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
What happens when you actually pattern your shotgun? | Ryan Burnett Co Founder of Pattern Pros
We sit down with Ryan Burnett, founder of Pattern Pros, who's revolutionizing waterfowl hunting with innovative shotgun shell variety packs that help hunters find their perfect ammunition match for improved accuracy and fewer wounded birds.
• Pattern Pros creates variety packs containing multiple shotgun shell brands in one box
• Their waterfowl box includes 8 different shells with 3 of each in a 24-shell box
• Turkey edition offers 5 different shells in one box
• Helps hunters identify which shells pattern best with their specific gun and choke combination
• Proper patterning reduces crippled birds and improves hunting efficiency
• Pattern Pros experienced 50% business growth at this year's Delta Waterfowl Expo
• Company now receives orders nationwide with overwhelmingly positive customer feedback
• New products include upland boxes for pheasant and dove hunting
• Innovative choke tube rental program coming soon, allowing hunters to test before buying
• Patterning shotguns reduces overall shooting, creating less pressure in hunting areas
• Conservation impact through improved harvesting efficiency and fewer wounded birds
• Ryan emphasizes that effective patterning doesn't necessarily require expensive shells
If you're tired of wasting money on shells that don't perform with your gun or missing shots on birds, check out Pattern Pros at patternpros.com and take the guesswork out of your shotgun ammunition.
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I've been southbound. I've been hellbound riding on a midnight train going too fast.
Speaker 2:Now think I'll slow down standing in the pouring rain what's up, guys, christian and tony back with another episode of the one hell of a life outdoor podcast video version. And, as you see, we got video up and running. Meant to have that for the Travis Thompson podcast last week but we were having some audio issues. But today we have on a reoccurring guest, ryan Burnett from Pattern Pros. If you're an OG listener and it's probably been a year now, but you'll remember that podcast with Ryan and kind of have a reminder, you'll know what Pattern Pros is about. But for y'all that haven't heard Ryan, would you mind giving people a quick intro on Pattern Pros and who you are, and kind of just for pressure, I guess, for people that heard the original podcast.
Speaker 3:Oh yeah, Well, first of all, good to see you boys again. Well, and thank you.
Speaker 3:Yeah. So Pattern Pros, we are the only people doing what we're doing, and some people say it's kind of a pain in the ass which it is, but it is. Uh. I I think we've got a chance to change the way people uh hunt with a shotgun, um, and potentially a rifle, um, forever. So what we did was we created variety packs shotgun shells, um, waterfowl is eight different shells with three of each in one box.
Speaker 3:So 24 shells in one box, allowing you to try out a bunch of different shells without spending a ton of money and actually find the shell that patterns best. And not only will it pattern, some guns and certain shells don't like each other, so they're also not gonna cycle. So you got that first shot off and we've all done it where it goes, click that next one where that's something else that can also be alleviated well before the hunt. So 24 shells in a box box and actually truly going to spend a little bit of time behind the gun. But you spend so much other time and a ton of money on everything else other than when the time that matters most. And it doesn't have to be an expensive shell it doesn't like, it can be just something off the shelf that, for whatever reason, sometimes will shoot best.
Speaker 3:And then we took the same approach for turkey. So turkeys five different shells with one of each in a single box. So our boxes. So we got our pattern pros turkey Edition box right there. And then our good old Waterfowl boxes right there.
Speaker 5:Those are sick looking. I love that.
Speaker 3:So yeah, I love the Retro Duck yeah that's cool. And yeah, we got some other stuff coming out and I can't wait to. Can I wait to unveil it?
Speaker 2:well, man, we're, we're excited to kind of dive into it. You know, the last last time we talked it was right off the heels of delta, had put you guys in the magazine and, uh, obviously there was some good buzz. And I know you guys just went to the delta waterfowl expo this year. So I'm curious to know, you know how the momentum of the company is going? What kind of since then? I mean, has it just kind of kept snowballing? And then also, how was the Delta Expo for y'all?
Speaker 3:Yeah, well, I'll hit the Delta stuff first. It was people-wise. It was a lot less foot traffic than last year in Baton Rouge, so Oklahoma City, it was a lot less people, but honestly it felt like we still had somebody in the booth almost the entire time, either talking with us buying stuff or, you know friends stopping by. So it was, it was really good. Um, we did, uh, probably about 50 percent more business this year than we did last year, so that was pretty cool. But like I mean, every time I'd be out walking around and and would come back there there'd be something, there'd still be somebody else at the booth. So it was not a whole lot of sitting around, it was nonstop. So that was pretty cool, made some more good connections and kind of.
Speaker 3:The next push was getting outfitters involved. So I started, I started to talk quite a bit of outfitters about it and then, my well, you guys shoot, you know probably more than anybody if their guides are shooting, which a lot of them do. Um, so before you just go spend you know $10,000 or however many thousands of dollars you're going to spend on shells, don't just go buy the best deal, the cheapest shell. I was like, try this out and then go find your best deal. So that was cool to have that. So we've got a couple of those on board, so the show was awesome. We had a blast. It's always good to see your buddies that you're really only going to see about once a year anyways.
Speaker 3:And the the snowballing is is really is is getting cool. I remember it was probably October last year, I mean mean it was. It was orders coming in every you know one or two pretty much every single day, and I remember christian texting our group text. He's like boys, like I'm, I'm getting excited and it like it's it's really cool and so like I do all of our shipping, like you can see a bunch of ammo here behind me and so I send stuff across like the entire country. So you know, when we first started, it was like you had a couple of States that obviously we had had a little bit of a footprint in, and now it is it's nationwide. So it's like it's really cool that we're starting to get that name out there.
Speaker 3:People are talking, they're telling their buddy about it and the people who I've talked to, who have shot stuff or had a box whether it was Turkey or waterfowl, like dude, it was like it was awesome, it was an eyeopening experience. I truly found something that that my gun and choke really agreed with and in my mind I'm like, well, I'm already doing my job, I'm already helping them. They're, they're bringing home more ducks and, or, you know, a turkey and I'm helping prevent crippled birds right so it's uh, good boys, it's.
Speaker 3:I'm looking at it, I'm like all right here in a few years, like I can retire from the fire service and do this completely full-time. So it's like I'm thinking about more and more every single day. So it's uh, I can't help but but just be excited about it dude.
Speaker 2:I love that because I I think for so many of us in outdoors like I mean, it's no different than why we're doing this podcast and why we do the YouTube and everything else. It's like. It's almost like um, a little bit of like a pipe dream. It feels like a lot of times to like kind of reach that point where you could, I mean honestly, just a goal, would be nice to make a little side money know what I mean. And then it's like supplement your income and be able to make that your full-time thing. I think that's like the dream for all of us. I think you know, and to see y'all close to being able to do that I think is awesome.
Speaker 5:I mean, it's seems like you guys are really great guys, so it's exciting to see well isn't it crazy like when you truly come up with an innovative idea, it just kind of takes care of itself, you know, I mean I mean so kudos to y'all.
Speaker 3:I mean that's just very innovative thinking, problem solving really truly problem solving yeah well, marine corps adapt and overcome that's right, that's right usually usually stuck yeah, usually stuck with the crappiest stuff. So they're just like I don't figure it out um so it's, I, I'm, I'm excited.
Speaker 3:But I can see like a bittersweet ending of sorts where it's like I get, it's so cool to have somebody come up to me and you know, you tell them what you're doing and they're they kind of look at you like you guys are doing what, or like damn, like why didn't I think of that? And yeah, it's. I'm like, all right, we obviously have a long ways to go before I've reached you know everybody, which is never going to happen. But I'm like, all right, we have a long ways to go with every little this fall elevate your outdoor pursuits with williamson outfit offering professionally guided experiences along Florida's Forgotten Coast.
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Speaker 3:A little footprint that I can lay down and I'm like I can't wait for that day where it's like we are a brand name or a household name whatever you want to say it and I'm like excited for that. But at the same time it'll be like bittersweet, where it's like, well, people know who you are now and it's like it's not as that, like ooh and ah, feeling um, but either way, like it's been, like it's been so much fun, like we've been going for operational for just over two years now and really like the last year and a half has been the bulk of it. It's been, it's been so much fun. And now when I, when I go on you know if I go on a hunt trip or when we go to delta it's like everything's a freaking tax write-off and I'm like I buy.
Speaker 3:I buy ammo. My own tax write-off like without a quote like without a shadow of a doubt. So I was like, well, this is great, and like I'll tell the wife. But hey, I'm going to go hunt and I'm like it's a tax write-off. She goes yeah, I know. And I'm like, holy shit, like I did it.
Speaker 2:Speaking of hunts, man, we got to get you on that veteran hunt this year, yeah dude, I am, I am all I was.
Speaker 3:I told you, the only reason I couldn't go was the fact that one of those days I was taking my oldest, she was on a youth hunt and I was like I was so excited, dude, we did some America shit we did me and those other vets.
Speaker 5:Let me tell you number one. It tested you physically so you almost had to be ex-military to endure it or be the son of one, I don't know.
Speaker 2:You just got to be crazy to be a duck hunter. Dude, it was that weather sucked ass, dude.
Speaker 5:It was horrible. I mean I don't get cold, I really don't. I feel like my skin's just gotten. I think he's got freezer burns, yeah something. Whatever I think he's got freezer burns or whatever you know frost bits. Yeah, it's all the years Like all the years, as, like a kid, my stepdad would be like don't get out of the gosh, damn tree stand. And I'd be like, but I got Kmart rubber boots on. It's 12 degrees. I don't give a shit. You know what I mean.
Speaker 5:Piss your pants. You know, I remember one time I I was like 12, and he told me I couldn't get down. So I just had no choice and I wasn't smart enough to carry anything up there with me yet.
Speaker 3:You're almost like a little punch drunk.
Speaker 5:I know right.
Speaker 3:You're like I don't know whatever. How bad can it be? You're just like whatever, it doesn't matter.
Speaker 2:That's right. That's right and it was also super short notice too, when we brought it up. Yeah dude.
Speaker 5:But no, we listen. On a rice field bro, as many ring nicks that you could ever pray for just fall into your spread. Like they said, today's the day that I just must die. It was really weird. I mean, like it got to the point where I was like when I'd see big ducks I wouldn't even call the shot on on birds that are breaking in the spread. I mean but but we basically picked out all drakes people, like they took on four or five mounters big old fat, big old fat, freaking black jacks, dude, they were great.
Speaker 2:It was weird because I mean, you don't see a lot of divers out of rice field that's I was gonna say that's not what I would expect.
Speaker 3:No, like rice field, I'm like, oh, okay, like six inches of water.
Speaker 2:Yeah, no, it was. I mean, it was like real flooded.
Speaker 5:Tell them about the review of the footage. Tell them that story.
Speaker 2:Oh, yeah. So basically it was like four and a half foot deep, like out in front of the blind, and then there's like a levee, so you could like get to the blind but like, so you walk down this levee and there's probably two foot of water over the levee, or a foot and a half, yeah and uh. So basically the, the decoys that were floating were like barely floating before. They would. You know, you know float off. Yeah, so.
Speaker 5:But yeah, I was reviewing the footage and I just thought, well, there was this time where there were some big ducks coming, yeah, and I told everybody hey, we're going to shoot, keep an eye on these big ducks. They're like, these other ones are breaking. I said I don't give a shit, listen, we're waiting for some big ducks. I mean, we've been shooting like Drake blackjacks at will and these big ducks break. And then I remember that happening. And then some ducks flew into the spread and some guys and if you're listening to this, no, you got that kind of wrong, but didn't they find all right?
Speaker 2:so tell the story yeah so no, it was just like there was ducks everywhere. Now that did happen with those big ducks or whatever, but that's not what I filmed. So there were some uh ducks that flew. Like you know, they're ducks flying everywhere, but like I remember at one point uh filming and being like man, those are some big ducks, but I just wrote them off. They got to be mallards or whatever. I've never seen it came I was calling adam no not, not these.
Speaker 2:Okay, I'm wrong yeah, uh, I was like tony, just drink your beer yeah, that's right. I uh, I've, we've never I mean we've never shot a canvas bag, never seen one in person. But I was looking over the footage and, sure enough, clear as day, because they have so much white on them and they're so damn big, it was like probably nine, nine to ten canvas bags and I'm just most of them are drakes yeah, just happened to be a video.
Speaker 2:I mean now, you know, it's not like we necessarily would have shot them, you know, but it's like the fact that they were that close, I was like man, that would have been cool yeah, yeah, no, it was just an odd shoot and we shot mostly all drake um ring necks and they were just beautiful and fat and uh, you know, we shot some other stuff too.
Speaker 5:I mean stuff too. I think we shot a couple teal, we shot freaking pintails.
Speaker 2:It was like from you six. It was like 31 ring necks, 32 ring necks and a few other ducks.
Speaker 5:It got to the point of this. It was so freaking cold that I looked at everybody in there and I go. Are we the type of people that we're like, all right, we've already shot plenty of ducks, had a show, Cause we did, it was a show. And I said, or are we the type of people that we're going to stay here until we get our 36? And they're all like 36. And I'm like, all right, let's go then.
Speaker 3:Oh, if birds are, if birds are flying, it better be a damn lightning, storm or a tornado before I'm like all right, I'm not like no, I I'm there to shoot stuff and like I'm people like well, it's more than about killing and I'm like I get it. I every time I go out hunting I have the intention of going boom at something yeah, I don't know, whatever. Whatever, it is like I'm there to shoot something.
Speaker 3:I'm all all about everything else. I'm shooting stuff until it's like no longer okay, it's like all right. Hey boys, we're done.
Speaker 2:So this year? I know you were about to ask when it's coming up this year. Yeah, oh, wait no.
Speaker 5:You got to be there, dude.
Speaker 2:It's a great time, it's always that first Saturday or Sunday.
Speaker 5:And what we do also is that we snow goose hunt the next day.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah it. What we do also is that we snow goose hunt the next day.
Speaker 3:Yeah, it's going to be the first week of February, first week, okay, because last year was the second week.
Speaker 2:It's around. It was they put it off a week last year. They did, they sure did.
Speaker 3:You're right, the only if it's that first Saturday I'm down. If it's that first Saturday I'm down, I may have to work an extra shift in overtime to cover that, but that following weekend I'm hoping we'll have a booth at NWTF.
Speaker 2:Oh, that's right, yeah, that's always yeah.
Speaker 3:So we had an opportunity to go last year, but it was so last minute that I was like dude, I just didn't have enough time to get everything we needed together. It just I was like it sucks, that's a huge opportunity um have you guys been to that?
Speaker 5:no, not in years. I used.
Speaker 3:I used to go when I was younger, but I haven't since we moved from the midwest it's uh it is why we went, christian went and walked around this year and then we all went and walked around last year and I remember last year I was like kind of in awe that there's so many people. It's insane. It's like there there were certain aisles that I would look down and I was like there's too many people, I don't care, and like, unless they're giving away free guns, I was like I'm not, I'm not going down there. It is, it's insane with how many people are there.
Speaker 3:So I told the uh, I think our church is having a mission trip to London like that same week and my wife looked at me, she goes, is that the same weekend? I said yeah, said yeah, and she, she, she's been held, she's helped out of the booth at delta, uh, along with christian's wife the last two years, and I was like I need you, I need you there, like I, I can't. Yeah, there's so much going on, especially at a show like that. So I I hope we have a spot, because it is that's a, that's a spot to make some awesome connections and really make some money.
Speaker 2:Well, I mean I have two things. I mean I've heard that it's awesome and they said so. Donnie, the marketing guy at Frog Talks that we work with, he was saying that Ducks was kind of feeling like NW2f, nwtf in terms of like volume this year.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's what I heard yeah, he said the like they did there were times I looked down rows and did the same thing, but yeah I'm not kidding, I was like now, let's skip this row but with nwtf it's it's so much closer, it's like three and a half hours from us and it's in nashville. So I mean I know from a uh, it's got to be a blast just from a networking standpoint, you know.
Speaker 3:Oh yeah, like the NWTF is. When we last year was when I taught or like officially talked with every single ammo company and it was like we were already like up and running, but it was like the hominous dominus from like the all the ammo companies, they they were like this is awesome, like, cannot, like, cannot wait to be a part of this.
Speaker 2:So that's awesome.
Speaker 3:It was like I'll never forget, like getting back to the hotel that night and I had I'd sat down for like 10 minutes that whole day. Uh, christian, like we like got a pizza and sat. I was like I'm going to sit down and we ate, and it was like, but other than that, it was like just I was beeline to every possible person I needed to talk to. And I remember getting back to the hotel and my wife's like, come on, like we got to go to dinner, I said give me a second. I took my boots off, I cracked a beer. I said I'm just going to kind of revel in this and my feet are pounding right now.
Speaker 3:So, I was like you're just going to have to give me a minute, and so it's those opportunities at NWTF, just with not even the vendors, but like the people you meet. But like the people you meet, uh, like I met, like in a Delta this year, like um met a guy from Wisconsin waterfowl association, so we got uh involved with them and then uh a a, a couple of different uh Delta chapters, one in Arkansas, I can't remember the the others, but uh it's. It's, the amount of people you talk to is unbelievable, those things. So I'm really excited for it this year. I don't know if I'm just going to have to be shotgunning energy drinks to keep up, but it's going to be wild.
Speaker 5:Well, you know, ryan, I don't know if we man, we might've talked about this last time, but if we didn't and I'm giving you guys a great idea then I only expect like I don't know like a 3% royalty on it, I guess.
Speaker 3:What about? What about a hug?
Speaker 5:A hug, bro, hey, hey, I want to feel your mustache. Give me a kiss on the cheek, baby, come on. No, but no, but for real. Like I'm just sitting, my my brain's spinning and I'm like, did you guys talk about like getting involved in, like the hunter safety program, like youth programs? Yeah, I think we talked about that last time, right, because I'm sitting here thinking as like I've got a kid sitting here at my, like the ones we actually go to the class, you know which people man, you get so much more out of it. Yeah, if you do it in person. But you know, one of the things you walk away with is a pattern pro thing and they're in in their mind. They're walking away with I'm crippling less birds, you know, and that's that's such a good practice to put in people that are just getting started, you know. So I, I can't remember if we talked about that.
Speaker 3:It seems like we did, yeah I think we did and that is still. For whatever reason, that's been a that's been a wall that I'm still trying to break through. I don't know because I'm I'm dealing with the government which I that's always for the government yeah, I worked for the government for like 12 years now in total, so it's, it's well, you know the hurry up and wait.
Speaker 3:That goes with that why do you think I drink, tony and I I keep telling people that is that right there, getting involved with the hunter's ed is is something that puts you, puts your company like, without a doubt, in perpetuity where it's yes they, they are going to know.
Speaker 3:And we all, everybody who went through hunter safety, they're like oh, we talked about patterning. It's like, yeah, but if you, if you don't do it, one, it's you're never going to fully grasp it and two, you don't, you, it's going to leave your mind. You're like I don't really talk about it, I don't really know what that means. Like I still talk with adult hunters, like I don't, I, I don't know exactly how to do it. And I'm like, if you get kids and new hunters to do it from the get-go, they will know that it's truly important and when, when they go do it, they will truly understand that there is a difference, that's, it is not just a shotgun shell. And I, I unfortunately like I get a little fired up about the, the duck hunters who who haven't been patterning the guns with the more I've seen it. And they, they're, they're more willing to go buy a t-shirt or a hat than they will to go actually kill more ducks.
Speaker 3:Sometimes I like I get frustrated and I'm like if you just just go shoot some paper, like to at least see what's happening, yes, and it's like I'm like you may not suck as bad as you think you do. You may suck I can't help you necessarily, but if you've got a mallard size hole in your pattern, you're just not going to be effective. You are going to cripple ducks.
Speaker 5:You're going to whip ducks. Who wants to shoot at something to miss?
Speaker 3:I don't get it. So, tony, I've told I don't know how many people about your. This is stuck in my head. I can't remember what my wife said to me yesterday, but this reaction from you when I said the last time we were on the podcast, it was like if you pattern your gun and you then shot less, your area of the swamp or marsh or whatever is going to be that much quieter. So now you are affecting everybody else within earshot, every duck that's within earshot, because you shot that. You shot at the duck one time and he's dead. It's over with.
Speaker 5:That's right.
Speaker 3:Those ducks a couple hundred yards away may not have heard it, but you shooting two, three, four, five times I mean ducks just about everywhere, are hearing it at that point. So you and everybody talks about you know all the birds are pressured. Well, it's like if you just went into your spot, you know, banged them out real quick and then left one, you might be able to go back to that spot the next morning because you in and out of there in an hour I've done that's like hey, dude, let's, let's, let's come back tomorrow, like whatever exactly and like, went back next morning freaking, hammered him.
Speaker 3:It was like all right, let's get the heck out of here. And it's like the, that little concept right there is just making your area quieter with less pressure.
Speaker 5:Ducks makes them easier to kill, so it's like compound that, yeah, compound that to you and your neighbor's property, the neighbors off, the neighbors the county, the city. I mean just seriously, field over field, jesus the fly. I mean think, when you compound that literally, you could. I'm just throwing a crazy number out there but you could literally take like a million shots over a week or something throughout a whole flyway to have 333,000 333,000 whatever no, if you're using powder pros.
Speaker 5:218,000, no, no, but for real, the point is, is that that's where it really affects it, right? Is that? Is that graduation over space and again, less, less, less wounded birds, I mean that's, that's the big thing, right?
Speaker 3:Obviously so. The noise is obviously a huge factor when it when it comes to pressuring ducks obviously a huge factor when it when it comes to pressuring ducks. So you look at Arkansas, who is on was on public land? Is then they they outlawed like mud motors or something of the sort. Yeah, so they obviously think that it's the noise is pressuring the ducks or bothering. Now you're starting to see suppressors on shotguns. Why do you think that is More noise is obviously pressuring the ducks.
Speaker 5:That shit looks funny, by the way, I just got to say.
Speaker 4:It does yeah, justin, please do a video with that. It's got to be heavy. Yeah, I saw.
Speaker 5:Justin from Duck Commander did one. He said it's not heavy at all.
Speaker 3:I call BS that it's not heavy yeah it looks giant dude.
Speaker 5:It looks like your football is on the end of your shotgun or something.
Speaker 2:If you're shooting a heavy-ass Pinelli Nova, like I am, you know, a pump Nova, that gun alone is heavy. So I mean, yeah, saving any poundage I can, there would be.
Speaker 3:It probably helps on your muzzle. You know any muzzle rise Probably, um, probably. But so my last infantry unit, um, three, five, um. Third battalion, fifth marines, out in camp penland, california. We were the experimental battalion so we all had, everybody had suppressors and so I hadn't. I had an m4, and having m4 was great compared to the m16. And then you go put on a suppressor on, which is cool, you don't have to wear ear pro, it's quiet. And then you're like, well, damn, it's just as long as the M16, and it's just as heavy again. So it may not, you know that suppressor for the shotgun. It may not be, you know heavy. It may be, you know 10 ounces or whatever it would be, but that's still like you're still adding a significant amount of weight when you're only talking about, you know, six or seven pounds or however much a fricking shotgun's going to weigh.
Speaker 2:So no, a hundred percent. I mean I, uh, I can tell a big difference, just like uh, with archery equipment. Like, uh, I think my bow now is a little over four pounds, four and a half pounds. But like uh, my previous bow was extremely light, like I want to say in the high threes, like, and uh, that thing was like I mean that was nice, and then it's taken me a while just to adjust to that three quarters of a pound difference.
Speaker 3:You know, it's your oh it, it makes it. It makes a big difference. Um, and it's funny, people always talk about lighter is better, and yes, but at the same time, when something's too light, you're swinging harder. So, uh, I was on one of the marine corps shooting teams, um, for camp pendleton, and so I got to do some of the action shooting which was it was an absolute blast. I truly missed that. But then something I never got to do, uh, because I'd had a shoulder surgery was the, um, the static stuff. So you shooting all the way up to like 600 yards, uh, with the M 16, and it's a much, much, much heavier rifle, with the M16, and it's a much, much, much heavier rifle, and so you're doing a lot of stuff in the standing and that rifle I don't remember how much heavier it was, but some of that weight will definitely help you because once you get it locked into position, it's not swaying as easy, whereas something that's only a couple pounds it's moving with ease.
Speaker 5:Sure Dude to speak to that whenever I gave you the Benelli and I went to my Fronky.
Speaker 2:Fronky, or is it Fronky, fronky? Yeah, when I went to, it.
Speaker 5:Say it right, tristan. Anyway, my bad.
Speaker 3:Take a lap.
Speaker 5:I'm sorry, I do some push-ups right now Right right. But no, but honestly, when I went to that, I started shooting three feet in front of every bird. Tristan's doing push-ups right now, folks. One, two, those look like Marine push-ups, bro. That's pretty good. I mean, I'll tell you what these are respectable. I wish you could see this right now, folks. They're respectable. He's keeping his back straight, butt in the air. That was pretty good.
Speaker 3:I had something inappropriate to say, but I kept it no say it. I'm sure the wife appreciates those yeah.
Speaker 5:Or disappreciates it, depending on how you look at it.
Speaker 3:Hold a plank for one minute. That's a long time, right, oh?
Speaker 2:bro, those days are. I hope I get those days back. But I'll be Okay, I will say.
Speaker 5:All right, here we go.
Speaker 2:Little girly, I do orange theory all right, but what I will say is it whoops my ass.
Speaker 5:I burned like 700 calories that's all you can ask for but um only thing whoops my ass anymore is your mom, dude, when I, when I do, uh planks in there, I mean she 30 seconds.
Speaker 3:I'm like toast I tell my wife the same thing 30 seconds, I'm toast uh, so okay, back to the uh, the shooting thing.
Speaker 2:Is it true that Marines struggle shooting shotguns? I feel like that's a common myth.
Speaker 3:I mean, we just don't ever really do it. I only ever shotgun. I only shot a shotgun. I think one time it was a breaching shotgun. It was probably a freaking. I think it was a breaching shotgun. Uh, it's probably probably a freaking. I think it was a mossberg pump, uh, and you're shooting, like you're shooting a slug, from like five, six feet, like we don't, we don't ever do any of that stuff. Um, we have it's more of the. Well, the, the machine gunners creed is something that I don't remember, but their motto was accuracy by volume. Just keep shooting. I shot rockets. So that was always just get it close and it'll do the job, I would much rather shoot rockets.
Speaker 3:Oh dude, if there was a civilian job that shot rockets, that's what I'd be doing. I miss shooting rockets. My head and ears don't. Um, I got it. I got a concussion from being around too many rockets. Oh yeah, it was. Uh, it was pretty rough.
Speaker 3:We, uh, we were testing a new rocket launcher for the marine corps, the, the carav and um, so we had, uh, two or three days of of class and then, uh, the assault men and some of the, a couple of the engineers, uh boo, um, sorry for any engineers out there, but, um, and we went and shot your. There was like a point system like, hey, you can only be around. It was like a thousand points, like, hey, you can only be around. It was like 1,000 points. And it was like certain positions, like, if you were to lay down, you could shoot like one or two rockets in a day because of the percussion or whatever it is. And so in the kneeling position, I think you could be around like four or five in a day. Well, I shot four and was the assistant gunner for two. So within a 24-hour period, I'm technically already over my allotment.
Speaker 3:Well then, I was close to I don't know a couple dozen more and I was far enough away. I was like that night I was fine. Well, the next day, all the the the riflemen come out and they've been in the class, but most of them had never shot a rocket before. So we're their, their PSO, their personal safety officer. So we're like right up there next to them making sure they don't do anything stupid. And after I'd been around a dozen, dozen and a half, whatever it was, I started like flinch every single time and I was like I need to go sit down. All of us ended up being that that way. Like I almost missed my exit driving home that night, like my buddy couldn't figure out how to plug his playstation in. Uh, yeah, I had an actual concussion from that, which is pretty, pretty, pretty common, uh, in that community. So it, uh, it rocked my world. It was. It was a blast though. I had so much fun. No pun intended.
Speaker 2:No, no pun intended, oh man.
Speaker 3:I've, I've been a dad, I've been down, uh, a dad a while. I've got the jokes down pretty pretty good.
Speaker 2:I would have. Yeah, man, I bet uh transitioning to like civilian life from that, like I mean, you'll never get to do that again probably, you know no no, not unless red dawn three happens wolverines dude, let me tell you something.
Speaker 5:We started that shit. What the original red dawns? The original red dawns, the original red Red Dawn movie.
Speaker 3:The Sways.
Speaker 5:Dude, that was like you took Breakfast Club and just took over the United States to shoot Russia. It's kind of like what it turned into. I think did that Patrick Swayze in it, I think?
Speaker 3:Yeah, Patrick Swayze, Charlie Sheen. Yeah, the original was pretty badass, honestly, Dude so good. I watched it not too long ago.
Speaker 5:Well, what felt real about it is dude, that was during. Like you still didn't know if Russia was gonna drop a Franklin nuclear warhead on you. Like for real, like a that could. Like when they did the movie it still could have happened, like people could see that happening. That's what kind of made it so like wild when it, whenever it came out well, I haven't seen that movie, but it sounds like I need to.
Speaker 2:what dude don't? I haven't seen that one, oh dude, it's so good.
Speaker 5:Dude, don't, don't like it's the remake In the 80s during the Cold War. All of a sudden Russia has a sneak attack move and comes over and starts taking over America. What? And you basically got fend for yourself and yeah, like all these great actors and actresses are in this movie and they basically just get their own guns and shit and just start wiping out freaking a bunch of Russians. That's crazy. Yeah, dude, start dropping commies. Yeah, dude.
Speaker 5:Yeah, they're like you, take that commie shit and get back across the river, bro. Yeah, across the pond.
Speaker 3:The Ruskies found out the hard way.
Speaker 5:Let me ask this dude Whiskey's found out the hard way, so let me ask this dude so since we haven't had you on, we had last season. In between last season and this season, obviously, you've had a duck, a waterfowl season since then.
Speaker 3:So what did that look like for you last year?
Speaker 5:Did you guys even get any time to do anything?
Speaker 3:I went a handful of times and it was wildly unsuccessful. I had a couple trips planned and they all, just every single one of them, pretty much fell through, only killed a couple wood ducks here, and it was pretty sad. It was. It was pretty sad. Um, yeah, I don't didn't have, didn't have the time to, to go some places, didn't have the time to, um, to just get out more here. But it's uh, I'm still really learning the, the, the duck hunting here. And um, haven't, uh, haven't gotten a boat yet. And here, unfortunately, is like, if you don't have a boat most of the time it is really hard.
Speaker 3:So, like, there's a couple of spots I've I've been, you know, you know I didn't need it, but um, the the year before I was at a hunting club and we had a couple of spots where I could, I could just, you know, park the truck and walk in there and go kill some birds. I could just, you know, park the truck and walk in there and go kill some birds. So it was unfortunate, but it wasn't, you know, it is what it is. But that last hunt where I took my oldest, it was an afternoon hunt and it was cool, like when we pulled into the parking lot like there out of a few hundred ducks, um like all, pretty much all divers got up for like right in front of the blind and I was like holy, like I was like I was like holy crap, like it was not expecting that, so like we got some shots off, but they the it's the 19th that morning and maybe you're chasing ducks or geese, but now it's september and it's 85 degrees and you're hunting early teal or geese.
Speaker 5:As a waterfowler, you need dependable weather protection that will not break the bank. Founded in 1996, frog togs is not only the leader in breathable wader technology, but a company you can depend on to keep you warm and dry head to toe, no matter your hunting environment like, if we've been there that morning, we probably it would have been a freaking show, but they, they wanted nothing to do with anything around us.
Speaker 3:Um, unfortunately, my, my oldest, she didn't get. She didn't get any shots off we, just because she's still shooting a, she's not shooting anything out of the air yet, um, and so that was kind of frustrating. We had a black we had, we had so much fun. Um, we did knock one bird down and, as me and this guy with his dog we're going to go try, and it was like directly across and the water got kind of high.
Speaker 3:We were out there, uh, going after this bird in in the, and uh, he turns around, he goes, hey, your daughter's in the in the water, I said and I turned around. Well, this, this blind is like I don't know, maybe like two feet off the water and it's only like around. The blind is only like knee high, but she wasn't paying attention and like she had her gun, like she was, she was ready and I guess, just like like safety, that safety's on just for anybody out there um, she went forward and just like head first into the water, oh my, and I was like, oh no, I was like I got back there. I was like man.
Speaker 3:My wife was gonna kill me, um luck badly and like it wasn't cold yeah, it like it wasn't cold, like, and she was in and out, so she really didn't she was wet, but she was, she was, she toughed it out like it was only like another hour, I think, left in the hunt, um, but it was, it was kind of funny, um, definitely a learning experience. Like I was like you probably pay attention, probably pay attention where, where you're standing there, kiddo, yeah, yeah, so that was, that was, that was kind of interesting. But, um, yeah, so she's, she's got a little break. Action 410. That, uh, it's a great gun, but it's more of a, that's more of a turkey gun. Which man? Those are her enemy yeah we, uh dude.
Speaker 3:I called in, we, uh. We went in an afternoon and I think it's probably a friday afternoon, after she got out of school and, uh, the two properties that I'm leasing from my wife's uncle are, I think they're like 150 acres combined between the two and they're like only like a quarter mile apart and one of them is essentially a big power line. That's like most of most of the property. So, like it starts with, we go like we're going to go in one side because the birds have been on the other. I was like we'll kind of sneak down to them. Well, we bought like bump into two jakes.
Speaker 3:I was like crap, um.
Speaker 3:So I was like, well, all right, let's go back to the truck, like we're going to go back to the other side, and we, we start to come out of the power line and I can see end up being three birds like I don't know, probably 300 yards down, and I said I got her set up like I kind of like low crawled, I put the decoy out like I don't know, 10, probably 15 yards as far as I could, like that's the only spot I could do it.
Speaker 3:I got her set up with our tripod, like we talked everything out and I was like, hey, I'm just going to kind of go behind us like I was going like 15 yards, just so I could still be in the wood line and see farther down to see if there's anything else. And so I do that and I start calling. I'm calling like real loud to see if there's something, because the grass is kind of kind of tall and all of a sudden I see a freaking tom at like 60 yards, just like walking through the like the grass, like right ass, I'm like oh, my god like I was like I can't move and he's not making any noise and I'm trying to get him to gobble.
Speaker 3:I'm like I just let her know you're freaking there, yeah, and he's getting closer and closer and then he kind of just starts, uh, starts spitting a little bit but won't gobble. And I was like I'm like he, she's got to know. He's there now like yeah, it's loud enough to where she can hear him and he's just kind of like freaking bee bopping along and, um, he probably gets to 20 yards and I'm like I don't know, I have no idea what's, what's going through her mind, nothing. So he just kind of like comes kind of in and then goes back down to the other hands and I go over to her and she's, she's a little shaken. I'm like clearly, clearly, you saw him, she got, he just wouldn't stop. Like you know, I feel bad because she's by herself. Essentially, how old is she? And, uh, she, she was eight, she's nine now, oh and um, so she's. She's killed a couple ducks, she's killed a few deer, um, so it's not like.
Speaker 5:It's a pretty damn good accomplishment at that age.
Speaker 3:I mean my goodness um, yeah, her, yeah, her first year. Her first year was a seven point that you know. She pretty much cried her way into getting mounted, so that was a that was the same same thing with her first, first duck, um, all worth it.
Speaker 3:But uh, so I was like all right, hey, well, we go back to the truck, we're gonna go check this other spot and it's like all younger pines and and then on, like the left side of the property, the the right, like on the road, the property line, a bunch, all a bunch of hardwoods that drops out into the swamp. And I'm like, hey, there's either going to be kind of something around here because I have plenty of birds on camera or you know or nothing. And then you know we'll go home. So I call nothing and I call I got really aggressive and I'm like I just thought I heard a hen. And then, sure enough, I'm like all right. And then right behind her, I hear that distant gobble. I said, oh, I said like find that. I was like get that tree, like sit down, like got her like, threw gloves and mask on, got her mask on, sit, mask on. Um, got her mask on, sit her in between my legs.
Speaker 3:And by the time that happens, a hen pops up at like 30 yards to our left. I was, oh crap, she comes out. She comes to 10 feet directly in front of us, like 10 feet and I don't know what was going through. But she like came out and then like stopped, turned around. I was like crap, she's gonna go back into the woods. Well, no, she circled around us and she kind of did that like almost like a fly down cackle or whatever you want to call it.
Speaker 3:And so I knew she flew onto the road to my right and I'm like I obviously can't turn to look at her and he's now like clear as day, like I can hear him, and now I can hear his footsteps and, you know, gobbled a few times and I'm getting fired up and then he's kind of quiet for probably only like 20 seconds. She goes dad, where is he? And like it's like he answered her and it was like the freaking thor's hammer coming down and I said, oh, right there. And he was, I mean God. And he pops out and this whole time I was thinking, I was like I couldn't be in a better like. This is what you dream of. You have a hen that is actively talking.
Speaker 5:Right.
Speaker 3:And you and I'm calling in between this, Tom, that is gobbling. I was like, oh, this is, you can't draw it up any better. And he comes out at I think I paced it off at 12, 15, like 15 yards at max. I really don't think it was that. It was, I mean, in your lap, like that 410, his head's gonna be gone yeah and I say you on him, you on him.
Speaker 3:And she was no, and like I can feel, like feel her shaking, I said like I put her like finger on, like on the trigger. I said get on, I'm like let me know and I'll help you pull the trigger, which is like something we've worked through. Sure, she, just like she fell apart, like completely.
Speaker 3:And he just he kind of. He just kind of just slowly makes his way down down the hill and back into the woods, and I was like, oh, like she was upset, Like it like it means something to her. But I was like, well, she's trying to prove something to her.
Speaker 5:um, but it, I was like well, she's trying to prove something to her daddy too, that's. I mean every kid does you know so?
Speaker 3:she's going through that stage. It's hard to watch, like with deer too like she didn't pull a trigger last year for deer either. Where it's? It's weird because like when she first started, there was like no question about it.
Speaker 3:It was like fucking send it yes and like her first, her first butt or her first deer that she shot, um, it was like, uh, it was only like an 80, 80 by like 60 yard, little field surrounded by swamp, and uh, we're sitting there and I've got it, uh, her rifle, and it's a little, it's a two, two, three bolt action and uh, I've got one of the uh bog death grip tripods and so it's locked in there. It's like, obviously, like right on the corn pile, like that's where the that's where it's coming. Well, I look over her, I back out and go, oh, there's a buck.
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Speaker 3:if you want 15 off your next order, use code one hell of a life 15 on your next order just like it came out of freaking nowhere and he obviously, for whatever reason, decides not to go to the corn pile and I'm like great. So now I just literally just kind of just turn the tripod in that direction and we got over like hey, this is where you put the crosshairs, all that good stuff, and he's moving around, moving around, and he kind of finally just kind of settles into a spot for a second and I go, all right, hey, and she goes, dad him, I got him. All right, kid, I reach, like reach over, I flip it off, flip it off safe. And I'm like, whenever you're ready, she goes all right, all right, bam, and just whack.
Speaker 3:And I was oh damn, like wow, and I was like like dropped him and I was, like it turned out she seemed like I mean dead center in the freaking shoulder, like perfect yeah and it obviously like broke his, broke his back, um, and you know, he starts crawling towards the swamp and I was like I'm not taking a six-year-old or whatever five-year-old in the swamp as it's getting dark. I I said nope. Every year I was like I'm putting another one in and like that was it. But like when she first started, it was just like that where it was like let's kill them all, dad, like she's kind of going through it, which is, I'm sure, is some kind of maturity that the boys don't ever really seem to go through. We're just not that smart from the beginning.
Speaker 5:Well, women are just. They're years ahead and they are, and I'm just saying with my daughter and Tristan, they just are, even at a baby, I mean when they're first born, even if you've got a boy or a girl. You've seen it yourself as a parent. But you know, the thing is that she's figuring out what that, that, that, what right looks like for her. You know what I mean, which is fine, you know we all have a difference of opinion. What right looks like me like opening day for me, what right looks like is a spike bro. I'm shooting the spike, I am sending the spike, I will do it, but for her, that's what she's doing and that's that's a great maturity thing. I think it's great for.
Speaker 3:It's great for me, though, is my youngest, who, seven, seven and a half, whatever it is uh, for the longest time I was like I don't think she's ever going to care about any of this. So I started trapping, uh, back in, I got my first set of traps for christmas, and so she'd come with me checking, checking traps, and so she was like I'll shoot him. It was a raccoon, or her first thing she shot was a bobcat, um, and so she was like I'll do it. And I was like, oh okay, like this is coming out of left field, um, and then she like, progressively, was like I want want to, I want to hunt, I want to deer hunt. So, uh, I I've taken her out one time, uh, already this year, cause our season started on the 15th.
Speaker 2:Man, that's right. You guys have like in South Carolina you go through like February too, right.
Speaker 3:Nah, January 1st, so it starts. Really, I wish they would just push it back where it's like dude, it's August 15th and then September 15th we can start shooting does. But so yeah, she's, she's all about it. So it's, I'm, I'm, I'm pretty confident she can, you can get her first one, Cause I have that same tripod where I can lock it in there, and so she was practicing like getting behind it and finding stuff. So it was, it was cool, so it was cool to see. So I'm hoping that she'll kind of bridge that gap where it's like I'm all just going to, kind of all right, Dad, I'm ready again. So she still loves to go, but it's just one of those little growing pains that we all go through.
Speaker 5:Sure sure.
Speaker 2:That's great stuff, man.
Speaker 5:You know, ryan, I was just sitting here thinking about you know, there's no way we can get through this podcast tonight with one of the most important things, and I think that is like if somebody walks up to you, I'm just going to put you in this position. Somebody walks up to you on the show and says hey man, I'm Tony. You know, I'm trying to figure out what you guys are all about. Why is it worth it? Can you kind of just speak to that from like it's so truth and reality.
Speaker 5:I think it just paints such a real easy picture of why. What's the?
Speaker 3:benefit of me getting a bag from Pattern Pros versus going and wasting my money. Well, you're going to kill more ducks and you're gonna prevent crippled ducks. So if you enjoy uh wasting time, ammo and you know sleep, go ahead, just, you know, keep sucking at doing whatever you're doing. I love it, so I it's funny like people come over like oh, that's cool, and I'm like, so do you pattern again? Like well, no, and I'm like, so you just enjoy sucking and missing ducks.
Speaker 5:Does that sound like mom?
Speaker 3:And so they're just like they kind of have that dumbfounded look on their face. But I'm like, well, it just, you know it is what it is. And some people, you know they've got it figured out, they've got it dialed in and whatever. And I'm never going to say that to be, you know, a true asshole, necessarily, right, I think I'm just kind of at that point in my life where I'm just going to kind of say stuff. My wife, a lot of times, like you, can't say that. I'm like I'm at, so it's um, but I tell people I'm like, well, you spent you know a thousand dollars on your shotgun. You spent you know a thousand dollars on your freaking calls and a thousand dollars on your waiters and twenty thousand dollars onaders. Um, but the thing that actually matters most, you don't know what's happening and I don't care what shell you shoot every, every single shell company, I you know, we work with.
Speaker 3:We work with it, which is every single manufacturer. I'm like. I'm never going to push one shell more than that. I don't care, they just go out there. I just want them to be the most efficient hunter that they possibly can. So'm like you do all these other things. Go out there in the freaking summer or hell I mean a week before the season, whatever and just go find whatever your gun likes yeah and then go shoot more ducks you're going out you're not.
Speaker 3:You're like you're going out there to shoot. If you're not, just take your damn calls and call for your buddies like um, it's just like you were just going to be more effective. You're going to be more effective in every aspect of it.
Speaker 5:You're going to have a better time because, unless you do and just enjoy shooting and missing um well, just I sorry, I didn't mean to cut you off, but you know, just from the financial standpoint, you know you're the average Joe and you're going out and you're spending, I mean, I would say, a middle of the road price across the boards. You're going to pay $25 to $32 for a decent shell, you know. And so you're going out and you're buying those multiple brands and you have to buy a whole box, right? So from a financial perspective, you know, it just leaves you with all these shells that you don't prefer or you don't like or whatever. You know.
Speaker 3:Um, but the fact that you guys can just make that so financially feasible, you know well, it's like, and I tell people I'm like, yeah, all right, it's, it's a little bit of an investment up front. So, like our regular box is 64.99, our premium box, which is, um, pretty much all all bismuth, is 74.99. But I'm like, well, for bismuth you can't try more than one box of bismuth. For that You're going to pay 80 some dollars to try two different boxes, plus whatever shipping is going to be. So you can't really try more than two boxes of shells most of the time for that price, let alone eight. But you find out what actually works.
Speaker 3:And now it's kind of back to what we say we were talking about earlier was you're shooting less. So I spent a little money up front, but now I'm only shooting once or twice, compared to two, three, four times. So immediately you're just saving yourself money. And it's like it's the more I do it. It's like there's so many other added benefits where it's like, hey, if you're out chasing a cripple to your ducks, out chasing a cripple, how many times have you or your duck or your buddy fled birds Cause they're out there fricking chasing a bird? I'm like there's just so many other little things and people are always talking about either bird numbers are down or everybody around me is a freaking idiot, which sometimes is the case, um, but I'm like. You can just be that much better, and it doesn't. With two hours at most for one day plus, you're gonna go get some trigger time in. If that's, what are you? What are you gonna do between the end of snow goose season and teal season? I don't know, when does snow goose end and what March?
Speaker 5:March, May, I mean it's pretty much done by then, depending on where you're at.
Speaker 3:All right, let's just say at minimum you have five months, like go spend two hours. Yeah, yeah, no Like you're going to spend more gas money and fricking gas station burritos and energy drinks than you will on this and it's like it's not. It has nothing to do with the money. Duck hunters are going to shell out money.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 3:But it's just, I don't know. I like dude, I don't like hell. Even if you don't go buy a box, just go fricking, put some shell on paper, don't do it at 10 yards and be an idiot um but don't eat like if you've only got that, yeah, you're like oh man, my pattern's great.
Speaker 3:It's like, dude, you shot a slug um but, like I, I, people ask me well, you know, out of those 24 shells or eight brands or whatever it is like like, how do you know which one's going to be best? Well, it's like, at your 20 yard you're going to have a lot of, for the most part, most patterns are going to be are going to be decent. You will have a couple that you're like immediately you're like I don't, like that's not going to be a contender, like it is what it is. You get to the 30-yard and then you've got a couple more that you're like yeah, you fell off. And then you get back to the 40-yard line and you probably have like four shells that are what I call contenders at that point. And then you're probably going to walk away from the 40-yard line with two or three shells that are your top ones, with two or three shells that are your, your top ones. And then, when I'm trying to really break it down and draw your 30 inch circle and you'll actually count hit percentages. That's what all. That's what I do it, um, but you don't have to. You don't have to count every single freaking one that you want, um.
Speaker 3:And then the other thing I tell people is pattern on something that's bigger than a freaking printed piece of printer paper. So our targets are three foot by three foot brown craft paper. It really shows you that full pattern. So it's just like I don't know if people are lazy about it or I think there's a lot of there's some laziness and there's some people that are kind of naive with it and they all think they're all the same or people I want. Why would I buy the expensive stuff? Like just buy the cheap stuff and heck, the cheap stuff shoots fine a lot of the time. So it you don't have to spend money on a shell necessarily to actually find the the best pattern, but it's just, it is just all about knowing what, what's actually going to happen when you pull the trigger yeah, no, I mean that makes sense.
Speaker 2:And I mean, at the end of the day it's like, yeah, there's something to the whole bismuth thing and having more, you know, or the copper plated with, like boss, you know, there's something to have, not like you know to it, but like to your point. I mean, if you take the 14 to 20 box of shells and you try to all of those, there's going to be one that's going to have the most amount of, you know, pellets and ultimately it doesn't really matter if you're putting pellets on the bird, it's going to kill the bird ultimately.
Speaker 2:You know what I mean yeah, it doesn't matter it's the same thing with, like, the kinetic energy of like, um, shooting a heavier arrow, you know, and you're pounded with your bow. It's like, okay, yeah, you could shoot. Oh, did we lose you, ryan?
Speaker 5:We're back because Ryan messed it all up.
Speaker 3:That sounds about right.
Speaker 5:Freaking Ryan. There's always a Ryan in the group.
Speaker 3:It's because I ran out of whiskey. Yeah, there it is oh, that's a problem For real.
Speaker 2:So you guys got some exciting stuff coming up, huh.
Speaker 3:Yeah, buddy. So for anybody watching, we have.
Speaker 5:Uh-oh From the mystery box.
Speaker 3:From the mystery box. I'll just put two up there. But for anybody who likes to hunt the old rooster, we are coming out with a. It's going to be an upland box. So the first edition of it is going to be it's going to be, uh, it's gonna be pheasant loads. So if we uh all, uh, all number fives, two, three quarter inch shells, uh, the only non-number five is actually going to be the micro stacked, uh, fours and sixes. Okay, so that, uh, that will be coming out shortly.
Speaker 3:We're just kind of waiting to hear back from our box design guy and I think I don't know if it'll happen this year at the same time. But a Dove edition or a Dove box will be the same. So it'll be just an upland box that will have all the same design on there. Just one of them will be obviously designed for pheasant, the other one will be for dove. So that's exciting. I can't wait for that. But the thing that is going to be the most challenging but I think will yield the most uh, interest is actually going to be a choke tube rental box so yes, that's a great idea.
Speaker 3:That is a great idea so it's uh, it's definitely got some challenges that we kind of gotta. We gotta work a to work a couple of things out. Um, but I already have, uh, three choke tube companies that are already, um, they're already on board. I've already got choke tubes uh from, uh, actually, I have choke tubes from all three of them. Um, so it's going to be we'll send you three choke tubes of the same constriction. They're all going to be a modified choke for waterfowl to start, and it'll be.
Speaker 3:We'll send you these three. They're obviously there's going to be like a rental fee, just that's. That's the way of life. We'll send you these three. We'll give you a chance to shoot all three of them. We'll give you a chance to to shoot all three of them. Um, give you roughly a week or so, I think, is what we've kind of got down to. Um, so you go, go shoot all three, whatever one you like best. Uh, you can go ahead and just buy straight from us. We'll give you a 10% off the discount. Um, and then, uh, the shipping, uh'm, it's gonna work out this way uh, the shipping will will be included uh, to and from, so there's not like a hey, I have to go to the freaking post office and pay another turn label or something.
Speaker 3:Yeah, so it all be done at one time. Um, but I I saw a need for this. Uh, I started to come up with this idea last year and really work through some stuff, uh. But I see it on facebook all the time where people are selling choke tubes, um, and I'm like, well, they obviously got another. They didn't like that one, or they got another choke tube that they liked more. Well, it's what? All right, so they're, they're out money, they. Whether they, they shot that thing one fricking time, as soon as, as soon as you bought it, it's whether you can say, hey, it was. You know, it's never been open, no one's going to buy it for the same, they're not going to buy it brand new. So I'm like, this gives you the chance to shoot. You know, several hundred dollars worth of choke tubes without that that risk so what's that concept?
Speaker 3:um, so the, the, the first three that I've got uh for right now are trulock, carlson's and muller, so I'm, I'm, I'm really excited about it. It was funny, christian. This this whole time has been kind of not that kind of skeptical, like, hey, how are we going to make money? How, how is this? And and it was just a, a, a back and forth. You know us cussing at each other, which is just normal Um, problem solving.
Speaker 3:Yeah, yeah, exactly, um, but you know exactly. But we drove to and from, obviously, delta with all our stuff, so that whole 16-hour drive there. There was a lot of talk about it. Well, I obviously talked with hundreds of people about the idea at the Delta show and it was overwhelming, like I want to do this now. That's awesome, that is so cool.
Speaker 3:And it was on the way back it was like completely different tune. It was like all right, how are we going to do this? How are we going to do this? So it was cool and he like it's frustrating, but it's awesome is our brains weren't completely different. He'll be doing something like why the hell, what do you like? And then he'll kind of like explain it. I'm like, okay, I guess that makes sense. So it ends up working out really well. But the yeah, the ChokeTube stuff is going to be exciting and so going to hopefully get that out real soon. We're working on our new website, which is going to allow things to work a lot smoother, because, as of right now, just with the way a payment processor and with our platform, we can do it, but essentially we'd have to issue a return. So if someone, the way I've looked at it. I'm like all right, well, if you want to put you know four hundred dollars on your credit card and then whenever you know you send us back, we just refund you that.
Speaker 3:And I'm like, well, honestly, guys who go out there and put in draws for elk and out-of-state tags, they're doing that same crap every single year, right that's true you do it every time you go to the hotel yeah, a million, like a million guys who are out there trying to get freaking elk tags and mule, deer tags and pronghorn and bighorn and all that stuff. And for a lot of those, what those guys do is they they put their credit card down. Essentially it it's got you know $1,000 or whatever the heck that tag is, and then they get refunded. Or it's like hey, dude, my card got hit today and now they're like you know, now they're going to go tell their wives, hey, you know that $1,000?. Like, not only are we not getting that back, but I get to go on an L-cut now?
Speaker 5:No, but.
Speaker 3:I get to go on an L-cut now.
Speaker 5:No, but seriously, if you spend $100 at Enterprise, they always tell you like I think, it's $350. They said you'll get this back upon return, but it's just a security, that's all it is.
Speaker 3:Exactly.
Speaker 5:And so if you're speaking true to your word and you're going to return it, like you're supposed to, then you shouldn't have a bitch about it. Honestly, the only people that should bitch about it are people that are trying to get a fast one.
Speaker 3:I mean honestly and you know what, if you want to try and pull a fast one, I mean go ahead. You've just bought all three choke tubes.
Speaker 1:That's right, there you go, there you go, there you go.
Speaker 3:You have bought all three choke tubes for retail price plus the the rental fee. So if you want to go, do that.
Speaker 3:I mean, and just you know, do it on purpose and maximize your profits but, um, so I am like I'm I am stoked for that, like that, that's all the the looks on people's faces that I was getting at the show. And we did another show, uh, a couple weeks ago in North Carolina. It was like like one guy came up to us, uh, like at like the next day it was like this is like. He's, like I want to do this right now, like when is this going to be available? So it was, I was like it's, it's coming.
Speaker 3:So think I think our box guys got um the design for that box and the, uh, the upland box. So that's, that's so cool. Um, so it's uh, in this next, oh man, eight months, nine, like the things are gonna look drastically like, drastically different in a really, really good way. So, um, I can't wait and like we're starting to show you stuff with waterfowl, um, and I think it'll do really well. But I know the freaking sickos that are turkey hunters are going to be like drooling over it, because they're just like.
Speaker 5:That seems like like to me, man. I mean, like you want that one shot to be great for a turkey shot and for you to be that confident, I think that's awesome. I mean, that is so awesome.
Speaker 3:So, and then you know people who also they resell them. They resell those choke tubes, but there's a ton of people that they're like dude, I got 20 choke tubes at home Like they, just they just sitting there. It's just like that box of shells that didn't pattern pattern good for you, it just wasted money, it just you're never getting any of that back. So it's like this is going to prevent that kind of waste where it's like I don't, I don't have to do that, I, I bought these choke tubes and I actually got to test them out before I shot them, um, and and then you get a roll with it. So it's uh, like I keep saying it, but I'm uh, I'm really excited. We got just some freaking awesome stuff coming out. Oh, and then I think one of the coolest things non-shooting related is our new shirts oh, dude yeah I was gonna say those look sick that
Speaker 3:so I'm trying to put that. It says don't lose your head. And he's got it, holding a mallard with his head no longer there.
Speaker 5:Yes, that's some good Marine Corps stuff right there. Yeah, so that was hey, ryan, before I just I've been holding on to this for a while and when you said something about trapping, I just like you know I can't trap because I don't have a mustache to trap Like. I feel like you have to have a strong mustache, like you do, to be like mountain man.
Speaker 2:Yeah, mountain man vibe yeah.
Speaker 5:Image yeah, dude, like I feel like you're not faking me out for running into you in Academy. Be like, what do you do?
Speaker 2:And I academy, be like what do you do? And I'm like, I'm a trapper and I'll be like no doubt about that.
Speaker 5:He's just mysterious enough right. But if you ran into tristan and he's like, what do you do for a living? He's like I'm a trap, we'd be like no, no there's no way.
Speaker 3:No, no, no I was gonna say an only fans model, but let's go.
Speaker 2:I guess that's a compliment somebody somebody once you're a beautiful man.
Speaker 3:Somebody once said oh God, it was the. Tony, I know you remember the old God Cornelius, Yukon, Cornelius, or something like that.
Speaker 2:Yes From the.
Speaker 3:Rudolph yeah, rudolph, like they said, it looked like him.
Speaker 5:Yes, dude, we actually have a video where our buddy Drew looks so much like him that Tristan did. You might have to pull that up, tristan. That we did like I'm like Drew, you look just like this guy and it had everybody rolling at the campsite. It was awesome.
Speaker 3:Totally agree. Speaking of trapping, so it was kind of cool. I know we're kind of running out of time, so I started trapping and it was. It's been so cool to actually see the proof in the freaking pudding. The amount of poults that I had hatched this year like that are still running around now is is unbelievable.
Speaker 3:Like I used to have like four or five coons every single night on a feeder, now there's almost none, like almost at all. Like I got rid of, wow, I pretty much all of the possums I got rid of. I probably got rid of 30 plus coons, 30 or 40 coons. Uh, I got rid of three bobcats, one coyote and it was. It was when I started doing it.
Speaker 3:I remember texting, texting my buddies. I was like that's got to equal. Like one more turkey, right. Like I got rid of all those, it's gotta be one more. And now I see them all the time, all like living on those properties and I'm like it is like that kind of stuff right there is is for me is like the conservation side of it. Like I know I'm not going to get rid of all the freaking coons and I don't want to, but in my little area it's kind of given it almost feels like a little bit of a sanctuary and is giving them a better chance. So I'm like I love to see all of those animals on the landscape, but you're damn sure I want to see, see more fricking turkeys and deer Right, I do them. So, uh, if you get to trap in like I promise you, you do it hard, it will it really pays dividends and it's it's a lot of fun too.
Speaker 2:Hey guys, so hope you enjoyed that podcast with Ryan from pattern pro. So from Pattern Pros Listener question of the week. Tony's got one of these magical shirts on from Refuge Graphics. Shout out to Hunter Greer.
Speaker 2:He hooked us up with these t-shirts that we're giving out along with a little bit of our merch for the people that put in a question. When we put out the prompts and we pick one and we throw it on the podcast, you get a shout out and all that good stuff and then we send some merch on your way. So the question we have this week comes from Carter Bryant, mississippi River Ducks. If you guys have seen him on Instagram or on TikTok, he's a pretty cool follow.
Speaker 2:There's a lot of drone work with, like his farm stuff and you know, showing really what the day-to-day is like running a duck hunting operation. But his question is what has been negatively affecting ducks migrating south? The weather, the food sources? A blind in every duck hole south of the mason dixon line? Doesn't something's happening? And surely us as hunters can make a positive change in the controllable, um negative reasons? So I think that's a really awesome question and we've been fortunate enough to have some really cool people on the podcast that all we can kind of do is echo the stuff we've heard. But I think, factually, and I think that we can answer this question pretty well. So, tony, go ahead you guys.
Speaker 5:Number one I will tell you right now with this question Carter, you're included podcast we had with Houdain Weatherford.
Speaker 2:Houdain is 80s, I think I don't know if he's not. He's not quite that old.
Speaker 5:Yeah, well, he's been around a minute yeah, way longer than we have.
Speaker 2:What 38 years yeah?
Speaker 5:38 years. Guide uh has been northeast arkansas all of his life. Um, he's seen it all. I mean he has seen it all farmed, farmed. I've been a farmer. I mean he has seen it all. I mean he has seen it all Farmed, farmed. He's been a farmer. I mean he has seen it all.
Speaker 5:And one of the interesting points we talked about this on that podcast and one of the most interesting points that I got learned on that day was implements have changed. Farming equipment has changed. There is a dramatic and he claims it's fact there is a dramatic difference in the amount of food that we're leaving versus what there was. I mean a dramatic difference. You guys, we don't have the facts right here. I mean he might've talked a little bit about that and gave it a little bit more clarification on it, but that's one of the biggest things y'all is that there's just not as much food being left.
Speaker 5:And then there's some things I still think that we're all trying to figure out, even from a biological level, scientists, we're all trying to figure out, like you know, is this a shift because of the weather? You know it's so easy to blame it on. Well, this outfitter got 10,000 acres next to me and took all the ducks away. Or I'm on this Arkansas public land and there's too many hunters here. It's so easy to blame it on that y'all it really is. But if you look at it full scope, like we've been able to with some of these professionals, especially people like Brad Cohen, that provide you factual data on going into a refuge, going in there and shooting off blanks and blowing every duck out of there and to come right back, there's a lot of ways you can point the finger. But I think, to fully answer your question, man, that's the leading one right there that has made a significant difference to I think. We're just still.
Speaker 2:We're still processing well, and I would say too, like you know, the landscape has changed so much from like, uh, you know, you talk to old timers that have been around anywhere in the mississippi flyway and just from, the agricultural landscape has changed so much in terms of the amount of fields that are planted.
Speaker 5:You know what?
Speaker 2:I mean so there is so much food dispersed.
Speaker 5:Yeah, in the 80s there was no snow geese in northeast Arkansas.
Speaker 2:So there is so much food dispersed. So it's like you got to think the ducks have so much more to go, so many areas to go, and I know Carter mentioned a duck pit um, you know, everywhere south the mason dixon line and you know there really is so many, uh, so many flooded fields and so many um, so part of it's that there's so many places for them to go. But you know, on the flip side of that coin, it's not a bad thing to have a lot of area for ducks you know whether that be private, public, what refuge, whatever it might be because ultimately, the more habitat that you have that's viable for ducks, the more ducks that are going to be in the area and the more opportunity you're going to have to shoot them. It's definitely a lot to consider, like I almost don't. Even the weather, you know it almost makes you think sometimes, like how much the weather has to do with it.
Speaker 2:I almost feel like the weather doesn't have as much to do with it as people think I know I think it has more to do with the agricultural landscape, um, the pressure, things like that, more so than the weather and the amount of ducks coming down yeah, no, and I just think a lot of the species are still figuring it out.
Speaker 5:Um, just like we've watched pintails uh, come back. I've watched it happen over the last five years is the numbers are up with pintails because they a lot of their. They're one of the few species that, if they can't breed and lay eggs where they did the year before, they just might not you mean, they're down?
Speaker 5:they're down. No, they were down. Yeah, this year they went up and I'm saying that's a result of three to five years ago, of these special. This special species has got to find just this right place and if it's not available next year, they might not, you know. So they actually you could talk to anybody that talks about pintails. They shifted their migration some and they found the water and now we're seeing the results of that and I think that we're still just processing and figuring things out in this mississippi flyway and the central flyway, um, because I think that the animals themselves are still figuring it out yeah you know, because this landscape is changing every day, every day.
Speaker 5:You got, you know, a solar. Uh, some farm used to be where ducks have been going for 25 years is now a solar farm. That's 500 acres. You know, I mean you want to talk. Don't even get me started on solar farms, but anyway, but, but, carter, I think that's the best way to answer your question and I'm intrigued to continue that conversation with more people that have professional data, um, to show shifts. You know what I mean.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and we'd love to hear y'all's two cents on the conversation.
Speaker 5:For sure.
Speaker 2:Because obviously there's multiple factors that are going into this and I don't know if there's really any wrong answer you know, because there's a lot of different things affecting this.
Speaker 2:Drop us a question, whether it be on YouTube or wherever, Spotify or on our Instagram. Shoot us a message. We'd love to hear from you and be on the lookout for the next time we do our, you know, the listener question of the week and be sure to drop in some questions. That was a great one, Carter. Yep, Check out Mississippi River Ducks. We're going to have some merch heading out to you and we're going to go watch the Monday Night Football.
Speaker 5:Go. Anybody but Cowboys yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I'm a Jaguars fan, so you know that's tough. But hey, if you guys are listening to this, if you wouldn't mind subscribing, liking all that good stuff, we really appreciate it. And yeah, it's one hell of a life.
Speaker 1:It's one hell of a life. I've been southbound, I've been hellbound R riding on a midnight train Going too fast. Now think I'll slow down standing in the pouring rain.