How to Not Suck w/ Dan Johnson

Hey everyone, welcome to episode 163 of the Antler Up Podcast!

On this week's episode I was joined by two friends of mine Aaron Hepler and Dan Johnson.  The three of us had a great discussion about what we as hunters can be doing now to not suck come fall! This ended up being a little different chat about scouting than normal.  When you dive into the episode you will know what I mean!

To start this episode off we chat about how Dan doesn’t necessarily use an all year approach to hunting but rather a property approach.  After listening back to this episode I found myself relating more to what Dan was saying because of the certain private pieces that I end up hunting in the fall.  Dan talks about putting his stake in the intel that he has gained from previous hunting seasons, rather than post-season scouting to put himself into better positions.  One topic that comes out of this is how Dan has developed to scout better while hunting, but when he does get out now to walk a property it allows him to micro manage stand locations for specific spots!

We get into other hunting strategies,from terrain features focused when e-scouting & hunting, using cameras to help get a better understanding of deer movement, kick-off points and Dan’s golden rule when it comes to whitetail hunting.  It was a great pleasure having Dan on the podcast!  Enjoy this fun episode!  

Thanks again for all the support and best of luck out there and Antler Up!

Jeremy Dinsmore: [00:00:00] Hey everyone. Welcome to the Antler Podcast, brought to you by tethered the world's best saddle hunting equipment. Check out tether nation.com and we have a good one for you on tap. This week we got the emperor himself, Mr. Dan Johnson. And we joined a Sportsman's Empire back in August and we've been able to build a friendship with Dan and we.

Are glad that has happened. It's done great things for us as a platform, but not only that, it's been able to build some great friendships out there with all the other podcasts on the network. So make sure you check those out. So not only was Dan on this podcast, but also had our good friend Aaron Hepple on this episode.

So the three of us, we were able to talk [00:01:00] about how to really not suck come fall, and to start this episode off we chat about how Dan doesn't necessarily use an all year approach to hunting, but rather a property approach. And after listening back to this episode, I found myself relating more to what Dan was saying because of the certain private pieces that I end up hunting in the fallen.

Dan talks about putting his stake in the intel that he's gained over from previous hunting seasons rather than the postseason scouting to put himself into better positions. So it was really unique. It was different than I think most Post-season scouting podcasts have ha have, are out there.

So one topic that comes out of this though is how Dan has developed to scout better while hunting, but when he does get out now to walk a property, it allows him to micromanage those stand locations for those specific spots. We also get into hunting strategies from terrain features. Really focusing on that for, from the e scouting and actually getting boots on the ground using cameras to help get a better understanding [00:02:00] of deer movement kickoff points and Dan's golden rule when it comes to whitetail hunting.

Talked about points, hunting out West, doing different things like that. Just a great kind of fun discussion that we had. So great pleasure having Dan on the podcast. Thanks a lot, Aaron, for coming on this week as well. So thanks a lot everybody, for all the support. Here's what I'm going to ask for a favor, everybody not only please listen to some of the ads that we offer, we're giving you specific discount codes that I am not posting elsewhere.

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So what's up everybody? We're back for another episode of the Antler Up Co podcast, and this week I have Aaron Heppler to help me out today as we interview the man, the myth, the legend. Some call him the best there is. The best there was, and the best there ever will be his, those people are liars. , his closest friends from Iowa and growing up call him Daaz.

How however, to me, he's known as the emperor of the sports. He's empire. There. There you

Dan Johnson: go. d how did you find that out?

Jeremy Dinsmore: When we talked last, when I did your podcast, we got talking about nicknames and I remembered Daaz and I was like, oh, when I heard you on Josh's latest podcast I knew, I was like, I'm I gotta up Josh on this one.

Man, Dan it's a great pleasure to, to finally have you on Dan Laup podcast.

Dan Johnson: Dude, I'm jacked. I'm excited to be on and I'm excited to have the Antler Up podcast on the Sportsman's Empire Network. And you yourself do [00:06:00] some really good work, man. So it was a no-brainer for me to bring you aboard.

Jeremy Dinsmore: Oh, man. I appreciate I wanna get into stuff. Some postseason stuff, some future things that of talking with you. But one thing before we get rolling into all that stuff, I will say this, Aaron's beat me to the punch already. He's found one, I've been out three, four couple handful of times of scouting some new local pieces.

I did your shed hunting strategy and I must be the blind leading the blind because I haven't found shit yet. So

Dan Johnson: did. Hey, first thing, did you go to a place where deer lived? ?

Jeremy Dinsmore: Yeah. I was stepping in shit left and right every other

Dan Johnson: step. Okay. But yeah. So did you have your head down like this? That's

Jeremy Dinsmore: a

Dan Johnson: no, that's a no.

I guess you could say it kind. Okay. Alright. I'll tell you what. Next time you go don't have your head down. Always have your head down, because when it, I didn't know, I don't know if you know this or not, but when an antler of a buck actually falls off, [00:07:00] it falls to the ground.

And then, so if you're looking like this, you can't see it, but if you put your head down like this, then you can see 'em. Yep. That way. Yep.

Jeremy Dinsmore: Oh man. No, that, that's good stuff. Aaron. How many how many of you found already this year? . Just

Aaron Hepler: two. Just two. Already two. Yeah. I'm behind. That's, I'm behind.

You have all those piles of corn, Dan, that you

Dan Johnson: just find 'em all in. Oh, yeah, man I run about 15 to 25 different feeders on all of my thousands of acres of public ground or of private ground that I have access to. And really the sheds find themselves. All I have to do is pull up in my brand new 2023 truck and hop out in my Ken truck boots and step on the ground, and they pretty much just get right into my truck.

I don't even have to pick up . Oh, man.

Jeremy Dinsmore: Yeah, it's been fun. This

Dan Johnson: is gonna be, this is gonna be a good one. Yeah. Yeah. . Yeah. Yeah. I'm telling you right now, I [00:08:00] don't, I'm right about this time is usually when I have my first cup of coffee, but today I haven't stopped drinking coffee, so I'm like, Yeah, I'm ready.

I'm ready.

Jeremy Dinsmore: We are about to be on spring break next week, so I'm fired up too. We're sup We were supposed to originally get this big storm, which I was disappointed in because of getting out and scouting and doing some things. Aaron and I are actually going to be getting together next weekend, but, so now it's not supposed to really hit at all.

It's supposed to be maybe just a little thin layer of some ice and snow. People that wanted to get out this upcoming weekend should still be able to get out, which will be good for some scouts and get out there, maybe find some sheds, but, all right, Dan, you, we, you text me, I texted you yesterday just to verify we're good to go for today.

You asked me what's the topic? And I said to not suck, how come, and that's the, I guess that's the model where we could be. What are you, some people struggle with that. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, and I, and sometimes, you could be a. Just on that struggle bus, but, what are things that [00:09:00] you're doing now?

I know scouting's a big topic and I do want to talk a little bit about that and just certain things just because I want your perspective and I think you, I've watched even some of your content stuff when you break down properties of entry and exit routes and certain things like that. And I really like the way you do it.

What are you doing now to not suck, come fall?

Dan Johnson: I don't look at, I don't really look at look at this process as a yearly process because on one farm it's almost property based. So I have one farm, I know the ins and outs of it. I know where the deer are gonna be during the hunting season.

I know the pinch points to access routes. Just from years of collecting data on that farm, 15 years into this in this property, I know a lot about it now on a new property that I don't have access or that I. Haven't had that, that much experience on this new farm that I picked up this spring.

That is, that's more of a hands-on, [00:10:00] boots on the ground learning curve, moving tree stands, trying to find the pinch points, trying to find the heavy trails, trying to find edge, all that stuff. And so really what it is, it's le it's less about what you're doing at a certain time every single year to find success for the next year.

It really is just, it's a collection of information over the course of all the years that lead you to finding success for that particular year. ,

Aaron Hepler: Dan, when I I did that when I interviewed you for that article that I did for Truth From the Stand. Yeah. We talked about, you're al you're always saying just stack the intel just like you do.

Like a small mal fisherman will be like, oh, the fisher relating to this kind of structure. But when you're. Stacking the intel is the perfect thing to do. Like you're looking for the same kind of features that you see on one property, on another property, but how many times are you seeing it not really line up that way?

Like maybe the deer 20 miles down the road don't really like ridge

Dan Johnson: points? You [00:11:00] know what I mean? Yeah. So there's, in the whitetail world when it comes to people saying something like you gotta get downwind of a betting area. Yeah. I've seen Bucks Cruise during the ru Upwind of bedding areas.

I've seen deer walk with her back to the wind. I've seen deer walk around in the daylight on October 1st. So there is an exception to absolutely every single rule. And so when it comes to co stacking the intel and collecting it, what I'm trying to do is find the highest percentage rates.

And how I find that is by spending time in a tree stand scouting is great, right? It can tell you what has happened, but you do not get, you do not get the full what's the word I'm looking for? The full plate of information until you hunt through that particular farm throughout the early season.

The, the, some guys wanna call the, [00:12:00] call it the lull. I think it's bullshit, but the lull, the the pre rut, the rut, the post rut, the late season. And so really what you're doing is you're watching deer shift throughout that entire year as vegetation comes and goes off of the the trees.

As food sources change, as deer behavior changes. And that's, that has more, in my opinion, to do with a success the successful hunt the next year than it does that particular year.

Jeremy Dinsmore: Yeah. Now, when you look at that new farm, for you, Dan, coming up and this past year was your first year actually hunting that, correct?

Correct. So how much stock do you put into right now getting out there and getting boots on the ground?

Dan Johnson: It's one of those things where I need to go out at least once and the it's a property that I can walk in one day because a majority of it is ag. There's one giant vein of timber that runs through the property and it's not that big.

And [00:13:00] so it, it is thick and it does hold a lot of deer. But I should be able to do it in an afternoon and really get an idea of how deer I, cuz I've already went through a hunting season. I've had a little bit of scouting through when I was when I went there in August to drop trail cameras and then again in early October to hunt, and then during the rut as well.

So I have a good idea of how deer we're moving through the property now. The scouting is going to be looking for me, if I go and do a shed hunt and scout, that is going to be looking for really intricacies. And what I mean by that is the ability to micromanage my stand locations to get them not close enough, but in, in some of these lock tight spots where, thermals like, I'll have the thermal advantage or I'll have a wind advantage [00:14:00] because of some kind of terrain feature or or, maybe finding a trail that curves and J hooks and it's up against a creek bed.

They don't necessarily ca cross it, they just come around it. And it gives me an opportunity to find a place to set up with a with a really close cutting the wind type scenario.

Jeremy Dinsmore: Like those I've been trying to find those like deer hub areas, like where is going to concentrate deer a lot.

And that's what I'm really excited for. Yeah. To, like I was said earlier, to go with Aaron next weekend just because it's a property that I hunted my whole life and I've been listening to a couple different episodes of podcast the last couple days and there's things that I'm starting to, things are clicking a little bit more and I hope.

by having more eyes see this property and walk these areas with me. I just, I'm hoping that it could maybe broaden some horizons, fallen into that old rut of, these are normal areas that I've gone to, been to. It could [00:15:00] produce deer, no doubt about it. However, there seems to be that one spot though, that I keep missing some of the big boys that I'm after.

And that's where I'm hoping to find that concentration. So like when you were saying about the, those Jay hooking areas and those spots like that, that, that's that hub of those, that's what's coming to mind, what I'm hoping to find. Yeah.

Dan Johnson: And sometimes those aren't easy to find.

, sometimes those take years to find. And really what it comes down to is you're always like your brain. For me, my brain, I didn't learn this right away, but my brain has to be on like a deer walks where a deer walks for a reason. Because it feels comfortable in that particular spot at that particular time.

So you have to use your brain to see why that deer did what he did. So if a buck is up and moving on, October 1st at 1:00 PM what, what made him do that? Why is he [00:16:00] doing that? And so if once you can start to figure those things out, it allows you to get more detailed into those stand locations.

, I

Aaron Hepler: think even like asking yourself simple questions while you're out. Just like, why would a deer walk here? , because you forget to do I forget to do it all the time. It's I'll find myself like, I'm not finding any sign and I look around and I'm like, oh. , why would they even walk through

Dan Johnson: here?

Why bother? Yeah. Yeah. Absolutely. And a lot of guys, and including myself, I, if I've had a rough day at work or if I've my kids have been on my ass or something like that, and I go to the woods, I just shut my brain off. Yeah. And I don't, I'm not thinking about things. . And so when you shut your brain off, you're just waiting for a deer to show up instead of, Hey, I saw a deer in the distance.

What's he doing? Do

Aaron Hepler: you ever get hyper-focused on something too oh, I'm gonna, today I'm gonna find the biggest bucked on the property and alls you're focused on is finding the bed, but forgetting about why, like, why would a deer want a bed there? What is he doing to get there? That kind of [00:17:00] stuff.

And you're like forgetting just the foundations of what you need to do to find

Dan Johnson: that buck bed. Yeah, from a hyper-focusing standpoint I do that, but I don't , I do something a little bit different. , I'm a hundred, I'm a hundred percent terrain feature focused. Yeah. I like this whole notion for me of buck beds.

Yeah. Going and finding a buck bed. I can go and find a deer bed , but a buck bed that has, that this buck, particular, a particular buck goes there over and over just does not happen where I hunt in the country that I hunt. Yeah. And so I used to try to do that. Yeah. I used to say, Hey, Dan Inal, I'm trying to apply this buck bed method to how I hunt.

He's hunting in a completely different terrain than I am. And so me trying to apply that strategy onto the farm that I hunt is a waste of my time. Yeah. And so it's awesome for what, where he's at. But for me, deer bed in so many different areas, even if the wind is [00:18:00] a little off and let's say it's a different bed for north and north, Northwest or north and northeast, they're gonna have different beds on different pieces of the property.

And they don't, I wouldn't say they necessarily bed in the same spot every single day.

Aaron Hepler: And you're hunting, what you're hunting, I think what you've described is there is pretty big chunks of timber. Yeah. So the terrain is more important than the actual bed, cuz they bed on specific terrain, but they might not, like you said, they might not bed in the same places every day.

Yeah. I'm sure that's

Dan Johnson: what you're finding. Yeah. I hunt in a mix of ag it's ag river, bottom ground. Okay. For the most part. And then where that river bottom meets is big timber. And so I have big, big, really big chunks of timber that I have access to that also ag fields and. Yes.

On the end of those points, I found deer sign and Buck, buck rubs in indicating that, Hey, there's deer there. Yeah. But at, on the opposite side of a ridge [00:19:00] usually is a low spot into an ag field. I've seen buck beds there too, on these fingers that lead up to the, up to the field. And so you can really sit and try to find out where they're at, when you get in there which is great.

It's good to know, but I don't really worry about that too much. I worry about where deer are coming through, because ultimately what we're doing is ambush hunting. So I don't necessarily care about where he is betting per se. , I care about what terrain feature he's going to use to go to his food source of choice.

By the end of the night or come back from in the morning.

Aaron Hepler: Yeah I agree with you a hundred percent on that.

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You have deer prediction, journaling, and the best maps on any hunting app platform there is. [00:20:00] Use code antler up to save 20% off your Smart and Forge membership@spartanforge.ai. So Dan you're saying about you put those cameras out in August. Are you making any adjustments right now or anything along those lines with your cameras?

Dan Johnson: As far as moving my cameras around, I move them around all the time, all year round. I try to find different spots, different crossings like here. Here soon, hopefully, I think be, I'm gonna end up taking some mineral and I'll dump some mineral out and in front of a cell cam just to get a, an inventory, see what deer's still holding.

And then that should last through most of the spring. And then I'll go change my batteries again, and then it'll be velvet season. And those particular cameras stay in in the same spot all springing and up until it's time to move them off the mineral station and move them to a different location into those pinch points.[00:21:00]

Create crossings, fence crossings. And then the trail cameras also helped me. really refine where that deer movement is on any said property. .

Jeremy Dinsmore: That's good. I, here's one question I wanted to ask, because we last talked mainly on, on for your podcast right after the new year. We're getting ready, breaking in 2023.

Now that the season's been over for, over a month plus and everything, and you've done some trade shows, you talked to people, you reli, you've relived some hunting moments through throughout the season. Is there anything that now you look at man, I overlooked that this past year?

Dan Johnson: Oh, I guess I haven't re really reflected on anything like that, like looking for something that went wrong because the outcome of my season, as far as Iowa was concerned, I would consider a success, even though.

The whole recovery of my animal was an issue. , I didn't, I wasn't able to retrieve the meat off of him. I [00:22:00] found him, but he was already eaten by coyotes. Now, if I look back and say, did I make a mistake from the strategy standpoint, the only thing this would be if I was hypercritical of myself is I had a giant on another farm.

And, but he wasn't, I couldn't get a consistent bead on him. He would show up here one day and then another place the next day and another place the next day. And I really didn't have a like a good idea of what terrain features she was running. And so really what I did at that point was, Went to this new farm where I was getting a ton of action and a ton of consistent action.

And that's what led me to go there and start my rut vacation there. And it didn't take too long to connect, but what I will say is if I could have done it differently, I probably would've spent some time trying to get on my other farm and see if there in [00:23:00] fact was some kind of pattern that I could have tried to find this other buck on.

Yeah.

Jeremy Dinsmore: Because that's the piece that I'm currently doing right now. Like I said, I've, yeah with me not coaching right now, for the first time in 10 years of a spring sport, I've been out a bunch of times already. I've been trying to e scout a bunch of different areas as well to hopefully get to, so right now, like that's my main thing.

And like I, I know we were joking about going, shed hunting and everything, but the one thing that I've been trying to is. Break things down and slow the process down. Like the other day, I stayed in one little spot. Like I, I still was able to hike six miles. However, I stayed in certain areas when I found good sign a lot longer than I could have, like I could have done a lot more mileage, quote unquote covered more ground.

But when I found that sign, I stayed there more. So I wanted to I would pull off the map and I would look at certain scenarios of okay, where's this deer coming from? Where's an access possibly? Cause I found this creek bottom that was [00:24:00] just completely. Destroyed with rubs and some of them still look fresh.

Aaron, I know I sent you like that video and everything and I posted it on social media, but I don't think it really did a justice because that was just a small snippet Dan of just rubs galore. Yeah. And on top of, on the front side it was coming on a on top was like an old brush clear cut that led down into some open woods, bench after bench.

And then it dropped down into the open woods that led into the thick and some pines with the creek bottom. And then on the other side of that, it lifted up into just real thick, nasty mountain laurel. And so I stayed down there for a long time to. put, try to put that pu piece of the puzzle together, like how I would hunt it and how I would do that.

We're, you're talking about going out and doing certain things. Now I'm finding if I find the shed, it is by pure luck. It is by, yeah, me, all that type of stuff. Because I'm really focusing on when I do get out or had the [00:25:00] opportunity to get out during this time, it's that dear sign and trying to tell the story what are maybe certain things that people should really key in on.

That's really important Now. For next year. Like obviously yes, finding scrapes, rubs is all good, maybe even the deeper side of things. If, like for you, for example, if you know your farm has corn this year, next year, if it's a, swap in the rotation out going to beans, what are certain things like that, again, doing like that overlook question I said what are things that maybe people are just so hyper-focused on ooh, there's scrape.

Ooh, there's a rub and not really

piecing

Jeremy Dinsmore: other pus, pieces of the puzzle together.

Dan Johnson: So yeah, I go back to what I mentioned earlier about sitting I in, in the woods during the hunting season. So what I would be looking for at this point is a kicking off point. I would be looking for the best possible tree stand to kick off a rotation.

So when my vacation comes. [00:26:00] October 29th, November 5th, whatever it is, I'm looking for a location to where I can walk into the timber and get a good, and guys can even do this. It doesn't have, I wouldn't consider this an observation, sta sit, because when you're in some of these thick areas, I can't even see 40 yards.

So what I'm getting at here is find those starting points, and then it usually, they're not as far in, maybe they're on the edges, but what that allows you to do is to just creep your way into a spot or, like you were mentioning, it sounds to me, , you're hunting in a, almost like a valley.

Or a big drainage that's like this, right? . And so it might be on the, let's just say this way is south and this way is north, right? So you have this big, you have this big drainage. The wind is coming out of the north [00:27:00] and it's, and on a, on, and it's coming over top of this ridge. And then on a south, it's coming over here, and then east and west is just funneling right through.

And so what I would do is I would find a south, a southern wind and a northern wind kickoff point. And so the first day you go, oh, I got a south wind. I'm gonna be on this side. And then from there, you can see the bottom, or you can, but you're not going for, you're not necessarily going for a like an observation, sit, you're actually in a terrain feature and you're actually hunting a spot, but a spot that's on the outskirts.

And then you can creep down if things aren't going your way, and you just, oh hey, I saw something, I saw a go group come through down here. And what that does is it allows you to move your stand location, 20, 40, 50, a hundred yards, whatever the case may be closer [00:28:00] to that deer movement.

And then what you're doing is you're just micro adjusting the entire time. So I would definitely be looking for the kickoff points.

Jeremy Dinsmore: Aaron, what have you been finding out so far?

Aaron Hepler: For me, I'm just like going over some new areas. really not new areas, but areas that I've hunted my whole life.

Maybe small game hunted just to just to put some different miles on cuz I know some of my core areas I know so well that I have because I have put in the time and the miles in those places. And I have an idea of where I might be able to find some sheds in those places. So I think finding sheds in those in those places that I know really well will confirm things that maybe I'm missing.

Or help to. Plus I know, maybe a scrape line moves a little bit just because the vegetation got taller or maybe they're going through this trail now because the brows is better over here. So some of those fine details are good to re-look at your stuff, but I'll be doing that, later this month.

So mostly it's just been new stuff finding. , [00:29:00] interesting access right now and getting creative in some heavily pressured areas, that kind of thing.

Jeremy Dinsmore: Yeah. Dan, when you look at this timeframe and people are scouting, but they're also planning those out-of-state hunts, and I know you've done, you go into plenty of, out-of-state hunts and those opportunities when you go into one like completely blind, other than eess scouting, like what steps are you taking to make sure you're putting yourself in the best position, like to get an opportunity, you think, man, really

Dan Johnson: what I'm doing is this, I'm on whatever app a person is using and just.

finding, again, finding kickoff points. Yeah. Okay. So I'm gonna go to especially when I'm out west and I'm going on a hunt where there's different terrain features and I can see a long ways. I'm going to a high spot. I'm looking through my binoculars, there's my spotting scope. If I'm gonna go on a whitetail hunt, I'm gonna go find the biggest, baddest terrain feature that I can go in there [00:30:00] or that I can find.

I'm gonna go in there, I'm gonna set up in an area where the wind is going to be 100% in my favor, and then I'm gonna start and I'm just gonna keep moving. I'm gonna look for dear sign, like normal. I'm going to look for dear movement and really. Looking for dear movement at this, at that point is key.

That's again, I understand that the focus of this podcast is to try to, think about what a person should be doing right now. And it's hard for me to, I haven't done that in so long because I've taught myself to be better at less, less scouting, more scouting while you hunt.

. And ju just because of time restraints. I, three kids, wife, business activities, and so I've really taught myself I've learned all of this through doing these types of activities throughout the years and [00:31:00] scouting when I was younger and going hard and, shed hunting 30 or 40 days a year, but, I can't do that anymore. That's perfect. So I'm taking all that knowledge that I've learned and I'm applying it to a more of a mobile in the moment type

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Go Wild was built by outdoors men and women by hunters and anglers just like you Go Wild is a free social community. Not only are your photos not censored, they're encouraged on Go Wild And Go Wild. Gives you points for things like sharing your trophies, gear reviews, and inviting friends. As you earn points, you unlock awesome rewards too, such as gift cards, free swag, knives, huge discounts on brands like Garmin and Vortex and so much more.

Oh, and if you create a free account, you can unlock $10 just for trying it out. Visit and download go [00:32:00] wild.com to get star. Yeah, that's perfect because that's, coming into it, that's exactly like I said, yes, this year I have the more chances to get out there and scout, but that's the opportunity where I've fallen into that.

Family work. Yeah. All that type of stuff. And so when you think about going to these out-of-state hunts, because like yourself, Dan, I know you're interested in possibly going to Kansas or another big whitetail type state like that, there's, I know for a fact I, my chances of getting out there are very slim.

And that's a expensive tag. That's a good opportunity. So like you said, I want to do, I want to take all the knowledge that I've learned and like I meant I wrote them what you said. I love the, I want to get to that biggest, baddest area where the wind is gonna in my favor and get in there and go.

Yeah. And that's I think what myself and plenty of hunters kind of f. , don't do enough of, and I admit I fell victim to that last year. That was a goal of mine last year. This past season was I want to scout more, [00:33:00] but man, when that time kits, I'm like, I should be in, I should be out. I should be up somewhere.

I need to be hunting. Yeah. And damnit, when I, during rifle season, I was walking around, I was like, holy shit, there's a s look at all this sign I missed during archery season or within the last couple weeks that , I did not ca

Dan Johnson: capitalize on. Yeah. And this can be and I'm just speaking for myself, but this can be the most overwhelming part of trying to.

figure out deer. And be this mobile aspect, because I've put myself into a position where I've scared myself into isolation and just staying in one spot way too long. , I've also b fell victim to no deer here move, no deer here move. No deer here move. And I haven't given it the proper amount of time to sit in one spot and watch maybe a cycle, like a cycle of days go by.

And so be, because if you get pigeonholed into looking for rubs and scrapes, you will eventually [00:34:00] miss something. And a perfect example was this past year where I had a, a cell cam on a ridge. And so I went out and I was, I just had an extra one and I didn't use it. And I said I'm just gonna put it here.

There's no rubs, there's no scrapes, there's no real sign. There's some deer trails. And I. I set it there in September and I let it send me pictures all year, basically all year. And there was a lot of really good deer on this little ridge went back and pulled it thinking it's gonna be destroyed with a tons of rubs and scrapes.

There was not one rub, there was not ru one scrape on this entire ridge. And so again, it like, you can't really be pigeoned, you shouldn't put all your eggs necessarily into the, Hey, here's a rub line basket. .

Aaron Hepler: I think one thing you said too is like hunting off memory is, Stacking the odds and [00:35:00] learning, the learning the things is perfect.

And if as long as you take the time to apply it somewhere else. Absolutely. Because if you are, I guess if, if you're hunting off memories and you're only hunting off memories, you do pigeon your hole yourself into oh, I'm just gonna go to that spot because it's been good for my entire life.

Yeah. Instead of learning that kind of like that new thing, like you said the observation stuff, maybe you need to move that stand 50 to a hundred yards because that's the difference in the, woods don't stay the same

Dan Johnson: forever. No. And I will talk out of this corner of my mouth with what we just talked about, but on the other corner of my mouth, I will say this little device right here.

And being able to document. Like deer sightings on whatever app that you use, Hey, I saw the buck here, I saw rub here. And you, over a course of years start to put the puzzle together. You can [00:36:00] really get a really good idea of exactly how Deere move on a property. And you, let's just say you have a satellite image and you put all of these, you remove the satellite image and you just take all the points of interest and not even really talk about what those actual points are.

, you can put it down on a blank white sheet of paper and say, if I was a deer hunter, where would I hunt on this piece of paper? . And you would hunt in the areas with the most dots on the map or on that piece of paper. Just out of, statistics. And so documenting every, memory's great, but documenting that and then finding where, like the highest percentage of deer move over the course of a year or five years or 10 years, it probably changes a little, but it doesn't change.

Like all of a sudden a deer isn't just gonna start traveling on top of ridges, like sky [00:37:00] lighting themselves. That's not gonna happen. They're gonna stay on that military crest or lower, they're gonna come up in, in concealed bottoms at the lowest point of fields. They're going to work their way through pinch points in certain areas.

They're gonna jump fences in certain areas because that's where they feel comfortable. . And so just as much information that you can. From collecting it. You can also look at that and say here's where deer are not, and then I don't even pay attention to those areas.

Jeremy Dinsmore: What would you say is the Dan Johnson like golden rule that you abide by for whitetails, no matter where you're going?

Dan Johnson: Make sure your wife is happy before you leave for a hunt. And I say that in all seriousness. Yep. If I've been on hunts where I've left and she's been mad, and then in I'm driving down the road and you get to text I'm not even in the tree yet. When will you be home? The kids are going crazy, and so you have to take care of home first.

Yeah. And then go hunting [00:38:00] second. Now, if you are a single no kids, Guy who, guy or gal and has the world in front of you, I would say hunt as many days as you possibly can, as many hours as you possibly can. October 1st through January 10th here in Iowa. And I think you should hunt every single one of those days because you will learn the most about how deer move throughout the entire hunting season when you're able to just put as much time.

Now granted, you want to have awesome access if you're gonna hunt that many days. Be prepared to be mobile and the more mobile you are and the better your access is, the more you can hunt in a. Farm. But if you're that public land guy, man, you should be out as much as humanly possible.

, I

Jeremy Dinsmore: love what you said because obviously I consider, I really do consider our Antler [00:39:00] podcast to be an educational based. Obviously I'm a teacher. I love learning for myself. I love getting that information out there, looking at things at a different perspective. But I love that you said that because I have a ton of respect for you because of having what you've built, right?

You have your own business, you have your own dream. I know, like I love being a part of the Sportsman's Empire and just because of the fire and the drive that I know where you want to take this and what you want to do with it. But you're also a husband, you're also a father. And I think, I said it a couple weeks ago on a podcast, don't get me wrong, am I ecstatic to get out scouting this year?

Yes. Do I think it's not gonna guarantee me I'm gonna kill a deer next year because of it. It could it help. Yes. But I know some people will say this is, they're so dead red on, if you're not doing this right now, you're not going to kill a deer. How many individuals are out there that don't do this by going kill a big buck?

The next A scare tactic. Yeah.

Dan Johnson: That's all it is. Yeah. Let's be honest. Yep. Most guys could give up a whole year of scouting [00:40:00] and go out and kill some form of a deer. It's not like you just all of a sudden forget like, oh, now what do I do? I didn't scout this year. Holy shit. I should go.

I'm gonna just, I'm just gonna sit in my truck in the parking lot and I'm just gonna, I'm just gonna ride this one out because I, I don't have enough informa bullshit. You know what to do.

Jeremy Dinsmore: Yep. And that's exactly why I'm glad you said what you said, but I also am glad when you said, or a little bit ago of, you're taking what.

When you go into these new either states or areas of even heck your own property you're still scouting, you're still looking, you're checking things of, Hey, this is, like you said, it's not hot. I may have to move, I may, yeah. Be able to tin around, but you're able to do that and make that decision.

Dan Johnson: I'll say this, man, like I've had the opportunity I've had the choice in front of me. It's been October, it's been, I looked at the forecast the night before and I said, oh dude, tomorrow morning is going to be money it's gonna be money, like a front just passed [00:41:00] through.

It's gonna just be money. And instead I made the decision to go to my kid's soccer game because I have just as much fun going and doing that than I do going out and hunting. And so the hunting will be, The hunting's always gonna be there. If you want to say, what if this, what if that whatever hunting is gonna be there.

Your family your kids or whatever, that shit changes every year. And it's, it goes away quickly. And that's one thing that I've realized is I look back at pictures and I know this is getting set, like less about dear strategy, more about family, but I look at the pictures of my kids and I'm like, holy cow, I don't even remember when you were that small.

That is how much time goes by in life like this. Yeah. Yeah. And so I just wanna make sure that I can be the best father and husband that I possibly can be. And then, Go out and hunt my balls off. Yep. And so it's all about [00:42:00] taking care of the things that are most important and the things that are most important, are not, and should not be hunting well, it

Jeremy Dinsmore: goes hand in hand when they're happy and they are not, like you said, you're not getting that text message of when are you coming home?

You're focused then. Yeah. Things are taken care of and you're able to do your own thing and that's, I agree. I a hundred percent agree with that. Yep. Do

Aaron Hepler: you find, like it's paying it forward with your kids too? Like you find you take interest in their interests and they also start to take interest in yours because you just care

Dan Johnson: about each other?

Yeah. I think in a way that's an accurate statement. I spend time with them. I show them that I love them. , I coach their activities. I, wrestle with 'em. I color their pictures with 'em. I, do the things that kid, play catch outside. Yeah. And then when they say, Hey, dad, because I feel like I'm a good dad and because I treat them awesome, they wanna spend more time with me.

And so when I go out into the woods and they say, Hey dad, can I come too? I say [00:43:00] Yes. And so I, unless it's like peak rut, and I'm, I got the beat on a big run. I'm like, yeah, you're setting this one out, buddy, . But there's gonna be a time when I'm gonna, I'm gonna teach them everything that I did not have a teacher for.

Yeah. And if they want to take it to the next level and be a hardcore, serious hunter I'm gonna, I'm gonna do whatever. I'm gonna give up everything in my life for those moments.

Aaron Hepler: Yeah. I'm, when. My little girl's the same way. You take interest in what she loves and she's like more prone to be like, Hey, can we go do this?

And I'm like I didn't think I don't, did you, do you like that? She's yeah, you like it? So I like it. .

Dan Johnson: That's an awesome, that would melt my heart if it does. Every time my kids say it

Aaron Hepler: doesn't that Yeah, it does. Every time. And last week a couple doughs walks through the backyard and she's dad, that one looks like it would make really good Mississippi Pot

Dan Johnson: roasts.[00:44:00]

That's awesome. . That is good. And really, and here's what I'm finding. It doesn't necessarily need to be, it doesn't necessarily need to be these big, gigantic moments, right? Where. , you're taking them out on a hunt or you're taking them scouting or you're doing something deer. , right? Or doing something Turkey.

I think some of the most fun I've had with my kids in the outdoors. has been pulling up to a boat ramp and literally throwing rocks in the water for hours. Yeah. Or sticks in the water, or, splashing in a mud puddle or watch going to a dam and watching fish jump out of the water or whatever.

It's the little things that set the foundation.

Jeremy Dinsmore: Yeah. Yeah. I agree. And this is, it's his all, I know, like you said, Dan, it's, we're got away from the deer hunting strategy, but it's important because we're all, I listened to a pod podcast not too long ago with John Eberhart and Exodus guys, where John, Jake asked the, asked him, what is your [00:45:00] biggest failure or something that you regret?

And John came right out and said, he's putting my kids through a divorce. And he's when I had any time free, I was out hunting, I was doing this. And I put a lot of strain on them. And he's don't get me wrong, I took my kids hunting, but that divorce, I didn't, I wish I didn't put them through that because of me being gone all the time.

And I was it does make you. My, my daughter will be nine tomorrow. And it's the same thing. I think of everything that we all just said, and it's important to be there and share moments with them and do all that type of stuff. So I It's all

Dan Johnson: relatable. Yeah. I think it's important.

I'll be honest, I'm sorry to interrupt. I'll just, I'll finish. Go ahead real, real quick. But a lot of guys, especially in this hunting industry, look up to certain people , and they say, oh man, I wish I could be this person. Some of these people are putting hunting before everything else in their life, what Eberhart was saying in that comment.

But I know a lot of guys who are like that, and a lot of guys [00:46:00] who are just like, you know what I'm choosing hunting. Maybe I wanna say my family, because if it leads, if there's an issue in hunting is the main problem, then you're not doing your job as a father or husband in my opinion. I feel like if you take care of your family, you can go do hunting as much as you want as long as expectations are set for whoev, your partner and your children. . But I saw that and as I learned that some of these badass hunters are just like, I talked to a guy one time, he is dude, my dad has killed some absolute giants, but he did not go to one of my football games growing up cuz he was out hunting all the time.

And so that kind of struck me. Holy cow, man. I don't want to be that person.

Jeremy Dinsmore: Yeah. . Yeah. It's crazy, man. Yeah, I, you hit it. And actually you're not the first person to chime in on that discussion with how some of these people are. Dan, what, what are, maybe[00:47:00] we mentioned possibly Kansas.

What are some other big goals you have maybe coming out this year, hunting Sportsman's empire? What are some other things that you have coming down the pipe? Yeah.

Dan Johnson: As far as Hunts are concerned, I just have to kill a mule deer this year. , I, I've been really frustrated, frustrated over the past handful of years of trying to get on a mule deer.

And kill one. Okay. That's what I want to do. Now outside of that I got a couple options as far as I, I'm gonna be applying for a Kansas tag. If that happens, then I'm gonna try to hunt Oklahoma while I'm down there with a focus heavily on, on Kansas. But I just want to continue to have as much fun as humanly possible and do some of these aggressive hunts and hunt aggressive.

Cause I, I learned something today on Tuesday, this week. I was at the gym and I was lifting heavy, and then I went I, something happened [00:48:00] to my knee, right? And so today I actually went to a doctor and he took x-rays of my knee, and his exact words were, this looks like garbage, the x, like the x-ray . And so I, just one second.

I'm gonna see if I can pull it up for the video. For you guys to show you my knee. I'm gonna see if you guys can see this. Do you see the, do you see the screw and the staple? Yes. In my knee from from a past surgery, he's you have a lot of bone spurs and usually I would not recommend a knee replacement to someone your age, but I think you might be needing a knee replacement here pretty soon.

Sounds like you're gonna need more than one . Yeah, exactly. Exactly. So he's you'll have to have one, maybe by the time you're 45 and then another one when you're 70 Yeah. Or 65 or something like that. And so he goes, I would rather have it now where you're young enough to live your life and you can still do all those things because once you get into [00:49:00] your seventies and have a knee replacement the healing process is gonna be much longer than 45.

And so I think I'm gonna, I think I'm gonna have to schedule a knee replacement here pretty soon. Oh man. Ooh,

Aaron Hepler: I wanna do that after

Dan Johnson: the meal. Deer hunt . Oh yeah. Or well, after the hunting season, like after the archery season, I'll give up on, or maybe January one and from January one I may have to skip on a Turkey season, but from January one, I feel like I could rehab myself if I'm a hundred percent focused to be back out in the woods by September the following year.

I think that's reasonable.

Aaron Hepler: What the age you're

Dan Johnson: at? Nine, nine months or something like that. Yeah. That's a

Aaron Hepler: reasonable goal. You'd probably be good before, a little bit before that.

Jeremy Dinsmore: Yeah. My dad is in his early sixties just now, and last year he had both of them done and he. Up and down the mountain with me this past year on his own doing everything.

So That's awesome. Yeah, it's, [00:50:00] and he loved it cuz he's almost to that age of retirement, so he feels really good now. And he's man, when I finally retire, I'm a, I'm gonna be hunting every day. . So

Dan Johnson: good for him, man. Yeah. That's the way to do it, man.

Aaron Hepler: Whenever we have patients that are like, oh, I'm gonna do, I'm gonna do one at a time, even though they know they need both of them, I'm like, don't do that.

Yeah.

Dan Johnson: Just do 'em both Get it over

Jeremy Dinsmore: with. Yeah. He ended up getting one done I think in May. . And then the other one could have been in July. They weren't at the exact same time, obviously. They were, yeah. A couple weeks apart. But yeah, he had 'em done and he, like I said, this year was his first full year getting after it, after post-surgery basically.

And he, there was the time when he helped me pull up the dough that I shot with the rifle down at the bottom. And I, if it happened a year prior, I was happening to quarter that deer out because he couldn't do it. Yeah. This past year he was able to help me and he did it strongly enough. And so he's happy.

He's definitely really happy. He's done the rehab, the physical therapy, everything that he is [00:51:00] needed to do with it. So yeah, I'm excited for him. He's all pumped. And Aaron, I know you and I were, we've talked about when. both. Hopefully Paul and Iowa tag that year, like the same year and go out.

He's I'm coming with you guys. I just want to come and, ex experience it. Film guy. Yeah. He could be the film guy. So hopefully

Dan Johnson: I'm just waiting for Elon Musk to invent robot legs. There you go. And so I'll just have my legs removed and then I'll just have robot legs and then I won't have my ass burning so much when I'm trying to climb, up to 12,000 feet.

Jeremy Dinsmore: Yeah. Did you, that's perfect. Did you hunt out of the saddle at all this year, Dan? A

Dan Johnson: couple times. Yeah, a couple times, but not as much as I wanted to. Yeah. And as I was sitting there, I was trying to get comfortable in it and I realized yeah, this is definitely doable and I actually think it's going to be, For my lower back.

Than sitting in a tree stand kinda like this. Yep. All day long. [00:52:00] You're

Aaron Hepler: more prone, I think in the saddle you're more prone to stretch your legs and stand. Yeah. And you could just do it almost

Dan Johnson: seamlessly. Yeah.

Jeremy Dinsmore: Yep. I was curious to see how, while your opinion was on it and everything and how your experience was this past year with it.

Yeah.

Dan Johnson: Just I don't have enough time in it yet be just because, I was out west Yeah. And I didn't use it at all. And then when it was time to, I used it in the early season and a couple times, just one time in the rut and then my season was over. Cuz I tagged out and so I, I really do need to.

I I shouldn't say I need to, I will be messing around with it a lot more this year, especially if I draw Kansas and then go down to Oklahoma for

Jeremy Dinsmore: sure. Yeah. Yeah. I'm hoping to, this year I'm actually changing it up a little bit. I'm still going to be doing exactly everything I've done.

Aaron, I know we've talked about one sticking. However, I'm not one sticking, I plan on to practice just doing the full repelling. , [00:53:00] I plan on using my three tethered one sticks using an eighter. I use the the GC one from backwards mobile. It's like a three step eighter. I'll get up as high as I can and I am a hundred percent confident coming or going up that eighter, but coming down at night and stuff, it's a little wonky.

Yeah. So what I plan on doing this year is I'm just going to continue to use my three steps with the eighter going up, but then coming down I plan on repelling down. So when I get to each step, I'll just undo it, come down and just can use the Mad rock to, to lower me down. So that's going to be something I plan on working on this spring and summer to make sure I'm proficient enough to rock with that to come fall.

Dan Johnson: What we need to do is get a 3D printer and print those tree spikes that guys who are in those lumberjack competitions wear. Yeah. Yeah. Where they run up the tree. Wouldn't that be cool if you could learn, teach yourself how to safely do that and not ever need climbing sticks or ropes or AERs anymore.

I think some people do that, don't they? [00:54:00] Yeah. They're called bad asses. Yeah. and I'm don't I, that's, I don't know if I could do that. That's probably Clints next endeavor. Yeah. ,

Jeremy Dinsmore: some states like, aren't some states illegal to use the spike probably on public

Dan Johnson: it.

Aaron Hepler: I think in pa I think in pa if you got a, got an officer on the wrong day, he'd probably find you

Dan Johnson: for it light.

Yeah. Yeah. On public lane in Iowa, you're not even supposed to shoot trim shooting lanes.

Aaron Hepler: Yeah. You can't hear either. No. Yeah. And they're, they'll they find you for

Jeremy Dinsmore: it. Yeah. Yeah. They do that and there's the whole heck, we're not even supposed to use the screw in bow hangers.

Dan Johnson: Right?

Same here.

Jeremy Dinsmore: Yeah.

Aaron Hepler: I think a lot of states are like you're not allowed to jack public

Jeremy Dinsmore: land. Yeah, do any harm to the trees. Damn. What else you got going on, man?

Dan Johnson: Really just trying to maintain sanity while life happens, with the kids and the kids activities and all, just life trying to maintain what [00:55:00] we're, what I'm pretty excited about as far as the network is concerned, man, is and I'm sure you know this by now, but.

The Sportsman's Empire has just re released in time for Turkey, season two, brand new Turkey hunting podcast. Parker McDonald from the Southern Ground Podcast has released the his Limb Hangar series. Yep. So that's a brand new podcast. And then Paul from Ohio outdoors has released the How to Hunt Turkey podcast.

And I'm tr we're working on it right now. There's gonna be another big surprise, hopefully coming within, I'm hoping a couple weeks we can get the deal done. But it's gonna be, it's gonna be a big one that's gonna be joining the joining the network. And just on top of that man, just trying to grow the network as a whole, make more people aware of it, because honestly, I do, I will put the content that we put out.

whether it's myself or you or somebody else on [00:56:00] the network, I will put that content up against any other podcast. The big names included out there. And so that I may sound biased because I, I run the company and I'm associated with you guys. But really it's true. The content that we're putting out is in my opinion, second to nobody.

And trust me, I've heard some garbage in in my life. And so I just wanted to say that, man, we're doing some cool things. We're gonna be adding some EPIs or some video to the Sportsman's Empire YouTube channel here pretty soon. And just keep moving forward, man.

Jeremy Dinsmore: I like it. Aaron, what else?

Do you got anything for Dan before we roll? I don't, I

Aaron Hepler: guess like this is the time of year too for point strategy. Are you doing any, anything as far as that goes, Dan?

Dan Johnson: Yeah. So as far as points are concerned, not really. I'm, the only preference point state that I have continuously applied for would be Wyoming, and I don't even know for elk.[00:57:00]

For elk and deer and antelope. So they have a 50 point. It's basically, I think it's 50 points gets you a preference point. And so I'm spending 150 or $180 a year to get those three animals and really just biting the time until time and finances meet, which will allow me to go. Cause when I go on this elk hunt, it's gonna be like a, once I think I have, I'm gonna, this year I'm gonna have eight preference points.

Oh, okay. So I don't think I'm gonna go this year. But maybe next year or the year after I'm, when I go, I'm gonna go for two weeks. I'm gonna do it big. Yeah. And and so from a preference point stand, from a preference point standpoint, I'm definitely playing the Wyoming game. And then it's just basically educating my, like right now I'm in I'm in a goal-oriented mode, which keeps me coming back to South Dakota every year.

Until they change their, it [00:58:00] sounds to me like they're gonna try to change their draw to a, almost a preference point system then if, cuz right now I can go to every year. Once that changes, then I'll have to think of something different. But from a preference point, from a preference point standpoint, I'm going to be just, until something comes up.

Just Wyoming.

Jeremy Dinsmore: Yeah. So Dan, you hunted Colorado a few years back, right? , right? What? Cuz I said this three years ago when I started the podcast, I had every ambition of oh, I wanna go out west, I wanna do the elcon . I wanna do all that stuff. And like what you just said, finances, time. Yeah. Work, family need the all line up.

And I'm man I went out west to Utah two years ago for a mule deer hunt. I would do that one again. I would definitely go out west, do a mule deer. I have not done the elk hunt. Aaron, you did it this past year. You tagged down on a beautiful bowl, what was it? 2 98. 2 92. 2 92. Two bowl drop camp.

Like you had an idea, but it [00:59:00] was still, you had to go out there and find and hunt and kill that. I am intrigued about that. I would like to do that Sounds great to. But man, Dan, I said, I've said it now a couple times. I want to do adventures like for the whitetail. I just want to go take the knowledge that I've learned that I keep messing up on to try to improve upon.

I just feel like I'm, if I were to go on an elk hunt, I'm going to be 30 years behind the b the eight ball compared to only being, eh, maybe five years behind on the eight ball with whitetail, right? Like I just, I just feel, for me, that's where I'm at. Like what you just said for going to Wyoming eight, eight plus points and going two weeks.

That is my goal for Iowa. Like I have, I like all these big whitetail states like that. That's my goals. I want to try to put as much time and effort into that specific hunt because, it doesn't come around so often.

Dan Johnson: Col, Colorado I love that place. I definitely want to go back, but it's getting harder to find good spots in that, according to my buddy who [01:00:00] lives out there.

Just cause every number one, everybody's coming to it and then, Colorado is also making more zones preference point based, which means that the people who were going there are now going to other over-the-counter units and it's just becoming really congested. So that I hear that. Yeah. On top of that.

When it c dude, when it comes to Iowa, I'm gonna, I'm gonna strongly recommend this. If you decide to put in for your Iowa preference point, it's such a once in a lifetime opportunity for guys that you need to dedicate a full week, half week, four days, whatever, trip during the March timeframe.

Maybe you wanna call it a shed hunting trip. You do what you want, but to get out here and scout ahead of time some of this properties, because y if you do, you have the opportunity. And right now, There are rules there, there's [01:01:00] legislation being put in place that will absolutely destroy what Iowa has for a whitetail herd.

These politicians are starting to, are trying to ruin it. Anyway, get out here. You could have the hunt of a lifetime just by going into a good spot that you've scouted and there's the opportunity for 150 class deer to, to pop out. Yeah.

Aaron Hepler: Yeah. That's what I was saying is I think it's even worth doing it.

You live there, Dan, so tell me what you think is like doing it over a couple of years to take the time to I'm, yeah. I'm a couple years out from it. I wouldn't be opposed to going this spring and doing a shed hunt scout. Yeah. Just because I feel like, you, even when you go and you do that in season scouting, the next time you have a way leg up, like you know where to find, you know where to, you have a starting point instead of just starting from ground

Dan Johnson: zero.

Yep. Absolutely. .

Aaron Hepler: I think one, one thing too with points for elk that I think I noticed that the unit that I hunted this year is a, it's basically a one point [01:02:00] unit, but there's still a f I wanna say the, I looked at the statistics on it. I think it's a 40% chance to draw without a point in that unit.

I think a lot of people don't they just automatically, oh, I want to go over the counter because I know I don't have to worry about buying tag, blah, blah, blah. And then they just do that. But then you are, I think you give yourself a little bit of a better chance than going to a unit that's even as low as one point.

Yeah.

Jeremy Dinsmore: Oh, that's good stuff. I like it. Dan. I appreciate you. I've, it's finally had the chance to get you frigging on. I, and like I said, it's been a, an honor to be a part of the Empire and like you said, a. All our podcasts on here are phenomenal. I love just being able to let it play during the day, whenever I'm driving, when I'm hitting the gym.

I, you know what's funny is, you get revved up. Very rarely anymore am I listening to music while I'm working out because I, there you go. I'm listening to what content we're putting out and what Aaron's doing with some of his buddies over at Exodus and everything like that. So I just, it's been fun [01:03:00] to, do this and be a part of this and man, you do a great job.

And so it's an honor and privilege to, to have you on finally and talk to you and I'm looking forward to once to starts getting to even more into that summer, getting gearing up to see what you have planned and what is shaken out to, for the upcoming season for you.

Dan Johnson: Yeah. Yeah. I gotta pay attention to when these draws and preference point purchases are happening, so I don't miss 'em and and then I'll, Just, I guess start putting the pieces of the puzzle together

Jeremy Dinsmore: then.

Yep. I like it. Dan, let make sure you go listen to Knife Finger Chronicles. Make sure you're already downloading every podcast from the Sportsman's Empire. You have the Gear Podcast. Yeah. Hunting Gear Podcast. Hunting Gear podcast as well. So go follow 'em. Go check us out everything that we have.

Dan, anything else that I missed that you wanna say before you.

Dan Johnson: All right. I want you to go to iTunes, okay. And I want you to look up the Antler Up Podcast and I want you to give it a five star review [01:04:00] and say a really nice thing about Jeremy Densmore. And what that'll do is that'll help Jeremy in his rankings and more people will find him because this is a good podcast and I think more people should listen to it.

So everybody who's listening needs to go do that right now. .

Jeremy Dinsmore: Thank you, man. I appreciate it. Everybody go give Dan a follow if you're already not doing so. Aaron, thank you so much for coming on too to help out today. Thanks. Appreciate it. We'll see you next week everybody. Aunt Laura up.

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