1 00:00:00,640 --> 00:00:04,640 Speaker 1: You're listening to the Sportsman's Nation podcast network powered by 2 00:00:04,800 --> 00:00:08,520 Speaker 1: Interstate Batteries from your truck to your trail camera. Interstate 3 00:00:08,560 --> 00:00:12,480 Speaker 1: Batteries as you covered. Visit your local Interstate Batteries store 4 00:00:12,520 --> 00:00:17,880 Speaker 1: today or online at Interstate Batteries dot com. Interstate Batteries 5 00:00:18,079 --> 00:00:27,320 Speaker 1: Outrageously Dependable. My name is Clay Nucleman. I'm the host 6 00:00:27,400 --> 00:00:31,360 Speaker 1: of the Bear Hunting Magazine podcast. I'll also be your 7 00:00:31,360 --> 00:00:34,640 Speaker 1: host into the world of hunting the icon of the 8 00:00:34,720 --> 00:00:40,239 Speaker 1: North American wilderness. Better. We'll talk about tactics, gear conservation, 9 00:00:40,800 --> 00:00:43,080 Speaker 1: who will also bring you into some of the wildest 10 00:00:43,120 --> 00:00:51,519 Speaker 1: country on the planet chasing the battery. If I'm not 11 00:00:51,600 --> 00:00:54,280 Speaker 1: back in ten minutes, I want you to get in 12 00:00:54,320 --> 00:00:55,840 Speaker 1: the driver's cy to this truck and I want you 13 00:00:55,920 --> 00:00:58,080 Speaker 1: to drive to this truck runs out of gas, and 14 00:00:58,120 --> 00:00:59,840 Speaker 1: when the police come and pick you up, you tell 15 00:01:00,320 --> 00:01:03,440 Speaker 1: that your father and his mule are dead your mother. 16 00:01:07,319 --> 00:01:11,240 Speaker 1: On March fifteen, I had the opportunity to speak at 17 00:01:11,280 --> 00:01:15,800 Speaker 1: a back Country Hunters and Anglers storytelling event in Springfield, Missouri. 18 00:01:16,400 --> 00:01:20,120 Speaker 1: This podcast is gonna be the stories that I told 19 00:01:20,120 --> 00:01:23,119 Speaker 1: that that event. The stories lasted about forty five minutes. 20 00:01:23,360 --> 00:01:26,480 Speaker 1: I think that you're gonna enjoy this podcast. You'll also 21 00:01:26,560 --> 00:01:29,600 Speaker 1: be able to watch the actual live event on the 22 00:01:29,600 --> 00:01:32,039 Speaker 1: Bear Hunting Magazine YouTube channel. You'll be able to go 23 00:01:32,080 --> 00:01:34,600 Speaker 1: to our channel and we're gonna split the stories up 24 00:01:34,680 --> 00:01:37,560 Speaker 1: in four different videos in the next ten days or 25 00:01:37,640 --> 00:01:40,280 Speaker 1: so that are gonna come out and they'll be titled 26 00:01:40,360 --> 00:01:43,679 Speaker 1: as different stories, so you'll actually be able to watch 27 00:01:43,800 --> 00:01:48,400 Speaker 1: this on the Bear Hunting Magazine YouTube channel. There's something 28 00:01:48,520 --> 00:01:53,080 Speaker 1: really special about oral traditions where we get to tell stories. 29 00:01:53,120 --> 00:01:57,800 Speaker 1: It's it's different than any other medium, and it's obviously 30 00:01:57,920 --> 00:02:02,280 Speaker 1: the oldest medium for human to relay a story. So 31 00:02:02,360 --> 00:02:06,040 Speaker 1: much information is inside of the spoken word, and you're 32 00:02:06,040 --> 00:02:09,639 Speaker 1: gonna enjoy this, so check it out. Also, guys, we 33 00:02:09,680 --> 00:02:11,760 Speaker 1: want to let you know that we now have all 34 00:02:11,800 --> 00:02:15,880 Speaker 1: of our podcast, the Bear Hunting Magazine podcasts on our 35 00:02:16,040 --> 00:02:20,880 Speaker 1: website bear hyphen hunting dot com. That's bare dash Hunting 36 00:02:20,919 --> 00:02:23,680 Speaker 1: dot com. So you can now go to our website 37 00:02:23,760 --> 00:02:27,760 Speaker 1: and you'll see a description of all the podcasts, you'll 38 00:02:27,800 --> 00:02:31,600 Speaker 1: see photographs from the podcast, and you can actually listen 39 00:02:31,639 --> 00:02:35,959 Speaker 1: to the podcast from our website. While you're there, you 40 00:02:36,040 --> 00:02:39,320 Speaker 1: might as well pick up one of our awesome custom 41 00:02:39,400 --> 00:02:52,120 Speaker 1: Bear Hunting Magazine t shirts. There we go, give this 42 00:02:52,160 --> 00:02:59,520 Speaker 1: guy one? Yes, all right, great, So I'm from Arkansas. 43 00:02:59,560 --> 00:03:02,560 Speaker 1: How many? How many people are from Arkansas? All right? 44 00:03:02,639 --> 00:03:06,840 Speaker 1: Where are you guys from Benville? Okay? All right, all right, 45 00:03:07,320 --> 00:03:10,200 Speaker 1: Well it's great to be here in Missouri. I am. 46 00:03:10,639 --> 00:03:14,440 Speaker 1: I am a seventh generation ar Kansen. So it's it's 47 00:03:14,520 --> 00:03:16,320 Speaker 1: it's cool to come to Missouri and hear you guys 48 00:03:16,360 --> 00:03:20,360 Speaker 1: talking about like I sent some like Missouri pride, you know. 49 00:03:20,480 --> 00:03:23,440 Speaker 1: So that's good because I know we do have that. 50 00:03:23,680 --> 00:03:27,080 Speaker 1: We do have some pride down in Arkansas. To um 51 00:03:27,240 --> 00:03:31,359 Speaker 1: So tonight, what I want to do is I want 52 00:03:31,360 --> 00:03:35,640 Speaker 1: to tell you four stories, four short stories that all 53 00:03:35,760 --> 00:03:40,200 Speaker 1: revolve around basically the same piece of public land. Um. 54 00:03:40,240 --> 00:03:42,800 Speaker 1: I'm gonna time myself. This is my second sprite of 55 00:03:42,840 --> 00:03:46,880 Speaker 1: the night. Um So, who knows what's gonna happen here? 56 00:03:49,280 --> 00:03:53,360 Speaker 1: But uh, before I tell you these stories about public 57 00:03:53,440 --> 00:03:56,480 Speaker 1: land in Arkansas, let me tell you we've got We've 58 00:03:56,520 --> 00:04:00,400 Speaker 1: got two point two million acres of national forest and Arkansas, 59 00:04:00,440 --> 00:04:03,920 Speaker 1: and that doesn't even count all the w Mays and 60 00:04:03,960 --> 00:04:05,960 Speaker 1: all the different other places that we can hunt. We 61 00:04:06,000 --> 00:04:08,920 Speaker 1: have two point two million acres of national for us, 62 00:04:09,000 --> 00:04:13,280 Speaker 1: We've got eleven wilderness areas in Arkansas, and Uh, I 63 00:04:13,320 --> 00:04:16,279 Speaker 1: grew up in a town any direction that I could 64 00:04:16,360 --> 00:04:21,760 Speaker 1: drive within ten minutes, I was in massive national forest 65 00:04:22,200 --> 00:04:25,160 Speaker 1: and that truly did impact my life in a major way. 66 00:04:25,200 --> 00:04:29,400 Speaker 1: I mean, uh, a little Leopold said that wilderness in 67 00:04:29,520 --> 00:04:33,880 Speaker 1: the areas that we live actually forge our civilization and culture. 68 00:04:34,440 --> 00:04:38,240 Speaker 1: And it's true wilderness and the in the geographic landscapes 69 00:04:38,279 --> 00:04:42,479 Speaker 1: in which we live inform inform our culture in a 70 00:04:42,520 --> 00:04:46,520 Speaker 1: significant way. And what's awesome about being a hunter and 71 00:04:46,600 --> 00:04:51,000 Speaker 1: being a contosseur of wild places in twenty nineteen is 72 00:04:51,040 --> 00:04:56,080 Speaker 1: that the world is becoming increasingly urbanized and increasingly concrete ized, 73 00:04:56,440 --> 00:05:01,039 Speaker 1: and increasingly distant from the lie style that all of 74 00:05:01,120 --> 00:05:05,440 Speaker 1: us represent. And I think it's our mission to represent 75 00:05:05,560 --> 00:05:10,400 Speaker 1: that lifestyle with deep levels of integrity, honor, and passion. 76 00:05:10,920 --> 00:05:13,920 Speaker 1: And to me, what I even have wanted to do 77 00:05:14,200 --> 00:05:17,359 Speaker 1: since I was a kid, was I saw these I 78 00:05:17,400 --> 00:05:20,080 Speaker 1: saw this culture that I grew up in, and I 79 00:05:20,120 --> 00:05:25,160 Speaker 1: was powerfully impacted by these men that I deeply respected 80 00:05:25,200 --> 00:05:29,240 Speaker 1: that there were these mountain hunters that that weren't trying 81 00:05:29,279 --> 00:05:32,560 Speaker 1: to put Instagram posts up, they were hunting to put 82 00:05:32,600 --> 00:05:35,200 Speaker 1: food on the table. They were hunting for they were 83 00:05:35,200 --> 00:05:38,040 Speaker 1: they were hunting for horns too, but they were they 84 00:05:38,080 --> 00:05:41,720 Speaker 1: they were just these people I respected and I wanted 85 00:05:41,720 --> 00:05:43,719 Speaker 1: my life, and part part of what I do inside 86 00:05:43,760 --> 00:05:47,120 Speaker 1: of media, I feel like it's bring dignity to that lifestyle. 87 00:05:47,480 --> 00:05:49,440 Speaker 1: And I think that's really probably at the heart I 88 00:05:49,480 --> 00:05:51,920 Speaker 1: hope of most of you guys, is to bring dig 89 00:05:52,120 --> 00:05:55,599 Speaker 1: dignity to the lifestyle that we represent. So now for 90 00:05:55,680 --> 00:05:58,520 Speaker 1: the fun stuff. I'm gonna tell you four stories. Two 91 00:05:58,560 --> 00:06:01,640 Speaker 1: of them are funny, I'm gonna need you to laugh, Okay, 92 00:06:02,160 --> 00:06:05,640 Speaker 1: one of them is terrifying. One of them is an 93 00:06:05,640 --> 00:06:10,560 Speaker 1: epic hunting story that will end with So the first First, 94 00:06:10,680 --> 00:06:15,120 Speaker 1: all these stories come in different so there's different chronological order. Okay. 95 00:06:15,360 --> 00:06:18,080 Speaker 1: So they they happened in the same place, but they 96 00:06:18,080 --> 00:06:22,200 Speaker 1: didn't have So the chronology of it is, uh, it's 97 00:06:22,240 --> 00:06:24,560 Speaker 1: gonna be We're gonna skip around here. So the first 98 00:06:24,600 --> 00:06:29,840 Speaker 1: one is in is when I started hunting off my 99 00:06:29,880 --> 00:06:34,920 Speaker 1: own mules in backcountry in Arkansas. And I will tell you, jeez, 100 00:06:34,960 --> 00:06:36,360 Speaker 1: there's a lot of things you gotta talk about. I 101 00:06:36,440 --> 00:06:38,880 Speaker 1: gotta talk to you about hunting ethics first, Okay, My 102 00:06:39,000 --> 00:06:42,080 Speaker 1: dad taught me this and live this his whole life. Okay. 103 00:06:42,200 --> 00:06:47,239 Speaker 1: It's when another man shares his stuff with you where 104 00:06:47,240 --> 00:06:50,440 Speaker 1: he hunts on public land, you were therefore obligated for 105 00:06:50,480 --> 00:06:53,279 Speaker 1: the rest of your life to never set foot there. 106 00:06:53,839 --> 00:06:57,280 Speaker 1: I hunt public land in Arkansas, and so I mean, 107 00:06:57,320 --> 00:07:00,600 Speaker 1: I know, all you Godfair and Missourian's probably are gonna 108 00:07:00,640 --> 00:07:03,760 Speaker 1: be jealous, but you can never go there now because 109 00:07:03,800 --> 00:07:06,840 Speaker 1: I've told you. Now, these guys from Arkansas, you know 110 00:07:06,920 --> 00:07:09,760 Speaker 1: you you can hunt your lands just as you did before. Okay, 111 00:07:09,800 --> 00:07:13,080 Speaker 1: but uh so, y'all y'all stay up here. It sounds 112 00:07:13,080 --> 00:07:16,160 Speaker 1: like y'all got lots of public land up here. But 113 00:07:16,360 --> 00:07:18,440 Speaker 1: you know, b h A. People are really funny. It's 114 00:07:18,480 --> 00:07:21,120 Speaker 1: like we're like public lands. Public lands were like hashtag 115 00:07:21,160 --> 00:07:23,520 Speaker 1: and public lands. And as soon as somebody says where 116 00:07:23,520 --> 00:07:25,560 Speaker 1: do you hunt, You're like, man, I don't. I don't 117 00:07:25,560 --> 00:07:29,440 Speaker 1: know where I hunt. It's true, it's true. I'm the 118 00:07:29,480 --> 00:07:33,400 Speaker 1: same way, like, go enjoy your public lands, not mine. 119 00:07:33,920 --> 00:07:37,280 Speaker 1: It's true. So four stories, they all came from the 120 00:07:37,320 --> 00:07:41,440 Speaker 1: same place. First of one, excuse me. We started We 121 00:07:41,480 --> 00:07:44,440 Speaker 1: started hunting with our own mules. I took my at 122 00:07:44,440 --> 00:07:46,360 Speaker 1: the time ten year old son. His name is Bear 123 00:07:46,520 --> 00:07:49,720 Speaker 1: Baron Newcomb. Took Baron Newcomb and we took our mule, 124 00:07:49,800 --> 00:07:53,360 Speaker 1: packed it back into this wilderness, and we had it 125 00:07:53,400 --> 00:07:56,040 Speaker 1: was the first time we'd used this mule in this context. 126 00:07:57,000 --> 00:07:59,520 Speaker 1: And we we hiked to the top of this mountain 127 00:07:59,520 --> 00:08:02,720 Speaker 1: with a mule, tethered the mule to a treat we 128 00:08:02,760 --> 00:08:07,040 Speaker 1: went off hunting. We hunted for six hours. I marked 129 00:08:07,040 --> 00:08:10,000 Speaker 1: on my on my GPS where the mule was at. 130 00:08:10,640 --> 00:08:14,160 Speaker 1: I'd come back at dark, and we timed our We 131 00:08:14,240 --> 00:08:16,520 Speaker 1: timed our exit from where we hunted to get back 132 00:08:16,560 --> 00:08:19,600 Speaker 1: to the mule just before dark, and then from the mule, 133 00:08:19,800 --> 00:08:22,600 Speaker 1: we would then traverse down the mountain back to our 134 00:08:22,720 --> 00:08:25,800 Speaker 1: our camp where we were hunting, which was way off 135 00:08:25,840 --> 00:08:30,400 Speaker 1: the road too. We get to where the mule was 136 00:08:30,440 --> 00:08:34,520 Speaker 1: supposed to be, The mule was not there, mule was gone. 137 00:08:35,360 --> 00:08:39,560 Speaker 1: The lead rope was still tied to the tree, and 138 00:08:39,600 --> 00:08:42,400 Speaker 1: the lead rope was broken half and and and I 139 00:08:42,480 --> 00:08:44,440 Speaker 1: picked up the lead rope and looked at it, and 140 00:08:44,480 --> 00:08:46,880 Speaker 1: it it actually had it actually had been chewed by 141 00:08:46,920 --> 00:08:49,360 Speaker 1: the mule. So this was news to me that a 142 00:08:49,480 --> 00:08:52,000 Speaker 1: mule would chew a lead rope. So we're up on 143 00:08:52,040 --> 00:08:53,840 Speaker 1: the side of the mountain. We're in a we're in 144 00:08:53,840 --> 00:08:57,520 Speaker 1: a wilderness sary of federal wilderness sary, you know, and uh, 145 00:08:57,640 --> 00:09:01,959 Speaker 1: I tell my son Bear, I say, hopefully the mule 146 00:09:02,040 --> 00:09:04,600 Speaker 1: went back down to our camp where we'd stayed the 147 00:09:04,679 --> 00:09:08,360 Speaker 1: night before. So I pick up this like fifty pounds 148 00:09:08,400 --> 00:09:11,640 Speaker 1: saddle because I unsaddled the mule all the saddle back. 149 00:09:11,720 --> 00:09:14,000 Speaker 1: Pick up this fifty pounds saddle, have our hunting gear, 150 00:09:14,280 --> 00:09:16,600 Speaker 1: and we walk off down the mountain. We get to 151 00:09:16,600 --> 00:09:19,520 Speaker 1: the body, We get to our camp and no mule 152 00:09:19,559 --> 00:09:22,400 Speaker 1: at the camp. We had parked our truck on a 153 00:09:22,559 --> 00:09:28,000 Speaker 1: two lane Arkansas highway. I envisioned, so my truck and 154 00:09:28,000 --> 00:09:30,600 Speaker 1: trailer was on this highway and we came in from there. 155 00:09:30,640 --> 00:09:33,240 Speaker 1: There's no trails or anything. We just went in from there. 156 00:09:34,120 --> 00:09:38,880 Speaker 1: So I envisioned the mule being back at my truck, like, 157 00:09:39,040 --> 00:09:41,240 Speaker 1: you know, that's the next place. Maybe the mule has gone. 158 00:09:42,080 --> 00:09:44,240 Speaker 1: And then it's dark and it's night. We're wanting to 159 00:09:44,280 --> 00:09:46,000 Speaker 1: hunt the next day. We don't want to go back 160 00:09:46,000 --> 00:09:49,920 Speaker 1: out to the truck. But I envisioned the mule, uh, 161 00:09:49,960 --> 00:09:52,000 Speaker 1: on the side of the highway by my trailer with 162 00:09:52,080 --> 00:09:54,760 Speaker 1: a broken lead rope, and I envisioned someone calling the sheriff, 163 00:09:55,160 --> 00:09:57,719 Speaker 1: the sheriff running the tags on my trailer and then 164 00:09:57,760 --> 00:09:59,760 Speaker 1: calling my wife is right here. This is missing Newcomb. 165 00:09:59,800 --> 00:10:04,200 Speaker 1: I've so much for having got This is my Lafe's message. Also, 166 00:10:04,320 --> 00:10:07,480 Speaker 1: this is my friend Brett Reeves. Is his birthday? Uh 167 00:10:07,520 --> 00:10:12,840 Speaker 1: it was Brett reis oudaya So so I envisioned the 168 00:10:12,920 --> 00:10:16,320 Speaker 1: sheriff running tags on my truck and calling my wife 169 00:10:16,360 --> 00:10:19,800 Speaker 1: and saying, your husband is dead. So I couldn't let 170 00:10:19,840 --> 00:10:22,400 Speaker 1: that happen. There was no cell coverage or anything. And 171 00:10:22,440 --> 00:10:24,480 Speaker 1: so we come off the mountain. To me in Bear, 172 00:10:24,880 --> 00:10:29,040 Speaker 1: come off the mountain, as it was the closest civilization 173 00:10:29,120 --> 00:10:34,920 Speaker 1: to where we were was a small, small county line bar. Okay, 174 00:10:35,200 --> 00:10:38,720 Speaker 1: in this bar. This was the closest civilization any direction. 175 00:10:38,960 --> 00:10:41,400 Speaker 1: There's no reason for this bar to be there except 176 00:10:41,400 --> 00:10:44,960 Speaker 1: for it was a county line separating a dry county. 177 00:10:45,040 --> 00:10:47,640 Speaker 1: You guys know that kind of bar. I don't know 178 00:10:47,720 --> 00:10:49,679 Speaker 1: that kind of bar. I I don't go to those places. 179 00:10:49,760 --> 00:10:57,160 Speaker 1: Ironic that I'm even here. Uh but uh so the 180 00:10:57,160 --> 00:11:00,959 Speaker 1: closest place was this bar. I go, So, I say, Bear, 181 00:11:01,480 --> 00:11:04,200 Speaker 1: We're gonna have to go to this bar. I wanted 182 00:11:04,240 --> 00:11:06,840 Speaker 1: to leave them my phone number so that when somebody 183 00:11:06,840 --> 00:11:08,800 Speaker 1: was driving down the road saw a mule with a 184 00:11:08,920 --> 00:11:11,680 Speaker 1: broken lead rope, they'd probably stop the next place and 185 00:11:11,720 --> 00:11:14,280 Speaker 1: maybe say, hey, there's a mule out here on the road, 186 00:11:14,360 --> 00:11:17,280 Speaker 1: you know. So I pull up to this bar. It's 187 00:11:17,280 --> 00:11:22,240 Speaker 1: a Saturday night County Line bar, and uh. I pull 188 00:11:22,360 --> 00:11:24,319 Speaker 1: up and I've got my ten year old son with me, 189 00:11:24,800 --> 00:11:27,280 Speaker 1: and I turned my son and I say, son, I'm 190 00:11:27,320 --> 00:11:29,960 Speaker 1: about to go into this bar. If I'm not back 191 00:11:30,000 --> 00:11:32,520 Speaker 1: in ten minutes, I want you to get in the 192 00:11:32,600 --> 00:11:34,080 Speaker 1: driver's seat of this truck and I want you to 193 00:11:34,160 --> 00:11:36,360 Speaker 1: drive to this truck runs out of gas, and when 194 00:11:36,400 --> 00:11:38,199 Speaker 1: the police come and pick you up, you tell him 195 00:11:38,400 --> 00:11:41,079 Speaker 1: that your father and his mule are dead. I know 196 00:11:41,200 --> 00:11:43,000 Speaker 1: your mother is. This is a rough place. This is 197 00:11:43,000 --> 00:11:46,600 Speaker 1: a rough bar, Saturday night, Saturday night. I'm decked out 198 00:11:46,640 --> 00:11:49,840 Speaker 1: in full first light first light fusion camo. Okay, this 199 00:11:49,960 --> 00:11:52,600 Speaker 1: is not standard real tree stuff like this is like 200 00:11:52,679 --> 00:11:55,800 Speaker 1: unaccepted in most places in Arkansas. I've got my like 201 00:11:55,840 --> 00:11:58,439 Speaker 1: skinny suspenders on, got my dark framed glass has, got 202 00:11:58,440 --> 00:12:01,240 Speaker 1: my five panel hat on. I'm really not hampster at all. 203 00:12:01,240 --> 00:12:04,360 Speaker 1: I'm really just the redneck, but in their mind they 204 00:12:04,440 --> 00:12:07,000 Speaker 1: might have perceived that way. So I walk into the bar, 205 00:12:07,679 --> 00:12:10,840 Speaker 1: and if it had been like a spaghetti Western, it 206 00:12:10,920 --> 00:12:13,280 Speaker 1: would have been like, you know, the girl at the 207 00:12:13,280 --> 00:12:15,920 Speaker 1: piano playing and like the bad guy from out of 208 00:12:15,960 --> 00:12:18,120 Speaker 1: town that no one knows walks through the swinging doors 209 00:12:18,400 --> 00:12:21,880 Speaker 1: and like everybody's just like and I get stopped. So 210 00:12:22,080 --> 00:12:25,320 Speaker 1: that's exactly what happened. I walk into the bar and 211 00:12:25,360 --> 00:12:27,559 Speaker 1: there's like it's a it's small. I mean, it's like 212 00:12:28,280 --> 00:12:31,880 Speaker 1: it's like a thirty by thirty room, you know, and uh, 213 00:12:32,920 --> 00:12:37,640 Speaker 1: everybody turns and looks at me, and uh. And I've 214 00:12:37,679 --> 00:12:39,760 Speaker 1: also just come off the mountain carrying all these packs. 215 00:12:39,840 --> 00:12:41,640 Speaker 1: I'm sweaty, and what I come to the bar of 216 00:12:41,720 --> 00:12:44,200 Speaker 1: music's loud. Everybody's looking at me. I waved to the 217 00:12:44,200 --> 00:12:49,320 Speaker 1: bartender and I say, my name's Clay Nukem, and I 218 00:12:49,440 --> 00:12:52,079 Speaker 1: lost my mule on the mountain, and I want to 219 00:12:52,160 --> 00:12:54,200 Speaker 1: leave my phone number here with you in case somebody 220 00:12:54,280 --> 00:12:57,800 Speaker 1: drives by, so they can, you know, call me. And 221 00:12:57,960 --> 00:13:00,520 Speaker 1: and so I'm yelling because the music is loud, okay, 222 00:13:00,760 --> 00:13:03,040 Speaker 1: and everybody in the bar looks down at me. The 223 00:13:03,040 --> 00:13:05,840 Speaker 1: bartender can't hear me, he said what and so I 224 00:13:06,040 --> 00:13:08,880 Speaker 1: yell it again. My name's Clay Nukem. And I lost 225 00:13:08,920 --> 00:13:12,240 Speaker 1: my mule on the mountain. And by this time, everybody 226 00:13:12,240 --> 00:13:14,280 Speaker 1: in the bar is really intent on what I'm you know, 227 00:13:14,320 --> 00:13:17,120 Speaker 1: they're they're key, don't what I'm doing. So I hear 228 00:13:17,200 --> 00:13:20,400 Speaker 1: somebody from down here say, has you have you ever 229 00:13:20,440 --> 00:13:23,040 Speaker 1: been up there before that mule? And I go, now, 230 00:13:23,160 --> 00:13:25,280 Speaker 1: it's our first time with the mule. Now I knew 231 00:13:25,280 --> 00:13:27,960 Speaker 1: the mountain very well. And he in in the bar 232 00:13:28,160 --> 00:13:33,160 Speaker 1: rubs into laughter. You never get that mule back, that's 233 00:13:33,200 --> 00:13:37,800 Speaker 1: what they said, so and I agreed with him. Um, 234 00:13:37,960 --> 00:13:41,680 Speaker 1: I didn't know then. I'm sitting at the bar. They're 235 00:13:41,720 --> 00:13:44,240 Speaker 1: not sitting. I'm just standing there and a and a 236 00:13:44,960 --> 00:13:48,360 Speaker 1: man stands up from down at the end of the bar, 237 00:13:49,040 --> 00:13:52,480 Speaker 1: and you can tell he is glassy eyed, little wobbly, 238 00:13:53,160 --> 00:13:56,480 Speaker 1: and he said, what's your name? And I turned to 239 00:13:56,600 --> 00:14:00,800 Speaker 1: him and I say, Clay and Nucm. And he says, 240 00:14:02,040 --> 00:14:10,040 Speaker 1: is your mother Judy Knogan? And I stood there and 241 00:14:10,040 --> 00:14:15,960 Speaker 1: I wondered why this man knew my mother's name. And 242 00:14:16,000 --> 00:14:17,520 Speaker 1: I gotta tell you a little bits for her about 243 00:14:17,520 --> 00:14:20,080 Speaker 1: my mother. My mother Juju as we call her. She 244 00:14:20,200 --> 00:14:24,200 Speaker 1: is the most God fearing value, just a woman of valor, 245 00:14:24,560 --> 00:14:28,200 Speaker 1: woman of character, a woman of integrity, built the foundations 246 00:14:28,240 --> 00:14:31,520 Speaker 1: of my life. And as this man called out her name, 247 00:14:31,920 --> 00:14:35,720 Speaker 1: which was odd to me, my life stood before me 248 00:14:35,800 --> 00:14:38,880 Speaker 1: like a house of cards. And I thought, what is 249 00:14:38,920 --> 00:14:42,240 Speaker 1: this man going to say? Why does he know my mother? 250 00:14:44,360 --> 00:14:47,280 Speaker 1: Lots of questions Rather th my mind, I envisioned many 251 00:14:47,360 --> 00:14:51,840 Speaker 1: words that he might say. You know, I won't say 252 00:14:51,840 --> 00:14:57,080 Speaker 1: what I thought he might say. And I say, I say, yeah, 253 00:14:58,080 --> 00:14:59,880 Speaker 1: Judy Nugam is my mother. I didn't know if I 254 00:14:59,920 --> 00:15:01,680 Speaker 1: was about to get in a fist fight. I mean, 255 00:15:01,800 --> 00:15:04,640 Speaker 1: like it was hard to say what was about to happen. 256 00:15:08,880 --> 00:15:11,800 Speaker 1: And then kind of a kind of a wobble like this, 257 00:15:12,800 --> 00:15:18,760 Speaker 1: he goes, she's my teacher. That's exactly what he said. 258 00:15:18,960 --> 00:15:23,120 Speaker 1: He said she's my teacher. He didn't say she was 259 00:15:23,240 --> 00:15:27,840 Speaker 1: my teacher. He said she's my teacher. And my mother 260 00:15:28,000 --> 00:15:30,040 Speaker 1: has been a school teacher at the public schools down 261 00:15:30,080 --> 00:15:33,200 Speaker 1: in that part of Arkansas for like forty years. And 262 00:15:33,320 --> 00:15:35,800 Speaker 1: this man had been taught by my mother when he 263 00:15:35,840 --> 00:15:38,600 Speaker 1: was a first grader, and he was just like enamored 264 00:15:38,680 --> 00:15:41,520 Speaker 1: with with Ms Newcom and he was just like so 265 00:15:41,600 --> 00:15:43,720 Speaker 1: tickled to meet her son in a bar on a 266 00:15:43,760 --> 00:15:49,440 Speaker 1: Saturday night. So we we I left in my number. 267 00:15:49,520 --> 00:15:52,080 Speaker 1: I walked back out Barris. Fine, he's in the truck 268 00:15:52,280 --> 00:15:54,600 Speaker 1: because all took place in under ten minutes. So he 269 00:15:54,640 --> 00:15:57,840 Speaker 1: was still there. And uh, we walk out of there. 270 00:15:58,360 --> 00:16:00,880 Speaker 1: And we come back the next day and I took 271 00:16:00,920 --> 00:16:03,400 Speaker 1: my do my other daughter with me, and we actually 272 00:16:03,480 --> 00:16:05,520 Speaker 1: went up there and the mule was at our camp. 273 00:16:05,640 --> 00:16:08,800 Speaker 1: We saved our mule. End of story. Okay, that's story. 274 00:16:08,840 --> 00:16:13,000 Speaker 1: One Switzer bar and uh they knew my mother, my 275 00:16:13,080 --> 00:16:18,160 Speaker 1: sweet mother. Okay. Second story, exact same ridge and finger 276 00:16:18,280 --> 00:16:21,720 Speaker 1: of the exact same mountain. The year was two thousand 277 00:16:21,720 --> 00:16:24,480 Speaker 1: and eight. It was the first time that my father 278 00:16:24,520 --> 00:16:27,720 Speaker 1: and I had we we had actually had a guy 279 00:16:27,840 --> 00:16:31,120 Speaker 1: pakistan with horses. It was before I had my own stock. 280 00:16:31,640 --> 00:16:33,600 Speaker 1: And uh, we'd had a guy pack us back into 281 00:16:33,600 --> 00:16:38,320 Speaker 1: this wilderness on horses. The very first day of our hunt. Uh, 282 00:16:38,360 --> 00:16:41,720 Speaker 1: my dad was were bow hunting and my dad walked 283 00:16:41,720 --> 00:16:44,120 Speaker 1: out from our camp. We had just separated. I mean 284 00:16:44,160 --> 00:16:45,960 Speaker 1: the way we got there we set up camp. I 285 00:16:46,000 --> 00:16:48,480 Speaker 1: went one way, he went another, and he was carrying 286 00:16:48,520 --> 00:16:51,400 Speaker 1: his compound bow. He went and he he was not 287 00:16:51,640 --> 00:16:53,920 Speaker 1: three yards our camp. He set his bow down on 288 00:16:53,960 --> 00:16:57,800 Speaker 1: the ground to uh, go check a scrape. He walks 289 00:16:57,840 --> 00:17:00,360 Speaker 1: over to a scrape, big, wide open woods. It wasn't 290 00:17:00,360 --> 00:17:03,040 Speaker 1: like he was in a thicket, wide open woods, sets 291 00:17:03,080 --> 00:17:06,680 Speaker 1: his bow down and when he turns back around, there's 292 00:17:06,720 --> 00:17:10,800 Speaker 1: a bear sniff in his boat. Bear sniff in his boat. 293 00:17:10,840 --> 00:17:13,800 Speaker 1: To this day, he swears that it crawled out of 294 00:17:13,800 --> 00:17:17,200 Speaker 1: the ground and uh, he thinks the but the bear 295 00:17:17,280 --> 00:17:19,280 Speaker 1: is gonna eat the strings off, you know, break the 296 00:17:19,280 --> 00:17:21,600 Speaker 1: strings of the boat. And so he get out of 297 00:17:21,600 --> 00:17:23,440 Speaker 1: here bear. You know, he's kind of freaked out a 298 00:17:23,480 --> 00:17:26,879 Speaker 1: little bit. The bear runs off like twenty yards and 299 00:17:26,960 --> 00:17:29,359 Speaker 1: stands there. He picked runs over and grabs his boat 300 00:17:29,400 --> 00:17:33,320 Speaker 1: and in classic nucom fashion, draws his boat, shoots the bear, 301 00:17:33,480 --> 00:17:36,480 Speaker 1: kills the bear dead. Yeah, so we've got a bear. 302 00:17:36,560 --> 00:17:38,600 Speaker 1: On day one. When I come back, Dad's I killed 303 00:17:38,640 --> 00:17:42,800 Speaker 1: the bear, and uh and in Arkansas we can hunt bear. 304 00:17:42,960 --> 00:17:44,640 Speaker 1: And that's a whole another story that I can tell 305 00:17:44,680 --> 00:17:48,359 Speaker 1: you about the retroduction Arkansas black Bear. But he killed 306 00:17:48,359 --> 00:17:51,560 Speaker 1: a bear, and so Dad was like on this rant. 307 00:17:51,920 --> 00:17:54,240 Speaker 1: So but on this camp, we still had five or 308 00:17:54,240 --> 00:17:58,600 Speaker 1: six days of hunting left and Dad was all worked 309 00:17:58,680 --> 00:18:01,119 Speaker 1: up about a bear getting in our camp while we 310 00:18:01,119 --> 00:18:04,080 Speaker 1: were gone hunting. Okay, so all week, I mean we 311 00:18:04,080 --> 00:18:06,919 Speaker 1: were like tying our our food up in trees and 312 00:18:06,960 --> 00:18:09,520 Speaker 1: doing all this stuff. So it's the fifth day of 313 00:18:09,520 --> 00:18:11,720 Speaker 1: the hunt. We've seen no more a sign of bear, 314 00:18:12,400 --> 00:18:16,480 Speaker 1: and uh, fifth day of the hunt. It's the middle 315 00:18:16,480 --> 00:18:18,880 Speaker 1: of the night, and it's one of these nights where 316 00:18:18,920 --> 00:18:22,480 Speaker 1: you can just hear everything. It's something I coon hunt 317 00:18:22,520 --> 00:18:24,040 Speaker 1: a lot, and there's some nights that are just so 318 00:18:24,160 --> 00:18:26,520 Speaker 1: dead still, like you could hear a dog like a 319 00:18:26,640 --> 00:18:29,520 Speaker 1: mile away, and another night's you just can't. This was 320 00:18:29,560 --> 00:18:31,439 Speaker 1: the night where you could just hear everything. We had 321 00:18:31,480 --> 00:18:33,879 Speaker 1: two tents set up. Dad was in one tent. I 322 00:18:33,920 --> 00:18:36,680 Speaker 1: was in another tent. Or sometime early in the morning, 323 00:18:36,720 --> 00:18:40,920 Speaker 1: a couple of hours before daylight, I hear I'm awoken 324 00:18:41,080 --> 00:18:46,080 Speaker 1: by what what sounds like large footsteps, you know, but 325 00:18:46,200 --> 00:18:48,840 Speaker 1: they're not continuous. I mean, anybody that's hunted much knows 326 00:18:48,920 --> 00:18:52,240 Speaker 1: that big game the wait until it's different from a 327 00:18:52,280 --> 00:18:54,040 Speaker 1: big game animal and a squirrel is that a big 328 00:18:54,040 --> 00:18:56,680 Speaker 1: game animal just keeps walking. I mean a squirrel will 329 00:18:56,680 --> 00:18:59,080 Speaker 1: make three hops and he'll sound like a squirrel, a 330 00:18:59,119 --> 00:19:02,280 Speaker 1: big game animal. You know. Usually after about the fifth 331 00:19:02,320 --> 00:19:04,760 Speaker 1: or sixth step, you're like, that is something that's not 332 00:19:04,800 --> 00:19:06,919 Speaker 1: a squirrel. I knew it wasn't a squirrel as night, 333 00:19:07,320 --> 00:19:11,240 Speaker 1: but I hear these steps and they're loud, they're familiar, 334 00:19:12,280 --> 00:19:15,119 Speaker 1: and and they're way up on the mountain, and you know, 335 00:19:15,160 --> 00:19:18,239 Speaker 1: you'd hear like three steps, and then you'd you'd be like, well, 336 00:19:18,280 --> 00:19:19,920 Speaker 1: I guess it's nothing that you started to fall asleep, 337 00:19:19,960 --> 00:19:22,359 Speaker 1: and then you'd hear him again, and they were coming. 338 00:19:22,480 --> 00:19:26,000 Speaker 1: They were moving our direction, just ever so slowly. And 339 00:19:26,080 --> 00:19:31,160 Speaker 1: then the footsteps began to be accompanied by a noise 340 00:19:31,320 --> 00:19:33,720 Speaker 1: that at the time I was not familiar with. And 341 00:19:33,760 --> 00:19:42,400 Speaker 1: it sounded just like this, it was like, and they'd wait. 342 00:19:45,800 --> 00:19:48,280 Speaker 1: It kind of sounded like, uh, if you see crocodile 343 00:19:48,320 --> 00:19:51,120 Speaker 1: dundee when he takes that that that boomerang and puts 344 00:19:51,160 --> 00:19:55,159 Speaker 1: us on a rope, and he's like, who, that's probably 345 00:19:55,160 --> 00:19:58,280 Speaker 1: more what it's like. I thought it was a bird 346 00:19:58,440 --> 00:20:00,920 Speaker 1: at the time. I was like, that is a crazy bird. 347 00:20:01,040 --> 00:20:03,600 Speaker 1: I don't know why that bird is here, but I've 348 00:20:03,600 --> 00:20:08,040 Speaker 1: never heard it before. The footsteps continue, the noise continues, 349 00:20:08,640 --> 00:20:12,960 Speaker 1: and finally my dad he calls me, Clay Baby. He said, 350 00:20:13,040 --> 00:20:15,280 Speaker 1: Clay Baby, it's like, you know, we're supposed to be 351 00:20:15,359 --> 00:20:18,119 Speaker 1: like death sleep. He goes, Clay Baby, do you hear that? 352 00:20:18,760 --> 00:20:20,639 Speaker 1: You know this us I'm laying on my back in 353 00:20:20,720 --> 00:20:23,440 Speaker 1: the tent. He's in the tent over there, and I go, yeah, 354 00:20:23,640 --> 00:20:25,920 Speaker 1: I said, I've been listening to it for the last hour, 355 00:20:27,280 --> 00:20:30,280 Speaker 1: and he goes, it was like when he confirmed that 356 00:20:30,440 --> 00:20:33,160 Speaker 1: he had heard it, and when when I confirmed him 357 00:20:33,160 --> 00:20:34,720 Speaker 1: that I had heard it, it was like a light 358 00:20:34,760 --> 00:20:38,160 Speaker 1: switch went off in our heads. And Dad goes, Dad said, 359 00:20:38,240 --> 00:20:40,840 Speaker 1: he said, just like this. He said, Clay Baby, we're 360 00:20:40,880 --> 00:20:44,600 Speaker 1: being stalked. He didn't he didn't say it. He didn't 361 00:20:44,600 --> 00:20:46,879 Speaker 1: say like we're being stops and he said like a 362 00:20:46,880 --> 00:20:50,879 Speaker 1: Pentecostal preacher, he was like, we're being stalked. And he 363 00:20:51,200 --> 00:20:55,280 Speaker 1: I mean, immediately, a massive rush of activity just happens 364 00:20:55,320 --> 00:20:57,560 Speaker 1: in all of our tents, like I'm scrambling for a 365 00:20:57,600 --> 00:21:02,120 Speaker 1: flashlight and Dad has well. The next scene, we get 366 00:21:02,119 --> 00:21:04,520 Speaker 1: out of the tent about the same time, and I 367 00:21:04,600 --> 00:21:09,119 Speaker 1: see my father is whitey Tidy's a white T shirt 368 00:21:09,680 --> 00:21:13,439 Speaker 1: and he has a three fifty seven stainless steel Smith 369 00:21:13,480 --> 00:21:16,520 Speaker 1: and Wesson five and a half inch barrel magnum in 370 00:21:16,600 --> 00:21:20,119 Speaker 1: his hand. And I'm the light man, and I shined 371 00:21:20,119 --> 00:21:22,359 Speaker 1: the light up into the woods, and what do we 372 00:21:22,440 --> 00:21:27,520 Speaker 1: see but the fiery, devilish eyes of a Arkansas black bear. 373 00:21:28,000 --> 00:21:30,000 Speaker 1: And this bear, if you've ever shined your lights on 374 00:21:30,040 --> 00:21:32,880 Speaker 1: the bear at night, you can see nothing except eyes. 375 00:21:33,280 --> 00:21:35,800 Speaker 1: That's all you see. His eyes. And this bear is 376 00:21:35,840 --> 00:21:39,040 Speaker 1: like just out of our camp and he's been stalking us, 377 00:21:39,080 --> 00:21:42,000 Speaker 1: you know. And my dad is all worked up and 378 00:21:42,080 --> 00:21:45,680 Speaker 1: he and he I see him. I mean he's taking 379 00:21:45,680 --> 00:21:48,160 Speaker 1: a bead, but he and he's like, I'm gonna kill 380 00:21:48,160 --> 00:21:51,240 Speaker 1: that sucker. I mean, he was as mad as the bear, 381 00:21:51,640 --> 00:21:55,760 Speaker 1: and and he is waving this gun. And I even 382 00:21:55,920 --> 00:21:58,760 Speaker 1: at the young young man I was then, and I 383 00:21:58,840 --> 00:22:01,520 Speaker 1: knew that my father had so much integrity that if 384 00:22:01,560 --> 00:22:05,160 Speaker 1: he killed this bear, that we would spend the next 385 00:22:05,200 --> 00:22:08,560 Speaker 1: two days, first of all getting the bear off the mountain, 386 00:22:08,680 --> 00:22:11,760 Speaker 1: and then going to the game and fish and reporting ourselves. 387 00:22:12,040 --> 00:22:14,159 Speaker 1: And they would put us in separate rooms and they 388 00:22:14,160 --> 00:22:16,640 Speaker 1: would say what happened, and Dad would say that bear 389 00:22:16,800 --> 00:22:19,399 Speaker 1: was trying to kill us, And then I could not 390 00:22:19,440 --> 00:22:21,399 Speaker 1: tell a lie, and I would be like, man, it 391 00:22:21,480 --> 00:22:25,960 Speaker 1: was probably just curious and so and so I begin 392 00:22:26,640 --> 00:22:30,800 Speaker 1: a I feel like now, looking back, you know, sometimes 393 00:22:30,800 --> 00:22:33,240 Speaker 1: there's those moments in your life, like like like like 394 00:22:33,320 --> 00:22:35,679 Speaker 1: he talked about, when you just realized like you're on 395 00:22:35,720 --> 00:22:39,520 Speaker 1: a whole another level. I was like an FBI hostage negotiator, 396 00:22:40,000 --> 00:22:42,719 Speaker 1: and I think I was fully closed. I don't really remember, 397 00:22:43,000 --> 00:22:45,359 Speaker 1: but and I was just like, Dad, don't do it. 398 00:22:45,680 --> 00:22:48,240 Speaker 1: Don't do it. Put the gun down. Dad put the 399 00:22:48,280 --> 00:22:51,120 Speaker 1: gun down. And I'm like, I don't want to touch him, 400 00:22:51,160 --> 00:22:53,440 Speaker 1: you know what I mean. You never touch somebody that's 401 00:22:53,440 --> 00:22:55,600 Speaker 1: in a state like this, But I was, I was. 402 00:22:55,680 --> 00:22:57,440 Speaker 1: I feel like I was craps with a hand out 403 00:22:57,520 --> 00:23:00,320 Speaker 1: like to swap the gun off it like swung my way. 404 00:23:00,400 --> 00:23:02,359 Speaker 1: And I'm just like, Dad, don't do it. It's not 405 00:23:02,400 --> 00:23:07,399 Speaker 1: worth it, man, And and he's he's just he's just 406 00:23:07,520 --> 00:23:10,720 Speaker 1: wanting to squeeze that trigger. And finally, after what seemed 407 00:23:10,760 --> 00:23:14,119 Speaker 1: like an hour stand off, I see the gun go down, 408 00:23:15,000 --> 00:23:17,040 Speaker 1: and I see you can take a few steps back, 409 00:23:17,840 --> 00:23:21,520 Speaker 1: and what does the bear do? The bear just disappears 410 00:23:21,560 --> 00:23:25,520 Speaker 1: into the Arkansas night and we go back to sleep. 411 00:23:26,119 --> 00:23:28,600 Speaker 1: So that's the story on the same piece of public 412 00:23:28,600 --> 00:23:31,280 Speaker 1: ground that we lost our mule tonight. I had to 413 00:23:31,320 --> 00:23:34,320 Speaker 1: talk my dad down. It almost killed the bear. Okay, 414 00:23:34,320 --> 00:23:37,720 Speaker 1: so that's that story. Okay, third story. We gotta keep 415 00:23:37,760 --> 00:23:40,439 Speaker 1: moving here, I know. So the third story, This is 416 00:23:40,440 --> 00:23:43,440 Speaker 1: a terrifying story. Those are the two funny stories. Okay, 417 00:23:43,480 --> 00:23:46,360 Speaker 1: this is a terrifying story. So on this same mountain, 418 00:23:46,520 --> 00:23:50,359 Speaker 1: same mountains, same place. Public lands have influenced my life 419 00:23:50,359 --> 00:23:54,160 Speaker 1: in massive ways. We bear hunted just this last year 420 00:23:54,720 --> 00:23:58,920 Speaker 1: on top of this said mountain, there was a piece 421 00:23:58,960 --> 00:24:02,000 Speaker 1: of private ground that was land locked by National Forest 422 00:24:02,080 --> 00:24:05,879 Speaker 1: on four sides. No roads to it. Uh nothing, No. 423 00:24:05,960 --> 00:24:07,440 Speaker 1: The only way to get to it was by folds 424 00:24:07,520 --> 00:24:09,000 Speaker 1: to it. No way to get to it, but we 425 00:24:09,119 --> 00:24:12,160 Speaker 1: had access to bait bears on it. So the only 426 00:24:12,200 --> 00:24:14,359 Speaker 1: way to get bait back into this place. You couldn't 427 00:24:14,400 --> 00:24:17,040 Speaker 1: take a four wheeler, couldn't use a hand glidder. If 428 00:24:17,040 --> 00:24:18,680 Speaker 1: it's news to me, you can't use hand glidders. And 429 00:24:18,720 --> 00:24:21,800 Speaker 1: Wildern series actually says that on the signs. Uh did 430 00:24:21,840 --> 00:24:25,960 Speaker 1: anybody know that? Yeah? Yeah, put that on Instagram. Hey 431 00:24:26,040 --> 00:24:29,480 Speaker 1: can with these handglaiders in the Wildern series. Um, So 432 00:24:29,720 --> 00:24:33,560 Speaker 1: we we decided that this was gonna be an epic 433 00:24:33,640 --> 00:24:36,119 Speaker 1: place to hunt bear, and so I decided I was 434 00:24:36,160 --> 00:24:38,720 Speaker 1: gonna use my mules to pack in bear bait back 435 00:24:38,760 --> 00:24:41,040 Speaker 1: on this mountain. It was an all day event to 436 00:24:41,160 --> 00:24:44,639 Speaker 1: bait that site one time. Took me a full hard 437 00:24:44,880 --> 00:24:48,399 Speaker 1: day of driving, two and a half hours, loading the 438 00:24:48,480 --> 00:24:51,800 Speaker 1: mules up, loading the bait up, and we walked up 439 00:24:51,800 --> 00:24:54,520 Speaker 1: the mountain. We led the mules up the mountain hour 440 00:24:54,680 --> 00:24:56,520 Speaker 1: from the bottom of the mountain up to the top, 441 00:24:57,040 --> 00:25:00,720 Speaker 1: off back down load the mules. Big deal. My daughter, River, 442 00:25:00,960 --> 00:25:03,080 Speaker 1: it's tougher. I want to tell you this. She's fifteen 443 00:25:03,160 --> 00:25:06,040 Speaker 1: years old and she's tougher, probably than every man in 444 00:25:06,080 --> 00:25:10,520 Speaker 1: here except for Brent Reid's. And uh you're supposed to 445 00:25:10,560 --> 00:25:13,480 Speaker 1: laugh at that. I mean, guy saying his daughters stuff. 446 00:25:13,680 --> 00:25:16,440 Speaker 1: River is really a hunter. She's not. She's not like 447 00:25:16,560 --> 00:25:18,720 Speaker 1: the girl that I just recruit because it's cute to 448 00:25:18,720 --> 00:25:21,080 Speaker 1: have your daughter hunt like River Newcomb is a hunter. 449 00:25:21,600 --> 00:25:23,800 Speaker 1: And uh I wanted to her to kill a bear 450 00:25:23,840 --> 00:25:26,200 Speaker 1: on top of this mountain. And uh, so I was like, 451 00:25:26,240 --> 00:25:27,879 Speaker 1: if you're gonna kill a bear, you're gonna do the 452 00:25:27,880 --> 00:25:30,440 Speaker 1: work with me. And so we're gonna we're gonna start 453 00:25:30,440 --> 00:25:32,600 Speaker 1: baiting these bears. We take the mules up the top 454 00:25:32,600 --> 00:25:35,320 Speaker 1: of the mountain. Remember this is my terrifying story. We 455 00:25:35,440 --> 00:25:40,600 Speaker 1: bait the bears um that day. Yeah, that was the 456 00:25:40,600 --> 00:25:43,480 Speaker 1: first thing that the first day we went up there. Okay, 457 00:25:43,600 --> 00:25:45,240 Speaker 1: the second time I went up there, there was another 458 00:25:45,359 --> 00:25:48,320 Speaker 1: thing that happened. We're coming, so we we baked bears. 459 00:25:48,359 --> 00:25:50,960 Speaker 1: We set up our cameras and everything. Again we're on 460 00:25:51,000 --> 00:25:54,760 Speaker 1: private land. We're coming off the mountain now on public land. 461 00:25:54,880 --> 00:25:57,320 Speaker 1: And I told River that she could ride my mule 462 00:25:57,880 --> 00:26:00,920 Speaker 1: named Izzy, Uh, And I had rained Izzy, and she's 463 00:26:00,960 --> 00:26:03,360 Speaker 1: a young mule, but she's really good, always been really 464 00:26:03,400 --> 00:26:07,160 Speaker 1: safe with me. Um. And I put River on Izzy, 465 00:26:07,680 --> 00:26:09,520 Speaker 1: and I said, why don't you ride down? Because we 466 00:26:09,600 --> 00:26:13,120 Speaker 1: had one riding saddle and one sawbuck like pack saddle, 467 00:26:13,560 --> 00:26:16,000 Speaker 1: and so I couldn't ride. Only one person ride. I'll 468 00:26:16,040 --> 00:26:18,000 Speaker 1: let the river ride. Why don't you ride easy down 469 00:26:18,000 --> 00:26:21,840 Speaker 1: the mountain. So we take off down the mountain and 470 00:26:22,560 --> 00:26:26,399 Speaker 1: Iszy it's kind of just hot to trot literally no 471 00:26:26,480 --> 00:26:30,359 Speaker 1: pun intended. And she she starts kind of trotting fast, 472 00:26:30,440 --> 00:26:32,600 Speaker 1: and I see River kind of trying to get her 473 00:26:32,640 --> 00:26:34,720 Speaker 1: to stop, and is he will stop and throw up 474 00:26:34,760 --> 00:26:36,919 Speaker 1: her head, and I mean just kind of typical like 475 00:26:37,040 --> 00:26:39,840 Speaker 1: young mule stuff. I don't think much about it. We 476 00:26:40,000 --> 00:26:41,960 Speaker 1: keep going down the mountain, going down the mountain, and 477 00:26:42,000 --> 00:26:44,520 Speaker 1: I mean this this mountain in many places, I mean 478 00:26:44,560 --> 00:26:47,000 Speaker 1: it's like steep like a cow's face. It's just a 479 00:26:47,119 --> 00:26:49,359 Speaker 1: rock pile. I mean it's not it's not like a 480 00:26:49,520 --> 00:26:54,760 Speaker 1: rolling hill. This is like a rock pile. Anyway. At 481 00:26:54,800 --> 00:26:57,800 Speaker 1: at some point, mule is he in the river and 482 00:26:57,880 --> 00:27:00,840 Speaker 1: Izzy are like probably ten feet in front of and 483 00:27:00,960 --> 00:27:03,320 Speaker 1: I see River. I see the mule start to trot 484 00:27:03,680 --> 00:27:06,639 Speaker 1: and and as she's trotting, there's a limb about that 485 00:27:06,680 --> 00:27:10,199 Speaker 1: big around that's looks like it's gonna hit River, just 486 00:27:10,280 --> 00:27:13,040 Speaker 1: like right in the chest. And the mule is now running. 487 00:27:13,520 --> 00:27:16,359 Speaker 1: And I see River lean off the mule like this 488 00:27:16,520 --> 00:27:19,840 Speaker 1: to try to not get clotheslined by the by the 489 00:27:20,000 --> 00:27:22,480 Speaker 1: by the by the limb. And as she does this, 490 00:27:22,760 --> 00:27:25,879 Speaker 1: you know, the queue for that animal to move is 491 00:27:25,880 --> 00:27:29,000 Speaker 1: is to squeeze, squeeze underneath it, not to kick, really, 492 00:27:29,000 --> 00:27:31,919 Speaker 1: but just to squeeze. River squeezes, so she hangs on 493 00:27:32,520 --> 00:27:34,360 Speaker 1: and the mule. That's a queue for the mule to go. 494 00:27:35,000 --> 00:27:37,560 Speaker 1: And so the mule just goes, I mean just like 495 00:27:37,920 --> 00:27:41,280 Speaker 1: turns into just like a straight gallop going down. I mean, 496 00:27:41,320 --> 00:27:43,439 Speaker 1: it looked like man from snowy river stuff, you know. 497 00:27:44,119 --> 00:27:47,200 Speaker 1: And they're going downhill and the river is now off 498 00:27:47,200 --> 00:27:50,479 Speaker 1: the side of the mule and she's lost the rains 499 00:27:51,280 --> 00:27:54,240 Speaker 1: and all I hear is my daughter, who's very tough, 500 00:27:54,320 --> 00:27:58,040 Speaker 1: also very sweet, and my daughter. I hear her screaming 501 00:27:58,080 --> 00:28:01,480 Speaker 1: in terror, and I see her totally out of control, 502 00:28:02,119 --> 00:28:04,880 Speaker 1: just blowing down the mountain on this mule, as out 503 00:28:04,880 --> 00:28:07,320 Speaker 1: of control, like a train wreck. I dropped the lead 504 00:28:07,400 --> 00:28:10,679 Speaker 1: rope on my mule and just run after, just as 505 00:28:10,720 --> 00:28:13,240 Speaker 1: fast as I can run. And they keep going until 506 00:28:13,280 --> 00:28:15,360 Speaker 1: I can't see them, and they're totally out of sight. 507 00:28:15,720 --> 00:28:18,600 Speaker 1: Now I'm just running, running, running river river whatever, you know. 508 00:28:18,600 --> 00:28:21,240 Speaker 1: I'm trying to tell her what to do, and anyway, 509 00:28:21,359 --> 00:28:24,760 Speaker 1: I break over kind of this just the my line 510 00:28:24,760 --> 00:28:27,680 Speaker 1: of sight, and I see the mule standing down there, 511 00:28:27,720 --> 00:28:31,240 Speaker 1: turning back looking at me, with no river on her. 512 00:28:31,720 --> 00:28:34,200 Speaker 1: And I come over the top and I see my 513 00:28:34,280 --> 00:28:37,719 Speaker 1: daughter sprawled out with her feet going up the mountain, 514 00:28:37,760 --> 00:28:41,240 Speaker 1: her head down the mountain, and she's she's just laid out, 515 00:28:41,760 --> 00:28:45,160 Speaker 1: and I this is my terrifying story. I really thought 516 00:28:45,280 --> 00:28:48,760 Speaker 1: she could have been dead truly did. And in that moment, 517 00:28:48,840 --> 00:28:50,800 Speaker 1: I also realized that it it was one of the stupidest 518 00:28:50,800 --> 00:28:53,440 Speaker 1: things I've done as a as a father, my father 519 00:28:53,560 --> 00:28:56,240 Speaker 1: took a lot of risks with us boys that paid 520 00:28:56,280 --> 00:28:58,680 Speaker 1: off because we all lived. And I think those risks, 521 00:28:59,200 --> 00:29:01,880 Speaker 1: those risks helped make us into the men that we are. 522 00:29:02,560 --> 00:29:06,120 Speaker 1: But there were calculated risks and and this was just 523 00:29:06,160 --> 00:29:08,440 Speaker 1: a mistake. I shouldn't have let her on that young 524 00:29:08,520 --> 00:29:11,120 Speaker 1: mule going down the mountain. Going up would have been 525 00:29:11,120 --> 00:29:14,680 Speaker 1: a different story. But I run to her and I 526 00:29:15,520 --> 00:29:18,800 Speaker 1: jump on the ground beside her, and she's conscious, and 527 00:29:18,920 --> 00:29:22,080 Speaker 1: I just begin to feel all over her body, you know, 528 00:29:22,200 --> 00:29:24,920 Speaker 1: just like just like touching her, and I just think 529 00:29:24,960 --> 00:29:27,520 Speaker 1: if she's busted or hurt, there would be a place 530 00:29:27,560 --> 00:29:31,320 Speaker 1: where she's you know, where she shows pain. And I 531 00:29:31,360 --> 00:29:34,360 Speaker 1: feel all over her body, feel and finally reached back 532 00:29:34,400 --> 00:29:36,920 Speaker 1: around her neck, and that's really where I'm worried the most, 533 00:29:36,960 --> 00:29:40,760 Speaker 1: you know, reached back to her neck, and uh, and 534 00:29:40,840 --> 00:29:43,840 Speaker 1: she seems to be okay. I run my hand back 535 00:29:43,880 --> 00:29:46,040 Speaker 1: around the back of her head and I pulled my 536 00:29:46,080 --> 00:29:48,800 Speaker 1: hand out. In my hand is bloody, just covered in blood, 537 00:29:49,320 --> 00:29:53,160 Speaker 1: and uh, And basically she busted her skull. And she 538 00:29:53,200 --> 00:29:56,080 Speaker 1: didn't bust her skull, she busted she had how many 539 00:29:56,120 --> 00:30:00,920 Speaker 1: stitches in her head? Fourteen stitches? You could her skull 540 00:30:01,560 --> 00:30:03,520 Speaker 1: in the cut that was on the top of her head, 541 00:30:03,960 --> 00:30:07,320 Speaker 1: and had a concussion, no broken bones, no broken neck, 542 00:30:08,120 --> 00:30:10,840 Speaker 1: and you know, no cell coverage back where we're at. 543 00:30:11,440 --> 00:30:14,960 Speaker 1: And uh, and so we immediately I'll tell exactly what 544 00:30:15,000 --> 00:30:17,120 Speaker 1: I did, is I prayed, I thank God that she 545 00:30:17,200 --> 00:30:21,480 Speaker 1: was still alive. And uh, and we gathered ourselves up 546 00:30:21,520 --> 00:30:24,240 Speaker 1: and she hiked off the mountain. And uh, it was 547 00:30:24,280 --> 00:30:27,320 Speaker 1: a It was a pivotal moment in her life though, 548 00:30:28,200 --> 00:30:31,480 Speaker 1: because it was I always knew and if you know, 549 00:30:31,480 --> 00:30:34,200 Speaker 1: I won't go into the details of rivers development process 550 00:30:34,440 --> 00:30:38,000 Speaker 1: as a human, but she in some ways is too fearless, 551 00:30:38,520 --> 00:30:42,840 Speaker 1: you know. And so as this event played out before me, 552 00:30:43,480 --> 00:30:46,040 Speaker 1: I had been thinking that at some point in her life, 553 00:30:46,080 --> 00:30:48,840 Speaker 1: she's gonna really be scared of something, because up at 554 00:30:48,840 --> 00:30:52,600 Speaker 1: this point she hadn't been. And uh, I think this thing, Uh, 555 00:30:52,640 --> 00:30:55,400 Speaker 1: this event did really put the fear of God in her. 556 00:30:55,840 --> 00:30:58,440 Speaker 1: And uh it ended up being a moment that neither 557 00:30:58,440 --> 00:31:00,040 Speaker 1: one of us will ever forget. We hiked off a 558 00:31:00,080 --> 00:31:02,440 Speaker 1: mountain and went to the e r and you know, 559 00:31:02,480 --> 00:31:04,320 Speaker 1: spent the whole day and it was a big deal 560 00:31:04,440 --> 00:31:07,520 Speaker 1: and we're still paying for it. Um, but it was 561 00:31:07,560 --> 00:31:10,720 Speaker 1: a significant moment. And and here's here's what I think though, 562 00:31:11,080 --> 00:31:13,600 Speaker 1: is that that that day there were probably a lot 563 00:31:13,640 --> 00:31:17,000 Speaker 1: of fifteen year old girls like playing on their phones 564 00:31:17,160 --> 00:31:19,560 Speaker 1: or watching TV or I don't know what they were doing. 565 00:31:19,840 --> 00:31:22,120 Speaker 1: But my daughter and I were on public land in 566 00:31:22,160 --> 00:31:26,320 Speaker 1: a wild place in Arkansas having real life experiences that 567 00:31:26,520 --> 00:31:31,680 Speaker 1: had some real some real, uh real potential consequences later. 568 00:31:31,840 --> 00:31:34,720 Speaker 1: The sad, sad part of that story is later River 569 00:31:35,080 --> 00:31:37,680 Speaker 1: went back in there and hunted. Ten days later, she 570 00:31:37,760 --> 00:31:40,800 Speaker 1: was on the mountain hunting and uh and we let 571 00:31:40,840 --> 00:31:45,080 Speaker 1: a giant uh color phase Arkansas black bear get away 572 00:31:45,080 --> 00:31:48,240 Speaker 1: from us. That's another story. So that's my third terrifying story. 573 00:31:48,680 --> 00:31:51,080 Speaker 1: Do you all have time for one more? That't tipe 574 00:31:51,120 --> 00:31:54,880 Speaker 1: of one more? Okay? So the fourth story goes back 575 00:31:54,920 --> 00:32:00,240 Speaker 1: to same exact mountain, same exact finger, the bare eighty 576 00:32:00,200 --> 00:32:03,160 Speaker 1: and actually took place like three miles away, but on 577 00:32:03,200 --> 00:32:06,840 Speaker 1: the same mountain. Um. This story takes place on the 578 00:32:06,920 --> 00:32:09,520 Speaker 1: same finger that we lost the mule, the same finger 579 00:32:09,600 --> 00:32:11,440 Speaker 1: that my dad, you know, I had to talk him 580 00:32:11,480 --> 00:32:15,360 Speaker 1: down from the bear. Um it was and I had 581 00:32:15,400 --> 00:32:17,760 Speaker 1: just acquired Bear Hunting Magazine. So what I do for 582 00:32:17,800 --> 00:32:20,800 Speaker 1: a living is I published Bear Hunting magazine. Barny Magazine 583 00:32:20,800 --> 00:32:22,640 Speaker 1: has been in print for twenty years. I've had the 584 00:32:22,640 --> 00:32:26,160 Speaker 1: business for the last six years. Okay, Um. It was 585 00:32:26,200 --> 00:32:29,680 Speaker 1: a major thing for me to acquire this business. It 586 00:32:29,760 --> 00:32:32,719 Speaker 1: was not without massive risk. It was not what I mean. 587 00:32:32,760 --> 00:32:34,840 Speaker 1: It was like jumping into a you know, jumping into 588 00:32:34,880 --> 00:32:37,120 Speaker 1: a fire just to see if you can survive it, 589 00:32:37,160 --> 00:32:39,360 Speaker 1: you know, and if it worked and you're in good shape. 590 00:32:40,160 --> 00:32:45,440 Speaker 1: It was. I acquired the magazine and July I felt 591 00:32:45,480 --> 00:32:48,440 Speaker 1: like that I got into it, I realized that I 592 00:32:49,000 --> 00:32:51,959 Speaker 1: really didn't have enough money to do A small business 593 00:32:51,960 --> 00:32:54,320 Speaker 1: takes a lot of money, even if you're passionate about something. 594 00:32:54,520 --> 00:32:57,440 Speaker 1: I mean, it's like I calculated I needed this much 595 00:32:57,480 --> 00:32:59,840 Speaker 1: to get this thing running. It took more I was. 596 00:33:00,080 --> 00:33:02,400 Speaker 1: I was frustrated. I didn't know if it was gonna work, 597 00:33:02,400 --> 00:33:04,760 Speaker 1: and actually felt like what it felt like to me 598 00:33:04,920 --> 00:33:07,840 Speaker 1: was that I had taken the handoff and I was 599 00:33:07,880 --> 00:33:10,920 Speaker 1: just about to fumble the ball I had. So that 600 00:33:11,000 --> 00:33:12,760 Speaker 1: was what was going on inside of me as a 601 00:33:12,760 --> 00:33:14,360 Speaker 1: as a business owner, which is a big part of 602 00:33:14,400 --> 00:33:17,520 Speaker 1: my life. Prior to this, I had made a goal 603 00:33:17,960 --> 00:33:20,480 Speaker 1: that I wanted to kill a black bearry in the 604 00:33:20,600 --> 00:33:23,640 Speaker 1: national forest without bait. I love hunting over bait and 605 00:33:23,680 --> 00:33:27,280 Speaker 1: always will. But to me, like the sheep hunt of 606 00:33:27,360 --> 00:33:30,959 Speaker 1: the South, is to kill bear in national forests, just 607 00:33:30,960 --> 00:33:33,800 Speaker 1: just kill one, just one on one, hunting them like deer. 608 00:33:34,160 --> 00:33:35,960 Speaker 1: And so I've made that my goal, and I can 609 00:33:36,000 --> 00:33:38,400 Speaker 1: tell you there are very few people in Arkansas that 610 00:33:38,440 --> 00:33:42,760 Speaker 1: consistently do that. Um and I had only met just 611 00:33:42,920 --> 00:33:45,160 Speaker 1: I mean like one or two guys, and to this day, 612 00:33:45,200 --> 00:33:48,320 Speaker 1: there's very few that consistently do that. It's just a 613 00:33:48,360 --> 00:33:51,200 Speaker 1: difficult hunt. You have to be in a different state 614 00:33:51,240 --> 00:33:55,000 Speaker 1: of mind. We are validated hunter sometimes. I think sometimes 615 00:33:55,040 --> 00:33:57,280 Speaker 1: when game populations are so strong, like they are right 616 00:33:57,280 --> 00:34:01,040 Speaker 1: now in North America, that it actually produces some softness 617 00:34:01,040 --> 00:34:04,480 Speaker 1: inside of us, because we're validated by constantly seeing game 618 00:34:04,560 --> 00:34:06,400 Speaker 1: every time we go and hunt. And if you're gonna 619 00:34:06,440 --> 00:34:09,600 Speaker 1: hunt black bears in national forest in Arkansas, you cannot 620 00:34:09,600 --> 00:34:13,120 Speaker 1: be validated by game sightings. I mean you hunt years 621 00:34:13,200 --> 00:34:16,680 Speaker 1: and not see a bear. And that's true. Um and 622 00:34:16,719 --> 00:34:19,359 Speaker 1: I had actually hunted a couple of years, and I've 623 00:34:19,400 --> 00:34:21,399 Speaker 1: not even seen a bear in some of the best 624 00:34:21,440 --> 00:34:24,640 Speaker 1: bear country in Arkansas. Their densities are just less than 625 00:34:24,640 --> 00:34:27,799 Speaker 1: white tail. High whitetail densities forty five sixty year per 626 00:34:27,840 --> 00:34:30,640 Speaker 1: square acre or per square mile, excuse me. High bear 627 00:34:30,680 --> 00:34:34,120 Speaker 1: population in Arkansas is probably around one bear per square mile, 628 00:34:34,239 --> 00:34:37,759 Speaker 1: so this is a low density animal. So I had 629 00:34:37,760 --> 00:34:39,879 Speaker 1: set out to kill a bear on National Forest. I've 630 00:34:39,920 --> 00:34:42,839 Speaker 1: been logging every time that I hunted, and uh, and 631 00:34:42,920 --> 00:34:45,360 Speaker 1: up until that point, I had walked thirty two miles 632 00:34:45,360 --> 00:34:48,040 Speaker 1: in National Forest in Arkansas before I was using mules 633 00:34:48,520 --> 00:34:51,880 Speaker 1: and uh. It was the the last day of the 634 00:34:52,000 --> 00:34:56,399 Speaker 1: Arkansas season, which the Arkansas season ran until November, last 635 00:34:56,480 --> 00:34:59,719 Speaker 1: day of Arkansas season, and it was like the Saturday 636 00:34:59,719 --> 00:35:03,080 Speaker 1: after Thanksgiving, and I had I had decided that I 637 00:35:03,120 --> 00:35:06,800 Speaker 1: was gonna give one last hurrah, an all day hunt 638 00:35:06,880 --> 00:35:11,560 Speaker 1: and National Forest hunting for bear. I decided to go 639 00:35:11,760 --> 00:35:13,960 Speaker 1: back to this particular spot, which at the time I 640 00:35:14,000 --> 00:35:16,960 Speaker 1: hadn't been to in several years. Now I had this 641 00:35:17,040 --> 00:35:19,040 Speaker 1: you know, long standing history of hunting here, but it 642 00:35:19,080 --> 00:35:20,839 Speaker 1: had actually been a couple of years since I've been 643 00:35:20,920 --> 00:35:23,640 Speaker 1: up in this particular spot. But that the night before, 644 00:35:23,680 --> 00:35:25,879 Speaker 1: I was just like, man, I'm gonna go back up there. 645 00:35:26,760 --> 00:35:30,480 Speaker 1: So that morning, I've started off at the truck at daylight, 646 00:35:31,200 --> 00:35:33,480 Speaker 1: and I like to do what I just called slip hunt, 647 00:35:33,920 --> 00:35:36,439 Speaker 1: which is just get the wind right and just move. 648 00:35:36,840 --> 00:35:38,759 Speaker 1: I mean, when you're hunting bear, you just you just 649 00:35:38,800 --> 00:35:41,160 Speaker 1: gotta cover a ton of ground until you find one. 650 00:35:41,400 --> 00:35:43,239 Speaker 1: Then once you find one, then you hunt him like 651 00:35:43,239 --> 00:35:46,719 Speaker 1: a deer basically. And so I had walked thirty two 652 00:35:46,719 --> 00:35:51,160 Speaker 1: miles cumulatively over the course of the last say two weeks, 653 00:35:51,880 --> 00:35:54,200 Speaker 1: and had not seen well, I had seen one. I 654 00:35:54,200 --> 00:35:56,400 Speaker 1: saw a sound of cub like three days before at 655 00:35:56,400 --> 00:36:00,319 Speaker 1: a different spot, which was a massive wind. I get 656 00:36:00,320 --> 00:36:03,040 Speaker 1: out of the truck across the creek, starts to get daylight, 657 00:36:03,120 --> 00:36:05,280 Speaker 1: walk up the hill. I start seeing white oak akrings. 658 00:36:05,719 --> 00:36:07,520 Speaker 1: So I've seen a lot of white oakacrings, which is 659 00:36:07,560 --> 00:36:10,279 Speaker 1: not something that I had seen before on my and 660 00:36:10,280 --> 00:36:12,680 Speaker 1: and all my journey, and and so I was like, 661 00:36:12,760 --> 00:36:17,600 Speaker 1: this is a good sign. I immediately uh bumped the 662 00:36:17,640 --> 00:36:22,279 Speaker 1: flock of gobblers. I see, you know, I hear look 663 00:36:22,360 --> 00:36:25,000 Speaker 1: up and there's turkeys, Like, okay, cool turkeys. I see 664 00:36:25,000 --> 00:36:27,520 Speaker 1: these turkeys go up the ridge. I kind of move in. 665 00:36:27,680 --> 00:36:29,560 Speaker 1: I'm going the direction they're going. So I kind of 666 00:36:29,719 --> 00:36:33,120 Speaker 1: go up by and I bumped a deer, I bumped 667 00:36:33,120 --> 00:36:36,240 Speaker 1: a fawn in the dough, and they run right across 668 00:36:36,239 --> 00:36:37,719 Speaker 1: in front of me, and I'm like, man, this is 669 00:36:37,880 --> 00:36:40,680 Speaker 1: pretty good. There's some game on this finger. And that's 670 00:36:40,719 --> 00:36:43,160 Speaker 1: another key that I found this in the in the 671 00:36:43,239 --> 00:36:47,480 Speaker 1: late winter, especially in the big hardwoods of Arkansas, the 672 00:36:47,560 --> 00:36:50,960 Speaker 1: game is pretty concentrated, whether it's food source. And so 673 00:36:51,239 --> 00:36:53,839 Speaker 1: I was like, man, deer in turkey, that's cool, I'm 674 00:36:53,880 --> 00:36:56,920 Speaker 1: after a bear. I didn't take another step after seeing 675 00:36:56,960 --> 00:36:59,880 Speaker 1: that deer run out across from me, and man, you 676 00:37:00,040 --> 00:37:01,919 Speaker 1: just don't see deer in the big woods of the 677 00:37:02,040 --> 00:37:05,000 Speaker 1: Washington National Forest that much. Uh, you just don't see 678 00:37:05,080 --> 00:37:08,960 Speaker 1: him that much. So I hadn't walked very far and 679 00:37:09,000 --> 00:37:13,080 Speaker 1: I saw a big fresh pile of bear scat, I 680 00:37:13,080 --> 00:37:17,239 Speaker 1: mean fresh, and I was like, bam, there is a 681 00:37:17,280 --> 00:37:20,000 Speaker 1: bear on this ridge. There's game on this ridge. And 682 00:37:20,040 --> 00:37:22,200 Speaker 1: I didn't plan to go back to the truck until dark, 683 00:37:22,560 --> 00:37:25,000 Speaker 1: so I just said no, I was gonna walk, though, 684 00:37:25,160 --> 00:37:27,839 Speaker 1: plan to walk all day. So I dressed real light. 685 00:37:28,000 --> 00:37:31,480 Speaker 1: It was cold November thirty, but I dressed light didn't 686 00:37:31,480 --> 00:37:34,640 Speaker 1: plan to hunt, didn't plan to sit still. So I 687 00:37:34,760 --> 00:37:37,920 Speaker 1: walk on. Well, I knew there was a little saddle 688 00:37:38,000 --> 00:37:39,960 Speaker 1: right up above where the bear scat was, and it's 689 00:37:40,080 --> 00:37:42,120 Speaker 1: final day of the season. I couldn't come back tomorrow. 690 00:37:42,360 --> 00:37:43,840 Speaker 1: And I just said, man, I'm gonna sit in that 691 00:37:43,880 --> 00:37:47,359 Speaker 1: saddle all day long, just gonna sit there. And so 692 00:37:47,480 --> 00:37:49,799 Speaker 1: I get up in this saddle and I sit there 693 00:37:49,840 --> 00:37:52,319 Speaker 1: and the wind is swirling, the wind is hitting me 694 00:37:52,320 --> 00:37:54,960 Speaker 1: in every direction, and I'm thinking, man, that bear has 695 00:37:54,960 --> 00:37:58,319 Speaker 1: probably already smelled me, and he's probably already in the 696 00:37:58,320 --> 00:38:03,160 Speaker 1: other county. Um. And I sit there for two hours, 697 00:38:03,440 --> 00:38:07,319 Speaker 1: and I just get bone chilling cold because I didn't 698 00:38:07,360 --> 00:38:10,759 Speaker 1: dress for sitting. And uh, about the time I got 699 00:38:10,800 --> 00:38:14,560 Speaker 1: so cold i couldn't stand it, the wind shifted solid 700 00:38:14,640 --> 00:38:17,160 Speaker 1: from the west, and I just I mean, as a 701 00:38:17,280 --> 00:38:19,560 Speaker 1: when you're hunting like that, you're just constantly in tune 702 00:38:19,600 --> 00:38:23,360 Speaker 1: with the wind constantly. And I noticed for about fifteen 703 00:38:23,400 --> 00:38:25,279 Speaker 1: minutes the wind was hit me right in the side 704 00:38:25,320 --> 00:38:27,960 Speaker 1: of the face. And so I thought, ma'am, I'm just 705 00:38:28,000 --> 00:38:30,480 Speaker 1: gonna get up and just walk into the wind right 706 00:38:30,520 --> 00:38:34,040 Speaker 1: off the side of this ridge, just basically just see 707 00:38:34,080 --> 00:38:37,920 Speaker 1: what I can see I was it was firearms season, okay, 708 00:38:37,960 --> 00:38:40,160 Speaker 1: but I was actually carrying a muzzleloader. At the time. 709 00:38:40,200 --> 00:38:42,200 Speaker 1: I didn't even have a I didn't even have a 710 00:38:42,200 --> 00:38:45,600 Speaker 1: deer rifle. We grew up bow hunting and little muzzload hunting. 711 00:38:45,600 --> 00:38:48,759 Speaker 1: So I had a muzzleloader. And uh, I walk off 712 00:38:48,920 --> 00:38:51,440 Speaker 1: the side of this ridge and I get into a 713 00:38:51,520 --> 00:38:54,640 Speaker 1: cluster of what in the wash tools they call um 714 00:38:54,680 --> 00:38:58,600 Speaker 1: they call him um uh rock glaciers is what it is. 715 00:38:58,680 --> 00:39:02,640 Speaker 1: It's remnants of when the Washtall mountains and I'm I'm 716 00:39:02,680 --> 00:39:05,799 Speaker 1: down in the washtalls. It's remnis of when the Washing 717 00:39:05,920 --> 00:39:09,160 Speaker 1: Tall mountains were as big as the Rockies and had 718 00:39:09,400 --> 00:39:12,840 Speaker 1: huge rock slides that would come down from like avalanche shoots. 719 00:39:13,239 --> 00:39:16,239 Speaker 1: And you still see these vast You'll you'll be in 720 00:39:16,320 --> 00:39:19,279 Speaker 1: like big timber and then you'll walk into like a 721 00:39:19,600 --> 00:39:22,520 Speaker 1: like a field, like a two acre field, and nothing 722 00:39:22,640 --> 00:39:25,120 Speaker 1: but boulders as big as your car. It's pretty amazing. 723 00:39:25,160 --> 00:39:27,239 Speaker 1: You don't sit in the wash tool those arts. Those 724 00:39:27,360 --> 00:39:30,680 Speaker 1: arts are limestone and totally different than the washtalls. You 725 00:39:30,800 --> 00:39:34,000 Speaker 1: see that. I walked into this, this this uh rock 726 00:39:34,080 --> 00:39:36,560 Speaker 1: glacier just kind of to see what it looked like 727 00:39:36,600 --> 00:39:39,400 Speaker 1: and I was standing on top of a rock and 728 00:39:39,840 --> 00:39:41,799 Speaker 1: I looked off down through the woods. The woods were 729 00:39:42,040 --> 00:39:45,000 Speaker 1: no leaves on the trees, and I see what I 730 00:39:45,040 --> 00:39:47,719 Speaker 1: think is the head of a bear. Hunters know what 731 00:39:47,719 --> 00:39:50,080 Speaker 1: I'm talking about. You just see a flash of movement, 732 00:39:50,680 --> 00:39:52,680 Speaker 1: and uh, you're just kind of what was that. I 733 00:39:52,760 --> 00:39:56,560 Speaker 1: see what looked like two big ears stand up like 734 00:39:56,640 --> 00:39:59,520 Speaker 1: this and then go back down. And I was like, man, 735 00:39:59,600 --> 00:40:02,440 Speaker 1: that is a bear. And I turned and put the 736 00:40:02,520 --> 00:40:05,719 Speaker 1: scope over where I saw this like dark blob, and 737 00:40:05,800 --> 00:40:08,560 Speaker 1: I zoom the scope in, and man, there is a 738 00:40:08,600 --> 00:40:12,960 Speaker 1: bear laying on a rock about sixty yards from me. 739 00:40:13,280 --> 00:40:15,239 Speaker 1: As soon as I get the scope on him, I 740 00:40:15,280 --> 00:40:17,600 Speaker 1: see him roll over. He's laying on his side and 741 00:40:17,640 --> 00:40:19,920 Speaker 1: I see him roll over. I see his feet go 742 00:40:20,000 --> 00:40:22,480 Speaker 1: up in there like this and turn over. The wind 743 00:40:22,520 --> 00:40:24,680 Speaker 1: still hit me right in the face. It's too far 744 00:40:24,760 --> 00:40:28,480 Speaker 1: for a shot. There's twigs and limbs and everything. So 745 00:40:28,719 --> 00:40:31,319 Speaker 1: I start to just walk towards this bear. And I'm 746 00:40:31,360 --> 00:40:34,080 Speaker 1: in a boulder field. There's some trees growing up in 747 00:40:34,120 --> 00:40:35,799 Speaker 1: this one, and this one wasn't a real big one, 748 00:40:36,040 --> 00:40:39,960 Speaker 1: and I just start taking steps, walking like walking on rocks, 749 00:40:40,280 --> 00:40:43,279 Speaker 1: I mean, just in the wide open, pure sight. I 750 00:40:43,280 --> 00:40:47,640 Speaker 1: mean this clear sight of this bear. But he's asleep. Uh, 751 00:40:47,760 --> 00:40:51,040 Speaker 1: or he's at least he's laying down. And uh. Every 752 00:40:51,040 --> 00:40:53,120 Speaker 1: time I take a step, I put the scope up 753 00:40:53,160 --> 00:40:55,160 Speaker 1: and like, you know, kind of to have a shot, 754 00:40:55,200 --> 00:40:57,080 Speaker 1: to have a shot. Can I see the vitals of 755 00:40:57,080 --> 00:40:59,920 Speaker 1: this animal? Can I tell what it is? And anyway, 756 00:41:00,080 --> 00:41:02,839 Speaker 1: I just keep creeping, keep creeping, keep creeping. Every time 757 00:41:02,880 --> 00:41:04,720 Speaker 1: I'm thinking, man, I don't want to get any closer, 758 00:41:04,840 --> 00:41:06,279 Speaker 1: because all this bear would have to do was just 759 00:41:06,320 --> 00:41:08,480 Speaker 1: throw his head up and look see me, and he'd 760 00:41:08,560 --> 00:41:11,399 Speaker 1: be gone and be a running shot or bad deal. 761 00:41:11,480 --> 00:41:15,680 Speaker 1: So I just keep creeping, creeping, creeping, creeping, creeping, and 762 00:41:15,840 --> 00:41:18,279 Speaker 1: every time I can't get a shot. Finally I'm within 763 00:41:18,400 --> 00:41:21,360 Speaker 1: twenty yards of this bear. The wind is hitting me 764 00:41:21,400 --> 00:41:23,759 Speaker 1: straight in the face, and I mean there's not a 765 00:41:23,760 --> 00:41:25,680 Speaker 1: twig between us now. I mean he's like, you know, 766 00:41:26,200 --> 00:41:28,360 Speaker 1: from here to get a little further than the cooler 767 00:41:28,400 --> 00:41:33,320 Speaker 1: there and uh, and I just sit down and uh, 768 00:41:33,400 --> 00:41:36,600 Speaker 1: and I can see this the top of this bear's head. 769 00:41:36,920 --> 00:41:39,640 Speaker 1: He's laying on a big flat rock and he's got 770 00:41:39,680 --> 00:41:42,440 Speaker 1: his head laid over the top of that rock. Are 771 00:41:42,440 --> 00:41:44,719 Speaker 1: you okay with an epic hunting story that has a 772 00:41:44,800 --> 00:41:48,680 Speaker 1: kill in it, and were okay with that. Okay, this 773 00:41:48,760 --> 00:41:51,480 Speaker 1: bear was laying and he had his he had his 774 00:41:51,560 --> 00:41:54,200 Speaker 1: head laid over this rock. And I now I'm twenty 775 00:41:54,239 --> 00:41:58,400 Speaker 1: yards from this bear, and I believe that it is 776 00:41:58,440 --> 00:42:02,520 Speaker 1: a two pound black bear. That that is what I knew, 777 00:42:02,560 --> 00:42:05,600 Speaker 1: that this was a two pound black colored bear. I 778 00:42:05,600 --> 00:42:07,080 Speaker 1: don't know if y'all know this, but we have color 779 00:42:07,160 --> 00:42:10,320 Speaker 1: color face bears in Arkansas. So about they say upwards 780 00:42:11,000 --> 00:42:14,040 Speaker 1: of our bears are not black, but they're cinnamon colored 781 00:42:14,080 --> 00:42:17,520 Speaker 1: and can even be lighter than that chocolate colored. And uh, 782 00:42:17,560 --> 00:42:19,680 Speaker 1: I perceived this to be a tuner pound black bear. 783 00:42:19,760 --> 00:42:21,960 Speaker 1: And I did not care what it was. I was 784 00:42:22,040 --> 00:42:25,000 Speaker 1: after the sheep of the Washtaw Mountains, which was a 785 00:42:25,000 --> 00:42:27,800 Speaker 1: spot and stalk black bear, and I didn't care really 786 00:42:27,960 --> 00:42:29,760 Speaker 1: how big it was. It was just a legal animal. 787 00:42:30,120 --> 00:42:32,400 Speaker 1: And so I crouched down and I'm waiting, and I'm like, 788 00:42:32,440 --> 00:42:35,320 Speaker 1: should I whistle at this bear? And this is where 789 00:42:35,320 --> 00:42:38,799 Speaker 1: most hunters mess up stuff is that you know you 790 00:42:38,800 --> 00:42:40,960 Speaker 1: you either you either take a chance and move too 791 00:42:41,040 --> 00:42:44,080 Speaker 1: quick or you're not patient enough, and we all make mistakes. 792 00:42:44,440 --> 00:42:45,920 Speaker 1: But so I didn't know if I should whistle at 793 00:42:45,920 --> 00:42:47,960 Speaker 1: this bear and get him to stand up, or if 794 00:42:47,960 --> 00:42:50,200 Speaker 1: I should just wait for him to stand up on 795 00:42:50,239 --> 00:42:54,359 Speaker 1: his own, or what I should do. But I knew 796 00:42:54,400 --> 00:42:56,640 Speaker 1: the wind wasn't gonna stay steady forever, but it had 797 00:42:56,719 --> 00:42:58,759 Speaker 1: stayed steady this entire time. Hit me right in the 798 00:42:58,800 --> 00:43:03,080 Speaker 1: face anyway. I finally look at this bear's head and 799 00:43:03,160 --> 00:43:06,319 Speaker 1: I'm like, man, I can drive tax with this muzzleloader. 800 00:43:06,719 --> 00:43:08,759 Speaker 1: And basically I just put the cross hairs right on 801 00:43:08,800 --> 00:43:11,120 Speaker 1: the top of his head, squeezed the trigger, and the 802 00:43:11,160 --> 00:43:14,560 Speaker 1: bear never flinched. I walked over to the bear, so 803 00:43:14,600 --> 00:43:17,960 Speaker 1: I shot the bear. Okay, we're cool with that. Okay, 804 00:43:17,960 --> 00:43:23,759 Speaker 1: got bear bear down. Shot the bear, shot the bear. 805 00:43:23,920 --> 00:43:26,600 Speaker 1: Walked up to the bear, and I believe it's a 806 00:43:26,600 --> 00:43:29,080 Speaker 1: two hundred pound black bear. I get up to it 807 00:43:29,480 --> 00:43:33,200 Speaker 1: and it is a what we estimated to be a 808 00:43:33,280 --> 00:43:38,080 Speaker 1: five hundred pound color phase Arkansas male black bear. It 809 00:43:38,160 --> 00:43:41,239 Speaker 1: was a giant. It was. It was absolute giant. I 810 00:43:41,239 --> 00:43:44,279 Speaker 1: had killed a bear in Canada a month before that 811 00:43:44,360 --> 00:43:47,160 Speaker 1: weighed four d thirty five pounds on a scale, and 812 00:43:47,280 --> 00:43:50,600 Speaker 1: when I walked up to that bear, my initial response 813 00:43:50,719 --> 00:43:53,279 Speaker 1: was that bear weighs a hundred more pounds than the 814 00:43:53,320 --> 00:43:56,440 Speaker 1: bear I killed last month that I weighed, and I 815 00:43:56,480 --> 00:43:58,440 Speaker 1: mean it was a giant. It was a giant, and 816 00:43:58,480 --> 00:44:01,560 Speaker 1: I was absolutely I mean I just couldn't believe it. 817 00:44:01,600 --> 00:44:04,320 Speaker 1: And the fact that was color phase, the spectacular animal. 818 00:44:04,640 --> 00:44:06,239 Speaker 1: We ended up having at tooth age. And it was 819 00:44:06,239 --> 00:44:07,799 Speaker 1: an eight year old bear, which that's what we want 820 00:44:07,840 --> 00:44:10,320 Speaker 1: to take out as older mature males, that's what we're after. 821 00:44:10,680 --> 00:44:15,120 Speaker 1: And it was it was incredible. We we I went 822 00:44:15,760 --> 00:44:18,120 Speaker 1: off down the mountain, got my dad and five or 823 00:44:18,160 --> 00:44:21,640 Speaker 1: six guys. We couldn't drive to the bear. We quartered 824 00:44:21,680 --> 00:44:24,600 Speaker 1: it up and we hauled him off the mountain. And uh, 825 00:44:24,719 --> 00:44:27,920 Speaker 1: here's the here's the whole point of this story is 826 00:44:27,960 --> 00:44:31,080 Speaker 1: that when I walked up to that bear, and remember that, 827 00:44:31,160 --> 00:44:33,759 Speaker 1: I was like in turmoil, young man who had just 828 00:44:34,000 --> 00:44:38,400 Speaker 1: acquired a business, and I had no backup plan. I 829 00:44:38,440 --> 00:44:40,839 Speaker 1: mean it's not like I had. I mean I really didn't. 830 00:44:40,840 --> 00:44:42,839 Speaker 1: We put everything we had into this. There was no 831 00:44:42,960 --> 00:44:44,680 Speaker 1: plan B. There was no one to bail us out. 832 00:44:44,719 --> 00:44:48,799 Speaker 1: There was no trust fund from daddy. Uh. We this 833 00:44:48,920 --> 00:44:51,160 Speaker 1: was what we put all our eggs in, and I 834 00:44:51,200 --> 00:44:53,600 Speaker 1: was I felt like it was about to fumble when 835 00:44:53,600 --> 00:44:56,040 Speaker 1: I walked up to that bear, I was not at 836 00:44:56,040 --> 00:45:00,120 Speaker 1: the time. Uh well, let me preface a us, and 837 00:45:00,200 --> 00:45:02,839 Speaker 1: I'm I'm a deep man of faith. I believe that 838 00:45:02,880 --> 00:45:05,200 Speaker 1: God is very active inside of our lives and wants 839 00:45:05,239 --> 00:45:07,160 Speaker 1: to be And when I walked up to that bear, 840 00:45:08,520 --> 00:45:13,440 Speaker 1: I just the deepest sensation of knowing that I've ever 841 00:45:13,520 --> 00:45:17,279 Speaker 1: had in my life. I said out loud, I said, 842 00:45:17,400 --> 00:45:20,319 Speaker 1: God is gonna help me. That's what I said. And 843 00:45:20,360 --> 00:45:22,840 Speaker 1: I knew that that. It's like it encompassed like my 844 00:45:22,880 --> 00:45:25,759 Speaker 1: whole life. It's like I saw my family, my business, 845 00:45:26,040 --> 00:45:28,919 Speaker 1: because it's like I didn't deserve this. I hadn't worked, 846 00:45:29,040 --> 00:45:32,359 Speaker 1: This wasn't a result of a calculated plan, even though 847 00:45:32,360 --> 00:45:34,799 Speaker 1: I put in work. I had worked really hard. But 848 00:45:34,840 --> 00:45:36,600 Speaker 1: I mean, this was supposed to be a tuner pound 849 00:45:36,600 --> 00:45:39,840 Speaker 1: black bear, and it was a five plus pound color 850 00:45:39,960 --> 00:45:43,600 Speaker 1: phase bear, and just the significance of it was very real. 851 00:45:44,160 --> 00:45:47,400 Speaker 1: And from that moment on, I went back into my 852 00:45:47,480 --> 00:45:50,960 Speaker 1: business and I'm literally Bear Honey Magazine has been on 853 00:45:50,960 --> 00:45:54,640 Speaker 1: an upward trajectory. We're not we're not we're not Jay curving. 854 00:45:54,760 --> 00:45:58,880 Speaker 1: We've just been on an upward trajectory of influence and 855 00:45:58,880 --> 00:46:01,960 Speaker 1: and and God has helped us. That happened to me 856 00:46:02,000 --> 00:46:04,200 Speaker 1: on public land. All those stories happened in the same 857 00:46:04,200 --> 00:46:09,799 Speaker 1: place in public land. Public Land is is more than 858 00:46:10,400 --> 00:46:13,560 Speaker 1: more than just valuable to me. It truly has shaped 859 00:46:13,600 --> 00:46:17,399 Speaker 1: my life. And so that's why you know, I'm part 860 00:46:17,400 --> 00:46:21,240 Speaker 1: of this organization and I believe that it's significant. Hey, 861 00:46:21,280 --> 00:46:26,399 Speaker 1: thank you guys. I appreciate thanks for laughing at my jokes. Yeah, 862 00:46:26,920 --> 00:46:29,359 Speaker 1: I guess that's all I got. Thanks a lot, Dach