Ducks Unlimited Podcast

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What does it mean to carry a legacy forward while building something new?

In this episode of the Ducks Unlimited Podcast, host Wade Shoemaker sits down with Jacob Mayo, brand manager for Duck Commander and founder of General Vintage, for a conversation about legacy, family, entrepreneurship, and the future of one of the most recognizable names in waterfowling.

Recorded inside the Duck Commander warehouse in West Monroe, Louisiana, the discussion explores how Duck Commander evolved from a duck call company into a cultural phenomenon, what Phil Robertson’s influence means today, and how the next generation is working to honor those roots while creating a sustainable future. Jacob also shares the unlikely story behind General Vintage, his successful vintage clothing business that began with lessons learned from his grandmother and local garage sales.

Beyond the brands themselves, this episode centers on values—faith, family, authenticity, and the impact one person can have across generations.

Topics Covered
  • The history and legacy of Duck Commander
  • Phil Robertson’s lasting impact on hunting and faith
  • The relationship between Duck Commander and Duck Dynasty
  • What’s next for the Duck Commander brand
  • How General Vintage started from garage sales and family influence
  • Faith, entrepreneurship, and building something meaningful
  • Why authenticity still matters in the outdoor industry

Listen now: www.ducks.org/DUPodcast
Send feedback: DUPodcast@ducks.org

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Creators and Guests

Host
Wade Shoemaker
DUPodcast Host

What is Ducks Unlimited Podcast?

Ducks Unlimited Podcast is a constant discussion of all things waterfowl; from in-depth hunting tips and tactics, to waterfowl biology, research, science, and habitat updates. The DU Podcast is the go-to resource for waterfowl hunters and conservationists. Ducks Unlimited is the world's leader in wetlands conservation.

Jacob Mayo:

My grandma will buy anything. She'll buy looking

Wade Shoemaker:

for a profit. She's looking to give to a profit.

Jacob Mayo:

Oh, yeah. My grandma will buy a third of Gold Bond and give it to somebody to use. Oh, my of Smith. And Don Duschoke. I love that.

Jacob Mayo:

But yeah. So this? So I just learned it from my grandma and, started it.

VO:

You're tuned in to the Ducks Unlimited Podcast. Conserving wetlands, restoring habitat, and working to fill the skies with waterfowl today, tomorrow, and forever. From field tested hunting insights to the biggest conservation wins across North America, this is your front row seat to wetlands conservation in action. The DU podcast is proudly sponsored by Bird Dog Whiskey and Cocktails. Whether you're wrapping up a hunt with your best friend or kicking back with your crew, Bird Dog brings award winning flavor to every moment.

VO:

Enjoy responsibly.

Wade Shoemaker:

Hey, folks. Welcome back. I'm your host, Wade Shoemaker, and I'd be completely covering up the truth if I didn't tell you that I was excited about today's situation, the guest, the location, the legacy that's left been that's been left behind, and more importantly, how how that legacy was built on for the next generation. Look. First of all, the fact that I'm even hosting a podcast is still kinda mind boggling to me, especially one for the organization like Ducks Unlimited.

Wade Shoemaker:

And and now today, I'm adding sort of an an exponent to to that by hosting a Ducks Unlimited Podcast with my pal, Jacob Mayo, as a guest inside the Duck Commander warehouse. This is insane for me for a lot of reasons, but we gotta get going or I'll ramble. So Jacob, brand manager now at Duck Commander, founder, cofounder at General Vintage. Dude, I know you. Maybe not everybody out here knows you, but Yeah.

Wade Shoemaker:

I know it's for them, it's great to meet you here. Tell us a little bit about yourself, dude.

Jacob Mayo:

Man, my name is Jacob Mayo. I'm 27 years old. I'm married. Yeah. I just started here working here at Duck Commander.

Jacob Mayo:

My wife's family, you know, owns Duck Commander, so something fun that I've got to get into and start to express myself in and express it with our values of faith, family, duck.

Wade Shoemaker:

So Yeah.

Jacob Mayo:

I mean,

Wade Shoemaker:

it's a

Jacob Mayo:

fun thing, a very humble guy in the situation, but it's fun to be in the position I am and to see what what we're doing moving forward.

Wade Shoemaker:

Yeah. But you're crushing it. I mean, like, there's a lot of cool things happening. And then I mean, I know I know this is like you you mentioned, like, her family owns the deal, but, like, I do think you're in a cool spot because you're qualified. You know?

Wade Shoemaker:

Like, I've seen some cool things happen.

Jacob Mayo:

We'll we'll

Wade Shoemaker:

we'll get to that in a minute. Like, I wanna I wanna get to it because I think it's super cool. But but, I mean, we're here for for a lot of reasons, and one is, honestly, man, to get to know you, but also just to kinda cover a couple things, man. We've got we're here at Duck Commander, and it's it's really crazy to me as a local, semi local, to grow up around here and honestly, like, not not ever having hang hung out in here. Right.

Wade Shoemaker:

We took a we had to reschedule the other the last last week. You know, we're here again. But before we had to reschedule, we took a tour for the museum that's here, and that's that was something that I wasn't expecting. Right. Not that I didn't think you'd let me take a tour of the museum.

Wade Shoemaker:

I just didn't think it was something to go see, honestly, like, being transparent. And, dude, you you rolled me through and chain I mean, I'm eating the crow, like, because it was incredible. Yeah. It was done upright. And, I mean, is that that's something you said has been done for a very long time.

Wade Shoemaker:

You know? Well, not a very long time, but a while.

Jacob Mayo:

I wanna say I talked to Bella, and it was, like, 2015 Yeah. I think. So about or maybe 2016. Somewhere in there. But it's really cool because, like, I was in the same shoes as you.

Jacob Mayo:

Yeah. Like, I didn't keep up with Ducks Unlimited and I never came up here at all growing up just because that was just how it played out for me. Yeah. And it's cool, like, going in there. When I saw it, I was like, man, this is awesome.

Jacob Mayo:

This is, like, real deal. Like like, if you're from Louisiana here in Western Road, Monroe, like, you have the Beethorn Museum. Yeah. You have, like, Chenault out there by the airport, and they're not huge airports. But I mean, not airports, museums.

Jacob Mayo:

Yeah. But if you go into them, they're, like, really cool, there's lot of, like, local nostalgia and, like, facts and stuff. And so it's like, when I come here, I'm like, I think you'd really like this Wade. You wouldn't you wouldn't expect what's in there. And so going through there just talks about Phil's life and Kay's life and just, like, how they met and then him playing football Yeah.

Jacob Mayo:

And then just being addicted to ducks and changing his whole life for it, and then everything that's came after that and, like, giving his life to Christ. And it's just a crazy, like, thing to just, like, see all the knickknacks in there with it and just, like, breaking it like, coach Kent Murphy breaking it down from a fundamental standpoint. You know? Yeah. Yeah.

Jacob Mayo:

Yeah.

Wade Shoemaker:

No. It's cool, man. Like, especially seeing like, you were telling me some of the things that are in there are actually, like, authentic things. Like, the thing about when you I mean, there's all the hunting things, but

Jacob Mayo:

then the one

Wade Shoemaker:

thing that stuck out to me is my grandparents are big, like they're like antique people. Right. Right? You know, and that's just what they do. They love junking.

Wade Shoemaker:

They love estate sales, and they love Bonnie and Clyde and Arcadia. Like, they love all that stuff. But when I walked in and you just told me about the the big cabinet, like,

Jacob Mayo:

the one of the original From Kay's Yeah. Parents' grocery store.

Wade Shoemaker:

Yeah. Yeah. That was cool to me, man. Yeah. And I don't know why.

Wade Shoemaker:

Like, it's just one of those things, and I'm like, this is this is sick.

Jacob Mayo:

Yeah. It's just weird. Like, a weird like, a weird fun fact. It's like Yeah. You know about Phil.

Jacob Mayo:

You know about Ducks. Like, and then the blind count. You know about their story and just, all the things. And you and it's just like, oh, but did you also know that Kay's family owned a grocery store? And here's their nineteen fifties store cabinet.

Jacob Mayo:

It's

Wade Shoemaker:

cool. It's like

Jacob Mayo:

kinda freaking out.

Wade Shoemaker:

Scenes y'all had set up. Like, even even the one we walked in that that whole that Doug Blind scene there at the end where there's, like, the the decoys are out there. Yeah. Got a video played. For me, that was just super cool to walk into and be like, dude, there's a whole boat in the in the in the building.

Wade Shoemaker:

You know? And it's like, that's that took effort. You know? It wasn't, like, just thrown together.

Jacob Mayo:

And it's kinda funny you think that was, like, fake water. It's not, like, actually water there, But it's, like, painted water, and there are decoys on it.

Wade Shoemaker:

And you're thinking and if you're first time ever and you're not used to it, you're probably in your mind going, I wonder I wonder if there's water in there. You know?

Jacob Mayo:

Oh, yeah. And it's funny because I don't know exactly what duck man it is, but the clip that they play in there is them just they shoot some ducks. They call them in. They come in, and they wound them, and they just shoot and keep reloading and shoot because they can't reloading and just shooting. And it's the funniest thing because I think they shoot, like, they had to shoot, like, 25 shots after After

Wade Shoemaker:

the volley.

Jacob Mayo:

After the volley. And it's just like

Wade Shoemaker:

Just struggling.

Jacob Mayo:

And it's a dark room.

Wade Shoemaker:

Like, you

Jacob Mayo:

know, it's just funny.

Wade Shoemaker:

It's like Struggling.

Jacob Mayo:

Real duck men esque.

Wade Shoemaker:

They're freaking struggling, dude. Yeah. I love and it's cool to to to see them, like, especially some especially somebody coming in that this, like they they look at them as, like, the top of the totem pole, you know, for duck hunters, and they're like, wait a minute. They're not everybody is really good at it all the time.

Jacob Mayo:

Right? Is. It's not perfect.

Wade Shoemaker:

It's not. I love it. Well well, look, I wanna we can cover some other things, but, like, I wanna I guess we know the impact that Duck Commander has had. I did watch some Duck Commander stuff on VCR. Like, I don't know if everybody knows what a VCR is.

Wade Shoemaker:

You know? Like, at this point, which is wild to say, but it's true. You know? If you're under 30, you probably you may have never seen one.

Jacob Mayo:

You know?

Wade Shoemaker:

But but I did watch some on VCR, and the one I did watch is the one that if you know who they are, you know who they are because of this clip, and it's the big deer flip, and we had that for whatever reason. My papa had that one. And then it went on DVD, and and then when I moved to West Monroe some years ago, there was there was Weather the Storm. We talked about that walking through. They had the whole deal in the museum, and and it and it was Fear the Beard, and it was such a cool freaking, like, thought knowing that, like, all the high water that they were battling with the same was the same water from the same river that we were struggling with, the same ducks, same everything, and as the crow flies, I think, you know, hardly any piece, just a few miles from, like, their property.

Wade Shoemaker:

And and we were hunting the same ducks, and as a guy that had only been hunting I don't I was hunting six or seven years. I'm connecting these dots, and it's just like spider senses are kinda going off, and and it did something for me, and I thought it was one of the coolest things in the world. Like, for me to be watching this going, man, I remember that, and I remember how we struggled so much. They're struggling with the same things. The difference is, like, we're moving around, and they're just watching water come up with their blind that may sink you know, may Yeah.

Wade Shoemaker:

Go under. You know? But you're a local guy, and you talked about how you didn't really pay attention to the Duck Dynasty thing growing up, and and neither did I. Like, but the Duck Commander thing was a big deal Yeah. At one point for me.

Wade Shoemaker:

And it's still now it is still, but, like, when Duck Dynasty got here, I was still kinda stuck in the commander side of things. Sure. But what was the vibe for you and your folks growing up around here and and when it came to, like, to, like, Duck Commander? Like, or or were these guys even, like, a blip on your radar, you know, coming up?

Jacob Mayo:

Yeah. I would say they were. And I think it just really goes family to family. Like Yeah. There's families that like, Bella's mom, Corey, like, she watched reality TV growing up.

Jacob Mayo:

Yeah. Like, I didn't watch reality TV. Maybe American Idol or something with my mom or something. But, like chance. I didn't watch a lot of TV.

Jacob Mayo:

Like, my parents were the type that, like, you don't have a TV in your room till you're, like, older, and so I never had one. And so I just never cared to have one. And so I just didn't watch a lot of TV. But I did know Duck Commander because well, the funniest thing ever I think my dad was telling me this yesterday. They play poker, and it's on and off, and Saad pays poker a lot.

Jacob Mayo:

But my dad, I think, started playing poker with him in, like, two thousand three or something. And so I have a my family has a family business, and I said that so terrible earlier. Bella, my wife, it's a family business. Now that's what they own the thing. I've been, like, thinking about the whole time.

Jacob Mayo:

Like, they own the thing. I just mean, like, it's a family business. How do

Wade Shoemaker:

I recover from this? Yeah. Yeah.

Jacob Mayo:

I was like, this sounds so crazy, but it's just a family business. So it's just funny. But go back. They played poker together, and then my brother, same age as Cole, who's Jayce's second son. Yeah.

Jacob Mayo:

And they played all stars together. So, like, when growing up, Jayce That's Trey's right.

Wade Shoemaker:

Trey's. Yeah. Okay.

Jacob Mayo:

Jason Martin were, like, his coaches for all star.

Wade Shoemaker:

Uh-uh.

Jacob Mayo:

And then my sister and Sadie are the same age, and they played softball at Ducks used together and stayed at night at each other's houses. So to me

Wade Shoemaker:

It was just people.

Jacob Mayo:

It was just people.

Wade Shoemaker:

Like Yeah.

Jacob Mayo:

And I've that had to be before Duck Dynasty.

Wade Shoemaker:

And when? 2000 when?

Jacob Mayo:

So he started playing poker in, like, 2003. Would say '4, dude. But, like but they were still doing Duck Commander. Yeah. Yeah.

Jacob Mayo:

Then my brother played All Stars. They had to be they had to be, like, eight years old, you know, 10 years old, like, somewhere in that range. So he's 10 years old. I'm 26. Trace is a year older than me.

Wade Shoemaker:

It was after 2010 when all that started, I believe. Yes. It was at

Jacob Mayo:

that was, like, 2009.

Wade Shoemaker:

Oh, yeah, dude.

Jacob Mayo:

Yeah. Like, Duck Dynasty hadn't come out, No. I don't think so. Yeah. So that was before that, but, like, I did know that duck hunted.

Jacob Mayo:

Like, I didn't know that was duck commander. But, like, at that time of my life, I wasn't I shot deer my whole life. Yeah. And I'd have been on a couple whammy stand missions with my dad and my brother and and not shot any ducks and been like, what the heck is this? Yeah.

Jacob Mayo:

And I was just like, I mean, that's cool. Yeah. It's fun. Yeah. But, I just I wasn't a duck hunter then in my life.

Wade Shoemaker:

You were a deer hunter.

Jacob Mayo:

I was deer hunters. Yeah. But it it was just what I was you you grow up and you hunt with ever with whoever

Wade Shoemaker:

it shows you or your

Jacob Mayo:

family does. And so my dad liked it. My brother liked it. But to me, I was just like, oh, it's cool. Yeah.

Jacob Mayo:

We my family's got mayo tours, like a bus company, so, like, oh, we do that. Yeah. Nobody's too excited about that one.

Wade Shoemaker:

Yeah. We're not the mayo commanders. Yeah. So That would be a wild thing for, like, a family Yeah. To be the mayonnaise commanders.

Wade Shoemaker:

Hey.

Jacob Mayo:

I would I should all I should go get in on Ducks You should trademark that. Right now, dude. I should go get on with that. Go buy some stock in that. But yeah.

Jacob Mayo:

No. The devolver on here, definitely people were interested into it. Like, I mean, obviously, they're big time. I just it's funny when I think back to high school and stuff. I don't I don't know if I remember anyone yeah.

Jacob Mayo:

I was around Mhmm. Fired up about it. Like, I knew people fired up about duck commanders or the duck dynasty. I don't know. But now past, like, looking back and people I know now, I definitely see that people, that was the vibe.

Jacob Mayo:

Like, that was the thing they liked.

Wade Shoemaker:

It was it's wild thinking about it. Dude, I'm and, like, thinking about it, when I so I remember when this came into town. It it was, like, 2011, 2012. Yeah. And I like, thinking about it now, like, when it first come out, because I was actually working basically across the interstate from here.

Wade Shoemaker:

I worked at a church full time for three years. And when I was there POTC. Yeah. And I was there three years full time, I think. And, dude, while I was there, somebody one of the producers, somebody whatever scout.

Wade Shoemaker:

I don't know what you call it. Yeah. Yeah. Who were was it A and E that it was on? Yes.

Wade Shoemaker:

Somebody from A and E came by the church and was like, hey. We've got some some kind of Redneck games coming up that was being planned for this, you know, for Duck Ducks Dynasty. And he's like, we would we'd really love to use your facility. Yeah. Because we had a big FLC, Family Life Center, a gym and had, like, a had a basketball court, you know, with, like, tile floor.

Wade Shoemaker:

You know, like, everybody had a stage, had an actual workout, like a gym in it. And and When

Jacob Mayo:

you wear jeans, tile floors don't matter.

Wade Shoemaker:

But no, sir. You got them sweats. You can slide, dude.

Jacob Mayo:

I'm telling you.

Wade Shoemaker:

They go hard in there, dude. Then post go, buddy. I'm telling you. You let church you let church sports, like, come out. No.

Wade Shoemaker:

Yeah. That's some fierce competition, dude. Like, I wouldn't much rather play rec league. They lose? They lose their Jesus every day.

Jacob Mayo:

I promise you.

Wade Shoemaker:

Well, that's why church is so good. They gotta get him back.

Jacob Mayo:

You know?

Wade Shoemaker:

But not me to go off on that. But but they came by, and I and I remember hearing, and I was like, well, this would be cool. They're gonna film stuff at the church. You know? And they never did.

Wade Shoemaker:

They used something else. But so eleven or twelve. So that's wow. Yeah. That was a long time ago.

Jacob Mayo:

Which they were filming, you know, the the duck hunting shows, so on outdoor.

Wade Shoemaker:

That's true too.

Jacob Mayo:

So I don't know.

Wade Shoemaker:

No. Either way. But Either way. Very cool story. It is Very cool story to think about, man.

Wade Shoemaker:

Look. So so let's go we go from duck commander to duck dynasty, and then and then now. Okay? So now we've we've we've talked about all of this, like, duck commander, you know, selling duck calls out of trunk, then crazy success, like, after it finally all lifted off and done well and everybody knows who duck commander is, whether you you know, good, bad, indifferent, like, everybody knows who it is.

Jacob Mayo:

Yeah. Yeah.

Wade Shoemaker:

Yeah. And and then you you go to duck dynasty, and then even more people know people know Duck Dynasty that don't know Duck Commander. Yeah. It's crazy, dude.

Jacob Mayo:

It's a totally people don't understand that. It's a totally different audience.

Wade Shoemaker:

Totally different. And and that's what's crazy to me is, like, I'll I only see them as DC and and not DD. Like Right. I don't know if that's that makes sense. But, you know Double d.

Wade Shoemaker:

Yeah. Boy. But I don't. You know? And I just I've always seen them that way.

Wade Shoemaker:

So when the dinosaur thing come out, I watch some shows because it was good good entertainment. It was clean. It was great. It had a good message. It was all these things.

Wade Shoemaker:

But but it wasn't the hunting side that I really, really wanted it for, but it was great. So huge success. Unreal. And then now, from my perspective, even with Duck Dynasty revival that you guys have going on, like, I feel there's a really strong shift back. And this is coming from, like, you and I knowing each other and then me just kind of observing just what I do just because that's I'm just wired that way.

Wade Shoemaker:

But, like, I feel like there's a really strong shift back to the Duck Commander brand. And and I can't put, like, my finger on it, like but it does feel like there's a much more intentional effort to elevate Duck Commander and bring it. And and I honestly bring it back. I I actually have back in my notes, but, like, not bring it back, but but make it something again that will reach people that maybe it wasn't able to reach before, the younger generation, and maybe even reach people from the duck dynasty crowd that, like, are now paying attention that they couldn't have reached as the original duck commander. Whatever.

Wade Shoemaker:

Yeah. Anyway, so so I'd love to hear your thoughts. Like, maybe I'm just being crazy. You know? Maybe it's it's it's maybe that's not true.

Wade Shoemaker:

But, like, I'd love to hear your thoughts on what moves are being made. Like, what what all is going on in in this world, the Duck Commander world right now?

Jacob Mayo:

Yeah. I mean, I would say all those things you say are true to a extent. Like, it's Duck Commander, hardcore waterfowl, and then duck dynasty where you have rednecks essentially, you know

Wade Shoemaker:

That's us, guys.

Jacob Mayo:

Yeah. Yeah. Rednecks doing whatever and also just like at the core loving Jesus, and it kinda all Yeah. Come back and ties into that. And then you have the craze after, and then you have you know?

Jacob Mayo:

Obviously, I don't think a lot of people understand is, like, when that craze happened, it's not that those people's lives changed and they went a different direction as in for the worst, but, like, they weren't working in here anymore. Like, life changed. And so It evolved, dude. And so it's just different. So then you're as the craze is going on, internally here, people are in different positions that they never have.

Jacob Mayo:

And so, like, then you have everything going crazy because it is so crazy. Yeah. Like, it didn't matter what you did. It was Wow. Oh, yeah.

Jacob Mayo:

No.

Wade Shoemaker:

It was 10 x.

Jacob Mayo:

It was 10 x. And so I think when you have something like that, like, sometimes, you know, hitting the gold, like, I think you should think of the gold mine. Yeah. You can lose sight, like, over time because everything's good. Then you can lose sight over time of, like, what really is at the core instead.

Jacob Mayo:

Like, just, like, selling product. I'm not saying that that's exactly what happened. I'm just saying lose the vision, lose lose the mission because it's like you're trying to figure out Duck Commander, Duck Dynasty merging. They're two different things. Yep.

Jacob Mayo:

Like and then they're also the two the same.

Wade Shoemaker:

Yeah. They're just

Jacob Mayo:

So it's just different.

Wade Shoemaker:

That's that's a good way to put I never thought about it that way.

Jacob Mayo:

You know? And so I guess now, like, how I feel is, like, how can we like, Phil's past, you know, he left a legacy. And if you think of any brands, like, long term brands, like Abercrombie and

Wade Shoemaker:

Which are they're about to start crack which does nothing to do

Jacob Mayo:

with Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. With this podcast, but

Wade Shoemaker:

they are about to come back. Like Yeah. Yeah. A and S coming back.

Jacob Mayo:

And I'm saying that brand's been around for I won't wanna misspeak, but I wanna say at least a hundred years.

Wade Shoemaker:

Long time.

Jacob Mayo:

Like, a really long time. I could be wrong. No. You're not. But it's it's close.

Jacob Mayo:

It's a really long brand. Just like Ducks Back. Ducks Back's been around a very long time. Yeah. But Phil's legacy can still go on.

Jacob Mayo:

Yeah. And been such a legacy like that. It can still go on forever. And it's like learning what he had, Faith Family Ducks, taking that on and staying relevant, not relevant in a shallow way, but relevant in a way of passing it on to the people.

Wade Shoemaker:

Wanna pay attention to it.

Jacob Mayo:

Yeah. It's not like we're just duck commander because of duck dynasty Yeah. Because of Phil. Phil paved the way, but how can Phil and his life, you know, pass on down to us and then we can, you know, give that to everybody else. Yeah.

Jacob Mayo:

You know? And maybe get make it attainable for everybody else in the public. And so it's like figuring out how to do that, and it's fun. And that's why I feel like whatever you're observing is exciting because it's like, man, we're really trying to push. And we might mess up and then get back up, or we might hit something and then move that way and and really get to elevate the brand again and just just be really about faith family ducks.

Jacob Mayo:

I think that's what we're all about. And you can replace that with anything.

Wade Shoemaker:

Sure.

Jacob Mayo:

I know this is a duck podcast, but faith family and then whatever. Yeah. I told somebody that today. It's all about, like, if you have your faith and your family in order Everything else falls in place. Everything falls into place.

Jacob Mayo:

It does. And so how I've talked about that with Bella and Corey and everybody here, and I'm just like, how can we make that and show people that's attainable in their own lives? Not only because Jace Robertson hunts here. Yeah. He's an awesome guy, and he loves Jesus, and he loves ducks.

Jacob Mayo:

Yeah. But how can I make that where somebody can hold that same thing in their heart, like, kinda deal? Like, how can I show somebody, like, this is attainable? You know?

Wade Shoemaker:

Yeah. How do you articulate it, like, from a from a voice standpoint? Right. And then how do you show it visually from or from from visuals? Everything.

Wade Shoemaker:

Yeah.

Jacob Mayo:

It's like, how can I bottle it up and give it to you and, like, show you, you know, like, in your own own place, old own house? You know? I don't know. That's kinda my thoughts. They're raw thoughts.

Jacob Mayo:

That's not perfect.

Wade Shoemaker:

But No. That's good. Mean, but I don't

Jacob Mayo:

think how I I feel.

Wade Shoemaker:

I don't think there's a perfect answer. I think it's just an in like, an informative answer, dude. Like and that's that's what I'm looking for. Like, because I I just I love where it's headed. Right.

Wade Shoemaker:

And I love where it was, where it's been, where

Jacob Mayo:

it's built.

Wade Shoemaker:

But but, like, understanding that everybody we're still trying to, like, hold these things together and keep them together and move them along. And and really, like, the whole the thing you brought about Duck Commander and Duck Dynasty earlier, like, trying to merge Yeah. But they were almost like magnets where they just they would get together and just push away. You know? It's it's a crazy thing to think about, and I've there's been a lot of things going on recently, like, in my life, and I've just thought about it, like, not Duck Commander, Duck Dynasty, but just it really lines up with, like, they were do like, they did very well running parallel.

Wade Shoemaker:

Right?

Jacob Mayo:

Right.

Wade Shoemaker:

And and I feel like Duck Commander like, Duck Dynasty or what how how do I wanna say this? Like, Duck Dynasty Duck Commander's not Duck Commander because of Duck Dynasty. Mhmm. I think Duck Dynasty is Duck Dynasty because of Duck Commander, you know, because that was the foundation. Right?

Jacob Mayo:

Yep. And Duck Commander is Duck Commander, and then Duck Dynasty is Duck Dynasty, but Duck Dynasty elevated

Wade Shoemaker:

That's okay.

Jacob Mayo:

Commander in a way that the hunt industry couldn't.

Wade Shoemaker:

And I honestly can't even really comprehend.

Jacob Mayo:

No. And I don't mean that, like, oh, the hunt industry didn't have anything for him. I just mean, like, it's just a smaller deal, smaller eyeballs.

Wade Shoemaker:

And so just a different game.

Jacob Mayo:

In a different game. And so just something like that

Wade Shoemaker:

Yeah.

Jacob Mayo:

Putting elevated words everywhere.

Wade Shoemaker:

Yeah.

Jacob Mayo:

Because you're Different. Dude It was god ordained. Like, it's like, if you really, like, think about it, it's like none of them like, Willie says this all the time when he speaks. I just saw him speak this weekend. He's like, if my dad never gave his life to Jesus, I would've never met my wife.

Jacob Mayo:

I would've never had father.

Wade Shoemaker:

No, dude. Not a

Jacob Mayo:

Duck commander was never even a thought. No. And so it's just crazy. Like, hindsight's twenty twenty. You know?

Jacob Mayo:

Like, if Phil never gives his life to Jesus if you don't know Phil's story, you need to go see the blind or read his book. Like, I wanna say some this about duck commander. We're imperfect people. Yeah. This is about faith ducks.

Jacob Mayo:

We're not perfect. And so, like, that's something I wanna be super transparent about. Like, we're not trying to act like we're perfect people. We got

Wade Shoemaker:

it all again. Dude.

Jacob Mayo:

No. And all we're trying to do is do Faith Family Ducks and put out quality stuff that you wanna use duck hunting. Like, that's what it is about. You know? Faith Family Ducks.

Jacob Mayo:

Just quality stuff. Like, if we're wearing it, this is a big thing I'm I'm about. If I'm wearing it, if I wanna use it, I promise you,

Wade Shoemaker:

it's good. You're make it to where it works

Jacob Mayo:

when makes where it's good because if it ain't,

Wade Shoemaker:

I'm not gonna use it. Yeah.

Jacob Mayo:

Yeah. And so, like, that's something moving forward, Doug, commander, I'm big about.

Wade Shoemaker:

I love that, man. And you mentioned it the other earlier about how, like, everybody wanna do their job well, but it was like a 10 x, like, drinking through a fire hydrant trying to get everything done. Yeah. And they you you were I don't I don't wanna misspeak because you didn't say they lost something, but, like, you you touched on, like, the the vision like, the vision wasn't lost. It was just, like, kind of on the back burner.

Wade Shoemaker:

You know?

Jacob Mayo:

I feel like because of Duck Dynasty, the way it elevated the brand, the faces were so much bigger. Like, the people. And it was awesome. It's great. But then, like, it was just different.

Jacob Mayo:

Like, was so different. Like, I I couldn't imagine. No. No. Not at all.

Jacob Mayo:

Because, I mean, that's not my life. So I'm saying I couldn't imagine, like, being elevated so much where it just No. Like, as in I'm not saying what they did didn't matter. I'm just saying you could've sold anything. You could've

Wade Shoemaker:

made a wrong Yeah.

Jacob Mayo:

You were it was just perfect. It was God's timing.

Wade Shoemaker:

Yeah. I I I just love that you say it because, like, when I think about it, it's like, it's it's not that they lost any. It's like they were trying to find, like, themselves in all of it. Right? Yeah.

Wade Shoemaker:

Yeah. Because it was so big and then really just trying to keep up is the main thing. Because Duck Dynasty did this, and Duck Commander's still like, wait a minute now. You know? Like, well, hold on now.

Jacob Mayo:

And it and it obviously dig well too, but the funny thing is, like Yep. It was the first time for them and everything else.

Wade Shoemaker:

Same thing.

Jacob Mayo:

And what I'm I guess what I'm trying to say is nothing was bad. All I'm saying No.

Wade Shoemaker:

I get it.

Jacob Mayo:

I'm Yeah. I'm saying that it was just new territory.

Wade Shoemaker:

Yeah.

Jacob Mayo:

And now, like, that wave is over.

Wade Shoemaker:

Yeah.

Jacob Mayo:

So it's like Let's find ourselves. We're not trying to ride the way. Like, yeah, it was good, and we're gonna use, you know, what comes from that. Have to. Like, you know, we have our figures, and and they help us.

Wade Shoemaker:

You know

Jacob Mayo:

what I'm saying? But my future with Doug Commander is, like, streamlining it so it's like, it doesn't exactly you know it because of feel, and you have Jace pushing the initiative. Like, he he's our guy, and we have other guys too. Know? And but it's like, also quality products and faith family ducks.

Jacob Mayo:

Like, that's what we're about. Like, I want you to blow our call

Wade Shoemaker:

Yeah. Because And you like it.

Jacob Mayo:

Yeah. Because you like it. Yeah. Not because and, also, it comes with being duckling iron because you like it because it's quality and

Wade Shoemaker:

it's good.

Jacob Mayo:

And you don't have to love Jesus to blow our call. Nope. But if that gives it but if that gives you a reason to wanna, you know, back our company and our family, you know, hey. We're gonna provide you a quality call that you can put on your lanyard because we love Jesus. We have we love our families, and we like to go kill ducks.

Jacob Mayo:

Yeah.

Wade Shoemaker:

And we want anything we put anything you put forward, you want it to be excellent.

Jacob Mayo:

I want it to be, like, based in that. I love that. You know?

Wade Shoemaker:

Yeah. That's good, dude. No. That that that's really good.

Jacob Mayo:

And that

Wade Shoemaker:

and that's and I wouldn't try to pull anything out, like, as far as, like, I knew you meant well by everything you said.

Jacob Mayo:

No. I know you do.

Wade Shoemaker:

Yeah. Yeah. You know? I This

Jacob Mayo:

is a microphone that somebody else might not Touche.

Wade Shoemaker:

Folks, this is all positive. I promise. We're just trying to cut the we're trying to get to the bottom up for sure.

VO:

Stay tuned to the Ducks Unlimited Podcast sponsored by Bird Dog Whiskey after these messages.

Wade Shoemaker:

So I'm gonna be honest here. Like, what's next? I guess, and maybe we already answered that, but I think in my mind, there's a question. Maybe you can't tell me. Maybe that's what I'm trying to figure out.

Wade Shoemaker:

Maybe I'm trying to get a peek into what's going on that you guys have going. You sent me a you know, and this isn't something I'm gonna say out loud. I'm gonna let you say it. You sent me a picture of something earlier in your hand, and I thought that was a cool thing. Yeah.

Wade Shoemaker:

Yeah. And I was like, this is cool. So Right. I'm not gonna say it, but, like, I couldn't begin to draw a conclusion of, like, the direction. Like, I know the direction of duck commander is, like, better.

Wade Shoemaker:

You

Jacob Mayo:

know? Right. Right.

Wade Shoemaker:

And but but it feels like there's like like, hearing you, it it's encouraging because it feels like there's just so much left in this thing, like, that you're not even close to this well running dry, you know, that duck commander is. I think there's so much more. And with with everything going on, what is next, man? Like, obviously, the you know, you're you're you're trying to step up quality with everything. Whether it needed or not, you're trying to elevate it.

Jacob Mayo:

I'm talking about just from my perspective. I'm stepping it up for what I see.

Wade Shoemaker:

Yeah. Yeah.

Jacob Mayo:

Yeah. I'm not whoever's been here, done whatever, you know, there's nothing do with me. They it's been fine. Like, this duck commander Yeah. Yeah.

Jacob Mayo:

I wasn't here. You're doing just fine without me.

Wade Shoemaker:

Yeah.

Jacob Mayo:

Yeah. You know? So I think, like, what's next? I think the biggest thing is, like, is covering all the bases

Wade Shoemaker:

Yeah.

Jacob Mayo:

And, like, quality control. Think it's the it's the number one thing quality control.

Wade Shoemaker:

I think that's important to say out loud, dude.

Jacob Mayo:

Yeah. Quality control, man. I I think it's a big thing anyone can, you know, get into and, like slips

Wade Shoemaker:

everybody's cracks, dude.

Jacob Mayo:

Yeah. Like, and it I'm talking about quality control, I feel like, happens to people that are doing super well. Mhmm. Because then you're just trying to, like, get you're trying to find what moves the needle. You know?

Jacob Mayo:

And that needle looks different for everybody. Some people, it's money. Some people, it's, you know, status. Some people, it's you never know. Like, I'm just saying, it's just different wherever you go.

Jacob Mayo:

So, like, quality control, I wanna I wanna, like, bring I guess what I'm thinking just like as Phil's legacy is is, like, showcasing his legacy and the roots of Duck Commander Mhmm. To up to the par of content, calls, and gear or whatever that looks like to the to today's standard Yeah. If that makes sense.

Wade Shoemaker:

No. It does.

Jacob Mayo:

So, like, elevating those things that haven't been tapped in. Let's just say short form content. Mhmm. Ducklander hasn't tapped into short form content.

Wade Shoemaker:

Clips from back

Jacob Mayo:

of the day too. That and, like, creating stuff now, like, staying in that. Like, same thing. The calls we make are great. We sell a bunch of calls, but it's like, what have we not tapped into?

Jacob Mayo:

Like, what have we limited to? What makes sense to do? So it's like, I wanna do that too and, like, elevate what we already have and then create stuff that maybe we haven't created for people that wanna use our stuff. They just have they don't have that piece yet. We haven't created that thing, you know, to get

Wade Shoemaker:

on their lanyard or something

Jacob Mayo:

like that. And same thing with YouTube is, like, just elevating the content that we used to do. If you watch the first Duckman, like Yeah. It's like a bunch of it's a montage of a bunch of different stuff, and sometimes it's awesome. Like Yeah.

Jacob Mayo:

I was

Wade Shoemaker:

like talked about it going through the museum. It was, like, just random clips. It's just random clips. Random clips. How is that guy walking away?

Wade Shoemaker:

They're sitting on his heel. He's

Jacob Mayo:

like, I don't know, man. Like, that clip? I wanna say They just missed all the ducks. Deer. He's like, he shoots a deer and he just, like, sips some coffee and this onto the next thing.

Jacob Mayo:

It's just like, this dude just randomly pulled up and flipped a deer. It's so funny.

Wade Shoemaker:

Because now you would you would, like, use that and let it like, you would drag it out. Let like, what happens after would be emphasized, and it would be replayed so much.

Jacob Mayo:

Right. Right. Right. Yeah. And so just just taking all those core principles that we have here and, like, our mission and, like, doing that.

Jacob Mayo:

Like Yeah. Giving back. You know? We wanna give back. We wanna help people out.

Jacob Mayo:

You know? We wanna not be selfish.

Wade Shoemaker:

Like

Jacob Mayo:

Yeah. You don't wanna have one fist open and one closed. Yeah. So you wanna have both hands open, let stuff flow. So things like that, man.

Jacob Mayo:

I just I think it's just getting our core principles, put them out there on the front line for everyone to see, and, like, pushing forward in that.

Wade Shoemaker:

That's good, man. That's good. And I don't think I don't think you can lose.

Jacob Mayo:

No. You know? There's nothing there's nothing transparent. Like, I I don't Yeah. I'm a straight shooter and not a perfect guy, but

Wade Shoemaker:

Yeah.

Jacob Mayo:

I wanted to be straight on, like, everything I'm saying and doing, like and if you wanna if you got a problem, ask me. Check me. Like, that's okay.

Wade Shoemaker:

Just a question, concern.

Jacob Mayo:

Hey. And if I'm messing up, I'll be like, I messed up, man. Like, let's figure it out. And, you know, maybe maybe we don't cross path again

Wade Shoemaker:

or

Jacob Mayo:

maybe we do, but it's like, hey, man. I'm sorry.

Wade Shoemaker:

Yeah.

Jacob Mayo:

I hope you forgive me and move forward.

Wade Shoemaker:

You know? I don't enjoy the taste of crow, but I'll eat it anytime I

Jacob Mayo:

need to. Yeah. And I do eat it, man. I do. Like, I'm not perfect.

Jacob Mayo:

So it's not like acting like I'm some guy out here that's gotta figure out because I don't.

Wade Shoemaker:

No. But, dude, I mean, I love it, man. I I think the biggest thing is, like you said, transparency, and everybody's learning, and everybody's pushing, and everybody's just trying to expand but also create, you know, which is which is an is is an interesting thing. It sounds simple, but it's really not. Yeah.

Wade Shoemaker:

Yeah. I love that. But and look. I'm gonna move forward a little bit, and and there's a lot of things that we've covered, but there's one gigantic pillar that I've I've purposely kind of held off, put off until now. And and and we touched on it, and and there's no no way not to touch on it, like, only even on accident.

Wade Shoemaker:

But but he's not just, like, the cornerstone for this brand. He's not just a pillar for the sport of waterfowling, but but he's also a a titan in the faith and in helping build the kingdom of heaven, dude. Like, I don't think anybody would would say anything in, like, opposite of that, and and everybody knows I'm talking about feel. I, you know, I don't I don't know I don't know of any accolade that wasn't achieved while he was while he was here. Like and I know there's always more, but, like, I don't know if there was any accolade that that wasn't achieved for him and for this this brand while he was here.

Wade Shoemaker:

And and I never met him. I was never around him. You know? But when when the news about Phil came out, like, obviously, the the initial, like, oh, no. And then when it actually happened, man, him getting sick and and then this, like, the unfortunate passing, it felt like it felt like a whole community.

Wade Shoemaker:

And I and when I say community, mean the duck hunting world. And with Duck Dynasty, even a huge piece of the nation had lost one of its leaders. And I and, I mean, maybe I'm out of line saying that, but, like, I will stand on it, like, definitely in the Waterfowl community. We you know, it felt like we lost one of our leaders, and and I'm not one to put like, I I don't put people on pedestals. I I don't.

Wade Shoemaker:

Like, I never have. But but when the news came out, you know, it it was a gut punch even I mean, to me, on a on a personal level, it was a a gut punch to me. And I it's like I've lost somebody that I had a relationship with that I'd never met.

Jacob Mayo:

Right.

Wade Shoemaker:

And and I I it's it's I've just never had that happen before. Yeah. And the impact that that that that man made on everything around him was tremendous. I can't imagine what that was like for the folks that were that were in close proximity to him. You know, we mentioned we talked about earlier you met him when he was in the early seventies and

Jacob Mayo:

Right.

Wade Shoemaker:

And and all that. Like, I can't imagine, like, what that did to the people around in in his ecosystem. But I don't really I don't guess I really have a question here, man. I just I'd love to hear from you on that. Like, I guess maybe if there was a question, it would be kinda like a two part thing of what impact did did Phil's life and his passing have on you personally, especially being a part of Yeah.

Wade Shoemaker:

Like, literally a part of the family. Right. But then, man, on on the Duck Commander brand. You know? Right.

Wade Shoemaker:

Yeah. I'd I'd I'd like you to take it from there.

Jacob Mayo:

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. For sure. I mean, for us and our family and all like, my wife's family, which is my family, he's like, he's our patriarch.

Jacob Mayo:

Like, he was our guy. He was our leader of the Robertson clan. And so it's just like it's crazy to say, like, you said you never met him. You never knew him, but you knew what Phil was about.

Wade Shoemaker:

Mhmm.

Jacob Mayo:

And so I think, like, that's one of the biggest things that, like, passed down that is, like, not because of fame, not because of whatever notoriety or anything. If you knew Phil or heard about Phil, you knew he was about faith, family, Doug. Like and I I keep going back

Wade Shoemaker:

to that.

Jacob Mayo:

Like, you knew he loved Jesus, man.

Wade Shoemaker:

But you know that's engraved in his brand because of him.

Jacob Mayo:

Exactly. And that dude loved Jesus, and he was an imperfect man. Mhmm.

Wade Shoemaker:

And he

Jacob Mayo:

would tell you that to his to your face.

Wade Shoemaker:

Yeah.

Jacob Mayo:

And so, like, I think the thing that he passed down was just like, b, like, he was unapologetically himself. Yeah. And so, like, he was. Like, dude was crazy. Like, he would he was just himself, man, and he didn't have, like, a filter.

Jacob Mayo:

And just, like, passing that down, I feel like, is, like, be your raw authentic self. Let Jesus work on you, like, in your life. Like, let the holy spirit work through you. Mhmm. You know, bear fruit and love your neighbor.

Wade Shoemaker:

I love that.

Jacob Mayo:

And I I And I and I I know I keep going back to, like, biblical things, but I'm just saying, like, that's how we operate here. And so, like, I think the best way I can treat my neighbor and my neighbor is being right with the Lord and let him work through me because I ain't perfect. Like, you know what I'm saying? Like, if I wanted to act on the flesh, you know, like I do

Wade Shoemaker:

Yeah. Most days.

Jacob Mayo:

Most days. Like, I'll I'll, you know, wanna diss somebody

Wade Shoemaker:

or Not do what you're doing. Not do

Jacob Mayo:

what I'm doing. You know? So, like, I think that's the biggest thing is, like, he like, thinking back on his leg his legacy is challenging me, like, just walking.

Wade Shoemaker:

That's good. I love, like, I love that part. Like, I I don't mean to stop you, but, like Yeah. The legacy he left is challenging you in the place you're in and not just I mean, in everyday life, frankly.

Jacob Mayo:

Think about his life. I'm I'm not comparison. I'm, like, compares comparing lives. I didn't have the crazy, you know Yeah. Start like he did where, like, he went down this, you know, rock bottom.

Jacob Mayo:

Everybody has different rock bottom. But, like, if he's elevating, you know, and letting Jesus change his life, like, having all the baggage that he had, like, it's challenging me. Like, just with the little things or whatever, you know, on the scale you wanna put it on, it's like, what am I doing? Yeah. You know what I mean?

Jacob Mayo:

Like No. No. And not like, what am I doing for gifts or anything. It's like, what am I doing for Jesus?

Wade Shoemaker:

Like, what

Jacob Mayo:

am I doing, you know, walking in life?

Wade Shoemaker:

Yeah. You know? How am I impacting people around me?

Jacob Mayo:

Like, how important?

Wade Shoemaker:

You know? And what is what I'm what I'm doing right now actually matter. Yeah. You know? That's a good way to put it.

Jacob Mayo:

And so, like, I just think that's how it was.

Wade Shoemaker:

Yeah. That's it.

Jacob Mayo:

It's just a big impact on everybody in that way. And I think him being the way he is, that's obviously, all of his sons follow Jesus. Yeah. And they are all about the gospel. And so Which

Wade Shoemaker:

is pretty exciting, like, as a dad. Like, I've got two boys now. You know? So, like, it's just it's just very cool to look at that and be like, man, he led the example that, like I mean, they may act a little different than what he wanted to play on action. You know?

Wade Shoemaker:

Like, but at their core and what they do, like like you said, on the daily basis to impact, like, that's what he was striving for.

Jacob Mayo:

Yeah.

Wade Shoemaker:

You you would think. I mean, I don't wanna assume, but, like, I mean, incredible people, incredible humans. Yeah. Incredible men of god if we're gonna talk about it out loud. You know?

Wade Shoemaker:

But, like, they are they're doing well. And and I think they they lead by example every day. I've heard you say that several times.

Jacob Mayo:

For sure.

Wade Shoemaker:

And I love to hear that. Like, sitting in this room looking around and you just see, you know, everything from years growing up, it's such a nostalgic feeling. Like, just right in front of me is, like, the one reason the the the bush, like, pointing the gun straight at you, you know, the lab. I love that, man. You know what?

Wade Shoemaker:

It's like I don't know. I I like the the impact he's made on everybody around him, not just inside, but also outside. It's it's it's on like, I can't

Jacob Mayo:

What Phil was about was way bigger than Ducks.

Wade Shoemaker:

That's right.

Jacob Mayo:

That's right. That's the legacy.

Wade Shoemaker:

Yeah. So

Jacob Mayo:

That's what I was what I'm You gotta write that down. You gotta write

Wade Shoemaker:

that down. Well, Phil

Jacob Mayo:

It's was bigger than Ducks. It's way bigger than Ducks.

Wade Shoemaker:

Yeah. That's cool, man.

Jacob Mayo:

That's why people know about it. That's why it affected people. It did. She knew, like, Jesus played such a big part in his life Yeah. And impacted him so much.

Jacob Mayo:

He was more worried about your spirituality

Wade Shoemaker:

Yeah.

Jacob Mayo:

About you getting right with Jesus than ducks.

Wade Shoemaker:

He's he's more about

Jacob Mayo:

could that. Say that killing a fact. Yeah. He wanted to kill ducks. That dude was a killer.

Jacob Mayo:

Yeah. Was. I watched one the old duck mens, and he said he said I forgot who's he's like, man, you feel bad for them ducks. He said one of his buddies said this, but I forgot no. Let me backtrack.

Jacob Mayo:

Yeah. He said this. He said, conservation's for all the days before November 14. He said, that's what that's for. He said, when it's November 14, it's time for killing.

Jacob Mayo:

I love that, dude. People don't wanna say killing no more. He said, at November 14 or whatever date he said, it's time to kill. I love that dude. And then the he talked to his buddy.

Jacob Mayo:

They were hunting Texas, and he's like, you feel bad for that poor old duck? He said, do I feel bad? That duck's been migrating, looking for food and shelter. Feel way better. He said, trying to get away from predators.

Jacob Mayo:

He said, I shot my gun one time. Poof. All that duck's deal was gone. You know? So, like, the dude, he loved to kill ducks.

Jacob Mayo:

Yeah. But, like, I think the impact is, like, he he cared about people's spiritual life

Wade Shoemaker:

Yeah.

Jacob Mayo:

And, like, where they were going and what they were doing. Yeah. So, like

Wade Shoemaker:

That's strong, dude.

Jacob Mayo:

You know? That's powerful.

Wade Shoemaker:

I love that. I think that's something that that lingers. I like that a lot. I don't I don't have any cool stories like that. Like, I don't have anything.

Wade Shoemaker:

The only thing that I wanna add here is, like, one morning opening day. I don't know how many years ago it was, but I wasn't married. So was a long time. Think I don't think I was. But my buddy had a old blue we call it the blue boat.

Wade Shoemaker:

It was aluminum boat, and it was used to I guess it was used to be a bass boat or crappie boat, whatever, white perch boat, saccolet, whatever you wanna say. But he had it and it had an outboard, and, like, that's what we needed. Our whole life was, man, if we just had a foot welder, we'd we'd kill all the ducks. We just had a Oh, yeah. Boat, a paddle boat, we'd kill all if we just had a out you know, and then it went it just kept escalating, but we had a boat with a motor.

Jacob Mayo:

If I had a full cab can, I'm out air conditioned, I'd kill all of them.

Wade Shoemaker:

I could ride all the way and not have to worry about it, man. But, like, anyway, we we went. My buddy said, we're gonna go. We're gonna hunt the river. I got a spot that I found some ducks in.

Wade Shoemaker:

I And was like, alright. Cool. And before and I haven't been down there in so long, but but Mouth Of Cypress Road. We we went down there. This is before everything was blowing up.

Wade Shoemaker:

And in fields in front of his house that, you know, he he had the the shop and all this stuff, but by the river, he had his own boat launch. And in on that boat launcher right by it, there was a little metal box. I guess he took a cutting torch and cut a hole in it, and I'm assuming it was his because it was right in his front yard. And the metal box with a torch hole in it was for people to put money in to use his boat launch. Yeah.

Wade Shoemaker:

And we launched our boat there for opening day of duck season.

Jacob Mayo:

Make it look cash.

Wade Shoemaker:

Buddy, well, I mean, I don't know if we gave him $2.03, $5. I don't know what it was.

Jacob Mayo:

But It's just funny.

Wade Shoemaker:

But it it is, like, looking back, and we I mean, we launched the boat, dude, and all I could think about like, because this is when duck commander was like for me, it was like peak. You know? Yeah. And I'm thinking, man, like, what if I see him?

Jacob Mayo:

You know? Like, I mean, I I don't

Wade Shoemaker:

I don't fan girl about stuff, but, like, there's a couple peep like, he's You

Jacob Mayo:

wanna take a picture with my Motorola Razr?

Wade Shoemaker:

Dude, well, I don't yeah. Don't even know. Oh, god. It was rough back then. Blackberry.

Wade Shoemaker:

Dude, it might have been an iPhone.

Jacob Mayo:

Yeah. Easy, dude.

Wade Shoemaker:

I'm not that old.

Jacob Mayo:

I know. Know. Was just joking around. Trying to you know? I don't know.

Wade Shoemaker:

But we put in, dude, and I could we could we had we we didn't have own x back then. Like, we had Google Earth out, and we were we had our boat in the river, and we couldn't see in front of it because of the fog. So we just stayed by the bank and just went straight. Hope we didn't hit, like, a falling over tree. Hunted a inlet.

Wade Shoemaker:

There was an island in it. We shot, like, 13 ducks, and then, you know, 09:00 come by or 08:30, 09:00, and we started hearing somebody hollering at us. We get kicked out of the little cove, which we were perfectly legal, we thought. Right away. What is it?

Wade Shoemaker:

No. We were still in the, like, river, cove, island. There's houses are way back off the bank, but people were mad that we were hunting because they were also trying to hunt some private there's a hole in the back. Yeah. And but, anyway, we went back, loaded the boat up, and on the way back, all I and we could see all I could think about was, man, I hope he's, like, in the yard or something.

Wade Shoemaker:

Yeah. Like, I'm a wave at him. You know, I ain't gonna say nothing. I'm nervous. Just throw

Jacob Mayo:

a hand at

Wade Shoemaker:

him. I'll be like you know? But, anyway, anyway, not nearly as cool as your stuff, but I thought that was funny, man. Like, thinking back to my buddy Jeff, we just launched the boat, and that's all I can remember. Couldn't see the river, but I launched in Phil's front yard or whatever you wanna call it.

Wade Shoemaker:

And that was cool. That was that's my my Phil story. You know? I thought it was cool.

Jacob Mayo:

I feel like most people that probably encounter Phil has a similar story just like me saying, like, he asked me about Jesus. That was the first thing. Yeah. Like, am I right with the Lord?

Wade Shoemaker:

Yeah. Because that's what he cares about. That's what he cares about. That's what he cares about. I love that, dude.

Wade Shoemaker:

That's what he would have said to

Jacob Mayo:

you come back from the boat ramp.

Wade Shoemaker:

Probably. Like, hey, boy. You killed you know God? Yeah, man. He's like, CD ducks?

Jacob Mayo:

Alright. Get out of here. Yeah.

Wade Shoemaker:

Put some more money in that box next time. Yeah. Yeah. You're a dollar short. I checked it.

Wade Shoemaker:

So, Jacob, you and I were introduced through a mutual friend, mister Logan Webster. Right? Oh, Loki. So Logan thought it'd be a good idea for you and I to be pals. And and the first time I don't know.

Wade Shoemaker:

And I don't remember when this happened, but he he was orchestrating it because he was like, dude, I got somebody you need to meet.

Jacob Mayo:

You know? Yeah. Yeah.

Wade Shoemaker:

And and I was like, alright. Cool. But the first time we ever met I don't know. I you I'm you may not remember this, but it's hilarious to me thinking back. But the first time we ever hung out, you were either you were doing mobile detailing or your buddy was washing your truck.

Wade Shoemaker:

And and I remember pulling up, and you you like, we pulled up to the dude's house, and you got in the truck, and I had and I the the truck I have now, I had just gotten, and I was super proud. Like, I still like, I'll be honest. I I love my truck, man, but, like, I was way proud then because I thought it was so cool. First new truck I'd ever had. And you just got in the truck, and we just dude, we rode around.

Wade Shoemaker:

Like, I don't think we stopped it. We might have stopped, like, a bathroom break or something.

Jacob Mayo:

We ended up getting donuts and rusting.

Wade Shoemaker:

We did.

Jacob Mayo:

Yeah. Yeah.

Wade Shoemaker:

Yeah. But

Jacob Mayo:

But, yeah, no. I was getting my car detailed. I think we've been planning to meet up. Yeah. For a while.

Jacob Mayo:

And I was just like, look. I'm getting my car detailed. You can pick me up. I know you live close to Russ. And I was like, just pick me up.

Jacob Mayo:

Well, I don't know. I don't know what my expectations were. I was gonna pick me up. Let's go roll.

Wade Shoemaker:

It wasn't a ride around for

Jacob Mayo:

two hours. No. No. No. We did.

Wade Shoemaker:

We did, and it was fun, man. And I I don't I don't know what we talked about, but, like but since then, like, you've you've you started this thing called General Vintage. Right. Right? And and it's grown to a point where you've now got a storefront.

Wade Shoemaker:

It's Downtown West Monroe? Downtown Monroe. Downtown Monroe. Okay. So you've got a storefront in Downtown Monroe that's open daily, like, every day of the week.

Wade Shoemaker:

Right? Wednesday to Saturday. Wednesday to Saturday, which, you know yeah. What is that? Four days?

Wade Shoemaker:

Which is I mean, most of the week. That's a work week in Switzerland or something probably. You know? I don't know.

Jacob Mayo:

But That's a school week in Caldwell Parish.

Wade Shoemaker:

Oh, they do four days now? I think it's Tuesday to Friday. Oh, I like that. Yeah. Well, I mean, if I

Jacob Mayo:

They did when I was in high school.

Wade Shoemaker:

Oh, wow. Okay. Caldwell par

Jacob Mayo:

I didn't

Wade Shoemaker:

know you went to you went to Caldwell?

Jacob Mayo:

I didn't. I just knew that. Oh. I'm saying I just knew I'm just saying I didn't know you

Wade Shoemaker:

did Caldwell did. I did not.

Jacob Mayo:

I'm just saying I knew.

Wade Shoemaker:

Oh, I'm just we're not gonna go into that. We don't know.

Jacob Mayo:

Yeah. Yeah. That's true. It's a fact.

Wade Shoemaker:

That's cool, man. My my cousin went over there. Anyway, we're I don't know why we're talking about that, but very cool idea.

Jacob Mayo:

Yeah. Yeah.

Wade Shoemaker:

But, dude, I want I want you to tell us about General Vintage because I think it's super cool. And when you tell us about it, like, how did that how did that come about, man? Like like, why did you name it general vintage? Obviously, like, I've got my thoughts, but I'm not gonna I'm not gonna, like, expound on them. Do wanna

Jacob Mayo:

hear the short or the long story?

Wade Shoemaker:

Well, I don't know. We got about fifteen, twenty minutes, and we got a couple more things to cover.

Jacob Mayo:

You tell me. Okay. So this is gonna be a long story. Okay. We're gonna get into it.

Jacob Mayo:

So I come from from a family

Wade Shoemaker:

cut some of this other

Jacob Mayo:

stuff out.

Wade Shoemaker:

Yeah. Me too. I come from

Jacob Mayo:

a family business. It's called Mayo Tours. Mhmm. Long story short, my papa was a barber. Yep.

Jacob Mayo:

And his brother-in-law got him into buses. Well, he bought the buses and, you know, leased them out to singers and stuff. So entertainer bus. In a bus business, there's a charter bus or an entertainer bus. Charter buses are, like, your 55 passenger buses that you take, like, a school trips on or Yeah.

Jacob Mayo:

Stuff like that. And entertainers are, like, for, you know, musicians and stuff like that or traveling with equipment. Most kind thing. Yeah. Prevost.

Wade Shoemaker:

Yeah. Yeah. Prevost. That's how

Jacob Mayo:

you say it? Yeah.

Wade Shoemaker:

They'll say Prevost the whole time. You must you must have got in trouble for saying it like that back in the day. Yeah.

Jacob Mayo:

For sure. And so he got it. He repossessed it, like, six or seven times. Ended up having to get it back. It's a long story.

Wade Shoemaker:

I love it, dude.

Jacob Mayo:

A great story that, like, he ended up repossessing it. And if you know my grandfather, he's like that. It's it's funny. And and so gets it back, hears about Mexico. He's a barber talking about barbering, and he goes to Mexico with his brothers on his bus.

Jacob Mayo:

You know? And On

Wade Shoemaker:

the bus that he repoed several times? Yeah.

Jacob Mayo:

Yeah. Yeah. So, like, he has his bus.

Wade Shoemaker:

He never coming

Jacob Mayo:

back. And it hasn't, like, worked out. Like, he has his bus, so it hasn't worked out. And so he goes down to Mexico with his brothers. He has, like, 10 brothers.

Jacob Mayo:

Like, he has, like, 11 siblings. And so they go go dove hunting. He comes back, and they tell him about it.

Wade Shoemaker:

They're dove hunting, you said?

Jacob Mayo:

They're dove hunting and bass fishing in Mexico.

Wade Shoemaker:

Oh, yeah.

Jacob Mayo:

And comes back, tells these people about it in the barbershop, and this guy's like, I wanna go. So he's like, okay. So he figures out whatever the He's cutting this guy's hair. He's cutting this guy's hair. Okay.

Jacob Mayo:

And this guy is like a construction owns a construction business. Like, I wanna go. Yeah. And he's like, okay. Well, he figures out the the note on the bus.

Jacob Mayo:

Well, he tells him what the rest of the note is on the bus is the price to go, and the guy says, yes. I don't know how much it was. But Paid paid the bus off. Paid the bus off. Goes.

Jacob Mayo:

Dang, papa. Okay. Takes them. They have a great time. Comes back.

Jacob Mayo:

Tells more people at the barbershop, and then just it becomes a thing, like, taking god service. Hunting and fishing trips in Mexico. Long short short, he ends up doing that for, you know, twenty years, buys a hotel down there and, like, runs an outfitter. Hotel. Yeah.

Jacob Mayo:

Yeah. Falling. Yep. Yep. And so I say all that to say my grandma, so his wife, was a missionary down there.

Jacob Mayo:

Yeah. A garage sale and go and buy suitcases and stuff and give it away down there. Like, that was her mission. So, like, Papaw did the hunting, fishing trips, and her whole goal was to be a missionary down there, help build sewage lines, give them, like, pastor's money to start churches and build churches down there, and then give away stuff. So she would just go to garage sales Yeah.

Jacob Mayo:

And give it away stuff. So as I got older, she got all my grandpa's clothes from there. And I was like, where did Peppel get all this swag?

Wade Shoemaker:

Yeah. She's like, oh, I

Jacob Mayo:

just buy them at a garage sale for a dollar. I was like, oh, that's cool. Yeah. Well, so I just started going with her when I was younger. And so fast forward to this, I started going with her when I was younger, and so I get older, and I'm playing baseball in college, and I get my my wife as my girlfriend.

Wade Shoemaker:

You don't

Jacob Mayo:

have the money. Yeah. It's like, god. How am I gonna

Wade Shoemaker:

figure this out? Gonna wear some clothes.

Jacob Mayo:

So, like, I was always into clothes. So I was like, I'm gonna sell some of my own clothes. I already wore vintage clothes because I've been doing it. And then Probably

Wade Shoemaker:

had some of your pepa's clothes you

Jacob Mayo:

were wearing. Yeah. I was always told his clothes. I'm mad about it.

Wade Shoemaker:

You don't

Jacob Mayo:

need these cut. Yeah. Should buy you some more next week. And so so from that, I just learned finding vintage clothes with my grandma at garage sales and thrift stores and stuff. And so I just sold some of my clothes, got that money, used it, bought more vintage clothes with my Way more.

Jacob Mayo:

With my grandma. I'm talking about this started with my grandma. Me and my grandma would go around looking Going mobbing around garage sale. Going to buy stuff to give away, and I'd be looking for vintage clothes. And I'm talking my grandma will buy anything.

Wade Shoemaker:

She'll buy looking for a profit, she's looking to give to a prophet.

Jacob Mayo:

Oh, yeah. My grandma will buy a third of Gold Bond and give it to somebody to use.

Wade Shoemaker:

Oh, my god. Man.

Jacob Mayo:

Don Ducks show I love that. But yeah. So this? So I just learned it from my grandma and started it. I was playing baseball, so I would just do it when I wasn't playing baseball, and I would make money and just reinvest it, do it over and over again.

Jacob Mayo:

So I bought a wedding ring.

Wade Shoemaker:

With the with the vintage clothing.

Jacob Mayo:

With the vintage clothing, then I, you know, from then on, just paid my bills and just kinda grew with that. And then it's obviously become more than that. It's not just about buying clothes. Sure.

Wade Shoemaker:

I don't

Jacob Mayo:

exactly buy clothes. Always at a garage sale anymore. It's way bigger than that. Yeah. But it's fun.

Jacob Mayo:

It's just God's been faithful, and it's been something to do. That's sick, dude. It's fun to, like, express myself in that way. Yeah. Because I just didn't like how regular clothes fit, and and so I guess used people's clothes fit better for me.

Wade Shoemaker:

Yeah. Well, they already broke in, bro.

Jacob Mayo:

Yeah. They already broke in. Broke in? But everything if you go to the store, like, this is just like a quality thing. They're Nike's large.

Jacob Mayo:

Every large in that specific shirt Different. Fits different. And, also, if it's a they're large, it fits that way. There ain't no other large. And you might be a tweener, a large in between the XM.

Jacob Mayo:

My whole life. You know? So it's like figuring out your favorite shirt is the one that fits. Right? It's not the brand.

Wade Shoemaker:

That's right.

Jacob Mayo:

The one that fits. Right? So that's kinda how I got into that.

Wade Shoemaker:

But yeah. That's cool, man.

Jacob Mayo:

It's a funny thing. Grandma got me into it.

Wade Shoemaker:

I love that, dude. I could just imagine you and grandma, like, rolling up to a garage sale just like gangsters and, like, you're going straight to the clothes rack. Yeah. And she's going straight to, like, the used Yeah. I don't know, kitchen supplies.

Jacob Mayo:

You know? No, dude. She'll clear out a little soap section or something. What's actually funny, to elaborate more on that, and so I started doing that. I didn't even know my grandma I don't know if you ever heard of eBay.

Wade Shoemaker:

Oh, yeah.

Jacob Mayo:

Okay. So my grandma said that she would pay for my, like, other It's crazy. December I don't know

Wade Shoemaker:

if you've heard about eBay.

Jacob Mayo:

Why didn't oh, I mean, obviously, but back then, it was Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Back when sorry. When I'm talking about early two thousands, it just wasn't the same as it is now.

Jacob Mayo:

But it still was big. I knew about Eva. But she was saying that she would help pay for private school if my dad or his two sisters sent their kids to private school. And so she was she sold With eBay, she paid for help we paid with school? Of them.

Jacob Mayo:

Well, I didn't go to private school. So but yes. Yeah. Yeah. She told me she found a belt one time and sold it for $600.

Jacob Mayo:

I was like, gracious grandma. Funny. She was, like, kinda doing something similar. She doesn't she didn't really sell eBay on eBay, but she did a couple times then.

Wade Shoemaker:

That's funny because, like so talking about you know, I told you since I was talking about my grandma earlier.

Jacob Mayo:

Yeah. Long story short, I met your aunt at a flea market. Remember

Wade Shoemaker:

that? Yes. I do. So so the funny thing, like so I used to go to garage sales with my grandparents, like, back in the day. Yeah.

Jacob Mayo:

And then I used to think it was weird.

Wade Shoemaker:

Well, I didn't I thought I thought I wasn't cool. You know? But I'd show up and be like, damn. Why we got these quarters? You know?

Wade Shoemaker:

But but I would show up, and I remember buying a glass. Like, just a glass. It was a Arby's glass.

Jacob Mayo:

It was

Wade Shoemaker:

a standard edition. It was 50¢. Uh-huh. Well, I bought it, and and we would set up at Bonnie And Clyde. My mom and them would be, and they'd set up.

Wade Shoemaker:

I'd go fishing in the ponds at Bonnie And Clyde all day. Yeah. Yeah. And then I came back from fishing, and I was like, where did my glasses go, my mom? She's like, well, somebody bought them.

Wade Shoemaker:

And I'm like, really? For a dollar? Because we doubled the price. Said, yeah. That's profit.

Wade Shoemaker:

And I was like, holy cow. This is how this works. You know, I spend a little bit more rich. I thought so, and then I found out she bought them and didn't tell me.

Jacob Mayo:

She was trying

Wade Shoemaker:

to make me feel good, dude. But, like, it's super cool because and I go anyway, fast forward to you and I know each other, and I the flea markets, estate sales, my grandparents do. I remember memoing them coming into, like, a big pile of camo clothes, and I I remember reaching out like, hey, Like, if you need to go find something, look at some. Yeah. And I told my grandparents I was coming to I was gonna do a a podcast with you.

Wade Shoemaker:

And Pepaw, he was you know, Pepaw was Pepaw, and he's like, is that that boy that buys him old camo clothes or him old clothes?

Jacob Mayo:

And I

Wade Shoemaker:

said, yeah, Peppa. That's him.

Jacob Mayo:

That's him.

Wade Shoemaker:

Yeah. That's anyway, I love that though, dude, that you like, it really all kinda started with your grandma. You know?

Jacob Mayo:

Yeah. It's family.

Wade Shoemaker:

That's sick.

Jacob Mayo:

You know? A lot I'm really impacted in, like, my family. I've been blessed enough to have a big family.

Wade Shoemaker:

You got a great one too. Sounds like, man.

Jacob Mayo:

Like, that's such a cool thing. Fun legacy. Like, legacy is

Wade Shoemaker:

That's big.

Jacob Mayo:

Before I knew Phil, before I met Bella, like, legacy was big for my family too. So it's like a fun thing. Like, God's blessed me to have legacy on

Wade Shoemaker:

my side. That fires me up.

Jacob Mayo:

Yeah. Yeah. So it's it's fun. Like, God made it family structure to, like, impact us and Yeah. Hold us down.

Jacob Mayo:

You know?

Wade Shoemaker:

And you didn't come into something that was out of your element. Like, you just it just all aligned.

Jacob Mayo:

Yeah. And I never planned on it either. It's just crazy.

Wade Shoemaker:

Well, if you did, it wouldn't have made it wouldn't have mattered.

Jacob Mayo:

You know? Yeah. For sure. But it's just crazy how God works. It is that.

Jacob Mayo:

Because, like like, it's just wild.

Wade Shoemaker:

It is. I love that, man. So

Jacob Mayo:

it is.

Wade Shoemaker:

So where do you see General Vintage going? Like because, obviously, vintage clothing is a big deal now, like, all over. It has been for a minute. You obviously were ahead of it, like, doing because you loved it before. Sure.

Wade Shoemaker:

Whether it was necessity or just nostalgia, whatever you like. But but, like, where do you see General Vintage going? You've got the storefront. You've got an online presence, and it's definitely a different level now. Like, you're not like you said, you're not going to, like, you know, Deborah Lot Deborah Drive or Deborah Lane on the garage sales anymore.

Wade Shoemaker:

So, like

Jacob Mayo:

I will, but I'm just I don't have it. But, like, there's time. Like, I don't have that kind of time.

Wade Shoemaker:

That's not

Jacob Mayo:

your priority now. Yeah.

Wade Shoemaker:

Exactly. So where do you see it going from here?

Jacob Mayo:

Man, I always tell people, like, essentially, I keep doing the same thing. Like, my goal with general general vintage is helping you stand out while everybody else is trying to fit in. So, like, the goal in the future is just being that place where I can help people stand out and, like, feel comfortable about their style choices while everybody else is just going to the store and trying to fit in, buying whatever's in there. Like, I can really give you pieces that can elevate your wardrobe and, like, make you feel comfortable and happy. And it's also you're probably not gonna see a lot of people ever wearing the same thing that you're

Wade Shoemaker:

wearing. Yeah.

Jacob Mayo:

So you can really stand out.

Wade Shoemaker:

It's good because I don't make them anymore, literally.

Jacob Mayo:

Yeah. Exactly. And so dude. It's fun you can find unique pieces in nostalgia, whether it was from your grandparents or your parents or whoever impacted your life, or

Wade Shoemaker:

you can

Jacob Mayo:

stand out with it. So it's just like something curating that and just And even if it's future.

Wade Shoemaker:

Even if it's the styles that you like when you were younger, you were like, dude, that's some cool stuff.

Jacob Mayo:

Yeah.

Wade Shoemaker:

Yeah. Yeah. Because I think, like, nineties are, like, kind of the thing right now. Right? So well, I guess it'd be the twenty twenties now.

Wade Shoemaker:

But, like, the stuff in the nineties, there's variations of that that's now cool, which we talked about Abercrombie coming back, which is this is not a fashion thing. It's just this is kinda what the vein we're in. But, like, that is the deal. Like, it's coming. You know?

Wade Shoemaker:

And you've got those pieces that are I mean, at this point, they're not one of one, but they might as well be. Yeah. Yeah. You So if find it in your size, you better snag it if you like it. And I know I just I think it's very cool.

Wade Shoemaker:

So from a scaling, like, do you see another store somewhere else? Do you see just more of online presence and sticking with the store you have?

Jacob Mayo:

Yeah. I think I would really say sticking with the store I have. I mean, maybe go to Ruston or something if I wanted to at one point, but, like, really just elevating online and and, like, curating the store.

Wade Shoemaker:

That's cool.

Jacob Mayo:

I love the store. It's a really cool curation today. I like how it looks, and it's fun to, like, tell somebody, like, hey. I do this, and here's my story. You can go look at it, like, in person and, like, feel it

Wade Shoemaker:

Yeah.

Jacob Mayo:

And tell you.

Wade Shoemaker:

So with that, is there anything that's like that General Advantage is, like, sort of obscure or or, like, kinda way off the radar? Like, can somebody come in and be like, hey, man. I've got this piece. I need to find some stuff to go with it, or, hey. I I just need a I need a fit.

Wade Shoemaker:

Like, can you

Jacob Mayo:

I can do it all. You can do it?

Wade Shoemaker:

Mean, is

Jacob Mayo:

that something you offer,

Wade Shoemaker:

though, or is that just a thing?

Jacob Mayo:

Offered it to friends. And, like, obviously, if you're a more open person to talking and and and, like, we'll voice that, like, I'll definitely help you out. But I've definitely styled friends and family members and other things like that. I wouldn't say I exactly offer it. Like, I have not, hey.

Jacob Mayo:

You pay this fee for a styling fee with clothes and this and that, but I could. But but even if

Wade Shoemaker:

it's like a a guy walks in the store and just needs help because Yeah. Let's be honest you. People for sure. Bro, I mean, I can I can wear gray every day with the best of them? You know?

Wade Shoemaker:

But, like, not everybody wants that.

Jacob Mayo:

So Yeah. It's yeah. For sure. Somebody comes in the store and asks, like, I'm definitely gonna help them. Like, hey.

Jacob Mayo:

Is there something you're looking for? What are you wanting it to fit like? You know? Like, what kind of vibe were you going for? Like, you know?

Wade Shoemaker:

I love that.

Jacob Mayo:

What's the deal?

Wade Shoemaker:

Which that that pushes me to the next one, and I and I'm if I feel like I'm rushing, I'm sorry. I just wanna make sure you get this in because this is a cool piece of it. We went to the museum. We saw all that stuff, and then we got to see kind of all the pieces out of the movie. And then we got to see, you know, one of the outfits they wore.

Wade Shoemaker:

Yeah. And I remember you telling me about, like, back when The Blind was being made, that you would help, like, style the movie. So I I didn't mean for it to segue like that, but it did, it worked. But fill us in on how, like, you and General Vintage and I don't know if if it I I I would assume General Vintage did play a role in this because they're obvious, but, like, how did how did that play a role? How'd that come about other than being family?

Jacob Mayo:

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So, like, The is, like it was kind of way big like, it was family, but, like, way bigger family. It's just like a whole production.

Jacob Mayo:

Yeah. Like, hired out, like, union workers and everything, which so when the blind came about, Corey and Zach Dasher, which y'all probably don't know Zach Dasher, but he's Yeah. He's in the whole Tread Lively deal who produced the movie, and he's he's family. And they were like, do you think you could help with the movie? And I was like, yeah.

Jacob Mayo:

For sure. But this is, like, a month or two before they started shooting. This is like prior. And I was like, yeah. And so comes down to it.

Jacob Mayo:

They start filming, and they're like, oh, no. We got somebody to do it. Like, no big deal. So I was like, oh, okay. I was like, that would've been cool, but, you know, but no big deal.

Jacob Mayo:

Like, whatever. Well, I get a call halfway through the week. Did they, like, fire their costume person because they weren't doing it right, and it wasn't, like, per se, like, labeled to the right yeah. It wasn't authentic. And so I get this call, they're like, can you bring some pieces out here in this area?

Jacob Mayo:

And I'm like, okay. So I get, like, a 100 pieces of stuff and bring it out there. And I'm like, oh, this is great. Yeah. And they hire a new costume designer.

Wade Shoemaker:

This is the exact thin polyester we were looking for.

Jacob Mayo:

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So I've become like a I think I ended up being, like, assistant costume, like, person designer or something. I started out as, like, just a I think a PA is what they call it.

Jacob Mayo:

And I was just, like, a little grunt boy, but I provided all the clothes. Yeah. That would so, like, they had a guy it was funny. I was a little PA, but I, like, provided all the clothes, and they were, like, renting them from me or buying them, and I was sourcing them for the show. And then one of the union workers came out there that's, like, overseas the union, and they saw what I was doing.

Jacob Mayo:

They were like, he can't be a PA. He's doing too much, like, work. Like, you have to elevate union. Yeah. And they were like, he's doing too much work.

Jacob Mayo:

As in, he's doing so much. That you Yeah. He gave me a raise. I was like, this is great. Yeah.

Jacob Mayo:

And so, yeah, so I got to work out there and provide. It was funny because, like, hindsight's twenty twenty. So, like, I was out here digging, finding vintage clothes, like, day in, day out. That's what I used to do, and I still do do it. It was just different.

Jacob Mayo:

I was doing it every day. It's funny. Hindsight looking back at all these places I found the clothes that led up to this moment. Yeah. Like, all these clothes, I'd had them.

Jacob Mayo:

It was just time for the movie, and then I got in that role and then got to use them all. And they loved them, and it was, like, perfect for everything we do, man. Like It was so fun.

Wade Shoemaker:

I love that. It's because I think about all the shirts my pet ball has. Yeah. He was, you know, his heyday was he was probably just, like, prime in the in the sixties and seventies. You know?

Wade Shoemaker:

And with that real thin button up polyester stuff. Exactly. I made the comment because I had the same ones, like, I knew. Like, it was oh, I didn't wear a bunch of them, but they were in the closet. Right.

Wade Shoemaker:

Right. Very, very cool, man. That I don't know. I just think that's super cool, man. You went from, like, having some stuff to being, like, actually on the movie set, like, providing and helping, like Yeah.

Wade Shoemaker:

Allocate.

Jacob Mayo:

Yeah. I can't remember. I was literally I wanna say it was almost, like, 500 pieces. Woah. Yeah.

Jacob Mayo:

That's crazy, dude. It was cool. It's really cool to be able to say that. Like because it was funny. Like, I got I got the boot.

Jacob Mayo:

Like, they said, do you wanna help? And then they, like, forgot about me or whatever. And then they're calling me like, this guy's we're fired in this guy. Like, he's not If you got if you're listening,

Wade Shoemaker:

you got fired, man. I'm sorry, but, like, I'm glad it happened.

Jacob Mayo:

I don't even know this. I don't even know they, like, redid the whole costume department that week. They had to I came in with new stuff, and we worked it out, and it turned out great.

Wade Shoemaker:

Golly. I love it.

Jacob Mayo:

But it was just cool, like, looking back. I'm a big guy, like, looking back and just, like, seeing how things play out. I don't know why.

Wade Shoemaker:

No. It's good. It's retrospect, dude. Yeah. That literally is hindsight.

Jacob Mayo:

Just being thankful. It's like, oh, man. That's crazy. Like, it wasn't what I planned, but hey.

Wade Shoemaker:

Hey. If Phil wouldn't have found Jesus, you wouldn't have duck commander. And if old boy wouldn't have got fired, you wouldn't have been able to elevate general Vinny.

Jacob Mayo:

You know? If I wouldn't have, you know, met Bella and been playing baseball, I never started general Vinny. Oh, that too.

Wade Shoemaker:

Yeah. That

Jacob Mayo:

would have never been the you know what I'm saying? Like, it's crazy. Yeah. I love that.

Wade Shoemaker:

That's it's it's crazy how it all does work together and dots connect even when they don't feel like they're supposed to, but they actually it feels right. You know? I love that, man. I mean, we've we've covered a lot, dude, and we're we're just over an hour. And I think that's a really good spot to, like, kinda put a cap on this thing.

Wade Shoemaker:

And what I've started doing over the last little bit is I always wanna end on a on a high note. Right? Like Right. I mean, I don't know how we can get any better than what we've covered. Like, everything's been just positive and insightful, honestly, man.

Wade Shoemaker:

Like, I've I've enjoyed this whole deal.

Jacob Mayo:

For sure.

Wade Shoemaker:

But I I wanna I wanna do something, and and it's kind of like in the spirit of everybody wins. Right? Right. Who you wanna give your props to, whatever it is. There's a podcast I listen to pretty regular, and he does this at the end of them, and it just ends every podcast on a good note.

Wade Shoemaker:

And it's a simple question, and I just wanna ask who out there what two brands or two you know, whatever you see in the space, like, the hunting industry and not I mean, any I mean, whatever, like, that you think are are moving the needle in the hunting space in a in a good and a positive way that you, yeah, that you just wanna say, hey, man. Like, you're crushing it. Like, it can be a brand that you've paid attention to or it can be a person that you've seen just, like, really doing things the right way and, like, being a positive role model for all these whatever it is.

Jacob Mayo:

Right? Yeah.

Wade Shoemaker:

Yeah. You know? But, like, who do you want who do you wanna give your shout out to?

Jacob Mayo:

I don't know if these these two people one one is a bigger brand, and they're gonna be they're actually YouTubers, I would say.

Wade Shoemaker:

And they're the hunting space?

Jacob Mayo:

They're the hunting space. Yeah. Both of them. One's on the higher end that's been around, and I think, dude, there's a controversial group. But Yeah.

Jacob Mayo:

And another one is just he's been around, and he's getting a lot of traction now. But I just like what he stands for. He stands for the Lord. And, like, he's just likes doing stuff. He always liked the real way.

Jacob Mayo:

The government was Kay Tricky. I like

Wade Shoemaker:

him. My boy, Kay.

Jacob Mayo:

I don't know. I don't know.

Wade Shoemaker:

He's one of my favorite people in the entire space.

Jacob Mayo:

Like, that's somebody I actually, like, watch their content. It's real. There's a lot of content out there, and I'll actually, like, watch his content.

Wade Shoemaker:

Me up, you said Cade, man. Dude, I love I love that guy. Know the guy.

Jacob Mayo:

But I'm just saying, like, his content is just good. You know? He thanks the lord, and and, like, he just he's the real deal. Like, he just likes to hunt. I love that.

Jacob Mayo:

And it's just raw. Yeah. And I think that's, like what he's doing is, like, something even, like, we're Duck Commander, K-twelve. It's like, man, that's so real. Like, I wanna be real like that.

Jacob Mayo:

Yeah. Like, you know what I'm saying? Like, I wanna be raw and organic like that and real. And so I think that's something he does well.

Wade Shoemaker:

Sick, dude. We we were talking, last year because his his YouTube hit a lick last year. And he was doing well, you know, 2,000, 3,000, 4,000 subscribers. And then he had a video he did, and then last spring, he ended up I think it was, like, 20,000 is where he bumped. And, dude, it just I love seeing him win.

Wade Shoemaker:

And, like, when I tell you how it makes me happy to hear you say his name, like Yeah. It that's that's, like, the greatest thing I've heard today. Like, it it fires me. I'm gonna actually text him when we get off, but, man. Like, you gotta you gotta hear it.

Wade Shoemaker:

But, anyway Shit. Cool.

Jacob Mayo:

K. Which is funny, like, because when we'd looked at this stuff and I was thinking about who pushes the needle, I was like, man, that dude impacts me. I like his stuff.

Wade Shoemaker:

I love that.

Jacob Mayo:

I like his stuff. And then, like, this is gonna be a basic one. I feel like a lot of people might say this, but I really I've always liked to hunt in public.

Wade Shoemaker:

Okay.

Jacob Mayo:

Yeah. That's just me. I I don't know. Like, I wouldn't say like, I watch Kade Tricky. Yeah.

Jacob Mayo:

Like, I like his, like, waterfowl stuff. I'm trying to think of other waterfowlers that I really watch.

Wade Shoemaker:

It doesn't have be waterfowl, dude. I mean, it can

Jacob Mayo:

be Yeah. Hunt in public, man. I really like them. I really like their camaraderie. Mhmm.

Jacob Mayo:

I think they're real and authentic. Yep. And I think they do a good job of just, like, just hunting for real and Love it. Success. Like, they show misses.

Jacob Mayo:

Like, I love that. Like, they show misses and the whole nine yards, like, and nonsuccessful stuff.

Wade Shoemaker:

Yeah.

Jacob Mayo:

So and I just think the guys are funny. I think they're all quirky and different, and I just think you can learn a lot from them. I'm a have

Wade Shoemaker:

to watch. I've I've never I'm not a big, like, consumer of, like, YouTube or even transparent even podcast. Like, I'm not a big consumer of it.

Jacob Mayo:

You know? Always either.

Wade Shoemaker:

A cup there's a couple that I listen to, usually when I'm

Jacob Mayo:

mowing, honestly. Yeah. Yeah.

Wade Shoemaker:

Yeah. But I'm gonna have to look into them because, like, hearing you say that about Kade and then following up with these guys, like, there's a connect you know, they just make me wanna listen

Jacob Mayo:

to and everything watching. I'm not saying those are the only two.

Wade Shoemaker:

No. Know it's not.

Jacob Mayo:

I'm saying but I'm saying, to me, they both have the same thing of just, like, real authentic, and that's what I'm drawn to. Yeah. That's me. That doesn't mean anyone else is not good or this and that. That's just that's just me personally who I'm drawn to and what I like.

Jacob Mayo:

Because, like, what I watch, I'm like, man, I can either apply this or use this, and I wanna, like, I just like it.

Wade Shoemaker:

Or you just like

Jacob Mayo:

the person they're about.

Wade Shoemaker:

Yeah. You like who they're about. And and that's what this is for. This is for, like because some people may not have heard of Cade, like Yeah. Yeah.

Wade Shoemaker:

Or may not have heard of Hunt in Public. I'm sure most of them have.

Jacob Mayo:

Probably not.

Wade Shoemaker:

Yeah. But regardless, like, this allows people to get a look inside of, like, kind of, like, what you're looking for and then maybe even expose them to something that they didn't know they loved.

Jacob Mayo:

Exactly. That's the thing about hunting public. It impacted me. A deer hunted growing up. I got into the duck hunting later Yeah.

Jacob Mayo:

You know, in at, like, 18 years old Yeah. Because I finally had a good duck hunt.

Wade Shoemaker:

That's

Jacob Mayo:

sick. You know? And then I started watching the hunt in public.

Wade Shoemaker:

Was your duck hunt local here? Public, or was it, like, sick? I don't tell me where. But No.

Jacob Mayo:

Yeah. No. All my public land all my duck hunt is public Yeah. Other than, you know, having invite somewhere.

Wade Shoemaker:

Yeah. Yeah.

Jacob Mayo:

Yeah. And so yeah. And then hunting public got me into wanting to try a turkey hunt. That's what I'm saying. Like, watching them made me start wanting to get in turkey hunting.

Jacob Mayo:

So, like, that's how it impacted me. I was like, if they're put like, if I wonder who else they're getting into hunting because, like, it made me wanna go turkey hunting. I was like, is cool. Everybody. That's I, like, watched the video, and I was like, oh, this is cool.

Jacob Mayo:

Like, nobody would really turkey hunting like that Yeah. In my life. And so I was like, Someone wanna try out.

Wade Shoemaker:

Created more opportunity for you, and you didn't know it was all local, a lot

Jacob Mayo:

of it. Yeah. Yeah.

Wade Shoemaker:

That's sick, dude. Well, look. Jacob, thank you, man. Like, we've covered. Honestly, like, there's so much more I could talk about, but I actually cut a couple of things out because I knew we were pressed for time.

Wade Shoemaker:

But, dude, like, thank you for having me, and thank you for being, like, super accommodating on the reschedule. Yeah. Last week was was kinda crazy, but we got it knocked out. Folks, look, Jacob Mayo, Duck Commander, General Vintage, thank you guys for coming and hanging out. My name's Wade.

Wade Shoemaker:

This has been your Ducks Unlimited Podcast.

VO:

That's a wrap for today's episode of the Ducks Unlimited Podcast brought to you by Bird Dog Whiskey and Cocktails. From post hunt unwinds to celebrations back at camp, Bird Dog delivers award winning flavor to every moment. Enjoy responsibly. Don't forget to rate, review, and subscribe, and check out ducks.org/dupodcast for more stories, science, and all things waterfowl. Guest opinions are their own and don't necessarily reflect those of Ducks Unlimited. Until next time, stay fired up, stay focused, and stay tuned to the ducks.