Cameron Hanes - Keep Hammering Collective - KHC 038 - Dan Staton

Episode Date: September 11, 2023

Dan Staton is a podcaster, a fitness guru, and the creator of ElkShape. In a word, Dan is OBSESSED with elk hunting. Dan and Cam discuss several topics including hunting, family and human performance. Enjoy!    Follow along: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cameronrhanes Twitter: https://twitter.com/cameronhanes Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/camhanes/ Website: https://www.cameronhanes.com   Dan Staton Links: https://www.instagram.com/elkshape/  https://www.youtube.com/elkshape    Thank you to our sponsors: Bass Pro/Cabelas: https://www.basspro.com Ketone IQ: https://hvmn.com/CAM use code CAM for 20% MUD\WTR: https://mudwtr.com/cam use code Cam for 15% off  Leupold: https://www.leupold.com/ Hoyt: http://bit.ly/3Zdamyv  Black Rifle Coffee: https://www.blackriflecoffee.com/ Use code KEEPHAMMERING for 20% your first order Groove Life: https://www.groovelife.com Go Ruck: https://www.goruck.com use code CAM for 10% off    Timestamps: 0:00:00  Intro 0:04:50  Performance in Hunting 0:09:28  Dan Staton - Washington Elk Hunter 0:12:39 Dan’s First Bull 0:14:59  Elk Hunting Makes You Feel Alive 0:20:01  Eastman’s Magazines Sparked the Dream 0:23:59  Elk Hunting is Sunshine & Rainbows 0:25:57  Ego in the Hunting Community 0:33:41  Pushing Yourself to Evolve 0:36:10  Hunting Isn’t Comparable 0:38:38  Priorities - Balancing Family, Fitness & Hunting 0:42:33  Supportive Families in Hunting 0:51:16  Outro

Cabellas and Bass Pro Shops is a sponsor of the podcast. And that's especially powerful for me because I remember when Cabellas came to town, came to Springfield, Oregon. And I actually played a role in the opening of that store. Instead of cutting the grand opening ribbon with scissors, I shot it with an arrow. And it was just a monumental thing. I mean, everybody here in town was talking about, hey, are you going to go to Cabellas?

Can you believe Cabellas is coming here to Springfield, Oregon? So I know what a staple, those giants in the industry are. And it's actually, it's one of the first places people go when they're looking to get geared up to become a hunter as they go to Cabellas and buy everything they need. So I'm very excited that we've partnered together and we can help open up those outdoor and hunting opportunities to listeners of this podcast. Every step I take, I move my truth. Every time they tell me stop I use. Every comment hate that makes my feel gather up my energy and boom.

I hear them talking, saying the way that I'm moving so reckless. That is a part of my mind I've been blessed with. Giving my blood so I am relentless. All right. This is a Keep Hammering Collective with Dan Staten. How are you doing? I'm good. Yeah?

We're here. We've had a whirlwind couple of days. Yeah, it's gone by fast. Tell me about it. You want to know about it? I don't know. What do you remember? I remember getting up early, hopping on an airplane.

Mm-hmm. Get to Seattle, hop on another airplane. You guys were pretty close to on time picking me up. We jammed to your house, dropped all the stuff off, grabbed the camera, guys, and your brother, and then we drove for like two hours. And the only thing you told me was, I know we're going to do at least 7,000 vertical feet today.

And you seem kind of excited. Oh, yeah, I couldn't sleep. You couldn't sleep? No, no, I mean, live for that. You do. And so, yeah, I was like, we're in Oregon. It can't be that bad. And I was wrong.

Yeah, that country's awesome. Detroit Lake area. And I think I'm pretty sure that's where Aaron Snyder's from. So we'll have to verify that. That could be just a rumor, unverified rumor. But I do know that Taylor, my brother, I don't think people really realize what a beast he is. And so he, I said, I go, Dan's a stud. I mean, Dan the fitness man, aka elk shape, aka badass.

So I'm like, I want to do something memorable. I want him to go home and remember this experience. So he came up with a route yesterday. Okay. Well, just so, you know, accomplished that. You were kind of making Cameron jokes to me, which I've been around you a long time. And I'm like, is he saying, like, don't bring water?

If you do, you're a pussy. I don't want to be pussy. And so I couldn't tell if you were serious, but you'd made a couple, like, water remarks. And I was like, I was like, all right, I'm going to bring a water. and I probably should have brought like three. But I think everybody should have. Nobody brought enough water.

It was a dry day up there. Oh. Yeah. Water never sounded so good towards the end. We were on our feet not that long. We crawled. It was about, what, six, seven hours? But the mileage was not high.

It was the elevation gain. Yeah, no. I mean, if people look at the stats, like the pace per mile, they'd be like, these guys are supposed to be whatever. It's like, it's not impressive. then you throw in the climbing and the descending and the climbing again and yeah i mean hey if anybody thinks that it didn't seem that tough let's do it you're invited it's the route's interesting because you gain so much in oh in just a mile you're over 2 000 vertical feet in a mile yeah

not a lot of people have ever experienced that and we're in the direct south facing uh south facing exposure dude i'm not a sweater and i was like that you know i was like that's like, I remember wrenching out my headband and my shirt was soaked and I was like, this ain't, this is not a good sign there, Daniel. This is getting real. Anyways, the loop you took us through and then we came all the way down, we hit concrete. Most normal people, which you are not, would have been like, this is a sweet loop. Let's just finish up on, like on the pavement. We'll end up at the truck. And you're like, oh, right, now we're going to go in reverse. I was like, God, I knew, I knew this was going to happen. I knew you're going to do this to me.

And I'm so glad you did. Yeah. It's awesome, man. Well, all I knew is that last year we got together, we made a film for your channel, and your guys did a great job. I mean, everything you put out is high quality. I really appreciate the effort you put in.

And, you know, hunting is what we love to do, but it's how we share our experiences and our thoughts that resonate with people. And so when I see the professionalism that you have and what you are your content it makes me proud it makes me proud to be a hunter it makes me proud to support you and so you made a great film but we did i think we did a little over 20 miles just around town here i mean these are the mounds i have close it's not nothing crazy but you know i i usually try to do the runs and the heat just to add that degree of difficulty and you did a great job i mean we lifted

it was awesome your stud we went out and shot it was awesome but i'm like i got we can't can't just go back to the well for the same old thing. So I wanted to do something memorable. And then to me, the key, and I had Rihanna reach out to you and make sure you extended your time today because to me the key is, and I never know how people are going to respond to this, is not the first day, it's the second day. You have a giant day. What are you capable of the next day? Because that's hunting. And we have to string these days together where we're fatigued, where a lot of times in the mountains, no matter how well you try to prepare,

you do run out of water, you do run out of food, and you still have to be able to perform. And then not only perform, it's not like an ultra you're trying to finish 100 to 200 miles. You have to be able to do this, and not 100, but I mean, you have to be able to be fatigued,

have all those obstacles to overcome, and then still make a precise shot and kill an animal. That's a lot to make happen. So I try to simulate that in training. I try to simulate that nervous system taxing of thinking about I just need a drink of water. I need this or that. I need these little and then still get it done. So that's that was the goal with the two days.

Okay. Well, yeah. You said something to me. I think it was today. I'm not going to forget it. Because I knew I knew. I've heard it, but it made so much sense at the time. And it's like, man, people don't quit.

on hunts and I know your audience isn't all hunters. There's non-hunters as well. So people quit usually not for just one big fat reason. It's a combination of things that's like, well, this hunt sucks because my foot's starting to hurt. My foot's starting to hurt and I'm out of water. My foot's starting to hurt. I'm out of water and it's supposed to rain tomorrow and I miss my wife.

And then like you start to add all these things up and then all of a sudden there's 10 little baby things. but when you add it's the sum of those 10 things people are like yeah i'm done i'm calling the plug and i just don't want to have uh i don't want to be susceptible to quitting because of 10 little things i want it to be like it's going to have to take an act of god to get me off this mountain i've set out to do something and i don't think you can just be born with that and i also think it's a muscle that can atrophy real quick if you don't keep it fresh which is why i was saying dude i'm pumped to come see cam again i did it last year you

gave me an edge. You know what I mean? He pushed me on a 22 mile run. I'd never ran that far. This year, I'm sure he's got something up his sleeve and you did. And now I got an edge. Yeah, definitely. I do. You did it. And, you know, so our back-to-back day today was in everybody can see it and hopefully enjoy it on the lifter and shoot series. But yeah, I mean, got not quite the hottest part of the day, but you put 80 pounds on your back, that side of the hill gets pretty warm. And so the goal today was just to keep pushing, not take, well, I never tell anybody what to do, but I'm always pleasantly surprised when the weight stays on the back, the whole way up. You never set it down. And as I said, it's like when you start off, you feel like, I cannot do

this shit. So I don't know how you felt at the beginning. but eventually your body starts to figure out okay this is what we're doing i got it and then you grind it out so tell me is that what happened to you today yeah i've done sandbag stuff right so i could appreciate the first time sandbag goes on someone's back there's no real honeymoon face it's like it goes on there and it's like this is dumb i don't know why we're doing this and today was no different it was like i barely cleaned it to my shoulders and then I just bumped it over my neck. And my goal was to get it to sit there where I didn't have to use my hands.

And I was like, dude, this sucks. This is going to be suck. We're not even out of the parking lot. And I've done Piscoa before, but not with 80 pounds on my back. Mom, I would say it was actually not that bad until about one mile in. And I think, I think you can see on my face. I'm like, Cam, are we seriously? You're almost there.

And I'm like, no, Cam, for real. Don't play with me, dude. Don't play. Are we almost there? All the time. I know. You lie a lot. And it's a good, I'm like, are you lying?

You're like, no, dude, we're seriously 100 yards there. And I was like, okay, man, let's do it. Yeah. Puked a little and then we continued on our way. That's awesome. I mean, I love it because you always hear about people, yeah, I gave it all I had. And I'm like, well, did you pass out? Did you puke?

And, you know, to me, that's a sign of you gave it all you had. And, yeah, I mean, you did today. But so, whatever. They can enjoy that on the show, I guess. I'm sure we won't have the puke on there. So tell me, how does a guy from nowhere, Washington become known in the hunting industry, which is a very competitive place. You know, people like want to be.

I mean, there's competition. It's, you know, you would think, why would hunting have competition? So, but it's not the hunting part. It's establishing, like, I don't want to say a name, but like this is your thing. So how do you go from Dan Staden in Washington, which isn't known for great hunting about like Oregon? Yeah. I mean, nobody's coming. Nobody's leaving Wyoming or Utah or Colorado to come to fucking Oregon or Washington, right?

So we were able to get it done in these shit Western states. Hunting-wise, it's a great place to live. But hunting wise, no, these aren't trophy states. So how does one make a name for themselves as an elk hunter in Washington? How does you do it? I never set out to make a name for myself, but I definitely set out to give it my best, give it my all. I think elk hunting changed my life.

That's not a cliche. Like it literally changed the trajectory of my life. I now make decisions through an elk filter. I didn't have an elk filter at age 19. Graduated high school, knew I liked hunting from pre-high school sports, pre- junior high sports. I remember following my dad. I shot a couple bucks.

I got hunter safety card, but that stuff goes on the ice when you hit, you know, junior high high school. You're there to do sports. So I graduate high school. I'm not going to do sports anymore. I'm like, I want to get back into hunting. And the short end of it is that I ended up killing an elk on a deer hunt. I had an elk tag, but I was out for deer. And I walk up on this thing.

And it's the most magnificent animal I've ever seen in my life. And it feeds our family for a whole year. And it was hard as hell to get it off the mountain. That day changed my life. and that was a pretty short hunt with a rifle so i went and got a bow the very next year and elk hunting was so hard and it took everything i had to do to do well enough to get close and it probably was four years of not getting one with a bow that i would never trade for anything the failure the failure made me the most hungry um this was early on when you were a writer for

eastman's i read your writings they spoke to me it was like this guy's talking about working year-round and I was open to any ideas that you guys would have to get me out of this funk of failure. So when I say Elk hunting changed my life, it like, like I made decisions. Like I don't want to be an NFL strength and conditioning coach because I'll miss Elk season. So I'm not going to.

I'm going to figure out a different way to be a strength and conditioning coach somewhere. Yeah. Somehow and not miss elk season. So yeah. I think the passion and it's genuine, it's real. Like you, if anyone really gets to know me, they can tell like the dudes,

the dude's weird about El Cunning. Like I live for it, man. So that's authentic. That's real. And I think maybe that's what people recognize. And some will say it's over the top too. But all in all, I just love El Cunning, man. Yeah.

So when you killed that first bowl and you walked up on it and then you mentioned that it fed your family for a year, how did that feel? I mean, did you feel like you were respected? because you got to tell the story about the bull you killed or for a young man I just know how important having people listen to them and like feeling that respect you know men work their whole lives and they want respect right so is that what is that what the feeling was or what was it confidence maybe I don't know like the funny thing is for for non hunters out

there like you usually elk are too big to just take out whole but it's very common to drag a deer out of the woods. My dad and I didn't know better. We gutted the elk and drug it out whole. How far was it? Not too far, I guess. Probably a couple miles to the road downhill. And we had like chains come alongs.

And we just worked it and got it to a road. And then we got a truck to it. Is this logging? Logging. I mean, so how'd you come alongs and all that? Was that logging stuff that you'd? No, my dad had all the stuff. in this truck.

We just had to cut it up. We didn't know. We didn't know. We didn't know. So the reason I mentioned that is we bring it home and then my dad calls this company called Mobile Meets and these two crazy like butchered beard type dudes show up. They go into the shop and they just hoist it up, skin it out. And they have all these white tables they brought.

And next thing you know, this elk's hanging sky high. And then two hours later, it's all perfectly cut. wrapped, labeled, and I'm like, holy shit. This is going to be enough food to feed our entire family, like my sister's family. You know, this is unreal. And then there were some grown men that were my neighbors that came over. And when they saw the bull hanging hole, they were like assumed my dad did it. And my dad got to be like, no, he did it.

And I'm 19 or 20. And I'm like, yeah, you're right. Like it made, it bolstered my self-worth. It made me feel important and I don't know. I like to see in their respect. Yeah, I completely understand that. And then, so then you decided to, why did you decide to bow hunt? Well, when we were driving up to go hunt me and my dad,

he had bought a Primo's cassette tape about Elkoning because we knew nothing about Elk Hunting. He puts it in and I'm hearing audio only of dudes bow hunting elk. in the rut and they're bugling and I heard the thwack of a arrow hitting the ribs of a bowl and guys celebrating and breathing and panting and freaking out and of course the bugle. And I was like, so is that what you got to do to hear these things roar? Yeah. And my dad's like, yeah. And I was like, I'm getting a bow.

And I literally did. That's one thing about me is I don't, like if I say I'm going to, I just go do it. I'm all or none. And so as soon as I pick up a bow, I'm in it. and I bought my dad a bow and we just committed to elk hunting with archery from that point forward. Yeah, I mean, I get that. I get, I think there's something I've never felt more at peace than say if I'm in a wilderness basin and there's bowls there and you're looking around and you haven't seen a person in days and these elk are just, I always thought that. me and Roy would say that the elk up there seemed like they were on like premium fuel you know

it seemed like they were faster because maybe the predators because i grew up hunting Roosevelt and there's bigger animals that didn't like jumping the string and things like that didn't seem like it happened but up there with that high octane fuel that they're eating and in that environment it felt more wild and then you're you've immersed yourself in that country i've just never felt more as i say at peace and that feeling that feeling can push you for a long time chasing that feeling you know and that's what to me

that's what calls me to the mountains do you remember an instance like that I know you've hunted a lot of I feel like it's a little bit different in timber country where you don't have that expanse but where I always felt that was in the ego cap wilderness for the first time

where what does that for you What makes you feel most alive? I am very thankful for where I started El Cunning, which is North Idaho. My uncle, albeit maybe not the greatest archer, he was getting into Elk. And I was bold enough to ask him that very next year if he'd let me go with him. And the very first day I've ever El Cunning with a bow was a really crappy road to track, just bare. I couldn't believe we're driving it with a truck, to be honest, in the dark.

And we get, I feel like we're. in the truck for hours, but probably only an hour maybe. And we get to the top of the mountain and it's just getting light and he gets out. And I'm just, I'm all ears. I don't know what the plan is. I don't know how to hunt elk with a bow. And he's like, okay, listen for bugles. I'm going to rip a bugle.

I'm like, okay, whatever. And he pulls out like this vacuum tubing cord thing. And at the time, I didn't, the hell is going on. He just rips this bugle. And way down the bottom of this canyon country, like this logging country, bull answers us. and he just looks at me and he's like okay grab all your stuff we're going

and it was like that was it and not another word and just down the mountain through fern patches and brush and I know for a fact that I yard sell pretty good like I know I had a pair of binoculars at the beginning

and halfway down they were gone I know that I had a quiver full of arrows that came off my bow we just kept going and we finally got down there and we had some pretty good interact it was a herd bull so you had no arrows

Yeah, I lost everything on the way down in the brush. And I had shitty shoes and I mean, just had poor equipment wearing cotton. And looking back, it's just like, wow, this is, I'm so glad it was like that eye opening because it was going to take everything I had to have success. Yeah. And that hasn't changed, Cam. Like, it's still really hard. And I guess that's why I'm still loving it. I'm not tired of how hard it is.

But yeah, that first day, O'Conning changed my life. Like the bugles, how hard it was. was the yard cell. We didn't even get that close to that bowl. We probably got under 50. No shots fired. But man, we had to hike all the back up the mountain to get to the, it was awesome. I loved it. Really? It was for me. Yeah. So, I mean, it feels like to me, you know, there's a lot of similarities between, I had Brian Barney on, you know, I know you know Brian. And I just love that the passion that exudes for bow hunting elk. You know, I feel, you know, he also likes to kill big mule deer. you're more elk-centric,

but I just love that the passion for bow hunting you both have unbridled and just embrace the hard work, embrace the struggle. And he too mentioned that he would read Eastman's back in the day because there was a time when Eastman's was just like, it was the coolest, it was the most badass magazine

and the best people were sending in stories and like influencing the young i don't even like you're not even that much younger than me but younger influencing that next generation and it's like i there's something beautiful about that because i remember being the kid reading magazines i mean i would live for magazines i would go to the grocery store all the time just stand there and read magazines and buy them all to bring them home and go back and through them over and over again so when you say that and especially on the heels of Brian just being here. It's just like, I don't know.

I mean, it just feels so right. That's how the hunting tradition, you hear the stories, you read the articles, you envision yourself there, you put yourself there, then you're doing it. You're doing what you read about. Dude, I called Eastman's Bowhunting Journal in Powell, Wyoming. I remember this pre-internet, and I'm like, yeah, hey, I found your magazine. Can I get all the issues you've ever done? done that I've missed. They're like, are you serious? And I'm like, yes. And they're like, yeah.

So I did it. Yeah. So I got this sweet ass box full of every issue they had ever published. I don't have it anymore. But I remember, I was like, that's how serious I was. Like, I knew I needed research and homework. And this was our Instagram. This was our Facebook. This was our blogs. This is where you got your content. To me, you know, it wasn't even about, to me personally, It wasn't even about research and homework. To me, it was the adventure. It was reading those, it just seemed like so enthralling these men in the mountains killing bowls. It seemed unbelievable.

And I would just, I would like, what would it take to be like that? And that was the draw. And then, you know, I see that buck up there. I remember the very first article that I wrote for. Eastman's. It was called memoirs from the Rim Rock. And it's just like, I couldn't believe that you could, a kid could dream like you dreamt. And it happened. Hmm. I remember when I got published in Eastman's Bow Hunting Journal. That was a really big deal. What was the article? It was a do-it-yourself, caribou hunt. I don't remember the name of it. Hall Road. No, we flew in, got dropped off north of

I think I remember it. Yeah. It was cool. I still have the issue. You know what I mean? You and your dad? Yeah. Yeah.

It was epic, man. I have all those magazines. I have all the Eastmans. Do you? Yeah, I still have them. That's great. I just, I'm addicted. I'm kind of, you know, internet, whatever social media, it's great.

I still love printed word. I mean, for whatever reason, I just still love it. I'm just like, and the glossy paper and the big, the color photo. photos and like, I don't know, it's a special time. So, but so it seems to me like you're living your dream. Without a doubt. And it's not, no credit to me. I do believe there's a faith component to it for sure. And I feel like God has called me to to do some things, but there's definitely an unwavering passion for Elkhunning that I just, that cannot be denied. I don't know what it is. I'm willing to quit jobs.

so I can elk hunt. I'm willing to take pay cuts. I'm willing to squash dreams of being a strength coach for the NFL because I would miss elk season. But yeah, I have no regrets. Yeah. As the kids say, yeah. Regrets.

Regards. So is it all sunshine and rainbows or is there any negative to chasing a passion like this? Yeah, I don't know if there is a lot of negative. of, um, it's all sunshine and rainbows. Everyone loves you and supports you. Only words of encouragement. No one despises you. No.

There's no jealousy. There's no hate. Um, and so it's been cool. Yeah, it's, uh, you know, I know that's a tongue and cheek because, you know, the greatest part of hunting in the, in the brotherhood of hunting is that it's tough men. It's, you know, whatever. I mean, I'm not trying to alienate women, but to me, it was always, you know, I was always

around men, hard men that made me tougher, right? But that's great because you push each other and it pushes you to dream and to work hard. But not everybody gets on board, you know, because I've seen you have success, a lot of success, and multiple bulls a year when, say, the average. success rate hunting elk is 10%. So that's one out of 10 years. So the average guy is killing a bull every 10 years and you're killing multiple bulls a year. So you'd say outside looking in, you'd say, wow, that's awesome. That guy's bucking the odds. He must be working his ass off. He must be really good at this shit. But there's some people who look at that and as a reflection on themselves.

And they say, well, this guy's making me look bad. They're taking it personal. So the part that we love about being a hunter is that you have to be confident. You have to be tough. You have to be a go-getter. But those type of people can be very competitive also, right? Oh, yeah. There's some ego involved with hunting, whether you won't admit it or not.

You included, me included. There's some pride on the line And I don't think it has to be unhealthy pride I think it can be a real generator of Good habits of hard work Like honestly can There's not a lot of people that can keep up with you

And you're 55 like I'm only 42 Had you wait on me a lot In the last 36 hours Which is awesome for me I need a little dose of humility But there's a lot of people that think They could keep up with you And they're just out to lunch

They don't know the reality of where you're at physically, mentally. And then they also, I'm just putting this on you, not me. They're jealous of where you get to hunt until they saw the invoice of what it actually cost to hunt there and the pressure. You wound, you're done. Yeah.

You got a cameraman on you the whole time. There's no retakes. No. The reality is right there. And it's high stakes and people are counting on you and you put more pressure on you than any of us could ever, right? So I don't know.

Careful what you wish for. For me in the beginning, and I had a stint of, I wouldn't call it jealousy. I would call it maybe just envy of your tag situation and your hunting opportunity. Who wouldn't want to hunt where you hunt?

Yeah. I've second thought that quite a bit. There's a lot of pressure there that's added to, you know, what you're doing. And so I just feel like one big campaign. I know you've heard my podcast

throughout the years. One thing I really focused on this year was just, man, I'm tired of the division. I'm tired of the ego trip. Hunting's not about size, length, score. It's about a pursuit. It's about a heritage. And we're at war with each other

when we should be at war with keeping it alive, which shouldn't even really, really be a thing. To me, hunting's in our ancestry. It's in our DNA. It was not created by man. It was found in nature. It was a necessity. And just because it's not a necessity doesn't mean that it's not a necessity if that makes any sense. Yeah, I understand what you're saying. So that's United, not divided. You know what I mean? In 2023. Hey guys, you want to be as smart as famed neuroscientist Andrew Huberman, PhD at Stanford. Well, sadly, that's probably not going to happen. But I did find something that can help, and that's HVMN, Ketone IQ. I actually down one right before reading

this. So if I sound decent, it's probably why. Because I'm not sure if you guys realize how much brain power podcasting takes. But whatever I can take, that will at least make me sound smarter, I'm in. Ketone IQ is a clean energy boost without sugar. or caffeine. Ketone IQ increases your blood ketones. I'm not on a keto diet, but by taking ketone IQ, I can achieve the desired focused and energy for explosive workouts that ketones typically provide to those in ketosis. You can find ketone IQ at your local sprouts or online at HVMN.com. Use code cam, CAM, for 20% off your first order. I'm always putting constant stress on my body, which is why I decided to try mud water, and it has been a game

changer in regard to mental focus. The blend of adaptogenic mushrooms, cortisepts, and lions mane all support focus, physical performance, and are great for the immune system. Now, these aren't the hallucinogenic type of mushrooms, but I do like that mud water gives back to the Berkeley Center for the science of using psychedelics to help treat individuals with mental health disorder. Go to mudwater.com, that's M-U-D-W-T-R. Use code CAM for 15% off your first order. Loopold Optics has been providing my binoculars and eyewear for the last few years. I like that it's an Oregon company, and they make such high-quality glass.

It's all I've really used. And if you can't find what you're hunting, it's going to be tough to kill. So loophole optics has really played an integral part in my success these last few years. Thank you, Loophold, for supporting the podcast. I think that's well said. I mean, it's one reason, too, that, you know, I mentioned you. I was on when I was in Rogan last, we. Thank you, by the way.

Yeah, we mentioned you because we do, both of us, appreciate your passion and your, your honesty and just the fact that you can say that, you know, you have evolved and now you've, you felt this way, now you feel that way. I think that's part of being a human and a man is like, yeah, we mature. We should be gaining perspective. and it should be a more healthy perspective. And it should be, we can encourage, we can also push. You know, I mean, I don't look at anybody as a rival or competition like I once did.

I once when I was a young man bow hunting, everyone was competition. I looked at everyone. And I was just like, I want to break you. And I'm not like that anymore. I look at it as we can make each other better. and that's what that's i mean that's the whole premise to the show powerful whole premise to the show and the whole premise to spending time with people like you and like brine and with brian i haven't had a lot of hunters on the show because a lot of people don't have the perspective of you guys about hey how we're in this

together how can we get better how can you help me how can i help you and there's not a lot of people that feel that way but i'm drawn to people like that and sometimes to find people like that i have to get outside of that I love, which is hunting. But I have to get into the, you know, maybe the MMA or, um, track and field. And like I find seek out these people who are like, they're all about let's get to the next level. Let's see what's possible. And that's, that's what keeps me motivated. And that's why, you know, the last couple days that we've spent together and I've watched

you grow. I've watched you develop your podcast into one of my favorites. I've watched you build this brand into something that's, you know, it's, it's honorable, it's recognizable, and it stands for the right thing. And it's like, you, you push me, you help me, and you, you fill me with pride because I, I feel like, this is how I like to see hunting represented. So thank you. No, man, thank you for always kind of rooting for me. That is the thing. Why can't we, I don't know, why can't we root for each other? Why can't we, I mean, competition.

is cool and there can be some friendly competition. No doubt about it. It's healthy. But I don't know, man. Life's pretty short to get caught up in some stupid petty shit. And I'd rather, I just don't go on Instagram looking for people to post stuff that I disagree with and type out something negative. Like you'll never, ever find that. You can look. I don't do it.

I don't have time. Yeah. I'm not distracted. I'm actually very focused. My talent is drive. that's what God gave me. Maybe not a lot of athleticism, maybe not a lot of endurance,

but I have the drive. That's the talent. Hard work could be your talent, but everyone's talent should be encouraging in a world that can be very discouraging. And encouragement is wherever you find the positive energy, and the thing you posted before I arrived

is probably where I'd want to finish this podcast was like, damn, David Goggins hit it out of the park. Like, you have, out with 10 people and they're all mediocre, but you're better than them. So you're always the best. You think you're the shit. You're just in the wrong circle. Yeah. You know, I got to experience your circle once again this weekend or and it's like, okay, dude, this guy's waiting on you. You've got to keep working hard. So. Yeah. I mean, you did good. I mean, how have you continued

to evolve? Is it just seeking out opportunities like or how do you? push yourself, you know, because it is really hard if you're around people and you don't know any better. So it sounds good. I mean, I agree with Goggins, but it is, it's a nice little soundbite. But what if that's all you know? Is that your fault? How does somebody go from say or whatever? Who's to say they're mediocre? But whatever. If you want to say they are, how do you know, how do you push yourself? Like, how did you, if you around people like that, where did you find the drive to continue to improve. Yeah, that's a good question. I do think you got to check the size of your pond. I do think there's a pond reality check. And the reality of mine lately is that it's been pretty

small. I've been to big dog. I train at home. I'm not training for CrossFit games stuff anymore. So yeah, it's good to check yourself. One thing that I've definitely found is to have pretty, like I actually write my own programming now and I make sure to come in there with like a seasonality approach where I don't just get stuck doing similar movements or training the same time of day or not running or not sandbag stuff or not swimming or not cycling. So I'm very much, I have some CrossFit roots, but it's not all I do. I have some bodybuilding roots and I have some running that I, done but I definitely think like people's takeaway should be like um discomfort

check yourself if you're not having a weekly dose of discomfort you're probably just working at things you're you excel at and I think as humans that's our nature we like to do that we like to gravitate towards the things we're good at and so if you can just kind of have that discomfort card that you play once a week and you're like what is the last thing I want to do oh that okay that's what I'm doing I feel like that's good for everybody yeah so Yeah, okay. I do like that. I do, I was thinking that, you know, when you're in the CrossFit realm, you were exposed to big dogs because you went to the games, right? So it's very easy. That's why people love it is because you got your measurables and everybody's got this workout and they do it in this amount of time. And like, you can see how you stack up. Hunting isn't like that. I mean, we focus a lot on the animal that's on the ground. But there's a lot of different ways to get that animal on the ground. Because a lot of it is where you're hunting, when you're hunting, how you're hunting. There's a lot to it.

So if we're just looking at the end result, it's not like the CrossFit where you can, where you can, it's so. A whiteboard or leader board. Yeah. And it's just so it's reg. I mean, everybody's doing the same thing. Hunting is so unique. And different country yields different type of bulls. Like where I, where I started hunting, any good five point, you better shoot.

Right? And so now if I go someplace and it's like giant bulls, I have to recalibrate. And I have to hunt differently because I remember being, you know, going hunting and it's just like, you know, on a public land hunt in the wilderness, man, you're taking the first decent shot you have. Right. You're like, I need to get. This might be the best opportunity I have. I got to get an arrow into this thing. Or on some of these, if you're on a, like you get to go.

you got a great opportunity in an amazing hunt this season. It's going to be different, you should have a different mindset. You got to switch gears from that public land first decent shot to like, I better make sure I'm very disciplined on taking

the best shot. And that's, so that's a big difference. It's like hunting is you can't, we do, we try to put it in a box and we try to make it relatable to everybody. And or where I think it's like

or comparable so you can compare things and you just can't do it. You just can't do it. And that's why I wish people could just embrace their experience and not get into like how it compares to somebody else's because it's so, to you, it's that soul enriching.

It's like this, let's take it for what it is. This is, we're so blessed to be able to get into the mounds and do what we love. don't let what somebody else is doing taint that man well said i think for me when i go into september it's a lot of work to be able to hunt that much honestly it sounds good on paper and i and i get it you all don't even know how much time i got to spend to get that time off i basically got to squeeze an extra month worth of work in august yeah you got to get 12 months with a work in 11 months i seriously do that work doesn't go away and i still got to balance that portfolio

fully of family because family is a more important thing than hunting although sometimes an outsider would be like are you sure stating and i almost couldn't disagree like sometimes i do get caught up in hunting way more and i put it in front of my family that's on me but when i come out of the mountains cam in september like towards the end there better be a better version of me coming out of those woods i've had way more time like you only hunt during the day yeah there's a ton of nights where I'm by myself in a spy camp thinking about my family and I'm replaying how that interaction with my son and how quickly I was to anger or my daughter maybe I wasn't as sensitive as I could have been or I wasn't as encouraging or maybe I just didn't make

the time for a daddy daughter date like dude you need a valuation of your life go elk hunting for a month you're going to come out of the woods with a sense of reprioritization focus on what truly matters. And it's just good. It's healthy to get a break from your inbox, your DM box, your Instagram. And if I pull up Instagram, I've killed a five point on public land on day nine.

I'm a seven-day hunt. And I pull up and I see Cam Hain with a 380. Don't let that rob my joy. I fucking nailed this bull and it took everything I got. There's comparison. I think he was saying comparison is like a thief of your joy. Yeah. I've done that.

I've done the comparison thing. Yeah. Don't do that. Right. No, I understand that. You did mention something else, too, that I wanted to touch back on. I've heard you say that, and maybe even asked me, but I know you've asked guests like to what your, you know, what's your priorities in life? And I've heard you say faith, family, I think, fitness and hunting or something like that.

Actually, yeah, hunting's above career. So, so, but when you're obsessed. with something and you want to be the very best, how does that, how do you do that? Because I've, personally, I've struggled. I've put everything behind hunting. And I'm not saying it's good. But it's like, I've had a heart, you can't, to me, I can't be the very best at multiple things.

Yeah. So how do you do it? You know, I don't know. I do like the Crossfits, you know. You know, our specialty is not specializing. So a true crossfitter should be able to do Cameron's death hike that we did yesterday. They should be able to do Cameron's death ruck that we did today. And they should be able to do a bench, push, pull, squat, hinge, whatever you want in the way you train and be okay.

Not excel, but do well. It's really hard to be doing that with hunting, right? It's hard to be a, oh, I'm good at hunting and I'm a good dad and I'm good at career and I'm a good husband. And yeah, man, no, don't get it twisted. I am trying to do it better than you did. And I do think you are all or none and I look around, man. Proofs in the pudding. You've done some things really well.

I'd like to emulate you. I'd like to not emulate you. I'd like to add a little bit more balance to family. But if I'm being real, I'm not doing a good job up to this point. I still am failing, in my opinion, on how much actual time I put them in front of hunting. So it's tough to serve both masters. In fact, it's almost biblical that you can't serve two masters. So I don't know, you're older than me.

You should be the one giving me advice. No. How have you done it lately? Have you changed? Have you evolved? No. But I do know that I get that question a lot.

A lot of people send me messages how do you do how do you balance it all? Because I think that I think I got lucky. If you have a spouse that is going to be on your ass all the time about keeping score what some do? Like hey, you were gone for this much time I need to go on a vacate.

It's just like, it's going to be tough to make that work. So where I don't know about you, but where I got lucky is my wife recognized that I needed this to be who I am. Without it, yeah, I'd be home. I wouldn't be who I am. I wouldn't, I would, I don't know what I'd be. So there has to be that, you know, it's a healthy passion. Yes, it can be an obsession. And yes, any obsession can be negative.

But having a partner that understands how meaningful this is, and I get that some guys hunt just for a hobby. So that's cool. If they need to keep score on that, it's probably not that big a deal. But for somebody who's just driven every single day, this is who I am. When people think of me, they think of bow hunting. Yeah, you just need somebody who's going to be able to support. who you are and what and the fabric of what makes you a man or a woman and without that it's

going to be it's going to be a tough road so the point is i got lucky i got lucky yeah i like what you said though the scorekeeping another tidbit is that at some point it dawned on me to maybe try to figure out what my wife's version of elk hunting was And I didn't make this shit up. I'm probably stole it for somebody. But I've heard you say this. I'm telling you. I like it.

She's really into like remodeling home garden, like the really expensive stuff. Like I wish she was in the shopping and going to the Nordstrom's. No. Home Depot like big like remodels, bathrooms, bathrooms, kitchens. Yeah. And for a while then I was just like, yo, pump the brakes. You know what that's going to cut? But now I've really come around like to understand her.

Like if she's not busy using her hands and using her creativity, that's her version of outcunning. Okay. Why wouldn't I get behind her and like encourage her to pursue that and to do whatever she's? So I think a lot of us dudes are just Neanderthals. We forget to check with what or even think about what their version is. Yeah. Or to treat the family as an account where we need to put more deposits into their account when we're not hunting. Yeah.

Because we're certainly going to withdraw when we do. Right. Okay. It's tough. That's good advice. Yeah. I mean, I remember when we got this house, I think we got a new carpet. And Trace said, do you want to go see the carpet in the new house?

And I'm like, no, I don't give a fuck. I don't, I don't care about the carpet. If you're happy, cool, I'm happy. But I don't. So it's like, I don't know. I'm just, like I said, I got lucky. because that wouldn't fly for a lot of people. That probably wouldn't fly for me.

But I honestly don't care about, you know, if the house looks good, I don't care what fucking color it is. Oh, dude, try being me where I'm gone all month hunting and I just get home and I'm like, just want to give everyone hugs and the dogs really have. And I have like, there's five minutes on the clock where I better recognize what she did while I was gone or I'm a jerk. Yeah. And, dude, there's been times where, like, I forgot about that clock.

And I don't notice what she did. And it's just like, dude, I'm learning. I'm evolving. I will say when I, it's on hunts where you, perspective really comes clear without the distractions. And then when you get home and you realize, holy shit, I've taken you guys for granted. 100%. And so there is another cliched saying that absence makes a heart grow fonder. But it's 100% true.

So when I get home, I do appreciate everybody. I'm like, I look at everybody. differently, but it's because I've been away. Yeah, I mean, I remember when we got this house, I think we got a new carpet. And Trace said, do you want to go see the carpet in the new house? And I'm like, no, I don't give a fuck. I don't, I don't, I don't care about the carpet. If you're happy, cool, I'm happy.

But I don't. So it's like, I don't know. I'm just like I said I got lucky Yeah dude Because that wouldn't fly for a lot of people That probably wouldn't fly for me But I honestly don't care about You know if the house looks good

I don't care what fucking color it is Oh dude try being me where I'm gone all month Hunting and I just get home and I'm like Just want to give everyone hugs And the dogs really have And I have like There's five minutes on the clock Where I better recognize what she did

while I was gone or I'm a jerk. And dude, there's been times where like I forgot about that clock and I don't notice what she did and it's just like, dude, I'm learning. I'm evolving. I will say when I, it's on hunts where you perspective really comes clear

without the distractions. And then when you get home and you realize, holy shit, I've taken you guys for granted. 100%. And so there is another cliched saying that absence makes a heart grow fonder, but it's 100% true. So when I get home, I do appreciate everybody. I'm like, I look at everybody differently, but it's because I've been away. And when you've been away and you love something like you love your family, you look at your son,

you look at your daughters, or your sons and your daughters and your wife, and you look at them and you're like, how lucky am I? I got people that fucking care about me. You know how many people just want somebody to care about them and they don't have it? So it's like, yeah, I think it's, and maybe the same holds true for us when we're gone. Maybe they mess us too, I would hope. And then so when we have that break from each other and we're hunting and we're giving all we have to that, but it really puts that in perspective about, wow, I really miss my anchor. And if my anchor is my family, which allows me, their support allows me to do this, that's where it comes.

to me that's where it makes sense. But I have to be gone for that because if I'm just going through the same regular grind, you just get in this routine. So that's where as hunters, I think it's like some people may see it as a negative, like you're leaving your family and you're leaving your wife and how could you do this to be gone?

I almost think that, man, this is how you grow and this is how you appreciate each other if done right. Yeah. And honestly, when this podcast comes out, it's a really good time to, execute this advice from cam like when you get back from your 10 day 14 21 day bender of elk hunting

that would be a good time to to like showcase wow I'm gonna let I want him to go hunting every year like he's come home he's so sweet he's like intentional with his time like this is a better version of Dan like wow like but a lot of times that doesn't know he's hot like we get home we're unpacking our stuff and like we're just go right back into our shitty routines of life. And we didn't, well, sure, we took them for granted, but we didn't actually make any changes. And myself is, I'm really, like, including myself in this, like, like, I need to change some

things coming out of this next elk season to show that, hey, you're getting a better version of Dan. And I'm making a couple of changes and tweaks so that I'm better for you guys as well. So. Yeah. Where I would struggle is I would let whatever happen on the hunt affect my mood. I mean, if back in the day, if I didn't get it done, I mean, that's one reason why I work so freaking hard.

I can't because it affects everything. I know. It affects my whole life. And it's like, wait, this is just hunting just because you didn't kill a bull? This is your whole life is, yeah. So that's where I've like, on one hand, it's why I put in the efforts that I do because I don't want that feeling. I don't want to fail.

I'm trying to outwork failure, but it's, it's not fair to your family either. So yeah, I mean, I think being a good husband and a good dad is a never-ending process. I think we can always do better. We can always learn. But if we're looking at it objectively and with the perspective that we gain from the mounds and from being older and from being more mature and if they're going through life, we can get better. We can value our relationships with our family even more. So it's like, as you said, it could be a good thing if done right.

You know, I haven't always done it right, but that's the goal. Yeah, it's the goal. And it sounds like that's your goal too. It is, man. Life's so short, I want to bring up some children that are better than me and my wife and are smarter, more resilient and understand values. And, yeah, man, that's just like what I'm called to do. I'm not great at it right now, but I'm trying.

And I think some people relate to that, honestly. And it's a good message. and honestly we're just lucky to be hunters in general. Yeah. And I don't mind talking about hunting. I don't mind sharing the good news of hunting, the gospel of hunting. Right. I'm not ashamed to tell people about it.

Yeah. Because I believe in it. Yeah, me too. Well, you, I mean, I think you do a great job of representing what we love about hunting and the right way to represent it. I appreciate you, Dan. I can't tell you how much it means to me that you came into town. we shared two great days

and I just I just want you to know how much our friendship means to me I mean you push me you give me when I see you succeed it makes me feel good I love it so thank you

now thanks for always having my back from forever there's nothing that I've never I've always asked you some things and you've always executed and delivered or if not over delivered when you didn't have to when you could have snubbed me, you always made time for me. And quite honestly, I still can't keep up with you, man.

Maybe next year. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, you did great. You're a badass. Thank you. So let's get you at the airport. Keep hammering.

Hoyt archery has been my bow hunting sponsor since 2005. And personally, I really don't care what bow you shoot, what brand it is. I just hope that you have the same level of confidence in your equipment as I have in mine because I know if I get one opportunity with my Hoyt, it's going to pay off. One of the favorite packages that I get on a monthly basis is a Black Rifle Coffee Club exclusive coffee roast. The only way you can get it is if you subscribe to the coffee club. This month's coffee was a quote, we're not here blend and with what looks like a picture of Joe Biden on the front. Sounds about right. Black Rifle Coffee is America's coffee. It's

veteran-owned and operated. They support hunting and conservation and give back immensely to the veteran community. They're offering followers of the podcast 20% off on your first purchase to the coffee club or order on their site using code keep hammering to get America's coffee today.