FFOD347 : From the Octagon to the Deer Stand with Tim Sylvia

Send us Fan MailFor the first time in Fist Full of Dirt history, we’re bringing you TWO episodes in one week, and there’s a good reason for it. My guest is Keith Mark of Hunter Nation, an organization focused on encouraging hunters and outdoorsmen to get involved in the election process. We’re talking about voter participation, the issues that affect our hunting heritage and why it’s important to understand what’s on the ballot before heading to the polls.Now, let me be clear. We’re not here to tell you WHO to vote for. That’s your business. We’re simply encouraging folks to get informed and make their voices heard. This is about the future of the things we care about. God bless America, and we’ll see you at the polls! Stay connected with Fist Full of Dirt: Instagram: @ffodpodcastInstagram: @moplandforsaleTwitter: @FistDirtTikTok: @originalturkeythugInstagram : @CuzStricklandTwitter: @CuzStricklandFacebook: @CuzStricklandYouTube: Cuz411

Send us Fan MailHappy Halloween from the Creepy Camo Cave! This week, we’re listening to a bizarre 911 call from North Carolina that Laureen dug up & I’ll tell you right now, I don’t know WHAT in the world that guy saw, but it sure got my attention!From there, she takes us deep into the mysterious mountains of Appalachia with her good friend Micah Hanks. Micah is an author, investigative journalist and host of The Micah Hanks Program, and he knows a thing or two about the strange and unexplained. We’re talking about the legendary Brown Mountain Lights, mysterious encounters in the wilderness, and some of the unusual stories that have been passed down through generations in those mountains.Are there perfectly reasonable explanations for these things? Maybe so. But there’s still plenty out there that can leave a fella scratching his head. This one is a little spooky, but not too scary. Stay connected with Fist Full of Dirt: Instagram: @ffodpodcastInstagram: @moplandforsaleTwitter: @FistDirtTikTok: @originalturkeythugInstagram : @CuzStricklandTwitter: @CuzStricklandFacebook: @CuzStricklandYouTube: Cuz411

Send us Fan MailSome people leave behind memories. Others leave behind words that will be remembered for generations. Colonel Tom Kelly left us both. It’s hard to put into words what this man meant to me. He was my mentor, my hero, my friend and one of the finest storytellers the turkey woods have ever known.For this special episode of Fist Full of Dirt, we’re doing something a little different. Rather than spend an hour telling you about Colonel Kelly, we’re going to let you hear from the man himself. We’ve gathered some of our favorite moments from years past, including Colonel Kelly reading passages from his books and sharing stories from our time together on Hunting the Country.You’ll hear his wit and his wisdom and that wonderful way he had of putting into words things the rest of us could only feel. There will never be another Colonel Tom Kelly. But how fortunate we are that he left us so much of himself in the stories he told.Thank you, Colonel. For everything.CuzStay connected with Fist Full of Dirt: Instagram: @ffodpodcastInstagram: @moplandforsaleTwitter: @FistDirtTikTok: @originalturkeythugInstagram : @CuzStricklandTwitter: @CuzStricklandFacebook: @CuzStricklandYouTube: Cuz411

Send us Fan MailThis week on Fist Full of Dirt, we’re catching up with an old friend who knows a thing or two about throwing punches and chasing big deer. Tim “The Maine-iac” Sylvia is a former UFC heavyweight champion, but there’s a whole lot more to this guy than what you saw inside the Octagon. Tim and I are digging into his upbringing, his MMA career and his lifelong love of hunting.Turns out, there’s a pretty good reason a “redneck from Maine” decided to put down roots in Iowa. (Those big Midwest whitetails might have had a little something to do with it.) I think y’all are going to enjoy getting to know the outdoorsman behind the fighter. Thanks for listening. Stay connected with Fist Full of Dirt: Instagram: @ffodpodcastInstagram: @moplandforsaleTwitter: @FistDirtTikTok: @originalturkeythugInstagram : @CuzStricklandTwitter: @CuzStricklandFacebook: @CuzStricklandYouTube: Cuz411

Send us Fan MailSometimes we sit down in the Cave with a guest and a plan. This week, we just sat down and started talking. I’ve got some catching up to do after the Foxhole Shootout, so we’ll talk about what happened, who showed up and some of the stories that came out of it. Then somehow we wander into something I’ve been seeing all over social media lately … apparently bullying Boomers has become a trend. As one of them, I figured I ought to weigh in.No guest this week.. just a visit about hunting, getting older, social media and trying not to take any of it too seriously. At the end of the day, most of the noise doesn’t really matter. Get outside. Spend time with people you care about. It’s all good. Just hunt.

Send us Fan MailThis week I’m glad to welcome our friend Billy Molls back to Fist Full of Dirt. A lot of folks know Billy as the Modern Day Mountain Man, and after a lifetime of guiding & hunting some of the wildest places on earth… he’s got enough stories to keep us here awhile.We talk about some of those adventures and the lessons that can only come from pushing yourself physically and spending time in wild places. But we also go a little deeper into Billy’s walk with God and how his faith has shaped the man, husband, father and hunter he is today. I’ve always believed there’s something about being in God’s creation that can straighten out your priorities pretty quick. Billy understands that as well as anybody.Stay connected with Fist Full of Dirt: Instagram: @ffodpodcastInstagram: @moplandforsaleTwitter: @FistDirtTikTok: @originalturkeythugInstagram : @CuzStricklandTwitter: @CuzStricklandFacebook: @CuzStricklandYouTube: Cuz411

Send us Fan MailThis week I'm back with Dr. Warren Strickland, but we're changing gears a little. Last time we talked about his incredible bowhunting career. This time, we're putting his years of experience as a cardiologist to good use.We're talking about heart health, taking care of ourselves and some things we all need to be paying a little more attention to as we get older. I know a lot of us spend plenty of time worrying about our hunting equipment, our food plots and getting ready for the next season…  but how much time do we spend taking care of ourselves? I want every one of you to have many, many more years in the woods and on the water. This is an important conversation, and I'm mighty glad Dr. Strickland took the time to have it with us.Stay connected with Fist Full of Dirt: Instagram: @ffodpodcastInstagram: @moplandforsaleTwitter: @FistDirtTikTok: @originalturkeythugInstagram : @CuzStricklandTwitter: @CuzStricklandFacebook: @CuzStricklandYouTube: Cuz411

Send us Fan MailThis week I’m catching up with my friend Kevin Burleson from Heart of Texas Bowhunting. Kevin has been outfitting hunters for decades and has probably seen just about everything that can happen when you put a bowhunter in the woods. We talk about some of the things that can make the difference between a good hunt and a frustrating one. We also talk about Heart of Texas and how Kevin has worked to give everyday bowhunters an opportunity to experience some incredible Texas hunting without breaking the bank.Stay connected with Fist Full of Dirt: Instagram: @ffodpodcastInstagram: @moplandforsaleTwitter: @FistDirtTikTok: @originalturkeythugInstagram : @CuzStricklandTwitter: @CuzStricklandFacebook: @CuzStricklandYouTube: Cuz411

Send us Fan MailI don’t think any of us will ever forget where we were on the morning of September 11, 2001. My oldest daughter Amy was just out of college and traveling for work near Washington, D.C. when the attacks began. When the Pentagon was hit, airports across the country closed and Washington started shutting down. Her husband Kevin and I did the only thing we knew to do. We got in my truck in Mississippi and went to get her.For this episode, Lauran sat down with Amy and me and asked us to tell the story of that day from our own perspectives. Neither of us heard what the other had said. She’s taken those conversations and woven them together with the actual news broadcasts from that morning as everything unfolded in real time. Twenty five years later, there are things about that day I remember like they happened yesterday. This is our family’s story of that Tuesday morning and one I don’t think any of us will ever forget.Stay connected with Fist Full of Dirt: Instagram: @ffodpodcastInstagram: @moplandforsaleTwitter: @FistDirtTikTok: @originalturkeythugInstagram : @CuzStricklandTwitter: @CuzStricklandFacebook: @CuzStricklandYouTube: Cuz411

Send us Fan MailThis week I sit down with one of the most interesting men I’ve ever had the pleasure of visiting with, Dr. Warren Strickland. Warren is a renowned cardiologist, a world class sporting clays shooter and one of the few bowhunters to complete the archery Super Slam. His hunting career and accomplishments would be impressive enough on their own, but it’s the way he’s gone about it that caught my attention.We talk about getting started without a mentor and a lifetime spent simply trying to be the best he could be. No audience. No need for attention. Just quietly doing things on his own terms.Stay connected with Fist Full of Dirt: Instagram: @ffodpodcastInstagram: @moplandforsaleTwitter: @FistDirtTikTok: @originalturkeythugInstagram : @CuzStricklandTwitter: @CuzStricklandFacebook: @CuzStricklandYouTube: Cuz411