Family, Fitness and the Trad Bow Grind

Ruben Carreras takes us on a compelling journey through his evolution from Marine Corps parachute rigger to accomplished bowhunter and fitness enthusiast. After years of hunting frustration, Ruben finally cracked the code this season, harvesting two impressive bucks within nine days using a traditional bow – an achievement that came from fundamentally changing his approach to hunting.

The secret to his success wasn't simply logging more hours in the stand. Instead, Ruben discovered that strategic patience, understanding deer behavior, and mastering entry routes made all the difference. "Just because you have time to be in the woods doesn't mean you should," he shares, emphasizing how counterproductive it can be to hunt during suboptimal conditions. His breakthrough came when he completely changed his approach angle to a familiar hunting spot, creating a scenario where his scent wouldn't reach deer until they were already within shooting range.

Equally impressive is Ruben's physical transformation. Starting at 225 pounds and struggling to run a mile, he committed to a fitness journey that saw him drop to 175 pounds before eventually pursuing bodybuilding. This improved physical condition directly enhanced his hunting effectiveness, allowing him to access more remote areas and recover harvested animals more efficiently. Now approaching his first bodybuilding competition, Ruben embodies the discipline that carries over between the gym and the woods.

Whether you're struggling with hunting consistency, looking to improve your physical capabilities, or simply appreciate authentic stories of outdoor passion, this conversation delivers powerful insights about patience, strategy, and the discipline required for success in both hunting and life. Join us for a candid discussion about what it truly takes to evolve as a hunter and as a person.

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Chapters

• 0:00 Introduction to Guest Ruben Carreras
• 7:24 Strategic Hunting and Trail Camera Bans
• 18:35 Wind Direction and Entry Route Tactics
• 31:01 Traditional Bow Hunting Challenges
• 50:11 Woodsmanship and Hunting Discipline
• 1:01:41 Fitness Journey and Physical Transformation

Transcript

Zakk Plocica: 0:00

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome back to the show. This is episode seven. Today's guest is a really good friend of mine, Ruben Carreras. Me and Ruben have been friends for quite a few years. We've worked together and we've even done some training for triathlons together. So Ruben joined the Marine Corps right out of high school, where he was a parachute rigger. He got out after four years due to medical reasons, so since then he's become an avid outdoorsman who hunts just about everything that has a season, and he's really shaped his life around the woods. Not only is he a great hunter, but he's got an incredible fitness story, and we'll dive into all of that on today's episode of the show. Enjoy, ruben. Yes, sir.

Ruben Carreras: 0:39

Happy to be here.

Zakk Plocica: 0:39

Dude probably going to be my favorite guest Dude probably going to be my favorite guest. I've known you for a long time. Yeah, definitely.

Ruben Carreras: 0:49

A real long time. Yeah, a few years back, I want to say 2017.

Zakk Plocica: 0:53

Which is crazy. Now that you've got a child, I still always think of you as a new dad, and you're not even a new dad anymore at this point I feel like a new dad, but every time I think about it because Gray is now four.

Ruben Carreras: 1:04

Four in February.

Zakk Plocica: 1:05

Yeah, you're no longer qualified as like a new dad.

Ruben Carreras: 1:07

I'm learning new things every day, yeah dude me too.

Zakk Plocica: 1:09

I mean, I've got 13-year-olds and I'm that's wild. Those are fighting ages in case you were wondering.

Ruben Carreras: 1:15

It's crazy to me to think that, like she's four years old and it's still hard for me to talk about her growing up without tearing up. It's wild. Soft man Soft as baby crap dude.

Zakk Plocica: 1:29

So what's new, man? I mean, aside from you having an incredible season this year, which I've referenced in pretty much every single episode, because we talk about it with all the guys, yeah, and you know everyone's like, oh, my season was okay. I was like, well, Ruben really crushed it.

Ruben Carreras: 1:52

He tagged out with a trad bow. That was, honestly, it's crazy, because last two years strictly hunting with the traditional bow and the previous guest, joe long, he's to blame for that um actually bought my bow from him and um, he's actually been kind of like my mentor with a lot of things when it comes to trad bows yours and mine. Yeah, definitely, yeah, definitely. And this last season I definitely went into things a lot different than I have in the past, especially hunting on base. They banned trail cameras four days into the season, so that was the biggest change. But last year and the previous years I was like, okay, I have time, I need to be in the woods, have to be in the woods. Last year and the previous years I was like, okay, I have time, I need to be in the woods, have to be in the woods, and that definitely a lot of like. Just because you're in the woods doesn't mean you're doing anything productive.

Zakk Plocica: 2:32

You don't? Yeah, I learned that the hard lesson. But that's a hard thing to take away because you know a lot of people. They're just like this is my opportunity. I'm going today. Yeah, a hundred percent, and we've talked about that before Like maybe I know you have the ability to go day, but it just ain't the right day. Exactly, things aren't clicking. The wind ain't right, you know it's, it's just not gonna. It's going to be counterproductive, like you're saying.

Ruben Carreras: 2:53

Oh, a hundred percent. And a big thing my wife actually brought this up to me last night. Big thing it's a bunch of other podcasts I've said in the past but if you have a spouse at home that doesn't allow you or that gives you crap for going to the woods, that's a deal breaker from the beginning. You're not going to have the success you want to have. That's right.

Zakk Plocica: 3:11

That means you got to get a divorce.

Ruben Carreras: 3:13

I'm not going there.

Zakk Plocica: 3:15

Just kidding, don't take our advice.

Ruben Carreras: 3:16

Yeah, but like that's the biggest thing. My wife definitely lets me chase my passions with that, like especially with duck season, like I was in the woods five days out of the week for duck season.

Zakk Plocica: 3:29

I know because I talked to her. I said I was like Nikki Ruben's hunting a lot. She's like yeah, I know, because every time I see you you're like you got a post or something. It's three o'clock in the morning and you're headed out to go hunt. But, you incorporate her in with your hunting too, though.

Ruben Carreras: 3:46

Yeah, she's real big into duck and turkey hunting. She's not a huge fan of deer hunting because, let's be honest, deer hunting is very boring. Slow, yeah it can be. And duck hunting it's more of just hanging out with your friends. Like every time I go duck hunting, I bring coffee, I bring one of my meals for breakfast, sitting there hanging out, and if stuff flies by, then it flies by. If it doesn't, I still had a good morning.

Zakk Plocica: 4:08

Yeah, I like it a lot. You can do it. Yeah, you don't have to be solo for it.

Ruben Carreras: 4:12

Oh, I'm solo for a lot of the times I go duck hunting, but like you don't have family bonding. Yeah, exactly, that's a big thing, with one of the reasons why I fell in love with duck hunting it's like you're just hanging out with your friends and it's like you get to shoot things in the process.

Zakk Plocica: 4:32

What beats that Exactly? Someone's not going to like that, but whatever, yeah, it's awesome, man. I mean it's cool that you guys get to do it together and she enjoys it with you. Yeah, you guys get to do it together and she enjoys it with you. What?

Ruben Carreras: 4:45

about the little one? Has she been out? Yeah, I've actually taken her out a lot. So last year I drew a permit for a permanent public land spot here in North Carolina and I had to pick her up from daycare. I was like, well, she's coming with me. This is one of the days I'm out here and I sat her in the blind with me, was three years old, had headphones and ipad hung out with me dude, we talked, so that's funny.

Zakk Plocica: 5:06

I talked about that before, you know, with my little guys when they were littler. You know, and even with william you know, we'll go sit out in the blind. We got thomas a train going on, an ipad there's snacks. It's like yep every time yeah, you might not see anything, but it still makes good memories, like with gray.

Ruben Carreras: 5:22

Every time I would call juba are they coming now? Not anymore than not now. They ain't. Yeah, it was. It was a blast. I love having her out there with me. But, um, I've taken her duck hunting with me to spots where, like, we're just sitting on the bank, we're like walking the bank and I've shot ducks with her, and not an issue, she's about it. Oh yeah, she loves it. That's cool. She's always been asking me when are we, when are the turkeys coming? When are we going? That's cool, oh yeah.

Zakk Plocica: 5:46

Very awesome. So let's go back to your deer season this year, Like what was the difference in this season over the previous seasons? Like I said, you know what did you do differently, aside from just not being in the woods all the time and being a little bit more strategic, I'm assuming, with your planning? But what were the major contributing factors that led to you know, and you did it pretty back-to-back?

Ruben Carreras: 6:09

Yeah, so I killed both bucks within nine days. Which is yeah, that was wild.

Zakk Plocica: 6:13

You figured something out. What's the secret?

Ruben Carreras: 6:15

Ruben. Well, so there's a compiling, like a list of things. So, like I said, the biggest thing was just because I have time to be in the woods doesn't mean I should, and I've talked to our buddy, levi Marshall Straight killer. It's wild the amount of level that he goes into for deer hunting. Yeah.

Zakk Plocica: 6:32

I love talking to him.

Ruben Carreras: 6:34

Joe Long helped me out with a lot of things and I have to preface this because, like, I'll never be on the level of them just because I dabble in every kind of hunting, Like my main focus isn't deer hunting.

Zakk Plocica: 6:46

Right, that's the difference in them, right they?

Ruben Carreras: 6:47

are.

Zakk Plocica: 6:47

They are like yeah, it's wild. Levi, especially into whitetail hunting.

Ruben Carreras: 6:55

Oh yeah, that's his thing. His goal is a 200 inch buck and I'm willing to bet money that he's going to hit in the next five years.

Zakk Plocica: 7:02

Yeah, it's crazy to me oh man, he's got. He's got some changes coming. Oh massive changes, massive changes coming Levi. It's about to be different.

Ruben Carreras: 7:09

Yeah, big, big difference. But, um, one big thing that I've learned this year was your entrance, your entry route and your exit are the biggest dominating factors. So, the spot where I killed my first buck this year I've been hunting that spot for three years. I have a lot of information history with that site and, um, I shot a doe there last year. Unfortunately bad shot, never found her, but I have trail camera photos of her with a scar on her back. I want to kill her because she has my broadhead in her.

Ruben Carreras: 7:40

There's all the reason right there, but these things are expensive yeah, 100, but um, so I learned the more I was coming in this one route. Every time I would see deer on trail cameras. They were coming from one way, but they would, instead of exiting the way I thought they would, they would go back the same way. And it's like, okay, like I started watching that, started watching that, and then whenever I would sit hunt that spot, the deer would come in from a complete opposite direction. I'm like, okay, like this is something, something's not right here, something's not adding up. And then I've seen, I want to say, a total of 12 bears in that spot and the bears would come in the way I came in.

Ruben Carreras: 8:17

So it's like this is weird, like how, like why is this playing into a factor like this? And then, finally, I was like you know what, I'm gonna count it on a completely opposite direction. I know I could be opposite direction when I'm gonna come in from a different angle. And I did that. And that was the night I killed that buck and instead of the wind in my face, the wind was kind of catty cornering him, so like it was coming across my face, but it wouldn't have. My wind wouldn't have hit him until he was in my shooting lane and I I shot him four minutes before last legal light so you gave him the wind exactly in his favor which puts you in that prime position to to execute, and it's that's one thing that I learned from levi.

Ruben Carreras: 8:59

A mature buck is never going to walk with the wind like not in his favor. So hunting with your, hunting with the wind in your face is a great thing, cause, like I don't practice any kind of scent control, I just play the wind. And um, why would that buck be walking with the wind going over his back Right? That doesn't make any sense. So when I did it to where it was catty cornering his face, that's when I finally connected.

Zakk Plocica: 9:23

Yeah, so to where it was catty cornering his face. That's when I finally connected. Yeah, so set it up and made it happen. I think that's what, um, I mean same thing for myself too. One of the major, the biggest things with with talking to those guys and a handful of other individuals is wind access. That's it. I mean it doesn't matter how great your scent control is no, you're never gonna fool it.

Ruben Carreras: 9:43

You're ever going to beat their nose ever I've talked to a buddy of mine, rashaun, about that you're never gonna like. The deer won't smell a human, but he won't smell like he'll smell something's off yes, it's different yeah, and a big thing that I've learned with that spot.

Ruben Carreras: 9:59

So I take a logging road in, it's like eight to a thousand yards, and then my last 300 meters takes me the longest time, right, because, like, if I'm walking in with the rain, I'm waiting until the wind picks up, I'm waiting until the rain gets heavier. It's just I take my sweet time getting to that spot, just also, so I don't sweat, right.

Zakk Plocica: 10:16

Yeah, cause it's hot all year. Yeah, it was 79 degrees when I shot that buck that's funny because I talked to, uh, buddy Brian when he shot his buck too. It was like a thousand degrees out. That's wild.

Ruben Carreras: 10:28

You know, just trying to drag that thing out is absolutely miserable, yeah well, I hunted in a swamp so it was nice because the buck floated out oh did it.

Ruben Carreras: 10:35

Yeah, like the last 200 yards I was knee deep in water. Oh wow, miserable. But then my second buck. This is like the craziest part for me. So after that we had a week left and we were going to go to disney world with my family and then a bunch of family friends, and, um, my wife was like, oh, are you going to hunt again before you leave? And I was like probably not, which I didn't. And then we were supposed to leave disney world on a sunday or on a a Monday and we left the park Sunday afternoon super early. So, hey, do you care if we head home now? She's like, yeah, let's go. Got home at four in the morning, slept for a couple hours sitting there not doing anything, looked. The wife was like, hey, do you care if I go to the woods? She's like, no, go ahead. And I talked to Joe about a spot and, uh, I got in the tree at three in the afternoon, turned my stand around, shot the buck at 315.

Zakk Plocica: 11:30

That is efficiency.

Ruben Carreras: 11:31

That was the craziest, the craziest day in the woods. I literally. So I put my stand up and I was facing the wrong direction. I was like. I better turn around, turn around, turn. In my stand around I hear a doe blowing.

Zakk Plocica: 11:43

And I was like, what the hell Like there's no way the wind's.

Ruben Carreras: 11:44

In my stand around I hear a doe blowing and I was like what the hell like? There's no way the wind's in my favor. I was like whatever, it's not a big deal did she pick up your movement I don't think so, but in like retrospect what she was blowing as the buck that I shot okay yeah, because he was coming around the bedding area and like.

Ruben Carreras: 11:59

So, as I was getting set up in the tree, I was cutting a limb to like clear my shooting lane up, because I don't hunt very high at all. I was nine feet off the ground when I shot him and I cut the limb, I broke it. And I look up he's 10 feet from me and I already had my bow in the stand and I was like damn it, he's going to take off Now. He put his head down, circled me and there was a big pine tree in between me and him. As soon as he got there, I stood up. I didn't have my tab on my fingers. Drew back shot him at eight feet, eight feet from me, and I cut the top of his heart off, dang, and then, like he jumped, stopped, walked away and I was like there's no way, like I'm looking at a bloody arrow, walked 45 yards laid down, that was it.

Zakk Plocica: 12:45

And.

Ruben Carreras: 12:45

I was like, okay, cool, I can get down and try to put another arrow in them. And like I have my binders like this on him. I'm like pinned against the tree Cause I'm just just sitting there shaking so bad. And then finally I see him start flopping. I was like he's like okay, call me back if you shoot something else. That's funny, man.

Zakk Plocica: 13:12

yeah yeah, good times, man. I mean it's. It's such a good feeling when everything works out oh, it was like the plan worked.

Ruben Carreras: 13:19

Yeah, it was. It was insane, because I've never hunted that spot, that I shot that buck in and I was looking at another spot talking to Joe about it. He was like try this spot out. I scouted during turkey season but I've never hunted it. And then, like I just found a spot where three trails came together and that's where I sat.

Zakk Plocica: 13:36

So, as far as your hunting gear goes, are you hunting out of a hang-on?

Ruben Carreras: 13:41

Yeah, so I'm hunting out of a lone wolf custom gear stand.

Zakk Plocica: 13:42

So out of a hang on. Yeah, so I'm hunting out of a lone wolf custom meter stand, so do you so?

Ruben Carreras: 13:46

you. You don't saddle hunt at all anymore.

Zakk Plocica: 13:47

I kind of do a hybrid, okay, so that's, that's kind of seems like the general consensus for a lot of guys now is they're moving to more. It gives you the. You know you got options right. You could go either way, um, but do you spend most of your time sitting?

Ruben Carreras: 14:02

I do a mixture of both. So I don't like to stand, because if I'm, especially when I'm sitting in the saddle, because I find myself swinging way too much. So the saddle that I have, it looks like a belt with two little leg straps on it. It's from hang free and, um, it zips out to expand. And if I'm, if I go to sit in it, I'll expand it. But most of the time I'm sitting down I use it as a safety harness, like that's it.

Zakk Plocica: 14:26

So one of the things I did a little different this year too was I still saddle hunt, but I got a couple of the XOP, I got a retrograde, and then I think it's a Cold World, Just messing with them.

Ruben Carreras: 14:38

Those are really nice yeah.

Zakk Plocica: 14:40

They are Super lightweight, super low profile, just enough platform, especially with the retro gray, to just do what I need to do.

Zakk Plocica: 14:45

I'm not dancing up there and time dancing and stuff, you know it, I got plenty of a foot space exactly but the thing I do like about sitting in that hang on is with my tree selection, because I was always I've always been, big on you can climb whatever tree you want, but when the trees are really thin I noticed this this year especially when I was hunting up in Kentucky I got picked off a couple times yeah because the tree was too small, it's just any kind of movement.

Zakk Plocica: 15:10

I knocked this thing down. Um was very noticeable, so I've been trying to focus more on getting into a tree that I kind of disappear into, if that makes sense. So when I sit up against it, um, I'm not like silhouetted or or um, what's the word?

Ruben Carreras: 15:27

skyline, skyline. Yes. So a big thing for me that I've learned actually like from levi, from podcasts, things like that is um, I don't hunt height, because when I first got into saddle hunting I was real big. I need to be 25 feet plus in the freaking nosebleeds just hanging out and um, now I hunt to cover, right, I have some spots where I'm nine feet off the ground, like if joe jumps high enough he's gonna touch my bottom he's dunking yeah.

Ruben Carreras: 15:53

So it's like like when I shot my first buck, I was maybe 12 feet off for two sticks, two sticks high and I'm covered. I just have a little window that's like my chest and above is out, that's it. And then um same thing with second buck. It's, it's a big thing. It's just you don't need height unless your spot calls for that right, but as long as the deer can't see your outline, you're fine yeah, that's what.

Zakk Plocica: 16:15

So one of the things that I've been a little bit more strategic with is my back cover, because I got busted in kentucky because I thought my back cover was good and it was good from where I anticipated coming. But of course they didn't come that way every time and they went on my weak side and I you know, I'm shimmying around trying to trying to get a shot on this thing and he comes. You know he's eight, you know he was seven or eight yards from me and it was a really good buck. I was like, oh, buddy, everyone's going to hate me for this and this is good. And I went to. I went to, I had got to full drawn, I went to get into my peep and he was like no sir. And I got down and I looked from where he was seeing and I didn't have the cover on that side, so any little movement. I mean. He picked up on it right away and he was like I'm out.

Ruben Carreras: 16:58

Well, one thing I talked to you about, especially like Levi, like he hunts in the Midwest and I was like how do you deal with finding tree cover? Like when later in the season, when everything, all the leaves, are gone? He was like you offset your tree cover? He's like sometimes tree covers 10, 15 feet in front of you, Right, as long as it's breaking up that outline, yeah.

Zakk Plocica: 17:17

That's the biggest thing, man, I mean when you see a squirrel in the woods and seen as soon as it moves you can see you see it, you know so, any movement, I mean you got to really be, you know, conscious of what you're doing. I mean that's from checking your phone to even looking around, because that little bit of movement is so noticeable when everything else is still.

Ruben Carreras: 17:39

Oh, a hundred percent.

Ruben Carreras: 17:39

It's just your movement and your noise are the two biggest deciding factors when your entrance and your noise are the two biggest deciding factors when your entrance and your exit right and one thing I've dabbled in it a little bit I've heard on a bunch of podcasts that, like a lot of guys do when they make a lot of noise going into the woods, is they'll have a turkey diaphragm call in. Yeah, my thing is I always forget about it. I'll break a branch and then I'm like, oh wait, it's just like. It's like. There's no way, it's not fooling anybody.

Zakk Plocica: 18:05

That deer put two in together Like yeah, that ain't.

Ruben Carreras: 18:08

That deer sounds like an idiot. It's like runs away. Good try, buddy. Yeah, exactly, that's funny.

Zakk Plocica: 18:12

I've heard that too, man, and like you, I mean I've got them in my bino harness right here and I'm my second buck.

Ruben Carreras: 18:24

I was all in on ducks at that point.

Zakk Plocica: 18:26

I know you were done deer hunting yeah.

Ruben Carreras: 18:28

I deer hunted a couple more times after that because I wanted to kill one with my compound, because I got a new Hoyt this year. What?

Zakk Plocica: 18:34

did you get?

Ruben Carreras: 18:35

I got the Twin Turbo. Oh okay, yeah, but I wanted to kill one with that just because I shoot severs out of that. I wanted to see what they would do. I shot a deer with and they're awesome giant holes. Yes, they were. But, um, I went out one morning and it was pouring down rain and lightning and thundering and I was like I was texting levi.

Ruben Carreras: 18:52

I was like I'm not sitting in a thunderstorm for a dip and he was like yeah, I'm not doing that yeah, not desperate enough at that point yeah, it was already got what you wanted to get done done yeah, it was like I said it was my goal from like previous years was just kill one more deer, and I've had two very rough seasons where I didn't kill anything and I wounded one. So like that was the hardest thing to bounce back from is wounding one to go on to try to kill another one.

Zakk Plocica: 19:17

It does, man, because it's always in the back of your mind. You're like dang man. I don't want to do that again yeah, and if I do, I'm not telling anybody, I'm not saying a word. So no posts. No pictures are getting posted until I recover what I'm haunting.

Ruben Carreras: 19:30

Yeah, yeah, well, the biggest thing was after I shot that doe last year and I wounded her, I went to ohio to hunt. Last day of the hunt at noon I had a buck at 12 yards, drew back on with my recurve and that wounding that deer went straight through my head and I let down and I was like because he had like three little twigs over his vitals. All I could think about is a glancing blow and wounding it. Yep, and it was like borderline private public. So I was like I don't know the farmer there, so it's like how am I going to recover that deer if he takes off right? And, like I said, that was last day in ohio and I had an all-day sit in the woods and that was just last last chance I had on that.

Zakk Plocica: 20:08

That was it yeah, that's tough man it is. It's a mental game with that, oh yeah, huge. You have to have a short-term memory if you're going to shoot traditional, because I did that kentucky a couple years back, man, I was like dude, I'm retired yeah, I'm done. It's so hard to bounce back from wounding animals it is, man I mean, especially when you've already told everybody they're like hey, how about you not hurt anything anymore?

Ruben Carreras: 20:29

especially our friend.

Zakk Plocica: 20:30

Yeah, it's just like ruthless oh, way to go, buddy, yeah, yeah, no, I get it. Man it's uh, yeah, that's a struggle, man, it's a constant. I still think about it, you know, and that's been a couple years ago. Yeah, I don't want to repeat of that I mean like, and that's things like I.

Ruben Carreras: 20:47

I kind of hate the constellation that everybody says like oh, that's bow hunting. Yeah it is, but I still don't want it to happen yeah, it's.

Zakk Plocica: 20:52

I mean, and that's one of the things right, which we've always preached is, you know, spending behind the time, behind the riser, and we're all guilty of it. Right, sometimes there's a little bit of burnout and you need to take breaks, but I think it's important that people continue to you know, before the season, that, with enough time, get comfortable with their equipment, get comfortable with their bow, spend time in a tree shooting out of a stand, because it is different angles are different than shooting flat ground. I mean, understanding the vitals um in the anatomy of an animal is important too, because, based off you know, the angle that or the shot angle that you're taking oh yeah, big thing for me, especially like switching to traditional gear.

Ruben Carreras: 21:27

I've always said I'm very accurate up to 35 yards and I've always like if I see a deer I'm taking the shot 35 yards, not out of a tree stand. I'm not. It's different Way, different For me. Cap for me out of a tree stand is maybe 25 yards.

Zakk Plocica: 21:42

Yeah, for me, maybe 25 yards. Yeah, I, for me the goal is always a chip shot. I mean, I try to try to set myself up in the most advantageous position that I could possibly be in in order to capitalize on whatever I'm hunting. Uh, just because of past experiences, you know I don't want to wing it, um, and I'd like to be very confident in my shot. So that's one of the things that I've done this past year was almost be a little bit more, maybe too patient. Um, yeah, in sense, to where you know I'll, I'll let things. You know, I saw a lot, a lot of deer in Kentucky and let a lot of things just walk by, just because I was like, man, there's another day, it's not worth. And not everyone thinks that way, right. Some people are like yeah, dude, I get an arrow in them, get it down. That's that way, right. Some people yeah, dude, I get an arrow in them, get it down. That's great, whatever, floats your boat for me.

Ruben Carreras: 22:34

But you know, I like to be confident in the shot that I'm taking, um, and maybe to a, you know, almost to a little bit like I said too patient to a fault and I think there's a fine line between too much patience and not enough right because, Because for me this year I had a recurve, never killed a deer with it. I've told everybody and I will still tell everybody.

Zakk Plocica: 22:49

Oh, you hadn't shot anything. Never shot a big game animal with it, oh wow.

Ruben Carreras: 22:53

And I told everybody I was like the first deer that walks in front of me is getting an arrow thrown at it and sure enough, and actually that first buck I shot. I missed him on the first shot.

Zakk Plocica: 23:01

Yeah, but so the one thing about you that's crazy is you've always been an incredible shot with a bow. So from the first time I remember watching you shoot a compound bow, even to your traditional stuff, like you, just for whatever. You're super dialed in. You're very, very good at it just a talented shooter.

Ruben Carreras: 23:20

Well, I grew up shooting archery like on base here.

Zakk Plocica: 23:23

That doesn't matter, because I know a lot of people that shoot bows their whole lives and they can't.

Ruben Carreras: 23:28

They're not as good as they claim to be I honestly don't even know what to contribute that to, just because I grew up shooting my dad's bows like, and I showed cody our buddy cody, that now works eastern or east end yeah, I showed him a picture. I'm drawing my dad's old reflex back it. It's like six inches too long for me and he's like dang, you're really maxing that thing out, huh.

Zakk Plocica: 23:46

It's maxing me out, buddy.

Ruben Carreras: 23:47

Exactly, and by the time I got old enough, he finally passed down a boat to me. But then I joined the Marine Corps, got out of hunting, got out of everything. I was just constantly gone. But, got back into it when we started the archery thing up.

Zakk Plocica: 24:04

Been in love ever since yeah, it's funny because anytime we do the 3d shoots I'm like I wonder if ruben's coming. He's got the clean house in this trad class. I mean even the, the compound, like you. Just you just shoot a bow really good and very, very technical, like whenever you, you, you know, you take a it, just it looks good. I mean it's I don't know how else to say it man, form, technique and everything just looks stellar every time for the traditional side.

Ruben Carreras: 24:27

I contribute every pretty much everything I've learned as far as traditional to Joe Long.

Zakk Plocica: 24:31

Yeah, me and him talked about that Because you know I was talking about it because I'm dabbling a little bit in it and just messing and realizing how terrible I really am. And you know he was kind of talking to me through some of the points and some of the stuff that we talked about at one of the last 3d shoots, about, you know, flaring the lat out, keeping the shoulder from collapsing, because it's, if you don't think through every aspect of the shot process for me with the traditional side, just because it's not ingrained in me, I guess at this point like something will be off, whether it's an anchor point, it's, you know, a shoulder collapsing, plucking the string. I mean this, that or the other I didn't even look at. You know, use anything to you know to aim.

Ruben Carreras: 25:11

I mean, I just what happened? I pulled it back and let it go. Man well, big thing for me, like. Even like I've been shooting traditional now for probably four years, I still have my shot process written down on my, my arm guard. And in the off season, I like, I repeat it in my head every time and constantly I'm sending videos myself shooting to Joe hey, how does my form look? Just drilling it, yeah. And he always responds to my stories on Instagram. He's like that shoulder's collapsing. I'm like dang it, I need to get back on that.

Zakk Plocica: 25:36

He just tries to make me feel good. He's like oh, you're looking good man. I'm like why are you lying to me? He, no, he's. Uh, he's been an excellent. He's very good at instructing too and hiding just real, just tons of valuable information. Not only that, but like from every, from hunting tactics strategy. Yeah, he's got a lot of time invested. He's a great resource.

Ruben Carreras: 25:57

We're lucky to have him. Oh yeah, matter of fact, I actually just got a new recurve I saw and I'm going to his house to like he's gonna help me tune it okay because one thing that I've taken from the compound side to the traditional is how technical people get with their compound.

Ruben Carreras: 26:12

I try to do the same thing with my recurve because, like everybody wants their arrows to match, I do the same through my recurve. I do. I have everything grain matching, I have everything to where it's so dialed in that I know for a fact my arrows are not going to be the problem.

Zakk Plocica: 26:28

Right, there's an issue with you, exactly.

Ruben Carreras: 26:30

Yeah.

Zakk Plocica: 26:30

Equipment failure is never something you want.

Ruben Carreras: 26:32

No, and I try to limit the amount of things that I'm worrying about, like, if I'm worried about it, it's not going in the woods with me, right, and that's the biggest thing that's a good approach.

Zakk Plocica: 26:41

Yeah yeah, that's really simplifies. Oh yeah, Like.

Ruben Carreras: 26:44

I've cut down on the amount of gear I take in the woods. Now I only take a little fanny pack. That is it. Especially in eastern North Carolina, you really don't need warming layers, anything like that, yeah a day trip.

Zakk Plocica: 26:55

Yeah, you know, in the backyard I don't even take water with me anymore. Yeah, see, that's how I am. I like a very minimalist approach, hunting locally just because you know if I can't go a couple hours without food and water we got a real problem, yeah. We got a problem, man.

Ruben Carreras: 27:11

And like something like me, like I eat every two to four hours, Like it's kind of hard to balance that while while hunting season.

Zakk Plocica: 27:14

Yeah, yeah, it's. Yeah, it does make it tough. I noticed too, though, if I have like a pack and I have an extra pouch and I have an extra bag, and I've well take a dang. You know, I got a water purification system.

Ruben Carreras: 27:28

I got a fire starter, got everything you know. But I feel like that's also the biggest thing when it comes to the hunting industry is like everything has to like not everything has a purpose on the gear they're building. And I cannot stand that because like I have kind of a little bit of a background in sewing and production and things like that, so it's like when I see things being built that don't necessarily have a purpose, it's just like it's a waste of time it looks cool though it does, and that's the.

Zakk Plocica: 27:55

That's the name of the game looking cool, that's hey man, if you don't look good, what doing, it doesn't even matter doesn't matter, doesn't matter at all yeah, facts for you guys, in case you were wondering yep, so how are you preparing for this system or this system this season differently? Because I'm assuming you're one hunting locally here on base so you can't run cameras? Yep, so what is the strategy if you're not running cameras, then is it just basically old intel that you've got, or is it e-scouting, is it on the ground scouting?

Ruben Carreras: 28:27

so it's, I go through a lot of old intel that I have because a lot of the spots that I have on base I've ran cameras for years in those spots and, um, a lot of e-scouting. I like to do a lot of hanging hunts. I like to go in scout my way in now, they don't always pan out, oh, of course, but I just like doing that because also it teaches me new things. But, um, last last season, before last season, in february, I had joe.

Ruben Carreras: 28:53

I went out with joe scouting and, um, I was like, show me what you're looking for, because clearly I've lost like I've just lost my eye for things. And he kind of started me at ground one, like how you would take someone who's never hunted before. And he showed me like okay, this is what you need to look for, this is what you need to do, and I think that is the biggest thing that's helped me this last season and that's what I'm going to do this year is I'm just going to go out and look, just see if there's still continuous sign know what to look, exactly what to look for, because that's hard, man, because I go out there.

Zakk Plocica: 29:22

They're like what are you looking?

Ruben Carreras: 29:23

I'm looking for deer man exactly, and it's like trying to translate that to someone who doesn't necessarily know what to look for. It's like I'm just looking for deer, like someone who sat a food plot edge their whole life. It's like now I'm going in the woods and I'm looking for trails and for scrapes, for rubs, poop, everything right, and it's just like it's hard to necessarily know what that is. Yeah, yeah it is.

Zakk Plocica: 29:46

It can be really overwhelming to to try to figure out what. Where I mean where do you start? You know, if you're in a new area, what am I even looking for? Like, oh man, there's some tracks there, there's some old rubs. Like, where do we start?

Ruben Carreras: 30:00

I think in today's age of information, if someone tells me they don't know where to hunt, you're not looking hard enough. You have millions of different like e-maps that you can look at. It's so everything.

Zakk Plocica: 30:12

It can be overwhelming for a lot of people too, because we're in the information age, right, information overload, you know, and there's so many opinions and so many ways to do this that I mean there's so many of these shows and podcasts and you know people putting out there, you know what they think works and what doesn't work. And you know, I don't think there's any absolute, I think there's a lot of different ways to approach um hunting and you know, but I think that's one of the issues for a lot of people is it's like, oh my gosh, there's so much where, where do I even begin?

Ruben Carreras: 30:45

The biggest thing, that, like for me, there's been so many times where, like I'll leave the woods and I'm like why am I still doing this? I've spent thousands of dollars to get to this point and, like thousands of hours away from my family trudging through swamps in Eastern North Carolina, it's like why am I doing this? But it's like you kind of need to go back to step one and be like I'm looking at the wrong things. And that's why I reached out to people like Joe and I was like hey, look, I need you to show me what I'm missing and essentially held my hand through the woods and said, look, this is what you need to look for. These are trained features and you look for this is what it looks like on Onyx on the map and things like that.

Zakk Plocica: 31:25

So nothing beats being out there and actually doing it, though, too, because a lot of people do get to that paralysis by analysis, right, they'll overthink everything before they even step foot in the woods. Oh yeah, you know, and it's like sometimes you just got to get out there and fail a little bit and then you're like oh man, I actually saw a deer this time.

Zakk Plocica: 31:45

What? Why did I see the deer? Exactly? You, exactly. You know that I think that's a big part of it too is people over consume and then they don't actually just go out and just try like go out there as a blank slate and just yeah get after it and see what happens because my thing is if, if hunting were as easy as people make it out to be, everyone would do it.

Ruben Carreras: 32:02

Oh yeah, and it's like I've had people ask me all the time like hey, can I have? Can I have some deer meat? Like no, like you don't understand what I went through to get this, like I'm not doing that and it's the biggest thing is like you, just it's it's a huge game of trial and failure. That's it, trial and error man.

Ruben Carreras: 32:19

And it that's the last three, four years for me. I've killed maybe two deer until this last season, so it's like I've had a lot of failure and now I'm slowly learning from it.

Zakk Plocica: 32:28

But that's what makes it fun man is the hunt.

Ruben Carreras: 32:30

Oh yeah, I love that cat and mouse game.

Zakk Plocica: 32:32

Yeah, there's, I mean, cause you're, especially if you're hunting like mature deer, like you know some of these guys out there are doing, you know, and you can key in on a particular animal and you're, you're after that, I mean, and you ultimately come out successful. It's, um, it's pretty cool to see, man, because it is so, so much that goes into it that people don't realize. You know, my wife gives me crap all the time. She's like you didn't kill nothing. I'm like, I'm trying to kill me some slack yeah.

Zakk Plocica: 33:01

And but yeah, I mean, you're not going out and just killing all the time. Man, there's a lot that goes on on. There's a lot just spending time in the woods, and you know, I think that's what's so enjoyable though, is that constant just being out there learning and realizing hey, I'm not as good as I think I am I think honestly, one of the biggest things in today's day and age and I'm guilty of it too, a skill that's completely overlooked is woodsmanship oh yeah, and that's one of the biggest things joe's harped on with me is like the and Levi.

Ruben Carreras: 33:29

it's like the way you move in the woods, the way you do everything, anything in the woods, it has an impact and that's what I changed really big. This last year was my biggest change.

Zakk Plocica: 33:39

There's no amount of gear or equipment that is going to make you successful, and a lot. I think a lot of people get hung up on that too, cause we do that's. I own a shop, right, we sell stuff, right. We, we sell the latest and greatest. But just because you've got the best this or that doesn't mean you're going to have a successful season. You know you've got to be one, you got to be efficient with the gear, you've got to understand how to use it and then, like you're going back to, you've got to have the woodsman skills. So that you know there's people have been killing animals with stick and string and rocks and stuff for years and the difference now and then is their woodsmanship skills, their ability to move in and out, to move in undetected and understand the animal and how the animal operates and lives and moves. Those are all important factors. We get a lot of people that come in. They're like get my first bow. I'm going out hunting this weekend.

Zakk Plocica: 34:28

I'm like probably do that one, let's get a little bit better with the bow, let's work on shooting it and uh two, you know it's great, go in the woods yeah and just go, go learn, but don't, don't anticipate being successful right out of the gate what's like at work.

Ruben Carreras: 34:41

I had a boss. He ordered a um, a bow up amazon. He's like ruben, you know how to set this thing up? Sure man, I'll set it up for you. He's like Ruben, you know how to set this thing up? Sure man, I'll set it up for you. He's like I got deer walking in my backyard. I'm gonna shoot at him. I was like probably shouldn't do that. And he's like why not? I was like number one, not deer season Number two. You're gonna. You're gonna win something, Probably yourself, yeah, and he hands you this bow out of a box with zero manuals, nothing. And I'm like I don't know what I'm doing, looking at this thing. And he's like you can't set it up. I'm like not without instructions.

Ruben Carreras: 35:10

Man like good lord, like this bow's in chinese. I can't do anything with it.

Zakk Plocica: 35:14

Oh yeah, we've had some of those I gotta. Actually, I think we're gonna do a video on one.

Ruben Carreras: 35:17

We're gonna do an amazon bow build, so that'll be exciting tune it, shoot it and see what we can get out of it I mean, if it stays in house here, I see the reason why it'll be bad yeah, yeah, unless it is.

Zakk Plocica: 35:31

So you've undergone some serious changes since I've known you right, and this is, um, pretty inspiring. It's pretty cool to see, uh, the evolution of ruben throughout the years, uh, and the biggest thing for me, watching, not only are you a good bow hunter and evolved as a good bow hunter and especially a stellar shooter, um, but your physical fitness, um transition that you've kind of gone through over the years that I've known you, cause you know you've kind of gone back and forth but you've really really committed hard these last few years and some incredible changes, man. So you know what was what really. Was the the wake up call or not? I don't even know if it's a wake up call or the inspiration or defining factor or thing that led you to, you know, getting into and improving on the physical fitness and your overall health. What, what was the driving or defining factors?

Ruben Carreras: 36:25

So it's actually really funny because I worked here for probably two years before we started the archery thing and I got out of the marine corps due to health issues. So it's like I thought like physical fitness, pt and stuff like that was the last thing on my mind and I thought, oh, I'm still pretty active, so I'd be fine wrong. Gained an amount like an enormous amount of weight. And then you came up the idea of extreme hunter athlete and it was like probably three months out and I was like I'm gonna do it, like I'm just gonna do it. And that night, when you talk about it here, that night went home and ran a mile worst idea, terrible. It took me like 20 minutes and it hurt yeah, yeah.

Ruben Carreras: 37:06

And I just started running, just started doing a lot of running and the biggest thing was I changed my diet. And I kind of get really irritated when a lot of people like try to overcomplicate fitness and it's like it's not hard to lose weight, you just have to put the work in to do it. And I cut back on everything, just drank water, black coffee, cut, cut my meals down, ate really healthy meals and ran anywhere from one to three miles a day until we did extreme athlete. And, um, I was 225 when I first ran that mile and then when I ran extreme athlete, I was 175, like it was insane and um, yeah, that's fast transition yeah, and it's, it was quick.

Ruben Carreras: 37:48

Every couple days I was checking it on the scale and I was like, cool, losing more weight, losing more weight. And um, like I said, the biggest driving force is like seeing all of our friends come in here and it's like everyone's in shape and I'm like I didn't want to be known as the fat friend and just got tired of dealing with it. And um, jr actually our friend, jr owen, who's on the Appleton share right now. We went shed hunting on my birthday, like a few years ago, and he said something about my weight and I was like, you know, I'm super insecure about that, right, and he was like, yeah, I know, that's why I tell you about it all the time and it worked.

Ruben Carreras: 38:21

Bullying is not always a bad thing.

Zakk Plocica: 38:22

Go bully him though.

Ruben Carreras: 38:23

Yeah, exactly Love JR's jet oh yeah, me too, man.

Zakk Plocica: 38:27

I haven't talked to him in a little while, since he's out and about on the trail, but you know he's gotten in good shape too, man.

Ruben Carreras: 38:34

I was on FaceTime with him last night. Yeah, he looks good. Dude, looks like a stick figure now.

Zakk Plocica: 38:38

Yeah, he looks real good man, he looks healthy, he looks fit, athletic. Yeah, oh yeah, but it's always good to see man because you know, I'm a big proponent of physical fitness. I've always enjoyed it. It's been a major part of my life for, you know, 20, 25 years, yeah, but it's always cool to see people that get into it. And it's not a fad, it's. They get it and they stick with it.

Zakk Plocica: 39:02

It becomes a lifestyle and that's, I think, the most important part of it is people are very short-sighted with it, instead of seeing it long-term. You know, this is a, this is a life change. This is, you know, I instead of one of the issues that makes it hard for people. I think, is there the way they view it? Right, I'm giving this up, I'm giving up my favorite food or I'm giving up this, instead of looking at everything they're gaining right, it's all about perspective and that's a big part of physical fitness is yeah, you might be giving up this, that or the other, but look at what you're gaining right.

Zakk Plocica: 39:36

Look at all the things that you're going to be able to do. Look at the confidence that you're going to build. Look at the physique that you're going to build. Look at the way people are going to respect you when you have a, when you are somebody that is in shape. I don't care what anybody says. I get ragged all the time on our Facebook videos, right? Or our YouTube videos, right. I get called all kinds of stuff, you know. But whenever people see somebody that is in shape, you know and they're not a and they're a likable individual.

Zakk Plocica: 39:58

I think it's, um, it's inspiring, and people you know are drawn to that and you know it, it it just, it's a a good for whatever you're doing. It's just a a look that just people, people see it and they're like oh, it automatically demands a little bit of respect, because if you take care of yourself you do, you have the discipline, you've established that discipline and and you come off more confident not arrogant, but comfortable in who you are and what you are.

Zakk Plocica: 40:25

So, yeah, watching your transition is insane, because now you're not just running and losing weight, you're putting on some muscle man, you look good yeah.

Ruben Carreras: 40:32

So after I got to the extreme runner athlete, andrew, a friend of ours that he's since moved out north carolina he was like, hey, let's run the marine corps half marathon, yeah. And I was like, all right, let's do it. Well, he ended up not doing it. I did it and I fell in love with long distance running. I did four half mar marathons after that and I was like, yeah, this is awesome, I love doing that. And then that's when me and you started doing the triathlon stuff and riding a bike. That's amazing, I love doing that. That was a blast.

Ruben Carreras: 40:58

I ended up having a kid, so I didn't do a triathlon. So I got real big into the CrossFit side of things. That was when COVID happened. So gyms are shut down. I built a gym in my garage and I was real big into the CrossFit side of things. And then finally I was like you know, I was like I'm just tired of being a skinny, I want to put like muscle on. And um started to try to do the bodybuilding thing by myself for like three and a half four months. Didn't go anywhere.

Ruben Carreras: 41:20

I was just like this, I don't know what I'm doing and I hired a coach and this past almost two years it's a giant transformation, even from when I lost all that weight. Yeah and um, hopefully the end of this year I'll compete in a show cool man.

Zakk Plocica: 41:33

Yeah, it's always good to have goals, man and actually I got that from you because you always said fitness without a goal is it's just open-ended it is yeah, so that's what's been pushing me the most like I want to have a have something to train towards yeah, I've always in order to keep me, because I enjoy competing or doing things or you know, moving the needle and I. It's easy to get stale with fitness, right, if you do the same thing in and out and you don't really you know there's no goals. It's like you just kind of show up, you know it and you don't continue to improve. So I've always been big on, you know, finding something that moves a needle one way or the other, right From bodybuilding to powerlifting to endurance sports, you know all kinds of different things just to keep me motivated and training for something, and it mixes up my training.

Ruben Carreras: 42:20

Yeah, very much so, and that's the only like drawback for me. My training right now is very monotonous.

Zakk Plocica: 42:26

Well, for that, bodybuilding is just that. Oh, it is. It's the same thing, the same way, the same every day. I mean, I did that for years, but the results are compounding.

Ruben Carreras: 42:38

Oh, I love it.

Zakk Plocica: 42:39

You can look every day and you can see a change. There's a little bit more every single day, but that's the game with that right. It's doing the same things and it does get a little bit boring, but I've always loved a training like being in the gym lifting weights, the iron, I mean. I've always lived for that.

Ruben Carreras: 42:56

Um, I'm complete opposite. I hate being in the gym. I don't go there to socialize. I don't go there to talk. Yeah, I'm there to do work and go home.

Zakk Plocica: 43:03

Well, that's what the gym was always was for. Whenever I was doing it it was. It was different, right? So social media has changed a lot of things. I mean a lot of things have become really mainstream and like um, very um, I mean almost fads.

Ruben Carreras: 43:16

Everyone wants to be an influencer.

Zakk Plocica: 43:18

You know, when I went to the gym, or whenever I have a home gym now I don't go in, I don't step foot in gyms anymore Um, but whenever I trained in gyms, they, I mean, I remember going to the gym and it was like a dungeon, right, it was dark, it was always moist, I don't know why. It just, yes, it always had a very distinguished scent. Um, that I equated to the gym, I mean, that was just what it was to me, and there was no cameras and stuff back then, and it was still very taboo, right, there was a lot of things that weren't talk, talked about, very, um, it was very hush, hush and the people were there, were there to train, right, we didn't go as groups, we didn't go to socialize. It was a lot. If you did have a training partner, you had a training partner and you guys, you know, got after it together. But now it's, you know, like everything, everything changes and I'm not necessarily saying it's bad, but it's different.

Ruben Carreras: 44:10

Yeah, I love seeing people get in the gym, love it, but seeing four or five dudes working at around one bench, it's like that's wild to me and that's that's the part that kills me. That's why I like to go either super in the morning four or five, 30 in the morning or right after my kid goes to bed nine o'clock at night, because it's empty. No one's there. I'm not there to talk to you, I'm there to get my work done. Go home, cause I still have meals to eat after I get home. So it's like. So it's like there's, there's a lot more that goes into it.

Zakk Plocica: 44:37

Yep, yep, and I um and that's one of the reasons I was glad I got out out of the gym whenever I did and built my home gym, which is very simple. Oh yeah, I don't have a lot a lot going on there, but it's enough to do everything I want to do and I think about it sometimes.

Ruben Carreras: 44:53

I'm like ah, maybe I't Just kidding. Yeah, just kidding. I had a home gym as well, and now I sold all my home gym stuff and my pull-up bar is a decoy rack.

Zakk Plocica: 45:01

So yeah, yeah, whatever. I mean, if you find the right gym, it's cool. I think there's a local gym here that's supposed to be pretty legit.

Ruben Carreras: 45:09

Yeah, there's a couple of them, so I go to one. It's weird, but there's a a newer one that's like bodybuilding focused, that, um, it's more of like that grungy type like you were talking about. I think they should ban cameras and gyms though honestly, and my thing is like I've seen a lot of tripods, a lot of cameras and gyms and like if your camera's there, I'm walking in front of it, I don't care.

Zakk Plocica: 45:31

Like it's just insane to me how um that's a thing in public. I feel weird doing like we do these shows, and we were on camera all the time, right.

Ruben Carreras: 45:39

Yeah, exactly.

Zakk Plocica: 45:40

You know, I feel awkward when it's just our group. I can't imagine setting this up, and you know being in the gym and having a microphone and having a microphone while there's people around watching me. Yeah, do something, that's a hobby. It's not even, you know, a career or you know it's. It is what it is. But yeah, it's definitely a different time and it's definitely a scene I'm, you know, I don't want to be a part of.

Ruben Carreras: 46:01

Yeah, exactly it's. It's a strange thing, but um, I got the people I've ran into at Cameron and Jim.

Zakk Plocica: 46:07

They're all super nice about it.

Ruben Carreras: 46:08

I've yet to run into someone who's like hey, watch out.

Zakk Plocica: 46:10

I think that's just the stuff you see on social. Most people are good people, man, oh yeah, and everybody's just just trying to show off and do what they want, which I don't blame them, man, you worked that hard for a physique. I mean, show that, dude, show it off, man. You've built that.

Ruben Carreras: 46:23

You've, yeah, suffered for it by all means and like, yeah, a lot of guys that have great physiques and it's like, yeah, definitely, like you said. I mean, show it off, man, like you're working hard for what you want yeah, that's your goal.

Zakk Plocica: 46:34

I mean, it's like our business man. Man, I'm proud of it, if you're proud of it.

Ruben Carreras: 46:36

show it off yeah.

Zakk Plocica: 46:38

Yeah, just don't be weird about it. So, but beyond that. So let's look at this man. So you've really changed your lifestyle. I see you're drinking a monster energy drink. It's great for the heart, exactly. I had one the other day. It's delicious, man. But you know, back to the physical fitness side of things, have you noticed a carryover in your life that has just made things better, more productive, a better hunter? I mean, has it changed anything else in your life aside from the fact that you look good?

Ruben Carreras: 47:06

it's changed everything it has because so the biggest thing you know me I have. I have had medical problems in the past, so I have current ongoing medical problems, but the biggest thing when I was first out of shape was I had very high blood pressure and I had the bone density of an 80-year-old man. That's impressive, it is, and I'm just now 30. But like that was the biggest thing getting back in shape, it's like I could just feel myself getting better overall. I felt well-rested, I felt better, just feel more alert. Well rested, I felt better, just feel more alert. And, um, going into like the, the hunting side of things. You know, walking through Eastern North Carolina is not an easy thing to do?

Zakk Plocica: 47:45

People don't understand, man. They're like, oh and, and I, and trust me, it is, it's just different, right? Yeah, it's different than the mountains, it's different than these others, it's, it's just it's nasty it is.

Ruben Carreras: 47:56

There's briars everywhere. You'd walk through swamps, especially where the bucks want to be. You don't want to be, yeah, so it's like I noticed, once getting back in shape, I would go further into the woods. When I first got back into hunting, I was primarily a gun hunter, very out of shape, and I'd go maybe 400 or 500 yards from the truck. Just stay in the truck man, yeah, exactly Like there was. Multiple times I told you where, like I've gotten in the stand to turn around, I could see my truck. I'm just like.

Zakk Plocica: 48:21

Hey, but to be fair, sometimes it's like that.

Ruben Carreras: 48:25

But I was like man, I went so far, turn around, dang, there's my truck right there, whoops. But like that's the thing now, I, when I was first out of shape, I would have never looked at that. I would've been like, yeah, that's out, of that's out of range for me. And getting to the tree is the biggest thing, and without dying on the process, because once you shoot that animal, that's when the work starts.

Zakk Plocica: 48:51

And like that's the hardest part about that.

Ruben Carreras: 48:54

Yeah, it's rough.

Zakk Plocica: 48:55

It is. But so, aside from that, you know what you're doing is it requires a lot of discipline, right? So a lot of that's what bodybuilding is is bodybuilding is not hard? No, not at all. The hard part is the discipline that comes along with it that you have to have day in, day out for weeks, months on time, right, 12, 16 month prep, right? The discipline that. Have you noticed that that, because of the because it is hard to say no to sweet, it is hard to say no to things you want? But have you noticed that discipline is carried over into the woods where you're able to sit longer or, you know, do more because you're like this is just part of the game.

Ruben Carreras: 49:32

Yeah. So I look at it like this, like so, when I go to, when I to ohio or anywhere out of state, I try to do all day sits because I'm spending x amount of money and time to get to that state and I want to maximize my time there and without previous knowledge of hunting in that state, you have to be in the woods like I'm not hanging out around camp, just just bullcrap and like just doing whatever. So it's like in ohio I like to do all day sits and, like previously, I'd have been like man, this sucks, like I don't want to be here all day when you get down.

Ruben Carreras: 50:02

Yeah, it's like I'll get down whenever, but it's like now. It's like, well, it's not a big deal. I bring things in the tree like levi, so I took this from levi. I have earbuds in the tree with you, listen to podcasts levi's in there he's writing up papers.

Zakk Plocica: 50:15

Yeah, in a blonde with a laptop, with a bow ready to go.

Ruben Carreras: 50:19

Yeah, exactly, but it's like you're sitting there hours on end date like dark to dark. You need to have those things to buy your time Right, and it is one of those things. That's just. It's just part of it, like, especially if, if you're wanting to kill something that you won't kill in your home state, you have to put in the work for it.

Zakk Plocica: 50:35

Yeah, and I think that's where you know fitness is such an is so important for people, whether you like it or not. It's just important to incorporate in your lifestyle because it requires discipline and whenever you're more disciplined you're able to do more things. I think easier it makes other things just easy.

Ruben Carreras: 50:54

Yeah, it definitely does. And the biggest thing, fitness yeah, it definitely does and the biggest thing, fitness.

Ruben Carreras: 50:59

Anyone can do it oh yes anyone can have a certain level of fitness, get back in shape, whatever. And like the common issues everyone has oh, I don't have time. I'll do it when I'm less busy, but it's like you'll never be less. Exactly, you have to make the time. And it's like I go to the gym after the daughter goes to sleep, before I go to work, and it's like I get to work at 6 30 in the morning and it's like I get to work at six 30 in the morning. So it's like I'm at the gym at four 30. I'm waking up at three 34 o'clock, and this isn't like a brag or anything like that, but it's one of those things where you just need to make the time to put in that effort. So you need to listen to study and effort.

Ruben Carreras: 51:29

And he's telling you you are stepping over dollar bills to pick up than anything is your recovery for what you're doing, Cause, like I'm super bad about it at once. The kid goes to bed, wife's hanging out 10, 30, 11 o'clock at night. I'm just on my phone, but it's like I need to remind myself. Put the phone down go to bed. Yeah, but I'm also very fortunate with the job I have. I take naps in the middle of the day, so that's, that's a blessing.

Zakk Plocica: 51:56

Um, yeah, man, I think I think physical fitness, you know. Shout out to my wife too. Right, she is gone, she's kind of bounced back and forth but she is like committed now and she's got incredible shape. She looks amazing. Yeah, Sherry's been a huge change too dude yeah, she has absolutely been crushing it and you know she I every time I talk to her I'm like how'd she get your workout in?

Ruben Carreras: 52:15

She's like, yes, she absolutely hates it. I'm like how?

Zakk Plocica: 52:18

do you hate it that much? She's like I just do it and she just grinds. She just goes out there and does it against her will, but does it all the time. For me it's easy because I love it. I look forward to it.

Ruben Carreras: 52:28

I'm like I can't wait to go lift some weight just kind of like the release of it because, like I know, these past few weeks have been extremely stressful for me and my family. So it's like the end of the day, like okay, I know, I'm going to the gym, I know I'm gonna have stress relief there. I don't look at it as like, uh, like, dang it, I gotta go to the gym. It's like okay, like that's how sherry sees it. She's like well, like, and I was that way for the longest time, I still am sometimes but like for me going to the gym it's like okay, like that's the release. Like I know I'm doing cardio six days a week. No, I'm going to the gym six days a week. Those are like okay, like that's where I'm gonna de-stress, unwind, that's where I'm gonna like, take me time yeah, I'll be honest, I just like the way I look.

Zakk Plocica: 53:08

100 like it's pretty vain, but I mean that's a major part of it, right you? Whenever you work out and you start to see the changes, it's addicting you're like, oh man, this is worth it.

Ruben Carreras: 53:19

I like this that's what I kind of hate. Now. I'm in a bulk right now and I I hated going from where I was like 159 pounds, like super shredded, to where, like I feel like I'm fat now. Oh no, no see, I always like being large and shapely, and powerful and strong.

Zakk Plocica: 53:36

But yeah, now I mean I try to maintain like 200 pounds and just stay in decent shape. But I mean I, I still I just it's it's fun, man, I don't cause it's. What makes it fun for me is constantly setting goals with it yeah. Like you're doing right. You got something to look forward to. You're training something. It's to me to stay committed to it.

Ruben Carreras: 53:55

That's one big thing for me. Like I don't even know if I'm I want to compete past the first show I'm doing, but, like I said, I'm going to do it, so I'm going to do it.

Zakk Plocica: 54:02

And why not? Yeah, and check it off.

Ruben Carreras: 54:04

Yeah, it's one of those things, yeah, but that's when they.

Zakk Plocica: 54:21

I wanted to ask you is like the biggest transition that buddy, buddy, so I commit for years on end, right? So I did bodybuilding for a long time and the reason I went from and I have always loved bodybuilding, training, style training I still do and even when I was powerlifting I was a high volume, uh, training individual because I always enjoyed that part of training. But I went from bodybuilding into powerlifting because of a buddy. He was like let's do a powerlifting meet and i'm'm like I don't even know what that is. He's like well, we're going to, we're going to, um, you know, train these three lifts squat, bench, deadlift. And you know I had always trained those lifts but I had never specialized in a particular lift for raw power, but we did. We did like a 12 week or eight to 12 week training program. I think we ran the cube method by Brandon Lilly. Shout out, brandon Lilly. Brandon Lilly is super informational guy.

Zakk Plocica: 55:04

Incredible individual one. He's provided a lot of valuable information to me over the years. He was one of the first programs that I ever followed. I bought his book, the cube, and you know I thought it was a great program, ran it my first powerlifting meet. I totaled 1,730 pounds Insane. And you know my final total. When I was my last competitions I competed up at the Arnold and stuff too. You know I squatted over 800 pounds and, you know, deadlifted. My biggest deadlift was on like 785, but my biggest total was 2,000 pounds. And after I competed in powerlifting for a little while.

Zakk Plocica: 55:42

I was just unhealthy dude, I was a slug man. I was 260 pounds and not just a sloppy 200. I was a big 260 pound guy. I was very unhealthy.

Ruben Carreras: 55:49

That's how I first remember meeting you.

Zakk Plocica: 55:51

Yes, very unhealthy, very unmotivated, that's all I did and I was just a slug and a burden on society. Like I feel like, just because I didn't offer a lot. Right, I was good at one thing and I was moving weight and at the end of the day, I look back on and I'm glad I did it because, one the discipline that I've established, um, I'm able, you know, I can look at a task and I can get through it. No problem, just put your head down and do it. Um, but yeah, powerlifting. I was a slug man and I was so unhealthy, like I'm talking about just I ate. All I did was eat, all I did was sleep and all I did was train. Ask my wife.

Ruben Carreras: 56:22

Well, I remember the first time, one of the first times meeting you. You just sitting there not looking at anybody, just snoring wide awake.

Zakk Plocica: 56:27

Yeah, 260 pounds, sleep apnea, just just unhealthy. And I'm five, eight guys, like6 pounds, five, eight, and you know it was just not healthy. So I had some health issues, um, that were all self-induced and I was like, dude, I've got to make a change. And it was against my will, I did not want to change, but I had to make a change, Um, basically, to get to get my life back together and be healthy and be a productive member of society. Get to get my life back together and be healthy and be a productive member of society, right and and really, and I need to focus on my business too. And so I just started training, changing my training.

Zakk Plocica: 57:09

I started running, like you did I, cause I hadn't run or done anything physically demanding like that in years and I, I got into that, started running and then it just kind of spiraled from there. I dropped. I went from 260 pounds, I got down to, you know, 220, then down to 200 pounds and I was like I feel good, feel better. Um, you know, I had suffered a handful of just, just, I don't know what it was, man, it was a crazy transition but like, almost like panic attacks and like dude, just, it was just a bad time and I was like I got to make a change in my life. So I did, I committed to it, I dropped all this weight, got in shape and then we started training for um, triathlon, triathlons, right. And I was like, well, let's, let's give this a whirl. So I had already been running and getting into some um, you know, just trying to get healthier, and I was like I need another goal. So I was like, okay, we'll do this. Ruben's running I think it was you that.

Ruben Carreras: 57:58

You talked me into getting a bike. Oh, did I? Did I come up with the idea it was one or the?

Zakk Plocica: 58:02

other. But we started doing that together and I really enjoyed it. It was a different dynamic, it was a different type of training than anything I had ever done and it kind of reinvigorated me, put a spark. I was like, oh, I'm looking a little bit better, I'm healthier, I'm able to do things like I can move without being out of breath. And uh, yeah, we did that, man, and we trained. So I ended up doing a couple um half Ironman distance triathlons. I did some sprint triathlons, I did the four by four, by 48 run, which was harder than any of it. Um, yeah, and and from there, man, I mean I've just enjoyed being in shape.

Zakk Plocica: 58:38

So now my training consists of, you know, running, and remember whenever we started swimming that was wild, that was a hard, that was a hard power curve to learn it took me a year to learn how to swim yeah we went every day almost at like four or five in the morning on base to the pool and you could swim kinda. I couldn't yeah.

Ruben Carreras: 58:57

So I've always been a good swimmer. You like never like Olympic style swimming. And then cause I remember the first time we went. It was like four or five laps in and you were like how are you still going?

Zakk Plocica: 59:07

Like I was dude a hundred percent gas. Like I had run sprints Cause I would hold my breath from one end of the pool to the other. And I have a heart rate of, like one, 80, like.

Ruben Carreras: 59:16

I'm going to die and you were like. I can feel it just like a muscle pump, like everywhere everywhere.

Zakk Plocica: 59:20

Dude, that whole body was like. I was like this is not good.

Ruben Carreras: 59:22

Well, like I told you, I was like I'm coming from cardio to more cardio.

Zakk Plocica: 59:34

It's not a big deal, yeah, but yeah, that was. That was a hard thing to learn. I committed to man. That was a completely different than anything I'd really ever done and we did it together. It was fun, it was a blast. We would go. We'd ride down to onzo beach, swim in the beach a little bit our first open water swims.

Ruben Carreras: 59:49

There were pelicans and you thought they were sharks dude open water's terrifying oh yeah, that was.

Zakk Plocica: 59:56

That was a scary stuff you've never been been done any open water stuff. Man, open water swims are I mean, they're dude, it's different.

Ruben Carreras: 1:00:04

You just think, yeah, all the what ifs and you know what's out here or then we were swimming along the edge of the beach and I had my watch and you're like how far I'm going, like damn. We must have gone for miles, 200 meters, I don't even give us 200 meters, man, maybe a hundred.

Ruben Carreras: 1:00:18

Yeah, I was like oh, but then like how we can do this. We would get up and like sundays before work you're at 50 miles, yeah, and that was. And like while you're doing it, you don't feel like it's a workout.

Zakk Plocica: 1:00:29

Yeah, we're just hanging out we're running, we're training zone two, training for the most part.

Ruben Carreras: 1:00:33

Right, yeah, but afterwards a bar stools at work. Just can't move.

Zakk Plocica: 1:00:41

I don't know man, it all hit me at once.

Ruben Carreras: 1:00:42

Luckily Sundays were slow days. I was like oh man, that was rough Dude that was a good time, man.

Zakk Plocica: 1:00:47

That was fun. That made training fun, doing it together.

Ruben Carreras: 1:00:51

The wife hated it, though. I came home from work one day and she's like. I was like so Zach talked to me about something. She's like what are you buying now? I was like I'm buying a road bike.

Zakk Plocica: 1:01:00

Oh yeah, when we went and bought road bikes, yeah.

Ruben Carreras: 1:01:02

Oh yeah, that was fun. I still got mine, man, it's collecting a lot of dust right now. I sold mine. I really regret selling it because I would love to use that now as a method of cardio.

Zakk Plocica: 1:01:12

Yeah, that's kind of why I haven't got rid of mine yet, cause I'm like, ooh, what if I get the itched? I want to do another sprint, or something like that I might. So yeah, I haven't.

Ruben Carreras: 1:01:20

Well, especially the biggest thing for me, I do cardio six days a week, regardless of a cut or a bulk. And, um, I just sit on a Peloton watching Netflix, monitor my heart rate, make sure it's in zone two, but, like on a bike, I can just go outside and just ride. Yeah, it's nice, yeah yeah, I'm with you.

Zakk Plocica: 1:01:36

So as far as you know. Transitioning to the fitness side of thing, what was your biggest challenges to overcome that?

Ruben Carreras: 1:01:42

there's a lot of them, honestly. But the biggest thing was like when I first started and it legitimately felt like my body was breaking down. There was so many times I'd be in the garage just icing my ankles, like just from running. Like when we went to the r100 here um a few ago it was so hard to walk coming downhill because my ankles were swollen, and that was when I first started getting back into shape.

Ruben Carreras: 1:02:04

And in the beginning I never really found like the diet was the hardest thing because I took a very basic approach to it. It was chicken, some form of protein and then some form of vegetables and carbs Very little amount of carbs, but just like that. That was it. And um, once I started really losing weight, I was like, okay, cool, now I need to stick with the diet. But now transitioning into this, like as of regimented as bodybuilding is the diet. It's the hardest focus for me. It's like so hard to stay regimented on that diet and so hard to stay regimented on that diet. And um, the training is the, like you said before, the training is the easiest part of things, but, um, it's the most fun part. It is because you're actually seeing like go to the gym, the end of the gym, you have a nice pump like you look good. Yeah, but the diet has got to be the hardest thing, diet and the cardio yeah, because like I used to come from loving cardio to now.

Ruben Carreras: 1:02:57

It's like I dread doing 450 calories worth of cardio a day, Right, and it's like God dang, like I have to do this again. But it's one of those things. It's like it's not the motivation, it's the discipline you have to have.

Zakk Plocica: 1:03:09

Yeah, it is and it comes along. I mean, and there's highs and lows with it, right, sometimes, it's easier sometimes than others, yeah, sometimes than others. Yeah, definitely Sometimes you got to just push through it. But you know, that's it, keeps it fun, keep it. It keeps it interesting.

Ruben Carreras: 1:03:21

One of the biggest things like challenges for me now is like I mean, you know just as well like the meals you have to eat bodybuilding. I mean it doesn't matter if it's 11 o'clock at night, you still have to eat.

Zakk Plocica: 1:03:29

You got a certain amount.

Ruben Carreras: 1:03:30

Yeah, now I eat eight meals a day on training Like I'm, like I'm looking at my meal, I'm just like it's not appetizing.

Zakk Plocica: 1:03:38

I do not miss that at all dude. So one of my some of my biggest like takeaways or my secrets to getting my calories in, was my chicken shakes. I remember you telling me about these I would boil chicken, I would put it in a blender, I would put it in there with baby rice and some spinach and I would just drink it.

Ruben Carreras: 1:03:55

Nothing about that seems appetizing.

Zakk Plocica: 1:03:57

It wasn't dude but it was forced calories and I got them in and got it done and it worked. That's whenever I was real heavy into powerlifting and trying to maintain a weight.

Ruben Carreras: 1:04:04

I'm not a huge fan of drinking calories, just not about it.

Zakk Plocica: 1:04:08

Yeah, none of it's fun. Forced feeding was never fun.

Ruben Carreras: 1:04:13

Yeah, that's the biggest thing is just forcing those meals down.

Zakk Plocica: 1:04:23

At the end of the day, like my big meal, I'll drink a half gallon of water with it just to get the food down. Yeah, because it's miserable dude. You know, what makes it a little bit easier too is like a fruit or something. It makes eating. Something that's not appetizing.

Ruben Carreras: 1:04:30

It makes it easier my coach put in pineapples in my program dude loved it.

Zakk Plocica: 1:04:33

It makes a huge difference. I get so excited from a little bit of fruit juice or something. It makes it yeah, it makes it way easier to eat something.

Ruben Carreras: 1:04:40

Big thing for me now is blueberries. Oh giant Love them. Yeah, dude, Everything's so expensive though. I'm glad I don't do it now.

Zakk Plocica: 1:04:45

I eat like three to four, maybe five meals a day Sometimes.

Ruben Carreras: 1:04:49

I spend so much money on groceries and I hate it. Yeah, I don't miss that because it's.

Zakk Plocica: 1:04:52

It was way cheaper when I was doing it.

Ruben Carreras: 1:04:54

I go through like 20 pounds of chicken a week.

Zakk Plocica: 1:04:56

It's miserable.

Ruben Carreras: 1:04:57

Yeah.

Zakk Plocica: 1:04:59

Yeah, no thanks, man. So 20, what year is it? 2024, 2024. What are the goals that Ruben's got for both hunting and fitness goals? I know you got the bodybuilding thing going on, but what about hunting too?

Ruben Carreras: 1:05:14

The hunting thing super simple. I mean, I'm not necessarily at the level, I think, to turn my nose up at a deer, so it's like I've never kind of been at a point where I can pass deer up and I think the same way.

Ruben Carreras: 1:05:26

Yeah, I also think people need to be very realistic of their skill level and I don't have enough kills under my belt to start being like, eh, it's fine. Like I'll shoot the next one, so it's fine. Like I'll shoot the next one, so it's like my biggest thing is just killing one more deer than last year. Filling two buck tags, killing does. Or if that means killing three does, that's fine, I just. I like plus. I like eating deer. It's one of my favorite things. I have my coach program, that in for me, so that's the biggest hunting goal. And then for, like, that's deer hunting, but duck hunting, killing more ducks that I haven't killed last year and I'm going out of state this year for ducks. I'm going to North Dakota in October. Oh wow, that'll be a trip. I cannot wait for that.

Zakk Plocica: 1:06:06

Who's going with you?

Ruben Carreras: 1:06:07

Like nine other guys. Jesus, it's a big trip with five dogs, so it's going to be a blast.

Zakk Plocica: 1:06:12

You guys driving out there Driving, how many vehicles are you taking? Three, good Lord.

Ruben Carreras: 1:06:17

But I drove to South Dakota last year for Turk season. That was rough.

Zakk Plocica: 1:06:23

How far?

Ruben Carreras: 1:06:23

was that drive 31 hours? Good God, yeah, and me, joe, and another buddy, ryan. We went out there and I kind of convinced Joe to do it. So it was a Joe didn't sleep, did he? Joe slept on and off, but he didn't. He wasn't fully asleep. Yeah, joe slept on and off, but he didn't he wasn't fully asleep. Yeah, joe is, he cannot sleep in a vehicle. I felt so bad for him, like because he's taller than everybody else yeah and it's like every, every, like little bump he's like.

Ruben Carreras: 1:06:47

You need to be careful when you drive his eyes are closed. I thought you were asleep. You didn't say anything six hours. You need to be careful, exactly. It's hilarious. Um, and then also possibly going to arizona in january for mule deer oh, wow and um, like I said, just the the hunting goals.

Ruben Carreras: 1:07:06

It's hunt better than I did last year, just just improve off what I did last year and I try to make very realistic goals. I don't like to set an inch goal for deer because obviously you know eastern north, eastern North Carolina, it's hard to do it's hard hunt man.

Ruben Carreras: 1:07:20

Yeah and um, it's just one of those things I just want to kill more Right, and that's it. That's big. Then also turkey season. I want to either go to Oklahoma for, um, uh uh, rio or go to Florida for an Osceola. It's a big thing working on my slam for turkeys are you hunting turkeys with a shotgun?

Ruben Carreras: 1:07:37

oh, yeah, uh, birds are the only thing that I hunt with a gun. Yeah, so, and I've tried turkey hunting with it with my recurve. Haven't shot one yet, haven't even attempted to shoot one yet, so it's one of those things that I think that, uh, still a little bit out of my grasp, but I like to try it yeah, it's always worth fun getting out there and realizing well, this not for me probably not gonna happen.

Ruben Carreras: 1:07:57

Tell everyone, I tried, though yeah, exactly, I mean, I haven't even drawn back on a turkey with my recurve, but um, that's about it. I like giving a shot dude.

Zakk Plocica: 1:08:05

Last time I really was like almost successful bowhunting. Well, two times in the last couple years is one I drew back on a turkey. He was seven yards from me and I hit the back of the blind with my elbow. Indeed, an arrow through the blind about ripped the whole wall out. That was a few years back. That was actually one of the first times I ever tried bow hunting in Turkey. And then this was last year or the year before, I can't remember.

Zakk Plocica: 1:08:32

But I was brushing in a blind, right I'm building it in. I knew exactly where they're coming through. I'm like, oh yeah, this is this, is this is it. Man, I'm in a good spot, like I was in like a little island of like two trees that was all grown up that I had cut into and I knew right where they were tracking through in this field. And then I turn around and my bows over there and here they come. I was like dang man every time. Every time I was like if I was smart, I would always keep my weapon near me where I can get to it. And I did not do that.

Ruben Carreras: 1:09:00

But I also think 99% of turkey hunters need to be realistic with themselves and not hunt turkeys with a bow. Yeah.

Zakk Plocica: 1:09:07

Don't tell me that yeah exactly.

Ruben Carreras: 1:09:08

You have a fist-sized target and it's constantly moving Like good luck so hard man. Yeah, I mean. Mean I've killed a few turkeys, all the shotgun, and I'll keep killing them with a shotgun until I feel confident, right, but it's one of those things yeah, you get to challenge yourself sometimes, realize you you get smacked down a little bit bringing back to reality, exactly.

Zakk Plocica: 1:09:28

Yeah, it's good man, so it looks like you got a lot lined up, so are you going to be doing a bunch of hunting locally here too?

Ruben Carreras: 1:09:36

so I try to hunt as much as I can here locally, but um, I like to focus more on my out of state hunts, just because I like hunting out of state better.

Zakk Plocica: 1:09:45

It's a different scenery, man. It's exciting whenever you get to get away, cause that's how it is for me, like I'm like, uh, cause we've got a bunch of property that I can go hunt and stuff. But you know, when you see the same thing all the time and you know, getting out of state, I mean it's just, it's just really exciting, it's fun, it's different. You got a different view, it's way to cut out of reality.

Zakk Plocica: 1:10:03

Yes, different terrain and, like joe said, it takes about, takes about five days and then it's like you're for me. It took about five days for me to really get dialed in, yeah, and like disconnect from everything else, like one the business you know, my phone you know, and feel like I'm more in tune with what's going around going on around me because, hunting locally, you go out for a couple hours and you're back to reality, right, yeah, you never actually disconnect like you do when you go on an out-of-state hunt, where you're out for days on end, oh yeah what's like um.

Ruben Carreras: 1:10:32

This last season we went to missouri. I went with two other buddies and um, we camped the whole week. It's awesome, lived out of the back of my truck. It was awesome and just hung out every day and like that was biggest thing was actually having terrain features that funnel deer in your area that you could use to your advantage and one of the craziest things I was walking into a spot met up with one of the guys who worked for the um DNR out there.

Ruben Carreras: 1:10:54

He's like hey, just for reference. He's like probably won't see it, but there was a mountain lion sighting in the area and I was like, hey, just for reference. He's like probably won't see it, but there was a mountain lion sighting in the area and I was like that's crazy, but like okay, and he was like you're not worried. I was like we have black bears in eastern North Carolina that. I see on a daily basis in the woods, Like it's not a big deal.

Zakk Plocica: 1:11:11

I'll wrestle it, I don't care. Well, my buddy Rashawn said you just got to to a mountain line. Just remember this from rishon all you gotta do take his back. That's it. The indoor spectrum outfitters, that's right, hey. If it doesn't work out, uh sorry, you know you didn't do it right, exactly I don't know, man I get justin morris on a man that's a big dude. Yeah, he will choke you out and they don't.

Ruben Carreras: 1:11:33

Yeah, it don't matter what you're doing he'll give the old people's elbow for the top row, that's right man, he will.

Zakk Plocica: 1:11:38

He'll do it laughing at you too.

Ruben Carreras: 1:11:39

Oh yeah.

Zakk Plocica: 1:11:41

Well, ruben, I think that's about it. Man, wrap this thing up. Man, I appreciate you coming on and taking time to sit down with me and you know it's just like I said, it's awesome to sit down and kind of pick your brain a little bit with. You know the success that you've had for this hunting season and then you know all the. You know your journey along this fitness thing is awesome to see, man.

Ruben Carreras: 1:12:00

Yeah, I appreciate it. I appreciate you inviting me on Absolutely First podcast doing this and, uh, it was a blast.

Zakk Plocica: 1:12:05

Dude, it's fun, isn't it? It's a good conversation, man. I'm sure we'll have another one very soon. We need to get uh. We'll have to get uh Nikki on here too. Oh yeah, I need the both of you, so that we can go back and forth.

Ruben Carreras: 1:12:16

Oh yeah, she's been probably the biggest thing that's helped me through all this, because she puts up with everything. Yeah, I mean, there's been so many times where I'm like, hey, I'm going to run enough to work and it turned into I ran till midnight. I ran nine, ten miles and she's like where the hell have you been Right? And but it's like the same thing Training till 11 o seven o'clock at night, freaking meals, this, that and it's that and everything. She puts up with everything.

Zakk Plocica: 1:12:38

Why is a good woman? I got one too.

Ruben Carreras: 1:12:40

Exactly.

Zakk Plocica: 1:12:40

Shout out to our wives you guys are awesome.

Ruben Carreras: 1:12:42

Well, working class bone hunter says you can't kill big bucks if your wife sucks.

Zakk Plocica: 1:12:45

So this is that's a, that's a big fact right there, man. So yeah, definitely hunter. Uh, choose wisely.

Ruben Carreras: 1:12:55

Exactly.

Zakk Plocica: 1:12:56

Appreciate you, ruben, as always. Uh, appreciate you guys watching. Man, this was episode. I think this was episode seven. I've kind of lost track, but appreciate you guys watching and we'll see you guys in the next episode.