Blue Hen Outdoors Podcast
Hunting,travel,outdoors,comedy
Blue Hen Outdoors Podcast
Episode 68: The Dread Archer is back
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This episode I have friend of the show Trey back ( AkA the dreaded archer) and we recap some of his season and life events from this past year we talk some hunting, archery, and a whole lot more it’s always a good time having a guest and friend back in the show
Check him out
The Dreaded Archer
Welcome back to another episode of the Blue Hand Outdoors Podcast. I am pleased and blessed to have back with us Mr. Trey, host of the Dreaded Archer Podcast. How are you doing, sir?
SPEAKER_00Uh bro, I am good, man. Enjoying life this time of the year.
SPEAKER_03Oh, yeah, for sure, for sure. We've been a um nothing much, really. I mean, we kind of had a big freeze at the tail end of season up here, which kind of locked everything up, put everything on a halt for me up here. So I didn't really hunt too much the end of season this year. But uh been patiently waiting for turkey season to hit, and it hit last uh Saturday, so finally got back out. Didn't really hear too many. Um, we heard a couple of a couple fields over. We ended up calling it a little early and driving around to see where they were at, and sure enough, there were three or four fields over from where we were hunting at. So I was like, ah, good figure. But I've been getting picks from my least in my least my spot in Maryland that I turkey hunting that opens this weekend, and my buddy who I was hunting with this past weekend, he was like, Oh, they're back, you know, it's we can go this weekend if you want. I was like, Well, uh toss up between Maryland and Delaware. I'm like, I might want to get my Delaware birds crashed off first before.
SPEAKER_00Oh, yeah. But I can't get in. I have I have yet to be bitten by the turkey hunting bug. Like I'm not I'm not against it, it's just like if I like if I go, I go, if I don't, I don't, it's not one of those things that like it don't break me. If I don't go turkey hunting, I'm not disappointed.
SPEAKER_03Oh yeah, oh yeah. I mean, I'm hitting I'm hitting a cut, I'm hitting a couple good hunts this year for turkey for sure. But uh once it hits me, I'm trying to get out every weekend I can.
SPEAKER_00Hey, it ain't nothing wrong with that. I I think for me, like the very first time I ever went turkey hunting, it was like it was super easy because uh the girl I was dating at the time, her dad was like, Hey man, like there's I just saw a group of turkeys walk down by the creek, so I was like, Oh, cool. So I grabbed my shotgun and just kind of I knew which direction they were headed, so I was gonna cut them off. And I just so happened, like, was walking through this tall grass, and this turkey just like jumped up in front of me, and I just wow blasted him, and I was like, Oh shit, it was this easy. And like, I mean, it literally like jumped up, and I I mean he was like right in front of me, like wouldn't even three, I won't say, yeah, probably one four feet off the ground. And I was like, Oh, that's easy. And then every season, every season after that, I just been getting burnt. So after like the third year, I was like, you know what? I'm I'm sick of this shit. I'm tired of it, yeah.
SPEAKER_03It's not that easy.
SPEAKER_00Shit, no, especially not like when like I went from first time going was with the shotgun, and then second, like every time after that, it's been with my bow, and it's just been just miserable. But I've seen a lot of birds just having been able to close the deal.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, yeah. Oh, yeah. Well, speaking about you, how was your season this past year?
SPEAKER_00Oh bro, it was uh it was not good at all. Um, so I you know, I moved to Texas uh last March. So got here, and then you know, I'm I was born and raised here, and I knew like it's not a lot of public land, uh, the place where I'm from. So it was uh we only we only have like one or two like really good, decent hunting spots, one being like 10 minutes from my house. So I go out there, open the day, and do there's hunters everywhere. Like one guy, one guy literally set his tree stand up, like no joke, 15 yards from where mine is. Like we were looking at each other, and I was like, like, come on, bro. But so opening day was terrible, and then I just kind of snuck out like during the week when I know a lot of guys around here work. So where I live, it's like a lot of blue-color workers, so you know, Monday through Friday, those jokers are they know they at work, so I would sneak out, go out, you know, Monday through Friday, and saw a lot of deer, man. Saw a ton of deer just like not in bow range at all. Uh, had a real nice buck come in at about 40 yards, which had it been like anywhere else I've ever hunted, he was he'd have been in the cooler. But this place was just all like wooded area, real thick. So I was like, I see you, but I can't get a shot on you. And uh once the rifle season started, it was all out the window after that. Because everybody around here is that's when the pressure really get put on the deer, and then um didn't didn't have any luck, but I I did learn a lot about the area, how the deer move and stuff. So um I this was like a learning year for me. So just learning a new area, how they move, kind of like how hunters around here were um how they hunt. And so next year I'm gonna have a have more of a solid plan. And uh my brother, like he has he has a farm out in Arkansas that we've been uh trying to get ready for the season. So it this year we saw a lot of deer out there, but nothing we wanted to harvest right off bat. Hopefully, next year we'll have we I know there's three or four that next year they'll be shooters. So I'll be hunting both Arkansas and Texas next year, and we'll see what happens. But this year it was kind of like a wash.
SPEAKER_03Oh, yeah. Do you have any pigs in your area? Did you get out and do any pig hunting?
SPEAKER_00We don't got a shit ton of pigs, man. Uh, yeah, actually went out with uh my best friend Rex and my brother, and uh we saw a few, but like that day it just wasn't like the ones we saw, they were far away, and we couldn't get to them. And then uh we actually had one like we snuck up on him, like we were walking, and he was like bedded down, like a tree had fell. He was kind of bedded down in the hole, and we literally walked past him, and we got about three or four steps. My brother goes, Dude, that was a hog in that hole. We turned around and it was like he knew he just shot out. So, like, come on, and we can't catch a break. But uh, I I did a little bit of hog hunting, but nothing serious. But like I said, uh like this summer, we're gonna be we're gonna be killing them, man. We're gonna be on them.
SPEAKER_03Oh yeah. Do um did you have any other uh hunting trips or plans for this past year are coming up?
SPEAKER_00Uh not really, man. Uh this let's like like I said, with the big move and stuff last year, it was just kind of all out of whack. I did go to Colorado in um in September, and me and my buddy, we we go to the same unit uh every year, and uh it seemed like this happens to us every single year, and we haven't learned our lesson. Every year, opening morning, we always come across uh an elk, whether it be a bull or a cow, but we come across uh an elk and we're like, yeah, it's this the first day, and we don't put a trigger on it. It was like, ah, we'll just let we'll we'll we we we got seven days and then we don't see another elk the rest of the week. And as we were driving new Colorado, we were like, yo, if we see an elk day one, like opening day, he or she going down. Is if it's a legal bull, he going down. If it's a cow, she going down. I'm like, yeah, but what are the odds? You know, like yeah, the last two years in a row has been that way, but it's no way it's gonna happen this year. Open in the morning, walk out, sitting or going down this trail, and I heard a limb break, so we just stopped. And I'm looking ahead of us, and I can see a silhouette walk onto the trail. And I was like, bro, that's that's that's the L. He was like, No, man, it can't be this, it can't happen again. And we're standing there, and as soon as the sun starts, you know, it gets a little brighter, suns come up, and sure enough, she's sitting there grazing on this trail. And before he, yeah, before he knew it, I already had an arrow knocked. I was ready to go. I'm like, hey, she's going in the cooler. We already said, and he was like, Come on, man, it's the first day, bro. Come on, and I was like, bro, we literally just talked for 14 hours how we weren't gonna do this. He was like, Bro, come on, dude, like, really. So I'm like, all right, let the bow down. I'm literally at full draw. We haven't this conversation. He's like, Come on, bro. So I'm like, all right, let down. She stood there probably for another five, six minutes, and then she looked behind her and then she like took off. So I'm like, Oh snap, something, something, something else is coming, and whatever it was, it must either got wind of us because we heard footsteps, and then it was like it went around us, and then by the time we like was like waiting for it to pop out the trail, we see a bull come out to the left of us, and he was like, he was hauling ass. I'm like, damn, yeah, and that was it. That was our that was our action for the week. We didn't see another damn elk, we heard a lot. Um, we there's actually some guys that were uh camping um like right right around the way from us, and they I've never seen an elk camp this big. Man, they had like 15 cats with them. They had they had the R not, they had the RVs all like um set up and they tents and got the smoker rolling. I mean, these cats they came, they was gonna be there all month. We talked to them as you're gonna be here all month. I'm like, damn, must be nice. And they but they and they was dug in like an Alabama tick, man. They were just in there, just set up and dude. I swear, every single night, at least one of them was they were they get on their four-wheelers and they come through, whoa, yelling and shit. Like, what's going on? Like, oh, our buddy put one down, and they driving off into the woods next next night. Same shit said, Man, we need to go home with them. They they know what they know. But no, it was a it was a fun trip. We didn't we didn't harvest anything, but man, we met a lot of people. Um, and you know, like as much as I love to put something on the ground, anytime I get to go, you know, to uh uh go hunting and meet new people, hear their stories and chat with them, and that that makes it worth it for me.
SPEAKER_03Oh, yeah, for sure. Have you ever been recognized when you were out there?
SPEAKER_00Uh in South Dakota, I was. I was at it, it sounds it happens that never while I was hunting, but whenever I go to like a tech event or any kind of 3D shoot, there's always like a couple people that's like they look at me and they're like, Man, you look like this guy that makes videos and that has a podcast. And I'm like, What's the podcast? Like dreaded archer. I'm like, Yeah, that's me. And I'm like, Oh, because a lot of times, like when people see me out, I'm uh hardly ever have a hat on. I either have my hair down or have it in some kind of updo, so they don't, and then I'll I'm I'm shaving, so they like it's they don't recognize me. And then a lot of people believe for some odd reason that I'm a lot taller than I am. So though, like um, I met these guys. Uh, we we like uh had them on a show a couple times, and we were all going to Oklahoma for a shoot, and I was like, hey dude, I'll be there. So it's like cool, let's all meet up. So I pull up and I get out the car and they look at me, man. Where the rest of you at? And I'm like, What you mean? It's like, dude, we thought you were like over six foot. I'm like, how can y'all tell if I'm six foot on camera? I'm not, I mean, I'm I'm five, I'm 5'11, but it's but people think I'm a lot taller, and uh then you know, so they they don't really don't know what I look like, but yeah, I get recognized every once in a while, and it's always cool. Like, you know, I I when I start this podcast, I never thought that people would recognize me or hell if that people even listen to it. But uh over the years I found out that a lot of people listen to it, and a lot of people when they see me, they think they it's it might be me, but um then they'll talk to me. But a lot of it I believe is like there's this whole thing that oh all black people look the same. So they don't want to seem rude, like hey, you like the dreaded archer? Like, no, I am I'm actually him. Either that or like um like you know, people they'll come up to me and they'll be like, Man, dude, uh I don't want to be racist, but you know, there's this guy named the dreaded archer, and you look like him like, yeah, that's that's my show.
SPEAKER_01Like, oh, what's up, man?
SPEAKER_00So I'm like, bro, I don't trip about none of that, man. Like, it's all good.
SPEAKER_03Oh, yeah, for sure. Speaking of the show, I caught a couple episodes you've done this past year. Love what you do, man. Have you had any uh cool, interesting guests that you've uh didn't expect to have on or getting ready to have one?
SPEAKER_00Uh yeah, man. Um, I had Mike from the boutique on the show, and man, that just kind of uh it was like a one of those like spare the moment things. Like uh I hit him up because I'm getting ready to do my annual bow draft, and I wanted him to make I want to see if he could make uh a wrap for the entire arrow, kind of because I want to give all the participants a commemorative arrow they can put on their bookshelf or something like that. And he was like, Yeah, man, I I can do that for you. And we just got the chat, and I was like, Um, hey, dude, if you want to come on a show, like you know, I'd love to have you as a guest. And he was like, Cool, what are you doing tomorrow? And I'm like, shh, nothing. You want to do one? He's like, Yeah, so it just like boom, we just did the show, and man, um, you know, that that guy is like super amazing, man. Like to hear his story, you know, how he uh just just decided to, you know, jump into the era rap game and and do just took it over. Like, like I told him on the show, man, there's not an archer that I know who don't use your raps. Like everybody, like everywhere I go, it's hey, raps by the boutique, and boutique make my raps. So I'm like, dude, that's crazy. And then he was telling me a story how he was at a um he was at a tech event. And have you ever been to tech?
SPEAKER_03No, not yet. I want to try to get to one the next couple years.
SPEAKER_00Okay, cool.
SPEAKER_03There's not too many around where I'm at. There's like maybe one or two in Pennsylvania, but it's like for the most part, they're all like farther away than we gotta hit that road, man. Yeah, I'm playing, I'm I'm playing to, I'm playing to.
SPEAKER_00But he was at a tech event, so one thing that they do at tech is uh towards the end of each day, they they go around and they pick up all the broken arrows that's in trees on the ground, whatever, and they have these huge cattle buckets just full of arrows. And uh Michael said he was looking at that, looking at those buckets, and he realized he was like, dang, bro, like 80 of these arrows have my wraps on it. Yeah, bro, and that's that's crazy to think about because dude, these tech events, dude, there's like thousands of people. I know, like the one in South Dakota I used to go to all the time, there'd be like you know, 3,000 to 3,500 people. Uh, I know Oklahoma, there's like 4,000 people. So to go to one of these events and and do I've mean I've seen these buckets there. I mean, they're full air. I mean, hundreds and hundreds of arrows, thousands of dollars worth of arrows. And oh, yeah, I've seen some of the pictures real like stacked like Christmas and to have 80% of them to have your rap on it. I mean, that says a lot about you know your product, like hey dude, it's in high demand. So, dude, like he's one of the you know the most exciting guests I've had on uh in the like in the past. Like I had Dan Staden from Elk Shape, like when I've had a lot of these like big guys on the show, dude. It was literally one of those things where it's like I'm up in the middle of the night, I see a post they make, and I'm like, I want to have him on my show, and I just will just shoot a message out of thin air, just hey man, you want to cop on the show? And surprisingly they'll be like, Yeah, win. And I'll give them a date and we'll get it going. And I'm like a lot of times I'm like starstruck, so like a lot of those shows, I'm like, I'm real nervous because I don't want to screw up, but then like eventually over time you get settled in and the show just kind of just rolls on.
SPEAKER_03Oh, yeah, that's what I thought. A couple times I had a few big guests on my show in the past. I have I have hopefully it works out. I have another big guest coming on eventually, but Turkey Keys new gotta be done. That kind of might just give it away who it is, yeah.
SPEAKER_00But you know, this is the cool thing about like our industry or our community, dude. Our our superstars are super accessible. Oh, yeah, you know. Um, like one of my best friends, he's he's an up-and-coming uh hip-hop artist, dude. For him to to try to get in contact with uh a Jay-Z or Drake or hell, like a producer, like you know, uh Manny Fretch or somebody like that, it's impossible. They're they're that's not they're not reachable, but like like our stars, our famous cats in our in our industry, dude, they're literally a message away. Okay, a lot of times, I'm not gonna say 100 of them, but I was I would I would say good 80 of them will message you back, whether it be hey man, I don't have time or you know, I don't do podcasts or whatever. I've never had someone not say anything back to me.
SPEAKER_03Oh, yeah, for sure. I mean, that's like a mean example for me, like big guy had on last year, spook span. Like he I've seen him on a buddy of mine show, and I hit him up, I was like, Yo, that's awesome. You got spook on your show, that's so cool. Like, how like how'd you manage to get him on? He's like, I just hit him up. He's like, just hit him up, fill him on your show, I'll let you back. I'm like, no freaking way, ain't no way. It's it's that easy. And I hit up Spook. I'm like, hey, you know, huge fan of yours, like we'd love to have you on the show. He's like, Yeah, when when you're free, we'll set it up. I'm like, Holy shit, it's that easy, bro.
SPEAKER_00It's that easy, bro. My mom and my dad, they always say a closed mouth, don't get fed.
SPEAKER_03True.
SPEAKER_00So hey, so I've I've grown up with that mantra, and that's like if I want to talk to somebody, I hit them up. Like, I don't care how big, how small you are. If I think you're doing something that's interesting and I want to have a conversation with you, do I just reach out? Like it's it's like that. And and I don't know, I think that's why I love doing it so much. It's just you know, uh just having the conversation with people, and like I said, our superstars are super accessible. And once you have a conversation with them, you realize hey, they just as normal as you and me. They just a guy that or gal that hunts, they just doing it at you know, that's their job now. Oh yeah, which is we all would love to do everybody that's you know create creating any kind of uh content in this space, they eventually want to do it for a living. Just the people that we look up to, they achieved it.
SPEAKER_03Oh, yeah, and I don't know about you, but it's like people that I've had that are big names, or like just people in general that I've had on the show, or I mean, like, look at me and you. I mean, we talk pretty on a semi-regular basis, and it's like I'm talking to these people on a regular basis now. It's like, yeah, it's like it's it's and that's what I love too. So it's not like one and done. Oh, yeah, cool, yeah. I'll hop on your show, and then it's like you never hear from again. It's like, no, you know, like I'll text a couple of guys, like happy holiday or happy Easter, happy whatever. You know, like how how'd your season go this past year? And we'll talk talk for like a week and a little bit, and then it's like no couple months will go by, and then we'll hit each other back up.
SPEAKER_00It's like, oh yeah, bro, that's that's how it goes. Uh, I I'll never forget this, man. This was uh this was 20 2022. Yeah, 2022. And my uh my brother came up to South Dakota, him and a couple friends, and we were going to the South Dakota tech, and we're out there, and at that time, Dudley was doing like a QA. He had gate his whole speech, whatever, and he was doing a QA, and then like you can get in line and you can ask him a question, he'd answer whatever. So I'm in line, and like the whole time I'm in line, I'm trying to think, man, what can I ask him? Because I really don't have a question. I just want to talk to him, and I was like, you know what? E-scouting. I have I suck at e-scouting, I want to see how he e-scouts. I'm in line, and then I'm the guy in front of me moves, and then I'm next, and he looks at me, he goes, What's your story? And dude, my qu my question, everything just like goes like leaves my head. I'm like, uh, just looking at him like and uh like just John Dudley. And my brother, who really doesn't have any kind of attachment to the outdoor world at that time, he just grabs my shoulder and he looks at Dudley, he goes, Man, the lights got too big for him, man. He starts truck, and uh, so him and my so I'm like, Oh man, like nice to meet you, man. So I asked him about e scouting, and we he you know goes into what he does or whatever, and then he was like, Um, you know, how long you been doing archery? So I told him, and dude, it just became this whole we just had this whole conversation, man. Held a lineup. Normally, you get like five minutes tops. We were talking for like 20 minutes, and then my brother got to talking about you know sports and stuff, and Dudley was like, Yeah, you know, he played football, and then he decided to stop playing football in order to you know shoot archery, you know, competitively. And I thought that was gonna be it. So then we go to Oklahoma Tech. The uh the Nick, no, two years later, and we're walking in, and Dudley sees my brother. He goes, Yo, Nick, what's up? Oh, hey Trey, what's up? And I'm like, dude, he remembers us. And everybody's looking around, like, who are these guys? So we walk up, we dab him up, you know what I'm saying? We get to talk and whatever, and like Dudley, he he rocks sneakers, and my brother's a sneaker head, so they get to talk to our shoes and stuff, and we're just talking, sitting in his tent with them, having a beer or two. And I'm like, dang, bro, like, this is dope. This is John Dudley, but like it was just like he's he's one of our superstars, but yet he's he's willing to he remembers us and he talks to everybody else as if you know he's not even that famous, but that's how he that's how he treats everybody.
SPEAKER_03Oh, yeah, that's kind of one of the reasons why I'm gonna get down to NWTF next year because a lot of people. I know and have fun on my show. They go every year pretty much to NWTF. I'm like, dude, that'd just be so cool just to go to such a big show like that, meet a bunch of cool people, meet these people that I've met face to face. It'd be a really cool experience just to sit down, chop it up with them.
SPEAKER_00Oh, yeah, dude. I got I got buddies that go to that every year. And I was going, I was, I had in my mind when I moved from South Dakota, Texas, like, yo, I'm I'm closer to uh was it Nashville? Nashville, yeah. Closer to Nashville, I'm going to NWTF. Well, boom, we end up, you know, uh getting pregnant and gonna have a baby. And she was due the week before the week of NWTF. Oh, so my fiance, she was like, Yo, you can go. And I was like, No, because I I know my luck, I'll go. And as soon as the plane lands, you'll be calling me saying, I'm going into labor, and I'm gonna turn right back around and what you call it, uh, and come home. So I didn't go, but a lot of buddies there, and um, and they said it no, it's it's they go every year and they say, dude, it was a uh a dang good time. A lot of people's asking you, uh you know, like where's dreaded our track? And why are you eating here? And like having a baby. Because I I did tell a lot of people I was gonna be there, and then of course I didn't get to go, but um, there's a couple events that you know I want to I want to get to. Um, one being the the uh big hunting expo up in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. I think it's like the uh great outdoor show.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I want I want to get out in a couple years should you go to that? That's awesome, dude. You should definitely come up, dude.
SPEAKER_00I I I heard it was it was it was it. Uh at the same thing. ATA's was the I think the week before, which was in our still still in our birth window, so I didn't go to that. I want to get the ATA show, I want to get the shot show. I've had several invitations to get out there and just it it never lines up with what I got going on. So, like um definitely like 2027. I'm definitely going to this gonna be like my big expo year. Like, I'm gonna get out and actually mingle with the people because normally, like, I would when I was up in South Dakota, I would go to the Iowa Deer Classic because that was right down the road, and I would go to we got the big the big Sioux outdoor expo that used to be good, it's gotten kind of crappy over the years. It's now it's more focused on fishing and RVs, four-wheelers, and boats. That's it. Usually you go there and it was all kind of stuff there. But I want to get I get out to the I think the Western Hunt Fest, I want to go out to that too. So uh these those events, man, they're super dope, man. You got there, you get to network, meet hunters from all over, and you get to meet like meet the uh all the main manufacturers of the stuff that you like to use and um and and build relationships.
SPEAKER_03Oh, yeah, for sure. If you ever make it out to the Harrisburg show, let me know it's like two hours from where I'm at.
SPEAKER_00Oh, heck yeah, yeah, because you you're in Maryland, right?
SPEAKER_03Delaware.
SPEAKER_00In what Delaware?
SPEAKER_03Yeah, okay.
SPEAKER_00Oh, no, you say you're going hunting and you was you was going on a Maryland, yeah. When it's Sickadeer, yeah.
SPEAKER_03I didn't I didn't get to go down and do Secret Deer hunting this year.
SPEAKER_00Oh dang, yeah, dude. I'm I'm but it's on the list for next year. Oh heck yeah. It's been a minute. Normally, like I'm always in Maryland at least once a year because I I go to the like one of the navy games, but um, I haven't been in a couple years. I need to get back. All my teammates be calling me, man, you you come into a game, man. The schedule don't line up, and a lot of times it'd be during hunting season. Right, I'm not wasting a weekend going to watch a game and I watch it on TV.
SPEAKER_03Hey, be make a trip out if we go hunting in the morning and go catch the game, and then go hunting the next day because they got hunting on Sundays out here now. Y'all can hunt on Sundays? No, we can.
SPEAKER_00Oh, now y'all can. Y'all, that was a thing, yeah.
SPEAKER_03We couldn't hunt on Sundays for the longest, and like within like the past five, six years, they've been opening up for like a bunch of things around us.
SPEAKER_00Hell no, man. I didn't know that was the thing.
SPEAKER_03Oh, yeah.
SPEAKER_00Sure, every state I ever lived in, you can hunt on Sundays. I think cats, I think guys know, like a lot of churches know, like, hey, come hunting season, it's gonna be empty.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, I know. I think it was like seven or eight years ago they opened it for deer, and they had that for a couple years, then like within like the past four or five years, they opened it up for waterfowl.
SPEAKER_00That shit is crazy. I did not know that was a thing. Oh, yeah, which is wild because I would think that it would be more of a a southern thing since we like the Bible belt down this way, and nah, churches know come hunting season, it's gonna be a whole lot of fellas missing.
SPEAKER_03Oh, yeah. Should they have to sub the preacher or pastor in because he might be out there too?
SPEAKER_00Yep, they got the assistant preacher. Oh, yeah, they go over to the hunting season. Oh yeah, but yeah, that's wild. I didn't know that was a thing, man. Oh well, I'm glad y'all can hunt on Sundays now. Me too.
SPEAKER_03But um, let's dive into archery a little bit. I've seen you got a new bow. The it's the elite verosh, right?
SPEAKER_00Yes, sir. So um I'm now on hunt staff with Elite. Um, I had a real cool conversation uh with Paul. Uh oh, I uh forgot his last name now. Damn, but Paul, he's the VP of uh Elite, and he actually lives like an hour away from me. Um, so we got the chatting it up, and he was like, dude, I I really enjoy uh conversation, whatever. And we got done. He was like, yo, you want to be on Hunstaff with us? And not gonna lie, normally I I don't do the Hunstaff thing, I just I don't I just I just have my quorums with it. But Paul was a nice guy. I've I've always kind of been interested in elite. I even told him, like, dude, I've been doing this for six years and I rarely see any elites in the wild. Like I know people shoot them because shit, I I've seen um I've seen people online shooting them, but I was like actually seeing one in the wild. I've I've never known anybody to own an elite, whatever. And he he kind of laughed about it, but he was like, you know, he told us, like, hey, look, we are you know, we're trying to you know get the brand built back up, and just he's a just a cool guy. And uh I was like, you know what? Yeah, I'll do it. So uh I got an opportunity to get one of their bows, I got it, and uh, I love it. Like I I haven't put it all together yet. I'll I'll be doing a series with that and getting it all ready to to take out hunting this upcoming season. But uh yeah, dude, I I I love the Verrows, man. It's it's way different than than my Matthews. And um I I was like, damn, I don't why have I not like why haven't I not shot or bought an elite since like this is dope?
SPEAKER_03What's so different about it?
SPEAKER_00Uh one like the draw cycle is like super smooth. Not saying that Matthews don't have a a um a smooth draw cycle, but the elite draw cycle is like super smooth. There's no like to me it comes just straight back. There's no like hump that you gotta like get over, in my opinion. Um it's just a little little lighter, and then it's just it's just quiet, just sit. I was like, man, I like that a lot. And um, then the the back wall, like although I've been doing archery for like six years, I tell people this all the time. I'm building this plane as I'm flying, and there's a lot of stuff that I do not know that I'm supposed to know. I guess I'm I guess I'm supposed to know. I don't know it, and it's just like hey, look, I'm learning like everybody else is learning. So like like the back wall, like when I had my Matthews, I never paid attention to that. Like I like it, it just felt like it's like it's the bow stops. But this, but this barrels, dude, that back wall, it's I mean you when you hit it, it's it's it's there, and I'm like, hmm, I like that. And what's wild is like, dude, I I own a shit ton of bows. I'm not gonna lie, I own I don't I buy a lot of bows. I have a mission hammer, which is the very first bow that I ever bought. I shot that the other day just to go down memory lane, and I realized, bro, that back wall is so spongy. You get back there and it just like it just like what like but that's what you get with a you know uh with a value price bow. But this Verrows, man, like you say, you hit that back wall, it's solid, and then when you that that release, it's just like I said, it's so quiet and the bow holds so steady, like without any stabilizers or anything, I just stick it out there, and that joker is dead locked on in the middle already, dead center. So I'm still still exploring it. I haven't um went into all the features yet because I I said I don't want to start twisting on shit and turning shit before I know what to do, but I just with the eyeball test, it's it exceeded all expectations. And then I went on when I shot it, I'm like, Oh, this is this is nice. Because before I before I was gonna go and get the veros, I shot the artist, which came out last year, and dude, that bow sick. And so Paul was like, Hey, if you like the artist, he goes, You'll love the Veros, and then it came in the mail. So I'm like, time time to play with it.
SPEAKER_03Now is the Veros their flagship for this year?
SPEAKER_00Yep, yep, that's their flagship for this year. Um, and I know FM JJ, I watched his video on it, and he you know had a I mean he I love his videos because he don't hold nothing back. He puts those bows through a strenuous test, and um, you know, he had he had some some things that he didn't like about it as far as like you know the IBO was kind of too high that they initially gave it and stuff like that. But other than that, he was like, Yo, this is this is a a good bow, you know, a little bit on a little bit on the heavy side, but I like a heavier bow, you know, but it still feels lighter than my Matthews, which my Matthews is a V3, so it's a couple years old, so it's it is a it's a little heavy, but it by Vero says lighter than that.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, remember last time I had you when we were talking about bows, and uh it was right when all the flagships were starting to come out, and um I was telling you, I was still on the well, I'm still on the market, but I was well yes, I'm still in the market, but I was in the market for looking at a new bow and seeing what one I want because I still rock the old solo cam, which nothing against it. Love it.
SPEAKER_00Hey, bro, let me tell you something. I talked to a lot of old heads, bro, and they they swear by solo cams. A lot of them would wish that like Matthews would like re-release the solo cam on like the the lift platform or the art platform. That would be like dope to like go back down memory lane. I think they would kill a shit ton of them because like people's like, oh well, no one wants a solo cam anymore. It's like no, because Bear teamed up with the Hun Public and came out with the Adept, and they sold a shit ton of bows.
SPEAKER_03Oh, yeah, and that's that's kind of the one I've been looking at because I like my solo camera, I like the solo cam setup and pull and draw cycle. So I've been looking at not because I'm a Matthews guy and I have a Matthews solo cam, but I I just like the solo cam setup so much. I might have to go, I might have to go get the bear probably next year or the year after.
SPEAKER_00Hey, Trevor, look, let me ask you this. Why why do you consider yourself a Matthews guy?
SPEAKER_03That's the only bow I've had and got.
SPEAKER_00Okay.
SPEAKER_03I mean, I'm just being honest.
SPEAKER_00No, no, no, hey, that's an honest answer, man. Because I always hear guys say that like I got a buddy, man, and he's like he he started shooting Archery a year ago. So in his very first bow was a bear Alaskan. Great bow. I I like that bow. So he mind you, he's never shot Archery before, goes into a shop and buys a bear Alaskan. So I'm like, oh dude, like that's dope. Why'd you choose the Alaskan? And his words were, I'm a Matthews guy, but my budget allowed me to buy a bear Alaskan. And I'm like, Well, how the hell are you a Matthews guy? And you ain't never shot Archery. The first time you walked in the Archer shop was the first time you had ever picked up a bow. So how are you a Matthews guy? He's just like, I just am. I'm like, I you drank the Kool-Aid, bro. You ain't even bought one yet. I don't get it, man. But I I mean, I get it from I don't get it from a consumer side, but I get it because I'm I'm I do marketing for a big tobacco company, so I understand how it works, dude. Marketing is powerful, man. And you can you can get some you can basically make somebody believe that they have to have something that they've never even thought they needed. Oh, yeah.
SPEAKER_03I mean, I think that's kind of why Hoyt fell off, too, because Matthew's has been kind of better at the marketing and other brands that are coming back, like PSC, Bear, um, Elite. Uh Wudos the Oh, Prime with the form.
SPEAKER_00Yep. Even Expedition with the Mag Light. I mean, yeah, the Mag the no, the Knicks light, bruh. That bow is sick. Like, and and that's kind of one of the reasons why I started collecting bows. Because, like, you hear like everybody has a reason for why they like whatever brand they like, and people bad talk the brands they don't like. I find it hard to believe that in 2026, hell, when I started doing this shit in 2019, I found it hard to believe that any company makes a bad bow.
SPEAKER_03Oh, yeah, no, nobody makes a bad bow anymore, especially with technology. And I mean, we mentioned on when I had you on before, everybody is just doing the minute things to bring out the next big flagship bow to make it like the smallest adjustments for the smallest things. You can't do no big crazy things except for Prime with the form, but well, but but but look how long Prime didn't do nothing.
SPEAKER_00That was the thing, like they had to come with something crazy, and dude, they they knocked it out the park, you know. Big shout outs to you know the engineers and all that. But like I said, I don't believe anyone makes a bad bow. And when I really step back and look at the landscape of the arching industry, it all boils down to marketing. Who's who's willing to spend the marketing dollars to capture the eye? Because when these companies they aren't looking at the every year they come out with a new bow, they're not looking at the market they have, they're not looking at the guys that already purchased, you know, for example, let's say a Matthews, they're looking at the guys coming in. So that's why they could make bows every year. Not to get the guys to keep the guys they already got, to get the new guys coming in. If you already bought a bow, we got you. You you you here. This, but that that next generation keep coming up. We we want to keep getting that market share. We got to keep getting that market share. So, you know, that's why I was like, you know what? I want to shoot every bow. I'm not gonna tie, I'm not gonna tie myself to you know, say, oh well, I'm I'm an elite guy, or oh, I'm a Matthews guy. I just like archery. So I just started going out and getting different bows, even bows that the company no longer even exists anymore. If I find that bow, I'm buying it, take it home, and I put it through the wire. I got a little test that I do, and I just run it through the test. I'm like, dang, this is this is a nice bow. And what I've come to find out is a lot of bows, especially like around that 2013, 2000, between 2013 and 2017, dude, there was a lot of companies that actually was they're not even around anymore, but their bows broke, they were ahead of their time. Like, damn man, like what happened? And you kind of find out, of course, like money and all that stuff. They just they couldn't, they they grew too fast, too big too fast, and they just you know bottomed one belly up. But yeah, you I like I said, I I love bows, I love everything about them. Every every bow brings something different to the table, and it's just um it's just it's just a cool thing to be a part of.
SPEAKER_03Oh, yeah, for sure. And like I said, like I only have a Matthews, so that's all I can only speak on right now. You know what I mean? And I also just love the solo cam. So if any brand, like we said, bear, if any brand, if any brand's got a solo cam, like that, I'm not already be drawn to that anyway.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. So like so, like let's say right now uh you went to a bow shop and it was like, Hunter, you can have whatever bow you want. Pick just pick one, you can have it. How what would be your process of picking that bow?
SPEAKER_03I'd probably pick a few. You can only take one home, but you like how but what's yeah, so I I'd obviously pick a few, shoot them, see how they shoot, see how the back wall is, see how I like like see how like if there's any like humps or bumps when I'm drawing it back or anything like that. The smoother draw cycle, the better, in my opinion. Um and then one side of like that, I want to look at functionality and uh accessibility for me as myself. Like, okay, if I can't get it to a bow shop to fix it, or I can't get it to a bow shop to tweak it, how can I myself tweak it to where it's like I can get it to where I want it to be without it, without having to go take it somewhere if that makes any sense?
SPEAKER_00Like, yeah, yeah, without having a press. So you you want you want something that you can be able to work on and not have to you know stress about getting into a shop, right?
SPEAKER_03Exactly. Yeah, like how they're all starting to come out with their own micro adjustments or adjustments here, adjustments there. You can you know not use a press anymore and change your poundage, change your draw cycle, or not draw cycle, draw length without having to really use a press or anything like that. I'm just like okay, and then it's like once all that I uh put all that into the calculator of what I want out of a bow, and then pick the best one. What one's gonna fit the budget?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, yeah, ain't no budget. It's it's free. This bow is free. In this scenario, the boat, the bow is free.
SPEAKER_03Well, if it's well, if it's free, then you know I'll I'll probably just pick the best one out of like like accounting with all I said, I'll pick the best of whatever I like out of that bunch.
SPEAKER_00Oh heck yeah, bro. I found this bow shop. Uh it was uh out in Tyler, and they actually do pay like uh what's it called? They do um uh pay uh buy now pay later. And bro, I'm like, y'all ahead of the game. Oh yeah, dude, you like that buy now, pay later shit get me every time because it is it's it it's easier to swallow when I'm just making four payments. I can I can pay for it right then and now are you telling me I can break it up into four payments, six payments? I that it's a little bit easier to swallow that way.
SPEAKER_03Oh yeah, oh yeah. I'm I've heard too many places around here like that, but that would make it a lot easier, bro.
SPEAKER_00Look, if if bro, let me tell you, if I had an archery shop, I would do a buy now pay later, and I and I would just set like I wouldn't go through like a company or nothing, it'd just be all in-house. You came to me and you was like, Hey, dude, look, I want the new uh the the elite verrows, and man, I I I can't pay everything up front. I was all right, this is what we're gonna do, bro. You gonna we gonna look, you know, give me your name and all that stuff. I you gotta give me 25 down, and then based on let's say, you know, I yeah, what what can you pay? Oh, I can pay you know a hundred bucks, you know, every week or every two weeks. Cool, and that's and you come pay me, or I just you put your debit card in the system and I just you know run it every every other week, bro. You hey people gonna mess with you, bro. They gonna come in that shop.
SPEAKER_03Oh yeah, I don't think financial car and a shop.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, they gonna they're gonna come and uh look man, I ain't trying to you know just like go go through all the the you know the credit bureau and all that shit, bro. I I trust people, man, especially especially in this industry, like ain't nobody trying to have their name messed up. So, like oh yeah, if you screw me once, you ain't never gonna you never gonna be able to come to me again, and ain't too many people doing what I'm doing. So I feel like you know, you're gonna have more people actually fulfill the obligation than the ones than than not.
SPEAKER_03Oh, yeah, most definitely.
SPEAKER_00And they're gonna be buying a new boat every year.
SPEAKER_02Hey, I'll even do this.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, they'll be buying a new boat every year. Like, hey, and I I and I'll take trade ins. I I don't understand why a lot of bow places like boat shops don't do trade ins. I'll do a trade in, but hey, yeah, that does be just This, you know, my dream bow shop.
SPEAKER_03Yeah. One day the dream will be there.
SPEAKER_00Oh, yeah, man. It's actually uh it might be sooner than later, man. Like because the in Texas County where I live, the uh the bow shop closed. And just so happened, and my brother, one of my brother's best friends, he and he ended up buying it. Well, he bought the building, and it's just been sitting up the last like three years, like no one's trying to rent it, or he can't, you know, he can't keep tenants in there. So he's like, Hey man, you you want to open an opera shop? And I'm like, Hell yeah. I said, but you know, it's you know money. And he was like, Man, I got the building. He goes, if you really want to do it, man, let's get together and you know, kind of uh work something out. He goes, I'll give you a player price on the rent. So I'm like, Man, I ain't trying to rent nothing. That's the problem. I don't want to rent, I want to buy it. So if you want if you're willing to sell me the building, let's let's talk. So we kind of going back and forth on that right now. But if it's uh if it's all you know in the Lord's in the Lord's will, I'll be all I'll be the owner of Arctic shop. But yeah, always I always like you know, second guess that decision because I talked to a lot of guys that own boat shops, and they're like, Man, once you own a bone, uh once you own a boat shop, shit. Hey, forget all that hunting, your ass is gonna be in the shop. I'm like, nah, I I know I look here. I trust people, so I'll find me a good botec, say hey look, man, we'll alternate weekends. This weekend, you can go hunt, I work the shop. Next weekend, you know, I'm hunting, you work the shop. Let's just keep it like that.
SPEAKER_03That's a fair compromise, too, in itself.
SPEAKER_00I mean, yeah, or just be like, hey, look, y'all, I ain't I ain't opening up until like uh you know 12 in the afternoon. I'm hunting I'm hunting in the morning, I open up to 12.
SPEAKER_03So if you absolutely need me, either be open in the morning and close at like two o'clock, and she can hunt the evening or be closed till like noon and then be open all night or something like that.
SPEAKER_00Because let's be real, like cat during during like actual hunt season, guys ain't really buying bows like that.
SPEAKER_03No, and they're only just taking them in to get tuned up or fixed, or if they blow them up or break them, they're they're not in the bow shop like that. Now in the off season, like winter or later summer, you you'll probably be bumped because everybody's gonna be trying to get in and get their shit tuned up and right before season hits. Heck yeah, shooting hits.
SPEAKER_00I got a buddy who um he had the idea or has the idea to do like a like an archery emt. Hey smart. He's like, dude, I want to get a uh a truck, like a van, dick it out, put a bow press in it and everything, and then you know, say a guy, you know, dings his bow up, you know, at night, getting out of a tree stand, and he like want to go hunting the next morning. She call me up. Should I drive to your house, pull up in your driveway, fix your boat right then and there, drive off the next morning.
SPEAKER_03Be the triple A for bows, yeah.
SPEAKER_00Hell yeah, bro. Bro, we we need like that.
SPEAKER_03We do, we do, and plus that's an untapped market, too. I mean, once one person starts it somewhere, it'll start spreading like wildfire, most likely.
SPEAKER_00Oh, yeah, dude. I know a guy, um, he has a mobile processing van. It is the dopest shit I've seen, bro. He like pulls up to your house, and he you'll he'll you bring his meat, your meat to him, and he got a grinder and all that shit in the back.
SPEAKER_03Damn, that's smart.
SPEAKER_00If you if you for people who don't know how to you know break, you know, break down games, hey, call him, he'll come to your house. He on the front on the front of his van, he got a hitch. The hitch got a uh uh what's they call them things? A hoist, a hoist, hoist that deer up, he'll break her down right then and there and hook you hook you up. Yep. Now the only thing, only thing you have to do is vacuum seal your own shit. Cause you know, it's yeah, you know, but other than that, I think he said he's he needs working on getting you know uh like industrial size vacuum seal so he can do it right then and there. So do everything, dip out. I was like, bruh, that's that's some that's some dope shit. That is because like because where he lives at, like there's like one processor, and once he gets booked up for like once like after opening weekend, dude, he's like booked for a long time. So I mean you can take your deer there, but you can be waiting like months. So he's like, dude, I I got the van going, so call me, I come in your house, do it right then and there, or I'll take it home and do it just how however you want it.
SPEAKER_03Well, that's like how it is around me, too. It's like you know, once all the processors get packed up, it's like okay, you know, there's only so many places you can take it and they'll squeeze you in if you don't do it yourself.
SPEAKER_00And it's it's a and it's a dying, it's a dying art, man. Like, if you look at our look at our industry, man, there's a there's a few things that are dying off, and the young people coming in the game don't want to do it. So, like when it's like meat processors, taxidermists, and archery shops, like, dude, taxidermists are becoming are becoming harder and harder to find. And since it's becoming such a niche market, it's getting more expensive. Then you look at then you look at and people like my buddy Cooch up in South Dakota, dude. His sons, they they won't know part of the business, none at all. And he's getting up to an age where you know his fingers getting bad, he got a bum shoulder, and he's like, Man, Trey. Well, he don't call me Trey, call me DeAndre. He called me, he called me by my government name. Damn, DeAndre, he goes, Man, this this is getting this is getting like hard on me because I don't know if I'll be able to do this any more seasons. Because he gets he gets hit like in South Dakota, pheasant season is crazy. So, like opening day of pheasant season, it's nothing for him to have you know five, six thousand pheasants to clean. Then deer season, he he gotta he doing deer. So do him and his staff is just like crazy, and he's just like, I I can't do this anymore. My sons don't want it, so I'm gonna have to close up shop. Well, in the area he lives at is him and another guy, and they're the only two that uh process deer in that area. So if he goes down, the next place is getting hammered. Oh, yeah. So it's like something that it's like said the young people don't want to do it. Not saying that I'm not saying that there's not young people that are into processing, but as a whole, it's not it's not a um it's not one of those jobs, it's not one of those those glamorous jobs, you know. I'm saying it's one of those it's it's a necessary thing, but a lot of people don't want to do it.
SPEAKER_03Oh yeah, yeah, the few guys I talk to that do tax adhering, they're like, dude, like it's hard, it's long, it's not that fun, but it's like we we just like doing it because we like bringing shit back to life, yep, you know. But I mean, like you say, like it's it's very hard to find a good tax dermis anymore because there's not that many left, or a good processor you can trust because there's not that many left.
SPEAKER_00Yep, and then you look at bow shops, and uh they're starting to die off, and they're starting to die off, man. And and and and there's a couple reasons for that. Uh a lot of people like these bows now are getting to the point where I don't really need a bow shop to go in, right?
SPEAKER_03Exactly, like I was just saying earlier, yeah.
SPEAKER_00And then you know, you get like with with the use, well not useful with the with YouTube and um and all these, you know, TikTok and all that guys are linking up, teaching each other how to work on bows. And I know I've seen a lot of videos of guys they just have a bow shop in their house where I might excuse me, I might not work on Joe Smoke's bow, but I can work on my own. And then and I know I know a guy, oh, excuse me, he does part-time bow work at his house, so guys will bring him his bow, he'll work on it and give it back to him. So it's like, I do I need to go to a bow shop, and then of course, you got guys that own bow shops that again they have kids that they've been the bow shop has been their entire life. The last thing they want to do is work in that joker the rest of their life.
SPEAKER_03Well, and well that know the kids, it's like you don't you don't want to be working on the weekends or working on 24-7 or working right before the holidays or as the holidays are rolling through because it's like you want to spend time with your family, you want to be at your kids' sporting events, you want to be at your kids' extracurriculars to help support them and cheer them on.
SPEAKER_00Yep, and it's it's hard to do that when you when you're behind the counter working on bows, and it's it's not like you're not gonna get rich, man. You're not gonna get rich working on bows, like having having one bow shop, you're not gonna get rich. If you got a chain of bow shops, you know, you might be doing something, but I that's something that I've never seen. I've never seen someone have well, I think FMJJ got two shops, but I've never seen anybody have more than two shops. Like to have like to be like the Casey's of bow shops where every state has a you know a bow shop, that that'd be that'd be hard. But but yeah, I I I I I did a show not too long ago talking about like the the dying uh the dying part of our industry. Like, what are we gonna do? Like, what are we gonna do if there's no more taxidermas? We're gonna do if if there's no more processes, which you could you if you want to take the time, you could process your own deer. Yeah, it it takes a minute, and you're gonna and you probably gonna you know butcher some meat up, some deer up, but eventually you'll get it right, right?
SPEAKER_03Like once you once you get a few deer down, you'll get you'll pretty much know what you're doing.
SPEAKER_00Exactly. Once you learn the anatomy of it and how things work, it it's it's pretty, it's pretty you know self-explanatory.
SPEAKER_03But yeah, I mean when I first started because I do my own deer here, and we have a grinder and everything that my dad has, and it's like and vacuum sealers and all that. It's like when we first start doing it take like two hours, hour and a half for like one deer. Now I can I can probably myself break a deer down in like 45-30 minutes without even having to grind it, like that's just quartering it and some steaks and all that good stuff off. Yeah, now grinding is a whole different animal, like doing all that stuff is a whole different animal. That that'll take a couple days, yeah. That's that's okay or a day in itself if you really want to strap down and do it, but like that that's a whole different animal in itself.
SPEAKER_00Yep, again, it depends on what you're making. Like, if you're doing like you're doing like just you just deboning it and freezing the meat, I that'll take you maybe three, four hours. But if you grinding stuffing, okay, now I got I'm I'm taking this meat, I'm gonna make summer sausage, so now you gotta put the cure in there, and then you gotta put the season in there, put it in the refrigerator and let that cure for 24 hours, right?
SPEAKER_03And then you got pull it out and smoke it for half a day, right?
SPEAKER_00That's it's a process, but and I do it, like I that's what I do. I refuse to go to a processor because I had one guy, I like the deer I shot. That joker had some meat on his bones. You can't tell me one bag was it. Like, I just do it like one bag ain't it, bro. Like, where's the rest of my deer at? That's all you brought in. Nah, bro. Ain't ain't no way. And then when I got home and started, you know, wanting to make my summer sautriz. I'm something I'm missing a whole, I'm missing backstrap, I'm missing a whole backstrap. So I'm like, I'm good on it. So I learned how to do it myself. And to me, it's I love cooking, and I love like um, I love the whole art of cult of culinary, like I love culinary arts, like it's like my thing. So like I love a good tomahawk steak. So I'm like, and I wonder, like, yeah, a cow is bigger than a deer, but the anatomy is pretty much the same, the same, right? Exactly. So I wonder if I can do like you know, tomahawk backstrap. So I found a guy on YouTube that actually he was, it was the only video at the time of this guy was like showing you how to cut how to make that cut. And then I watched that video like 20 times, and I finally got a dough, and I was like, I'm I'm gonna do it. And I did the little deer lollipops, man, and smoked them, put them on a bed of potatoes. I took a red wine, reduced it down to a um like a sauce. I had uh backstrap, well, tomahawk backstrap, mashed potatoes, and that red wine sauce. Oh my gosh, man. I love cooking. So you give me a deer, man. I'm looking at like I'm looking at all the different things I can do with it because I don't like doing the traditional stuff. Like I leave the backstraps alone, like I'll do the tomahawks every once in a while, but everything else, man. I'm I want to do like um no prosciutto with the with the hindquarters. Um, like take the neck meat and cook it like and smoke and braise it down. Like, I like doing like all that stuff because like down south, man, this pretty much only like two ways people eat deer. One, they're gonna grind it up and make hamburger out of it, or they're gonna take the back strap, beat it to hell, defry it, serve it up with gravy and ketchup. That's it. That's that's how people eat deer here. I'm like, nah, there's got there's a better way to do this shit.
SPEAKER_03Oh, yeah. I'm the same way. I mean, like, not that I've done too much recently in the within the past couple years, but before I'd be trying to make like like different kinds of like taco or like like Mexican because it's like you know, there's a lot of stuff you can sub ground beef out for for deer basically.
SPEAKER_00Yep, you ever you ever cut the tongue out?
SPEAKER_03No, I haven't done that yet.
SPEAKER_00Oh, deer tongue tacos, amazing.
SPEAKER_03I'll have to try it next time I get a deer.
SPEAKER_00Take it, boil it.
SPEAKER_03I want I want to do some stuff with the heart with the deer I got this past year, but I I I let the heart sit too long in the fridge and it went bad.
SPEAKER_00I'm like, ah oh yeah, dude, deer heart tacos. I know amazing. Oh yeah. Uh but the heart, man, the way I like to eat it, I just cut it in half. Salt, pepper, get my cast iron skillet like rolling hot. Eat it. That's it. And I'll have a single nice sides.
SPEAKER_03I've heard it's good too. Like, I haven't personally tried deer heart, but I know it's pretty good because it's probably like tender and good because it's one of the most worked muscles.
SPEAKER_00Oh, heck yeah, dude. I got a buddy, he uh he he swore by the six five creed more. He was like, bro, because he he hated archery. He's like, I ain't gonna well not hated either. I just got I got no time for it. And he shot a deer and he blew. I mean, the heart was gone, and he was like, I'm done with rifle hunting. Like bro, he's like, I'm done with it. I'm I'm going to get a bow. He goes, 'Cause I know this bow, the bow ain't gonna destroy the heart. So he picked the got a hoit and started bow hunting. And man, he got good quick, like real quick. But yeah, dude, I I I I love I just like when that's my one of my favorite parts of hunting is when once you get something cooking it, man. Because it's oh yeah, it's it it's it's not like going to a grocery store and buying meat, right? Like I said this on my show, and people that listen, they've heard me say this when you when you uh when you harvest your own animal and you cook that meat and you share with your family, that meal comes with a story. When you're sitting around, when you're sitting around a smoker or you're on a grill and you got those back straps on there, and you're all your buddies around, y'all talking, y'all drinking beer and stuff, dude. You hey man, let me tell you about this. Let me tell you about this deal we're about to eat. And you go into the story, and it just like it's it's it's just amazing, man. Like, I'll never forget uh my ex-girlfriend. I took her daughter hunting with me. Well, she was like, She was like, DeAndre, I want to go hunting. And I was like, Do you like do you really? And she was like, Yeah, I like I really do. Because she's she seen me do it, she's seen her brother do it. So she's like, she wants to be want to be a part of it. So um leading up to that that weekend, I had her looking, it was just rifle hunting, youth rifle. So I had her looking through my scope and what you call it, like, hey, you know, this is where you're gonna put, I had a picture of a deer, like where you're gonna put the crosshairs, and she's putting the crosshairs like where it's supposed to be. I'm like, you know, good. So we ended up going out, and I want to say that morning, probably about like 10 o'clock, dude. Uh we were walking. Well, actually, we're getting ready to leave because we like wouldn't see anything, and we spooked a group of doe out of this creek, and three of them, three of them ran, but the last one like ran probably like 40 yards and then stopped and like kept like trying to figure out what we were. And dude, I set the tripod down, put the rifle in there, chambered ones, like, do your thing. And she let her she let her have it. Boom, dropped her right there. We get that back strap, we get we get the deer. She's all super happy, of course. Get our pictures, and then I feel dressed it, take it home, hang it up, and I'm taking the back straps off of it. And she looks at me, she goes, Can we eat that tonight? And I was like, Oh, yeah, go up there and get the go up there and turn the smoke around. We're gonna eat this baby tonight. And we seasoned it up and we we cooked and everything, and we got done, we sat around the table, and she just started telling her her mom and brother the story. Oh man, me and DeAndre were we we were we were walking in the deer, and she's telling the whole story and she and she means she remembered every piece of that story, everything. And I was like, this is what hunting is all about. Like, yeah, it yeah, you know, it's it's going out, scouting, you know, um all the work you do before and and putting an animal down, but the story, the story that comes with it, man, and it's just like that's one of my one of my reasons that I love to hunt is eating and storytelling, and that's you get both of that, you get both all that in hunting. I just love it.
SPEAKER_03Oh, yeah, for sure. Well, I got one final question as we wrap up here for the night.
SPEAKER_00Oh, yeah.
SPEAKER_03Different from my why question, my famous why question. I've revamped and got a different question for the repeat offenders. I call them that come back on to the show. And it is what was your aha moment that you were like, This is it?
SPEAKER_00Like, like hunting, this is it, yeah. Um man, it it was 20, it was 2021. And uh up until that time, I'd only hunted on private land. And I was like, you know what, man, this next season, I'm gonna my goal is to kill a mule deer on public land. That's that's what I'm gonna do. So leading up to that season, dude, I was uh I was going out to know different public land spots, scouting, kind of putting together a plan. I found this one spot that was like way off the beaten path. Like it's public, but like if you're gonna drive to it, you I mean you gotta really want to go out there. So I go out there, and um, I didn't know at the time that in order to this the place where I wanted to go, I had to get access through this lady's uh property. So I'm like, dang, I kind of botched that up real quick. Because I thought there was a road that went that I could go down, but that it's actually a private road. So I knocked on her door, she let me, she's like, Oh, yeah, yeah, baby, go out there, have fun. But she goes, be careful because we got a mountain line out there, and and we hadn't been able to get we hadn't been able to track him down. So I'm like, I wish you wouldn't have told me that, but I appreciate you telling me that. But anyway, so I go out there, man, and I'm sitting on top of this ridge, and I'm just uh I'm scouting and I'm seeing a couple doe, but I'm looking for a buck. Like I'm looking for a buck, but I told myself, you know what the goal is to get a mule deer on public. It doesn't matter if it's a doe or a buck. So there's some mule, there's some does right there. Let's make it happen. So I start going down this, uh, going down this drainage, and I'm got my bow in my lap, and I'm scooting myself down this hill to the left of me. It's like a wall, it's like a rock wall. But the further I get down, the lower the wall gets. So I get halfway down. Well, I'll say, yeah, I get three quarters of way down, and I can see the other side, and there's this doe, she's like down at the bottom, and she's walking around this hill. So I'm like, I she's going to the other side of the hill, so I'm gonna cut her off. And as soon as she walked out on the other side, I'm gonna let her have it. So walk down, I'm at full draw, and I'm sitting there waiting for her to come out, and I look out my left eye, and I see this buck bedded down under like with the hill I was on. It was like it went down and then it kind of went in and then back down. He was kind of bedded in this little cove, little nook. And I'm like, oh shit. So I let down, I range him, he was at 45 yards. I'm like, I broke it's money. Full draw, and it was like as soon as I go to full draw and point at him, he's like bedded up, he looks and he stands up, looks straight at me, and turns broadside. And I'm like, Ain't no way. And dude, I just watched it, I just watched the veins sink in disappear and dude I just dropped my bow like I'm I will admit I I cried like a baby I did I was like because it was something I I like I was at you know 2021 I'm new like I I'm two years in and I'm just like oh like I I scouted uh even though that wasn't there I was going after I still like I scouted this property I found out there was deer here I came in quiet I did everything I was supposed to do the deer gave me the opportunity I took it and I'm like this is it this is what this is about and I I called my brother and I I was just like dude dude I did it I mean I I couldn't get words out and um man I trekked that deer trekked that deer trekked the deer track that deer I could not find and I was like man I can't believe I lost this deer like I can't believe it and so I was getting ready to give up well I ain't gonna lie I gave up and I started walking I went see he people he went down this drainage and I just couldn't find him so I started walking back and I get the and you can you can smell you can smell him you know and I'm like okay he's he's here somewhere and there was this little bush that I guess he had just crawled underneath and just died and I was like I walked past this bush I know three or four times and just the wind has happened to be blowing where it the scent caught my nose got him out and the whole time I'm trying to field dress them now I'm looking like shit she said there was a mountain line around here so like I'm I'm I'm cutting looking because now I'm I'm down in this drainage so I'm like if it gets the high ground on me I'm cooked but you know fortunately it wasn't nowhere to be seen so got the deer out of there and dude I drove all the way home it was like a four hour trip back to the house and I just drove all the way home listening to whiskey mire baby that was that was that was it right there and I was like then I was like this is it like this is I'm I can actually do this because to me and I'm I'm not trying to shit talk anybody that has access to private land because if I had access to it like like I used to I'd still be hunting that shit but I feel like when you go out on public land and you set a goal to get something and you go and do that shit that's different it hit it hit a whole lot more than you know I'm saying when you own your own shit I'm just that's just it's just my opinion but I like I said I'm not shit talking nobody because as soon as I get get you know the opportunity to buy some land of my own shit I'm doing that because I don't I hate that pressure of public land but I I'll I'm I'll say it feel different because I've done both I've hunted private and I've hunted public in the dear that I kill on public that shit feel a whole lot different it feels a whole lot different oh yeah for sure well Trey I appreciate you coming on tonight man and appreciate the time again and do you have any final thoughts shout out you want to give before we head out of here uh oh yeah man just want to give a uh shout out to you know the outdoor group elite archery man uh love you guys um and then just you know just that's uh all the better listeners out there all the people that follow me and support me man I really appreciate it uh whether that's just uh you know uh a view on social media a like a comment I I love all of it man you know and then the people that buy my merch you know I appreciate it man I appreciate you for having me on man and um oh for sure and and be and be looking out for the bow draft man bow draft is coming uh I think May 9th is when we pick the date May 9th the uh the second annual dreaded archer bow draft um if you guys didn't watch it last year and wonder what it is is basically it's the NF it's like the NFL draft but for bows um I have a panel of guys they're their own teams and they have a budget of thirty five hundred dollars and you have to build you have to draft the ultimate setup within budget awesome oh yeah well and if you make your way up here to the great outdoor show of Maryland again dude just hit me up like I said before and I'll definitely have to get down your way in Texas to hit you up for some hunting all right bro let's do it man matter of fact one of my uh classmates hit me up this morning and was like hey dude uh I did not know you like to hunt dude I I just bought some land out in Arkansas got a shit ton of hogs if you if you want to ever come hunt bro come on so hey d we might have to set something up man when we go out and and knock down some hogs oh yeah for sure I've never won hog hunting before so I'm definitely be down hey bro it's it's it's fun it's fun it it it all depends on what you call fun some people like they don't think it's fun because like the hogs come in they eat on a feeder and run away it's a good way to test your gear out i'm just gonna I'm gonna be dead ass honest with you if you if you want if you want to know how your setup is going to perform against a deer go shoot a hog if it'll blow through a hog it should have blown through a deer oh yeah for sure and if everybody wants to get the big hogzilla like and that that's how I know if people if they that's how I know how if people if they grew up around hogs if you if you're not from a state that has hogs and you come to say you're like oh I want to get the biggest one you ain't from around here though like the yeah the big ones they cool to get but the meat is terrible you can't do not you can't do nothing with it you want you want a hog either you want a little a little football like a little piglet them jokers you can feel you can feel dress them out skin them put them whole on a smoker beautiful but if you want something bigger then you want to get one that's probably about between 75 pounds to 120 pounds that's about as big as I'm gonna go okay and then them the ones where you you see them all with the apple on the mouth stretched out on the table yeah man like if if we didn't have a baby this year I was gonna do um uh a a pig picking I was gonna have some guys come down the people that I meet you know people that I've been on shows with or had on my show come stay at my crib and uh we're gonna go out hog hunt and then like my dad he has like a we're gonna build a whatchall a big um smoker not a drum smoker we're just gonna take like uh center blocks build this oh yeah yeah yeah like uh yeah yeah yeah and then have them rotating over it and we was gonna get like you know two or three hogs and we'll do one whole hog and then everybody else can just kind of you know make their own little culinary dish their own little food dish and then we're just gonna sit there and just you know drink beer eat and talk you know but you know didn't work out this year but definitely next year I want to get that going because it's gonna be something cool to do you know uh between January and February when everything's kind of slowed down to get out like some hogs oh yeah I mean hey I'd be happy with any hog I said I've never been hog hunting before so any pig any fresh wild pork I can get I'd be happy with hey man it's it's it's good man it's good hey and then like cool thing about Texas is if we go down south dude axes there's it's open year round like I I've seen that I have seen that yep we got axes deer we got uh cool you all dads all that shit is year round because they're exotic and there's they just everywhere in the in south texas javelinas all that so do you definitely gotta get down here man I'll take you out show you a good time and um and then you know if if you want to go ram hunt I got a buddy it is high fence I I will say this is high fence but um I do take I've taken a lot of um like my clients and stuff out there if you want to get like a Texas Dow sheep or a Texas ram it's it's a fun hunt if you want to sit in the uh sit in the tree stand and hunt them that's kind of boring i spot I did spot in stock and it took me two days to get one because they are they are kind of uh skittish but uh it's a fun hunt and they taste like antelope so it's like it's the best to me it's the best meat that's the closest meat to antelope that you can get and they're not as hard to hunt antelope is hard.
SPEAKER_03Oh yeah well thanks again Trey for coming on and thank you all for another episode of the Blue Hen Outdoors podcast oh man I appreciate it