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
Field Notes 1: Matthews vs. Hoyt Showdown and Delaware preparation
That familiar anticipation is in the air – the rustling leaves, cooling temperatures, and the promise of another bow season. The Chase the Unknown team reunites for their first Field Notes episode, capturing the excitement and preparation that comes with early September hunts.
The crew welcomes newcomer Connor to the Boondocks Hunting family, bringing Wisconsin perspective to the predominantly East Coast team. Connor shares his journey from Chicago suburbanite to dedicated whitetail hunter through a chance encounter with a mentor who introduced him to archery hunting two decades ago. His story echoes what many self-taught hunters experience – learning through trial, error, and the guidance of patient mentors.
Gear talk dominates much of the conversation as Mike debates between his trusted Hoyt and a newly acquired Matthews bow. The discussion evolves into hilarious tales of hunting mishaps – from forgotten releases to dropped cameras and impromptu barefoot hikes through rough terrain. These stories highlight a universal truth among hunters: preparation is everything, but adaptability might be even more important.
Delaware emerges as the team's early-season focus, with several members heading south to take advantage of what Real Tree has called "America's most underappreciated hunting state." They break down the abundant public land opportunities, manageable hunting pressure, and generous season dates stretching from September to February. The conversation moves to hunting regulations across states, contrasting Delaware's sensible two-buck limit with New Jersey's seven-buck allowance.
Beyond the technical aspects of the hunt, the team touches on something more profound – the fading tradition of check-in stations and hunting camps, where stories and knowledge were exchanged in person rather than through screens. In their own way, they're preserving this camaraderie through their shared field experiences and willingness to drop everything to help track a wounded deer or troubleshoot a gear issue.
Ready to join us for a season of hunting adventures, hard-earned lessons, and unforgettable moments in the field? Subscribe now and follow along as we document our 2023 bow season – the triumphs, challenges, and everything in between.
Help support our show and also our sponsors
TIDEWE: https://alnk.to/5FcujEP
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. Past the trail cameras and deep into the stories that fuel the fire. This 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 backcountry to the backroads, 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.
Speaker 2:Let's chase it. Yeah, boys welcome. Thank you, thank you, thank you, um, everyone. It is that time of the year. We are back to our field notes episodes. Um, we are going to do the first one tonight on the chase, the unknown podcast, and then we'll be moving all the rest onto the garden state throughout the throughout the season. Um, it is back, it feels great, the temperatures are starting to drop and it feels like fall for myself. And while everyone is listening to this episode, I am currently on my way down to Delaware. Season for us will start on Monday, september 1st, so we're really excited to get down there. We'll be there and then we'll start up in Jersey, I think, connor, in Wisconsin, do you start September 13th as well? Yep, yep. Connor, in Wisconsin, do you start September 13th as well? Yep, yep. So our Wisconsin guys, they will be getting locked in September 13th. Our Jersey guys, they will be out in September 13th as well. And then, mr Squatch, the good old Squatch you are, I think it's right October 1st, I think it is.
Speaker 3:Yeah, october 1st, that's you know, either sex. Right, october 1st, I think it is. Yeah, october 1st, that's you know either sex. Uh, they do run a early doe season up here, uh, for archery. Um, I believe it's september, mid-september I, I'm not sure on the exact date, uh, but they will allow you to go out and just shoot doe only. Uh, the only, the only part of that is, you know, you know that the slammer is going to walk out when you're out there, you know you're supposed to take a dough and it's like, oh god, do I want to go out and have to see that or not? But, yeah, october 1st starts all the fireworks off. Man, and I'm I'm pumped, I'm so excited I'm getting pictures of bucks and yeah, they're, they're returns, you know they're like, uh, they're showing back up. So, let's you know, I just want to get out in the freaking tree and hunt man, right, right right.
Speaker 2:Well, first we have some big, exciting news, connor. Welcome to the, welcome to the team, welcome to to boondocks humming. Oh, wow, humming. Welcome to boondocks hunting. Um, you know, for all the guys out there and all our listeners and everything like that who don't know you give, give them a quick, quick rundown on you.
Speaker 4:Yeah, no, absolutely, I'm absolutely beyond excited to be here Again. My name is Connor, with Arrows and Inches Addiction, and I, you know, didn't come from the storied background of a hunting family. You know, didn't come from the story background of a hunting family. Just briefly, I grew up in the western suburbs of Chicago and you know I always had uncles that were big into pheasant hunting who lived in Wisconsin or Michigan, but I had never had that experience. So if you rewind, so 20 years ago, coming right on 20 years, my wife and I have been here in South Central Wisconsin and in my daily job I ran into a guy who was the education coordinator at one of the hospitals that I cover and walked into his office and I couldn't believe the pictures and just some of the sheds that he had. So clearly this guy was a big time bow hunter or whatever. And so we ended up sitting there for like an hour as I was trying to set up a meeting, you know, with that hospital, and it was literally 10 days later that he took me to one of the archery shops at the time that he would that was his go-to place, shot a number of different bows or whatever, and, and you know, I, I thank, all my thanks goes to Chris, like he is the one who taught me the ropes of anything and everything about the bowl, about you know, the woods, respecting the game, how to do it right, what not to do, and yeah, I mean that and I can't even believe it's been 20 years now. But you know, I went from leasing land with him down in Southwest Wisconsin to some public land and then we had some.
Speaker 4:I was fortunate to have some family members through my in-laws that actually owned small parcels and you know, it doesn't matter what the size it is. You know, you guys know that that it could be two acres if it's in the right spot. You never know. So I had the opportunity to shoot some nice deer on some family properties and fast forward till now, the past four years. Very dear friends of ours own a farm only about 10 minutes from our house and they're just phenomenal and they let my other buddy and I, uh, completely managed a property.
Speaker 4:So our thanks to them, um, for letting us be on their land, um, and we do everything, you know mowing food plots, trimming branches, there's big storms, there's always trees coming down, so always work, yep, chainsaw, and I love it and love it and, uh, you know, just being out there, and I, you know, as I've told you guys before, like it can be a tough uh property to hunt. It's one of those where some world-class whitetails are there but the deer are either there or they're not and, uh, you know, so I've had some pretty disappointing hunts for bucks that I was chasing. But those were all learning experiences for me and I think I've gotten smarter and smarter in this game each year. I learned from my buddy, I learned from the property owner and, uh, you know, just putting those ideas together, it's like, like you guys said, like these past few mornings of how the chilly temperatures and I'm just I'm ready to go, like I'm shaking as I'm talking about it because I just cannot wait to climb those climbing sticks for the first time.
Speaker 2:So, yeah, so that's kind of my story and, uh, like I said again, I'm just honored and blessed to be part of boondocks hunting and I'm really looking forward to everything that lies ahead yeah, no, definitely we're, we're pumped to have you and you know something that we joked about and and the meeting that we had is like gosh, the wisconsin boys are growing like we've been at east and like, if you look at, really all our guys, we're all east coast guys like all of us are east coast and now, like this, we got this wisconsin connection.
Speaker 2:That it's it's. It's slowly growing here. So, um, yeah, we're really excited for that. It is a state. Definitely I want to get out to that like I want to get out and hunt and everything like that as well and, you know, do some stuff out there. But, yeah, field notes for everyone who doesn't know what field notes is, our field notes is going is the week by week of our season.
Speaker 2:So many things happen within the year. You know we're out so much so we give you guys a, you know a quick, anywhere between 30 to 45 minutes, maybe reaching an hour if we bring some guests on, and everything like that where we'll be diving into what was going on for our week, the encounters, the animals. You know things that we messed up, things that we did right, maybe some scenarios that you know we'll we'll talk about and everything like that, kind of like a big one last year and what we continue to talk about a big one was the learning. Um, it was us learning and getting the experience off of the buck that um, frank uh shot last year where squash and I went up there and everything like that.
Speaker 2:Um, you know something that I think we, you know just digested like so many times, like when we're all together through the group chat, like we're dissecting that, that shot, and then finally, you know, again coming up with a conclusion and talking about it, um, on the show and everything like that. So we're, we're really looking forward to it, guys. I I got a little bit of a dilemma. I got two bows this year. Everyone who does not know, I won the, the, the raffle for the pursuit live.
Speaker 2:Guys shout out to pursuit live I got a new matthews um, the new matthews x, I think it is um, and everyone knows I'm a white guy, like I'm a huge white guy and everything like that you know, um, I've been shooting that, I've been shooting both bows.
Speaker 2:um, I, just right before jumping on, I was in the saddle shooting both bows. I I love both. It is going to be like a it's probably going to be a game type decision on which which bow I'm shooting. I'm probably going to do that whole situation where whatever I feel like is the hot bow is going to going to get picked up, but it's something, or?
Speaker 4:you're going to be flipping a quarter on your truck bed before you leave, or I'll be doing that or I'll be doing that.
Speaker 2:You know a big part. There's both bows and this is what I've been telling everyone and you know now being able to shoot both. It's the. These are the two top brands to shoot both. It's, it's the. These are the two top brands. You know, when you look at you know bow hunting and everything in archery. You're always hearing hoyt and you're always hearing matthews and it's always hoyt versus matthews, hoyt versus matthews. It's like verizon and 18t. It's like you know everything else that where they both are just phenomenal bows.
Speaker 2:And yeah, I definitely now see why people do love shooting matthews so much not not taking anything away from my white boy bow, because I I I love my white boy. Don't get me wrong, but I gotta be, fair and I got to be, you know. Uh, this, matthews is, it's, it's very smooth. I will say it's a smoother bow when you're drawing. It's definitely smoother than the Hoyt I am. It's I love and it's quiet and I was surprised because my Hoyt's quiet but this Matthews might be even a little more quiet. Yeah, and I think, squatch, you shoot? Do you shoot a Hoy?
Speaker 3:shoot away, okay no, I shoot a matthews.
Speaker 3:It's a old uh I mean matthews, yeah yeah, it's the, uh, the old z3 matthews that I shoot. Oh yeah, um, but you know, that bow compared to a lot of bows of its time and still to this day, the write-ups, the readings, I mean the deer don't know what you're shooting them with. And I was close, I was going to buy a new bow for this year. I was looking at that, darton actually, but uh, buddy of mine bought it. I set it up for him at Darton and to tell you what, it's, a nice bow. It's a little on the heavy side, um, but you know, uh, bow, so good, I'm just like. You know, it's old, reliable, I'm used to it. I'll spend the money.
Speaker 3:I bought a new sight for it. I put a CBE Single pin on it and I'm shooting really, really good. I shot out to 70 yards To sight it in. I never shoot anything that far and I've. I I sent the pictures to frank and stuff. I was like, uh, I got one in the bullseye and one sitting right next to it and that was the first two at 70 with this thing and getting older my eyesight when I got those, you know, three or five pins sitting up and down in front of me and I'm trying to focus on something outside of like 30 or 40. It was starting to get a little hard to tell where I was going to put the pin. So I was talking to Dave, who's on the the whitetail advantage with me, and Dave has been a big CBE shooter for years and he's like hey, he's like I'm telling you go to the single pin, you'll freaking love it.
Speaker 3:So, you know, when I know people who are experienced, been around the game for a while I mean he was a competition shooter and stuff I listened I was like you know what? Let me let me break down. It wasn't overly expensive, it's about one hundred and twenty dollar site. Threw it on and man, I'll tell you what Couldn't be happier. I really like it. It's quick focus. I think it's going to be a game changer this year for me on what I hunt. And really, guys, I mean there might be a 30-yard shot, but most of my stuff is super, super close. Yeah, it's just the areas that I hunt. I get in. I select the times I get in. I'm sneaky and I mean last year, 11 yards I killed the deer at. So I mean I'd rather have to close shots. I don't like having to shoot. And it's cool because you got under their nose, you outwitted them and it's just a lot of fun.
Speaker 2:But and yeah, I think- that that's the one thing, squatch that you know, connor, for for you and I you're gonna be able to go over in a second, like for for us on the on the east coast, especially like it's a lot of swamps, a lot of thickets. Um, yeah, you know, obviously south jersey, a little different south, and that's what I like about jersey, because north and south are just completely just different. You know, the more south you go, it's really more ag and farmland and I would consider more hunting out in the midwest and everything like that versus our north where the big woods it's thick, it's swamps, you know where the big bucks are and you're going to get a 11 yard chip shot you're. You may even get a five yard chip shot like the. The odds of you shooting really like when I've hunted in the big woods are like 22 yards probably is my longest shot and that's like that's generous. You know what I mean. So for for us here, like I get it going to delaware.
Speaker 2:Delaware is very wide open. It's a lot of ag field. That was one of the biggest surprises when I went down to delaware last year for the first time and that was a huge game changer for me and also something that I went into hunting a new spot and a little more south jersey and I prepared myself going into this season of I may have to take a 60 yard shot. You know I mean because they're all out in the bean field. You know it's a much different type of hunting scenario versus for us. You know what we're normal like.
Speaker 2:I would never imagine of taking a sick. I would never even get a six-year chart or never even tried to take a six-year shot in the swamp or something like that. Like you, you get lucky if you you're at a 20, 20 yard, 25 yard shot and there aren't branches on the way and stuff, yeah, stuff like that. So you really got to pick your, your poison, I feel like for for us, especially on on the northeast, and and everything like that. So you really got to pick your, your, your poison, I feel like for us, especially on on the Northeast and everything like that over here, what's it kind of look like? Is it? Is it ag field for you out there in Wisconsin?
Speaker 4:Yeah, so, mike, I mean it is funny with exactly what you just described. Uh, about Jersey is pretty much very similar to Wisconsin. Now, not to get off track, but I actually we used to go with my sister-in-law on vacation at a spot on the beach in Delaware for a number of years. She grew up going there and has a lot of family there, I was. My only point about that was that I could not believe how similar Delaware was to the Midwest in terms of the ag and whatnot. I was not expecting that, so that was something, and I saw some big deer when we were driving there or whatever. Yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 4:I mean. So it just had the same setup. You know very similar trees and whatnot. But in Wisconsin so I'm in South Central a majority of the ag, I mean it'll go up three quarters of the state, but it really starts to kind of dwindle the further and further north you go and then it's like the huge white pine or jack pine forests.
Speaker 4:You know perfectly planted rows and you know there's big bucks up there. Perfectly planted rows and you know there's big bucks up there. But the amount, the difference in the size of the deer, I mean there's just agriculture everywhere down here where I am, a lot, a lot of big time like QDM being practiced. But up North, you know, I have a bunch of buddies that have have places up there and you know, know they'll, sometimes they'll struggle to see a deer in five or six sits, but you just never know. So yeah, you know there's big deer up there, there's a lot of does, but they don't necessarily get the size that you have down here further in the south in the state, because they just simply don't have the agriculture. You know, it's just like you said, it's swamps and big woods. So very similar to what you're describing.
Speaker 2:And kind of also, since we're on here, what's your setup kind of looking like for the boat? What are you running here? And you know things like that. We all know. Right now I'm outnumbered with the whole with the broadheads, so I know your broadheads, I know your, your areas, that you guys are running what, what are. What are you doing for a bow?
Speaker 4:um, so I'm, I'm a white guy like yourself. Um, funny thing is I actually started so this the first two years when I got into bow hunting. All of my buddies that like I started hunting with they're all matthews guys and you guys know it's like like the Ford Chevy, you know, and uh, you know. So I had, uh, well, I started with a mission bow that Matthews owns. After I got comfortable with that, I then went to, uh, the Z seven and shot that for probably another year. And then I tried, went to the pro shop just to try the Z7 Extreme and, long story short, I just personally could never, don't get me wrong. It was an awesome bow, they're a great company. But I could not consistently shoot a Matthews I don't know what it was. So then the pro shop that we used to go to they ended up closing for for there was a death in the family. So I've been going to the same pro shop for the past gosh, like 16 years now. And so I shot a number of bows. I shot a PSE, I shot another Matthews there and then I picked up a Hoyt, and at that time I don't even think if Elite or Prime even had bows out there yet I hadn't heard of them and they didn't have them in the pro shops. But I picked up a Hoyt and I never looked back For me that bow, just how it felt in the hand, me being able to shoot it consistently. And I've been a Hoyt guy ever since. And again, they're all good bows, they all have their qualities.
Speaker 4:Um, but right now I'm for this season. I'm kind of going back and forth. I, I got a new, uh, the Hoyt alpha ax two, um in the winter and my last two bows. So I had the, the RX eight that I was hunting with last year when I shot my buck you know that's 34 axle to axle and I don't know about you guys and everybody's different and how they set up, but I have always set up my hang on stands or if it's a ladder stand.
Speaker 4:I'm a right-handed shot. I I have always tried to set up a stand so I can eliminate steps to not get busted by a deer. Every buck I've ever shot with my bow or doe, I've always shot sitting down and I always try to position them wherever the funnel is or wherever the traffic we think, so I can literally just sit there and draw from the stand. So then I don't have to stand up, you know, make additional movement. So that's just really what worked for me. But I found the longer axle to axle bows while they're, they give you a little bit more forgiveness.
Speaker 4:Um, I went, you know, the alpha ax2 is 29 axle axle and, and my opinion, I think that is just the absolute killer, uh, for a tree stand setup, because it's it's just, it's so compact. So that's what I'm running this year. Um, I have a little bit of a dilemma right now. Um, I had that, uh, oracle two, uh digital site, um, from Burris. Well, last weekend I was shooting a number of arrows and my wife was filming me in the street and all of a sudden I had two groupings. You know I had shot consistently with like 30 arrows, was happy with where they were hitting.
Speaker 4:Then I had two uh. Well, the first three I shot were literally like at nine o'clock. I mean they would have been dead center, but they were three inches outside of the circle to the left at like nine. I'm like what's going on here? So then I was like, oh, maybe I'm getting tired. I shot three more exact same place. Well, come to find out.
Speaker 4:I went inside to look at the bow and the windage knob wouldn't tighten down. I'm like, oh, that might be what the problem is. I don't know how it loosened. So I turned it over and right where the uh, the thread is for the uh windage knob, the aluminum had a crack in it. So so I had to send that in uh, and it just got to.
Speaker 4:Burris is in greeley, colorado. They received it yesterday, but right now they're looking at five to six weeks and I think that after looking at it, they don't have to do anything to the site. Basically, on your windage chain it looks like it's just a claw, so it's basically just the arm of the site that I think they have to replace. And I was like you know, and they have an unbelievable warranty I mean you can literally take the site and whip it at a wall and tell them that you did that and it's a no question warranty. So I was like God, can't you guys just send it to me? And they're like, no, we got a process. So I'm hoping that it gets back to me in time before the Ohio trip. But if that does not happen, I'll be going with the RX-8 again. So that's what I've been practicing with the past week and a half.
Speaker 3:At least you got a backup.
Speaker 2:And that's a big part of why I was so happy that I won the Matthews, because at the end of the day, I get it like I wasn't gonna go drop in a break because I would have bought the brand new horse, like I would have definitely bought the rx9 and now yeah I'm pretty sure when I saw everything would have came out to like three to four thousand dollars.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, everything was sent, done and I was like I can't do that. But when I, when they were doing the raffle, I was like here's a hundred dollars, right, boom, here's a hundred dollars. I think it got me five tickets. And then, right before the raffle, chris is like hey, we're about to do a raffle, do you want to buy me more tickets? And I said yes, but I was working and I got, I got busy with my, with my patients, so I completely forgot. I get home and all of a sudden I get a phone call and the minute it popped up I I looked at bianca, I go, I just want a brand new bow and like I, I, um, and squash knows this and kind of weren't in, uh, on the team yet.
Speaker 2:But my coy, actually somehow my strings got destroyed. I I still don't know how, but it looks like a mouse bit them, but it it wasn't. There was no poop, no, no, nothing. That was the only. But something rubbed on my strength. So I was freaking out for a while I was like like I couldn't imagine if this happened and I was in delaware, if I was in upstate, you know somewhere where I'm not in my, in your home area, or even something like like you said, like if you only had one bow and this was the day before the season, six weeks to get that back that takes a huge chunk. And it's like, oh yeah, you have that extra bow just in case, and I know it's a lot, um, but like every time I get a new bow, it's like all right, like I, I have a backup. Now this are two brand new bows. Basically they will be in the truck with me. They're heading down to Delaware with me. They'll, they'll, they'll be good to go.
Speaker 2:But like it is a it's a nerve wracking type of thing when you're this close to the season starting and things start to break, which, listen, things happen.
Speaker 4:Like, yeah, it's just bad, bad timing. But the other thing, I always uh and you know, you see it sometimes on um social media stuff is people just doing, you know, making jokes or whatever. But on my, uh, on my bins, I literally have just the sticker that I put on there that just says release. Because you know, I and I I think I have two releases that I always have with me, because I've done it before where I left my house and my release was hanging on the hook of my archery target in the garage and I had to turn around yeah, it's smart it is.
Speaker 2:it is smart to it's. It's a pain in the butt to go out and buy it, but it's smart, smart. I was telling I think Squatch and Frank the other one when we were talking I was having issues with my release and I tightened it. I shot it twice today. I was in the backyard so I didn't want to do anything crazy. I went right up to a target. I pulled back and in my mind I was nervous. I was just thinking every single time I'll pull them back. But this thing was so like already to me one I won't use that relief Like that's now my backup release. I'm going to take it to the range I'm going to. I'm going to keep shooting it just to make sure that it that it's good. But I have the same exact release just out of the, just opened it out of the box. It has been in my truck now for the last like year and a half and that is going to be now my, my uh number one release.
Speaker 2:But it's like, yet again, if something breaks or you lose it or, uh, you forget it. We all forget stuff, stuff. Like I have arrows everywhere Just in case I lost my. I lost my quiver one year. I was out in bear season and I'll tell you, I went to the range right before going out into the bear woods and I don't shoot with my quiver on so I took it off and I hung it up, shot and then I started talking to a father and a son and I got completely just lost track of what I was doing, shot a few more and then I headed out, went into the wood, get to my spot and I'm like oh no like, okay, like I forgot it at home, get back, whatever.
Speaker 2:Can't find it. I'm like, oh, my god, I forgot the range. So I'm like, all right, like next day I'll go get it. Like it was too late already. Then get back there, already stolen, like somebody already took it all my arrows, broadheads on it and and it was gone.
Speaker 3:But it's like having these extra things comes in handy absolutely mike's mom used to sew his mittens to the end of his sleeve so he wouldn't lose don't worry, you will see.
Speaker 2:Like what, uh squash, I think I dropped my. I dropped my sony camera out the tree opening day in jersey. Um, absolutely I've never, never done that first time dropping my camera out, like I've dropped, like, the gopro out and like, but not my main camera, um, I've dropped my phone thousands of times out of the, the tree and everything like that. Drop bot like I he's a mess. He's a mess, I've got um, I can't remember if squash remembers your camera arm.
Speaker 2:You left the camera I left my camera arm, I left my I guess I was getting down and I put everything down and I host up I and pull up my bow and I left that. I'm at another spot, so like, and I and I and I left my eighters too. So I didn't have my eighters, so like to get into this thing, I had to climb up, one hand with the bow, jump up because I didn't also have my eighters and I already set everything up and I was like I'm not redoing this, it was a mess. Like I I'm, I'm a mess. Expect. When I rush, I am a absolute.
Speaker 2:And that's when the most things I almost killed a Y10 and a 9-pointer. I had them in range and I just like I needed to take one more step. But crazy, and things happen. Sometimes, when you're doing stuff like that, it's like, oh yeah, this might be the day you think it's not going to happen. It's like everything's going wrong. But those are the days where you really need to be on your toes and be like all right, like I may send an arrow through a buck. Uh, on this, day.
Speaker 3:Yeah, you'll be in the group chat. You'll see, in the group chat it'll be like guys, you ain't gonna believe what happened, but I, I did this and it's and we just start like we know. Right away it's like oh, what the hell did he do now? You went out the one time you didn't have your freaking boots right when you were yeah, turkey season turkey season.
Speaker 2:I brought the wrong boots.
Speaker 3:He got the wrong boots. He didn't have his boots with him. He's walking around in freaking sock feet out there yeah yeah, cause I had the big.
Speaker 2:I had my my late season uh, like the waterproof big, thick, the plastic, whatever the hell the material is, and in that time of the year I don't wear my thick wool socks, I don't. I was expecting to have my other boots on, so everything was rubbing and I ended up having two giant blisters, oh, back of my feet during turkey season. So we eventually like get to a point where I'm like I couldn't walk anymore and I was like I took them off, I carried them. They're heavy as shit, but I'm walking barefoot basically through and I think I did like two miles barefoot with no socks on. Just I just toughed it out and then I got back to the truck. We headed to another spot and I just put on my regular thank god, I had my running sneakers in in the truck and that and that's what I used and everything like that.
Speaker 2:But like, yeah, I, I do a lot of stuff that you'll see, like you, I imagine, opening a delaware. I remember some guys, um, he'll be down with us and he goes, are you ready? And I'm like, well, I think I am, but honestly, I really won't know until, like, what the hell did I forget the like what I forget. So, um, you know it's. It's just one of those things. I just hope it's nothing major, that's all yeah.
Speaker 3:You broke the rim or something on the truck.
Speaker 2:oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I got a grudge match with with delaware, yeah, so but you're going back, I'm going back, I'm going back.
Speaker 2:I tagged out in jersey last year in november 19th. So I was like, all right, I still have tags in delaware. Delaware, you can hunt from the opening day till like mid-february, just like here in New Jersey, holy cow. So I went back down and we're out scouting, because the next day we're going to hunt and I hadn't been there in like a month and a half, two months. I wanted to kind of see what the lay of the land was. And we're in the field and we're heading to another spot.
Speaker 2:But the belly started to rumble and I was like, oh no, I was like I need to go to the bathroom, I go to pull in the spot and I I go a little too fast. But what I didn't see because there was some brush was basically there was a ditch. That and I, the back tire went into the ditch pop, the freaking tire bent my rim. I had tire went into the ditch popped, the freaking tire bent my rim. I had to leave my truck, we're and we're in the middle, so like where we were in delhi. It wasn't like I wasn't anywhere close to like anything, so it wasn't like this. So we're just sitting there, we're calling triple a. They're like whatever it's gonna be like two hours and now it started getting dark. You know we got a couple of drinks in the cooler, so I'm like doing the fiat, we're popping the drinks. You know I'm drinking. I'm like I can't believe this happening. You know, I'm feeling them and just the whole entire time the guy and he couldn't do it.
Speaker 2:So we call a tow company. We had a call an uber and an uber had to pick me up. I had, like, all my hunting gear with me.
Speaker 2:I had my go, like just randomly this uber just pulls up in the middle of delaware woods like um and yeah we, we had to leave the truck there because I I don't think the the tow came for like another like hour and a half, two hours. So we finally got back, checked into the hotel and listen, I love delaware for lot of things, but you can tell it's not New Jersey or they get a lot of like traffic through. They were so slow to fix my tire and to put a new rim on it. If it was here in New Jersey it would have been done probably the next day.
Speaker 2:It took them a week. It took them a week, it was, and so I had to go back down just to pick up the truck and everyone's like, oh, are you gonna hunt? I was like no, like it's waterfowl season now. Like I'm on, I'm done with deer hunting for the year. I go into waterfowl season. So yeah, we're, and there's also going to be a bunch of us down there. So gosh forbid if one of us does have truck issues, like we have other vehicles.
Speaker 2:At that time when I went, I was there by myself, so it is nice knowing when there's other guys opening day where's truckster was leaking, was leaking something, and antifreeze, antifreeze yeah, I think it was it. Yeah, I think it was.
Speaker 2:I think it was antifreeze. Um, yeah, we, we were. It's a fun time, but it opens up your eyes. Traveling to other states definitely opens up your eyes on the importance of having all these you know tools and everything like that, because the minute something goes wrong, which it will, it's yeah, it's a, it's a different like I just I got a generator that should be here in like the next day, like where I'm fully like, got my tools, got my you know. I had to make sure that, like, all my my tools were there for for the truck and everything like that. Because, again, you're gonna be driving around, you know, on dirt roads and you're you're hunting the whole entire time. So, looking, looking forward to that big bucks, a lot of big bucks, and you know, on dirt roads and you're you're hunting the whole entire time. So looking, looking forward to that big bucks, a lot of big bucks, and you know, you guys see, is there a lot of big time.
Speaker 4:Uh.
Speaker 2:Public hunter presence in delaware so this will be my year two there and I wish zach was on, he couldn't jump on tonight, but um, he's been down there. I think this is probably like year eight or nine, maybe even 10, some something like that. So he's, and he says it, it does. It's not crazy, especially this early, but sometimes it does get a little more busier than and I think with this cooler weather we will probably see a little bit more of bow bow hunters, but there's so many. I mean. Granted, cooler weather we will probably see a little bit more of bow hunters, but there's so many, I mean. Granted, I think in an hour drive on just basically one road, we can hit probably like 20 different pieces of public all good size, and that's the cool thing about it, it's a small state. You know you can't do that in Jersey, and Jersey is a small state too, but you can't do that in Jersey. I mean, we get there and we drive like an hour and you can hit all your spots and they're all broken up and that's pretty cool.
Speaker 2:I know what's big from last year was the dove hunting. They got a lot of dove hunters down there Last year was hot as hell. So I think we were really us, and I think I knew of like a few other jersey guys that were out there bow hunting, but we didn't see anyone bow hunting the first like week, and I generally don't really get against. Also, labor day um, yeah, you know, so I. That's another thing. Like monday labor day people are going to want to be at the beach. I know the weather is going to be a little cooler this year we may see a little bit of an uptick, but like nothing too, nothing too crazy, but a lot of deer, a lot, a lot of deer. And real tree has it as number one as their top 10 most underappreciated like states, and that's how we found it was. Um, yeah, a lot of a lot of deer, a lot of big bucks a lot like some giants, um, that we'll be chasing and everything like that, um, and it's.
Speaker 2:It's a two-hour drive for us, so like I can't come, oh, that's great two hours yeah, and I mean, if I, we got, we went to mary, we were down, me, zach and bianca we were, we were scouting, we're glassing and we're like, hey, you know what, let's like we got some time, let's drive to maryland. And we drove right over the border and we, you know, scouted, like we're we're just checking a couple of public land spots in Maryland. Because Zach was like if I kill a buck, I'm going straight to Maryland. And I was like shit. I was like I might as well, because it was, I think, 35, maybe 40-minute drive from where we were in Delaware to Maryland.
Speaker 2:Now Maryland is much different. There's not nearly as much public as what it looks like, as in, as in delaware, um, but and also like I will give um delaware a lot of credit they take care of their public land like they do a really what I've seen so far. They do a really really good job of maintaining. They got all the ag fields. They switch it out, corn beans, everything like that. I know they took in a couple of spots with some bulldozers and knocked some stuff down. They do the sunflowers for the dove hunters and everything like that. They have the waterfowl stuff set up because it's a pretty big waterfowl state too. And the cool thing is when you're driving on the coast like you see all the guys, like they're all fishing and like we're talking about like damn one of these days, like we should get our crab, like we need to go crabbing, like we're camping out, like during the day, like some of the spots are difficult to get because it's ag.
Speaker 2:It's also like not the best morning spot, like oh, we can before we go out and scout, and stuff like that. Like why don't we just go, go do some crabbing and stuff like that and then you can go head out into the woods and everything like that. Like I will, I'll give delaware it's credit, like they do a really really good job. Um, I also like it's a two buck state. I think that's phenomenal. Um, you know, and I think it's four to five does, which is perfect. I don't think you need. And, connor, jersey is crazy. We are a seven buck state with unlimited dose. Um, so it's, yeah, it's, it's, it's absolutely crazy. I would, I would love to adopt delaware's laws. I know that's that's not, it's never going to happen. Um, but that that would be pretty cool. Um, and I do love Jersey, don't get me wrong. I really do love Jersey, but you know we're going to be Delaware and literally a few couple, a couple more days now. So really, really, really excited for that.
Speaker 4:That's awesome. Yeah, I'll be excited to hear, uh, how things go in. You know, used to be here in wisconsin when the whole I don't know let's say 12 years ago, 15 years ago, when the whole cwd thing started, it used to be in wisconsin. They had to earn a buck, so at one point you had to shoot a doe before you could even get a buck tag.
Speaker 4:That's what we had in New Jersey, okay, and then it went to for every doe you shoot you get a buck tag, and that went on for like eight years. Then they completely went away from that. So when you get your archery license, you get one, you know, buck tag, statewide for archery. You get one for gun season, but you can also bow hunt during the gun season. You just have to have, you know, a little bit of orange, um. But then, uh, depending on where, um what zone you are, this they break the state up into the Northern and Southern, so there's like the Southern farmland zone and I don't know what they call it up North. But you can pretty I mean you can shoot, especially if you're, if you're hunting on private. You can get a bunch of doe tags. I mean it's basically over the counter until they run out, but yeah, like it's, it's one buck over the counter until they run out, but yeah, like it's, it's one buck. So, and you got to be, got to be selective if you have an opportunity, um. So, yeah, it's, it's it's way different than they used to have for a long time.
Speaker 4:You had to go and that was one of the coolest things about bow hunting or even gun week in wisconsin. Um, you know I've started to bring my bow with uh for gun, but, uh, you used to have to go on site to register your deer, you know, you know iowa and illinois has like the sticker tag you'd wrap around the near the hoof or the rack or whatever. Um, but you had to get like basically a red metal, you know with a number on it thing that they clamped around the horns or whatever. And that was one of the coolest things, because when we were leasing um in bluff country down in southwest wisconsin, uh, there's just, I mean just world-class whitetail.
Speaker 4:It's called richland center and they had this main like their downtown strip was the, and it was almost like, uh, like having a christmas parade every year. They would have like the check-in station and everybody would have their, their trucks with their beds down and show off their bucks and you just walk down and just, you know, it's the camaraderie here, and everybody tell their stories about what happened and the recovery, and and then then they wait away from that. Everything is online now, of course, and you used to used to be a state law in wisconsin if you shot a deer you had to have your tailgate down. Oh really, yeah, then they went away from that, you could have it closed. I mean it's just bizarre all the things that have changed. So it's always something interesting.
Speaker 2:That's interesting. I imagine one day we gotta do, we gotta do episode where we look up the craziest hunting logs, like all throughout the the country, and I imagine, like that one right there is like you and I get it. So you like fish and wildlife knows you know, and you you know it's, I guess you know if you you poach deer like you know it's, so they can help help catch and everything like that. But it's like I'd be so mad. I'm like what do you mean? You gotta tell me like, because I I have my, I'll throw my deer in there, but also I have my equipment in there and stuff like that. I'd be like I'm not driving with. You know, if I tailgate down like going to like and that's the last of the like cause, then you would have to tie it down and you have to do all these like things instead.
Speaker 2:Of just throwing it in there. But I do, like I would love. I'm all for the check-in stations, you know and I I do get it why they moved to online. But, like for us here in New Jersey, we have to check it in online but then also fill out our green piece of paper, put it on the deer and everything like that. And I do know there are some states where they just filled in online and that's it. I think PA, you have like 48 hours or 70, some thing where, yeah, you call it in everything like that. Like, if you're making us do it online, then fill out a piece of paper, put it on the deer. If we're gonna still do it that way, I much rather fill it in or do whatever I need to do and take it to a check-in station.
Speaker 2:I hate filling it out online and then filling it out on the paper, then putting it on the deer and then technically, I can't remember. I heard they're getting ordered but they haven't yet. We have to do a transportation tag also. That would have like our whole life. It's crazy. If you're going to do all of that, just have us have a check-in station, and also it is.
Speaker 2:It is so much fun going to these check-in stations, like we do it for bear season and honestly, like I really look like you look forward to that. I almost went with peyton last year when then I tolerate because I I'm so mad that I missed it is you know peyton went to go check in his bear. I was gonna go but we decided not to go scout and the world record bear was right behind him in in the back of the line. So like holy cow, seeing that bear in in person, um, but those are the things you're not going to be able to. To see that if, if you didn't, you know what I mean. So, yeah, so bring back that camaraderie, like, especially for, like, the younger generation.
Speaker 2:I really think people that haven't been able to experience that need to experience that. It's like that old camp vibes, like even hunting camps, are slowly starting to go away as more as we do stuff on social media. That's why, also like for us here, um, we're starting to try do more camps and and stuff like that. We have the bear week, you know. We would like to do some more other stuff, maybe travel to wisconsin, go up to travel. I think we're squash and I we're gonna be at at frank's and everything, property and everything like that for um, for bow and for rifle, where I even told frank, like for rifle, I just plan on bringing the camera and I want to get that whole, like his uncle, like it's just a family style thing where a lot of people miss that or don't get to, don't get to experience that anymore.
Speaker 2:And I love social media. But that's the one unfortunate thing about social media is it's like boom here, take a picture and post it online and it's great getting the interaction from all our guys and everything like that. But when it's in person it is so much better. That's why I don't care. Even if Squatch says he shot a buck and he needs help tracking, he truly, truly needs help tracking. Like yeah, like I would love to go. I'd be like yeah, like all right, let me see if I can fix my work schedule where, like I can't, I can get out there, because like it is. It's a whole other experience when you're doing all that together yeah, it is, it is.
Speaker 3:Yeah, it's nice to help out, it's nice to you know, like we jumped on frank's deer last year and you know he went up there and and you know. But you know, and he felt bad, he was like, oh dude, you know, it's just I'm like I don't care man. It's like if we find it, we find it, I'm gonna be happy as all get out. You know, I mean, I just want to help you, I don't care about you know how long it takes to get there, we'll figure it out. I mean, sometimes you can't drop what you're doing, or you may be working or you know something along those pretenses. But I mean, hell, if it's the next day and I can get out there and we can figure something out, we'll figure something out.
Speaker 2:But yeah, it's it's all good.
Speaker 3:You know, like, and not only that, like we'll talk to each other about scenarios or we'll talk to each other about, maybe, the shot you know after it happened, look, happened, look, you know, I think it was a good shot. You know, it was like three inches back in the shoulder and it was probably, you know, lower, and you know just all those little things you got. You got that camaraderie and that and that helps, you know, and sometimes you're just down and out, like you'll be sitting there and I don't little two going on right now. So then it kind of builds you up. You're like all right, well, it's not just me, I'm not just sucking, everybody's sucking right now. You know we're all in the same freaking damn boat, but it's good, it's nice to have it, and you know. And then there's equipment questions.
Speaker 3:You know there's sometimes like questions you know, there's sometimes like Mike, you know my, my release is going off with my 70 pound bow. Okay, check your set screws and your release. You know, go through this, go through that. Make sure you know you don't have a wear in the arm where the ball sets in there for the set you know, on it make sure it's not wearing out or something's out of place. We throw stuff at each other all the time and I've been throw stuff at each other all the time and I've been around a long time.
Speaker 3:I got a lot of knowledge. You know a lot of guys here got good knowledge, good stuff, and it might even be like oh, I got this buck, just snuck in and he's not daylighting yet. You know, what do you guys think? Should I get on him? Should I lay back until I see him make a daylight picture? And you know you may know the answer to it. Back until I see him make a daylight picture, and you know you may know the answer to it, but it's nice to throw it out there sometimes and somebody might point something out, because you're in the moment, you know you're sitting there and you're going.
Speaker 3:Oh shit, I did know that I, I, what am I thinking? I I should have did this or I should have did that. So you know, and and like when, even when steve was on, you know, with us, he shot a deer and he's like I hit it right, like last shooting and light I think you know, I was climbing down out of my stand and he, you know, what do you guys think?
Speaker 3:You know, should I go on and not go back? Wait a little bit, then go out, look for blood and it worked out good. You know for him and you know, it's just things. It's things like that. Or maybe you're planting a food plot and you're having a problem with stuff growing. What fertilizer did you guys put down? Oh, I use such and such this and I I did that. So it's. It's like a chat GPT of the podcast systems, where you got a group of guys. You know you could ask the gurus in the group and go, hey, you got this or I got that. If not, we'll make something up, even if it just sounds good. We'll just tell you something.
Speaker 2:If it's too hot out. You want to be booty naked up in the tree stand.
Speaker 3:I hunt naked. I will hunt naked.
Speaker 2:You rub some money on yourself. You know what I mean.
Speaker 3:In fact there may be some video with blocked out stuff this year of me just naked. I don't care. I have no freaking filter. I don't give a crap. I would love to freaking let an arrow fly in the nude. That would be so freaking awesome. Although I got to wear something on my feet because them I'm stands rough man on my feet, especially if I'm in the saddle. But I'm going to chafe if I'm in the saddle If I don't have at least underwear. I got to figure something, yeah.
Speaker 3:I got to wear a shirt.
Speaker 2:Especially if it rains. You got to be in a speedo.
Speaker 3:Yes, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah Well.
Speaker 4:I I'll be your guys. Weatherman Craig and I will be, because everything we're getting will be to you guys in a day and a half and then I can confirm it with my guys in Michigan and by that time it's here, yeah definitely alright, guys.
Speaker 2:I think this is going to wrap up our first episode of the field notes for the 2025-2026 season squash. It's always a pleasure when we can get you on. Connor. Yet again, welcome to the team. We'll be sitting down, uh, sometime soon and doing your your uh episode and everything like that, but we're really looking forward to everything.
Speaker 2:Everyone who is south carolina has already started. Um, I think they started like a week and a half, two weeks ago, I think. Florida certain spots of florida too as well. But anyone else who is going to be out in delaware or you know, starting up in the next uh, couple weeks, good luck. I know, um, from the whitetail advantage. Uh guys, johnny, I think, is out right now hunting elk, if I'm not mistaken he's on, at least tomorrow morning.
Speaker 4:I think he leaves tomorrow morning.
Speaker 3:I think he said something like that, yeah, he's going he'll be out there like around uh the holiday. I think he'll be out with uh nelson from flavors of the forest okay, well good, good luck, john.
Speaker 2:Johnny, hope you can arrow a big bull down and everything like that and everybody else who's out there, good luck, stay safe and we'll see you guys, probably in a week. Yeah, man, yeah.
Speaker 3:All right.
