WEBVTT - Ep. 264: This Country Life - Toddlers, Tunas, and Tailgates

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to This Country Life. I'm your host, Brent Reeves.

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<v Speaker 1>From coon hunting to trot lining and just general country living.

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<v Speaker 1>I want you to stay a while as I share

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<v Speaker 1>my experiences and life lessons. This Country Life is presented

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<v Speaker 1>by Case Knives on Meat Eaters Podcast Network, bringing you

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<v Speaker 1>the best outdoor podcast the airways have to offer. All right, friends,

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<v Speaker 1>grab a chair or drop that tailgate. I've got some

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<v Speaker 1>stories to share toddlers, tunas and tailgates. I've been traveling

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<v Speaker 1>a lot lately, and even the best job in the

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<v Speaker 1>world can be tiresome and make you miss home. Does

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<v Speaker 1>me good, though, to get to meet like minded folks

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<v Speaker 1>from all over that share our passion for the wild places.

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<v Speaker 1>I'm going to tell you about some of my latest

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<v Speaker 1>travel and adventures. But first, I'm going to tell you

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<v Speaker 1>a story. This week's story comes from the thumb of

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<v Speaker 1>the mitten shaped state of Michigan and This Country Life

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<v Speaker 1>listener Cody Klein. Cody lives in the village of Dryden,

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<v Speaker 1>population one thousand and twenty three. Cody's got a deer

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<v Speaker 1>story for us, So, in Cody's words in my voice,

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<v Speaker 1>here we go. Last year's deer season was one to

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<v Speaker 1>remember for me. I was able to get a dough

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<v Speaker 1>fairly early in the archery season here, and I figured

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<v Speaker 1>that now that I had some meat in the freezer,

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<v Speaker 1>i'd be more patient and wait for peak rut time

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<v Speaker 1>to hopefully have a chance at a good book. Peak

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<v Speaker 1>rut time here where I'm at fell right about the

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<v Speaker 1>second week of November last year, and that's a little

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<v Speaker 1>bit later than normal, and I had planned on taking

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<v Speaker 1>some time off during the first week of November to

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<v Speaker 1>try to make it happen, but it never did. However,

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<v Speaker 1>I did take off a day at work so that

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<v Speaker 1>my wife could chaperon a school event for our oldest

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<v Speaker 1>daughter while I stayed home with our three year old son, Zeke,

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<v Speaker 1>and our newborn baby girl. It just happened to be

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<v Speaker 1>the opening day of rifle season. I had taken Zeke

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<v Speaker 1>out goose hunting earlier in the year, and it was

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<v Speaker 1>his first hunting trip and we had a blast just

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<v Speaker 1>sitting there and watching the birds. He loved it, and

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<v Speaker 1>as much fun as goose hunting was, he really wanted

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<v Speaker 1>to go deer hunting with me. Unfortunately, I didn't think

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<v Speaker 1>any of the stands I had were safe enough for

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<v Speaker 1>the both of us. Anyway, on opening day, I woke up,

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<v Speaker 1>saw my wife and oldest daughter off the school, and

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<v Speaker 1>buckled in for a day of doing my best to

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<v Speaker 1>keep the house together. While my wife was gone all lunchtime,

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<v Speaker 1>I opened the blinds to a back window of the

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<v Speaker 1>house in full view of the food plots where all

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<v Speaker 1>of the deer activity takes place there. At home, I

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<v Speaker 1>decided to leave the blinds open on the off chance

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<v Speaker 1>of deer walked out into the open. Now fast forward

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<v Speaker 1>about two hours later, and it's almost time for my

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<v Speaker 1>wife to get home, and Zeke is asking for his

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<v Speaker 1>twelfth snack of the day. So as I'm handing him banana,

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<v Speaker 1>I look out to the food plot and see a

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<v Speaker 1>big buck. I just thought, oh cool, a big buck

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<v Speaker 1>is I've been down to hand my son and snacking.

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<v Speaker 1>Before he can grab it from my hand, I realized

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<v Speaker 1>what I just saw A snap upright. I look back

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<v Speaker 1>out the window and I see, by far the biggest

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<v Speaker 1>buck I've ever seen in my life, an absolute monster

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<v Speaker 1>of a white tail. I'm all in a panic, and

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<v Speaker 1>my son says, Dad, what's wrong, to which I respond,

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<v Speaker 1>there's a big buck out back, buddy, And I'm gonna

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<v Speaker 1>get him. In a frantic rush, I grabbed my baby

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<v Speaker 1>and I move her from the high cherry to or

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<v Speaker 1>packing play. Now, grab my boots and my gun, and

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<v Speaker 1>I go running out of the house. All the while

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<v Speaker 1>my son was chasing me around, going Daddy, can I come?

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<v Speaker 1>And how big is he, to which I replied, I'll

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<v Speaker 1>be back in a minute, Bud, just stay in the house, please.

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<v Speaker 1>After what felt like five minutes but it's probably more

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<v Speaker 1>like thirty seconds, I'm outside trying to get a shot

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<v Speaker 1>lined up, but I can't quite find a good spot.

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<v Speaker 1>Run around the other side of the house, and the

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<v Speaker 1>whole time of the buck is just standing there sniffing

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<v Speaker 1>around for doze while I'm running around like a man possessed,

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<v Speaker 1>trying to get this done and get back inside before

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<v Speaker 1>the baby starts fussy. I finally get to the other

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<v Speaker 1>side and find a spot where I think I can

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<v Speaker 1>get a shot off, about sixty yards from the buck,

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<v Speaker 1>when suddenly the buck spins around and stares directly at me.

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<v Speaker 1>I freeze, thinking I just need to be still and

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<v Speaker 1>wait for him to go back to sniffing around and

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<v Speaker 1>I can take my shot, and the sound of a

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<v Speaker 1>door slamming shut, and my three year old running with

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<v Speaker 1>his hunting cap and boots on, yelling Dad, wait for me. Well,

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<v Speaker 1>as you can imagine, a buck didn't wait around to

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<v Speaker 1>see what happened next and took off out of my

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<v Speaker 1>life forever. I'm standing there trying to process what just

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<v Speaker 1>happened when Zeke gets to me, all out of breath

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<v Speaker 1>and says, Dad, that was a huge buck. Yes it was, buddy,

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<v Speaker 1>it was. At first, I didn't know whether to be

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<v Speaker 1>frustrated to laugh, but it didn't take long for me

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<v Speaker 1>to realize that even though I didn't get the buck,

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<v Speaker 1>I got something much much better, A hunting partner for

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<v Speaker 1>life that I get to make memories with, and hopefully

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<v Speaker 1>down the road i'll have grandkids that I can make

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<v Speaker 1>memories with. Two. In his eyes, I'm Superman and all

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<v Speaker 1>he wants to do is to be there with me,

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<v Speaker 1>to see me save the day. I wasn't looking at

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<v Speaker 1>it like that. I only saw it from my point

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<v Speaker 1>of view, which was go get that deer. All he

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<v Speaker 1>saw was me going hunting, and he wasn't about to

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<v Speaker 1>be left behind. I can tell you this, I will

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<v Speaker 1>never leave my little hunting partner at home. Again, and

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<v Speaker 1>according to Cody Klein from Dryden, Michigan, that's just how

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<v Speaker 1>that happened. Well, Cody, I appreciate you fessing up to

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<v Speaker 1>your moment of weakness, only to be reminded with a

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<v Speaker 1>swift kicked right square in the realities of what was

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<v Speaker 1>actually important that day. I'd say, all three of you

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<v Speaker 1>are younginsp superman. Thanks for sharing. I counted it up

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<v Speaker 1>and in the last eleven days I have been through

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<v Speaker 1>twelve airports. It all started when, as I mentioned last week,

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<v Speaker 1>I went down to Venice, Louisiana for the meat Eater

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<v Speaker 1>Fishing Experience at Cypress Cove. Holy cow, what a trip

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<v Speaker 1>and experience that actually was. I had no idea what

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<v Speaker 1>to expect other than weather permitting. One day out of

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<v Speaker 1>the three, my group was scheduled to fish off shore

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<v Speaker 1>chasing yellow fin tuna. The closest I had been prior

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<v Speaker 1>to this trip to catching tuna had been at Kroger

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<v Speaker 1>on the canned fud isle. This was not the same

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<v Speaker 1>and it sure wouldn't taste the same. More on that

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<v Speaker 1>in a minute. There have been two groups before us

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<v Speaker 1>that couldn't make it offshore due to the remnants of

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<v Speaker 1>the latest hurricane that stirred up the gulf nine foot

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<v Speaker 1>plus waves had boats bobbing around out there like nobody's business,

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<v Speaker 1>and I wasn't interested in the slightest. The film a

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<v Speaker 1>Southern edition of deadlyst Catch, starring yours truly. We stayed

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<v Speaker 1>in shore and fished the brackish water for red fish,

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<v Speaker 1>sheep's head, and speckled trout. The red fish and speckled

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<v Speaker 1>trout looked familiar enough, but the sheep's head looked odd,

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<v Speaker 1>with two rows of teeth that looked like somebody's grandpat

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<v Speaker 1>order the model of a catalog. Now, I'm sure there's

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<v Speaker 1>a lot of folks that live along the coast that

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<v Speaker 1>rolled their eyes at me right now, but come me

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<v Speaker 1>some slack. Those fish look goofy, but they put up

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<v Speaker 1>quite a fight and they taste really good. We had

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<v Speaker 1>a great group of folks working the event, and our

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<v Speaker 1>hosts were second to none. Catfish, shrimp, soft shell crabs,

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<v Speaker 1>grits and the fish that we caught were all on

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<v Speaker 1>the menu, and let me tell you it was good.

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<v Speaker 1>Apparently everything down there that swims likes to eat shrimp

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<v Speaker 1>bait we used on just about everything. I love shrimp myself,

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<v Speaker 1>and while all the fish taste the great. It reminded

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<v Speaker 1>me of the dilemma I have when I'm fishing for

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<v Speaker 1>flat heead catfish with live blue gill brim. Why do

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<v Speaker 1>you baite a hook with something that tastes great and

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<v Speaker 1>catch something that only tastes good. It seems a little silly,

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<v Speaker 1>but I get it. You can feed a whole lot

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<v Speaker 1>more folks with a big fish, then you can a

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<v Speaker 1>little shrimp. Now, the two days I fished inshore, I

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<v Speaker 1>probably caught fifty or sixty fish that came back to

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<v Speaker 1>Arkansas with me. Some folks caught a whole lot more

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<v Speaker 1>than that. Fishery is strong there, and the folks there

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<v Speaker 1>that are making their limons fishing or taking good care

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<v Speaker 1>of it. They're monitoring and catching, measuring any fish that's

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<v Speaker 1>close one way or the other, hearing the slot limits,

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<v Speaker 1>and even self imposing stronger limitations on the younger and

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<v Speaker 1>the bigger fish. Now, that's steward and the resource and

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<v Speaker 1>perpetuate the sense of responsibility and respect for the next

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<v Speaker 1>generation to follow. I could easily tell it, at least

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<v Speaker 1>with the captain's eye fished with that this wasn't just

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<v Speaker 1>something they did to earn a living. They were fully

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<v Speaker 1>vested first in the resource and second in the mission

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<v Speaker 1>of catching fish. That's the way it should be, and

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<v Speaker 1>that's what separates us as sportsmen and women who value

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<v Speaker 1>what we chase above the cosmetics and filling the freezer,

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<v Speaker 1>from those who oppose our heritage and way of life

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<v Speaker 1>with little or no understanding of the totality of what

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<v Speaker 1>we're doing. That gives me hope. It has me feeling

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<v Speaker 1>the warm fuzzies on the inside when I think about

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<v Speaker 1>the future and what we're leaving for the next generations.

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<v Speaker 1>I was also hoping the small round patch I stuck

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<v Speaker 1>behind my ear was going to keep me from having

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<v Speaker 1>a different feeling inside. As we finally set sail before

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<v Speaker 1>daylight with the blue waters of the Gulf of Mexico.

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<v Speaker 1>Being in a boat that could fit in a barn

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<v Speaker 1>on a body of water that was big as well.

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<v Speaker 1>Everything in the world that wasn't dirt wasn't really a

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<v Speaker 1>big deal. It was the thought of getting seasick and

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<v Speaker 1>being miserable all day and everyone else suffering through my

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<v Speaker 1>misery while catching fishing having a great time. I tried

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<v Speaker 1>to calm myself down by remembering all the times I

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<v Speaker 1>sat on the edge of a helicopter and legs dangling

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<v Speaker 1>outside and hooping and hollering like I was riding a

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<v Speaker 1>roller coaster. And then I thought about all the birthdays

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<v Speaker 1>I've had since then, and the last roller coaster I rode,

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<v Speaker 1>the one upside down that make me wish that hadn't

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<v Speaker 1>been born. Other than that, I was fine, but the

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<v Speaker 1>sea was calm and the fishing was good. The idea

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<v Speaker 1>of being so far away from the bank that you

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<v Speaker 1>couldn't see land in any direction was a bit taxing

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<v Speaker 1>on my perception of reality. As the depth finders said

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<v Speaker 1>that there was four thousand feet of water between the

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<v Speaker 1>bottom of my feet and the bottom of the ocean.

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<v Speaker 1>Now that's a little over three quarters of a mile.

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<v Speaker 1>This morning I walked out from where I was deer hunting.

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<v Speaker 1>That was a little over three quarters of a mile too.

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<v Speaker 1>I was just easing along, taking my time, not kicking

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<v Speaker 1>up any dust, but not lollygagging either, And that stroll

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<v Speaker 1>took me over twenty minutes. Now, that's a lot of water,

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<v Speaker 1>and there's stuff swimming around in there that will swallow

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<v Speaker 1>you whole. And keep right on going. My first goal

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<v Speaker 1>wasn't to catch a fish. It wasn't even not to

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<v Speaker 1>get seasick. It was to stay on the right side

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<v Speaker 1>of the boat. We drove out to some offshore oil

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<v Speaker 1>platforms and fish with spinning rods like you'd fish with

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<v Speaker 1>around home for bass and catfish, except these were rigged

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<v Speaker 1>up with a string of six barblous jigs on them,

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<v Speaker 1>and we'd cast out and sometimes catch six little bait

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<v Speaker 1>fishing about the size of the grand prize goldfish you'd

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<v Speaker 1>wind chunking darts at the county fair. The old rig

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<v Speaker 1>workers would watch us from above and give the latest

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<v Speaker 1>info to the captain on what they'd seen as far

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<v Speaker 1>as fish locations, and if anyone else had been out

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<v Speaker 1>there and doing any good. Another thing that's foreigned to

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<v Speaker 1>me is the life those folks lead, Like my friends

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<v Speaker 1>Joey Rodgers and Jerry Bocher, who spent their careers working offshore.

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<v Speaker 1>I'm thankful for them doing it so I don't have to.

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<v Speaker 1>It'd be hard for me to watch someone else fishing

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<v Speaker 1>while I was supposed to be at work, but that's

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<v Speaker 1>just what we were doing. And after what seemed like

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<v Speaker 1>one failed to tempt after another, we started catching those

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<v Speaker 1>big yellow fintuna. I watched all but one person on

0:13:51.320 --> 0:13:54.160
<v Speaker 1>that boat catch a fish before it became my turn.

0:13:55.160 --> 0:13:58.160
<v Speaker 1>I studied the captain's directions on the proper way to pull,

0:13:58.240 --> 0:14:01.079
<v Speaker 1>and went to real, letting the rod do the work

0:14:01.120 --> 0:14:04.360
<v Speaker 1>of tiring the fish, taking advantage of the opportunity to

0:14:04.480 --> 0:14:09.840
<v Speaker 1>watch and learn before my time in the barrel came around. Then,

0:14:09.880 --> 0:14:11.880
<v Speaker 1>when it last I had a tuna on the end

0:14:11.920 --> 0:14:14.720
<v Speaker 1>of the line, I forgot everything that I just witnessed

0:14:14.720 --> 0:14:18.160
<v Speaker 1>over the previous two hours. I lost all train of thought,

0:14:18.200 --> 0:14:20.240
<v Speaker 1>and I had to be instructed all over again on

0:14:20.320 --> 0:14:24.000
<v Speaker 1>what I'd been watching. First of all, it's fishing. It

0:14:24.000 --> 0:14:28.480
<v Speaker 1>ain't that hard, old, but it is. There were muscles

0:14:28.560 --> 0:14:32.880
<v Speaker 1>in my back I hadn't used since birth that fish.

0:14:32.960 --> 0:14:35.680
<v Speaker 1>Over the next twenty minutes, made sure that each one

0:14:35.800 --> 0:14:39.960
<v Speaker 1>got a vigorous workout. Fifteen minutes into the hook up,

0:14:40.000 --> 0:14:42.200
<v Speaker 1>and I looked over the side and saw a big

0:14:42.240 --> 0:14:46.280
<v Speaker 1>flash of silver contrasting in the seemingly bottomless depths of

0:14:46.320 --> 0:14:50.560
<v Speaker 1>cobalt blue. There he was, just below the boat. The captain,

0:14:50.600 --> 0:14:53.760
<v Speaker 1>who was standing beside me, reminded me every two minutes,

0:14:53.800 --> 0:14:56.920
<v Speaker 1>so everything that I was doing was the exact opposite

0:14:56.960 --> 0:14:59.520
<v Speaker 1>of what he had just instructed me to do, said

0:15:00.000 --> 0:15:02.400
<v Speaker 1>the other. Seventy feet, and we'll get a gaff in him,

0:15:03.000 --> 0:15:08.360
<v Speaker 1>pull up, reel down. All I heard was another seventy feet.

0:15:08.560 --> 0:15:12.320
<v Speaker 1>Seventy feet. For the love of humanity, how in the

0:15:12.440 --> 0:15:15.200
<v Speaker 1>name of all that's holy could it still be seventy

0:15:15.280 --> 0:15:18.880
<v Speaker 1>feet from me to the silver torpedo I had hooked

0:15:18.880 --> 0:15:21.800
<v Speaker 1>in the apparatus I was now wearing like a back

0:15:21.880 --> 0:15:26.640
<v Speaker 1>brace strapped to the reel. It did relieve my arms

0:15:26.640 --> 0:15:28.720
<v Speaker 1>from the strain, but it gave me concern that I

0:15:28.840 --> 0:15:32.200
<v Speaker 1>was now at the mercy of my own agility. Should

0:15:32.200 --> 0:15:35.120
<v Speaker 1>a sudden wave hit the boat, I slip and fall

0:15:35.200 --> 0:15:37.960
<v Speaker 1>on the wet deck while literally tied to a fish

0:15:38.040 --> 0:15:40.760
<v Speaker 1>that can swim forty seven miles an hour and dive

0:15:40.840 --> 0:15:45.240
<v Speaker 1>well over three thousand feet, which, if you remember, still

0:15:45.280 --> 0:15:50.520
<v Speaker 1>ain't near the bottom of where we were bobbing around. Finally,

0:15:50.960 --> 0:15:54.400
<v Speaker 1>the red october surfaced, and the captain gaffed it and

0:15:54.440 --> 0:15:58.040
<v Speaker 1>pulled it into the boat. Good night, nurse, the deed

0:15:58.280 --> 0:16:02.680
<v Speaker 1>was done. One lights out love taped to the top

0:16:02.680 --> 0:16:06.200
<v Speaker 1>of that tuna's nugging, and that was all she wrote.

0:16:06.440 --> 0:16:08.920
<v Speaker 1>I stood there in amazement looking at that fish that

0:16:09.000 --> 0:16:12.600
<v Speaker 1>I'm not one hundred percent sure I caught. It was

0:16:12.600 --> 0:16:15.800
<v Speaker 1>more like he just let me win. But he was beautiful.

0:16:16.560 --> 0:16:21.200
<v Speaker 1>Every line, every fin, every feature, even its color represented speed.

0:16:22.440 --> 0:16:25.160
<v Speaker 1>I believe the Good Lord made him a fish instead

0:16:25.160 --> 0:16:27.400
<v Speaker 1>of a bird so we could have a chance at

0:16:27.400 --> 0:16:30.840
<v Speaker 1>seeing them. If they weren't slowed down by having to swim.

0:16:30.960 --> 0:16:33.440
<v Speaker 1>I don't know if we'd even know they lived among us.

0:16:35.120 --> 0:16:38.240
<v Speaker 1>Back at the lodge, my friend and colleague Peter Koh

0:16:38.440 --> 0:16:42.880
<v Speaker 1>fixed us up some tunas of bechay. The pieces were

0:16:42.920 --> 0:16:47.360
<v Speaker 1>marinated and citrus and seasonings and served as is. Now

0:16:47.360 --> 0:16:49.960
<v Speaker 1>I would have called it raw, but being of a

0:16:50.040 --> 0:16:55.680
<v Speaker 1>somewhat adventurous mindset, I tried it. The Peruvians developed the

0:16:55.680 --> 0:16:59.040
<v Speaker 1>Savichier method of preparing fish prior to Columbus hitting the

0:16:59.080 --> 0:17:03.840
<v Speaker 1>bank in fourteen ninety two. I ate three pieces of it,

0:17:03.880 --> 0:17:05.840
<v Speaker 1>more or less, just to check the box of eating

0:17:05.880 --> 0:17:09.160
<v Speaker 1>something I'd always heard about. It stated with me, about

0:17:09.160 --> 0:17:11.920
<v Speaker 1>as long as grass stays with the goose, It's not

0:17:12.119 --> 0:17:14.800
<v Speaker 1>like those folks in Peru didn't have corn to grind

0:17:14.880 --> 0:17:17.159
<v Speaker 1>up and make meal out of it to fry fish,

0:17:17.200 --> 0:17:21.080
<v Speaker 1>as they were intended to be prepared and eating. They've

0:17:21.080 --> 0:17:24.440
<v Speaker 1>been growing it for thousands of years before that. Anyway,

0:17:24.800 --> 0:17:28.960
<v Speaker 1>I tried it now. They also seared some on a

0:17:29.000 --> 0:17:32.200
<v Speaker 1>griddle like a steak and served it medium rare, which

0:17:32.240 --> 0:17:35.239
<v Speaker 1>is my favorite way to eat beef, and it was

0:17:35.480 --> 0:17:39.760
<v Speaker 1>absolutely outstanding. It tasted nothing like I'd imagined it would.

0:17:40.400 --> 0:17:43.280
<v Speaker 1>My only reference to tuna up until then was what

0:17:43.440 --> 0:17:46.320
<v Speaker 1>came out of a can. My wife, Alexis makes the

0:17:46.320 --> 0:17:50.359
<v Speaker 1>best tuna salad I've ever eaten. Beni's Louisiana may have

0:17:50.440 --> 0:17:53.960
<v Speaker 1>ruined that for me. Maybe I'll start calling it something

0:17:53.960 --> 0:17:56.520
<v Speaker 1>else so as not to disappoint my taste buds when

0:17:56.600 --> 0:18:00.639
<v Speaker 1>she makes it. And just like that, it was time

0:18:00.680 --> 0:18:06.119
<v Speaker 1>to pack up and head to the airport again. This

0:18:06.280 --> 0:18:09.200
<v Speaker 1>time we'd be Wheels down in Knoxville, Tennessee, for a

0:18:09.200 --> 0:18:14.080
<v Speaker 1>little squirrel hunting and football tailgate. We were the guests

0:18:14.080 --> 0:18:17.639
<v Speaker 1>of Rich Frowning, a world class CrossFit athlete who has

0:18:17.680 --> 0:18:20.840
<v Speaker 1>lived in Tennessee most of his life. He and his

0:18:21.040 --> 0:18:24.760
<v Speaker 1>business partners and friends Josh Goodman and Matt HEWITTT Clay Bow,

0:18:24.840 --> 0:18:28.040
<v Speaker 1>and a whole gaggle of meat eater production folks gathered

0:18:28.080 --> 0:18:31.240
<v Speaker 1>at Rich's place to hunt and cook up some squirrels

0:18:31.760 --> 0:18:34.960
<v Speaker 1>the day before the meat Eater tailgate event near Kneeland

0:18:35.080 --> 0:18:39.560
<v Speaker 1>Stadium prior to the kickoff of the Alabama Tennessee football game.

0:18:41.040 --> 0:18:42.800
<v Speaker 1>If you saw that game, you know it was a

0:18:42.800 --> 0:18:46.640
<v Speaker 1>great contest with lots of drama, big plays, and ended

0:18:46.680 --> 0:18:49.439
<v Speaker 1>with the home crowd rushing the field and uncorking the

0:18:49.480 --> 0:18:53.080
<v Speaker 1>gold posts for the planet Earth. A good time was

0:18:53.119 --> 0:18:57.240
<v Speaker 1>happened by all, well except for except for Alabama, but

0:18:57.359 --> 0:18:59.919
<v Speaker 1>they were in the game right up until the bitter end.

0:19:00.720 --> 0:19:03.240
<v Speaker 1>And as good as the game was, as exciting of

0:19:03.359 --> 0:19:06.440
<v Speaker 1>a finish and as loud as one hundred and two

0:19:06.600 --> 0:19:11.960
<v Speaker 1>thousand people work, it paled in comparison what took place

0:19:12.040 --> 0:19:16.000
<v Speaker 1>prior to kick off. Starting at ten thirty that morning,

0:19:16.119 --> 0:19:19.440
<v Speaker 1>Rich Clay and I were visiting with anyone and everyone

0:19:19.960 --> 0:19:24.360
<v Speaker 1>that wanted to stop by and talk a while. Individuals, couples,

0:19:24.359 --> 0:19:27.720
<v Speaker 1>and whole family stopped by. I was holding youngins from

0:19:27.840 --> 0:19:31.040
<v Speaker 1>all over the country and talking with adults who appreciated

0:19:31.040 --> 0:19:33.960
<v Speaker 1>the content that they hear and all the stuff they

0:19:34.000 --> 0:19:37.600
<v Speaker 1>don't when they listen to this country life and bear grease.

0:19:38.760 --> 0:19:41.280
<v Speaker 1>I've said it before that these events are so much

0:19:41.359 --> 0:19:43.639
<v Speaker 1>fun for me to meet and talk with the people

0:19:43.640 --> 0:19:47.679
<v Speaker 1>who listen. The format of Clay's show has him interviewing

0:19:47.720 --> 0:19:51.880
<v Speaker 1>and traveling to speak with most interesting people around, while

0:19:51.920 --> 0:19:55.560
<v Speaker 1>mine has me talking into a microphone and upstairs of

0:19:55.640 --> 0:19:59.280
<v Speaker 1>my office by myself. It's so much fun for me

0:19:59.320 --> 0:20:03.560
<v Speaker 1>to see from the people who've invited me into their cars, trucks,

0:20:03.600 --> 0:20:08.320
<v Speaker 1>and homes each week. Will is a native of the

0:20:08.400 --> 0:20:12.879
<v Speaker 1>volunteer State, sporting sunglasses a magnum PI mustache into this

0:20:12.960 --> 0:20:17.040
<v Speaker 1>country life t shirt. He walked up and introduced himself.

0:20:17.240 --> 0:20:20.399
<v Speaker 1>We visited for quite a while before he handed me

0:20:20.520 --> 0:20:23.760
<v Speaker 1>a couple of case knives that he's brought as gifts.

0:20:24.280 --> 0:20:26.520
<v Speaker 1>They're sitting here on his table as I write this,

0:20:27.080 --> 0:20:30.320
<v Speaker 1>along with the keychain he included with the case brand logo.

0:20:31.520 --> 0:20:35.000
<v Speaker 1>We had our picture made together. Didn't feel like a

0:20:35.119 --> 0:20:39.399
<v Speaker 1>very square deal for Will two knives and returned for

0:20:39.480 --> 0:20:44.120
<v Speaker 1>a picture. I talked for Veny as trapping young lad

0:20:44.160 --> 0:20:47.920
<v Speaker 1>who was just beginning his career law enforcement, having recently

0:20:48.040 --> 0:20:51.159
<v Speaker 1>been hired by a department, and still waiting for his

0:20:51.840 --> 0:20:55.879
<v Speaker 1>date to start the academy. I remember what that was like,

0:20:55.960 --> 0:20:57.760
<v Speaker 1>and I pray that he will come through on the

0:20:57.760 --> 0:21:00.879
<v Speaker 1>other side of this monumental task that he's volunteered for,

0:21:01.160 --> 0:21:05.000
<v Speaker 1>unscathed and with the same enthusiasm that he has now.

0:21:06.119 --> 0:21:08.399
<v Speaker 1>Then there were couples with children, all of which I

0:21:08.400 --> 0:21:11.480
<v Speaker 1>wish I could have brought home with me. I'm honored

0:21:11.480 --> 0:21:15.200
<v Speaker 1>that some parents share these weekly ramblems with their youngsters

0:21:15.200 --> 0:21:20.919
<v Speaker 1>and listen together. For that, I'm eternally grateful. It's a

0:21:20.960 --> 0:21:23.920
<v Speaker 1>big reminder of the responsibility I have when I see

0:21:23.960 --> 0:21:27.639
<v Speaker 1>the children who listen, that the next generation of outdoors

0:21:27.680 --> 0:21:32.640
<v Speaker 1>people are being formed right now with tiny little building

0:21:32.680 --> 0:21:35.720
<v Speaker 1>blocks that over time will define our culture and the

0:21:35.800 --> 0:21:40.240
<v Speaker 1>direction that goes from where it is today. We may

0:21:40.280 --> 0:21:43.560
<v Speaker 1>be driving the train at present, but where the tracks

0:21:43.560 --> 0:21:48.040
<v Speaker 1>are laid twenty years from now foundationally are being decided

0:21:48.160 --> 0:21:52.040
<v Speaker 1>every day with every interaction we have with our youth.

0:21:53.080 --> 0:21:56.960
<v Speaker 1>We need to make sure we're doing it right. It's

0:21:57.000 --> 0:21:59.720
<v Speaker 1>been a busy couple of weeks, and I'm ready to

0:21:59.720 --> 0:22:03.520
<v Speaker 1>get home and see my family. I missed them something terrible,

0:22:03.600 --> 0:22:06.280
<v Speaker 1>but the absence of them has been made a little

0:22:06.320 --> 0:22:10.359
<v Speaker 1>easier by everyone who allowed me to be a part

0:22:10.359 --> 0:22:13.919
<v Speaker 1>of theirs, even if it was fifteen minutes at a time.

0:22:14.560 --> 0:22:17.199
<v Speaker 1>Two more days and I'll be home, but me and

0:22:17.440 --> 0:22:20.879
<v Speaker 1>Austin Cleverad better known as Chili to all of us

0:22:20.960 --> 0:22:23.399
<v Speaker 1>at Meat Eater and I are currently in search of

0:22:23.440 --> 0:22:27.960
<v Speaker 1>white tailed deer here in Arkansas. Chili's Meat Eater's production

0:22:28.119 --> 0:22:32.000
<v Speaker 1>coordinator and beloved by all who know him. I've been

0:22:32.040 --> 0:22:34.480
<v Speaker 1>trying to get that former marine and pride of South

0:22:34.560 --> 0:22:37.600
<v Speaker 1>Dakota down here for the last two years, and we

0:22:37.720 --> 0:22:40.960
<v Speaker 1>finally made it happen. We'll be dropping a little extra

0:22:41.040 --> 0:22:44.160
<v Speaker 1>content if all goes well, and I hope you'll catch

0:22:44.200 --> 0:22:48.560
<v Speaker 1>that one if it does. Like I always say, don't

0:22:48.600 --> 0:22:53.639
<v Speaker 1>just be cool, be Chili. Thank y'all so much for

0:22:53.720 --> 0:22:56.280
<v Speaker 1>listening to me and Clay Bow here on the Beargreas channel.

0:22:56.320 --> 0:22:59.360
<v Speaker 1>You know there's just about something for everyone on Meat

0:22:59.359 --> 0:23:02.760
<v Speaker 1>Eaters Podcast guest Network. I encourage you to check them

0:23:02.760 --> 0:23:04.480
<v Speaker 1>a whole out and when you have a chance and

0:23:04.560 --> 0:23:07.080
<v Speaker 1>share them with others you think that might enjoy them too.

0:23:08.240 --> 0:23:12.600
<v Speaker 1>Until next week, this is Brent Reeds signing off. Y'all

0:23:12.600 --> 0:23:13.080
<v Speaker 1>be careful