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Our mission is to take a stand for Christ while hunting from tree stands and enjoying God’s great outdoors. On every adventure, if you look for it, God will teach you something about Himself. That’s what we want to share, a show about awesome hunting and an awesome creator who made it all possible.
Speaker 1 0:22
You Hey, welcome to the stand outdoors, the show where faith and the great outdoors come together. I'm Dave Baker along with the founder of the stand outdoors, Mike Hayes, and today we're talking with Hunter extraordinaire Jeff Danker. And man, I'm really excited about having Jeff on the show, aren't
Speaker 2 0:46
you? Oh, man, I am so excited. I've been following that boy for a long time, for over 20 years, and when he was with Major League, you know, bow hunters and all the way through, and he's just been such an inspiration for me, not only in the outdoor sports and stuff, but also with the Lord Jesus Christ too.
Speaker 1 1:05
Jeff is an owner and manager of bvo productions. He started Buck ventures back in oh three, 2003 with the motto, shoot by sight, walk by faith, based off of Second Corinthians. And he was raised in the rural country of Oklahoma, spent a lot of time as a team roper before starting his television career. He's gonna be talking about that today. He is married to his wife, Tracy, as he said, his high school sweetheart. He has two daughters, JAYLEE and Gracie, and so we're glad to have Jeff Denker on the show with us today.
Speaker 2 1:37
It's so great to have you, Jeff. Thank you so much for doing the podcast with us, and I've been watching you for, I don't know how long. It's just incredible. I got old on TV. Yeah, you did. You did. It was amazing, and I got old on the Lazy Boy watch it, but it's better than the alternative. But I don't know, as Christians will be with the Lord when we die, right? So it's like we have this incredible hope,
Unknown Speaker 2:10
that is for sure. I don't know how people, I don't have, people live without that hope.
Speaker 2 2:16
Oh, I know it and and it's our job to get out there and let them know about it. And I love what you're doing. It's just so beautiful, because we started 10 years ago, and you, you were a big inspiration with all of that. And, you know, I was retiring as a I went to Bible college and went, went to and became a contractor. And everybody used to joke about and I tell them, hey, Jesus was a carpenter, so, you know, I'm a good company. Yes, sir. Now tell me about your upbringing, like, like, you know, who did you have a mentor when you were growing up that got you into hunting, or what's a backup?
Speaker 3 2:56
So, so my dad, you know, I grew up on little, 10 acres, and we had horses and I was four years old. My dad started taking me coon hunt at four years old. And believe it or not, I scared to death the dark. And then I wrote, and I wrote. He had me roping off horse when I was four years old, and I scared of cows, but just going up through that and the outdoors and and Dad always Ben with me and pushing me. And my two things in my life that just captured me was the outdoors of hunting and then my team roping and cap roping and all that. I mean, that's just what I live for, and still today, that's what I live for, other than, you know, God give me this platform when I did it all. You know, my mom on the other side of that, Mike, was the one that put me in church, even though, when I wanted to be out roping or hunting, she made me go to church bus and got saved at eight years old. And, man, I'm sure thankful I did, because I don't know, I don't know stubbornness I am now. I don't know if you know what the good Lord would have had in store otherwise. Oh, I
Speaker 2 4:20
shuddered to think what, what, where I would be today. I mean, it was amazing. But when you but did you actually, like, did your father teach you how to archery, hunt and all of that stuff, or did you have a different mentor in that area,
Speaker 3 4:35
really, my dad. What I remember is, when I was a kid, my dad would be out there in his jean shorts, and he was shooting a long bow into a bell of hay with a paper plate on it. I just loved it. I couldn't stand I mean, it was so awesome, so but my dad deer hunted a little bit, but not a lot. At 14 years old, I somehow got a hold. A bow and started messing with that a little bit. Honey. Shot my first doe with a bow at 14 years old, spotting stock, just out whatever. Just got lucky and walked up on a doe and shot or and I was just from there, really. I didn't really have anybody teach me. I was the kid that was watching everything, you know, back then to find the video, you know, yeah, there wasn't a lot of VHS, and I just was so intrigued by it. So I never had anyone that taught me like, Oh man, this is your form and all that. I just really from television magazines and then a bunch of just stubbornness.
Speaker 2 5:48
Yeah, that's great. You had your dad there to inspire you though that that's that's beautiful. Now, then, when you were growing up, did you ever think you'd have a TV show like this and be doing this. Did you ever, like, dream about that, or,
Speaker 3 6:04
you know, I ended up so I hunted around the house and and, I mean, I shot everything that was brown, right? I mean, every spike deer, every doe, I just wore them out. But, but I remember Ben at a trade show in Oklahoma City, and I went by this place, and they were advertising a three day hunt for $450 but she had to have four people. So is a total of $1,800 probably 130 inch beer. And I mean, I was just, I was just crazy excited, but I remember going to the check in station that's back when check in stations, and it was the third littlest Buck checked in. That's when I made the move. Yeah, I made the move to say, You know what, I'm gonna get somewhere, and I'm gonna find a good place to hunt. And so when we did that, we had a camp out there. And that's when I started watching all in VHS, the real tree, and Bill George and all that. And that's when my dream began. Yeah, and wouldn't it be so cool to have a hunting show? But never in my wildest dreams, did I ever it was just kind of, you know, no way I was ever going to have that. But that's where the dream started.
Speaker 2 7:22
That's great. That's great. So, and how did Buck ventures get started? What 22 years now, something like that.
Speaker 3 7:30
22 started to 2003 so it basically, what happened is, in that process of what I just told you, you know, I didn't have no money. We were a rougher I made decent money, but I just a hard worker. And basically what happened is I started this company. I started going around to try to lease this ground. And this wasn't back in the Onyx days. This was where you had to go the courthouse, and you had to buy them books for each county, $25 to buy one.
Unknown Speaker 8:00
Yeah. You remember that? Yeah.
Speaker 3 8:03
And so I started trying to find leases. Well, when I did, I didn't have the money for them, so I started a company called Buck ventures hunting lease opportunities. And what I would do is I would I made this deal where I would go to a farmer and out in that country, they'd have 10,000 acres, and they would want 35,000 for it at the time, something like that. And I would go find a lawyer or a construction worker, and I would lease that ground for that farmer, okay? And they would pay me a percentage. And what I did a lot is I just keep me 500 acres of that 10,000 acres, and that's how that started. So Buck benches, hunting, lease opportunities, is going I'm hunting. I'm made up with it. I'm roping. And then all of a sudden I get a phone call. I was shooting some pretty good bucks. I was laying in Iowa in a hotel, rainy day, and I get a phone call from a guy in Oklahoma that had a local television show. Okay? It says, Hey, would you want to come to work for me? And I thought, now, you know, I was roofing with my dad, making money, and I was getting a rodeo all over the world, and so I had it pretty good. And I just said, No, I don't really want to go to work for somebody. And he offered me a percentage, a 30% percentage. And I said, Well, dude, I'll come meet with you. And I come and met with him. And, man, he handed me this giant camera, XL 1s Do you remember those
Unknown Speaker 9:41
big old thing, yeah. And it
Speaker 3 9:43
told us to go hunt, and we were going to get our expenses paid all these sponsored products. So my dream was starting. I was like, dang, wow. But I didn't know. I never knew how to do anything halfway. I just My dad taught me if you're going. Do something, you do it right, right? So basically, I quit rodeo, and I, you know, everything started to go all hunting. And back in those days, this was early, 2002 I spent $31,000 that we didn't have, and we went and shot 14 deer that year on film, and he didn't really teach us how to run the cameras. Nothing really. Oh, my goodness. And long story short, we kept asking for that money. Hey, when are we getting paid? When we getting our expenses paid? And it never happened. Oh, man. And so when he called to get that footage, you know, I was born at night, but it wasn't last night. That's right, that's right. And I just said, Look, we're done. And I just remember having that footage, and didn't know nothing, and I found a little producer in Oklahoma City, and we got this thing. I just took that name Buck ventures and incorporated shoot by sight, walk by faith, seconds, five, seven, yeah. And, and we started local right there. And, and that's where it all began. Wow, that's great.
Speaker 2 11:17
And then you started the woodsman. Tell me about that, that that, that I actually filled out one of those things online, but I said, you need some Pennsylvania boys out there, but, but tell me about what that's all about.
Speaker 3 11:34
Well, basically what happened as we started to go and we started to get pratco got behind us in the early years, you know, it was a tough go, but when I broke through and we started filming all that, and I had to learn kind of who I was, you know, because when you first start TV, you know, all these people are pulling at you and you're just trying to make it. And I had to find out, look, I got to be me, right? I can't be Michael audelle. I can't be no one else. And I was a big people pleaser, so I wanted to please everybody, but I finally just found out, you know what, I got to be me, and the ones that love me are gonna love me, and the ones that hate me are gonna hate me. And so the biggest thing that I had coming in was hundreds and hundreds of messages. How do you get in the hunting industry? And you know, I tried to answer a lot of them and this and that, but but more as I got going and Buck beaches just became more successful and more successful. We had all these big partners behind us, all these people believing in us. I thought, You know what, why not help someone's dream come true through us and be able to share the gospel, and not only share the gospel, but let them be a part of that, and be able to change lives. And that's when I started. I thought, You know what? So I checked, you know, we had this unbelievable relationship with Outdoor Channel and sportsman channel, and I mentioned it to them, and said, Look. And so they got behind it. And so then I started recruiting people to put them on national TV and told them this, look, when you're here, you got to sign these code of conducts. You got to do this. You know, I ain't making you be a Christian. But usually the ones that weren't Christians, they weren't going to stay home, right? They were either going to be a Christian or they're what,
Speaker 2 13:30
and be converted, right there, yeah.
Speaker 3 13:33
And we started doing this, and it just started growing. I remember the first meeting, had like 70 people, you know, now we have 350 plus team members. We have a national TV show for them, on sportsman YouTube channel for them. And not only have we spread the gospel, then now those kids guys got platforms to share the gospel. And you know, we have a whole team that keeps up with their social medias to make sure they got beer. You know, we tell them, Look, I tell them this. I might be a stepping stone for you. You might come here, and you might end up with your own show, and that's what we're here for. Just do it the right way. When that time comes, I tell them, you just let me know, and I'll help you in every way I can. That's great.
Speaker 1 14:26
Hey, Jeff, what what kind of advice can you give to young hunters, just starting out, some basic stuff to just get them off the dime a little bit? You know, when we were young, we kind of, we kind of fell in it our dads or relatives or uncles, and they were the ones that were kind of getting us into it, and then we kind of had to learn our own now, I kind of think it's different than it used to be when we were growing up. So what kind of advice can you give to young people getting involved in hunting?
Speaker 3 14:53
Say this, I mean, what I like to try to tell young Ben, first of all, watch our TV stuff, watch all that. But. Remember, we all started somewhere. I mean, I think kids nowadays, they try to get into hunting, and they're trying to shoot a 170 right? Then it becomes not fun, right? And that's what I tell them. They have to learn who they are. Go, go get a bunch of bloody errors. I mean, first I tell them this, go to your bow shop. Go wherever you can and go to one of these, these deals, these both shoots, whatever, and find someone these today, like myself and all my woodsman, they're here to help. Yeah, they want young hunters in but do it on his own. Maybe Dad don't hunt and whatever, that's hard, right? And if he'll just put himself out there and let people know he wanted to hunt, there's people that will help that. And they get around someone that can help. And then, like I said, I didn't think these kids nowadays they they try to shoot a 170 on a piece of ground. It's the biggest buck on it's 120 inches, and all of a sudden it's no fun anymore, right? Yeah, you know, I got more bloody errors to be able to shoot, to be able to shoot 180 inch deer when he walks out. It's all them days of them bloody errors that I had That's right, those spikes, those, whatever it is that's what is makes me able to stand in the backyard shooting today. Target ain't the same, right? And we all know this, right? You can see a doe family coming towards you, and she you ain't going to shoot her, and you ain't nervous, but the second you say, Man, I will pick up my bow and shoot that doe. Now, all sudden, Buck fever steps in. That's what a kid needs. That's what. That's what's good for the soul,
Speaker 2 16:43
yeah, definitely. Man, good words, yeah. So what was, what would you think would be your most memorable hunt that you've ever been on? I mean, one of
Speaker 3 16:54
them, you know, I could go into a million or not a million, a ton of big bucks that I've shot, right? But my most memorable hunt guys is I remember loading my two little girls up. They were eight years old and 11, and I took them to northwest Oklahoma in a big pleasure, just the three of us, many in on a more than hunt, cold in a blind with a crossbow, and my youngest that morning shoots 125 inch deer. And it was unbelievable. And she was so excited. It was crazy. My oldest daughter was so excited, and then we took care of that deer, went right back that same blind at night, and my oldest daughter shot 125 inch deer. Wow, just the three of us out there. That's the Ben, the pictures that we got of that video that that I have forever. It just, it's something that was, I just cherish it, yeah, I didn't know how much I cherished it till later in life.
Speaker 2 18:00
Yeah, oh, yeah. There. Last year, I went out with my grandson eight. He was seven years old. He could, first year, he could get a buck tag for himself, because you only allow one buck in Pennsylvania, and he wasn't taking mine, sorry, but he was able to get his own buck tag when he was seven. He got a doe at six, and and this big nine pointer comes out. And he was the biggest deer I had on camera at that time. And I was wondering, should I have him take this? Will it spoil him or what? And then I say, you know he I felt the Lord, you brought him out. You know, he brought that deer out when Ty's hunting, so Ty take him, you know. And he took them. He just got it on his wall, just this year. He's so pumped.
Speaker 3 18:48
That is unbelievable. Those are they'll never forget it. That's right, yeah, forget it, yep, yeah.
Speaker 2 18:54
That was probably my, will be my most memorable hunt, too. It's just, but I got 10. I got 10 grandkids. I might have 10.
Speaker 3 19:05
Yeah, it's so fun. I remember my girls. They tracked those deer in the snow themselves. I made them do it. They were so pumped. I made them drag
Speaker 2 19:18
the deer. I love it. That's great. Well, let's see, I wanted to hear about maybe one of your biggest challenges that you've ever had in life. You know, doesn't have to be hunting, but it can be. But, you know, just in life,
Speaker 3 19:33
well, I think it all involves around, I mean, just the sinful part of my life, of, you know, basically having a TV show and going after something, you know that dream is a good thing, right until you start putting it ahead of other things. And so our toughest challenge became, you know, my wife was my biggest cheerleader. She was my high school sweetheart. You. Know, we had two kids, but the word Buck ventures was everywhere, right? I mean, she was the biggest cheerleader. But 2345, years in, and no matter where you're at, no matter what you're doing, it's Buck ventures, it's Buck ventures, it's Buck ventures, you know, and then you're gone seven days out of 10. You're, you know, you're chasing this thing that you can't let up on to make it, yeah. And so my biggest challenge become, you know, Second Corinthians, five, seven, you know, shoot by sight. Walk by Faith. Walk by faith, not by sight, is where it all started. But there was a time where I was a very selfish individual through all this, and didn't even realize it. And, and so that created challenges at home and and, you know, and then pride with me coming the way somewhat there, and God just had to really grab me and put me in some valleys there to recognize that, because, you know, God in family, and it's not even that. I truly believe this. I believe as a husband or a wife, the first thing that should be first is God, yeah, and in the world, always says family second. But that's not true. As a husband or a wife, your next deal is your spouse, right? And then the children will fall in line. And that's where I had to get. And I'm so thankful for that, that God, first of all, give me the wisdom that only comes to him to recognize that and to say, You know what? God's in control. God's a sovereign God, Rob Romans, 828, he is working it all for good, amen, but it's for those who love him to put him first. Yeah, and and so. And even the point where a verse that really got me was in Ecclesiastes is where it said, you know, he starts out Solomon starts to say, Vanity of vanities. And when I really started studying that, that means even that I can do the right things with the wrong heart, and it ain't right. And so when I started really diving into that and say, You know what, I got to get right, to do the right thing here, and here's the motto that I came up with, is if God had me digging ditches tomorrow, if Buck ventures went away today and I'm digging ditches, right, can I be okay with that? If that's God's will, that's right, yeah, and that is really what I try to show all of my team members, my people, that work for me. That's the heart that we have to have, and that's the intentionality that we have to have, and to stay in God's word and to push forward there and knowing Yeah, and it frees you up that he is working everything for good for those who love you now, not the little fluffy movies that he's working it for good for everybody, because that's not what it says, right, right? It says for those who love Him. So the ones that are called, the ones that are saved and the ones that are pushing. You know, again, we all fall short every day. Yeah, big time. But that's the heart that God has given me, and I'm so thankful for it, guys, that's
Unknown Speaker 23:14
a good word. That's a good word.
Speaker 2 23:15
Excellent, excellent. Yeah, we did now, did you come to faith in Christ very young, or was it? Was it later in life? Or because you grow, you grew up in the church.
Speaker 3 23:30
I was eight years old, and all I wanted to do is rope and hunt. That's it, right? And my dad, I'm so thankful for him. My Mom, I told him, we're going to church on Sundays, and we're going to Vacation Bible schools and this and that, and, and I said, No, they're gonna be roping tonight. And he made me go and guys at eight years old, I'm up there chasing girls and playing ball, and I'm a Vacation Bible School and, and I remember that night as the preacher was talking, you know, he was talking about hell and heaven and this and that, and all sudden, got this little boy's attention. And, I mean, I just felt like something coming over me, but I didn't do anything that night. Well, the next night, Thursday night, I just, I don't know how I got up there, but I walked up there fall, and that was the night the Lord changed my life. I gave my life. The Lord got baptized the next week, and I was on fire for three or four years, you know. And then, you know, obviously in my 1617, 18 year neglect, but he saved me. My heart has been for him, and knowing that he is everything, all through everything I've been with, and I'm going to continue that Lord will until the day I die, and the platform he's given me is I never want to let up.
Speaker 2 24:58
And how about you know. You know how Romans 120 talks about how God's clearly seen by the things that are made. Like, how has spending so much time out in God's creation helped your relationship with God?
Speaker 3 25:11
Well, I definitely, you know, pray every morning. I mean, his new His blessings are new every morning. So setting out there and with a young field producer and making sure that they see what we're really looking at. And here's the deal, all that is the right, say, right as us Christians, and we can, we definitely can see that. I mean the sun rises, the sunsets, because here's the deal, as a hunter and as somebody trying to push forward and make it in life. I literally so many times, guys, if I'm being honest, I didn't see the sunsets and sunrises. Yeah, I didn't see the journey. Yeah, all it was was kill a big deer, get it on film, and let's go do the other one, right? And, and so it took time, and it was an up and down. And that's what I am so appreciative about the Lord is He uses what we love. And there's valleys, yeah, I mean, there's misses, there's bad footage, there's it ain't happening. And because you know, the truth of matter is, if you're watching the television show, it seems like every time Jeff Denker crawls up in a stand I kill a big deer, but it's not that way. And God, Oh, come on, you're exactly right. Yeah, I mean the sunsets and sunrises I appreciate more than ever the creation of the Lord and what he's done. And even though I see even the bad stuff. I mean, the bad, hard winds, the storms, whatever. And I can just appreciate that now I'm born.
Speaker 2 26:48
Yeah, yeah. I remember we had an episode called the hunt for the Eight of diamonds. It was a big buck, you know, to us in Pennsylvania back and it was a pursuit. And we had some encounters, funny encounters, my wife's in the stand with me, and we're in a blind and her phone goes off right when he's coming in, you know, chasing the toe, things like that. But I've had people tell me, we never, we never got that deer. We had some great footage of the deer, but I was holding out for that deer, and I didn't take a buck that year. But yet, the way I presented it was, I had the best time going after that buck, looking at God's creation and the beautiful, you know, autumn and fall weather and and I had so much great footage, and people have told me that that's one of their best episodes. And I didn't get a deer. I got a doe for the you know, that was it, but no buck. And that was,
Speaker 3 27:44
Well, Ben, that's exactly right. Mike, I mean, I'll be betrayed. So there Ben, people come see me. And I promise you, if there's 100 people that walk up there, I can promise you over half of them be like, well, that one you missed by three foot. I love that episode, Jeff. And I'm like, dang, let's talk about the ones I actually hit. It's just relatable. It's not It's hunting is tough, you know. And it's and it's for all of us. I mean, you know, that's the one thing that that I appreciate is, you know, and I think that's why we love it so much. When I finally get the deer I'm after down, it's appreciate, you know, it's, it's such a it's really bittersweet. I know it's overused, but like so many of these big deer that I've killed, I mean, I literally shed a tear. Sometimes I'm like, now it's over. I mean, every time I came here, this lucky deer that I was after, and now it's over, yeah, I just want to almost turn him back loose, you
Speaker 1 28:46
know, re hunt him again, yeah? Well, Jeff, thank you so much. We appreciate all your your words and a good word from the Lord today, from you. Just because we're a faith based organization too, we want to encourage people, not only to hunt, men, women, children, families, but to also think about God's creation and what that means in their life and and so you presented it well to us today, and we appreciate your time Ben with us and all your connections you've made for us at the stand outdoors.
Unknown Speaker 29:18
Yeah, we'd love, we
Speaker 3 29:20
love appreciate that. I appreciate that more than you know guys, I'll tell you right now, just Mike, when he said it earlier that I encouraged you guys, you know, because there's, there's a time. I mean, I'll get emotional here if I don't watch it, but, you know, it's been a tough road and to stand up for the Lord all these years. And you know, you don't know how much you're doing. You don't know how much that's right, you know, but, but, but people like you that tell me that say, man, we we've been out here and, and we've seen, you know what God's done through your whatever, and, and it's very encouraging to me. It keeps me going. Yeah, I'm 53 now. I mean, I've been a lot of miles, and I get tired. And you. I'm not. I used to be an introvert, guys, and now I'm an extrovert. I mean, I literally, my life is just different. I mean I hate it in a sense. I mean, I can go be at a trade show and have turned it on whatever there, but I just I like Ben with my family, and I love sharing the word every chance I share the word I'm going to do, yeah,
Speaker 1 30:21
well, thank you so much. Thank you so much. We'll be praying for you as you continue keep on going. Because obviously God's using you. We know that God will use the stand outdoors, and I'm part of a Christian radio station here too, so the Lord's using that, and so we're all being used by the Lord and and we'll be praying for you as you continue to move forward.
Speaker 3 30:40
Well, I appreciate that you guys, anything you ever need you, you you get a hold of me, make sure you give me your contact too, as well, and get my number plugged in. And I said anything, even if it just comes down to, man, we need some prayer. You just call on me. We'll, we'll definitely, I can do it. I can get my whole team doing it.
Speaker 2 30:59
Sounds great. Appreciate it, brother, thank you. Jeff. Blessings to you.
Unknown Speaker 31:03
God bless y'all. Bye, bye.
Speaker 1 31:11
Hey, we want to hear from you. Please send us a note or question by going to our home page, the standout doors.com and hit the Contact tab. Also, we'd love to pray for you to leave your prayer request by hitting the Contact tab or the, do you know Jesus tab? Also, Mike, would love to come speak to your small group, or maybe to your larger men's group or something for a specific meeting. Yeah, wouldn't you?
Speaker 2 31:34
Yeah? Sportsman dinners. And would love to do it. I usually share my testimony and show some clips of some hunts, and we just have a lot of fun. And of course, we share the gospel of Christ and and, and we, we just love it, yeah.
Speaker 1 31:50
So, so contact Mike there. Just hit the Contact tab and leave a message and Mike will get back to you. Also, don't forget those targeting the truth Bible studies for you to watch and to be a part of the YouTube hunt videos are there too. It's all found on our website, the stand outdoors.com, and it's all free. It's all free. Thanks for joining us today. This podcast is available on Apple, Spotify and many other platforms too. If you enjoyed the episode, please subscribe, leave a review and share it with fellow hunters. We'd love for you to do that for us. Details about our guests, about Jeff Danker, and all any links can be found on our show notes here, and you can find us online anytime at the standout doors.com. That's the stand outdoors.com. Until next time for my case, I'm Dave Baker,
Speaker 2 32:37
and remember to stand firm in the faith and keep targeting the truth. Amen. You.
Transcribed by https://otter.ai