Chase The Unknown Podcast
Welcome to the Chase The Unknown Podcast, brought to you by the Boondocks Hunting Podcast family! This show is all about embracing the pure joy, excitement, and rush that comes from not knowing what lies just around the bend. To us, Chase The Unknown means the thrill of stepping into the wild with no guarantees—whether it’s locking eyes with a 200-inch whitetail, crossing paths with a 500-lb black bear, hearing the thunderous gobble of a turkey, or simply witnessing the beauty and unpredictability of nature. It’s about the anticipation, the adventure, and the stories that follow.
But what does Chase The Unknown mean to you? Is it the adrenaline of the hunt, the connection to nature, or the pursuit of something greater than yourself? Join us as we explore those questions, share incredible stories, and celebrate the thrill of the hunt—where the outcome is always unknown but the journey is unforgettable.
Let’s chase it together—one adventure at a time!
Chase The Unknown Podcast
What Drives the Hunter When No One's Watching? W/ Craig James
Craig James shares his journey from powerlifting champion to dedicated bowhunter and CrossFit coach, revealing how discipline connects every aspect of his life.
• Growing up in Wisconsin with his uncle Nick as his outdoor mentor
• Transitioning to bowhunting in his twenties after prioritizing sports and nightlife
• Achieving national championships in high school powerlifting
• Recently reaching the 900-pound club at just 132 pounds body weight
• Creating Behind the Grind as a platform to share his hunting and fitness journey
• Developing a meticulous system for tracking deer patterns using trail cameras
• Balancing content creation with authentic hunting experiences
• Finding higher value in early mornings scouting than late nights socializing
• Building authentic connections with followers instead of chasing likes
• Navigating the growing wolf population in Wisconsin hunting areas
Follow Craig on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/behind_thegrind_?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw== to see his continuing journey through hunting, fitness, and family life.
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Every hunter has a moment when the woods go quiet, the air shifts and time slows down and in that stillness you realize you're not chasing the game, you're chasing something bigger. Welcome to the Chase the Unknown podcast, where we go beyond the saddle, past the trail cameras and deep into the stories that fuel the fire. The show is for the ones who lose sleep over the rut, who hike miles into the public land for just a chance and who live for that silence before the shot From the back country to the back roads. We sit down with hunters and trappers with the relentless stories, who live for the thrill, embrace the unknown and return with the stories we're telling. This is more than a podcast. This is the start of something real. Let's chase it. Welcome back to the Chase the Unknown.
Speaker 1:Today we're joined by Craig James, the creator behind Behind the Grind. Hailing from Wisconsin, craig's a true all-season outdoorsman chasing game of all kinds, pursuing limits in the gym and capturing it all on film. We talk hunting, discipline, content creation and what it really means to embrace the grind and chase the unknown every single day. Craig, welcome to the show. Hey, thanks, man. So you know for everyone. You know, just give us a quick rundown and you know a quick backstory.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I mean backstory, like I said. I mean I was born and raised in Seymour, wisconsin, and like the outdoors basically came to me through, actually, my uncle nick um, he passed away years ago on to cancer, but like I would, honestly it'd be every weekend, you know, when the seasons were here like pheasant hunting, rabbit hunting, um, he took me gun hunting, stuff like that. He didn't really get much into the archery aspect of it, but like if it was outdoors it was with my uncle Nick, whether it was open water fishing, ice fishing, everything like that. My dad he did, he did, he did some hunting. When I was growing up we would we would call it Possum Lodge, so we always get together, you know a group of guys the night before deer camp go to the shack. You know we all sleep overnight out there, whatever. But he would be the one where he'd go for a couple hours and yeah, I'm good, I'm gonna come back and make lunch for everybody. So like he really wasn't like the diehard aspect of hunting of it, he still did it but he didn't do it enough towards like he wanted me to keep going through it, you know I mean so like uncle nick was the one always there for me, like hunting wise, you know, giving me props, tips, stuff like that.
Speaker 2:Um, bow hunting, I did it. I actually started crazy or not. I didn't really start getting into bow hunting till almost my middle of my senior year. Um, I was just in a lot of sports, you know, school stuff like that, and um, you know, turn 21, I didn't really put outdoors first, I always put the nightlight first and well, let's just be real, here we waste days the next day after going out crazy hard like that. So I mean I started getting hardcore into bull hunting. Now I'm probably I don't know roughly around like 22, 23 years old and then that's just bull hunting to me. Like I got hunted a lot not saying I didn't, but like when I started bull hunting and I went and bought my first diamond bull from Shields, I thought it was. I thought it was the coolest thing ever. You know, I put a massive stabilizer on it. I thought you know having a I don't know what kind of sight it is nowadays, but I just loved it. I shot, shot, shot and I just fell in love with bow hunting so much that I just put gun season aside.
Speaker 2:I used to duck hunt and all that stuff, but bow hunting to me now, I just feel, is just it's my ultimate passion. Like I, I turkey hunt is bow, whitetail, bow um, I know this fall. If I have a chance to do it, I want to do it. So bad and it's legal in wisconsin to smack a goose with the bow. Um, I do have a private land property that actually has um, it fills up with water every year and last year, bull hunting it, I would always hear geese fly in, fly out. It's just like I always wanted to do it. Just like I wanted to. I don't care, you know, if I'm not successful not successful, but just to say I can, I shot a goose with my bow would be probably my biggest accomplishment ever.
Speaker 2:Um, and bow hunting to me is just it's. I guess this is all I. It's all I want to do, like I, not that I. If a friend asked me to go duck hunting with a gun, okay I'm gonna go do it, but like I'm not gonna go out of my way because I'm always wanting to have the bow in my hand. You know just everything that day on instagram following people on instagram. You know just everything that I on Instagram following people on Instagram, you know, and seeing them shooting with rabbits, squirrels. It's like you can do everything with a bowl if you really want, you know. I mean as long as you have backup arrows, I mean.
Speaker 2:I guess that way. Um, but yeah, like you know the backstory to you know, like everything in high school, I power lifted in high school, um, it was. I started my freshman year and I went all the way to my senior year. Um, I won nationals twice in my weight division down in Louisiana, texas, and you know, power lifting to me was obviously, you know, it's just your max efforts of you know, back, squat, deadlift and bench and being how small and I am, it's just like I just want to keep going, keep going. You know. And obviously got out of high school, you know I didn't power lift, no more, didn't do any like open lifts or whatever, blah blah and just got a gym membership at Planet Fitness. You know, and I'm not saying I didn't like it, it was 20 bucks a month and you go there 20 bucks a month. You know you can do everything you want there, but it's just like I needed that, I needed that drive, I needed more of that, that grind, I guess I should say of like I need someone to push me, because if I'm in a planet fairness, I'm pushing myself, not saying I can't, but like I would catch myself like going to elliptical. You know, do a couple reps. Uh, scroll through instagram for a little bit. You know I wasn't. It wasn't that steady movement of like whatever and um.
Speaker 2:So then I ended up getting married and then my sister-in-law she actually at the time owned a crossfit gym and she pulled me in by the ear one one saturday morning. Come on, you gotta try this. I'm like, oh god, okay, whatever, I'm gonna give it a shot because she not going to take no for an answer. So I'm going to go there and do it. I went in there and did it. I won't sugarcoat it. The first day I did CrossFit I absolutely hated it. I'm like there is no way my body can stand any of this. Like the movements, they, you know, the snatching, the overhead squats, so like I can't do any of this stuff. Well, and then I just kept coming back, kept going back, kept going back. Now I absolutely fell in love with it and now I'm a coach there. So it's like it's like now I coach crossfit. I I'm there practically five days a week working out, you know, doing everything.
Speaker 2:I did the open this year, um, and like I never thought I don't know how to, how to put it this way, but like I never thought somebody my size, like 130, 32 pounds on a good day, and you know like. It's going to show you, though, that being small doesn't mean absolutely anything in this world, because if you can do the technique correctly and everything, you can lift as much weight as you absolutely want, like was it last. But three weeks ago I ended up actually reaching the 900 pound club, adding all three lifts together at my body weight, and to me that's a huge accomplishment. And to tell other people like, oh, whatever, I do that in two lifts, that's fine, but, like for my size, like I am just blessed to be able to do that, you know, um, but yeah, the backstory is just life is it's crazy?
Speaker 2:Um, like you know, we got a daughter that's in, um, she's in volleyball. She's got now she's starting soccer. Now, um, we got two crazy dogs, but we love them to death. But yeah, all I can say it's it's family, crossfit and the outdoors is when I can get out there, I'm either doing outdoors CrossFit or we're doing family stuff.
Speaker 1:Yeah, no, that's, that's pretty amazing, you know, and it's, it's the, not only the. Obviously we were talking about hunting and everything like that and the dedication to hunting, but the dedication to just working out and you know, just all around, dedication to, of course, the family and everything like that, but it really all loops into one and I imagine, like, especially like for you mentally, like the discipline that it takes one to you know, like you said, a guy of your, you know your size and everything like that, just to you're pushing, you're pushing, you're pushing. And you know you were like when you go to the gym, like, yes, you can get it done, but there's always, like you always want to take it to the next level. You always want to be like on, go, go, go and push yourself to see the best of your ability.
Speaker 1:And I think you know doing what you do in CrossFit and now doing what you do in crossfit, and now you know doing what you do in hunting, and you know you're like, hey, listen, I'm a, I'm a bow hunter, this is what I want to do, this is, this is what I believe in. You know, yeah, and you know I, I understand like I, I plan on killing a goose with with the bow one day and stuff like that. And now I've kind of dabbled more into like gun hunting and stuff like the bow hunting is just like a whole everything. But everything is discipline, you know, and mentally.
Speaker 1:Hey, you need to be mentally strong and keep pushing yourself, because you know it's not all going to be perfect and and roses and everything like that. So, like it's, it's a pretty good thing.
Speaker 2:Absolutely. And like you said too, like you know, every day you push yourself to be better and better every day until you're a capability. And like I'm all sugar-coated, there's days I go into the gym, I I can't do a three rep whatever, I just wait and like in my head, I get so upset with myself, so down on myself, you know, and there's been time at the gym I throw my belt to the ground. I, you know, my double unders, for instance, are on point, I slam my rope to the ground. But then it's like I gotta step back and think like, okay, why are you screwing up? Take a deep breath, relax, it's not, you're not competing against anybody else but yourself. And then the next day I can go in there and hit a pr, or like it's just, it's crazy, like with the mind, what you can actually do if you have the right mindset. And like going back to, like, the crossfit aspect of it you know, like the heavy lifting, you know the PRs is not. It is all about, obviously, strength, technique, you know, and having the good muscle to do it.
Speaker 2:But I look back at two of the other stuff too, like how much sleep did you get that night? What kind of food did you eat? Did you slam a bunch of soda or did you have junk food? Because I mean all that takes aspect into it where, like I go to mcdonald's I have a double quarter pound with cheese and a diet coke or whatever and go to the gym you think you're gonna back squat 300 pounds. Probably not gonna happen. You're gonna probably cramp up. You're probably not gonna be in the stomachs and probably tell you to f off because you have to run to the bathroom.
Speaker 2:I mean, I can honestly say the days I've hit prs I look back at have for lunch, you know, and stuff like that is a lot of water intake. You know I'm hydrated. Those are the days I have very good success and I mean I'm not going to say I do I clean eat? No, I don't clean it, I try. I can't even say I try, but like I I don't know it's to me, it's so hard to clean eat. Like I follow all these inspirational CrossFit athletes on Instagram and stuff and this is like God bless our souls how they do it, because I personally I can't like if I want an ice cream bar, I'm taking an ice cream bar If I see a cheeseburger in front of me probably going to eat it.
Speaker 1:You know, I don't know. I agree with you. And it's also where outdoorsmen too, because you know, during the season, I mean, how much time you spend, you know, if you're, you know, from work to hunting. And then you know also for you, for you know, working out and everything like that, like you're on, just go, go, go, go go, and when you're in the woods, like the last thing you want to do is come home, you know, and oh, I gotta worry about eating clean, and everything like that. Like, yeah, I eat at quick check like crazy during the season, like it's so, because it's so quick, like, oh, my, get it good, and then I'm, I'm right back into to what I need to do. You know, I mean, and the desserts are, you know, most outdoorsmen are crushing desserts while they're, while they're hunting and everything like that.
Speaker 2:So the clean eating it on that aspect is definitely, I imagine, hard, hard and I definitely understand why, like you're right, like if you put a cheeseburger in front of me, like and it's funny that you say that because, like today at work, you know, I brought I brought some food in today at work, you know, and walked into the lunchroom and someone had it said a note saying take me as a blueberry pie, I'm not going to walk by it and not have a piece of blueberry pie.
Speaker 1:Like I'm going take me, it's a blueberry pie. I'm not gonna walk by it and not have a piece of blueberry pie. Like I'm gonna eat it. You know, like, should I have probably not, but I'm gonna eat it. Like exactly like um. So you know, as we go back, you know and and before we get to you know, behind the grind and everything like that, you know you're growing up and you know you said your your uncle and everything like that. Um, when did it like what? What's your earliest memory of you know you doing something in the outdoors?
Speaker 2:earliest memory in the outdoors okay, well, earliest memory, I would have to say, is when my uncle, nick, was still alive. Um, they owned um 45 acres and just out of Seymour, wisconsin, and you know they gave me permission to hunt there. You know I helped him a lot on the farm, though just to show that respect, you know, and not just use them for the land. You know stuff like that and I'll never forget this. I was sitting, it was October, it was late October and I was sitting in the stand and I had my back turned and I had the right wind and I looked over my shoulder and all I see was a brown blob coming like quartering to me. Obviously, I don't like quartering to me shots, I is quartering away or broadside. But this was my first ever, first ever bowl kill and I'm sitting like okay, and it was with my diamond bow. I mean, it's just crazy like, look at this diamond bow, I'm pulling back. At the time I was pulling back like 54 pounds and I'm like, okay, well, the deer was quartering to me and I pulled back and I couldn't stop shaking to save the life of me. I shot him so high up, but I must have hit a main artery. Well, I shot him so high that we didn't find didn't find no blood.
Speaker 2:So that night I, um, I went home. I called my good buddy, brandon schultz at the time and I'm like, brandon, I just shot my first ever buck dude and I have no blood and it's supposed to rain tonight. I'm like, I'm sobbing, I'm crying, I'm like, oh my god, this is ridiculous, like, and it made me not want to keep hunting, cause I think I don't want to just wound, not saying we are all successful, we, we make bad shots, stuff happens, it's life. But like, I'm like, okay, brandon goes meet you as Craig, go home, have supper, go to bed. I'll be at your doorstep at 6am. I'm like, okay, yeah, he was there at 6 am pounding on my door. So I got up. He goes all right, let's go to your stand. Where was this deer standing? He literally stood right there standing. I go, I shot him, right here I go. He literally like when I shot that deer, he walked across the river, flicked his tail and just walked away and that was just where my heart just broke brands. I just relaxed. You got some arteries up there, like, let's just walk this piece. So then got and got to my own and uncle's, like property line, did the right thing, called the neighbor hey, I'm tracking a deer, you go. Ben box was like go go, find your deer, we're walking, we're walking there. And then brandon goes yeah, you're not lying, there's absolutely no blood dude. Um, I don't know what we're gonna do, but we're just gonna walk to where you last seen him walking and hopefully he just kept walking a straight line.
Speaker 2:Well, 790 yards away, we actually made it to three different properties and the deer crossed the road, gardner Road, walked through and all of a sudden we're going, going and I kind of veered off a little bit. I don't know why. I'm just everything's going through my head like I'm freaking out little bit. I don't know why. I'm just everything's going through my head like I'm freaking out and all of a sudden I hear a whistle. Brian goes hey, come over here a second. I'm like oh god, yeah, I think I found something. I'm like all right, well, by him, there's nothing. I'm like dude, are you messing with me? Yeah, he was messing with me the whole time.
Speaker 2:So when we were walking, we walked across the road and we actually turned back and Brian goes yeah, your deer's right here. I looked over and there was laying there. I don't know, honestly, when we gutted it out that day. Whatever, I must have hit a main artery where he just internally bled. And that was my first ever deer and actually I'm staring at the rack right now. It's, I mean, to me it's a nice deer like. I'm not saying it's a 120 inch, 130 inch whitetail, you know whatever. But for my first ever gear and that experience I had, having one of my close friends at the time with me, I don't think I'm gonna ever not forget that hunt ever gee, what a I mean?
Speaker 2:yeah, that's insane yeah, and it goes down to, like you know, could he have not messed with me at the time because he knew the emotions I was going through? Yeah, but that was just who brandon was. So brandon always loved to get under my skin, you know, and kind of give me all riled up. Well, that day I was so riled up that I my heart was skipping beats.
Speaker 1:I'm almost positive it was oh man, I mean the, the fact that, first of all, the deer travel, it's incredible. You, it's deer, and all wild animals are just just absolutely incredible creatures. But you know, when you finally did find like what, what was like, were you? Was it a big sign, excuse me, sign of release, was it? Did you yell Like what kind of? Was the first thought that went through your?
Speaker 2:head. The first thought I remember when. So he told me he was letting me come over by me. I got about, maybe I don't know 40 yards from him and, um, I had, I had my backpack on whatever. I didn't have my bowl with me, which I don't know why I didn't, because he's just in case, but I just whatever at the time I wasn't really that knowledgeable into like bringing a bow for recovery or stuff like that. I got about 40 yards from him and he looked at me and he goes hey, I think I see something. I'm like dude, you're messing with me. Why don't we backtrack, like what's going on? And I looked over and I seen the horn sticking up and I seen, I seen the belly and from 40 yards to Brandon I made it. I mean, I think I probably ran the fastest 40-yard dash in all gear equipment and I was like a little like a little school girl.
Speaker 2:I ran up to him, I leaped into his arms, gave him a hug, wrapped my legs around his body and I just squeezed him like, dude, don't ever do this to me again or I'll kill you, I'm like. And then he, like I, was in tears and he, he got a little emotional. He didn't shed no tears, but I could tell he was just. He was like dude this I know this means the world to you right now and dude this, I'm so proud of you, like I, like I was proud of myself and at the same time, like I can't.
Speaker 2:I can't look back at the bad shot because I was still like learning everything you know, like now, like like today, when I take that shot absolutely not. Would I take that shot? Absolutely not. I would never do that again. Just that moment of excitement, emotion, and how fast I ran to him and jumped into his arms. It was probably the coolest 30 seconds of emotional congratulations I think I ever had. There was so much stuff going through my mind at the time. I was seeing stars. At the time he was. I really I don't know. I was almost like I was seeing stars at the time and he was laying there and we got in a mode and I finally got my first year ever.
Speaker 1:I love it, that's. That's a great one. You know, and as you, you know, you you start, you know, getting older and I know, you know, like you said, said, during 21, you know it was, yeah, the main thing and I, I feel like a lot, of, a lot of people out there too, I mean me too um, you know. But you know when, when did you start like all right, like this is really what I want to do? You know, let's get it back like was there just a moment in your, in your life, or something like, hey, listen, like it's time to stop doing this as much. And, you know, start focusing, you know, on, you know, the outdoors a little more.
Speaker 2:Yeah, um, I said I when I first, when I started, when I started dating my wife, I actually went sober for two years. Um, we went to our honeymoon to Mexico and of course you get to the lobby and you know it's all inclusive and yeah, yeah, I had to celebrate a little bit blah, blah, whatever. So then went back to having cocktails and I went another. I went a year, 11 months, no, a year. I went another year sober and I mean I'm not saying I don't like to go out and have fun once in a great while, but like I guess I look back, you know, being married now I have a beautiful daughter and we, we have a great family bond now and I just I feel like alcohol to me, like growing up was always first and now it's like, yeah, I go and have fun, maybe once every couple of weeks or maybe once a month, whatever.
Speaker 2:But I don't want to fall back into the bad habits of being peer pressured anymore. But friends that I used to have that couldn't. Let me just have what I wanted to have, but they always had to throw stuff in my face. But yeah, I have a couple of cocktails here and there now and then, but I think, knowing when I got, when I got married, and knowing how big of a bond I have with my wife and how much support she gives me and how much of support I give her, like I don't, I would never trade that for anything in the world.
Speaker 2:So it's like I always know that that's always in comfort. So like, if we're out one night, you know and I, I just I don't need to go, I don't want to have to go out. I mean it's nice to hang out with friends and stuff, don't get me wrong, it is. But like I always, I'm a believer now that if you say no which is okay to say no if your friends respect you and respect your decision, they will still be there tomorrow, the next day, years from now. You know what I mean and I'm and I won't sugarcoat it like I tell you what, though, like since that's happened and stuff, you know your, your circle really shrinks big time, but and that's okay with me, like I, I come to decide that's that's actually okay with me now yeah, I know, and I I completely get that.
Speaker 1:And you know you hear a lot of people and I kind of do the same like I. You know there's points where you know I hear a lot of people and I kind of do the same like I. You know there's points where you know I'll drink and everything like that. But then there's points where I just like, try to just like, okay, I don't want to have a cocktail, I don't want to have a drink, I don't want to. You know, get it. And you know my friends are great, you know, so they don't really right, they won't really pressure me or anything like that.
Speaker 1:But, um, it's just something that, as, as we get older and everything like that, like it. And for the people that it's really hard to and it affects their lives in a different way. Like, yeah, I can understand why it's so hard to move away from, but I would definitely say, like hunting has really helped me and and like that, just one, I want to just be healthy and everything I love working out. But like I want to be in shape, I want to be at the best of my ability coming into the season and everything like that. So sometimes that's like hey, listen, I'm not drinking nearly as much during during the off season. You know, I'll start to pick it up a little bit during the, during the season, everything like that. I always feel like boom, you know, after a hud, you know sometimes you need it.
Speaker 1:Or you know, you know, like a little bit you kill a big buck and it's like all right, like I'm definitely pouring myself like a like a little drinker or, like you said, you go out, you know, maybe you know I like, we like to go out for dinner and we'll like we'll have a drink or two or you know, someday, sometimes it's, but not, not in the mindset of, also like what we're doing when we're younger.
Speaker 1:I mean, just like I can't. Even we were, we were out, you know, we had the wild game dinner, um, uh, on saturday and everything like that, and I had a bunch of stuff going on. It was my friend's 30th birthday and engagement and one of my best friends, uh, death days and everything like that. So we went out and you know, we had ourselves a few drinks and everything like that. And I'm just like I can't believe they're like I like 12 o'clock to hit and I just wanted to be in bed. You know what I mean. So, like, so it's like damn, how the hell did I used to stay up till three, four, five o'clock in the morning, drink all day, eat whatever I want, and then just you know.
Speaker 2:But um, that's just it too. Like you know, back in the, you know the early 21, you know 22 year old stage, like I go on a friday, saturday, sund benders Cause I worked stack of shit at the time and it wouldn't phase me Like I could wake up and go, get a bloody minute and go. Now I go all night and we go, the wife and I go until midnight or whatever. I went the next morning and I literally wanted to just put a pill over my head and say I wasted a whole day. Now, and I have to admit, you know, like there's been been times, like you know she gets on me, but I know why now.
Speaker 2:Because, like I said, like Saturday we had our friend's baby shower, we had cocktails, you know, and a bunch of people wanted to go to Stadium View afterwards and we decided not to. Well, thank God we did. Because I got up Sunday morning, felt freaking amazing, went out, changed my batteries and my cameras, you know I got to see turkeys strutting out in the field, so I got to pinpoint where they're at and I look back at like, look at that, if I would have went out at all with the friends that we were with, and god knows what would have happened and I wouldn't have did anything. I would have did on sunday. And now it's as I would have been kicking myself in the butt because, like I'm putting all this effort and time into my passion and I'm wasting a day not doing it yeah, so, yeah, no, hi, I I definitely feel that and understand that.
Speaker 1:Um, you know. So, let's, let's get in behind the grind. Um, you know. So, where, where did that all come from? Where did you get that idea from? You know, um, where, like, where were you when you're like, hey, you know what? Now the next step is instagram. You know, next step, like photography and everything like that, and behind the grind, where did that first come from? You know, and, and what was your, your main focus when you, when you first started on that?
Speaker 2:you know, it probably started, probably actually started last october. I was up in the bull stand and I'm sitting in my you know, sitting in the stand, you know, and I was doing all day sit, not seeing a single deer, which it happens on the property, it's a funnel, whatever, and it's just, you know, obviously, sitting down and not seeing anything and a lot of stuff's going through my head. You know, like god, I just want to, I want to build a brand and I just want to, I wanted to have an actual meaning, you know, like a huge core meaning to like behind the grind, like what is behind the grind, mean this and that I'm thinking my head, thinking my head. I got home and I just started thinking and thinking. I'm like you know what it is behind the grind. It just makes sense because, for one, behind the grind can mean everything. It can be behind the grind of family, um, you know my crossfit life, my outdoors life, you know, and and, and that's just how it is. Like I grind, I physically grind every day, whether it's work, family, outdoors, crossfit, like you know, and I'm the one behind it. So it's like behind the grind and it just made sense to me and it just clicked. I'm like you know what I'm gonna roll with it, you know. And I just I thought to myself and it just clicked. I'm like you know what I'm going to roll with it, you know.
Speaker 2:And I just I thought to myself like okay, at the time, okay, I'm 36 years old and you know, and I'm not going to sit here and sugarcoat it I thought about saying screw it, delete Instagram altogether, and blah, blah, because it's okay, like let's be real here. I didn't start this when I was 18, so I'm not going to get noticed, blah, blah. But then I thought to myself too. I was like screw it. You know, to get noticed, you have to put in the time, you got to put the grind in, you got to do this, you got to do that, you know. And I just to me, instagram can it can really take a toll on somebody.
Speaker 2:And I look at, like you know how I started this page and where I'm at now. I mean, it's been less than a year and I'm already at almost that 1,250 followers and I'm just doing what I want to do on a daily basis, just sharing it now with the public. So it's like it's nice, don't get me wrong. I'm sure it's great to get 1k likes, you know, or this many views, but at the same time I'm just I'm gonna start doing it for me now and I noticed now too like to post what I want to post, post any reel I want to post. It makes it a lot more relaxing and more fun that way and not having to compete with other people and you know it's I don't know, and that's why I put like behind the grind, because you know I'm grinding every day. I'm gonna post everything, like I'll learn, post my best lifts, whether it goes for 10 views or 500 000 views, like, whatever, like.
Speaker 2:I always look at this way too, like if big a big thing for me, too, is like you post it and you don't get what you want on it. It doesn't mean that 6,000 people aren't seeing it, they just don't like your posts. That's fine. They still see your ground, they still see your everyday. You know progress towards what you want to do and I just came into realization that you know I'm doing this and I'm just gonna keep doing it.
Speaker 2:And I will admit I got a lot of inspiration from a lot of people on Instagram and there are some days, like the people I haven't even met on Instagram, but I talk to them now, I'm not gonna say on a daily, but like a collab with them a little bit, you know, ask them for tips and tricks, and it's just like these. Like everyone started out at zero followers, whether they started when they're, they started their journey at 18 or they started their journey at 40. It's just it, all it. I guess it's the mindset of how you want to create it and how far you want to take it.
Speaker 1:I guess I think you know when, when we talk about social media and you know I I go over this a lot with with people, obviously we we've been doing this for for a little bit here um, you know, and it's a personally mentally and it is a study like being on social media is just not good for you mentally. It really it really is not. And you know, I think a lot of people, especially like I work with children, um, I work in psych behavioral with children who a lot of not, I wouldn't say not, but a good portion, like there's a percentage of their issues come from social media because they're seeing and comparing content like, oh well, you know, this person has 50 000 followers, or or you know, in their case, you know, this girl looks like this, or this guy has this, and you know I mean everything like that. And you know, as hunters too, and you see what has happened, I feel like less people post kind of their mistakes, less people post. You know, hey, if they shot a spike, people are a little hesitant to post that nowadays, where it's really only the, the big deer, the big bears, the you know, yeah, turkeys with, you know, really long beards, or or you know multiple, multiple beards or spurs that are just absolutely incredibly long. You know, people kind of get shit on for killing a jake, you know, or or something like that, where, no, that that should not be the case. No, you know, and 100, you should be proud of what you kill and be able to post whatever, whatever you want, um, and then also always coming up with content, I go, one of the things that you know, we we got a bunch of team guys and you know they're newer to you know, running it like well, how well, how do you do this?
Speaker 1:For for as long as you're doing it, like listen, it's hard on me, like I'm like this isn't easy. Like coming up with always this, this new idea, what can I post? What can I post? Okay, let's not post the same thing over and over again, like just come out and creating and that's the same thing. Part of what we're doing is we're we're content creators, you know. So what can we do in the woods? All right, we gotta take this picture in this video, or we gotta do this and a lot, a lot of b-roll and and all these these things that it just it has a wear and tear on you, oh god, yeah, I tell people right now, like this, it's still fun to me because I love seeing what I can create. Even if one person likes it, it doesn't matter, I'll take that one person.
Speaker 2:Yep.
Speaker 1:Or I'll take, I'll take 50,000. Like we've had some stuff that I've gotten that where and then we've gotten stuff I've worked super hard on and proud of that did not do anywhere close and it's in the beginning you suck, but once you get over there, okay, listen, we're this is not for for everyone else at the, at the end of the day, like I gotta do it for myself, I gotta do it. You know my kids are eventually gonna see this stuff. You know I get friends that who don't know hunting and stuff like that. They love watching this stuff.
Speaker 1:You know what I mean and it's it's, it's to it's to do that and just to look back and be like, wow, I got to do this, I got to experience this 100%. And it's tougher on the younger crowd 100%. And that's where I think it's going to cause a little bit of issues for guys like you and I. At the end of the day, mentally, we can overcome these difficulties and everything like that. We've been through all the trials and errors and and stuff like that where you know kids growing up now they only see people killing big deer on, you know, social media, so they think they have to kill only big deer on social media and that's exactly what you said too.
Speaker 2:Like you know, the whole like thing with social media that could mess with someone's mind so much to where it just makes me go insane. Like I I'm not gonna lie like 36 years old, you know, like I'm I'm loving the instagram. I'm loving the, the brand I have now. I'm loving that I'm collabing with people like yourself and other people you know, and there's so many things I, you. If I could show you the messages that I get once in a while on Instagram or even on TikTok, it would blow your mind. And at first it really got to me. It honestly it got to like a depression stage of life. And then I'm thinking something like wait a second, okay, why am I getting depressed over somebody that has a profile picture as a cartoon character and they're just coming at me just bashing, bashing, bashing. Like, for instance, I um on Instagram, I posted I forget it was a while ago, this was a while ago I posted a memory of um the buck that I shot over my in-laws for the first time ever when I started dating my wife and the guy. The guy's comment literally was you're never gonna be like Lee Ellis. I'm like well, okay, we're going to back this up here. Yeah, I'm probably never going to be like him because that guy shoots megas. But I'll tell you one thing right now he actually inspires me because he's in the fitness and he's a big Christian and the guy is just fun to watch on YouTube. Yeah, I'm never, never gonna have those subscribers he has or instagram followers.
Speaker 2:I used to care about it. Now I don't, because I'm not him, you know, like, but I look at the. You know all said and done, what I have to work with and what he has to work with is a whole different level ball game. Like I don't have a camera crew, I don't have. You know, I'm not sponsored by all these companies. Like you know, I'm not looking to go with a company to get a discount, like, I just want to go and at the end of the day, I just want to prove myself and take the companies that I'm using to. Someday they have them, reach out to me and not always just get the 40% discount. You know, and not saying it's a good, that bad thing, cause like I look at this way, like Got to start somewhere.
Speaker 2:That's how I look at it, got to start somewhere and like, for instance, like my scent spray, for instance, scent assassin. I'm with them Right now. I didn't join them for a discount. I joined them because I wanted to try out their product. And I tell you what their product out in the woods for whitetail it works. I'm not saying it doesn't, it works. But I'm also going above and beyond and grinding my ass off to promote that company, to help them out. As long as help me, I'd rather help them out more than myself because I know the product actually works.
Speaker 2:And I see a lot of these people on here on social media and I will say it like a lot of them do it just for the discount, for a very cheap price. And you know, and I look at it, you know, like, if you're going to be a part of it, grind it out Like, post the content, post the videos of why you're using it, post why and how it works. You know I guess that frustrates me the most, but I gotta let that all you know flow by. You know and get behind my head, because I'm not them, I'm gonna do it for myself, because it's gonna show more and more and more in the future definitely, definitely, definitely agreed on that, you know, and it's it, that's that's the right mindset to to have, without a doubt.
Speaker 1:And you know, hopefully, you know, people listen to, especially, you know, some of the younger, like this is kind of like the mindset. And you know what, for that guy that said, yeah, you're not going to be like leah, I would have been like, yeah, no shit, thank you yeah and. But I don't, I don't, I don't want to be like anybody else.
Speaker 2:You know what I mean.
Speaker 1:I don't want to be myself behind the grind, like be behind the grind. I'm sorry that, hey, you, you may want to be like Leah, and that's good for you, you know, but that's not what we. We want to be who, who we are. You know I want somebody to be like, oh, like, hey, you know you're, you're, mike, nature, you know, created the back to him. Like you want people, hey, you, you want to be like that guy or something like that. You know you want to be like.
Speaker 1:You know, craig james from from behind the grind, not, you know, oh, craig james is like, he's like lee ellis. Like, no, like you, you, we want to be unique and I I think that's another thing like I, I listen to a lot of this motivational stuff and like stuff that, just like I, I just love, like david goggins and every, like all these guys. Like you know, at the end of the day, like you got to be who you are, you're, we're not trying to be somebody else. Like I've never wanted to be somebody else.
Speaker 1:You know, when I was playing hockey at the level that I was, like I wanted to be mike nitrate. Like there was no. Like I take pride in being who, who I am, you know, you take pride in being who you are and I think a lot of people have forgotten like, oh yeah, I want to be like this person. I look something. The greats, you know, the people who really, like you know, have success and achieve their, their goals. They come into their like I want to be me. You know what I mean.
Speaker 2:I don't, I don't want to yeah, and that's why they are where they are at the level of their, you know, like everyone thinks. You know, like I said, like I bring up lee else again. You know sequel productions, again that's his, his own brand. He's got, he's got team members. Now he's got, you know. But he also had to start from ground zero and build and build and build and build. I mean the money he probably invested into getting started is probably mind-boggling, but look at though, he kept doing it for him, like you said, and he didn't care about anybody else. He just kept going and going and going and look where he is now. I mean, I mean, I guess the biggest one to it, everyone's gonna whatever, but josh and sarah bomar, bomar, archery you could imagine the daily backlash those people get Day in and day out, but guess what? They don't care. I mean, look where they are now in life. You know what I mean.
Speaker 1:I mean, no, they don't care and listen, I give them credit and you know what. I don't have to believe in what they do, and I wasn't there at the end of the day. I really, and you know, I don't have to believe In what they do and I wasn't there At the end of the day. So, like I really I can't Really make a comment because you know what at the end of the day.
Speaker 1:Half the people are Probably doing illegal shit anyway, and that's and that's as Long, and this is my thing, as long as it's not me. I only care about what I do. You know what I mean. I don't care about Some somebody else like, okay, cool, they do. You know that's going to be on their cut, like me, no, this is what I believe in as long as I'm doing it. Or, like you know, my guys, like people ask me like oh, what does it take to be a part of Boondocks? I think you know you kind of just got to have the same mindset as us, you know, and we don't. You know, I don't, I don't want to be a part of people or approaches like that. You know I want to clean pumpkins exactly you know so. But I will tell you they're phenomenal hunters, regardless that, whatever you you may think about them, yep, and they make some pretty damn good products uh, yeah, they do so.
Speaker 1:Hey, you know what people are going to talk shit about them, but they don't care. They're going to travel to Africa and they're going to do what they want to do. They're going to go to their properties.
Speaker 2:Yeah, they're going to shoot world record crocodiles. They don't care. I mean because they're doing it for them. They're not doing it for anybody else. Yeah, no no, 100%.
Speaker 1:And you know, the same people complaining are probably the same ones that are buying beast broadheads and everything like that. So like exactly behind closed doors.
Speaker 2:I mean, it's just social media, like everyone can be very strong and probably as ripped as josh bulmer on a keyboard, but they face to face, they ain't gonna say much no and that's what social media, that's what social media is but 100.
Speaker 1:Now, where'd you get into the filming aspect of everything, as, as film and you know photography been something that you've been doing, or is that like, hey, when you started creating this, this is something you know that you also wanted to do, like get more into the photography and film aspect of it?
Speaker 2:great, crazy. Okay, it's a long story, long story short. Back in 2007, actually, which is that I don't know if you can see in the camera, but it's that moment right there. It's one of the mess of tail feathers. So, 2017, this is when I believe it or not.
Speaker 2:This is when I first started archery, turkey hunting, and I was working and talking to my buddy jason, also like, hey, man, I just want someone to come out and film me. Like I don't, I know, I don't have at that time, single, you know, dating, dating wise I was like I don't have the kind of funds to pay somebody to film a hunt. You know, I don't know what, you know what they charge. Or was like I don't have the kind of funds to pay somebody to film a hunt, you know, I don't know what, you know what they charge, or whatever. Jason, my buddy jason's like hold on, I'll get, I'll get your contact. Text him, tell him, you know me, he'll, he'll, he'll be more happy to help you out, all right, all right. So I text him.
Speaker 2:And dan laura, turkey hunting junkies um, dan lives in oneida here, like, literally like 30 miles from me. I text dan hey, this is craig, this is craig ball vicky. Um, my buddy, jason, sent me over to you saying that you don't mind filming people, whatever for shits and giggles. You know, I didn't think anything of it. Dan goes oh yeah. Yeah, man just told me that you'd be texting me. He goes oh, I don't work today, so what time you work till? Like, oh, I work till 1 30. He goes. All right, I meet you at the um sickle gas station in seymour. All right, never met the guy in my life. I don't know what's gonna happen. You know, like you know, is this guy, is this guy legit or is he just gonna try to? You know whatever. And he met me there and he's a big old, big old indian dude.
Speaker 2:I'm like, oh shit, like, oh boy, I'm not gonna lie, I'm a little nervous, hopped in my vehicle and all we want to my next property. So then dan was giving me the lowdown, like all right, all right, so we're gonna film this. You know where are you gonna set up? So then I usually like turkey hunt wise, I take my ground bike, it's the tide, we hub pops, I just put on my backpack and just go. So I told dan, like this is where I want to sit, this is where they always come out. He goes all right, let's just go, I'm here to film, he goes. I'm gonna help you out, but I'm here to film, all right.
Speaker 2:So we pull on the lane. Two toms are strutting the field. They pick their heads up, boom dart to the woods. I'm like, oh crap. Right away in my head, you know, not knowing much about turkey hunting, at this point I'm like, oh yeah, this one's over. You know, blah blah, dan goes. He looks at me. He goes oh boy, you have a lot to learn. He go. I'm like, what do you mean? He goes. They are nothing like deer. I'm like, all right, all right, I, I believe you, because you wouldn't come out here if you didn't, you know, know that this is gonna help, this is gonna work out, so all right.
Speaker 2:So we get in the truck, blah blah, get down, set the ground line up. This is the craziest story ever and I wish dan laura could be listening, like he'll hear this video because I will tell him about it. We get, we get, we get. So the creek line, it runs and it bends in like this. So we, we went and sat around the, the hub of the woods on the field and got the ground mine all set up. He's out there getting the decoy set out because he knew he has a certain placement of decoys and it works. And since this day I've been using that same setup and I've killed. Since 2017, I've actually have killed over 17 birds in my bowl and it's dude it, I, I will.
Speaker 2:I live by the setup to the day I die. It is absolutely phenomenal. So he's sitting the ground. By he's, I mean he's sending the um turkeys up, whatever decoys up. I'm in my ground line. I'm literally hunched over getting my bowl in my, my ground stake. He comes around the back end, his camera's sitting right here. He sits down, not more than right here. He sits down. Not more than two minutes after he sits down, he puts his hand on his shoulder and goes don't move. I go what? He goes? Dude, there's two toms by your deco. I'm like, okay, this guy's a jokester because you just got in from the ground blind. And he goes don't move. I'm like, okay, I'm not moving, I'm freaking out right now. He goes all right, slowly, look up, come make this up. Two toms, the two toms that we busted out of that woods. We didn't even call one time. They must have came back out to see what the heck it was. They came around that lip and they seen the decoy setups. They bum rushed our decoys.
Speaker 2:That hunt lasted six minutes and since that day, how fast that hunt lasted, it didn't even feel like I was hunting and smoked the bird right behind the wingtail boom, dropped him right there and that was my first bird ever with the bull. And since that day I mean I could talk for 12 hours straight about turkey hunting. I mean, since that day is when my mind got clicked around and I'm ungodly addicted to turkey hunting. That to me, don't get me wrong. White-tail hunting will always be at the top of the game for me when it comes to the rut and stuff like that. But there's something about turkey hunting that that day forward got me absolutely addicted. And now I live and die by spring turkey season in wisconsin. Like I will do everything in my power to kill a bird and I will. I buy multiple tags a year and there's only been one year I haven't filled a multiple tag so if you could only do one, would it be deer or turkey oh god, I'm gonna okay.
Speaker 2:So okay, because I live in wisconsin and our dnr system for sprint hunting is really messed up. Because I live in wisconsin, I will say I will say whitetail. Now if I lived in like nebraska, where you know you start april, whatever, and you got two tags and you can hunt all the way to Memorial Day weekend, and if you kill those two times you can buy multiple, then it might be a different story. But Wisconsin has it so screwed up that whitetail season will always be number one Because of that fact.
Speaker 1:Gotcha, I get that, I get that for sure. Um, now, let's see now real quick, because we I guess there kind of really isn't much of an off season for you. Um, you know, but you know, I guess when you're in the off season after turkey is done, before we get into deer season, you know, does your, does your training change, going through the seasons and everything like that, you know, from maybe turkey season to deer season or any other wild animals that you're you're gonna be go after like, or you just let's crossfit, like, is there just a? Do you focus on on more of something during a certain type of season or during during the off season more than you do during the season?
Speaker 2:yeah, so okay, okay, for instance, spring season coming up here in wisconsin um, next weekend starts week one, so I'm taking my sister-in-law out for first time ever. Spring season for wisconsin goes until memorial day weekend, which will be week six. Once week six is done, I will literally go up the next day, pull my cell cameras out and I will go out there, hang out my mock scrapes and I will get everything set on those mock scrapes for white till season. And then I normally then june, that first weekend of june, I will get up early in the morning, at sunrise, and I will make sure my ground blinds, everything my ladder stands or wherever I'm putting them on the property are set, locked and loaded. And then summertime really, I mean, I just basically just monitor the cell cams, you know, I make sure, you know I, you know I pattern them, you know. But don't get me wrong, cell cams are great, I love cell cams, but like I, I still go. I went back, I did go back to going old school. So, like cell cams, you know you, you can get a shitload of pictures, right, blah, blah. But then you lose track of all those pictures, right, they just keep coming through, coming on through.
Speaker 2:So if I find a buck that I want to target, you know in the summer, when he's growing the velvet and he's looking big, I'm like, okay, this is kind of the buck. I kind of want to go after this year multiple bucks. I'll go on my notebook and I will literally put the date, the time he came, in the wind and the moon crest. I will do it all. And I just started that last year. And now, last year, I'll admit it, I didn't shoot a buck because I didn't shoot the one, I wanted the one I wanted the neighbor shot.
Speaker 2:But it is what. It is right, that's how hunting goes. But I've noticed too with my hunts, with sitting in the right wind, you know, and stuff like that, I've seen so many more deer. I mean, I passed up in K crockwell, I passed up five different bucks and I passed up an, a pointer this year that I maybe probably should have shot. I mean, I just don't know, because I knew there was two bigger ones out there and the two bigger ones out there made it through the season. So it's because, um, the neighbor, two neighbors down, found both matching sheds and they're, they're, they're big. So, um, yeah, the the transition from turkey to whitetail. I honestly, right after week six, the turkey hunting, my mindset is right on it's on whitetail.
Speaker 1:And then when I'm not out in the woods prepping the mock scrapes or refreshing them, I should say I'm in the gym 24, 7, gotcha, gotcha, yeah now I love that you, that's how you kind of run your trail cam, and I think that for years I keep saying I'm gonna do that, I'm gonna do that. This year I definitely do plan on getting just a specific notebook, or I use my my notes in my um, in my phone, so like that's how I do my hunts. Every hunt is dated location method, what yada, yada yada from all the, the weather and everything like that. And then my encounters with, with animals where they're kind of coming out of like what direction, what you know, because it's something I.
Speaker 1:The next step is to getting into the trail cameras, especially with obviously mature bucks that you're going to be going after and everything like that. I think that's just such a from the people I know who do it and you know yeah, you unfortunately had the the. You know the neighbor shot it, you know, and everything like that. But you know, especially for people who can't get out into the woods nearly as much you know. So where you really have to pick the proper dates, I think it's even more important to that little bit extra effort of getting a trail camera picture.
Speaker 1:It's the buck you want, you get all the information and you write it down and then when that season time comes, you are going to see a pattern, because they all have a pattern. They all have, you know, and it's going to. Yes, you know, and it may it'll probably change a little bit in once. You know velvet and everything like that, but for the most part I really don't think too much of the wind. The wind direction is something they definitely like. I noticed that like they're coming out on certain times and everything like that. So that's another thing that, like, I've definitely noticed. Oh, 100%.
Speaker 2:And it's funny that you say about you know the wind direction. I'm a true believer in it, like if you want to see a deer, whether you shoot one or not that night, you want to see them. You got to play that wind really well and I'll never forget. It was last year and it was it was the start of my rut. It was friday evening. I got out to my stand, the corn was still standing, but the farmer on our on grandma's side leaves a good 20 yard stretch between the woods, between the woods line and in the field itself. So I sit there, I religiously sit there because I know they're gonna walk through there. I have a mock scrape 20 yards out. I'm sitting there and all of a sudden look back and beautiful, wide eight come from behind me. The wind's blowing this way like he's gonna come in. I'm it's a chip shot, this game's over. Like I'm gonna shoot the biggest, biggest to date.
Speaker 2:And all of a sudden he literally stops 60 yards from me, wasn't looking at me at all. Then I'm like, oh, my God, what the heck. So I took my, I took some, like I had some, like some, like a little bit of cloth, whatever fuzz, and I just, I literally just threw it in the air. That cloth was literally went and started swirling. I'm like, oh my god, that deer didn't run away, but he knew something was up. He literally just stopped, put his head down, turned around and walked away. Sunlight and shooting light or um, legal shooting light is done, all right, slug it down from my stand. I didn't even use my headlamp, I just I slowly went down because I know my route across the river. If the river is very shallow at the time, it's literally ankle deep. So I know how to get back. Not more, not more than five minutes.
Speaker 2:Getting back to my in-laws house having a beer with my father-in-law, my cell camera goes off and what does he do? He comes right back through and there he walks, right by my cell camera. Yep, it's, it's insane. I shouldn't say it's insane, but it's just. Like those deer know, like he never looked at me once. But they're not stupid and they're not that big for some dumb, odd reason.
Speaker 2:So I mean it just. I mean I just love it. That's again. That's why, behind the grind, like I'm fricking, grinding every day, like if I'm going to shoot it, you know if I see, if I see a wide six or, you know, a unique looking six or whatever. I'm going to take it because you know I look at going back. You know, going back to our previous conversation about success. I, to me, having success with a bull means more than 180 inch deer, because like, yeah, it's just the adrenaline rush of like, holy crap, I put my homework, I did my homework and now I can, I can say I can actually put on their a plus. I aced the test, you know, and I can't do that every year, but the years I can do that it's worth that two year, three year, four year weight of shooting a freaking nice buck 100 percent.
Speaker 1:Uh, we got a few more questions for you about one. I really, because I've never gone over this with, with, never asked this question before and in the four years five years that we've been recording a pieording a pod, it's a difficult One, because not everyone Films and everything like that. But how do you balance the grind Of filming versus Fully experiencing the hunt?
Speaker 2:That actually is a good question.
Speaker 1:I haven't mastered that yet I will say I haven't mastered it.
Speaker 2:I don't know how I'm gonna master it either, but I guess this is how I'm gonna say, this is how I'm gonna answer that. So I look at it this way because, like you said earlier, being content creators, digital creators, you know getting the media out there, stuff like that, the b-roll. If I have the opportunity, let's go for spring turkey and whitetail. You know anything, filming wise. If I had the opportunity where I I can see him coming from a distance, where there's not like a sneak attack or whatever, I will definitely boom run that film and I will. I'll angle it to, basically to where I feel the shot's gonna happen, but like, if I'm in the position where I'm in my gear stand, if I'm caught off guard or whatever, and he's already there, or say, a gobbler gobbler rushes into my decoys, I always tell myself, yes, media is good, video, video content is great. But success for me is going to be number one and the video role will always be number two.
Speaker 2:And if I can get the, if I can get it on video, awesome. If I can't, I don't care. I'm making the shot and social media will see the kill shot or they'll see the success photo. So if I can film. I can do it. I will do it 100 percent. But I've learned that solo filming is absolutely brutal, like it. It's to me personally. It's freaking hard, like I mean trying to be able to have a bull and have your arm and try to angle it and stuff like that. If I can't get it on film, I'm not going to be butthurt about it Because I'm making sure that turkey is either dying or that buck of my lifetime is going to hit the ground. That's the way.
Speaker 1:I look at it. Agreed. Plus, you know what I always tell people as of right now, we're not getting paid like the. That's the way I look at it agreed, agreed. Plus, you know what I always tell people is as of right now, we're not getting paid, like the juries and everything like that, to make sure all these these kills are exactly. Plus, they have people filming it for them.
Speaker 1:But like right exactly yeah, but there are certain solo content content creators that guess what they're getting paid, like they're actually getting paid and everything like that. So like it's a completely different, different circumstance. Um, you know, this year I mean I talked about it, you know, on episode before like thank god, I run multiple cameras. You know I got a, you know I have my other camera, so I'm running like two or three, two cameras gonna be three cameras next year that I'm gonna set up, which I'm starting to become a wild man with it. But I I enjoy just creating content. Like you said, the b-roll. I just love doing the different angles and seeing what I can come up with and everything like that, and that's kind of why we, why we do it. But like right now, getting the harvest, getting the kill and making not only the kill but a correct shot and a proper shot is way more important right now than getting the kill on on film.
Speaker 2:Yeah, 100, 100, I mean you know. And going back to, like I said, multiple cameras, I mean I run my, I run my night, I run my Nikon camera. That's my main camera, my main kill shot camera. I used to have a GoPro and it just ended up just blowing up on me. It just doesn't work anymore.
Speaker 1:No GoPros, I'm team. No GoPro, I rock DGI now.
Speaker 2:Okay, so I'll be straightforward with you. I have the iPhone 16 Pro Max. I actually have a remote now, a Bluetooth remote, so I have a clamp for my phone. If I put it on a tree by me or whatever, or on my camera arm, I put my phone up there the whole time and if someone texts me when I'm bored in the stand or whatever, I go on my Apple Watch, I'll just shoot the message on my Apple Watch and I have a deer come in.
Speaker 2:If I want to b-roll like of me shooting and then the camera, you know, kill the kill shot, all I gotta do is go on my watch, hit record and it's already. My phone pops up and it records me right away. So I have less movement that way. Now too, where it's like, and my, my iphone 16 pro max, like dude, the images and the video quality that it takes, yeah, it's phenomenal, it's ridiculous dude. So it's like I'm not trying to say like I'm a cheapskate, like I'm not, but like I guess I'm not and I am. I don't know if it works for me, I'm not gonna. I'm not gonna fix it like. If I'm going to do it the way I want to do it, like I said, it's my own person, I'm going to go how I want to go about it, and then I will collab my videos, just the way I can.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and I think you know, with, with the iPhones, and that's what a lot of people you you'll see a lot of people. Just you don't need the expensive cameras and listen, I, I do love getting you know my cameras because, you know, sometimes my phone is for my phone, like I'll, you know, I, I'm a big podcast person. Or like, yeah, just keep it in my pocket, or whatever. Or during fantasy or during football, big football person, so like I'm watching football while I'm in the woods and everything like that, going crazy about you know my fantasy teams and everything like that.
Speaker 1:But you know the quality, you know, of these of these phones are phenomenal and that's a big part of what iphone does. Like, hey, you can use your phone to create content on any level of what you're doing, doesn't have to only be hunting. It could be, of course, anything right especially. I always tell people all you got to do is turn it and then film it like this too, and then you'll actually get the view of everything, and it won't be just that skinny view just for your phone, where then you could put it and match it with, you know, your actual camera or GoPros or DJI or anything that you're using.
Speaker 1:And it's good, like sometimes, like honestly, like, hey, I had a klutz moment and I left, you know, my batteries in in the truck for for my cameras and you know what this is what I got to use.
Speaker 2:The quality is still going to be really, really good oh yeah, 100 dude and that's the thing too is like for the longest time, before I have my, before I bought my nikon camera, I would again, like you said, phone sideways and that 4k, 4k hd video dude that was. That was crystal clear.
Speaker 1:I mean it's, it's ridiculous what these phones can do nowadays and I'll honestly say too, probably way easier to record on the phone. That is the camera, because, like I'm not, I didn't grow up in the so I still there's still stuff that I'm learning about my camera and what the things can do. If you're a photographer, yeah, it's a completely different situation, but for what we're doing, like damn, it's just so easy boom click, record for the video, like you said, make sure it's in 4k and and all these different things and then boom, there you go. That's all you got to do. And if you want to go on instagram live and change it up, you can also go on instagram live at the same exact time and give you know, you know your followers a different and that's something that you know.
Speaker 1:Um, we have a guy, city boy, outdoors every opening day, the minute freaking. He goes live. I'm like, oh, he's got a doe in front of him. He's about to kill a doe. Like this is what he does. It's kind of become a tradition for me to jump on instagram and everything like that and and watch him kill a deer while I'm out hunting, and everything like I've always wanted to do that too, actually go on instagram, and I might do that this spring actually.
Speaker 2:Um, yeah, it's funny you say about the whole, it's easier to record with your phone, because of which it really is. Because, long story short, the um. This past december, um, out of a private property that I have here in dupuy, wisconsin, I had a lot of birds come on camera. I'm like, okay, I'm gonna screw, I'm gonna do, I'm gonna go buy a fall tank, like I'm just gonna do it. And I have my nikon camera. I had it set up and I literally was in my blind for about four minutes. I hit my, I hit my pod call, not thinking anything. I'll be like, okay, this fall they're not gonna respond to calls and fall, like whatever he come out, he picks his head up, he literally and it sucks because I can only tell the story, I don't have proof of it but the freaking bird struts in december it's december 7th he struts, he comes running into my decoys now, mind you, my decoys. I had to pound the stakes into the ground because the ground was froze he comes strutting in.
Speaker 2:I went to hit my record button. No, I hit the wrong button. I hit the actual um, like the whatever. You look through your camera view and I'm like, oh my, my battery's dead's dead. No, no, I hit the wrong button, so I didn't get it on film. Well, I've already used my phone. It would have been either just hit my Apple watch and it wouldn't film for me. So it's like it's the little things like that, like too, and I didn't care, cause, like whatever, I've actually tipped my tripod out to the side and I shot the bird at nine yards, like I don't, I don't care, and that was actually my biggest bird to date too. So, yeah, that's amazing it.
Speaker 2:Just it's crazy how fast things happen.
Speaker 1:It really oh yeah, you, you just, you just never know um at all, um, so we're gonna, we're gonna do the last segment here, we're gonna wind it down and everything like that. Got a quick, um, rapid fire questions basically for you. Um, you know the one our podcast called chase the unknown, our catchphrase chase the unknown. When you hear that, what, what does chase the unknown mean to you?
Speaker 2:chase the unknown what it means to me, like I know. It's funny that you say that, because I've been thinking about this too a lot when you, when I, when I think about chasing the unknown, you're never gonna know. You're never gonna know what the unknown you're never going to know. You're never going to know what the unknown is unless you grind forward Like as in. Like you know, should I go hunt this day or should I not? How are you going to know, chase the unknown? Like you don't know what's going to happen tomorrow, you don't know what's going to happen the next day. I mean looking like future-wise too, like you know like going to happen the next day. I mean looking looking like future wise too, like you know, like, okay, oh, today's gonna be a good day to hunt, or not. Well, you're never gonna know unless you go out there and do it so chasing that, knowing, like you never know what the situation is gonna happen or what what the situation is gonna be so I'll tell everyone this off of what you're saying, just real quick.
Speaker 1:One of my buddies, America Mike. He's been on the podcast You're going to say outdoors and for many times and he literally talked about he's like listen, it was like 80 something degrees and he was like I'm not going to go hunting because it's going to be no deer moving. He had his hit list buck right in front of his camera and he was sitting at home, I think, on the couch and everything, and you just like yes, we think we know everything but these animals can be so unpredictable that you don't know.
Speaker 1:And, yes, during at the end they so. This is where I've gotten the mindset like, even on hot days, they're in the woods somewhere, they're gonna get up on there. Yeah, they may not get up on their feet nearly as much, or they're just gonna stay as close as they can to water or something like that, but they are still going to move at some point and you still have the opportunity to knock one down 100% do it because you know it's funny.
Speaker 2:You say that because, like this past september, I was sitting in my um, my field stand soybeans pure green, 83 degrees out. I was sweating like a mad dog. People are telling me you ain't seen no deer. Guess what? The mosquitoes are bad. They're going to push them out into the fields. And guess what? Three does come out of the fields and that buck that I should have shot the neighbor ended up shooting. He stepped out 100 yards from me, flicking his tail, flicking his head, blah, blah. Because the opposite mosquitoes all around they move like mosquitoes will push deer and when it's hot, like that they're good, they have to move. They're not just gonna sit and get eaten up like, for instance, like you and I. You know you go spring turkey hunting, whatever, and it's 80 degrees out. We sleep outside. We're not gonna sleep. Still, if the skills are all over us, we're gonna constantly get up and move and run around or walk around.
Speaker 1:Yeah, the deer are gonna move like I. The bugs have a. That's another thing. The bugs do have a major factor on big you know movement and everything like that, so that's another really good key piece right there for, especially for anyone listening who didn't know that um, what's your dream hunt location? How you always do dream animal and dream hunt location oh, dream animal, dream hunt location.
Speaker 2:Well, dream animal. I, like I said it's gonna be with the bowl. We all know it's gonna be with the bowl. It's gonna be with the bowl, we all know it's going to be with the bowl, it's going to be with the bowl. I know it sounds crazy or not. I know you got Blackberry, you got Alaskan Moose, you know stuff like that I have watching.
Speaker 2:I just I would love to go out west on, whether it's a week trip and with a bow. You know I want to go face to face, spot and stalk with a freaking elk and I think the reason why I say that, the reason why I say that, is because, like you look at how big elk are and you look at how little I am, you imagine me standing freaking 40 yards full draw from elk, like I would be probably pissing the shit in my pants or something. Yeah, I've always wanted to do it. I've always wanted to go elk hunting and eventually, someday this will happen. Um, that is, that is a dream home of mine. I mean, I have a lot of dream. We all do, right, we all do, we all do. I guess that theoretic would be right now. My dream hunt would be to go out spot and stalk an elk on the ground.
Speaker 1:Favorite wild game meal.
Speaker 2:Favorite wild game meal. I'm going to have to say this is crazy. But so my buddy Brandon, he is a diehard duck hunter game meal. I'm going to have to say this is crazy. My buddy Brandon, he is a diehard duck hunter and he's very successful duck hunting. I'm going to have to say. I'm going to have to say I'm going to have to say duck, duck, duck is probably the best I've ever had. It is the way he made. It is probably why it's at the top of my list. But I will say this though my dad, my dad, has smoked so a doe I shot like years ago. I took the whole back strap and he cut it in in the thirds. He put it in a smoker and that if you want some medium rare backstrap, that dude, you could cut it with a fork never thought about doing that to a backstrap.
Speaker 1:I might have to do that.
Speaker 2:I got a bunch of backstrap left over I might have to do that oh, that was probably the best. That was probably the best backstrap I ever had. Um, if you ask me how to smoke, on how to cook a turkey breast, my wife would tell me right now to go get lost because it was the worst thing I've ever done in my life. Really, I screwed it up big time. That was my fault. Long story short, real quick. Here I shot a bird last spring. I had my buddy smoke it and he did it the right way and you could peel it like a brisket. It was the best turkey I've ever had in my life yum, yum, I um, I will say wild game animals.
Speaker 1:If you look at really high-end restaurants, they're always at the top of the list, whether it's venison duck or like, and that's why I tell people like. You may not know, because people are like, oh, like, can you listen? This is why chefs want wild game animals and it's big.
Speaker 1:It's very popular, but I will say on the duck thing, hands down. I think that's in the most like high-end restaurants. You're going to get at least one duck entree is going to be in almost every single high high-end restaurants. You're going to get at least one duck entree is going to be in almost every single high high-end restaurant because duck is just that good. It is just I love duck too.
Speaker 2:I don't know the way my buddy cooked it. You can cook it obviously any way you want, but I don't think there's a bad way to cook duck because that he wrapped it in bacon and it was literally melted in your mouth. I mean, you can cook obviously any way you want, but I don't think there's a bad way to cook dog Cause that and he I mean he wrapped it in bacon and it was literally melted in your mouth Like it was that good, it was just delicious.
Speaker 1:Go to piece of gear you don't leave home without, and this is obviously like whenever I ask obviously not your bow or something like that, but something that you really need to have. You know where you may feel off if you, if you don't have it in the woods are you talking like a no, no?
Speaker 2:is it private land or public, or just just in general?
Speaker 1:what would it? Okay? So let's go the different. Let's give your private and public, because I just want to see why it would. It would be different.
Speaker 2:So if I'm going, public, knowing the crappy phone service we have here. If I'm deep in the public, I I go old school, I go GPS. Because when I go deep in the public and I'm not going to lie to you that I have done it once and I'll never do it again I went out there with just my phone, my phone 100, but it told me I was going this way, I was going to the complete opposite. I will always use a gps like compass if I'm in deep in the public with no service.
Speaker 2:Now, if that one's tough, because I I wouldn't go without private land for me is pretty, pretty easy. Only because of the fact that I was, like I'm, on family land, so I'm not, you know, hunting that far away, I would probably not go it sounds crazy or not, but I probably won't go with all my chest pack only because of the fact is, I can, I can hold more storage my phone, my, you know my, my binos, my range finder. I can, I can actually hold more and throw more of my bad packs, that that way I know I have everything with me. Yeah, um, public land is totally different though.
Speaker 1:Like I, public land I'm gonna bring, you know, I mean, I don't go crazy places where there's wolves, you know, or stuff like that, but I was gonna ask that we're gonna have to touch, because I definitely need to get you back on because we even get to really, really touch on what it's like hunting in wisconsin. I've gotten um full Quentin from Full Draw Pursuit On before and he's out in Wisconsin and he's been stalked by a wolf. So I wanted to get into that. But we're going to have to read a different one.
Speaker 2:It's fine that you bring up Quentin, because he's one of my closest friends and I don't know the stalking wise of the wolves. That shit's real.
Speaker 1:That is some crazy, crazy stuff up there he was telling us stuff and like you know real quick, you know he was telling us stuff about wisconsin. I had no idea, like because I think you guys have mountain lions too right yeah, they're.
Speaker 2:Well, we have mountain lions, like I'm gonna say more. Well, I know, like when he used to live in tomah, yeah, he, they're all there. They're up in hayward, wisconsin. So like that. And you know long story short, the wolves now, obviously we have wolves, but they were known to be more northern, like hayward. You know, iron mountain type area. I mean I have co-workers that in seymour, wisconsin, we, we're literally central Wisconsin, green Bay, wisconsin, and there are people sending me pictures of wolves on Brown County Road, wolves in Pulaski. They're starting to get more comfortable in the area. I'm not going to lie to you, it's sketchy. Of course I don't know. I can deal with coyote, I'm not worried about coyote.
Speaker 1:Yeah, coyote is way different than wolves you talk about they don't mess around, you're talking about a, they don't mess with people, but you're still talking about an apex predator.
Speaker 1:You know, you're still talking about not only what, and I don't want to get into the rabbit hole. We're going to have to get in this rabbit hole next time. But like you know, black bears, I don't really feel that fear black bears in new jersey just because I'm so used to them. But like you go on somewhere, like grizzly bear, you get grizzlies where it's wolves. But wolves have a pack, you know, and that's really like okay one. I mean, I really don't want to encounter one, but if you encounter one it's like oh, if you encounter a pack, you're kind of you're shit out of luck you kind of shit out a lot yeah, no
Speaker 2:and then the thing is, too, is that I've had a lot of co-workers like real quick, here I have a lot of co-workers like oh yeah, I've seen one wolf on the field, like well, and I always tell him like his name's guy. So I always tell my work like well, where's the other four or five or six, because you know what? They're not far behind, just so you know. You know, and they know black bears. I'm not too worried about them because I've had my cell camera and crackle. The only thing I, the only thing that kind of worries me though once in a while, is that you know, obviously you know as to you get a cell, you hear a call, you get between those.
Speaker 1:Then you got, you got a problem. But other than that, though, black bears are more scared of you than you are of them. I, and honestly, um on that. You know, people have heard me talk about sport, but you know, the, the younger males, the adult, the teenage boys, you know, not the big boys, don't I?
Speaker 1:I love seeing big boys because, first of all, they don't give a rat's ass about anything and they just, you know, they go on their way and they know they're the biggest, baddest thing, so nothing is really gonna gonna mess with them.
Speaker 1:So they just put it's the adolescents, those teens, that really they kind of push where they think they're bad, you know, and they're getting pushed around by the bigger males, so they want to push around something else, and they also don't know you too well, you know, versus the big males, they don't want to be bothered by humans and stuff like that. We, the big males, they, they don't want to be bothered by humans and stuff like that. We had a adolescent, um, uh, bear stalk, stalk me this year, um, and that's never happened with a with the big boards, never happened with a, a mom with, with cubs that I've seen in the distance and everything like that, like they usually, they just want to, they just want to get, get going and get far away. And you know the adolescents they're, they're kind of the ones that are just like.
Speaker 1:You know how every animal, every animal human is as they're going through that young teenage stage of life. You know, you, you test boundaries um 100. Last one for you. One word to describe your mindset heading um one said uh, don't panic.
Speaker 2:Don't panic like just I. I always tell myself too, like you know, like I don't, I don't go into a hunt thinking that I'm gonna be successful. But if the time comes like I go into a hunt thinking, okay, if he's there, deep breath, do what you got to do, and that's a big thing. It goes back to me saying, just don't panic. If you don't panic, take deep breath, you can do it definitely I like that one.
Speaker 1:I like that one because it's, you know, it's that thing. At the ending, yeah, you're, you're, and I have all different types of forms of success. So, like I really go, my first goal is to see, see a deer. Or if I'm setting up a new sign or hot sign or whatever you know, there's specific little goals that I'm going to, but at the end of the day, the big major goal is like getting in bow range and having the opportunity. You can't, can't panic, you have to take it slow. There's all these different things where you got to make sure, boom, boom.
Speaker 2:I always tell myself to breathe you know, my, that's a big, that's a big yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, deep breaths, let's let's you know how to do this. I have to. I feel like, especially if it's a dose, I don't have that issue with those. You know what I mean.
Speaker 1:It. You, you know what you're doing. Come on, you've done this before. Let let's take it slow, the heart rate starting to get like let's don't come on, calm down. You know, work on your deep breathing, you know, and then you know, execute. You know, follow through. Execute, do what you need to do so you can have success and also you could be happy instead of being miserable and be like, oh damn, it was a bad shot or something like you. You know what I mean and we all know how it is as bow hunters. Oh, 100%, dude, 100%. I want to thank you so much. Any last words you want to say before we get going?
Speaker 2:No man, I appreciate, you know, getting me on here and talking and whatever and collabing, and it was good, it was fun and we gotta do it again definitely, definitely.
Speaker 1:We'll definitely do it again since you, and we'll probably get you and quentin on at the same, so we could really dive into wisconsin, everything like that. That would be a good uh, that would be cool?
Speaker 1:yeah, for sure definitely well, we want to appreciate you and thank you for coming on. Everyone, everyone, make sure you go check out Behind the Grind Link is going to be down in the description below with our Instagram page. Go hit them up, go give them a follow. We've got great content going on over there. We appreciate you Everyone. I hope you guys enjoy this episode and we'll see you guys next time.
