Some stories don’t start in the woods—they begin in the dark corners of a prison. Robert Loper, a retired correctional officer from South Jersey, opens up about the 20 years he spent working in a maximum-security facility, the mental battles that followed, and how bowhunting quite literally saved his life.

Now 51 and semi-retired, Rob splits time between Delaware and New Jersey, delivering paint by day and chasing public land bucks by season. He doesn’t chase inches—he chases purpose. In this episode, Rob talks about his gritty beginnings hunting over bait, why he walked away from it, and how saddle hunting turned him into a true student of deer behavior.

From PTSD to healing in quiet thickets and thorns, Rob shares how the woods became his church, his therapy, and his reason to keep going. He breaks down the personality of bucks, the mistakes hunters make entering woods too fast, and the misunderstood intelligence of does. There’s no fluff here—just real talk about life, loss, learning, and legacy.

Stick around for lessons on deer patterns, thoughts on New Jersey’s wild hunting regulations, and a few unexpected stories (including emus and milk-lipped deer). A powerful reminder: sometimes, it’s not about what you’re hunting—it’s about what’s hunting you.

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A six-point buck? Sure. But a public land caribou in Alaska with a bow? That’s the kind of grit this episode brings. Don Goode, a former Army logistics officer turned stay-at-home dad and entrepreneur, joins the show from Kentucky with a backstory that’s anything but typical. Don didn’t pick up a bow until his Army days—and now he’s ready to hunt bucks with a trad bow and chase elk tags in the Rockies.

He opens up about his decade in the military, a near-miss with a tornado, the raw weight of parenthood, and how an old Walmart raft helped him chase down a bull caribou across the tundra. We’re talkin’ cold nights, broken arrows, and the kind of determination only found in hunters who didn’t grow up in tree stands.

This one’s got it all: mental health, duck dogs, trad bows, DIY meals, and a big dream called Labrador Outfitters. Don’s living proof that it’s never too late to start—and grit counts more than gear.

Share this one with someone who’s just getting started or who’s been grinding solo for years. They’ll hear themselves in Don’s story.

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Share the show with a buddy who lives for cold mornings, heavy packs, and quiet woods.

He once got stuck in the mud so bad it took him an hour and a shotgun to dig himself out. That’s Cray Weirich—an Iowa boy who’s as handy with a wrench as he is with a bow. Born and raised in the farmland of southwest Iowa, Cray now balances work, marriage, and muddy waders while still chasing whitetails and flushing pheasants any chance he gets.

In this episode, Cray and Mitchell swap stories from the tree stand and the CRP—like the cold morning their dogs caught roosters bare-mouthed, or the hill they called “the sum b****” during one brutal deer drive in northeast Iowa. Cray also opens up about what got him into bowhunting in college, how he’s navigating post-EHD seasons, and what it’s like mentoring a kid who’s just getting his hunting legs.

From misfires and missed birds to busted blinds and generational memories, this one’s a laid-back ride through the seasons. Pull up a chair—feels like a morning at deer camp.

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Share the show with a buddy who lives for cold mornings, heavy packs, and quiet woods.