00:00:01 Speaker 1: No no no, no, no no, no no no no no on on. You're listening to another Big Bug breakdown from the Element podcast. Hey real quick, before we start, I just wanted to make mention that Exodus has helped us bring these big bug breakdowns to you, and right now is one of the most exciting times of the year. What trail cameras, you're able to just see some of the coolest buck behavior of the year right now. The guys that Exodus wanted us to make sure and let you guys know that hashtag scrape week is the follow. It's the hashtag follow on Instagram, So make sure you check that out, kind of follow that see what's going on. Also, you can tag your photos with hashtag scrape week. Um to just be a part of the whole thing that's going on right now. It's a it's a fun time of year for sure. Um, they're gonna be releasing some cool content. So check in with those guys. And now let's get to the podcast. What's going on on the which people? Casey and I are sitting in the parking lot of convenience store in Iowa, middle of nowhere, in a hole. It's right there was a fork Cliff with nothing on the palette, just driving down the road. He might he might be using that as a means of transportation. Anyway, I got a real quick story for you guys before we get into our our big buck breakdown for the day. Um. We walked into this convenience store to buy a hot lunch and um, it was subpar. At first. I got, um, some kind of brought worst that was one of the worst that I've had. Yeah, they're just working the worst food that you can put together. Um. But I also got like a tokido that was really good, and so I was like, I need to go back in there and get one in case he's like, grab me one too. So I went in and I grabbed one and the lady was asking me i was grabbing grabbing him. She was like, hey, um, are you from Texas too? And I was like, um, how do you know my friend is from Texas? And so I was like yeah I am. She goes, oh, well, I just don't hear your accent like his, and I'm like yeah, I don't know. We grew up like twenty miles apart. Somehow all those people up there just sound weird. You can't hardly understand them, you know, And so she thought that was hilarious. Um, you know, and so I don't know how much comedy they get up here now, but that was hilarious start. And so one of the more comedic things happened directly after that is I'm buying these taketo's. She goes, hey, um, that's gonna be three at two. I think what it was, And I was like, okay, And so I pull out three dollars, like you know what, I think I got changed from the last time I was in here in two seconds ago, before I stowed down all these lunchables. And so I reached in my pocket and there's a flash we got. You know, we hunted this morning. So I got a flashlight I got and the flash has a string attached to it. I got my truck, ease, camper keys, whatever else I got, And then I'm trying to dig around and grab change. So I find the change and start pulling it out kind of with everything. And my pants are a little bit elastic, so they have like a little stretchy filter it and and next thing you know, there's like it's my pants are kind of bind it all of a sudden and a huge acorn shoots out of my pants, shoots up like four ft, It goes over my head and lands out in the store by itself, in the middle of the floor. And I was so embarrassed because I'm just like, man, we're already from Texas, Like now we've got acorns falling out of our pants that we've been collecting in case we want to grow acorns on our properties one day, you know, like, and it just shoots across the floor. So I immediately just hand my change. I don't look at her, I don't say anything. I'm like, this is embarrassing. I gotta go get this thing. And I had to change. She gets it was all it was two round the money. So I just grabbed my stuff real quick, walked out the door and picked up the acorn on the way to put it back in my pocket. So it was that was a more embarrassing thing that's happened to ye. And then I had to go back in after that and get Ess because we sat around talked herself in the dessert, and um, she said, your friend's kind of weird. No she did, she did again, she did not, She did not say that, but she also thought something I said, was very funny, did she was? We talked ourselves into dessert. Oh yeah, hilarious. It's hilarious. But anyway, yeah, man, people honestly, people that will laugh at you. It's a good person to have around. Yeah, for sure. Probably don't have her around too much longer. I'm not sure she'll be around anymore longer than as soon as we pull it into reverse right here. But yeah, So anyway, we got a guest on the podcast today that is just he kills stuff. Man, He's been on the podcast before. Um My hun Sucker from Harlan bow Hunter has killed the largest Well, I tilled it out like the wite till I want to kill you know what I mean? Like if you just could say at this deer that you know, my the deer of my dreams walked out, this is what he would look like, you know, to me at least a lot of people like a big non typical or whatever. But this is just like the prettiest and like largest just animal of all proportions that that you could imagine just about dude, he's freaking toad. Yeah. Yeah, And we saw like this whole thing go down on Mike's Instagram story. And as soon as I saw that where he was hunting, I was like, doller, this place looks awesome. And then it's one of those times but you feel like such a weirdo, but like you're following someone social media so closely because you know they're about to smoke one and he smoked the biggest one. Let me tell you something, don't follow our social media. We might not be working any a whole lot more laughing and uh, just falling in creeks and stuff going on our social media in public. That's why I don't know we were really we should have got it done last night, man, And that story will come up here and in uh in about a week. But anyway, um, we're gonna get one more or try seeing him, and we're heading heading back for a couple of days home and then it's back at the grind again a few days after that. So uh, anyway, this guy got it done out of state, and he does a lot, so maybe that'll give us some kind of inspiration or motivation or even information to get something done. So anyway, let's go get Mike on the podcast. Here. She's all right, So now on the phone, we have Michael Hunt Sucker from Heartland bow Hunter. Mike, what's going on, man? You're doing the dad life right now? Oh yeah, Hey, hey man, it was pretty good man. I I totally we were talking just off air just second ago, and and uh we we you know, there's like a definite uh just calling inside of you. That's like, you know what, when I'm in between trips during this time of year, I've got to figure out how to be a good husband and dad and everything else. So, uh, it's a it's a unique uh dynamic that we have as dad's for sure. Yeah, no doubt. You gotta find a good balance, for sure. Yeah, that's that's a tough thing. Man. We We should have you on sometime maybe to talk about that on a on a big episode, because uh, that's something that I feel like doesn't get enough press and and uh and it's also a very hard thing to figure out. Um, it may take some reliance on each other as brothers to figure out how to become good dad's during hunting season. So anyway, dude, you had some pretty awesome luck recently. Um. Casey actually was the one who told me that, Um, you guys were or you in particular, we're seeing some really big deer um out of state, and and so I started checking in on you and the deer that you shot. I believe, um, you had some little clips of him that you put on Instagram, maybe like a day or two before he actually shot him. And I was like, I text you. Casey was like, Dude, that white tell that he is seeing is outrageous. Man. So um, anyway, talk about that deer, man, talk about the experience. Yes, it was pretty cool. It was pretty cool experience and hunt overall. Actually, a friend of mine who is a rancher out there in Colorado. Um, he actually they just picked up this new this new place and they have a branch of the mountains where they um they have dded acreage where they run run cattle in the mountains on on public ground, but they have are on state ground, but they have the deed from the state and so they in the wintertime they turned these these cows out to pass winter pastures. And um, they picked up this new property that's on the Arkansas River. And he had contacted me and we did who did a mule there? Had together a couple of two years ago. I went out there and we had had a good time We didn't end up getting the mule there, but we saw some guys something public ground there in Colorado. Um, but he had contacted me. It was like, Hey, we're gonna pick up this new ranch. It's on the on the river. It's got white tails and annule there. It should be really really good. I don't know much about it, but you're welcome to welcome to come out and hunt, and we're gonna we're gonna try to get some stands up on it this year and start start trying to figure it out. And so I uh, I was all about that. Um. He was like, yeah, this sounds this sounds awesome. He sent me, sent me an area I said, ket of looking at it and I was like, oh man, this is like kind of what dreams are made of. It's got you know, just basically big cottonwood river bottoms and uh so I was in on that. So he uh, he actually put some cameras up. He's not a huge white tail hunter, but he puts some cameras up um uh this year and started to hunting some stands and kind of got some got some nice beer on camera and send me some pictures. And he's a man. I think we have a good hunt. And uh So anyway, I packed up and headed out there and loaded the trailer down with stands and cameras, and we kind of tore apart the property. We got there. He kind of gave us a quick lead of land, and we drove drove the ranch roads and just kind of looked at everything. And it was a little different than I was expecting. Actually, I was kind of expecting, um, expecting it to be like, uh, alfalfa and you know a lot of it's a lot of year game uh crop fields, and so I knew. I knew that going into it. But they close on the property late this spring, and so they weren't able to get like all the production that they wanted in there. They didn't weren't able to get the alfalfa and corn that type of stuff. Um, so there really was not much food at all. There's one big pivot on the property, um, and that was in forge sorgham um and so the white you know, deer don't don't really hamer on that until usually after the after frosts what you did right before we got there, So there was some deer feet on that. But um, I was expecting Okay, like you know, we're gonna be able to sit back glass thees Alfala fields and really you know, see all the deer, see where the where the deer coming out, and then make a move. And so we actually scouted that first night and then the next morning we scattered again. And the first night we saw I don't know, fifteen dear maybe not you know, not not a town deer. The next morning we saw like two. I was like, man, what is the deal? This is so weird, but but it's all so it was. It was all a lot of overgrown uh pastures and stuff like that, so really like thick. So I was like, man, they could be hiding anywhere. Um, And so we kind of started, Um, we started to hunt on one side of the property they kind of joined, it was joined the neighbor's property. There they had some standing corn and I was like, they could be in that standing corn too, so that could be you know, that could be part of the deal. And so we started in that side of the property. UM found a really cool the deer were crossing. Basically there's this big levee um that ran all along It kind of parallels the river and it's irrigation canal that that runs up to the to the ranch there, so that's where they get their water to your good fields. And we found a few areas where the deer were really keyed on crossing that levee. They had almost like got a trail through the levee, and so I put I put over conics on each one of those. We had like we found like three or four different one and I put a camera on every single one of them, and we hung some stands for some different winds based on what the was in the forecast, and uh hunted that first night and had an awesome hunt. Man, we saw so many deer. They literally really just pop out of nowhere, like you're sitting there. You can see for you know, hundred yards in all directions, and uh, all of a sudden you just look up and as a year like they just it was this really tall sunflower in this tall grass and they just they just hide in it. So it was pretty cool to see that that we were like basically, you know, we were missing that from the scouting perspective and um, but as soon as we got in the stand and we're close to that, we could you don't really see him. And so that first night, um, I don't think we saw a shooter, but we saw a ton of the year and they were moving really really good. Um hunt of the next morning and got eyes on a giant two big mule deer bucks hanging with a group of four um, but one of them was an absolute giant. He was a big four by four or four by four by six or a drop time. And that was actually this is actually the deer that I ended up having the encounter with the last day. But um, so the hunt kind of went on that second night. We uh we hung a hung a stand for a west wind um because we we had had an east wind before that, and so we hung standford west wind where um it different let me crossing, um, but a spot where it looked really good, and uh we got set up right there and had a counter with the buck for the first time. So that's like that night literally it was just like deer started crawling everywhere and shoot your big deer. Like it was like what the heck, what we're all is you're coming from? Like I look up and there's a there's a big white tail hundred eight pointer and then I look up and then there's a big four by four muley and I look up and then I see this giant white tail buck coming across the field. I think we saw like four white tail shooters and two mule shooters, all big, mature deer, and I was like, what is this going on? Like this, it's crazy. At any point, did you think you were dead? Yeah? I was like, did I go to heaven? And uh, part of the deal was, you know, well, I'll get to that point, I guess. But um, so these deer are all coming in the cross in the levee, like a couple of hundred yards in front of us, and we're watching them and we're like, dang man, We're like we just need to be right there. We need to be right there, and um, you know we didn't none of the none of you were coming in range, and so um we're kind of like, man, we need to move the stand where we need to be blah blah blah. And I look up and here comes that white tail. He turn and he come towards us, and uh, I was like, oh man, he's coming right to us on a string. And so he kind of comes down. There's some other other bucks with him and he's coming towards us. And that's the video you guys saw that I posted on Instagram, um, where he was like basically coming in, but he was kind of gonna skirt us a little bit. So I ranged the trail. A little buck walked by and he was like fifty two yards and I was like, okay, like that's my window of opportunity is gonna be, you know, right here. And I was kind of communicating with Brandon because he was filming and he was gonna lose him. He only had like so far that he could see, and so, uh, I get him getting too yards, Like, I draw back and I stopped him. And when I stopped him, he like gets kind of nervous and quarters to me and so couldn't take a shot. I was like, man, I was like, he's just cord too hard at that distance, you know, an alert deer. I was like, I'm not, I'm not gonna take that shot. Um. So then he takes a few more steps. I stopped him again. He does the same thing, um, and then he starts to leave. I stopped him and try to stop the third time, he kind of trots off and I was just like crushed. I was like, oh my god, like that that white tail is like I don't know what. I don't know what it was about him. I mean, obviously he's big, but just his body neck literally gets one of those deer that just like makes you quiver. And I was just like, gosh, man, like like you know, those opportunities I had enough to realize, like those opportunities don't come very often, they don't happen very often, and like, you know, it's it's all, it's one I like, I always try to be optimistic and think like all right, like you know, we're gonna stay after, We're gonna get a shot this year. Like we just I mean we had we did have this amazing night, like literally the most amazing night of my life in the span and uh and so you know, I was optimistic, but at the same time, I'm I'm realistic. You know. I realized, like those beers don't slip up very often, and he he didn't spook terribly. Um you know, he just kind of tried it off and didn't didn't really know what was going on. But uh but uh so you know, I tried to remain optimistic, but at the same time, I'm I'm pretty real about you know, you know, and that it may never may never happen. So um, actually that's so that same night, Um, then the one the shoot the shooter four four Munly comes comes on that from the north of us a little ways and ends up getting to like thirty yards and it's just around like but he's behind the tree Brandon camp fill him right, and it was getting really dark, you know, and then at last light. That the reason we set the stand that we were in there was because two mule deer crossed that levee that morning on austrail camera going back to bed. And uh, so that's why we set that stand that evening and it sure, sure enough here they come last light they come out. It was super like dark dark. We were like packed up basically, and they walked right by the standard like one was like thirty So like we had four different mature deer in range. And so yeah, and that mule there, I could have shot the mule, there's no problem. Weren't filming. It was still legal light and everything. But anyway, so yeah, we were like kind of like, wow, well the night, you know, and so the next uh, the next day we hunted, not and didn't see hardly anything. The next the next evening hunted and the same thing. Just a few deer, and a couple of days went on of that, and it was just like really slow and like no dear movement, and we're kind of wondering, like, what the heck is going on? Was that a fluke? And like home it was. It was weird. It was weird that they were all together to me in the first place, like not not not necessarily together, but they were all, you know, within five yards of each other, kind of in a in an area, and I was like, that was weird. And I got to thinking. I was like, man, that morning before we saw those deer, the neighbor rancher was cutting his outfalfa actually that standing corner, and I was like, I bet he ran him out of that corn. And they came in and they all betted on our side, and you know, I was like, I bet that's what happened. And then they got up and they were all, you know, kind of together. I don't know, I just was I was trying to think of why, how it could go from so good too so bad so quick, And I was just like, man, this is just weird, We're not seeing the deer, and I'm thinking, man, we pressure on him. Are we doing too much? You know, little, what's the deal? And so, you know, I said, the only thing we can do is continue to hunt hard and keep running cameras and kind of see. And you know that that white tail had avoided avoided cameras all all week long, never never got a picture of them all whatsoever. And the same thing with that dropped time mule here. But I was still getting some of the other books on on camera. Um, and so I was like, well, you know, we let's keep it, keep at it. And so we hung a couple of others stands, having different few different spots and just kind of same results. But UM, on that I guess it would have been the six sixth day. Um, that morning we hunted really slow, didn't seem much. And so we decide and we finally were getting the east wind, so we can get back and hunt that first stand that we hung the first day and had that really good hunt, and I was like, kay, let's just give that one a shot. You know, we didn't see a shooter out of the first day, but those two could easily, you know, easily come down there and use that. And and that was the most active trail camera that we had out of all of them. Really was was that Levey crossing there, So there was the most most daylight activity there. So we got in the stand set up and here we go. There was another one of those like insane nights. All of a sudden, like for whatever reason, they just start popping up everywhere. And so the first buck I see is a bit that big eight pointer that we saw the first or that the first crazy night we had, like the made fifties eight pointer, and he's out and out in the wide open. He's actually nose and bumping the dough around and uh. I was like, oh yeah, he's pushing that pushing that dough around, and and they were acting like they were going to cross the levee down from us a little way. So we watched him and that eight pointer comes across and makes a big rub and started scraping a tree, tearing a tree apart, and I lose sight of him. I like, dang it, he's not They're not gonna come and um so I'm sitting there, I'm like, oh the area is He's coming back out and I look up I put my bonoculars on that same like tree. He was rubbing that bush he was rubbing, and I was like, oh, that's not him, it's a it's a four by four muli. And the newly was there making making a rub and crashing it all around. And so I don't know if you guys ever been on an area where there's both, but they definitely are really territorial. They don't like each other, and um, they were kind of hate showing showing that off a little bit. Um. But so yeah, so the mule therefore by four comes out and oh, yeah, he's coming our in direction a little ways, and so he he kind of works our way, but he stays stays wide of us, about a couple hundred yards hundred for the yards, and uh, it's starting to light, starting to dwindle. I'm like, man, hopefully that eight point is gonna show back up coming down the creek whatever, and starting to starting to wonder. I look up. I see another mule there. I put my binoculars on, and I'm like, oh my gosh, it's that drop time buck. I never got a great look at that drop time but before and the meal here, and and uh I saw him that that first morning we hunted, but I didn't get a great look at him any important pers I didn't really know. But he was a magna giant frame six by four, like a holy cow. And he's like literally be lining for us, and like you can just tell, like you know, there's only like I said, there's only like so many of those us. He's there, and he was like coming right to us. I'm like, oh my gosh, here he comes. And so I'm watching them and he's pining tree from Brandon as I'm watching him for a couple of minutes, and he's just coming our way feeding and I turned around to tell Brandon kind of explained to him where exactly the deer is. And that giant white up like a standing there like down when at thirty yards like staring at like, oh my god, I'm like, don't move, don't move an inch, and like he wasn't staring, he was not looking up at us, but he was looking directly our way, and he was putting his nose up in the air like he he knew something wasn't quite right, you know. And we obviously you know, practicing controls as we can. We sprayed down, we actually were running, uh you know in nose Onyx too, and like, you know, I don't know all that stuff. I'm just kind of like under the impression of like it can't hurt kind of deal. Um. But whatever it was, you know, he wasn't directly down wind, well he was, you know, it was the wind was kind of spoiling a little bit me. He wasn't directly quite directly down wind, um, But yeah, he just knew something was up and wasn't right, and I was like, oh my gosh, don't move. So finally he looks away, and Brandon was able to adjust the camera, swing the camera around and get on him. I grabbed my bow and he looks back and then he looks away and he looks back, and so it's like a stare down where it's like a nervous wreck, and I'm thinking he's gonna leave, and so I was like, all right, first opportunity to draw, I'm gonna draw. And so like a first sign of any movement, and so he finally, after like a minute and a half two minutes kind of looking around, he takes a few steps forward, and so I draw back really quick as fast as I can, you know, it smoothly like in and get drawn back no problem. So he just stands there and stands there, and we looked back at the footage later that evening. I was drawn back for a minute in fifty seconds, and I was just starting to shake, and I was like, this is not good, you know, and and uh, but I knew, like I had a feeling if he left, he was gonna leave quick in turn. And I only had like basically two ft to his left to shoot before um I would I would lose my my windows of sight. And so I was like, I gotta be ready. So uh, anyway, he so I let down whenever he looks away, I let down super super slowly, and and I didn't didn't spook him at all. And at that time, I'm like, I'm better check on that mule mule here because he was coming right to us. I like, I look over to my right and I'm like, oh my god, there he is. He's thirty yards and walking up to the level like right to us. And so I'm telling Brandon this, I'm like whispering my my wireless mike. I'm like, oh God, here comes a mule which he can't move though, because that white child has penned if we couldn't move, and so I'm trying, like all those thoughts are going through my head. I'm like, oh my gosh, I wanted to shoot the white tail, like doubt, And you know, it's like it's hard to say. It's hard to it's hard to pick between what are the odds you think you'd be, you know, presented with that that choice to pick between a one nine newly and a two and a one a d white tail. But uh, but I was like okay, but also like I'm not dumb, Like first chimney, I get, I'm taking so either deer, but we just couldn't move to get on the on the mele there. So about that time, that mule there pops up on the level like twenty five yards and that buck season, you know, and the whitechail buck season and kind of like postures up and and it's like, oh, what's going on here, you know, and like I could tell its demeanor completely changed. It's like I got my boat ready to draw back again, and sure enough, Prey County takes a few steps. I draw back, and he's like to us, then turns to walk right down the road. Uh, there's like a ranch road on the levee there, and uh, he turns to walk down the road to go to is that mule there? Finally got broadside and I just held it behind his shoulder, touched it off and watched. The arrow just looked like a perfect shot. I was like, we lost it, and we were so Jack in the tree the nile there runs off to like eight yards and I was like, you know, my vine. I was looking at him, but he didn't really know what happened. But we just absolutely lost it. I was like, oh, just the shot. Everything just looked perfect. I was so Jack and uh. So we we pack everything up and we look back at the footage. I was like, let's look at the footage. I was like, I'm sure you know it's perfect shot. I heard him run off sometimes you know when you when you double lung and you you can hear the lungs just slashing, and I was like, oh, yeah, he's he's done for So he played the footage back and I'm like watching it and he runs off. I see my arrow sticking out of him. I'm like, oh no. And so I got played back frame by frame and I see, oh my gosh, I hit him in the shoulder, and I'm like, oh my gosh, So my stomach just like started turning. I was like it went from like elation to like, oh, had no problem. We're gonna find him. He's not gonna make it anywhere. And they're like, oh my gosh, like get him in the shoulder. Like it's you know, I'm shooting the two inch kill zone expandable broadhead, which is a big broadhead, not one you won't necessarily hit him in the shoulder with. But I'm also shooting like heavy foreign and Seci five grain arrow and I'm shooting that. I was shooting that realm. That's our six. So it's pretty fast, like a lot of Kinnectic energy. So yeah, it was eighteen yards. So I was like all right, like come on, you know, but it was lighted not turned off though the second to hit him, and so you just could not tell penetration. And I was like, oh man. So it was a mix of emotions and so I'm like, all right, let's get down. We waited probably I called my wife and called Tony and and you know, to help hold them the story. And then we waited, you know, probably an hour and uh got down and start looking for blood. And I started finding a little bit of blood, a little bit of blood, and all of a sudden, I find some blood and I'm like, it looks I'm almost certain looks like two sides, like it's coming out both sides. I'm like, oh, that's a great sign, you know. And uh, I didn't want to push it though, I don't want to bump him. And so, you know, I've gone only like fifteen yards, and I go about five more yards and I find the arrow laying there and it came out, and so I grabbed the arrow look at it, and it looks like I got about eighteen inches or maybe you know, two ft in penetration. I was like, oh yeah, I was like, this is no problem. He's done for us. I was like, I'm gonna go a little a little further. But it's it's it was like it's super dry that it's crunching loud, and so I was still a little hesitant to push it too hard, but I wanted to see what the blood looked like. Once he uh, once the arrow fell out and didn't take long to see like once once he slowed down, a little bit, blood was coming out both sides. It was getting pretty good. I was like, oh, yeah, he's gonna be right up here. And sure enough, we go about fifty probably hundre more yard you're probably about a hundred fift yards total, and there he was laying there in the grass. I couldn't I could not believe it, man, it was. It was a surreal, surreal experience of feeling for sure, that's crazy, man, that's uh. I guarantee you there will be a story or a question that comes up on our trip to Iowa here un that, uh is similar to what you encountered where it's like, all right, one night mule deer shows up and you have also one eight white till in range? What do you shoot? You know, like that's just something that you just do, you know, in the truck, and you never really think it's gonna happen, and it actually happened to you. Yeah, yeah, literally both both the biggest, biggest dear of my life, either one of them, both, you know, the biggest white till my life, bigged meal in my life, both in there, both in boat range like that. Yeah, and that's just you don't even bring that doesn't happen. Yeah, man, that's crazy and so cool, so cool. So when you um, I'm I like the way you guys go about it man like um in a game that seems to be like so much about just like public Land. You hear all this big hype about it, you guys still are like getting permission and going and hunting private and just and you know, just like still scouting, still hanging stands, still moving stands, still putting up cameras and figuring deer out like that. It's still it's real hunting, you know what I mean. It's still the It's still the real deal. And so I guess for me, as I've watched you guys throughout the years, I see you go and hanging stands, uh, kind of prior to a hunt a lot of times. Um, how can you talk about that process of like what you guys, Uh, why you guys are hanging stands and like how long does that take? Do you lose a whole day when you get somewhere basically hanging stands and cameras and stuff. Yeah? Yeah, I mean we you know, honestly, we do it all. We like I love hunting public ground. I love hunting. You know, we have public we hunt private we hunt stuff, we lease hunt stuff, we own, we have stuff, we have permission on me. We do home with outfitters. We could do it a little bit all and uh, you know, I'm not I'm I'm for everything, you know. Yeah, it's funny, you know, because I got a few comments about that deer, like people like, oh yeah, nice and glad the outfitter had them tied up for you. I kind of deal like it's kind of like low blow. It's kind of like, oh cool, big big deer. But it was an outfitter and basically, you know, they just put it in the tree and you killed it. And uh, you know that that was you know, it couldn't be any further from the case. Yeah, I'm blessed to have the opportude to hunt you know, this this piece of this, this private property. But uh, and my buddy Tony obviously, you know, I had been there and put some cameras up during the summertime and and some stands up and you know, obviously you know, he was able to get me some information to get started. But I don't even know if Tony had punted it yet. I don't think he had hunted it yet. Maybe once or twice, so like really we had no information at all. A few trail cameras you know, make suresually look at, but basically nothing. So yeah, when we when and I actually enjoyed that. So you talked about like the you know, the stand hanging and scouting and like for me, like that all that stuff is what makes it so rewarding in the end. If I just showed up like and went to an outfitter and he's like, oh, yeah, this buck's been coming to this cornpile for you know, six out of the last eight nights. So just sit here, you're ready to go, and you shoot the deer. Even if it was a two deer, like what, you know, it doesn't really mean as much to you that way, you know. So I enjoyed that whole aspect. But yeah, it definitely is time consuming. And so yeah we got there. We drove out. We left early Monday morning, drove all day, got there Monday afternoon and uh basically went checked out the property, hung some trail cameras, and uh then that evening we spent I know, actually we didn't get cameras up the first day. We just we just kind of drove, drove, the property, took a look at it, and then we uh scouted that evening next morning, got up scouted again that morning. Um, and then that midday we went and started hanging some cameras, handsome stands. We found those levy crossings and so yeah, we we the first yeah, the first evening and first morning we spent just you know, hanging can stand the cameras, and then you know, we hunted that evening and the next morning. So we made sure we hung two stands at least that we could hunt that first evening the next morning, and then after we hunted the next morning, you know, we went hung on understand, and it was kind of it's kind of a repetitive deal. Every day we were you know, checking cameras. Unfortunately, it's a um, it's a I'm talking about the irrigation on these ranches and how the irrigation is all around there and so like there's there's like some pumps and pump houses, and like there's guys that come and like check the pump houses. It's like, fortunately, these deer are used to a little bit of like are used to farm traffic, and so um we were able to which was huge because we were able to basically drive the ranch road every day and drive right to the cameras, check the cameras. We weren't walking around and treating you know, and uh, causing a bunch of That's what I was like when I was starting to think about it. I was like, yeah, we're bumping these deer. Are we putting too much press around? Like you can't be We're not really you know, we're not really you know, doing anything outside of the truck. And these deer are betting the bed and like these you know, out in these grass poles basically like they're they're not hearing anything. It's Wendy, It's it's they're they're not They're they're thick and they can't see anything, so they can't see anything. They're not hearing anything. I was like, there's no way, so uh but it was But it was awesome because we were able to check cameras literally every day, and that's not usually the case. So yeah, you know, I talked. I talked to Tony. I was like, man, you if you guys are gonna set this farm up and hunt it, you know long term. Obviously their focuses of the cattle ranching, but he is a hunter and he likes to hunt, and you would be it would be worth every penny to get some cell cameras up on this place, on a few of those like Key Levy crossings, because you would have all that information you wouldn't even have because he didn't live on that on the rank. He lives in the mountains, you know, a couple of hours away, so like you have all that information right there and when you were able to hunt, if you wanted to get out and go, like man, it would be so awesome. Dude, can Tony give me some advice on how to live his life live in the mountains and hunt big deer you know on the planes or whatever. It think? Pretty awesome, bus tail. Though he's a hard working guy, he he doesn't get a lot of time to hunt, so when he does, he tries to take advantage of it here and there. So yeah, for sure, Man, I hate that you guys have to do this, and I know you've dealt with it for years now probably um, but it's it's kind of sad to me that you have you even have to defend the way you guys hunt. Man. I mean, it's it's uh and we we have people that sometimes, you know, say things to us and it's just like, you know, man, why are you even making this underhanding comment? You know? And I know you guys probably deal with it on an exponentially bigger level than we do. Um you know, are you do you try to go through comments like that and and inform people sometimes or is it has it gotten to the point where, you know, what, it's wasting time away from my family or something like that. No. I I always try to address it because a lot of times people like they they have these emotions or feelings, and they like, you know, they're behind the keyboard and they like to like like, oh yeah, I'm gonna say what I want, what I want, what I want to say. And and but I've found so many times that if you literally address those comments and talk to people, nine percent of time they literally changed their tune instantly, and they're like yeah, oh yeah, I see you're coming from and like oh yeah, I love the show Man. Yeah. Like they don't think you're gonna answer, yeah answer, They're like, oh wow you answered, like oh you know, uh yeah, I hate that, like like we're all on the same team, like public private, like outfit there, like there are extremes, but you know, like if you know, to each of their own, you know, if you're happy with you know, but what y'all are doing is not radical. You know. It's not like radically one way or the other, you know, and like, yeah, I don't know. I just I'm not not for bashing other people and taking away from whatever they're proud about. If you want to shoot a shoot a you know, three by three two year old neal deer and you're you know, stoked about it, and that's so be it, Like that's it's all about. It's all personal. Yeah, man, it's about just having fun, loving to do it. And uh, you know, I like what you said about not about not about bashing anyone, and really it's just, you know, some people just to get jealous because maybe they have to work that day and you don't, you know, because you have like like I'm jealous right now, man, sleep like that when when you started that Instagram story, like I didn't care if you shot a big deer or not. I just was living through it because when I dream about deer hunting, it is in a cottonwood bottom in the plains like that, it is the coolest place ever. Man, it's so beautiful and I love you know, the way dear act there and stuff like that. But um, it sounds like you didn't have a lot of information about, you know, how what you were getting into, you know, size wise on their quality of animals, you know, so like how did you manage that once you start seeing like oh there's oh look there's a one nine meal dere Like, how do you I guess, maintain your composure and then also actually decide, you know, what you're going to target and what's gonna make you happy. Whenever I guess your expectations they probably weren't low, but they probably weren't as high as what you achieved, right right exactly? Yeah, I know I didn't going into it, didn't know what to expect. That's why I like to spend a lot of time scouting ahead of time. Like I was, like, I only get a lady land, you know, I want to see what quality of deer on the place, because obviously, you know, I want to kill the biggest, most mature deer there is. You know, that's that's that's my end goal. But does that always happened? Like no, you know, it's not not always the case, but you want to you want to get an idea of what to expect and and set your set your standards realistically. So you know, if I got Dan scouted and you know, didn't see a whole lot of big deer and you know, a hundred forty in mature deer comes by, you know, I'm I'm shooting them obviously, so but yeah, so it's it's it's every proper situation is unique. And um, you know at that point in the hunt, you know, I was it was the sixth day and I had you know, I had that one incredible night, but that was basically it. And I was like, man like, I don't know if we're gonna get an opportunity, Like it seems like that was a fluke, Like is that just a fluke? What was the what's the deal? And so, um, you know we were all these things are you know, going through our head and um, you know I can massure you I was not gonna pass an opportunity at any mature white tailing mule there that came by at that point. You know, I was, I was, you know, not gonna be not gonna be choosy, but um, you know, of course the back of my mind. Obviously, I would love to feel that that white tail that was that was my I had my my heart set on after that first night, and then slowly that's kind of like, Okay, maybe it's not gonna happen, but yeah, it's it's interesting. We always, you know, depending on the on the property, kind of just try to get an idea of what what's on there and and then uh, you know, set our standards or our sites on you know, whatever we think after that. Yeah, yeah, for sure. How much and I know this is kind of a touchy thing sometimes, but uh, you know, you're in the business of of making TV about hunting, right, So it's it's everything you do is partially a business choice, right, So how much does that ever play into like you know what, man, I'm gonna sell out and try to go kill this, you know, giant one eightie white tail and if I have to eat the tag, it's fine, or you know what, I need to go and and uh make sure I get a harvest and get it on film. That way, you know, we can feed our families. Yeah, yeah, I'm in there. Some of that does play in Deer, but you know, fortunately we we've kind of set it up to where hope, hope that shouldn't play into the situation. As mentioning, we have a great team of guys, um that you know, we're out there hunting hard, and like we we know that based on you know, the amount of hunts that we do and how are we hunting, the number of guys we got, Like granted, you know, everything obviously comes down to luck at the end of the day. Um, you've got to have the animals cooperate. But um, we know that, you know, we should be okay. So you know, I don't, I know, it's it's gotten in the in, you know, over the course the last twelve years, like Shan and I've had years where like man, you just get you almost let the stress get to you. I'm trying to you know, shoot a deer, and uh, that takes the fun out of it. And so we try to eliminate all that if at all possible. Sure, yeah, man, you know, like you said, it's yeah, at the end of the day, like you know, we we we want to obviously produce an episode and so like we've you know, yeah, we've had trips where actually, like the last time I went out and hunt on in the mountains with Tony there in Colorado on the public ground. We um, you know, we hunted hard, hunted hunting. I think we hunted like in the eight or nine days, and we were we were getting so close, like we had everything we needed for an episode, and we were getting so close to getting these deer. I was like, man, I just didn't want to. I just I don't like giving up. I just don't don't like giving up. And so we kept hunting and hunting and hunting, and finally it was like, all right, I think it's just time to pull pull the plug you and throw the towel in and and uh so we did, and it was it's just tough to do for me anyways, I just don't like giving up. So, oh yeah, for sure, Well I think you probably had enough experiences on this trip to make three or four episodes looking all the big gear you saw, So yeah, and that should it should be a pretty cool episode when it all comes together. I'm looking forward to looking forward to putting putting that one together. And uh, our guys are already working on We're gonna do a little We're gonna do a little highlight recap of the hunt, and uh, they're working on that now, so we'll we'll be putting that releasing that here pretty soon. That's awesome, man. Well okay, so, um, as far as just content from you guys, how what's the best way for us to see what's going on and to see that highlight reel and other things? Man, content world is crazy right now. We've got stuff. We have stuff literally everywhere, and we're trying. You know, it's I'm waiting for the time when one platform rises above because gosh, man, it's it's we're we're spread thin as it is, but our stuff is everywhere, man, We're we're right now. The most recent stuff we're releasing now is our new episodes Behind the Draw, which is our digital mini series we we released through YouTube, Facebook, Instagram. So every Sunday we got a new episode coming out of Behind the Draw. I think episode four or five are this week, so we got six five or six weeks more. Um, so we do ten ten episodes there. So those are those are coming out on on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, actually gonna be on Amazon Prime as well. Um. And so that's the most most recent content. But we you know, we're putting stuff on YouTube on a regular basis. Obviously, social media is the best way to kind of, um, keep keep up with us throughout the season. We're always you know, posting stuff there content. Um. But then these new episodes that we're filming this year will be on season thirteen of the show on Apple Channel next next year in July. So P three next year will win the new season Wild premiere and and uh we'll have yeah, we got we just got stuff coming out all the time. So yeah, so awesome, man. Yeah, I almost can't wait that long to see you see the episode from what we talked about just now. But Mike, I appreciate just what you guys do for the industry and the way you represent it man, represent hunting and that kind of thing, man, and just the lifestyle that we live. Uh, you guys do a really excellent job with that. Man. And and I followed you guys for years. Appreciate you given the time and day to us today and and um, man, I have look forward to watching the rest of your season. Hope that hope that it just continues to get better. Yeah, absolutely, guys, I appreciate you having me on um. Yeah, for anybody who's listening that wants to wants to kind of see the behind the scenes unfold. I save it to my highlighting story on my on my Instagram page there, so you can click on the pages right there below the profile picture all those highlights and so I got it. I got it saved on there so you can see see it all go down and then we'll be releasing the highlight here shortly. So all right, man, that's awesome. We'll link to uh the behind the draw stuff. We'll link to UH or we'll put Mike's uh Instagram handle down in the notes below as well. So check out the notes and UH find all the content that we can we can find uh and that Mike gives us. So my appreciate your time in and UH good luck the rest of season dude. All right, hey, thanks. See so if you haven't seen the picture and you've heard this podcast, you need to go on the Instagram and look at Mike's picture of this, dear, because it is really what like what got me going, And I don't know what it is. People say this and sometimes I don't believe them, and then some people I'm sure that that they can relate to me. Here but like when a deer has a huge body, which like the one we're chasing that now, when a deer has a huge body, like even if the antlers aren't that big, it's just something about it that just makes me think, man, that's like a special deer, you know what I mean. They just don't get that big and they don't get that old very often. And so when I saw the video of Mike's deer, I was like, dude, this animal is just an absolute specimen. You know. It's like when you look at J. J. Watt, You're like, not everybody can be that, you know what I mean? And that's what this buck is. So go check it out. The video that he posted like a couple of nights before he killed that deer was what black. I. I mean, just go through the series and look at it's on his U his highlights, on his story, and then it'll be on I guess they'll be season twenty well or something like that. I'll at thirteen and something like that, he said in a bunch of them, he said in the thing, but he'll be next year on next year's so that'll probably be like, uh, next summer. Whenever you're really wanting to dear and you can't because it's a hundred degrees. Yeah, it's right anyway, Yeah, I go check it out. Look at the picture. It's awesome. Also, how incredible is it that he was just hunting a huge mule deer too? Oh? I know, it's like, oh, um, which mule deer? Which white tail? I don't know. Like a lot of times when people are hunt mule deer, they're also like, oh, there's a hundred white tail too, that'd be kind of cool to shoot, but not often know, you're hunting my white tail. It's like the same size as the mule deer that you're hunting on the top. Crazy crazy, Well maybe we can go find to say, mule deer size white till tonight. I mean, I hope at least body wise, I'll be happy with that. Anyway, we got this is our last time. We're heading out in the morning, and I'm going to get back after it a few days. I'm sure we'll actually probably hunting in no time once we get back. It's just probably local, you know. Yeah, I mean I'm gonna try to hunt on the first for sure. It's kind of my plan that morning, can al right, well, anyway, follow along with us um on social media and stuff. I'm sure Billy. The Instagram stories UM is what where we post our kind of day today of things that happened UM. And then as we you know, we don't have a huge team, uh to just pump out a ton of content this time of year. We're just hunting a bunch, so we'll try to get it out as timely as we can and as soon to you as possible. But it maybe a few days after it actually happens. And that's just what that's the world we live in. So hopefully you guys can have a little patience and I hope that it jacks you up to see some of what's going on with us. And remember this is your element living in Always there was thicker and water and slashing moves so slow. You look down upon her. Well, I can see across and it still looks in sane. It's a range