not being able to go in to 2089 02:00:00,400 --> 02:00:03,360 Speaker 1: many places because the signs were up, and if the 2090 02:00:03,440 --> 02:00:06,400 Speaker 1: signs were not there. There are certain places you knew 2091 02:00:06,720 --> 02:00:09,000 Speaker 1: not to go into and we were taught not to 2092 02:00:09,120 --> 02:00:13,480 Speaker 1: go into, and certain people we couldn't associate with because 2093 02:00:14,040 --> 02:00:18,880 Speaker 1: of how things were. But then here I come into 2094 02:00:18,960 --> 02:00:21,520 Speaker 1: a world where I have to deal with some of 2095 02:00:21,600 --> 02:00:25,880 Speaker 1: those same problems as a young adult, in hiring people, 2096 02:00:26,400 --> 02:00:31,520 Speaker 1: hiring people, of treating them fair of any color, any 2097 02:00:31,600 --> 02:00:34,960 Speaker 1: belief they have, and treat them and or. And then 2098 02:00:35,120 --> 02:00:37,520 Speaker 1: later on when I was the equal employment manager at 2099 02:00:37,600 --> 02:00:42,080 Speaker 1: this one agency, UH ensuring that everybody got fair treatment, 2100 02:00:42,440 --> 02:00:47,200 Speaker 1: and going out and defending people who I thought were wrong. 2101 02:00:47,960 --> 02:00:51,520 Speaker 1: And I did that. It probably cost me a few things, 2102 02:00:51,600 --> 02:00:55,520 Speaker 1: because I think I fought some battles that some people 2103 02:00:55,600 --> 02:00:59,440 Speaker 1: thought I shouldn't have fought, but I saw wrong and 2104 02:00:59,560 --> 02:01:03,440 Speaker 1: I try to deliver it and make it right and 2105 02:01:03,560 --> 02:01:06,640 Speaker 1: so forth. And I had some hard cases where some 2106 02:01:06,800 --> 02:01:13,360 Speaker 1: people were uh mislabel for no reason other than somebody 2107 02:01:13,800 --> 02:01:16,880 Speaker 1: down the line with a little bit more power or 2108 02:01:17,040 --> 02:01:22,880 Speaker 1: hump um, but they should be treated differently. In that 2109 02:01:23,000 --> 02:01:25,960 Speaker 1: treatment I thought was unfair, and I spoke out about it, 2110 02:01:26,600 --> 02:01:30,800 Speaker 1: and most of those people were not mind color, and 2111 02:01:30,920 --> 02:01:34,040 Speaker 1: I didn't. I treated everybody as fair as I can be, 2112 02:01:34,160 --> 02:01:37,360 Speaker 1: regardless of who walked in that door. If they came 2113 02:01:37,400 --> 02:01:40,640 Speaker 1: with a problem, I shut the door and I listened, 2114 02:01:42,120 --> 02:01:45,600 Speaker 1: and I took notes, and we took We had certain 2115 02:01:45,680 --> 02:01:48,440 Speaker 1: steps you have to go into into the the equal 2116 02:01:48,480 --> 02:01:50,640 Speaker 1: employment channel. You have to do certain things in a 2117 02:01:50,720 --> 02:01:53,920 Speaker 1: step by step in a timely fashion. And I was 2118 02:01:53,960 --> 02:01:58,800 Speaker 1: supposed to be neutral and I try to maintain that neutrality. 2119 02:01:59,520 --> 02:02:01,560 Speaker 1: And when some of them I thought it was wrong, 2120 02:02:01,640 --> 02:02:04,520 Speaker 1: I told them, you're you're not right with this, And 2121 02:02:04,600 --> 02:02:08,000 Speaker 1: when the managers were wrong, all right, I told them too, 2122 02:02:08,200 --> 02:02:10,200 Speaker 1: and I shared with him. So I didn't choose one 2123 02:02:10,280 --> 02:02:14,000 Speaker 1: side or another. But some way, ain't there unknowns to me, 2124 02:02:15,720 --> 02:02:19,200 Speaker 1: I must have helped some of the wrong people or 2125 02:02:19,280 --> 02:02:22,720 Speaker 1: took on some of the issues that the management didn't 2126 02:02:22,800 --> 02:02:26,240 Speaker 1: care about. But they never came back and told me so. 2127 02:02:26,840 --> 02:02:29,600 Speaker 1: But I did what my heart felt. And I think 2128 02:02:29,720 --> 02:02:34,280 Speaker 1: today when I look at people, I don't look at 2129 02:02:34,320 --> 02:02:37,800 Speaker 1: anybody's color. I don't look at anybody's religion, whether they 2130 02:02:37,880 --> 02:02:40,840 Speaker 1: believe or don't believe. And we surely don't talk about 2131 02:02:40,960 --> 02:02:44,120 Speaker 1: politics when we go in the field. In a lot 2132 02:02:44,200 --> 02:02:47,640 Speaker 1: of times, when I take various groups hunting, I always 2133 02:02:47,680 --> 02:02:52,000 Speaker 1: try and take one of my buddies because sometimes we 2134 02:02:52,120 --> 02:02:56,240 Speaker 1: have some new guys that don't understand all of the 2135 02:02:56,320 --> 02:02:59,120 Speaker 1: features of rabbit hunting. So while I'm working the dog, 2136 02:02:59,280 --> 02:03:02,080 Speaker 1: my buddy will help keep them in line. And the 2137 02:03:02,160 --> 02:03:04,240 Speaker 1: main thing with the guys is two of them will 2138 02:03:04,280 --> 02:03:07,600 Speaker 1: get together and start talking. And the one thing I 2139 02:03:07,760 --> 02:03:10,720 Speaker 1: find that's a big nuisance now they need to leave 2140 02:03:10,800 --> 02:03:14,360 Speaker 1: those cell phones in the truck. If you got to 2141 02:03:14,440 --> 02:03:16,760 Speaker 1: talk on the phone, then you need to stay at home. 2142 02:03:17,720 --> 02:03:21,760 Speaker 1: So I bring one of my buddies. And most of 2143 02:03:21,800 --> 02:03:26,640 Speaker 1: the people I take hunting, they're not of mind color, 2144 02:03:26,800 --> 02:03:30,640 Speaker 1: my race, but that doesn't matter. I tell everybody we're 2145 02:03:30,840 --> 02:03:34,400 Speaker 1: rabbit hunters. Were rabbit hunters. That's what we're doing. We're 2146 02:03:34,440 --> 02:03:36,640 Speaker 1: not doing We're not trying to cure the world of 2147 02:03:36,720 --> 02:03:39,680 Speaker 1: the social ills and all the other things and what 2148 02:03:39,840 --> 02:03:42,240 Speaker 1: you believe and what you know. We're rabbit hunting long 2149 02:03:42,320 --> 02:03:45,560 Speaker 1: as you're safe and you and you're having fun. And 2150 02:03:45,680 --> 02:03:48,800 Speaker 1: I tell them my job simply is with the dogs 2151 02:03:49,200 --> 02:03:52,920 Speaker 1: to get some rabbits up. Hopefully you make a shot 2152 02:03:53,080 --> 02:03:55,760 Speaker 1: or two. Now, if you kill, that's on you. If 2153 02:03:55,800 --> 02:03:58,640 Speaker 1: you can't shoot and you keep missing, then there's a 2154 02:03:58,720 --> 02:04:01,640 Speaker 1: lot of teasing. But my job, the church or avant 2155 02:04:01,680 --> 02:04:07,360 Speaker 1: hunting is open to all as long as you. I 2156 02:04:07,480 --> 02:04:10,360 Speaker 1: guess I grew up on an older All right, that's it. 2157 02:04:10,720 --> 02:04:15,760 Speaker 1: That's all. Episode ninety three in the Books, volume one 2158 02:04:15,800 --> 02:04:20,080 Speaker 1: of the best of I would think posthumously thank Charles 2159 02:04:20,280 --> 02:04:24,240 Speaker 1: Wyman and du Sean for being a part only in 2160 02:04:24,360 --> 02:04:27,600 Speaker 1: my life with this show and hopefully a good part 2161 02:04:27,680 --> 02:04:29,640 Speaker 1: of your life. You learn a lot from where they 2162 02:04:29,680 --> 02:04:32,640 Speaker 1: came from, how they got to be where they are today. 2163 02:04:33,240 --> 02:04:36,960 Speaker 1: So many lessons packed in this show, so many lessons 2164 02:04:37,040 --> 02:04:41,040 Speaker 1: packed in those podcasts for you to listen to. And 2165 02:04:41,080 --> 02:04:42,640 Speaker 1: that's why I wanted to lead off. We have three 2166 02:04:42,680 --> 02:04:45,760 Speaker 1: more volumes. You say it was right to call them volumes, Phil, 2167 02:04:45,840 --> 02:04:47,920 Speaker 1: I think so, yeah, Yeah, they feel this feels it 2168 02:04:47,960 --> 02:04:50,200 Speaker 1: feels good, it feels meaty, it feels like they got 2169 02:04:50,200 --> 02:04:52,840 Speaker 1: a lot going. Uh. This is the first volume. We're 2170 02:04:52,880 --> 02:04:54,800 Speaker 1: gonna have three more, and we'll probably do more of 2171 02:04:54,840 --> 02:04:56,760 Speaker 1: this because I really enjoyed putting them together. I hope 2172 02:04:56,760 --> 02:04:59,400 Speaker 1: you enjoyed listening to them. But as we get into 2173 02:04:59,400 --> 02:05:03,000 Speaker 1: the Christmas, e man, it's to me, Christmas, Thanksgiving, this 2174 02:05:03,080 --> 02:05:06,640 Speaker 1: holiday seasons about people. It's not about gifts or money 2175 02:05:07,120 --> 02:05:10,240 Speaker 1: or anything like that. It's about people and the people 2176 02:05:10,280 --> 02:05:12,400 Speaker 1: that I value and the people I want to spend 2177 02:05:12,400 --> 02:05:17,240 Speaker 1: time with. And so I don't care about gifts very much. 2178 02:05:17,920 --> 02:05:20,520 Speaker 1: I like to get like whiskey or maybe like a cupcake. 2179 02:05:20,640 --> 02:05:25,000 Speaker 1: That's pretty cool, but I'm not out there valuing that 2180 02:05:25,360 --> 02:05:29,880 Speaker 1: part of the season. I choose who I want to 2181 02:05:29,920 --> 02:05:32,040 Speaker 1: be around, who want to spend my my off time with, 2182 02:05:32,280 --> 02:05:34,720 Speaker 1: and and um, that's what I feel is important and 2183 02:05:34,720 --> 02:05:37,360 Speaker 1: I want to give all I can to those folks 2184 02:05:37,400 --> 02:05:40,880 Speaker 1: when I'm with them. And so hopefully listening to these 2185 02:05:40,920 --> 02:05:44,960 Speaker 1: three gentlemen help you appreciate the special people in your life, 2186 02:05:45,000 --> 02:05:46,920 Speaker 1: the people that have inspired you, the people that have 2187 02:05:47,080 --> 02:05:51,000 Speaker 1: helped your story along. And that's what those these guys 2188 02:05:51,080 --> 02:05:54,480 Speaker 1: have done for me. Uh, what do you think, Phil, 2189 02:05:55,040 --> 02:05:57,480 Speaker 1: what's your You have any reflections on the holiday season? 2190 02:05:58,720 --> 02:06:01,360 Speaker 1: Not not so much. No, I just I I know, 2191 02:06:01,640 --> 02:06:03,480 Speaker 1: I think we talked about this in the last podcast, 2192 02:06:03,600 --> 02:06:05,960 Speaker 1: But I know that you are not a huge fan 2193 02:06:06,320 --> 02:06:09,160 Speaker 1: of the holiday season. But I don't know that every 2194 02:06:09,200 --> 02:06:12,880 Speaker 1: type it rolls around something something stirs, stirs inside of 2195 02:06:12,960 --> 02:06:19,160 Speaker 1: me deep deep and my loins, and yeah, I don't know. 2196 02:06:19,280 --> 02:06:22,160 Speaker 1: I I enjoy it. I like I like the music, 2197 02:06:22,720 --> 02:06:25,360 Speaker 1: I like the food, I like the lights, like the 2198 02:06:25,440 --> 02:06:28,280 Speaker 1: tacky decorations. I can't say I hate any of those 2199 02:06:28,280 --> 02:06:30,680 Speaker 1: that like the idea of the modern idea of Christmas 2200 02:06:30,800 --> 02:06:34,400 Speaker 1: I think is a little deluded. But like I said, 2201 02:06:34,400 --> 02:06:37,040 Speaker 1: I any chance they get to be around the people 2202 02:06:37,080 --> 02:06:41,120 Speaker 1: I love is a good time for me. I would say, 2203 02:06:42,280 --> 02:06:45,080 Speaker 1: without being ashamed at all, that these three men on 2204 02:06:45,240 --> 02:06:48,080 Speaker 1: this podcast, I love them all. Man, they were They're awesome, 2205 02:06:48,320 --> 02:06:52,320 Speaker 1: And so I hope you loved him too. And next 2206 02:06:52,360 --> 02:06:55,160 Speaker 1: week we're gonna get a little shifty on you. We're 2207 02:06:55,160 --> 02:06:57,520 Speaker 1: gonna talk, We're gonna have Steve Ronella talk about Game 2208 02:06:57,520 --> 02:06:59,560 Speaker 1: of Thrones, We're gonna have Me and Berkeley, bunch of 2209 02:06:59,560 --> 02:07:02,520 Speaker 1: other stuff. So stick around for volume to the best 2210 02:07:02,600 --> 02:07:07,640 Speaker 1: of THHC. Happy Holidays too long because I can't go 2211 02:07:07,880 --> 02:07:15,920 Speaker 1: a week without doing run oh without absolute run ranking 2212 02:07:15,960 --> 02:07:37,480 Speaker 1: out and run absolutely wrong, drinking in heaven, don't sit 2213 02:07:37,600 --> 02:07:40,640 Speaker 1: and at the boss would start to row root. I'm 2214 02:07:40,720 --> 02:07:44,240 Speaker 1: feeling like, can't hold on out, bear rush shoes all down, 2215 02:07:44,320 --> 02:07:44,720 Speaker 1: my one