Show Notes
Shiny Objects is all about our current obsession. The Shiny Object could be a piece of gear, an upcoming adventure, a good book, or simply finding better ways to get through everyday life. The sky is the limit when it comes to an individuals current Shiny Object, and we never know where the conversation will take us.
In this episode of Shiny Objects, Steve discusses a new goal that he has set for himself. One that will land him the accolades that only 200 other hunters have claimed. Ricky goes into detail about a few new books he is reading and the celebration of his wedding anniversary.
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Show Transcript
Ricky Brule: [00:00:00] Mr. Steve Eklund, what is your current shiny object right now?
Steve Ecklund: Besides my wife, who is always my shiny object check mark. Okay. Good. Steve. You're doing good. Good job. I think the shiny object for me is
Ricky Brule: welcome to the range podcast. I'm Ricky Bruley. And with me is Jake Hollywood Iverson. Join us at the archery range, where we'll tell stories from the hunt, discuss technical bow shooting tactics and gear.
And pick the brains of some of the most successful people to ever shoot a bow. Whether you're about to shoot that X for the win or send an arrow at a trophy buck. This podcast is for you.
The Range podcast is brought to you by Vapor Trail Archery. Makers of the best bow strings money can buy, originators of limb driven arrow rest technology, and innovators of stokerized stabilizer systems. Thank you all for joining us today. You can find the video [00:01:00] version of this episode on the Vapor Trail YouTube channel.
Please head on over. Give us a subscribe. If you like the video, give it a and hit that bell so you can be notified of all things archery. Mr. Steve Acklin, how you doing, man?
Steve Ecklund: I'm doing well, Ricky. Thanks
Ricky Brule: for having me. Yeah, man. No problem. That brings us to a segment that we like to do called shiny objects.
And you may not be familiar with this. And for our listeners who are not basically, we just take a minute to talk about what is the current shiny object in front of us. It can be, it doesn't necessarily have to be an object. It can be a story. It can be, an upcoming hunt you have. It can be, a book, a song, anything like that.
Mr. Steve Eklund, what is your current shiny object right now? Besides
Steve Ecklund: my wife, who is always my shiny object. Checkmark. Okay, good, Steve. You're doing good. Good job. I think the shiny object for me is the Grand Slam, the North American 29. For anybody out there that doesn't realize what that [00:02:00] is the Grand Slam 29, big game North American species.
175 people and don't quote me on that because I googled it But then I talked to some folks the other day and they said there's actually 220 That have done it in the whole world. Okay. I was never really super interested in this. I'm not one I like to shoot big animals that score big and all that kind of stuff.
I do enjoy that but i'm not one for the record books I don't i've never registered really anything other than a black bear at one time Wild Sheep Foundation reached out to me and they were wondering why I didn't register my slam because I've been one of those fortunate guys to get a Grand Slam on the sheep and working.
I only need actually one more for a second one. So when they heard that, they were you got to get on it. Again, with the elevated platform, you get to stand on TV show recognizable kind of person, personality type thing. They want you to put that in the books, right? Yeah. [00:03:00] So they were giving me the rundown on how that happens and I asked them to send me some documentation.
This was a couple years ago. And they did, and within that documentation they had a list for the Big Ten, I think they call it, and then this North American 29. And all the animals listed on there. So I just... With a little checkbox thing and I started checking the boxes. I was like God I'm super close to having my North American 29 and didn't even really know it.
Yeah, so then you know Inside it became a thing for me inside my own head. It was something that I can compete, you know I felt like I was in competition now, which always excites me and I started going after it. So it's Again, it's caused, sacrifice find a way If there's a will, there's a way, and I'll find it.
I guarantee it. And started doing some of these hunts to get it off. And last week, I was up in Alaska, and I [00:04:00] notched off my last caribou, which was the Bering ground caribou. And that was number 26 on the list. There you go. And tomorrow I fly out and I'm after the Roosevelt elk. For 27, knock on wood 28 will, 28 will happen in the first part of November up on Kodiak Island for the Sitka Blacktail deer.
Okay. And the big celebration, if everything goes according to plan, will be first week of June next year back in Alaska for the brown bear. Number 29 and the completion of my Grand
Ricky Brule: Slam. Oh, man. That's yeah, that's an incredible accomplishment. I Mean I've read Chuck Adams books about that, you know back when I mean there was only You know, a handful of guys that had completed it, and now it's and it's still, a very small number in comparison.
So just what a what an amazing accomplishment. I know that's maybe I shouldn't sell myself so short, but I don't know that's anything I'll ever be able to accomplish in my life. [00:05:00] But yeah, just amazing. And then not only that, but just doing what you do And then all of a sudden realizing, man, I'm really close, and then hopefully being able to close in on it.
Real quick. That's great that you'll be able to hopefully knock off what that'll be three this year and then three this year and then one next spring, one next year. That's awesome. So yeah, I'm, man, I'm stoked for you and I'll, I'll be following along and everybody else make sure you follow along as well and keep an eye out on that and we'll be sure to, on all our social channels to be, promoting that and making sure that everybody is in the loop.
If you're
Steve Ecklund: super savvy with all that stuff, I always wanted my own hashtag, but I can't start it myself. Cause that's like pompous. Ooh. So you got to start like hashtag Eklund 29. Somebody's got to do
Ricky Brule: it for me. It's done. It's done, man. Already done. Already done. Definitely. That's definitely going to be in the hashtag on the teasers for this for this episode and then it's going to take off.
It's just going to explode. So yeah, I would imagine. Yeah. Yeah.[00:06:00] And I, so I already spoke a little bit about what my shiny object is, but yeah, I've just been really been diving into a lot of reading and brushing up on some of the Native American history and just, really just trying to honor, like you were saying before where we're coming from and what was here before we were and trying to honor that as best we can.
Because I feel like it deserves it and it doesn't get enough attention. So yeah, I
Steve Ecklund: love that man. Good for you i'm glad you're digging into that. It's again, there's a little bit of time from my history and a lot of like Again, awareness, right? You talked about, the Alberts family.
I'm gonna be doing a hunt with him. First Nations hunt. In November for Whitetail. Possibly Meadow Deer. And again, we're gonna look at showcasing the culture more so than the hunt. The hunt will be there in the background because that's what we do. We're a hunting show. But that's what he does as a First Nations outfitter and we want to highlight that we're already making plans to do potential [00:07:00] powwows and film all that, a lot of cultural stuff there.
So I'm super excited about
Ricky Brule: that hunt. Yeah, man. That's awesome. We'll be keeping, I'll be keeping my eye out on that too and following along closely. Yeah, and then I guess the only other thing, so speaking of wives, I just celebrated my. Two year anniversary yesterday. So that was awesome. We've been together for five years.
We met each other over 10 years ago. We're in different areas of our lives and when our separate ways and then reconnected, came back together and now we're just about to celebrate our, or we just celebrated our two year anniversary last night, which was awesome. My wife surprised me.
I walked outside of the shop here and she was in the parking lot and had. Clothes ready for me to change into, and we went out and had a good time. Yeah, it was That's awesome. Yeah, it was a lot of fun. She's great. And so yeah, that brings us, I guess to the end of the episode, man, Steve where can the listeners find you on social media if they're looking to follow along with the grants or the big 29, the North American 29?
Yeah.[00:08:00]
Steve Ecklund: Follow along social media, Facebook and Instagram. Steve Eklund, next level Hunter.
Ricky Brule: Excellent. And then I think, and then they can also follow the TV show, right? That it's just the edge TV show on Instagram, correct? That is correct. Yes, sir. All right. Perfect. And then, yeah, next level Hunter, he's got some good gear.
So head on over to the website and check that out. Make sure you grab that sweet new barn, vinyl harness that he's got. NLHapparel.
Steve Ecklund: com.
Ricky Brule: There we go. Perfect. And so yeah, you can find us at the range podcast on Instagram and on Facebook, you can find me ricky. wayne80 on Instagram and Ricky W. Bruley on Facebook.
Again, please be sure to head over to the vapor trail YouTube channel. If you liked the video, hit that thumbs up button, subscribe, and also hit the bell so you can be up to date on all things archery. If you're listening, do me a favor give us a rating and make sure that you give us five stars. Big thanks again, Steve, for joining us today.
[00:09:00] I really appreciate it. Good luck with the rest of your season brother. And with that, we are going to pack up our bows and arrows and we're hitting the range. Have a great day, everybody. Vaportrail is now offering an exclusive discount to the range podcast listeners. Enter promo code TRP15 That's T R P 15 at checkout for 15 percent off Vaportrail and Stokerize branded t shirts, hats, and other gear.
Woo!
Steve Ecklund: What in the hell went flying? I think
Ricky Brule: he cut the, I think he cut the tube at the
