One Hell Of A Life Outdoor Podcast
The One Hell Of A Life Outdoor Podcast hosted by father-son duo Tony Vogel and Tristan Vogel, Owners of Zero Duck:30 and Zero Buck:30 . Our passion lies in bringing every hunter the REALITY of what it REALLY takes to hunt their target animal while equipping them with the knowledge to be a successful hunter and promoting the lost "old school values" that laid the foundation for the sport we love so much today.
One Hell Of A Life Outdoor Podcast
Billy Campbell & Dennis Loosier @ Frogg toggs Booth | Dux Expo! | Regulations, Respect, and the Road Ahead for Waterfowl Hunters
Dennis Loosier and Billy Campbell from Dr. Duck join us to discuss the challenges facing public land hunters and the importance of mutual respect in preserving hunting opportunities for future generations.
• The increasing regulations on public land hunting are making it harder for hunters to enjoy the sport
• Dennis and Billy emphasize that success in duck hunting isn't measured by numbers but by the opportunity to hunt on your own terms
• The "same team" philosophy encourages hunters to treat each other with respect and sportsmanship
• One regulation typically leads to another, creating a domino effect across states that restricts hunting access
• Designated hunting days and draw systems disproportionately affect young hunters with limited time
• Social media can either promote poor behavior or positive examples of respectful hunting
• Both guests share stories of helping fellow hunters, demonstrating how community builds better experiences
• The conversation includes a fun "This or That" segment revealing preferences on everything from shotgun gauge to favorite snacks
If you enjoy the outdoors and care about preserving access to public lands, share this episode and help spread the message of respect and community in hunting.
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what's going on, guys? Tristan and tony back with another episode of the one hell of a life outdoor podcast from the frog talks booth. It's sund here at the Ducks Expo and we got the Dr Duck gentlemen here. We got Mr Dennis Loser and Billy Campbell from Dr Duck. We've had Billy on the last couple summers and excited to finally have both of them sitting down here together with us and Donnie's behind the camera getting some content. So, guys, thank you so much for coming on the podcast and making time for us.
Speaker 3:We're excited to talk with y'all man, thank you for the invitation and glad to be here and it's it's been an exciting time here at ducks, here in Memphis, tennessee, and uh, it's been a great couple of days and I guess we're getting ready to knock out the last day and hopefully a lot of people show up again today.
Speaker 4:I am so impressed right now.
Speaker 3:What do?
Speaker 4:you mean? I mean you knew where we were, what the name of the convention was. This is huge. Can I get a copy of this when you guys are done recording this?
Speaker 3:is a big deal. I don't ever catch a break.
Speaker 4:I think I'm going to go sit on that cooler and watch this show. This is good. This is really good. It is an honor. I'm with Dennis. Sit on that cooler and watch the show. This is good. This is really good. It is an honor. I'm with Dennis. It's an honor. Love what you guys do.
Speaker 2:Oh, thank you, man.
Speaker 4:We've been talking back and forth for years now and always enjoy the time shared. Very thankful to be able to do this today, especially with our friends here at Frog Talks.
Speaker 5:Right, I mean, these guys have been killing it, killing it yeah, we got little charlie running around here. He's been slinging. I was timing him yesterday and uh, I said I'm gonna see how much product he sells in 10 minutes. Six, six sales. I'm not counting the items, but six people he made sales to and I says he's been doing that all morning. They said, yeah, I said that kid had to sell 100 products by two o'clock.
Speaker 3:Hey, he's going somewhere, I promise. Oh, he is.
Speaker 5:He is. We had him on for a little bit the first day.
Speaker 2:Did y'all see that bin that they had filled with hats on Friday? There had to have been I don't even know over 1,000 hats and he was handing them out the whole time. Time he got rid of all of them.
Speaker 4:It's slinging them like chinese stars we need to put him in our booth.
Speaker 2:We're getting rid of hunter oh, he'll sell some stuff for you.
Speaker 5:I'll tell you that boy, he will, I won't. I'll say you know, I've been in sales for a long time and everything, and there's some things you just can't teach people. And you know, this lady walked up and he said ma'am, can I help you? And she said I'm just looking. Next thing, you know, she's walking out with a bag full of goodies.
Speaker 4:Hey, I got a bone to pick, Tony.
Speaker 2:Uh-oh.
Speaker 4:Here we go. I had your boy crawfishing a while ago. I walked up, I said where's your pops at? He said he went to pee. You know how you well, and he just stopped. No, that's all right, go ahead and say it. What? How? Us old people?
Speaker 5:are Got Us old people are Got to pee all the time. That's right. Hey, he was very courteous. I'm used to it, man he caught it before it come out.
Speaker 4:I was like no go on and say it. Go on and say it so he called you old while you was gone is what he was about to do hey, I'm as good as I once was.
Speaker 5:Yeah, I'm only by. Only how's that?
Speaker 2:go.
Speaker 5:I ain good ones. Whatever toby key said, all right. I remember my old man got to where he couldn't do much and he said I just want to let you know he goes. You could never whoop my butt. And I thought, man, I could easily whoop his butt. But then I thought, no, I can't no, I can't no I can't. He's gonna do some kind of crazy move on me, something I never even knew about you know what I mean, yeah it doesn't matter if he's 70 something years old old.
Speaker 2:He wrestled in high school, so like I never did any wrestling or anything, but yeah, I can't take him still. I mean, I probably won't ever be able to.
Speaker 5:Nope, I'll tell you what it does create a unique challenge when it comes to going to the bathroom. You know me being my age and him being his age. You know we're on the road all the time. He's like we got to get there in this many hours and I got to pee.
Speaker 4:You know you got to pull over and pee. I'm lucky. I love my truck, Everything about my truck, except the fact that I drive a very old truck and I'm not going to get a new one. This one's paid for and I like that payment.
Speaker 5:That's where I'm at right now too.
Speaker 4:But I got a big Tundra and the tank is only 22 and a half gallon tank. Oh yeah, I don't know why anybody would have ever done that in a big truck with a 5.7. But pulling a boat I get about 200 miles to a tank. That's it, I feel you, but it's perfect, because every time I get gas I get to pee, so I never had to say hey, I got to stop Right, we just had to get gas, so I never had to say hey, I gotta stop right.
Speaker 3:We just had to get gas. That's right. Probably an old man designed that, you know.
Speaker 4:Yeah, you're probably right that's, that's gotta be it, because I've never figured out why they would do that but, that makes perfect sense yeah, I remember back.
Speaker 5:you remember these. Maybe they still do, but I just remember going around my stepdad and everything we were traveling and everything he always had. I only buy trucks that got dual gas tanks. I remember there used to be a little Ford switch oh that's right you just switch that tank over and I don't feel like we ever got stopped.
Speaker 5:And guess what, as a little kid he's like hold it, I'm back there, shivering, sweating and everything else you know. But you know, come full circle. Do you want coffee that doesn't suck? Get the Duck Dirty, duck. Coffee is made specifically for the waterfowl enthusiast. Enjoy flavors like Morning Wood, dark Dynasty, cinnamon, teal, snickerdoodle and First Flight to unlock the flavor that you'll enjoy in the blind for years to come. You know so, all my life I struggled with that as a kid and everything. I thought man, I guess I just don't know how to hold it. And then, finally, I went and saw a men's health doctor as I'm getting older or anything. He said you got a degenerative nerve. And I'm like thank you. They gave me an excuse. Finally, I'm like.
Speaker 5:I'm not as soft as I thought I was. Oh man, but I'm not as soft as I thought I was. How have you guys been going?
Speaker 4:Good. There's been a ton of people by. We're very thankful for everybody that stopped by. If you're listening to this, it's been great, just really been overwhelmed. We had the opportunity, we were blessed. D, you gave us a chance to get up on stage yesterday.
Speaker 2:Oh nice.
Speaker 4:It's always and not necessarily for us, but just to bring that public land conversation into a great conservation event like this is a really big deal to us, Sure. So to have that opportunity and then they've got a podcast set up over there as well. We got to sit in on that and everybody here you know it's so great to see private land guy. You even got deer hunters here right that come support conservation. Sure, a lot of public land guys we met a lot of young people come through and shake hands and talk ducks and it's outstanding. But something that we were talking about yesterday wouldn't it be cool, when duck season gets here, if everybody acted just like?
Speaker 5:yeah, right, no, instead of worrying about who got where first or whatever, who's shooting who ain't, wouldn't it be cool, when duck season gets here, if everybody acted just like this yeah Right, no kidding.
Speaker 4:Instead of worrying about who got where first or whatever, who's shooting, who ain't shooting. And if everybody just said hello, shook hands and was excited to see each other, that'd be a really big party this season wouldn't it, wouldn't it?
Speaker 5:It sure would man, it sure would you know. But you know, I mean you know, I mean I, you know. I just remember back in billy we've talked about this before. But you know, you guys were an inspiration to us. You know, when we thank you for that, we first. You know it was intimidating.
Speaker 2:We cut our roots down in florida so, but you still deal with public land down there, but it's totally different environment, you know, and and uh, I just remember that we're not going out there until we can put out enough time, because billy and dennis said you gotta go scout yeah, we legit were like all right, we're going out there for a week, we know, like three days, we're not hunting, we're just trying to find something, you know, and uh, but just trying to be respectful of people is the whole y'all's whole point on that, and that's we just like. We're like that's what we're doing. We're not going to try to mess up anybody's thing, you know, and just well, and I think what what ended up happening was our boat motor broke down, y'all know something about that I'm sure Never seen it Off of Tristan's watch.
Speaker 5:I think we put 49 miles on foot scouting oh goodness yeah you know, and we didn't shoot a mallard. We smoked some wood ducks, that's what we smoked, but we didn't shoot one. And the funniest thing about it, we're totally defeated. And we're on that last morning hunt and we're packing up to get out and all of a sudden we're I was like the mallards were just saying to us see you later.
Speaker 5:Here's a good little swift kick in the butt but you cut your teeth. You know that kind of thing, but you guys do so much. I mean, you're such an ambassador of the right message.
Speaker 5:You know. It's about the journey you guys always talk about Now, the same team you know and that has created such a unity. I don't know if you guys actually get to. I mean, I think you do get to see it and feel it because you're out there doing it every day. But from the outside, looking in, you guys just wouldn't believe the people we talk to all the time. Like I just had a guy tell me a story about a guy you helped out, had a hunt with him, he had a broke-down motor and you said come on. And the guy's like who does that? You know, but guess what? Next time that happens to somebody, they're going to say, hey, come on over here and not with us.
Speaker 4:Well, that guy there has been doing it for, I mean, we've hunted together for more than 30 years and you know, I've watched him do that the entire time. And look, I had heard somebody say recently don't confuse or mistake my humility for weakness, yep, or my kindness for weakness, right, you know, right, he loves the competitiveness we both do and we understand that's part of this game and we're not trying to remove that. We enjoy that just as much as anybody, sure, but, and I'll let you know, he's got a great perspective on that. You know, everybody remembers good game, good game, and I'll let you talk about that. But we're supposed to be respectful to one another that's right.
Speaker 4:I don't know why, why people are forgetting that when they put a shotgun or a duck in front of them I don't know.
Speaker 3:There's a book talks all about it that's right no, I, I remember that kid and, uh, he was at the boat ramp and he was. He just couldn't get that boat started and he was in a. I mean, he was in a frenzy. Yeah, it was a cold day and he was such in a frenzy he was actually sweating. He was like in panic mode. And I said, man, what's going on and Anything I do to help you? He said, no, my boat just won't get started and you can tell he's upset. And I said, well, just pull it, pull your trunk, pull that boat right over there and just jump in with me. And he was in shock. He said are you serious? I said, yeah, man, grab your dog, get your gear. I said you don't need no decoys, just come on.
Speaker 3:We got it all, yeah, and he went hunting with us. We had a pretty good hunt. But you know, I, to me, that's that's what it's truly about. You know and you know, and now, when I see him on the river or out, you know, you know, it's truly about. You know and you know, and now, when I see him on the river or out, you know, you know, it's just what it's about for me, and the thing, too, about in the woods how we treat each other. Our sport is just like any other sport and that sport's like this. You know, everybody's played some type of sport whether it's football, baseball, basketball, it doesn't matter.
Speaker 3:but at the end of the game there's one thing you do when you win or lose you walk across and you shake hands.
Speaker 3:That's right, it's a good game and we have to understand that on public ground, You're going to win, you're going to lose some and you have to shake hands and move on. Give the winning team respect, Give them the hole and go try to find another spot. You know, sitting there arguing about we're staying, it doesn't matter if we lost or not. And causing conflicts is one of the reasons why we're getting more regulations on public land.
Speaker 5:Yeah.
Speaker 3:And that's why it started in Arkansas, it went to Kansas, now it's in Oklahoma. Thank God, billy's on the board for the state of Texas and he's there to voice our opinion as a public land hunter, because they tried to attempt to do it there as well. So if we have people in the room that can fight for us which we don't have a lot of people doing that now it will help. But also it will help if the most thing will help is how we treat each other. That's right, and we don't need to be police. We need will help is that how we treat. Treat each other. That's right and and we don't need to be police. We just we need to. We need to police our own self. That's right.
Speaker 3:Uh, the restrictions for me and we talk about it as well as it doesn't really affect me as much because I'm older in life, but I think about the kid that is from florida, georgia, alabama, it that has limited time and limited access, and then when you create restrictions, you're not allowing him to go out and enjoy it, because a lot of these young guys is either going to college or they're starting a family. They got jobs, they got limited time off and it makes it really hard to introduce their future family. So I think we got people in place. That's not really seeing the full circle. Sometimes, when we're doing these regulations, I think they're seeing in place. That's not really seeing the full circle. Sometimes, when we're doing these regulations, I think they're seeing it's about me and I'm going to try to make it better for myself and not everybody else.
Speaker 5:I heard you talk many times about one regulation creates another regulation. I heard you get hot on that topic a little bit one day.
Speaker 4:I'm trying not to say anything, he's a great talker, I could eat up a lot of oxygen in this room on that topic.
Speaker 3:It's terrible because they think they fixed one problem and then it creates another problem and then they create another regulation on top of that, trying to fix from the beginning. So I think what has to happen is like we just got to figure it out. We got to, you know, talking about it like we are, we just got to get the word out and there's a group of young men right there standing there and we just got to talk in front of these guys. And then yesterday we've had the opportunity, we have the opportunity today and it's just got to get out, but more people are starting to talk about it yeah and that that's what has to happen.
Speaker 3:It's it's got to be more than me just billy talking about. It's got to be you guys, everybody, everybody with a podcast, everybody. When you get a chance to set that example, set that example. Be that example like this is how it's got to be so we can get these restrictions uplifted and everybody can get back into the woods that's right.
Speaker 5:right, it's part of our duty as a media outlet. You know we were talking about that the other day. You know just a little bit. It's just that you know eyes are on, I mean especially y'all. I mean you guys got such a giant following and everything, but every one of us need to be ambassadors of that.
Speaker 2:Well, I think like, especially like from what I see, like on tiktok. You know you could post the dumbest thing and it goes million views on there and so really it's like any more on a platform like that that could, like you could go viral for something.
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Speaker 2:It doesn't matter if you have one follower or a million. It really kind of goes back to those old school like values of being a good steward of the outdoors and that kind of thing, um where, regardless of the fallings, you still got to treat it with that level of you know, respect and for everybody, because I mean you never know you. We all see the videos of stupid stuff going viral and I mean it's like okay, let's maybe not post that you know just post a good message, because maybe that'll you know so.
Speaker 4:That's such a really good point, which exactly what he was talking about. There's, with this social media thing that is such a great tool. There's more of that selfishness. This will go viral or this is going to all the eyeballs. Is that really what you want to throw out there, right?
Speaker 3:and, and you know, if you don't think gaming fish is not watching that stuff yeah sure and and when you do things like that. That's how they base these regulations on yeah and now that's why we're getting, maybe you know, looking at a draw in arkansas now, and that's you. Take that situation. I I got an idea about what you're talking about, with two guys in a hole somewhere.
Speaker 3:Yeah, so they see that now it started that yeah and that's how it starts, and they don't see all the good. It's just that one bad thing that goes viral and then we got that reputation. Hey, these guys are out there fighting in a hole somewhere.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 3:So now we're going to create this regulation because we're going to put a stop to it.
Speaker 5:Right, right. Well, you guys were in. I'll let you go over the details because I can't think of the details in my mind. But you know, I know, billy, you guys were on the podcast talking a lot about and you were certainly influential in Arkansas, making a change over there about the designated days. You made a valid point. Will you talk a little bit about that?
Speaker 4:Yeah, I don't remember Two or three years ago when they limited out-of-staters to 30 days, and I don't know that I could take credit for that. We definitely were part of that conversation and anyone who and you guys travel to that area as well A lot of people do. If you look at the numbers, there are just as many out-of-state hunters in the state of Arkansas as there are in-state hunters. That's a fact. And you know what If they feel like I don't like it, but I like less the fact that they were going to tell us what 30 days you can hunt.
Speaker 4:And you know, the best case for this is with Dennis's son going to work for a living two weeks on, two weeks off. He wouldn't be able to hunt with us when we traveled to that area, even though he has two weeks off. Those two weeks didn't fall in the 30 days that he could hunt there, so he was not allowed to hunt that state at all. And that's to Dennis's point, with these younger kids who are in school or fresh out of school, starting a family, trying to go to work for a living and make you know, make a living for their family and doing everything they can to do things the right way. And here they are with an opportunity to go do something, and they can't do it because the regulation is put in place limiting them.
Speaker 4:So at least, if you're going to limit us, let us pick the days yeah so we can work around our work schedule, or, dennis and I, we have the freedom, and and that's what I love about hunting with this guy, it ain't about him, it's about them. When it comes to us, we'll make it work right. But even in that situation are ducks?
Speaker 4:there is water there right we don't go to a place, just. I mean, look at the end day, we're all trying to shoot ducks, right, and I want to be where the ducks are. I want to be where the weather's right, I want to be where the water is where it needs to be, to have ducks and hold ducks and get new ducks when the weather does push, and we weren't. For me, it really came to light dealing with talking to agfc. They've been super courteous. They've come on some podcasts they've been. They've opened the their website up, the public discussion and conversation about what they're doing.
Speaker 5:Yep, I've noticed that.
Speaker 4:And that's good, whether or not they're listening and whether or not what happens as a result of that is what it is. But you hear a lot about these guys wanting to provide a quote-unquote quality experience Right, and Dennis and I have talked for years about defying success. Provide a quote unquote quality experience and Dennis and I have talked for years about define success. I mean, look at his shirt. It says enjoy the journey. Right, it's your journey and everybody's going to find that differently. Right, but at the end of the day, for us, success is not a number of ducks, right, the time that you know I am, you know I don't have my father, you know, seeing what you guys do is super special to me.
Speaker 5:Oh, thank you. It means a lot to me too.
Speaker 4:Well, you ain't got, you ain't it don't matter if you kill anything.
Speaker 2:No no.
Speaker 4:You talked about taking the. We all take licks, sure. So whenever you can get to that stage in life where you quit worrying about how many ducks I killed today and enjoy that experience, right. So when I go back to what I said about defining a quality hunt, I'm going to tell you, even at my age, I'm going to define duck hunt for you from my perspective, right, and that's going to be me finding ducks. Actually, it's going to be him finding ducks.
Speaker 4:But, you find the duck. I found some, but I don't find near as many as this guy. But you find the ducks, you get the hole and I have the opportunity to hunt those birds. That's all I want. I can't control what the weather does. I can't control what the ducks do. I can't control what the ducks do, but I have the opportunity to hunt those birds. Every regulation they're putting in place. I can't scout no more in Arkansas, yeah, unless I do it while people are hunting.
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Speaker 4:And look, I'm not saying that's not a good rule, right, because of the amount of pressure. I'm not saying that's not a good rule because of the amount of pressure. I'm not saying that. All I'm saying is every regulation is prohibiting me from duck hunting, the way I define it, and if we continue down this road, these regulations are going to make it. And I'm going to use one of the most popular areas in our home state, richland Creek, richland Chambers. We used to hunt there and they went to draw only Really. So if you want to hunt there, you put your name in a hat.
Speaker 4:There are states and there are also places that you have to physically be there at 5 am to put your name in that hat and you may not even have a place to hunt today there yep how you gonna get a plan b when you have to move physical locations at 5 5 30 in the morning right, yeah so when you get back to that definition of hunting now, it's them telling me when I can hunt, where can hunt and if I even have an opportunity to hunt, yeah, if you're even going to have a chance.
Speaker 4:As a public land guy. That's not what this is about. No, and I understand they feel like they need to get involved because of what they see. Like Dennis said, these few situations until we can all come together and show these guys that we can regulate ourselves. All we want is this opportunity. That's right that's right you, if you take that opportunity for me. I have not hunted richland chambers since they did that. No kidding, and I won't. Yeah, that's.
Speaker 5:That's not duck, I mean, look, I know I got memories and things there, certain hunting spots you had. That lasted a lifetime. What a shame that you can't go experience that again.
Speaker 4:It's just, it's not, it's. I don't want to be. I don't want to be. What's the purpose of getting outside?
Speaker 5:Yeah.
Speaker 4:You know you can say, hey, you know, I draw closer to God, I'm out in God's creation, I don't have the hustle bustle, I wander, I wander where I want. If he goes scouting, I'm not going to see him until I mean well after dark and he's going to take in everything that's going on and he wants to learn how these ducks are working, how he can, how he can trick on tomorrow and and all these, they're taking that away and they're taking it away because of our actions as a public community. That's right, that's right, and so I appreciate you asking.
Speaker 3:I'm sorry to burn everybody's oxygen no, no, no, that's good, no, no, that's perfect, that's good, perfect, perfectly said it's perfectly said and you got guys in Arkansas and I get it Our favorite place to hunt in Texas.
Speaker 4:I was in there last year. Nobody beat us in there. When I come out there were only three other trucks in that area. For some reason it's still an area that that not as high traffic as some other areas. All three of those were from Arkansas. Wow. I was the only Texas truck in there, me and him.
Speaker 2:And that's interesting.
Speaker 4:I'm not mad at it. Yeah, people travel and good hunters will figure out where birds are and they're gonna go kill them and I ain't mad about that and I want that opportunity to be there for my grandkids.
Speaker 5:Yeah, that's right.
Speaker 4:But the rate we're going right now and I understand an Arkansas guy saying we got enough pressure in these. There are some high-pressure spots, yeah right, and I could get where they say, well, it'd be nice if no out-of-staters could come here, that could cut it in half. If we just get rid of the out-of-staters, it would cut it in half and that's fine. But if they do it and we do it, Oklahoma does it, I can be to Oklahoma, louisiana or Arkansas in less than two hours. If all those states do that, now what Right? Where are we going to?
Speaker 5:go.
Speaker 4:You got right. Where are we going? Where are we going to go to alaska? I mean, I don't know the answer, right. So all these guys that are saying you know that's not a bad thing, I would like to cut the pressure in half in my state that's fine.
Speaker 4:You're going to have to realize at some point you're doing it, everybody's watching you do it, everybody else starts doing it. We get down this road. Now nobody's gonna be able to hunt anywhere else unless you go through a draw system and it's just here we are duck hunting with. Like it or not will be defined differently and it's not the way I I said it, it's gonna be. You show up, you take a number and you'll find out where we want to put you, if we put you at all.
Speaker 4:Yeah, it takes away so much you got to be crooked in the head if you think that's a good place to be, and that's where it's headed.
Speaker 3:Well, the thing too, if you got a guy that thinks like that doesn't want out-of-state guys coming in right, he's thinking about number one himself.
Speaker 4:Yeah.
Speaker 3:Because you got a lot of states out there and, like I said, you know North Carolina, south Carolina, georgia. I talk to these kids all the time. You know Alabama, it's really tough hunting and these guys it's hard to kill. A mallard it's hard to kill a mallard.
Speaker 3:And they want to go and you know everybody's got wood ducks, but you want to go, experience shooting different species and, and you know, want to travel and see a new area. Maybe you just want to learn a spot, right. But when you start taking that opportunity away, then the numbers drop, then you don't have hunters to support you, yeah, and it eventually just dies. Because I mean, like a lot of these guys maybe go once a year and then they like, well, I'll get tired of shooting wood ducks in my own state.
Speaker 3:They just they hang their stuff up yeah and and then, when you need help in that state to get something approved or done, or if you need money, uh, to get levies fixed, and well, not that many people's using it, we'll just let the levies wash away well and think about them, or maybe we'll sell it.
Speaker 4:Or sell it, yeah right right.
Speaker 5:Well, when thinking when thinking about the amount of revenue that you know and I'm not trying to play non-resident versus resident, but it's a significant amount of revenue that comes from out-of-state hunters, significant to all these local businesses.
Speaker 4:You know what an Arkansas guy pays to hunt the state of Arkansas for his entire season waterfowl hunt, it's went up, if you live there. Oh, if you live there. Oh, if you live there. If you live there, it's 40 something, bucks wow you know what it cost me to hunt there for 30 days as a non-resident?
Speaker 3:what eight hundred dollars oh my gosh yeah, you gotta buy all your passes, your three-day pass, every three-day pass is 45, 42, whatever it is. It is like 70 or 80. If you buy all 10 of them and you buy your hunting license period, yeah, you could be bumping 800. Well, you know.
Speaker 5:I've been sitting here thinking about, you know, growing up. You know we talk about my mom's success. You know at one time she was on the front page of Buckmasters, America's Best Lady Bowhunter, you know. You know she was at one time she was on the front page of buck masters america's best lady bow hunter, you know, set a world record and and everybody knew we're all, we're from illinois that if you want to go to the super bowl deer hunting you're going to pike county illinois. You know, or what they used to call it a three triangle uh, they call it the golden triangle. There was three counties there that there were more Pope and Young record books taken out of those three counties than everywhere else in the United States combined. And we were there and I remember growing up as a young man and the out-of-state hunters but being on the side of the in-state hunters and what it gives me chills thinking about right now.
Speaker 5:What our stepdad would teach us is you know we'd be up there at thanksgiving and it was mostly out-of-state hunters way over. But you know we'd be up there thanksgiving stuff and we would all have potlucks together and we all knew we're each other hunted and everybody didn't have a problem with it. They had this level of respect. Hey, they got to that field, they got their stands up. You stay away from there. You respect them. You know that kind of thing and it was just the way. It was the way it was.
Speaker 5:And now you know, you hear about all this. You know, a guy sets up next 50 yards from me or whatever, which I always say. When somebody does that nine times out of ten, which I always say, when somebody does that nine times out of ten, they just don't know any better. Right, you know, it's not. There's not that many people that are trying to be a jerk. All right, they just nine times out of ten.
Speaker 5:But I definitely understand what it feels like. It's not, it wasn't waterfowl hunting, but I understand what it feels like if you're an Arkansas resident Very similar Yep what it feels like to have all these out-of-state hunters coming in and it makes you kind of feel like something's being taken away. But it's not. No, it's not. They're coming to live a dream, just like we did the first time. We wanted. You guys inspired us. I want to go shoot a mallard on public land. I want to play that game because I'm competitive. You know what I mean. And uh, and it was like to us that's. You know, that's our first playoff game or our first Super Bowl. We go to who doesn't want to? I mean, if you're a serious waterfowl hunter, you want to go to Arkansas. You know what I mean.
Speaker 3:I mean you know, even the state itself duck capital of the world. Right, they advertise it and they embrace out-of-state guys coming in. The state itself does. It's just a few, select few guys in there. That's just man, they're just hard to deal with, yeah, and, but you know, you know, talking about that guy sitting up 50 yards from you. And you're right, they just don't know. And and we got to take time to educate those guys.
Speaker 3:Well, I have a lot of guys reach out and say, man, you're only hurting yourself by doing this. You know, you're, you're gonna. You know, to me I don't feel that way. I feel totally opposite.
Speaker 3:I'd rather hunt by a guy who knows what they're doing than not sure, because you know that guy's going to call him in, he's going to take great quality shots. He's going to call when they're over his hole. He's probably going to get quiet when they're over mine. Allow me to call, give him the same respect and let him work his birds in, instead of that guy that's over just wailing all the time and sky busting. Because you know, it's not that they're trying to run your ducks off, it's just exactly what you said. They just don't know anybody. Yeah, so to me, the more education we can get out there. Uh, in our videos and everything like that we try to. We try to help these guys as inspired to start to duck hunt is is one of our main goals, because I want that guy to be successful and when he sets up beside me, I, we, we want that same basket and shoot some ducks.
Speaker 3:Yeah, you know I mean, yeah, and it increases the competition a little bit, but it's, it's a respectful thing too, because and there again too, it's it's a hunter's choice too, because there's a lot of times we'll have a duck single, just fly in out of nowhere, land right in the hole, right? Well, our neighbor might be working a big water mallards over there, and it's a hunter's choice. Do you shoot that one? Or do you let your neighbor over there try to get the volley in? You know, or the fly-by-wood duck or the fly-by-teal You're not working any ducks, but your buddy is and you got this fly by teal or fly by wood duck. You let it go?
Speaker 3:We do, yeah, uh, we, we would like to see our neighbors and probably don't even know who they are. Yeah, but we'd like to see them get that volley down and see what happens and hear that big boom, boom, boom, boom, boom. And you know we're, we're celebrating for them. That's awesome to see, right? Uh, we, we just gotta, we gotta, we gotta be on the same page. And I'm not telling you not to shoot. Like I said, that's a hunter's choice. I just know what we choose to do, sure, yeah, sure, sure.
Speaker 5:Well, you know and and kind of finish off my circle about the whole illinois thing, and we're talking about how rules make rules and changes happen and all this stuff. You know, now I'm an out-of-state hunter. I can't hardly afford to go.
Speaker 5:You know, how much it costs you to go bowhunting deer. If you're a resident, I have no idea $45 for a tag plus your license, which is like $15. All right, you know what it costs us now $600. Brutal, brutal, I mean it's just. I mean I grew up there, I was there all my life until work moved me away. You know, yeah, and not that they should say, not that they should make a special rule for anybody that moves out of the state. You know, but it's a tough one to take. You know what I mean. And then you know, now we got a friend of ours that's got some land up in Iowa. I can't go enjoy what I do because I have to wait three to four years in a lottery system. Yeah, and he owns land right there and he's got to do the lottery system. He's got 300 acres it's insane and he's got to do. He's got to wait three years before he can get drawn I.
Speaker 4:I appreciate you bringing that up.
Speaker 4:I don't deer hunt and I'm not aware of that and but, as you're saying that, there's no doubt in my mind that we're going to experience similar situations if, if the tide don't change. That's right and and I don't stop it's not just selfish hunters or lack of knowledge. Dennis and I talked about this years ago that if public guys and people that managed public property wanted to be competitive in duck hunting, that they would have to step their game up. You see a lot of public properties that maybe don't spend the money or have the resources, or maybe the resources are utilized. I don't know. I'm not on the backside of that deal.
Speaker 4:Excuse me, but with so many private clubs now, so much money being spent by gentlemen that want to go shoot birds on private clubs, and or whether it's growing all these situations, the level that these private places have climbed to impacts public property, oh yeah, when public is not spending the money they need, maybe to keep levy systems in good shape and so forth, and you got all these private clubs spending that kind of money.
Speaker 4:And then, on top of that, all the outfitters, all the guys how many people you know? I asked those representatives from those states how many people, how many outfitters do we have in state texas, I have no idea, is oklahoma. How many you got? I have no idea. I can tell you it's a lot because I ain't knocking nobody's door to get permission to hunt their property right. So you got these high-end clubs. You got all the land being leashed up. If a young man with no money wants to go hunt, where is he going? The amount of duck hunters is not increasing. I'm not gonna sit here and tell you public property has not got more pressure, but it's because they got nowhere else to hunt yeah, we're losing.
Speaker 5:I mean our habitat is shrinking through private land and loss of conservation, and then you're gonna pile these regulations on top of it.
Speaker 4:so those situations you're talking about, I don't see this heading anywhere else. It's scary If we don't fix it yeah. Right.
Speaker 5:No, and the time is now. I mean the time is now. We've got to do something now. And let's face it, sometimes it's just getting the right word to the right person, because we all know that there's a lot of things that happen in politics and I'm not going to go on a whole politic rant but sometimes not about what you know, it's who you know, what they say, and sometimes we can get that right message to that who you know person that could make a difference you got to have the guy that can sign the dotted line in the room with you and you know.
Speaker 3:And talking about the state of texas too, I mean, when you, when you sit around even our governor, which I love, but you sit around you brag about, hey, we have this much money in surplus, right, and then you go out to our public lands and you see that it's not taken care of and it's not really managed.
Speaker 3:You got, you really got one biologist trying to probably work the whole area there, and it's just, it's not enough. And if we have this surplus, why why we're not funding our public lands more, why we're not creating more habitat, maybe planting stuff, you know, I know there's one state a few years ago, and maybe still still does, every once in a while they'll, they'll seed around the lake to have jack millet, you know, and and to create success for a public land guy to have. You know. But texas is a one state that can do a much better job and I do think they are trying in some certain areas, but I do think it it could be a lot better than what it is. I think they just do enough to just say, hey, we did this right I think we we need to get hey, let's, let's make it better.
Speaker 3:Let's make it where we can recruit. Let's make it better. Let's make it where we can recruit. Let's make it better where we can keep guys involved. And, trust me, there's a lot of young men out there I know that would leave and love to even volunteer to help do this.
Speaker 5:That's a great point. That's a great point. Yeah, you're totally right, Des. I mean we talked about that. We got a spot in southeast Georgia that's very special to us. We had an incredible experience there. We had 10 other guys show up on an early teal hunt. You don't get that opportunity in Georgia like that. We took 128 birds over two days and hung with 10 guys and made it happen. The point is that, Where's my invite?
Speaker 4:We invited you. You said you were too busy working for him.
Speaker 5:Chauffeur invite. We invited you. You said you were too busy working for him chauffeuring. Yeah, yeah, no, but but now you know, half of that land is quota only not that specific area we were in, but half of it is what do you mean?
Speaker 4:what do you mean quota?
Speaker 5:like lottery draw a lottery draw okay, and so will that happen to that someday. I don't know, you know, um, but anyway it's just. Uh, I hated to go down that whole spiral with that, but it's important that we talk about it.
Speaker 4:It is, and I think you could. I think it's necessary to kind of sum it up and close it by saying that if we don't come to the realization dennis and I talk about the same team you guys get it. I've heard you talk about it. I hear it a lot of. I mean, it's a part of a lot of people's conversations now and I'm very thankful for that and I think it needs to be. We don't need to wait. We saw what happened with this attempted public land sale and all these different brands and different types of people from all different areas come together and say we don't want you to sell our property. It's gonna have to get to a point where we, as public land guys, realize do I want that opportunity or not?
Speaker 4:right right, and if I want that opportunity, just the opportunity to shoot ducks where I want to go outdoors, then I'm going to have to accept the fact that I'm going to stop being selfish. I am coming to the realization that we are on the same team and we own this property.
Speaker 5:Yeah, that's right.
Speaker 4:The hunting dollars, the Pittman-Robertson funds. We self-fund what we do and we're going to have to have our voice heard. That's right. I mean it's going to take a unified voice to do that, but I hope we don't wait too late for everybody to get on the same page with this deal.
Speaker 5:Well, and I'll tell you this, you know, and just talking about getting the message out, you know, you guys, I've just seen it in myself, just from the outside, looking in and watching what you guys do all the time, and you know, I can only handle two media platforms at one time if I'm lucky. You know, I mean, and these guys are like, did you see that on TikTok?
Speaker 1:I'll be like I haven't checked TikTok in a week. I don't know how to.
Speaker 5:TikTok, but the younger folks do and they can just sling that stuff, which is great. But you know, I forgot the point I was just getting ready to make about.
Speaker 2:You're good Now. You're good man.
Speaker 4:FumbleRooski.
Speaker 5:No, I forgot the point I was just going to make. With that you guys have been. I've seen it. Just what I see on social media there is way less bad words and bad things happening than there was five years ago. No doubt in my mind.
Speaker 5:That's great news I see and hear so much more positive, more positive channels than I have. I mean conceptually. I can't put it on a spreadsheet for you, but I know that when I get on there and I'm looking through the comments and I'm going through it and perception is reality.
Speaker 4:That's right.
Speaker 5:And you've got people that maybe a young kid asks an innocent question on a certain group or something and gets hammered.
Speaker 2:And I see people standing up for them.
Speaker 5:You know what I mean. And people, hey, you know what? There's always a bad egg in the carton. You know what I mean. But people standing up, and I do believe y'all are making a tremendous difference. I mean I really do.
Speaker 4:I appreciate that, but I think there are so many voices and these great tools that we all have available to us you guys are as well and I just think it takes it's, it's, we're not. Look, we're on, we're on the way out. You know what I mean, dennis. Dennis is the world's best at letting these young men know hey, it's you right, we ain't. No, we are just like you, except we're on the way out.
Speaker 3:So I tell them all the time y'all are coming in the front door and we're going out the back door. You know it's just, it's just father time and it is what it is, and and I just want to leave it better than what I found it, and I just want them to do the same thing.
Speaker 3:But the reason it's getting better, I think it's because everybody's waking up to it and everybody's starting to talk about it and starting to point out the bad and and starting to look for the better, and I think, if everybody continues down that path, we we will for sure, hopefully start turning things around, and that's, that's exactly what we need yeah, and you know I always try to say you know that song, you know what?
Speaker 5:uh, that luke ryan wrote. Most people are good it's the truth, truth.
Speaker 3:It really is, it is the truth, and I think we were growing up in a generation if you didn't have anything good to say, you don't say it at all, and a lot of times I think we just kind of just looked the other way and maybe ducked our head and now we're like, okay, enough's enough.
Speaker 5:That's right.
Speaker 3:And we're starting to point it out, and you know, and everything that's bad comes to light, and I think it's being seen now, so that that's the thing that needed to be done a long time ago.
Speaker 5:That's right. That's right. Well, uh, I'll tell you what before we get out. You guys got things to do. We got a lot of things to do today.
Speaker 2:Let's hit them with the this or that, so we've been doing this thing the whole time this or that we came up with these questions and do both of them I want to hear if they have different answers that are, uh, some kind of it's just like this or that, and then you don't have to give like a reason, basically, but they're kind of funny.
Speaker 4:Just a second uh, game show stuff, I like you gotta is there a?
Speaker 5:winner or loser uh, no, just a matter of opinion, we'll let you pick one that you can explain yourself on your answer. If you want to, alright I like this game already.
Speaker 4:Alright.
Speaker 2:That's for that. That's the top one. Alright, here we go.
Speaker 5:We're just going to go over with you first, Billy. We'll drill down through this.
Speaker 4:That's cheating, because he'll get to hear my answer. We can't give him a heads up. We can't?
Speaker 5:yeah, just have both do it. No, I'm just, I'm just kidding. Let's go, we'll ask you both same time. I'm jacking with him. All right, come on with 12 gauge 20, gauge 20. Well, this is the easy one.
Speaker 4:Surface driver outboard where are we hunting? Oh no, it's all, it's gator tail right on public or private oh public face paint or no face paint.
Speaker 5:That depends.
Speaker 4:I mean, if face paint, I can't go wrong that's right. There's been days where I haven't done face paint and said I should have done face paint. We're not going to use it if we don't need to. But I'm looking. I got to see the ducks, to read the ducks Right. And the last thing I want is him chewing my butt because I pie-faced one.
Speaker 5:That's right. That's right, frog, togs or the other brands.
Speaker 4:Frog, frogtogs or the other brands.
Speaker 5:Frogtog all day, monster or Red Bull.
Speaker 4:Neither Fair. Hey, you had to peel me off the top of the tree. I mean, I don't lack energy. If you were to put any one of those in me, I don't know, I don't know what would happen. I don't think it'd be very good. I think, for all of us, we're going to say neither.
Speaker 5:Breakfast pizza or breakfast sandwich.
Speaker 4:Yes, you make a sandwich with the pizza.
Speaker 5:Oh baby.
Speaker 4:Come on now you got to step your snack game up Single or double reach. Single All right.
Speaker 5:Ford or Chevy, toyota, toyota All right If you're going to have a beer Bush Light or Miller Light.
Speaker 4:Bush, there we go, there we go.
Speaker 5:All right Des 12 gauge or 20 gauge.
Speaker 3:If I had to just pick one for all scenarios, I'm going to go the safest route and do a 12.
Speaker 5:12, all right Surface drive or outboard Surface drive that All right Surface drive or outboard Surface drive. That's right, public or private, we know what that's going to be Public. And I know what this is going to be Face paint or no face paint.
Speaker 3:Face paint. I do that. It's the safest route, that's right Monstro Red Bull. Celsius, all right, how about?
Speaker 5:this Slim Jim or Payday Payday, I knew it oh no way, no way.
Speaker 4:Bro.
Speaker 5:well, that's perfect, I'll just take this box with me and you don't need any of that.
Speaker 3:All right, I got that sweet too.
Speaker 5:Single read or double read?
Speaker 3:Single.
Speaker 5:Bruce Lowry or Miller Sweet tea. Sweet tea All right, i'll'll tell you what I'm the way on that too. I'm addicted to that. That sugar, sugar-free milos, oh yeah, oh, my goodness, oh, that stuff. I'm like I feel like they call me sigh. I'm walking around all the time. I gotta jug, I gotta jug with me, take with the server. Well, guys, super, thank you. So you guys taking time out of your day over, here.
Speaker 4:It is an honor always to share the time and I'm serious, it's so exciting to see so many people doing podcast stuff and the social media stuff and sharing the great passion that we all have for ducks. And it's even more exciting to have this conversation and you guys keep having that conversation with everybody you have on about how wonderful this sport is. We need more people doing this and we need to all understand that if we we want to get anywhere, we need to be paddling the same direction that's right so I'm very thankful for the opportunity and and always enjoy it, so anytime well, go ahead.
Speaker 5:I mean, you guys uh, before we get out of here, you know what you guys got coming on as far as on media channels. You guys got youtube videos coming out, what you guys got dialed up uh, yeah, for sure we'll.
Speaker 3:We'll start filming again, probably later middle mid-october. We'll we'll head up to kansas I mean not kansas, canada and work our way back down. Of course, you know, we'll hit the, the three big states that we always normally at. And then, of course, billy dropped some plans last night, some new ideas that we're kind of I'm kind of excited about see if we can't make those come together. But yes, we will be on youtube and and um getting after it, just like we do in each every year.
Speaker 4:So yeah, I say we're on the way out. I didn't say we is done yeah, you're gonna have. You're gonna have a hard time getting rid of us. If one of us can walk we, we're gonna find a way there's a certain savviness there we're gonna find a way.
Speaker 4:I had a young guy years of uh hard hard times hey, I had a young man come by the booth and it's kind of like that game you just played after we got off stage yesterday. I really enjoyed that conversation with those young men there's about six, seven, eight of them and and they, they just all rattled off. You got time for a couple of questions and they all just like boom, boom, boom, boom, boom. You know quick answers and and one of them was who's going to win the whole, me or you? And I was like don't think, just because I'm old, that you got a freebie coming today. Baby, that's right, I'm going to shake your hand when we're done and we're going to have fun doing it. But don't think you're walking on me. I'm going to give you all I got, that's right.
Speaker 3:They are getting harder to win, I tell you. I promise we're getting older and we're a lot slower, so things just don't move as good as they used to. But we'll scratch around, we'll find a spot. You know, like Billy said, all we need is an opportunity and that's all you can ask for. So you know, that's why we have an A, b, c, abc and a D and E plan, and sometimes we'll get beat to all of them and we're just scratching out to find a spot somewhere. That's right, but the opportunity is all we ask for.
Speaker 5:That's right. Well, guys, thank you so much.
Speaker 2:Yeah, thank you guys so much, and I'll tell you before we get out of here.
Speaker 5:it's one hell of a life, oh it is.
Speaker 1:Yes it is thank y'all. Thank you appreciate it. I've been southbound, I've been hellbound, riding on a midnight train going too fast. Now think I'll slow down standing in the pouring rain.