February 5, 2025 • 60 mins
Brent Reaves, a passionate outdoorsman from Arkansas, takes center stage on the Hometown Hero Outdoors Podcast, bringing with him a wealth of experience in both law enforcement and outdoor guiding. Brent's journey from a childhood on a farm in Southeast Arkansas to becoming a key member of the Meat Eater team is nothing short of inspiring. He shares his deep-seated love for coon hunting, turkey hunting, archery, and fishing, revealing how these pursuits have been shaped by his upbringing. Listeners will walk away with a newfound appreciation for the healing power of nature and the unbreakable bonds formed within outdoor communities.
Listeners will be transported to Brent's nostalgic childhood days, filled with countryside adventures, fishing, swimming, and building forts. Brent shares how these formative experiences taught him valuable lessons in conservation and respect for nature. His stories emphasize the role of parents as custodians of these lessons, likening them to game wardens nurturing a respectful relationship with the outdoors. Through his narrative, Brent highlights the moral obligation to be stewards of the land and the importance of sustainable hunting practices.
Brent's candid reflections on his career in law enforcement reveal the challenging yet rewarding nature of the job. He shares poignant stories from his days in the field, especially during the methamphetamine epidemic of the 1990s, including impactful rescues and the emotional toll of the profession. Brent underscores the significance of effective communication, empathy, and balancing authority with respect. His journey into podcasting with the Country Life podcast showcases his commitment to sharing his love for the outdoors while finding a balance between faith, family, and mission focus. Join us as Brent imparts wisdom on leading a balanced life and the rewarding intersections of outdoor passion, conservation, and community service.
Produced by Phil Ewert Productions
Theme Music: Hero's Journey
Joel Loopez Tunepocket.com
Licensed by: Phil Ewert Productions
hometownherooutdoors.org
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
In the land of 10,000 lakes, a remarkable movement
was born.
Welcome to Hometown HeroOutdoors.
We are dedicated to honoringour military service members,
veterans and first responders byproviding them with
unforgettable outdoorrecreational opportunities.
We believe those who haveserved and sacrificed so much
(00:24):
for our country and communitiesdeserve a chance to reclaim
their spirit and find healing inthe great outdoors.
This is Hometown Hero Outdoors.
Welcome to the Hometown HeroOutdoors Podcast.
(00:54):
Here is your host, chris.
Speaker 2 (01:02):
Tatro.
Hello to our listeners.
Welcome back to the HometownHero Outdoors podcast.
I have an awesome guest todayI'm really excited about.
It's kind of an interestingstory how we got here, but we'll
go through that throughout theadventure here.
But we have Mr Brent Reeveshere today with Meat Eater.
Brent Reeves is a lifelongoutdoorsman from remote Arkansas
with over 25 years of waterfallguiding experience and a rich
background in law enforcement.
Arkansas.
With over 25 years of waterfallguiding experience and a rich
(01:23):
background in law enforcement,he's the host of this Country
Life podcast and contributor toBear Grease as part of the Meat
Eater team.
Brent is passionate about coonhunting and hounds, turkey
hunting, archery and fishing.
He's also a proud father andgrandparent, committed to
sharing his love for theoutdoors through storytelling
and his personal experience.
Well, welcome to the show, sir.
Thank you for being here.
Speaker 3 (01:45):
Oh, thank you for inviting me, Chris.
It's a thrill to be here, buddy.
Speaker 2 (01:49):
Absolutely, did you get?
Speaker 3 (01:52):
out and do some hunting this morning.
Then Hunting a cool spot,that's all I'm hunting right now
.
Yeah, it's still in the 90shere in the south in Arkansas,
where I live.
It's a few mornings, you know,you get up and walk outside and
it's take my little girl toschool, like I do every morning,
and it's, you know, in the 60s.
You think, dang, you know, Icould probably go kill a mess of
squirrels here before it gottoo hot.
And I get back to the houseabout 15 to eight and it's
(02:14):
already in the 70s.
So I'm like I'll just, I'lljust wait for the first frost.
Speaker 2 (02:19):
Yeah, I don't blame you.
Yeah, today we woke up in the30s here in Minnesota, so that's
kind of nice and refreshing ohgosh, I bet.
It's going to be 80 degreeslater today, though, so we got
that temperature swing happening, but it's okay.
You know, it's nice to actuallybe in that time of the year
where you have that cool seasonstarting.
Yeah it'll be here.
It's getting there.
So thanks for coming on theshow, so for our listeners.
(02:40):
This year at the podcast, youknow we've tried to switch some
things up here.
We are talking to a lot of HHOmembers, but you know our
members are military servicemembers, veterans and first
responders, which brings us toBrent, which is pretty cool
Because Brent is a former lawenforcement officer and he's
retired.
So I actually reached out toMeat Eater a few weeks ago and
you guys were really responsive,got back to me quick and, uh,
(03:03):
the gentleman that I spoke withI cannot remember his name, but,
yeah, yes, sir, yep, yep, andhe uh referred me to you right
away, considering what yourhistory is, so pretty awesome to
have you guys here.
I love what you guys do at meateater.
Uh, you know, I've got a lot ofa lot of friends and myself who
, uh, really engage and watchthe different things that meat
(03:23):
is doing throughout the years,especially with the education
aspect, with conservation andthe outdoors.
So really excited to have youhere.
So let's start here.
Let's start with who is Brent?
Who are you, where did you growup, what was your passion for
the outdoors and what did yourcareer look like you don't have
to necessarily go in that order,but what are the things that
make Brent tick as well?
Speaker 3 (03:46):
necessarily go in that order, but what are the
things that make Brent tick aswell?
Well, I grew up on a small farmin Southeast Arkansas, right on
the Bradley and ClevelandCounty line.
I graduated high school fromWarren.
We lived several miles out oftown and my whole world was I'm
58, so I was born in 1966.
So my whole world.
There was no internet.
(04:06):
Obviously there was no.
We didn't watch TV, you know.
We went outside, was likeentertainment and anything that
we wanted to do was fair gameoutside after the chores were
done.
That's the important part.
So we usually we ran anywherefrom, you know, close to 80 head
of cattle, 120 head of cattle.
(04:27):
We had hogs, had two chickenhouses there.
So I mean, I grew up in a rurallife and it was.
It was good, it was.
I was free to be, like I said,once the chores were done I was
feral, I was absolutely in thewoods.
My closest friend of my agelived about he's probably about
(04:50):
a half a mile away from where Idid.
Another one that lived abouttwo miles from us and that was
in the summer.
If we were home.
Once we got together, we metsomewhere at a central location,
whether we walked or rodebicycles or a horse or or
whatever.
But we, we met up and that'swhere the adventures began.
And we was.
It was fishing and swimming increeks and building forts and
(05:14):
just doing what kids used to doand a lot of them still do.
But I mean it was pretty normalfor that way of life back then.
It was just a life that grew upclose to land and I just took
advantage of it.
I'm so glad that I grew up theway that I did, because I
couldn't have pictured any otherchildhood other than the one I
(05:36):
had.
Speaker 2 (05:37):
Well, it sounds like a great time, especially in the
South.
You know I was actually born inTexas myself only lived there
until I was five but I never gotto have that experience kind of
like what you had there.
But mine began in the Northlandand I feel you know a lot of
that.
Good memories go back to ouryouth and having the kids in the
outdoors and being able towander in the woods and do those
(05:57):
things and sometimes get in alittle trouble Not too much
trouble, but it happens.
Speaker 3 (06:02):
Yeah, it was a mischievous trouble that that I
did.
You know we would.
We would help folks fish theirponds when they weren't there.
So we felt it was our duty asfishermen want to be
professional fishermen at 10 and11 years old that we need to
help these folks fish theirponds.
So we may have slipped in a fewplaces.
We really wasn't supposed tohave been those are the
(06:30):
long-lasting memories that willnever go away, though.
Oh, yeah, yeah, absolutely.
You know from there mychildhood.
As far as hunting and fishingwent, it was just what we did.
I wasn't expected to do it, Iwasn't forced into any of it.
My dad was a big hunter but Iwas never made to go.
(06:51):
It was always had the option.
If I wanted to go, I could.
And he taught us and my two oldbrothers, and he taught us to
know the way to do it.
He had a forward mind ofthinking.
Uh, back then that it was.
You know, conservation wasreally important.
You know, if we shot something,we was going to eat it.
So if you didn't want to eat ablackbird, or if you didn't want
(07:13):
to eat a robin or a redbird orsomething, you better not shoot
it, because that was what youwas going to be having for
supper.
And it taught us to recognize.
You know what was game and whatwasn't.
Us to recognize.
You know what was what was gameand what wasn't, and it made me
appreciate in an early age thatthat are really the
cornerstones of conservation.
You know conservation today,and it was, it was taught
(07:34):
through good.
You know pretty easy lessons Ifyou don't want to put salt and
pepper on something.
You better not poke a BB in it.
You're fixing to be eating it.
Speaker 2 (07:47):
Oh yeah, oh yeah.
No, I remember my kids.
Same thing, same lessons.
You know we'll be out in thewoods and looking for, looking
for the grouse and seeing otheranimals, and let's get that one.
No, nobody, we cannot beshooting that animal, because if
you do I'm gonna make you eatit.
Plus, my job is gonna kind ofget in the way a little bit.
But uh, that's how life is,though.
You know it can't be very funbeing the game warden's kid, but
(08:11):
it is what it is right, yeah.
Speaker 3 (08:15):
But you know it's, you know, really, to raise
children right in the outdoors,every parent should be the game
warden, amen.
Raise children right in theoutdoors, every parent should be
the game warden, amen.
Should instill that sense, themoral obligation that we have I
talk about that a lot on thestuff that I talk about.
We have a moral obligation totake care of the heavy stewards
(08:41):
of what we hunt and take care of, because no one loves it as
much as we do, because no oneloves it as much as we do.
There's no, you'll neverconvince me.
An anti-hunter loves animals asmuch as I do, because I'm
contributing monetarily to theirupkeep and I'm also
contributing the lessons and theskill set and the conservation
(09:01):
lessons that I've learned overthe years, that I have seen
applied to the reason that wehave the game that we have today
.
And it's not because someonestopped hunting, it's because
hunt thrived, you know, and welearned the correct way to do it
.
And it's just a, it's just a nobrainer for me.
You know that.
And growing up the way I did,chris, it was, I mean, you would
(09:23):
look out, I walk outside andyou, you know it wasn't uncommon
to see deer in the yard andstuff like that, and you just
live in a closer relationshipwith each other and you just
develop that.
It's hard for me to put inwords, I guess I don't know.
It's just a sense ofresponsibility that in the age I
(09:45):
wanted people, my kids if I wasto ever get married and have
kids, you know, I want them tobe able to see the same things
that I did and my friends do,you know, and their kids.
So it was just.
It was a culture and acommunity, more or less that of
that time and the people thatthat I was around and raised
around, that that looked at atnature is very similar to the
way that the way that I wasaround and raised around, that
(10:07):
looked at nature is very similarto the way that I was taught
and exposed to.
Speaker 2 (10:10):
Yeah, no, totally, and it's good lessons to pass
along.
You know, if we don't passthose along, they're going to
die with us, and everything elsedown that chain beyond there is
going to start to struggle andhurt in the long run.
And you're absolutely correct,oh, very good.
(10:31):
So I want to kind of transitionhere a little bit too.
So, um, I mean, we'll dive backinto the outdoor stuff, as we
always do.
But, um, you know, as you asyou grew up, um, and you had
your outdoor passion and engagedin a lot of different outdoor
activities, it sounds like youbegan to take a liking to the
law enforcement career.
Speaker 3 (10:48):
You know I come from my family.
I have a lot of folks in myfamily that are in service,
either in the military excuse me, either military or law
enforcement, and it just seemedlike a natural path for me to go
, and was one that you know Ihad.
There was two things on my mindas a kid.
As seventh or eighth grade Idecided that one I was either
(11:11):
going to be a policeman or I wasgoing to be a stuntman.
One of the two, a stuntman,yeah.
So I decided to be a policeman,and then I wound up in
undercover narcotics, and thatpretty well covered both.
Speaker 2 (11:25):
Yeah, that's bull.
Speaker 3 (11:29):
So, yeah, that was from an early age.
That's what I wanted to be wasa policeman.
Speaker 2 (11:34):
And then you were in police officer in the state of
Arkansas.
Speaker 3 (11:38):
Yes, my entire career has been in Arkansas.
I never worked for amunicipality, it's always been
sheriff's offices or task forcesor the state.
The state of Arkansas is whereI wound up my career, but during
the initial hiring I was patroldeputy and I did that for
(12:04):
several years and then Itransferred into narcotics and
then took over.
I was a commander of the drugtask force for the southeast
corner of the state for severalyears and did that for quite a
while and I and a number ofother agents that I supervised
there and this was during theexplosion of methamphetamine
(12:24):
labs all over the South,especially in rural communities
where the ingredients were easyto get a hold of, especially
anhydrous ammonia, which is achemical that is used.
So it's a fertilizer that'sused on rural farms and it would
be stored in massive tanks andplaces that no one frequented
(12:48):
and folks had the opportunity totap into those lines or those
tanks and get it to helpmanufacture the methamphetamine.
So that was during the 90s, themid-90s, and it was at one time
I and two other guys were aboutthe only DEA certified clan lab
(13:14):
investigators in South Arkansas.
So for a period of months there, before the other folks got
through school in this, we werebeing sent all over creation to
dismantle those and make themmake them safe.
You know, during that, duringthat big explosion, during that
time, so it was a lot of a lotof late nights, a lot of being
gone from home, a lot of a lotof you know, pretty sticky
(13:38):
situations occasionally, becauseI'm not, I'm sure you're
familiar with it.
The and the folks that arelistening probably don't have
any idea that bathtub pharmacyis not the most secure
environment in which to operate.
So yeah, it was some prettywild times during that time.
Speaker 2 (13:58):
It was definitely an epidemic, especially when
everything started taking offand everything started taking
off.
I remember a lot of the issuesthat our state was having then
and a lot of it was actuallyduring the fish and game
enforcement, where we had a lotof people with fish houses and
being on lakes making meth labsand stuff like that, and I know
it was very difficult being ableto enforce.
(14:19):
I mean, at the time too, it wasa new type of drug that was
introduced into the market.
I mean, at the time too, it wasa new type of drug that was
introduced into the market.
I mean it had remnants in thehistory but it was really
exploding based on how much costand how easy it was and
obviously very lethal, you know,and but I can't imagine some of
the things that you had gonethrough and had seen.
(14:41):
I know one of my friends.
I told him that you're going tobe on a podcast here and he
listens to you religiouslypodcast here and he listens to
you religiously also game wardenand uh, he was talking about an
episode that you did about um,a small girl that you had
rescued from a house that washeavily involved with
methamphetamine yeah, um, I cantell you that, I'll try to tell
it's uh, that happened uh, goshman 20 some ago and it's still
(15:05):
kind of still pretty hard totalk about, but it all ended
very well.
Speaker 3 (15:13):
But we had been involved in a case there in
South Arkansas for quite a whileand I had actually been
promoted to lieutenant and I wason a patrol supervisor at that
time.
I'd been in narcotics for about16 years at that point and had
(15:33):
recently been promoted and wewent into a, had a welfare
concern on a child and went inthe house and there it was a
valid complaint and this littlegirl, we she was five, I believe
, at the time and six and we Igot her out of there.
(15:58):
The living conditions were, Imean, deplorable, is not a even
come close to it.
She had a lot of medical issues, a lot of lesions and sores
from flea, bites from animalsthat were dogs, that were inside
the house, and we had a uh, uh,a hotline number that we could
(16:23):
call for instances like thatwith the state, with department
of human services.
So I got her back to the uh,the sheriff's office and I had,
you know, I had my oldestdaughter at the time was about
her age and, um, so it was man.
It was hard, you know.
I mean, it was hard to dealwith that and try to try to take
(16:46):
this little girl in to aenvironment that she was
absolutely no knowledge of.
I mean, that was her life, waswhere we got her from and she
was.
She was sad to be gone fromthere.
She was crying and wanting hermother, and you know.
But her mother was put her inthat position to begin with and
(17:08):
it was just, you know, a verysad state of affairs.
So a few hours later, the stateof Arkansas, they sent an
investigator down, they pickedher up and she went into foster
care.
From there Now the way it workshere, and I'm sure it's
everywhere, from there.
Now the way it works here, I'msure it's everywhere.
Speaker 2 (17:29):
Once that child enters foster care.
Speaker 3 (17:30):
We have no knowledge of what happens after that, you
know, unless we just happen tosee them on the street or
something.
But I would contact theinvestigator for months
afterwards and say, you know,checking on this little girl,
and you know she'd give me thethumbs up.
You know I can't tell youanything, but she's fine,
everything's doing fine.
Long story short, we got herout of there.
(17:50):
Her mother went to prison forquite a while.
She gave up the rights to thechild.
That was the end of it.
I always wondered in the back ofmy mind what happened to this
kid.
Where did she go?
I mean you always.
You know she wasn't the onlyone.
There was a lot of childrenlike that.
This one, for some reason, juststuck out in my mind.
(18:13):
I just couldn't shake it, thememory of that day really, and I
wondered what had happened toher.
So you advance.
You know, 10, 10 years later, 15years later, um and my wife was
where it works, at the statecapitol, and at that particular
time she was a tour guide.
(18:33):
She's no longer in thatposition.
She is the public relationsdirector now, but anyway, at the
time she was a tour directorand she called me.
She said look, there's somefolks from a mother and a
daughter that have scheduled a,wanted a tour of the capital,
and they're.
They're here for a concert orsomething.
They're from, they're fromsouth arkansas.
(18:54):
And I told they asked me wouldI stay late and give her one,
give them a tour?
And then I agreed.
She called me, said I'm gonna belate getting home.
I said no problem, you know, Imean, that's not unlike my wife
to stay late to do something, tohelp somebody.
She's just that kind of person.
So she gets home and she walksin the door.
(19:15):
She said those people, themother knows you.
I said really, she told me yourname.
I didn't know the name.
They said well, she said thelittle girl wasn't around, the
young girl wasn't around.
She told me that you and I toldher what my name was and she
said well, I knew of an officerfrom South Arkansas that said
(19:39):
the name.
So that's my husband.
She said, well, this is thelittle girl that he saved out of
a methamphetamine.
Wow and this lady was verysuccessful.
Her husband was very successful.
I've seen photographs andpictures of this kid.
They've taken on trips all overthe world and it has been an
(20:03):
absolute blessing for me, andthe best card that I ever got
was one on Mother's Day, and itwas after it was the Mother's
Day following the introductionof my wife to them, and that
lady sent me a Mother's Day cardon Mother's Day.
Speaker 2 (20:20):
Oh, wow.
Speaker 3 (20:21):
And you know there's been very few of those children
that I've taken out of thoseplaces like that me and along
with a lot of other folks that Iworked with, that I ever knew.
You know what happened, how itended up, where they went, and
that one was absolutely worthevery minute of the 32 years and
(20:45):
seven months that I worked as apeace officer in the state of
Arkansas.
Just to know you, to know itwent from as bad as it can be to
as good as it gets.
It's just very satisfying.
Speaker 2 (21:02):
I'm sure that helps wash away all the different
things that you experience.
It kind of reminds you exactlywhy you got into this stuff and
that scenario For sure I workedthe most why you got into this
stuff and that scenario for sure.
Speaker 3 (21:13):
You know, yeah, you know I worked um.
The most rewarding, the hardestpart of my job, of my career
was was the narcotics part, butit was also the most rewarding.
You know I can.
I can sit on the side of thehigh phone in patrol car and
work radar speed control.
And no, I know in my in mybrain, that my presence there is
(21:37):
making people slow down and I'mpreventing accidents.
I know that, but I have no wayto quantify how many.
How I'm, you know, interactivewith someone.
But when I took a quantity ofyou know narcotics off the
street and saw it seized anddestroyed, I know for a fact
(21:59):
that that drug, those drugs,that portion did not affect
anybody.
It didn't get out there, itdidn't get in the school, it
didn't go in someone's child orsomeone's mom and dad.
That's a tangible thing that Icould look at and know that I
made a difference in.
To me it was a lot easier tojustify the terrible stuff that
(22:26):
we had to look at and deal withby knowing that that was the end
goal of what we were trying todo.
You're right.
Yeah, we did.
I don't know that it erasedanything, but it just made it
taste a little better.
Speaker 2 (22:40):
Yeah, it's a little bit more palpable, I guess is
the right term.
But, you know, being able tosee an outcome of a situation
that was not good turn intosomething good really kind of
reminds you of the, the, thereason why you got into these
things.
And, uh, you know, I mean inour line of work we do see a lot
of things that don't go welland they stay in that zone of
(23:02):
not being corrected or fixed andcan turn dark, you know, and
it's just nice to have thatlittle light shine through.
Speaker 3 (23:08):
Yeah you know, and I encourage anybody um, I've dealt
with it myself I.
I have recently talked to somefolks, gotten some help, talking
about some things from the pastthat just didn't seem like they
wanted to go away and Icouldn't keep them
compartmentalized, I couldn'tkeep them in a box not to think
about, because in the mostunusual time something would
(23:34):
trigger a memory that I had andit would just wreck the day, it
would wreck my attitude, itwould affect the way I talk to
my family, to my friends, andthe way I thought about myself,
and it has absolutely been ablessing to me to be able to
talk to somebody and get some ofthat stuff out.
You know, there's a millionopportunities and outlets that
(23:59):
will help folks that have stuffon their mind that they need to
get taken care of.
The stuff that you're doinghere is just one of them.
And it's a great one, but layingright here there's patches and
coins and everything in theworld that people send me and
I'm so appreciative of them andI know why they give them and
(24:22):
why they send them to me.
They're sharing stuff and ithelps me to know that I'm
helping these folks by thestories that I tell and the
places that I go and talk to.
But in turn, you know, it'shelping me connect with some of
these folks and think about alot of the things and a lot of
the folks that I talk to.
(24:42):
They hand me this stuff.
They say, man, I did this, Ihad an experience, and I'm
talking to somebody, or I wentto this organization or I'm, you
know whatever.
There's an outlet out there andonce you recognize that you know
, maybe that this load that I'mtoting is a little heavier than
(25:05):
what I want to do.
You share it with somebody.
You know I've always said thatif you share a burden with
somebody you'll cut the load inhalf and you share joy with it.
It'll multiply it by 10.
And that this kind of stuffright here and what you guys are
doing is so important that itwasn't available for a long time
in the in the magnitude that itis now.
(25:26):
But it's if I can do it,anybody can, and it absolutely
helped me and it didn't takelong to start.
Speaker 2 (25:38):
I'm glad you brought that up.
You know the big thing is wejust left September, which is,
you know, suicide Prevention andAwareness Month, and you know
that's the biggest thing thatthe organization does engage in.
But trying to break that stigmaof not being able to talk, but
trying to break that stigma ofnot being able to talk, I think
one of the biggest things peoplefind when they do engage in our
outdoor activities is how smallthe world really is and how
(26:00):
things do align.
I went on a fishing trip withthree medically retired law
enforcement officers on theLacks Lake early June and we
brought our kids with and all ofus went through the civil
unrest here in Minnesota in 2020during the George Floyd
situation, and each of us had adifferent piece that we would
(26:20):
recall and be able to put thispuzzle together to kind of form
a picture amongst the relationsand where we operated, and that
was during a very difficult timefor everyone in the area.
But being able to relate witheach other and know who similar
individuals that we worked withand where we were at and what
(26:42):
kind of support role we playedin with, that was very awesome,
but the best part was being ableto spend that time with the
kids, to spend that time withthe kids.
You know, as in our careers wedo have a lot of time that is
lost from our family and oursignificant others and going out
and being able to relate withothers.
But spending that time withyour kids and your kids can
being able to say, okay, Iunderstand that you know mom or
(27:04):
dad is gone because of A, b, cor D and you know they're also
human and do struggle withthings.
But being able to have thattime and repair those time loss
that is there is huge.
But you know things like you,and what you're doing is it's an
outlet for people to kind of goand unplug and listen.
Speaker 3 (27:22):
I've gotten so many messages and emails from people
that especially folks in my lineof work, in your line of work
that they say's a, it's a break.
You know, it's a respite from,from everything that's going on,
and it to me, for a long timebeing a, being a narc or
(27:46):
whatever, being a guy toting agun and a badge it wasn't
something that I did, it wassomething that I was and when
you, that was something I wastaught.
You know from the beginningthis this you're no longer Brent
, you are a police officer, andI think that put paint painted
myself in a corner where I nevercould get out of that mindset
(28:08):
and that that's what was so hardfor me to break away from that
and to think.
You know, I'm supposed to bethe symbol of courage and
bravery.
Why would I ask anybody for anykind of help?
Why would I do that?
But I was looking at it thewrong way.
(28:31):
One of the best pieces ofadvice I ever got from my cousin
who's passed away now, but hewas an older cousin.
I looked up to him and he was aretired trooper, state trooper
here in Arkansas.
But he told me when I first gotinto law enforcement he said he
said the best thing I can tellyou is to have friends outside
of your job is to have friendsoutside of your job.
(28:53):
He said don't let that beeverything that you do.
Your whole world cannot be thisor it's going to be tough.
And that's the absolute bestadvice that I give to young
officers now and I get a lot ofthem that have called me man, I
want to do the things that youdid.
I want to do a career in lawenforcement.
(29:14):
What do I need to do?
And I always say look, thefirst thing you need to do is
have friends outside of work, Isaid, because you will grow a
narrow view of the world justhanging out with folks like you.
You need that guy that don'tnecessarily care about the
police.
(29:34):
You need that guy thatnecessarily want to do the right
thing all the time.
I'm not talking about break thelaw, but I'm talking about guys
that kind of like well, youknow why is he active?
Why is this guy writingspeeding tickets when you ought
to be doing something else?
And then you can explain towhat the speed enforcement about
, what the goal of that is.
Maybe in that conversation youcan explain to him what the
speed enforcement is about, whatthe goal of that is.
(29:55):
Maybe in that conversation youcan turn him towards what's
really going on and maybe youcan look at something from his
point of view.
Speaker 1 (30:08):
Totally Hi.
This is Phil podcast producerfor the Hometown Hero Outdoors
podcast.
I know your time is valuableand we thank you for listening
to our podcast.
Can I ask you a favor?
On whatever podcast platformyou are listening to us on right
now, could you please give us afive-star review?
It is very helpful in growingour podcast and expanding the
(30:28):
message of HHO.
Thank you.
Now here's a word from oursponsors industrial and
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Speaker 3 (32:15):
That was on answering calls, disturbance calls and
stuff.
Anytime I go, when somebody'sfighting Law enforcement to me,
I've always said you see thebest people on their worst day.
Nobody calls the police to tellthem that they're having a baby
, unless you're having one inthe front yard.
Nobody wants to share good newsor anything.
(32:35):
So you got to let folks gettalk, let it get out, you know.
Let them vent a little bit, youknow, up to a point and then
there's always a point wherethey can't cross that line.
But try to look at what's goingon from from their point of
view, because you know we're all, when it comes down to it,
black, white, whatever.
We're all humans and we're allin this world together and
(32:58):
talking is the best way.
Any of it is the only way.
Talking and respect is the onlyway any of us are going to be
comfortable and make it out ofyou.
Speaker 2 (33:08):
Absolutely yeah, and and respectful conversations.
You know and it's okay todisagree, but at the same time
you know, know what thatboundary is.
You know and it's OK todisagree, but at the same time
you know, know what thatboundary is.
You know what is that fine linethat you have to balance
between it becoming a good,comfortable, educational
conversation versus you know,jump over that line and all of a
sudden you guys are at eachother's throats.
Speaker 3 (33:30):
You know and don't need that and being a supervisor
, well, I found it nearly ahundred percent that officers
that I was supervising eitherundercover agents or uniform
patrol officers they wantparameters, they want a left and
a right and how to operate.
(33:50):
They know if they operateinside of those parameters,
everything's good.
Once they step out, if thoseparameters have been clearly
defined and they get in trouble,they know it's on them.
And that's the way I wouldapproach talking to people.
I would say look, you know, I'mBrent, I'm toting the badge.
I got the handcuffs.
You called me here.
(34:11):
Let's, let's end this where weboth go home tonight.
This is where I need you totell me what.
I don't need you to make a uh,ask any questions to me.
I want you to tell me whathappened and then let's deal
with it.
You know, give them a warninglike I ain't gonna be too many
more of those sobs that youcalled me before this
conversation takes a differentturn.
(34:32):
Let's have some respect andcommunicate.
And, man, nine times out of 10,the folks would take a breath,
regardless of what the issue was.
You know it's.
You know, okay, my neighbor'sdog's crapping in my yard, or he
stole my hammer.
He won't bring my hammer back.
You know you'd get down to thenuts and bolts of what was going
(34:55):
on If you just give them alittle bit of an outlet and say,
okay, I'm going to take it upto this point, but if you cross
that line there, you know we'regoing to have a different
conversation and a lot of thosetimes talking like that would be
the remedy for the wholesituation.
Nobody went to jail, nobody gota ticket, and I learned that
(35:18):
from working in smalldepartments and being the only
guy.
You know what we called it onriot one ranger.
But I mean it wasn't out ofbravado, it was the only.
I was the only guy working, youknow, for the whole county or
something you know.
So I mean you didn't have anybackup.
You were on your own and youhad to keep your wits about you
and be able to talk to folks ontheir level where they could
(35:39):
understand what was going on.
You also had to have a plan tobeat everybody up in the room
should things go south.
Speaker 2 (35:48):
You had to be tough.
You start eyeing everyone up,figuring out what to do.
Noah, you're absolutely right.
The uh gift to gab and lawenforcement gets you really far.
You know, and and and, like yousaid to your point was being
direct.
You know, um, paint thatpicture early.
You know if this, then that orthe other option, sure it's huge
(36:10):
very bad.
Speaker 3 (36:13):
Yeah, I never had an issue with anybody, you know, on
the way to jail like.
You know why.
You know why we're taking thistrip right like yep, I know I
mean nearly you know 90 of.
You're gonna get those that areinnocent, regardless of what
happened, and blame everybodyfor something else, but they've
got another issue that's goingon.
(36:33):
So yeah, but just largemajority of them, like I know, I
know, I know.
Speaker 2 (36:38):
Right.
Speaker 3 (36:38):
I'm back, you know so .
Speaker 2 (36:41):
Well, you know with your you talked about, you know
what has worked for you withyour mental health side of
things and talking and whatnot.
You know what are the otherbalances that you found
throughout your career ortransitioning towards the end of
your law enforcement professionthat worked for you.
What are the outlets that werethere and supported you.
Speaker 3 (36:59):
Well, it's always been family.
It's always been family with me.
It comes first.
My faith to me is veryimportant.
I'm a Christian and it hashelped me and it's the reason
I'm sitting here talking to youtoday and not running wild
through the woods.
I mean, my faith has kept me,has delivered me to where I am,
(37:25):
and the faith in my family mywife, my children it's something
that I always fall back on.
You know, my faith comes firstand then and then a wife and my
children.
And you know the hunting andfishing and all that kind of
(37:45):
stuff is so far down the listthat it's probably not in the
top eight, but it is an outletfor me that I share with them
and that they fully support.
That has helped me maintain mysanity.
But I don't attribute it to theoutdoors, I attribute it to
(38:07):
their support of me doing it.
And once I'm out there, youknow I'm not I wouldn't be
sitting on a deer stand orrunning my dog somewhere trying
to treat a coon and thinking,you know I probably should stay
at home tonight and helpyoungins with their homework, or
I've got to get up in themorning and go.
I'm going to be tired when Iget up in the morning to go do
(38:29):
an errand with my wife orsomething you know.
But I put all that stuff first.
I would rather grant, as apoliceman or a hunter or
outdoorsman comes way behindbeing, you know, a Christian, a
husband and a father and abrother and a friend and all
(38:50):
that stuff and once.
But it wasn't always like that,you know, it was like I told
you it was the police beforeeverything.
But once I got my prioritiesright, get things in the right
order, and started seeing whathelped me and what was good for
me and my family by putting themfirst, it turned out, hey,
that's pretty good deal for meas well.
Once I got my prioritiessquared away, man, the rest of
(39:14):
it was pretty well, pretty easy.
I mean really kind of amazinglysimple how that, how that
worked out for me.
So I would.
Speaker 2 (39:25):
It is the best thing ever and you talked about
identity, you know, and puttingfamily first.
And up here we like to jokethat.
You know, our muskie fishermenare hardcore and we always tell
muskie anglers are muskie, godfamily, yeah.
Speaker 3 (39:45):
Well, I've seen some folks like that too.
Well, you can just about insertanything.
Speaker 2 (39:51):
Football hunting whatever, yeah whatever yeah, no
, you're right, though.
You know, especially withidentity and, excuse me, uh, you
know being able to uh figureout what priorities need to come
first is huge, you know, and,um, family is absolutely number
one always and we preach that inthe organization all the time,
especially the volunteers.
(40:11):
You know this is a volunteeropportunity.
Your family comes first, we'llbe OK, we'll make through it and
that comes with.
You know, even the professionsany first responder, military
too you know, sometimes workdoes come first, but you need to
prioritize family and youridentity in your profession can
consume you, and I used to tellmy rookies during field training
like this is a great job, oneof the best jobs you're ever
(40:34):
going to have, but you're firstand foremost, you're the best
job that you're going to engagein, as being a husband, a wife,
a father, a mother, a brother,like sister, whatever it is.
But that's first like don't letthis job consume you.
Speaker 3 (40:48):
Yeah, and I, you know and I need to clarify something
when I was on the job, if, whenI was running the SWAT team,
you know, or if I was on atraffic stop or if I was doing a
dope deal, that's all I wasthinking about at that
particular time.
I wasn't thinking about thekids being homesick, I wasn't
(41:09):
thinking about my wife lookingfor the dog that got out of the
pen.
I was solely focused on thatone task at hand so I could get
through that and then get backhome and take care of all that
stuff.
Amen, that was one thing, andthat's something that talking to
someone has helped me see whereI brought focus back into my
(41:34):
life and the priorities.
You prioritize the mission athand above all else.
Whatever your job, whateveryour goal is, whatever the
mission you're handed At thatopportune time to me, I could
only operate in a good,functioning environment by
totally focusing in on that andeverything that that operation
(41:57):
detail.
In the same way, I applied thesame thing at home.
If the kids are sick, nothingelse matters, I'm taking care of
that until we can get thatsolution or whatever the issue
is, you know, and I just want tosay that I didn't, I wasn't
taking for granted the positionI was in or what I was doing
(42:17):
when I finally figured out.
you know, being a policeman issomething that I do, not
something that I am 24 seven.
Speaker 2 (42:25):
Right.
Speaker 3 (42:26):
But when I was doing it, I absolutely was focused on
that.
Speaker 2 (42:29):
Well, and if your affairs aren't in order at home,
you know if things aren't good,focused on that well, and if
your affairs aren't in order athome, you know if things aren't
good, that can affect you atwork and can drastically change
an outcome of something you'reengaged in and that might be
detrimental to yourself orothers.
So having those affairs inorder at home helps out, but
that sole focus, like you said,though, when you're in that
moment has to be there 100,otherwise it can change outcome
(42:53):
too.
Speaker 3 (42:53):
Oh, yeah, yeah, absolutely yeah.
Singularly focused, especiallyin our line of work, is what
gets you to the 32-year and7-month mark that I did.
Speaker 2 (43:06):
Right, that's a long career and I appreciate all your
service and your time and beingopen about it and I know, like
I said, I have a couple for it.
Speaker 3 (43:16):
They are.
Speaker 2 (43:17):
Yeah, right Now I got some friends that listen to
your podcast quite a bit andthey talk about how great it is,
and I started listening to afew of them too Saw that you had
a new one come out today.
It's like a bonus episode thatyou guys just put out.
Speaker 3 (43:30):
Yeah, you know, I hadn't even uh watched it.
Is it the one with the squirrel?
Yeah yeah, that was so much fun, man.
This, this job has afforded meso many opportunities to to
really do the things that I grewup doing that I would uh that I
would do.
Don't tell them I'd probably doit for free, but they pay me to
(43:51):
do it, which is even better,don't let them listen to this,
is that?
What you're saying.
Yeah, yeah, so you might editthat part out where I said I'd
do it for free.
Speaker 2 (44:02):
Yeah, I'll just send him that clip and that's it.
Speaker 3 (44:04):
Yeah, he didn't, he was out of his mind.
But it's the opportunities thatI have to go around and talk to
people, and so many people thatthat even grew up totally
opposite the way.
The way that I have has been sorefreshing.
You know, I've told this storya thousand times and I will tell
(44:26):
it until I leave this planet.
But I got one of the firstmessages I got.
After like three or fourepisodes I got a direct message
from a guy in New York City whosaid and up until that point I
really didn't know the directionof where my show was going.
I was just kind of I didn'twant it to be a how-to thing all
(44:47):
the time, or because there'splenty of folks out there that
know how to hunt and fish waybetter than I do, way better
than I am at it.
So I didn't really want my showjust to be some kind of how-to
thing.
But this guy, after listeningto, like I said, three or four
episodes, he sends me a messageand he says I identify with your
message so much.
He said I've never hunted orfished in a day in my life.
(45:10):
He said I was raised andcontinue to live in New York
City.
He said I have never doneanything remotely in the country
.
He said, but when your dad wastaking you hunting and fishing,
my dad was taking me to YankeeStadium.
He said, and the relationshipsthat you talk about is so good,
that's what I identify with.
(45:30):
And it was that message that myeyes just I was like an
eight-week-old puppy.
My eyes come open.
I'm like, oh, my show's aboutrelationships.
That's what it is is.
And and I get so many, uh,messages like that from people
who have absolutely noconnection whatsoever to rural
(45:51):
life or anything like that, thatthey really like it.
You know, and I think it'sbecause of that common theme
that it's normally I'm talkingabout my relationship with my
father, who's passed away, or mybrother or friends or something
growing up.
You know, and you can, a lot ofthem are can apply, just like
friends or something growing up.
You know, and you can, a lot ofthem are can apply.
Just like that guy was talkingabout.
You know, instead of squirrelhunting in south arkansas on the
(46:12):
saline river with his dad, hewas going to watch, you know,
yankees play and it was, um, itwas a pretty eye-opening
experience for me.
Very, very well, kind of put meon the path to where, to where
this thing's going that's cool.
Speaker 2 (46:27):
Yeah, relatable situations, you know, may not be
the same exact topic or thingthat they're engaged in yeah,
relatable experiences yes,exactly so let's tell the
listeners a little bit moreabout how you got involved with
meat eater and your show.
Um like, did you haveexperienced podcasts beforehand?
How would you start workingwith meat eater and how does
(46:50):
that relationship flourish onthat side?
Speaker 3 (46:53):
well I've done.
Uh, I used to film a lot ofoutdoor stuff and just trying to
make my way in the outdoormedia, um started filming my
friend Clay Newcomb on bearhunts.
Clay has a podcast called BearGrease and it's a like a
historical documentary stylepodcast and you know, let's take
(47:15):
a subject like Davy Crockett orTecumseh or anything you know
anything historical wise inAmerica and he'll do a
conversation about it.
But before he did that BearGrease podcast, he did a bear
hunting magazine and he did somefilm, some hunts that would
(47:38):
promote the sale of the magazineand I was the guy filming the
magazine.
We went to filming those huntsthat he talked about in the
magazine and we went toSaskatchewan I can't even
remember what year it was now,but we had a close encounter
with a big black bear.
(47:59):
It was a brown color-phasedblack bear but this bear walks
we were hunting off the ground.
This bear walks over to theblind that we're sitting behind,
just some limbs and bushes, andpokes his head in the blind
with us and I literally couldhave reached out with my hand
and touched him and he actuallytouched the tip of his nose on
the tip of Clay's arrow and thenhe's a huge bear, a beautiful
(48:23):
bear, and Clay got this shot onhim.
He just killed this amazingbear and the footage just went
nutso on YouTube and that wasreally what got him caught up
and recognized by me, Dieter.
And plus, he's a very talentedwriter.
He's published a lot ofarticles in magazines other than
the one that he owned himself.
(48:44):
He's published a lot ofarticles in magazines other than
the one that he owned himself,so he was pretty well on a
course for working at Media.
Media was just an absolutelynatural extension of where he
was going.
So when he went to work withthem, you know, and they've got
cinematographers that are waybetter than I am- so I was out
of a job.
(49:05):
Oh no, yeah, you know, I helpedhim fire me and that's the way
I'll say it, which I was soproud of, man, to have him do
that.
So he started the Bear Greasepodcast for them.
And then it's so involved andso meticulously researched and
done that it's a weekly podcastthat he couldn't do one every
(49:28):
week.
He had to have a break becauseso much went into it.
So every other week, after likethe fourth or fifth one, we do
what's called a Bear GreaseRender and that's where several
of us get together and we talkabout the episode that happened
before and on that one we giveour opinions on what we liked,
(49:52):
what we didn't like and he'sable to talk about things that
maybe didn't fit in the in theregular show.
So it's kind of like a recap andwe call it the render, because
if, if you're got bear greaseand you apply heat to it, you're
rendering down that fat to getbear.
I love it and I was on thereregularly I still am every other
week and so they had aopportunity, in-house
(50:15):
opportunity, for people to comeup with ideas for a podcast that
worked there and they wouldfill out a sheet and you had all
the details, what it was about,who would, who would be on it,
uh, how long it would be, thename and all that kind of stuff
and clay.
And I were in passing.
He talked, he said, man, youought to, you ought to apply for
(50:38):
this and you know, come up withan idea for a show and put it
in there.
I like well, like well.
The only thing I only knowabout two things, and that's
being in police and countryliving.
And I said I ain't talking aboutbeing in police and he said,
well, let's talk about countryliving then.
And so he and I my wifehappened to be up there.
He lives up in NorthwestArkansas and I live in Central
(51:00):
Arkansas, but my wife and I wereup there for a weekend and we
all went out to eat for supperand we sat down to eat.
It was in Herman's Steakhouse.
It's a famous steakhouse therein Fayetteville and I said, hey,
would you serious about thepodcast thing?
He said yeah.
I said, well, let's talk aboutit.
So 45 minutes while we weresitting there eating supper and
(51:22):
talking minutes.
While we were sitting thereeating supper and talking clay,
his wife misty and my wifealexis and I hammered out 90.
My podcast is right now.
I filled out the paper, sent inand everyone approved it.
Everyone liked the idea and ithas been.
My first one was april the 21st, uh, last year, and it's been
going strong ever since wow, how, how many episodes do you have
(51:45):
now?
Oh well, one a week since Aprilthe 21st.
Speaker 2 (51:48):
Quite a few.
Speaker 3 (51:49):
Yeah.
Yeah, I'm a podcaster, not amathematician.
Speaker 2 (51:53):
Chris, yeah, I told you, I got game warden math.
I can count on two hands andI'm done after that.
Speaker 3 (51:58):
Yeah, I've only missed one and that was for a
bout with a kidney stone andthey ran a real popular episode
during that week.
Other than that, it's been onevery week.
That's cool.
Yeah, and it runs on my podcastand Clay's is on the Bear
Grease podcast on that feed.
(52:21):
That's awesome.
Speaker 2 (52:22):
Where can people find your podcast?
A podcast pretty much on everymajor platform, isn't it?
Speaker 3 (52:27):
Yeah, Spotify iTunes all of them.
Yeah, I think we've got the wekind of.
We are, uh, all consecutivelyin on a weekly basis in the top
five, if not the top three,wilderness podcasts in the US.
Speaker 2 (52:45):
Yeah, Well, you guys are busy.
Speaker 3 (52:49):
Yeah Well, and the thing about it is, you know
anybody.
You can listen to the podcastthat we do anywhere with your
children or whatever.
You won't hear any off-colorremarks or anything like that on
the Bakers channel, and I thinka lot of people appreciate that
and it's something that we'revery proud of.
And I've even had man, I've gota.
(53:09):
There's a family of normal thatlistens to.
They send a message that theylisten to it on Friday night.
My podcast comes out everyFriday and they will listen to
it while they're eating supperand then talk about what they
heard before they get up fromthe table.
Oh, that's cool.
Yeah, really cool.
(53:32):
I mean, who in the world wouldever thought that?
But no kidding, yeah, it's, uh,it's very rewarding, and the
messages and stuff that I getfrom people that enjoy it, they,
uh it's.
I can't couldn't think of abetter deal this is your
financial cop money minute.
Speaker 4 (53:46):
Nothing starts with a plan.
Unless you have a budget, youcan't pay off debt, just like
you can't really technicallysave for retirement and a
vacation and other thingswithout understanding what your
budget is.
And so I had to get a grasp ofwhat my outflow versus my inflow
was, and I kind of came to arealization that you know, we
have this gift in lawenforcement called overtime
(54:07):
right, and far too many of ususe overtime as a mechanism to
elevate our standard of living.
Well, I changed and said youknow what we're going to use
overtime to build our financialstrength, and I'm going to use
it to accelerate things.
Speaker 1 (54:19):
This is your financial cop money minute.
This is your financial copMoney.
Speaker 2 (54:24):
Minute.
No, it's cool, it's great tohave you on too.
And now our listeners have acouple more podcasts they got to
look up and listen to.
I know this time of the year,especially, everyone's sitting
in a deer stand or in a blindsomewhere and they got an earbud
and they can tune into the showand listen catch up?
Speaker 3 (54:42):
Yeah, I hope so.
It's usually around 20 minutesor so long and, uh, you know
it's, you can listen to.
A lot of folks listen to it onthe way to work, on the way home
from work on fridays and um,but it's um, hopefully it won't
put you to sleep and, uh, you'renot going to do a whole lot of
heavy thinking either.
Just kind of sit back and relaxand listen.
Speaker 2 (55:02):
That's awesome.
And then do you do all yourrecording from home or do you
have a studio you go to?
Speaker 3 (55:06):
man, you're looking at it right here in the room
that's the extra room upstairs.
That is love it, large strewneverywhere.
I love it.
I do it right here and I sendit, uh, to bozeman, montana.
And then my, my, my girl,friday.
I call herva Hansen, who's anaudio engineer, which is a very
(55:27):
limiting term for what that girldoes.
She does a lot of stuff for me.
Matter of fact, she's the onethat filmed the extra drop that
you saw today.
Ok, that came off, but she doesall the edits.
Makes me sound like I halfwayknow what I'm talking about.
Applies to music and all ofthat stuff.
And just, she's great, she's mypartner, she's a good girl.
Speaker 2 (55:49):
That's great.
No, that's all right.
You can see my podcast studios,both the same as yours, so it's
okay.
Speaker 3 (55:54):
Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2 (55:56):
Just trying to figure it out as we go.
Yeah, absolutely so otherthings that you do for Meat
Eater.
So if people want to reach outto you or if you're going
somewhere to speak, speakingwith other people, what do those
look like for you?
Speaker 3 (56:12):
Yeah, I mean the time for it is pretty limited
because of our schedules.
I mean we usually plan ourschedules out.
You know a year in advance ofwhere we're going to be here and
there.
Plus the, I have other projectsand stuff that I have to do,
along with a weekly podcast.
So probably a direct message tome on Instagram or an email to
(56:37):
my boss, the folks at Info youcan info at themeateatercom with
the subject line of Brentspeaking or whatever is the best
way.
They read every email thatcomes in, even the hate mail.
They read it all.
If you want to get a hold ofsomebody and get a message to
somebody.
(56:58):
That's probably the mostefficient way.
A lot of times.
I'm in places where I don'thave any kind of service and you
know it'll be a week before Iwould ever even see it.
Speaker 2 (57:08):
So it's usually back to me quick, so I appreciate
that.
Speaker 3 (57:12):
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Well, that was.
You caught us at a good time.
Speaker 2 (57:15):
I love it.
So what's your social mediahandle for Instagram or other
social media platforms you're on?
Yeah, it's.
Speaker 3 (57:21):
Brent underscore Reeves R E A, va-v-e-s.
And I always say my dad told me.
I said, dad, there's twospellings of Reeves.
People are always misspellingmy name.
They spell it R-E-E-V-E-S butit's R-E-A-V-E-S.
He said yeah.
He said well, Adam and Eve'slast name was Reeves, spelled
like ours.
And I said, really, I'm just alittle kid, my dad's telling me
(57:44):
this.
And he said yeah.
And I said, well, where did allthese other names come from?
And he said, well, if theymessed up or we didn't like them
, we'd kick them out and callthem something else.
And he said that's where allthe Smiths and everything else
come from.
So I was probably in third orfourth grade before I figured
out that that might not havebeen true.
(58:05):
But but yeah, it's brent.
Underscore reeves r-e-a-v-e-son uh, instagram, and I don't do
the tiktok thing, I don't.
Um, I wouldn't have instagram,I wouldn't have this job.
Speaker 2 (58:19):
But totally, but I look at it.
Speaker 3 (58:23):
you know I look at it and that kind of stuff.
I enjoy seeing folks pictures.
A lot, of, a lot of folks sendme pictures and the kids
pictures of you know what thekids are doing out in in the
wild and it's.
I love seeing that Especially.
Speaker 2 (58:36):
Yeah, no, that's great.
Well, yeah, so for ourlisteners again, we have Mr
Brent Reeves on with meat eater.
You can listen to his podcastis this Country Life, and he
contributes towards the BearGrease podcast as well.
So we've just spent the lasthour talking to Mr Reeves
regarding his history, his lawenforcement career, and then
also about the storytelling thathe can do on his podcast, and
(58:58):
we're really excited to have himon here and hopefully we can
touch base and talk about alittle bit more shop in the
outdoors and recap maybe yourhunting season this next spring
or so.
Speaker 3 (59:07):
Yeah, man, you just holler at me, we'll get you set
up.
Speaker 2 (59:10):
Well, thank you for coming on the show, and is there
anything else you'd like totell the listeners before we go?
Speaker 3 (59:15):
Y'all be careful.
Speaker 2 (59:17):
Absolutely All right, sir.
Well, thank you very much andfor our listeners at the
Hometown Hero Outdoors podcast.
Speaker 1 (59:27):
I appreciate you tuning in today and we will see
you on the next podcast.
Thank you.
The Hometown Hero Outdoorspodcast is made possible by the
following sponsors O'NeillElectric Contractors.
The Minnesota Police and PeaceOfficers Association.
Relentless Defender, appareland Financial Cop Financial
Advisors and financial copfinancial advisors.
Thank you for listening to theHometown Hero Outdoors podcast.
(59:51):
For more information, visit ourwebsite at
hometownherooutdoorsorg.
In the land of 10,000 lakes, a remarkable movement
was born.
Welcome to Hometown HeroOutdoors.
We are dedicated to honoringour military service members,
veterans and first responders byproviding them with
unforgettable outdoorrecreational opportunities.
We believe those who haveserved and sacrificed so much
(00:24):
for our country and communitiesdeserve a chance to reclaim
their spirit and find healing inthe great outdoors.
This is Hometown Hero Outdoors.
Welcome to the Hometown HeroOutdoors Podcast.
(00:54):
Here is your host, chris.
Speaker 2 (01:02):
Tatro.
Hello to our listeners.
Welcome back to the HometownHero Outdoors podcast.
I have an awesome guest todayI'm really excited about.
It's kind of an interestingstory how we got here, but we'll
go through that throughout theadventure here.
But we have Mr Brent Reeveshere today with Meat Eater.
Brent Reeves is a lifelongoutdoorsman from remote Arkansas
with over 25 years of waterfallguiding experience and a rich
background in law enforcement.
Arkansas.
With over 25 years of waterfallguiding experience and a rich
(01:23):
background in law enforcement,he's the host of this Country
Life podcast and contributor toBear Grease as part of the Meat
Eater team.
Brent is passionate about coonhunting and hounds, turkey
hunting, archery and fishing.
He's also a proud father andgrandparent, committed to
sharing his love for theoutdoors through storytelling
and his personal experience.
Well, welcome to the show, sir.
Thank you for being here.
Speaker 3 (01:45):
Oh, thank you for inviting me, Chris.
It's a thrill to be here, buddy.
Speaker 2 (01:49):
Absolutely, did you get?
Speaker 3 (01:52):
out and do some hunting this morning.
Then Hunting a cool spot,that's all I'm hunting right now
.
Yeah, it's still in the 90shere in the south in Arkansas,
where I live.
It's a few mornings, you know,you get up and walk outside and
it's take my little girl toschool, like I do every morning,
and it's, you know, in the 60s.
You think, dang, you know, Icould probably go kill a mess of
squirrels here before it gottoo hot.
And I get back to the houseabout 15 to eight and it's
(02:14):
already in the 70s.
So I'm like I'll just, I'lljust wait for the first frost.
Speaker 2 (02:19):
Yeah, I don't blame you.
Yeah, today we woke up in the30s here in Minnesota, so that's
kind of nice and refreshing ohgosh, I bet.
It's going to be 80 degreeslater today, though, so we got
that temperature swing happening, but it's okay.
You know, it's nice to actuallybe in that time of the year
where you have that cool seasonstarting.
Yeah it'll be here.
It's getting there.
So thanks for coming on theshow, so for our listeners.
(02:40):
This year at the podcast, youknow we've tried to switch some
things up here.
We are talking to a lot of HHOmembers, but you know our
members are military servicemembers, veterans and first
responders, which brings us toBrent, which is pretty cool
Because Brent is a former lawenforcement officer and he's
retired.
So I actually reached out toMeat Eater a few weeks ago and
you guys were really responsive,got back to me quick and, uh,
(03:03):
the gentleman that I spoke withI cannot remember his name, but,
yeah, yes, sir, yep, yep, andhe uh referred me to you right
away, considering what yourhistory is, so pretty awesome to
have you guys here.
I love what you guys do at meateater.
Uh, you know, I've got a lot ofa lot of friends and myself who
, uh, really engage and watchthe different things that meat
(03:23):
is doing throughout the years,especially with the education
aspect, with conservation andthe outdoors.
So really excited to have youhere.
So let's start here.
Let's start with who is Brent?
Who are you, where did you growup, what was your passion for
the outdoors and what did yourcareer look like you don't have
to necessarily go in that order,but what are the things that
make Brent tick as well?
Speaker 3 (03:46):
necessarily go in that order, but what are the
things that make Brent tick aswell?
Well, I grew up on a small farmin Southeast Arkansas, right on
the Bradley and ClevelandCounty line.
I graduated high school fromWarren.
We lived several miles out oftown and my whole world was I'm
58, so I was born in 1966.
So my whole world.
There was no internet.
(04:06):
Obviously there was no.
We didn't watch TV, you know.
We went outside, was likeentertainment and anything that
we wanted to do was fair gameoutside after the chores were
done.
That's the important part.
So we usually we ran anywherefrom, you know, close to 80 head
of cattle, 120 head of cattle.
(04:27):
We had hogs, had two chickenhouses there.
So I mean, I grew up in a rurallife and it was.
It was good, it was.
I was free to be, like I said,once the chores were done I was
feral, I was absolutely in thewoods.
My closest friend of my agelived about he's probably about
(04:50):
a half a mile away from where Idid.
Another one that lived abouttwo miles from us and that was
in the summer.
If we were home.
Once we got together, we metsomewhere at a central location,
whether we walked or rodebicycles or a horse or or
whatever.
But we, we met up and that'swhere the adventures began.
And we was.
It was fishing and swimming increeks and building forts and
(05:14):
just doing what kids used to doand a lot of them still do.
But I mean it was pretty normalfor that way of life back then.
It was just a life that grew upclose to land and I just took
advantage of it.
I'm so glad that I grew up theway that I did, because I
couldn't have pictured any otherchildhood other than the one I
(05:36):
had.
Speaker 2 (05:37):
Well, it sounds like a great time, especially in the
South.
You know I was actually born inTexas myself only lived there
until I was five but I never gotto have that experience kind of
like what you had there.
But mine began in the Northlandand I feel you know a lot of
that.
Good memories go back to ouryouth and having the kids in the
outdoors and being able towander in the woods and do those
(05:57):
things and sometimes get in alittle trouble Not too much
trouble, but it happens.
Speaker 3 (06:02):
Yeah, it was a mischievous trouble that that I
did.
You know we would.
We would help folks fish theirponds when they weren't there.
So we felt it was our duty asfishermen want to be
professional fishermen at 10 and11 years old that we need to
help these folks fish theirponds.
So we may have slipped in a fewplaces.
We really wasn't supposed tohave been those are the
(06:30):
long-lasting memories that willnever go away, though.
Oh, yeah, yeah, absolutely.
You know from there mychildhood.
As far as hunting and fishingwent, it was just what we did.
I wasn't expected to do it, Iwasn't forced into any of it.
My dad was a big hunter but Iwas never made to go.
(06:51):
It was always had the option.
If I wanted to go, I could.
And he taught us and my two oldbrothers, and he taught us to
know the way to do it.
He had a forward mind ofthinking.
Uh, back then that it was.
You know, conservation wasreally important.
You know, if we shot something,we was going to eat it.
So if you didn't want to eat ablackbird, or if you didn't want
(07:13):
to eat a robin or a redbird orsomething, you better not shoot
it, because that was what youwas going to be having for
supper.
And it taught us to recognize.
You know what was game and whatwasn't.
Us to recognize.
You know what was what was gameand what wasn't, and it made me
appreciate in an early age thatthat are really the
cornerstones of conservation.
You know conservation today,and it was, it was taught
(07:34):
through good.
You know pretty easy lessons Ifyou don't want to put salt and
pepper on something.
You better not poke a BB in it.
You're fixing to be eating it.
Speaker 2 (07:47):
Oh yeah, oh yeah.
No, I remember my kids.
Same thing, same lessons.
You know we'll be out in thewoods and looking for, looking
for the grouse and seeing otheranimals, and let's get that one.
No, nobody, we cannot beshooting that animal, because if
you do I'm gonna make you eatit.
Plus, my job is gonna kind ofget in the way a little bit.
But uh, that's how life is,though.
You know it can't be very funbeing the game warden's kid, but
(08:11):
it is what it is right, yeah.
Speaker 3 (08:15):
But you know it's, you know, really, to raise
children right in the outdoors,every parent should be the game
warden, amen.
Raise children right in theoutdoors, every parent should be
the game warden, amen.
Should instill that sense, themoral obligation that we have I
talk about that a lot on thestuff that I talk about.
We have a moral obligation totake care of the heavy stewards
(08:41):
of what we hunt and take care of, because no one loves it as
much as we do, because no oneloves it as much as we do.
There's no, you'll neverconvince me.
An anti-hunter loves animals asmuch as I do, because I'm
contributing monetarily to theirupkeep and I'm also
contributing the lessons and theskill set and the conservation
(09:01):
lessons that I've learned overthe years, that I have seen
applied to the reason that wehave the game that we have today
.
And it's not because someonestopped hunting, it's because
hunt thrived, you know, and welearned the correct way to do it
.
And it's just a, it's just a nobrainer for me.
You know that.
And growing up the way I did,chris, it was, I mean, you would
(09:23):
look out, I walk outside andyou, you know it wasn't uncommon
to see deer in the yard andstuff like that, and you just
live in a closer relationshipwith each other and you just
develop that.
It's hard for me to put inwords, I guess I don't know.
It's just a sense ofresponsibility that in the age I
(09:45):
wanted people, my kids if I wasto ever get married and have
kids, you know, I want them tobe able to see the same things
that I did and my friends do,you know, and their kids.
So it was just.
It was a culture and acommunity, more or less that of
that time and the people thatthat I was around and raised
around, that that looked at atnature is very similar to the
way that the way that I wasaround and raised around, that
(10:07):
looked at nature is very similarto the way that I was taught
and exposed to.
Speaker 2 (10:10):
Yeah, no, totally, and it's good lessons to pass
along.
You know, if we don't passthose along, they're going to
die with us, and everything elsedown that chain beyond there is
going to start to struggle andhurt in the long run.
And you're absolutely correct,oh, very good.
(10:31):
So I want to kind of transitionhere a little bit too.
So, um, I mean, we'll dive backinto the outdoor stuff, as we
always do.
But, um, you know, as you asyou grew up, um, and you had
your outdoor passion and engagedin a lot of different outdoor
activities, it sounds like youbegan to take a liking to the
law enforcement career.
Speaker 3 (10:48):
You know I come from my family.
I have a lot of folks in myfamily that are in service,
either in the military excuse me, either military or law
enforcement, and it just seemedlike a natural path for me to go
, and was one that you know Ihad.
There was two things on my mindas a kid.
As seventh or eighth grade Idecided that one I was either
(11:11):
going to be a policeman or I wasgoing to be a stuntman.
One of the two, a stuntman,yeah.
So I decided to be a policeman,and then I wound up in
undercover narcotics, and thatpretty well covered both.
Speaker 2 (11:25):
Yeah, that's bull.
Speaker 3 (11:29):
So, yeah, that was from an early age.
That's what I wanted to be wasa policeman.
Speaker 2 (11:34):
And then you were in police officer in the state of
Arkansas.
Speaker 3 (11:38):
Yes, my entire career has been in Arkansas.
I never worked for amunicipality, it's always been
sheriff's offices or task forcesor the state.
The state of Arkansas is whereI wound up my career, but during
the initial hiring I was patroldeputy and I did that for
(12:04):
several years and then Itransferred into narcotics and
then took over.
I was a commander of the drugtask force for the southeast
corner of the state for severalyears and did that for quite a
while and I and a number ofother agents that I supervised
there and this was during theexplosion of methamphetamine
(12:24):
labs all over the South,especially in rural communities
where the ingredients were easyto get a hold of, especially
anhydrous ammonia, which is achemical that is used.
So it's a fertilizer that'sused on rural farms and it would
be stored in massive tanks andplaces that no one frequented
(12:48):
and folks had the opportunity totap into those lines or those
tanks and get it to helpmanufacture the methamphetamine.
So that was during the 90s, themid-90s, and it was at one time
I and two other guys were aboutthe only DEA certified clan lab
(13:14):
investigators in South Arkansas.
So for a period of months there, before the other folks got
through school in this, we werebeing sent all over creation to
dismantle those and make themmake them safe.
You know, during that, duringthat big explosion, during that
time, so it was a lot of a lotof late nights, a lot of being
gone from home, a lot of a lotof you know, pretty sticky
(13:38):
situations occasionally, becauseI'm not, I'm sure you're
familiar with it.
The and the folks that arelistening probably don't have
any idea that bathtub pharmacyis not the most secure
environment in which to operate.
So yeah, it was some prettywild times during that time.
Speaker 2 (13:58):
It was definitely an epidemic, especially when
everything started taking offand everything started taking
off.
I remember a lot of the issuesthat our state was having then
and a lot of it was actuallyduring the fish and game
enforcement, where we had a lotof people with fish houses and
being on lakes making meth labsand stuff like that, and I know
it was very difficult being ableto enforce.
(14:19):
I mean, at the time too, it wasa new type of drug that was
introduced into the market.
I mean, at the time too, it wasa new type of drug that was
introduced into the market.
I mean it had remnants in thehistory but it was really
exploding based on how much costand how easy it was and
obviously very lethal, you know,and but I can't imagine some of
the things that you had gonethrough and had seen.
(14:41):
I know one of my friends.
I told him that you're going tobe on a podcast here and he
listens to you religiouslypodcast here and he listens to
you religiously also game wardenand uh, he was talking about an
episode that you did about um,a small girl that you had
rescued from a house that washeavily involved with
methamphetamine yeah, um, I cantell you that, I'll try to tell
it's uh, that happened uh, goshman 20 some ago and it's still
(15:05):
kind of still pretty hard totalk about, but it all ended
very well.
Speaker 3 (15:13):
But we had been involved in a case there in
South Arkansas for quite a whileand I had actually been
promoted to lieutenant and I wason a patrol supervisor at that
time.
I'd been in narcotics for about16 years at that point and had
(15:33):
recently been promoted and wewent into a, had a welfare
concern on a child and went inthe house and there it was a
valid complaint and this littlegirl, we she was five, I believe
, at the time and six and we Igot her out of there.
(15:58):
The living conditions were, Imean, deplorable, is not a even
come close to it.
She had a lot of medical issues, a lot of lesions and sores
from flea, bites from animalsthat were dogs, that were inside
the house, and we had a uh, uh,a hotline number that we could
(16:23):
call for instances like thatwith the state, with department
of human services.
So I got her back to the uh,the sheriff's office and I had,
you know, I had my oldestdaughter at the time was about
her age and, um, so it was man.
It was hard, you know.
I mean, it was hard to dealwith that and try to try to take
(16:46):
this little girl in to aenvironment that she was
absolutely no knowledge of.
I mean, that was her life, waswhere we got her from and she
was.
She was sad to be gone fromthere.
She was crying and wanting hermother, and you know.
But her mother was put her inthat position to begin with and
(17:08):
it was just, you know, a verysad state of affairs.
So a few hours later, the stateof Arkansas, they sent an
investigator down, they pickedher up and she went into foster
care.
From there Now the way it workshere, and I'm sure it's
everywhere, from there.
Now the way it works here, I'msure it's everywhere.
Speaker 2 (17:29):
Once that child enters foster care.
Speaker 3 (17:30):
We have no knowledge of what happens after that, you
know, unless we just happen tosee them on the street or
something.
But I would contact theinvestigator for months
afterwards and say, you know,checking on this little girl,
and you know she'd give me thethumbs up.
You know I can't tell youanything, but she's fine,
everything's doing fine.
Long story short, we got herout of there.
(17:50):
Her mother went to prison forquite a while.
She gave up the rights to thechild.
That was the end of it.
I always wondered in the back ofmy mind what happened to this
kid.
Where did she go?
I mean you always.
You know she wasn't the onlyone.
There was a lot of childrenlike that.
This one, for some reason, juststuck out in my mind.
(18:13):
I just couldn't shake it, thememory of that day really, and I
wondered what had happened toher.
So you advance.
You know, 10, 10 years later, 15years later, um and my wife was
where it works, at the statecapitol, and at that particular
time she was a tour guide.
(18:33):
She's no longer in thatposition.
She is the public relationsdirector now, but anyway, at the
time she was a tour directorand she called me.
She said look, there's somefolks from a mother and a
daughter that have scheduled a,wanted a tour of the capital,
and they're.
They're here for a concert orsomething.
They're from, they're fromsouth arkansas.
(18:54):
And I told they asked me wouldI stay late and give her one,
give them a tour?
And then I agreed.
She called me, said I'm gonna belate getting home.
I said no problem, you know, Imean, that's not unlike my wife
to stay late to do something, tohelp somebody.
She's just that kind of person.
So she gets home and she walksin the door.
(19:15):
She said those people, themother knows you.
I said really, she told me yourname.
I didn't know the name.
They said well, she said thelittle girl wasn't around, the
young girl wasn't around.
She told me that you and I toldher what my name was and she
said well, I knew of an officerfrom South Arkansas that said
(19:39):
the name.
So that's my husband.
She said, well, this is thelittle girl that he saved out of
a methamphetamine.
Wow and this lady was verysuccessful.
Her husband was very successful.
I've seen photographs andpictures of this kid.
They've taken on trips all overthe world and it has been an
(20:03):
absolute blessing for me, andthe best card that I ever got
was one on Mother's Day, and itwas after it was the Mother's
Day following the introductionof my wife to them, and that
lady sent me a Mother's Day cardon Mother's Day.
Speaker 2 (20:20):
Oh, wow.
Speaker 3 (20:21):
And you know there's been very few of those children
that I've taken out of thoseplaces like that me and along
with a lot of other folks that Iworked with, that I ever knew.
You know what happened, how itended up, where they went, and
that one was absolutely worthevery minute of the 32 years and
(20:45):
seven months that I worked as apeace officer in the state of
Arkansas.
Just to know you, to know itwent from as bad as it can be to
as good as it gets.
It's just very satisfying.
Speaker 2 (21:02):
I'm sure that helps wash away all the different
things that you experience.
It kind of reminds you exactlywhy you got into this stuff and
that scenario For sure I workedthe most why you got into this
stuff and that scenario for sure.
Speaker 3 (21:13):
You know, yeah, you know I worked um.
The most rewarding, the hardestpart of my job, of my career
was was the narcotics part, butit was also the most rewarding.
You know I can.
I can sit on the side of thehigh phone in patrol car and
work radar speed control.
And no, I know in my in mybrain, that my presence there is
(21:37):
making people slow down and I'mpreventing accidents.
I know that, but I have no wayto quantify how many.
How I'm, you know, interactivewith someone.
But when I took a quantity ofyou know narcotics off the
street and saw it seized anddestroyed, I know for a fact
(21:59):
that that drug, those drugs,that portion did not affect
anybody.
It didn't get out there, itdidn't get in the school, it
didn't go in someone's child orsomeone's mom and dad.
That's a tangible thing that Icould look at and know that I
made a difference in.
To me it was a lot easier tojustify the terrible stuff that
(22:26):
we had to look at and deal withby knowing that that was the end
goal of what we were trying todo.
You're right.
Yeah, we did.
I don't know that it erasedanything, but it just made it
taste a little better.
Speaker 2 (22:40):
Yeah, it's a little bit more palpable, I guess is
the right term.
But, you know, being able tosee an outcome of a situation
that was not good turn intosomething good really kind of
reminds you of the, the, thereason why you got into these
things.
And, uh, you know, I mean inour line of work we do see a lot
of things that don't go welland they stay in that zone of
(23:02):
not being corrected or fixed andcan turn dark, you know, and
it's just nice to have thatlittle light shine through.
Speaker 3 (23:08):
Yeah you know, and I encourage anybody um, I've dealt
with it myself I.
I have recently talked to somefolks, gotten some help, talking
about some things from the pastthat just didn't seem like they
wanted to go away and Icouldn't keep them
compartmentalized, I couldn'tkeep them in a box not to think
about, because in the mostunusual time something would
(23:34):
trigger a memory that I had andit would just wreck the day, it
would wreck my attitude, itwould affect the way I talk to
my family, to my friends, andthe way I thought about myself,
and it has absolutely been ablessing to me to be able to
talk to somebody and get some ofthat stuff out.
You know, there's a millionopportunities and outlets that
(23:59):
will help folks that have stuffon their mind that they need to
get taken care of.
The stuff that you're doinghere is just one of them.
And it's a great one, but layingright here there's patches and
coins and everything in theworld that people send me and
I'm so appreciative of them andI know why they give them and
(24:22):
why they send them to me.
They're sharing stuff and ithelps me to know that I'm
helping these folks by thestories that I tell and the
places that I go and talk to.
But in turn, you know, it'shelping me connect with some of
these folks and think about alot of the things and a lot of
the folks that I talk to.
(24:42):
They hand me this stuff.
They say, man, I did this, Ihad an experience, and I'm
talking to somebody, or I wentto this organization or I'm, you
know whatever.
There's an outlet out there andonce you recognize that you know
, maybe that this load that I'mtoting is a little heavier than
(25:05):
what I want to do.
You share it with somebody.
You know I've always said thatif you share a burden with
somebody you'll cut the load inhalf and you share joy with it.
It'll multiply it by 10.
And that this kind of stuffright here and what you guys are
doing is so important that itwasn't available for a long time
in the in the magnitude that itis now.
(25:26):
But it's if I can do it,anybody can, and it absolutely
helped me and it didn't takelong to start.
Speaker 2 (25:38):
I'm glad you brought that up.
You know the big thing is wejust left September, which is,
you know, suicide Prevention andAwareness Month, and you know
that's the biggest thing thatthe organization does engage in.
But trying to break that stigmaof not being able to talk, but
trying to break that stigma ofnot being able to talk, I think
one of the biggest things peoplefind when they do engage in our
outdoor activities is how smallthe world really is and how
(26:00):
things do align.
I went on a fishing trip withthree medically retired law
enforcement officers on theLacks Lake early June and we
brought our kids with and all ofus went through the civil
unrest here in Minnesota in 2020during the George Floyd
situation, and each of us had adifferent piece that we would
(26:20):
recall and be able to put thispuzzle together to kind of form
a picture amongst the relationsand where we operated, and that
was during a very difficult timefor everyone in the area.
But being able to relate witheach other and know who similar
individuals that we worked withand where we were at and what
(26:42):
kind of support role we playedin with, that was very awesome,
but the best part was being ableto spend that time with the
kids, to spend that time withthe kids.
You know, as in our careers wedo have a lot of time that is
lost from our family and oursignificant others and going out
and being able to relate withothers.
But spending that time withyour kids and your kids can
being able to say, okay, Iunderstand that you know mom or
(27:04):
dad is gone because of A, b, cor D and you know they're also
human and do struggle withthings.
But being able to have thattime and repair those time loss
that is there is huge.
But you know things like you,and what you're doing is it's an
outlet for people to kind of goand unplug and listen.
Speaker 3 (27:22):
I've gotten so many messages and emails from people
that especially folks in my lineof work, in your line of work
that they say's a, it's a break.
You know, it's a respite from,from everything that's going on,
and it to me, for a long timebeing a, being a narc or
(27:46):
whatever, being a guy toting agun and a badge it wasn't
something that I did, it wassomething that I was and when
you, that was something I wastaught.
You know from the beginningthis this you're no longer Brent
, you are a police officer, andI think that put paint painted
myself in a corner where I nevercould get out of that mindset
(28:08):
and that that's what was so hardfor me to break away from that
and to think.
You know, I'm supposed to bethe symbol of courage and
bravery.
Why would I ask anybody for anykind of help?
Why would I do that?
But I was looking at it thewrong way.
(28:31):
One of the best pieces ofadvice I ever got from my cousin
who's passed away now, but hewas an older cousin.
I looked up to him and he was aretired trooper, state trooper
here in Arkansas.
But he told me when I first gotinto law enforcement he said he
said the best thing I can tellyou is to have friends outside
of your job is to have friendsoutside of your job.
(28:53):
He said don't let that beeverything that you do.
Your whole world cannot be thisor it's going to be tough.
And that's the absolute bestadvice that I give to young
officers now and I get a lot ofthem that have called me man, I
want to do the things that youdid.
I want to do a career in lawenforcement.
(29:14):
What do I need to do?
And I always say look, thefirst thing you need to do is
have friends outside of work, Isaid, because you will grow a
narrow view of the world justhanging out with folks like you.
You need that guy that don'tnecessarily care about the
police.
(29:34):
You need that guy thatnecessarily want to do the right
thing all the time.
I'm not talking about break thelaw, but I'm talking about guys
that kind of like well, youknow why is he active?
Why is this guy writingspeeding tickets when you ought
to be doing something else?
And then you can explain towhat the speed enforcement about
, what the goal of that is.
Maybe in that conversation youcan explain to him what the
speed enforcement is about, whatthe goal of that is.
(29:55):
Maybe in that conversation youcan turn him towards what's
really going on and maybe youcan look at something from his
point of view.
Speaker 1 (30:08):
Totally Hi.
This is Phil podcast producerfor the Hometown Hero Outdoors
podcast.
I know your time is valuableand we thank you for listening
to our podcast.
Can I ask you a favor?
On whatever podcast platformyou are listening to us on right
now, could you please give us afive-star review?
It is very helpful in growingour podcast and expanding the
(30:28):
message of HHO.
Thank you.
Now here's a word from oursponsors industrial and
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Speaker 3 (32:15):
That was on answering calls, disturbance calls and
stuff.
Anytime I go, when somebody'sfighting Law enforcement to me,
I've always said you see thebest people on their worst day.
Nobody calls the police to tellthem that they're having a baby
, unless you're having one inthe front yard.
Nobody wants to share good newsor anything.
(32:35):
So you got to let folks gettalk, let it get out, you know.
Let them vent a little bit, youknow, up to a point and then
there's always a point wherethey can't cross that line.
But try to look at what's goingon from from their point of
view, because you know we're all, when it comes down to it,
black, white, whatever.
We're all humans and we're allin this world together and
(32:58):
talking is the best way.
Any of it is the only way.
Talking and respect is the onlyway any of us are going to be
comfortable and make it out ofyou.
Speaker 2 (33:08):
Absolutely yeah, and and respectful conversations.
You know and it's okay todisagree, but at the same time
you know, know what thatboundary is.
You know and it's OK todisagree, but at the same time
you know, know what thatboundary is.
You know what is that fine linethat you have to balance
between it becoming a good,comfortable, educational
conversation versus you know,jump over that line and all of a
sudden you guys are at eachother's throats.
Speaker 3 (33:30):
You know and don't need that and being a supervisor
, well, I found it nearly ahundred percent that officers
that I was supervising eitherundercover agents or uniform
patrol officers they wantparameters, they want a left and
a right and how to operate.
(33:50):
They know if they operateinside of those parameters,
everything's good.
Once they step out, if thoseparameters have been clearly
defined and they get in trouble,they know it's on them.
And that's the way I wouldapproach talking to people.
I would say look, you know, I'mBrent, I'm toting the badge.
I got the handcuffs.
You called me here.
(34:11):
Let's, let's end this where weboth go home tonight.
This is where I need you totell me what.
I don't need you to make a uh,ask any questions to me.
I want you to tell me whathappened and then let's deal
with it.
You know, give them a warninglike I ain't gonna be too many
more of those sobs that youcalled me before this
conversation takes a differentturn.
(34:32):
Let's have some respect andcommunicate.
And, man, nine times out of 10,the folks would take a breath,
regardless of what the issue was.
You know it's.
You know, okay, my neighbor'sdog's crapping in my yard, or he
stole my hammer.
He won't bring my hammer back.
You know you'd get down to thenuts and bolts of what was going
(34:55):
on If you just give them alittle bit of an outlet and say,
okay, I'm going to take it upto this point, but if you cross
that line there, you know we'regoing to have a different
conversation and a lot of thosetimes talking like that would be
the remedy for the wholesituation.
Nobody went to jail, nobody gota ticket, and I learned that
(35:18):
from working in smalldepartments and being the only
guy.
You know what we called it onriot one ranger.
But I mean it wasn't out ofbravado, it was the only.
I was the only guy working, youknow, for the whole county or
something you know.
So I mean you didn't have anybackup.
You were on your own and youhad to keep your wits about you
and be able to talk to folks ontheir level where they could
(35:39):
understand what was going on.
You also had to have a plan tobeat everybody up in the room
should things go south.
Speaker 2 (35:48):
You had to be tough.
You start eyeing everyone up,figuring out what to do.
Noah, you're absolutely right.
The uh gift to gab and lawenforcement gets you really far.
You know, and and and, like yousaid to your point was being
direct.
You know, um, paint thatpicture early.
You know if this, then that orthe other option, sure it's huge
(36:10):
very bad.
Speaker 3 (36:13):
Yeah, I never had an issue with anybody, you know, on
the way to jail like.
You know why.
You know why we're taking thistrip right like yep, I know I
mean nearly you know 90 of.
You're gonna get those that areinnocent, regardless of what
happened, and blame everybodyfor something else, but they've
got another issue that's goingon.
(36:33):
So yeah, but just largemajority of them, like I know, I
know, I know.
Speaker 2 (36:38):
Right.
Speaker 3 (36:38):
I'm back, you know so .
Speaker 2 (36:41):
Well, you know with your you talked about, you know
what has worked for you withyour mental health side of
things and talking and whatnot.
You know what are the otherbalances that you found
throughout your career ortransitioning towards the end of
your law enforcement professionthat worked for you.
What are the outlets that werethere and supported you.
Speaker 3 (36:59):
Well, it's always been family.
It's always been family with me.
It comes first.
My faith to me is veryimportant.
I'm a Christian and it hashelped me and it's the reason
I'm sitting here talking to youtoday and not running wild
through the woods.
I mean, my faith has kept me,has delivered me to where I am,
(37:25):
and the faith in my family mywife, my children it's something
that I always fall back on.
You know, my faith comes firstand then and then a wife and my
children.
And you know the hunting andfishing and all that kind of
(37:45):
stuff is so far down the listthat it's probably not in the
top eight, but it is an outletfor me that I share with them
and that they fully support.
That has helped me maintain mysanity.
But I don't attribute it to theoutdoors, I attribute it to
(38:07):
their support of me doing it.
And once I'm out there, youknow I'm not I wouldn't be
sitting on a deer stand orrunning my dog somewhere trying
to treat a coon and thinking,you know I probably should stay
at home tonight and helpyoungins with their homework, or
I've got to get up in themorning and go.
I'm going to be tired when Iget up in the morning to go do
(38:29):
an errand with my wife orsomething you know.
But I put all that stuff first.
I would rather grant, as apoliceman or a hunter or
outdoorsman comes way behindbeing, you know, a Christian, a
husband and a father and abrother and a friend and all
(38:50):
that stuff and once.
But it wasn't always like that,you know, it was like I told
you it was the police beforeeverything.
But once I got my prioritiesright, get things in the right
order, and started seeing whathelped me and what was good for
me and my family by putting themfirst, it turned out, hey,
that's pretty good deal for meas well.
Once I got my prioritiessquared away, man, the rest of
(39:14):
it was pretty well, pretty easy.
I mean really kind of amazinglysimple how that, how that
worked out for me.
So I would.
Speaker 2 (39:25):
It is the best thing ever and you talked about
identity, you know, and puttingfamily first.
And up here we like to jokethat.
You know, our muskie fishermenare hardcore and we always tell
muskie anglers are muskie, godfamily, yeah.
Speaker 3 (39:45):
Well, I've seen some folks like that too.
Well, you can just about insertanything.
Speaker 2 (39:51):
Football hunting whatever, yeah whatever yeah, no
, you're right, though.
You know, especially withidentity and, excuse me, uh, you
know being able to uh figureout what priorities need to come
first is huge, you know, and,um, family is absolutely number
one always and we preach that inthe organization all the time,
especially the volunteers.
(40:11):
You know this is a volunteeropportunity.
Your family comes first, we'llbe OK, we'll make through it and
that comes with.
You know, even the professionsany first responder, military
too you know, sometimes workdoes come first, but you need to
prioritize family and youridentity in your profession can
consume you, and I used to tellmy rookies during field training
like this is a great job, oneof the best jobs you're ever
(40:34):
going to have, but you're firstand foremost, you're the best
job that you're going to engagein, as being a husband, a wife,
a father, a mother, a brother,like sister, whatever it is.
But that's first like don't letthis job consume you.
Speaker 3 (40:48):
Yeah, and I, you know and I need to clarify something
when I was on the job, if, whenI was running the SWAT team,
you know, or if I was on atraffic stop or if I was doing a
dope deal, that's all I wasthinking about at that
particular time.
I wasn't thinking about thekids being homesick, I wasn't
(41:09):
thinking about my wife lookingfor the dog that got out of the
pen.
I was solely focused on thatone task at hand so I could get
through that and then get backhome and take care of all that
stuff.
Amen, that was one thing, andthat's something that talking to
someone has helped me see whereI brought focus back into my
(41:34):
life and the priorities.
You prioritize the mission athand above all else.
Whatever your job, whateveryour goal is, whatever the
mission you're handed At thatopportune time to me, I could
only operate in a good,functioning environment by
totally focusing in on that andeverything that that operation
(41:57):
detail.
In the same way, I applied thesame thing at home.
If the kids are sick, nothingelse matters, I'm taking care of
that until we can get thatsolution or whatever the issue
is, you know, and I just want tosay that I didn't, I wasn't
taking for granted the positionI was in or what I was doing
(42:17):
when I finally figured out.
you know, being a policeman issomething that I do, not
something that I am 24 seven.
Speaker 2 (42:25):
Right.
Speaker 3 (42:26):
But when I was doing it, I absolutely was focused on
that.
Speaker 2 (42:29):
Well, and if your affairs aren't in order at home,
you know if things aren't good,focused on that well, and if
your affairs aren't in order athome, you know if things aren't
good, that can affect you atwork and can drastically change
an outcome of something you'reengaged in and that might be
detrimental to yourself orothers.
So having those affairs inorder at home helps out, but
that sole focus, like you said,though, when you're in that
moment has to be there 100,otherwise it can change outcome
(42:53):
too.
Speaker 3 (42:53):
Oh, yeah, yeah, absolutely yeah.
Singularly focused, especiallyin our line of work, is what
gets you to the 32-year and7-month mark that I did.
Speaker 2 (43:06):
Right, that's a long career and I appreciate all your
service and your time and beingopen about it and I know, like
I said, I have a couple for it.
Speaker 3 (43:16):
They are.
Speaker 2 (43:17):
Yeah, right Now I got some friends that listen to
your podcast quite a bit andthey talk about how great it is,
and I started listening to afew of them too Saw that you had
a new one come out today.
It's like a bonus episode thatyou guys just put out.
Speaker 3 (43:30):
Yeah, you know, I hadn't even uh watched it.
Is it the one with the squirrel?
Yeah yeah, that was so much fun, man.
This, this job has afforded meso many opportunities to to
really do the things that I grewup doing that I would uh that I
would do.
Don't tell them I'd probably doit for free, but they pay me to
(43:51):
do it, which is even better,don't let them listen to this,
is that?
What you're saying.
Yeah, yeah, so you might editthat part out where I said I'd
do it for free.
Speaker 2 (44:02):
Yeah, I'll just send him that clip and that's it.
Speaker 3 (44:04):
Yeah, he didn't, he was out of his mind.
But it's the opportunities thatI have to go around and talk to
people, and so many people thatthat even grew up totally
opposite the way.
The way that I have has been sorefreshing.
You know, I've told this storya thousand times and I will tell
(44:26):
it until I leave this planet.
But I got one of the firstmessages I got.
After like three or fourepisodes I got a direct message
from a guy in New York City whosaid and up until that point I
really didn't know the directionof where my show was going.
I was just kind of I didn'twant it to be a how-to thing all
(44:47):
the time, or because there'splenty of folks out there that
know how to hunt and fish waybetter than I do, way better
than I am at it.
So I didn't really want my showjust to be some kind of how-to
thing.
But this guy, after listeningto, like I said, three or four
episodes, he sends me a messageand he says I identify with your
message so much.
He said I've never hunted orfished in a day in my life.
(45:10):
He said I was raised andcontinue to live in New York
City.
He said I have never doneanything remotely in the country
.
He said, but when your dad wastaking you hunting and fishing,
my dad was taking me to YankeeStadium.
He said, and the relationshipsthat you talk about is so good,
that's what I identify with.
(45:30):
And it was that message that myeyes just I was like an
eight-week-old puppy.
My eyes come open.
I'm like, oh, my show's aboutrelationships.
That's what it is is.
And and I get so many, uh,messages like that from people
who have absolutely noconnection whatsoever to rural
(45:51):
life or anything like that, thatthey really like it.
You know, and I think it'sbecause of that common theme
that it's normally I'm talkingabout my relationship with my
father, who's passed away, or mybrother or friends or something
growing up.
You know, and you can, a lot ofthem are can apply, just like
friends or something growing up.
You know, and you can, a lot ofthem are can apply.
Just like that guy was talkingabout.
You know, instead of squirrelhunting in south arkansas on the
(46:12):
saline river with his dad, hewas going to watch, you know,
yankees play and it was, um, itwas a pretty eye-opening
experience for me.
Very, very well, kind of put meon the path to where, to where
this thing's going that's cool.
Speaker 2 (46:27):
Yeah, relatable situations, you know, may not be
the same exact topic or thingthat they're engaged in yeah,
relatable experiences yes,exactly so let's tell the
listeners a little bit moreabout how you got involved with
meat eater and your show.
Um like, did you haveexperienced podcasts beforehand?
How would you start workingwith meat eater and how does
(46:50):
that relationship flourish onthat side?
Speaker 3 (46:53):
well I've done.
Uh, I used to film a lot ofoutdoor stuff and just trying to
make my way in the outdoormedia, um started filming my
friend Clay Newcomb on bearhunts.
Clay has a podcast called BearGrease and it's a like a
historical documentary stylepodcast and you know, let's take
(47:15):
a subject like Davy Crockett orTecumseh or anything you know
anything historical wise inAmerica and he'll do a
conversation about it.
But before he did that BearGrease podcast, he did a bear
hunting magazine and he did somefilm, some hunts that would
(47:38):
promote the sale of the magazineand I was the guy filming the
magazine.
We went to filming those huntsthat he talked about in the
magazine and we went toSaskatchewan I can't even
remember what year it was now,but we had a close encounter
with a big black bear.
(47:59):
It was a brown color-phasedblack bear but this bear walks
we were hunting off the ground.
This bear walks over to theblind that we're sitting behind,
just some limbs and bushes, andpokes his head in the blind
with us and I literally couldhave reached out with my hand
and touched him and he actuallytouched the tip of his nose on
the tip of Clay's arrow and thenhe's a huge bear, a beautiful
(48:23):
bear, and Clay got this shot onhim.
He just killed this amazingbear and the footage just went
nutso on YouTube and that wasreally what got him caught up
and recognized by me, Dieter.
And plus, he's a very talentedwriter.
He's published a lot ofarticles in magazines other than
the one that he owned himself.
(48:44):
He's published a lot ofarticles in magazines other than
the one that he owned himself,so he was pretty well on a
course for working at Media.
Media was just an absolutelynatural extension of where he
was going.
So when he went to work withthem, you know, and they've got
cinematographers that are waybetter than I am- so I was out
of a job.
(49:05):
Oh no, yeah, you know, I helpedhim fire me and that's the way
I'll say it, which I was soproud of, man, to have him do
that.
So he started the Bear Greasepodcast for them.
And then it's so involved andso meticulously researched and
done that it's a weekly podcastthat he couldn't do one every
(49:28):
week.
He had to have a break becauseso much went into it.
So every other week, after likethe fourth or fifth one, we do
what's called a Bear GreaseRender and that's where several
of us get together and we talkabout the episode that happened
before and on that one we giveour opinions on what we liked,
(49:52):
what we didn't like and he'sable to talk about things that
maybe didn't fit in the in theregular show.
So it's kind of like a recap andwe call it the render, because
if, if you're got bear greaseand you apply heat to it, you're
rendering down that fat to getbear.
I love it and I was on thereregularly I still am every other
week and so they had aopportunity, in-house
(50:15):
opportunity, for people to comeup with ideas for a podcast that
worked there and they wouldfill out a sheet and you had all
the details, what it was about,who would, who would be on it,
uh, how long it would be, thename and all that kind of stuff
and clay.
And I were in passing.
He talked, he said, man, youought to, you ought to apply for
(50:38):
this and you know, come up withan idea for a show and put it
in there.
I like well, like well.
The only thing I only knowabout two things, and that's
being in police and countryliving.
And I said I ain't talking aboutbeing in police and he said,
well, let's talk about countryliving then.
And so he and I my wifehappened to be up there.
He lives up in NorthwestArkansas and I live in Central
(51:00):
Arkansas, but my wife and I wereup there for a weekend and we
all went out to eat for supperand we sat down to eat.
It was in Herman's Steakhouse.
It's a famous steakhouse therein Fayetteville and I said, hey,
would you serious about thepodcast thing?
He said yeah.
I said, well, let's talk aboutit.
So 45 minutes while we weresitting there eating supper and
(51:22):
talking minutes.
While we were sitting thereeating supper and talking clay,
his wife misty and my wifealexis and I hammered out 90.
My podcast is right now.
I filled out the paper, sent inand everyone approved it.
Everyone liked the idea and ithas been.
My first one was april the 21st, uh, last year, and it's been
going strong ever since wow, how, how many episodes do you have
(51:45):
now?
Oh well, one a week since Aprilthe 21st.
Speaker 2 (51:48):
Quite a few.
Speaker 3 (51:49):
Yeah.
Yeah, I'm a podcaster, not amathematician.
Speaker 2 (51:53):
Chris, yeah, I told you, I got game warden math.
I can count on two hands andI'm done after that.
Speaker 3 (51:58):
Yeah, I've only missed one and that was for a
bout with a kidney stone andthey ran a real popular episode
during that week.
Other than that, it's been onevery week.
That's cool.
Yeah, and it runs on my podcastand Clay's is on the Bear
Grease podcast on that feed.
(52:21):
That's awesome.
Speaker 2 (52:22):
Where can people find your podcast?
A podcast pretty much on everymajor platform, isn't it?
Speaker 3 (52:27):
Yeah, Spotify iTunes all of them.
Yeah, I think we've got the wekind of.
We are, uh, all consecutivelyin on a weekly basis in the top
five, if not the top three,wilderness podcasts in the US.
Speaker 2 (52:45):
Yeah, Well, you guys are busy.
Speaker 3 (52:49):
Yeah Well, and the thing about it is, you know
anybody.
You can listen to the podcastthat we do anywhere with your
children or whatever.
You won't hear any off-colorremarks or anything like that on
the Bakers channel, and I thinka lot of people appreciate that
and it's something that we'revery proud of.
And I've even had man, I've gota.
(53:09):
There's a family of normal thatlistens to.
They send a message that theylisten to it on Friday night.
My podcast comes out everyFriday and they will listen to
it while they're eating supperand then talk about what they
heard before they get up fromthe table.
Oh, that's cool.
Yeah, really cool.
(53:32):
I mean, who in the world wouldever thought that?
But no kidding, yeah, it's, uh,it's very rewarding, and the
messages and stuff that I getfrom people that enjoy it, they,
uh it's.
I can't couldn't think of abetter deal this is your
financial cop money minute.
Speaker 4 (53:46):
Nothing starts with a plan.
Unless you have a budget, youcan't pay off debt, just like
you can't really technicallysave for retirement and a
vacation and other thingswithout understanding what your
budget is.
And so I had to get a grasp ofwhat my outflow versus my inflow
was, and I kind of came to arealization that you know, we
have this gift in lawenforcement called overtime
(54:07):
right, and far too many of ususe overtime as a mechanism to
elevate our standard of living.
Well, I changed and said youknow what we're going to use
overtime to build our financialstrength, and I'm going to use
it to accelerate things.
Speaker 1 (54:19):
This is your financial cop money minute.
This is your financial copMoney.
Speaker 2 (54:24):
Minute.
No, it's cool, it's great tohave you on too.
And now our listeners have acouple more podcasts they got to
look up and listen to.
I know this time of the year,especially, everyone's sitting
in a deer stand or in a blindsomewhere and they got an earbud
and they can tune into the showand listen catch up?
Speaker 3 (54:42):
Yeah, I hope so.
It's usually around 20 minutesor so long and, uh, you know
it's, you can listen to.
A lot of folks listen to it onthe way to work, on the way home
from work on fridays and um,but it's um, hopefully it won't
put you to sleep and, uh, you'renot going to do a whole lot of
heavy thinking either.
Just kind of sit back and relaxand listen.
Speaker 2 (55:02):
That's awesome.
And then do you do all yourrecording from home or do you
have a studio you go to?
Speaker 3 (55:06):
man, you're looking at it right here in the room
that's the extra room upstairs.
That is love it, large strewneverywhere.
I love it.
I do it right here and I sendit, uh, to bozeman, montana.
And then my, my, my girl,friday.
I call herva Hansen, who's anaudio engineer, which is a very
(55:27):
limiting term for what that girldoes.
She does a lot of stuff for me.
Matter of fact, she's the onethat filmed the extra drop that
you saw today.
Ok, that came off, but she doesall the edits.
Makes me sound like I halfwayknow what I'm talking about.
Applies to music and all ofthat stuff.
And just, she's great, she's mypartner, she's a good girl.
Speaker 2 (55:49):
That's great.
No, that's all right.
You can see my podcast studios,both the same as yours, so it's
okay.
Speaker 3 (55:54):
Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2 (55:56):
Just trying to figure it out as we go.
Yeah, absolutely so otherthings that you do for Meat
Eater.
So if people want to reach outto you or if you're going
somewhere to speak, speakingwith other people, what do those
look like for you?
Speaker 3 (56:12):
Yeah, I mean the time for it is pretty limited
because of our schedules.
I mean we usually plan ourschedules out.
You know a year in advance ofwhere we're going to be here and
there.
Plus the, I have other projectsand stuff that I have to do,
along with a weekly podcast.
So probably a direct message tome on Instagram or an email to
(56:37):
my boss, the folks at Info youcan info at themeateatercom with
the subject line of Brentspeaking or whatever is the best
way.
They read every email thatcomes in, even the hate mail.
They read it all.
If you want to get a hold ofsomebody and get a message to
somebody.
(56:58):
That's probably the mostefficient way.
A lot of times.
I'm in places where I don'thave any kind of service and you
know it'll be a week before Iwould ever even see it.
Speaker 2 (57:08):
So it's usually back to me quick, so I appreciate
that.
Speaker 3 (57:12):
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Well, that was.
You caught us at a good time.
Speaker 2 (57:15):
I love it.
So what's your social mediahandle for Instagram or other
social media platforms you're on?
Yeah, it's.
Speaker 3 (57:21):
Brent underscore Reeves R E A, va-v-e-s.
And I always say my dad told me.
I said, dad, there's twospellings of Reeves.
People are always misspellingmy name.
They spell it R-E-E-V-E-S butit's R-E-A-V-E-S.
He said yeah.
He said well, Adam and Eve'slast name was Reeves, spelled
like ours.
And I said, really, I'm just alittle kid, my dad's telling me
(57:44):
this.
And he said yeah.
And I said, well, where did allthese other names come from?
And he said, well, if theymessed up or we didn't like them
, we'd kick them out and callthem something else.
And he said that's where allthe Smiths and everything else
come from.
So I was probably in third orfourth grade before I figured
out that that might not havebeen true.
(58:05):
But but yeah, it's brent.
Underscore reeves r-e-a-v-e-son uh, instagram, and I don't do
the tiktok thing, I don't.
Um, I wouldn't have instagram,I wouldn't have this job.
Speaker 2 (58:19):
But totally, but I look at it.
Speaker 3 (58:23):
you know I look at it and that kind of stuff.
I enjoy seeing folks pictures.
A lot, of, a lot of folks sendme pictures and the kids
pictures of you know what thekids are doing out in in the
wild and it's.
I love seeing that Especially.
Speaker 2 (58:36):
Yeah, no, that's great.
Well, yeah, so for ourlisteners again, we have Mr
Brent Reeves on with meat eater.
You can listen to his podcastis this Country Life, and he
contributes towards the BearGrease podcast as well.
So we've just spent the lasthour talking to Mr Reeves
regarding his history, his lawenforcement career, and then
also about the storytelling thathe can do on his podcast, and
(58:58):
we're really excited to have himon here and hopefully we can
touch base and talk about alittle bit more shop in the
outdoors and recap maybe yourhunting season this next spring
or so.
Speaker 3 (59:07):
Yeah, man, you just holler at me, we'll get you set
up.
Speaker 2 (59:10):
Well, thank you for coming on the show, and is there
anything else you'd like totell the listeners before we go?
Speaker 3 (59:15):
Y'all be careful.
Speaker 2 (59:17):
Absolutely All right, sir.
Well, thank you very much andfor our listeners at the
Hometown Hero Outdoors podcast.
Speaker 1 (59:27):
I appreciate you tuning in today and we will see
you on the next podcast.
Thank you.
The Hometown Hero Outdoorspodcast is made possible by the
following sponsors O'NeillElectric Contractors.
The Minnesota Police and PeaceOfficers Association.
Relentless Defender, appareland Financial Cop Financial
Advisors and financial copfinancial advisors.
Thank you for listening to theHometown Hero Outdoors podcast.
(59:51):
For more information, visit ourwebsite at
hometownherooutdoorsorg.
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