Restless Native

"I woke up at the hospital. I came to with a broken shoulder. The girls who found me, knew me, and they didn't recognize me. My buddy, the police officer, had tears in his eyes. All I could think about was my brother and I handling things." — Garrett L. GeorgeBy their own definition, Trinity Oaks uses hunting and fishing to give back and make a difference in the lives of others. That’s veterans, children of our fallen first responders and veterans, kids who have terminal illnesses, and the hungry. We’re going to get into all of this through one of Trinity Oaks’ volunteers, Garrett George. Garrett is doing some fantastic work through Trinity Oaks. But he comes from a troubled past. It’s been a long, difficult journey for him. Now, I will say, through Garrett’s journey, there have been some troubling tales, which he’s candid about in this interview. This show may not be right for young listeners for that reason. There’s not any language or anything like that—but there is a recounting of a tale fr

“I’d rather be a plumber and be the best I can be, and be able to hunt, rather than to push paint and never be able to hunt again. I feel like that’s more rewarding for me." - Ryan Kirby Today’s guest would tell you he was born an artist. That the paint brush was as natural in his hand as a basketball to Kobe Bryant. I’m not sure I agree. OK, the Kobe Bryant analogy is mine, Ryan would never say that. And I’ll agree some folks are more artistically inclined than others. But even with today’s guest’s natural ability, I think it’d sell his work ethic short to say he didn’t earn his success by putting in his form of 10,000 hours.Ryan has won over a dozen awards from organizations like Outdoor Life, National Wild Turkey Federation, and Quality Deer Management Association. He’s painted dozens of works of art and these things sell for a premium. A couple of Ryan’s paintings may be worth more than your truck.And when you hear how much time and labor goes into one of these paintings, you’ll realize why his paint

Standby! You're going to want to listen to this one.I was recently on Garrett Weaver's show to talk about some controversy, and I ended up giving away a little bit about GoWild 3.0, and I think I may have given some insights that I've never shed light on before, such as where the idea for Time Logs came from.This Bonus Episode is brought to you from Garrett Weaver's On Point Podcast:Brad Luttrell, from the Restless Native Podcast and the the GoWild app and I talk about some mainstream social hunting issues. From the recent baboon fiasco to the Rogan/Dudley public land debate; we cover it all. We also cover the GoWild App and some exciting news for GoWild users. Garrett Weaver's YouTube ChannelGarrett's Website on PodBeanLog Time for this Episode on GoWildShare your thoughts, support, or points of contention by logging time on GoWild. Logging time is fun and lets you join in on the conversation.Restless Native is Sponsored by Houston Safari Club FoundationRestless Native is brough

"Candid photography is so much more interesting to me. It can't be setup. You have to be quick with the trigger and you have to anticipate what people are going to do. There are no training wheels. You gotta be on your toes." — Donovan SearsToday, I have a discussion with my Co-Founder and good friend, Donovan Sears, which we documented on our way through South Texas. Donovan is an interesting guy. He’s by far the best designer I’ve ever known. I’ve said that before so that probably doesn’t come as news to long-time listeners. But he’s also a great father, musician, photographer, and woodworker.This episode isn’t directly about a hunting story. It has nothing really to do with hunting directly, other than the fact we’re driving on our way to a hunt. And at times I don’t even know what we’re talking about. But I think folks who have followed the GoWild story and learn about it from my perspective will enjoy this show. Yes, this show rambles. But, you all seem to enjoy these kinds of shows. I kn

Today is Thanksgiving. And the seasonality of gratefulness is on my mind.Part of me appreciates that we take time to slow down each year and say thanks. But the cynic in me has a few complaints about it, too.Log Time for this Episode on GoWildShare your thoughts, support, or points of contention by logging time on GoWild. Logging time is fun and lets you join in on the conversation.Restless Native is Sponsored by Houston Safari Club FoundationRestless Native is brought to you by Houston Safari Club Foundation. This organization is a great supporter of hunters and conservation, and I am proud to partner with them.Hunting and conservation, what’s not to like, right? If you agree, great. Then I want you to come on to Houston, Texas with me to attend the Houston Safari Club Foundation’s Convention and Hunting Expo.This is a great chance for a family trip or a break away with the buddies. The convention is a celebration of wildlife, wild places and the hunting lifestyle we all love. It has thousands of visitors an

"I brought people here to show them there's a better way to do life. To do hunting. Butchering. Cooking. To think outside the box when it comes to getting dirty for your dinner. No one wants to help anyone in this industry. We're losing our culture. We're losing what we are and who we are. From Field to Plate classes are to do the opposite." — Jeremiah Doughty, Wild Game Chef with From Field to PlateToday’s audio is brutal at some points. And I will not apologize. So goes it in the field, so goes this podcast.  You’re going to hear the sound of guts suctioning out of a big game animal. You’ll hear a 70 pound gut bucket dragged across pavement. And you’ll hear the loud bangs and frying sounds in the kitchen as we cook up said animal. The quality of this podcast is in the realness. This show was captured during that process so many of us know well—immediately after an animal expires, and during the consumption of that animal.This is a special show coming from my recent trip to Texas. I

"One of the folks said, 'There's a fire. Bring shovels.' We jumped in the truck and drove as fast as we could to where they were talking about. We pull up and shut off the truck. We get out, and we start smelling burned rubber." — Stephen Holley, SIXSITE FounderTeam GoWild is on the road. We’ve been down in Texas meeting up with Stephen Holley and Team SIXSITE where we also had a meet and greet. From there we crashed in Austin for a night before meeting up with Jeremiah Doughty for a three day whitetail hunt. We have a ton of awesome content coming from this trip, and that starts right now. I sat down with Stephen Holley, the founder of SIXSITE gear, as well as Jason Dickens, a hunting guide who works for SIXSITE. We had fun with this one and I hope you do, too.Visit SIXSITE's WebsiteRestless Native is Sponsored by Houston Safari Club FoundationRestless Native is brought to you by Houston Safari Club Foundation. This organization is a great supporter of hunters and conservation,

“You have two creatures who don’t have a purpose anymore—the mustang from the American West, and the American soldier. We take these two un-purposed creatures and give them purpose. We break that horse and give it to a veteran. The veteran has the purpose of leading that horse. And you can’t get on a horse without being a leader.”— Rick Franco, COO of Heroes and HorsesYou can’t cheat the mountain. Today we’re talking with a guy who is helping our nation’s heroes learn how to conquer mountains and deal with certain memories they have. We’re joined by Rick Franco of Heroes and Horses. Rick and his team are working to push veterans literally to the top of a mountain, and to find who they are again, and to make peace with some things that it’s just time to leave behind.This is a really interesting approach. I’ve never heard of anything this intensive. And I’m not aware of anything so holistic. You’ll hear Rick talk about how they address everything from nutrition to exercise to sleep to pharmaceuticals. I want to

"Get out there and vote. Support your NGOs or your local organizations. Be involved. It's critically important that we're actively involved beyond going hunting. We must have our voice heard. We must put our money where our mouth is. And we must support individuals that are in support of maintaining the legacy we have in this country."— Joe Betar, Executive Director, Houston Safari Club FoundationWelcome to a special election day edition of Restless Native. If you hate politics, don’t go anywhere. We’re actually not getting into who you should vote for. On today’s show, we’re talking with Joe Betar with Houston Safari Club Foundation. You may recall Joe from a previous episode. He’s an incredibly smart fella, and a guy I’m happy to call a friend.While last time we talked about all of the great conservation and educational efforts Houston Safari Club Foundation promotes, I wanted to have Joe back on for this election day episode to talk about what he’s been doing on the lobbying and legisla

"It stood up and he was dumbfounded. People came out and he was trying to warn them. He was waving to get their attention. They were waving like they didn't know what he was talking about. By then this thing just pounced them and mauled them." — Dave Jones, North American Dogman Project Co-FounderThis is the second of a series about Dogman. To hear the first show, listen to Episode 36 with Dark Waters, the King of Horror. What’s creepier, fantastical tales of Dogman, a monster lurking in the woods? Or forensic evidence of a creature proven to be catalyst of misery, maulings and murder?It's gotta be the evidence.The North American Dogman Project is here to say wait a second, maybe it does. They have investigated some horrifying tales. Stories of maulings, slaughters, horrific experiences that will make your blood run cold.I contacted Dave Jones and Joedy Cook out of the blue. I mean, out of nowhere. These guys could have ignored me. I’m an outsider and admittedly not necessarily a believer.

"His brother on the front of the boat is screaming, and falling back towards him in the boat. The front half of this alligator is flying through the air at them. The other half is on the bank. This head came out of the brush and growled at him."— Dark WatersThis is the first of a series about Dogman. To hear the second show, see Episode 37 with the North American Dogman Project. Tonight, I bring you something different. This is something pulled from the shadows of the deepest, dankest and darkest parts of the woods. It's not just tales from the coldest and darkest of waters. We’re talking to the king of nightmares, an orator of real horrors, Dark Waters himself. I suspect Dark Waters is new to many of you. But among those who follow the paranormal will know—Dark Waters is a modern day storytelling legend. Dark Waters is conversationalist. An orator. A collector of tales that he believes to be true.We’ll hear about how he comes about these people, these horrifying experiences, and how he curates

"This apparel represents what I stand for. There's that, and we're actively trying to promote conservation efforts."— Bud Fisher, Co-Founder, Catchin' DeersHow many times have you and your buddies had a crazy idea, and said, “Somebody should do that. People would love it.” Typically, that conversation is where good ideas go to die.But not with today’s guest. Today we have Bud Fisher on the show. Many of you know his name, but if you don’t, you probably have heard of those Catchin’ Deers guys. The fellas who took an idea at hunt camp and turned it into a full fledged business. And they’re crushing it.Catchin’ Deers swept through social media a few years ago, and what started off as a few trucker hats turned into a business. Now, these guys aren’t all one-liners and a ridiculous logo. They’re smart. They know how to run a business. And they know how to market a product. We’ll dig into all of that today. If you’ve heard Bud in the past, stay tuned. I’ve heard those shows, too. I did my h

“I’m happy to put my neck on the line. I get a lot of anti-hunter threats. I got a $250,000 bounty on my head. But it’s something that has to be talked about.”— Olivia Opre, Hunting Consultant & Mrs. America Contestant Imagine the amount of hate you must have in your heart to put a bounty on someone’s head. You must have really pissed somebody off, right?Today’s guest knows that kind of hate. And she knows it well. Olivia Opre has traveled the world hunting hippos, lions, elephants, and dozens of other species. It’s easy for the media to take that narrative and make her into a trophy hunter. It happens a lot. In fact, it’s happen so much, that Olivia has gotten really good at responding to this kind of sensationalism. In fact, she’s so good, I swear you might think some of these answers are scripted. They’re not. She’s just that confident, and that good. Olivia understands the complexities of hunting. And man, she has an interesting background. Like how she was once a Mrs. America contestant. Seriously! T

“If you do not know something well, if you don’t have a sense of some place, you are not going to protect it.”— Mahting Putelis, Founder of Hunt to EatMany American patriots and outdoorsmen embrace the Gadsden flag’s message of “Don’t Tread on Me.” I do, too, but sometimes we could use a reminder that the best defense, may actually be a good offense. In regards to telling our story of hunting in today’s world, we have to be careful when taking a Don’t Tread on Me philosophy. This same mentality is totally appropriate when toppling an oppressive government dictating your religious freedoms. It’s less so when used to defend your hunting privilege.A good offense is knowing that our story could offend voters who could take that privilege away from us, so we should do our best to stay on the offensive, doing good work to earn points for hunting. Take people into the locker room to show the camaraderie and fellowship of your hunting trip. Talk about what it’s like to have the world wake up around you, and to see th

“We’ve had 4 young widows at these camps. And they want to take their kids hunting but they’ve lost their mentor. They come to us for basic skills so they can pass on to their kids and pass on the skills.” - Brittany BoddingtonToday I have a couple of women who see the hunting industry landscape, and they are getting involved in an interesting way. In this episode, we chat with Brittany and Shannon from She Hunts Skills Camp. They’re empowering women to sharpen their hunting skills in a camp that is just for women. The guests go through real, legitimate training with industry professionals to learn to shoot, stalk, butcher, the whole 9 yards. I was expecting to hear about how Shannon and Brittany had impacted people’s skill sets. What I wasn’t prepared for are how this camp has actually impacted people’s lives. It’s clear they’re making waves with the women who attend. I commend them for that and hope they see many years of success going forward with this. Hunting isn’t just man’s nature. It’s mankind’s.Learn

“I don’t look at it from what I’d do different. That’s a rabbit hole that will continue on for eternity. There’s nothing I would have done different. As time goes on, it’ll just get more beautiful. It’s bigger than one person.”— Kris BentleyAppalachia has some fantastic contributions to this world. The music, food and arts that comes from those hills can be incredible.It’s also no stranger to anguish. I’m always interested by the lore that lives within Appalachia. Much of this history has hung around poverty. In the modern era, it seems the media only shows up when a northeast wind carries a tragic scent that smells like an opportunity to extort already burdened people for ratings and click bait. The media has essentially created poverty porn. A few years ago, photographer Bruce Gilden from Vice Media showed up to “document” Appalachia. What came out of it was essentially a witch hunt. And that’s not just my opinion. Another photographer who worked with Gilden on this shoot was especially conflicted about Gil

“I didn’t have direct affinity for or against hunting, but if I had to choose, I was probably against it.”- Brad Neathery, CEO of Modern HuntsmanSometimes it seems Lincoln Tapp might have been right when he says social media is doing more harm for hunting than good.This weekend, animal rights activists coordinated a blitzkrieg against several well known hunters via multiple major platforms. While these animals were harvested legally and ethically, it didn’t matter.Some hunters made some great points in corresponding with this anti-hunters, but a few bad apples ruin the bunch. In this case, the whole bunch was already spoiled.It’s shameful how some people responded to the criticism. Telling people to F off and suck it. It’s moronic.And it’s essentially proving Lincoln right.GoWild has grown to be more than I ever initially conceived that first day. But it started with these same conversations. I was hiking down a mountainside after checking some trail cameras, when the absurdity of all of this polarity hit me.

"People risk their lives to fish for sharks. It's insane. These people are insane. But it's a respectful insane."- Zack Grimes, GoWild Co-FounderDon't do it.Seriously. By pressing play, you're committing to listen to the GoWild app's Co-Founder's first show of random musings, inappropriate commentary, fart jokes and awkward silences.Welp, if you're still reading, you're probably going to listen. So you should know we talk about Donovan's inspiration behind designs, deer population problems, how crazy shark anglers are, among some other semi-interesting things. Maybe you'll like it after all.But probably not.Restless Native is Sponsored by Houston Safari Club FoundationIt’s time to book your trip to Texas for Houston Safari Club Foundation’s convention. And guess what? If you’re already in Texas, you don’t even have to book it. You’re already there.This convention is a celebration of wildlife, wild places and the hunting lifestyle we all love. It has

“Training can happen on your couch, in your living room. Don’t think of how everything is going to go right. Think of what can go wrong.” — Ryan Gresham“I can’t even imagine what that’s like.”How many times have you seen a tragedy on national news and said that? Often? Well, today’s guest is here to tell you that maybe you should try imagining. Ryan Gresham knows a lot of about marketing, sales, and guns. His show runs a ton of different media opportunities, from podcasts to video to apps, and some of that content is around conceal carry. Ryan’s going to make a strong point about how you should carry yourself. How you should be thinking through worst case scenarios. And how if you know what you’d do in those worst case scenarios, you can turn worst case into best case.Ryan and I chat through all things gun related, and I even ask him about a product that’s been in the news lately, one that I just can’t quite get behind, even has a guy who owns and shoots a dozen guns or so myself. Ryan has good answer on that

“This year I got a wakeup call. We were going to a fire and there’s fire everywhere. On both sides of the highway. And it felt like I was in the apocalypse.”— Lexi QuinnThe word courage gets tossed around so much it almost loses its meaning. Does it really take courage to tell your boss they’re wrong? Maybe some. But if that is courage, maybe the word courage falls short of today’s guest. Imagine running into the face of danger while everyone else flees to protect property that isn’t yours, a wildland that isn’t your home, and with people you don’t know all that well. That’s what Lexi Quinn does for a living. Lexi is a wildland firefighter and has been fighting fires like those in California right now for years. We’re going to dive deep into what it took to pursue her dream and fascination with flame, where she finds her courage from and she’s going to tell some terrifying tales along the way. Lexi also explains how forest fires impact our vegetation and habitat, which I found really interesting.We chat her j