American Roots Outdoors w/ Alex Rutledge

Spring Turkey Season, Spandau Arms, & Raising Youth Hunters w/ Jahred Gamez

Wayne Lach, Mike Crase Season 8 Episode 15

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Alex Rutledge and Red Bone kick off the spring Turkey season with current hunting dates for Missouri and Arkansas, then sit down with Jahred Gamez — Director of Marketing for SDS Imports and Spandau Arms — for a wide-ranging conversation about what makes Spandau shotguns the hottest value in the Turkey woods. Jared shares why affordability doesn't mean compromise, how to pattern your gun with ammo you can grab at Walmart, and his take on raising young hunters the right way. Plus, in the bonus segment, Jared shares a hilarious story about his backyard gobbler named Butterball and two delicious wild Turkey recipes. Whether you're a seasoned hunter or just breaking in your first youth hunter this season, this episode is packed with practical tips and good laughs.

Chapter Markers added

TimeChapter1:34 | Show Open & Current Events
2:19 | Turkey Season Dates & Regulations
3:27 | Introducing Jared Gamez – Spandau Arms / SDS Imports
7:49 | Interview Begins: Jared Gamez on Hunting & Spandau Arms
17:32 | Why Spandau Arms Is Taking the Industry by Storm
20:40 | Patterning Shotguns & Affordable Ammo for Turkey Season
27:00 | Tips for Hunting with Youth Hunters
33:49 | Small Game Hunting to Prep Kids for Big Game
39:00 | Bonus Segment: Backyard Turkeys & Butterball the Gobbler
42:52 | Wild Turkey Recipes with Jared Gamez

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 Get your kids out squirrel hunting too, because you can dial in a lot of things in squirrel season. That are gonna come out and help them in deer season and even Turkey season, you can, squirrels are a little more forgiving, so if you spook 'em, you know, you, you wait. It'll teach kids to be patient and, and you can do it with either a shotgun and a rifle and you can do it from a tree stand. You can do it from the ground. So I think small game hunting, especially squirrel hunting is a fun activity. It's one of my favorites. But if you're gonna break in youth hunters, you know, that's a great place to start because that's a place where you can kind of goof around a little bit. Alex, I know it's about food plot planting time. What are you gonna plant this year? Okay, in the spring I like to plant different things and also in the fall, but my go-to all the time is the eagle seed smorgasbord because as a variety of blends, you know, when I was a kid and even as an adult, I loved to go to a smorgasborg. I bet it's the same for deer. It is they, they have a variety to choose from. Instead of eating one thing all the time, they got a variety. Just like you walking into a restaurant, get smorgasbord today and you'll hold more deer and Turkey. How can I go about getting that smorgasbord to go to a dealer near you or go to ww dot eagle seed.com? Camel boots on my feet, bowing my hand walking in the early dawn to climb up. In my stand wise eye technology's presents. Show Open & Current Events Welcome to American Roots Outdoors Segment one of our show. We're talking about current events and uh, there's a lot of cool things going on right now. Red Bone, we got season Turkey seasons open in, in the south in Alabama, Mississippi, Florida, Georgia, and, uh, talk to a good friend, Kenny's us, but he's been down there working on them, calling Turkeys for other people and shooting 'em himself. I wished I was down there and, uh. I was lucky enough to go to Illinois and call for Pastor Tim Norman and his 15-year-old daughter Sophia, and we'll talk about that throughout the show. But, uh, let's talk current events. Redmond, we got New seasons coming up. Yeah, we do. Uh, and just wanna pass that along to our listeners. Uh, Turkey Season Dates & Regulations Turkey season in Missouri opens on April 20th, runs through May 10th. Uh, the youth season in Missouri is April 11th and 12th, which will be, uh. Uh, just here, you know, before we know it, in Arkansas, the regular season opens April the sixth and runs through the 20th. Now here's the thing about Arkansas. Uh, they broken Arkansas up into five. Uh, different districts or different zones they call 'em, and the seasons are different in each zone. So you've got to go to, uh, the, uh, Arkansas Game and Fish Commission website and look at what the actual dates are for the zone that you are going to hunt in to make sure you get that right. And the youth season in Arkansas is also just like Missouri, April 11th and 12th. So folks go check out those regulations and as always, you know, before any hunting season. You should go and check for rule changes and updates and things like that in the area where you're gonna hunt. You either go to the, uh, Missouri Department of Conservation or the Arkansas Game and fish websites. Good information. Guys. We got a great show lined up for you. Uh, Introducing Jared Gamez – Spandau Arms / SDS Imports we got Jared Gamma, the director of marketing for SD. Imports span arms. This guy loves his family. He loves to be outdoors. He also has a Instagram page called Okay Shooter. And this guy is very knowledgeable and he's gonna share some information with us about the new spans. And they got a 20 gauge they come out with this past year. And they're coming out with a 28 gauge, and he's gonna talk about patterning and what shot size and types of shells to shoot, and he is gonna share some recipes with us in the bonus segment. Red Bone. Yeah. He's also gonna talk about, you know, practicing and the way we should practice, uh, as we're getting ready to take kids or other folks out to the, uh, Turkey woods. So, yeah, very, very interesting conversation coming up with Jared. Yes it is. And uh, I think the thing is, is that with kids, and that's our focus youth season and Jared Gam will span our arms, is that we, we keep our kids calm and we brief them and we practice with them and get 'em in a comfortable situation where they have confidence. You agree Red bone. I would agree. And also don't chastise them if they miss. Everybody misses. Exactly. Everybody misses and it, it just happens. It's just part, it's part of the game. I mean, it's just like playing basketball. Nobody makes every three pointer. They shoot, nobody makes every free throw. They shoot. We shouldn't yell at kids because they miss a shot on a basketball court. You shouldn't yell at 'em because they missed a shot and a Turkey or a deer. It's the same thing. Exactly, exactly. And speaking of basketball, Alex. Speaking of basketball. Just before we go here, I was gonna, I was gonna mention, as people are hearing this on Saturday, tonight is the final four in the NCAA basketball tournament. Uh, we got Michigan to take on Arizona and what I think might be one of the best college basketball games to be played in the last 15 or 20 years. Really? Yes. Who's the other two teams? Uh, the other two are Illinois and Yukon playing on the other side. But, uh, the late game on Saturday night, Michigan and Arizona. Folks, you need to watch this one, even if you're not a big NCAA fan because this thing has all the proper tools to be an epic battle. Really? Yes, absolutely. So who you picking to win that? Who you picking to win the fall for? You know, I'm, I'm picking, uh, I'm picking Illinois to beat Yukon just because I'm originally from Illinois, so you know, I gotta root a little bit for the homeschool or former homeschool. But the other game, I seriously have no idea. One day I'm thinking Michigan's gonna win the next day I'm thinking Arizona's gonna win. They are so good. And this game is just, this game's gonna be epic. I can't wait. Yeah, I gotta watch that too myself. Well, anyway, we got a great show lined up for everybody. I think you're going to enjoy the information that you're gonna listen to from Jared Gamma. Uh, you stay on here and, and stay tuned 'cause it's going to get good. You're listening to American Roots Outdoors. Don't go away. We'll be back with more right after this. Hey, this is Eddie Salter and you listen to American Roots. And outdoors with Alex Rutledge and Friends Red Bone Wise, I has just gotten better with these new cameras that they come out with. How could it get better? Well, they got the new mini and they've got the new DC two. They have a DC two. Yeah, DC two. You can actually go live anytime you want and film your own hunts with the wise eye data count. Now wait a minute. You mean I could be getting ready to shoot a deer and I could go on my phone and activate my camera and boom. Film? Your own. Well, that's amazing. That's amazing. Okay, Alex, you convinced me. How do I get one of these cameras? Go to a dealer near you or go to Wise Eye Tech do com. Order yours today. Take it to a of a big old Andow Arms presents. Interview Begins: Jared Gamez on Hunting & Spandau Arms Welcome back to American Roots Outdoors. We are calling in via phone. And man, have we got a great show lined up for you? There's a big buzz in the outdoor industry about span down shotguns, span down arms, SDS imports, and they are taking industry by storming. We got Join us today, Mr. Jared Gez. This guy wears many different hats with SDS and welcome to the show, Jared. You know, I, I think many different hats, but I never wear the hat I want to wear. And today that hat should be in camo and I should be in the Turkey woods. But, you know, taking a little bit of time to spend with you, you and Red Bone today is, you know, a very close second place. Well buddy that, Hey, red Bone, how does that make you feel? Uh, yeah. April Fool's Day, right? Uh, yeah. You know, uh, it's not the first joke I've pulled. Today won't be the last. No, no. Jared's pretty sw. Pretty slick. Pretty slick. So Jared, uh, we've had you on the show before and I've been shooting the, uh, spin down 12 gauge, uh, for the last couple years, man. And it's absolute, absolute Turkey gun that people will go crazy about it. They haven't shot it yet. First of all, let's tell people again who Jared Gamma is. You know, I'm just a human being like everyone else. You know, the, the guy that spends more time in the woods, you know, watching crickets walk by than probably dragging that, that, you know, gobbler out during season. Um, but I'm, I'm the marketing guy here at SBS Arms, uh, you know that we have spanned out arms, military Armor Corporation, toker of USA, I run my own little side project over on, on Instagram and Facebook called the Okay Shooter. And, you know, I'm, I'm an outdoorsman. Um, I think I'm a shooter, you know, because my work makes me do it, but my passion really is hunting. Um, and I, I even think as a guy that, that shoots guns. You know, the, the place where, you know, firearms enthusiasts really put it to the test is hunters, you know, you can shoot paper on a range all you want, but going out into the woods and, and putting it together with your field craft, and then the patients trying to manage that adrenaline dump, you know, when that. That, that Jake walks out in front of you and you think his beard is, you know, 20 inches long. Um, you know, it, it just kind of comes together out in the woods. And if you, you have a successful hunt, you go home with your head held high, and even if your hunt is, you know, maybe you miss or you don't see that animal, just the time you get to spend out there in. See nature and appreciate these animals is, is really a big part of who I am and, and what I do. So, you know, be go out there, have fun, make it about the memories and less about, you know, bragging to your friends, I guess is my mantra. Yeah, I like that red bone. Yeah, I do too. The thing that I, especially like what you just said, Jared, was, you know, you can shoot paper targets all day long, but it really, you know, you really don't know what kinda shooter you are. Or what kind of person you are until the rubber meets the road in the woods. I mean, that's when, that's when the men and the boys are separated. They're, you know, and I, I like competition pistol shooters because it's very high stress, it's very fast paced, so they, I give them a lot of credit. Sure. Hunters, you know, you can go sit at your local range on your, on your, you know, your lead sled, holding that gun as steady as you can. And then if you're in the woods in a very uncomfortable shooting position, like, you know that pine tree that's. The knot is in the wrong place, or you sit down and then that fire amp pile is where your foot is, but then that, that deer or that Turkey walks out in front of you. You dig deep in the, the, the, the emotions that you feel that go through your body, your heart rate. It's, I don't think there's anything that compares to that. You, you, there's so many variables to hunting that, that really define the marksman. And I love watching it really distinguished markman, you know, marksman on tv, you know, they're on their hunting shows and they miss 'cause their, their heart rate got 'em. Or the rock that they picked, you know, was the wrong rock, you know, to, to shoot off of. So it's, it really is, it's, it's the ultimate pressure test. Yeah. And Alex, I think you, you, it sure is. You, you as well. Go ahead, Redon. Yeah, I was gonna say, I think you know as well as I do, I know a lot of people that are better, better shots as hunters than they are if they are to go to the range. Exactly. Exactly. And that person is probably somebody that's, that's seasoned and has experienced it a lot. And I must say, uh, you know, we got youth seasons coming up here pretty soon. Yeah. Here in southern Missouri, across Missouri and northern Arkansas. And what you're talking about here can attribute to sharing some tips to our listeners. How to keep that child calm. How to keep that child focused to at the moment of truth when they gotta pull the shot off. Jared. I, I, you know, having, you know, my son is 18 this year. My daughter's 14. They've been hunting with me since, you know, my son, I think he was 10 when he first went out, and my daughter was 12 when she started. Um, and it's, it's hard to manage the kids' expectations. Thankfully, I've, I've been very fortunate or my kids are, are, are pretty. Patient out in the woods. They're very quiet. They have a, a great, you know, head on their shoulders. But my son, this last deer season, he, he, he has never connected on a deer. He's seen him, never had an opportunity to take that shot until this last fall. And, you know, we got down out of the stand, you know, we met him and, you know, I see my son, he's just trembling. I mean, he's shaking. And, and I get up to him and I'm like, you good? And he's like. You, you are right dad. Like, you know, he's a, he's a competition shotgun shooter, so he knows how to perform under stress. And I'm like, you know, you, you know, I'm talking to him like, Hey man, you good? And he is like, dad, I was shaking so bad and I don't know why. And I'm like, you know, he is like, dad, I've sat in that tree stand for years. You know, you've sat with me. I never really felt, you know, shaky. But that time when the deer was in the right place at the right time and he knew he could make that shot, the body took over. And so even him, I think until the kids experience it for that first time, it's hard to get 'em ready for it. But I think even as a parent. And even a hunter, that's, that's such a rewarding experience to see when people, that may be, you know, on paper in a casual conversation, they say they're not a hunter. And then that opportunity gets right in front of 'em. Like that moment is there and how much you know, you're not in control of your body is just like, you know what we're gonna do right now? We're gonna panic, we're gonna be excited. We may even start crying. And then they pull that trigger. And if it ends in success. Oh my gosh. The, you know, the round of emotions for me and my kids, you know, they've had their misses and it drove 'em even more. They're like, dad, I want to feel that again. I want to be in that moment again. So, you know, kids with that, you know, if you have a youth hunter, just it's a life changing experience. It may not be for the best because I may miss. But it will, it does something to their brain, their chemistry, where the next time the leaves are turning, or in spring, you know, right now pollen is coating everything. A lot of people dread pollen season. But here in the southeast, that lets me know it is time. It is time to get in those woods. And my daughter's on spring break next week, and she's even already at it. She's like, dad. Are we going? And I'm like, oh yeah, we are going guys, you're listening to American Roots Outdoors. We're gonna go to the break and we come back. We got Jared Gez with Span Down arms. Don't go away. We'll be back with more right after this. Hey guys. Bradley Roy, major League Fishing Angler, and you are listening to American Roots Outdoors right here, right now, year after year. Remember when a hunter was measured by how well he shot? Not how much he spent. When memories were measured in rooster Tails, not dollar bills. We do, we are spanned out, reliable, easy to operate, extremely balanced, premium firearms offered at a price that. Proves you still know the true measure of a hunter? Stand down, making the American hunting tradition available to all so you never 12 point hunting blinds presents. Welcome back to American Roots Outdoors. I'm calling via phone out here in my yard, behind my cabin, close to my Turkey pen. You may hear a Turkey gobble here any second, but uh, we got a special guest as Joe Gamma with SDS imports, Bandel Arms, and this guy is obsessed with hunting. He's a family man and a marketing genius behind Spanel. Arms and, uh, Spendo has taken the industry over red bone like crazy. I was in southern Illinois this past weekend, uh, taking a, a father and daughter and I went and visited one of the sporting goods stores over at Dunn's Outdoors. And, and I asked him, I said, uh. Do you guys carry a span down arm? He says, oh, do we? He goes, we've already sold over a hundred of these shotguns and, and, and so tell us, Jared, what, why is it so people so hot on span down? You know, um, Why Spandau Arms Is Taking the Industry by Storm span out is, you know, it's, I I, I used to say it's a new brand, but it's been around now for almost three years. So still kind of new when you look at the grand scheme of hunting. But, you know, being, working for a gun company, you get kind of selfish and you're like, I want my company to send me on hunts. So what do you do? You start a hunting brand. And, um, it, it started as like an idea, but I think it goes back to, you know. We wanted the, the whole industry to be more about getting out there, being with your family, your friends, you know, your kids, and hunting it. It kind of got to the point where guns became that status symbol where, you know, people would be like, oh, I spent $2,000 on this shotgun, 1600 bucks on that shotgun. And with span out, we wanted to find a price point that gave you a great shotgun that had a lot of features. And in our case, you know, we made it so it worked with some aftermarket components from another, you know. Famous inertia, shotgun. Mm-hmm. But I think we struck a car chord with people because, you know, hey, you could get three shotguns for the price of one, and that meant you, your son and your buddy could go hunting in a weekend and going to the shows, ducks, unlimit, pheasant Fest, NWTF, and really kind of mix it and get up with people. You know, I don't, I don't think the people that want to. Tr through the woods with, you know, a bush light maybe in their backpack to celebrate. At the end of the hunt, we really wanted to spend two grand on a shotgun. So we were like, what if we, what if we priced it around six, 700 bucks and then made it work with all those great choke tubes, with all the great optics with. You know, replacement barrels, hand guards and things like that. And like I said, it struck a nerve with hunters and I'm, and I'm amped for it. I, I'm, I'm super excited. We're back in the hunting season. I get on Instagram in the morning and I see hunters out all over the country already. Florida, Georgia out there just putting a beating on the thunder chickens this season. It's, it's so cool to see. And, you know, we, we interact with our customers in a way that. We're hunting buddies. You're not our customer. You, you know, when it comes to Span Allen, the brand. Yeah. You bought our shotguns, but we want to be friends with you in the field. We want to see your hunt. Yes. We, we wanna laugh at you when you miss, obviously. I mean, I think we all want to do that to all of our friends. Um, but we like sharing in the moment and, and seeing people have success in, in doing what they're doing out there. Great response. Red Bone. Yeah. And I think, and I think Alex, another, another component to the success of Spano has been the fact that they are producing a, a shotgun that is more affordable for the everyday hunter. And it's got the same qualities as the more expensive gun. The nursery driven shotgun seems like it's, it's a been a hot topic for many years for the Turkey hunter because it doesn't actually kick kick. It pushes. When it you shoot it. And, uh, I know you've been out patterning some of these shotguns this week and, uh, talk about that with us real quick, Jared. Yeah. You know, um, you know, Patterning Shotguns & Affordable Ammo for Turkey Season being a hunter myself and not just a marketing guy, it's fun to get out to the range and, and shoot things. And, you know, for me, last year we did it with the 12 gauge S two. This year we've got the 20 gauge S two. So for you sub gauge guys, it was, it was neat to get that product out. And, you know, with TSS loads and, you know, even some of the other loads, there's always that, that dollar per round thing that we kind of worry about. So this year, you know, instead of going out and finding all those super exotic TSS loads, I went to my Walmart and bought like every Turkey load that they had. So, you know, a little bit of. Uh, Remington, nitro, some Winchester Double X, you know, even some long Beard xr. I think I had some federal Grand Slam too, and Uhhuh, there was one TSS load that my Walmart had and, and I grabbed a box of that and went to the range, patterned it at 35 yards. And a lot of guys, you know, as soon as I got online, a lot of people were like, oh, did you try, you know. Rocky Ridge ammo. Did you try migra? Did you try Foxtrot? And I'm like, those are really high-end loads and they're really expensive. I just wanted to show people how it would perform with ammo that you could find at your local gun shop, at your local Walmart. You know, you know, if I traveled somewhere and I, my ammo got lost in my luggage or whatever, I could walk into a sporting goods store. And I think anywhere you go in the country, you're gonna find Long Beard xr. You're gonna find Federal Grand Slam. You're gonna find Remington Nitro. And I patterned that with, you know, our standard choke tubes and some other ones. And it, I, I think at 35 yards I'll, I'll have a dead Turkey. And it was fun to do and a lot of people appreciated that. And I think it, you know, you're gonna go to Walmart and like I said, you're gonna grab that case of Bush Light and maybe you're gonna grab that box along Beard XR and then mm-hmm. Run out to that public field. And I think that's, again, that's why we resonate the way we do with our customers. Yeah, I, I like that. And, uh, I, I think, you know, I, I think one of the other selling features now that you discussed, patterning, shotguns and, and the cost of the, the, the heavy shot. And, and the customer can go to a Walmart or, or a local store and buy their product, uh, at, at a lower cost than this heavy shot TSS and the guns are still performing a great performance. Uh, I think that's our customer. Red Bone. Well, I guarantee it's our customer and, and it's guys that are sitting there listening to this show right now and thinking, well, that's good to hear. Where do I get ahold of one of these span dial shotguns? Because a lot of those high-end guys don't perform well with the low end ammo. Yeah, you're right. Hey, Jared, tell us, tell us this real quick. What's the warranty on the span house shotguns? So, you know, we, we kind of keep it realistic. You know, we have a one year warranty that, that comes with the guns. That's, you know, workmanship defects and material, things like that. But we also offer a lifetime service plan because we understand sometimes things do happen. And as long as it's not the customer, you know, drin the inside of their gun, or you know, maybe trying to shoot a three and a half inch shell through a three inch gun, you know, we've got ways to take care of customers. I'm not saying we can fix every issue, but I, you know, recently I had a guy that reached out and he. He dropped his shotgun off his four wheeler, or it ruined the end of the barrel. And I was pretty upfront with him. Like, I, I can't replace your gun. It's not a warranty issue, but maybe we can cut you a deal on a new barrel. And, you know, it helped him out and it helped him get back into the range this year. So I tell guys, you know, take care of your gun. It'll take care of you. But for some odd reason, if it fails, we're we're gonna work with you on the back end. We're just not gonna leave you high and dry. Um, yeah, warranties are. I don't know. Sometimes they're a weird thing. I just like to say, Hey, if you're doing what you need to do and, you know, treat our customer service people like they're humans, you know, be a little nice to 'em. Flirt a little bit. Mm-hmm. You might get a little further down the road with them, but one year warranty, lifetime, lifetime service plan is there. Um, so far this year, I. I think, you know, guys have been having pretty good luck with them. I'm stoked to, to see the response for 'em, and I'm hoping, I'm hoping maybe you get a Turkey this year. Alex, I haven't seen you get one yet, so. Well, I end up taking more people than I have for myself anymore. I take a lot of senior citizens and a lot of youth hunters. Uh, I want to share this real quick before we go to a break. Uh, I got to hunt with evangelist pastor Mr. Tim Norman in Southern Illinois. Carbondale, Illinois over there, and I got to call in two different gobblers for his 15-year-old daughter. And the first Turkey, we had a swing and miss and uh, we actually took her to the range and shot three times, uh, the evening before the hunt the next morning. And she busted the targets all three times. It goes back to what you said under the, the pressure of the hunt. Can you perform when the turkey's there? And I think she. Got, uh, buck fever, so to say. She overshot the Turkey and he walks off and she actually shot twice dam and then he ran. Then uh, we sat there another five, 10 minutes, looked across the field and there was another strutter and I helped him up and he comes running like a race horse. Then they just let that one walk off guys, then even shoot at that one. But, uh, we had a great hunt. And again, uh, the information you share with us gonna help a lot of people. We're gonna do segment four. What we're gonna do is share tips to help you with our youth Hunter this coming weekend or upcoming weeks. Don't go away. We're going to a break. We'll be back with more right after this. This is Brenda Valentine and you're listening to American Roots Outdoors with Alex Rutledge and Friends, what American Roots. Hey everybody, Alex Rutledge. I'm excited to tell you about 12 point hunting blinds, seven foot walls, perfectly camouflaged. Snow proof, waterproof tinted windows. They will not reveal you in the 12 point blinds. We're proud to work for this Amish Made Blind, made in America, made USA 12 point hunting blinds from more information. 12 point blinds.com. Mr. Jared Gamma, the marketing director of span down arms, SDS imports, and he's really shared some great information with us Red bones. He has. Now, I know we wanna talk about some tips for, uh, Tips for Hunting with Youth Hunters getting the kids out during the Turkey, uh, the youth hunt, but I would like to ask one question if you can answer it quickly. Jared, and you, you talked about, you know, you've been shooting the 12 gauge for a couple years now you've come out with the 20. Which do you prefer? Um, you know, I, I actually, I have always leaned to 20 gauge shotguns. Um, it's been, you know, even from my older age, 70 up until now, I, I preferred 20 gauge. Um, I do see the merits of both of them, 12 gauge, you know, you do, you just get a little bit of extra range and, you know, those extra pellets do help. But I, I do prefer the, the lightweight. You know, varieties of 20 gauge, you know, shotguns are a little bit lighter to carry. And the shell, you know, for a 35 to 40 yard shot, I think with choked tubes and, you know, even some traditional lead loads, you're, you're well within the range of, of getting a, a Turkey at that. Okay. I just kinda wondered. Alright, go ahead guys. Great answer. Yeah, good information. Hey, uh, Jared, I know you, you said you've taken your kids hunting and I take a lot of kids hunting and I think one of the biggest things that we have with kids is when they miss turkeys is trying to keep their cool, trying to stay calm. And the hunt I went on, uh, the young girl, her name is Sophia, was sitting with her daddy and we, we briefed each other about, you know, keeping her calm and, and. Helping her be able to pull off the shot. She missed it 25 yards. And really what happens in situations like that, sometimes we lose focus. And what happened here in this situation with my little hunter, she overshot the Turkey. So what she was doing after I, I really thought about it. I think she was pushing what we call push. She would shoot at the same time. She's pushing her gun to see where she hit. And that takes your eyes off the target. There, you know, we, we always practice the fundamentals and follow through, you know, even with like deer hunting or shotgun shooting, you know, you, you want to pull the gun, pull the trigger, and then kind of wait to see what happens before you kind of react, you know? And, and sometimes mm-hmm. It's hard because you're, you're looking to see if the animal takes off running. Um, and the other thing I, I, I kind of find out is that how we practice shooting the gun is always different from how it happens during the hunt. So, you know, if you're patterning your shotgun, people are usually doing it in like a lead sled on a bench. And, and then when we're out hunting, we're usually in a pretty uncomfortable spot, you know, whether you're on the ground or in a chair in a blind, it doesn't mimic how we practice. So, you know, to kind of break people of that, you know, I, I would take my kids and, you know, I would tell 'em like, Hey, we'd go out and I'd set a tree, stand up in a, in, you know, a place where we could shoot. And I'd be like, you're gonna go up in the tree stand. Feel what it's like to get the gun up over the rail. Same thing in the Turkey blind. It's like, Hey, you gotta get that gun on that shooting stick. Make sure you get that elbow on your knee. If you're sitting down in practice, you know, shoot a couple rounds in that position that you're actually gonna be hunting, and then tell your kids to focus on that. Follow through, you know, Hey, the gun goes off. Don't move. Stay steady, and then wait to see what happens. In case you need to take that follow up shot. Or if you immediately break out into tears of joy because you see that bird is down. So, I mean, that's my biggest one. If you're gonna practice on the range, you know, find a way to mimic the setup that they're going to use in the field and, and practice a little bit that way because that, that change in scenery or that change in position can have a big impact on a shooter, especially a young one. You know? Uh, well said. I think, you know, as a kid, when I grew up, we never had shooting sticks. We never had bipods. We never had all this stuff. I'll never forget it, hun. I took a young hunter here a couple years ago and his, uh, he was with his elder and, uh, this young man. Had to have that sled or, or the bipod? Well the bipod about got us busted trying to move and get situated. And I think we need to teach our kids to be able to shoot off our knees. 'cause you never know. The situations can change. I think the bipods a good thing. Tripods shooting sticks are a good thing, but they can also get you in trouble. But if you can teach a kid that's big enough to hold the gun on their knee, they're gonna be more successful. And when current different situations, uh, apply. That's my thoughts. My s there's a lot less to move around when you're getting into position, so I agree with that too. You know, we gotta look at the body mechanics of the kids, but you know, like I said, it, it takes, spend as much time practicing getting set up to take the shot in the field as you do with the range pattern, your shotgun and, and especially for kids, because, you know, for us, we hunt a lot as adults. Kids are still trying to figure it out. So they need those, those extra reps to kind of get. Get that way and to get comfortable on where they need to hold the shotgun or, or even move, because I swear turkeys can see from two miles away. I swear they can. So, you know, the kid's gotta be able to be stealthy about it as well. Yeah. Alex, I think the main thing though, go ahead. Red bone. Oh, I was gonna, I was gonna say, I, I've told you many times that when I moved to the country and started to hunt, I had an uncle tell me that when you practice shooting. You practice just like you were hunting. You wear the same boots, you wear the same pants, you wear the same shirt, you wear the same hat. He said, I don't want anything to change, he said, because you've gotta know how to handle that gun in that situation, feeling the way you feel, and I think this is kinda what y'all are talking about, is the fact you, you've sometimes you've gotta practice just like you're hunting. Exactly, and, and, and I wanna ad lib to this. I think, uh, when you, you have someone performing like that and practicing like that kind of gives 'em a better feel of the situation. But, uh, I, I think the big thing is, is teaching your kids to set still and briefing them before that Turkey comes in. So all the set up here, the turkey's going to come from over here, so we want to have your gun on your knee pointed in that direction. Yeah. Okay. And if the Turkey moves and you wanna set your hunter between your legs, if you're not in a blind, or even if you are in a blind, have 'em close to you where you can coach 'em. When the Turkey goes in behind a big tree or something, then you get 'em to move. They're going in that position to make the shot. I think that that's important that we teach kids this. Yeah, I would agree 100%. Yeah, I, I, I'm there too. Um, I, I think the other thing with youth, youth kids, and, and this is gonna kind of be my, my soapbox moment for the episode, and it's, yeah, Small Game Hunting to Prep Kids for Big Game get your kids out squirrel hunting too, because you can dial in a lot of things in squirrel season. That are gonna come out and help them in deer season and even Turkey season, you can, squirrels are a little more forgiving, so if you spook 'em, you know, you, you wait. It'll teach kids to be patient and, and you can do it with either a shotgun and a rifle and you can do it from a tree stand. You can do it from the ground. So I think small game hunting, especially squirrel hunting is a fun activity. It's one of my favorites. But if you're gonna break in youth hunters. That's a great place to start because that's a place where you can kind of goof around a little bit more. Try things. Let your kid get used to, you know, their four 10, their 20 gauge, whatever it may be. And, and then one, it gives 'em a little bit of a segue. Like if you really enjoyed that, wait till Turkey season. Wait till you know, you get out in the morning and you start hitting that box call and they talk back to you. So you know, don't sleep on using other seasons to prep your kids for what we'll call the big show, you know? Yeah. Yeah, Alex, I know we've talked about that before, that we don't, you know, sometimes we don't think the kids do get out and do the small game hunting enough anymore to be prepared to go big game hunting because it seems like everything in the outdoor now, everything is, is designed around killing deer and killing turkeys and everything else is just kinda left behind. I would agree. Red bone, I would agree. I, I wanna say this too. I mean, you know, a lot of hunters gonna be taken to the woods here this coming weekend in Kentucky and other states, and we got Arkansas coming up, we got Missouri coming up. Remember this, you're only as good as the dirt that you hunt if you've not applied yourself to your properties. Planting food plus like eagle seed and. Doing TSI, doing controlled burns and managing your properties, you're only as good as your property that you have and the wildlife that's on it. I encourage our listeners to to be game managers, be gamekeepers and take care of your properties. Produce and, and create great habitat for the wildlife that you're hunting. With that being said, we're gonna wrap up the show. What a great guest you have been, Jared, and I want to thank you for being, uh, on the show with us. Thank you for your information. And how can people contact span our arms if they don't have a dealer in their home? You know, our, our website is, is out there, you know, in the, the, the age we live in, you can visit it from your phone, your computer, your tablet, but spana arms.com, if you go there, you're gonna find all of our models, all of the guns that are available. There's a dealer locator on there. There's even some buy links. So if you want to just find an online retailer, we, we've got integrations with Gun Broker and guns.com. So you can buy the Guns direct from, you know, some of our preferred online dealers. Uh, and, you know, I'll, I'll say this. Uh, to all of our customers and, and even people that maybe aren't our customers yet, interact with us on Facebook and Instagram and social media because we love seeing you guys out there doing what you do. You know? Yeah. We want to sell you a gun. That's, you know, we're a business, but I wake up in the morning having a cup of coffee and, and you guys motivate me to want to get out there and do it because I see hunters enjoying the outdoors. You know, some of 'em, maybe they're not enjoying it so much. Maybe some of them aren't seeing a Turkey. But it's, it's a cool part of the community that we want to build with Spano. Very well said, well said. Well said guys. We're wrapping her up again. What a great show. Red Bone. And we're gonna close with this. This whole world needs more love and not hate. We may not agree on our politics, but uh, God is our creator. He created wildlife for you and I to take dominion of the thul of the air, the fish of the sea, and all living walking creatures. And remember, teach your boys to become men. Teach your girls become ladies. And when your roots run deep and strong, there is no reason to fear the wind. So what? Thank you for joining us for today's American Roots Outdoors Radio with Alex Rutledge. You can find us on Facebook. Look us up on the worldwide web@americanrootsoutdoors.com. We'll be back again next week on this. Great radio station, accurate, deadly, dependable, Horty ammunition from a two man operation in 1949 to a world leading innovator. A bullet ammunition, reloading tool, and accessories design and manufacturer today horty. Each piece is hand inspected to ensure consistency and quality ammunition engineered to perform flawlessly. Simply put the best. Hornet ammunition. Find Hornet ammunition at a retailer. Dear you and@hor.com. Morning ammunition presents. Bonus Segment: Backyard Turkeys & Butterball the Gobbler Welcome back to American Roots Outdoors. This is our bonus segment. If you're listening to it, you're listening to it on probably one of your favorite podcast carriers. We air in 19 countries now on five radio stations, which is 9:00 AM FM networks, and we have a potential reach of two to 3 million listeners every weekend. And again, our special guest. Jared Gez, director of marketing for span down arms, SDS Imports is here to share some recipes. But before you share the recipe, I, you and I talked earlier today, I heard a Turkey gobbling in the background. What is that all about? Was you in the woods or you got a tamed Turkey, or what's the deal? You know, so if you wanna know your enemy, you, you, you gotta think like your enemy. And I think there's no better way than maybe having a heritage read Turkey in your backyard. So, yeah, having, having a hin and a, and a gobbler in the backyard, I mean, it's great. You learn how they sound, you know, even though they're, you know, living in the backyard, they still, they cluck, they purr, they gobble. So it's great if you're out in the backyard with a mouth call or your box call just to kind of see. What sounds you're making that work. You know, if they respond to you, you know, Hey, try that in the real woods. You know, go hide behind your fence or go hide on the other end of your property and, and give 'em a little, you know, cluck, cluck and a little purr and, and see how they react to you. So having 'em in the backyard is great. Um, the downside. That gobbler is the meanest SOB in the yard right now. Um, and, and you know, we talked before the show and, and last night I'm walking through the yard, I'm having my beer. I had a michel little balter in my hand and, and our male Turkey, his name is Butterball. He, he comes barreling at me, you know, all, you know, probably 13 pounds of this dude just runs across the yard and he just commences to whooping on me like old Jerry. You know the Coon's dog story? Yeah. This, this, and I'm sitting there and my wife is like, what is going on? And, and I, and I had a mic, little ball trend that can is red, white, and blue. And Butterball like is fixated on that can, and he just, he beats the thing out of my hand and I run off, you know, of course. 'cause I have a shotgun on me. So what am I had to do? So I run back to the deck and we watched this male Turkey just. Beat a Michelob Ultra can for 30 minutes. He finally was like, and, and I sat there and even my wife were like, what the heck? Got into him. And, and then it finally dawned on me. I'm looking at, you know, butter ball's head, he's a male, you know, heritage breed Turkey, and his head is deep red, deep blue, and deep white. Like, you know, he's in that, that his SNOO is all, you know, flopping around in the air. And I'm like, oh my God, that that Michelob ultra cam looks just like a Turkey head from 20, 30 yards. Yeah. Colors. And so I think, yeah, so I'm sitting here like, do I really want a bag of, you know, lug a bag of decoys into the woods, or do I just put a 12 pack of Mick Ultra in my backpack and you know, put 'em on a stick every 20 or 30 yards? What a funny story. Red Bull. That is. That is a funny story. Although I would not suggest putting red, white, and blue can on a stick close to where I was hunting because you might get shot. Yeah. You don't want me carry that in Turkey. Woods old green jeans might look at me real weird. Yeah, it would. It'd write you a big fat ticket. Yeah. So good. Go ahead. Yeah, it was just interesting to see, you know, just, just how they absolutely identify those colors with, you know, another male Turkey. And I'm like, how's this animal outsmart me every spring if a beer can confused him? Like, you know, so Jared, you like to cook Turkey, you like to cook a lot for you and your family. Wild Turkey Recipes with Jared Gamez Share a recipe with us or a couple recipes of how you like to cook Turkey. Yeah. No, I, I, I don't think I'm a trophy hunter by any means. You know, I, I love hunting for the back end of it, the sharing the meal with your friends and family. Mm-hmm. And, you know, doing that as much as I like the wall hanger, I like having a good old barbecue. And, you know, I think my, my two favorite ways of doing it, and bo starts with smoking pretty much the whole bird. You know, a lot of people kind of throw, you know, pieces and scraps away, but brine that thing, like you want to put that guy in the smoker. And, and I like shredding it up and putting, you know, the meat in two different bowls. And one of them I like a good like Turkey salad sandwich. So find your, you know, your celery, your, your mayonnaise, your seasonings, and then a nice cool cold, you know, you know, we'll call it Turkey salad sandwich is one way. Yeah. Love it. And then the other way is, is definitely barbecue it. Put it in that slow cooker a little bit afterwards, maybe a little beef tallow, and, and give yourself some pulled Turkey sandwiches, uh, sauce of your choice. Those, those are my two kind of go-to ways to kind of give me that, that nice warm and meaty sandwich, and then something I can pack in my Ziploc bag and, and hopefully take out in the woods with me the, the next afternoon and, and get that second tag filled. Awesome stuff. Red bone. Yeah. Fantastic. Yeah, absolutely. It, it's, it's two meals and, and one goat. So you can almost say you're getting two, two birds with one stone. There you go. Alright Alex, it time for us to wrap it up? Yes, sir. Again, what a wonderful guest. You've been Jared. Great information. Great. This is gonna help some Youth Hunters upcoming season here. I know. And, uh, I'm looking forward to getting my 20 gauge SDS because it only weighs what, 3.75 pounds. It's, it's, it's, it's a little closer to six pounds, but, you know, put an optic on it. I feel like you can put an optic on it. Your sling, it, it's still lightweight and you're gonna, it is way more comfortable to lug through the woods. Like, if you're like me, it's gonna, it's gonna take me at least walking 20 miles before I see my first gobbler. So having a lightweight gun is definitely part of the equation. We gotta get that problem solved for you. You gotta come and spend some time with me somewhere maybe in Ohio when we're out there in May. Anyway, thanks for being a wonderful guest, everybody. If you're interested in learning more about Span Out, go to their website and again, the website is Jared span out arms.com. There you have it guys again. I close every show just like this. This whole world needs more love and not hate. We gotta teach our boys to become men and our girls to become ladies. And when your roots run deep and strong. There is no reason to fear the wind. The sun ain't up, they ain't down. We'll be waiting when they hit the ground. Big time coming. It's what we do from a whipper wheel to a no lau suit. Sitting still till time. Shoe American roots. Take it. Do holler, take it, do a across. A big old year after year got my gear and my old bear boots passed on down planet deep in the ground around you, so you never gotta worry. What the. Granddaddy always said, when your roots so deep and strong, there's no reason to fear the wind. American roots will rise again. Yeah. God, family and friends and living the truth. American roots. Yeah. God, family. Friends and the truth. American.