Turkeys, Coons, and Assault with a Frozen Squirrel

This week's Posted segment delivers a few crazy stories of revenge using wildlife, particularly squirrels and coons; and we're also ramping up for the arrival of this weekend's youth turkey hunt here in Tennessee. Don't miss this one! 

The Hunting Roots Podcast is brought to you by onX Hunt - www.onxmaps.com 

www.mossyoak.com

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:07

All right, Rolden. Once again, welcome back to the Hunting Roots Podcast. I'm Brody Swisher. This is episode 236, and I don't know what part of the world you're listening from and what your neck of the woods looks like or feels like today, but right here in West Tennessee, it is a absolutely gorgeous spring day. The kind of day that makes you wish you were outside and not stuck inside at the desk or at the podcast booth or whatever it is you're getting tied into that's keeping you inside. But I mean, just a great day to be out looking for turkeys, chasing turkeys, fishing, something, anything, outside. And here we are, right here recording today. But won't be long. We'll be out there. This weekend is the kickoff to the youth turkey hunt right here in Tennessee. Finally, we've been waiting. It seems like we've been saying it the month away for at least a few months. Uh, but finally, finally here, and looking forward to the weekend. Uh despite the rain and the nasty weather, uh, looking forward to what all the youth hunt's going to kick off. And thinking back about it last year, I know Rimbo killed his turkey on a rainy youth hunt afternoon. We uh, I think struck out on the morning hunt and just got washed out literally, and uh went back out in the rain up in the morning. I think we went in at 11 o'clock last year. In the rain, drizzly rain, and uh two hours later, one o'clock, he killed a turkey. And uh in the rain, nasty day, but man, made it happen. So we will be there rain or shine this weekend, looking forward to the kickoff turkey season right here in Tennessee. Good stuff coming with that. Hey, this podcast is brought to you by the good folks at Onex Hunt. Onexmaps.com is the website. Go look it up on the website, check it out, all the features, all the functions, everything about it. You're gonna love this app, the official hunting app of the Hunting Roots Podcast. Really good stuff. Pull it up in the app store and just see what it's all about. Uh, a small price to pay for some crazy good technology. I tell you, it's the app you want in your phone. You kind of wish your buddies and neighbors and other folks around town didn't have the app because it's just that good. Uh, but man, it's got all the intel you need and keep you where you need to be and keep you from where you don't need to be throughout hunting season. Uh works equally well for fishing. Got out yesterday and did a little crappie fishing with a buddy. And it did cross my mind. It was one of those, hey, I got to blindfold you to take you into this spot. Uh, although you know, after the fact, realized I'd been in that spot plenty of times over the over the years, bow fishing and other things. But he took me in there to some of his crappie beds and trying to teach an old dog new tricks, got to do a little crappie fishing, and it did cross my mind I've got on X, and I could be marking all these spots. And I don't do that to a buddy, you know what I'm saying? But it was one of those things like, man, this is where you need to be marking this stuff, and and just just saying that's did cross my mind. And uh, I did not put his crappie beds and his fishing spots and all the little honey holes, didn't add them to the mix. I got them in my mind, but they're not on on X in my phone at least. And so good stuff. But again, you can make uh you know, fishing, hunting, scouting, whatever it is you're doing, on X is the tool to have in your phone. So check it out. Onexmaps.com. Also, big thanks to the crew at Mossy Oak. Mossyoak.com is the website. Go check it out. Articles, content, camo, it's all there at mossyoak.com. Uh the crappie fishing thing. You won't hear me talking much about crappie fishing. If you're up from up north, I think they call them crappie. Crappie. Uh here we in the south we call them crappie. Uh and uh I'm not far from Kentucky Lake, beautiful Kentucky Lake right here in West Tennessee, stretches across Kentucky and Tennessee. Just a heck of a waterway and uh just a great place to be, great place to hang out. And crappie fishing is one of the big time things. A lot of guys do, and I've really never messed with it much over the years because it does kind of tie in with turkey season. I'd rather chase a turkey than fish, but I'm learning now that we don't get to hunt turkeys till later on. It's kind of a pretty, pretty strong time to be out there messing with them. And a buddy of mine uh invited me out. I've been telling him I've got to start putting fish up. You know what I'm saying? We put a lot of deer up, we put a lot of garden vegetables up, and I'm missing out, living 10 minutes from the lake and not putting fish up every year. And gave me the invite, talked to him at church the other day, gave me the invite, and uh we went out and kind of learned some new tactics and you know, just different stuff. I say new tactics, it's nothing new. We've done it for other kinds of fishing, but just really never mess with a crappie early spring like this. And so a lot of fun. And uh caught a mess of fish, and we're eating fish tacos tonight, so fired up about that. And it's hard to beat crappie. I mean, I like fried catfish, but crappie is is probably the best of the best, at least right here in this part of the world. And so looking forward to that and kind of lit a fire, I'll be honest with you. I like it. I said I I'm not a big fishing guy. I like to fish if there's nothing else going on, or I like to fish after I'm done turkey hunting or whatever. Rarely will you ever find me, I don't know that I've ever chosen to fish over hunting. You know, several years ago, my buddy Barry, he's like, hey, let's go. He'd killed his turkeys, I think, and he's like, hey, meet me at five, we'll go fishing. I'm like, dude, I still got a turkey tag. Not getting up at 4.30 to meet you at 5 to go fishing when I can get up and go turkey hunting. I just never have done it. I almost did it that day, but I I backed out last minute on him. Just can't do that. But if the opportunity rises now, like I said, we don't have turkey you know opportunities just yet. And so I've kind of got a little mad on it. This fishing thing. I might have to get me some more. I got the basic stuff for bluegill fishing and some cat fishing and stuff, but I might just get in and get rigged up and and get into this crappie thing. It was fun. And when you're used to just catching bluegill, that's what we we put up a lot of bluegill or catch a lot of bluegill every year. We I don't ever put them up because we eat them as quick as we catch them. But um when you're used to bluegill and then you start catching these crappie, it's like, holy smokes, these things are huge and uh big old fillets and fired about that, gonna have to figure out what all I need for equipment. I'm not like I said, I don't know the crappie thing. And so if you're a crappie guy listening to this, holler at me. Let me know what you recommend, what you like, what you say, hey, this is what you need. And uh I'm open to any and all suggestions on that. Hey, crazy stuff happening. I've got a couple things. We haven't done this in a while, but we're gonna do it today. Uh, a couple crazy, crazy stories. This is your posted segment of the week. All right, now I say this is your posted segment of the week. We haven't done, I mean, it's been a lot of weeks, okay? We haven't been doing weekly posted segments. Rimbo loves these, and we've just kind of dropped the ball lately, but I saw these pop up and I thought, no, we are we are doing this because this is this is hardcore. I love this stuff. And I think I saw this pop up when I was in Florida uh a few weeks ago. Ironically, this popped up on my phone. And again, I don't know if this is if this is legit, if this is true. Um maybe so, maybe not. Again, with with AI, everything can be anything. You know what I'm saying? I mean, you can have you know news stories that look legit. You know, this says uh CNN, you know, I don't know. I mean, you anybody can make a little uh news release, it looks like something from CNN. But here's the headline CNN exclusive. Florida man arrested for using a frozen squirrel as a weapon during an argument at Waffle House. Okay, now if that don't catch your attention, if that doesn't come across as the most redneck thing you've ever heard, it's got all the elements in there. You know what I'm saying? Florida dude arrested for using a frozen squirrel. Anytime I see a squirrel in the headlines, I don't care what it's about, if I see squirrel, it gets my attention. You know I love squirrel hunting. Um so when I see arrested for using frozen squirrel, I'm immediately locked in. Florida man arrested for using a frozen squirrel as a weapon, boom. Now we're really locked in during an argument, and then of course, obviously it's not complete without the Waffle House. Where did that argument happen? At a Waffle House. I think me and Easton ate at a Waffle House like three times in the course of two days when we were down there in Florida a few weeks ago. Uh speaking at a game dinner, and you know, when you get done with these game dinners, especially in the little town we were in, there was nothing open except the Waffle House. So we ate there for breakfast, and then we went back in the evening when everything was shut down everywhere else. Waffle House was open and accommodating. But this man arrested for using a frozen squirrel as a weapon during an argument at Waffle House. Let's read on. Let's dig into this. It says, Man walks into Waffle House, grabs a frozen squirrel from his truck, and attacks a stranger over a booth, authorities say in Daytona Beach, Florida. This man has been arrested a 67-year-old man after he was arrested after he allegedly struck another patron with a frozen squirrel during a dispute over a booth at a Waffle House on International Speedway Boulevard. According to the police report, the altercation began when the man was asked to move from a four-person booth to a smaller table. Sounds reasonable enough, like you're at one man sitting at a four man uh four-man booth. Hey man, you mind moving to a smaller table? He refused, stating he'd been sitting in that booth since 1987 and wasn't about to change now. When another diner sat down at the contested booth, the man allegedly walked out to his truck, retrieved a frozen squirrel from a cooler, returned to the restaurant holding it like a hammer, and struck the other man on the shoulder. He then reportedly told the war waitress, he started it, the squirrel finished it. Officers noted the man was wearing a shirt that read amateur taxidermis and had two additional frozen squirrels in his vehicle, which the man described as quote unquote backup. The other patron was treated for minor bruising and what he described as emotional confusion. Officers say they have responded to waffle house altercations involving plates, syrup bottles, and menus, but this is believed to be the first incident involving a frozen rodent. The man was charged with battery with an unusual weapon. I'm guessing this is all a bunch of bullcrapsies. I I don't know, but it sure does make a good story. Beating on somebody with a frozen squirrel. I'll beat you with a frozen squirrel, son. Only I say only in Florida. That's that sounds a lot like Arkansas, be honest with you, or uh backwoods, Tennessee. I mean, that that's that could be anywhere down here in the South, let's be honest. Um great story. Great story. So we'll we'll try to post a picture of that. Uh dude looks mean, tough, scowl on his face, amateur taxidermist shirt on. Again, probably not the most legit story, but a good one nonetheless. Um moving on. The next one here, let me dig her back up because this lady here, she seems like one of them crazy gals. Um, let's see. Where is she? Yeah, right here. Here's the headline on this one Raccoon Revenge. Woman arrested after releasing three raccoons inside X's car during breakup fight. Okay. Look, here's the deal. These women are getting crazy, okay? I mean, you you have a crazy girlfriend and you break up with her, if she's that psycho crazy chick, it can get ugly. And that's what I'm seeing more and more of 'em. These crazy girls that just, you know, just go nuts and and can't handle the truth when you tell them the truth and they uh get dumped on, and they're gonna have some stinking revenge. And evidently that's what happened on this one here. Calling it the trash panda payback. Woman arrested after unleashing raccoons in ex's car during breakup meltdown. Rockford, Illinois, they say this story came from. This breakup didn't excuse me, this breakup didn't just get messy, it went full wildlife. Police say a twenty-six-year-old woman was arrested after allegedly releasing three live raccoons inside her ex-boyfriend's car during a heated breakup, turning his vehicle into what officers officers described as a moving nature documentary gone wrong. According to the reports, the chaos unfolded in a parking lot following an argument that quickly escalated. Witnesses say the woman stormed off, only to return minutes later with what appeared to be a crate. That's when things got wild. Authorities say she allegedly opened the car door and released the raccoons inside before slamming it shut, trapping the animals inside the vehicle. Moments later, the ex boyfriend returned to his car, shaking excuse me, returned to find his car, shaking, scratching sounds coming from inside, and three very unhappy raccoons tearing through the interior. It sounded like something out of a horror movie, one witness said. There was banging, screeching, and then he opened the door. Big mistake. Police say the raccoons immediately bolted, causing absolute chaos in the parking lot as people ran for cover while the animals scattered in different directions. The car, total disaster. Total disaster. Officers reported shredded seats, claw marks across the dashboard and what one responder described as extensive biological damage. Extensive biological damage. The suspect was taken into custody shortly after and is now facing charges related to animal endangerment and property damage. When questioned, she allegedly told officers I was just trying to teach him a lesson about wildlife. So sweet, so kind. Mission accomplished. One officer summed it up best. That's not revenge, that's raccoon warfare. So there you have it, raccoon revenge. Uh, you gotta be careful. And that's why I tell you know, these young dudes, these students, my kids, my boys, I said, dude, don't even mess with these crazy chicks. You know what I'm saying? I don't care how fine that's that's the thing. A lot of them are really good looking gals, right? Yeah, I mean you could have some uh really fine looking women out there, but they can be just as loony as it gets. And that's just a problem. Some guys will settle for a good looking woman. They're like, hey, she's she's crazy, but she sure is fine, and it don't matter. You know what I'm saying? That crazy comes out a whole lot stronger. Them looks will fade. Um, you know, pretty face, cute body, that will fade, that will come, that will go. You better have you somebody uh that's legit deep down inside there. Um because you know, looks ain't everything. You know, that's a lot, and you better have somebody you find the you know to be the best looking, finest person, hottest person, whatever you want to say, you better have that, she better be that to you personally. But all that's gonna fade, and you better be careful of what you have left. If you got somebody that's crazy, when the fade the beauty fades, and what you thought you married, you know, when you were young, uh that stuff will come and go with age, but it's what you got left that really is what you're gonna hang on to. And if you got some crazy chick, holy smokes, man, life uh it can get rough, life can get interesting. And um, so man, find your good, godly woman. Don't don't marry these crazy chicks. Again, it don't matter how good they look, how fine they are, she better love Jesus and be following Jesus, not these crazy ones that are gonna turn raccoons loose in your car or your truck when they get mad at you. Not a good deal. Not a good deal at all. So there is your posted segment of the week. Some crazies, absolute crazies. Again, I don't know how legit either one of those two stories are, but they sure make us scratch our heads and they make for some good stories nonetheless. And so love it. Watch who you connect with, who you fall in love with, no doubt about it. So this weekend, again, kick off to youth season right here in Tennessee. Looking forward to uh the time, looking forward to the opportunity, I think. Let me just check real quick while we got everybody fired up and lined up. See what the weather. They were calling for just some rainy, nasty mess coming up. And uh it was supposed to be quite the wash for the weekend. Yeah, Friday. Friday, April 3rd. 84 for the high, 67, low, 72% chance of rain. Saturday, opening day of the kids' season. 72 for the high, 44 for low, kind of getting cool. Saturday evening. That's kind of nice, but 86% chance of rain. Rain early than the remaining cloud with showers late. So I mean, man, it's kind of a repeat of last year. We can make that happen. Rainfall around a quarter of an inch. We're gonna make it happen. So it's that time that finds us going through and stocking and restocking and swapping and changing and updating all the stuff in the turkey vest. Uh, this is an exciting week as we as we do all those things and uh make sure fresh batteries and the red dots and making sure guns are cleaned up, greased up, all the stuff. Uh, and again, just going through those turkey vests, man, that's a that's a fun time. My boys enjoy that stuff. Rimbo thinks he is graduating up and out of the Mossy Oak youth turkey vest he's carried for years. I personally think he could get another year out of it. Um it's getting about snug on him, but I mean I think it's kind of nice and fits tight to him. But he's been looking forward to these last couple years. Ever since it came out, he's been looking forward to trying this little M2, M2 turkey vest, you know, from the Hunting Public and the Tethered Collaboration or whatever it is. Uh M2 vest, I've had it hanging right here in the office for for a while. I I pulled it out a few years ago, thought I might use it, but uh and I like the concept. I like how uh you know it's nice and light, and it's got all the uh modular system and the mollies you can move it around and um move the pouches where you want them and and just stuff like that. But I'm not into that. I don't like the pockets kind of where they can flop or you know hang and move. I want my pocket. If I like that pocket, I want it there. I'm not thinking, well, I might move this pocket over here or move this here, and it's got some Velcro stuff. I hate Velcro anywhere in the hunting woods, and so um it just wasn't my thing. You know, I I I love it, I love those guys and everything, but it just wasn't the vest for me. Uh I've got an old time turkey vest that I started, I guess started last year, the year before, and it's super light. I mean, maybe two pounds if that. Super lights and green leaf, uh mallsfield green leaf. And it's got the pockets where I want them, nothing more, nothing less. Some of these vests are getting out of control. Just insane amount of pockets and just pockets you don't need. You know what I'm saying? There's pockets, pockets inside of pockets, and then there's a small pocket inside of that pocket. You know what I'm saying? It's like, good gracious, how many, how many pockets do we really need in a turkey vest? Give me a pocket for this, give me a pocket for that, and then I don't need all the extra stuff. More pockets, more material. That's more weight. I don't want it. Give me a nice little butt cushion for when I have to sit long, uh, extended hours, whatever, something to stay a little comfy. Give me the bare minimum on pockets so I have my stuff where I can stash it. And then otherwise, I want it light. I want it light, I want it fit nice and tight to me. Where I'm when I run through the woods, I'm not flopping and calls swinging and swaying. And so I love that vest. Again, super light, nice and compact, easy access to stuff, not a lot of pockets and swinging and flopping going on, or not any with that one. You can just cinch it down, secure it down to you. So I really, really do like that one. Uh, but yeah, we'll be going through getting all the goods, getting all the stuff, getting some fresh mouth calls. I've got my calls from from last year. I haven't made up any calls this year, which is crazy. I got this press sitting here in my office and uh from making mouth calls. Hadn't made the first one this year. Uh, I've got a lot of calls from last year I did up. Ghost cuts that I make myself, and uh I've got a bunch of them, and I'm I'm rocking and rolling with those, and so I don't guess I'm gonna make any calls. I think we got good to go on that. Um shells, toilet paper, a few hands of call handfuls of calls, and then we're off and running. Got the tall timber Gabriel, you know, box call I love. I don't honestly carry, I'm not the guy that carries a pot call or several pot calls and all these different strikers. I just don't do that. I don't I don't use the pot call enough. I got that Primos tall timber Gabriel, I love it. It's great for cutting through the wind, it's great for striking, it's great for getting sassy with the you know, the hen talking and just that you can pop off on it, and just it just sounds so good. Kill a lot of turkeys with that call, and um, I'll have that in my mouth calls, and that's about it for me. I don't want a lot of extras rattling around, I don't want a lot of extras um, again, just weighing me down, or just you know, potentially clanging and banging in the vest. And so pretty simple, dude, when it comes to the stuff I tote in the vest, and we'll be getting it all lined out this week. Um probably still toting 20 gauge this this year. I mean, it all depends on what we're doing, where we're going, um, what the setup is. We got some spots that uh you might have an extended shot or maybe some thick stuff and you know want to bust through some brush. I may tote the 12 gauge again, you know. With TSS prices as they are, we're probably gonna tote whatever we got the shells for this year, you know. Uh 1220 or 410. I I've got a bunch of TSS 410 shells. Might pull that sucker back out. I don't know. I've kind of got where I thought the four ten was kind of that perfect little blend because it it's it's perfect for that twenty, thirty yard range, you know, and uh closer shots. Some of these um twenty or twelve gauge, and you get them in there too close, you're gonna miss them. That ty that That pattern is so tight. So I like that four ten 'cause it kinda covers you cl up close and then you know, reaches out as far as you need to shoot anyway. And so we'll see. Um not real worried about that. They all do the job, they all perform like you want 'em to, and you really can't go wrong there. Again, TSS, you better just make sure you're dialed in tight and um get that bead tight because it's easy to miss 'em. It's easy to miss a turkey with TSS. Uh they get in there and again that shot's so tight and it just it it's easy to miss them. Happens every year. Happens one of my guys every year, if not me. And so we shall see. Hey, let me give you real quickly a word from the word as we wrap this one up. We're gonna make it short and sweet this week. But um this verse earlier, love it. Matthew 20, it's 28. It said, For even the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many. You know, it's Easter week here, uh, Easter Sunday coming up, and man can't help but think, and really this ought to be our our hearts, our mind every day, is to be thinking about what he's done and how Jesus came for us to uh to die for us. You know what I'm saying? I mean, that's huge. And we don't realize that enough. We think, oh, well, you know, God's just doing this, God's just doing that, and you know, God's crazy, God's just dealing out punishment and all this stuff. He's ready to smite somebody every day. No man, God loved us so much, so much, and wanted a relationship with us so much, and wanted to make a way for us to be with him so much that he sent his one and only son, one and only son, Jesus, to pay the price for us. For even the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve others. I mean, you talk about somebody that served washing feet, serving others, that was him. You know what I'm saying? That's what I'm saying. I mean, the God of the universe sends his son. God comes bodily form, Jesus comes to to serve others and and to be a servant, to be the ultimate example of a servant. Can we be like him? Why are we not like him? Not to be served, but to serve others and to give his life. Give his life as a ransom for many. That's awesome. To give his life as a ransom for many. You may say, Well, ransom, what's ransom? Well, I've always heard of ransom money, you know, like what is this ransom all about? And you look at ransom, a little quick search, it says the definition of ransom. A ransom is money or goods demanded to release a captured person or property. Okay? Money or goods demanded to release a per captured person or property. It is the price paid, here's another it is the price paid to free someone from captivity or extortion. Okay? The price paid to free someone, and that's us. Because of the sin in our life, because of what we've done, the screw-ups, all the, I don't care how big, how small sin is sin, and because of that sin, you deserve to die and go to hell. I deserve to die and to go to hell. That's a punishment. That's the price because you can't get to God. You're separated from Him because of the sin in your life. Just the one, the first one at the child, growing it, you know, born in that sin nature that we've got, we're we're sinners, and that separates us from a holy God. It's sinless. And we can't get to him unless we got somebody pay the price. And that's it right here, this ransom. It is a price paid. Free someone from captivity, free from the bondage of sin, basically. As a verb, it says ransom is means paying that price to secure release, and it can also refer to holding someone or something until payment is made. We are in that bondage of sin. Sin has separated us, but the ransom has been paid. The price paid to free someone from captivity. Free someone. That's what Jesus did. He paid the price, hung on that cross for you and for me, so we could be freed from the penalty of sin, the sin that keeps us, the sin that holds us, the sin that sends us to hell. He came and made uh that payment. Payment paid that price. And I hope you've given your life to that. I hope you believe that, not just believe it, because believing alone won't do it. You've got to believe it, you've got to receive it, and you've got to confess that. Hey, Jesus is Lord. Have you done that? Have you made that confession? Is that your confession that Jesus is Lord? I hope you have. I hope you do. If not, man, this is no better time this week than to make it happen. Easter week. Confess him as Lord, make him the Lord of your life, your Lord, your Savior. Man, I want to encourage you guys to find a place to be this Sunday. If you're not the church going type, like I said, this is no better time than Easter to be there. I know a lot of people show up at Easter, and that's the only time they go every year. If that's you, man, I hope you will start making a habit of getting to church. Not just for ritual, not just for routine, not just to say you did, not just because Mima told you to, but get in there and just discover what that relationship with Jesus is all about. It's the good stuff. It's what we have. He's our hope. Our only hope. If you're putting your hope in all the stuff of this world, the president, whatever else, your friends, your spouse, whatever, you're gonna they're gonna fail you. Our only hope is Jesus. And so I hope you know him. Happy Easter to you. And uh, like I said, man, find somewhere to be this Sunday, find a church to get into. Um we personally go to Maplewood. I work as student pastor there. Maplewood Baptist, right here in Parish, Tennessee. Come see us there. Love to have you, love to meet you, love to hang out. Find somewhere to be celebrating the risen Savior this Sunday, Easter Sunday. It's all good, man. And since this is the last episode before the youth kick off, all you youngsters and all you guys total youngsters, we want to see some photos, okay? We're gonna get our little photo contest, the old gripping grin. We want to hear and see all about it this weekend. So you guys be sending us photos when you kill your birds, your kids kill the birds, send us those photos. You can text them to me, tag us on social media, uh, send them on the DMs, Facebook, Instagram, wherever you can get it, send us your photos. It's gonna be a great time. Looking forward to seeing that. You guys chasing with all your heart, soul, and strength. And we'll see you right back here on the next one. Shoot straight. God bless you.