Upgrades & Mods Continued

On this episode of the Hunting Gear Podcast, Dan is joined by fellow podcaster and serious bowhunter Byron Horton. The guys continue the conversation from the previous weeks episode about upgrading your hunting equipment and/or modifying the hunting gear you already have. Byron talks about having to sell his truck to get more of a "kid friendly" vehicle but making some adjustments to it so he can haul deer.

The guys also get in to a conversation about clothing like socks, wind proof layers, and testing out some new brands to see if they make the cut. This is another fun episode where two dudes discuss the gear they use. Enjoy and share!

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[00:00:00] Dan Johnson: HuntStand is the most popular and functional mobile hunting app on the market with a variety of base maps to choose from. Satellite imagery that is updated every month. The ability to check the weather, no property information, and even catalog your trail cam picks. HuntStand even gives you the ability to import pins and location markers from other mobile apps.

Visit huntstand.com or download wherever you download your apps. Enter discount code SN 20 at checkout for 20% off.

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to another episode of the Hunting Gear podcast. I'm your host, Dan Johnson, and today, We are going to continue the upgrades and modifications conversation, but this time with a different guest. Today we're gonna be [00:01:00] talking with Byron Horton. Now Byron is the host of the Whitetail Experience Podcast right here on the Sportsman's Empire, and it's funny about what I'm about to say.

Byron is a serious bow hunter, right? He is, he's like at the top when it comes to the seriousness level. Okay. And he's very particular about his gear. And so it was confusing to me why he told me he sold his truck and what he plans to do, and the ve the new vehicle that he plans to use on his hunting trips.

And I can just imagine this vehicle, if I close my eyes, I can imagine this vehicle pulling in. To the parking lot of, some, some public land and the other hunters see it and they're like this guy's not a threat. So it's it is a fun episode. I think Byron and I are in the same boat at this point.

[00:02:00] Like we have just about everything that we need, we've collected and curated a whole bunch of gear. Over the years. And so now we have found what we really like and there's not much sway from those things. Now you'll hear him talk about upgrading, or I shouldn't say not really upgrading, but messing around with traditional archery and how he plans to hunt using traditional archery.

We talk a little bit about clothing. We talk about e-bikes, we talk about trailer hitches. We talk about, man, what are some of the other things you'll have to just listen to find out? Before we get into today's episode, though, I'm gonna do some commercials here. Let's see. Today we are tethered.

Tethered. So tethered is a saddle company. Everybody knows this. They make awesome saddles of like very well-built saddles. They make very well-built climbing sticks platforms, and then [00:03:00] all the saddle hunting accessories that you need if you are looking to become a better saddle hunter or you want shortcuts.

Or tips and tricks on how to use a saddle properly or maybe mod 'em out like Byron does. You need to go check out any type of tethered media. And what I mean by that is their website, their YouTube channel, their social pages and there's a, they've created a community of people who love to share that type of information.

Go check out tethered and tethered nation.com is their website. And if you are serious about taking that next step and becoming ultra mobile with a saddle, you need to definitely go check out tethered in the community that they've built. Next on the list is HuntStand. Okay. If you are looking, or maybe you're not even looking, but I'll tell you this, A hunting app.

Is in my book these days is almost a necessity. And the reason I say [00:04:00] that is because imagine, imagine you didn't have that and you had to go buy like a map, like a physical map in your hand. You're guessing where you're at. The GPS dot on your phone when you're using HuntStand shows you exactly where you're at.

And it is really, it's almost a necessity at this point, especially when you're traversing public lands and you gotta try to find even private ground, you gotta know where the boundaries are. You gotta know where, I don't know. Water sources are, you gotta know where the pinch points are, and you can do that all just by e scouting right on the map.

The cool thing about HuntStand is that they upgrade their their satellite imagery. Every month or close to every month. And so you're getting the most up to date data. You're getting the most the best view of vegetation on the trees what that terrain looks like both in the winter and in the summer.

And you can see the contrast there. [00:05:00] But on top of that, they also have a. Like tons of other functionality that I will say, go to huntstand.com, read up on all the functionality while you're there. Also, check out the new Pro Whitetail platform upgrade that they have available. If you're a serious whitetail hunter it's a must have.

So huntstand.com, go check it out. And that's it. If you guys have any questions about tethered or HuntStand, Please go out and or please reach out to me via Instagram and I'll do my best to help you answer those questions. That is today's intro. Those were the commercials. Fun episode with Byron.

Here we go. 3, 2, 1. All right. Today's guest on the Hunting Gear Podcast, Mr. Byron Horton of the Whitetail Experience Podcast, Mr. Horton. How are we doing today? We're doing well, Dan. Doing good. It is. 

[00:05:59] Byron Horton: Yeah. [00:06:00] I just got back from Minnesota last weekend. Did a little, like Turkey not really hunting, but I filmed a Turkey hunt.

Yeah. And caught some, caught my first trout. Nice. And it is spring here, like the weather's turned. I feel like we are on the up and up. Yeah. 

[00:06:13] Dan Johnson: You're wearing a hoodie. I'm wearing a hoodie. What? Two weeks ago? It was like 90 or last week at one point. It was 90 degrees. And so here in Iowa. And so it's that springtime fluctuation going back and forth.

Did you, do you get out and look for mushrooms at all? No, 

[00:06:31] Byron Horton: I have not been in the Turkey woods in my home state, actually. Too many home projects and the fact of the midnight runner, I've been taking my my two year old as far as in the night shift is concerned. Yeah. 

[00:06:42] Dan Johnson: So the midnight runner is he still getting out of bed?

Every night, 

[00:06:47] Byron Horton: Less frequent for sure, and like putdowns are easier, but there have been a few nights where like we're in this screaming battle of he needs his animals tucked in a certain way. And dude, there's nothing more than I want to pull out a pocket night than gut. All these stuffed [00:07:00] animals that are sitting in there, 

[00:07:02] Dan Johnson: father of the year, Byron Horton, or

just imagine how big of an impact that would be. Where, like some guy come, becomes real successful and they're like, so what was the moment in your life when you realized you had to quit screwing around and it was time to get serious? The guy's that's the funny story. My dad took a pocket knife and he gutted all of my stuffed animals.

And I knew right then and there. That it was time for me to change my ways. 

[00:07:38] Byron Horton: Dude, it'll be a 45 minute battle of the bunny's gotta be able to see the tiger. And you're like, dude, these guys don't care what the Yeah. Like 

[00:07:46] Dan Johnson: really? Yep. Yep. But what if the Tiger eats the bunny? Have you ever asked them those types of questions?

[00:07:54] Byron Horton: That is a good conversation. There's also a T-Rex in there. I feel like he would rule the. 

[00:07:58] Dan Johnson: Yeah. Yeah. Oh [00:08:00] it is it's that time of year and I had a episode similar to what we're gonna talk about upgrading. Talking about new gear talking about what we're trying to accomplish in the as far as our gear list is concerned, if we're gonna change anything, if we're gonna upgrade.

I had a little bit of a conversation like that last week and you hunt a little bit different. Than me. You hunt a little bit different than the last guy who was on the podcast. So I wanted to get you brought in. And you're also very budget conscious when it comes to hunting gear and equipment. And so I'm just gonna cast the wide net here and ask you before the season starts, do you have any big purchases that you plan on making?

[00:08:51] Byron Horton: So I did just make a big purchase. I bought a stick bow. Oh 

[00:08:55] Dan Johnson: yeah. Okay. 

[00:08:57] Byron Horton: And I, it was not cheap. [00:09:00] What'd know it. And you also have I have a Striker r K one. Ooh, yeah, buddy. So Striker is an Ohio company. A little bit of self pride there. Yep. But the riser is a similar riser grip to one of my favorite compounds.

New breed archery, which is no longer even around. But that riser angle and grip is the same from the compound that I used to shoot back in the day. And in fact, the new breed blade is still my backup bow. Okay. So Yeah, I'm and Dan we're three days into it. Maybe I've got over a hundred arrows at this point, but had to buy arrows, had to had the guy play with some insert system to get my point weight to fly a little bit better there at the shop.

Not only did I buy a bow, then I bought a, a half a dozen arrows. I'm probably gonna buy another half dozen and I'll probably buy a 3D target this year. 

[00:09:44] Dan Johnson: Yeah. And As of right now, are you splitting arrows yet? You Robinhood yet? 

[00:09:50] Byron Horton: No. Same close. I'm shooting seven yards for the most point.

Okay. I think this morning I stepped back to 10 and like I'm not gonna go full send in AAD life. Yeah. I'm reserving the Trump card of [00:10:00] if I get a boomer on camera, I'm definitely ditching the stick bow. Yeah. But my thought is maybe I'll stick bow hunt October this year and then I'll. Grab the more efficient weapon.

Come November when I'm, the season's coming to a close it's getting to a point where the encounter may happen at a higher percent, but in five years, if I do this every October, I'll have five months of stick bow hunting experience, and I gotta believe. That being, I'll just be a better or deer hunter.

Yeah. Because everything is so much more magnified with the stick. 

[00:10:30] Dan Johnson: Yeah. How much did all that run you so far jumping into grandish a thousand dollars. And that includes the arrows? 

[00:10:38] Byron Horton: Yeah. Now I could have maybe found the bow used and cut three or $400 off that, but it's a model that's not very popular and people don't flip 'em.

As much.

So that, that's the thing, like you can go buy like last year's Matthews flagship [00:11:00] bow pretty easily. Yeah. Cuz so many people bought 'em and they flip 'em. But yeah, that particular stick bow doesn't get flipped as much. And 

[00:11:06] Dan Johnson: St. Striker's a good brand too. So I would guess that guys who spend that type of money on a TBO keep it long, like long time.

Yeah. 

[00:11:19] Byron Horton: May maybe 

[00:11:19] Dan Johnson: I'm, yeah. I've had those guys on the podcast actually before to talk about it, and the process that they go through to build their stick bows is quite impressive. It's very detailed. It's a very small. It's a small but mighty type of organization and process that they put into it.

And I think the, some of the guys who originally started the company, if they're still not making the bows, their sons are, or like the person that they taught, like the second person down is making all the bows. So it's I like those types of companies. Yeah, exactly. 

[00:11:59] Byron Horton: Now, Dan, I[00:12:00] I said I gotta buy a 3D target.

Do you have a recommendation there? This is your, 

[00:12:04] Dan Johnson: yeah, man. I'm just gonna say, Reinhardt, from my experience, Reinhardt's number one, take the most abuse their weather resistant. To a certain point, like I've put my I, I got two Reinharts in the backyard. They're the Boer buck, two Boer bucks.

I got O one in on my back property line, and then 10 yards further down is another one. So I can sh and then I got a little bit of an angle on my hill so I can shoot 20. And 30, or I can shoot 30 and 40 or and so on. So I have a 10 yard stagger. And man, they're really durable. The way that they're put together, they are, you can throw off over 500 grand arrow down at 'em, and they're not gonna knock over, they're not gonna fall [00:13:00] over other brands that I've used in the past, just man, one arrow into it at the right.

Point right at the right angle, the whole thing falls apart. So now you gotta get these big, long decking screws and you gotta screw in through the chest to try to hold the insert in. And then it fall, and then over time that loosens up. And, the whole, I feel like on the one that I'm talking about it took its fair share of arrows, but it's still not anywhere close to the amount.

This is going on three years, four years of heavy shooting. At these targets and they're still taking arrows and they're still, some of 'em in the right spot, an arrow will go through. But all I gotta do is rotate it in and rotate it and it will, it'll, or shoot at it a little bit back and put a little sticker on the thing.

And now that's my. My target and [00:14:00] from a weather standpoint, they've held up to the weather very well. And so I'm just a huge fan of morale's, or excuse me I'm sorry, of Reinhardt's. Outside of that, I've had a couple morels. They were like the stuffed bag. Those, if you have an insert on your arrow sometimes that mesh webbing arrow goes through and there's like a pop.

And that pop is that mesh webbing connecting on the insert. And so I've lost a couple inserts from that type of repetitiveness. And then the all, if it rains and you forget to take the bag in, it fills up. It fills up, and then that inside starts to expand and it pokes through and it's just, I don't know.

So long story short, I suggest you get a Reinhardt. 

[00:14:48] Byron Horton: All right. I'll move that to the research list, if 

[00:14:50] Dan Johnson: you will. Yeah, absolutely. Yes. An off air. I'll tell you which one to not get to, to definitely do not get this brand and I [00:15:00] don't wanna talk shit on anybody today. I'm feeling positive, so I'll just do it off air.

Alright. So that's gonna in increase, right? Because depending on what target, could be a hundred, 200, 300 bucks, depending on the target that you pick up. They have the caribou or the elk or the bull Moose. They might even have a Sasquatch. You could your boy would like that.

Get the Sasquatch target. Yeah, that's true. So now you're starting to stack up a little bit, and you're in that 1300 range potentially another half dozen arrows. What arrows are you going with? 

[00:15:37] Byron Horton: So they are the Easton, I think legacy, I believe is the model type. And it just came down to what the shop had that fit the traditional setup.

There's not as many options out there at most shops. I was fortunate enough to go to a shop that oh. A stick bow shooter works at. And so I got a lesson for an hour and we set up my bow, so Oh, nice. Yeah. And if a shop's a [00:16:00] little better class which this one is attaboy's archery, like I'm okay with spending a little money at the shop.

Yeah. Cuz that goes to them. That goes to their, the, they stay in business. It's one of those things I feel Okay. Spending money there. 

[00:16:11] Dan Johnson: Yeah. I feel you. And then, Are those arrows specifically for t trad Bowes or C is there crossover to the compound world? World with those? 

[00:16:22] Byron Horton: I, they do come fleshed with feathers.

So yeah. I, they might even be a touch too big for if you were shooting a whisker biscuit or drop away, there might be some contact. I don't, I, I'm not gonna speak out of it, but they are like, they look like wooden grain, but it's a carbon arrow underneath. Yep. And obviously with feathers, like they're set up for trap bows, like I do think that's what its target is, if you will, for that particular make model.

[00:16:46] Dan Johnson: Yeah. And so what kind of restraints have you put on yourself saying, I need to do this by this date in order to feel comfortable [00:17:00] taking that bow out into the woods and trying to kill something with it? 

[00:17:03] Byron Horton: Yeah, I think 15 yards. And I'm saying I've gotta hit five outta five arrows within, I'm gonna say a softball, like okay.

That that's pretty solid. Like I can go and I'm calling this style of hunting like a Comanche mode for October where I need to be scouting. Yeah. Yep. I think I'm only gonna take two sticks. I'm gonna take a very small tree stand. That I probably would not hunt within in the rut when I would be sitting longer hours kind of thing.

And I just want to have fun. I've minimized down my filming setup to, I'm thinking about taking a arm, arm down from two segments to one. I got this smaller fluid head that is even half the weight of my current setup. But I want what I call like a, like some Comanche hunts where I'm just, In the woods.

Yes. Fully like scouting, fully engaged in, and I got the stick bow that's lighter to carry than the compound like that. That's what I think I want for October, maybe next year. 

[00:17:55] Dan Johnson: That and the fact that, and I said this I think on the last podcast [00:18:00] or another podcast where we talked about traditional archery.

I definitely see myself going down that route at some point, but the people who are getting the job done, Like I with a stick bow dude, that is just badass. It is such a badass. Who's the guy? Oh, Jesus. I, he's, I know him, but I forget his name. Jared Schaffer, right from white Whitetail Adrenaline.

That's what he does with his stick bow is badass. Period. Yeah. And so the only thing that I can compare it to is in rugby, really the only thing you would wear is a nut cup and a mouth guard. And that's it. There's no helmets or anything, but some guys would wear scrum hats if they didn't want to get beat up on their ears or things like that, which is like a soft helmet.

And we would make fun of them a little bit. And so just imagine [00:19:00] how badass like. I don't know. Nobody's making fun of Jared, right? Yeah, he, the dude is just, he, number one, he is slaying and he's doing it with a stick bow and yeah, that's like the pinnacle of archery if you ask me. 

[00:19:14] Byron Horton: Yeah, you to me too, like I am giving greatness a chance, if you will.

Yes. Yes. Where I could shoot like a stud buck with a steppo at 10 yards and like at that point, like that's a Trump card in any conversation. 

[00:19:25] Dan Johnson: Exactly. But it's like getting a chance 

[00:19:27] Byron Horton: to shoot a game-winning shot. Yeah. Like you can never be the hero if you don't take 

[00:19:31] Dan Johnson: the shot. Exactly. Yeah. Just imagine.

I, and I know guys out there, I know a guy who killed like a three 80 bull with a stick bow and he packed it out himself. And he's a solo hunter. He does it all by himself and and so when it comes to that solo hunt now you're solo. Now you're on public land. Now you're on stick bow, like stories just don't get better than that, right?

They're like, when it comes to [00:20:00] telling a hunting story, like how would I go, how will I hunt? I hunt private land in Iowa. And with a compound, like the story can't be beat the, I don't know it, it's nuts. Yeah. 

[00:20:15] Byron Horton: Yeah. And like in five years, what if two years from now I turn up the biggest buck of my life.

Yeah. And I'm picking an ambush point on November 5th if I've got experience where that ambush point needs to be within 15 yards, like I think you're just gonna read it better if you've. If you put it all on the line where you're like, yeah, my kill radius is 15 yards and I've got this bigger 60 limb inch bow, and I gotta be tucked in you're just gonna be more dialed.

[00:20:38] Dan Johnson: That's how I, my goal when it comes to like saddle setups and tree stand setups is to get. 10 yards. Like I, I want a 10 yard shot. I want I want the to be broadside at the closest pos closest range possible. That's how I don't set up off anything. I want to be right on the dot in my setups, but that's more strategy.

I [00:21:00] got, the gear obviously helps you be selective and in, in that, but outside of your bow, your arrows, your target any other purchases or new gear that you plan on picking up before the season starts? Let's see 

[00:21:16] Byron Horton: here. I gotta get a. I have a hitch hauler, but I gotta get a hitch put on the mom mobile.

I'll be driving this year and I sold my pickup truck, so I'll probably actually look to rig that thing up pretty solid, maybe have some extra back storage for that. And like I said, I gotta get a hitch put on for an hitch hauler. As far as like closing layers, anything there? When you 

[00:21:41] Dan Johnson: say, when you say mom mobile, Are you gonna put a hitch on like a Dodge Caravan?

[00:21:47] Byron Horton: Not much. Not much better for financial reasons. And Looking ahead to the future. I am, I'm definitely driving a vehicle that screams. I go to Starbucks. Okay. All right. But that is also setting [00:22:00] up a farm down payment, 

[00:22:01] Dan Johnson: that's a fact. That's a fact. Hey, you can take the seats out or fold the seats down and a lot of those vehicles and you can put a deer in the back on a tarp.

Yeah. 

[00:22:09] Byron Horton: Yeah. There is that. I have the jet sled too, that can contain some of the juices and blood. Yep. But Yeah, I gotta get that thing ready to go. I don't think I've got anything. Last year I did do some testing for error for X O P and so like I know my mobile setup coming this fall, it's not gonna change, right?

Which is nice. I'll probably, I'll buy some sort of aider system for my Comanche hunts when I'm only taking two sticks, cuz I do want to get stupid high per stick. And so there's a couple companies that have emerged on the market, obviously that specialize in like very cool aftermarket aiders that like tuck into themselves.

And you had a guy on from Genesis, 3D printing stuff like those guys make so I will be looking to maximize those two sticks. And so yeah if anybody out there listening sign it in my dms cuz that is going on right now. 

[00:22:55] Dan Johnson: Gear, like clothing, any upgrades to the clothing.[00:23:00] 

[00:23:00] Byron Horton: I caught a podcast from fleet that they've, on their YouTube, he teased several new gear items and one is a windproof fleece jacket. And I just gotta believe my current windproof fleece jacket is not near that quality that I, I believe that one's gonna be. Yeah. So I will probably do that.

I like. I what I like as far as clothing and I do fleece for the quiet factor and you add wind stop to it, which rewind, I don't know, mid two thousands I was rocking a fleece that if it blew over eight miles an hour, it was just flying right 

[00:23:29] Dan Johnson: through. Yeah. I'll tell you this, man.

When it I don't, I'm not, I've, I'm familiar with fleet's base layers. Not the rest of their equipment. So it's been a while since I've tested out any of their stuff. Their base layers were a bit itchy, but they kept warm. They kept me, they, they did exactly what Marino's supposed to do.

And so my only experience was the was the base layers that they sent me outside of [00:24:00] that this year. I'm gonna be messing around with some hunt worth camo or the hunt worth brand. Okay. Nice. Camo. I'm not sure how familiar you are with them, but according to my research, they are Sitka for the working man.

And so it's th it is that kind of quality, but at a more affordable price. And so I've been looking into it a little bit and seeing what I, what I could pick up for my Western type. Type hunts that could cross over because I really like to focus on gear these days where I could use 'em in both situations.

I can use it in a western hunt, like a spot in stock where I'm in South Dakota, or this year I'm still waiting to hear back from Kansas on a hunt, which that's gonna just be a saddle slash tree stand [00:25:00] hunt. And if I go down there, I'm also gonna try to hit Oklahoma while I'm down there. And I don't know what I'm gonna be picking up from Hunt worth, but I feel like I need.

Here's I have a pretty much a really good base layers already. I have I like the shell jacket or the not the shell jacket, the ins, the Eddie Bauer insulation layer that I have, the puffy jacket, and then I'm looking for something to get over top of that. That's where I want my windproof, so I want some kind of fleece windproof.

Jacket, they have a couple options in a couple different camo patterns, and so I'm looking to get like a shell jacket with a hood potentially, you know the pockets in the right spots to put, range finder, grunt called, that kind of stuff. So that's it. Everything else is pretty much dialed in.

I'm gonna be picking up more socks this year. I'm going to [00:26:00] also be. I'll probably be buying another pair of boots, like hiking boots. I don't use rubber boots and then more socks, more boots. And then I've made the decision last week I said, screw it. I'm gonna keep my same bow and then I'm going to take it in to the shop and just get new strings on it.

And that's it. 

[00:26:22] Byron Horton: Yeah, that, I think there's something to that. As far as keeping the same bow. I do, I talk to a guy who's pretty dialed and, being so familiar with your shooting system, I think there's a win there. There's, yeah, there's familiarity. I like I, yeah. When I can, and when I do that I like it.

And if I don't have to change strings, you're so much ahead of the game. Come literally April, Turkey season's over, you can start shooting your bow. Yep. 

[00:26:52] Dan Johnson: Yep. There was 

[00:26:52] Byron Horton: something I was gonna ask you. Oh. You talked about socks. I just blew, I think like $130 on [00:27:00] five or six pairs of like better wool socks.

Yep. Which, what 

[00:27:03] Dan Johnson: brain did you go with? 

[00:27:05] Byron Horton: Alara, dude, they 

[00:27:07] Dan Johnson: swish, swish. You just didn't, you nailed it. I know exactly what you're talking about. Those socks are badass. The pre prevails. I 

[00:27:17] Byron Horton: got, so I, dude, I loaded up. Okay. I got the Explorer, which is a little bit lighter than Lighter prevails. Yep. And then I got a couple pairs of the prevails as well.

And I bought a pair, couple pairs, like six years ago and I've just, they're six years old. They, yep. They've seen some miles. And I was like they had a show special at the Deer and Turkey Expo, I don't know, 10, 15% off website price. And I was like at that I'm gonna buy four or five pairs.

Yeah. Because they're not cheap. They're what, 20 to $30 a pop, depending on what model. But I was like, okay, at this rate I don't wanna be searching for socks November 4th when I just wore a pair of the prior day. And I'm like, I only have two pairs of prevails. No. Yeah. I just wanna go to the drawer.

There's already a pair of two in there. Yeah. 

[00:27:59] Dan Johnson: Dude. [00:28:00] Something about those socks that I really is. Number one, my feet do not get sweaty in 'em, hardly ever. And that's in Western Heat. Okay. So there's, there was a couple days where in the morning it was cool. So I put on my pre prevails and then, it gets hotter throughout the day.

I'm not going back to the truck. I didn't have an extra pair of socks with me and. My feet never got sweaty. They may have got a little warm, but those are so good at wicking moisture away. Second I stepped in a like a crick crossing a, like a crick. When I was out there, one boot got wet.

One sock got wet, and so I, I had another pair of another pair of boots there, and so I hung. That sock up in the while I was sleeping and it dried, you ring it out and it dried overnight. And so not only does it wick moisture away, but they dry extremely fast. [00:29:00] If for some reason they do get wet.

And and that is a product, that brand right there. I don't know why I'm getting this fired up about socks, but that brand right there has made me a I'm not gonna go really look anywhere else. If I wanna buy some wool socks or alpaca socks I'm going to Alara straight up. Yeah. Like they're that good.

And I know the owner and he's a pretty cool guy, so why not? Yeah. 

[00:29:30] Byron Horton: Yeah, I agree. I've bought one other pair from a competitive brand and I, they were nice, but like I didn't think they were as, as good as the L 

[00:29:39] Dan Johnson: Terrace. Yeah. I have a i, I have a pair of darn tough wool socks that I also wear a lot, but now that.

Now that Ul Alterra has those explorers, which is the lighter style of sock, I feel like I'm just gonna load up on those, get, get some of those. That's, man, that's it. I [00:30:00] don't, oh, I talked about this last week. I'm gonna buy a new or another backup battery for my e-bike. But other than that, man, this is a low key year for me as far as.

What I would call spending, I'm not, I'm spending to replace, not necessarily to upgrade this 

[00:30:18] Byron Horton: year. Yeah. Did you plan on using the e-bike to get the deer out the woods? I remember we had talked Oh, yeah. Last about adding a jet sled in like a mini toro Yeah. As an option or maybe some sort of slight sliding device.

[00:30:31] Dan Johnson: Yeah. I can see on, on, not on my main farm, but on the new farm that I have access to if it rains a lot. There's about a hundred yards of the two track that I don't think I'd, I could drive on. I would be able to drive on, and so until it gets to this grass, and so once I get to the grass, I'd be fine, but I could see myself having to drag that deer [00:31:00] in wet, like in a wet condition only, the half mile.

To my truck, maybe even a little. Yeah, I would say about a half mile. Half mile to my truck to where I could actually get the truck somewhere to get it. But I have a sled sitting in a garage in a little garage at my mom's house that I could use or a kid's sled. A kid sled kids, like a toboggan type deal.

I've done that before. And that seems to work fine, but as far as pulling something, I don't know how it would work un, until I try it. So maybe I'll tell you what I'll do. I'll load the kids up on the sled and pull 'em in the bike and see how much weight I can get away with. 

[00:31:43] Byron Horton: I feel like our the listening audience needs like a real, like an Instagram reel to follow up on that, this conversation.

Cause that's a legit concern or a huge win for the e-bike community, right? Yeah. If it can pull. Let's just call it a 200 pound gut of deer. Yeah. Oh wow. Yeah. Me personally, like I never see [00:32:00] myself at this point owning a four-wheeler. Yeah. I may get access to ground hunt other places.

The e-bike, it stores way smaller profile in a shed or garage. Loading it is way easier. As far as just a hitch bike system on the back of your vehicle or in the bed of a tailgate like, I always thought I'd own a four-wheeler at some point in my life cuz I'd have ground to, to need it.

And now I'm, I bet I, I never end up with a four-wheeler purchase. 

[00:32:26] Dan Johnson: Yeah. The issue that I ran into with an e-bike was I bought mine and I had stipulations on what I could buy. Number one I wanted it for access. And so that meant I, I had to it, I didn't really want to carry too much stuff, even though I probably could with the model that I have, but I also, in order to make it publicly illegal in some of these scenarios, I had to have a motor that was 750 watts.

A thousand is too high. Yeah, I had to have the [00:33:00] ability to disconnect the throttle, so that makes it a class one. A class. Yeah, a class one E-bike. And so on certain public lands, class one is legal, meaning you don't, you have to pedal for the motor to be engaged. You have to pedal, you, the throttle has to be disconnected and you can't use it.

So that, that's a class one, which makes it legal on. At least the states that I've researched, like Iowa. I don't think Iowa really has a law. Nebraska really doesn't have a, an e-bike law per se. So every state has a different rule. Every piece of ground, whether it's state or core of engineers or BLM or forestry or gas grassland, they all have different rules on e-bikes.

I just wish there in, in some instances the state says, oh yeah, [00:34:00] dude, E-bike at any size, e-bike at any size is legal. But then the federal ground in that state has its own rules. 

[00:34:10] Byron Horton: Cuz federal ground does have some different rules. Yeah. 

[00:34:13] Dan Johnson: Yep. Exactly. And even state ground has different rules. So there it's very, if it's very gray right now, And so it's, it like, I don't think conservation officers are really doing too much about it.

Is that a Oh, we, is that a trespasser? There's 

[00:34:32] Byron Horton: no, that is a dough on the back of just a regular mountain bike. Oh perfect. We have done it, but that clip has never seen the light a day cuz it's very obvious where you are. Yeah. But we have hunted places where oh, let's take a bike even like 400 yards.

Yeah. Cause it's so much easier. Yeah. But yeah. Getting deer out's very possible. I feel like with, you had a motor to that, right? We got out with a pedal power 

[00:34:55] Dan Johnson: bike. Yeah, absolutely. And the point I'm trying to make here is I wish [00:35:00] states like, I feel like I'm taking advantage of a loophole kind, in a way, only because there's no black and there's nothing black and white right now.

And I feel like the state, like an e, the e-bike community or the e-bike what whoever the people in charge are in the states need to come and go Here is it's just basically yes or no. Yes, it's, yes, it's good here. No it's not. Yes it is. No, it's not. And get it straightened out so people know.

I know a couple people who are just like a hundred percent anti E-bike and they're like, if you need an e-bike, then you know you need to. You need to hunt closer to your truck or whatever the situation. Meanwhile, I went back six miles this year, six miles in 40 minutes. It was beautiful.

Beautiful. To get far that far back. 

[00:35:52] Byron Horton: Yeah. We have ground here where it's like ATV friendly, like so you could, you can easily bypasses for certain [00:36:00] places and stuff like, yeah. I hear you on the state definitely. Needs to adapt and just black and white it Yeah. Don't make any guesswork.

[00:36:09] Dan Johnson: Yep. Fact. And so outside of that, outside of an extra battery, I think I'm good for the year, man. I think this is gonna be a, this is gonna be a chill year. And I think I, I'm gonna have I'm in a in a chill. Five year period. I think I'm in it right now because I don't see, other than maybe a new bow next year or the year after, I don't think I'm gonna be buying too much gear in the upcoming years.

Maybe add a trail camera here and there as my old tra trail cameras start to fizzle out. But yeah, the, 

[00:36:48] Byron Horton: there is always upkeep items. I feel like we just talked about stocks, stuff comes along where you like, it breaks, I need a new one or, yeah. Arrows, same thing if you, you lose one or break a few you gotta maintain a certain 

[00:36:59] Dan Johnson: level.

Yep. [00:37:00] Absolutely. Absolutely. I got a stack of arrows up here in the storage room next to my office that I'm just gonna take 'em in. I'm gonna strip, I'm gonna strip the current veins on 'em. I'm gonna put new new fletching on and and they're gonna, I got new air, I got pretty much brand new arrows again.

And It's gonna be really, I think they charged me $2 per arrow to Fletch 'em. And so let me ask you this question. Have you ever thought about buying a bow press or aero fletching kit to, to start doing any of that yourself? 

[00:37:38] Byron Horton: So I have done the aero fletching thing. Back in the day, that was a little easier to do.

You could sit in front of the TV and glue your own fletching you go.

The lower tier because it's just not, I don't know, didn't do a good enough job. As far as messing with archery equipment at a higher level and needing a [00:38:00] bow press ah, I think I'm out on that. I think I'd rather be doing other things. And money and time and learning that craft.

Yeah. Like I'd rather go fishing. I'd rather maybe go shoot some guns. Yeah. There's just other things that I got a much higher priority on. 

[00:38:16] Dan Johnson: Yeah. Yeah. Do you have a, I think you mentioned the four wheeler. You're on the fence about whether or not you're gonna get a four-wheeler, but are there any I wish I had the money for.

This type of products that, o obviously it's a no-go right now, but if, I don't know, work throws you a big bonus or some, or somehow you get a big raise or, yeah. Your grandma goes, Hey, here's this much money any type of gear that you would upgrade on? Yeah. 

[00:38:49] Byron Horton: As far as maybe a, maybe my, my, my firearm setup is not as dialed as it could be.

Like I have, yeah, an eight 70 with a field barreled slug or a field barrel [00:39:00] on it, for shooting pheasants, Turkey, stuff like that. I don't have the eight 70 like rifled barrel or I could go straight wall cartridge. I've thought about maybe the three 50 legend cuz. It, from what I've read, it's a very low recoil gun and very it could be for my son.

If you will. And we could double dip with it cuz I think there's companies like Mossberg, maybe even Savage as well, where they have like replaceable stock pads on the back end to make it bigger. So like I could hand it to him in five, six years and I could hunt with it now and have something that's definitely upgraded from my.

My, my classic firearm eight 70 right now, I take my muzzle loader a lot of times. Yeah. If I'm 

[00:39:40] Dan Johnson: gun hunting. Yeah. Okay. Yeah. I don't own, I own a mossberg. I just happened to find another one when I was cleaning my closet out. So my, I have my Mossberg 20 gauge. It has built-in choke in it. That thing has killed a lot of turkeys and pheasants throughout the years.

Oh, I have [00:40:00] a single shot. I don't even know if there's a brand name on it. On it. It's a single shot, 20 gauge. It just folds down, throw the slug in. Folds back up and then, man, I forget the name of it, but it's made in Italy. It is a over under shotgun that Sarah, my wife, Sarah, her uncle, gave to us.

As a gift and he's I don't use it here. Maybe you guys can use it. It's a 12 gauge over under, it's gorgeous. It's like an, it's not like necessarily an antique piece, but it was made in the sixties. And so it's a sweet looking gun and I feel like I'm gonna, I need to take it in and do it justice and get it cleaned and get it inspected to make sure everything's working properly and then go out and do something with it.

Like whether it's just skeet shooting or, it looks like it could be the world's best skeet shooting gun. 

[00:40:54] Byron Horton: That's cool. Yeah. Yeah. I would if I was handed a big check, I'd probably get a few [00:41:00] firearm type things, like a single shot four 10. That's like ultra light. Yeah. For I used to squirrel hunt a lot back in the day, but like I know the four 10 with the.

Oh, TTS pellets is popular for Turkey now. Yeah. With some of its abilities I think would be cool to have. I I'd probably get a real nice 1911, like I have, like I thought at this point in my life I'd have a few more firearms, but I get Yeah. Head over heels into bow hunting. Like 10, 10 years ago.

[00:41:25] Dan Johnson: I will I also want one of those closets. Have you seen the movie Commando with Arnold Schwarzenegger? Where? I don't think so. Okay. So you gotta watch it. There's a part where in Commando, he breaks into this gun store and there's a room with just everything in it, like rocket launchers and Just a variety of different, like all these I guess you would call 'em assault weapons.

They're not, yeah. The loose term there, but all these cra like automatic shotguns and things, I ca I, if I had the money, I want a room like that. I want [00:42:00] an apocalyp apocalypse room in my, where I'm not I'm not ever gonna run outta ammo. Like I, I would be ready for the police force if they came knocking with all their stuff.

So I would love to have, I would love to have some kind of room like that, but that's more of a dream and I don't shoot guns enough to justify spending that type of money. 

[00:42:25] Byron Horton: I just got a flashback of the Matrix. You, yeah. You had mentioned the Arnold Storage movie. Oh, yeah. Be my generation I feel like The Matrix where he steps in there and like these sliding shelves come out nowhere.

Oh yep. Pick shoes, like 500 different things. Yeah. But yeah, I'd have me, I'd have me some more fun toys if I had stumbled upon at large sum of cash. 

[00:42:43] Dan Johnson: Heck yeah. Heck yeah. So I heard do you have a boat, like a John Boat? 

[00:42:51] Byron Horton: I have a canoe. I had a jamat at one point in my life and sold it and 

[00:42:55] Dan Johnson: regret it.

Okay. That's another thing that I'm thinking about picking [00:43:00] up, is just a very small river not Mississippi River, but small river boat. I can get shallow, I can go, I can, put in somewhere, put upstream, put downstream and a hundred percent for access. And it wouldn't be for fishing, it wouldn't, it might be for running bank poles.

If I have the boat, I would wanna do that, run bank poles and access routes. Take it down to Oklahoma or take it down to Kansas. And, a lot of those places have rivers that run through 'em. And put it in and take it up, take it upstream and just anchor it to the side. Get back in, turn it around.

Like something real small. And I don't do a lot of it right now, but I feel like if I had a boat I would definitely start doing it. 

[00:43:47] Byron Horton: Yeah. I killed a dough back in the day on a John boat. And then me and the guys I hunt with, I have the canoe, but if somebody wants to use it for a particular hunt, they can.

And we may or may not use it a little more than we let on. [00:44:00] Yeah. I'll tell you this. Back in the day, I bought that John boat for I think 250 bucks. I had a deep cycle battery. I got for free and I bought a hundred dollars trail trolling motor and I didn't have no money back in the day. But me and my current wife, we used to go fishing and I used to lay a piece of Plywood between the first and middle seat.

And she would tan and I would cruise around on this John boat bass fishing in the summer and for no money. I was redneck yacht. Cluing it up. Hell, hell yeah. And yeah, buying a John boat like, and I flipped it, I sold it for the same money I had into it. Now I've heard, obviously when you get into higher end boats, all they are is money pits.

But yeah, I feel like the John Boat, you can. You're not gonna lose too much. And it's a full, it's a cool 

[00:44:42] Dan Johnson: toy. Yeah. Lucas Psycho, right? Yeah. He told me that one of his goals in life is to use a jet ski. To go into some of this public backdoor, some of this public on a jet ski, [00:45:00] kill a deer and somehow get it out on a jet ski.

If I ever see that happen, I don't know if that story could be topped. Ah, I shot it, I shot it at, what was your access route? I had a Polaris jet ski or a sea-doo, and I went up this backwater and that would be something to see. Now, so I don't have the most 

[00:45:22] Byron Horton: jet ski experience, but like you get pretty soaked on 'em.

Like you'd have to have a good system or maybe a big enough jet ski. That it would, that you wouldn't get water. And I gotta think you got your backpack on you. Tree stand and bow mounted to Yeah. But it's totally doable. 

[00:45:36] Dan Johnson: Yeah. I don't see it being like a standup jet ski that they, in the eighties movies, but more of a bigger sit down jet ski.

And I don't, unless it's really choppy or you're, there's a lot of boat traffic. I don't think you're getting too terribly wet unless you want to. Okay. And so big old, maybe a big pair of rubber boots or [00:46:00] some some gators. You're gonna, yeah, you could 

[00:46:02] Byron Horton: do d duck hunting waiters on your drive 

[00:46:04] Dan Johnson: and then just change.

Exactly. And you'd be money, you'd be fine. Hey, let's do it. Okay, let's just do it. Let's just do it. I'll just buy for the gram. We're doing it. We're gonna buy a jet ski. Here we go. Byron, man I appreciate you taking time outta your day today to hop on here and bs with us. Appreciate it and hope, hopefully all of your purchasing that you do comes easy and you make the right decisions for this upcoming season.

That's right Dan.

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