EP 21: Hunting for a Living with Remi Warren

Pick up my stuff and go figure it out. It's rugged, nasty. Big mountain backpacking. Everything trips your trigger, any kind of hunting. Try to stock in on a trophy mule deer. Anything to do with Western big game.

Welcome to the Epic Outdoors Podcast, powered by Under Armour. Hey everybody, Jason Carter here at the Epic Outdoors Podcast. Just want to, it's powered by Under Armour. Just want to say thanks to Under Armour. And all they do for the hunting community, and the awesome clothing they produce, and their partnership with the Epic Outdoors team, and all we got going, as well as these podcasts. Today's special guest with Remy Warren, the awesome and legendary Remy. How's it going? Good. How are you doing? Good. Really good. Remy's one of those guys, he's been in the industry, I don't know how many years, but many, many years. Experienced a lot of things. Guide, outfitter, videographer, host. I mean, there's nothing that Remy hasn't done that I can even think of.

So, I've hunted a lot of different states, including Alaska, all across the West. I don't know, have you been in Mexico or any of this? Yeah, I've done a little coos deer hunting in Mexico and a little buffalo hunting down there as well. I found a place that's got some free-range buffalo. But I haven't hunted mule deer down there yet, and I'm kind of a mule deer freak, you know? Not maybe to your extent, but that's one of the things on my list, is like, I want to go to Mexico and hunt mule deer at least once, just to give it a try.

You've killed some giant mule deer. I mean, I remember back in the day, I was seeing pictures of you with big old deer, and I remember a specific Montana deer. I never forget you, and same thing with Nevada. I know you've spent a lot of time in Nevada and just done an awesome job. So, anyway, give us a little bit of your background, like how you came up through the ranks, you know, as a little kid, and then what's brought you here to today? Yeah, I mean, pretty much got my start like a lot of hunters. You know, my dad took me out hunting, and then I've just been one of those people that has been obsessed about it since I was born. Yeah. There was never enough hunting for me. So, any time that I could get to go out, I would. Whether I had got to go with someone or by myself, it didn't matter. I just wanted to be out there as long as I could.

You know, even through high school, I think I missed the maximum number of days before they'd kick me out just to go hunting. I mean, one year I drew like a sheep tag and a deer tag, and my parents were like, hey, as long as you pass, you can go hunting as much as you like. Whatever, just go. Yeah, and I was like, perfect. It ended up working out, because that's what I ended up doing. So, you did pass. Yeah, I did graduate. But yeah, and then during college, I ended up taking the fall semester off and taking, you know, class during the spring and summer, so I had six months to work as a guide.

And during that, you know, obviously, you know, there were seasons where it, you know, what was I going to do? You couldn't get a regular job when you're guiding, because, you know, it's pretty much you got to be there when that season's open. So, I started guiding in Montana and New Mexico and even did some stuff in South Dakota. And then that time before the guiding in that August season when I didn't have school, I just went out, I would just go out, get a Nevada archery tag and pretty much hunt for 30 days out there and just, you know, every day. Because I wanted to learn those areas, and I ended up, that's kind of where I started to really chase bigger bucks. Because my thing was, I'll hunt one deer for three years if I have to. Yeah, absolutely. And I wasn't that successful. You're talking my language.

Yeah, you know, I mean, that was kind of my thing, is I found a big buck that, you know, at the time would have been... Giant. Yeah, yeah. It's giant. It still was. It's the biggest deer I ever saw, and I never ended up getting him. Wow. But I mean, I think I put hundreds of days in the field on that one buck, you know. And I ended up getting, you know, along the way, I got some nice deer. You killed some big deer. Yeah, you know, some big deer along the way. Yeah, you know, so that's kind of the mule deer thing. I mean, growing up in Nevada, especially, that's what you can get a tag for. And that's why archery, too, because in Nevada, it was hard. 30 days. Yeah, and it was hard. It's August. It's like a great time to go camping. And it's hard to get tags in Nevada if it wasn't archery. So, that's really what kind of propelled me into the archery aspect of things.

And then it opens August 10th, you know, a lot of times there's nothing else going on. Oh, yeah. I mean, it's just like, you're gonna hunt deer in Nevada, that's where you start off with. Exactly, and it was perfect timing too, because you could go, you know, then the season was August 1st to whenever, but as soon as September started through the end of November, I was guiding full on. So, I'd spend that, I knew my time to hunt was August in Nevada. Yeah, absolutely. And then anything else along the way, you know, it was just weekend hunting in between guiding. And so, after high school, what did you do right after high school? Just went right into guiding? Yep, I went right into guiding, and then, you know, I started, I mean, I ran into a lot of, like, a lot of the things I did was just kind of pick up my stuff and go figure it out.

So, I'm that type of person that's like, if you want to do something, my idea was I can't give myself any other options. Yeah. I just have to commit to it. So, I loaded up my truck and went to Montana. I didn't even have a guide job. I told my parents, I was like, I'm going to start guiding. They're like, okay, who are you going to guide for us? I'll figure it out. Who are your clients? I don't know. I didn't have a job, and I just started going up there, and I was bow hunting. I figured the elk out, and I was just hunting every day. And while I was out there, I kept cutting these guys off, or beating these guys to the elk, and it ended up being an outfitter or a guide. He goes, hey, I want you to meet someone. Okay. So, I go, and he brings me back to the outfitter. The outfitter is like, hey, instead of working against us, you want to work for us? I was like, yeah, sure, cool. Whatever.

What do I do? He's like, here, take these guys out. Perfect. Yeah, so, you know, it was just, I just figured, well, if I'm out there and I'm doing it, I'll figure it out. So, did you work for this guy full-time right then? Yep, I started working for that guy full-time, you know, for quite a few years. And he ended up having a place in New Mexico as well that he operated, so I'd kind of chase the season around a little bit with them. Right. And then I ran into some guys, kind of the same deal, out hunting. Ran to some guys that ran a magazine that's no longer around. It's called Real Hunting Magazine. Yeah. And then started doing stuff for them, and doing a lot of writing, and got a lot of experience. And my thought was, you know, here I'm, you know, 19, 20-year-old guy with, I thought, I gotta build a resume.

Yeah. So, I would do any, I mean, I would work for those guys 40 hours a week just to build a resume. Wow. You know what I mean? For nothing. For nothing. You know, because it's like, that's the way. That's what you gotta do. You gotta break in somehow. Yeah. So, I figured by the time I was 23, I had a pretty good resume going of things that I'd done because I was willing to just get there and work hard and do what it took to, you know, like even when I was guiding, I wanted to be the best at that, in that area. And I think my first year guide, or my first couple years guiding in that area, I mean, I was just dead set. I mean, I went hardcore. That was your deal. Oh, yeah. And I think when we looked at the stats, my client, the people I guided, we'd shot more elk and deer than all the other guides in the area.

Yeah, so the other guys didn't really like you. No, there was one other guy that kept up, and we work together still. To this day? Yeah, to this day. He's the guy that I ran into that we kept cutting off. Wow. And we still guide together. That's great. So, you guided in Montana, New Mexico, and then that's continued to today? Now, I just pretty much focus on Montana, because I've got my own outfitting business there. Okay. Yeah, it's one of those deals. We're pretty much indefinitely.

I thought you'd have lots of openings. No? No, there's no...you can't... So, do you guide in Nevada or anything like that back in your home state? No. You still live in Nevada? Yeah, I still live in Nevada, but my whole thing was...I kind of...I looked into it at first, do Nevada, but I thought, if I start guiding in Nevada, when am I going to hunt for myself? Yeah. Because it was that August season, I would...you know, then I would have to...then I would be full-time guiding and no hunting. Full-time. And that just...you know, that didn't feel it. So, you wear a lot of different hats. I know you've done TV shows, multiple TV shows. You're on TV shows, you're guiding, you're hunting for yourself, you're just all over the map. Tell me about a few of these different fun ventures you've been doing. Yeah, you know, one of my favorite things to do is the solo hunter show. Yeah.

Because that's just the way I've always hunted. That's you. It's me. It's go out by myself, and that camera just adds an element that makes it so freaking hard that I've become kind of addicted to it. It's like that next element. So, you don't have a videographer with you? No.

Truly solo. Yeah, truly solo. But I, you know, I've always been into filming, so I always thought, you know, it'd be cool to be a video guy and film people's hunts. And I thought, well, I like that aspect, but I also like to hunt. So, hey, why don't I just do it all? And that, I think, has been, like, one of the coolest challenges. But when I come back and look at the stuff that I've got, you know, it's not just about the hunting. It's about cool video that I've got as well that I'll have forever. Forever. Yeah, and that's what I like. It's like, and then the challenge of, you know, it's really taught me a lot about the animal. It's great to be super patient. Try to stock in on a trophy mule deer with a metal tripod. You're on tree hunting with a metal tripod, dealing with GoPros. Yeah, and all kinds of stuff. It's like the littlest things that I didn't even think about before.

It's like I go to grab the camera tripod, my wrist release taps the tripod leg, and that deer is gone. I mean, there's been times where I've had... there was one time where I had a 200-inch buck within range, But it just walked out of the camera, and I let my bow down. Jeez, that's not me, buddy. I'm putting the camera down. I don't know, I shouldn't have. I was still dreading that moment. But, you know, it was a decision that I made because I was focused. If I went out there with the idea that I'm just going to shoot something, even if it wasn't on the... then I wouldn't have put the dedication into doing it right in the way that I saw. Wow. That's just that extra element of challenge. That's awesome, man. Well, tell me about your own personal show. Like, where the idea came up for all that, what it's about.

Yeah, the apex predator thing, I just thought, I wanted to do something that, you know, my whole thought is, as hunters, there's a large group in the middle that might, that doesn't hunt, but they understand where hunting came from and kind of accept it. And hunting's gonna be, then they're gonna be in our corner, they're gonna be in our favor, because they're the decision makers, the people in the middle. I thought, what would be a cool show, an idea that I've had to kind of attract those people, but still showcase hunting and where hunting came from. And that apex predator idea kind of came up from that. It was like, you know, one day I was actually out hunting, and I follow this area, this ridge where I, you know, go. It's like, I've got my route, and I know that I'm going to run into the elk on this route.

And there was fresh snow on the ground, and there was wolf tracks every way that I do my route. I mean, I even like, the same place that I cut across the hill, there's no trail, and it's like they went the exact, and I was like, okay, they know what I know. We're like doing something simple. It's really weird. It's like they know how to hunt. Hunters or hunters. It doesn't matter if you are, you know, a mountain lion or a human, like, there's a lot of things that transpire in that primal hunt to survive. And there's certain things that work, and it's like, okay, that works for them. They do it day in, day out, 365 days a year. And somehow, I've figured out that same exact route. You know what I mean? And we both know that that's a successful way to hunt that canyon.

Right. So, I was like, okay, I wonder what other things do that. And along doing that whole show, I was like, I learned a lot of stuff that I probably would have never even thought of. Yeah. You know, it was like, the breath hold thing was one of the things that we did. Yeah, I watched that one. That was, it was like, wow, that was an aha moment where you're like, hey, that's pretty crazy that we can, everyone could do that.

So, dive into that a little bit. Yeah, so we just, essentially, it was, you know, looking at the mammalian dive reflex. We're mammals, so essentially, we're underwater animals, just like dolphins and whales, and they have a reflex that allows them to hold their breath for long periods of time, but they have to go back up. It's like, pretty much every human can hold their breath for four to five minutes without any effect. Yeah. But it's just, we have our brain. I don't think I can. You can, but your brain tells you you're dying. You can't. Oh, yeah, it's like, it feels like you're dying. But you can't physically. But you can't. Once you get over that mental aspect, yeah, you physically can. So, you were able to get over that? Yeah. And once you do, you're like, whoa, that's really cool. You know? But, yeah, and I've always done spearfishing.

Yeah, I watched the spearfishing episode. Was that just awesome? Yeah, that was awesome. And I've realized before I did that that I was spearfishing wrong the whole time. Like, I was doing things that were super dangerous and probably would have gotten killed. Well, just like letting my air out as I'm swimming to the top, things like that. It's like, never let your air out. But, you know, I could always dive pretty deep, but I didn't know what I was doing. I just, you know, just did it. Yeah. But now, it's like, you know, I try to go spearfishing, you know, at least once a year, if not more, because it's just underwater bow hunting, you know. It's cool. It's awesome. So, yeah, you get, I mean, like, everything trips your trigger. It doesn't matter if it's any kind of hunting. Oh, yeah. Like, people are like, oh, you're a bow hunter. You're a muzzleloader. I'm just a hunter.

Like, it doesn't, like, I will, if I'm in some place where it's legal and there's no weapons allowed, and I can go snare a rat, I'll probably try to do it, you know? Like, I am just, at my deepest core, a hunter. It doesn't really matter what it is. Wow. Whether it's underwater or like, but I mean, yeah, obviously there's certain types of hunts that I enjoy more than others. Yeah. But, yeah, it's... You're like my kids. They would kill and do anything. Yeah, it's like... Snaring a rat, that's hilarious. It's like rabbits, squirrels. If it's out there, and I can do it, I'm gonna try it. I remember one episode, you were on stilts. Yeah. I mean, tell me about that one. That was, I just thought, this would be funny, and kind of ridiculous. But I kind of thought about it.

It was like, one day I was just like thinking about bow fishing. I was like, man, I wonder if I could walk out there on stilts and go bow fishing. So it was like a stork or whatever. Yeah, exactly. Like you just out there. Yeah, and that was the dumbest. I was like, oh yeah, I'm gonna strap these stilts to my legs and go walk in the river. It didn't look like it worked very good. No, it didn't work at all. But I think that there wasn't very many fish that year, so I think I would try it again if there was, you know, a place where there's more fish and a different type of bottom, but that was kind of a pain. So, you told me yesterday you were lucky in the Alaska draw? Yeah, I mean, most of my hunting comes off, like, well, you know, I mean, the draws are a huge thing for me.

I've been applying since, like, when I was 16 years old, I saw, like, I was into hunting, so I thought, I can either apply in all these states or get a truck. And I was like, I think I'll just keep borrowing a vehicle and apply for Utah, you know what I mean? And now I've got, I don't even know how many, I think, 17 points in Utah. But it's because I, as a, you know, when I was younger, I saw that, okay, in the future, I'm definitely gonna want to go hunt these places. So, the draw stuff, I mean, that's obviously what you guys do. I've done it for a long time, and it's really important to me. So, yeah, I apply in every state. A lot of times, people are like, oh, you seem really lucky. No, I'm not, actually. I'm actually pretty unlucky. I've got lots of points in a lot of places, and it's just over the years, it looks like I've drawn a lot of tags because I put in everywhere consistently.

I actually am pretty lucky in Alaska, but I've been putting in for a lot...there's a lot of years I never drew anything in Alaska. Like, a span of 10 years I didn't draw anything, and then all of a sudden I started drawing tags. Yep. You know, so...and putting in for tags that weren't as hard to draw, too, which makes it easier. But, yeah, I drew an elk tag this year that I've hunted before, which was really lucky. And you were somewhat apprehensive. Yeah. Not the easiest hunt in the world. It was the...like, it's honestly one of the pack outs, the hard part.

It's such a big elk. Elk in Alaska. Yep, elk in Alaska, and they're Roosevelt elk, but they're like 1400 pound elk. Giants. And they're the size of moose. And you know, it's like... Six mile packouts. Right, yeah. And I'm the type of person that's like, if I see them, I'm gonna go after them, and I'm gonna shoot one. Yeah. And then I'm gonna figure it out. And figuring it out meant just carrying for, I think it was like 60 hours of walking time. Wow. Solid, like 100 pound plus packs. Yeah, exactly. Just packing out meat. Yep. Through the stuff that's hard to like, you know, that Alaska stuff. It's brutal. You can look at something. There's stuff that you go, and you can go three miles in an hour. Yeah. And then you could go 400 yards in two hours. Wow. It's just, that's how, you know, it's like,

and it all kind of looks the same, but it's just however the ground is, and walking through some of that, like, thick alder, and devil's club, and all that, you know. Nasty country. It's nasty. It's nasty. Yeah, so it's like, you can get, yeah, no trails, exactly. But, yeah, it's just one of those hunts where it was like the most brutal packout I've ever had. Wow. And you signed up for it again. Reluctantly. Yeah. A friend of mine, we put in together, and I told him, I was like, alright, if we draw this tag, this time, we're gonna like bring someone that doesn't have a tag to help us pack out. Like a packer. Yeah, like a packer. But you can hunt deer, so it'll be like a deer hunter. My boys might come up and be your packer. Exactly.

Oh, cool. Well, what's your favorite hunt? Like, what was the favorite thing? I know you've hunted, like, buffalo in Mexico and all kinds of different things. Like, what's your favorite hunt? You know, I can't just pick one favorite, but there is certain things that I know I like. I mean, I love calling elk. I'd rather call elk for someone than actually shoot one myself. So, like, I always would, the prime weeks, you know, guiding, I think I just like, I like tricking elk, and I like to be the one that calls them in, you know. But I love elk hunting, but I think I like the calling aspect more than the actual shooting of the elk for myself. Now, if it's like, I love bow hunting big mule deer. Yeah, I love it. Yeah, it doesn't get any better than that. And then, like, mountain hunting has to be the

tops for me. So, whether it's doll sheep, tar in New Zealand, anything, it's like big mountain, I'm more about the place than the thing. So, I would go hunt Himalayan snowcocks in the rubies or something, probably before I went hunting. Have you done that? I haven't done it yet, because it's always the wrong time of year. But if I had to choose between that or shooting a 170-inch whitetail in Kansas, I'd probably choose because it's the place that means a lot. So, tell me about New Zealand. It's a rugged, nasty, brutal country. Oh, yeah. It's essentially, it's just like Alaska, a lot of it. It's like big, steep mountains. The fair chase part of it. Yeah, exactly. Like, the public land type stuff, or even some of the, like, there's ranches there that are a giant mountain that the guy owns.

Yeah. So, any of that kind of stuff, those big mountains. You just always do that self-guided? Yep, solo. I mean, I've gone in there and got multiple times, hunted tar, you know, in the cliffs and mountains, just completely alone. How do you do it? Just fly in and then start hiking? No, I hike from the bottom.

I always... No, I mean, fly in. Oh yeah, just fly to the country. Fly to the country. Jump in my vehicle, drive to the trailhead, and start hiking in. Just start hiking. Yeah, I mean, sometimes you can drive up the canyons a little ways, but yeah, you know, you make a...it's a backpacking trip, and it's always an adventure, because you're crossing rivers, you're going over cliffs, you're up in the mountains, you're hunting an animal that is from the Himalayas, and you know, it's like, who knows if I'll ever be able to hunt in the Himalayas. I would love to one day. Like, that's my dream, is to go, you know, some of that stuff in Asia, and those I love sheep and goats, but until then, I'll just keep going back to where I know. You're gonna make it there. I know you. Do you even call, does anywhere, do you call anything home? You're just not like nomadic.

Yeah, I mean, I've always kind of, I've done a lot of traveling. I'm always here or there. You know, but I mean, Nevada is my home. Yeah. I mean, that's, I probably won't ever, you know, I would maybe, the only place I'd move to outside of Nevada would be Alaska. Yeah. Because I like, I spent a lot of time there, and I love Alaska. Do you? Oh, yeah. You love the rain? Yep. The clouds? No, I just love the hunting. Just the game? Yeah, the game. Yeah. So, you killed doll sheep? Yep, doll sheep up there. And I've never shot a caribou, but I drew a good caribou tag this year. Oh, great. I'm looking forward to that. I've been on plenty of hunts where I've taken my dad, and he shot caribou, and this, that, and the other thing, but I just never shot one myself. Where'd you hunt doll sheep? Tell me about that one. I've hunted in the Alaska range. Yeah. Actually, the

Both the doll sheep that I hunted in the Alaska, I've shot two in the Alaska range, I won both those trips from the Wild Sheep Foundation. No way. Well, actually, one of them my dad won, and the guide, like, let me go for pretty much nothing. Come on. And he's like, as long as there's two rams together, you can shoot one. Yeah. So, I was, I think, 22 at the time, whatever, guiding. So lucky. And I was like, okay. Sure enough, we get into the first group, and there's two rams. As long as I'm not your packer. Yeah, you get two rams, and I was like, my dad shoots his. Actually, my dad was lined up on one, and this other one came out. Yeah. And, you know, I was just gonna shoot, I don't care, you know, just dodgy. And I ended up, his didn't give him a shot, so he's like, shoot yours first. I was like, that's not the deal, you know, it's his hunt. Right. You know, if I shot that one, then...

The hunt's over? Yeah, exactly. It was like, it was only if there was two together was the deal. So, I shot mine, and his stopped and turned, and he shot his, and we both got our rams right there. Wow, how awesome is that? Yeah, and then I did a...you know, they've got that raffle there. Yeah. That's why I was like, these raffles... You played it? It's just like the draw. Sometimes it's cheaper and easier to win, you know? So, you play the raffles. Yeah, I've...oh yeah. I mean, not a lot. Like, I think my thing is like, you just need one ticket. Do you still borrow trucks to play the raffles? Yeah, exactly. Yeah. But yeah, it's cool. I've been fortunate enough to do that. Oh, that's great, man. Awesome. And so, you know, what are some of your tactics? Like, what are some of your favorite things to do? Do you glass? I mean, what does Remy do when he goes out on a hunt?

Yeah, I mean, glassing, I mean, is huge. You know, you can cover a lot of country that way. I think a lot of it, too, is, you know, just kind of knowing the type of topography. My big thing is, you know, if I... there's a lot of good-looking country, whatever you're hunting. It doesn't matter, elk, deer, whatever. There's a lot of country out there that just doesn't hold anything. Yeah. And it doesn't look much different than this or that other area, but there is something different about it. Yeah. And it's like, why does, you know, there's a place where I'm mule deer hunting, this one bend, you will see big bucks. Every time. Every time. They're there. But they aren't over here or there. Yeah. You know, but it's like, what's special about, so what I like to do is, I really pay attention to the way the animals move in areas.

Like, I mean, when I would have all that time and hunt in Nevada, I literally would not even stalk for the first two weeks. Wow. I would just watch them, know what they do. And it's like, they aren't on patterns, but they're doing something for a reason. Yeah. You know, and try to, I like that, it's like a, I like to see it as like a big game where you kind of, you map it out and look at the big picture. What's going on? What are these animals doing? What's the behavior of these animals? I like to just watch animals. Like, it's the naturalist in me of just observing these animals. Yeah. And even, like, that's the cool thing about videoing, is I'll sneak in and essentially do stalks and other things, where I'm videoing these animals, watching them, and you learn so much, like, body language, movement.

Like, you can predict what they're gonna do based on watching them. So, even when I'm hunting, I'm focused in on areas. Like, why are the deer right there? Yeah. And then I go and look for other areas that are like that, and see if, okay, so I look for similar areas a lot of times to find big deer. Yeah. People go, like, I went into a new area this year, and within two days, I found two giant bucks that other guys in that area had... See, it's like, how do you find that? Where was this room? I'm not saying. How big were they? Yeah, they weren't... They're not your status big. You know, they're big for me, like 115s, you know. But yeah, so, you know, looking at a map, knowing areas in other places, And then just look for that exact same thing on the map there, and then go and look at it.

And in a short amount of time, I can really narrow down where these animals will be, like a higher likelihood. I mean, they could be anywhere, but there's a higher likelihood. So, you kind of observe the pattern. And I don't know, there's a lot into it. You spend a lot of time in the field, and you can start picking out those things. But that's one thing that's big for me, is figuring out why those animals are in that one spot.

I mean, just in Montana, for example, there's one area where I thought, I kept finding these bachelor groups of bucks in September. Why are they right there? It's like, it doesn't look any different. But I've noticed, after watching them for a couple days, they would always go to this one bush. I was like, okay, well, they're eating elderberries. Yeah. And it's like, that time of year, the bucks like that, and there weren't very many places in that unit that had elderberries. And so I started looking for elderberries, and I started finding more big bucks in September, like all the bachelor groups. And it was like, who would think that, you know? Are you doing a lot of backcountry? Like, that's your gig? Like, you like to backpack? Oh, yeah. Or truck hunts? Like, I know you hunted a little easier country in some of that this year in Nevada. You drew a tag, and you're okay to do that.

Or do you go into that unit and look for the roadless country in there, and that's kind of what you like to do? Yeah, it just depends. Like, I'm not... I call it like, there's front country hunting, and there's back country hunting. And sometimes what I call the front country is just as hard to hunt. Like, I always... I generally park the truck, And, you know, you'll be on foot all day, and you'll probably walk more than you do on a backcountry hunt, you know, a lot of times. Yeah. Because you can just cover more ground. So, it depends on the unit. I mean, but I just like to get away. A lot of the stuff I do, if I park the truck, I'm going in where there's no roads. Yeah. But not always. I mean, you know, it just depends on the area and where the good country is, too. I mean, there's plenty of places that I've hunted and hiked in miles and miles and miles, and there's nothing back there.

No people, no deer. Yeah, and you get back to the truck, and you're like, oh, that spot looks good, and it's like a half a mile from the road, and you pop up there, and it's a hard hike in, and you've got to drop, and all the animals are down low, so you've got to hike back out. Yeah. When you have to carry something back out, that's generally a good area, you know. It's easier to find animals there, because nobody wants to do it. So, your favorite species mule deer? Yeah, I think in North America. But you call elk a lot. You know, I love sheep and calling elk. I mean... Can't get enough sheep. Yeah, that's right. It's hard. Yeah. But I mean, I'll go on, if friends or whatever, I mean, I try to find people that have sheep tags and just help them out. I mean, I just love to go on sheep hunts. So, are you a trophy hunter or just a hunter?

Oh, just a hunter, but I mean, yeah. The reason I wouldn't call myself a trophy hunter is like, I look for big mature animals because it's more challenging. I just want to spend more time out there. You know, if something seems easy, then I'm just going to try to make it harder for myself. I don't know why. It's just, I just like to be out there so much that if I know, If I go into an area and shoot the first deer that walks out, then I'm done hunting. So, I'd rather just be like, okay, I'll look at that deer and go try to find a big one. Yeah. Even if there's no big ones there. It's like, and then maybe toward the end, I'll shoot something for meat, you know, whatever. And so, have you ever killed a whitetail? Have you ever hunted back east at all? Never hunted back east. I have shot whitetails in Montana. Montana. Yeah, but I mean, they're like... Small. Yeah, small.

And Wyoming, I've shot some okay whitetails. Yeah. There's my recurve. There's a few good ones here and there, probably. I mean, that's what I was actually down in Texas this week, and I was seeing some big white, and I was like, I should do this one time just so I can say, like, I've done it, you know? Yeah. Because I can't knock it until I tried it. So, just sit in a stand or a big old tripod? I didn't. I mean, maybe I'll go back next year and try it. Yeah. But I mean, I like the big mountains, and it doesn't really appeal to me as much as some of the other stuff. I've never hunted Texas. I don't know. I just never have. It just doesn't. But I mean, that's how a lot of people hunt, so it's not, you know? I'm sure if that's all I had to hunt, I would do it. It wouldn't matter. So, your family hunts? Like, you guys all hunt?

Yeah, my dad hunts. My other brother, Jason, guides with me, and we go on a lot of hunts together. My brother, Ryan, he hunts here and there. He's more into, like, his favorite hunt would be like a doe antelope hunt. You know what I mean? Because, like, all he cares about is food. That's awesome. It's funny because, like, and he draws the best tags, too. Like, he drew a PIW Nevada desert sheep tag. Come on. And he's like, yeah, I would... He just wants, like... Are you illegal? He wants, like, desert ram short ribs. He's like, that would be good short ribs. No way! But he's a great cook, too. So, how'd that hunt go? It went good. That was a while ago. That was actually one of his first Nevada tags. I think that was his first big game animal. Yeah. And, yeah, we ended up getting a good ram, like a book ram. Yeah, it's awesome.

Yeah, it's cool. Well, that's great, man. Well, cool. Back in the early days, was there anybody you looked up to, or? Oh, yeah. I mean, there's, you know, I think it was like, my thing was Saturday mornings watching TNN Outdoors, and the thing that always pissed me off was just whitetail hunting. I was like, what are, you know, whitetail hunting and bass fishing. I was like, I've never caught a bass or seen a whitetail, you know. Yeah. But yeah, you know, I mean, like, guys like Jim Shockey, even Cam Haynes. Yeah. I'd read that backcountry bowhunting. I was big into magazines, so like, you know, Outdoor Life, Field and Stream, Eastman's. Yeah. You know, and I was like, I just couldn't get enough. Couldn't get enough. Yeah. I did listen to a podcast you did with Cam, and of course, you guys talked about a Nevada hunt that you guys...

Oh, yeah. Tell me about that a little bit. Yeah, well, that was in like my... the place that I hunted a lot. Yeah. And me and my brother ended up going in there and shooting two really good bucks. And I think you went out of there with no bucks. But we didn't know he was there, you know. It's just like, that's where we always hunted. And I'd been in there for... It was your backyard. Yeah, and I'd been in there for two weeks just watching deer. Yeah. And so, and then, but my brother, it was my brother's first archery hunt. Yeah. And so, he couldn't come till later in the season because of work. So, and we get in there, and we start hiking up the trailhead. And one of the deer that I liked was up there, and I was like, all right, I'm gonna stock it right now. So, I stalk in there, shoot it, and it runs off and gets dark, so we're gonna wait until

the morning to find it. So, I go to where we shot, and blood trailing it, and he's with me, and I look over, and he looks over, and he's looking, and he goes, I think I see your buck, because he didn't really see the buck. He goes, and it had, you know, the buck that I shot had an extra kicker and stuff. He goes, did your deer have a drop tine? And I was He's like, well, on the right side, and I go, well, it had an extra point. You know, like, what do you mean drop tying? He's like, no, a five-inch drop tying hanging down. I was like, no. So, he's like, sweet. So, while I'm blood trailing my deer, he sneaks around, gets around the basin, gets over the cliff, shoots the buck at 30 yards. Come on. 31-inch buck with a dropper. Come on. Yeah, and it was like 190-inch buck. Jeez.

You know, and then we ended up, so I was watching from that side, watch him shoot his deer, it runs down there. I keep following the blood trail, there's my buck. You know? That's awesome. We both shot like two of the best bucks I'd seen all season. Clear back in the middle of nowhere. Pam's in there with you somewhere. Somewhere back there. Sneaking around. Geez, crazy. Yeah, it was awesome. Well, what are your plans for this year, 2017? Of course, you got the Alaska draws. Yeah, the Alaska, and then, you know, I mean, hopefully get lucky and draw probably an archery tag in Nevada somewhere. And then just kind of figure out where there's gaps in the schedule and just start applying. You know, I always wait to see what happens in Alaska and then kind of get units and stuff that I can do for the draws that work with those season dates and my guide schedule and everything like that.

So, I think it'll probably be, again, it's like I'll probably roll my Utah points over again and just wait. Just keep on waiting. I'm going to be like, yeah, I'm going to draw an archery tag with twice as many points as I can. As it needs. Yeah, that's alright. One day. And then, yeah, so I don't really know. I mean, I'll be hunting in Montana, you know, just general area stuff. And probably Idaho, some general tags. I like the challenge of hunting those over-the-counter, you know, general. There's a lot of opportunities. Yeah, there's a lot of opportunities. Exactly. And it's like, you don't have to worry about a draw. You can go when that season is. And I've been fortunate to, I just go find places that no one else is at. Maybe it's because there's not very many deer there, but I'd rather hunt five days and see two deer and zero people than hunt five days and see 400 people.

Yeah, totally makes sense. And so, you'll be filming all that? Yep, probably. For solo as well as Apex? Yeah, no, I'm just really focusing on the solo stuff. Oh, yeah? Okay. Yeah, and then for that, and then some of the Ridge Reaper series things. Yeah, with Thunder Armour. Yeah, so I think we'll, I don't know what we're going to do. We're gonna do maybe one of these Alaska hunts, probably that caribou hunt, maybe do that for that. For the Under Armour Retriever Series. Yeah, I think that'd be cool. Yeah, yeah. Take my dad out again, like he gets, because the first hunt he had there, he's thinking, he's like, I don't even know if I want to go, because the first hunt was so, he shot a giant buck, or a giant bull. It was beautiful weather, it was like, you know, it's just perfect, and it's like, you can never recreate that.

Yeah, yeah. But, you know, I'll take my bow and try to get a caribou and maybe have him tag along with the rifle and maybe get my brother to go to and get a moose tag or something. Yeah, absolutely. Something like that. I don't know. What would you say to the young kids that are coming up through the ranks that want to hunt, do what you do? You obviously make a living hunting. It's not easy. And just what would you, what advice would you give them? Yeah, I mean, my thing is, you know, I grew up in a household that's like, you got to work hard if you want something, you know? So, there's no easy way to do it, but if you dedicate to something, you're gonna do it. Yeah. You know, you just gotta give yourself no other options and really believe that you can do it. And then get out there and don't be like, you know, I mean, I always tell people, when I started guiding,

you know, I would go out, get up early, scout on my days off, whatever, and then as soon as the hunters came in, I would take them out. They would shoot something in the evening. I would drop them back off at camp. I would go back out, pack that animal till 5am in the morning, I'm going to pick them up and be ready to go the next day. Wow. You know what I mean? Just- And it's like, because I knew that they had five days and I wanted to make it happen. You know, I worked as hard, and I still do, I work as hard as I can. Yeah. Because, you know, it's like, there's people that do it and don't, you just got to outwork everyone else. Yeah. You know, that's it. Work ethic. Yeah, exactly. Work ethic and you'll make it. Yeah, but I mean, if you ask 20 people, they give you 20 different answers, like how do you do, you know, because there's no set path.

There's no school, there's no whatever. You just got to, you know, but my thing is like, I always thought, If I owned a business, I wouldn't hire people that didn't have a good resume. So, whether I had to work for free for years, that's cool. I'll do it. Right. Well, right on. Well, I wish you the best of luck. I appreciate you being on with us. You're awesome. Yeah, thanks. Doing good things, and I wish you the best, man. I appreciate it. So, anyway, I want to say thanks to Under Armour and all the support they give Epic Outdoors and these podcasts and the awesome company they are. And of course, making awesome gear and an incredible camo pattern, supporting us in the Ridge Reaper season, you know, and the different hunts we do for them. So, anyway, appreciate them, appreciate you, Remy, and good luck, buddy. Yeah, thanks. All right, see ya.