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🎤 Real stories. Raw life. Lasting legacy. Join us as we explore the moments that shape us, the stories that define us, and the impact we leave behind.
Well, welcome to episode two. Only two of the, hear me hear podcast. We got we got a legend here today, guys. An absolute legend. Was a long time RNT staffer, you know, famously producer of RNTV and obviously the star of that.
Justin Kennedy:February '6 world duck calling champion, two US open wins, and now as the VP of development at Drake Waterfowl, one of my favorite brands on the planet. Everybody welcome Jimbo or as, I guess publicly known Jim Ronquest. How's it going, man?
Jim Ronquest:Good, buddy. Good. Cool setup, man. It's glad to be on the second one. Yeah, it's awesome to be on the front end of this thing.
Jim Ronquest:I know, right?
Justin Kennedy:Pretty cool. On the Ground Floor.
Jim Ronquest:Ground Floor, man. Here we go.
Justin Kennedy:I know. So, it's I had first one, I guess, a week ago. I was playing music for Jim Shockey's charity like for veterans that we do every year and got to have him kind of from the big game from that world and then episode two going to into the duck world. It we are actually at Collapalooza twenty twenty five right now. There is so much going on outside of these walls.
Justin Kennedy:It's unbelievable. We've got, all the call makers are here. Collectors are here. We've got cooking tournaments going on, Bago tournament at some point, VIP night last night, pints and pins tonight. Just one of the coolest events on the planet.
Justin Kennedy:If you're listening to this and haven't been, it is worth the drive to Stuttgart to come to Collapalooza. If you care at all about duck hunting or duck calls, you should be here. You really should.
Jim Ronquest:If you're a duck caller and into it's a cool thing. And it's fun. I was, you know, here from as an employee to seeing it now as we sponsor the event, whatnot, how much it's grown Yeah.
Justin Kennedy:The past few years. Oh, even from last year to this year, I told John earlier, I was like, the parking lot is twice as full as it was I mean, there was a bunch of tents here last year, but it could be because of that massive Drake truck that's out there. That is one of the coolest things I've seen. I saw a picture of you, I guess, online with it, but I until you see it in person, it's a it's a it's it's ridiculous.
Jim Ronquest:It's a very cool rig. It was fun to get to use this duck season. The bed and all the work was done by the folks up in Jonesboro at D and W Automotive. So if you really go back out there and look at it, that whole flatbed system is all custom built. All the drawers and everything, that's a from the ground up custom build.
Justin Kennedy:I think it's so cool. It's fun. I actually that's where I grew up duck hunting. It was in Jonesboro with a guy, you know, with Charles Petty.
Jim Ronquest:Brother Charles will be here tomorrow helping out with the contest.
Justin Kennedy:Oh, is he really? I'm man, I'm excited to see him. It's been a really, really long time. My dad and his really good friend, Steve, met him at, I believe, a thing that used to happen in Atlanta called Buckarama. I think it still happens, but does not.
Justin Kennedy:It's not to the scale of what it was. I remember it was at the old Expo Center, and we'd be ready for months in advance. And I remember we met Charles there, and we went duck hunt with him. Oh my gosh. I don't even know how many years.
Justin Kennedy:And such a cool guy. And he had a guy working with him, Nathan. I forget his last name. He had a guy working with him.
Jim Ronquest:Yeah. No. I can't think of Nathan's last name, but I know exactly who you're talking about.
Justin Kennedy:Yeah. I still have the hat Northeast or was it Northeast Arkansas Outfitters? I think was that.
Jim Ronquest:I believe that's correct. And and Nathan's family owned a bunch of ground on Black River.
Justin Kennedy:Yes.
Jim Ronquest:Good very nice young man. Good deal and I I think he speaking out of school a little bit, but I think he he and Charles still work together.
Justin Kennedy:That's awesome. Charles is such a good guy and I I I told someone earlier my first experience out here at Richentown, I I'm I've actually written this up, and it's been published at GON published it in in Georgia, but I came out with my dad who he had bought a call from Butch long time, like, way before the shop, like, early, early, early. And I he he brought us to the shop. Me and my brother walk in, and I don't think Butch was in the the greatest mood that day. He was he was a little yeah.
Justin Kennedy:Yeah.
Jim Ronquest:He never was.
Justin Kennedy:He was a little grumpy that day. He sat there.
Jim Ronquest:Prided himself on being grumpy.
Justin Kennedy:Oh, yeah. He's behind the glass, turning the call, and he's like, give me a call. And he's taking our calls one at a time, signing them with a Dremel. And then, he looked at my brother and he goes, what'd you call? And my brother was probably eight maybe.
Justin Kennedy:My brother was like, I've got one on my, you know, birthday list for next year, but, like, I don't have a duck call. And he just went back down, started turning this call, and he came back around the glass and he hands it to my brother and goes, now you can tell everybody I'm not an hole. And I thought that was the
Jim Ronquest:I thought that
Justin Kennedy:was the coolest the coolest thing on the planet. And I we were already hooked, but then you have an experience like that with a legend, and then it just the duck call culture and just duck call in in general for me and my family became an absolute obsession from there forward. Like, the it's funny how one experience and I've always said this about you, And I think this is you know, I I I don't think you get touted enough for this, but, you know, there there is a little bit of ego in in all of the hunting world. Like, I've experienced it quite a bit with with some of these guys. And your approachability and you your kindness and humbleness that you show with people, I think, has brought more people to duck hunting than than you than you could ever imagine because you you're so approachable, and you're just the nicest guy on the planet to people.
Justin Kennedy:And you'll sit there and let someone bend your ear or you'll bend theirs talking about duck hunting. And to me, that's what that's what duck hunting needs is guys like you who we love it, we experience it, but we want others to understand what we see and what we feel. And, you know, just taking a second to talk to someone and not being too big, too big to do it or too cool is, is just, it's been, it's, it's really cool to see. And I see it, especially here and you can grab left and right every five seconds and you take time with everyone and talk with them and it's it's
Jim Ronquest:well. Thank you. Yeah, man. I try I try to and I appreciate those kind words. I really do.
Jim Ronquest:Know you only got what you got right. So I have extremely lucky individual that I get to make a living. With my avocation, my avocations become my vocation and I had you know, I get to go do a lot of things and call it work. Yeah, and it's very cool and I'm not that doesn't go that doesn't go soft on me that those opportunities. Think the big man for every day.
Jim Ronquest:Yeah, you know and somebody wants to talk to me. I want to talk to them. There's times I'm in a hurry or I gotta get from point A to point B and don't have much time and I always hate that to say hey man, I'm sorry, but I really had to move on, but I always try to give everybody a few minutes if they want to talk or ask a question. Because I've been that guy too where I wanna stop and talk to somebody else about something different. So, you know, just bottom line treat folks how you wanna be treated.
Jim Ronquest:That's exactly right. You go a long way.
Justin Kennedy:Yep. And and that's I'm not saying it's a big issue, but it's definitely something I've seen over and over that people don't understand one bad experience can can turn somebody off from from not only them, but the entire the entire experience, the entire industry. I see it a lot in music, being a musician and doing just the the tiny little bit that I've done. I've, you know, not by no means on that level, but I've seen it where these people like see these people on TV and they hear their music and they get to meet them and they're just horrific to them. And not only are they done with that, but it's like, then they have this fear forever of like meeting people like that because they're nervous because they've just been shut down by someone who they looked up to and someone who was like a hero.
Justin Kennedy:And so, yeah, I just wanna make sure you understood. Like, everyone thinks that of you, and
Jim Ronquest:you've you've you've been you have
Justin Kennedy:been a massive positive impact for duck hunting.
Jim Ronquest:Great.
Justin Kennedy:And it's it's it's it's cool. Thank you. Obviously, a huge transition for you was from from RNT to Drake. Oh, man. And I wanted you to talk a little bit about what you're doing at Drake, how you're liking it, what's coming up with Drake, what's some of the new stuff coming down the pipe Mhmm.
Justin Kennedy:Things you guys are getting into too. Because I know and I I can speak to this as well. Since you have been there, Drake is a better company. Drake, I think, launched huge, unbelievable business, and I think they, you know, not getting I feel like they kind of begin to lull a little bit and needed a spark, and I think you coming over there has been big. So I just kinda wanted to hear a little bit of what's going on with Drake and how how you're liking it and Yeah.
Justin Kennedy:What the future's holding.
Jim Ronquest:Yeah, man. It's it's been kinda fun. And to your point there, just telling the story a little bit, the transition from here being an RNT and all I did here producing RNTV, know, coming up with the Mondo and the Rock and R and all that. And I still like messing with duck calls. Don't get me wrong, but it was an opportunity to to to maybe grow a little bit.
Jim Ronquest:Yeah. Even though my background's duck calls, duck hunting, turkey hunting, learned a little bit about TV production, doing R and TV. It was it's been fun to kind of be over Drake with my position. I don't have to get too deep in the weeds with anything, but help support the sales guys. Work with the product development folks pretty much hand in hand.
Jim Ronquest:I'm not a actual product developer, but I'm here's what I think works kind of guy And we've got a great team of folks there. Justin Carpenter, Jacob Anderson, Andy Holt, do a great job. That's big. So because we duck hunt a lot, there's certain things you like and I like good stuff. I don't, I'm not big on stuff being cheap.
Jim Ronquest:So I like good stuff. So that's been fun to be a part of and then, you know, everything and we kind of, we don't have a marketing person directly so we kind of do that as a team of folks between our senior team and everybody comes up with ideas and it's all working right now and I really feel we got the needle moving and there's some cool stuff coming this year. Now there's a lot of concern right now about with all these tariffs and all this stuff comes out of China and not all of our stuff is in China, but a good bit of it is, but we're not the only ones fighting that same.
Justin Kennedy:No, everybody is.
Jim Ronquest:Everybody's in there. But some of our new BMF line that's coming, the waiters, the jackets, everything in that BMF lines, high end, high quality, really good stuff. I'm super excited about the consumer response to that once folks get their hands on it.
Justin Kennedy:Yeah.
Jim Ronquest:We had a good many samples last year, people wearing it, you know, commenting on it. Know, you always make little tweaks. Yeah, that's been fun. The big thing for me, the change between working up here at R and T working on duck calls, man, I come up with the duck call idea and we can tweak it and blow on it some and you know you can have a new model pretty quick. Man in the apparel world everything's at the minimum a year out.
Jim Ronquest:Yeah, if you're really going if it's something new and you need to test it a year and do something else you're talking about two years plus before it hits the market. So stuff that I started doing when I first started or working with Justin and the crew on it just now starting to hit. Yeah, so that that's kind of been unique and that it takes more time to get it out there. That's been a learning experience how the apparel industry works, but it's been fun. It's been been a big learning curve.
Jim Ronquest:Know, it's you know, business is business for sure. Yeah, but the duck call world and the duck hunting apparel world and Turkey hunting apparel world kind of are are different and my other passion being spring turkey hunting is pretty cool to work with the company. You know, the old Tom brand and all that we do there. Yeah.
Justin Kennedy:They got some great stuff.
Jim Ronquest:Yeah, man. That's so good. And new stuff that came this year and then next year. It's cool that I can put my turkey hunting passions behind the brand a little bit. Yeah.
Jim Ronquest:So, and thankfully, I don't have to make a make a decision to make a pick between one or the other.
Justin Kennedy:That's yeah. It's been cool seeing all the turkey stuff you've been posting because I think I I don't think a lot of people knew how into Turkey hunting you were and what a big Turkey Hunter you were and it's it's been really cool to see man
Jim Ronquest:very much so. So it's been fun to be part of that fun to work with a new crowd of folks and just interested to see where it comes and where it goes. So it's it's exciting times. There's a lot of really good brands out there and it's kind of like rising all ships sail on the rising tide. Yeah.
Jim Ronquest:So and what's the other was saying iron sharpens iron. So everybody's got to get everybody's getting better and better and better. So it's raising the quality across the board. Yeah, I can't think of a better time to be an outdoorsman and having an opportunity to get good gear. Hopefully we can keep these tariffs in line,
Justin Kennedy:but yeah
Jim Ronquest:at a reasonable price. Yeah, you know, mean don't get me wrong. I don't mind paying extra money for good stuff. I don't think anybody does. Hence, like I said, I don't like cheap stuff, but across the board, there's some good product out there that will keep you warm and dry and allow you to enjoy your time in the outdoors even more.
Justin Kennedy:That's awesome. And that's what it's always been about. Like, I I feel like a lot of times I get a bad rap with friends for being like a gearhead. But I'm like, no. Like, I I I like to stay dry and warm because it allows me to stay out more and longer, more comfortably, and I'm not getting that I need to get to Waffle House feeling in the back of my mind as quick as I I I would if I was freezing my tail off.
Justin Kennedy:Right. Right. You said you you you brought up the rock and r. I love love the rock and r. It's it's one of my favorite calls.
Justin Kennedy:It's on my lanyard every single year. Got a shelf of probably two fifty calls and out of the four on my lanyard, that one makes it every single year. Love it. And you know, in the music world, there are extremely identifiable sounds. So, like, Van Halen, you get ten seconds in the song.
Justin Kennedy:It's Van Halen. You get, you know, five minutes into a Skynyrd song. You know it's Skynyrd. And and and that has been that that's my favorite thing about you as a duck caller has been two seconds into you blowing a call. You know it's jumbo.
Justin Kennedy:You and and I don't know if you would agree with this. I I think you kind of created a style of blowing a duck call that wasn't really done before you. I always explain to people it's kinda like a bark or like a extremely massive wad of air. But, you know, I I've always loved that about you as it sounds like a duck. It's not you know, I I know there's always been these two camps.
Justin Kennedy:There's been the, you know, we sound like ducks. We're duck callers. And then there's the we're competition guys, and it's that. And I've always loved you've always kind of floated in the middle between those two groups because, obviously, overly successful duck collar on the, like, call circuit on the I mean, you're a world champion duck collar. So you've mastered that world, but you were able to take that and apply it in the woods, which I I feel like a lot of people, it's a barrier and they can't.
Justin Kennedy:What if you were to describe in a couple sentences or as long as you want, what your philosophy is on duck calling to kill ducks, what it
Jim Ronquest:would be? Oh, man. You got enough batteries?
Justin Kennedy:Yeah. It's all plugged in. Everything's powered here. We're not running on batteries. Rock and roll.
Jim Ronquest:You know, it's that's a great question, Justin. I don't know that anybody's ever asked me that. But let me start off by saying I always tried to apply what I used in the woods on the contest stage and vice versa. Not that I was big on bowing contest tail calls at ducks, but I one of my dearest friends Bobby Joe Willie. First time I hunted with him in the Black River bottoms, a bunches coming across the woods and he reared down on it like he was on stage and it worked.
Jim Ronquest:But for me I. You to call ducks you need to somewhat sound like ducks for sure, but ducks and geese turkeys all respond to things that. May not be exactly like them. I'm to quote one of my other good friends, fellow world champion Mike Anderson. I'm going to borrow it from he.
Jim Ronquest:He made a statement one time that sometimes what calls ducks and geese may not sound exactly like ducks or geese, but may be a good character of and there's something like I said to the I'm gonna give him that. But for me, I always try to read every day, you know, there's a there's calling at ducks and calling to ducks and you got to call at them before you can call to them and I and I say that let me give you an example there you as a musician you're standing on back the truck playing music and you're playing the song and everybody's just still talking and you know they don't you can tell if you've got their attention or not you know they're into it but once you do something you're singing at them and now they turn their attention towards you now you're singing to them Same thing with ducks or turkeys or geese. If I'm blowing it, I got to blow at them a high bunch of ducks. I'm trying to break them. And they're just flying.
Jim Ronquest:I'm watching for something. I'm watching for them wings to check. I'm watching for maybe a duck turn or you see a head turn out of a bunch. Really that check of the wings that stopped. So I'm calling Adam until that one point I see that change and now I'm calling I am calling to them.
Jim Ronquest:So there's a difference there. You can call at him a lot, but you gotta learn to call to him and I was talking with BC Rogers with rent and Ivy a few minutes ago. He was talking about a place that he hunts. It's a big Cypress break and he said, man, you can't really blow hard at him. He said 400 yards away.
Jim Ronquest:He said you want to hit him all you can. He said you just gotta ease into it and it's it's kind of like talking to somebody you gotta ease into the conversation sometimes. My philosophy is always going to be. I'm going to start with what typically sometimes works and then I'm either going to add to it or take away. Yep.
Jim Ronquest:And know the idea that every bunch is going be different.
Justin Kennedy:That's such a good analogy with the music because I I literally last night when I was playing, you know, it's VIP night, so everyone is you know, there's one or two guys who are silent auction silent auction guys. So the attention's normally there because it could come to blows. It gets kinda wild. So, yeah, I'm I'm very, very background in a thing like last night, but I know I've got my one or two that if I hit them, I know everyone will get quiet and start paying attention. Mhmm.
Justin Kennedy:And I've got that one or two that I can hit. And then I know if I can go from there to there. It's it's putting a set list together to me musically for the musicians listening. It's very, very similar to calling ducks. It's figuring out what works, when it works, how it works.
Justin Kennedy:And it's funny. He, the guy, he said that about that one place he hunts. The the main place I hunt is a place called Beaver Dam in Mississippi.
Jim Ronquest:Oh, I've been there.
Justin Kennedy:And it it's that same kind of place. You cannot get on them loud. You can't hit on them hard. I mean, like you said, they're four you know, they're three, four hundred yards away, and you're trying to just break them at the very last second. You can do that.
Justin Kennedy:But if you hit on them hard, they're gone. In that area, right. Don't know if it's the acoustics to where it just maybe out there, it seems way louder than what we're blowing. But if, if any of us get on it hard, they're out. They don't like it.
Justin Kennedy:They want soft, easy, soothing calling, and it's just the way that place is. But then you get other places and you got, you know, you and Charles Petty scream like as loud as, you know, as as hammering down as hard as you can and they they are reacting to it great.
Jim Ronquest:It just all depends. And again, every day is different. Yep. Weather affects and barometer affects and cloudy, rainy, you know, different calls. You you just never know.
Jim Ronquest:That's kind of why you gotta try different stuff, but I'm probably also guilty of over calling and it depends on who you around like public ground, right? You you want start them.
Justin Kennedy:Got to
Jim Ronquest:you gotta stay on. You gotta keep them listening to
Justin Kennedy:somebody else will
Jim Ronquest:and keep them turned pretty tight. Whereas if you're hunting a private stretch sometime where you can just kind of lay off of them. Yeah. Sometimes just that laying off of them good is all the difference in the world. Ease into it.
Jim Ronquest:Let them tell you what they want, know, they'll tell you and again. Calling to him versus calling Adams two different things and learn to read their body language. You can kinda tell when they like it or when they don't.
Justin Kennedy:Like, I and I love that you said overcalling is one thing you're you're kinda guilty of. I even on the deer side, Roger Raglan, he's my Yeah. And my he's my favorite hunter in in in the world ever because of some things that he long story short, when my dad was going through cancer, right when I put my record out, I sent my vinyl records to all my heroes, everybody who I I I know I sent a bunch to the shop here. Yep. I remember getting them.
Justin Kennedy:And two the only two people that I heard from, I sent out, I don't know, maybe 80 or a hundred. And I know they all received them because I didn't get them back. Y'all reached out and said thanks for sending them. And Roger Raglan called me on my cell phone and talked to me for an hour. And I text him a couple weeks later and was like, just wanna let you know much that meant doing that.
Justin Kennedy:And I said, you know, my dad's been going through cancer. If you don't mind, would you send a video? Just a short video, just saying like, Hey Terry, we're thinking about you, whatever. I didn't hear anything from him. I thought it was weird.
Justin Kennedy:He posts on Facebook, like a week and a half later, he pulled in his production crew, sat at his piano, played this hymn, did this huge long speech about my dad. It ends up going like viral, all this stuff. And you know, that, you know, long story short, kind of out of place, but just, that's why I think so much of him. And one of my favorite things he's ever said with deer hunting, he's like, don't stop grunting. He's like, I'd rather be guilty all day long of over calling than having in the back of my mind.
Justin Kennedy:If I had to hit it one more time, he might have come. He might have come in, but he didn't. And I'd much rather have that regret than the other side of it. Not enough. I'd rather have too much and know I blew him out of there than I would.
Justin Kennedy:If I'd hit it one more time, I coulda had him.
Jim Ronquest:You know, don't want that. Right. And you never know what day that is. You know you you you just gotta learn to read them beauty thing of ducks versus deer. You can maybe kind of watch how them ducks are reacting versus you may not say it old buck deer 100 yards through the woods that you don't know if you're grounded at him.
Jim Ronquest:Heard you or not. So I get that and it makes sense and you know one thing I learned with producing outdoor video and TV is you come back and and edit and watch through it. And that's when I really realized I was blowing
Justin Kennedy:too much. When you're hearing it back and you're like, oh my God, there wasn't a moment of silence.
Jim Ronquest:Mean, I'm it. You like, no, I shouldn't have blowed right there. I should have blowed right here, you know, and there there's a lot of things you can do over time. Once you start watching birds, you wanna turn them in certain points. Yeah, you know or keep them listening to you so maybe you wanna let them get down win in good ways.
Jim Ronquest:Maybe you don't you know it all depends on the area you're hunting and what's going on around you, but but use that call to your benefit just don't blow it blow at them all the time.
Justin Kennedy:I never thought about that from the TV production side when you're editing footage and when you're going through, like, it's almost like I've been in the church world for a long time, and I know a lot of times, like, Mondays, we'd rewatch services and, you know, why did we say this and why did we do this and, like, really learning from it. But I never looked at it like that. That's that's pretty interesting take that you were able to watch and listen to yourself call because you were filming a TV show and kind of almost correct and figure out where you did wrong, what you could have done better and learn from it. Whereas, you know, guys like me who aren't, like, filming TV were out there. We're just like, we don't you know, days over and there ain't no way to review it.
Justin Kennedy:It's done.
Jim Ronquest:And that's probably one of the beauties of it is you kinda get to get to go back and look kinda like watching the game game film. Yeah. Football teams. Yeah. And now what somebody sees on TV or edited hunt.
Jim Ronquest:Don't that's not exactly what happened. Oh, you know because you you gotta take what you did in a morning or three or four mornings to condense down to an outdoor television twenty two minutes and thirty seconds.
Justin Kennedy:Yep,
Jim Ronquest:you know, so it's you're not going to see it in real time. So so it kind of skew. I think that kind of skews people's minds for how you do call. But that being said, when you go back and watch it and you see, yep, I screwed them up right there. You know, you you just it gives you an opportunity to rehash.
Justin Kennedy:How I know you've always been kind of the guide for me this just because you you put out so much content and I love I don't know if you get told enough. I love your Facebook your Facebook lives. That's so great, man. I wish more people did that. Just it's fun and you got cool people coming on there and y'all are talking about real stuff and it's, you know, it it's a really cool thing.
Jim Ronquest:I'm glad you're doing it. Well, thank you for saying that. I kinda haven't been as consistent. I noticed the last one I've done. I don't know if it's the algorithms or what, but I noticed the numbers were down and I thought that's time of year kind of thing.
Jim Ronquest:Yeah, tried to announce this and all the contests we got coming up here tomorrow, but it's funny there for a little while. If you wouldn't do one, I'd get messages. Hey man, did I miss it? What's or even now you may not have a lot of people while it's live, but you go, you know, a week later, you'll get a email from the meta folks. Hey, man.
Jim Ronquest:You had a, you know, 2,500 views this past week on, you know, so it does it does get some reach. I've been trying to think about if I want to be more consistent, make it a little bit. People like that more of a podcast type deal, but I like the. I like the liveness of it, you know, I try to I do. I try to call people out like I seen your name last week and you may be carrying on four conversations at one time.
Jim Ronquest:And that's kind of fun. I
Justin Kennedy:like that.
Jim Ronquest:So you gotta keep reading, and it's it's it don't get no more organic than that. No. Hang on, man. Guys, let me catch up with the messages here.
Justin Kennedy:Yep. So now we get AirPods in just doing it and just talking with people.
Jim Ronquest:And and I enjoy that aspect of it. You know, I think it's fun. I would like to see it grow a little more, but as we get deeper in the summer, I think it will. But thank you for saying so.
Justin Kennedy:I Yeah, man.
Jim Ronquest:That may be a reason to do it a little better.
Justin Kennedy:Hey, dude. Yeah. It's people are watching it and I I think whatever you would invest in whatever gear, whatever to do it, it'd be worth it because it's it's a great thing and people people watch it. What what are you hearing on 2526 duck season? I know last night I I could I could hear it winding up.
Justin Kennedy:Everybody was 30. This, I talked to this one vendor. 30 percent of rice has been returned and nothing's gonna make. We're getting way too much rain. And I know it's early, but I know the the, you know, the the preseason panic has begun.
Justin Kennedy:Yeah. Which is every year, but is, you know, what are you what are you hearing? What are you sensing? What are you thinking? Like, how are you feeling about 25, 20 six?
Jim Ronquest:Too early to tell to be honest with you. Yeah, Nat foods will be good again. Think this year I say Nat natural foods. There's a lot of stuff didn't get planted. Although that said there's we still got, you know, overflow in the White And Cash River basins, biomedical basins.
Jim Ronquest:There's a lot of stuff. If we don't get that water off soon, it's going to be pretty bland.
Justin Kennedy:Yeah.
Jim Ronquest:But if that water will get off there, we'll have a really good natural response. You know, the weeds And that's the one I want to point out here. Everybody worries about rice and corn and milo and and all the cool hot foods that ducks love to eat. But remember, they were eating weeds and grass seed before modern agriculture was on the Yep. So don't ever be thinking that, oh man, all they got's a bunch of grass.
Jim Ronquest:That's what they was eating. Yeah. That's what, yeah. That's what they had. So the natural foods will probably be good, good again.
Jim Ronquest:My concern is all this water in the river bottoms and on our GTRs is timber health. Yeah. That's a huge issue for me. Hopefully we'll have an acorn crop. So keep in mind your red oak acorns aren't from last year, they're from the previous year.
Jim Ronquest:So there's an acre crop is from two years ago. So that's really important to us is having a good red oak acorn crop. I really don't know. I wish I had a crystal ball. There's also a lot of talk about, you know, duck populations.
Jim Ronquest:So we're coming up here. It's late May, the May Pond counts and breeding pair population is happening right now. The bee pop and Maypawn counts is going on right now, so we're starting to hear some information from this next week. Then we'll get to print out in August time they compile all that information. Know ducks were up just a fuzz last year.
Jim Ronquest:Looking at the habitat on the breeding grounds about the same as last year. We just recently got some late rains. Yeah. Maybe too late for major production, but it may be good for second nesting attempts. You know that which which Mallard's Pentaios teal especially were pretty good about second nesting attempts.
Jim Ronquest:That that'll be helpful. Then the big thing is going to be weather. Know we need weather. Just did a interview with Doctor Mike Brasher with DU for an RNTV upcoming RNTV episode.
Justin Kennedy:Oh
Jim Ronquest:cool. Talking about milder distribution. Yeah, you know this area is still the middle of it. Still the center. You hear a lot of people talk about duck migration changing or they're going to Oklahoma.
Jim Ronquest:They're going here. It has widened somewhat yet. This is still the center and this is still the highest harvest area. Now you argue pressure causes a bunch of that, but you can kind of see where ducks have changed a little bit, you know, not a lot, but this is areas the center may have shifted a touch north, but it's still here. So back to that, you know, photo period is kind of the main driver of migration.
Jim Ronquest:Yeah, now I'm jumping all around here, but if you say go for it, if you take photo period December 21 is shortest day of the year, right? That's that's the winter solstice. Daylight starts getting longer. We know that photo period daylight getting shorter spawns migration spawns deer, rutting turkeys goblin. Yep, all that sort of stuff.
Jim Ronquest:So as you look at that and you look at how the weather systems have changed on either side of that, we're not getting the big weather pushes. In early to mid December and you know all the old timers used to always say if you ain't got your ducks by Christmas, you probably not gonna get them and there's a lot of truth in that. Now that said there is a little bit later shift in January, but it's got to get bad and they're not staying long because in their mind. Daylight's getting longer. They're starting to turn to think about turning around now.
Jim Ronquest:We've all seen them beautiful first week in January. Polar vortex freezes. Oh yeah, you've had a little push from the South. Baylight's getting longer and you got that last final push from the North. That doesn't happen all the time.
Justin Kennedy:We got caught in that two years ago. I guess it was two years ago
Jim Ronquest:in Mississippi. Could be fantastic.
Justin Kennedy:Oh my gosh. It was awesome, man. It was blizzard and it was it was awesome. It was the best. So we backed our trip up.
Justin Kennedy:We used to go MLK week and around in there. Now we're like December 14 to the twentieth. Like, that's really like our big trip out here in Mississippi. That's that's when we backed it up too. Because he kept telling us year after year, my buddy David, you gotta come early.
Justin Kennedy:You gotta come earlier. It just keeps it keeps getting better and better early. And I was like, yeah. Ain't no way. And then finally, two years ago, he pulled his books out and was reading the counts.
Justin Kennedy:And I was like, sold. Fine. Yeah. I'll come early now. You know, it's hard for me because I got a seven and a five year old, and that's when Christmas plays are and all the stuff at school.
Justin Kennedy:You know, that week before we let out for Christmas is is really hard, but I'm getting excited because seven and five means they're about two three years away from they're gonna be on the trips
Jim Ronquest:with me. They'll be on those.
Justin Kennedy:And my son he's art Brooks is already tearing it up man killed his first big dough at seven last year And, I did want to get on that a little bit and just what you think as a, as a culture, what we need to be doing to getting for getting kids more involved in duck hunting. I know deer hunting is a whole lot easier because it's safer. You know, they climb up in a redneck blind or whatever. They're sitting there. They can get their color on books, whatever.
Justin Kennedy:Like, I, I get why deer hunting so much easier in Turkey hunting for kids, but, and I feel like duck hunting, the age is a little bit, little bit older to, to, to get into it, but I feel like we've got to start that. And it's cool at Collapalooza. I've been seeing some kids. I brought my son at five. He came and hung out and he, man, he had a blast.
Justin Kennedy:It was like latest he'd ever stayed up. We were playing pool at the Hilton at 11:00 at night. You know, it was it was a blast. But what what do you think we need to be doing as as duck hunters and as and as fathers to to start getting our kids into it earlier? Are there certain places you think are better than other or type of hunts?
Justin Kennedy:Like, what's gonna be the best way for somebody listening who's got a kid, you know to get them going and duck hunting.
Jim Ronquest:Great great question. I I don't know that I have all those answers, but I can tell you a little what I've seen. I talk about my daughter and and other kids One take them hunting. Yep, get them out there, get them exposed to it. Let them have fun.
Jim Ronquest:Don't force them and and I I tried really not to force my daughter into it. Don't be no honey. I don't care if your feet's cold. We're gonna be here. We're we're we're we're hunting.
Jim Ronquest:Don't do that. Let them have fun. Take plenty of snacks. The other thing is try to help them be successful. I I'm gonna use John's son Reese as an example.
Jim Ronquest:His very first duck ever was on it was on a TV show. I forget the episode and it was a pintail hen that he shot on the water.
Justin Kennedy:Dang.
Jim Ronquest:And he took there were some comments from the show aired. You naturally people were were were kind of hating on it, but hold. Here's the whole point there. I get it, know about not shooting hens and some folks have an issue with shooting ducks on the water, but we called that we had tricked that duck. Ducks she come in there and lit just as Purdy and Reese shot her and he was successful.
Jim Ronquest:Now he could have shot three times with that duck and missed it, but he was successful. Yeah, he was successful. He's got time to learn the rest of that, but he was successful. I think that was important. Of course he grew up in a hunting family, the farm and whatnot.
Jim Ronquest:He was going to be a duck hunter, probably regardless, but that sped it along and he and and John took him all the time. Yep. If Reese want to go hunting, John went or if John took him. I think that's what most of us need to do now. Pick the weather a little bit.
Jim Ronquest:If if it's gonna be pouring down raining. That ain't the day. And you know, don't know son you may want to stay home. Yeah, you know Justin and I are going today. Yep.
Jim Ronquest:But if they keep really wanting to go get them some good gear, let them go. Let them go enjoy it. My daughter was kind of different nowadays. She loves it and she went a time or two as a young girl. I never forced her to.
Jim Ronquest:Yeah, but at one time in my life, especially with ducks and turkeys, I think she kind of resented it because that was my job. Took me away from home. Yeah, whatnot. I get that. I never forced her, but now she she wants to go.
Jim Ronquest:She enjoys it. Her and her buddies when she's in college, we started a girls hunt
Justin Kennedy:in summer college,
Jim Ronquest:but and it's every year now. It's it's a tradition. Martin Luther King weekend. We're doing the girls hunt.
Justin Kennedy:They're all coming in
Jim Ronquest:and now these girls are working, got jobs. They're out of grad. Some of them are out of grad school. Got their master's degrees, you know, talking about getting married, blah blah blah, but they want to come do the girls hunt every January. We had a couple of them in town last night talking about it and then this year we started the inaugural girls Turkey spring Turkey Hunt.
Jim Ronquest:Yep, so it's really fun seeing these their young women now, but they want to get in the outdoors. They don't want to go every day. Yeah, but they want to go. Want to talk about it. They want to be a part of the lifestyle.
Jim Ronquest:They want to enjoy it and that's a good thing. So one of these days. They're going to be moms. Yeah, you know they're going to be wise and they're going to have an appreciation for the outdoors and going hunting and doing things. I think that's important that we try to hopefully instill that in our children's minds, but we got to expose it to him first and make it be fun and And you know, some are going to be, you know, it becomes I'm addicted to it.
Jim Ronquest:I gotta go every day. Yeah, you know, they don't necessarily have to be that but they have to have an appreciation for it. But the more you take them the more you get them around it. The more they're successful, the more they enjoy the lifestyle. Buddies, you know that treat them like respectfully and enjoy their time in the field.
Jim Ronquest:I think that's going to make them want to go more. And then also let's try to teach them a little bit, you know, BC and I was talking a while ago about some things and a lot of these young guys things they don't know and they may not have grew up in a hunting family. Yeah, they may be hunting because they see it on Instagram. Think it's fun, but nobody's really told them. Right from wrong or what's good morals or good ethics.
Jim Ronquest:Yeah.
Justin Kennedy:I'm seeing that a lot.
Jim Ronquest:Yeah. And you see it more and more.
Justin Kennedy:It's. But it's and I think it is. It's the I think some of it is the draw of I think I think social media has had a lot to do with it. And and you're right. Some of it could be them seen hunting, not growing up, and it don't have the foundation and the base.
Justin Kennedy:So, like, with anything, if you build it, you build something without a strong foundation, without a strong base, it's in trouble no matter what it is. If it's a business or, like, a hobby, it doesn't matter. It's gonna be in trouble. And I think some of that is, but I also think some of that is the I've gotta do the like, I have to be successful here no matter what it takes. Like, throw the morals aside, throw everything because if I don't get to post this on Instagram or whatever, like, it's gonna be I'm gonna be in trouble.
Justin Kennedy:And it's that that that side of hunting's gotta die. It has
Jim Ronquest:to die. It's gotta be more about the log shot. You know, I laughed here a couple years ago and I don't know who posted it. If I could remember him, I'd I'd mentioned her name, but it was a cool it was a cool photo making light of what we just talked about. It was like the end of the last day of duck season and they was in the woods and they took all their decoys and stacked them up on a log and took a picture.
Jim Ronquest:Yeah, I thought that was hilarious, but we you know sure we all we all like to have heavy straps.
Justin Kennedy:Oh, We
Jim Ronquest:we I mean, I I like to have a good picture of me and my buddies and we got stringers of ducks. That's fun. I love to smell burnt powder and I like my dog to be tired. That said, there's just so much more to it. Yep.
Jim Ronquest:You know, learn to respect the resource Without that waterfowl resource, we're not here. We're not doing this. This is not going on. So take care of the resource first. Yep, our youngsters to understand that that it's not just there for the taking.
Jim Ronquest:We got to put some back. Yep, or we got to at least appreciate it and try to make it prosper and then get them where they enjoy everything about. What goes into duck hunting and I think? What's cool about duck hunting to a lot of folks myself is when we're standing against tree trying to break out high bunch of ducks or we're trying to finish that bunch of ducks. Gotta be head.
Jim Ronquest:You gotta be careful. You gotta be stealthy, but after that man we can be talking and getting long cooking breakfast, doing whatever and all the gear that goes into duck hunting man. You like if you like stuff man trucks boats guns
Justin Kennedy:coming out coming out here every year is a it is a problem. It's a problem for me I this morning has been this morning's been rough. I even had a guy comment. I was walking by. I had a couple I got some calls from John.
Justin Kennedy:I was walking by, some guy was like, dang. You've had a lot a big morning. I was like, this is this is not good. I'm gonna be in trouble when I get home. I'm gonna get home when we review this credit card bill coming from Collapalooza because there's something about duck hunting gear that I just I can't I can't get enough.
Justin Kennedy:I wanna go
Jim Ronquest:get it. I get it. And then, you know, as we get our kids involved in that, especially seems like the boys maybe more than the girls that you know that are kind of they lean that away. Yeah. Anyway, I I think that's a big draw and if we can keep moving with that, we can know full well that when we're gone that we got somebody picking up picking up and picking the ball up and running with.
Justin Kennedy:Yep, Yep. And that and that's so important to me. I I wrote I wrote a article for GON about my son's first deer, and that's what I ended it with. I said, you know, O'Neil Williams, you know, real famous radio guy and from the Georgia era, he always said, if you're too busy to take a kid hunting and fishing, then you're just too busy. That was his catchphrase for forty years.
Justin Kennedy:And I I live by that man. And I I I've said, I'm I am a I'm tired of filling my walls with trophies that'll collect dust for me. Like, I'd rather not pull the trigger for six years and get my kids out there and get them hunting. Mhmm. It's more important to me to get them into it and get them moving.
Justin Kennedy:Then I get my second win when they go on their own trips by themselves. I go back on my trips. I can get a second win and do whatever, but like, I'm, I'm ready. I'm ready to see that happen in your career. Cause it's been a long one and it's been a, a essentially like a peak the entire time.
Justin Kennedy:Like you have just spent, like, once you've got up on top, you've stayed up there and everything you've done. And what what to you has been the most rewarding? I know it's a hard question, but the most rewarding part of what you've done with Rich and Tone, with Drake, hunting with the people you've hunted with, the travels that you've done, what's been the most rewarding thing? Maybe it can be an experience or the most rewarding thing you've taken from it. However you want to answer it, but just like what's been the thing that that you've loved the most out of what you've been able to do?
Jim Ronquest:Man, that is a tough one, Justin. There there's been so many cool things that I've gotten to see and do places I've gotten to go that I would have never had the opportunity to go to without having some. A duck called or a turkey call. Yeah, that it took me there. But I'm gonna say more than anything.
Jim Ronquest:It's the friends I've made around the country. Yep, I back pull my phone out and scroll on if I'm traveling. May not always be somebody right there. But if I'm traveling north or south through the middle of the country, I'm not going to be far from somebody that if I need a place to go to bed that night or need somebody to help me or point me in the right direction. Hey, I've broke down.
Jim Ronquest:Who can I call in this area? They're on that phone and those friendships last forever. I was talking to a guy the other day. We were talking about this very things. You know, really hadn't known him that long, but I feel like I've known him and his family forever and there's several folks like that and try to communicate that the year, but you can't always stay up with folks so.
Jim Ronquest:It may be somebody you hadn't talked to in five-six months and you just pick up where you left off and without duck calling, duck hunting, Turkey hunting, Turkey calling. I'd have never made that many friends, that many folks. And I'm gonna say that's probably been the biggest takeaway.
Justin Kennedy:I think that's the thing, the the culture that dislikes us for what we do for hunting. I feel like the thing that they miss and I wish that they could, I wish they could spend one night in camp with with a group of guys and or or a group of girls, whatever. I wish they could spend just one night and understand that, you know, it's not just the kill. It's not that three seconds right there. It's Mm-mm.
Justin Kennedy:It for me, it's even, like, we got a trip coming up, talking about it, getting excited about it, laying out all my all the gear that I've got, getting organized, getting the truck loaded. All that to me is is part of it and what I think gets missed a lot. And the thing that really I told this to Jim when me and him did podcast a couple weeks ago. I said, you don't realize that until it's gone. I said, because it it's not no one's died, nothing like that.
Justin Kennedy:But I went on a deer hunting trip, to Ohio. Some guys invited me and I didn't know him well enough to be able to like, Hey, can I bring my dad? Can I bring my brother? So I just went by myself hotel room by myself and hunted for seven straight days. And day three, I'm not people are gonna think I'm crazy for saying this.
Justin Kennedy:I was depressed. And and I realized planning where you're gonna go, what stand are you gonna sit in, how you gonna hunt it, going to eat lunch, going to eat dinner, doing the post after the hunt. Everyone's sitting like, oh, he can't the store all that was gone. And I realized, like, I had I had always known this, but feeling that for the first time, was like, man, that's 90% of the experience is the camaraderie and building friendships and walking into camp and there being three guys you never met. And by the time you leave, you feel like you've known them for ten years.
Justin Kennedy:It's like last night, I was sitting here talking to two guys. One of the guys owns the bowling alley in Stuttgart, and then there's another guy and no one's on their phones. No one's sitting there staring like, everyone's just talking and hanging out and meeting new people. And that is one thing that I'll say the hunting community and duck hunters are getting right right now is building relationships with people and not being afraid to strike up a conversation with someone who you have no idea who they are, especially at events like this. Because you got all these guys who've driven a long way, and you can't just be alone for three days, like, sitting in the corner.
Justin Kennedy:Like, you gotta be involved and get in with you.
Jim Ronquest:You bet. Yep. You we mentioned the girls hunt a while ago. At the girls turkey hunt this spring. It was fun just sitting there and step back.
Jim Ronquest:I was just the guy on the ground there, but I just stepped back and just watched and listened, you could see how much they enjoyed their company and what they talked about and what everything they were doing. And that's a big part of it. That's what brings folks together. Yep. And like you said, they weren't sitting there looking at your phones or doing this or that they were living and going to the woods, Turkey gobbling.
Jim Ronquest:They getting excited and you know that's why they go and and just understanding to to be quiet or whatnot. Again, if if I just had to take it all away, the great hunts, the cool places, it's the cool people. Well, before before we get out of here, there's one
Justin Kennedy:thing I wanted you to do. I've heard you do it a couple times and it's it's out of everything you've done, it's probably the most memorable thing I've heard from you. If you could describe for me and for the people who are listening at home, what the perfect duck hunting morning is to you. And I and it's it's funny because it's so dead it's so dead on. I remember the first time I remember where I was not to be weird.
Justin Kennedy:I remember where I was at in the truck. It was I remember what podcast I was listening to. I remember I was about to go over a railroad track, and when you said it, it was like I was sitting there. You took me there. So to to kinda to kinda take us out, I would love for you if you can describe what the perfect duck hunting morning is to you and what that looks like
Jim Ronquest:man. Okay. Me see if I can do this here. So we'll be hunting Arkansas River bottoms, hunting wide or cash river bottom somewhere. You get up in the morning, it's cold, clear, nice wind blowing, 10 mile an hour or so out of the South Southwest, Pretty chilly.
Jim Ronquest:Not super cold, but high twenties, low thirties, you know. Stick the boat in the water, motor warming up, smelling that two strokes smoke. Getting the dog out of the truck, Getting a boat. Hear him getting a boat. Alright, folks.
Jim Ronquest:Y'all sit down here. Get your life jacket. Remember y'all, we get in the woods now. Keep your head down. Don't grab no limbs.
Jim Ronquest:Keep your hands inside the boat. Get in the woods. Have a good hunt. Break some high ducks, have a nice spirited boat ride. I'm not into boat racing, but I like good spirited boat rides in the Just have a have a good hunt, have some great dog work.
Jim Ronquest:I'm fortunate to have a couple really nice dogs. Break some high ducks. Don't want to tap them too fast. You know, I've had some really quick hunts, but I like them to, know, shoot a limited ducks and be done by 08:39 o'clock. Know, just enjoy the hunt, enjoy the morning, take pictures, get decoys picked up.
Jim Ronquest:Always fun after a lemon hunt, you know, everybody's splashing people with decoys. Oh, yeah. You know, that's happening. Get in a boat, have a nice, have that spirited boat ride back to the truck, get to the get to the house or the shop, have that after hunt, cold beer, clean ducks, get your ducks clean, have a couple beers. By then, you're good and hungry.
Jim Ronquest:And you've been sitting by that wood stove and you go in the house and mama Rosie got that big old big old pot of barley duck soup on the stove. You can smell that smell that cooking and get you a get you a belly full of that on top of them after the hunt cold beers.
Justin Kennedy:I'm ready. And then
Jim Ronquest:then you're ready for a nap. That's the day right there.
Justin Kennedy:That's it. That's it. That's all we ever want. If if there was a a book about what duck hunting is supposed to be, that's it right there.
Jim Ronquest:Yep. Wake up from that nap, get in a truck, go scout for the next day and do it again.
Justin Kennedy:Oh yeah, getting out there and just watching them.
Jim Ronquest:That's right. That's the whole deal, man. It's fun. Then the people you get to experience that with and things you get to do. It's those little things, you know, that going home.
Jim Ronquest:And like I said, you could go to shop, build a fire and stove and clean your ducks. Have a couple after hunt cold beers and go in the house and eat a big lunch and Rosie and there how to go guys you know and Jenna bug how to go daddy you know just it's alright that those little things is what pulls us all together. Yep. Know, and and there's so many people miss out on that. And that that's to me, that's that's the perfect duck hunting day.
Justin Kennedy:I love it, man. Well, 03:30 in the morning. First first morning of the season is coming soon. Not not as soon as I'd like but it's on the horizon. Getting ready for it and I'm hoping when all the reports and everything starts flowing out the next couple weeks, please do some Facebook lives.
Justin Kennedy:And when you start seeing those numbers going through them and letting everybody know what's going on because I know me, I know a lot of people look at you to kind of indicate and kind of see what kind of season we're going to be having. And I really, really wanna say thanks for doing this.
Jim Ronquest:Know the
Justin Kennedy:call, plusses wide open. You got a million things going on, and you took time to do this with me. And I I I cannot explain to you how appreciative I am of it. And thank you for doing this, Jimbo. I appreciate you, my friend.
Jim Ronquest:Hi, bud. Thank you, Jeff.
Justin Kennedy:Appreciate it, man. Heck yeah. Alright.