Latest / The Scrambling Dads Podcast / Episode 57: Dads Gone Hunting

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Episode 57: Dads Gone Hunting · The Scrambling Dads Podcast

• Marcus: Especially because you haven't had your caffeine yet. Good morning, Alex. Alex: No. That's right there. I I'm finishing my protein shake. Yeah, I I went to the gas station because I worked out and I was like, shoot, I don't have any more protein at the house. I'm gonna go to the gas station real quick. So it's Marcus: Which one did you get? Alex: like well, I always drink the high protein like muscle milk or FerroLife, whatever, Marcus: yeah. Alex: whatever someone has, but they're forty-two grams, right? so anyways, I and I was like, Okay, I'm I'm just gonna grab an energy drink while I'm there. so I grabbed a bucked up Energy drink, right? So I put that down. I put down my protein shake and then I grabbed like one of those protein pastries Marcus: Yeah. Alex: that tastes like absolute trash, but whatever. It's I was like, I can't, I can't. I've been up since Marcus: You Alex: 3 45. I was working out and it's like I'm gonna be starving on the podcast. I'm gonna get like nauseous. So like I need I just need to eat something. Marcus: Yeah. Alex: So, anyways, I put all this down on a little thing in the the lady, and mind you, this is what, six fifteen in the morning. Hey, if you get a fountain drink, the bucked up is one dollar. I was like, I don't need like why one, what is the connection between bucked up Marcus: Hehehehehe Alex: and a fountain drink? I I need to understand that connection. Two, why would I I don't need a fountain drink at six in the morning when I'm getting an energy drink? I don't really under s I I just the whole thing, I was like, no. And she's like, Well, you can save three dollars. like, I don't care. I'll I'll spend the three dollars. Like, I it'll be it'll be okay. Marcus: She thought you were a real caffeine addict. The ones that buy a soft drink and then they pour their energy drink in the soft drink like a Sprite or something. Alex: Okay, no, but a buddy of mine showed me a drink or he made a drink, and it was C four, I think, Mango Fuego brand or the flavor, and then he would get the cucumber lime Gatorade and he would mix Marcus: Yeah? Okay. Alex: those together and then put tequila in it. And the thing tastes Amazing, like it is so good. Marcus: You Alex: Like, I'm not a big drinker these days, but if I were a big drinker, I feel like that would be my go to. Marcus: He just, he just went to the original for Loco formula, to be honest. Alex: It's pretty much what it is. I think he even joked and said that. He like, I mean, it's pretty much just like a four loco. I was like, Well, yes. Marcus: Yeah, yeah, before the government got involved. Alex: No, I I I will do energy drinks probably twice a week, especially more, maybe a little more during the summer. because I just drinking a hot coffee when it's 90 something Marcus: Yeah. Alex: degrees outside. And I could have made a coffee, but I finished my workouts by sitting in a sauna and I was like, I just want something cold right now. Marcus: Yeah. Alex: So I usually go for a ghost or a C4, it's like 200 milligrams, but bucked up is 300. So By the end of this podcast Marcus: you Alex: I'm gonna be a little jittery. Marcus: We'll just do the podcast in reverse. How about that? So we can do the intro in the at the end and our sign off right now. Alex: Yeah, exactly. speaking of intro, welcome everyone to the Scrambling Dads. man, Jason is on on fall break, so good for him. I'm assuming your kids are off Monday, Tuesday. Marcus: Yeah, they are, which I know we have an event coming up and my wife asked me, why don't you just go this Friday or this Monday? I said, well, we work. So Alex: Yeah. Marcus: they have it off, I don't. Yeah. Alex: Yeah, either way I'm taking a day. and it's yeah, our trip was off Friday, Monday, Tuesday, and then the other two are Marcus: Yeah. Alex: just off Monday, Tuesday. I don't know why. It's weird. The they're in adjacent school districts and up until last year they have almost had identical schedules on holiday breaks, Marcus: Mm-hmm. Alex: teacher workdays, all of the above. But last year, like Christmas, they got out a week earlier later. I it their last day of school was like two days apart. Like it it's been weird. whatever. But yeah so Jason's on fall break so it's just the the Latino show today between Marcus and I hold down the fort. we're gonna talk a little we're gonna go we're gonna go a little country with it today. We're gonna talk a little hunting we're gonna talk a little Halloween You know, I was thinking about it, Marcus. and this is just this just rolls into the random the amount of random thoughts that go through my head in a daily basis. As I'm eating that protein pastry, I'm like thinking, what'd they do in the medieval times? Cause like this tastes like trash. And like we as a society have gotten so used to good tasting food, but like they didn't have all these random seasonings and crap back in the sixteen hundreds. They just ate food for sustenance. Like we have moved so far away from that. Don't get don't get me wrong. I'm I love cooking. I'm a foodie. So I'm all for it. But it's kind of like I was eating it and I was like, why do I eat this trash? I'm like, well, it's just sustenance. Like just eat it and move on. Marcus: Yeah, yeah, that's yeah, I don't know. I'm guessing once they found honey, they were like, my God, this is delicious. And then maybe that's when that started. Alex: It just went from there. Marcus: Yeah. Alex: How do you think they found salt for the first time? 'Cause it's like that that's not the easiest thing to harvest, right? So like wha what do you think the first person was like, I'm gonna try this on something and they're like, This is damn delicious. Marcus: Well, I know the story about beer. Alex: Yeah. Marcus: I don't know the story about salt. Alex: Yeah, I might I'm gonna need you to look that one up. no, but Marcus: Here we go. Alex: I I got I got on that topic because I have had so many like I feel and I think you can resonate with this because I think you and I are very similar in the sense you were an operations guy and then you did sales for a little bit. And like I feel like I know a little about a lot. Like Marcus: Yes. Alex: I'm dangerous in a lot of conversations and I can have a conversation, but like You and I can sit here and we could talk hunting all day. You and I could talk boots, cowboy hats, country music, Latino music, right? But then I can turn around and I can go talk golf, right? I we I could talk guns. I can it's like I got my fingers. I talk camera gear, like right. Marcus: Yeah. Alex: I it's I got my fingers and a little bit of everything. And it's like it's one of those things, like the older I get, the more I realize that. It's like a jack of all trains, king of nung type thing. Like I could talk about just about anything, but I'm not but no one's gonna always come to me for the advice 'cause I only know a little about. Marcus: Yeah, it's... I think you've seen this over the last year, how I've just become... I don't want to say addicted, because that sounds wrong. I'm fascinated with a certain topic. I went from... probably last year around this year, I had maybe one shotgun and it was a pump action. And now I just have a whole armory. But that's because... I went down the rabbit hole and started researching all these cartridges and types of ammo. I'm pretty close of reloading my own stuff now. Let's get to that point. Alex: I just don't have the time to do that. You have to have time and space. Marcus: Yeah, that too. But it's like now it's like you, I don't know, I've gone down the rabbit hole of like, all right, I'm shooting groups. And it's like, well, how can I get them tighter? It's like, well, you got to go into reloading and know exactly what's in there and see what your barrel Alex: Mm. Marcus: likes. And it's just like, but yes, to your point, I, yeah, you do a little bit of everything and it kind of feels like you're not mastering a lot, but you know, a little bit of everything. Alex: Yeah, I I can't remember what it was, but I was talking to someone in the rodeo space. And I just when you're around it and you're taking the pictures and you're talking to these guys, so like you start to hear the terms Marcus: Mm-hmm. Alex: and the vernacular and you you start to see the same things they're looking at. And I was talking to someone and I was answering questions, and it was someone that doesn't really know much about rodeo. So they're asking questions, I'm answering all these questions. Then at one point Marcus: Mm-hmm. Alex: they were like, so like you've wrote like you've rodeo and ridden and I was like, no, no, no. I I'm just around it a lot. Like I'm I Marcus: Just fun. Yeah. Alex: like no, I have not gotten on a bull. I just know their vernacular and I know what they do to get on the bull because I see it. Like I'm watching Marcus: Yeah. Alex: it. It's like, but on like they start to think that you like are this expert. I'm like, no, no, no, I have never gotten Marcus: Yeah. Alex: on a bronch. I have never tie rope to calf. Granted, Marcus: huh. Alex: granted, okay. little little digression here. I bought a rope. I bought Marcus: you Alex: a rope for pictures. because I have this this agreement with a boot brand and I was like, okay, I'm gonna buy a rope and that way I can use that as a prop and blah blah blah, right? Marcus: You didn't buy just a rope. I'm sure you researched it. Alex: Well, I mean, I bought w I bought one that I knew I could like learn to use. Like Marcus: Yeah. Alex: of course I was like, if I'm gonna buy one, I might as well like learn to use it. Which one should I get? You know, Marcus: Yep. Alex: went down that rabbit hole. But yes. So I got one and then I was like, Well, I wanna learn how to use it. So naturally I don't have any cows, but I have three children. So a tr trip Marcus: same difference. Alex: was doing dishes. And from like 10 feet away, I'm sitting here like roping him, knocking dishes off the counter. Casey was getting so mad at me. But I was like, I actually was getting kind of decent at it to where I was able to rope them. And then like all the kids wanted to get roped. So they would like just stand in front of me and turn around so I wouldn't hit their face. Marcus: Yeah. Alex: And Bella's like, do it again, do it again. It's like, Jesus Christ. So anyways, Marcus: Yeah. Alex: that's that's my rabbit hole of random topics that I feel like we could just talk about anything, right? It it's you, Marcus: Yeah. Alex: it's the part of sales, I guess. You just get used to talking to anyone about anything. But Marcus: Yeah. Alex: let's let's get into let's get into hunting. man, so Marcus is gracious enough to be nice and take me hunting on Friday. I have not been hunting since twenty nineteen. A lot of that is COVID hit. Because I shot my I shot that black book. I want to say like November of 19. So obviously February of yeah, Marcus: Dang, so right before it. Yeah. Alex: so February 20, COVID hits. so obviously, like that all shut down. But then I also left my company that had a D release. Marcus: Hmm. Alex: So and I went to the owner's Side of the table. And when you go to the owner's side table, like you just it's you get one level removed from a lot of that type of business development because a Marcus: Mm-hmm. Alex: lot of subcontractors have hunting leases. A handful Marcus: Mm-hmm. Alex: of contractors do. And I happen to work for two that did, but they really only took their key clients. Like it wasn't like we're taking everyone. Marcus: . Alex: So I never had the opportunity. And when I was at my first company, I was one of the guides. I was able to go out. Like I would go out with clients that weren't even mine. It was just, hey, we need an extra set of hands. We have ten guys. We need ten guides, essentially, because Marcus: Mm-hmm. Alex: we sit a guide, unless you're experienced, you set a guide with a shooter, so they don't shoot the wrong thing. I Marcus: Mm-hmm. Alex: was like, cool, great. So I got to go a lot with them. I went hunting a lot. I didn't always shoot a lot. Marcus: Mm-hmm. Alex: it was a lot of quartering and a lot of guiding. Marcus: Yup. Alex: Which is fine. I loved it. But after I left that company and went to the hunt the owner side of the table and COVID hit, like those offers gone, gone, and I don't have my own dear lease. So fast forward what nine years? six years, what twenty nineteen, seven years. fast forward seven years and I just haven't been hunting. I have not had venison in my freezer for seven years. So I am excited and thankful that you're you're taking us. But the the really cool kicker here is in true dad form, we are taking two of our well, your son and one of my sons. Marcus: Yeah, Yeah, my my son was excited. I told him yesterday. I don't know I have to tell him like Maybe a week before it happens. I can't get him all hyped up about it And so I told him yesterday and he he didn't remember who trip was I said well we went to the rodeo I said he was wearing the white shirt It's like you were talking with him about something cuz they were off to the side doing something and so he's like, true He's like, yeah, I want to go at first. He was like, no, I don't want to go is I'm just gonna sit someone to talk to and yeah so that is going to be very exciting. Yeah. Alex: Yeah, it's it we got a nice cold front coming through. well one thing on your you don't tell people. I was so mad at Casey the other day. So funny enough, you sent me the daddy-daughter picture. And I was like, man, we have not had one. Like, I don't the school hasn't like the whatever, no one's had one. They're they're doing one this year. So, like two days later, after we had that conversation, Casey texted me the the screenshot. I was like, cool. And a whole slew of other issues come up with. The date of this, but whatever. I I changed all of my plans. Like we had a ton of plans. And I was like, no, like I'm going to this daddy-daughter dance. I don't care. I canceled all my buddies. said we can still do what we want to do, but it needs to be after 8:30, blah, blah, blah. So we're this thing is in November and like November 7th. Casey told Bella last weekend. And I was like, I looked at her, I was like, what are you doing? Marcus: Yeah, no. That's a whole month. Alex: She was like, Daddy, what's the dance? Daddy wants to dance. I like, Bella, it is in 30 sleeps. So just don't ask. Like it is Marcus: Yeah. Alex: forever. You're gonna forget about it between now and then. I looked at Casey, I was like, Why the hell would you do? She was like, Marcus: yeah. Alex: wouldn't listen to me. I had to threaten something. I like, okay. Marcus: She didn't even know that was a thing. Yeah. Alex: Like there's a lot of things we could have threatened before a daddy-daughter dance that's in literally 30 days. Anyways, yeah. Yeah, a lot Marcus: Yeah, Yeah, you could have picked anything in her room and grok spiked it in the trash. Alex: of options. but no, dude, Trip was instantly excited. He has he has not been. And there's certainly a level when you're in a a split family, and I don't know. how much his uncle on on the other side hunts he used to. but I know like they fish and stuff and they've taken in fishing, which I don't really care about. I'm not a big fisher. But like hunting is like the one thing I told Casey when when this opportunity came up a few weeks ago and you and I started talking about it. I told Casey I was like, I I really want to do this. Like there's not a lot of times that I tell you like Marcus: Mm-hmm. Alex: I I want to do this. this is one of the times that like if we can make it work Marcus: Mm-hmm. Alex: I want to go. And I don't think Grayson is ready mentally. And she agrees. She was like, no, I don't think he is either. I said, okay. Marcus: Mm-hmm. Yeah. Alex: So are you on board with me just taking Trip? Because I know how the optics of that can look, being that Marcus: Mm-hmm. Alex: trip is, you know, mine and Grayson's a stepson. I don't want Grayson to like get sad and jealous, but at the same time, like, dude, it's if I I just don't think you're mentally ready to. one shoot a deer or two see one be shot and all the blood that comes afterwards. Like I just don't think Marcus: Yeah. Yeah, yeah. Yeah. Alex: you're mentally ready. So luckily she generally agreed with with everything. so I was like, cool, great. So I told Trip and his eyes lit up and he was like, Yeah, I want to go. Like this is he was so excited. so we went we got his license together. Like I'm it's on my phone, but it's like he's sitting there with me like Marcus: Yeah. that's cool. Yeah, but still it's cool. Yeah. Alex: So we got his license. so he was happy about that, which I didn't realize it was so cheap. It was only like seven bucks. I only did the haunting goal. I didn't do a super combo. Like one, it's late in the year. We're not dove, we're not we're not fishing. So Marcus: So yeah, yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Alex: it was like seven bucks for his license. And but he he's excited. Marcus: Yeah, nice. Yeah. So yeah, we were, was talking to when, when I was telling Marcus about it and Addie was like, I want to go. And I said, I don't, I don't think you're ready for what's going to happen out there. And she was eating her pizza. And she goes, she was like, took a bite. She's like, yeah, well we're going to see a deer and you're going to shoot them and then we're going to get the meat. And I looked at Blake and Blake was just, she had like a look of horror on her face. Like, Yeah, I said, I think Addie might get her first day before Marcus does. That'd be cool. Yeah. Alex: Hey, we're just gonna have to do round two of this with Addy and Bella because I think Bella's gonna be a stone cold killer. Like I I don't think she's gonna shoot that thing and just like no tears. And be like, all right. Marcus: Yeah, she yeah, I mean she was she was ready for it and I looked at Blake. She's like you're not taking her. I was like, all right. Well, you know what? Next time but yeah, Marcus is next. Yeah. Alex: Next year next year. They'll be six they'll be six and seven next year, right? Or six and five? Six and seven. Marcus: Five, yeah, five. Alex: Is Addy's year younger than no. I thought Addie's a year older than Bella. Okay. Marcus: Yeah. She's... She is fi... Alex: She's same age as Bella. I didn't. Marcus: Yes. Yeah, she's playing U5 right now. Alex: Okay, I didn't realize that. I for some reason I thought she was a year older. Okay, so we'll just, you know, it'll be daddies and six year olds. It's fine. Marcus: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Alex: They don't the thing is we take them. You gotta take them and then let them see it, and then the next year maybe Marcus: Mm-hmm. Yeah. Alex: get more like so trip is getting it all in one, right? He like he's never been, so he's going and potentially Marcus: Yeah. Alex: taking a shot, which I told him. I did have a very candid shop conversation with him because he he can put a group together. at twenty-five Marcus: Yeah. Yeah. Alex: yards, he's probably an inch MOA. So 60, 70 yards, he's probably about two inches, which is still a fatal shot. Okay, cool. We're fine. so I trust him on a blood, broadside shot. But I told him I said, Look, like, just because you're going does not mean you're shooting something. I want to be very clear. Like, Marcus: Yeah, Alex: I'm an ethical hunter. Like I'm I'm all about the meat. I'm I don't take a shot that I can't trust. I started off bow hunting. so a lot Marcus: Mm-hmm. Alex: of that's where it came from. I did a ton of research on caliber. You know this. You and I talked about it. Cause I was like, I want Marcus: Yeah. Alex: to get I want to get the right thing for him, but I also want something that's gonna stop a deer. Marcus: Yeah. Alex: so anyways, went through that whole thing. So I was like, look, like there's this thing called broadside, it's when the deer is completely perpendicular to you. And you have all vitals in target, both lungs and the heart. Marcus: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Alex: I said, if you have that shot, I'm gonna let you take it. But if that deer is quartered away from you, you're not taking a shot. If it is quartered Marcus: away. Yeah. Alex: to you, maybe. We'll have to look. Because if the shoulder's in the way, I think the Marcus: Yeah. Yeah. Alex: six five can blow through a shoulder blade and still hit the vitals. But a a two three, I I think would bounce. And then all you did was break a deer's shoulder and it's gonna die three weeks later. So I kind of prepped him and I did tell him I was like, and if you don't get anything in the morning, I want to be very clear. If you don't get anything in the morning, you're not taking a shot in the afternoon. That is my shot because we're coming home with something. Marcus: Yeah. Alex: I was like, I'm giving you one chance. You get one chance at a shot. Marcus: Well, we'll put them on a good, we do need help. There's a lot of does out there. And depending, we have a lot of hogs too. So depending what we do in the morning, we can, you know, if you want to get hogs, we can put you in a blind with more hogs or. Alex: Yeah, I wish it weren't getting dark so fast because I did have half of my detects you the other day and be like, what if we came down Thursday afternoon and went out Thursday night, hopefully found a hog. Cause he's just never he's never had a living thing at the other end of a barrel. Marcus: Mm-hmm. Alex: So you and I both know how that is. I missed my first even though I've bow hunted forever, I missed my first shot on a rifle. With a dough, and I'm Marcus: Mm-hmm. Alex: a I'm a decent shot, and I put it right over her back. Cause it's Marcus: Mm-hmm. Alex: just you get that jitters and you yank back on it. so I'm a little worried Friday morning that he's gonna get something and he's just the anxiety's gonna get to him just like it would anyone and miss the shot. Marcus: Yeah. Alex: so Marcus: Well, I can be a backup just in case. You'll leave us something. Alex: Well, I'll have my well, we'll have so I got my two two three coming that I've always hunted with. again, if as long as you put it through all the vitals, it might run a little farther, but it's going down. we'll have the six five for him. And then we'll have your three eight. So I fully intend on lining up a shot as well when Marcus: Mm-hmm. Alex: he shoots and Either I'm gonna count him down and we're both gonna pull the trigger, or I'm gonna have to hit a moving target if he misses. Marcus: No, it's man those those deer out there because there's so much equipment moving around. I mean you there's been times where You can get three four does in one shot or in in one sitting Within like five minutes because you don't shoot they won't move they're looking around seeing what's happening and they just stay there so We will probably Yeah Alex: Well, and I'm hoping with the suppressors on I'm like, it's and again, mind you, like the world is vastly different from when I last hunted. Like suppressors seven years ago were so hard to get. one because of the trust thing, but two, like they just weren't as big of a thing. Marcus: Mm-hmm. Alex: so all of my rifles have never had suppressors. So like going and doing suppressor hunting is gonna be a little bit different too. Like that black buck that I shot, I took down without a suppressor and it was loud Marcus: Yeah. Alex: as hell because obviously I wasn't I was talking to the guide, Blackbook came out, neither of us were really prepared. And it wasn't like, let's get air pro in. Like, no, it was just pick up and shoot. And Marcus: Yeah, yeah, it's right now. Alex: yeah, an an AR out of a blind is a little loud. so it so I I think the suppressed I'm interested to see how the suppressed works. But I'm kind of hoping that we see a hog before a deer just so the trip gets a shot at something Marcus: Yeah. Alex: and gets the jitters out. Marcus: Yeah. Are you gonna sight in with the suppressor on after you put it on? Alex: I mean, yes. Marcus: You shhh... yeah. Alex: yeah, so I I'm not gonna have time to get out to the long range. So I'm gonna go to the Marcus: Okay. Alex: local range and I'll set up at 25. and if I'm a quarter low at 25, I should be sided in at about 200. I think it's like a quarter to three quarter low, depending on grain. I should be close to a 200 zero on the scope. Marcus: Yeah, because I'm, I think it's just because I have a super heavy suppressor, but I'm like five inches without, without the suppressor, I'm five inches high. And with the suppressor on, I'm at zero. That makes sense. Yeah. So that's all I saying. Alex: Interesting. Yeah, it's interesting. Yeah. Marcus: I just, I just have a heavy, cause I wanted it for sound. didn't, I didn't want it for any tactical. I didn't want it light or anything, but I mean, it's a, it's a quiet one. Alex: Yeah, I man I don't know if you've ever held the Huxwork suppressor, the flow through things so freaking light. Like Marcus: Hmm. Yeah. Alex: I I was talking to a gun shop the other day when I was looking at everything and I mean, but it's also thirteen hundred dollars. So I mean that's it's an expensive suppressor. but I grabbed and I was like, holy cow, like you can't even feel that. Like it's But I I didn't end up going with that, obviously. I went with budget suppressors. Tripp's gonna he's gonna beat up the gun anyways. And I kind of told the guy that. I was Marcus: Yeah Alex: like, I I need the cheapest suppressor you can give that offers Marcus: Yeah. Alex: good recoil and sound reduction. I was like, I don't need a lot of money because at the end of the day, like this is a beater gun. Like I don't Marcus: Yeah. Alex: I don't need something that is gonna look pretty or sound. the best. Like it's just it's more about recoil reduction than anything. I want that gun to shoot flat. Marcus: Yep. No. And yeah, I think that's a good idea to get Tripp out there early. Cause I mean, I shot my first dough last year and I remember like, I, I don't think I killed or I took down a hog before that, but I went to the range a lot and I was just kind of like mentally preparing myself, like just taking shots of just like, you know, not, not jerky, just kind of straight pulling back and I remember when it happened, I was with a buddy and I remember seeing the deer and I remember just like, all right, as soon as I am, I'm gonna hit it broadside and it's just gonna drop. That's what I want. And so then I looked and I saw, you he got kind of broadside and I took the shot and like, I remember after I shot, I just like stood still, like just, we're just sitting there still, just like, like, I just. took a life here and it was I had to sit down and and Cal you met him he gave me a like a sweet treat like one of those little Debbie cakes he's like here buddy it's like good job I was like I was just kind of sitting there and I just remember my heart racing after the fact like it wasn't before it was like after the fact I just got this whole rush and just got real hot and but it's because I had practiced so much that I just like this was just target practice like this where I'm gonna put it and boom and it was after the fact where it just everything just kind of hit me it's like man I was sitting there for a while Alex: Yeah. It's it it's definitely a switch in your brain. 'cause you and I both grew up more or less city boys, right? Like you didn't really Marcus: Mm-hmm. Yeah. Alex: like you're you're what, South Dallas, Marcus: Mm-mm. Mm-hmm. Alex: so it's it's one of those things that you just don't see it a lot, unless you live in that life and I think I think there's you have to have a certain type of mentality to be a hunter, because you are taking a life. You're either someone that wants it for the trophy or someone that wants it because it's sustenance. For me, it's the meat, right? I I Marcus: Mm-hmm. Alex: don't care. I told you that. I've never outside of the trophy buck, the black buck that I shot, and that was Marcus: Mm-hmm. Alex: because a subcontractor took me to do that. I don't have I've never shot a buck. I've always shot does. Marcus: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Alex: all I care about's the meat. Is someone else can have, you know, n the the antlers and this mount on their Marcus: Yeah. Alex: wall, type deal. So I think you have to have a certain mindset. And I think that mindset is almost like a a protector mindset, right? Like you're Marcus: Mm-hmm. Alex: you're providing for your family, which is a way for protect your family, but like to have something at the a living object at the end of your barrel and to be able to pull that trigger, you're one step removed from having to do that in a life or death situation with your family when you're hunting, right? Like, You're you're stopping a heart. and it it's it is definitely a different feeling the first time you do it. And you're like, okay, especially like an innocent animal like a doe, but I think Marcus: You Alex: it's like anything. Like we eat meat every day. Like innocent cow died for that. so I think you just over time are like, well, this is for the meat and thank you and move on. Marcus: Mm hmm. Yeah. Yep. Alex: I I I have my rules though, like if an outno A lot of this was bred into me because I was when I was a guide for that company, it's a managed tier lease as well, right? So like there were like it was a lot of regulations. Like you don't shoot a doe if you see a fawn anywhere near it. Marcus: Mm-hmm. Alex: You don't shoot the fawn, obviously. Like there's just a lot of these rules. Marcus: Mm-hmm. Alex: And it's like, okay. Like you're When you're shooting, you know you're doing the right thing because you do you checked all the boxes and said, Okay, this is a Marcus: Mm-hmm. Alex: doe. She's longer than she is, taller. Like you have all these regulations. You're like, All right, it's it's a three and a half, four and a half, five and a half year dough, a lot of meat. She's already had her babies. There's Marcus: Mm-hmm. Alex: already too many dough on the land, anyways. Marcus: Mm-hmm. Alex: Take it. Marcus: Yeah, you got it. Yeah, harvest it is what I guess it's called. So, yeah. Alex: Mm-hmm. Yeah, we gotta harvest. yeah, I mean I'm excited. Trip's excited. I gotta go buy him some crap clothes though. Like he doesn't have any trash like jeans or anything, because obviously he's never been on ink. So I gotta go buy him some stuff that he can get dirty and bloodied. Marcus: And I just paid up a... what is it, Tractor Supply or Walmart? Yeah. Yeah. Alex: Yeah, we'll f we'll go to Walmart here. I'll go buy him a five dollar pair of jeans and shirt to wear. I mean I I have all of my camo crap from granted it's not like we need it, we're sitting in stand, but Marcus: Mm-hmm. Alex: I have all my camo crap from when I haunted, so Marcus: Yeah. What, I guess how do you expect, the waiting game to go between the two boys? Alex: Hmm. That's a great question. Marcus: Because I know Marcus likes to talk. And yeah. Alex: That's a really good question. I would be more concerned if we weren't staying the night because Trip would be up early, like so he's gonna be in a car quiet for two, three hours and then sitting in a blind for a few hours. So Marcus: Yeah. Yeah. Alex: I think the fact that we're gonna staying the night with y'all Thursday night will Marcus: Yeah. Alex: help because like it'll be a short drive and you know, we'll so I don't know. It I guess it also depends on how early we're getting there. Because, like me, I don't know how y'all's feeders are. And you said like these deer are kind of stupid and they're used to sound. That's good. Marcus: Yeah. Alex: But the lease that I hunted at was in the middle of Central Texas. It was in San Saba on a we had 5,000 acres. There was not a lick of people sound other Marcus: Yeah. Alex: than the feeders and the blinds. So I would go out at like four in the morning and get in the blind and you you're sitting in that blind for two hours before sunlight's even up because you want all the sound you made getting into the blind, you want to everything to relax after that. So I guess it also depends on how early we're going out because if we're sitting in a blind for two hours before the sun even comes up, like that's two hours of them being quiet and sitting there and it adds to the waiting game. So it kinda just depends. But I I think Marcus: Yeah. Alex: it'll be it'll be interesting. Marcus: Yeah. Alex: Tripp will probably just take his book and read, to be honest with you. Yeah, Marcus: Yeah. Alex: he's a he's a reader, so if I had to Marcus: that's good. Alex: guess he'll he'll just use a flashlight and sit there and be quiet and read and I'll sit and have my coffee and we'll be good. Marcus: Yeah, I do have a couple headlamps that you could probably use to read. Alex: Yeah, I got a headlamp too. Marcus: Yeah, those are good. I got an extra set of binos too, just in case. Yeah. Alex: I gotta thank you. 'cause I was considering going and getting a pair. I don't know where mine are. They weren't Marcus: Yeah. Yeah. Alex: in my I looked the other day and they weren't in my hunting bag. so I don't know. Marcus: Yeah. Alex: I either lost them or they broke and it's been seven years and I've just forgotten. Marcus: I'm sure whatever you paid for those, mean Vortex makes some good stuff. I mean even the hundred dollar ones there are pretty good. Alex: Now again, again though, and maybe this is not the proper way, but like when I was guiding, I always had my rifle and handgun. So Marcus: Yeah. Yeah. Alex: I always glassed with my rifle. Marcus: you Alex: so I was I was never on by nose, cause at the farthest shot we had, it was a lot of a lot of wooded for the most Marcus: Mm-hmm. Alex: part. So a lot you can see with your eyes. So the most I was doing was aging a deer and I would just do that with my scope. Like it's not like we're looking for elk in, you know, the mountains of Montana, right? Like I'm not I'm not glassing 600 yards away looking for antlers. Marcus: now. Alex: so it was one of those things that like I could generally see it with my eyes, and then I would just glass it with my scope and be like, cool, great. So I never had a great pair and bow hunting, you don't glass at all. Like I'm sitting in a tree stand now, a rangefinder. Marcus: Mm-hmm. Now, yeah, it's like right there. Yeah. Alex: Yes, I always Marcus: Yeah. Alex: have a range finder in my bag, and that's the other thing I would do was I would glass with a range finder if I needed to. So Marcus: Yeah. Yeah. Alex: I've never had a good pair of binos, just because it was never a priority of mine. Marcus: Yeah, no, they're, mean, I usually use it because sometimes we have a little grassy area. So you kind of want to see what's coming out just Alex: Mm-hmm. Marcus: to kind of prepare yourself for coming through the woods. So, but yeah, usually once they're in front of you, mean, they're, I mean, you'll, you'll get surrounded by them. Alex: Yeah, it'll it'll be interesting. I I am interested. How do you think 'cause MJ has not seen something get shot yet. he has? Okay. Marcus: yeah, yeah, he has. He's been with me. Yeah, he's been with me. I think he took a shot at an armadillo mist, but he was excited that he shot. Yeah. Yeah. Alex: What Okay, I knew he had been with you, I just didn't know if he had seen something. Okay. I'm interested to see more how the boys but now Marcus: Yeah. Alex: trip 'cause MJ's seen it. I'm interested to see how he reacts when when anyone puts something down, let alone himself. Marcus: Yeah. last year when I took Marcus and my buddy and his son, he, they both cheered when, this was funny. So, we went to try to get my buddy and his son, try to get a son of, a doe and he should, had a 300 blackout. And so he, he shot a couple, but they were suppressed. So the deer didn't move. And then I said, well, I my 308 right here. And so he got it and he got it. He lined it up and he took a shot and he goes, ow, my shoulder and he missed. And so I, I moved him out of the way real quick and I lined it up and I shot, I shot the dough and you know, it, felt. Alex: How many shots did he take at this thing? Marcus: It was like a couple. I'm telling you, Alex: Jesus. Marcus: I'm telling you like they, they just kind of stand there. so if it went down. And the both boys just went, yay, we did it. I was like, you boys missed every single shot. It's like, I had to get on this thing and get it. Alex: Hey, hey, it's a it's it's a team effort. Marcus: Yeah, that was a complete team effort. yeah, they were, I mean, you could see dirt coming up and it was just like, what are you guys? yeah, they're. Alex: Does it not run? Do you just have really stupid dough out there? Because I've never gotten more than one shot at a dough. Like they're running off the minute a bullet whizzes by them. Well, I guess Marcus: Mm-mm. There. Yeah. Alex: that's good because you don't have to plan for shoulder drop. Because they're not running as soon as you shoot. Because Marcus: Nope. Mm-mm. Mm-mm. Alex: I think that's what I didn't account for when I said that I missed high. I Marcus: Yeah. Alex: think it was about a 150-yard shot. And I One didn't plan for the shoulder drop, but I also pulled up on the gun. So Marcus: yeah. Alex: you combine those two and the bullocks. I saw the dust cloud right over its back, Marcus: Yeah. Alex: in the dirt. I was like, damn it. Like it's just Marcus: I see. Alex: it's one of those things that you're like but so I was planning on telling Trip, hey, like I told you to aim here, but really you need to aim like two inches lower than that because that thing's gonna drop on you. But I guess I don't need to do that because your dough are really stupid. Marcus: Yeah. I mean, would still be good. And I would tell him, like, if he shoots Alex: Mm-hmm. Marcus: it, if he... I don't know how he is. Let me ask this. Does he want us, like, do the gutting too? do you want me to... Because if... Alex: I don't know. but no, he is fully he is fully getting involved. Like if you're going hunting, Marcus: Okay, Alex: you're learning all of it. Marcus: okay, if he shoots it in the stomach, he is 100 % getting involved, because I am not cleaning that thing by myself. Just tell him that. Like if you shoot in the stomach, just let him know what's going to happen. It's not fun for Alex: Dude, I hate gut shots. I so Marcus: anyone. Alex: so, and this is why like I've gone through the process with my AR that I have over the past few weeks, because I had a buddy that has a six five creed more that he was like, Hey, you can just borrow this. And granted, that was also before the literally yesterday when the ATF laws came through. And because You're 100% correct, because you and I were texting about this. You're 100% correct that there are some shops that you can go to and just pick up a suppressor. But the the trust laws are still in place. So just because Marcus: hehe Alex: you can go get one doesn't mean that I could use it without you being there. So I had a buddy Marcus: Mm-hmm. Alex: that was like, I have a suppressed six five creamore, and he was he was adamant. He was like, No, like the laws are you'll you're fine. And I was like, I'm not risking having your gun, technically an unregistered gun, in Marcus: and your suppressor. Yeah. Alex: my truck. And then I'm the one going away for 10 years. So Marcus: Yeah. Alex: I I so that's one Marcus: You Alex: reason. But the the second reason, which granted all of that's gone now as of yesterday, which is great. but the second reason was I borrowed someone's going, I don't know, probably nine years ago hunting. and I can't remember what it was. Either 308 or 270. And it was just one of those things that like my rifle, for some reason the scope got messed up and we didn't have enough time to zero it in. So they were like, here, just use us one. It's it's zeroed, it's fine, cool, great. So I get a deer broadside and I'm like kind of zeroing in on it, and I'm working, it's facing to my right, so I'm working from its butt end over to the vitals. And I will fully admit that I was not using proper gun safety. my finger was on the trigger s earlier than it should have been. But I'm talking like two inches behind where I needed to be. Gun went Marcus: Mm-hmm. Alex: off. The trigger was so light compared to what I was used to on my AR. Marcus: oooh mhm Alex: so it ended up being a gut shot. And I I put it down. It went down 50 yards away. So I mean it hit vitals. It just It entered on, since it was kind of quartered slightly away from me, it entered Marcus: Mm-hmm. Alex: right on kind of the inside of those intestines and then caught the left lung. Marcus: Mm-hmm. Alex: And it was just one of those things I was like, I hate using other people's guns because you don't know their trigger pull. You don't know the pressure. You don't know the system. Marcus: Mm-hmm. Yep. Alex: so you were like, he can borrow mine. This guy was, I have a six five, he can borrow. I was like, no, he knows the AR, he has shot the Marcus: Mm-hmm. Yeah. Alex: AR. The only thing I'm doing is changing the upper. It's the same trigger, same Marcus: Yep. Alex: stock, same setup, same scope. Everything is the same except for a different caliber upper. So and it's and it'll have a suppressed. So it's like, I am not he he will be comfortable because he has shot this system. Marcus: Well, and that, yeah, yep. No, you're right. And that's why, like I said earlier, I felt comfortable shooting the doe just because I had shot that gun so many Alex: Mm-hmm. Marcus: times. Yeah, you're right. Don't change. It's the same trigger, same handle. It's just looking through a lens here. Yeah. Alex: Yeah, the the one that is different, I have never hunted with. So the two two three that he is gonna be using is my hunting rifle, right? But Marcus: Mm-hmm. Alex: it has a different upper. So the gun that I've never hunted with is the one that I will have, which is my t my short barrel two three. Marcus: Yeah. Alex: and again, suppressed, but it'll two two three on a trigger that I I know for home defense, but it'll be interesting. And it's a three time magnifier versus a nine on a scope, 'cause it's a red dot versus an actual scope. So hopefully he shoots something and then I can take that gun from him and use it instead of use my Marcus: Well, I got a 308 and a 30-06. You can borrow mine. Alex: No. So funny I want to get some hogs with my short barreled. That that's all. Marcus: Yeah. Alex: That's the only reason. I I hope to not have to shoot a dough. I would love a dough, but I also don't need two doughs worth of meat in my freezer. Like that's a lot. so I'll be happy if between Trip and I we get one. And I would be more happy if he got it than I did because it's his first time and I would love to share that experience with him. but As long as we come home with something. So if that means I shoot it, I shoot it, cool. Marcus: Yeah, I mean, yeah, I mean, it would kind of help out. We usually try to keep some meat in the freezer when we take customers out there. So I think we might be one of the first people out there. if it'd be helpful, you don't have to take it. We'll do it. And yeah. Yeah. Alex: You tell me how many to shoot and I'll shoot them. If they're there, we'll take shots at them. I just I purse like there's a a two, three hundred pound dough is it's a lot of meat. Marcus: Yeah, it is. Alex: like we we there's only so much ground venison we can eat it's not like you get a lot of different types of steaks or types of meat out of this, Marcus: Yeah. Yeah. Alex: right? Like you can do If I were to shoot multiple, I would prioritize doing like some roasts and stuff with one of them. So you could do the crock pots. But like you and I were talking about it, tenderloins and backstrap, all that really is is steaks. Like that's Marcus: Mm-hmm. Yep. Alex: not can't really do much with those. Marcus: you Alex: I would love to do a backstrap. So every year, for Christmas, we do at Casey's family, we do the tenderloin. Marcus: Mm-hmm. Yep. Alex: So that's the same cut as a fillet, right? It's just the filet's cut up. But I smoke like a five pound, six pound tenderloin for the family. I would love to do that with a venison backstrap instead of the the cow backstrap. Marcus: You know, I was thinking maybe you should bring a little cooler so we can get the tenderloins for Tripp and so he can take those home then and Alex: Eat that night. Marcus: then eat them that night. Yeah. Alex: We can pr we can cut the back strap out pretty easily too without 'cause all we have to Marcus: Yeah. Alex: do is pull off back some of the skin on the back. You don't have to fully quarter it. Marcus: Yeah, I know the tender one is like right there right under the back so you can it's Alex: Yeah, if you wanna but again, if he gut shots it, you're trying to get tenderloins from the inside of a animal that is look, here's the deal. Marcus: Yeah. he's helping. Alex: Here's the deal. Like there's gut shotting and then there's like gut shotting the liver. And when you gut shot like the liver and kidney, that that's when it gets gross. Like it it lets all that Marcus: Hmm. Alex: bile out and it smells gross and it But no, I am I told him I was like, you are taking a part of all of this. Like if you shoot Marcus: Yeah. Alex: this animal, you're helping clean it. You are helping do all of the things associated. He was like, Well, what do you do? He was Marcus: Yeah, you're gonna help dispose of it. Alex: like, Well, what do you do? And I was like, Well Marcus: You Alex: I was like, Uncle Marcus told me that there's a there's a few things we could do here. the the processor is not far from his place, so we can just field gut it and toss it in the truck and drive it there. I was like, but in my past, you know, being five, six hours away, we would quarter him. He's like, Well, what do you do? How do you how do you do that? I was like, Okay, well, you know your Achilles tendon. He's like, Yeah. It's like, okay, deers have essentially the same thing, and you cut a slit. Between the Achilles tendon and the bone, put him on a hook and lift him up. And you just see his face. He's like, he's like, what? That's like then you cut the skin and you pulled Marcus: Yeah. Alex: the skin off the deer. And then you slowly work and cut all of the legs off. And you essentially it's called quartering. You know, you get the legs. There's four legs, four quarters, quarter it. Marcus: Mm-hmm. Alex: And he was just like What are you talking about? Like this is sounds Marcus: But... Alex: ridiculous. It's like you'll you'll see. You'll you'll be fine. Marcus: Yeah. So Marcus saw it for the first time last year and I thought he was going to be like grossed out or whatever. He was jumping on like the corn that we have there in that barn. He was jumping in and he would come over and he'd like touch like the inside of the deer and then he'd run back because he was hanging out with with his little friend there. And so he would just keep coming back. He's like, what's that? I'm that's the heart. That's the lungs. It's like, and so he was just He wasn't shocked by it, but he was just kind of more asking questions and he was still playing around to they were playing like King of the Castle or something on the on the corn on the palette of corn. Yeah. Alex: Yeah, that's paladin. No, that's that's a good thing. I like the Inquisitive. it's it is a it is a very different experience to see and learn. Like I haven't had to field gut in a very long time because even when I bow hunted, it was always on a lease of some kind. So it's not like I'm hiking with this thing. I was always able to get my truck to it for the most part. I might have to drag it fifty, sixty yards. But I I never really had to like field gut one to get it where I needed to go or to pack it up. So I've always just been used to pull them up, skin them, quarter them, rib cage, guts all drop into a five 55 gallon drum and you go toss it. Marcus: Mm-hmm. Yep. Alex: So even the gutting for me will be new because I've never had to, you know, just open up a stomach and go gut one. Marcus: So yeah, we've always just taken them back to the barn and then we got it there and put it all in the bucket and then dispose of it or discard it. So it'll be good. I need it. Alex: Yeah. Well my truck has not seen any deer blood yet, so I guess hopefully we shoot something. Or we're taking your truck. Marcus: You want to hear? Yeah, I say I would like to say that probably just because yeah, it'll probably be a little easier to maneuver with with my truck Yeah, Alex: I say yours a little bit smaller than mine, huh? Marcus: yeah saying and we'll probably go in through some brush and all that. So yeah, that'll that'll be fun Alex: I'll let I'll let you get the scratches on your truck then. I man, it's Marcus: It already has them, yeah. Alex: funny. So my first company, we had ranch trucks. They were old company trucks that we just bought the lease on, right? Because all of our superintendents drove trucks. So there was like seven of them out there and they were beaters. The second company I worked for didn't have that. So I remember one time I took a client out and again early in the morning, and some of those paths are pretty narrow. And you just heard this big scratch. And I mean probably four foot on the bed of my truck, like right over my will well, just a gash. Marcus: Yeah. Alex: And I was like, damn it. Marcus: Yeah, the first time that happened I was like, it is what it is. I just kept driving. Alex: And that's kind of that's kind of the mindset you get in. You're like, it's a truck, it's meant like my truck Marcus: Yeah. Alex: right now, and I don't I think it's from the kids loading stuff in and out of the truck, like baseball gear and lacrosse gear. Marcus: Yeah. Alex: I have scratches on the bed of my truck and I'm like, What the I was like, a truck's Marcus: Yeah. Alex: a truck. And at this point, like it's funny because the boys are already fighting over who's gonna get my truck when they turn 'cause they turn sixteen a year apart, right? Marcus: Yeah Alex: And they're already fighting. I was like, guys, y'all realize you're fighting over Marcus: I'm probably gonna get rid of this thing. Alex: You're fighting over a truck that's gonna have like three hundred thousand miles on it by the time y'all get it. Like I've had it for Marcus: Yeah. Alex: three years and I already have seventy thousand miles on it. Like yeah, you realize you're not even gonna want this tank of a truck. I mean but whatever. If it's paid if it's paid off, they can have it. Marcus: Yeah, diesel's gonna be $10. Yeah, that'll be fun. It's a lot of new things. Alex: yeah, so yeah, looking forward to it. Looking forward to we we've talked about it, just the bonding of hunting. Marcus: Mm-hmm. Alex: so I I appreciate the the opportunity. I couldn't think of a a better group of people to share my first experience hunting with Tripp and Tripp's first hunting experience in general. I think it'll be very low pressure, very low key, especially Marcus: Mm-hmm. Alex: with what you're saying about these doe not running off. Like, you know, if he gets multiple opportunities to shoot, that'll be great. That cold front coming through. overnight low of fifty-five ish, like that'll be nice. Marcus: Mm-hmm. Alex: it'll be a really nice morning to just jeans, jeans, hoodie, Marcus: sit out there. Yeah. Alex: and have you know, have a coffee and just relax. Like it'll be it'll be good. And I'm glad we're Marcus: Yeah, that's probably... Alex: going out Thursday night. Like I that'll be the best. Like that was the move. Casey wasn't totally thrilled, but I was like, look, we will leave after Bella goes to bed. Like We'll leave around eight o'clock. That way, like we still have dinner time, we still have family time, we still have everything. And then you and Grayson can get a little bit of alone time. Trip and I will head to Fort Worth. Marcus: Mm-hmm. Yeah. Yeah, that'll be good. And then that way you can experience the, I don't know, I always liked it just seeing the sunrise out of a blind. Something about it. It's just like, like the Alex: Mm-hmm. Marcus: world is just waking up and especially like the world without like cars or anything. You just kind of see stuff. You just start hearing things. I'm gonna bring my turkey call too, just in case. Alex: Well, I've told you that's that's exactly why I like going and riding the horse first thing in the morning, because you you get to see, you know, everything kind of come to life, especially out there Marcus: Mm-hmm. Alex: at the ranch. Like you start to hear, you know, the chickens wake up and the goats and all this stuff, and it's just that cool breeze coming through. it is it's a fun experience. It's been a long time since I've done it in a hunting blind, so I'm very excited about that. You know, part of like I told you, part of me hopes that we're there later, you know, all day type thing because we can I can take my bow and target, we can mess around with that with the kids. Marcus: Mm-hmm. Alex: you know, there's just a lot of things we can do. Part of me's like, it'd be nice to shoot something and just get back home so that we can go about our day. but you know, I've I've blocked out the whole day. So I I had a lacrosse clinic last night. Marcus: Yeah. Alex: That I was committed to shoot. Technically, there was supposed to be one this morning, but it got moved to this evening and then that got canceled and it got moved to next Friday. She was like, Can you be here next Friday afternoon or next Friday evening? And I was like, that will be a day of decision. Like I I have I've already told my son I'm taking him hunting. Marcus: Yeah. Alex: Like that is not changing. I'm I'm taking off work. He's take he's getting out of school. Like, so I'm not messing with that. If we shoot something in the morning, I'll be here in the evening. If not, sorry. Like, Marcus: Yeah. Alex: you're out your five hundred bucks that you already paid me. Like, don't Marcus: Yeah. Alex: change the schedule on me twenty-four hours before. Marcus: Yeah, well, I don't know. A whole day of hunting does sound pretty good though. Alex: Not much beats it. And with where I don't know where the ranch is, right? but I know it's Marcus: Yeah. Alex: close. It's like with where it is, like we could easily leave, go get lunch, go back. Like it's one of those things that but that's what Marcus: Yeah. Yeah. Alex: we when we would go, we would go hunt and we'd be there until I think 10-ish is when we would all kind of head back to the cabin. And then we'd hang out at the cabin for a few hours. We'd shoot guns, we'd drink. Do the whole lunch thing, and then go back out at, you know, four, three, four in the afternoon and hunt for another three hours before sunset. Marcus: Mm-hmm. Alex: so, but with you having hogs, like we could be out there really all day if we really wanted to, I bet. Those hogs are probably eating all day. Marcus: Mm-hmm. one. Excited. Alex: Yeah, I'm looking forward to it. we got what else we got? Halloween coming up. Marcus: Yeah. Alex: dude, Casey. So you were asking if we dress up. I have Marcus: Yeah. Alex: tried to get Casey to do like a family thing multiple times. We did one year. we did Mario. The Marcus: Yeah. Alex: kids were Yoshi. I don't know. She was Peach. I was Mario. I was fat, short and fat at the time. it fit. I had a buddy that Marcus: you Alex: was Luigi and his wife was Princess Daisy. Yeah, Daisy. so no, but we have not since then. But that case he was like, well Bella's going as Jesse from Toy Story. I was like, cool, great. She's so then she's like, We should we should dress up. I was like, okay, like whatever. It sounds fine. Marcus: Yeah. Alex: and she sends me the Slinky Dog costume where we would be tied we would be Marcus: Who's the caboose? Alex: tied to each other and I was like, case I love you, but I do not want to be tied to you for the entire night. Like that is that does not sound fun. one, we have Marcus: No. Forever sounds good, but for the night sounds terrible. Alex: We have three kids that all like to run in different directions. Marcus: Yeah. Alex: And it is inevitable. Every Halloween we get split up. And it's not by choice. Like either she's talking to someone and I'm chasing the kids, or vice versa. Like it's like this isn't gonna work. Like it it's we're just gonna be pulling on each other the entire night. Like I will go Marcus: Yeah. Alex: as anything else. I'll be Woody. Like, no, I'm not going as the slinky dog. Marcus: That's so funny. I didn't even tell you what we were going to be, but Marcus is going to be Buzz and Addie is going to be Bo Peep. Alex: Okay. Marcus: And so that leaves me and Blake. we could do the whole Woody and Jesse thing. I told Blake or or hear me out. We can be Forky and Sporky from the last Toy Story 5, which Alex: I love Forky. Marcus: Yeah, those are my favorite characters. I don't know. It's going to be I think we might go to Spirit today and just kind of make a game time decision then. But yeah, we always do a group. A group costume, and because Mark has been the older one, he's been picking the theme the last I don't know how many years. So Alex: Yeah. Marcus: this time around, Addy was like, I'm going be Bo Peep. then. Everyone followed suit. So next year he'll get to pick and see what happens. Alex: We we have friends, they have five kids and they do like a family vote of what the but they dress up every year as a group. Like last year they were Aladdin, so they were all, you know, obviously a character from from Aladdin. I I think the wife was the magic carpet. but no, yeah, we we have it. We need to. But I Grayson's Marcus: Yeah. Alex: going as some like Nickelodeon superhero Henry Danger. Marcus: No idea. Alex: and Trip wants to be men in black. So Marcus: that's cool. Alex: it's like yeah, except for like no one's really gonna get it. Like you're you're gonna run around in a in a black Marcus: No, it's just you're kidding a suit Alex: suit, you're not gonna be able to wear sunglasses because it's gonna be at night, and like so no one's Marcus: He's just gonna be flashing people with the flashlight. Alex: Yeah. It's like no one's really gonna get it, but okay, whatever. Like if that's what you wanna be, that's fine. So, yeah, I'm excited to see your toy story. I don't know. I gotta I guess I gotta talk to Casey and see if we're gonna go with something or not. Marcus: Yeah, well you got many options. You got Men in Black, you got the Toy Story one. I would do the Toy Story one, that seems a little bit easier. Alex: Yeah, it does. I joked, since I have the the rope, I was like, Casey, we should go as like Tomb Raider and who's my calls it, Harrison Ford character. Marcus: yes, I know who you're talking about. Yeah. Alex: Raiders the Lost Ark. I am totally blanking on the freaking guys. Indiana Jones. There we go. Jesus Christ. God, I hate when that happens. I was so close. Marcus: You're so close. Alex: yeah, I was joking. I was like, You could be like Laura Croft and I can be Indiana Jones. And she was like, Marcus: We'll just share the rope. Alex: She was like, No, I'm not doing that. I was like, Well, fine then. Marcus: Yeah, I'm excited too for this This will be a I guess in our new neighborhood and it Alex: Yeah. Marcus: it looks like one of those neighborhoods where they just Do a lot like just based on this summer. They do a lot of different activities. So I already talked to a couple of neighbors and they're like, yeah, like we get Cars from all over town coming into this neighborhood like to get candy and all that. So Alex: You know, that's something you don't consider, I think, when you're initially like picking places to live, especially as a young family. Marcus: Yep. Alex: because you don't know to ask those questions. Like it was Marcus: Mm-mm. Alex: the same thing for us. Like we moved into this neighborhood and this neighborhood apparently is like really big for Halloween. Like people come to our neighborhood. great, awesome, it's so much fun. But like I wouldn't have initially thought to like ask the realtor, Do you know what the Christmas and Halloween scene is? Like Marcus: Yeah. Alex: No, like that you just move into a neighborhood and it is what it is. Like me growing up in the same general area, like I didn't ever just Halloween at like my neighborhood. Marcus: Mm-hmm. Alex: Like we're so close, you were in a master plan development with all these neighborhoods and I had friends that lived a mile away. Like we would we'd bounce neighborhoods and we'd go do all these things. Well, and granted, that's we were sixth, seventh, eighth grade and older. Marcus: Yeah. Alex: but it's just one of those things that you don't really think to think about. Marcus: No. Alex: So it's like it's cool when it works out. So I'll be it'll be fun to see y'all being Marcus: Yeah. Alex: first Halloween and if it truly is like like we have we have a lot of parents that hand out jello shots at our in ours. Marcus: Yeah. And I was, I was telling Blake, was like, I don't know. I might bring out the Blackstone out there and like, just like make hot dogs or burgers or something for, cause I know like that's something that we picked up from, was actually Blake's parents' neighborhood. There was this house, they had, hot dogs just kind of, on the grill. had a margarita machine. They had a cooler full of beer. had like jello shots and it was just like, man, that's the house to be. It's like, I like that. Alex: Yeah, I'm I'm not gonna lie, I've never considered that, but that would be freaking awesome. Like if I Marcus: Yeah. Alex: walked up on a house that was throwing out some glizzies and margaritas, like I wouldn't leave. It's like you're walking around Marcus: Yeah. Yeah. No, and it was awesome. Alex: for a few hours, you start like right at dinner time, you're starting around six, you're either eating early or eating Marcus: Yeah. Yup. Alex: late, you're hungry, you there's a lot of Marcus: Yup. Alex: things and it's like, but if I came to a place that like had hot dog, like All right, you're the you're freaking awesome, man. Like I'll I'll take two. Like that's Marcus: Yeah, so I'm taking a couple. Yeah, exactly. Yeah. Yeah, it's just like, man, you got margarita machine to say, man, it's so good. And it was like, sometimes like the the the Halloweens are hit and miss either it's like cold and rainy or like really hot. And that year it was really hot. And so that margarita was it was hidden. It was good. Alex: Man, I and I I think I've said this a thousand times on this podcast. Like I love the life stage we're in and I don't want it to go anywhere. But if if I put my, you know, my realistic hat on and no time moves on and everyone gets older and like the kids are gonna grow up and move out of the house, part of me is like, I'm excited for that stage where I'm not walking kids around anymore. Marcus: Yeah. Alex: Because like there's so many people like two doors down the street from us that their youngest is in high school. So every year we walk by and they have usually the World Series is on. So they have the World Series playing and they're just sitting there drinking, listening to music, handing out candy. It's like that we you've been to our house, we have one of those front J Marcus: Yeah. Yeah. Alex: swings. Like I could do exactly what you're talking about. I could do a full setup with a nice big screen, Marcus: Yeah. Yup. Alex: some, some drinks, grilling up hot dogs, doing all this stuff, and just like hang out. Marcus: Yeah. that sounds awesome. Yeah. Alex: Like that but I can't do that 'cause I have kids that wanna walk around. So like I don't I can't do that. Marcus: Yeah, I have to try and convince Addie to, hey, let's pass out candy instead of going. But I don't know. You tell a kid that you're not going to get candy. Alex: Yeah, but that's yeah, that's not see that's not fun for them. Like that's just that's what I'm saying. Like it's just a life stage Marcus: Yeah. Alex: we're in, like we are stuck to walking our kids around and it is fun in and of itself. I will admit, like, it's getting pretty exhausting because but I have older kids, like when exactly. When Bella Marcus: Yeah, they run, yeah. Alex: being five, she's easy because she can't run fast enough to get away from me. But the boys, they meet up with their friends and they're d all this stuff and you're like, Marcus: Yeah. Alex: I don't know where the hell they are. Like I've Marcus: Yeah. Alex: we have been, and this is probably, you know, now that we're sitting in an hour, this is probably a whole nother podcast conversation. Marcus: You Alex: But we've been talking about getting a phone for the house so that when one, if they're ever home alone, they have a phone to call us. But two, when like they're going across the neighborhood, going to a friend's house, Marcus: Mm-hmm. Alex: like, hey, just take that phone. That is the family phone that Marcus: Mm-hmm. Alex: bounces between the kids. Marcus: Yeah. Alex: that way we have a way to reach you. You have a way to reach us. but we have two. Grayson has a phone line because he had a watch at one point that we tried and just really doesn't work well. and then technically I have a phone line attached to my watch, which again it the Apple Watch is like Apple, if you ever listen to this, and I'm sorry because we're on Apple Podcasts, so don't cancel us. Apple Watch cellular sucks. Like 90% of the time it doesn't work. Marcus: Yeah. Alex: Like if my phone stays at home and I leave, like that was the whole point. Like I want to be able to go to the baseball field and not have my phone on me. I want to be able to go work out and not take my phone. My watch doesn't work. I get Marcus: Yeah. Alex: home and I've missed three calls and I have a bunch of texts. and it was the same thing with Grayson's watch. So we have two phone lines that I think we're just gonna go probably get two phones Marcus: Mm-hmm. Alex: that are not the boys because we've told them you're not getting phones Marcus: Yeah. Alex: until you're 16, but they are communal. They sit at the house, they're plugged in on the counter. And Marcus: Yeah. Alex: if you go play at a friend's house, you take the phone with you so that we can get a hold of you and all that. Or like trip when you're going to lacrosse practice, and sometimes like I have to drop him off, and then Casey will pick him up. There's a time there in which one of us isn't there. He has a phone in case he needs to reach us. so, anyways, I say all that to Marcus: Yeah. Alex: say. We I think we need to solve that before Halloween comes around so that like we put a phone in each of the boys' pockets and Marcus: Yeah. Alex: That way we don't necessarily have to worry about them running off. Like we we have a way to reach them or track them. Marcus: Get some walkie talkies. Alex: I could do that too. I mean Marcus: Yeah. Alex: it would fit Tripp's costume. Just toss a little earpiece Marcus: Yeah, Alex: in and Marcus: yeah, I think they're like 20 I found some good ones. There's some Motorola ones that are designed for kids Like the kid friendly I think they're like 20 bucks, but they're they got good range. I bought Alex: Do they? Marcus: a couple. Yeah Alex: Well, maybe I'd have to consider that. But no, like here's the deal. If I'm going walkie talkies, I need the full like throat monitor. Like I just want to be able to click here. You know, we're going full military with this if that's the case. Like we're gonna do lot of research. Marcus: Yeah. Alex: Yeah, like it it's random code words, you know. No, I'd we gotta figure it out. Marcus: Yeah, what would what would be your code? I've so I've we've worked on walkie Alex: Whoa. Marcus: talkies before, so I've had a code name was your code name. Alex: I have no clue. I I I have Marcus: No. Alex: had zero reason to ever need a code name, so well what was your code name? Not not your Marcus: so my code name was BurritoForce1. Alex: Okay. Very, very Mexican of you. Marcus: It was good. Everyone knew who they were talking to. Yeah, burrito force one. That was pretty good. Alex: I No, I I I was at work, I was always on being in the field. we were always on walkies. you know, and we always had those ones that like had the little mic Marcus: Yeah. Alex: attachment. So like it was up here on my shoulder, like mic just like a police officer, right? so like super tendants, we would always talk to each other, but One, we have moved completely away from radios on a construction site. Everyone's like, I have a cell phone now, so you can just call me, which I think is really stupid. Like it's like, Marcus: Yeah. Alex: I don't wanna have to grab my phone. Like I can just sit here and call you right here. Like that Marcus: Yeah. Alex: it seems really stupid. And you might be on the phone. So like you kick me to voice mode, this, whereas like you're gonna hear me here and hey, I'm on a phone, I'll get right with you. Anyways, Marcus: Yeah. Yeah. Alex: we've moved away from all of those. Not that I would wear one anyways, because I'm not in the field anymore. But we never had code words, it was just like Alex, Travis, you know, just call whoever. Marcus: Yeah. It's like, hey, dummy. What? Alex: Yeah, the problem is you you get someone that forgets to turn their mic off when they're sitting in an owner's meeting, which I did multiple times, and you Marcus: Yeah. Yeah. Alex: get some someone that does something like that and you're like, shit, sorry, let me turn that down. Marcus: Yeah, yeah. I thought we just getting the feed from the other construction site. You don't know them. Alex: Yeah, the one that's five miles away. Marcus: Yeah, yeah, that one. Yeah. Alex: Yeah, no, I'd I'd have to think about that. I don't know what my what my call sign would be. And I'd have to but no, radios isn't a bad call. Maybe we do radios. Marcus: We do have a house phone, like a corded house phone here. Alex: Casey was telling me that they have is it plugged into a wall jack or is it a voice over IP? Marcus: It's both voiceover, yeah. Alex: Okay, so Casey was telling me about some like 'cause she like, Well, maybe we should just do that for the house because then like we give that number to the family and they can call their Marcus: Yeah, Alex: aunts and this and that. Marcus: yeah, you can block other numbers so that you don't get random calls. Yeah. Alex: Yeah. And I I do like the idea of that, but my concern is having two kids that are mobile, like can ride their bikes around the neighborhoods and stuff. Marcus: yeah. Alex: it only having one portable phone would not be to me the best decision. But I do really like the idea of having one that's like that. But we can essentially treat a phone the same way, like Marcus: Yeah, maybe that's just the... Alex: You plu you plug it into the wall and you put a six foot cord on it and hey, now it's the exact Marcus: Yeah. Alex: same thing. You can't go anywhere, you can't take it with you anywhere. Marcus: Yeah, I know it's a little nostalgic feeling because it has that corded thing so you pick it up and super easy for the kids to use Alex: Yeah. Marcus: because it has like symbols on there so it's like all right who's the star or the heart or the flower whatever and so we have a Alex: Yeah. Marcus: couple pre-programmed for like the grandmas and Just some friends that have the same kind of phone. So they make calls on it all the time Cuz I want to talk to I want to talk to baby so they'll go pick up the phone and they'll hit the button and it calls her so I can just talk Alex: See, but Marcus: for a little bit. Alex: but they like to FaceTime. Like when they call my mom, they FaceTime with her. They don't call. Marcus: I don't know, that's just how we're raising him. Yeah. Alex: Yeah. I I love the no, I really love the idea. I'm with you. Like I I love the idea. I just Casey was told me about it and I was like, I just don't know if that's the right tool for our family. I think it's a really cool idea. Marcus: Yeah. Yeah. I mean, it just feels like a house phone. That's all it is. Which is... Alex: Yeah. Yeah, I don't know. We gotta do something though. a few weeks to figure it out before before Halloween. all right. The only other thing that we have gotta touch on, Jason's not here, so we're we'll talk bad about him for two minutes. Marcus: You Alex: It really's not bad. It it's like we're Marcus: Nah. Alex: talking bad about him, but it's really about him having control, which is shocking and surprising. he hasn't used his his Marcus: his credit. Alex: credit to buy clubs, which I feel like that's growth because Marcus: I feel like that's growth. Alex: Old Jason would have spent that money day one. so I'm I guess I'm impressed that he has managed to not spend that money. I would have already spent it. I'm kind of okay, Marcus: Yeah, that would have been gone. That's something stupid. Alex: but I think it's like everything, right? When you get into something, you spend a lot of money. Like it's when you get into golf, it's this set of clubs, and you're like, I really didn't want that set, I want this set, or I want this Marcus: Yeah. Alex: driver, like. But if you gave me a thousand dollars to go spend in golf, like I don't know what I would spend it on. I guess wedges, that's the only thing. Like I like my putter, I like my irons, I like my woods. Marcus: Mm-hmm. Alex: Like I don't need anything in golf. And it's the same with like camera gear. Like I got into it and I spent a lot of money on the cap, but I for the most part, I have everything I need. Like there's probably one more lens I would like to add outside of the ones that are like. $10,000. Like that's Marcus: Yeah. Alex: never gonna happen. I would love those, but there's probably one like attainable lens, I'm gonna call it one Marcus: Mm-hmm. Alex: that I could actually see myself going and buying. but outside of that, like I don't need another camera body, I don't need any of like anything I want is a one-off and I just go rent it for the weekend if I really need it. same with guns, right? Like kind of once you fill the holes, there's always something you could go by, but Marcus: Mm-hmm. Alex: if someone said, hey, here's $2,000 when you first start, Marcus: I know. Alex: you spend it within three hours. But three, four years later, when you have maybe 10 guns and you have all this stuff, it's like, well, I'm gonna think about this. I don't really know what I want. And maybe it's an accessory. Maybe it's you so I think it's just like anything. Like the more you get into it, the more stuff you accumulate, and the slower Marcus: Mm-hmm. Alex: you are to pull the trigger. Cause you're like, well, what do I actually want and need versus, you know, what's just a fad? Marcus: No, don't need anything. What I want would be cool to have a 50 cal. That'd be cool. For funsies. I don't know. Alex: Yeah. But aga you for funsies. Where are you ever gonna shoot that? You will have no like you you don't need you're not gonna shoot it at anything because there will be nothing left if you hit it. Marcus: That's true. Alex: And the back pressure, Marcus: just to say. Alex: the back pressure on a fifty cal will rattle the deer stand. Like it Marcus: you Alex: might knock the thing down. Marcus: No, yeah. That'd just be cool to have, I don't know. Alex: No, I'm with you. It will be there's obviously the cool to have type stuff, but like I I Marcus: Yeah. Don't need it. Absolutely no need for it. Alex: I sat for old Alex would have like ten years ago Alex would have just gone and bought two different guns to solve for this hunting trip. Marcus: Yeah. Alex: but I mean I sat and I was like, I don't know if I want to do that, I don't know if I want to do this, I don't know if I like that one. Like It's just one of those things that you really start to like consider all of the pieces and same with handguns. Like I don't need any. Like I have my handguns. I actually want to trade one in and get one. My home, I have one a full size for home defense, but it was prior to red dots and prior to suppressors. Marcus: Hmm. Alex: So like I would I would have to change the barrel to put a suppressor Marcus: Mm-hmm. Alex: on it, but I can't put a red dot on it anyways. Marcus: Mm-hmm. Alex: So I kinda wanna trade it in and go get a gun that's prepped for a red dot and suppressor so that it's the proper home defense setup. so you know there's Marcus: See, you wouldn't know what to do with $2,000. Alex: But that's like the only thing. And even that, like, I technically have a tool. It's just like, do I really need the upgraded tool? Hopefully I never have to use it at my home. Plus, I also have my AR suppressed. So it's like, do I really need a suppressed handgun when I have the AR that's suppressed? Like which one am I gonna grab first? Let's be honest. Marcus: you need all of them. They're like Pokemons. Alex: Gotta catch them all. Marcus: You gotta catch them all. Alex: No, we we talked about this. you Marcus and I in the in the event of an apocalypse, Our families are gonna join together. Marcus: I would say I'm an asset now. A year ago, not a full asset. Now I'm an asset. Alex: Well well, here's here's the deal. We are all our families really mix well together, Marcus: Yeah. Alex: right? Because Casey's a nurse. Blake can teach the kids. Marcus: Mm-hmm. Alex: And then you have you and I that are builders, but we also shoot. So like you will have the hunting rifles and calibers, and I will have the personal defense calibers and guns. Mix it together now. Like I don't need two ARs, but if you and I partner together. You get an AR, I get an AR. Right? Marcus: Yeah. What do I do with my ARs though? I guess give it to the kids. Alex: Yeah. We we got gotta retrofit your ARs to be three hundred blackouts so that if we ever need to like be covert, we subsonic it and we're Marcus: Yeah. Alex: fine. Marcus: Yeah. I already have one that's 300 blackout. The other one. Yeah. I might just get a different barrel, but I already told Blake like Blake is probably good now because she's been playing so much like Call of Duty and like Fortnite that she looks at like whenever I come out or go to the garage. So because I'm messing around, I want to change out a buffer or whatever. I'm always tinkering like she sees it. And then she looks at there. It's like, that looks like my gun on the game. And she just can't keep playing. I was like, well, you know how to use it now, so that's good. Alex: So she knows she knows game tactics, but not necessarily how to shoot the rifle. Casey's actually a really good shot. I took her shooting last year and it was her first time to ever go. And I told her, I like, you have the kind of personality that you're gonna sit and say you don't love guns. Cause she's never been like totally comfortable around guns. when she first met me, she was like, Whoa, okay. Like this is weird. but now like she's fine around them Marcus: Yeah. Alex: for the most part. But I took her shooting Marcus: Yeah. Alex: and she was like, That was actually really fun. I was like, I told you it would be. But Marcus: Yeah. Alex: she was a she was a really good shot. I was very surprised. Like, no, I didn't think she'd be bad, like, but Marcus: Yeah. Alex: she's never shot, like she's never really shot a gun. So it's like one of those things of, Okay, well, all newbies kind of suck. Like I sucked when I was new until I learned and no, she was actually pretty good. I was like, Okay. Marcus: Pretty decent. Nice. Yeah. Blake had a like a rifle shooting class with her dad in college. I don't know if I said this before, but like they were shooting like, I think it was like 200 yards with like iron sights. And so she took a whole class with him. She said it was like her and her dad and then like seven other dudes and just like a whole afternoon just learning how to Alex: Yeah. Marcus: shoot with iron sights. Alex: Iron sights is it is a lost art. Marcus: Yeah. Alex: I myself, like I've barely shot with iron sights in the past decade, right? Because I've Marcus: Now. Alex: put scopes on all of mine. I have a red dot on. I don't even have backup ironsights on either of my AR. So like if my scope broke or my red dot died, I'd be like, I hope this hits the target. all of my pistols, all the ones that trip shot. He did you know, funny enough, I took him shooting. And he shot the pistols. He did not like my sig that has the red dot on it. He loved the the iron sight. I have a Glock forty three, so it's that small Glock. Yeah, he loved it. Like he Marcus: Yeah. Yeah. Hmm. Alex: was like, This is great. It it shoots well. I think it's just cause it's pint sized, so it fits him well. Marcus: Yeah, it's small, yeah. Alex: I wanted to honestly get rid of it because I was it's what I carried before I got my SIG. but it's like it's a s six round gun. Like it's honestly Marcus: Yeah. Alex: kind of pointless to have. so I was like, I might trade this in so I can go get a different SIG and blah blah blah. I guess now I'm probably gonna keep it because he really liked it and he was great with Iron Sights. I was like, Cool, great, sounds Marcus: Yeah, it's harder. Yeah, it's that's what I think I told you when the first hand gun like I wanted to learn on the iron sights and once I got Practiced or got well with that then I went okay I'm gonna put a red dot on it now just to because I just wanted to know the mechanics of Shooting, you know Alex: Yeah, I I get it. red dots are just so freaking easy. Like staying staying on target, point shoot. Marcus: Yeah, it's point and shoot. Yeah. Alex: So all right. Well Marcus: West. Alex: I gotta go downstairs and get breakfast started. Bella has a ten o'clock soccer game. Marcus: yeah, we got one at nine and ten. We got a double header today. Alex: yes, you're about to have to get out too. well good. Looking forward to it. looking forward to getting out there hunting next Friday with the kids, which we will have on video. I don't know how fast I'll edit the video, but we will have cameras rolling. We'll have the kids I don't know how long go. Marcus: least some reactions would be cool. Yeah. Alex: Yeah, I'm gonna have to set the the camera in ten eighty, not four K, 'cause those things are gonna have to run for a few hours. but we'll get that going. Marcus: Unless you're quick with it and turn it on as soon as we see something. Alex: yeah. I want to get the kids like talking and like their antsiness and Marcus: Yeah. Alex: it'll be fun. I'm I'm looking forward to it. I honestly I saw a video the other day of someone that had I guess it was like a small device that goes on your scope and it transmits a camera to your phone. Marcus: Uh-huh. Alex: so you're essentially seeing what the scope sees. I was like that, not doing that right now, but in the future, that seems like Marcus: That'd be cool. Alex: a really cool investment. I just like I'm gonna use it once a year. Like that's not something that I need to spend money on right now. Marcus: Yeah. Alex: but anyways, looking forward to it. everyone, as always, Apple, Amazon, YouTube, Spotify Wednesday mornings. the Fields Ranch video did great by our metrics, upwards of 600 views. So go watch that. It's a good one. the last podcast with Andrew and Gary, everyone seemed to love. We'll definitely get them on the channel again. I'm working on another guest right now. So hopefully we'll have some other voices. but Marcus and enjoy your Saturday. Good luck in your soccer games. And I won't just talk to you next week. I'll get to see you next week. Marcus: Yeah, that's right. All right, man. See you. Alex: I mean, see ya.