Kentucky Headhunters' Richard Young: Farm Tales, Sweden Rock, Bears & Turkey Recipes

Alex Rutledge and Redbone welcome Kentucky Headhunters co-founder Richard Young straight from a tomato plant run in Glasgow, Kentucky. Richard delivers a masterclass in Southern storytelling — from brother Fred's midnight tractor rides and his collection of 50 antique machines with only 4 batteries, to the band's history-making leap from a Kentucky holler to Sweden Rock Festival (opening three slots before Queen) and sold-out UK arena runs alongside Blackstone Cherry. We also get into turkey hunting on the creek, a surprise bear sighting, and cousin Johnny's electric-bike stealth hunting strategy. After Richard heads off for tomato plants, Alex breaks down a monster spring turkey season — 29 gobblers called in across five states — plus a deep dive into Missouri's #2 national turkey harvest ranking. The show wraps with a full wild turkey recipe segment: BBQ breast with Cajun Injector, brine techniques, and Chick-fil-A-style turkey nuggets. The Kentucky Headhunters play Salem, Arkansas' Fulton County Homecoming (77 years strong) this Saturday night.

Chapter Markers

1. 1:29 – Intro & Kentucky Headhunters Coming to Salem, AR
2. 1:55 – Richard Young Joins: Farm Life, Fred's Tractors & Garden Stories
3. 15:04 – Kentucky Headhunters Go International: Conquering Sweden Rock & the UK
4. 24:47 – Richard's Turkey Hunt, Bears on the Farm & Electric Bike Hunting
5. 29:46 – Wrapping Up with Richard Young
6. 30:57 – Life After the Spotlight: Alex & Redbone Reflect
7. 34:00 – Alex's Spring Turkey Season: 29 Gobblers in 5 States

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Transcript

 Donnie, he had, he had, uh, COVID really bad. I mean, really bad. He was in the hospital for several weeks and kind of messed his lungs up like it did mine. But so Donnie's got wise. He's got him on one of these electric bicycles. And, and you ought to see him going across the field with that, that field pack and that gun over his shoulder. He looks like the Wicked Witch of the West. And he, you know, you barely can see him going across in the dust, you know. And I tell you, that, that's the funniest thing I ever- Camo boots on my feet, bow in my hand Walking in the early dawn to climb up in my stand. Well, Alex, I know it's about food plot planting time. What are you gonna plant this year? Okay, in the spring I like to plant different things, and also in the fall, but my go-to all the time is the Eagle Seed Smorgasbord because it has a variety of blends. You know, when I was a kid, and even as an adult, I loved to go to a smorgasbord. I bet it's the same for deer. It is. They l- they have a variety to choose from. Instead of eating one thing all the time, they got a variety, just like you walking into a restaurant. Get Smorgasbord today and you'll hold more deer and turkey. How can I go about getting that Smorgasbord? To go to a dealer near you or go to www.eagleseed.com. Wiseye Technologies presents. Intro & Kentucky Headhunters Coming to Salem, AR Welcome to American Roots Outdoors. I am in the studio today, and Redbone is on the mic and the soundboard, and we have got an awesome show. I love this guy. And Salem, Arkansas, you better be ready to rock. Kentucky Headhunters will be. And we got on the phone old Richard Young right now. Redbone. Welcome to the show, Richard. Hey, Alex. Thanks, pal, man. You know, uh, I've known, Richard Young Joins: Farm Life, Fred's Tractors & Garden Stories we've known each other since dirt, haven't we? We have, brother. What's old Freddy doing today? Is he out planting corn or beans, or what's he doing? Well, I, I actually just pulled up here at the Davy's Fruit Market. They got a big selection of the tomato plants, and Fred went to get some yesterday somewhere else and they was out, so I've driven over here to Glasgow to get him some, some Rutgers and something else. Them great big pink and ugly ones he wants. He was planting garden last night. I think, I think he planted garden till about 3:00 this morning, so- ... he gets these, uh, Alex, he gets these, uh, he gets these cocoon hunter lights and puts on his forehead. And he gets out there and, and you know he's got all those antique tractors, I mean, uh, you know, I'm talking about f- 40s and 50s, Massey Fergusons, Fords, and all that. And, and, and the funny thing is he's only got four batteries for, and I, I'd say he's got 50 tractors. But he's got four batteries, and when he wants to drive one, he's a tinkerer. So when he wants to drive one of them, he'll take it out of another tractor and put it in that one and drive it for a day. And then he'll swap it back to another one. But the other night I, I was like leaving. It was after dark from down on the farm and I saw something coming down the road. It looked like a motorcycle light coming at me, but it was moving about five miles an hour. And I drove up the road a piece and it was Fred on one of them tractors that didn't have any lights on it, but he had that, that hat with that, uh, light in it, and that was his lights. Well, he was happy. So- He was happy, happy, happy ... yeah. Well, you know it's a favorite of his. They say he's- You know, our, our farm is about 700 acres, but it's, it's a blacktop road that, that used to be gravel till the headhunters hit and then the county got embarrassed and blacktopped it. But it, it, it, it's a horseshoe around our farm and, uh, so we just, we get down in there and, and work and we just got a couple of neighbors, one hippie, and then one guy's a retired railroad guy from, uh, from, uh, Chicago. Mm-hmm. And, uh, so that's our neighbors, you know? And, uh- Yeah ... and then the guy also, the good news is the guy that works for Farmers Rural Electric, which is our electric company, he's retired now, but he lives on our road there, so if the lights go out or ice storm hits or something, they coming out way. Ah, gotcha. Hey. That's good news. Hey, current events Clarksville, Missouri, Pops Events have got a big concert going up there r-, uh, Donald Black and Ricky CC and Trevor Dawson, they're all gonna be up there. And, and the big event this weekend, this Saturday night, is Kentucky Headhunters at Salem, Arkansas, Redbone. I know. The, uh, Fulton County Homecoming, Alex and, and Richard, you may not know this either, this festival, the Fulton County Homecoming, has been going on for 77 years. Oh my gosh. And this, the Kentucky Headhunters coming to town is the biggest thing to ever hit the Fulton County Homecoming Festival. Well, they are gonna have a ball with Richard, Richard and Freddie and the band. I, I, I go to every concert I can with them. I'm gonna do my best to be there Saturday evening with these guys. And Redbone, will you be there? Uh, I am not sure yet. I'm working on it. Okay. So Richard's with us here right now. Uh, I, I also gotta give a shout-out to my nephew Tommy Rutledge. He's getting married this Saturday- Oh and we're recording on Wednesday, and, uh, he's getting married. And, uh, congratulations, Tommy. Yeah. Yeah. All right, Richard. Congratulations, Tommy. Why should you escape? Nah, just kidding. Cindy and I've been married... We all married local girls right at home. That's right. We didn't have a, we didn't have no vehicles and, uh, all we had was a step van to haul equipment in. So we had to date girls that's close by that have vehicles, you know? Or borrow mom and daddy's one. Or drive a tract- But, hey- Or drive a tractor we've been married 46 years. Or drive Freddie's tractors. Yeah. Yeah, Fred, man, he's, he's got... Now, it's not just tractors, y'all. Yeah. Fred has got, Fred's got every kind of antique lawnmower you can think of, and a, a lot of real cool old '50s pickups, but he keeps them hid in a- Yeah ... in a building. Yeah. Oh, yeah. But, uh, I told him one day, I said, "You know, Fred, something to think about, you know, you might want to thin some of this stuff out a little bit before you're gone, or they'll have them out on the side of the road for $50 apiece. And another thing to think about, if you got too many vehicles and not enough money, then the, when the tires start drying rot and they all go bad at once, you got a bunch of flat tires." That's just, uh, that's just me thinking ahead, which, God, I, I've got room to talk, you know- Yeah ... with guitars and amp fires and guns and all that stuff, you know? Mm-hmm. But everybody's gotta have some kind of little habit, you know, or wreckage. Hey, can I, can I get in here with a real quick story? Yeah, yeah. I wanna tell you a real quick story about people keeping a lot of old stuff. I was, uh, and I forget his name, but the bodyguard for Alabama, I was having dinner with him one night down in Memphis at a St. Jude event, and he was telling me he'd, he just had a yard sale. Now he had a basement full of old Alabama stuff from back when they first started. He said T-shirts and koozies and all that kind of stuff. And he said even had the lockers, had each one of their n- their names on it where they kept their show clothes. And he said, "I, I asked my wife, 'What are we gonna do with all this stuff?' She said, 'I don't know. I don't think anybody's gonna want it, but why don't we have a yard sale?'" So he said, "I went to the, uh, went to the, uh, barber shop and I was telling people I had a bunch of," he said, "probably 2,000- Wow ... Alabama T-shirts, old from like, you know, way back when." And he said, "We're gonna have a yard sale and sell them." He said one of the guys in the shop said, "I'll give you $5,000 for all of it sight unseen right now if you include the lockers." And he said, "I just wrote me a check, buddy. You come get it." So he sold it all. He said, "I went home and my wife, and I told my wife, said, 'Hey, we don't have to have a yard sale. I done sold all that stuff.' She said, 'Really? How much did you get for it?'" He said, "$500." He lied to her. He said she was thrilled- Oh she was thrilled to death that she took her $500. He said, "I got my 4,500 and went and bought me a new Derider." Hey, let me tell you something. That, that stuff right now, as old as that is- Yeah ... if some, uh, if you got some kid to go online and market it and sell it, it'd probably bring a quarter of a million dollars. Oh, no kidding. Yeah. Oh, yeah. Well, same way with old Kentucky Headhunter stuff. You know. Y'all got anything you wanna get rid of, I'll store it in my basement. Hey, that lead- Yeah, we got a lot of stuff, but I reckon we pass it down to the kids, you know? There you go. Oh, yeah. Grandkids and everything. Hey, when we come- I've got, I've got three granddaughters and, and another baby on the way, so, uh, and I asked John Fred, my son that plays in Blackstone Cherry, I said, "You've got three, John Fred, what were you thinking?" And he said, "Daddy, I wasn't, I guess." You know? So it, anyway, I'm tickled to death and of course, uh, every grandpa wants a boy, but, uh, that, I tell you, I wouldn't trade those three girls for 50 boys. They, they look after me. I, I've learned something at my age, is when you have girls in the family, they look after the daddies and grandpas better than the, the other people do. Yeah, I c- I can attest to that too. I can- Both my grand- Yeah ... grandkids are granddaughters Yeah, exactly. Yeah. But, uh, but it's a great thing to, to have, have family and have children and all, us still be around. I mean, all of our parents have passed, um, at this point, which is, uh, a big hole in our heart and in, and in, in our world. And- Yeah ... Doug, Doug's daddy is still alive. He's, uh, he's 94 and he was mowing his yard two years ago and, uh, had a little spell, so he has to be seen about now. He's, he's okay, but he just- Yeah ... can't drive anymore, you know? Hey, Richard- But, uh- ... we're gonna have to take a break. We're gonna take a break. When we come back, we're gonna talk more about this, and also talk about Kentucky Headhunters being in Salem, Arkansas this Saturday night. Don't go away. We'll be back with more American Roots Outdoors with Kentucky Headhunters, Richard Young, right after this. Hey, folks, this is Richard Young with the Kentucky Headhunters down here in southern Kentucky. You're just listening to American Roots Radio with Alec Rutledge, right down here from Kentucky, but he's out yonder somewhere else. He's way out there. Y'all check it out. Hunting off the farm. Wishing on some love. I've been on a big bore for a while. I could load him in the back of my truck. Redbone. Wiseye has just gotten better with these new cameras that they come out with. How could it get better? Well, they got the new Mini and they've got the new DC2. DC2? They have a... Yeah. DC2, you can actually go live anytime you want and film your own hunts with the Wiseye data cam. Now, wait a minute. You mean I could be getting ready to shoot a deer, and I could go on my phone and activate my camera and, boom, film- Your own hunts ... my own... Well, that's amazing. That's amazing. Okay, Alex, you convinced me. How do I get one of these cameras? Go to a dealer near you or go to Wiseyetech.com. Been to a bar. Order yours today. Take you to a field. Across the creek. A big- 12 Point Hunting Blinds presents. Welcome back to American Roots Outdoors, and what a hoot Redbone or Richard Young is with us. Yeah. He is a brother from another mother, and he will be in Salem, Arkansas, him and the band, this Saturday night. Richard was telling us about Doug's father and grandfather and, and all this family. And by the way, Richard, do you know I'm a grandpa now? I've got a granddaughter Is that right? Well, that's wonderful. Congratulations. Yeah, we, um, for the folks that might have just tuned in, we, uh, you know, our, our, our mom and dad, Jane Tyring and Gwendolyn Young, Fred, you know, was my brother, the drummer. Yeah. And Mr. Sideburns. And, uh, they were- ... they were very, very, very special as well as Greg and Anthony's parents. Uh, but, uh, they, our parents were kind of the, um, matriarch and the patriarch of, of where we were based out of down on the farm. My, my grandmother gave us an old farmhouse to use back in '68 when we first started because obviously we was driving Mom and Daddy crazy, and my grandmother bought another 100 acres to add up the creek, uh, up, went up the creek from us. Which by the way, we lived ahead of Beaver Creek. Mm-hmm. If you've ever been fishing at, uh, Beaver Boat Ramp and Beaver Dam, that, that starts on our farm and- Wow winds up in the Barron River Lake. So, but, uh, we, we, we've had that old house all that time and, uh, and you know, we, we didn't have any running water in it or anything. So, um, Mom and Daddy's house was, I don't know, maybe 250 yards away. They wouldn't let us get too far away and, and, uh, down on, on the creek and, uh, we'd have to, we'd have to walk down there to get to go to the bathroom or whatever, you know. But anyway, and use the phone 'cause we didn't have a phone either. And, uh- ... so when we, uh, it was real funny when the Headhunters started to become internationally popular, we had, they made us get a phone and put it in our old music house. We didn't live there, we just used it for our music. And you know, it took us about six months before we would, we would catch ourself walking down to Mom and Daddy's down the gravel road. To go get the ph- use the phone, and we had one. We just spent 40 years without one. We, we didn't know. We just couldn't get over the fact we had a phone in the te- in a, in a fax machine. And, uh, and it's still there today, but we don't, we of course, Blackstone Cherry, my sons band, moved in there in 2001 and, uh, started using it and they were just in high school, you know, like us. Mm-hmm. I mean, young kids and, and they, uh, of course we sent, got them a, I got them a record deal and got, we sent them over to mainland Europe and the UK and they, uh, they're big in America, but they exploded over there and they just lit like gasoline on a floor. So, you know, they'll sell out eight arenas in the UK, so. Wow. Wembley Arena and some of those places. And, and, uh, we actually, you know, I never would, uh, speaking of the Headhunters- You know, uh, for 34 years Kentucky Headhunters Go International: Conquering Sweden Rock & the UK I wouldn't fly. I just had a bad phobia- ... about it. And, uh, uh, people called me chicken, but I... Anyway, John Fred, they, they would come, my sons, man, would come home from Europe and UK and they'd say, "Daddy, you gonna have to get on an airplane, buddy." Said, "I'm telling you, y'all got a whole 'nother life over there." These people come to our show, and some of them are gray-headed, but they got on Headhunter shirts. Yeah. And they'll always say, "When's your daddy's band coming over here?" And John Fred got tired of saying, "Well, never, 'cause Daddy won't fly." And- So, uh, anyway, uh, you, you've had these situations before, you know, where you, um, uh, you know, somebody wants you to do something and you finally agree to it hoping they'll forget it. Well, I did that, and I told them, I said, "Well, y'all see if you can find us some shows. If you can, we'll go over there." Well, I said I'd go to the UK, but anyway, John Fred called about a week later very excited. He said, "Dad, we got y'all on the biggest rock festival in Sweden called Sweden Rock." Sweden Rock. And it- Sweden Rock ... and it's sponsored by John Deere. You know, that's where John Deere is, uh, out of, is Sweden. That's a lot of it over there. Yeah. Yeah. So anyway, uh- I said, "Now, wait a minute. I didn't say anything about he going anywhere but to England or Scotland maybe." He said, "Well, Dad, you gotta do it," said, "Uh, Queen's the headliner that day and y'all are playing three before them, or two before them." Wow. And I'm like, "You get outta here." But anyway, we, I got on the plane 'cause it sounded too good to be true, but it was true, and we went over and played this huge... You know, we played, like, at 6:00 in the afternoon, and there was 50,000 people there that- Oh my gosh ... so we, we, we, we accomplished, you know, playing all the, the Benelux countries of Netherlands, every- everywhere, you know, right in that area there, Switzerland, Sweden, in one swoop. And, uh, it, we could really tell it by the record sales. People didn't, a lot of people didn't even know about us, and a lot of people did. But anyway, I was on my way home from there, and we landed in Denmark. And, uh, John Fred, I said, "Boy, if I can just get home, I've got this over with, you know?" We left the flyer alone. And John Fred called, he called me and he said, "Daddy, you ain't gonna believe this, man." Said, "W- well, listen, we're gonna be headlining a big rock festival over in, in England next to London, and we want y'all to be one of our opening acts." And I'm like, "Good Lord, I ain't even got home yet." And they want us to come around, come back, you know, to England. But I thought, "Well, you know, if, if, it took us all these years, we wanted to go over and see where the Beatles came from." Yeah. Uh, you know, all those years ago. And I said, "I'm gonna get on a plane again and go over there, but this time we're gonna play that big festival with John Fred and them, and then we're gonna play us about seven famous old rock clubs." And it was, it was a huge success. And, you know, we went back three years in a row before COVID hit. Oh, wow. And, uh, it, it just, it changed the complexion of the band's livelihood and its life, you know? Oh, yeah. Because all of a sudden we'd captured a market that we basically had hunkered down hidden from. Yeah. I mean, we sold records over there and all that, and people knew about us, but, you know, out of sight, out of mind. Yeah. And, uh, so it was really good. But, uh, anyway, we've got, we've got that done now, so I think we'll just sail around Canada and, uh, the United States for a while and- ... kinda, you know, do our thing till we can't do it no more. So, so I gotta ask you a question, and I know you got one. You're chomping at the bit, Redbone. Uh, did you have to take any medication on your first airplane flight because you was shook up? I did. Did you smoke, did you smoke a cigar- We were- ... or did you smoke a doobie? No, we were, we were on- ... we were on a, uh, Swedish, we were on a Swedish Airlines that left out of Atlanta. Yeah. And, uh, I guess these stewardesses, which were hot. Pretty girls. Without ... But anyway, I guess they're trained to kind of spot somebody that might flip out. And so they got me up after the, after the plane took off, they came up and said, "Mr. Young, would you like to come back and sit with us?" And I said, "Well, I can." Said, "We got a refrigerator full of, we got a refrigerator full of Heineken beer." And so, um, four or five Heinekens later, I, I landed. I- That's his medication, Redbone. Yeah. And I en- You know, I enjoy sitting back there talking to those folks and- Yeah. Sure ... and all that sort of thing. And so, but, uh, I will, uh, I don't, I never drank, uh, any kinda hard moonshine liquor or anything in my life. I, I just didn't like the taste of it, but- Yeah ... but I, I, I, I put away those beers. All right, so Richard, before- But that, uh- Yeah, before we take- Yeah, and I keep ... Well, I keep thinking one day, you know, uh, I just oughta just not drink beer anymore. And then I thought, "Nah." You know? And, and- That was that one last beer I just, I go, "Hey, listen. It's, it's, uh, no, uh, vice or habit is a good thing. I understand that." But, but I just, I've never ... Listen, boys, I've never, I've, I could pretty much say this honestly, that I don't think that I've ever drank, uh- Two cases of Coca-Colas in my life Wow. Well, that's probably a good thing. All right, Richard, we gotta take a break here- Yeah, it is ... in a second, but I wanna ask, I wanna ask, I wanna ask you- But I, I do like beer. I, I, now listen, I don't drink, uh, the heavy stuff anymore. I, I'm, the older you get, uh, watch your girly figure, which I lost that a long time ago. But I like, um, I drink that Michelob Ultra. Oh, yeah. I know you're not supposed to say it on TV, but, or radio, but, uh- Hey, Richard. Richard. Yeah? Richard, we need to take a break, but Redbone wants to ask you a question. Hold on. Yeah, just one real quick, and that is there's an airport at Salem, Arkansas, where y'all gonna be Sat- uh, tonight, Saturday night, when people hear this. Are y'all gonna fly in or are you driving? Redbone. We got... Hey, we, we got one of the prettiest, loudest looking buses you ever saw in your life traveling in. We'll, we'll look for it Ri- coming in Saturday. Well, y'all, you won't have no trouble seeing it. It's, um, bright orange. It'll be, it'll be the biggest thing in Salem, I guarantee you that. I guarantee you. We're going to a break. I guarantee you. We're going to a break. Everybody, you're listening to Richard Young with the Kentucky Headers. This guy is one of the funniest people you'll ever meet in your life. Don't go away. We'll be back with more right after this. Hey, everybody, this is Michael Wadden with Bone Collector, and you're listening to my buddy, Alex Rutledge, on American Roots Outdoors, man. Don't miss an episode. Year after year, I'm a hunting deer Remember when a hunter was measured by how well he shot, not how much he spent? When memories were measured in rooster tales, not dollar bills. We do. We're Spandow, reliable, easy-to-operate, extremely balanced premium firearms offered at a price that proves you still know the true measure of a hunter. Spandow, making the American hunting tradition available to all. passed on down, planted deep in the ground, around your heart so you never gotta worry. Eagle Seed presents. Welcome back to American Roots Outdoors. We are in studio. Redbone? Yeah. Richard's killing me. Oh, he's so funny. And the stories, and, you know, I don't, we're just kinda, kinda hitting, you know, kinda hit-and-miss here today. But, uh, I'd like to spend about a day with those guys just listening to stories. Oh, you, you'll have, have the kidney transplant- ... because your kidneys are gonna be killed from laughing. He is so- Well, you know, uh- ... I was just thinking, you know, uh, that when, when somebody that's never been around us gets on our bus, like when it's like at a show, and they start twisting their heads around looking, 'cause all four of us will be trying to talk about something completely different to that same person. And then we had this one boy that used to work for us, he works for Eric Church now, but- Yeah ... he, uh, from up here... That's another thing. All these people, we, we got to h- uh, roadie boot camp, just so you know. Yeah. Mm-hmm. We'll, we'll train them up and then all these big guys steal them. Yeah. But, uh- Yeah anyway, Alan Carson, when he first time he came out, he said, "Man." He was talking to one of the other guys I work for and he said, "Man, them guys are wild." He said, "They was all talking about different things to me at the same time. I didn't know which one to listen to." Yeah, didn't know which one to answer. Yeah. Hey, Richard. Yeah, exactly. Exactly. Richard, Richard, Richard's Turkey Hunt, Bears on the Farm & Electric Bike Hunting did you turkey hunt this spring or was you too busy? Well, boys, I got to go one day. Uh-oh. Did they gobble good or- Well, uh, down there on the creek, you know, we got that big woods behind it- Yeah ... and all them white oaks. Yeah. They roost up there. Yeah. And, uh, to be honest with you, uh, there was days when they, when they'd just about run you over, Gordon. Yeah. And then another day they wouldn't make a sound. Yeah, that's what we were seeing here. And, uh, yeah, I, you know, I, I had to get one turkey anywhere or Cindy'd run me off. Yeah. Oh, yeah. And then, uh, you know, then we got this little dog named Isabelle. And Johnny, my cousin, Johnny Gordon comes up and hunts with me from Florida. Yeah. 'Cause we, we, neither one of us need to be out there in the dark stumbling around by ourselves, so- ... um, he, he's a, he's a great taxidermist, too, from Florida. A lot of people probably know- I know him ... his work, but- I know him. Yeah. Yeah. Johnny's great, man. Yeah. Oh, yeah. But we just have to look at him. I tell you, funny one. No, no, Johnny, he had, he had, um, COVID really bad. I mean, really bad. He was in the hospital for several weeks and kind of messed his lungs up like it did mine. But, so Johnny's got wives, he's got him one of these electric bicycles. And, and you ought to see him going across the field with that, that field pack and that gun on his shoulder. He looks like the Wicked Witch of the West. And he's, you know, you'd barely can see him going across in the dust coming, you know. And I tell you, that, that's the funniest thing I ever seen. But he, he, he can slip, he can slip right in there, boy, and not make a sound, and then he ain't out of breath when he gets there, you know? You're so funny, Richard. You are so funny. Yeah. We have... Yeah, Johnny's a great... I, I don't know what I'd do if I, I probably wouldn't... I, well, you know, we got bears down here now. Yeah. And, uh, I didn't believe it. I really didn't. Uh, this lady, a Ms. England lives down the creek from us, called me one day, said, "Richard, come down here quick. You got to hurry." Said, "You gotta come and bring a gun." Said, "There's a bear down there by the creek." And I said, "Now, Thelma, there ain't no bears around here." Oh, yes, I've seen it. I'm saying, so I went down there, and the, and the creek, it kind of dries, it dries up after it gets off our farm for a little while, it goes down to the cave. Yeah. And I couldn't find any tracks or anything. And so she called me the next day, "Richard, that bear's back up here. Now you get up here now and see about this. Ain't nobody else around." And so I, I, I just finally dismissed it. Well, that opening morning of deer season, I've got a deer box across the creek at the- Deer box that I set in. Deer box. Yeah, to keep them. I, I, I may have been the pervert of, of that stuff. I may have had the first one, 'cause- Yeah ... I was scared to set out in the dark. So anyways, I went, uh, I, I... it's just about to get daylight, and I heard something come out of the woods, and I looked around, and there was that bear, sure enough. And, uh, and after I told everybody I found it, all the neighbors, much of the older people around there said- Oh, my gosh ... "You know, I saw it too, but I didn't want people to think I was twisted and hallucinating." So then everybody fessed up to it, but- Everybody fessed up. Well, boys, they're piling in here getting all these good tomato plants, and I'm about to miss out, so I, I'm gonna have to probably run. Hey, we understand. Okay. We understand, absolutely. Thank you. Uh, what do you wanna say to everybody at Salem, Salem, Arkansas real quick? Well, I just want, I wanna say, well, you know, it's, here's what they say about the headhunters, is don't get that plant. That's the one I wanted. I'll be dang. But anyway, they say, uh... Well, we had a bus driver one time. We was having a little four-man, or a little discussion about the band, and, and, uh, well, all everybody else was in the bed, and, and the driver, the door was open to the driving part, and, and I, and I'd have to look around. I said, "Well, he's heard every word we've said." I said, "Well, y'all, what do you think?" He said, "I think just what everybody else thinks in Nashville. You're uncontrollable, and unmanageable, and unpredictable." And I said, "I like that. I like that. That's, that's exactly what I like right there." So- There you go, boys ... but anyway, unpredictable, unmanageable, and pr- procrastinating on top of it, but- There you go hey, boys, I've gotta get off here. All right, buddy. Go buy them tomato plants. Thank you for being a great guest, Richard. All right. See you Saturday night. God bless you, sir. Uh, Redbone, nice to meet you, and we'll get getting together too. Okay. Sounds good. Thanks, Richard. See you, buddy. All right. Wrapping Up with Richard Young We're going to a break. Everybody, when we come back, we're gonna talk about Kentucky headhunters in our interview here with Richard Young, and some of the trips I went on this spring turkey hunting. Don't go away. We'll be back with more after this. Hey, y'all. It's Tyler Farr, and you're listening to my good buddy, Mr. Alex Rutledge, on American Roots Outdoors. What the wind- Everybody, Alex Rutledge. I'm excited to tell you about 12Point Hunting Blinds. Seven-foot walls, perfectly camouflaged, snowproof, waterproof, tinted windows. They will not reveal you in the 12Point blinds. We're proud to work with this Amish-made blind, made in America, made in USA. 12Point Hunting Blinds. For more information, go to 12pointhuntingblinds.com. Hornady Ammunition presents. Welcome back to American Roots Outdoors. Life After the Spotlight: Alex & Redbone Reflect Richard Young is hilarious, Randall. Oh, funny guy. What a great guest. Yeah, great guest, and you know what, what I know from, you know, having been around a lot of these folks that have been in the business a long time is they're all that way. Yeah, they're funny. They live a whole, they, they live a whole totally different life than the rest of us do. Yeah, yeah. Although they're, they're all down to earth people. I don't know what that probably to, to mean, what it sounded like, but they, they do stuff we don't even think about. You know what's so cool is about people like Richard is they're people just like you and I and everybody else. They are. Absolutely. But th- th- they live a life of, uh, uh, a lot of traveling, hectic, fast-paced. Then everybody's wanting to touch them and, and meet them- Exactly ... and talk to them. And I can understand. I went through that for several years back when I was traveling with HS and- Mm-hmm ... you know, in the spotlight on national TV all the time, and everybody just wanting to g- be with you, you know? And I can understand them wanting to be off in a holler somewhere and- Absolutely ... left alone and- Absolutely. Yeah. So, so it's not that they don't wanna be sociable, it's just that you can only take so much. I'll never forget one time I, I was at Bass Pro in Springfield, Missouri, and I was at the prime of my life probably, uh, of notoriety in outdoor TV and stuff. People would stand in line. You was at some of the shows- Oh, yeah ... for 100 yards, 200 yards to get my autograph- Yeah ... and visit with me and get a picture with I had to leave everybody and go hide behind some curtains. I seriously did, Redbone, and just, I was almost in tears. Yeah, just to gather- Like, "God, I didn't want all this." Yeah, gather yourself. I'm just a common guy. Well, let me, well, let me tell people a story. I went with Alex to the National Wild Turkey Federation convention- Oh ... several years ago, and we had a scheduled time to be at Craig Morgan's booth to do an interview with Craig Morgan. And I went, and Alex got held up in the crowd. Everybody wanted to talk to Alex. I couldn't tr- And it got to the point where Craig says, "Is he gonna come or not?" And I was like, "Yeah, he'll be here in just a minute. He just got caught up in the crowd." He said, "Give me that microphone." And Craig, Craig took over. He said, "Hi, everybody, welcome to The Alex Rudlin Show. I'm Craig Morgan. We're taking over because he's too busy to be here." And we started doing the show. Yeah. And eventually you came and, and it was, it was really funny. But Craig was just kind of blown away. He said, "Man." And while we were doing the show, we were taping the show, uh, people kept coming up and wanting to talk to Alex. And Alex was like, "We're, we're doing a show." Yeah. And they'd look at Craig Morgan and they'd go, "Oh, hey." And they'd just move on. But, um, yeah, I can attest to that. And, uh, yeah, go, go for it. I gotta say, I, I like my life. It's slowed down right now. Yep. I do. I mean, my grandbaby Wren, she's, she's threw a new perspective in my life and my purpose in life, and it's just changed me. They always do. Yeah. But- I tried to tell you before she was born. Oh, you did. I wanna say this. You know, I, I'm getting off subject a little bit, but still I wanted to mention my turkey hunt. I started in Illinois, Tim Norman, his daughter, she missed. Passed another gobbler up. That made two gobblers I called in 40 yards and less. Alex's Spring Turkey Season: 29 Gobblers in 5 States I ended up calling 29 gobblers this spring within 40 yards and less in five states. I only had five turkeys shot. Wow. And three of them- Was successful and two misses. Wow. And you saw the funny video of the AI. Yeah. Well, here, here's what I say about that. I hope none of those people are listening, but- Yeah you need, you need to start booking hunters that are better shots. Yeah, yeah. Well, hey, truth's the truth, and people don't realize you gotta move maybe an inch or two to, to make that shot. Yeah. And they just lock up. They freeze up. Yeah. You know, but- And it, it's more difficult than it sounds. Oh, it is. So, so of the 29 gobblers, 13 of them was jakes. So I called in- Wow ... 16 longbeards in five states in about, I don't know, 20-some days. All right. You know, so, so- So I wanna pass along a little bit of information. Yeah. All right, yeah. All right, just a little bit of information here. This is about turkey hunting. Yeah. Turkey Harvest Stats: Missouri is #2 in the Nation Do you know what state produces the highest number of wild turkeys harvested annually? Annually, I'm gonna say Texas. Texas is number one. Yeah. Do you know who is number two? Florida. Missouri. Oh, Missouri? Do you know who is number three? Alabama. Kentucky. Oh, wow. And Alabama is number four. Is that right? That's right. So we're number two. Number two. We, we, we harvested 50,000 turkeys this spring. Yeah, a little over 50,000. And then, you know, you go just across the state line into Arkansas, it was like 13,000. Yeah. So, you know, and we talk about it all the time, well, the turkey numbers are down, blah, blah, blah. But folks, we are fortunate to live in Missouri- To have what we got ... to have what we got. Number two on the list of the most turkeys harvested in the entire country. Yeah. That's saying something. That's a pretty good deal. Well, I still like to see our numbers back like they was in the '80s. Yeah, I think everybody would. And I think we could get it there if everybody'll start letting people trap and coon hunt on their properties and get rid of predators, and this thermal hunting is really helping, uh, the turkey population. I know people that trap coons and, and they got turkeys on their farms. Yeah, exactly. Yeah, yeah. What a great show. Yeah, great show. And, and again, thanks to Richard Young from The Kentucky Headhunters. And folks, don't forget, you're hearing this show on, on Saturday morning. Saturday evening, I believe it's a 7:00 start, the Fulton County Fairgrounds Arena. This is gonna be an outside show. Mm-hmm. It'll be at the arena. Tickets are still available. I think you'll be able to buy them at the door. Uh-huh. I'm pretty sure. And, uh, go see The Kentucky Headhunters and what's just gonna be a good time for everybody. If you've never seen The Headhunters, you need to go to this show because they are phenomenal in a live show. Yeah. And I also wanna mention DeKalb County Pops events. It's got CC and Trevor Dawson. Uh, they're gonna be, uh, in concert in DeKalb County up in northern Missouri, Clarksville, Missouri. Okay. Don't forget that event. Also, Tommy Rutledge, congratulations on marrying your bride, and we will see you there Saturday at your wedding and party. Then, uh, hopefully we'll be down to The Kentucky Headhunters. Again, what a wonderful show. Remember this, folks, this whole world needs more love, not hate, okay? Teach your boys to become men, teach your girls to become ladies, and when your roots run deep and strong- There is no reason to fear the wind. So you never gotta worry what the wind- Thank you for joining us for today's American Roots Outdoors Radio with Alex Rutledge. You can find us on Facebook. Look us up on the World Wide Web at americanrootsoutdoors.com. We'll be back again next week on this great radio station. Accurate, deadly, dependable, Hornady ammunition. From a two-man operation in 1949 to a world-leading innovator of bullet, ammunition, reloading tool, and accessories design and manufacturer today. Hornady, each piece is hand inspected to ensure consistency and quality. Ammunition engineered to perform flawlessly. Simply put, the best. Hornady ammunition. Find Hornady ammunition at a retailer near you and at hornady.com Vandal Arms presents. Wild Turkey Recipes: Alfredo, BBQ, Brine & Chick-fil-A Style Nuggets Welcome back to American Roots Outdoors. Again, I'm calling from Gap, Pennsylvania. I'm here at the 12 Point Hunting Blinds headquarters, which is the Hunting Blind sporting goods store that they own. And, uh, now it's time to talk recipes. And, uh, Jason and I was just talking, did you see the video that Jennifer Danella had on, uh, Facebook showing different turkey recipes? I, I wanna talk about these red bone as I'm watching this. Okay. What about wild turkey Alfredo? What about barbecue wild turkey bombs? What about wild turkey tortellini? Think about that. Mm. Tortellini wild turkey tortellini and Chick-fil-A style turkey nuggets and wild turkey pot pie. Barbecued smoked recipes. Them are some recipes right there. I think I'd like to do the turkey Alfredo. You ever done anything like that, Redbone? No, I do not like Alfredo. I don't like white sauce. No, I love Alfredo. What's wrong with you? Oh, I can't believe you. Yeah, I d- I don't like Alfredo. I, you know, given the choice, Alfredo or marinara, I go with marinara every time. Oh, man. We gotta teach you about the finer things of life. Well, see, I think it- Well, I'll give you a- ... I think it goes back to when I was a baby and I was allergic to milk. Allergic to milk. Yeah. I, I understand. Yeah, that makes sense. Well, I'm gonna give you the barbecue recipe for a turkey breast. Okay. I'm gonna tell you how I would cook one. You take your turkey breast, of course, then you clean it up and get all the shots, any shot in the breast. Uh, we shoot, uh, Pat's shooting Spandow, so we don't gotta worry about any shot in, in the breast on turkeys we shoot. So clean the breast, and what I like to do, if I put it in the cooler, whatever, let it soak in salt and a little bit of vinegar, and it pulls any game, r- super gamey taste out of it. And you can still taste the turkey, but it's real mild. Yep. So I get my turkey breast, say one turkey breast, and what I like to do... Do you, you remember the old Cajun Injectors, Redbone and, and Jason? Absolutely. I use them all the time. Yep. Cajun Injector and, and take your turkey breast, pull it out a- and lay it on a board, dry it all off, take you some Cajun Injector a- with a big needle and inject it with butter and garlic inside the breast. Mm-hmm. Then you take it and rub it with your favorite seasonings, whether it be, uh, Cavender's, and I like to also kind of brush it with some Dale's Liquid Seasoning. Then you put it on a grill. You want your grill about 250, and cook it to your preference, but you baste it with your favorite barbecue sauce after you've injected it with all that. And you, I like to turn my meat about every five minutes. So my turkey breast, I li- I like to get it up to about 130 degrees, 135 degrees, and I run a temperature gauge on the meat. And right here is a recipe right here. One and a quarter cups of kosher salt. This is for brine. This is for brine. You're gonna enjoy this one. Yeah. Now, listen to this one. So I like to do, I like to soak my turkey in a liquid brine for 12 to 24 hours before I cook it. Um, and I- Is it pickle juice? So, no, the brine, i- i- it's salt water, um- And, uh, apples, onions, celery stalks, ground pepper, um, and make a brine with that and let that soak. And I prefer the, uh, Chick-fil-A style- Yes turkey nuggets. Oh. Um, that is amazing. Soak them in pickle juice. Soak them in pickle juice. Remove the pickle juice. Put pickle juice in with the turkey breast. Yeah. Yep. I've even, I've even heard of, um, using like, um, buttermilk. Yeah. That makes it real soft. Yeah. I don't have an injector. I've never injected a turkey myself, so I always- You've got to get one do a brine. You ought to get one. To soften, to soften it up. Well, maybe we will- It's fun. Yeah ... when we get to the new store, but- Yeah ... um, man, there's nothing like... And then, and then you cut it in little chunks. You dip it in flour. Oh. Then you dip it in an egg. Then you dip it back in the flour. Mm-hmm. And then you dip it in cracker crumbs. Oh, my. And you put it in that hot oil. Kentucky Fried Chicken. Oh, my. Is that making you hungry, Redbone? It is making me hungry- You're hungry right now ... because I haven't had lunch yet. I've had lunch, I'm full and I'm still drooling at the mouth thinking about that. Yeah. So anyway, we've shared a couple of good recipes. Do you have one? Uh, do I have one? You know, I, I just go to my standard, man. I like to take that turkey breast and maybe put a little bit of a, uh, some kind of a rub on it, uh, maybe strawberries or, uh, I really like- Yeah Rendezvous. I use the Rendezvous rub, and then just put that thing in the smoker, smoke it about 250 until I get about 165 internal temperature. Take it out, let it rest for about 30 minutes, and then just slice that baby up and eat it with some mashed potatoes and gravy. Mm, mm-mm. That makes me- In fact, some mashed potatoes- That makes me do it white gravy and some biscuits and gravy. Oh, my. Yeah. Man, what a recipe. Yeah. What a recipe. It makes me hungry and we just ate a couple hours ago. I'm getting hungry again. But anyway, Kenny, uh, uh, Kenny, I called you Kenny the other day. I spent so much time with Kenny Zusman, I keep thinking about him. Kenny, if you're listening to this, I'm sorry you had that effect on me. Not, not a funny effect, but effect of being around you, saying your name all the time. But Jason, uh, it's been a great host again, and Zook Boys and, uh, this ends my tour of the turkey tour in the Northeast. And again, I want to thank everybody for having me and wonderful memories. Wonderful memories. And we're looking forward to this fall, uh, deer hunting and shooting some big bucks out of these 12 Point Blinds. That's right. I wanna thank everybody for listening. Thank all of our partners for helping us, uh, be able to do what we do. You know, Wise Eye Technologies, 12 Point Hunting Blinds, Eagle Seed, Spandau Arms, and Hornady Ammunition, Stokely Structures, and Zook Cabins. Until the next show, remember, this whole world needs more love, not hate. That's right. Amen. All blood's red, isn't it, Bubba? That's right. Teach your boys to become men. Teach your girls to become ladies. And this time, Jason, when your roots run deep and strong, you won't have to fear the wind. To hit the ground. Big time coming, it's what we do. From a whippoorwill to an old owl's hoot. Sitting still till it's time to shoot. American roots. Take it to a holler. Take it to a field. Across a creek of a big old- heart so you never gotta worry So deep and strong. There's no reason to fear the wind. American roots will rise again Got family and friends and living the truth.