June 3, 2025 • 68 mins
In this engaging conversation, Rick and Jeff Helm discuss their shared passion for outdoor adventures, particularly elk hunting, and the importance of quality gear in enhancing the experience. They reflect on their friendship, the lessons learned from each other, and the personal growth that comes from life's challenges.
The discussion also delves into family dynamics, relationships, and the defining moments that shape their lives. Ultimately, they emphasize the importance of living life to the fullest and finding clarity in their pursuits.
Rick and Jeff discuss themes of authenticity, personal growth, and the importance of genuine connections. They share personal stories about navigating grief, the value of trust in relationships, and the significance of living life to the fullest. The discussion emphasizes the need for empathy and understanding in human interactions, especially during challenging times. They also reflect on the impact of grief on their perspectives and the importance of creating a loving environment in their lives.
You can find Jeff on Instagram @helm.yeah
Please rate and review this podcast wherever fine podcasts are downloaded.
The Don't Die Rusty Podcast is recorded with Riverside.fm. Riverside is leading the charge in technology and convenience in terms of remote podcasting. You can help support the Don't Die Rusty Podcast by Clicking Here to sign up.
Takeaways
- Peax Equipment focuses on solving real problems for outdoor enthusiasts.
- Quality gear can significantly enhance outdoor adventures.
- Friendship and shared experiences are vital in the hunting community.
- Learning from others is essential for personal growth.
- Life changes can lead to new perspectives and opportunities.
- Family and relationships play a crucial role in overall happiness.
- Defining moments can shape our paths in unexpected ways.
- Living life to the fullest means embracing new experiences.
- Clarity in purpose can lead to a more fulfilling life.
- Healthy relationships are built on support and understanding. Authenticity is key to personal growth.
- Trust is the foundation of meaningful relationships.
- Life is short; live every day to the fullest.
- Grief can lead to deeper connections and understanding.
- It's important to be there for others in their struggles.
- Genuine connections are built through vulnerability.
- Giving to others brings joy and fulfillment.
- Creating a loving home environment is essential.
- Empathy is crucial in understanding others' experiences.
- Adventure and spontaneity enrich our lives.
You can find Don’t Die Rusty on all Social Media platforms:
Instagram: @dontdierusty
Facebook: Don’t Die Rusty
TikTok: Don't Die Rusty
You can find The Rick's at:
Rick Hanson
Instagram: @rickhanson24
Facebook: Rick Hanson
Ricky Brule
Instagram: @ricky.wayne80
Facebook: Ricky W Brule
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:02):
Well, hello, Don't Die Rusty Nation.
I am here tonight.
Well, I'm gonna start all over again.
oh hello, Don't Die Rusty.
Now I'm gonna start over.
My wife just walked in.
Why is your pickup?
(00:22):
Will you shut it off?
She has, bring this and show her my.
I got my pickup fixed.
And it says, I got my pickup fixed in it.
Like I put my keys in my pocket and it just starts right up.
(00:43):
Like I don't even touch the button to start it and it starts right up.
So if you'd go shut it off, thank you.
uh I didn't even know it was on.
Yeah, so, all right.
Well, we'll get back into this.
Well, hello, Don't Die Rusty Nation.
Thanks again for listening.
And I have tonight, I'm gonna introduce him as a friend, and then I'm gonna introduce himas the Peaks Community Marketing Manager and Sales Manager.
(01:16):
Is that correct?
Maybe not the friend part, you might say, but the rest of the stuff.
And this is Jeff Helms.
I've been...
We were trying to get together during all kinds of times and finally I had to...
Yeah.
all kinds of stuff has popped up.
(01:37):
uh We actually were supposed to link up last fall and that didn't work out.
You're a busy boy.
and you are too.
And I'm happy.
I'm happy to get finally caught up with you because I think we have a lot to talk aboutand, it's, it's going to be a great conversation.
(01:58):
can tell the folks that because we have a lot to talk about.
We do.
But first I wanna get into the peaks.
Peaks is, peaks, how would you describe peaks?
To me, I'm gonna describe peaks first and then you can be more critical of what I say.
But I think peaks is, to me, is helping you enjoy adventures better with the equipmentthat you create.
(02:32):
Peaks is a company that was created about five years ago by a man named Bryce Bishop whowanted a better outdoor experience.
And it started with Sissy Sticks, which rebranded as Peaks Equipment as more productslaunched with the headlamp and the gators and you know, then the teepee and the sleeping
(02:55):
bag and the titanium stove and just, you know, the great part about Peaks Equipment isthat
everything we make isn't a me to product.
Like it's not Oh, well, we have that too.
Everything addresses issues that you and I have had in the field.
As guys that spend 3060 90 120 days out chasing animals, and you find problems with stuffand Bryce is a problem solver.
(03:26):
And so we've addressed a lot of those issues.
And I love being the sales manager because
Whether it's a sleeping bag or a headlamp, I can talk to you about why ours are differentand why you should buy it, which makes my life easy.
And you know what's easy for me is, that when you believe in a product, I, I'm not paid byyou guys.
(03:52):
I'm not anything, but anything special here, but I am saying you have game changingequipment that I, I, you and I are hunters that are out there, like you said, 60, 90 days
and, or adventuring somewhere or whatever.
And.
(04:12):
I don't want to be disappointed or be put in a situation where I don't feel safe and I,your equipment has helped me out.
And I'm, I have a favorite and it's probably one of the favorites of a lot of people, butthe game changing thing is, and everybody thinks that headlamps are all the same, but they
(04:35):
are not all the same.
And the peaks headlamp to me is the number one headlamp that you could ever have.
And I'm telling you this because besides a headlamp, it's rechargeable.
And besides being rechargeable, because I would hate a rechargeable headlamp, but you guyshave battery, you know, you can put batteries in it.
(04:59):
It's just not rechargeable enclosed that you can't take it apart.
Cause when it starts dying and then it's dead, I can replace the battery that I've chargedagain.
So it's an extra battery and then we can go recharge those batteries and I have a greatexperience there like you are not out of energy then.
(05:19):
You should be able to get out of your situation mostly with that.
And the other thing I like about it is I have the green, they have uh the white light andthey have a green light or a red light and I have the green light because I prefer the
green.
uh
and then three settings of each, so bright, medium, and low, and it's an amazing headlamp,and then you can take it off if you need it, because it's interesting in the hunting
(05:48):
situation, and you're boning out an animal in the dark sometimes, and sometimes you needto have, I've taken off my headlamp to shine up when I need, you know, it sometimes not,
it,
You can't see even though it's on your head.
You know what I mean?
It's just one of those things.
So it's, that's my favorite piece.
(06:09):
I'll, I'll tell you that.
That's a good one.
It's fantastic.
I'm a huge fan.
So, but you know what, we'll get into the friend part now, is I've known you a long timein the outdoor industry and we have connected mostly at TACs, because that's the only
(06:34):
places we go to see each other because we're busy otherwise.
it's those...
late night conversations that you have because during the day we're both busy and doingstuff and, but I've got to know you as a person and, and yes, we love L-Cutting.
(06:55):
So we'll get this one out of the way here real quick because it was fun because we had thesame area tag last year.
like, like you were saying, we were trying to catch up and
I'm seeing you have luck and I'm not seeing what I want to see.
But you know, the adventures are what it's all about and the people you're with is whatit's all about too.
(07:17):
But I was hoping we'd catch up because I think you're arrogant if you think you knoweverything.
And I wanted to catch up with you to learn from you.
and, you know, cause I think if we take bits and pieces from everybody in life, not justhunting, but in life.
(07:38):
If we keep on learning, we become a better version of ourselves.
100%.
I know, especially when it comes to elk hunting, I've stood on the shoulders of giants andI've surrounded myself consistently over time with guys that are very successful when it
comes to archery, elk hunting especially.
And uh you glean nuggets when you're with them.
(08:00):
when you're, pick up small, you know, I call it the secret sauce, you know, that you'relike, oh, that right there, that was part of the secret sauce.
Like that's the good stuff.
Because the truth is that, you know, 80 % of the elk are killed by 20 % of the hunters andthey kill every time, you know, so many guys are successful year after year after year.
(08:22):
And, and those are the guys I listened to.
They don't get me wrong.
If you elk hunt and you don't ever kill a bull, you're welcome, you know, to talk elkhunting with me.
That's great, but I'm probably not going to follow your direction, you know, and I'm justgoing to give you a hug and wish you luck and go, man.
know, experience is a good teacher.
uh But there's guys like, you know, Dan Evans and, you know, and there's other people thataren't as well known in my life like Kiviok and Ryan, my buddy Ryan Coley.
(08:51):
uh But there's guys like Ryan Carter and, you know, different ones that uh are just reallyconsistent.
Jason Matzinger, you know, has become a very good friend of mine and consistent in killingCorey Jacobson.
In fact, I'm wearing his shirt right now.
oh
You know, just a lot of people that are consistent and uh I'm with you.
(09:12):
I love being around guys that are passionate about, you know, elk hunting and I wasshocked.
You know, you and I had the same hunt area last year and when it came down to it and weshared a couple points, I was like, man, I've been in within 300 yards of that spot.
I know that spot.
It was like, right, this is good.
(09:33):
This is good, you know, so it's funny how.
It is so funny and it's funny cause like you have to, I don't know what it is.
It's like, I never ask areas because I think, and I don't care.
People have argued this fact on public land or not, but you know what?
(09:55):
I worked my ass off to find these areas.
Why should I tell you?
Cause it's not, it wasn't free for me to go do and I'm not going to tell you.
And I don't know how.
these days.
Exactly.
But if you have gasoline and dreams, you can find a lot of things.
But it's funny how you and I got talking and I don't know, like little things started andI'm going and you're going and you could see our light, the lights are starting to get
(10:24):
brighter and we're not very far from each other.
you know, and the other thing is though we have respect for each other.
Like we were going to meet up, but we're not going to cross.
over and where we were close to where we would be hunting with but I'm not gonna go botheryou and you know what I mean unless we hooked up somewhere and found you know in during
(10:48):
the hunt or whatever and found uh but otherwise it's funny how that came out and then it'sjust like now I can talk freely because I know you're because we trust each other too you
know what I mean that's the point
understand the value.
A lot of people, when you're talking information and spots, especially in stuff like itdoesn't take much to burn a spot out.
(11:12):
And um so when you're with someone that understands the value of those locations and thosespots, because the truth is like this unit may be huge, but at the end of the day, there's
only a small amount of that unit that actually will hold out.
And so
when you start shifting and sifting and getting it down, like it's not hard to figure outwhere the elk are.
(11:36):
And so you've got to, you know, I want to be happy for you when you call me and say, Hey,I got a bull down and, and, uh, you know, I want you to have done the work and so on and
so forth.
And, um, you know, so I know me, I don't want to second guess me and be like, Oh, dang it,man.
He took so-and-so in there or whatever, you know,
(11:57):
I wanna be like, man, awesome, congrats, Rick.
Do you need help?
Like I'm seven miles away.
I can help you with a pack out, you know?
And I did that for a guy this year and helped him pack out a bowl.
And I wanna be happy for all those guys because if you've got my cell phone number and ifwe talk El Cunton, you're a friend of mine.
And so I wanna be happy for all you guys.
(12:21):
Yeah.
And it's interesting too, because you and I have the same type of friends too.
I mean, we have some of the same friends together, but the friends that I was with thatwere helping me, we all hunt in the same area, but there's only three of us.
I mean, two of us, mean, three together, but I mean, and, uh, the lips are zipped.
(12:45):
We are the only ones that talk amongst ourselves.
We don't like.
get on the radio broadcast and say, is where we are.
And, uh, and like I said, I knew where you were.
like I said, we were just trying to get together so we can make a little fireside chathere, but, we're together now.
(13:05):
But those are, it's, I just love talking elk hunting when we are in that season and justenjoy the adventures and the talks that we have.
But you know what?
Everybody talks to you about elk hunting and I know why because you shoot big bulls andyou're a successful person too, but I want to know about the real Jeff Helms and I want to
(13:34):
talk about because here's the other thing that we talk about also at these places becauseat the end of the day, I think both of us somewhat more probably more you than me, but
Somebody has talked about elk hunting to us all day long and it's nice to talk aboutfamily and it's nice to talk about something different in life.
(13:56):
You know what I mean?
And uh so I want to know, you know, what besides elk hunting and other hunting do you do?
what else keeps you going?
Well, I mean, that's changed a lot over the years, I guess.
(14:18):
mean, I don't know, Rick, old are you now?
got a little bit older.
57.
All right.
I'm 47.
So you got me by a decade.
Um, so that means when we met, you were my age because it's been years.
I've met maybe 11 and that's hard to believe.
Isn't it?
(14:40):
Um,
So over time, uh things have changed.
I mean, I'm sure that you can agree that I feel like, man, it's hard to put into words,but you know, a lot of people that have uh kids, you know, I feel like almost have two
(15:01):
lifetimes, right?
Because when you're growing up, you almost, and everybody's different.
Like my brother, one of my closest friends, my brother doesn't have kids.
And uh he's thrown a lot into his work and into different things and travel and so on andso forth.
And God just didn't have it in the cards for him to have kids.
(15:21):
And they didn't really want to go the route of adoption or whatever.
And so he doesn't have kids.
Me, on the other hand, I had kids young.
And so much so that here I am at 47 and I have three grandbabies.
And uh I was married for
21 years to a high school sweetheart and then that did not last.
(15:45):
And when that happened, that was a huge shakeup for me.
And uh it was really kind of an eye opener on a lot of levels.
And then I ended up, was single for a few years and through a mutual friend years, uh wehad some connections and uh we actually met our wives on the same dating app.
(16:06):
uh
that's why I got on plenty of fish was because of ears.
And yeah, I was a hundred percent.
They, I was up in Minnesota, uh, at years his house and I was like, how'd you meetHeather?
And, one thing led to another.
And, and I ended up setting up a, a profile on plenty of fish and met my wife.
(16:28):
And it was, it was not a popular dating website.
Nobody's ever really heard of it.
You know, it's, it's obviously a play on words of plenty of fish in the sea.
Mm.
but that's how I met my wife a couple of years later and, know, she had four kids from aprevious marriage.
And so we have six together and we have three grandkids.
(16:51):
And so I almost feel like you live a couple lifetimes.
You live this lifetime of when you were in junior high and high school and you're like,man, I'm going to go to school, get good grades, get a good job, get married, have a
house, you know, all these things.
And then all of sudden somewhere in your mid forties to mid fifties.
your kids are all gone and you're like, now what?
I'm not dead yet.
(17:12):
Like I love your phrase, don't die rusty.
I tell people all the time, listen, I'm going to burn out, not rust out.
Okay.
So I, I want to, I want to get to the end of my life, just spent and just fall in thatcasket.
do not want to rust out on my way there.
And, uh, you know, so I love that don't die rusty, but you know, what makes me tick haschanged over the years.
(17:38):
because you have these big things that happen in your life that are defining moments andsome are good and some are bad.
You know, I was, uh I owned my own machine shop for seven or eight years with a partnerand he and I had a pretty healthy falling out and the difference of opinion.
And uh I had started that shop with nobody and had gotten to 21 employees and
(18:03):
Um, was doing really well and him and I came into an impasse and he bought me out and, uhI, I took it hard.
Um, that was a difficult thing.
I had named that company.
I had, I had done everything.
He, he was basically the money behind it.
He lived in Michigan.
I moved to Texas to start it and he would come down once a year and check on the business,go pig hunting with me or deer hunting.
(18:28):
And then he'd go back home.
And it was one of 14 or 15 businesses for him.
For me, it was everything.
And so when that went south, that was a defining moment.
When I moved to Texas was a defining moment, you know, picking up being a Michigan andIndiana boy uh for most of my life.
You know, almost 20 years ago, I moved to Texas and that was defining for sure.
(18:53):
uh Changing my vocations a few times.
I've always been in manufacturing, but I've also had this alternate lifestyle where I wasin the hunting industry and I've done a lot with prime, which is how I met you guys a lot
of it.
And uh I did a lot with uh Sitka over the years and Yeti and ultimately a lot of thoseconnections are how I ended up being full time in the hunting industry.
(19:22):
uh But, you know, and you and I have talked, uh losing my marriage was defining.
You know, was I going to choose to be bitter or better?
And, uh, you know, I chose better and, then I lost my brother almost 10 years ago tocancer.
And we've talked about that too.
And that's another spot where I truly believe nothing changes the heart like grief.
(19:47):
And that's a, that's a wound that heals, but there's always a scar, but all of thosethings define and change your path.
And so when you ask, what do I do?
Brother, I'm a jack of all trades, master of none.
I love people.
I love experiences.
If you, you know, I had a buddy call the other day, go, Hey, it's my son's birthday.
(20:11):
You want to go golfing with us?
You bet.
Let's do it.
You know, I don't golf much.
We had a great time.
It was amazing.
You know, it so much fun.
You know, um, I try and go on a fishing trip every year with my son back up to Michigan.
It's amazing how your kids open up to you if you spend a lot of concerted time with themand you get them away from their their phone and you know the pullings and trappings of
(20:35):
life.
I love to camp.
I love to be outside.
I love vacation.
I love Costa Rica and Florida and Argentina and Alaska and Africa and Germany and you knowthe Netherlands.
I've been all over and I think variety is the spice of life.
So, supposed to go to Vermont this year with my wife, supposed to go to Florida this yearwith my wife and do some stuff.
(21:00):
But if you look back over my time, I would say that I fill it full, probably too full uhat times, but it's the way I thrive.
I love spending time with my kids and my grandkids.
I love spending time with my wife.
I married.
The Lord blessed me with a woman that is probably better than I deserve.
(21:24):
And I still am amazed at how well she loves me and how well she understands who I am.
And she's my teammate.
uh And so I love, you know, this past weekend, we, you know, we took our three and fouryear old granddaughters and we took our 18 year old, my youngest stepson uh out for, it
(21:47):
was his birthday.
And we took them all bowling and uh had a ton of fun with the little ones and had dinner.
then Saturday comes around and we're going to the park and we're going swimming at thepool.
And we're traveling all over the place and doing a lot of Mother's Day stuff.
(22:09):
And that definitely fills my heart up spending time with the little ones.
But uh I'm on the go a lot.
I don't.
Thank
part of the reason why we haven't hooked up is because you'll be like, hey, what aboutthis week?
I'm like, not this week, maybe next week, you know, like we just have to get it on thecalendar.
So uh I do some guiding on the side, uh which is good.
(22:31):
I enjoy that.
did a lot of that to help not only open doors here in Texas at perennial outfitting, butalso to help get my son involved in outfitting.
uh You know, I'm.
I mean, I'm the guy that when my daughter calls and says, hey, something's going on withour roof, I'm over there fixing the roof.
And it's just, I love a lot of things.
(22:54):
I love good food, good people, good fellowship.
I love hard.
I probably love harder than I ever have in my entire life.
I forgive easy.
um I don't forget.
So that doesn't mean that you get off easy, but I don't have any hate in my heart.
um
And it's taken a lot of painful situations to get me to that point, I guess.
(23:18):
uh But I can honestly say I don't have any hate.
Well, that, I think, you know, I went through divorce too, and we've talked about thattoo, and it's interesting because that's where I think I finally started growing as a
(23:43):
person to be learned.
I looked within myself and I think when you're young and...
and ambitious, you don't look within yourself.
because either things are going right or you're trying to make them go right, so you'renever thinking about within yourself, you're just trying to keep moving forward, where
sometimes you need to stop looking within yourself and say, I need to be a better personas I move forward, you know, because...
(24:12):
hard though to breathe in and breathe out, especially when you're young.
Like, I mean, I can definitely take ownership for where things went wrong in 21 years.
I was not a perfect husband and I was selfish.
A lot of times I remember times when I'd play for softball leagues and I was coaching twoof them and I was, you know, on the board at church and I was a youth pastor and I was,
(24:37):
you know,
I wasn't missing walleye opener.
I was walleye fishing like crazy and steelhead fishing and you know, whatever season itwas, I was all in brother.
Like I had every bag for every season.
I was doing everything.
And in the end, I didn't water and nurture the relationships around me the way I should,because I was too busy about myself.
(25:01):
And I didn't see it as that, but I do now, you know.
I do know because I was the same way.
Like I hunt a lot yet, but I can say what you were saying earlier, like it's shed seasonand I'm out after work and I am out on weekends.
And if you want to see me, you need to come along.
I'm playing softball.
(25:22):
Like you said, I am doing, it was nonstop.
If I wasn't shed hunting, was scouting.
If I wasn't, then I'm hunting and I'm not, I'm trying to do something.
And, and like I said, I mean, it takes two to tango, but you know, I, I know that there'snot just blame on one side and I look at within that.
(25:45):
And then it's funny because you met your wife on plenty of fish.
And since I'm 10 years older than you match.com probably was a little, Oh, out of touchthen, but I am, I Cindy on match and, you know what?
Now I know what a healthy relationship for me personally, this is me personally, but Iknow what a healthy relationship should look like.
(26:08):
And I have a person that cheaters me on and supports me.
She knows, she knows when I'm going hunting that I'm going hunting and like there's daysthat it's funny how we can go home and say we suffered when we were hunting, you know,
like it, we were out there for
(26:29):
I mean, say you shot an elk and you're up all night packing it or whatever, and you putyourself through that.
But you know what, it's fun.
And she knows that that's what, I come home with the energy that I don't have if I don'tgo.
Like she shoes me out the door, yes.
(26:51):
You know, because I think a lot of us, you know, we don't understand.
I don't know.
There's so many things that you can unwrap, but at the end of the day, many of the thingswe do, if we're not careful are for men's applause until we realize that there's really
only an audience of one, you know.
(27:11):
You really need to do things to glorify your father and to make sure that you're healthyand you're good and uh Really?
Nobody cares how big a bull you kill, you know if we're really honest and if they do theymay just be jealous You know and so, you know you look at it and once you start to get
clarity on what's important and why you do it and You can do the same thing.
(27:37):
But when you put the emphasis on a different syllable
it changes everything.
And now all of sudden you're like, okay, so all things in moderation.
But if my emphasis is where it needs to on the right syllable, everything makes sense.
And God knows the intent of the heart in all of it.
(27:58):
And I'm not saying I've made all the right choices in all of it.
But I read a book a long time ago called Wild at Heart.
And in that book, he talks about there's a battle to fight.
a beauty to rescue and an adventure to live.
And in that book, there was so many nuggets and so many aha moments where I went, oh,that's me.
(28:20):
That's me.
Like, it's not enough just to have a battle to fight.
A battle to fight is good.
And it's not just enough to have a beauty to rescue.
But if your whole life is about rescuing that beauty, where's your adventure to live?
You know, and it's like,
Women don't understand many times how complex and yet simple we are.
(28:44):
And when you can have that roadmap of, okay, I know what makes me tick.
I know how to put things in perspective to make sure that I'm good by not only giving toothers, but also making sure that my foundation is good.
My clarity is there.
(29:07):
And that comes through time.
I know I'm not there yet.
I got a long ways to go.
And I try.
Like you said, you know what a good healthy relationship looks like now.
uh I think I do.
I mean, I'm trying all the time.
I'm constantly considering um my wife Dawn and, you know, hey, what's important?
(29:29):
Because I am gone a lot.
I ask a lot of her and uh she's an extremely healthy woman, but she's still...
Um, she still wants me and, uh, she probably doesn't need me, but she wants me and, that'sextremely sexy on so many levels, you know, um, when, when, cause she's a very
(29:51):
intelligent, very strong, very capable woman.
Um, but she loves me being in her life and, so we have a great time together and it's somuch fun.
and so many different adventures.
And we couldn't be further from the same person.
I mean, I'm the outgoing, loud, and you know, I'm very similar to you on a lot of levels,Rick.
(30:14):
I mean, we're different, but we're the same.
And uh my wife is not that at all.
She's the quiet one.
She's up early, getting stuff done.
You know, she has lists on lists on lists.
Everything is taken care of.
If I were to tell...
Alexa right now to put eggs on the shopping list.
(30:37):
She would do it right.
Like, and then it would go right to her phone and in all this other side.
It's crazy.
All the things she has automated in our, in our life.
And I love that.
And I appreciate that about her, but part of what makes that our relationship work well isconsidering and, then trying to complete her rather than compete against her and to
(30:58):
celebrate her.
Right.
Like you said, your wife celebrates you.
That feels amazing.
I can do a lot of things when my wife celebrates me.
ah It just, it feels so good on so many levels and I'm thankful to have that today.
Well, I want to go back, and then I want to come back to the wife, but it is interesting,like you said, because I retired from playing softball at 40 because I finally realized
(31:28):
that you were looking for that men's approval or satisfaction because you wanted to feellike, sometimes you wanted to say, have that approval.
You made a great catch or you hit a home run or something like that, but nobody's going toremember that.
Nobody's going to remember that game.
(31:49):
You were spectacular in because you know what we're playing slow pitch softball in SouthDakota and nobody cares.
And then that big bowl, like you said, we may, I mean, I know the bowls that you've shotand you've been on the cover of magazines, but here's the deal.
In the end.
(32:10):
you go three or four years down the road and only your close friends will keep onremembering that.
And like you said, people will knock you because you shot that because they're jealous.
And I'm not jealous.
If you shot a 400 inch bull, I'm going, holy smokes.
But that is awesome.
And I want to see it sometime instead of I'm jealous and I'm trying to go find that same.
(32:35):
And that goes back to where we're hunting in the same area, roughly.
And you know what, if you shot that bull in that area, I'm coming over and I'm going tolook at that sucker and I'm cheering you on, you know, that kind of thing.
And so that's one of the things that, that has helped me is like, I'm not trying to findother people's approval.
am just being Rick and you know, you know, that's like a, that's a, I don't know ifthere's a synonym or an adjective that can completely explain the Rick.
(33:06):
You know what I mean?
But that's who I am.
uh
know, from the moment we first met, you have been the same through and through.
And that's part of the reason I'm on this podcast right now.
I have a lot of respect for you as a human being.
Well, thank you, because the one thing I hope to be is authentic and that's where I try tostay, you know, for sure.
(33:30):
But the wife thing too is also, I learned, and I know that you have this too, but the waythat I am at peace when I go do these things, because I encourage, my wife's ah son lives
(33:51):
up in Wasilla, Alaska.
And I'm encouraging her to go up and see him as much as possible because you don't knowwhat tomorrow is going to bring.
So go do that.
then like she encouraged me to go on my adventures.
But you know, the one thing that is right there in the middle of both of us is trust andlove.
(34:14):
And if you can't trust that person, you shouldn't be with that person.
And that is probably
the foundation of our relationship is that trust.
Like, I know you're gonna go up and go on your adventures and we go on my adventures, I goon my adventures, but then we make fine time to go on adventures of our own, know?
(34:35):
Because I've taken her places that she would have never gone because that wasn't herlifestyle until she met me.
And it's funny because like I said, I'm going.
I'm gonna go down to Utah here where I shot my mountain goat.
And you know how sometimes where you see that mountain and you're close to the top but younever made it to the top?
(34:58):
I thought one thing I can go do is go relive my mountain goat hunt, but I can climb thetop of that mountain and say I have done it and now another check on my bucket list
because I would have never been there if I wasn't mountain goat hunting.
But the other thing,
She knows that as with most everybody, and I'm calling this the fly by the sea to yourpants tour because I don't know what I'm gonna do.
(35:28):
We're gonna climb the mountain and what are we gonna do after that?
Who knows?
But my buddy and I are going down to do this, but we may end up in Salt Lake.
We may end up, you never know what will happen, but that's the part about adventure thatwe never know.
Yeah, no, you're absolutely correct.
And so, and there's a, that's okay.
(35:48):
I tend to live my life somewhere in the middle.
ah My wife has finally come to realize, she realized it fairly early on, ah thateverything's gonna be all right when I'm in control on vacation.
And we're going to eat some really good food.
We may meet some of my friends that I've been friends with a long time.
(36:13):
We may not, we may do some things that'll get her out of her comfort zone, but no matterwhat, we'll have a place to stay, we'll have everything taken care of, but I tend to keep
things a little loose so that I can be flexible because you know, if I drop three or fourtexts to some people in the area and one of them comes back, hey, I'm free tonight, wanna
(36:35):
grab dinner?
I'm like, yes, I do.
And...
So I love being able to do that.
So I do the same and that's not my wife's style.
My wife is plan it all out to the tee, make sure everything is good.
And there are times when we let her ride with that and I'm like, all right, babe, this ison you.
(36:56):
What do you want me to do?
I'm fine.
Exactly.
Cause you know, I'm, I'm the like, we have a 20 minute layover kind of guy sometimes.
And Cindy likes maybe to slow down a little bit, but I don't mind running through anairport because it's exciting to me to get to the, get to the next flight or whatever.
But you know, I mean, or, but there's times I, like you said, I let her make the, youknow, you can, if you want a two hour layover in Denver, I really don't care.
(37:25):
That'll be fine.
I'll take it easy and it's good.
But there has, know, cause that's a little give and take, but you know, these adventures,it's funny also because like you said, Cindy says, you just know everybody everywhere.
said, you know, and she knows that's how it is because I'm not afraid to go talk toanybody and it's a relationship, relationships you make in life.
(37:53):
Oh, a hundred percent.
That's why when I'm in Colorado, I stay at Ears' place or, you know, when I'm in Utah,sometimes met Russ and Kelly's or, you know, it's, you just never know.
I've got, I've got earmarked bedrooms all over this country in people's houses that arelike, Hey, if you're ever in town, let me know.
(38:13):
You know?
said that to you too, but you never came over here.
I'm just kidding.
I have never been to your town, Rick.
I can honestly say that I've never been up there.
Well, you need to come sometime just because you're always invited to, know, and that'sthe cool thing about this stuff, being friends and, having those good people around you.
(38:35):
Because like you said, the Kelly Russ hotel, the ears hotels, you know, everybody.
All of our friends have no problem.
If you said, you know what, I'm going to be there in an hour.
And most everybody would say, okay.
We're in, in, in, in.
And most of them said, would say, if I'm not home, this is a code of the door.
(38:58):
You just go in, we'll be home.
We'll be home in a little while.
And that is a great feeling to have, you know, so now, you know, I mean, it's in it'salso, we've had similarities in the grief parts.
Like yours is with your brother.
(39:19):
Mine was with my mother and.
And I think also, when my mom died, I was very close with my mother and it changed my lifebecause I knew after my divorce that I needed to keep moving and getting better.
(39:47):
it's one of those things that...
I slowly became getting becoming more confident with myself.
say that my here's what I'll say.
I'll say my my divorce made me more confident within myself.
But the grief of my mother made me realize that life is short and we better live every dayto the fullest because you don't know when you're going to be able to say that last
(40:11):
goodbye.
So I want I want people to say, do you remember what Rick did?
in a laughing manner instead of, know, I want people to know that stuff in the end.
So I want to have as many memories with as many people as I can, you know what I mean?
Those things are the things that I hope is our legacy that we get to give to people, youknow?
(40:40):
And I learned a lot from my mom's passing and...
within myself and I've become very interested in being the best me as well as knowing thatlife is so short.
We better enjoy it and we better have the peace that we can with whoever we are with.
(41:02):
like I said, my wife and my friends, those are the people that I only care about really.
Otherwise, I shoot, you know, I mean, if I shot
a big animal and you don't like me, I don't care.
Because it's Jeff Helm, it's ears, it's Kelly and Russ and Ashley and Jesse that, andthere's more people, my friend Ben and Dylan, these are the people that I care what they
(41:33):
think about me.
I don't care about what other people think and that has given me another perspective oflife that I didn't have.
I had the confidence in myself, but the grief.
part made me realize that
There is no tomorrow, so let's keep these relationships in the best manner we can andlet's keep watering the flowers and see where they bloom.
(41:57):
Yeah, I agree.
mean, grief is such a funny one.
You know, one thing that I have have come back to a lot, you know, is and I mentioned itto you before, but most of us have a hard shell on some way, or form.
I mean, there's a lot of negative people out there.
There's a lot of buttholes, to be honest, you know, that are very, very selfish.
(42:21):
And so a lot of us have a hard shell to a certain extent until
We figure out what kind of fabric your heart is made of.
And then, you know, I, I pride myself in some levels that as soon as I really figure outwhat kind of fabric your heart's made out of, I open up super quick.
Um, it can be deep.
(42:42):
I can, you know, more than once I've been on, I was actually on an access hunt, um, a fewyears ago with a guy that, um, super good friend of mine.
You don't know him, but he's super great guy.
And we got back from that hunt and I got a text from him and he just said, brother, Idon't know if you know how much of an impact you made on me and my marriage as as you dug
(43:09):
in and iron sharpens iron and you challenged me to be a better husband because of what youlost.
man, I'll tell you what, when stuff like that happens and you're like, man, that's thereal stuff right there.
You're like, because you don't know who's going through something and you don't know whois close to divorce.
(43:31):
You don't know who's going to get cancer.
You don't know what people are going through.
I've had more than one friend that, you know, has committed suicide and, um you know,suicide is the big one that there's no winners, you know.
people that are left behind, there's just no winners because you don't have answers.
(43:54):
And so I highly suggest that you get deep, you get vulnerable.
You um obviously have to be careful with that.
I got pretty thick skin at this point.
And um I have no problem.
We can talk religion, we can talk marriage, we can talk sex, drugs and rock and roll.
What do you want to talk about?
(44:15):
Because...
You know, I think I have a pretty good world perspective on things.
I don't know everything and there's definitely some people in my life.
value, um, their take on things and, uh you know, people have, have some wisdom out there,but man, love talking about deep stuff, you know, and, grief did that for me.
(44:35):
Um, you know, I've, I'm, I noticed that a lot of people have empty words.
And so when, when someone hears something like you lost your mom,
or you lost your brother or you lost, I'm so sorry for your loss.
Really?
Or is that just what you're supposed to say?
Because words don't make it better.
um Love does.
(44:56):
When you really have a brother that loves you and he doesn't have to say a word, he canjust come up and give you that hug and maybe hold just a little extra.
And you're like, man, I might've needed that.
And because it can feel lonely.
when you get left behind.
Forever is a long time.
And the other thing I used to hate is when people go, he's in a better place.
(45:19):
You need to shut your trap.
You know, that means nothing to me right now.
You know, I lost my teammate that was in my freaking circle every single day.
I talked to him every day.
I don't care if he's in a better place right now.
You know, don't say that.
That is so insensitive.
on so many levels and it's almost like people don't know what to say or maybe they haven'tgone through it before.
(45:43):
Many times there's nothing to be said, just be you, just be genuine.
And I wouldn't have figured that out without grief.
And so I wouldn't be able to help others that are going through hard things um because allof us, nobody's getting out alive.
There was like Methuselah and Elijah, there was a couple but.
(46:07):
You know, nobody else is getting out.
think Mithuselah didn't get out alive.
He was the oldest man, but Elijah did.
But there's not very many that are getting out alive.
And, uh you know, we're all going to have people close to us that are dying.
And you and I are getting to the age where our classmates are dying and, you know, yourcousins are dying.
And you're like, what is going on here?
(46:28):
Like, this is crazy.
And uh so having that empathy to be able to help people and be in genuine.
You know, I wouldn't have got that without grief.
No, and I agree with you there because there's, besides saying they're in a better place.
(46:50):
I mean, my mom was cremated, but here's the other thing that bothers me is they lookbetter now.
Well, they're in their damn coffin and they do not look better because there's no color.
I'm not a big open casket person, but that's besides the point.
But they don't look better.
They're not alive.
They don't look better.
(47:12):
pisses me off more than anything, you know, in that aspect because, and it just, everybodyneeds to look at everybody's in different manners.
And like you said, you know, like my close friends, if I would, I truly, if you don't knowwhat to say, then don't say it.
(47:37):
And my close friends, I know what to say because we know.
who would know their personalities, but it's those things that, you know what, here's my,I've done a couple other episodes, but it's like, don't try to tell me how the person was
because I know who they were.
Just tell me, you know what, that you're gonna be all right and we're gonna work throughthis and if you need anything, let me know.
(48:05):
You know, kind of saying, you know.
Go ahead.
myself just many times saying, hey, I know words don't make it better.
You know, I just want you to know that I'm going to miss their laugh.
And if you need anything, I love you.
Feel free to call, you know, just some people, it helps just to know someone's actuallyconsidered what they're going through and that they've been there too.
(48:34):
Um, but you don't have to go on and
No.
you know, just a lot of times we just need to stand shoulder to shoulder and know we gotsomebody to lean on.
Yes, in fact, you know, like when you say somebody Leon, I had a friend stop by, had beentwo Sundays ago now, out of the blue.
(49:01):
And you do know who he is, but I'm not going to say his name on this episode, but, and wehad, he said, you going to be around?
I said, yeah.
And he,
We'll make sure we're around.
And he got here about three in the afternoon and left at nine and he just needed to talk.
(49:23):
And you know what that means?
It makes me feel good that you're trusted enough to be talked to.
But what he was going through, he needed to vent and you aren't going to believe I'm nottrying to.
I'm usually in the talker and I didn't say a word.
I just was there to listen, you know, but I mean.
(49:44):
When you're there to listen and people trust you to listen, then that means you're makingan impact in this world too.
And I tell everybody, you, I'm a phone call away and if I don't hear it, I'm gonna answerit.
I'll get back to you as soon as possible.
But those are the impacts that you made in this life and...
(50:11):
Those are the people that you need to surround yourself with that are gonna be there tolisten when you need it.
A long time ago, I heard people don't care how much you know until they know how much youcare.
And that resonates, right?
because life is so short and I just look at suicide and you were talking about suicideearlier and I've had friends commit suicide too and I'm thinking, you I mean, you see some
(50:43):
of my posts and I'm climbing a mountain or I'm trying to get closer to God because that'swhere I am.
But most
of my best conversations with people are in the woods because there are no four walls andthere is no judgment.
There's curiosity and there's talk.
(51:06):
And I hope that, you know, this is like, don't die rusty in some situations where, yeah, Iwant to keep, I don't want to rust out.
I want to wear out and that's way it is.
But I want people to be able to talk because this is where we
become better people so we're to keep on lubricating the whole system, not just our bodiestoo.
(51:28):
And we can talk about it.
So if our conversation starts another conversation that needs to be started and they say,did you hear Rick and Jeff talking the other day?
And, and did you hear what they were talking about?
And you're on a hike.
Can people get quiet?
They think about it and then you stop.
And then they say, well, that's an interesting thought there.
(51:50):
And
How many times have you sat down on a log and, or sat in dirt and said, talk for longerand you thought you were going to cause it was, and it meant something to you.
And if you can make an impact on anybody that you're hiking with or with at all, that'swhat, that's what this whole world is about, about being better.
(52:12):
think.
You bet.
bet.
And, and if we're not careful, we get lost in, you know, being successful in, you know,these hunts and different things.
Like that particular friend I was talking about, like he's come over three or four yearshunting axis with me on a, on a place, a really good place, but it's all bow hunting and
he hasn't killed a buck yet.
(52:33):
He's come close.
He's had some misses.
He's had a lot of stuff happen, but those conversations that we've had sitting up againsta tree midday.
waiting for deer to start move, waiting for the roars to happen.
And you know, how's your wife?
How's your kids?
How you doing loving on your wife?
How's this?
(52:54):
How's that?
And all of a sudden, you know, things just start to happen and good stuff happens whenyou're willing.
And you got to care, right?
You have to care about people.
And it's so, you know, so awesome to give and so much better to give than receive.
And, you know, I think I read that in a book somewhere.
(53:17):
Yeah, it is.
Here's it.
It fills my heart to give.
And that's why I try never unless I'm really need something from somebody.
I never want to ask anybody for anything because I'm not asking for things, but it is sonice to give.
(53:41):
It's so nice to because and it's not that I'm trying to f**k
make myself look good, it's that it feels good to give somebody something when they aren'tasking for it.
You know what I mean?
It feels good in your, because good people give good energy and good energy keeps onmoving.
(54:06):
If you're with people with bad energy, it's gonna be bad.
You're gonna.
You know what mean?
You're negative people, then you start knocking people.
When you're with positive people, you start talking positive and that's way it is.
You know?
Yeah.
So, yeah.
So we're getting, you know, this is, this is just, I was looking so forward to talking toyou about this because you know Tommy and Dara, don't you?
(54:34):
Tommy and Dara Parker, like at TACs, they do the Warrior Rising.
yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, I do, I do, yeah.
Anyway, you know, it was interesting because when I, know, everybody looks at Tommy andhe's been blowing up in Afghanistan and they think that's a story.
But I got talking to Dara and I said, how did you guys meet?
(54:59):
And I said, you know what, that's a story.
And then I did an episode with them and it's kind of like you.
It's like,
I wish we would have been in the woods and had the smoke rolling around us and the fireand to be able to talk like this.
But when I talked, I wanted to do this episode with you.
(55:20):
I mean, we could do another, we'll do another episode again sometime, but I thought, youknow, everybody talks to Jeff about Elk hunting and you and I have had other
conversations.
And I said, I want to talk about Jeff.
I want to talk about.
life and I want to talk about living the best life we can and that's the story I want Jeffto tell.
(55:45):
Well, I am doing all that.
I am a glass half full kind of guy, Rick.
And I try and be a force for good everywhere I go.
And um some days are harder than others, you know.
But every day that I wake up, every day that I have a chance is uh a day to be a force forgood.
And I know you do the same.
So it's good.
(56:08):
I can't complain.
He's opened more doors for me than I could ever open for myself.
And you know what?
That's the other thing I think that brings, when we were talking about grief, or evendivorce is grief too, but it brought God back into my life.
(56:30):
And when you start feeling and believing for me, like you were talking earlier, I'mplaying softball and I'm still at playing well and making
plays and I'm shooting a 200 inch whitetail and I'm a stud and everything's going well andthen all of a sudden, boop, the bottom drops out.
(56:55):
And until you realize that you need to pray during the good times as well as the badtimes, then you, like, that's helped me out more than anything is that God is in my life
every day, not just on the good days, not just on the bad days, but every day.
easy to talk to him when things aren't going well.
(57:16):
It's hard to talk to him when things seem to all go your way and everything seems great.
And, you know, I think that's true of all of us.
And, you know, having kids is one of those things that you realize you're not in control.
You know, there's nothing like when your kids are sick or as they get older and, you know,you're
(57:39):
You're like that guy on the side watching them in the sailboat going, no, no, no, therocks, the rocks, no, over there, over there, got to think, man, God, this has to be what
it's like when you're up there watching me make mistakes.
And it's so difficult because I know that you love me, um but man, I still have free willand I still make bad choices.
(58:00):
uh you know, so it's so true.
It's,
We need these trials and things to help us know that we're not really in control.
And we have to just choose to be better and not bitter when things happen and when thingsdon't go our way.
And there's still a lot to be thankful for.
(58:20):
And you know, what's under this cap is because that's why I'm at the top of my head'sbald.
Cause I scratched all this stuff off my head saying, saying, why the heck did you do that?
Yeah.
(58:42):
Yeah.
why over the years.
And you just go, okay, well, I mean, and that's okay.
And eventually when your perspective's right, you have peace that passes allunderstanding.
And you go for a walk and you leave your phone at home.
Mm-hmm.
(59:03):
You talk to your wife, you talk to the people around you, you talk to him.
it's a scary place to be in your head all by yourself.
And most people can't do it.
So they have to get on this dang thing.
And they have to take and just dumb themselves down on so many things.
(59:23):
That super smart computer that sits in our pocket all the time.
uh
You can't hear the still small voice when, you know, you're just scrolling throughInstagram reels or Facebook or whatever.
You've got to have some time where it's just you and him.
And, um, that happens when you're outside and it happens when you're shooting your bowand, know, all those kinds of things.
(59:47):
call that group therapy.
You know, when you're shooting your bow, you can't think about, um, you know, did you paythe insurance, you know, or did you, know, what, did this go bill go up or.
you know, why didn't this work out?
You know, you just have that group therapy.
It just clears your mind and you get done and allows you to think about other things like,how's my daughter doing?
(01:00:08):
I should probably give her a call.
You know, how's my son?
I wonder how that deal went.
Did that go through or not?
Like sometimes you just, it's a text or a FaceTime or a call.
um You know, as your kids, as you get older, your kids still need you.
They just need you at a different level.
You have to grab a different, um grab a different gear.
(01:00:28):
And uh your daughters will always appreciate daddy.
You know, it's just, you know, and so it's been hard for me to at times grab a differentgear.
I like to be the dad that takes his eight year old for ice cream, you know?
Yeah, all right, Rick, let's do it.
Oh yeah, I'm with you.
(01:00:51):
I'm with you.
agree with you there because here's one thing I did too with my mom before she died too isI talked to her every morning.
It could be five minutes.
It could be two minutes.
It could be 20 minutes.
But you know what?
Cause there's no rewind in life.
And if you do not keep on, know, there's memories, but there's no rewind with this.
(01:01:16):
I can't go back and say, I wish I would have talked to her more.
You need to do it now.
When you think that you need to text that person, you need to text them because my biggestregret in life for me at this point is I was elk hunting with my neighbors.
They, his nieces had two cow tags.
(01:01:37):
in the Black Hills.
you know, when you, my mom, I usually would, like when I'm hunting on weekends, I wouldwait till Monday when I got back and would call my mom.
And I was thinking, I was thinking we're going to have a great conversation.
Even though we were cow hunting, the bulls were bugling, but they were young and they, thegirls were young and we didn't get on them.
(01:02:01):
But I'm going to say about this adventure I had.
And something on like Saturday night said, you should call your mom.
And I kept on saying, no, wait till Monday.
And I called Monday and my sister, my dad, she went to the hospital and my sister said,you need to get here now.
And she died that night.
And I didn't have that conversation.
that's, I, I, I hit myself for that for a long, time.
(01:02:24):
And then I said, you know, it's a culmination of all the conversations you had.
So have those conversations before in case something happens.
Yeah.
Yeah.
That's one of the biggest blessings that I felt for me because Jay's my brother had cancerand he fought it for four years.
And that was four years for me to be intentional.
That was four years for me to text him or call him every day.
(01:02:48):
And I have no regrets when it comes to that.
Like I was the best dang brother I could be.
I went to Africa for a month with him and we hunted and we fished the Indian Ocean and wedid all kinds of stuff.
It was incredible.
That's what we need to do to make those memories happen.
The culmination of these conversations are the best.
(01:03:12):
One last question I always ask before we end this is, what's the good life to Jeff Hale?
What's the good life?
That's a great question.
(01:03:38):
What is the good life?
Man, that's such a complicated but simple thing.
You know, at the end of the day, it's.
I built this house myself, right?
And it's nothing special.
(01:03:58):
It's a barn.
It's a barn dough, but I built it myself.
did everything, but the drywall and the AC.
And as I built this house, I played chain and chain.
They had a bunch of hymns.
There's a album uh that's nothing but Psalms basically.
(01:04:22):
And as I prayed over this house and I built this house, said, make this a house of love.
Make this a house that people walk in and there's peace that passes all understanding.
um For me, the good life is a life filled with love.
I love hearing that.
(01:04:45):
So, well, that's a good way to end this conversation.
because I think most people need a house filled with love.
Love you too.
So thank you so much for having the conversation and taking the time out to do this withme.
(01:05:09):
You bet.
Have a great night, brother.
You too, so Anyway, don't die rusty nation keep chasing your dreams being the best you anddon't die rusty
Well, hello, Don't Die Rusty Nation.
I am here tonight.
Well, I'm gonna start all over again.
oh hello, Don't Die Rusty.
Now I'm gonna start over.
My wife just walked in.
Why is your pickup?
(00:22):
Will you shut it off?
She has, bring this and show her my.
I got my pickup fixed.
And it says, I got my pickup fixed in it.
Like I put my keys in my pocket and it just starts right up.
(00:43):
Like I don't even touch the button to start it and it starts right up.
So if you'd go shut it off, thank you.
uh I didn't even know it was on.
Yeah, so, all right.
Well, we'll get back into this.
Well, hello, Don't Die Rusty Nation.
Thanks again for listening.
And I have tonight, I'm gonna introduce him as a friend, and then I'm gonna introduce himas the Peaks Community Marketing Manager and Sales Manager.
(01:16):
Is that correct?
Maybe not the friend part, you might say, but the rest of the stuff.
And this is Jeff Helms.
I've been...
We were trying to get together during all kinds of times and finally I had to...
Yeah.
all kinds of stuff has popped up.
(01:37):
uh We actually were supposed to link up last fall and that didn't work out.
You're a busy boy.
and you are too.
And I'm happy.
I'm happy to get finally caught up with you because I think we have a lot to talk aboutand, it's, it's going to be a great conversation.
(01:58):
can tell the folks that because we have a lot to talk about.
We do.
But first I wanna get into the peaks.
Peaks is, peaks, how would you describe peaks?
To me, I'm gonna describe peaks first and then you can be more critical of what I say.
But I think peaks is, to me, is helping you enjoy adventures better with the equipmentthat you create.
(02:32):
Peaks is a company that was created about five years ago by a man named Bryce Bishop whowanted a better outdoor experience.
And it started with Sissy Sticks, which rebranded as Peaks Equipment as more productslaunched with the headlamp and the gators and you know, then the teepee and the sleeping
(02:55):
bag and the titanium stove and just, you know, the great part about Peaks Equipment isthat
everything we make isn't a me to product.
Like it's not Oh, well, we have that too.
Everything addresses issues that you and I have had in the field.
As guys that spend 3060 90 120 days out chasing animals, and you find problems with stuffand Bryce is a problem solver.
(03:26):
And so we've addressed a lot of those issues.
And I love being the sales manager because
Whether it's a sleeping bag or a headlamp, I can talk to you about why ours are differentand why you should buy it, which makes my life easy.
And you know what's easy for me is, that when you believe in a product, I, I'm not paid byyou guys.
(03:52):
I'm not anything, but anything special here, but I am saying you have game changingequipment that I, I, you and I are hunters that are out there, like you said, 60, 90 days
and, or adventuring somewhere or whatever.
And.
(04:12):
I don't want to be disappointed or be put in a situation where I don't feel safe and I,your equipment has helped me out.
And I'm, I have a favorite and it's probably one of the favorites of a lot of people, butthe game changing thing is, and everybody thinks that headlamps are all the same, but they
(04:35):
are not all the same.
And the peaks headlamp to me is the number one headlamp that you could ever have.
And I'm telling you this because besides a headlamp, it's rechargeable.
And besides being rechargeable, because I would hate a rechargeable headlamp, but you guyshave battery, you know, you can put batteries in it.
(04:59):
It's just not rechargeable enclosed that you can't take it apart.
Cause when it starts dying and then it's dead, I can replace the battery that I've chargedagain.
So it's an extra battery and then we can go recharge those batteries and I have a greatexperience there like you are not out of energy then.
(05:19):
You should be able to get out of your situation mostly with that.
And the other thing I like about it is I have the green, they have uh the white light andthey have a green light or a red light and I have the green light because I prefer the
green.
uh
and then three settings of each, so bright, medium, and low, and it's an amazing headlamp,and then you can take it off if you need it, because it's interesting in the hunting
(05:48):
situation, and you're boning out an animal in the dark sometimes, and sometimes you needto have, I've taken off my headlamp to shine up when I need, you know, it sometimes not,
it,
You can't see even though it's on your head.
You know what I mean?
It's just one of those things.
So it's, that's my favorite piece.
(06:09):
I'll, I'll tell you that.
That's a good one.
It's fantastic.
I'm a huge fan.
So, but you know what, we'll get into the friend part now, is I've known you a long timein the outdoor industry and we have connected mostly at TACs, because that's the only
(06:34):
places we go to see each other because we're busy otherwise.
it's those...
late night conversations that you have because during the day we're both busy and doingstuff and, but I've got to know you as a person and, and yes, we love L-Cutting.
(06:55):
So we'll get this one out of the way here real quick because it was fun because we had thesame area tag last year.
like, like you were saying, we were trying to catch up and
I'm seeing you have luck and I'm not seeing what I want to see.
But you know, the adventures are what it's all about and the people you're with is whatit's all about too.
(07:17):
But I was hoping we'd catch up because I think you're arrogant if you think you knoweverything.
And I wanted to catch up with you to learn from you.
and, you know, cause I think if we take bits and pieces from everybody in life, not justhunting, but in life.
(07:38):
If we keep on learning, we become a better version of ourselves.
100%.
I know, especially when it comes to elk hunting, I've stood on the shoulders of giants andI've surrounded myself consistently over time with guys that are very successful when it
comes to archery, elk hunting especially.
And uh you glean nuggets when you're with them.
(08:00):
when you're, pick up small, you know, I call it the secret sauce, you know, that you'relike, oh, that right there, that was part of the secret sauce.
Like that's the good stuff.
Because the truth is that, you know, 80 % of the elk are killed by 20 % of the hunters andthey kill every time, you know, so many guys are successful year after year after year.
(08:22):
And, and those are the guys I listened to.
They don't get me wrong.
If you elk hunt and you don't ever kill a bull, you're welcome, you know, to talk elkhunting with me.
That's great, but I'm probably not going to follow your direction, you know, and I'm justgoing to give you a hug and wish you luck and go, man.
know, experience is a good teacher.
uh But there's guys like, you know, Dan Evans and, you know, and there's other people thataren't as well known in my life like Kiviok and Ryan, my buddy Ryan Coley.
(08:51):
uh But there's guys like Ryan Carter and, you know, different ones that uh are just reallyconsistent.
Jason Matzinger, you know, has become a very good friend of mine and consistent in killingCorey Jacobson.
In fact, I'm wearing his shirt right now.
oh
You know, just a lot of people that are consistent and uh I'm with you.
(09:12):
I love being around guys that are passionate about, you know, elk hunting and I wasshocked.
You know, you and I had the same hunt area last year and when it came down to it and weshared a couple points, I was like, man, I've been in within 300 yards of that spot.
I know that spot.
It was like, right, this is good.
(09:33):
This is good, you know, so it's funny how.
It is so funny and it's funny cause like you have to, I don't know what it is.
It's like, I never ask areas because I think, and I don't care.
People have argued this fact on public land or not, but you know what?
(09:55):
I worked my ass off to find these areas.
Why should I tell you?
Cause it's not, it wasn't free for me to go do and I'm not going to tell you.
And I don't know how.
these days.
Exactly.
But if you have gasoline and dreams, you can find a lot of things.
But it's funny how you and I got talking and I don't know, like little things started andI'm going and you're going and you could see our light, the lights are starting to get
(10:24):
brighter and we're not very far from each other.
you know, and the other thing is though we have respect for each other.
Like we were going to meet up, but we're not going to cross.
over and where we were close to where we would be hunting with but I'm not gonna go botheryou and you know what I mean unless we hooked up somewhere and found you know in during
(10:48):
the hunt or whatever and found uh but otherwise it's funny how that came out and then it'sjust like now I can talk freely because I know you're because we trust each other too you
know what I mean that's the point
understand the value.
A lot of people, when you're talking information and spots, especially in stuff like itdoesn't take much to burn a spot out.
(11:12):
And um so when you're with someone that understands the value of those locations and thosespots, because the truth is like this unit may be huge, but at the end of the day, there's
only a small amount of that unit that actually will hold out.
And so
when you start shifting and sifting and getting it down, like it's not hard to figure outwhere the elk are.
(11:36):
And so you've got to, you know, I want to be happy for you when you call me and say, Hey,I got a bull down and, and, uh, you know, I want you to have done the work and so on and
so forth.
And, um, you know, so I know me, I don't want to second guess me and be like, Oh, dang it,man.
He took so-and-so in there or whatever, you know,
(11:57):
I wanna be like, man, awesome, congrats, Rick.
Do you need help?
Like I'm seven miles away.
I can help you with a pack out, you know?
And I did that for a guy this year and helped him pack out a bowl.
And I wanna be happy for all those guys because if you've got my cell phone number and ifwe talk El Cunton, you're a friend of mine.
And so I wanna be happy for all you guys.
(12:21):
Yeah.
And it's interesting too, because you and I have the same type of friends too.
I mean, we have some of the same friends together, but the friends that I was with thatwere helping me, we all hunt in the same area, but there's only three of us.
I mean, two of us, mean, three together, but I mean, and, uh, the lips are zipped.
(12:45):
We are the only ones that talk amongst ourselves.
We don't like.
get on the radio broadcast and say, is where we are.
And, uh, and like I said, I knew where you were.
like I said, we were just trying to get together so we can make a little fireside chathere, but, we're together now.
(13:05):
But those are, it's, I just love talking elk hunting when we are in that season and justenjoy the adventures and the talks that we have.
But you know what?
Everybody talks to you about elk hunting and I know why because you shoot big bulls andyou're a successful person too, but I want to know about the real Jeff Helms and I want to
(13:34):
talk about because here's the other thing that we talk about also at these places becauseat the end of the day, I think both of us somewhat more probably more you than me, but
Somebody has talked about elk hunting to us all day long and it's nice to talk aboutfamily and it's nice to talk about something different in life.
(13:56):
You know what I mean?
And uh so I want to know, you know, what besides elk hunting and other hunting do you do?
what else keeps you going?
Well, I mean, that's changed a lot over the years, I guess.
(14:18):
mean, I don't know, Rick, old are you now?
got a little bit older.
57.
All right.
I'm 47.
So you got me by a decade.
Um, so that means when we met, you were my age because it's been years.
I've met maybe 11 and that's hard to believe.
Isn't it?
(14:40):
Um,
So over time, uh things have changed.
I mean, I'm sure that you can agree that I feel like, man, it's hard to put into words,but you know, a lot of people that have uh kids, you know, I feel like almost have two
(15:01):
lifetimes, right?
Because when you're growing up, you almost, and everybody's different.
Like my brother, one of my closest friends, my brother doesn't have kids.
And uh he's thrown a lot into his work and into different things and travel and so on andso forth.
And God just didn't have it in the cards for him to have kids.
(15:21):
And they didn't really want to go the route of adoption or whatever.
And so he doesn't have kids.
Me, on the other hand, I had kids young.
And so much so that here I am at 47 and I have three grandbabies.
And uh I was married for
21 years to a high school sweetheart and then that did not last.
(15:45):
And when that happened, that was a huge shakeup for me.
And uh it was really kind of an eye opener on a lot of levels.
And then I ended up, was single for a few years and through a mutual friend years, uh wehad some connections and uh we actually met our wives on the same dating app.
(16:06):
uh
that's why I got on plenty of fish was because of ears.
And yeah, I was a hundred percent.
They, I was up in Minnesota, uh, at years his house and I was like, how'd you meetHeather?
And, one thing led to another.
And, and I ended up setting up a, a profile on plenty of fish and met my wife.
(16:28):
And it was, it was not a popular dating website.
Nobody's ever really heard of it.
You know, it's, it's obviously a play on words of plenty of fish in the sea.
Mm.
but that's how I met my wife a couple of years later and, know, she had four kids from aprevious marriage.
And so we have six together and we have three grandkids.
(16:51):
And so I almost feel like you live a couple lifetimes.
You live this lifetime of when you were in junior high and high school and you're like,man, I'm going to go to school, get good grades, get a good job, get married, have a
house, you know, all these things.
And then all of sudden somewhere in your mid forties to mid fifties.
your kids are all gone and you're like, now what?
I'm not dead yet.
(17:12):
Like I love your phrase, don't die rusty.
I tell people all the time, listen, I'm going to burn out, not rust out.
Okay.
So I, I want to, I want to get to the end of my life, just spent and just fall in thatcasket.
do not want to rust out on my way there.
And, uh, you know, so I love that don't die rusty, but you know, what makes me tick haschanged over the years.
(17:38):
because you have these big things that happen in your life that are defining moments andsome are good and some are bad.
You know, I was, uh I owned my own machine shop for seven or eight years with a partnerand he and I had a pretty healthy falling out and the difference of opinion.
And uh I had started that shop with nobody and had gotten to 21 employees and
(18:03):
Um, was doing really well and him and I came into an impasse and he bought me out and, uhI, I took it hard.
Um, that was a difficult thing.
I had named that company.
I had, I had done everything.
He, he was basically the money behind it.
He lived in Michigan.
I moved to Texas to start it and he would come down once a year and check on the business,go pig hunting with me or deer hunting.
(18:28):
And then he'd go back home.
And it was one of 14 or 15 businesses for him.
For me, it was everything.
And so when that went south, that was a defining moment.
When I moved to Texas was a defining moment, you know, picking up being a Michigan andIndiana boy uh for most of my life.
You know, almost 20 years ago, I moved to Texas and that was defining for sure.
(18:53):
uh Changing my vocations a few times.
I've always been in manufacturing, but I've also had this alternate lifestyle where I wasin the hunting industry and I've done a lot with prime, which is how I met you guys a lot
of it.
And uh I did a lot with uh Sitka over the years and Yeti and ultimately a lot of thoseconnections are how I ended up being full time in the hunting industry.
(19:22):
uh But, you know, and you and I have talked, uh losing my marriage was defining.
You know, was I going to choose to be bitter or better?
And, uh, you know, I chose better and, then I lost my brother almost 10 years ago tocancer.
And we've talked about that too.
And that's another spot where I truly believe nothing changes the heart like grief.
(19:47):
And that's a, that's a wound that heals, but there's always a scar, but all of thosethings define and change your path.
And so when you ask, what do I do?
Brother, I'm a jack of all trades, master of none.
I love people.
I love experiences.
If you, you know, I had a buddy call the other day, go, Hey, it's my son's birthday.
(20:11):
You want to go golfing with us?
You bet.
Let's do it.
You know, I don't golf much.
We had a great time.
It was amazing.
You know, it so much fun.
You know, um, I try and go on a fishing trip every year with my son back up to Michigan.
It's amazing how your kids open up to you if you spend a lot of concerted time with themand you get them away from their their phone and you know the pullings and trappings of
(20:35):
life.
I love to camp.
I love to be outside.
I love vacation.
I love Costa Rica and Florida and Argentina and Alaska and Africa and Germany and you knowthe Netherlands.
I've been all over and I think variety is the spice of life.
So, supposed to go to Vermont this year with my wife, supposed to go to Florida this yearwith my wife and do some stuff.
(21:00):
But if you look back over my time, I would say that I fill it full, probably too full uhat times, but it's the way I thrive.
I love spending time with my kids and my grandkids.
I love spending time with my wife.
I married.
The Lord blessed me with a woman that is probably better than I deserve.
(21:24):
And I still am amazed at how well she loves me and how well she understands who I am.
And she's my teammate.
uh And so I love, you know, this past weekend, we, you know, we took our three and fouryear old granddaughters and we took our 18 year old, my youngest stepson uh out for, it
(21:47):
was his birthday.
And we took them all bowling and uh had a ton of fun with the little ones and had dinner.
then Saturday comes around and we're going to the park and we're going swimming at thepool.
And we're traveling all over the place and doing a lot of Mother's Day stuff.
(22:09):
And that definitely fills my heart up spending time with the little ones.
But uh I'm on the go a lot.
I don't.
Thank
part of the reason why we haven't hooked up is because you'll be like, hey, what aboutthis week?
I'm like, not this week, maybe next week, you know, like we just have to get it on thecalendar.
So uh I do some guiding on the side, uh which is good.
(22:31):
I enjoy that.
did a lot of that to help not only open doors here in Texas at perennial outfitting, butalso to help get my son involved in outfitting.
uh You know, I'm.
I mean, I'm the guy that when my daughter calls and says, hey, something's going on withour roof, I'm over there fixing the roof.
And it's just, I love a lot of things.
(22:54):
I love good food, good people, good fellowship.
I love hard.
I probably love harder than I ever have in my entire life.
I forgive easy.
um I don't forget.
So that doesn't mean that you get off easy, but I don't have any hate in my heart.
um
And it's taken a lot of painful situations to get me to that point, I guess.
(23:18):
uh But I can honestly say I don't have any hate.
Well, that, I think, you know, I went through divorce too, and we've talked about thattoo, and it's interesting because that's where I think I finally started growing as a
(23:43):
person to be learned.
I looked within myself and I think when you're young and...
and ambitious, you don't look within yourself.
because either things are going right or you're trying to make them go right, so you'renever thinking about within yourself, you're just trying to keep moving forward, where
sometimes you need to stop looking within yourself and say, I need to be a better personas I move forward, you know, because...
(24:12):
hard though to breathe in and breathe out, especially when you're young.
Like, I mean, I can definitely take ownership for where things went wrong in 21 years.
I was not a perfect husband and I was selfish.
A lot of times I remember times when I'd play for softball leagues and I was coaching twoof them and I was, you know, on the board at church and I was a youth pastor and I was,
(24:37):
you know,
I wasn't missing walleye opener.
I was walleye fishing like crazy and steelhead fishing and you know, whatever season itwas, I was all in brother.
Like I had every bag for every season.
I was doing everything.
And in the end, I didn't water and nurture the relationships around me the way I should,because I was too busy about myself.
(25:01):
And I didn't see it as that, but I do now, you know.
I do know because I was the same way.
Like I hunt a lot yet, but I can say what you were saying earlier, like it's shed seasonand I'm out after work and I am out on weekends.
And if you want to see me, you need to come along.
I'm playing softball.
(25:22):
Like you said, I am doing, it was nonstop.
If I wasn't shed hunting, was scouting.
If I wasn't, then I'm hunting and I'm not, I'm trying to do something.
And, and like I said, I mean, it takes two to tango, but you know, I, I know that there'snot just blame on one side and I look at within that.
(25:45):
And then it's funny because you met your wife on plenty of fish.
And since I'm 10 years older than you match.com probably was a little, Oh, out of touchthen, but I am, I Cindy on match and, you know what?
Now I know what a healthy relationship for me personally, this is me personally, but Iknow what a healthy relationship should look like.
(26:08):
And I have a person that cheaters me on and supports me.
She knows, she knows when I'm going hunting that I'm going hunting and like there's daysthat it's funny how we can go home and say we suffered when we were hunting, you know,
like it, we were out there for
(26:29):
I mean, say you shot an elk and you're up all night packing it or whatever, and you putyourself through that.
But you know what, it's fun.
And she knows that that's what, I come home with the energy that I don't have if I don'tgo.
Like she shoes me out the door, yes.
(26:51):
You know, because I think a lot of us, you know, we don't understand.
I don't know.
There's so many things that you can unwrap, but at the end of the day, many of the thingswe do, if we're not careful are for men's applause until we realize that there's really
only an audience of one, you know.
(27:11):
You really need to do things to glorify your father and to make sure that you're healthyand you're good and uh Really?
Nobody cares how big a bull you kill, you know if we're really honest and if they do theymay just be jealous You know and so, you know you look at it and once you start to get
clarity on what's important and why you do it and You can do the same thing.
(27:37):
But when you put the emphasis on a different syllable
it changes everything.
And now all of sudden you're like, okay, so all things in moderation.
But if my emphasis is where it needs to on the right syllable, everything makes sense.
And God knows the intent of the heart in all of it.
(27:58):
And I'm not saying I've made all the right choices in all of it.
But I read a book a long time ago called Wild at Heart.
And in that book, he talks about there's a battle to fight.
a beauty to rescue and an adventure to live.
And in that book, there was so many nuggets and so many aha moments where I went, oh,that's me.
(28:20):
That's me.
Like, it's not enough just to have a battle to fight.
A battle to fight is good.
And it's not just enough to have a beauty to rescue.
But if your whole life is about rescuing that beauty, where's your adventure to live?
You know, and it's like,
Women don't understand many times how complex and yet simple we are.
(28:44):
And when you can have that roadmap of, okay, I know what makes me tick.
I know how to put things in perspective to make sure that I'm good by not only giving toothers, but also making sure that my foundation is good.
My clarity is there.
(29:07):
And that comes through time.
I know I'm not there yet.
I got a long ways to go.
And I try.
Like you said, you know what a good healthy relationship looks like now.
uh I think I do.
I mean, I'm trying all the time.
I'm constantly considering um my wife Dawn and, you know, hey, what's important?
(29:29):
Because I am gone a lot.
I ask a lot of her and uh she's an extremely healthy woman, but she's still...
Um, she still wants me and, uh, she probably doesn't need me, but she wants me and, that'sextremely sexy on so many levels, you know, um, when, when, cause she's a very
(29:51):
intelligent, very strong, very capable woman.
Um, but she loves me being in her life and, so we have a great time together and it's somuch fun.
and so many different adventures.
And we couldn't be further from the same person.
I mean, I'm the outgoing, loud, and you know, I'm very similar to you on a lot of levels,Rick.
(30:14):
I mean, we're different, but we're the same.
And uh my wife is not that at all.
She's the quiet one.
She's up early, getting stuff done.
You know, she has lists on lists on lists.
Everything is taken care of.
If I were to tell...
Alexa right now to put eggs on the shopping list.
(30:37):
She would do it right.
Like, and then it would go right to her phone and in all this other side.
It's crazy.
All the things she has automated in our, in our life.
And I love that.
And I appreciate that about her, but part of what makes that our relationship work well isconsidering and, then trying to complete her rather than compete against her and to
(30:58):
celebrate her.
Right.
Like you said, your wife celebrates you.
That feels amazing.
I can do a lot of things when my wife celebrates me.
ah It just, it feels so good on so many levels and I'm thankful to have that today.
Well, I want to go back, and then I want to come back to the wife, but it is interesting,like you said, because I retired from playing softball at 40 because I finally realized
(31:28):
that you were looking for that men's approval or satisfaction because you wanted to feellike, sometimes you wanted to say, have that approval.
You made a great catch or you hit a home run or something like that, but nobody's going toremember that.
Nobody's going to remember that game.
(31:49):
You were spectacular in because you know what we're playing slow pitch softball in SouthDakota and nobody cares.
And then that big bowl, like you said, we may, I mean, I know the bowls that you've shotand you've been on the cover of magazines, but here's the deal.
In the end.
(32:10):
you go three or four years down the road and only your close friends will keep onremembering that.
And like you said, people will knock you because you shot that because they're jealous.
And I'm not jealous.
If you shot a 400 inch bull, I'm going, holy smokes.
But that is awesome.
And I want to see it sometime instead of I'm jealous and I'm trying to go find that same.
(32:35):
And that goes back to where we're hunting in the same area, roughly.
And you know what, if you shot that bull in that area, I'm coming over and I'm going tolook at that sucker and I'm cheering you on, you know, that kind of thing.
And so that's one of the things that, that has helped me is like, I'm not trying to findother people's approval.
am just being Rick and you know, you know, that's like a, that's a, I don't know ifthere's a synonym or an adjective that can completely explain the Rick.
(33:06):
You know what I mean?
But that's who I am.
uh
know, from the moment we first met, you have been the same through and through.
And that's part of the reason I'm on this podcast right now.
I have a lot of respect for you as a human being.
Well, thank you, because the one thing I hope to be is authentic and that's where I try tostay, you know, for sure.
(33:30):
But the wife thing too is also, I learned, and I know that you have this too, but the waythat I am at peace when I go do these things, because I encourage, my wife's ah son lives
(33:51):
up in Wasilla, Alaska.
And I'm encouraging her to go up and see him as much as possible because you don't knowwhat tomorrow is going to bring.
So go do that.
then like she encouraged me to go on my adventures.
But you know, the one thing that is right there in the middle of both of us is trust andlove.
(34:14):
And if you can't trust that person, you shouldn't be with that person.
And that is probably
the foundation of our relationship is that trust.
Like, I know you're gonna go up and go on your adventures and we go on my adventures, I goon my adventures, but then we make fine time to go on adventures of our own, know?
(34:35):
Because I've taken her places that she would have never gone because that wasn't herlifestyle until she met me.
And it's funny because like I said, I'm going.
I'm gonna go down to Utah here where I shot my mountain goat.
And you know how sometimes where you see that mountain and you're close to the top but younever made it to the top?
(34:58):
I thought one thing I can go do is go relive my mountain goat hunt, but I can climb thetop of that mountain and say I have done it and now another check on my bucket list
because I would have never been there if I wasn't mountain goat hunting.
But the other thing,
She knows that as with most everybody, and I'm calling this the fly by the sea to yourpants tour because I don't know what I'm gonna do.
(35:28):
We're gonna climb the mountain and what are we gonna do after that?
Who knows?
But my buddy and I are going down to do this, but we may end up in Salt Lake.
We may end up, you never know what will happen, but that's the part about adventure thatwe never know.
Yeah, no, you're absolutely correct.
And so, and there's a, that's okay.
(35:48):
I tend to live my life somewhere in the middle.
ah My wife has finally come to realize, she realized it fairly early on, ah thateverything's gonna be all right when I'm in control on vacation.
And we're going to eat some really good food.
We may meet some of my friends that I've been friends with a long time.
(36:13):
We may not, we may do some things that'll get her out of her comfort zone, but no matterwhat, we'll have a place to stay, we'll have everything taken care of, but I tend to keep
things a little loose so that I can be flexible because you know, if I drop three or fourtexts to some people in the area and one of them comes back, hey, I'm free tonight, wanna
(36:35):
grab dinner?
I'm like, yes, I do.
And...
So I love being able to do that.
So I do the same and that's not my wife's style.
My wife is plan it all out to the tee, make sure everything is good.
And there are times when we let her ride with that and I'm like, all right, babe, this ison you.
(36:56):
What do you want me to do?
I'm fine.
Exactly.
Cause you know, I'm, I'm the like, we have a 20 minute layover kind of guy sometimes.
And Cindy likes maybe to slow down a little bit, but I don't mind running through anairport because it's exciting to me to get to the, get to the next flight or whatever.
But you know, I mean, or, but there's times I, like you said, I let her make the, youknow, you can, if you want a two hour layover in Denver, I really don't care.
(37:25):
That'll be fine.
I'll take it easy and it's good.
But there has, know, cause that's a little give and take, but you know, these adventures,it's funny also because like you said, Cindy says, you just know everybody everywhere.
said, you know, and she knows that's how it is because I'm not afraid to go talk toanybody and it's a relationship, relationships you make in life.
(37:53):
Oh, a hundred percent.
That's why when I'm in Colorado, I stay at Ears' place or, you know, when I'm in Utah,sometimes met Russ and Kelly's or, you know, it's, you just never know.
I've got, I've got earmarked bedrooms all over this country in people's houses that arelike, Hey, if you're ever in town, let me know.
(38:13):
You know?
said that to you too, but you never came over here.
I'm just kidding.
I have never been to your town, Rick.
I can honestly say that I've never been up there.
Well, you need to come sometime just because you're always invited to, know, and that'sthe cool thing about this stuff, being friends and, having those good people around you.
(38:35):
Because like you said, the Kelly Russ hotel, the ears hotels, you know, everybody.
All of our friends have no problem.
If you said, you know what, I'm going to be there in an hour.
And most everybody would say, okay.
We're in, in, in, in.
And most of them said, would say, if I'm not home, this is a code of the door.
(38:58):
You just go in, we'll be home.
We'll be home in a little while.
And that is a great feeling to have, you know, so now, you know, I mean, it's in it'salso, we've had similarities in the grief parts.
Like yours is with your brother.
(39:19):
Mine was with my mother and.
And I think also, when my mom died, I was very close with my mother and it changed my lifebecause I knew after my divorce that I needed to keep moving and getting better.
(39:47):
it's one of those things that...
I slowly became getting becoming more confident with myself.
say that my here's what I'll say.
I'll say my my divorce made me more confident within myself.
But the grief of my mother made me realize that life is short and we better live every dayto the fullest because you don't know when you're going to be able to say that last
(40:11):
goodbye.
So I want I want people to say, do you remember what Rick did?
in a laughing manner instead of, know, I want people to know that stuff in the end.
So I want to have as many memories with as many people as I can, you know what I mean?
Those things are the things that I hope is our legacy that we get to give to people, youknow?
(40:40):
And I learned a lot from my mom's passing and...
within myself and I've become very interested in being the best me as well as knowing thatlife is so short.
We better enjoy it and we better have the peace that we can with whoever we are with.
(41:02):
like I said, my wife and my friends, those are the people that I only care about really.
Otherwise, I shoot, you know, I mean, if I shot
a big animal and you don't like me, I don't care.
Because it's Jeff Helm, it's ears, it's Kelly and Russ and Ashley and Jesse that, andthere's more people, my friend Ben and Dylan, these are the people that I care what they
(41:33):
think about me.
I don't care about what other people think and that has given me another perspective oflife that I didn't have.
I had the confidence in myself, but the grief.
part made me realize that
There is no tomorrow, so let's keep these relationships in the best manner we can andlet's keep watering the flowers and see where they bloom.
(41:57):
Yeah, I agree.
mean, grief is such a funny one.
You know, one thing that I have have come back to a lot, you know, is and I mentioned itto you before, but most of us have a hard shell on some way, or form.
I mean, there's a lot of negative people out there.
There's a lot of buttholes, to be honest, you know, that are very, very selfish.
(42:21):
And so a lot of us have a hard shell to a certain extent until
We figure out what kind of fabric your heart is made of.
And then, you know, I, I pride myself in some levels that as soon as I really figure outwhat kind of fabric your heart's made out of, I open up super quick.
Um, it can be deep.
(42:42):
I can, you know, more than once I've been on, I was actually on an access hunt, um, a fewyears ago with a guy that, um, super good friend of mine.
You don't know him, but he's super great guy.
And we got back from that hunt and I got a text from him and he just said, brother, Idon't know if you know how much of an impact you made on me and my marriage as as you dug
(43:09):
in and iron sharpens iron and you challenged me to be a better husband because of what youlost.
man, I'll tell you what, when stuff like that happens and you're like, man, that's thereal stuff right there.
You're like, because you don't know who's going through something and you don't know whois close to divorce.
(43:31):
You don't know who's going to get cancer.
You don't know what people are going through.
I've had more than one friend that, you know, has committed suicide and, um you know,suicide is the big one that there's no winners, you know.
people that are left behind, there's just no winners because you don't have answers.
(43:54):
And so I highly suggest that you get deep, you get vulnerable.
You um obviously have to be careful with that.
I got pretty thick skin at this point.
And um I have no problem.
We can talk religion, we can talk marriage, we can talk sex, drugs and rock and roll.
What do you want to talk about?
(44:15):
Because...
You know, I think I have a pretty good world perspective on things.
I don't know everything and there's definitely some people in my life.
value, um, their take on things and, uh you know, people have, have some wisdom out there,but man, love talking about deep stuff, you know, and, grief did that for me.
(44:35):
Um, you know, I've, I'm, I noticed that a lot of people have empty words.
And so when, when someone hears something like you lost your mom,
or you lost your brother or you lost, I'm so sorry for your loss.
Really?
Or is that just what you're supposed to say?
Because words don't make it better.
um Love does.
(44:56):
When you really have a brother that loves you and he doesn't have to say a word, he canjust come up and give you that hug and maybe hold just a little extra.
And you're like, man, I might've needed that.
And because it can feel lonely.
when you get left behind.
Forever is a long time.
And the other thing I used to hate is when people go, he's in a better place.
(45:19):
You need to shut your trap.
You know, that means nothing to me right now.
You know, I lost my teammate that was in my freaking circle every single day.
I talked to him every day.
I don't care if he's in a better place right now.
You know, don't say that.
That is so insensitive.
on so many levels and it's almost like people don't know what to say or maybe they haven'tgone through it before.
(45:43):
Many times there's nothing to be said, just be you, just be genuine.
And I wouldn't have figured that out without grief.
And so I wouldn't be able to help others that are going through hard things um because allof us, nobody's getting out alive.
There was like Methuselah and Elijah, there was a couple but.
(46:07):
You know, nobody else is getting out.
think Mithuselah didn't get out alive.
He was the oldest man, but Elijah did.
But there's not very many that are getting out alive.
And, uh you know, we're all going to have people close to us that are dying.
And you and I are getting to the age where our classmates are dying and, you know, yourcousins are dying.
And you're like, what is going on here?
(46:28):
Like, this is crazy.
And uh so having that empathy to be able to help people and be in genuine.
You know, I wouldn't have got that without grief.
No, and I agree with you there because there's, besides saying they're in a better place.
(46:50):
I mean, my mom was cremated, but here's the other thing that bothers me is they lookbetter now.
Well, they're in their damn coffin and they do not look better because there's no color.
I'm not a big open casket person, but that's besides the point.
But they don't look better.
They're not alive.
They don't look better.
(47:12):
pisses me off more than anything, you know, in that aspect because, and it just, everybodyneeds to look at everybody's in different manners.
And like you said, you know, like my close friends, if I would, I truly, if you don't knowwhat to say, then don't say it.
(47:37):
And my close friends, I know what to say because we know.
who would know their personalities, but it's those things that, you know what, here's my,I've done a couple other episodes, but it's like, don't try to tell me how the person was
because I know who they were.
Just tell me, you know what, that you're gonna be all right and we're gonna work throughthis and if you need anything, let me know.
(48:05):
You know, kind of saying, you know.
Go ahead.
myself just many times saying, hey, I know words don't make it better.
You know, I just want you to know that I'm going to miss their laugh.
And if you need anything, I love you.
Feel free to call, you know, just some people, it helps just to know someone's actuallyconsidered what they're going through and that they've been there too.
(48:34):
Um, but you don't have to go on and
No.
you know, just a lot of times we just need to stand shoulder to shoulder and know we gotsomebody to lean on.
Yes, in fact, you know, like when you say somebody Leon, I had a friend stop by, had beentwo Sundays ago now, out of the blue.
(49:01):
And you do know who he is, but I'm not going to say his name on this episode, but, and wehad, he said, you going to be around?
I said, yeah.
And he,
We'll make sure we're around.
And he got here about three in the afternoon and left at nine and he just needed to talk.
(49:23):
And you know what that means?
It makes me feel good that you're trusted enough to be talked to.
But what he was going through, he needed to vent and you aren't going to believe I'm nottrying to.
I'm usually in the talker and I didn't say a word.
I just was there to listen, you know, but I mean.
(49:44):
When you're there to listen and people trust you to listen, then that means you're makingan impact in this world too.
And I tell everybody, you, I'm a phone call away and if I don't hear it, I'm gonna answerit.
I'll get back to you as soon as possible.
But those are the impacts that you made in this life and...
(50:11):
Those are the people that you need to surround yourself with that are gonna be there tolisten when you need it.
A long time ago, I heard people don't care how much you know until they know how much youcare.
And that resonates, right?
because life is so short and I just look at suicide and you were talking about suicideearlier and I've had friends commit suicide too and I'm thinking, you I mean, you see some
(50:43):
of my posts and I'm climbing a mountain or I'm trying to get closer to God because that'swhere I am.
But most
of my best conversations with people are in the woods because there are no four walls andthere is no judgment.
There's curiosity and there's talk.
(51:06):
And I hope that, you know, this is like, don't die rusty in some situations where, yeah, Iwant to keep, I don't want to rust out.
I want to wear out and that's way it is.
But I want people to be able to talk because this is where we
become better people so we're to keep on lubricating the whole system, not just our bodiestoo.
(51:28):
And we can talk about it.
So if our conversation starts another conversation that needs to be started and they say,did you hear Rick and Jeff talking the other day?
And, and did you hear what they were talking about?
And you're on a hike.
Can people get quiet?
They think about it and then you stop.
And then they say, well, that's an interesting thought there.
(51:50):
And
How many times have you sat down on a log and, or sat in dirt and said, talk for longerand you thought you were going to cause it was, and it meant something to you.
And if you can make an impact on anybody that you're hiking with or with at all, that'swhat, that's what this whole world is about, about being better.
(52:12):
think.
You bet.
bet.
And, and if we're not careful, we get lost in, you know, being successful in, you know,these hunts and different things.
Like that particular friend I was talking about, like he's come over three or four yearshunting axis with me on a, on a place, a really good place, but it's all bow hunting and
he hasn't killed a buck yet.
(52:33):
He's come close.
He's had some misses.
He's had a lot of stuff happen, but those conversations that we've had sitting up againsta tree midday.
waiting for deer to start move, waiting for the roars to happen.
And you know, how's your wife?
How's your kids?
How you doing loving on your wife?
How's this?
(52:54):
How's that?
And all of a sudden, you know, things just start to happen and good stuff happens whenyou're willing.
And you got to care, right?
You have to care about people.
And it's so, you know, so awesome to give and so much better to give than receive.
And, you know, I think I read that in a book somewhere.
(53:17):
Yeah, it is.
Here's it.
It fills my heart to give.
And that's why I try never unless I'm really need something from somebody.
I never want to ask anybody for anything because I'm not asking for things, but it is sonice to give.
(53:41):
It's so nice to because and it's not that I'm trying to f**k
make myself look good, it's that it feels good to give somebody something when they aren'tasking for it.
You know what I mean?
It feels good in your, because good people give good energy and good energy keeps onmoving.
(54:06):
If you're with people with bad energy, it's gonna be bad.
You're gonna.
You know what mean?
You're negative people, then you start knocking people.
When you're with positive people, you start talking positive and that's way it is.
You know?
Yeah.
So, yeah.
So we're getting, you know, this is, this is just, I was looking so forward to talking toyou about this because you know Tommy and Dara, don't you?
(54:34):
Tommy and Dara Parker, like at TACs, they do the Warrior Rising.
yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, I do, I do, yeah.
Anyway, you know, it was interesting because when I, know, everybody looks at Tommy andhe's been blowing up in Afghanistan and they think that's a story.
But I got talking to Dara and I said, how did you guys meet?
(54:59):
And I said, you know what, that's a story.
And then I did an episode with them and it's kind of like you.
It's like,
I wish we would have been in the woods and had the smoke rolling around us and the fireand to be able to talk like this.
But when I talked, I wanted to do this episode with you.
(55:20):
I mean, we could do another, we'll do another episode again sometime, but I thought, youknow, everybody talks to Jeff about Elk hunting and you and I have had other
conversations.
And I said, I want to talk about Jeff.
I want to talk about.
life and I want to talk about living the best life we can and that's the story I want Jeffto tell.
(55:45):
Well, I am doing all that.
I am a glass half full kind of guy, Rick.
And I try and be a force for good everywhere I go.
And um some days are harder than others, you know.
But every day that I wake up, every day that I have a chance is uh a day to be a force forgood.
And I know you do the same.
So it's good.
(56:08):
I can't complain.
He's opened more doors for me than I could ever open for myself.
And you know what?
That's the other thing I think that brings, when we were talking about grief, or evendivorce is grief too, but it brought God back into my life.
(56:30):
And when you start feeling and believing for me, like you were talking earlier, I'mplaying softball and I'm still at playing well and making
plays and I'm shooting a 200 inch whitetail and I'm a stud and everything's going well andthen all of a sudden, boop, the bottom drops out.
(56:55):
And until you realize that you need to pray during the good times as well as the badtimes, then you, like, that's helped me out more than anything is that God is in my life
every day, not just on the good days, not just on the bad days, but every day.
easy to talk to him when things aren't going well.
(57:16):
It's hard to talk to him when things seem to all go your way and everything seems great.
And, you know, I think that's true of all of us.
And, you know, having kids is one of those things that you realize you're not in control.
You know, there's nothing like when your kids are sick or as they get older and, you know,you're
(57:39):
You're like that guy on the side watching them in the sailboat going, no, no, no, therocks, the rocks, no, over there, over there, got to think, man, God, this has to be what
it's like when you're up there watching me make mistakes.
And it's so difficult because I know that you love me, um but man, I still have free willand I still make bad choices.
(58:00):
uh you know, so it's so true.
It's,
We need these trials and things to help us know that we're not really in control.
And we have to just choose to be better and not bitter when things happen and when thingsdon't go our way.
And there's still a lot to be thankful for.
(58:20):
And you know, what's under this cap is because that's why I'm at the top of my head'sbald.
Cause I scratched all this stuff off my head saying, saying, why the heck did you do that?
Yeah.
(58:42):
Yeah.
why over the years.
And you just go, okay, well, I mean, and that's okay.
And eventually when your perspective's right, you have peace that passes allunderstanding.
And you go for a walk and you leave your phone at home.
Mm-hmm.
(59:03):
You talk to your wife, you talk to the people around you, you talk to him.
it's a scary place to be in your head all by yourself.
And most people can't do it.
So they have to get on this dang thing.
And they have to take and just dumb themselves down on so many things.
(59:23):
That super smart computer that sits in our pocket all the time.
uh
You can't hear the still small voice when, you know, you're just scrolling throughInstagram reels or Facebook or whatever.
You've got to have some time where it's just you and him.
And, um, that happens when you're outside and it happens when you're shooting your bowand, know, all those kinds of things.
(59:47):
call that group therapy.
You know, when you're shooting your bow, you can't think about, um, you know, did you paythe insurance, you know, or did you, know, what, did this go bill go up or.
you know, why didn't this work out?
You know, you just have that group therapy.
It just clears your mind and you get done and allows you to think about other things like,how's my daughter doing?
(01:00:08):
I should probably give her a call.
You know, how's my son?
I wonder how that deal went.
Did that go through or not?
Like sometimes you just, it's a text or a FaceTime or a call.
um You know, as your kids, as you get older, your kids still need you.
They just need you at a different level.
You have to grab a different, um grab a different gear.
(01:00:28):
And uh your daughters will always appreciate daddy.
You know, it's just, you know, and so it's been hard for me to at times grab a differentgear.
I like to be the dad that takes his eight year old for ice cream, you know?
Yeah, all right, Rick, let's do it.
Oh yeah, I'm with you.
(01:00:51):
I'm with you.
agree with you there because here's one thing I did too with my mom before she died too isI talked to her every morning.
It could be five minutes.
It could be two minutes.
It could be 20 minutes.
But you know what?
Cause there's no rewind in life.
And if you do not keep on, know, there's memories, but there's no rewind with this.
(01:01:16):
I can't go back and say, I wish I would have talked to her more.
You need to do it now.
When you think that you need to text that person, you need to text them because my biggestregret in life for me at this point is I was elk hunting with my neighbors.
They, his nieces had two cow tags.
(01:01:37):
in the Black Hills.
you know, when you, my mom, I usually would, like when I'm hunting on weekends, I wouldwait till Monday when I got back and would call my mom.
And I was thinking, I was thinking we're going to have a great conversation.
Even though we were cow hunting, the bulls were bugling, but they were young and they, thegirls were young and we didn't get on them.
(01:02:01):
But I'm going to say about this adventure I had.
And something on like Saturday night said, you should call your mom.
And I kept on saying, no, wait till Monday.
And I called Monday and my sister, my dad, she went to the hospital and my sister said,you need to get here now.
And she died that night.
And I didn't have that conversation.
that's, I, I, I hit myself for that for a long, time.
(01:02:24):
And then I said, you know, it's a culmination of all the conversations you had.
So have those conversations before in case something happens.
Yeah.
Yeah.
That's one of the biggest blessings that I felt for me because Jay's my brother had cancerand he fought it for four years.
And that was four years for me to be intentional.
That was four years for me to text him or call him every day.
(01:02:48):
And I have no regrets when it comes to that.
Like I was the best dang brother I could be.
I went to Africa for a month with him and we hunted and we fished the Indian Ocean and wedid all kinds of stuff.
It was incredible.
That's what we need to do to make those memories happen.
The culmination of these conversations are the best.
(01:03:12):
One last question I always ask before we end this is, what's the good life to Jeff Hale?
What's the good life?
That's a great question.
(01:03:38):
What is the good life?
Man, that's such a complicated but simple thing.
You know, at the end of the day, it's.
I built this house myself, right?
And it's nothing special.
(01:03:58):
It's a barn.
It's a barn dough, but I built it myself.
did everything, but the drywall and the AC.
And as I built this house, I played chain and chain.
They had a bunch of hymns.
There's a album uh that's nothing but Psalms basically.
(01:04:22):
And as I prayed over this house and I built this house, said, make this a house of love.
Make this a house that people walk in and there's peace that passes all understanding.
um For me, the good life is a life filled with love.
I love hearing that.
(01:04:45):
So, well, that's a good way to end this conversation.
because I think most people need a house filled with love.
Love you too.
So thank you so much for having the conversation and taking the time out to do this withme.
(01:05:09):
You bet.
Have a great night, brother.
You too, so Anyway, don't die rusty nation keep chasing your dreams being the best you anddon't die rusty
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!