1 00:00:05,160 --> 00:00:09,240 Speaker 1: Welcome to This Country Life. I'm your host, Brent Reeves 2 00:00:09,920 --> 00:00:13,680 Speaker 1: from coon hunting to trot lining and just general country living. 3 00:00:14,080 --> 00:00:16,040 Speaker 1: I want you to stay a while as I share 4 00:00:16,079 --> 00:00:18,479 Speaker 1: my stories and the country skills that will help you 5 00:00:18,560 --> 00:00:22,360 Speaker 1: beat the system. This Country Life is proudly presented as 6 00:00:22,400 --> 00:00:25,880 Speaker 1: part of Meat Eater's podcast network, bringing you the best 7 00:00:25,920 --> 00:00:29,960 Speaker 1: outdoor podcast the airways have to offer. All right, friends, 8 00:00:30,160 --> 00:00:33,080 Speaker 1: pull you up a chair or drop that tailgate. I 9 00:00:33,120 --> 00:00:40,000 Speaker 1: think I got a thing or two. The Teacher Mississippi 10 00:00:40,080 --> 00:00:45,839 Speaker 1: River expedition back in January, me and Clayton Newcombe, you know, 11 00:00:46,360 --> 00:00:50,600 Speaker 1: the mule Man, extraordinary and questionable Meat Eater Turkey calling 12 00:00:50,720 --> 00:00:55,680 Speaker 1: contest winner, that guy, Well, we purposely acquired a boat 13 00:00:56,120 --> 00:00:59,400 Speaker 1: and enough possible to zip down the mighty Mississippi on 14 00:00:59,440 --> 00:01:03,400 Speaker 1: a two one hundred and fifty mile trek to hunt fish. 15 00:01:03,720 --> 00:01:05,800 Speaker 1: I'm going to tell you some stuff on how that 16 00:01:05,920 --> 00:01:09,160 Speaker 1: all got started, But first I'm going to tell you 17 00:01:09,200 --> 00:01:19,240 Speaker 1: a story. Since a boat was a major fixture on 18 00:01:19,280 --> 00:01:23,920 Speaker 1: our most recently aired adventure, here's a story about one 19 00:01:24,880 --> 00:01:27,679 Speaker 1: I've owned several over the years, and while at present 20 00:01:27,720 --> 00:01:31,360 Speaker 1: I can temporarily be counted among the boatless boats and 21 00:01:31,480 --> 00:01:35,880 Speaker 1: I have a storied partnership. Lots of my misadventures that 22 00:01:35,959 --> 00:01:40,360 Speaker 1: I've detailed on here have involved boats, everything from nearly 23 00:01:40,360 --> 00:01:43,000 Speaker 1: buying the farm on the Arkansas River during a severe 24 00:01:43,080 --> 00:01:46,759 Speaker 1: thunderstorm to sitting in the heat of summer on Lake 25 00:01:46,880 --> 00:01:52,640 Speaker 1: Chico eating sardines for breakfast, or unintentionally mooning an elderly 26 00:01:52,720 --> 00:01:55,640 Speaker 1: couple as my brother and I swam like Tarzan Minus's 27 00:01:55,720 --> 00:01:59,760 Speaker 1: loincloth at Bug Island on the Saline River. But a 28 00:01:59,800 --> 00:02:03,160 Speaker 1: boat boat was and remains important to me. I like them. 29 00:02:03,640 --> 00:02:05,680 Speaker 1: I like to use them doing the things I like 30 00:02:05,800 --> 00:02:09,080 Speaker 1: to do, whether it's catching fish or gigging frogs, or 31 00:02:09,520 --> 00:02:14,120 Speaker 1: chasing animals to feed me and my family. Some folks 32 00:02:14,160 --> 00:02:18,639 Speaker 1: say that boat boat stands for bust out another thousand, 33 00:02:19,160 --> 00:02:23,160 Speaker 1: referencing the cost of upkeep on a boat. Now, I 34 00:02:23,200 --> 00:02:25,560 Speaker 1: have found that the more you use one, the cheaper 35 00:02:25,560 --> 00:02:29,120 Speaker 1: it is to operate, especially the smaller boats that I've 36 00:02:29,120 --> 00:02:33,160 Speaker 1: had my experience with. That may be true with party 37 00:02:33,200 --> 00:02:36,680 Speaker 1: barges and big skier bass boats, but my minimalist approach 38 00:02:36,800 --> 00:02:40,519 Speaker 1: to the boats that I've owned have always been pretty simplistic. 39 00:02:41,280 --> 00:02:44,880 Speaker 1: I want to be safe, stay dry, and not paddle 40 00:02:44,960 --> 00:02:49,200 Speaker 1: where I'm going I don't ever recall turning a boat over, 41 00:02:49,840 --> 00:02:53,720 Speaker 1: dangerously swamping one, or having a wreck of any significance, 42 00:02:53,800 --> 00:02:57,440 Speaker 1: by which I mean at all. I've never been one 43 00:02:57,440 --> 00:02:59,560 Speaker 1: who wanted to go faster than what I consider to 44 00:02:59,600 --> 00:03:03,080 Speaker 1: be safe, even in the ignorance of my youth or 45 00:03:03,200 --> 00:03:07,000 Speaker 1: last week. My dad taught me at an early age. 46 00:03:07,440 --> 00:03:09,840 Speaker 1: We were brim fishing on the lake and he said, son, 47 00:03:10,360 --> 00:03:13,280 Speaker 1: you have got to be careful out here. There's more 48 00:03:13,360 --> 00:03:15,520 Speaker 1: water on the outside of this boat than you can 49 00:03:15,600 --> 00:03:19,600 Speaker 1: safely drink to save yourself should you fall in it. Well, 50 00:03:20,240 --> 00:03:23,960 Speaker 1: I never forgot that I love the water. I ain't 51 00:03:24,000 --> 00:03:27,359 Speaker 1: scared of it, but I respect it. And there were 52 00:03:27,360 --> 00:03:30,600 Speaker 1: times when you could question that last statement, and here's 53 00:03:30,639 --> 00:03:35,600 Speaker 1: one of them. Opening the day of the last split 54 00:03:35,640 --> 00:03:38,360 Speaker 1: of duck season, right after Christmas in the early nineties, 55 00:03:38,840 --> 00:03:41,080 Speaker 1: an acquaintance of mine wanted to go hunting with me 56 00:03:41,160 --> 00:03:45,560 Speaker 1: and Tim. Tim's my older brother and my duck hunting partner, 57 00:03:46,160 --> 00:03:49,720 Speaker 1: and we took him to Cane Creek Lake near Star City, Arkansas. 58 00:03:49,720 --> 00:03:53,600 Speaker 1: He was a large lad, not obese, just a big human. 59 00:03:54,320 --> 00:03:57,520 Speaker 1: If y'all been keeping scoring through the podcast, that's the 60 00:03:57,600 --> 00:04:00,520 Speaker 1: spot where I nearly got driven into the green like 61 00:04:00,600 --> 00:04:04,760 Speaker 1: one of John Henry's railroad spikes into a crosstie when 62 00:04:04,800 --> 00:04:08,160 Speaker 1: a big snag broke off that I was standing beside 63 00:04:08,200 --> 00:04:12,080 Speaker 1: and almost fell on me. It's also the place that 64 00:04:12,160 --> 00:04:15,040 Speaker 1: I killed my first duck, long before it was a 65 00:04:15,040 --> 00:04:18,880 Speaker 1: public lake. If you hadn't heard those stories, skip back 66 00:04:18,920 --> 00:04:22,400 Speaker 1: to episode one seventy one of This Country Life Ducks, 67 00:04:22,640 --> 00:04:25,400 Speaker 1: Trees and Danger, and catch up with the rest of 68 00:04:25,400 --> 00:04:29,680 Speaker 1: the class. Anyway, we were early to the boat ramp 69 00:04:29,760 --> 00:04:33,760 Speaker 1: that morning and it was cold. Anything that had water 70 00:04:33,920 --> 00:04:37,680 Speaker 1: on it or in it was frozen, including the fuel 71 00:04:37,720 --> 00:04:39,960 Speaker 1: line going from the gas tank to the nine to 72 00:04:40,080 --> 00:04:44,440 Speaker 1: nine horsepower motor that belonged to our acquaintance. Now, I 73 00:04:44,520 --> 00:04:48,120 Speaker 1: don't recall the circumstances of why we were using his boat. 74 00:04:49,160 --> 00:04:51,400 Speaker 1: Obviously Tim and I neither one of them had seen 75 00:04:51,440 --> 00:04:54,159 Speaker 1: it before, or we'd have been using one of ores. 76 00:04:54,880 --> 00:04:59,520 Speaker 1: It was twelve feet long and thirty six inches wide. 77 00:05:00,000 --> 00:05:03,719 Speaker 1: I wonder how they figured the passenger capacity on a boat. Well, 78 00:05:03,800 --> 00:05:07,680 Speaker 1: wonder no more. You multiply the length of the boat 79 00:05:08,120 --> 00:05:12,960 Speaker 1: times the width and divide it by fifteen. The answer 80 00:05:13,240 --> 00:05:17,280 Speaker 1: is the number of people your boat is rated for now, 81 00:05:17,279 --> 00:05:20,960 Speaker 1: here's something that seems important to add. The person that 82 00:05:21,080 --> 00:05:24,159 Speaker 1: equation is referring to is a human being that weighs 83 00:05:24,200 --> 00:05:28,040 Speaker 1: one hundred and fifty pounds. So doing a little more 84 00:05:28,120 --> 00:05:31,240 Speaker 1: math and channleeng my most favorite math teacher of all 85 00:05:31,320 --> 00:05:35,640 Speaker 1: time as Brenda McDougall. If we could multiply three times twelve, 86 00:05:35,720 --> 00:05:39,480 Speaker 1: we get thirty six. You divide thirty six by fifteen, 87 00:05:39,520 --> 00:05:42,919 Speaker 1: you get two point four. So that meant our boat 88 00:05:43,080 --> 00:05:45,880 Speaker 1: was rated for two point four humans that weighed one 89 00:05:45,920 --> 00:05:51,200 Speaker 1: hundred and fifty pounds. Two point four humans. That's a ratio, opie, 90 00:05:51,240 --> 00:05:54,640 Speaker 1: and we're taking in fishing. If you're younger than forty, 91 00:05:54,640 --> 00:05:57,080 Speaker 1: you ain't getting that joke. But watch season one, episode 92 00:05:57,120 --> 00:05:59,520 Speaker 1: d Eat of The Andy Griffith Show and you will. 93 00:06:00,880 --> 00:06:04,760 Speaker 1: Moving on, our boat was rated for three hundred and 94 00:06:04,839 --> 00:06:07,919 Speaker 1: sixty pounds, and that's not counting the gear we was told, 95 00:06:09,120 --> 00:06:12,359 Speaker 1: just the items that don't float without assistance and breathe. There. 96 00:06:13,720 --> 00:06:17,440 Speaker 1: We were all above that one hundred and fifty pound average, 97 00:06:18,080 --> 00:06:21,159 Speaker 1: way above it. And we had a giant bag of 98 00:06:21,200 --> 00:06:28,920 Speaker 1: decoys other items plus shotguns and shells. Sketchy, but we 99 00:06:28,920 --> 00:06:31,680 Speaker 1: were there to go duck hunting and duck hunting, we 100 00:06:31,720 --> 00:06:35,080 Speaker 1: would go, except the motor wouldn't start with water in 101 00:06:35,120 --> 00:06:38,200 Speaker 1: the fuel line. We removed the fuel line and melted 102 00:06:38,240 --> 00:06:40,600 Speaker 1: the ice from the inside. Now, don't ask me how 103 00:06:40,640 --> 00:06:42,960 Speaker 1: I did that, because only having y'all think of me 104 00:06:43,080 --> 00:06:46,400 Speaker 1: as a complete idiot is good enough without me confirming 105 00:06:46,400 --> 00:06:50,280 Speaker 1: it for you. Let's just say that Tim used to smoke, 106 00:06:50,839 --> 00:06:54,719 Speaker 1: and did so when this story took place. Thankfully, he 107 00:06:54,800 --> 00:06:56,839 Speaker 1: quit a long time ago. And if we were faced 108 00:06:56,839 --> 00:07:01,000 Speaker 1: with that same situation now as we were, then I'd 109 00:07:01,000 --> 00:07:03,240 Speaker 1: be unable to borrow the item from him that I 110 00:07:03,360 --> 00:07:06,240 Speaker 1: used to thaw off that fuel line. Now, if you 111 00:07:06,279 --> 00:07:11,000 Speaker 1: think that was dumb, get a load of this. With 112 00:07:11,080 --> 00:07:14,920 Speaker 1: the fuel line thawed, empty of water, reconnected and prime 113 00:07:15,000 --> 00:07:18,360 Speaker 1: with fuel, we fired that little nine nine Johnson up 114 00:07:18,400 --> 00:07:20,680 Speaker 1: and it was purred like a kitten. When Tim and 115 00:07:20,720 --> 00:07:23,440 Speaker 1: I stood on opposite sides of that boat, as our 116 00:07:23,560 --> 00:07:27,320 Speaker 1: captain sat at the helm. We had a huge bag 117 00:07:27,360 --> 00:07:31,680 Speaker 1: of decoys, three shotguns, ammo boxes full of shells, a 118 00:07:31,720 --> 00:07:35,000 Speaker 1: grub box full of snacks, and enough coffee to wash 119 00:07:35,000 --> 00:07:38,520 Speaker 1: a car with between us. Left little room for a 120 00:07:38,600 --> 00:07:42,640 Speaker 1: matching set of exercise. Professional duck killers like me and Tim, 121 00:07:44,440 --> 00:07:46,840 Speaker 1: so we climbed in at the same time, with each 122 00:07:46,880 --> 00:07:50,080 Speaker 1: of our inboard legs and two thirds of what was 123 00:07:50,120 --> 00:07:53,520 Speaker 1: attached to them inside the boat. As we lay flat 124 00:07:53,560 --> 00:07:57,280 Speaker 1: along the gunwales of the boat, our outboard knees were 125 00:07:57,320 --> 00:08:00,320 Speaker 1: hanging overboard and skimming the surface of the water. That 126 00:08:00,360 --> 00:08:04,200 Speaker 1: boat struggled to stay afloat. Now we had less than 127 00:08:04,280 --> 00:08:06,520 Speaker 1: three quarters of a mile ago from the boat ramp 128 00:08:06,560 --> 00:08:09,040 Speaker 1: to the spot we had picked out, and in one 129 00:08:09,080 --> 00:08:11,720 Speaker 1: of our boats, it would have taken about three minutes 130 00:08:11,760 --> 00:08:14,640 Speaker 1: to get there from the time we unloaded until we 131 00:08:14,640 --> 00:08:18,400 Speaker 1: were chucking out decoys at the spot. But the brain 132 00:08:18,480 --> 00:08:21,240 Speaker 1: trust of what would become the dynamic duo of duck 133 00:08:21,280 --> 00:08:25,440 Speaker 1: guides that formed Southern Waterfowler's Guide Service were laying on 134 00:08:25,480 --> 00:08:27,400 Speaker 1: the edge of a boat that was rated for one 135 00:08:27,440 --> 00:08:30,280 Speaker 1: and a half of the people that were currently occupying it. 136 00:08:30,960 --> 00:08:33,800 Speaker 1: I just read that sentence out loud, and while visualizing 137 00:08:33,800 --> 00:08:37,520 Speaker 1: that memory, I automatically heard the tune Dumb Ways to 138 00:08:37,720 --> 00:08:41,960 Speaker 1: Die playing in the background. It could have been the 139 00:08:41,960 --> 00:08:45,559 Speaker 1: theme song on so many of our exploits, but as 140 00:08:45,600 --> 00:08:50,160 Speaker 1: fate would have it, we all lived. I remember going 141 00:08:50,160 --> 00:08:53,199 Speaker 1: to the hole that morning before daylight, half hanging out 142 00:08:53,200 --> 00:08:56,840 Speaker 1: of that boat with my inboard hands squeezing the sugar 143 00:08:57,200 --> 00:08:59,320 Speaker 1: out of the straps in that decoy bag that I 144 00:08:59,400 --> 00:09:01,880 Speaker 1: was going to use. Is my life jacket should the 145 00:09:01,880 --> 00:09:04,520 Speaker 1: boat decide to give in too physics and try to 146 00:09:04,600 --> 00:09:07,560 Speaker 1: kill us. And I felt guilty about it after we 147 00:09:07,640 --> 00:09:10,680 Speaker 1: got there. It was selfish of me to think that 148 00:09:10,760 --> 00:09:12,839 Speaker 1: I was going to be holding a decoy back should 149 00:09:12,840 --> 00:09:16,400 Speaker 1: be turned over. What about my brother? I wasn't even 150 00:09:16,400 --> 00:09:19,640 Speaker 1: concerned about the other guy. Well, I mean I was, 151 00:09:19,720 --> 00:09:23,280 Speaker 1: but not near as much as my brother. We killed 152 00:09:23,280 --> 00:09:26,920 Speaker 1: some ducks a limit, as I recall, and haphazardly made 153 00:09:26,960 --> 00:09:29,720 Speaker 1: our way back to the boat ramp the same way 154 00:09:29,760 --> 00:09:32,400 Speaker 1: we went out there. Tim and I both laid on 155 00:09:32,440 --> 00:09:34,680 Speaker 1: the edge of the boat on opposite sides that was 156 00:09:34,720 --> 00:09:37,559 Speaker 1: cutting through the cold water at the break next speeed 157 00:09:37,640 --> 00:09:40,840 Speaker 1: of whatever a nine to nine Johnson could manage, pushing 158 00:09:40,960 --> 00:09:44,840 Speaker 1: seven hundred pounds of dumbness across the lake with barely 159 00:09:44,920 --> 00:09:49,520 Speaker 1: four inches of freeboard sticking above the water line. Now, 160 00:09:49,520 --> 00:09:51,800 Speaker 1: when we coasted to the boat ramp, Tim and I 161 00:09:51,880 --> 00:09:54,559 Speaker 1: both rolled out of that little boat, once again, planting 162 00:09:54,559 --> 00:09:57,880 Speaker 1: our feet on the safety of the concrete no longer 163 00:09:57,920 --> 00:10:01,840 Speaker 1: at the mercy of aluminum unsteadiness, the bowzover that was driving, 164 00:10:02,360 --> 00:10:04,520 Speaker 1: or the two more ons that went along for the ride. 165 00:10:05,559 --> 00:10:07,480 Speaker 1: The boat captain walked up the bank to get his 166 00:10:07,520 --> 00:10:09,520 Speaker 1: truck and trailer while Tim and I stood at the 167 00:10:09,520 --> 00:10:13,680 Speaker 1: water's edge holding the boat to keep it from floating away. 168 00:10:14,320 --> 00:10:16,880 Speaker 1: I looked at my brother and I said, Tim, were 169 00:10:16,920 --> 00:10:18,880 Speaker 1: you scared when we were coming out and you could 170 00:10:19,320 --> 00:10:21,439 Speaker 1: see how close the water was to the top of 171 00:10:21,480 --> 00:10:25,880 Speaker 1: the boat. He said, I didn't like it, but I 172 00:10:25,920 --> 00:10:29,040 Speaker 1: really was not scared. I got to be honest with you, Brent. 173 00:10:30,080 --> 00:10:33,199 Speaker 1: I didn't know what you had planned, but I had 174 00:10:33,200 --> 00:10:35,200 Speaker 1: a hold of that decoy bag on the way out 175 00:10:35,200 --> 00:10:38,199 Speaker 1: there this morning and on the way back, and I 176 00:10:38,320 --> 00:10:40,880 Speaker 1: knew if that boat went down, I was taking it 177 00:10:40,960 --> 00:10:56,040 Speaker 1: with me. And that's just how that happened. In the 178 00:10:56,120 --> 00:10:58,440 Speaker 1: late spring of twenty twenty three, I got a call 179 00:10:58,480 --> 00:11:01,559 Speaker 1: from Clay that went something like that is camera man, 180 00:11:01,679 --> 00:11:04,839 Speaker 1: Brent reeves what you're doing. After all these years, I 181 00:11:04,920 --> 00:11:08,520 Speaker 1: still how I'm listed in his contacts. Anyway, For those 182 00:11:08,559 --> 00:11:11,040 Speaker 1: of us who get those calls from Clay, we know 183 00:11:11,160 --> 00:11:14,960 Speaker 1: that the reaction to and how you respond is very important. 184 00:11:15,320 --> 00:11:18,040 Speaker 1: There's no telling where this conversation comes from or where 185 00:11:18,040 --> 00:11:21,280 Speaker 1: it'll end up, so you got to measure your response 186 00:11:21,400 --> 00:11:26,160 Speaker 1: before you inadvertently commit to some ridiculous project he's dreamed up, 187 00:11:26,679 --> 00:11:29,200 Speaker 1: probably after waking up in the barn lot after one 188 00:11:29,240 --> 00:11:32,280 Speaker 1: of his musics kicked him into sleepy town. But I 189 00:11:32,280 --> 00:11:35,160 Speaker 1: could tell we were going somewhere. I just didn't know 190 00:11:35,240 --> 00:11:39,840 Speaker 1: where or how soon, And I usually respond with something 191 00:11:39,840 --> 00:11:43,960 Speaker 1: akin to where we're going. Whatever my response was, he 192 00:11:44,120 --> 00:11:46,840 Speaker 1: followed it up with I want me and you to 193 00:11:46,920 --> 00:11:50,480 Speaker 1: put a boat in the Mississippi River at Memphis and 194 00:11:50,600 --> 00:11:54,240 Speaker 1: hunt and fish our way down to Vicksburg probably takes 195 00:11:54,240 --> 00:11:56,640 Speaker 1: seven to nine days, depending on what we get into. 196 00:11:57,920 --> 00:12:01,679 Speaker 1: I immediately flashed through a lit lifetime of navigating up 197 00:12:01,720 --> 00:12:04,480 Speaker 1: and down the Arkansas River and all the perils me 198 00:12:04,559 --> 00:12:07,160 Speaker 1: and my brother encountered with just me and him, and 199 00:12:07,559 --> 00:12:10,440 Speaker 1: also the scores of people that we guided for and 200 00:12:10,880 --> 00:12:15,240 Speaker 1: transported in boats in good and terrible weather, and awaghed 201 00:12:15,240 --> 00:12:18,760 Speaker 1: those near death experiences against all the times that we 202 00:12:18,800 --> 00:12:23,520 Speaker 1: got off the river alive with all our charges. Pretty 203 00:12:23,520 --> 00:12:26,679 Speaker 1: sure i'd remembered it if we'd lost anyone or each other. 204 00:12:26,880 --> 00:12:29,720 Speaker 1: And since none immediately sprang to mind. I responded with 205 00:12:30,400 --> 00:12:33,920 Speaker 1: why stop at Vicksburg. The cough is better in New Orleans. 206 00:12:34,600 --> 00:12:38,040 Speaker 1: He said, yeah, Man, I like it, And from that 207 00:12:38,160 --> 00:12:41,760 Speaker 1: conversation the plan was in action. It would also be 208 00:12:41,840 --> 00:12:45,680 Speaker 1: the easiest part of the whole expedition. Shortly after that 209 00:12:45,760 --> 00:12:48,680 Speaker 1: initial conversation, I was surfing the web and ran across 210 00:12:48,679 --> 00:12:51,400 Speaker 1: the cliff of President Kennedy giving one of the most 211 00:12:51,520 --> 00:12:55,720 Speaker 1: motivational speeches about the space program when he said, we 212 00:12:55,800 --> 00:12:59,320 Speaker 1: choose to go to the moon. We choose to go 213 00:12:59,400 --> 00:13:01,480 Speaker 1: to the Moon in this decade and do the other 214 00:13:01,559 --> 00:13:05,520 Speaker 1: things not because they are easy, but because they're hard, 215 00:13:06,400 --> 00:13:09,160 Speaker 1: because that goal was served to organize and measure the 216 00:13:09,200 --> 00:13:12,760 Speaker 1: best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is 217 00:13:12,840 --> 00:13:15,959 Speaker 1: one that we are willing to accept, one we are 218 00:13:16,120 --> 00:13:19,520 Speaker 1: unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win. 219 00:13:20,280 --> 00:13:24,680 Speaker 1: And others too. Now watching that after Clay in my conversation, 220 00:13:25,400 --> 00:13:27,959 Speaker 1: what I heard him say was when he said we 221 00:13:28,000 --> 00:13:31,400 Speaker 1: was Britain, Clay, and when he said Moon, it was 222 00:13:31,559 --> 00:13:35,960 Speaker 1: Mississippi River, plain as day. I was all in. But 223 00:13:36,120 --> 00:13:39,880 Speaker 1: Arkansas ain't the big money. The differences in them was 224 00:13:39,960 --> 00:13:42,800 Speaker 1: like the difference between the small saline river that I 225 00:13:42,840 --> 00:13:45,160 Speaker 1: grew up on that I could swim from one side 226 00:13:45,160 --> 00:13:48,080 Speaker 1: to the other and back right now, compared to the 227 00:13:48,080 --> 00:13:52,239 Speaker 1: bigger Arkansas River. I respected them all, but the Mississippi 228 00:13:52,240 --> 00:13:54,839 Speaker 1: would have a whole new set of challenges compared to 229 00:13:54,880 --> 00:13:58,760 Speaker 1: the Arkansas. Most notably would be the amount of barge traffic, 230 00:13:59,440 --> 00:14:01,880 Speaker 1: a that into the mix that the river was at 231 00:14:01,920 --> 00:14:06,920 Speaker 1: an historically low level, significantly narrowed the river to mostly 232 00:14:07,040 --> 00:14:11,240 Speaker 1: operating within the channel markers every boat out there, including 233 00:14:11,280 --> 00:14:13,920 Speaker 1: the barges. That meant we would all be in close 234 00:14:13,960 --> 00:14:17,960 Speaker 1: proximity of each other, and they traveled constantly up and 235 00:14:18,040 --> 00:14:21,320 Speaker 1: down the river, and we wouldn't be able to skirt 236 00:14:21,400 --> 00:14:24,520 Speaker 1: to the outside edges of the channel, giving them and 237 00:14:24,800 --> 00:14:27,120 Speaker 1: us a whole lot more room to operate. It wasn't 238 00:14:27,120 --> 00:14:30,640 Speaker 1: going to happen, not on this trip. Now. People do 239 00:14:30,720 --> 00:14:32,720 Speaker 1: it every day, but most of those folks are more 240 00:14:32,760 --> 00:14:35,520 Speaker 1: experienced than I am, even with over a quarter of 241 00:14:35,560 --> 00:14:37,880 Speaker 1: a century of running up and down the Arkansas, which 242 00:14:38,320 --> 00:14:40,920 Speaker 1: has an average flow rate of one hundred and fifty 243 00:14:40,960 --> 00:14:44,600 Speaker 1: thousand gallons a second. As far as I know, the 244 00:14:44,640 --> 00:14:46,640 Speaker 1: boat we would wind up with would be one of 245 00:14:46,680 --> 00:14:50,000 Speaker 1: the largest boats Clay's ever been on, and one hundred 246 00:14:50,040 --> 00:14:53,160 Speaker 1: percent the biggest one he would ever drive. And we 247 00:14:53,160 --> 00:14:56,240 Speaker 1: were going to do it on the Mississippi River, a 248 00:14:56,360 --> 00:15:01,400 Speaker 1: river that averages almost one point six million gallons per second, 249 00:15:02,600 --> 00:15:06,160 Speaker 1: more than ten times that of the Arkansas. We were 250 00:15:06,200 --> 00:15:08,560 Speaker 1: going to need a bigger boat, and they left it 251 00:15:08,640 --> 00:15:12,800 Speaker 1: up to me to find one. Other than deciding I 252 00:15:12,840 --> 00:15:15,720 Speaker 1: wanted to do this adventure, picking a boat was the 253 00:15:15,760 --> 00:15:19,000 Speaker 1: easiest thing I did. It's got to be a Sea 254 00:15:19,160 --> 00:15:21,960 Speaker 1: ARC boat. Clay's like, you know everybody down there, and 255 00:15:22,000 --> 00:15:24,760 Speaker 1: I said, no, but they're in Southeast Arkansas. I used 256 00:15:24,760 --> 00:15:26,960 Speaker 1: to have an office in Model Cellar, where they are located. 257 00:15:27,200 --> 00:15:30,960 Speaker 1: I'm from Southeast Arkansas. These are my people, and I 258 00:15:31,040 --> 00:15:35,160 Speaker 1: will know someone there soon enough. Clay just fired off 259 00:15:35,160 --> 00:15:38,120 Speaker 1: a generic email to the customer service desk at Sea Arc. 260 00:15:38,160 --> 00:15:41,520 Speaker 1: In short order, we had a meeting scheduled and done, 261 00:15:41,640 --> 00:15:44,200 Speaker 1: and I would eventually drive to the boat plant to 262 00:15:44,280 --> 00:15:46,400 Speaker 1: see the boat being built for us to use on 263 00:15:46,440 --> 00:15:50,680 Speaker 1: the trip. I can't say enough good things about Steve Henderson, 264 00:15:50,680 --> 00:15:53,200 Speaker 1: the president of Sea Arc. He more or less said, 265 00:15:53,400 --> 00:15:55,280 Speaker 1: just tell us what you want and we'll do it. 266 00:15:56,040 --> 00:15:58,600 Speaker 1: He then introduced us to Jesse Carr Wright and John 267 00:15:58,800 --> 00:16:01,600 Speaker 1: ed Row, both of them i'd worked closely with over 268 00:16:01,640 --> 00:16:04,000 Speaker 1: the next few months designing a boat for what we 269 00:16:04,200 --> 00:16:07,720 Speaker 1: need on this grand adventure that we were planning. Now, 270 00:16:07,800 --> 00:16:11,360 Speaker 1: my contributions to the boat design was limited to asking 271 00:16:11,480 --> 00:16:14,720 Speaker 1: questions and deferring to the experts of John ed and Jesse. 272 00:16:14,880 --> 00:16:17,960 Speaker 1: But I'd been stewing on an idea for a color, 273 00:16:18,160 --> 00:16:21,240 Speaker 1: and I finally asked John ed hey, man, what's the 274 00:16:21,360 --> 00:16:26,120 Speaker 1: chances of getting this thing wrapped in first? Like cash camel? Now, 275 00:16:26,200 --> 00:16:28,400 Speaker 1: let me tell you this. Don't ask them folks to 276 00:16:28,440 --> 00:16:31,000 Speaker 1: do something that you don't mean, because they're going to 277 00:16:31,080 --> 00:16:33,600 Speaker 1: find a way to get it done. And they did. 278 00:16:35,080 --> 00:16:37,240 Speaker 1: They invited me to come down and visit the plant 279 00:16:37,240 --> 00:16:39,520 Speaker 1: and see our boat in the very beginning stage. Is 280 00:16:39,520 --> 00:16:42,240 Speaker 1: when it was just a big flat piece of aluminum 281 00:16:42,320 --> 00:16:45,480 Speaker 1: that to me looked like a big flat piece of aluminum. 282 00:16:46,120 --> 00:16:49,520 Speaker 1: That's what I saw. But those folks, and they saw 283 00:16:49,560 --> 00:16:52,800 Speaker 1: a whole lot more. What I was smart enough to 284 00:16:52,800 --> 00:16:56,000 Speaker 1: see was a group of people working in Southeast Arkansas 285 00:16:56,080 --> 00:17:00,360 Speaker 1: in August fabricating metal in an environment that's knocking induce 286 00:17:00,440 --> 00:17:03,040 Speaker 1: of the cool temperatures As a matter of fact, it 287 00:17:03,160 --> 00:17:06,680 Speaker 1: was hot in there, but the vibe that was cool. 288 00:17:07,960 --> 00:17:10,600 Speaker 1: They took me around to the different stages of boat building, 289 00:17:10,600 --> 00:17:12,879 Speaker 1: and I got to meet the people that Steve and 290 00:17:12,960 --> 00:17:15,399 Speaker 1: John ed and Jesse bragged on from the moment we 291 00:17:15,480 --> 00:17:17,840 Speaker 1: came to them with the idea of using the sea 292 00:17:17,920 --> 00:17:21,480 Speaker 1: arc boat. Those folks were working hard, and it was 293 00:17:21,520 --> 00:17:24,199 Speaker 1: special to me to see the obvious pride in the 294 00:17:24,240 --> 00:17:27,280 Speaker 1: craftsmanship that these men and women were putting into the 295 00:17:27,320 --> 00:17:31,760 Speaker 1: boats that they'd never set foot on. To me, I 296 00:17:31,840 --> 00:17:34,919 Speaker 1: made it just all the more special. I told some 297 00:17:35,000 --> 00:17:36,840 Speaker 1: of them that would slow down long enough to talk 298 00:17:36,880 --> 00:17:39,200 Speaker 1: to me about why I was there and what we 299 00:17:39,200 --> 00:17:42,200 Speaker 1: were planning to do with their boat man. In some 300 00:17:42,240 --> 00:17:44,960 Speaker 1: places there was noise in there, but they all smiled 301 00:17:45,000 --> 00:17:47,280 Speaker 1: and nodded and gave me a thumbs up or a 302 00:17:47,280 --> 00:17:49,760 Speaker 1: few words of encouragement. It was good, and I was 303 00:17:50,320 --> 00:17:54,600 Speaker 1: thankful for the opportunity to meet them, every one of them. 304 00:17:54,760 --> 00:17:57,439 Speaker 1: A big majority of them were from where I'm from, 305 00:17:57,560 --> 00:18:00,960 Speaker 1: and a lot of us had mutual friends before I 306 00:18:01,080 --> 00:18:04,520 Speaker 1: left that day. Our mutual friends list would get a 307 00:18:04,560 --> 00:18:14,200 Speaker 1: lot bigger. By now, most of you have probably seen 308 00:18:14,240 --> 00:18:16,600 Speaker 1: our film on the media or YouTube channel of our 309 00:18:16,920 --> 00:18:20,680 Speaker 1: Mississippi River expedition. If you hadn't, you better stop now 310 00:18:20,840 --> 00:18:24,440 Speaker 1: slide over there watch it last chance if you don't 311 00:18:24,480 --> 00:18:26,440 Speaker 1: want to know what happens, because I'm fixing to talk 312 00:18:26,480 --> 00:18:31,520 Speaker 1: about it. In five four three we killed one duck, 313 00:18:31,560 --> 00:18:35,080 Speaker 1: one hog, and three deer and had one heck of 314 00:18:35,119 --> 00:18:38,119 Speaker 1: a time. Now, there's not a lot of behind the 315 00:18:38,160 --> 00:18:40,359 Speaker 1: scenes stuff that we didn't talk about in the film, 316 00:18:40,960 --> 00:18:43,639 Speaker 1: But that boat, my gosh, that Sea Arc boat was 317 00:18:43,680 --> 00:18:47,280 Speaker 1: an absolute fortress. We were in some pretty nasty cold 318 00:18:47,400 --> 00:18:49,639 Speaker 1: rain on the last leg of our trail, but Clay, 319 00:18:49,960 --> 00:18:53,000 Speaker 1: our cinematographer is Isaac Neil, and drew stick line, me 320 00:18:53,080 --> 00:18:56,240 Speaker 1: and all our gear we stayed safe and dry. Once 321 00:18:56,280 --> 00:18:59,320 Speaker 1: we hit the bank between Greenville and Vicksburg, Mississippi, the 322 00:18:59,400 --> 00:19:02,680 Speaker 1: hunt was on. Our cat fishing plans got canceled when 323 00:19:02,680 --> 00:19:05,440 Speaker 1: the windy weather got so bad that it was unsafe 324 00:19:05,480 --> 00:19:08,879 Speaker 1: to be on the water. Luckily that happened after we 325 00:19:09,000 --> 00:19:11,959 Speaker 1: made it to Thad Miller's hunting camp where we were staying. 326 00:19:13,119 --> 00:19:15,760 Speaker 1: Our friends Jordan Blissed and Lake Pickle, a couple of 327 00:19:15,760 --> 00:19:18,720 Speaker 1: Mississippi boys that know how to gather groceries from the 328 00:19:18,720 --> 00:19:22,720 Speaker 1: woods pointed us in the right direction, and we concentrated 329 00:19:22,760 --> 00:19:25,679 Speaker 1: on chasing deer. Once we saw that the ducks just 330 00:19:25,760 --> 00:19:28,840 Speaker 1: hadn't made it down in enough numbers to be predictable 331 00:19:29,119 --> 00:19:31,840 Speaker 1: on where they were going to be hanging out. Deer 332 00:19:31,920 --> 00:19:36,680 Speaker 1: hunt every day all day. Okay, I'm in, And we did, 333 00:19:36,760 --> 00:19:39,119 Speaker 1: and we fought the wind. My goodness, we hunted in 334 00:19:39,160 --> 00:19:41,720 Speaker 1: wind that had I been at home, I would have 335 00:19:41,800 --> 00:19:43,920 Speaker 1: rolled over and went back to sleep. And it picked 336 00:19:44,000 --> 00:19:48,200 Speaker 1: up nearly every day. The day I shot that Mississippi buck, 337 00:19:48,280 --> 00:19:52,080 Speaker 1: the wind was blowing sustained above twenty miles per hour 338 00:19:52,480 --> 00:19:56,120 Speaker 1: and gusting up to forty bow hunting was really out 339 00:19:56,119 --> 00:19:58,720 Speaker 1: of the question where I was, but we didn't want 340 00:19:58,760 --> 00:20:02,200 Speaker 1: to leave because we were consistently seeing deer, good deer. 341 00:20:02,920 --> 00:20:05,679 Speaker 1: Now that's a lesson for me. When the rut is on, 342 00:20:06,240 --> 00:20:08,480 Speaker 1: all the rules go out the window on what deer 343 00:20:08,640 --> 00:20:14,560 Speaker 1: gonna do in reference to weather except be unpredictable. Drew 344 00:20:14,640 --> 00:20:17,720 Speaker 1: Stecklon and I was hanging in tree saddles about twenty 345 00:20:17,760 --> 00:20:19,840 Speaker 1: feet off the ground, and the wind was whooping on 346 00:20:19,920 --> 00:20:23,520 Speaker 1: us like we were rented mules. He saw the buck first, 347 00:20:23,560 --> 00:20:25,560 Speaker 1: and I thought I'd had to pass on him because 348 00:20:25,800 --> 00:20:28,119 Speaker 1: I could never get my rifles settled in on the 349 00:20:28,200 --> 00:20:32,720 Speaker 1: right spot. Then I said, for a miracle, everything came 350 00:20:32,760 --> 00:20:36,280 Speaker 1: together for one split second and was like that rifle 351 00:20:36,359 --> 00:20:41,800 Speaker 1: fired itself. Bingo riding the baller room. I'd have lost 352 00:20:41,960 --> 00:20:44,040 Speaker 1: money on betting whether we were going to see any 353 00:20:44,080 --> 00:20:46,520 Speaker 1: deer that day, and in reality, we didn't see many. 354 00:20:47,280 --> 00:20:50,600 Speaker 1: We also didn't sit long because before nine am that morning, 355 00:20:51,040 --> 00:20:52,919 Speaker 1: Drew and I were bailing out of that tree to 356 00:20:52,960 --> 00:20:56,639 Speaker 1: go hunt up a blood trail. It was an incredible 357 00:20:56,640 --> 00:21:00,400 Speaker 1: adventure from start to finish. We left men Us at 358 00:21:00,400 --> 00:21:04,360 Speaker 1: the beginning, headed down the river, slept under the stars 359 00:21:04,359 --> 00:21:08,399 Speaker 1: on an island. We persevered through bad weather and wet 360 00:21:08,440 --> 00:21:11,360 Speaker 1: and cold conditions and stuck it out. Because a lot 361 00:21:11,400 --> 00:21:13,919 Speaker 1: of folks had gone to a lot of trouble to 362 00:21:13,960 --> 00:21:17,879 Speaker 1: help us see this crazy idea become a reality. We 363 00:21:17,920 --> 00:21:20,560 Speaker 1: owed it to every one of them and to ourselves 364 00:21:20,880 --> 00:21:24,680 Speaker 1: to see it through. We rolled out of Mississippi after 365 00:21:24,680 --> 00:21:27,520 Speaker 1: a week with some new friends and an ice chest 366 00:21:27,560 --> 00:21:31,040 Speaker 1: full of tasty critters. I'm going back to this spring 367 00:21:31,119 --> 00:21:33,400 Speaker 1: to try and put the old razzle dazzle on dealth 368 00:21:33,440 --> 00:21:36,200 Speaker 1: the long beard, and I'll keep you updated on how 369 00:21:36,240 --> 00:21:39,720 Speaker 1: that goes. If you hadn't watched the film yet, get 370 00:21:39,840 --> 00:21:42,600 Speaker 1: yourself over there and check it out. I think you'll 371 00:21:42,680 --> 00:21:45,359 Speaker 1: enjoy it. I know we had a great time working 372 00:21:45,400 --> 00:21:49,280 Speaker 1: on it. They're still tickets available at the Meat Eater 373 00:21:49,440 --> 00:21:52,440 Speaker 1: Live Tour. I know they need to come down south. 374 00:21:52,520 --> 00:21:55,119 Speaker 1: Y'all just keep holding their feet to the fire and 375 00:21:55,160 --> 00:21:58,119 Speaker 1: we'll see if we can make it happen. I like 376 00:21:58,240 --> 00:22:02,320 Speaker 1: our chances. In the meantime, I know we have lots 377 00:22:02,320 --> 00:22:04,720 Speaker 1: of friends out west, and that's where the tour is 378 00:22:04,720 --> 00:22:07,320 Speaker 1: headed in a few weeks. You can find all the 379 00:22:07,359 --> 00:22:10,760 Speaker 1: information on when and where at the meeteater dot com 380 00:22:10,800 --> 00:22:14,919 Speaker 1: slash events. Thank y'all so much for listening and for 381 00:22:14,960 --> 00:22:17,800 Speaker 1: those who voted early and often for yours truly in 382 00:22:17,840 --> 00:22:21,480 Speaker 1: the calling contest during Meat Eater's Turkey week Man. That 383 00:22:21,600 --> 00:22:24,800 Speaker 1: was a lot of fun. Until next week. This is 384 00:22:24,840 --> 00:22:28,040 Speaker 1: Brent Reeves signing off. Y'all be careful.