Why the Hunt Quietly podcast might be the most important discussion in the outdoor world today.
A few months back I made a connection with a man named Matt Rinella. Yes, same family as your beloved Steven. I had heard Matt speak on my buddy Robbie's, Blood Origins podcast and thought that he had some polarizing opinions. I later learned that this was the same guy who wrote the, Case Against Hunter Recruitment, article that I had previously done a podcast on myself, and now Matt had his own podcast titled, Hunt Quietly, that was asking the questions so many of us had wondered. I had to tune in!
Open up ITunes, quick thumbing of "Hunt Quietly", click play and bam! "This is the HUNT quietly Podcast. I was in awe. Although all of our thoughts were not aligned, the core beliefs of the destruction of our outdoor way of life was spot on. Matt got it! Matt gets it! Our outdoor way of life is going to hell in a handbasket and the leaders of our so called industry were propagating its' demise. Their solution was "tortuous", a new word I learned from Matt, and was basically no solution at all. In laymen's terms, picture a roundabout in your local city. I recruit you to give me money so that I will have money to retain you, so that we will have money to recruit your buddy, so that we will have money to retain your buddy....and round and round we go.
Insert email to Matt Rinella here. (Dear Matt, I just listened to your podcast and I have started this organization called 4 Progeny. I think you might be interested in what we're doing and I'd love to chat with you about it.) It was something to effect. Shot in the dark right. This guy is the brother to outdoor industry royalty. He's literally been on TV shows and documentaries that I've watched with my kids in my own living room. I'll never get a response...WRONG! In just 24 hours from hitting the send button, Matt had responded back saying that he "insists" I come on the podcast. Elation might not even be the right word here but a conversation with Matt could be the catalyst needed for the world to hear about 4 Progeny and that had me grinning from ear to ear.
Matt set up a time for us to do the podcast but my life has been different than some and for me to be able to trust a man I have to look him in the eyes. Phone calls and zoom meetings are great and all but this topic requires a personal connection and that just doesn't happen over the phone. I suggested to Matt that I would come up to his hometown in Montana if he'd have me and we could do the podcast face to face. Matt obliged and I booked my flight.
Fast forward to a few days ago where I hop on a flight in DFW and some 3 bumpy hours later land in the town of Billings, Montana. Grab the keys to my 2021 Toyota Highlander rental car that must have previously been rented by Dirty Mike and the Boys due to the odor seeping from the air conditioning vents, type in Miles City to google maps, and away I went.
Matt had to work until 5:30 and since he was kind enough to let me share his house with him and his amazing dog Shifty, I decided to do some touring of Miles City, Montana for the hour and a half of spare time I had remaining. Fall colors abound, nothing to fancy or flashy in the form of vehicles or houses, people actually acknowledging your "howdy" wave and I even saw 3 adults riding four-wheelers into the Wal-Mart parking lot. This was my kind of place.
Shortly after 5:30 I arrived at the Rinella residence to a warming welcome from both Matt and Shifty. After the recent Dahmer craze my wife was convinced I would end up in a vat of hydrochloric acid but she also doesn't understand the ancestral connection that true outdoorsman have with each other. I was far more worried about catching an STD from the seat of my rental car.
"I'm rolling out the red carpet for ya", Matt proclaimed. Elk steak, Spot Prawns, and Buttercup squash. Holy cow balls Batman! After a delicious meal, a few whiskey drinks, and the always necessary "sum up your life in 30 minutes because it's the first time you've met this person" stories, we called it a night. Besides, we had this podcast to do tomorrow and it was finally my chance to tell the world about 4 Progeny.
Day two started with a fantastic breakfast at a local cafe, the viewing of an amazing art piece depicting Big Nose George holding up a stagecoach on its' way to Deadwood, and a story of a Heliograph being used in that area years ago to send Morse code messages by use of sunlight and mirror to surrounding areas. As a guy that loves the history of the west, it was refreshing to see a place that didn't fall victim to erasing our past in order to flaunt our new technologies. Eat crap Elon!
We headed back to house, set up the gear, and laid down one of the most amazing podcast episodes I've ever been a part of. I tried to not show my excitement too much but I cannot wait for this episode to release. I feel as if we accomplished the exact goal we set out for. A solution for our way of life. Ultimately, we left the ball in the court of the American outdoorsmen and women. If it works it will be because of a group effort and the ability of outdoorsmen to care about their fellow man. If it doesn't...well...we're just as selfish as I assumed we are.
"Alright let's clean this up and get ready to go. My buddy Miles is on his way to take us fishing." Was I dreaming? I had mentioned to Matt that I had a goal to catch a fish in every state and he said he'd help out with that, but I envisioned him telling me to try down by such and such creek or something to that effect...not actually take me out in a freaking boat! A few moments later a skinny, red bearded man pulling a brand new river boat pulls into the driveway, insert new friend number 2 here...this was Miles.
Miles Muschae, "like paper mache" he stated, after I incorrectly read it aloud from the fading sharpie letters on his ice chest. "The weather sucks for fishing but my elk hunt got fogged out this morning so we're gonna catch ya a fish" It was chilly, windy, cloudy, and every thing else you don't want it to be on a fishing trip but...I was fishing on the Yellowstone River and no amount of weather could ruin my excitement. We bounced around from spot to spot and before too long we had loaded a cooler with channel cat, Walleye and Suager. Amazing! Not only did I catch a fish in Montana, I caught two new species, the Sauger and the Goldeye.
The fishing was fantastic and a dream come true however, the plethora of knowledge that was excreting from these men on the boat was insane. "Look at that ball joint sticking out of the bank" Miles exclaimed. "Bison", Matt said. "Hey boys we just found us the newest Clovis site", I proclaimed, with a snickering reference to the Meateater podcast. "No, to high on the bank line. This would be Bison Bison not Antiquus", Miles said. Well...at least I know how to pronounce crEEk, I thought to myself, in reference to the Montana pronunciation of crICk. LOL
Fish cleaned, boat loaded, journey back to Matt's instore. Surrounded by public land and the ability to access all this country for hunting and fishing, I wondered to myself how much more knowledgeable I would be if Texas was like this. I could actually experience stuff instead of just having to read about. These men were a living example of what 4 Progeny was meant to give us. A place to roam, wildlife to pursue, knowledge to be gained, and conservation to be proud of. They are living the situation I want for my children and yet even they, feel the strains of overcrowding, commercialization, and commodification.
We decided for supper we would fry up the fish we caught that day. Another culinary treat for my palate awaited. Matt fried the fish and made a spectacular potato dish. Miles, his wife, and his youngest daughter brought over an amazing asparagus and buttercup squash dish and I pretty much hung out with Shifty and remained useless until it was time for my skill set, the consumption of great food. This meal was so freaking good I even joked that I may have to write an article entitled, "You Bought the Wrong Rinella's Cookbook". I was relieved to see it got a chuckle instead of an awkward glare.
The Muschae family had to eat and run and that left Matt and I to share a few more drinks and attempt to solve the world's problems by whiskey provoked ideologies. We chatted about both of our upbringings and how our lives and relationships have been changed by the outdoor industry. We had the conversations that you all came to this article hoping I would share. Sorry Charlie, you wont get that from me. You see, I learned something that weekend. Matt, Miles, and myself are all cut from the same cloth like so many others that exist. We were friends that just hadn't met each other yet. Guys that you can share anything with and not have to worry about the neighbor knowing. Men who are passionate about keeping our outdoor way of life in tact and preserving our heritage for future generations.
Who is Matt Rinella, you ask? Well, in my opinion, he's the polar opposite of John Galt. Matt's not an individualist and doesn't want the hunting land all to himself. He's by no means a selfish individual, as indicated in my times spent alongside him. Matt simply wants us all to do our part in what's right for the greater good of our outdoor way of life. An ideology that we must begin using our platforms and resources to grow more in opportunities and acreage than we do in pseudo fame and finance. It's a pure take on a community providing for themselves by harboring their own power to enact the solution that fixes the problem. Matt's a perfect mesh with the goals of 4 Progeny and I'm proud to call him my friend.
Our episode together should launch in around 8 weeks and I implore you to listen, react, and join 4 Progeny. The best time to start making a difference was yesterday. The second best time is today!
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