From Deer Fat to Dream Hunts: Ridgerunner Tallow

,We have Brandon Remy from Ridge Runner Tallow Company, sharing his innovative journey of transforming deer fat into high-quality tallow products. Brandon dives deep into the historical significance of tallow, his ethical motivations, and the meticulous process of wet rendering deer fat. If you've ever been curious about the nuances of using deer fat compared to more common animal fats, this segment is packed with valuable information and practical tips for sustainable living.

Our episode wraps up by highlighting a wealth of personal hunting and fishing stories, local opportunities, and the entrepreneurial vision behind Ridge Runner Outdoors. From overcoming fears in the hunt to balancing fitness with outdoor adventures, each story brings a unique perspective on what it means to live a life deeply connected to nature. We also touch on the importance of integrating healthy habits into daily life, the joy of reading, and the thrill of imagining dream hunts in places like Alaska. Tune in for an episode that's not just about the hunt, but about a holistic, fulfilling lifestyle.

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

What's going on. It's American Mike with Backdown Productions. Mike, I just want to take the opportunity to thank you for letting me share this with your listeners. On June 29th, from 11 am to 7 pm, we are hosting a fundraiser for Echo Farms Hunting Club out in Henryville, pennsylvania. Tickets are $25 for adults and $15 for youths. If anyone is interested in attending this fundraiser, please feel free to hit me up, hit Mike up, contact any one of us and we will get tickets mailed out to you.

Speaker 1: 0:35

Tickets will no longer be on sale after June 15th. From there it will be the gate fee only of $30. Kids price remains the same. At the fundraiser it will be the gate fee only of $30. Kids price remains the same. At the fundraiser it'll be food and drinks and kids entertainment. We're gonna have a bouncy house, popcorn machine, cotton candy machine, bunch of games set up for the kids. So it's a family-friendly event. It's not just for hunters. We have an archery competition going on. We have first, second and third place trophies. We got a bunch of raffle prizes being donated from certain companies. We have a lot set up and a lot planned and I would greatly appreciate all of the support I can get towards this event, whether you can make it or not. We are accepting donations, whether you want to donate cash directly to the event or something to raffle off for a prize.

Speaker 2: 2:01

Any and everything is appreciated and thank you very much. Welcome back to the garden state outdoors and podcast presented by boondocks hunting. I'm your host, mikero, and today we have Brandon Remy, aka known as Ridge Runner Tallow Company on Instagram. Welcome to the show.

Speaker 3: 2:12

Thank you for having me. I appreciate it.

Speaker 2: 2:13

Yeah, no problem, you know, before we start and everything like that, I need to know where did you get this idea to use tallow to start making products?

Speaker 3: 2:28

yeah.

Speaker 3: 2:28

So I mean, it's honestly, it's nothing new. It's something that we you know, us as human beings have been doing for hundreds of years. Um, it's just, I would say, within the last like maybe 50 to 100 years is something that we that we've kind of stopped doing. Um, you know, sure, on Instagram beef towel is this big up and coming quote, unquote thing, but really it's how we originally started to fry foods. Mcdonald's used to make beef towel fries. There are some places that still do so. It's kind of, like I said, it's really nothing that I invented, like I'm not, I'm just kind of just bringing it back up. Really, um, but how I got the idea of using a towel was was through hunting.

Speaker 3: 3:09

So clearly, obviously, I'm a big hunter and a fisherman. So, um, here on the Island we're very fortunate uh, on Long Island, we're fortunate to have a very big population of deer, um, and I butcher all my own deer and I butcher a couple. You know some of my friends and family's deer also. So I have a lot of deer fat and you know skin and stuff to use, like I try and make it. So I use everything of the deer and then anything that I don't use, you know, for food or whatever. It either goes now it goes to my dog, uh, or I had chickens in the past. It would go to the chickens, um, or anything that I can't really use it just goes into the compost pile. So it's not like I'm throwing stuff out, like you know, discarding it that way, so it's all kind of getting used somewhat, um, but I just didn't want to throw things out into the compost pile, like if they had other uses, um. So the deer fat was like one of the main things that I was throwing out, um, especially in the later season, you know, they get like especially upstate, like I hunt, I rifle hunt, like one weekend, three weekends of the year, and if I'm lucky enough to shoot something like I come home and it has like a good two inch layer of fat, especially around like the back, you know like tail area. So, uh, I just basically didn't want to like throw things out, you know, just throw it into the compost pile and like let it become dirt, uh. So that was kind of like where I figured out like there has to be some other way to use this. And then just you know, google, youtube, uh, just like you know what to do with with deer fat and then, um, so basically, like, I guess I'll go into kind of like how I make it.

Speaker 3: 4:46

Um, so, uh, you know, I take the regular fat, like that you would take off a deer or even like a bear, a pig and any kind of animal, uh, beef, lamb, uh, I render it down, so slowly, cook it, uh, just so it doesn't burn at like a lower temperature. And then, uh, so you can do one of two ways. You can do it cold, uh, wet rendering, or dry rendering. So dry rendering is basically like how you bake in a pan, right, you make it, fry it, and then all that grease that's left over is like bacon. You know, quote, unquote, lard they call it, or tallow um. So that would be your dry method. Just basically, more or less cook it in a pan, let it cool down and you have tallow um. How I do it? Because it gets rid of more of the impurities and like the smell and stuff.

Speaker 3: 5:36

Um, I wet render, so I do it in a crock pot. I take the fat, put it in the pot with water and sea salt, um, and then basically I let that go, you know, overnight, next day, I let it cool, um, and then water and fat separate and you have your tallow on top and then, you know, nasty water down on the bottom, uh, so that's how I kind of got into hunting and, uh, you know, just I needed a way to to use different things. So I should also say that I'm a personal trainer, strength coach, whatever you want to call it on the side. So I kind of also look at this as like a health and wellness perspective. That's kind of why I hunt in the first place is because I provide myself with food. So now, what else can I do for myself with this tool that I have, or this, uh, you know, this animal that I can use? Um, so, through health and wellness, like you know, I don't want to be putting like shit on my body. Can I curse on?

Speaker 1: 6:35

here, Sorry.

Speaker 2: 6:36

Yeah, you're good, you're good. We curse all the time, yep.

Speaker 3: 6:40

I forgot. I was like, oh man, um, so, yeah, so I don't want to be like putting crap on my body that's going to potentially harm it, you know, down the line. Um, so putting my two you know, hunting and fitness together is kind of like how I came about, like using tallow for my body.

Speaker 2: 6:58

Gotcha.

Speaker 3: 6:58

No.

Speaker 2: 6:59

And that's pretty cool, cause you you got to answer or start talking about some of the topics that that were running through my mind and that makes complete sense. Like I think Talo is starting to get back up there in popularity, because now you're having all these trends of of healthy, you know eating habits, what we're putting on our skin working out. You look at the cold baths, you know, I imagine, with you being, you know, into fitness and everything like that and doing that, like I know, I imagine you've done your research on that too as well. Like I feel like right now we're back in that that age of everyone's cell, so health conscious, and they're trying to find every new way or bring back old ways that they used to be thinking you know something I love I'm a huge person with with meat eater. That used to be a thing. And you know something I love I'm a huge person with meat eater and you know what he said is a lot of the reasons why we have a lot of these problems is because back then, the Native Americans, they used to use the whole deer, but also they would eat everything, like even the eyes, everything it was being used in some different way.

Speaker 2: 8:00

And you know, the last couple of years we've been hearing how healthy it is but also the many things that you can use just animal fat for, like candles, like all different types of stuff. I know you, you, you have the bow string wax as well and, and you know you're probably going to be moving into other stuff too. But it's very beneficial if you can use literally every single part of the deer and that's pretty cool and it's great that you know you're doing this, because you know I think it's only going to get more and more popular as the time goes yeah, I mean hopefully like that's.

Speaker 3: 8:36

Yeah, I guess that's the end goal is for like, like I mean, I'm not like trying to become rich off of it, that's like it's really something that I need, that I use myself. Like I came up with this because I use it every day in my beard, like I use it for chapstick, I use it before the shower. You know that's really why like? Because I want to be able to use it. You know, like I don't have to go to the store and buy like literally spend money to put crap on my body. Like what's the point of that? You know I can make stuff for. I guess, quote, unquote, free, right. You know everyone says like yeah, yeah you know all that user like.

Speaker 2: 9:08

It's so cheap, right yeah and you know the other thing too is, like you said you're, you're also a lot of these stuff are now coming out that these are harmful chemicals and and destroy our skin and our body and you know, produce, you know possibly cancer and like all these things. So it's like, okay, I'm saving money and I'm also, you know, saving, you know, my skin and my health and like, why, why would I not if, if you're able to do it, why not?

Speaker 3: 9:37

right, yeah, and like that's kind of what this is is like for the people who can't do it. Like you have ridge runner like ridge runner will provide you, you know. So one thing I should mention is like I don't use venison tallow anymore, unfortunately, like you can't really like legally sell that. Yeah, I use lamb tallow now, just because it's like the most closely related to venison as far as like how it feels, like how it spreads in on your skin and the.

Speaker 3: 10:05

The smell smells like a big one, like I used to use beef tallow, or I tried in the beginning to mess around be tallow. I like how it feels, everything. It's just the smell. It literally smells like like beefy, like, like it's hard to describe, you know, yeah, but like, so that was kind of a, you know, a deterring factor for a lot of people. Um, but like the venison tallow, when I was using that, it's like super clean, super white, like no, like impurities and stuff in it. Um, so I don't know exactly what the difference is, but whatever is in the beef towel really makes it smell like very strong. Uh, so I don't mind using towel.

Speaker 2: 10:50

Um, it's, you know, it's, it's accessible, I could have it all year and stuff like that I I wonder you know, you think of, you know, just a giant cow or a bull or something like that, and then you compare it to like a deer or something like that.

Speaker 2: 11:05

It's just like deer just seems so much cleaner, and you know so much you know healthier and you know not saying like you know, I imagine, you know there are, you know cows and everything out there that you know if they're on that. You know natural diet or whatever the case is in there. You know farm raise and you, you know, not living in a pen or whatever. You know free range. It just imagine depends, but you, you see they just they don't. They still don't look like the cleanest of of animals and they just so much more muscle and fat and you know so much more just going on that maybe that's part of the reason why it just has this different, different smell. While you look at lamb and deer, you know they're definitely more of the, the leaner of the of the species compared to you know, like a cow or something, or a cattle, anything like that. So maybe, maybe that's the reason, but you know who knows. But it's, it's pretty unique and I what'd you?

Speaker 3: 11:59

say it could have something to do with it. Like I mean, like I said, I I haven't. There's like tallow, although it's an old thing, there's not like a bunch of studies and, like you know, like people don't write about tallow, so it's like it's kind of hard to find things you know about it. Um, so yeah, I really don't. I couldn't even answer like what the difference is. Uh, I've been trying to look at it for myself, you know, because I'm curious, because, like there, there's gotta be a different, like chemical makeup or, like you know, something has to be different. It's, it's clear as day one's yellow, one's white.

Speaker 2: 12:30

You know why is that, yeah, I would agree. And you know, if there's any scientists or anything out there that that's listening and want to give us the answer, like please reach out to the both of us and give us that answer. You know, and it's the reason why because I've looked up stuff too it's like, oh, like I would love to sell, like you know, some deer products and deer meat, and it becomes so like fine line of what you can do market for people, to just start, I don't know, poaching or doing just like negative things, I guess or over hunting or whatever the case is, like, whatever the they decide in their decision.

Speaker 2: 13:14

Like I do understand, but it's also like, and like this is such a great useful tool that that we're using and it's, you know, if you know for you, you get to make your own and probably use it on yourself, but you can't, you can't sell it and you have to go, you know you have to go get lamb or lamb fat or however. You do it. But, like man, it would be so great if we could, or they, set up a way where it's like, all right, maybe eventually get your own deer farm and then you could do it whatever the case is. But, um, you know, to each is all and I guess I understand why, why they do it, um, but you know it'd be, it'd be still pretty cool if you know they made it more accessible yeah, for sure I agree.

Speaker 3: 13:57

I mean, like I don't know, I kind of agree with the reason why they do it, because it's you know, it's kind of like the whole idea of like the bison and like how we killed them all off and um, but at the same time it's like what's worse, like us killing the deer or you having factory farms and it's like now we just have cows that are specifically raised inhumanely for us to eat, it's like. So, you know, it's like kind of like what's worse, you know, yeah, at least that's what now, what's worse, you know?

Speaker 2: 14:24

Yeah, at least that's what I'm at it Now normally say say you, you, they were able to come out with a way where you can sell it, um and stuff like that, just through hunting laws Like how much deer would you have to harvest, or you know you have your friends help you, or whatever the case is, how much typically would? What do you think you would need?

Speaker 3: 14:43

on on average to harvest a season worth of fat, I mean it's hard to say because it's this is my first year like selling it, so I don't know, you know how well it's gonna do. But I mean, I guess it's kind of like anything else you just sell until you're sold out. You know it's like what farms do you know they don't really like supplement their, their crops yeah anything else.

Speaker 3: 15:08

They just, you know they sell until they're until it's gone, and I guess you'd rather sell it until it's gone and have a bunch of it left over and, you know, have to, I guess, store it or something yeah, yeah, that makes sense I mean it's like, but it's also. It's just one of those things where, like, not a lot of people like if you go, like if you get, if you drop your, do you butcher your own deer or do you drop it off at a butcher?

Speaker 2: 15:30

unfortunately I don't eventually I will, but I I drop it off right now yeah.

Speaker 3: 15:35

So when you get it back you don't get deer fat, you know no. So it's like it's something nobody, almost nobody, wants, you know. So it's very easy, like if I could, I could go purchase it off like a butcher. You know who just butchers hundreds of thousands of deer a year you know, so yeah, that's true, it is available.

Speaker 3: 15:56

Like, if I wanted it, you know, because it, because it could raise money for a butcher or you know, for you, you know I could just put it out on instagram like, hey, I'm buying deer fat. Like let me you, you know, I could just put it out on instagram like, hey, I'm buying deer fat. Like let me know, you know, everybody local just come and give me deer or the deer fat, you know exactly so I guess it could be done um, and it wouldn't necessarily.

Speaker 3: 16:19

It wouldn't necessarily like push people to kill deer just for the fat. You know what I'm saying? I'm not giving you like a hundred dollars. Of course you know it's going to push people to really just kill deer all the fat and like, leave everything else you know, plus, I mean a lot of the fat like, with the exception of, like, the kidney fat, like they call it, suet like, which is like what most people use.

Speaker 2: 16:51

But uh, for the venison I just use all the fat like anything, um, so I mean, you'd have to like fully butcher it to get like all the fat out of there, you know. Okay, no, that's that's pretty cool and and I like how you bring that up, because I wasn't even thinking. I was like, yeah, you could just, you could just go to the butcher and yeah, you have kind of like an endless supply of of deer, deer fat. Because really honestly, I've never thought about it and I think I might start doing it, just because I like cooking with fat. Like we use bear fat to cook a lot of the time and stuff like that. So we always ask the butcher hey, can you know, can you give us some fat? And we'll just render it down. But like you could do the same thing, you know we like to cook with it. So it's like, hey, you know what, can we get some deer fat to cook and everything like that?

Speaker 3: 17:26

Why not just ask, because we asked for the bear, so like why not ask for the deer yeah, I mean deer fat it has. It's not like a bad flavor, but it's like you know, it's one of those like gamey flavors, so like the fat really isn't like the greatest to cook with um but, you know anything's edible yeah, no, I, I'd be interested to try.

Speaker 3: 17:50

You know, I always tell myself I'll try something, try something once, um, but I mean, it's not just, it's just not as desirable as, say, like beef tallow, you know well, yeah, yeah, that that make and and you know bear, I would say bear fat is it's pretty good.

Speaker 2: 18:06

I don't know if you have had bear before or anything like that. It's, it's fun. You guys don't have bears over there right now. I don't.

Speaker 3: 18:14

I don't think so we have them upstate, we have black bear, okay, but yeah yeah not yet not, not on the island, um, you know.

Speaker 2: 18:25

So now, before, before we get back into talking about some you know, company stuff and everything like that, you personally, you know, give us the backstory of how you got into hunting family member. Did they get you in what? What's your, your backstory and family growing up in the outdoors?

Speaker 3: 18:45

uh, yeah, so I mean growing up like, I always fished when I was younger, like my dad he does, he works on boats and stuff, so I've always, we've always had a boat. Growing up I've always been on the water. I mean we live on an island so I live literally, you know, between two big bodies of water so I can go fishing any any time of the day. Uh, so I've always been like an outdoorsy person. I always played outdoor sports, like soccer. So, uh, as far as hunting goes, I didn't get into hunting until I was like almost like 13 or 14.

Speaker 3: 19:20

Um, my, it was my brother's football coach at the time. He got me and my dad both into hunting at the same time and, uh, I just literally fell over right away. Um, I mean, here on long island, like we can I say we can only bow hunt. I mean we have a shotgun and muzzleloading season, but it's like such a pain in the ass to deal with, like you have to check in and then they tell you like, oh, you can only hunt this area, so it's like it's almost worth, it's almost like not worth it to go. Um, so I mainly bow hunt, like I'll shotgun hunt, maybe two or three times the entire year, but I prefer bow any day of the year yeah, no, I agree with you.

Speaker 2: 20:01

Yeah, just like once.

Speaker 3: 20:01

I started going. Yeah, yeah, the bow is the way to go, for sure, but uh, yeah, once I I mean once I was able to start driving and like going myself, it was just like, you know, non-stop. It was anytime I could like, if it was, you know, before school or after school or you know whatever like even, even like growing up. So I wrestled my whole life growing up and um, every year you need like a certain amount of practices in high school to be able to wrestle, like the first tournament, the first you know, or any sport you know football. You need a certain amount of practices to be able to play in the first game. And every year I was never able to wrestle in the first tournament of the year because I would go away for hunting season and I'd like four or five practices. And, like I think it might have been my junior year, my coach came up to me. He's like yo, he's like you have to make decision. Like do you like are you gonna hunt or do you want to be good at wrestling? And I was just like, yeah, I'll see you next week, coach. And it was like I did.

Speaker 3: 21:00

It was like hunting was like 100% the thing I was doing and like even now, like I do Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and like I'm I'm like 100% into whatever I'm doing at the time. You know. So like my fallback is always Jiu-Jitsu. Like I have that throughout the entire year. But when it's hunting season, like I'm like I'm a thousand percent into hunting. When it's fishing season, I'm a thousand percent into fishing. Like I don't do any pre-season scouting, like because I'm fishing. I don't do like now I don't run any intro cameras. Like I hunt when it's on the season, I fish when it's fishing season and then like that's it. I'm like I guess an anomaly. Like I talked to a lot of people like they're, like you're so weird dude, like how do you do that?

Speaker 2: 21:44

but, yeah, no, I, I mean you're, you're living the life that you want to live. Listen, I, I it's tough for me, like I do love fishing, but like nothing comes close to the, to hunting season, and you know the preparation. I'm always out scouting, like always doing something for hunting season, everything like that. What'd you say?

Speaker 3: 22:05

I couldn't hear you what do you guys mostly fish for? About you like what's uh um, obviously, bass.

Speaker 2: 22:12

Um, huge trout fisher I'd like I've trout has grown on me where it's kind of overtaken bass fishing but hope to get on some, uh, smallies this year I want to get musky and and pike. Um, I'm big into you know I I've started to really love snapping turtle fishing or hunting. You know we'll eat those and those are actually pretty good eating. Cat fishing, like I'll fish for anything, but like the drive isn't like it is with hunting. I'm trying to get more into saltwater, like I still like you know I, you know I do like it, but like I'm not the biggest ocean person, like how I like to go in I'm a big swimmer.

Speaker 2: 22:55

I'm not the best swimmer in the world but I'm I like to. I like to swim when there's water, I like to be in the water. But once it gets past, like my chest and like maybe my neck area where I can't see and you know our ocean over here in the Jersey Long Island area, it's just dirty as hell and you can't see the bottom. So like it's not the most comforting thing in the world going far, far out in a boat. But you know also I think I watched Jaws too many times as a kid, so like I love sharks, but I have a huge paranoia of getting eaten by a shark all the way out in the middle of the ocean.

Speaker 3: 23:30

Yeah, it's definitely sketchy out there.

Speaker 2: 23:32

Yeah, yeah, definitely. What type of fishing do you do?

Speaker 3: 23:38

I would say mostly striped bass and fluke are probably like the two big ones. I mean we catch a lot of everything, a lot of like porgies, a lot of sea bass, like when the triggerfish come in. A catch a lot of, a lot of everything, a lot of like porgies, a lot of sea bass, like when the trigger fish come in. Um, a little bit of everything, but like mainly striped bass and fluke are probably like the two biggest things. Um, and then like if sort of like the wreck, like I said, porgy, sea bass, blackfish, stuff like that.

Speaker 2: 24:02

Now that kind of makes sense, like I swear. It's like every time I talk to a, a saltwater fisherman they're invested in, completely dialed in, where it's like saltwater fishing takes over everything during during that time of the season. So it does make sense like once hunting's over, it's like all right, I'm not even scouting anymore, it is full-blown, like let's go out, you know, for striped bass and everything like that. Like that seems like to be the thing. Like I think with freshwater fishermen you kind of get that where it's like all right, I can go out for a couple hours and then you know I can go scout and stuff. Like because you're in the woods, usually you're on a river or something like that where it's like when you're obviously you're doing saltwater, you're either on the shoreline or you're out in the ocean. So it's like you can't really juggle both at the same time, like you could with fresh water yeah, definitely, definitely.

Speaker 3: 24:53

I mean it's kind of like two completely different places, you know um, but I mean we do see a lot of big deer over here, but like on on the beaches and stuff, I wish you could hunt there. That'd be great I've.

Speaker 2: 25:05

So I that's something that I've heard of. I've had a couple buddies before I started the podcast and they they lived in long island, everything that's like dude, we have monster deer like right on the shore, and everything I'm like well, I'm like I don't think I've ever gone once to the jersey shore and saw like deer, but like that's so, like I was like no way, I was like deer and long, like long, long island, like there's, there's. First of all, when I found out there was like you guys had the herd that you guys have, like you guys do have a lot of deer and big deer too. Like you're starting to see some big deer being taken out of long island, everything like that. But those, those residential deer, are just, they are something to admire because they get to grow to be tanks and you guys get a lot of them. So it's, it's. It is a lot of opportunity for you guys oh yeah, sure, I mean we have.

Speaker 3: 25:52

Like I said, I'm pretty I'm spoiled, like I I couldn't live in another state and like I have family that lives in florida and they haven't they haven't shot a deer in like years, you know, like or they see something and it's like so small, not even worth shooting, like I couldn't live like that yeah, like I shoot because obviously we can, you know, and it's great being in, just like our area.

Speaker 2: 26:20

I, you know, I know maine's very difficult, minnesota is very difficult, but like for the most part, like jersey, new y, new York, new York stuff too, but like Long Island, connecticut, pa, there's a lot of options and of course you know you go to the Midwest but like that far north, that south, you know it's just very difficult hunting where it's like you're chasing completely different deer. I'm not saying these other states don't have big deer, but they do. But I don't think they have the opportunity that we have, especially in our tri-state area, like our opportunity definitely outshines, I think, most of the country's opportunity when it comes to chasing deer and fishing too. Like we have saltwater, we have freshwater, we have, you know we have hunting turkey, you know waterfowl, upland birds, like our areas can kind of do it, can kind of do it all. Like you can travel all within, you know a general decent drive and kind of do everything.

Speaker 2: 27:19

If we're talking um, I was talking to knocked outdoors um zach yesterday, um, and you know pa has elk, it like you could go to PA and if you draw a tag you can go hunt elk in PA instead of going out to the Midwest. You know we can go up North and you can hunt moose up in Maine, you know, and not have to go to, you know, all the way up up North, up into Canada or to Alaska to do it Like that. That's's pretty unique and you know it's. It's it's cool that in our area it's pretty accessible with hunting and it's it's definitely a blessing oh, yeah, for sure.

Speaker 3: 27:57

I mean that's one of the things that's been like. You know, like obviously, well, you don't live alone, but living on long island, you you grow up with a lot of people who move away because of how expensive it is here, and it's like that's literally the one thing that really keeps me here is that my ability to hunt and fish. You know, like I could find a job anywhere in the world. I mean you could say the same thing about hunting and fishing but like there's nothing like at least that I feel is like so good like all together, like I have so many species of fish. Whether I want to go saltwater, freshwater, like the big game hunting like here, specifically in suffolk county, is like ridiculous and I mean that's really all I do.

Speaker 3: 28:34

I duck hunt every once in a while. You know I'm not a huge duck hunter. Um, I was a big duck hunter when I was younger. I I did a lot, but I just kind of grew out of it like I don't know. For me to spend all day to shoot like one or two ducks, it's like not really worth it and it's like most of the time here in wing island you're not shooting mallard, you're shooting like sea ducks.

Speaker 2: 28:53

They taste like crap, so yeah they end up just being like dog treats at the end of the day I, I've grown into um, being a waterfall hunter nonetheless, I'm growing into it, you know. But, like I said, I've never had a sea duck before. As you know, we get the. We get plenty of opportunity here to shoot mallards, woodies, like you know, mcgansers, all these things, um, you know, so I don't have to really too much deal with the sea ducks and have like taste a duck, that isn't. And then you know the geese. This is my first year shooting geese and I absolutely fell in love with it. But you know, it's just having the option, the. The options are just, you know, I didn't.

Speaker 2: 29:35

You know we have bears, coyotes, bobcats, you know, um, I think um, dave was telling me you guys have on the island, um, those like feral dogs, I think, um, I can't remember what he, what he called it. Um, you guys have, like these feral dogs. Let me see if I, if you'll, answer my text right now. But if he, if he answers, I will, uh, I'll, I'll definitely let you guys know. But, um, you know. So, so, growing up, so you said you started roughly around 13 years old, what, what was your like first memory of deer hunting? You know what, what was that? One thing, that kind of got you, got you hooked.

Speaker 3: 30:18

So well, my first. So my first memory of deer hunting was so I'm scared, scared of heights, like my whole life. Growing up I was scared of heights. I'm like okay with them now. Like I feel comfortable in the tree stand I used to do carpentry so I feel comfortable on a roof. When it's in my hands I feel comfortable. But on top of a crazy tall building it's sketched out, uh, we were going upstate and like those, um, I don't know what exact trees they are, but they're like. They're like the very tall pines they only have, like the pine up at the very top, like the rest of the trunk is pretty much bare, so they're perfect for climbers. So I was like 14 at the time.

Speaker 3: 31:01

In new york you were allowed to rifle hunt at 14. Um, so first, literally first, not first six I hunted with the, with the bow, here on the island. But first year out, first day with the rifle, I'm going up, it's like four in the morning, and my uncle well, I call my uncle, it's my, my brother's, uh, football coach that got us into it and uh, you know, he became a close family friend and, um, I'm going up. Oh, my God, is this high enough? He's like, keep going, keep going, keep going. Oh my god, is this high enough? And then, like I get to the point where, like he's like lifting my backpack up, you know, to get me those extra couple of feet. So he's like, what's the matter? Like you're scared, I'm like, yeah, honestly, I'm like kind of scared right now. This is pretty sketchy. He's like, don't worry about it. He's like, just tie yourself in.

Speaker 3: 31:49

He's like if you, uh, he's like. He's like if the tree breaks, he's like I mean, you're screwed either way. He's like, if you're above the break, you're gonna fall, he's like, and if you're below the break, he's like it's gonna fall on you, he's like, and then just walks away. And now that was like my introduction to rifle hunting, 14 years old, 4, 30 in the morning. So I'm like like this is not fun. And then, of course, daylight was up like 40 feet in the air, you know, at least that's what it feels like. And uh, yeah, so that was like my first introduction to rifle season. Um, but yeah, that was that, was it?

Speaker 2: 32:24

uh, that's like you don't even want to move at that point like it's, like you're, you're shaking it's like I, I, oh my, the wind blows and it's like, oh my god, I'm going down yeah yeah, but I mean I I liked it like just being up there, the calm, the quietness and all that.

Speaker 3: 32:39

but um, literally the very first time I I climbed the tree hunting in the morning I'm waiting for it opening day and I hear a Turkey.

Speaker 3: 32:51

and I'm like man, this thing, I'm like it's got to be somewhere close and then it gets light enough to where it starts to come down and it was literally in the tree branch, like right above me, like if I reached up I could have touched it. I had no idea. It was there the whole time but that was pretty cool. Like the first time that I looked up, flew down, I was like holy shit, like this is, this is insane.

Speaker 2: 33:13

Like I have to do that would never that would never happen during turkey season, like that would. That would never not in a million years, would that happen during the actual season yeah, no, it was crazy.

Speaker 3: 33:25

Like I said, I was like all morning here the like clucks. You know the little noises they're making. I'm'm like where the hell is this looking around? It's literally like not even a foot and a half above me.

Speaker 2: 33:37

That's, that's, that's absolutely crazy, real quick. So Dave confirmed. He said it's actually upstate New York that they have coy dogs, which are hybrid between wild and domestic dogs. And then on Long Island there has been confirmed sightings of coyotes. So it was the koi dogs. I thought they were on Long Island, but they're actually in upstate New York.

Speaker 3: 34:00

That's crazy. I've never heard of it. Was it koi dog?

Speaker 2: 34:03

Yeah, yeah, koi dogs C-O-Y-D-O-s, um, you know, so I guess you know, like I said, feral dogs mating with coyotes, which and here we have, um, the mix of coyote and wolf hybrid. Um, you know, I know a couple people that have shot, shot those and those are pretty common. So, um, I could only imagine in the canine species, I mean, they just do, I guess, what they got to do and they make a brand new species.

Speaker 3: 34:33

that's just absolutely terrifying yeah, yeah, we just got. I mean, I say we just got them on the long island. I'm sure they've been here for a while. Um, you know, I I've had a couple. You know there's been trail cam pictures floating around for, you know, a couple years now, but there's been definitely a lot more and more sightings. You know pictures on instagram of them alive. You know, um, trail cam pictures. There's actually one crazy one trail cam picture with a coyote with a dog in its mouth, like a small dog. That was out here. But uh, yeah, I don't know how that works. I'm sure they'll come out with it sooner or later yeah, no, definitely.

Speaker 2: 35:22

Um, you know something that not confirmed yet yet, but I talked to a bunch of people and they've said that they've seen Mountain lion in New Jersey. You know, and I listen, I completely believe it. Do I think we have a mountain lion population? No, not, not so ever. But is it crazy for a mountain lion to wander all the way over here? For a mountain lion to wander all the way over here? No, not at all, because I heard, uh, I believe male mountain lions have like a crazy range of their their homeland. So like, at some point I would imagine one would make it into upstate new york, pa, and then to eventually into and to new jersey and honestly, you could be in the delaware water gap and never be seen.

Speaker 3: 36:05

What happened yeah, I have a trail picture of one from upstate really yeah, yeah, wow that.

Speaker 2: 36:15

So if they're definitely in upstate new york, there's npa and new jersey. Like I said, maybe one, maybe two, just you know, with that home range being so big and just cruising through, you would imagine that they get pushed out of their territories by a more dominant male. And you know they have to, they have to move. But I don't know what I would do if I saw a mountain lion in the woods. Like I really don't. Like I'm cool with seeing bear, like I I love, like we've talked about all the time in this podcast like bears one thing that I love seeing but mountain lions that are actually known to hunt humans and attack you from behind and grab your neck is just something I really do not want to deal with. Like keep that out in the midwest. Like keep that montana and and all those areas, keep that out there. We got enough to deal with.

Speaker 3: 37:00

I wouldn't want that around here yeah, that's, yeah, they're, they're definitely, uh, definitely sketchy animals yeah, no, definitely are.

Speaker 2: 37:12

But um, so when, uh, you hunted up up in upstate new york with the rifle and everything like that, when did you convert to the bow, like here on long island? Like, was that at the same, roughly, in the same time, or did that take a little, a little longer? I started bow hunting first.

Speaker 3: 37:30

Okay, so bow hunting was okay. Yeah, just because the long island, we don't have a rifle season, we only have bow, and then we have, I think it's three weeks of shotgun. Um, but, like I said, they make it such a pain in the ass that's not even worth doing. Uh, so like I have, true, I have like tree stands that I could ride my bike to from my house. You know, if I had so cool, that's great. So yeah, like like long island, I mean we can bow hunts. We have a good, like a real good, season. I mean it's now, it's I think sept, uh october 1st to to January 31st is like the regular season. So we got four full months of regular season. I think they have a early doe season. I know they did have an early doe season. I'm not too sure if they still have that they did it last year.

Speaker 2: 38:22

I know that I don't know if, going forward, they're going to do it, but I know last year they did that.

Speaker 3: 38:32

Yeah, so I mean mean, like I said, to be honest with you, I really don't even hunt too much in october, just because the last couple years it's been so nice and like I'm still fishing, I'm still killing striped bass.

Speaker 2: 38:38

so another another thing of being a saltwater fisherman that if you're doing both, especially with the way this crazy weather that we've been having, I've same thing. I know a bunch of guys that they're like you know what I'm not really ready to be in the deer woods yet. Like we got to take full advantage of this beautiful weather and be out on on a boat and and out fishing, you know, in the in the ocean, instead being out in the woods, um, but it's hard. Like I could imagine having that dilemma. Like I'm so happy that I'm such a hardcore bow hunter that I don't have to deal with that dilemma with picking one over the other yeah, it's a october is definitely one of the worst months for me, like just you know, like mentally and just like everything.

Speaker 3: 39:26

I'm so tired, like, like I I always like joke around, I always like tell people like I feel like a drug addict, just because, like I'm walking around now with no sleep, like people talking to me, I'm not even paying attention and just like I'm, I'm literally addicted to just hunting and fishing, and it's bad sometimes yeah, no, I it's listen, I feel you it's Love the lifestyle.

Speaker 2: 39:49

We gotta love the lifestyle. That we do, you know. And then back to the Both. Oh, you were gonna say something.

Speaker 3: 39:57

No, I was just gonna say. I have to say the worst part is, is that, like During that time, is that, like we were just saying, it's a really good time for both? So I can deer hunt During the day, but then I can fish at night, so it's a really good time for both? Um, so I can deer hunt during the day, but then I can fish at night, so it's like I'd never get sleep.

Speaker 2: 40:11

Never, yeah, no, that that's one of those things like cause you got to do it all over again, you know the next day, or or you got to go train or you know, work out with you know and do what you do with your imagine, with your clients, and everything like that. So it's like there is no. There isn't from hunting and fishing, especially for you, if you're you're fishing like that, like there really is no rest. Do you turkey hunt too, or have you no?

Speaker 3: 40:35

Um, when I was younger I used to turkey hunt upstate a lot, uh, but um, I haven't done a lot of turkey in the past couple of years, um, just cause it's it's usually like my one month that I don't do much.

Speaker 3: 40:49

you know, it's like yeah yeah, like I guess around now, like march, april and may are kind of like my, my down, though april really technically starts straight past season, for us, april 15th I believe it is, um, but yeah, you're really not really catching him size, at least in the West, like towards, like you guys, towards Jersey, towards Nassau city, all that.

Speaker 2: 41:14

Yeah, yeah, no. So so you do get somewhat of a a downtime and not having to be an absolute crazy person and going out at two o'clock, three o'clock in the morning to go chase some birds, so I guess you do get a little little break. Besides that, you, you don't get much of one and it's like it's just on full grind mode from season to season to to your job and everything like that. Now you know you got a ridge runner and everything like that, so that's going to add even even more for for you to do and stuff like that. But it's pretty cool experience and and it's it's really unique and it's it's it's the grind that we love.

Speaker 3: 41:51

But it's like, jesus christ, like some days it's like, uh, I just want to sleep yeah, no, I mean, I don't know, it's just something about like that's just kind of how my brain works, like, uh, I don't know, like I just need I always need stuff to be like going on and just like I. I get bored very easily and like that's another reason why I do a lot of bottom fishing is because it's like I don't have to go out and troll for tuna all day and catch maybe one fish. You know I can go out, catch hundreds of fish a day and then you know, be fine. So it's like, uh, I just need stuff like happening all the time, which is kind of ironic because I hunt all the time, which is literally doing nothing yeah, so I need nothing at the same time it's.

Speaker 2: 42:39

It's a different like. It's a different type of doing nothing, like, yes, you're doing nothing, but the fact that something can pop off in like a split second and you know there could be deer, there could be a bear, there could be whatever type of animal could be coming in, I think keeps you up on your toes a little bit. Yeah, there's always a lull and everything. It's like, oh gosh, like I just want something to move, but like you just never know. So, like you know, plus, in the stand, like at least you, you can, I like to to throw in like the AirPods and listen to some music, you know, listen to podcasts. Like that's usually what I'll do, um, just just to kill some time. But I'd much rather be doing nothing in the woods than sitting at home doing absolutely nothing, cause I feel so lazy and feel like a sack of shit. So it's just different.

Speaker 3: 43:28

Definitely, definitely.

Speaker 2: 43:29

I agree with that um, so, you know, can we go into some of the if you're someone who's listening to this or you know someone that's interested in beginning on and deals with eczema and everything like that, like this is something that you would probably, I imagine, highly recommend, just because it's all natural. You don't have to worry about, like you know, those chemicals any, any type of irritation like that. Like these things are proven to to help with certain skin, uh issues that that people do have uh, yeah, definitely.

Speaker 3: 44:04

So I mean, first off, I'm going to say I'm no expert in this, like I'm literally a hunter who just started making this stuff. So I am trying to do some research, you know, like, obviously, more information about it. But I mean, if you have like questions, like, obviously reach out to the Instagram. I can help out. I can do some research, find out the answers. But, like I always say to a professional professional, talk to like an esthetician or someone like uh, who deals with skin. Like, if you have a dermatologist, you go to. Like, you know, whatever the case is, whoever you feel comfortable talking to, um, but, with that said, a lot of them don't really know what tallow is or have never even heard it or used it, you know. So, um, sometimes it's really not the best person to talk to because they're like oh, don't use that. You know. So, um, sometimes it's really not the best person to talk to because they're like oh, don't use that. You know, use like these chemicals, you know. So it depends who you're talking to, obviously, um, but I would say like, get you know, like, go to them with information, like, come to me, I'll give you information, go to them like, hey, look it, you know it has these vitamins, these minerals x, y, y and z. It's supposed to do this for me. Like, what do you think based off of your education? You know, cause if you just go out there with a blank thing, you know same thing. You're going to the doctor. You're like, hey, uh, you know my personal trainer said this. And they're like, you know, personal trainer, don't listen to him. But if you're like, hey, my personal trainer said X, y and Z because of this study, this study and this study, they're like, oh, yeah, maybe he, maybe he kind of knows what he's talking about. So I always tell you people like, if you're gonna go talk to a dermatologist or esthetician or you know someone about your skin, like, go with them about facts, because then it's like you're talking on their same kind of like lingo. You know, if you just come to them and they're like, hey, like I heard about this stuff on instagram, they're gonna be like, oh man, like another one of those instagram things you know. Um, so, uh, but with eczema, um, from my understanding, like eczema is kind of just like dry skin, like very, very bad dry skin. Um, so it is, it does help with eczema like I know about.

Speaker 3: 46:04

I know a couple people who use it. Um, my one friend specifically. She buys it for her son and says that it's helped, like like a ton, you know just. Uh, I think he has it on his hands. Um, I know somebody else who had eczema on their, on their legs and they use it with a lot of success, um, but like, then again, it's kind of like everything else, like it's not it. It can be used for everything, but it's also not for everything, you know. So what you might find it useful for it might not work at all for me and vice versa, you know. So it's. You know it's, it's natural. At the end of day, it's natural and it's gonna help some people and it might not help others, you know and that's everything you know.

Speaker 3: 46:46

Just like hunting is not for everyone, fishing not for everyone you know you there, I was muted.

Speaker 2: 46:56

I, yeah, I was my. I was muted. My bed, um, the. The human body reacts differently to all different types of things. Um, so, yeah, it's just because it helps one person doesn't mean it's going to help the other, you know, and it's it's kind of like a trial by error error. Um, yeah, definitely always recommend going to see your doctor and everything my mom works for does this and that she's big into to skin care and everything like that. She has her own company and works on plenty of other companies. So she did say it's like it is a great idea and it does work.

Speaker 2: 47:27

But, yet again, like, some things just don't work correctly for others. You know, some people do have allergic reaction, just like you can have allergic reaction to to anything you know there you, you just never know until until you either go get it checked out or or you try it. But, um, I've used it um, since you sent it over, and it was the hard part of the winter, like I made, and I don't use too, and this is the one thing about being a hunter, especially a deer hunter it's like, all right, I can't use the, the normal products that I would typically use throughout the off season. So now my skin is starting to get really dry, like my lips are starting to crack because we're outside all the time in the winter. This has it has has helped me. From my personal experience it is. It has helped a lot. I've seen a big difference, um, and it's something that, like, I'm not too worried about.

Speaker 2: 48:21

You know the smell or anything like that. Like I'm not gonna be smelling like a rose I, I know, I know that, like I, it has its own unique smell, but it's it's not, um, an unnatural smell. It was what I'm trying to say Like it's not, like this, it's not a human, normal, human odor. So I like to put it on and I'll go out and hunting and I'll. I'll have no, no issues, just because, to me, I think deer really do pick up on on human odors more and unnatural orders that they're not used to smelling.

Speaker 3: 48:53

Yeah, for sure, and that's like one of the reasons why I made the unscented, where I still continue to make the unscented. Yeah, for sure, and that's one of the reasons why I made the unscented, where I still continue to make the unscented. Not a lot of people, I mean, you have it. It's not like it's disgusting. You know what I'm saying? It has a very slight odor, but some people don't like it. So I made the lavender, but I still continue to make the unscented because that's what I use, like you said, for hunting. Like I go out in the woods, I don't want to be smelling like lavender or you know whatever roses. I am going to make a, probably going to end up making cedar wood for like a more masculine scent.

Speaker 3: 49:31

That would be cool Also because we're, you know, something like the Northeast that that we have a decent amount of. So you know, I'm not making like, uh, you know something like sandalwood. Um, sandalwood was like the other one that I was kind of tossing up, but it's like we don't really have a lot of sandalwood around here. So it's like you know you're walking through pine or the deer is walking through pines and then smell sandalwood. He's like what? The hell is that you know?

Speaker 3: 49:57

yeah so cedar is probably like I'm 99 sure is what I'm going to go with, um, but yeah, like, like you said, that's, it's something, and I don't have to worry about, you know, me smelling up the woods, although I mean, we're kind of in different areas, so I'm curious to get your take on this, but I don't know how much I believe in the whole scent thing. But I also think it depends on where you live. Like here on long island, we have, like you said, residential deer, so like they're smelling people all the time. Um, especially, a lot of the places that we're legally allowed to hunt is also mountain bike trails or walking trails, so like the deer are seeing people 365 days a year. Uh, when I go upstate, though, I feel like that's a different story, because you know you might be hiking two, three, four or five miles into the woods.

Speaker 3: 50:54

Like that might be different story, because you know you might be hiking two, three, four, five miles into the woods. Like that might be the first person that you're seeing, you know, or or seen in in you know how many days. Uh, so I'm curious to get your, your, your take on that.

Speaker 2: 51:08

So that's, that's actually a pretty popular topic that we, that we talk about, because I think I don't focus on scent control as much I would as I would like in maine or like upstate new york or an area like that. Um, now, if I'm, I'm deep a couple miles in, that's a different story. But if I'm hunting near hiking trails or you know, in between houses or somewhere where these deer are encountering humans, often, well, I'm not worried, like, yeah, I do, I do my ritual and I'll you know, I'll, I'll wash with with my soap and I'll do like the normal process that I would normally do. But hunting in a bad wind is not a make or break in in certain spots. Yes, I do hunt certain spots, where, of course, it is in new jersey, but I don't, I'm not, I'm not someone who's going to be like, hey, you know what, you have to be a hundred percent scent free, because there's no such thing as a hundred percent scent free. That's, it's impossible. The minute you step out the shower, um, you're, you're getting some type of human scent on you, like it. It's impossible, right, it just is so.

Speaker 2: 52:19

Um, I, I agree with you on that, like I, just these deer are so used to it where I don't, I don't think it matters. If you're hunting a state where it matters or an area where it matters, then of course I 100 agree with you. But these deer in in our tri-state area, they're so used to humans that it's like what, what is, what is I'm catching human scent? It's, it's an everyday life for them. It's it's every day. Yeah, for sure, um, but I, I like how you bring that up, because not not many people bring that up and not many people like we'll, we'll talk about it, because they still think that they need to hunt. You know that because they're watching videos off of you know, like the hunting public midwest whitetail and stuff like that it's like, yeah, their scent has to be like they have to play the wind, they have to like, they have to do these things correct.

Speaker 2: 53:11

You know, um, when I hunt bigger, mature deer, you know, when I hunt those big boys, yeah, I do it, not necessarily because I I have to, but I want to like bring every advantage in my favor. That that I can't, you know, if I'm going out and hunting does. No, no, I got spots. Like I said, I don't care about the wind, I don't even look at the wind. I'll just be like, all right, if I want to see some deer, I want to get an opportunity to shoot a deer, I'm going to that spot.

Speaker 2: 53:40

I was literally there yesterday filming, you know, taking pictures and and doing all a bunch of stuff, and I I didn't care that I was there like we're, we're being loud and everything like that, because they're used to it. There's a hiking trail a couple hundred yards away and then, you know, going even further, deep in there's houses, all like the. The wildlife management is zoned by by just houses all over the place. People walk on the on these roads, people are driving constantly. They're out in their yards playing and doing stuff. These deer hang out in their, in their yards, so it's like they're just used to it. So I don't, I don't, I don't really don't really mind, because you know it's like I said, it's another day of life over there yeah, sure, like that's how it is by us, like these new year I mean I have spots that I can still see my truck.

Speaker 3: 54:29

You know like I get up in the tree and I'm like, oh, there's yeah that and that's you know what.

Speaker 2: 54:35

That's something I I remember when I first started doing this and bow hunting, everything like that, and it's like I think it's because you watch all these shows on youtube and everything like that and you know, now, with the podcast, it's like, oh you, you have to go miles in. You know you have to do this, you have to do that, you have to get away from everyone. You can't be around houses and it's like, no, that's not really the reality because, honestly, sometimes I see bigger deer and more deer around these residential areas because that's their safety. That's where they feel the most secure, because they're not being pressured there. You know they can escape in and out of state land or or or whatever you're hunting and they're not, you know, in danger all the time.

Speaker 2: 55:20

Um, so that's something the last couple years that I've taken key on. And you know, big shout out to one of my guys, like american mike, like there's spots where he doesn't go in far, because you know what you don't really have to. We're not in ohio, you know. We're not in iowa, we're not in in these, in these states. It's like you just got to know your area, scout your area, figure out the deer movement, your movement and also other other hunting pressure or or hikers, and then you can listen. If you go a couple hundred yards in you can still see your truck, but you know there's deer going to be there almost every day. That's a great spot. Why go a mile in when you could just go a couple hundred, shoot a deer and have an easy drag out versus a miserable one?

Speaker 3: 56:06

yeah, oh, yeah, definitely. I mean both this year's buck and last year's buck. I shot out of the same, the same spot, I think. Actually I had a uh, no different tree, but like 10 yards apart from each other and over the same community scrape early in the season, and I was maybe 50 yards from my truck, you know if that like I was right there and the biggest deer I've ever shot was on an acre piece of land.

Speaker 2: 56:40

Jesus, that is, that's incredibleesus, that is that that's incredible. That is that's incredible. But that's that's all that you need. Like someone was telling me like, oh, like, I only got like two, two or three acres and it's like man, you can make that work. I would listen, I would kill for two or three acres of my own property, like I'd kill for for one acre of my own property, because, as long as everything's set up correctly, it's going to be a good spot. Like if you got deer there and your neighbors allow you to hunt or you know, they give you the okay, whatever your local laws are. Like man, that's all that you need. If I could, I would go in my backyard, I'd pop a deer. I've had a lot of nice bucks and a lot of does and everything like that, but I legally cannot hunt in my backyard. So there's nothing I can do and it's not big and I wish I could.

Speaker 3: 57:24

Yeah, yeah, yeah yeah.

Speaker 2: 57:26

Get it done anywhere.

Speaker 3: 57:28

One of those like perfect little areas where it was like an acre plot, two houses on the side and then it was like a horse farm and then public land, and like they just come off that public land and just chill in that one acre and they go back out, you know, and they do their thing. And funny enough, actually, when I shot that buck, I was supposed to go out with one of my friends who, uh, he's like he didn't get me into hunting but he got me like uh into, I guess, hunting uh bigger caliber deer. You know like he's one of those guys who shoots, he'll shoot one or two deer every year and they're like ginormous long island deer and uh, so he got me into, you know like passing up all like little bucks and stuff like that. And we were supposed to go to like one of his like real sweet spots out in, like out east and like the hampton somewhere, and uh, he overslept, like didn't, like wasn't answering his phone.

Speaker 3: 58:23

I'm texting him and call him. I'm like, god damn, whatever, I'll just go to this one spot and it's one of those local spots like two minutes from my house and I'm in there. I was late because he overslept. We were supposed to go somewhere else and I just get in there and like I'm in the stand for like 10 minutes not even 10 minutes and it's like I want to say it's like maybe a minute, two minutes after legal shooting, like this deer just comes walking up and I was like, oh man, this is, he's done. So if shout out to my friend and he didn't oversleep that day, we would be somewhere else.

Speaker 2: 58:59

That that's that's great, that that's that's excellent to hear. So we'll, we'll, we'll go a few more and then, and then we'll get you going to listen, love, to have you on love, love the product and everything like that. Enjoy, enjoy, talking to you on Instagram and everything like that as well. You know so for what? Where? Where do you want to? You know, move this brand and everything like that. Like, what's your five-year plan? Do you have a five-year plan? Is there anything else that you'd be also interested in? You know, getting into any, any ideas like that?

Speaker 3: 59:41

you any any ideas like that? Um, yeah, I guess, and no, like I, I almost I have a five-year plan, but I also don't like it's just kind of like, wherever this goes, it goes. Like I said before, this is not like the main thing I'm trying to do. I have a few other more I guess permanent jobs, um, so kind of like whatever happens with this, what happens um, but also I I do kind of have like not really a plan, more of a vision, I guess, um, I would say, in the next like five years, like I definitely want to get um.

Speaker 3: 1:00:10

So I'm gonna be in a barber shop and it's a, it's a local store here on london island, so cornucopia, um, it's like a health, it's like a trader, joe's, basically it's like a local trader, joe's, um and uh. So there's how I went there and I got it in another local barbershop. So, like, my goal is to get it to like those places so they can get it out to people. You know, like get it out that way, versus me trying to sell to you and sell to them and this person, um. So number one I want to get into like more stores, um, but I've also kind of been thinking about like changing the name um from ridge runner tallow to ridge runner outdoors, so that way I could offer like other products, you know, whether whatever it is hunting, fishing, you know whatever anything um. So that was kind of like a. I've been thinking about that just because, like, I do have like the bowstring wax and I do have some other ideas and like some some prototype things that I've made in the past.

Speaker 2: 1:01:08

So it doesn't just, it doesn't just hold you down to one, it kind of broadens what, what you can do, and it. It makes more sense when if you do get into the other products and everything like that. It makes more sense when you're selling it Plus like you could just do more with the page. You could just do a lot more instead of just being tallowed because people are going to be like, well, what the hell does tallow have to do with fishing stuff? If you want to sell fishing stuff and everything like that, yeah, definitely to sell fishing stuff and and everything like that.

Speaker 3: 1:01:46

So, yeah, definitely, you know. So that's at the end of the day, uh. But yeah, like I guess kind of at the end of the day, like I don't want this to just be like another towel company or another like outdoors company. Like, like I said, I want to kind of mesh both like hunt, like outdoors, and fitness together. You know, um, so people who are hunting and fishing, like for for the lifestyle, not just to say like, oh, I hunt and I fish. You know, like people who hunt to fill the freezer, people who fish to fill the freezer, you know who now also use the tallow, or like the bowstring wax.

Speaker 3: 1:02:18

You know, um, so I guess that's kind of like like the people I want to attract or or eventually turn people into those people. You know, um, like that's like my ultimate goal. You know, obviously, as a personal trainer, like I wanted to turn people fit. You know, as now a hunter, like I want to help people hunt. So if I can turn people from not hunting and being unhealthy to hunters who are now healthy, like that's a win-win in in every situation yeah, no, I I definitely agree, and that would be that'd be pretty cool um aspect to you I'd be very interested in into doing that.

Speaker 2: 1:02:53

Um, you know that, and because that's always like just the whole fitness thing, like if you're, I think if you're you're a diehard hunter, like that kind of comes into it, especially if you're like that mobile hunter and everything like that, your fitness, your, your well-being, making sure you're, you're working out, you're being active and you know you're eating the, the right foods and everything like that is on on top of you know having the tallow and other whatever skin products else there are out there. So I think that that would be really unique because, like, I think, yet again, that's something that is, you know, our fitness, our fitness education, our health is just starting to grow even more honestly. Since COVID, it's really, really, I think, boomed and to being a whole different, different level now. So I I think offering something like that would be very beneficial um as well, um but you know what I was like good

Speaker 3: 1:03:51

no, no, no, I I was you go no, I was just gonna say like, um, I taken like this certification course in the past and like shout out to my good friend, brian Costello for coming up with like this whole thing. So it's called O2-3. Basically, what it is is like when you go to, like you hire a personal trainer, or like you hire a nutritionist, nutritionist, or even like join a jiu-jitsu school, like you're only thinking about that one hour. Quote unquote one hour. You know, people do more, a little bit less, right, but the general class is one hour out of your day, right? So, um, I was trained in the principles of 023, right. Like how do you make the other 23 hours better? Right, because what most people do is they go to crossFit, they go to Jiu Jitsu, they do the one hour and they're like cool, now I can just go home like drink beers, do this, do that, you know. So it's like the other 23 hours just canceled out that one hour, you know, and are probably actually set you back, you know.

Speaker 3: 1:04:51

So, once again, that's like kind of how I, at least in my personal life, like at least in my personal life, like put them together, right, like my one hour is fitness, whether it's me going to the gym, whether it's me swinging kettlebells on the beach or me going to jiu-jitsu right, that's like my quote unquote fitness. But then I have other, the other 23 hours, right, so you call them the pillars of performance. Right, so you have movement, mindset, sleep and nutrition, right, so movement could be hunting, could be walking a mile to your tree, stand, it could be jujitsu, whatever. Mindset, like your mind is a muscle, so you should think about using it right, read, do podcasts, talk to interesting people, talk to people who are smarter than you. Sleep, obviously we all know sleep is a huge, important thing in health. And then mindset, sleep and nutrition. Nutrition, um, and then, obviously, what do we eat? Right, and that's how, once again, how hunting and fishing plays into this whole thing.

Speaker 3: 1:05:44

Uh, so I kind of want to like piggyback off of what he taught me through the 023 like and their principles, and now kind of how to do it like, uh, in like a modern, like old school way. Right, like we should be living using all these principles, using, you know, eating meat and eating, you know, vegetables that we grow, right, but it's like, not quote-unquote modern. Like modern is like going and going to Whole Foods and just grabbing something off the hot plate and like going back to work, you know. So at the end of the day, I just kind of want to combine everything that I love to do and like show people that it's not as like crazy as you may think it is.

Speaker 3: 1:06:27

You know, it could be crazy like people look at me and they're like you're out of your mind, yeah, like. So it could be like as crazy as you want it to be. But it could also just be very simple and easy, like at least for me, that's what I try and is just simplify everything. Like if it's too, I don't say if it's too hard, like I'm not gonna do it, but if it's too many steps, too many moving parts, like it's not for me. You know, I just give me something easy that I can do and I can implement right away.

Speaker 2: 1:07:09

Yeah, now, that's that's perfectly said and, you know, really, really unique. And I love also how you said, you know, also with mindfulness too, and it's about our brain and you to lack now, because they watch a lot of tv now they, they're on their phones a lot now they're not reading, they're not, you know, using their brain in the way that they shouldn't, should be. And you know, I think that's been a huge concern, like I work in the psychiatric field with, with children and I see it every day. Like they do not, they don't even know how to tell time. They're not, and that's that's.

Speaker 2: 1:07:37

They're not taught how to tell time, like they no longer teach, you know yeah, the classic way that, yeah yeah, they're good at their phones and and that's great, like they they can, they can tell you everything about their phones and all this technology, but which, yes, it's for, which is useful, because that's the way our world's going into. But like reading still porn. Knowing your history is so important, like knowing you know, just, you know simple math and and everything like that is you know, is going to, or the simple people skills, having holding a conversation with somebody. You know, proper business etiquette.

Speaker 3: 1:08:15

They don't, they don't, they don't, they don't know how to do that yeah, pay taxes, how to write a check, like, how to do any like normal things, you know, yeah, normal everyday stuff, yeah, but like they can, you know, do some crazy geometry that like you're never going to use, or algebra, and that's why I keep telling, I tell my kids I go listen.

Speaker 2: 1:08:37

They're like hey, you know. They're like mr mike, can you help me with, you know, with this homework and I literally will look at it. I'm like, first of all, I haven't done this since high school. Second of all, I remember when I was doing math in high school and my mom said that they change everything and like every how many years. Like math changes, it is the most truest thing in the world. Because I'll be like, oh, no, well, okay, like I think I remember this, this is how you're supposed to do it. And they're like uh, no, that what they didn't teach us, like this is how we're, and I'll just look at it like, yeah, no, I'm a, I'm a big reader.

Speaker 2: 1:09:10

Um, I love to read. Um, obviously, I read a lot of military books and and stuff like that, um, travel books. I I used to read a lot of history stuff. Now my reading has gone down in recent years just because of how busy I am, working all the time. But the fiance and I we will go through periods of time where we we start to read before bed every, every night for like an hour, um, and if I get really hooked on on a new book or something like that. Like I pick that over watching tv and I'll, I'll literally I could finish books within if it's interesting to me, within like a day, maybe not even a day if I, if I really get into it. How about you?

Speaker 3: 1:10:03

Oh nice, I'm kind of the same thing I like to read, but like it's one of those things like if, like, I get into it, I read a lot, and then you know, for whatever reason I get out of it, and then I don't pick up a book for like six months. You know exactly how. I am, but I was gonna say you should check out unplugged.

Speaker 3: 1:10:17

Um, it's a book like about how to unplug yourself from technology. Uh, it just gives you like tips and tricks on you know how to I guess, for the lack of a better term unplug yourself but actually one of my.

Speaker 3: 1:10:32

One of my favorite quotes came out of that book. It's to upgrade your biology. You have to downgrade your technology, and it's like a lot of people don't do that. You know they think about like, oh, I have to get this Fitbit or I have to. You know, I have to get 10,000 steps or I have to get, like, my heart rate into this zone. You know it's like what, like honestly, what most people need is none of that. You, this zone. You know it's like what like honestly, what most people need is none of that. You know they need to get rid of all that technology and just simplify things.

Speaker 2: 1:11:00

You know that's smart, that, because that is a huge thing. Like working where I work, it's like all the nurses, we're all like we need to get to 10 000 steps. We need to get to 10 000 steps. Like 10 000 steps. It's one more when we're at work, like 10 000 steps. That's, that's the goal.

Speaker 2: 1:11:15

And like you'll see us like we're tracking our watch, like okay, nope, I need to get up and I need to start moving again, like I'm not where I should be in and you know it's. You start concentrating on that same thing with the heart rate thing, like that, that was perfectly set too, because I I look at that and like a lot of things, like oh yeah, you, your heart rate needs to be like this. You know it has to hit this zone and has to, you know, for this amount of time, and then you want it to slow it down and you want to do this and you want to do that. And it's technology. But like everything is on our phones now, everything is on our watches now, like calories, you know your everything, your O2 levels are on it now. Like this phone can do an EKG, my watch can do an EKG and everything like that. It's absolutely insane.

Speaker 3: 1:11:58

I always tell people like especially like the younger kids that I work with like all that stuff is going to get you five percent. Like if you want to get better, the last five percent. Like if you're LeBron James and you know, or if you're like the head of the head in your sport, like then it makes sense because you're dealing with everybody else. Who's the head of the head, you know, but it's like for almost everyone, 95 percent of, like your workload or your output, whatever you want to call it like is pretty, is good enough. You know. Like that last, like five percent and like I, you can even argue it's probably even less, probably two percent. You know, um is really like all that stuff is, it's.

Speaker 3: 1:12:38

It's like if you just don't focus on that and focus on the other 95, it's just, it's the same thing as the 023 principle, right, it's like everybody's so focused on that one hour but they forget about the other 23. Same thing with this. It's like everyone's so focused on that last two percent of. Oh, how can I get, you know, my, my jump higher, my, my, you know this faster, that faster. You know whatever percent better you know, but it's like you're forgetting about, like all the other things, like how about sleeping, how about eating correctly, how about doing this. You know, it's like your day-to-day, like you know things that you should be doing yeah, yeah, no, it's that.

Speaker 2: 1:13:12

That's really interesting and you know it's. Oh, man, I would love to dive deeper into next time. We we should do like a podcast all about that and and definitely dive, dive deeper into it. And you know, kind of we can easily connect it to hunting and and everything like that, because it applies to everything that we do in this world today. Um, yeah, you know, I, I got one more, one more question for you. I gotta ask um, everyone who comes on this podcast, I always record it down, I always write it down. This is a statistic that we have through the podcast. What would your dream hunt be and where? And it could be anywhere for two weeks. What would it be?

Speaker 3: 1:13:58

oh man, dream hunt. It would have to be alaska, just because I always wanted to go to alaska, um, and then I mean I would, I would love to shoot an elk just because of, like, I hear how delicious it is and all that stuff, um, but I mean I don't know, moose in alaska is probably there we go.

Speaker 2: 1:14:22

I get so excited. So I've been doing this podcast, I think what? On three or four years, now four years, and this would always be like one of the questions I would always ask, since, like day one and in the beginning, for the first two years when I wasn't tracking it, it was elk, elk, elk, elk, elk. There would be some moose mixed in there, but elk was definitely dominating and winning. I started taking notes last year in statistics in 2023, moose one. You are now the second interview of 2024 and so far, moose is up to nothing. We had main moose. Uh, in yesterday's recording we have alaskan moose with you.

Speaker 2: 1:15:05

I'm an alaskan moose guy. Like that is my dream, um, and I I think moose is. I think moose is getting more and more popular because I think, if you look, if you're talking about dream, not many people are going to be able to accomplish a moose hunt in alaska, but I think a elk hunt is way more achievable and way easier to go do than a moose hunt. I think people are starting to understand that because now more and more people are going out to colorado, new mexico and all these places to hunt elk and the next thing on the list it's moose and that might be. You might not be able to do that. Like in all honestly, like how many people actually get to go on a moose hunt, like I've only interviewed I think two, two people who've gone to alaska and hunt moose. I think one, one person that went to Maine to hunt moose out of 150, this will be 58, 59 episodes.

Speaker 3: 1:16:04

Yeah, I mean, if you just ask me animal, I'd probably say elk, but location and animal is definitely Alaskan moose.

Speaker 2: 1:16:12

Well, I'm taking a lot. I'm taking Alaskan. Listen. Moose is amazing too. I will tell you, I'm taking a lot. I'm taking Alaskan Listen moose is amazing too, I will tell you, I think, yet again, just because people don't get to eat it nearly as often. Yes, elk is one of my favorites, without a doubt. Hands down, moose is right up there, like moose, bear elk it is. Yeah, I'm big bear guy, big, big bear bear guy. We talk about a lot on the podcast. That is a. Those three right there are like the creme of the creme. Like you. You're never gonna go wrong with with any of those three. But, um, brandon, you know, I want to thank you so much for coming on. Are there any last words that that you got?

Speaker 3: 1:16:57

uh, you? No, I mean just thank you for having me. Uh, I would, I would love to do this again whenever you want. Uh, you know, we could dive into some more stuff about hunting, fishing, health, fitness, all that stuff. Um, I guess if anyone wants to follow me, you can follow me personally. It's b remy fit, so it's b r-e-m-y f-i-t. Underscore. Um the. The tallow page is ridge runner tallow co. So, um, you can just search ridge runner tallow, it'll. It'll pop up. Um, possibly soon I might be changing that, but it's, you know, not anything within that couple days for for now, it is going to be rich runner tallow if it does change.

Speaker 2: 1:17:41

Obviously, all the listeners and all their you know, all their followers, you guys, you guys will know, um, you know this is something that we plan on. You know, working with you. You know through on out, and you know I love the product and everything like that and anything that you need from us, um, any help, anything like that. Listen, feel free, reach out. Hopefully, one of the events that we do you'll, you'll be able to come and stuff like that. We would like to to have you know some of your stuff there too as well. Like I said, anything that you need, please feel free reach out and you know, thank you so much for coming on yeah, no, I really.

Speaker 3: 1:18:17

I really appreciate it. I was actually gonna. I was thinking about doing the. You guys are having the dinner right that you sent me. I'm actually competing jujitsu that day, so that's the only reason.

Speaker 2: 1:18:27

Oh, really Okay. Hey, listen, if you want, if you want to send me some of your stuff and we'll listen, I'll, I'll put it out, I I'll put it in, and and for people to buy, you just send me the prices over that that you want, uh, people to buy for. And you know, I imagine we'll, we'll, we'll get some, definitely some people to to buy. And then you know, hopefully for the next one you got nothing going on. It's going to be difficult, cause I know I think the next one we'll do is we'll do some type of event in summer I know it will be fishing season, you know, but at some point we will work on it where maybe you'll have the day off and you can definitely join.

Speaker 3: 1:19:04

No, definitely I'll make it a point to either get out there or you know we'll get together, Definitely, definitely.

Speaker 2: 1:19:11

Well, thank you guys so much for listening. Hope you guys enjoyed and we'll see you guys next time.