Never Out Killed: What is NOK?

Full transcript for Episode 59: Never Out Killed: What is NOK?.

Tyce

All right, folks, welcome to the Bird Dog Podcast. I'm really excited to, , for this show. , today I got my good buddies Scooter Cooper, and, Dylan Stamper with Nok. Yep. And, , this is, this is gonna be fun. So, , Scooter brought me over to his podcast, , studio area, and, , that's... We got, we got Creek here, Block Lab, and we're just gonna have a good time and bring you guys along for the ride. And, , we're gonna talk dogs, we're gonna talk hunting, we're gonna talk, , about Nok and what they got going on. So I'm, I'm grateful for you guys to setting this up. It's gonna be fun. Yeah, absolutely. Thanks for having us on. Yeah, thanks. Thank, thanks for coming on. So, , Dylan, why don't we start off with you? So tell us- Let's tell us about Dylan, and about... I, I always like to dig in on my podcast, I always like to dig in, like, about you. Like, where... Did you grow up in a hunting family? Are you, , you know- Yeah did you... Are you a late onset hunter, or what's, what do you got going on?

Speaker 4

, so I started hunting pretty young. - Luckily my s- my stepdad's a good dude and-

Tyce

Okay

Speaker 4

, just started taking me along with him, and man, I remember the first time we were at Salt Creek actually.

Tyce

Okay.

Speaker 4

And we walked so far, 'cause you gotta get to that, between the rest pond and the actual pond. Okay. And-

Tyce

I've never hunted there, but anyways.

Speaker 4

So yeah, you'd walk forever. At least when I was little it felt like it was-

Tyce

Yeah.

Speaker 4

miles and miles, but I think we ended up with, like, one spoonie, and I just remember him shooting it and, , I carried it back forever in, in the car playing with it on the way home,

Tyce

and- Mm

Speaker 4

after that I was pretty obsessed. And then through high school and stuff I didn't hunt too much. I was messing around and doing dumb things- Yeah and, , stuff like that. And then once I started making some big boy money I went and bought a boat and-

Tyce

Yeah

Speaker 4

I was like, "Man, this is fun."

Tyce

Yeah.

Speaker 4

So started it back up again. , yeah. So that's pretty much it.

Tyce

So was there, was there a... I always like to ask someone, and maybe, maybe that was it you just talked about was, but when you... Was there a time that you, like... Do you remember the first time you shot a, like a pheasant or a duck or whatever it was? And I know for me I had the time, and, and most my guests I talk to that there's a time that it was like, I call it, like, mud in your blood. Like, you got mud in your blood. Mm-. Like, you're just like, it just was like so, it just, it's something that kind of got seared in your memory with like that one shot or that bird you saw or whatever it was, kind of your first memory. Is there something-

Speaker 4

Yeah

Tyce

that happened- Yeah that you're like, "Dude, that stood out?" Like, it's kind of- I, I think- that got, kind of got you hooked, you know?

Speaker 4

when that was for me, so, like, after buying, , my first boat- Mm and going out there and accomplishing something myself-

Tyce

Mm-

Speaker 4

I was just like, "Holy cow," like- Yeah "This is cool." , and then I mean, I was still hooked on it before, but I think that was, like, the, the time where it hit hard- Mm- where I was just like, "Dang, this is cool. This is something that, you know, I did by myself. I'm proud of it." -

Tyce

That was duck, it was duck hunting?

Speaker 4

Yeah.

Tyce

Yeah.

Speaker 4

Yeah.

Tyce

Obviously you're on a boat, but yeah. Yeah.

Speaker 4

So yeah, that, just that time was just- Just an experience. I remember, like after either-

Tyce

Was there one haunt that you're like that kinda-

Speaker 4

Yeah

Tyce

got, you gotta

Speaker 4

come in? Yeah, that was out at Ogden Bay. - Oh,

Tyce

okay

Speaker 4

and I remember a three-pack of buffys come in or something like that. Mm. Dumped all three, and I was just like, "Dang."

Tyce

That was cool.

Speaker 4

This is cool." "This is fun." - Yeah and I was out there by myself. , I actually had a, the first, , H drive, I don't know if you remember those- I- from Mud Buddy. ,

Tyce

.

Speaker 4

They're, instead of belt-driven, they have a whole bunch of gears in them. Okay. And they're kind of like a, an outboard but not an outboard. Okay. And, , there was a whole bunch of problems going on with the handle. That's what their, their issue was. So I had to call Glade that day, and it was just, it was just a fun day- Yeah being stranded out there and,

Tyce

- Oh, you did

Speaker 4

get

Tyce

stranded

Speaker 4

out there? Yeah, I was stranded out there for a while. Oh. And, but that day was- So did, did

Tyce

you have to paddle in or...?

Speaker 4

No, luckily my dad came, and then I called, , Glenn, that owns Mud Buddy- Mm and I was just like, "Dude, I don't know what's going on." So he's like-

Tyce

Mm

Speaker 4

"Undo this wire, plug this wire in here," and it fired right up. You were

Tyce

able to get it started?

Speaker 4

Yeah.

Tyce

That's cool.

Speaker 4

So.

Tyce

That's... How long ago is that about, would you say?

Speaker 4

2019

Tyce

Okay.

Speaker 4

Yeah.

Tyce

Seven years ago, something like that? Yeah. Yeah. How old are you again?

Speaker 4

, I'll be 30 tomorrow.

Tyce

30. Yeah. Gosh, you guys are making me feel 44, man. You guys are making me... Like, we got young kids here. I'm, like, kinda moving past that j- it's all right. It's all good. It's, like, each season of life is so fun, you know. But I mean, I... My first boat, like, had the old rowboat, and I had the, you know, old Johnson motor. I mean, you get as... just whatever you do- Yeah cheap as possible. It was, like, 600 bucks for the whole thing, you know. And you stand up, and everyone's, like, falling over, and you're trying to shoot. Oh, yeah. I don't know. You're just... I mean, you, you just have pennies. You're just trying to get out there on the water, you know. But-

Speaker 4

Well,

Tyce

I think that's- I remember the boats do open... It did open up a lot. Oh, it's- 'Cause we used to hike around the mud- Mm- and I was like... And once we first... Then we got out there, we're like, "Oh, this is where, like, this is where it happens." Yeah. And

Speaker 4

I think that's why I fell in love with it more, 'cause I, I'm the laziest dude in the world. Yeah. Like, I hate hiking. Mm-. Like, if I gotta go get 20 yards and, like, go get a bird or whatever, I'm getting the boat out. I'm, I'm going

Tyce

to get it. That mud in the marshes, though. It is. It's rough. Like, Utah, Utah Lake or something- You get stuck. Mm- my ba- my butt is like-

Speaker 4

Feels like it's, like, pulling your joints apart

Tyce

yeah, it's... Yeah, it's deep for sure, so that's awesome, man. You know, it's fun. All right, Skeeter, tell us, tell us about you, brother.

Speaker 2

, yeah. Give the

Tyce

others a little

Speaker 2

background. I, I grew up in a big hunting family. , I mean, my whole entire, entire childhood, every holiday to, I mean, October to Janu- or September to January was... Dad was gone out hunting. , even off-seasons, he was in other countries hunting. , I think his big life goal and something he wanted to achieve was eventually getting a hunting show, so- Oh, cool I feel like my whole childhood was him just watching hunting shows and then just replicating his own stories out in the field.

Tyce

Yeah. Yeah.

Speaker 2

, so yeah, as early as I can remember, , I sh- don't know how legal it was back then, but I shot my first deer- at eight. , it was a ta- we were, we did tag it out and everything, but I was eight years old. I don't think I had my hunter safety at the time, but-

Tyce

I'm sure your dad hooked you up. Yeah. Yeah,

Speaker 2

it was one of those buddy deals on private property. But, , yeah, first deer at eight, and- That's awesome I think I was in the duck boat at five. , I was very fortunate. We grew up at the Rudy. Oh, nice. So it's a local private club here in, , Utah, and yeah, that was a really cool experience. Definitely spoiled having that, - Mm- private club experience with duck hunting growing up. It's completely different, so.

Tyce

Does he ha- did, did he have a membership, or did you guys go with someone, or what

Speaker 2

was that? , he had a membership. Okay. So every opener- Does he still have it or no? we, we don't. So when he- When he... Yeah, he passed away, and, - Yeah unfortunately, the, , the new wife sold it and didn't know what it meant to the family and the childhood- Oh, shoot, man memories there and whatnot. But-

Tyce

Ooh

Speaker 2

yeah, we're working on getting that back. Gotta get back out to the Rudy. Goals. Yeah. Yeah. , but yeah, so growing up duck hunting, , probably the biggest thing, and then going into big game hunts and

Tyce

Mm-.

Speaker 2

Yeah.

Tyce

Cool. Yeah, I'm a big game hunter too, and love, obviously love bird hunting. That's why I train bird dogs for a living. But since we're, , talk- since this is the Bird Dog Podcast, let's talk about dogs too, Dylan. So Dylan has this, an awesome dog. A little background, he called me up, he's like: "Dude, I got my, this dog, like, does some crazy stuff when I go hunting." So we wanna hear that story. And then Scooter, I trained his dog, and I'm like-- and right before we start, I'm like: "Hey, Scooter, what, do you have a dog?" And he's like, "Yeah, Ziggy, you trained him." I'm like, "Okay, well- I'm still waking up here, so you know, give me a break." But, -

Speaker 2

My dog only lived with you for a year.

Tyce

Yeah, I mean, , for a year. Yeah. But whatever. So no, Ziggy, she's a good little dog, little black lab, female. , looks a lot like this one right here. This is Creek. She's a great-granddaughter of bloodlines I've had, and I have her great-great-granddaughter too, so pretty fun, the different bloodlines. But have you had dogs, Dylan, your whole life growing up? Let's talk, let's get that out of the way. Yeah,

Speaker 4

we have. Yeah. You

Tyce

had dogs growing up.

Speaker 4

Yeah, so-

Tyce

Hunting dogs or just kind

Speaker 4

of

Tyce

pets

Speaker 4

or? Hunting dogs, yeah. So we had-

Tyce

Okay

Speaker 4

, Bretta, she was a small female black lab. She was still to this day the best dog that I've ever seen. Cool. , and I remember- What

Tyce

do you think made her the best dog?

Speaker 4

Training.

Tyce

Like, was it the time you put in, your family,

Speaker 4

your dad put in, or the- So my dad put in. Okay. I remember him my grandpa had this old book, it's like how to train a waterfowl dog, essentially.

Tyce

Water dog,

Speaker 4

probably?

Tyce

Yeah, probably. Is it blue and white?

Speaker 4

Yeah, it is.

Tyce

Yeah.

Speaker 4

Yeah.

Tyce

Yeah. So

Speaker 4

he had

Tyce

that- That's like the, like the most classic book there is

Speaker 4

so anytime that I have like questions, I'll go ask my dad. He's like: "You should really read that book." And I'm like: "I probably really should." That's like, seems like it's a, a good foundation- Yeah, sure to go off of.

Tyce

Yeah.

Speaker 4

, so there was Bretta, and then, - We got another dog, , Gauge, and he was a Drahthaar Lab mix.

Tyce

Oh, okay.

Speaker 4

And that dog was crazy, but his drive was nuts.

Tyce

Yeah.

Speaker 4

He would go... You'd send him into the bushes, and he'd be there for two hours until he came back with something. Mm. , or he-

Tyce

Did he like the water?

Speaker 4

He loved the water.

Tyce

He was okay with water?

Speaker 4

Yep.

Tyce

Yeah. Drahts usually do pretty good in water, but- Yeah that makes sense where he's, like, rooting around, and Drahts, you know, being... They kind of lean a lit- like, versatile breeds a lot lean towards, like, upland stuff a little bit, like getting in there and searching stuff out. Yeah. I could see that could be a strong set, so I could see that, but.

Speaker 4

Yeah, he was, he was great. , he, he had a weird, , thing where he'd get bored in his kennel-

Tyce

Mm-

Speaker 4

and he'd pull up rocks and stuff and lay on his back and sit there and throw them up and catch them.

Tyce

Really?

Speaker 4

But it ended up, - He

Tyce

swallowed one?

Speaker 4

Yeah, they s- Oh, man he swallowed one, and then they cut out, like, so many feet of intestine in him.

Tyce

Yeah.

Speaker 4

, he did it again, and then he did it again, and at that point, it's like there's no intestine left. Not enough intestine. Yeah, geez. So they had to put him down. , and then I got my big boy job and then ended up, , going on KSL and finding the cheapest lab that I could find. Yeah. And,

Tyce

-

Speaker 4

That's

Tyce

what I did, and I got one of my first dogs, but.

Speaker 4

He's great. Like, great on the, like, being inside, like-

Tyce

Mm-

Speaker 4

my mounts are all, like, eye level with him. He doesn't touch them, doesn't chew on anything. - Cool he listens really well at home, but as soon as he gets in the boat, man, it's a different switch, and he whines the whole time. Mm. , the story when I called you,

Tyce

- Yeah, tell the audience what he

Speaker 4

does.

Tyce

So- I think it's the only dog I've ever heard of doing that, but yeah.

Speaker 4

It's, it's really scary. It's super scary. So if I have my blind down or in a position where he can run at me, he jumps at the end of the barrel. He thinks that birds come out of the end of the barrel. , and I remember, , we're again at Ogden Bay, and I pull up, and all of a sudden I just see him run out of the corner of my eye, and he's running a- like along the blind because I didn't have it up.

Speaker 2

Mm-.

Speaker 4

So he's running, and he jumps in front. I almost shot him. And- Holy cow , that's the day I called you. I was like, "Dude, I don't know what's happening." , he would- Do you think it's, do you think it's the noise or is it the- I don't know. He watches my barrel

Speaker 2

Maybe he sees the wad coming out and things like that-

Speaker 4

I don't, I don't know

Tyce

so his eyesight's incredible.

Speaker 4

I don't know. He watches- He has

Tyce

such sight, every can see, like, the wad, the BBs,

Speaker 4

like- kinda catch it And he's, like, super attached to my hip all the time. Like, if I get out of the truck, he, you know, whines and wants to be by me the whole time, so I, I don't know what's going on. Yeah. It's kind of a weird thing. , but what I've done to-

Tyce

Have you been

Speaker 4

able to space him away from

Tyce

you a little bit-

Speaker 4

medicate that, yeah on a stand? So just got the Melmarsh and- Yeah just put him in there. And I got the one with the cover on it-

Tyce

Yeah

Speaker 4

, just so he's not watching me.

Tyce

Yeah, yeah.

Speaker 4

And then at least he's, like, looking out. So yeah, I'll put him quite a bit away and, , that's what's been nice about the suppressors, 'cause then I don't feel so bad shooting over the top of him, 'cause I hate doing that.

Tyce

Mm-.

Speaker 4

, so yeah, just keep him away and-

Tyce

Mm. Does he seem to mar- Does he seem to pay attention out front- He

Speaker 4

does

Tyce

a little more- Yeah

Speaker 4

,

Tyce

since you put

Speaker 4

him- And I, I've been the worst, absolute worst at training him. , so, like, sometimes he won't see it, but I can go, you know, walk out with him a little bit and-

Tyce

Mm-

Speaker 4

mark them and send them and- Is

Tyce

he steady or is he break usually when you shoot?

Speaker 4

, he's pretty steady. He's pretty steady. Actually, yeah. If he sees the bird hit the water, he'll go out and get it, but- Mm- , if he hears the gunshot, sometimes he'll just sit there and be like, "Okay, where's it at?"

Tyce

Mm.

Speaker 4

Where's my dad?"

Tyce

Mm-,

Speaker 4

yeah.

Tyce

So,

Speaker 4

- "Come help. Come

Tyce

get me and take me out."

Speaker 4

Yeah. Other than that, he's, he's pretty good,

Tyce

but- Yeah

Speaker 4

that's definitely a scary situation that day. Yeah. I was just like, "Holy cow."

Tyce

Yeah.

Speaker 4

This is scary,"

Tyce

so. Yeah, I've never had a dog do that. That's interesting. Mm-. Most dogs will be either afraid of the barrel or obviously, like, well, if their gun have gun issues, they'll be afraid, but-

Speaker 4

He wants inside the barrel

Tyce

they jump out the barrel. Yeah, let's keep him away. We don't want his life to end.

Speaker 4

Yeah.

Tyce

Trying to eat your b- BBs. But- And fly away

Speaker 4

the best family dog- That's crazy in the world. Yeah. He's great with kids. He's great with anyone. , he does that just normal lab where he runs up, barks and then- Yeah just as friendly as can be.

Tyce

Would you say he's kind of like your first, like, practice dog- For sure type thing? For sure. Yeah. Like your learning dog?

Speaker 4

Yep.

Tyce

I think a lot of people have those and I, I mean, I had those, you know, years ago, and it's like you're kinda trial, error. And I remember doing some stuff now and I'm like, "Dude, I can't believe I, I probably confusing the crap out of my dog," just like- Yeah. some of the stuff, the things I was trying to do to, you know, correct him on these things, and so it's... But they, it's just part of the game- Well, it

Speaker 4

was nice that- that

Tyce

progression, so

Speaker 4

like, coming out with you and, , with Sonny. Yeah. Like, that day I was just like, "Man," like, "you're very patient. You're-" You know, you, if it doesn't happen, you just call him back again. Yeah. And I used to get so frustrated with him and I'm like, "Why?" Like- Yeah "I hate this dog." Like-

Tyce

Yeah

Speaker 4

I hate this dog for hunting-wise," and, - Ever since going out with you, like I'll take him to the park and just put him in his Mo Marsh.

Tyce

Cool.

Speaker 4

And just do little things with him, especially like right before the season, and then he's done all right. So...

Tyce

Yeah. Yeah. I think that comes down to like training or really anything in life, right? Like having a good, having a good mentor or having or, or working with a professional that knows what they're doing is like going hunting. Yeah. You know, there's a lot of people that don't know how to call ducks- Yeah or don't know how to set out decoys or don't even know where to go or whatever, you know? And if you have a mentor or you have someone that does it very well or is a professional, you can just speed your tr- your learning curve up so, you know, so fast. Absolutely. You know, you watch them, you go, "Oh, oh, I can do it." You know? And it just... And that's obviously why we're partly in business for training is 'cause, you know, we can- we- we've done it so much, we can say, "Hey, you just do this and this and this," and, and if you have a proven program, the dog will just go through it, and they get it, and then you can transition that to the, to the owner, you know? It's just a, a good experience for everyone. But, so that's awesome. Yeah. Thanks for, thanks for sharing that. Absolutely. So, all right, Scooter.

Speaker 2

Yeah. -

Tyce

Tell us about you and your dogs. Y- you had to have dogs-

Speaker 2

Yeah growing up, right? Oh, growing up, I mean, our whole entire life was bird dogs. If, if- Okay we didn't have, , a dog at the house, one was getting trained to the next bloodline being born and what that plan looked like, you know? Okay. Three, five, and eight-year plan. So that was really-

Tyce

I think me and your dad would've got along good.

Speaker 2

Oh, I think you guys would've been best friends. Honestly. , and you're actually good friends with, , Mike Stangel. He's brought all of his dogs to you. Mm-. So that was my dad's business partner.

Tyce

Okay. So- Okay

Speaker 2

that's how I got you in contact with you and your- Oh, cool number. , but yeah, so-

Tyce

It's crazy how small the hunting world is, really. You start talking to people, and like we know people- It is that are, know each other, and it's so, so interconnected. It's cool.

Speaker 2

It really is. - Yeah it's small like city-

Tyce

Yeah. for sure. Yeah.

Speaker 2

-

Tyce

Yeah

Speaker 2

but yeah, so I had expectations in my head of like what I wanted a bird dog for myself to look like, or I guess backing up a little bit. So did

Tyce

you have la- were they all labs?

Speaker 2

All labs. Growing up? All black labs.

Tyce

Black labs. Okay.

Speaker 2

Classic. , female, female black labs were like my dad's thing, and he kind of had a little recipe as far as what he did, looking at a bird dog and like what he wanted out of a bird dog. Mm-. I guess what I mean by that is there's people- Yeah who go into high-end breeding, pay a lot of money for bloodlines, , training obviously, and a bunch of stuff, and his thing was At least from my experience, we had the perfect dog. I think from when I started hunting with my dad till about 10 years old, this dog was just dialed. Mm-. It was just perfect. Never remember my dad yelling at this dog. And then I remember when we were, yeah, probably about 10 years old, he was super excited. He paid way too much money. I think he- said it was, like, as much as his car-

Tyce

-huh

Speaker 2

and, , brought in this dog that was supposed to be, like, the stuff and, , we had nothing but problems with this dog. , we didn't get along with it, it ended up biting my mom, and we- Was it

Tyce

a puppy when you got it in?

Speaker 2

- Or was it an

Tyce

older dog?

Speaker 2

it was, I think, a few years old. . Like, it had already been competing for some years. Oh, okay. It's already been hunted. My dad just wanted a dog to live in a kennel and go hunting every morning. Just ready to roll. Yeah.

Tyce

Mm-.

Speaker 2

And, , it was a bad experience. I remember, like, it bit my mom.

Tyce

.

Speaker 2

Hunting wasn't good with it. , my dad was just super defeated to where he said, "I'm not going with any bloodline, any trainer. I'm just gonna go get a family dog."

Tyce

Mm-.

Speaker 2

We got a female black lab and, , yeah, after my dad kind of trained dogs himself- Mm- and over years of experience, so he- Sure worked with the dog. We lived on a golf course, so for months he was out there just throwing bumpers and playing in the, , pond there.

Tyce

Fairway too.

Speaker 2

And it was the best dog we had.

Tyce

It's a good place to train actually. Yeah. Ponds, open grass.

Speaker 2

Yeah. No, it was perfect- Yeah golf courses. , but yeah, so that dog was perfect and we had that dog for eight years and some of the best hunting experiences with that dog, and some of my biggest memories growing up was with that dog hunting and-

Tyce

What was its name?

Speaker 2

, Taz, 'cause it was like a Tasmanian devil. Oh, okay. As a puppy, it would just... was crazier than hell, but you put that collar on him and he saw or she saw a bumper and she was dialed.

Tyce

Just kind of locked in.

Speaker 2

Yeah. So-

Tyce

She knew, she knew the, the e-collar was like, "We're going to work. This is my uniform type thing." Yeah. It was ki- Is that

Speaker 2

kind of what it was? And that's kind of what I saw talking to you as far as, like, , a lot of similarities as far as what my dad did and what you were telling me you do with your dog. So yeah, , going into hunting myself, obviously a few years- Hold on.

Tyce

Let me, let me rewind a little bit. So your... the dog that your dad bought, that one, what happened to that one?

Speaker 2

-

Tyce

Was that Taz or no? No.

Speaker 2

That wasn't

Tyce

Taz. That was the puppy you- I

Speaker 2

think he got rid of that dog. I think he just gave it away to a hunting buddy that needed- Okay a dog type situation.

Tyce

With his wife. Yeah. Yeah. Okay.

Speaker 2

Yeah. It was like, "Get rid of this dog."

Tyce

So then you got Taz just off- KSL where did he get it at? KSL.

Speaker 2

Okay. KSL, family dog just out of a litter. Yeah. No hunting background, nothing, and it was the best hunting dog ever. So, - I mean, fast-forward, , f- when I was hunting on my own, kind of figuring out my own journey, figuring out what owning my own dog looked like and going into that process, the first thing I went to was Marketplace. Mm-. Found a dog, and, - thought it was a lot easier than, , what my dad- To

Tyce

train

Speaker 2

it? Yeah. Yeah. Than what my dad made it out to be, and I kinda did the same thing Dylan did. I went to, you know, YouTube, books, and was kinda like, "How do I train my dog- Yeah, yeah, yeah to fetch a bird?" And I was also a little bit newer at duck hunting on my own at that time, trying to figure out the boat stuff. You know- Mm- I had a little 12-foot jon boat, and the first time I brought out my dog without any training, she jumped on the side, and we almost all went into the water, and it was a terrible experience. So yeah, at that time I, you know, call my dad's friends, and I'm like, "Who do you bring your dogs to?" Like, "Who can I learn from?" Mm. And I think, like, five people to my first five cone- phone calls was like, "Well, if you got the time, Tyce." And I was like, "All right." Gave you a call, and you're like, "Well, how much time do you have?" And, , I was like, "As long as it takes." And you're like, "All right, let's do it right." Yeah. So that was a cool experience. I was a little excited, and I think I picked up Ziggy a few months early 'cause the season was starting. I think

Tyce

there wa- it seemed like we didn't get all the way through- the swim stuff, but we got her through the main

Speaker 2

thing. But I'll be honest, -

Tyce

She's

Speaker 2

a great dog best dog ever. Cool. She's been freaking awesome. I mean, I work with her quite a bit, probably two, three days a week-

Tyce

Yeah

Speaker 2

, just in the front yard. But I come from a background of, like, horses, goats, and pack animals where I understand, like, the more time you spend with them- Sure the more hours you put with them, the better they are. So yeah, that's kinda just what I did with Ziggy and just put a lot of time with her, and she's been freaking awesome.

Tyce

Yeah. That's awesome.

Speaker 2

Yeah.

Tyce

And you go b- are, a lot of your videos from last year, was she in them, or was your dog in them, or-

Speaker 2

We-

Speaker 4

No, -

Tyce

Or did you get any of them in

Speaker 4

them? Adam, Adam, , Adam won't go hunt without his dog, so he-

Speaker 2

Oh

Speaker 4

his dog had- That's your...

Speaker 2

Is he a partner in-

Speaker 4

Yeah in Duck Hunt? In, yeah. Yeah.

Speaker 2

Okay. Okay. And he's like, he... It was really where it- came down to in our roles was, you know, Scooter was cameras. Mm. Dylan was, like, talkative, like the face. Yeah,

Tyce

yeah.

Speaker 2

And, , Adam's kind of more of the back end- Cook breakfast but Adam wasn't going hunting- Did he do the cooking without his dog. Did he do the cooking in one of them?

Tyce

No,

Speaker 2

that was

Tyce

m- - That was one of you. Okay, bro. That was me. Maybe he was eating

Speaker 2

it.

Tyce

Yeah. Maybe that.

Speaker 2

Adam just shows up for the food. Okay. No, , all love, but, , Adam doesn't go hunting without his dog. And where I was at- Oh, boy was like, I, we wanted the footage and the company stuff, so Ziggy- It worked

Speaker 4

out perfect the way- Yeah. Sure,

Tyce

yeah

Speaker 4

yeah. Yeah, 'cause I mean-

Tyce

His is a black lab, right? Mm-.

Speaker 4

Yeah. She's super small, like, , her and stuff, too. -

Speaker 2

And she's fresh, too, so she needed hours, and- Yeah. -

Speaker 4

Mm-

Speaker 2

Dylan's dog is old and fat, and my dog's...

I'm just kidding. Poor Deputy. So we left Deputy and Ziggy at home. , but-

Tyce

Okay. Were you gonna get them out this year on some-

Speaker 2

Oh, yeah film? Yeah. Yeah. I mean, we definitely took him out on personal hunts- Sure, yeah and when we weren't filming, Ziggy probably got out 20-plus days last year,

Speaker 4

but- We were trying to find that, like, balance of... It's hard, because we go out, we're like, "We're having fun"- We wanna have fun and then we're like, "Did you film that?" And it's like, "Nope." Yeah. So now we got two cameras, , that go with us full time and stuff like that, so I think the balance will be a lot better this next year, but-

Tyce

Yeah. Well, and we're doing- Well, and you, when, when you make your work kind of your fu- your-

Speaker 4

Yeah

Tyce

your fun your work, it's kind of there's-

Speaker 4

Well, he was doing- Yeah like set after set, like filming-wise, and so, , just trying

Speaker 2

to relax. We're just dialing it in. We're figuring out, like- Yeah what, what that all looks like. NOK-

Tyce

Yeah

Speaker 2

only started, like, eight months ago, and I mean, a l- we've kind of told you privately, but a little bit about NOK is essentially it's Never Out Killed, and Dylan and I just found each other on Instagram, and he saw that I was passionate about what we do and, you know, likewise, and so we hit each other up, and we're like, "Let's just go hunt." And then as we're hunting we're like, "Why don't we film what we're doing?" 'Cause what we're doing, I think, is pretty sick, and other people online post it- Mm- and we think that's sick, so let's try it ourselves. And one thing's just kind of led to another. We've put out some clothing stuff. Mm-. We got some sun hoodies. We're branching into building our own products for the hunting world. , so yeah, we're just kind of taking it slow and-

Tyce

So that's cool. I di- I didn't know you guys met. Yeah, so you didn't know each oth- you weren't, like, buddies. You just- Well- met online. So-

Speaker 2

We met online

Tyce

what, no- You were,

Speaker 2

you were... It's like a dating site.

Speaker 4

You went hunting... Or you went bowfishing with

Speaker 2

Adam. Oh, Okay, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Speaker 4

Yeah, you went bowfishing with Adam.

Speaker 2

So, but same thing. Oh, okay. , so I got my boat made by Chuck Harris- Okay here in town, Widow Maker Boats, and, - I got my boat made by him, and then, , I was like, "Who else has boats like this?" , and he's like, "Yeah, before you just spend all this money, you should probably, like, go sit in one of my boats and see- Yeah like what it is." Go check it

Tyce

out, yeah.

Speaker 2

And so he gave me Adam's number, and then I call him, and he's like, "Well, I'm going bowfishing tonight if you wanna come out." And so I was like, "Shit."

Tyce

Mm.

Speaker 2

Went out with Adam, and then there's this random dude just, like, blasting music, just hauling ass through the reeds. And there's, like, no water, mud. Bullet

Tyce

flapping in the wind.

Speaker 2

Yeah, literally, like, just- the American, like, eagle hero. The whole American flag. Yeah. And I'm like- Just like a whole- "Who is that guy?"

Tyce

Everyone's jaw drops- Yeah. because. And

Speaker 2

I'm not kidding, though. Literally, it's like a scene from a movie, and here's Dylan just...

Through the reeds, and I'm like, "I think him and I are gonna be good friends." Like-

Tyce

He's like, "Chase him down." Yeah. "I gotta get his number."

Speaker 2

- and he's just blasting rap music and just bowfishing. And, like, when... If you know Adam- That guy's having fun yeah, amazing guy, but, like- he's, you know, business, like, type A.

Speaker 4

Oh, he's crazy about bowfishing. Like,

Speaker 2

to the book. Like,

Speaker 4

I tell him and Casey all the time- Like, serious business like, I cannot be on the same boat with you guys. Yeah. I like messing around and having fun. I kind of- Those two just dial. It's like, "Dude, it's just carp, bro."

Speaker 2

No, I thought I felt like I was in a little bit of a college seminar. , and then I see Dylan just over there just partying. And so I hit up... And, like, next time I go out, I hit up Dylan- Scooter just

Tyce

jumps out of the boat

Speaker 2

and starts swimming. Yeah. Wait. Next day, , I think I hit up Dylan, and we went out, , that was going into the duck season. We went out for the opener, and we're like, "Well, like-" Let's

Tyce

do it.

Speaker 2

Yeah, it was kind of like, -

Tyce

Do you wanna be friends?

Speaker 2

The other guys are like, or what- whatever that movie is when he's like, "Wanna do, , karate in the garage?" Yeah. Literally, that's Dylan and I.

Speaker 4

Yeah, it was, ... It was literally down here on the whiteboard. We're just sitting here talking about everything, and, , he's like, "What about NOK, Never Out Killed?" Yeah, I wanna say, how'd the...

Speaker 2

I

Tyce

don't know how the name combi-

Speaker 4

yeah, I also remember

Speaker 2

that. Completely random. It just, , it just clicked. Like, I was brainstorming, and we had a group chat going. Yeah. And we probably sent 50 names. We're just typing stuff in, like-

Tyce

Mm.

Speaker 2

stupid crap. And then, , I was thinking, like, acronyms, 'cause a big company that's always stuck out to me is Ruca- Mm or RVCA. And it's like, is it Ruca or is it RVCA?

Speaker 4

Mm-.

Speaker 2

And so we're like, "Well, acronyms are cool. People say it stands for something, like maybe-" Plus, we

Speaker 4

wanted it a little confusing too, 'cause like-

Speaker 2

When it's

Speaker 4

confusing, people often think about it you look at Sheen, or people call it Shine or Sheen or- Yeah,

Tyce

yeah Square.

Speaker 2

Some people thought it was knock, like a knock on your head. Yeah, yeah.

Tyce

Yeah.

Speaker 2

But it's NOK, so.

Tyce

Okay. That's good to clarify. Yeah, 'cause I, I, I mean, when I hadn't heard you guys say it, I didn't know. You don't know if it's NOC or NOK or- Yeah,

Speaker 4

we wanted it that way just to-

Tyce

Do you need to put like a little- people talking what do they put, little- The little

Speaker 4

line above

Tyce

it? Yeah little thing. Yeah. No, yes. You know, it's like- Yeah.

Speaker 2

That's our Topo.

Tyce

You say the, "Oh."

Speaker 2

The Topo in the middle. You have to pronounce it

Tyce

every time. NOK. No, that's fu- that's fun to get the brand out, and like, but that's fun to hear about, you know, the grassroots. I guess, , yeah, I hadn't, I hadn't really... Let's just dive into it. Yeah, so, so you guys just decided, like we wanna start NOK, and then bow fishing's obviously a big part of you guys'- Mm- life, right? And so is it, right now it's kinda waterfowl and fishing. There's some big game. Is big game stuff gonna be part of it- Well- you think down the road?

Speaker 2

It seems like NOK's- Or what's the- outdoors. NOK's like people who love the outdoors and just love to be outside, and like, , I think it's honestly for anyone. It's not necessarily about killing an animal. I think that acronym goes for life, like killing it in life.

Tyce

Mm-.

Speaker 2

, and just being like a good human. So like, yeah, it's duck hunting, it's fishing, it's bow fishing, it's nature walks, it's people who just like being out on the lake-

Tyce

Mm I think.

Speaker 2

And

Speaker 4

really the whole thing is-

Tyce

Kinda being on top of your game too.

Speaker 4

Yeah,

Tyce

like- You know, being like the best at what you-

Speaker 4

Yeah do or best at everything best at you can be at your home life- Yeah , outdoors, being a neighbor, being, you know, Christ-like. Mm-. All, all of the above. , that's one big thing that I, you know, that we, we try to push in every single way is, , just being a better person. If we, if we can post something or do something that's gonna make you go home and be a better wife, husband, father, anything like that that you can read, , that, that's our goal. Yeah. So.

Tyce

That's cool. I think something these guys did I thought was really cool is on... Was it Christmas morning?

Speaker 4

Yeah.

Speaker 2

Yeah. Well, it was- Well, it was the day before Christmas Eve- Yeah I think Oh,

Tyce

day before Christmas Eve. Yeah. Okay.

Speaker 2

Which everyone's out hunting.

Tyce

Yeah.

Speaker 2

Or was it Thanksgiving?

Speaker 4

No, it was during... I don't remember.

Speaker 2

It was a- It was somewhere around that time it was a day right before a holiday 'cause I remember my wife being like, "Are we really doing this?" And I was like, "Yep."

Tyce

Yeah. I was gonna say, I don't know how you worked that one over at the family, but if it was Christmas Day, that would've been really impressive. But I mean- I can't remember it ju- it just, I guess it shows to me, it tells me that you guys are, you know, you're, I know you guys pretty well, but you, I know you're good dudes, and like that, that was cool just kinda giving back, being out in the marsh, being with people that you, you know, appreciate, and, and you guys end up cooking them breakfast, right? Yeah,

Speaker 2

so like a kinda cool thing my dad always told me in life, like, "If you ever feel lost, go do something good for other people."

Tyce

100%, yeah.

Speaker 2

And like, he's like, "Watch what that will do. Watch with the momentum." And so Dylan and I, we like kinda felt lost with NOK. We're like- The season's starting, like, we didn't get so much momentum. Like, how do we start a brand? And we're like, "Let's just go meet people. Let's go talk to people. Let's go cook people- Let's go serve. Yeah, like- Yeah, absolutely cook people breakfast. Yeah. So yeah, it was pretty cool. We brought out, like, a tent, a flat grill. Lion Energy came out to support us. They sponsor us, so they gave us, like, four or $5,000 worth of energy bricks. - That's awesome we bought everyone breakfast, and then we got together, like, five grand worth of NOK stuff, and we were just giving shit out. Mm. We were like, anyone who came into the boat ramp, we were like, "Here's present." So Adam dressed up as Santa Claus. Santa.

Speaker 4

I should've been there.

Speaker 2

Yeah. And we were throwing people stuff. People were getting power bricks. We were, like, running out breakfast sandwiches to boats, and coffees as people were, like, heading out and coming in.

Speaker 4

Yeah. And it was just fun. Like, it was... It wasn't about, like, trying to- Show everyone NOK or this or that. It was just fun to go out there- Yeah and, like, guys would come off and it was a horrible season last year. Like, there was no snow- Yeah. Yeah there wasn't no weather or anything like that, so they'd get done and you'd just hand them- We'd

Speaker 2

be like, "No birds?" And they're like, "Yeah, one bird." And, like, it was the joke of, like, everyone just got skunked that morning.

Speaker 4

Yeah. Yeah. So we just... It- it was just cool to go out there and just cook breakfast and just hand people breakfast. Here's a present, here's- Yeah the Line energy.

Tyce

Well, even if you're not necessarily trying to show off the brand in, like, a... You know, obviously you're out there with the brand, but it, it does... It's okay to show off the brand, that this is... That's what you guys are trying to represent, that you're trying to represent, be a good person, be good, be a good neighbor, help others out, you know? , I have a buddy that's going through a divorce right now, and he's, and he's just kinda like, "Oh, my life sucks. It's this and that, and it's such a hard time." And I told him, like, "Dude, like, you gotta get outside yourself. Go down the street and look for your neighbor's, like, lawn that's overgrown, and just, like, go mow his lawn. Like, do something- Yeah that will help you feel better." It makes you feel happy. Right? Yeah, absolutely. Like, you'll feel better. There's, there's karma, there's, like, the spiritual law or whatever it may be. When you do something, you know, for others, it just helps you feel better and obviously helps them feel better too- I

Speaker 4

always say- which is very, you know-

Tyce

I

Speaker 2

think that's NOK. Like, if everyone asks us what's NOK, and people describe stuff like that, and I'm like, "That's NOK." Cool. Just, like, I

Speaker 4

like it. And I always say, like, give yourself grace so you can receive the glory.

Tyce

Mm-.

Speaker 4

And, , I think that was a hard thing for us to learn, is like, we're like, "We want this to be everywhere right now." And we're like, "Well, we gotta give ourselves grace first." Yeah, yeah, for sure. -

Speaker 2

I think a big thing with that too is there's so many brands out there that try to be- So many kind of what we are. Like, there's everyone out there, like, trying to make cool, like, hunting stuff- Mm sell brands, start YouTube channels. Look at me, look at my big hunts, look at my big trophy kills. A lot of, like, look at me, and, like, a little bit of where NOK is, where that stuff's cool. We all watch hunting shows. We all wanna learn. Yeah. We all wanna be out in the field when we're at home, but, like, what do we do outside of that? Like, who is NOK outside of just getting a big kill? And that's where we're trying to separate ourselves a little bit different than just- Yeah most hunting brands.

Speaker 4

Cause at the end of the day, I'm, you know, I'm not the best duck hunter. I'm not-

Speaker 2

Sure

Speaker 4

the best person. I'm not this, I'm not that. But if I can show everyone, you know, like, I just go out and have fun. I try to be the best person that I can be every day. Mm-. I, you know, I- I try my best. Yeah, sure. And I, I don't need to be the coolest duck hunter in the world. Mm-. I don't need to do this. I don't need to do that. I'm very fortunate to have, you know, a nice truck, a nice boat and all that, but it doesn't mean I'm the best hunter. Yeah. But I go out and I have fun. We- I was gonna say- sit out there and cook breakfast and- We

Speaker 2

have more fun when we don't kill ducks and get bored, and we're like, "Want to go, like, jump our boats?" And we try to find, like, reed sections that we can rip through and jump them.

Tyce

Kill some frogs.

Speaker 2

Yeah, and like, we just do, like, random shit out there where we have more fun, like, filming and documenting that than, like, the hunt itself, and I think that's, that's no-

Tyce

I think when you boil it down in life, like y- y- even as a dog trainer sometimes, like, you know, what, what am I doing? Like, I train dogs for people, but like, you wanna, you wanna feel fulfilled, right? Like, in life and like with dog training or NOK or whatever your work is. So you gotta, I don't know. So like I have a mission statement for our company. It's like we really are trying to make the world like a better place by making these dogs tr- training these dogs for our clients so they're more enjoyable to be around. People can have a better life having a better-trained animal, and like keeps them safe too, you know? So, 'cause you can plug into something for like a paycheck, but ultimately you gotta find like what really draws you deeper than just-

Speaker 2

What wakes you up

Tyce

in

Speaker 2

the morning- Just money to go, yeah."

Tyce

Yeah. Just mon- you know, 'cause money only goes so far and, and even if you have a lot of money, you know, we see people that have a lot of money and they're really not any happier. You know? Like money takes a certain level, it does. Like it helps you-

Speaker 2

Flexibility, security

Tyce

find a little joy. Yeah, your needs and some of your wants. But then once you get past that, it's really, that's where it really gets even that much more enjoyable to, you know, help other people. And, and when I look at a client, like, and I'm training their dog, like I'm here to serve you. Like, I'm here to serve you and help you, you know, obviously train the dog or get whatever you want so you can have those awesome experiences. But, , and then obviously in return you get, you know, money. We all have bills we gotta pay and families- Absolutely to take care of and things and goals we wanna achieve, you know? But, -

Speaker 2

Although I think back that up and vouch what you're saying there from our side, the client side is the... I mean, just from the stories I was telling earlier, my childhood, like my whole childhood is based around our hunting dogs and like those memories of me riding in the backseat with the dog falling asleep to when it's cold, there's no birds and you're just petting your dog as a little kid in the boat. Mm-. Like those memories stick with people forever, and that's like what makes people, like for me now, why I'm hunting and why we started- Yeah a hunting brand. - That's cool you could break it down to as little as those memories in the duck boat with the dog and- Those

Speaker 4

memories are the best.

Tyce

Yeah. Yeah. And when you're hunting with like two and y- y- like us, you guys have done a lot of hunting, it's fun when you take someone out new for the first time and- It's a blast see them experience that. Oh, it's a blast. Or a little kid, you know? Yeah. It's like, it's pretty cool 'cause you just, it kind of reignites that fire in you, like why you love it too, when you see someone have that moment-

Speaker 2

I think that's our favorite, like-

Tyce

for success.

Speaker 2

I, I hate the hunting world or the hunting industry because of how closed off it is.

Tyce

Mm-.

Speaker 2

I get it. Everyone's got their spots, everyone's got their secrets and whatever, but when you're starting out it sucks. Yeah. You're like trying to message people, "Where do I go? What do I do?" You're hunting for a few years without killing anything, just trying to figure it out. And I think our favorite thing to do is like bring people out who are just starting and like get them limiting out in an hour or something, and they're like Okay, hunting's sick. Yeah. Like this is a whole different world. Remember

Speaker 4

the, the youth hunt a couple years ago, , took out these two kids. 2000s are so fun. And- So much ammo

Tyce

shot.

Speaker 4

They shot off- And so little things killed 100 shells. 100 shells that-

Tyce

Depending on the kids, but most of them got sprayed up.

Speaker 4

It was so fun. Yeah. I, I have the film of it somewhere. I was just recording them on my phone, and it was the coolest thing. Like, they would hit a bird, it'd hit the water, and they were just like, "Oh my gosh." Just freaking out. I'm like- Yeah "Hey, give me your guns. Put them down before you start freaking out." Yeah. But, ,

Speaker 2

it's just cool. It's like shooting BB guns in real life for them. Yeah. Like it's real. Yeah.

Tyce

Yeah.

Speaker 4

Yep.

Tyce

Yeah, when they connect on something. So Scooter, what, was there a time, was there a first bird that you shot that like it got seared in your mind that you can remember? Like was there one experience you're like, "Holy cow, I remember," or- Yeah I saw like a mallard- There was actually- in the sky, and the sun like glistened on it. You're like, "Whoa," like

Speaker 2

that like really- No, it was actually like super stormy, gloomy day. We were out at the Rooty, and I was probably 12, like first year's hunting. Mm-. First whatever, and , I remember like being tucked in in the boat, and my dad saying he had to go to the bathroom and was off on the front deck of the boat facing that way.

Tyce

Mm-.

Speaker 2

And I'm just sitting there all quiet, and then out the corner of my eye, , I don't remember exactly what bird it was, but something just comes in and I just, just natural instinct, like nothing from my dad. Mm-. It was like, "This is duck hunting," and thankfully it was a legal duck, and we got to harvest it. It was a

Tyce

cormorant.

Speaker 2

Yeah.

Tyce

Seagull.

Speaker 2

Seagull, yeah, literally. It was

Tyce

a

Speaker 2

seagull. And my dad kicked my butt. No, I'm just kidding. , boom, and- , my dad's like, you know- Like- gunshot, freaking out. Like, "What just happened?" Yeah, making sure

Tyce

no one, it didn't accidentally go

Speaker 2

off or- And I just like jump up, "I got him," and my dad sends the dog, and it was like those moments of like your dad just like hugging you, and I remember him picking me up, and he's like, "That is so sick." Proud, proud

Tyce

dad moment. Yeah.

Speaker 2

And it was like the, all the gears in my head just turned of like, "I did that on my own. Like my dad's proud of me." Like- That's cool it was cool. And I mean, I'll be honest, like he, we lost him five years ago from cancer, and that's really what just like put me right back into hunting, like full... I think my first year back hunting, I took maybe five years off through his sickness. Mm-. He passed away. First year back, think I hunted over 100 days that season. Wow. I literally went maybe six days a week. Wow. , and it was just re-

Tyce

You feel like you're trying

Speaker 2

to- building all

Tyce

that kind of rebo- like- Oh kind of find your dad a little bit out there, like when you're

Speaker 2

hunting? 100%. Yeah. I tell my wife that- I mean, that makes sense,

Tyce

yeah

Speaker 2

all the time now, like- If I go hunt alone, dude, I find myself out there just, like, talking to him. Yeah. Like, he's there in the blind.

Speaker 4

It's a... Yeah, it's an experience. Like, if I have a tough day at work, , I'll go out there and I'll just sleep in my boat. If I haven't been able to sleep, I'll just go sleep in the boat, and I'll be out there all day long, and that's some- Yeah of the best sleep. , or just, like, bringing yourself back, grounding yourself, like you said. Just

Tyce

grounding yourself. Yeah. Yeah. I think that's what is outdoors, and that's why we like just being outside is, is just... Yeah, you just reconnect, like, to nature and just the, the basics, right? Like- There's

Speaker 4

always, like, that... I don't know if it's for you guys too- Yeah but, like, you get out there, you get everything set up, you sit down, and, like, five minutes pass, and it gets super quiet, and you can start hearing-

Tyce

Mm

Speaker 4

anything- Yeah and everything, like, bird-wise. Birds chirping and wrens and all that. Yeah. And that's, that's, like, that's what I live for. Yeah. Just that moment that... And you have it for, like, 10, 15 minutes. It's just super quiet. And, , it's-

Tyce

Yeah

Speaker 4

it's just a-

Tyce

Well, it's- thrill, I guess the very great thing about a dog, too, even if your buddy can't go, you, you got your buddy. Yes. You know? And they, and

Speaker 2

they

Tyce

just- I, I joke about that sometimes that's just

Speaker 2

like- When we started, like- Yeah hunting together, it felt weird 'cause, like, it was always me and my dog. For those first- Yeah like, five years by myself of me figuring it all out, getting back into it, I didn't like hunting with other people. I also was figuring it out, so I was a little embarrassed. But, like- Going with Dylan was weird 'cause it was just me and my dog.

Tyce

Yeah.

Speaker 2

Like, that's what I learned getting back into it.

Tyce

Yeah. All through high school, that's the same way with me. I'd just take my dog, and I'd just go hunting 'cause I just loved it, and I just... Yeah, it was just me and my dog, and those are the best ti- Like you say, you're with your thoughts, you're with your dog, and, and you can shoot all the birds. You can wait for the time yourself. Yeah. You know, so it's... And it, there is some, it, there, it is fun to hunt with yourself. Even, I did game hunt a lot, too, so it's fun to go, like, by yourself. You get all the stalks, you know, if you're archery hunting or whatever. And but then it's fun to be with buddies, too, and just have that camaraderie and just have a good time.

Speaker 2

I, I did seven days in Michigan by myself in a tree stand last year. And I will tell you, by the fourth or fifth day, dude, I was going crazy. You're losing your mind. Like, not talking to anyone and s-

Tyce

You're starting to talk to the squirrels.

Speaker 2

Oh, I was- Hey, Slim doing weird shit. Like, I'm, like, sitting there, and, like, I'm like, "Maybe I need to, like, watch a movie or something to, like, get my brain back to reality." Yeah. 'Cause I'm, like, seeing stuff and I, like- seeing deer that aren't there.

Tyce

Bigfoot

Speaker 4

running across.

Speaker 2

Yeah.

Tyce

Yeah. That's where all the Bigfoot stories come from, guys sitting in tree stands too long. Have you heard all

Speaker 4

the, like, like, the podcasts and stuff for Bigfoot?

Tyce

No. Mm-mm.

Speaker 4

It's crazy. There's

Tyce

something. I- But knowing you, you go down Bigfoot rabbit holes.

Speaker 4

I don't, but I- I,

Tyce

I, I- I

Speaker 4

worked with a guy, I work with a guy- There's

Tyce

too many stories all around the world about Bigfoot to have not something there.

Speaker 4

Yes,

Tyce

he's everywhere. And we're definitely going down a rabbit hole with this next one. The weird thing that I...

Speaker 4

Yeah, we are. The

Tyce

weird- Let's go for a

Speaker 4

minute. What I'm gonna say this as, like, this, ... They always talk about, like, this overwhelming feeling of being watched or something like that, and it, like- Mm- it scares them. But then, I don't know, it's like Bigfoot communicating with them through, like, waves or something. Like, in their

Tyce

brain, he's

Speaker 4

just- It is nuts superstitious. So if you guys haven't

Tyce

Well, there's one called the- Let's do it there's one called the skunk, they call the Skunk Man. And, , they'll, they smell, like, really bad. Like, guys will be like, before they see him or something, they'll, they, they just say- They smell him they smell crazy bad. Yeah. And then they'll see him and-

Speaker 4

.

Tyce

So I mean, there's all sorts of names. I've heard that with

Speaker 4

bears, though, too. C- like smell a bear.

Speaker 2

If you spend enough time in nature, though, you see or hear weird shit. Yeah. Like, that's just- Yeah the human brain. Yeah. Where I chalk a lot of that up to, like-

Speaker 4

You could probably smell elk, too, when they're just rolling around on their

Tyce

own. Oh, well, elk, elk for sure. They roll around and stuff. Yeah. But yeah, they, I mean, there was... It's called The Arctic Homestead. Have you guys ever heard of that book? Mm-mm. Mm. You'll have to maybe look it up. There's a guy we went and hunted with in Alaska when I was, , I got my Eagle Scout, and my dad's like, "Hey, since you got your Eagle Scout, I'll take you and your brother bear hunting, , up to Alaska." And we were 250 miles north of Fairbanks, like 10 miles off the road. This guy had had a homestead, so it's called The Arctic Homestead, and he, he writes, like, accounts of Bigfoots, like, in his book. And we were talking to him. He's like, "Yeah, dude, like, like, there was one time, like, we're coming into our, our homestead, and one was, like, following us, like, through the trees, just, like, walking along kind of through the trees." That's creepy. And he saw him, like, multiple times, what he's saying. This guy's, I mean, I hunted his pla- it is, like, in the freaking middle of nowhere, you know? Like, if a Bigfoot could live there, I mean, it'd be a great

Speaker 4

place. And you know when you're being watched.

Tyce

Yeah.

Speaker 4

Like, you get that feeling. Like, it could be another animal. It could be other people, but, like, you get that feeling. You're just like-

Tyce

Yeah

Speaker 4

kind of freeze for a second. Yeah. You're just like, "Something's watching me."

Tyce

Yeah. But he was like, I mean, he was like dead straight-faced. I'm like, "Wait, like this serious?" He's like, he's like... I'm like, "All right. Whatever." But it is interesting we have trail cameras everywhere.

Speaker 2

That's what I'm saying.

Tyce

Come on. It's like how are we not picking these up? Yeah. There you go. You know? So that's where it's like, that's where it goes back and forth, but I don't... There's actually talks, like I've heard people say, like, we're totally going off doc- bird dogs now, but we'll, we'll bring it around. We'll bring it around. But, , but they, I've heard people say, like, they're in different realms. And so, like, on this earth, I don't know, this is going way deep, but, like, different realms and so they'll kind of like, they're not in our realm, but they- Yeah are there, or maybe they can come and go- Yeah through the realm. That's why they don't, you know, I don't know.

Speaker 2

See, I chalk it up to, like, with bears, bears stand up on two. Bears are big, furry. I'm sure a

Tyce

lot of people

Speaker 2

do see bears. Yeah. And, like, let's be honest- Nature does weird shit. Who's to say a bear can't walk like a human or there's, like, bears that, like, stand up and walk for a bit? I think that's more the accounts we see than, like-

Tyce

I agree with you

Speaker 2

or people like Dylan, who just have been living up in the mountains that are 6'5" and- huge dudes that just- Big

Tyce

old mullet.

Speaker 2

Yeah.

Tyce

Takes his shirt off. Living through. Looks like a hairy beast.

Speaker 2

Yeah.

Tyce

Big old,

Speaker 4

big old belly.

Tyce

No, that's, it is, it is interesting, and I, when I... 'Cause I've backpacked in, like, the Unas. I killed a bull one time. I went in, like, six miles with my llamas, and, like, that's, that's kind of a mental... Like, when you do stuff like that, I think it's good for you, but it, like, mentally makes you tough. Oh, absolutely. When you pack back in, way into, like, a mountain range by yourself, and you're staying out at night, like, in the Unas, and you hear crazy stories, like, it's a mental game. Like, you're, you have to, like, overcome, you know? Yeah. Absolutely. Oh,

Speaker 2

remind me. So- I have the craziest story to show you from our Michigan hunt. Okay. We got my buddy on a deer, and- Oh,

Tyce

it's scary

Speaker 2

dude, it is so scary. We're gutting- Are we

Tyce

talking about it on the podcast or no?

Speaker 2

Yeah. Yeah, yeah. Like, yeah, oh, yeah. Okay. It's not bad, but like- Okay, you can

Tyce

go into

Speaker 2

it it's, like, so we kill the deer. We're cleaning it. I'm filming the whole process. My buddy Mitch is doing everything, and then all of a sudden I hear, like, growling. And I'm like, "Oh, we have coyotes on us." I'm like, so I grab my gun, and we're, like, looking around, and we were bow hunting.

Tyce

Was it pretty loud-

Speaker 2

Yeah the growling? Yeah. Like, it was close, within 50 yards close. Wow. And so I'm like, "All right. Here we go." And then all of a sudden the gnarliest rustle of bushes just boof, boof up a tree, and I'm like, "Oh, that may be a bear."

Tyce

Mm-.

Speaker 2

A bear climbing a

Tyce

tree.

Speaker 2

Yeah, sure. And then all of a sudden, like, dogs barking, howling, and I'm like, "Dude, we're getting... People are hunting bears, like, on top of us right now at night- They have their hounds with dogs." Yeah.

Tyce

This is at nighttime?

Speaker 2

Yeah.

Tyce

You shot it right before dark?

Speaker 2

Yeah.

Tyce

Okay.

Speaker 2

And we're cleaning, - Oh. They

Tyce

spotlighted dogs.

Speaker 2

Yeah, we're spotlighting. Wait.

Tyce

And then there's a

Speaker 2

corn pile. Yeah. Okay. And so, and I'll show you this video, but maybe like 50 yards from us as we're cleaning it, we have a bear up here, dogs chasing the bear. Oh, so it was some hounds maybe chasing. Yeah, it was some hounds. But when you hear it on, dude, it sounds like freaking demons running- It's crazy through the forest. And, like, the bear going up the tree, you're like-

Tyce

That would be... Yeah, that's funny it ran right up the tree by you.

Speaker 2

Yeah.

Tyce

That's crazy. The middle of nowhere. I hate the dark, too, so. I hate the dark. I'm so scared of the dark.

Speaker 2

Oh, I was ready to fight something. Yeah.

Tyce

I've spent enough time in the mountains, like, in the dark. I'm, I'm getting more... I'm getting better at it, but, you know, something you, you mentally, like I'll tell my kids, because my k- my little boy, he's five years old, and I tuck him to bed at night and he's like, "Dad, shut the closet." You know, the closets are always the bogey monsters are, you know? And I just have to say, "Dude, it's just a closet. It's just a box." Yeah. "Break it down. It's just a box." Probably safe to say- And the lights are just off.

Speaker 4

Yeah.

Tyce

That's all it is. The lights are off. Yeah. So that's like, I like, when I'm in the mountains, I'm like, "It's just the woods, just the trees. The, it's just the lights are off." Yeah. You know, it's gonna come back on, it's

Speaker 4

okay. Well, anything outdoors-

Tyce

And just sometimes even to mentally digest that, like,

Speaker 4

oh, it's not big deal, you know? Anything out there is probably more scared of you than-

Tyce

Yeah

Speaker 4

anything. But-

Tyce

A side note, , , about the mountains and outdoors while we're there. I had a buddy that was, he was deer hunting and he was scouting and, , and he's hiking up the trail by himself in, in... It was early morning, going up to scout for mule deer, and he kind of got that feeling like someone's watching. He turns around, and his head lamp, and right behind him on the trail is a mountain lion- Ooh

Speaker 4

crouched.

Tyce

Oh my. Tracking him on the trail. And he's like, he's like, it was like, it was like 15 feet from him. Oh

Speaker 4

my

Tyce

gosh. And it's, his eyes were there just tracking because they're just, you know, dead quiet. Yeah. They're paused. And he tracked him, and he pulled out his pistol, and he just like, he luckily had his pistol, and he just bam, bam, bam. He just shot and it just, and it ran off, and he doesn't know if he even hit it. But he was like, I don't think he had it tagged. It was kind of self-defense. Absolutely. He was like, "I'm just-" I would,

Speaker 4

yeah, hold

Tyce

it in. He's like, "I'm not gonna wait for you to jump on my back." No. I bring a pistol with me everywhere. But I was like, 'cause every once in a while, ever since I hear that story, if I hunt some- I'll hunt solo, I'll like every, just check my back trail just to make sure there's nothing tracking me, you know? But that was pretty

Speaker 4

scary. I guess it's another good reason to have a dog with you, too. If, I mean- Yeah on big game you don't- Yeah really have a dog with you, but-

Speaker 2

I think that's why duck hunting's the coolest in bird dogs, though, is 'cause you always have somebody with you. It's quick hunting, like fast-paced, and then it's like hunting with your best friend.

Tyce

Yeah.

Speaker 4

Well, and I don't have kids, too, so- bringing Deputy and watching him go get a bird and bring it back, man, you're just, like, up in its face and you're recording. Oh, yeah,

Tyce

yeah.

Speaker 4

And you're like, "Good job," and you're freaking out. Yeah. And, -

Tyce

It's, it's funny, over the years I've had clients that are like, "Oh, I'm not gonna hunt with my dogs," and they're like, and then they go hunting or, or- or like one guy I remember, he's like, "I'm only gonna upland hunt," and the next thing I know he's, like, at all these hunt tests, and he's like- and he's, like, helping out with the club. And I'm like, "Dude, I only trained your dog for, like, upland, and, and you said you didn't even like waterfowl." He's like, "Well, I started, like, going, and then it just- With the dog. then he got hooked, you know? And, and, , so it's funny how a lot of people don't think they'll get into it, then they get their first dog and then they maybe go hunting or they see a hunting dog, and then they, like, totally just jump in, you know? Yeah. So I have a good buddy, , his name's Mike Birch. He's been on the podcast a couple of times, but, dude, he, like, he didn't have bird dogs. We trained a short hair for him, and then I'm like, "Dude, if you like upland hunting, I mean, you should try duck hunting." Like, it's just there's so much interaction. It's awesome. And so he's like, "Oh, that sounds awesome." And then he bought a lab, and then he bought a boat. Now he has a membership of the Ambassador. Yeah. Now he's the president of the Ambassador. That's awesome. And now, and he's, like, he's been, like, and killed king eiders out, out at St. Paul's. He goes all over, like, killing, hunting ducks. And, like, it's, like, a huge part of his li- It's, like, as big as his... You know, it's what he does now. So funny how, like, you just, someone, like, that's why you call, like, some people get blood in their blood, and it just takes, like, one time. It is, man. And man, it's like you just, you get hooked.

Speaker 2

It's funny how duck hunting is like that though, 'cause it is, like, a lifestyle and a whole, like, ecosystem, 'cause you have to get the boat. Yeah. Then you have to get the dog, and then you gotta-

Tyce

It can be

Speaker 2

expensive. Yeah. And then you gotta, like, build your house around- It can be cheap too,

Tyce

though. I mean, you can go kill ducks-

Speaker 2

Yeah

Tyce

with whatever, but-

Speaker 2

It is a whole... I mean, that's part of the fun journey, I think, as far as the duck hunting world is, like, each season you're building into that, like, dream setup. I mean, I already have... I feel like I'm at a dream setup, but I already have, like, okay, now I, you gotta get an airboat- Yeah. 'cause you gotta have the airboat experience.

Speaker 4

Now the water's low, we gotta get the airboat.

Speaker 2

Yeah.

Speaker 4

Yeah, that was

Speaker 2

funny. But there's always something in that world, and then it's, "Oh, maybe we join the- Maybe decoys Rudy or Ambassador," or- Yeah it's like you can always do something.

Speaker 4

It's like with any hunting, the dog, it's just you, you're always trying to get to that next level. And that, some people it's just for, to show everyone, some people it's just for themselves. But that's what's fun about it is you're always just trying to get to that next, that next thing.

Tyce

Yeah.

Speaker 4

It's always gonna be a little bit better, make your life a little easier or harder, but funner.

Tyce

Well, I think for us, too, when you, when you start, yeah, there's those stages, right? Of progression. Like, you, you learn how to just kill a few ducks, and then you start traveling, 'cause it's kinda, you want the newness of things, right? Like, like a little kid, when you take him out, it's so exciting that first time. Well, if you go to a new state, like a- I've never been to Idaho, or I've never been to Montana, and then you go hunting with someone at a new place, a new state. It's like that little kid kind of comes back to you. That's one thing that we- It's like, "Oh." That's one thing

Speaker 4

that we've loved

Tyce

about hunting this is a new species. Yeah. This is a new, like, habitat I've never hunted in, like flooded timber or whatever, like hunting the Great Salt Lake in the salt, you know? I know there's just so many different things you can, that you can expand into, which keeps life exciting.

Speaker 2

Absolutely. Well, you should check out, if you haven't, our episode where we go to Idaho, 'cause we've never hunted the river. I watched

Tyce

that one.

Speaker 2

They did. Yeah. Yeah, that was cool. And these guys have, like, a, a jet boat and, -

Tyce

It

Speaker 4

was fun

Speaker 2

just ripping up the river. Like, it's all rock. There's no mud. Mm-. And then just the way the ducks come in off the river with the flyway, like- So

Tyce

cool

Speaker 2

different than a lake. It's just... It was cool. It was a ve- Yeah totally different.

Tyce

Yeah.

Speaker 4

And then, yeah, you're, like, eye level with birds that are 10 feet off the top of the water- Yeah still 'cause you're sitting on the side of a hill, and you're just like-

Speaker 2

Oh, and they just fly so

Tyce

close Almost like flooded timber stuff a little bit, kind of- Yeah. Yeah it was coming through the trees. Yeah. Yeah.

Speaker 2

Well, I was expecting, like, them to come in on us and kind of like- Mm lake hunting, you know, they drop in- Yeah and do their thing, but these birds were cruising the river. The river system. And then they're like eye level with us, and then they just dive into your de- It's cool.

Tyce

Yeah. Yeah.

Speaker 4

Or you're shooting through the top trees, like... But I think it was one of the first birds I shot. It was, like, coming up, and I just remember seeing it through all the branches, and I'm just like, boom, boom,

Tyce

boom. Bunch of branches.

Speaker 4

Yeah, all those branches going everywhere, and I was like,

Tyce

Dang, this is fun." That's what makes it exciting. Yeah. Yeah. So- My wife w- we did a hunt in Idaho when she was, , she was probably, like, six months pregnant, and the only duck hunt she's ever been on with me. She didn't come from a hunting family, and but she's actually a really good shot with a shotgun. And, , a, a buddy took us up there, and there was this little- creek bed that stayed open, and we'd saw some- we've seen some ducks c- drop in on it, but it was like one of the most spectacular hunts of my life. But it was the mallards, it- we must hit just the migration, but you would just have, there was a huge cottonwoods, and this creek was probably, I don't know, like six feet wide, and we just had decoys in there, and the bird just came in on a string, and they just come through, and the wind was pushing right, so they're just coming down through the timber. It was like a flooded timber hunt.

Speaker 4

Yeah.

Tyce

You had cottonwoods on both sides, and they're just dropping in, and they're- they're just talking in the wind and just kind of float in, and you hear them, like, their quacks, like, echoing and- It's so cool I mean, and then, when they come down through, and they didn't even turn, they just sh- you know, and you just pull up and just, I mean, just... You didn't have to lead them, you just bum, bum, just drop them. We limited out. My wife, she shot two ducks there. Like two ducks, she's killed, and I mounted one of them. But yeah, just, it's cool, like, and I think that's what we do too, is we hunt. Like, we're chasing that next kind of special moment. Mm-. Like that hunt, you know? Yeah. That, like, I'm sure you guys have a ton of them where, like, that was, like, like, when you shot those buffleheads or whatever, like, that was an epic hunt. Or- or like, do you remember that storm front came through and they just were, like, they were, like, hitting us like flies, you know, or whatever. Mm-. It's just, it's fun when you have those- It is and then, and those keep you going through the, through the slow days, you know? And

Speaker 4

the traveling- That's the- too, like what you were saying about traveling, like, being able to go up to, , Wyoming and Nebraska and then Idaho and, , finding new spots out here in Utah, , it i- it is. Like, d- once you start to travel, that's when it just, it's, you fall in love with it all over again- Yeah 'cause you're like- Yeah "Dang, like we can go hunt this creek that's six feet wide- Yeah, yeah, yeah and the birds are just piling in." Yeah. Like, this is crazy, 'cause we're used to big water out here.

Tyce

Mm-.

Speaker 4

Like open waters. I

Speaker 2

think for me, my b- like what you were saying, for me, the thing that's, like, my biggest high now is our last Nebraska, Wyoming trip.

Speaker 4

Mm-.

Speaker 2

When they put us in ground blinds, which I've never hunted like that. I've hunted fields and layouts, but never in ground like these nice- Yeah setups. And then, what was it? 5,000, maybe 10,000 lesters coming in on us. Yeah. Like-

Tyce

So crazy

Speaker 2

the amount of- So awesome the amount of geese, the entire freaking sky, as far as you could see out of, like, the blind, was just packed full. Like, like, - Skeeter's

Tyce

just shaking.

Speaker 2

Oh, I was. We all were. We all were. And these guys are calling in- It is so

Tyce

exciting. Yeah and

Speaker 2

it wasn't like- If

Tyce

it doesn't get you excited, you should probably stop doing it.

Speaker 2

Oh, yeah. But it wasn't like- what are we gonna kill? It's like, how do I look at one just to

Tyce

shoot one? Just pick one bird. Yeah.

Speaker 2

And, , that to me, I was like, "I need... I- that's my new high." Like, I need to- Yeah do that again.

Speaker 4

Yeah,

Speaker 2

he's like,

Speaker 4

Don't tell anyone, but we're gonna... Like, any big group that comes in, we'll let you guys start plugging them, and- I remember the first one came in, there was probably 100 birds just, brr. Yeah. And we were like-

Speaker 2

Five feet away from us "Oh, my God." Like, you could, you could probably swing your shotgun and maybe-

Speaker 4

Especially

Speaker 2

with the suppressor hit 10 of them

Tyce

Yeah, yeah.

Speaker 2

And I've never, like, had that, like, in Utah-

Tyce

That's incredible hunting, so. It's funny, you see some of those videos of guys that, that'll, like, actually catch birds.

Speaker 2

Oh,

Tyce

yeah. Like, they'll land, they'll reach out- We shot- and snag them or

Speaker 2

We have multiple opportunities like that, and we also shot one that was, like, where that light is,

Speaker 4

and then- It was the only Canadian we shot that day

Speaker 2

yeah, and then it landed, like, right here. At your

Tyce

feet.

Speaker 2

Yeah, in our hand.

Tyce

Just, like, pick it up, right? Yeah. It was awesome. That's awesome. Well, we should probably, , start trying to wrap this up, but tell us, tell us- Yeah, I could

Speaker 2

talk all day

Tyce

about this stuff. Yeah, I know, I know. We go down these fun holes. Tell us about Nok. , tell us where people can find you guys, , if you want people to reach out to you guys, and, and, and have you guys come on aw- awesome hunts with them.

Speaker 4

Yeah. , just, - We do a

Speaker 2

lot of giveaways for that.

Speaker 4

Yeah.

Tyce

Okay, cool. Yeah.

Speaker 4

Our, , our Instagram, , is just Nok Gear. , and then our website's just nokgear.com. And then, , just message us. We're really good at responding. That's actually one thing that we pride ourselves in, is everyone gets a response. , it might not be that second, but you will get one, I promise. But yeah, hit us up on there, and then, , all of our merch and everything's live, , as well, and

Speaker 2

yeah. Yeah, we got a new, , series coming out called our Field Guide series- Yeah. Okay which we're kind of, like, pulling back the curtains a little bit and just showing, like, gear setups, just kind of raw, like, videos, not fancy editing with all the cool stuff. Mm. It's like, "This is what we run, why we run it- Yeah and why we trust it or why we don't trust it-

Tyce

Mm-

Speaker 2

from boats to gear that we take out in the field." So if you're a new hunter and you're like Why go buy a 20-foot boat versus a 14, or why this motor, why these calls or shotguns, whatever. We're kind of giving people insider-

Tyce

Yeah info. Cool.

Speaker 2

So.

Tyce

Cool. That's awesome. Well, guys, check out, check out NOOK. Support these guys. They're good dudes. They're doing a lot for, , conservation, just the hunting community, and trying to really, I don't know, just make the world a better place- Absolutely you know? Absolutely. So, so check 'em out, buy a hat, buy a shirt, support this, , business and, , I- they got good quality stuff. I mean, we were talking, , offline too, and, , Dylan was saying, like, they're, they'll try on the sweaters, make sure they're, like, good, like, they're what you wanna wear, right? Yeah. Because some places you'll get 'em and you're like, "Oh, this is kind of cheap." But, like, it's good quality stuff. Like Gilman hoodies. Yeah, yeah.

Speaker 4

Yeah, it's not- Yeah no Gilman, no, no, , cheap stuff.

Speaker 2

Yeah, we spend a lot of money and time dialing this stuff in. Yeah. So. Yeah. It's quality.

Speaker 4

I was counting threads from other com- like, big companies. I was literally counting threads- Counting threads to

Speaker 2

make sure- Or seeing if I could get somebody that our distributors... Yeah, 'cause we wanted to match, like, , name dropping, but, like, Sitka's quality of their hoodies. Cool. And so we are sourcing the brands that they use, and Dylan was literally, like, on Sitka hoodies and our hoodies counting stitch threads to make sure that our manufacturers were the same ones- Cool, cool that they weren't just selling crap. Well that

Tyce

sh- that, I think that just shows you guys wanna take care... You just wanna put out a good product from the beginning,

Speaker 4

right? We do, man. Money's hard to come by nowadays- Yeah and we don't want someone... Like, our hoodies are 75 bucks. Like, that's- Yeah that's a big ask. Yeah. But we promise you that it's gonna last you- Yeah a couple seasons, and-

Tyce

Yeah go from

Speaker 2

there. And if it doesn't, then we'll back it, and, like, we'll do what we can to make it right.

Tyce

Yeah. Cool, cool. All right, guys, that's, that's a wrap for the show, and we'll see you in the next podcast. Boom. Boom.