Speaker 1: 0:00

Hey folks, Chef Jean-Paul Bourgeois here, the host and creator of Duck Camp Dinners, and now you are listening to the Son of a Blitch Podcast.

Speaker 2: 0:23

Hey everybody, welcome back to the Son of a Blitch podcast. I'm your host, George Blitch, and I just got done with an amazing conversation with Jean-Paul Bourgeois, the host and creator of Duck Camp Dinners. You've probably seen him in a lot of different places over the last few years, but right now Duck Camp Dinners is being released episode by episode. They have done four episodes and I interviewed him right now. We got two more episodes left. You guys have to tune into this. It's an amazing show, uh, taking you all throughout Louisiana the culture, the cuisine, uh, the hunting lifestyle and just connecting with all sorts of amazing people. Uh, it is not to be missed. It's so educational, entertaining, uh, informative. It is not to be missed. It's so educational, entertaining, informative and I just absolutely love this show.

Speaker 2: 1:07

I had Jean-Paul before on the podcast when he was right at the very beginning stages of about to go and do the filming for Duck Camp Dinner Season 3. And you know, as I said too, it's now being released Already. Season 4 is in the works and we talked a little bit about you know the show and what's to come with that and a lot of the history of that. We know what's going on in his life right now. We had so many different things we covered. I think you guys are really going to enjoy this episode. You know, jean-paul is just a wonderful, wonderful person. I love his heart. He's a great guy and it was just a wonderful time sitting down and chatting with him. So, guys, without any further ado, here is my interview with Chef Jean-Paul Bourgeois. Y'all enjoy and make sure you go check out Duck Camp Dinners, season three, right now. Enjoy. Welcome back, jean-paul. How are you doing today, man?

Speaker 1: 1:57

Man, I'm good. I'm good Enjoying the. I would say I'm enjoying the Florida weather right now, but it's been overclass and cloudy for the last two weeks. So, but you know, seeing a bright, shiny face like yourself is certainly, um certainly, a reason to get up in the morning and put your boots on.

Speaker 2: 2:16

So oh, cheers, man. Well, thank you, it's really good to have you back. I'm excited, Of course you've moved further than the last time we hung out and the last time we did this in person. Let's start with that man. You've got a recent journey over to Florida. Talk to me a little bit about that.

Speaker 1: 2:31

Yeah, we're in the panhandle of Florida right now, and Gulf Breeze specifically. I think it's really simple, it's not really full work or anything like that. Our son is two and a half years old. We have another one on the way any moment and we just thought, wow, he's not in school. Let's just kind of live by the beach for a couple of years and see what happens. So we basically put like a two year clock on Florida and we'll read, we'll look at it after two years and say do we want to stay here, Do we want to leave? Do we want to go back to Texas? Do we want to do something else?

Speaker 1: 3:04

And you know we love Texas. I mean, I love Texas, my wife's from Texas. It's actually I tell this to people all the time it's it's kind of the perfect place. It's hard to make any argument against living in Texas. It sometimes almost feels too easy to live in Texas, and so I'm used to growing up in Louisiana where the roads suck, the school systems suck, there's hurricanes every day, every year it seems, and so you know it gives you a little more difficult, a little harder times, a little grit, but no, but for real, we just we love the beach. We wanted to raise our son and who knows what this next one's going to be by the beach for at least a couple of years and just just feel it out Like if we were permanent beach people or we just really love it. So we'll see it two years, but right now we're just, you know, enjoying Florida.

Speaker 2: 4:05

That's awesome. And now you? I heard you just say, just say, we'll see. So you guys don't know if it's a boy or girl. Yet it's gonna be a surprise we don't.

Speaker 1: 4:09

we said we, we keep it a surprise. We kept our first son as a surprise and this one is no different. And, uh, you know, I for months I was like this is gonna a girl. I can feed on, having these like visions of it being a girl. But over the last month that's kind of changed in me and it all had to do with this lady in Publix who stopped us while we were grocery shopping and she looked in. She looked at my wife and said, oh, congratulations, it's definitely a boy. And my wife was like, well, we actually don't know. We came to surprise. She's like honey, I know that's a boy. And I was like, oh, it's a boy, you know. So it's been, it's been in my mind and really playing, playing with my emotions there ever since that lady stopped us in Publix. But we'll see. Man, you know, obviously, healthy baby, healthy mama, that's what you want. And I love the idea of having a daddy's girl and raising a little girl, even though it also scares the crap out of me.

Speaker 1: 5:17

I also love the idea of my son having a best friend and a brother, you know, and so on. So I just don't see any way you can go wrong there. So, like I said, a brother, you know, and so on, so I just I don't see any way you can go wrong there. So you know, like I said, healthy baby, healthy mama, that's what we're, we're praying for.

Speaker 2: 5:30

Yeah indeed, man. Well, we're praying for you too, and I know everything's going to go perfectly well. So I'm very excited for you and your wife and your son there. Man, it's going to be great. And you know what? Duck camp camo works great, whether it's a boy or a girl on the wall, right?

Speaker 1: 5:45

It's the wallpaper.

Speaker 2: 5:46

It's universal, it's universal.

Speaker 1: 5:49

Yeah, to me camo is non-gender associated right, like boy, girl, whatever, Go for it Indeed.

Speaker 2: 5:57

Indeed. Well, let's jump into that man, because we're right in the middle of Duck Camp Dinner, season 3. I know Episode 4 just dropped. We've got the middle of duck camp dinner, season three. I know episode four just dropped. We got five and six left. I mean, talk to me a little bit about this. Last time we were, we were chatting, I think you were days away from uh going and beginning filming. How's everything been going since it's been coming out? What kind of reception has it been like so far? And then we'll kind of dive into some episodes a little bit yeah, man, thanks.

Speaker 1: 6:20

Um, it's been great. This this was. This was our first steps into 44 minute episodes, just more of a commitment to us. Developing content that was grippier was had some tangible elements to it. Whether that's elements or whether it's recipes or conservation, we just want people to really rest in the show and watch it and better watch it again because there was so much there. Um, and so this was our step into those really longer format videos compared to season one and two.

Speaker 1: 6:52

And I think you know there's you battle in your mind, this kind of this tension between you know, you know people want these faster things and everybody's pushing shorts and reels and so on, and in a lot of ways that's also tempting. But we kind of want to be the counterweight to some of those programming, even the 22 minute programming of, of, of having something deeper that you can say all right, son, daughter, wife, whatever, let's, it's time to watch Duck Camp Dinners, let's have this hour together to watch it and let it be like something really high quality and really quality in terms of what you're getting out of it. So that was really important to us. Like you said, we just dropped episode four on Sunday, monday and five will come out. Five and six are hard hitters.

Speaker 1: 7:48

What ended up happening is we had originally said we were going to film seven episodes and then, as we started cutting down the show, we said to ourselves well, we even need to make more 22 minute episodes or make these into full 44 minutes, because we just have too much of nothing.

Speaker 1: 8:08

There's nothing I hate more than getting to the edit and having all this footage on the cutting room floor and not, like you know, most people, that footage goes to lay waste in some coffin somewhere. We knew that footage was too good to lay in a coffin. We want to bring it to life in the show. So there goes 44 minutes and what we kind of saw is that we're, we're, we. What we thought was seven, right, 30 minutes or 22 minutes is really six, 44 minutes. And so the last two really get um, they're, they're, really they're, they're a lot, lot there. It's a lot going on in the last two episodes um, and and I'm really excited for people to see those it's going to be good, great guests on the shows on on season, on season three, but especially in five and six great hunting, great cooking.

Speaker 2: 9:00

It really checks a lot of buckets in these next two episodes well, I definitely want to run, to run back to the first four, but let's just talk now, because right now and when this drops, you're going to have the next two up there. So let's go ahead and give some teasers. What are five and six looking like? Where'd you go on those two? Who are some of the guests and what can we kind of tell? Just kind of build some anticipation, because I know people haven't already jumped in. I know a lot have. I'm seeing those numbers, those views, man, it's, it's popular, of course, but you know, just as far as kind of letting up, hey, what's on, what's on the horizon with these last two here?

Speaker 1: 9:29

Yeah, so episode five will be filmed is filmed in the most Northwest section of the state, in Shreveport, right on the, you know, really close to that Texas border, really close to that Arkansas border, and, uh, it's a place that I didn't hunt at all growing up or even in my adult years and what? What happens? That red river flows through, um, also flows through Oklahoma or Arkansas, but Oklahoma and all that stuff, um and uh, but flows through the right through the heart of Shreveport and we get to hunt with a family that's been there, um, since the 1800s, with some country music singers that are Grammy award winners, and really just in some special places that I had no idea existed, much less the waterfowl hunting that existed in that area. So it's going to be really great just to shine a light on that part of the part of the state and really show, like, all the good things that have come out of that, that little section of the northwest corner of the state. And then in episode six we head down the Red River and into the upper and lower, upper and middle Atchafalaya Basin. So right around Simonsport, louisiana, the Red River turns into middle Atchafalaya Basin. So right around Simonsport, louisiana, the Red River turns into the Atchafalaya River. We hunt with Dale Bordelon, a little bit in a Boyles Parish who is just a Cajun treasure Bayou Beast duck calls he cars P-Rogs. He does a lot of things and everything that he does or most things he does is really in the old ways of waterfowl hunting and Louisiana culture. Then we just follow that river, that Red River, down to the Atchafalaya River and get into the Atchafalaya Basin where we spend time on Lake Martin around Bro Bridge in Louisiana and doing some stuff with Wood Dog Boxes and more music.

Speaker 1: 11:24

And as you know, as you know by now, the show. Really I really love music in the show. My editor really loves music in the show. It's something that we intentionally make sure is music side of the show even more to life than ever before. And uh, it's going to be good for all those folks that really like, for all those everybody knows. Like louisiana it's largely known for its food, it's known for its music. Like, if you, if you population tested a lot of folks around the country, they would say food and music right. And for the outdoorsman, we know the outdoors kind of culture is really great and so on. But if you really like food and music and then can tolerate good hunting. These next two episodes are really going to sit well with you, I think.

Speaker 2: 12:22

Well, you know I was going to mention, as far as the music, I've been thoroughly impressed. The first four episodes, uh, I mean just in in in even, you know, season one and two. There's so much culture of, of rich hunting, uh, cooking, culture, music, and it all fuses together. And you know, even in like episode right, uh two, you bring in Jim Caesar, who's a friend of yours, who, uh is, is an amazing talented musician and artist. And I was kind of curious too, like how did you guys first link up Um, and then we'll kind of jump into some of the other guests you have as well, cause there's a lot of highlights of some really amazing people in there too, and I was kind of curious how you chose those and how you maybe crossed the paths with them.

Speaker 1: 13:05

Yeah, it's. I didn't choose that. That was call it fake, Call it. God chose those people, including Jesse.

Speaker 1: 13:07

In episode three I found Jim. I heard one of his songs. It might have been on Spotify, it might have been on Instagram and I'm like to be frank with you, there's a lot of-hop in the in the waterfowl world right now that I'm like, ah, that's kind of cheesy but cool. I'm glad you're doing something you love. That's my personal opinion. But with him it struck different for me it felt like real. Maybe it's from he's from Louisiana, and so he was rapping and singing about things that I knew in my life, I grew up with. I grew up listening to rap music in my life. I used to blackmail my sister into going buy me parental advisory CDs in college because she smoked cigarettes and I would tell my mom that she smoked cigarettes if she didn't buy me this Lil Wayne album, this Juvenile album, this Big Timer's album or so on. So I have that connection with that, even though I may not look like that. So when I heard his music, that kind of felt fresh to me and real. Then I realized the kid's 24 years old. He is wise and mature amongst his years. I mean, I figured he was 30, you know, but 24. And then you start getting to know him and his story and his walk, with his faith and his years. I mean, I figured he was 30, you know, but 24. And then you start getting to know him and his story and his and his walk, with his faith and his life. I was just inspired by him and, and so I felt that God put him in my path, in my life for a reason Um, I wanted to highlight hip hop's place in in Louisiana, music culture and in a in a way that was resonated with me, and so he just was an obvious choice to have that conversation with, and he was a great person to have at camp.

Speaker 1: 14:56

And so, uh, that was, that was Jim. And then, uh, that was actually episode one. Um, episode two, oh, who was, uh, episode two? Might not have had a guess, why am I? Oh, brad eldridge, right? So, brad eldridge, another guy, um, that I mean I just feel like I just ran into out of nowhere. Um, we ended up having a lot of, um, a lot of things in common, and he's become a good friend of mine. So, and you know, it became obvious when we're talking about the Northeast section of the state and Tinsaw, parish and and where he was from, again, never hunted there, never been up that way. I maybe crossed through there when passing on I-20, you know East or West, but that was it. And, uh, so we have him as the expert to really speak on that area was important.

Speaker 1: 15:48

And then for the first time, we bring outsiders into our duck camp in Terrebonne, parish and that's Jesse Griffiths, who, of course, I see his books, three of his books behind you there. And then Dirk Sorrell's from Boss Shot Shells and I got to tell you, you know that was Dirk Sorrells from Boss Shot Shells, and I got to tell you you know that was. That was awesome to see too, because on the first two episodes we had been going places and trying to see those cultures, those camps, those foods, those people through the eyes of those people. And then in episode three we got to see they got to Dirk and Jesse got to see our camp, to see they got this, dirk and Jesse got to see our camp, you know, through our own eyes, right, and so to kind of have that, have that moment with them, of course Jesse shared a killer duck lasagna recipe.

Speaker 1: 16:35

Boss shot shells has been an incredible, incredible supporter of not just me but duck camp dinners, and you can't find a better. I mean, I've never, I've never talked to a company that was um, had such a positive and organically like good ethos to them than boss shot sales. And so not only they create a great product, obviously, uh, but they're just like seriously, they're just great humans. Again, dirk andirk and I crossed paths out of being at the same fishing camp two years ago in Venice, louisiana, and that's how we got our conversation started. I had no intention of ever. I didn't know how to get in touch with boss shot shells, and I didn't know who Dirk was until that time. So, again, like these people come into our lives, they make their marks and you got to decide what to do with those. That those relationships and it just feels like those relationships weren't by chance, they were for a reason and um, so that's that's where they come in as as guests.

Speaker 2: 17:41

Well, and and I I can definitely, uh, echo the sentiment of Boss Shot Shells being amazing. After we had our original podcast, where you came on, I reached out to them to grab their logo and some stuff. I was going to put in some things. The sponsors you worked with Slap your Mama, and so when I talked to Boss Shot Shells, they ended up sending me some ammo to try out, and I use that all exclusively in this last year, dove and quail hunting and Turkey hunting. Everyone who fired on on Turkey all I mean any, any shot was perfect unless we messed it up. But amazing, amazing ammo.

Speaker 2: 18:15

I can't say you know enough about them. I've got some more left for for these next few weeks of getting some dove in there too, and I'm going to be placing an order for some more. They are amazing. I definitely suggest people check them out. And you know, as far as like teaming up with some folks too, you know this is one that you know we talked about this in the first podcast too. But Louisiana Board of Tourism is it that you ended up teaming up with and you know, was kind of a key sponsor here too. Who are some other folks that you're working with in this, you know, in season three here.

Speaker 1: 18:44

Yeah, so yeah, the Office of Tourism and Explore Louisiana has been a great partner. They really came in and took the weight of that budget and supported it, and for good reason. Like I want more people, I want the people that watch this show to say, hey, we got to go down to Louisiana and get in on this. Or we got to, yeah, new Orleans great, but let's get out of New Orleans as well and see some of the other places as well. And that's a true wish of mine for people that watch Duck Camp Dinners, and so, having that communication with the Office of Tourism, I think we're just very much aligned on that message to everybody that watched the show. As far as other sponsors Boss, great, we mentioned them Again. They came in and just was like you know what do you need and let's make it happen. And we continue to have a great relationship Slap, your Mama and Jack Walker, which I see back there as well.

Speaker 1: 19:47

Again, like you know, it's so important to represent Louisiana in ways that are organic and so on and so forth Not organic but like authentic, I should say. Slap is a brand that's been in Louisiana households, including my own, for a decade now, and so having them a part of the show when they didn't need to be, because they were going to be in it anyway. Right, like they didn't need to be a brand partner and sponsor it for a monetary value. They had their place, but they believed in the show in a way that meant more to them than just like product integration and so, and then lastly, conoco Phillips and DU. You know that ConocoPhillips brand, so widely known for their oil and gas footprint in Louisiana and Texas, but what they do for the coastal marshes in Louisiana and coastal conservation in coordination with Ducks Unlimited, is incredible, and that's one of the things you're going to see in episode six. You know we talk a lot about this in conservation. It's not a bridge being built. You can't see it go up for years, then cross it and be like that's where my tax dollars are going. That's why that's making my life a lot easier.

Speaker 1: 20:58

Get me from point A to point B. Coastal conservation and marsh development is something that is only seen if you're out in the water. You're an oysterman, you're a shrimper, you're fishing red fishing coastal marsh, the public, your tax dollars it's kind of out of sight, out of mind, and it was important to me to shine a light on all those, because you get a lot of state and federal grants and these huge projects and those, everything is needed right. There's not one band-aid to this problem. It takes big and small, and I'm not saying conical fields and d's products are small, but to some of the federal grant money, federal projects, they kind of are and but they're, they're, they're targeting these little, um, really like micro sections in the marsh that are having direct impacts on people's lives. So like people's camps, fishing camps, hunting camps, people's.

Speaker 1: 21:55

When you live on the coastal edges of Louisiana, like Thibodeau, like Lafourche, south Southern Lafourche, parish, southern Terrebonne, parish, southern Plaquemines, parish, st Mary's Parish, parish, southern Plaquemines, parish, st Mary's, parish, the list goes on and on. They have these little projects in and out of all those little marshes that are building land, sections and sections at a time and eventually going to connect and so on and so forth, and so, again, like you, just can't say enough about them because you know obviously they support the show but they believe that Duck Camp Dinners had a message to better get out into the world and help tell their message, which I love to do. I think we love these places, we love our little floating camp, just like folks in Venice love their camps and Grand Isle and so on. But it takes not even a village, a multifaceted city, to make sure those places exist for generations, and that means marsh development and land restoration and marsh restoration and those things are rarely seen by the public from the outside. It takes shows like mine and dedicated media to say here's where your tax dollars are going, and this is why it's important to continue doing things like that.

Speaker 1: 23:09

Because I'm 40 years old, I grew up doing these things and I'm highlighting Duck Camp Dinners.

Speaker 1: 23:14

It's important to me that my son has the same opportunities. That does not happen without thousands and millions of people in Louisiana to play in their park ConocoPhillips, and DU is one of those folks. So you know again, you can hear that. You can hear that how important conservation is to me, not just, not just waterfowl that's important waterfowl but wetlands conservation, marsh, coastal restoration, conservation. I often say in Louisiana it's one of the few places that I really see wildlife and humans living in that same habitat, in that same ecosystem. We share it in a lot of ways. There's not a lot of places that when I grew up I could get out of bed, get in the truck with my dad and be in a swamp in five minutes if I wanted to, 20 minutes to go duck hunting and you're just, it's like right there, like I love texas, but how, how long does it take you to get anywhere in texas, right, right a long time yeah, it's just as great as that state is.

Speaker 1: 24:24

It doesn't always have like the accessibleness that Louisiana has to the outdoors, and a lot of reason for that is because right there, where humans live, the wildlife butt up and they kind of cross as well and you're kind of you're hunting in a lot of your places that you 10 minutes from where you play t-ball, you know, and so it's just one of those places, man, it's worth fighting for and it's worth finding those partners that are going to help you message that fight as well it's super important, man the education, awareness and bringing it to everybody and letting them know what they can do and how they can join and be a part.

Speaker 2: 25:01

Because we all collectively do something, we're all collectively leaving something better for our future generations. You know, our kids, grandkids, seven generations down the line, and I think that's a key thing and a key component. And, you know, obviously you have the entertainment factor as well. So it's like it's it, everything is all. The boxes are checked Again. It's just an amazing show. Every year you guys have been building it bigger and better and I can't wait to see what's on the future horizon.

Speaker 2: 25:32

You know, when you were talking about conservation and marsh areas, you know it made me think about how last I think it was August I was driving back from New England and came through Louisiana.

Speaker 2: 25:36

We were coming back through Florida, you know, and our last little stretch, and I remember they'd said, oh, there's some wildfires that are hitting pretty hard and then had died down, and so we decided to, you know, continue on i-10.

Speaker 2: 25:50

Right when we came through, as soon as we hit the louisiana border you know we start seeing these messages and stuff and it had jumped across i-10. Uh, luckily I was in my truck, I ended up, you know, flipping a u-turn in the middle of the median there which, uh, you know, was probably, you know, a little questionable in in and of itself, uh, but we ended up, you know, doubling back and kind of going the long way around because they shut down, uh, that fire across the 10, but I know that it left a ton of devastation along that way. And I was just kind of curious if you had any updates and, and you know, friends and boots on the ground to talk about, maybe how that restoration or there's some projects then and things that are going on to kind of help those areas that were kind of hit hard during that fire.

Speaker 1: 26:33

Yeah, I mean it's pretty well. The drought did a lot of things to Louisiana. The wildfires were one of them and, as I said in that episode one, we almost couldn't shoot an episode because of those fires. Actually, camp caught on fire that we were going to and the adjacent property you know the thing about thinking about those droughts and all those areas where there's fires a lot of ag, so it was a lot of clear cut, clear cut grass that was just dried out and so once that cottage is spread throughout these different agricultural components, and unless you got up into like sugarcane fields where it was green, it wouldn't stop it and so a lot of people's, you know, especially in West Louisiana where there's still a lot of ranching I mean, you know nothing like Texas or Florida even, but still a fair amount of ranching, like those people's.

Speaker 1: 27:29

You know, and I didn't know anything about this actually and I had to, I had to be educated on this as well but people stockpile of hay that they use throughout the season. You know, I guess they they cut during the spring and summer and then they bundle and then they keep that hay to feed cattle and other and other horses and another livestock throughout the season, all of that had burned up with those, with those things. And so now they're, you know, they're trying to figure out how they're going to feed livestock throughout the fall and winter months without that, without that kind of regenerative, I guess, food that they've constantly done. So you know, unfortunately I don't, I don't have any big updates aside for, like you know, I mean, I think in some ways louisiana's felt that, oh, this was just another thing, like katrina and rita were and da is that it was going to, it was going to catch 24, 48 hours of news cycle and then people were going to move past it and from a national point of view, maybe a little you know, a little sour about it not getting the type of, you know, coverage that it should have. And you know, I don't, I'm not sure, sure, I'm not sure if those folks got state assistance or federal assistance. I can't recall if the governor mandated a state emergency on that, but there was.

Speaker 1: 28:55

The thing is is like it was so many different pockets, from north louisiana, west louisiana, to the east, to north of the north of the lake. There was things in mandeville, not mandeville, but um, you know right where, right, where north of new orleans where it kind of butts up into mississippi the top of that foot, if you will. Um, so there was, just when you look at the things, and then there was the whole. Then there was all the crawfish industry being drought, being drained, and that, that being a big old thing, I mean, like the drought just touched a lot of different industry. In fact I would say the the wildfires probably caused the least amount of damage in the sense of a sense of all the other industry that it touched, uh, crawfish being a big one, um, but of course they.

Speaker 1: 29:42

And now this season, it's like nothing happened. It's gotten the most rain. It's like nothing happened, it's gotten the most rain, it's got. It's like all flooding again. Right, so it's just Wild, I guess you know. But that's Mother Nature, right, like that's. You know, we, we're always so shocked and surprised by some of the new things, but I often ask myself should we be? I mean, it's Mother Nature, like, of course she's going to give us something that was unexpected and is like, where did the hell this come from? Like generational drought that nobody ever has history of. Sure, let's just like fold that into some random year and here we are, we're back this year with a ton of water and water levels back to Louisiana's. You know gross amount you know gross amount.

Speaker 2: 30:30

So well. You know, as I was kind of thinking about, when you're talking about how you know heavy uh rainfall and how things are going, there's, like some I think it was like you said, maybe two years ago there was an area I think you talked about it in season three where there's like whistling ducks, so there's very few, and then, like last year, there was a little bit more, and then this year, I mean that footage it's y'all are inundated. And you know, I was kind of curious if that is as far as like different species and things that you're seeing in different places. Uh, you know, I see that on my ranch there's every few years there's like an introduction of a new animal. I'm like, oh okay, we have badgers now. Never seen them the 42 years before, but the last three years we've seen them, and then there's just different things and conditions which will bring back certain types of animals, maybe jackrabbits or whatever.

Speaker 2: 31:11

And I'm just speaking into Texas. But I was kind of, you know, I was a little surprised that, uh, when you guys talked about that you know inundation, how many of them you guys saw there. And uh, you know also around that time too, how many uh banded ducks. You guys got in that you know little episode.

Speaker 1: 31:26

I think there was five, right five, five, three that were documented and then five from other, the, from like the other hunters that were didn't have a camera crew with them. Um, yeah, look, I mean waterfowl is funny that way. I mean there was a time where specklebelly geese didn't migrate to Louisiana and Louisiana got lessers and graders and greater Canada geese and more snow geese and so on, and then that migration switched and now we get a fair amount of specklebelly geese. You hear that throughout generations of waterfowl hunters, especially I mean all around Louisiana, you used to have a much broader kind of spectrum of waterfowl hunters, especially, I mean all around louisiana about, you know, used to have a much broader kind of spectrum of waterfowl in in louisiana. And now you know the, the mallards and the widgeons and the pintails, they've all kind of seeing much less numbers and now we're getting more ring. Speaking to terrible paris where we hunt a lot more ringnecks, blueing teal and then most recently, black belly, whistling ducks and, uh, you know, there, there is, um, there is, there's always. You're always in your like the that everybody has their story of back in the day, like things were so much better. And you know, um, our, our children will say that about us, right Like my my dad used to go hunt and they kill five bands of a hunt, you know, and that of course that's only happened once, right Like. But you know, I think it's just again with Mother Nature, it's just again with migrating species, and I can't speak to like the badger thing, but, to your point, like Mother Nature will do what she kind of wants. Now of course we have our way that we can maybe influence that to a certain extent, right Like. I'm not going to get into political stuff about that, but certainly those things change.

Speaker 1: 33:32

I think one of the things that we kind of look at that I've really been looking at in more specifically is waterfowl hunting over rice fields in Louisiana, and so, like, I love rice farmers, I love sugar farmers, I love crawfish farmers. There's no, what I'm about to say has, no, doesn't relate to how I feel about them or anything like that. It's just the facts of it all is that you know rice doesn't get good money anymore, crawfish gets great money. So you convert your rice farms to crawfish farms, making sure that's your primary farm, if you will, and then you farm some rice and that'll do whatever. That's just supplemental income for a lot of farmers these days that have owned rice fields for generations. Well, ducks hate crawfish ponds. They're clear, you know, like they're just they're not good. They're just not good duck habitats.

Speaker 1: 34:37

And so there's this rub right Of like, okay, well, I'm reducing habitat for waterfowl, for wildlife, for farm. Okay, put that aside. Now you get rice harvest that are not only the most efficient they've ever been. Now this is across Louisiana and Arkansas. You have the same concerns in Arkansas, where there's big rice farms, big specklebelly and waterfowl farms, habitats, and so not only is the, the, the, the harvesting of that rice, more efficient, so it's leaving less rice on the ground, but we're genetically modifying rice now to be more resistant to pesticides or pests and weather, and what they've done, the science on that now is like, is waterfowl ducks can tell the difference. They, they know what rice to eat and whatnot. And so it's this new the, a lot of these new hybrid forms of rice that are much better for the farmers are.

Speaker 1: 35:41

Again, it's another layer of of, of reducing habitat for wildlife and waterfowl specifically. And so, again, like they got to make their living, they're going to do what they got to do, no qualms about that, but there is a there's some. There's some cause and effect here that we're really not talking about in terms of wildlife management and waterfowl specifically, and so those are things that who knows what's happening in other places Like I'm just speaking really quickly to South Louisiana and that obviously has an effect. Right, the thing is less food, less water. That's what waterfowl needs Food, water. If you got food and water, you're likely going to find birds on your property. If the water that they want to be in starts to disappear and the food that they want to be in starts to disappear and the food that they want to eat starts to disappear, well, what do you think is going to happen? Right, that's just wild life. Right, they're going to find food and water and the right food and water they need for survival.

Speaker 1: 36:40

So, anyways, what do you do?

Speaker 1: 36:46

I mean you try to make. What do you do? Well, you go out there, you hunt, you make the best of of the day that you have. You live in the moment. You, you enjoy the people, you around you. You don't count on the hunt.

Speaker 1: 36:58

Right, and that's a big part of Duck Ham Dinners is, like I say, there's a lot of young hunters and they ask me, like you know, how do you get into this business?

Speaker 1: 37:07

How do you get into, how do you duck hunt the way you do? And really the answer is, is that you don't depend on the hunting, you don't depend on the ducks being there. You depend on the people you're around to support this, this habit, this, this lifestyle of yours, because those are the people. That's the reason you're going to come back every year to the duck camp or the deer camp or the pheasant camp or the salmon camp is that it's the people you're with. You know, because you're down, you will have those down years you will have when the migration sucks, just doesn't get cold, or hurricanes blow in saltwater and kill all natural vegetation. Those are all real life things. So stick with people that you want to be in the blind with, whether you're shooting birds or not, and you'll likely have a long, a long kind of lifestyle or longevity or career, even maybe, and whatever your pursuit is.

Speaker 2: 37:58

So Sure, no, well said man, well said. You know, while we're kind of talking about the topic of waterfowl here, and especially, um, this last, you know, summer was a very special one. The delta waterfowl was kind of in your home state and I know you're a part of that. Well, talk to me a little bit about, you know, your association with them and and, uh, what you did this, uh, summer, during their big expo and convention yeah.

Speaker 1: 38:22

So delta waterfowl um, you know the two big wetlands and waterfowl conservations ducks unlimited and delta waterfowl um, I do not, I support both. I'm a member of both, I do both. I think both are necessary. They both tackle different buckets, um, but really I've grown to really know delta waterfowl in my later years as as a hunter, because ducks, andoners had such a big presence in Louisiana. But these ways I'm really seeing all the efforts that are going into what Delta Waterfowl has been up to. So, yes, in Baton Rouge, this in July was their national convention. It'll be in Oklahoma City next year and you know this was our opportunity to really connect with a lot of folks. Obviously we have a strong following in louisiana, people who watch the show, and so it was our opportunity to get in there, boots on the ground and connect with folks that watch show. And literally, man what we did. I had I had nine duck calls to sell that were made by brad eld Parrish Waterfowl and that essentially paid for my grocery bill. That was my goal. I was like, if I can sell all these duck calls, you know I can make a thousand bucks to pay for this grocery bill. So that's what happened Paid for my thousand dollar grocery bill, didn't pay for my thousand dollar bourgeois meat market bill, but that's fine, I was fine with that. And our goal was just we really wanted to create this, this space, this camp within this space, and that's what we did. We designed it. We had, we bought pallets in and built a wall of pallets and we hung all of our you know old artwork and mounts and stuff like that. We had couches and places and we just fed people. Man, we didn't, we didn't charge anybody for it. We really wanted to. We wanted this space at the convention to be a place you come, hang out, grab a cold drink, get a bite to eat, chat and then move on, maybe, maybe and maybe circle back and dude, we I mean it was. It was awesome to see I didn't pick my head up all Saturday. So I don't actually know how busy it was, although I heard it was the biggest attendance of Delta Waterfowl's convention history. So that's great, obviously. But man, we were. It was again it's.

Speaker 1: 40:40

I get hundreds of messages weekly, whether that's Instagram or YouTube through my website, all 99.9% extremely positive. But nothing beats getting to shake somebody's hand telling them thank you, telling them, thank you for supporting the show, for watching the show, for sharing the show. At the end of the day, when you're so grassroots and you don't have big money behind you to create these seasons, you go out and grind and try to find these partnerships. It's those folks that are watching the show, commenting, engaging with and sharing with it. That gives us the resources and tools to go out and talk to these brands about. Here's who you're reaching. These are real people that are going to resonate with your brand because you know we're putting it, we're integrating this product very authentically, because this is what we do Like. This is the brands that already exist.

Speaker 1: 41:35

I actually was talking to my friend, jay Schexnider the other day and I was like we're right now fundraising for season four and I looked at him.

Speaker 1: 41:43

I didn't look at him, I called him and I said man, when you look in your duct, when you look in your man cave, in your shed, where the decoys are hanging and your mud boat is and your work tools are, and you think about the camp and you do a 180 with your eyes, like what are those things that you see?

Speaker 1: 41:57

Like coffee, spices, cast iron, different cooking thing, decoys, rigging equipment, chainsaws, like like those are the folks that we want to engage with, because those are the things that we use, naturally all the time.

Speaker 1: 42:11

Um, nothing that we're going to use in the show doesn't belong there. So, um, you know and that, but that kind of that's a narrow space, you know, like if that's, if that's going to be the, the lens you look at partnerships through, um, but I think it's the right space because it's not a it's it's finding people like boss is just a great example of this slapping miles. A great example, it's just like believe in the show so much that they invest in it because they want to see it continue. That's, that's a powerful thing. It's not because they know it's going to trickle down and flow through $5,000 of sales, $100,000 of sales, I don't know. It's because they want to see the show continue and that's their investment, because this show, which I was completely unprepared for five years ago, means that much to individuals and brands alike that it continues and so we have people that want to invest in it for that reason.

Speaker 2: 43:15

Man, well, I think it goes hand in hand too, and you talk about that. You know you mentioned two words earlier organic and authenticity, and I think that those both lead to itself. They're not this force thing where it's like, you know, round peg, square hole kind of thing. These are, these are products, these are companies that you're already supporting, you've already done work with, and they want to definitely be a part of this, and you know you're always. Every season is growing, more, it seems, and more of those right people are coming together. Uh, whether that's a divine thing, whether it's just like a mindset thing, hey, I want to be a part of this and it's apparent, man, and I'm really excited to see where this grows.

Speaker 2: 43:55

Do you have some ideas about what you're envisioning now about Season 4? What you'd like to do, some of the things you might like to focus on and build from what you've done? Some of the things you might like to focus on and build from what you've done? Is there some areas that you really want to focus on and shine some light on that maybe haven't before within Louisiana? Like, just talk to me about is how are you kind of viewing that? I know you're kind of still in the middle of, you know, putting out stuff for season three. But you know, as far as looking forward and you know you know duck season upon us soon what does that look like for you and how are you envisioning that moving forward?

Speaker 1: 44:27

Yeah, yeah, look, george. Um, I started working on season four on uh, january 23rd. My last day of hunting was January 20th, my son's birthday. Actually, my last day of hunting was 19th, my son's birthday is the 20th, and then I sell. We celebrated for a couple of days and I went right back to work before the end of January.

Speaker 1: 44:49

This show takes a full year at least to make. This is not like a lot of other shows, so it takes an intentional grind to do that. We got to fund season four Like that. That's what I've been. I've been planting seeds around that for months. Now we're finally in conversations where we'll get a sense of where season four, what we can do for season four. Maybe it's six episodes, maybe it's one documentary, maybe it's three, I don't know yet. Again, this is why all those people watching and listening right now to share this show means so much because of these conversations that we're having literally after this podcast and tomorrow and then following week and the following week after that season four I think will be our first trips outside of Louisiana After three seasons.

Speaker 1: 45:57

What I hear almost constantly is we have some of the same things happening where we hunt or live here, there. For me the Chesapeake Bay is one of those spots Like birthplace of American waterfowl hunting, birthplace of America, some of the oldest decoy carvers most rich in decoy carvers, um, some of the oldest decoy carvers, most rich decoy carvers. There's the waterfowl history in general, not to mention the american history is just so rich between virginia, maryland and delaware, um. So I see that as a potential now, like louisiana will always have a spot in duck camp dinners. In fact, I don't think we can make a season without going to the floating camp at least once, probably twice. And the way I envision it is probably, you know, start at the floating camp at least once, probably twice.

Speaker 1: 46:42

And the way I envision it is probably, you know, start at the floating camp and then say, all right, now we're going to take the crew outside and experience this other world with other experts in their places, similar to what we did within the state in places that we never hunted Shreveport, tensall, parish we never hunted there, but we used those folks there to really let us see their camp, their culture, their people through their eyes. Now we want to do that in other places. So that's not in stone, but that's my idea and if I want to see this, if I want to see Duck Camp Dinners grow, to see, you know, going around the country and experiencing and using the ethos and what we learned about Duck Camp Dinners Louisiana to incorporate into other territories, regions, states, I think Texas would be an incredible Duck Camp Dinners. Instead of having a region, you'd have a state and everything from sandhill cranes in the panhandle to shooting the Rockport 3, what do they call it? The Gropport? It's like the Redheads Pintail anyways, they like everything in between. In that state they you can hunt green timber in the east and so, plus, you have all the other pursuits, the secondary and third pursuits that we try to incorporate into the show, which Texas is obviously incredibly rich on. So you know, that's another target of mine is I'd love to produce a Duck Camp Dinners Texas, you know, and have one or two in Louisiana. Then make that drive to Texas and start in the east and kind of maybe make a circle, then end up back in Louisiana. I think it'd make a great series. Obviously has an incredible food history, has an incredible history in the outdoors, has incredible people that want to share their places, and they're. You know, texans are notoriously proud, right, but not proud in a bad way, but proud of where they're from, their cultural history, the way their grandpappy and relatives lived for all their lives. So I think they're just such good stories all around the country. I love Louisiana. We could go.

Speaker 1: 48:48

I was talking to Ramsey Russell about this the other day and he asked me where did the story stop? And I said, well, a lot like the Louisiana mud, it's never ending. We can go all the way down to China with these stories of mud. It's never ending. We can go all the way down to China with these stories. So and there's, you know, and God willing we'll, we'll be on 15 seasons of Duck Camp Dinners and better, go deeper and deeper and deeper into that mud.

Speaker 1: 49:10

But you know, right now it's all about, you know, clapping hooray, hooray for season season three. I'm proud of it, I love it. I'm so glad people enjoying it. But my eyes have already been on to the future and have been for months, and the next two months will tell us a lot about if we can do a season four or not. Again, we're at the the mercy of fundraising in a lot of ways. Maybe one day we can kind of I'm trying to figure out, to be honest with you to make it a business, to make this show a business enough to where I can invest what is made off of it into next season and actually have to rely less on, you know, brand partnerships. As much as I love them, they're just really hard to come by when you're making a show that's this expensive. So, um, anyways, it takes us, it takes the right people to do it, so, uh, but that's where we stand with season four.

Speaker 2: 50:06

Well, and it's great because every year it seems to be building and I know that the right piece is going to come together. It feels like that divinity. It's going to put the right folks in front of you at the right times and I have full faith and and focus on you know seeing this grow and watching you know you continue to have success with it, with all your friends and all the different companies and people you work with organizations, conservation, everything you know. I wanted to take a quick little turn too. I know that you've had also some experiences that you've offered as far as like hunting and cooking, where people can come along and be a part of some of these trips. You know some places you've taken. You know trips you know elsewhere, but then there's some in Louisiana and things too, and I know that there's a couple where there's some spots still left open, if you can kind of talk about that and what it is that you're doing with some of these. You know experiences that you know and how people can join and learn more about that.

Speaker 1: 51:04

Is that something they can follow through your website or is that something they're tracking through, maybe your socials and maybe just talk a little bit about those experiences and opportunities? Yeah, so really, this was an experiment this year and we talked to my buddy, jay Shex, and I and Ryan Blakely both are co-owners of the camp. They really own that floating camp. We're just lucky enough to be friends. We try to contribute in every way I can. This is this is actually my way of contribution and and obviously they're contributing their space to these folks that are paying for these spots. And we opened up these four spots in November as a experiment to see. Like I don't know what people are going to say about this. They may want to be a part of this, they may not. They may laugh in our face when we tell them how much it is, but we believe it's, we believe it's worth it, but because we know the value that we get out of it Right, so we're hoping people sharing that and so far the response has been like overwhelming, like I should hire an assistant for it, but no, you can reach me on my Instagram.

Speaker 1: 52:02

There's two spots left. In December we opened up two more spots two spots left in December and two spots left in January, november sold out and it is a all inclusive, all immersive Duck Camp, dinners, experience at the Floating Camp in Terrebonne Parish. So you're going to live like we live for those two nights, just like we go on the weekends, and that's sharing a bathroom in bunk beds, cooking together, cleaning together, like there's nothing off the off the table in terms of that. And that's speaking of authenticity. Authenticity, which is a word like I I they become so buzzwordy that I almost hate using often, often authentic and organic. But speaking of this authenticity, people are really looking for that more and more. There's. There's certainly something to the great lodges in north america duck lodges and white tail and elk and whatever, but there's also something like getting back to how you grew up hunting, which is still how we hunt as 40 year olds, and I think that's what's really attracting people to this. It is like you are in it with us. You can't hide You're going to be the butt of the jokes, just like I'm the butt of the jokes many times in these episodes. That is not scripted. That's just how we function.

Speaker 1: 53:22

If you want to be a part of that, hit me up on Instagram and most of that money is going. So right now we have the DeCamp dry dock so we can do repairs, like get it out of the water and do month long repairs and update and so on. So all that obviously takes a whole lot of money to get it towed into the marina, get it put onto a place where you can drive that lifted, worked on it. So a lot of the money that we make on that is going to go right back into the camp and making sure we have that for another generation of hunters that are growing up at our knees right now. And so you know, and have a place that we can still film duck camp dinners at, bearing that there's no hurricane gonna blow it into the marsh. So, um, you know it's a.

Speaker 1: 54:09

We're including the hunts, the lodging, obviously, all the food cooked by me and the crew, all your drinks, alcohol, salt drinks, snacks. We even have shells, we have guns you can use. I tell people the only thing you need to do is show up at the marina, have some camo in your bag and have a Louisiana, have a duck license and a waterfowl stamp, federal duck stamp, and if you do that, you're good to go because we got everything else covered and plus I have some of my favorite Louisiana brands pitching in really great gifts to throw in there that those folks can walk away with from and have something that you can remember the time by. But, honestly, like you know somebody, somebody, somebody the other day and I told him the price, he said, man, that's like an Argentina hunt. And I said, oh, that if you're looking at that way, they might be right. I said I've been on two of those Argentina hunts and they are awesome.

Speaker 1: 55:03

I would pick this camp any day of the week to go to Um and like that's the thing, it's like it. It may not look like that to many, but that's how we value it. So um, and I think, I think there's a reason to that. But um, and I think there's a reason to that, but it's a good opportunity because there are friends of ours that don't get invited to this camp Because the people that go pitch in, the people that go, contribute to the camp. It's not a popularity contest, it's oh, you came to help pressure wash the roof for two weekends in a row. In july you're gonna come to opening day, like you want to come to opening day and you got. We got about nine spots that we can, we can put in that couldn't. That came in. So like it's to better invite people from the outside. And it's actually quite I mean hate to say it this way, but exclusive right. We don't? Our best friends that we've been growing up with all our lives sometimes don't get invites to this camp.

Speaker 1: 56:05

Sure, oh uh, it's a, it's, it'll be fun, it'll be, and you know, because of the popularity of it already and we'll see how it goes. But I can totally envision something similar happen in Venice, louisiana, in the spring and summer for fishing, or out of Grand Isle, or even, you know, in September, where alligator and teal are in season, and we can go to the Henderson Swamp at Cypress Cove and have a camp there and experience that whole West Louisiana thing. And experience that whole West Louisiana thing. And then obviously my mind starts going well, this is a way that people can experience real Louisiana, not just what you've seen on shows or movies or whatever. You are going to get smacked in the face with authentic Louisiana, more than you could ever even imagine. And that's the truth, man like. There is no doubt about it. There's not an experience in louisiana that's going to match what we're going to do there at the duck can jenner's experience in november, december and january?

Speaker 2: 57:11

well, that's great. Well, I'll have a link for everybody to learn more about that. I highly suggest you guys check that out. I can't really imagine a more fun and enriching time. Man. Good food, good culture, good people. You know the occasional shenanigans. You might even get an interview with Fluff Dog and Jay's new camera. I got to bring that up. Was he begging for this? It was for years and then you finally threw a camera. I mean this thing.

Speaker 1: 57:39

That is amazing, by the way I credit daniel bagby, the director and camera one, really my partner in this um. He's really been able to take duck camp dinners and take all of that like raw stuff and put it into a beautiful, digestible, entertaining form. Huge credit to him. He's. He's a genius when it comes to the post-production oh, you know production and post um. That was his idea. So jay's infamous for, like, picking up cameras that are just laying around and pressing buttons and sometimes they record and sometimes they don't, and anyways, and it's like always when he's got a little more liquid courage in him than other times, right, and so like that hazard going on.

Speaker 1: 58:27

And so Daniel didn't even tell me this when we started filming, he just brought it. He was like I got this little thing, you know with this big, fluffy microphone, and Jay just took it and ran with it, man, all season. He kind of carried that thing around making sure the batteries are charged and you know, you're like asking Daniel for more SD cards because he's filling them up and like, so it was fun, man, it's uh, I don't know where I mean. Obviously I know how he got the name fluff dog because of the microphone. But like, where does this shit come from with him? I don't know he's full of things like that, but that's what makes him like to like anybody who knows Jay that we grew up with or back in Homo, know that that's just him, that is literally him, him on camera. And it's just funny to see that if, like, some people just have a knack to being entertaining, doesn't matter if you're filming it or not. Like we just happen to be like, all right, let's put a camera on you. And and he didn't ever shied away from that.

Speaker 1: 59:33

Actually, you know it's funny, he's, he's starting to do a little more cooking in the show and that's, and he's a great cook, but cooking on camera and talking about like steps and food and so on, like that's really my thing, um, but all those guys are such great cooks. I'm like jay, like cook something, and so you'll actually I don't know if I don't know if his rabbits and turnips are gonna make it probably make the close out on episode six, but he cooks this great um marsh rabbit and turnip dish and in episode six and I was like that's it, you know, like, and he's getting, he's getting more comfortable talking about. He's really good at the whole unscripted, just like B&J, but he's getting better at those moments where he actually has to like talk about cooking. If somebody is watching, wants to know, you know. So credit to him he's. He's really warming up around the camera in front of and in back of, so to speak.

Speaker 2: 1:00:33

Well, I was. I've been thoroughly entertained and it's funny you talk about that too. Some people they're the same on camera and off. Some people, as soon as that camera clicks on or they step on the stage, they grab the microphone. They are no longer the person they were five minutes ago and they can't do that. They don't know how to kind of transition.

Speaker 2: 1:00:52

When you're authentically yourself and you're just like whatever, it is fun, spastic, whatever man it's in, like you can be the same on and off. It's like I like that. When you really can kind of get a feel for someone, you're like, yeah, that there's like there's no guff there, they're not, they're not trying to be someone, they're not, they're just being who they are. And you're seeing that with a bunch of your friends and the camaraderie around you guys, you're just it's the same kind of idea of like what it's like when it's buck camp or whatever. When I'm over, you know, with my buddies and stuff too, it's we're going to get what we're going to get and it's going to be fun. We're all going to have a good time, we're going to eat some really good food and you get to share that and you get to hopefully learn something along the way and you know the duck camp dinners has been, uh, you know, consistently for the last three years and, I know, going forward on right. It's something that is very educational, entertaining, it's informative and I really love that you bring that conservational aspect to it.

Speaker 2: 1:01:45

Obviously, the cuisine is top-notch and so, you know, I want to see this for many future years. I look forward to it with great anticipation every year. Man, when's that next episode and when it's dropping each week. So you know, for those who have not tuned in, you got four episodes to go check out right now. You got two more coming out and not tuned in, you got four episodes to go check out right now. You got two more coming out and, uh, you know I can't wait to see what, what comes from this and all the success that that this will bring and continue to develop for you.

Speaker 2: 1:02:08

And you know when I was thinking about, like, cuisine aspect too, you know I can't remember if we we touched upon this in the earlier podcast, but you know I know a lot of your friends that are chefs who have eventually gone and done a cookbook. Is there an idea for you to have that? Or maybe, you know, kind of some type of subscription format or something, where maybe you're sharing some of these amazing recipes, something in that form where you know people can then kind of get an inside. You know, look at, you know what you've prepared and how you prepare it, and you know, I'm just kind of curious if there's something on the horizon that you've been thinking about in that kind of realm.

Speaker 1: 1:02:40

Yeah, it's a great question, Definitely on the horizon For those. I know this because I know enough cookbook authors, not like so many authors like you've been in, but a lot of cookbook authors. It's an incredible amount of work to write a book, work to write a book and you know, although I can go on my hard drive right now and probably write 10 books with that many, with as many recipes I have, it's just a different process. You don't just hand over those recipes and say done good, good to go. So you know there's a little bit of guiltiness on my part because I'm like God, I'm just so lazy compared to some of these other people.

Speaker 2: 1:03:23

That's false. That's false. I've never equated you and laziness. Let's just cut that.

Speaker 1: 1:03:28

Well, I tell people, I tell people you know they're like you need to start a YouTube channel, I have it. Whatever you do this and you do that, and like, we all have to decide how to use our time in this life period and for some that's for many, that's going to be different from the person to say in the next year, right. So, like I have my ways, I like to use my time. Certainly, a cookbook is on the horizon, but I would ask you, you and your guests, this question Like should it be a Jean-Paul Bourgeois cookbook or should it be a duck camp dinners cookbook or is it somewhat of a hybrid? My worry about the duck camp dinners cookbook is that I can't fund it. Like for season four, let's say right, or season five or six or whatever, and cookbooks take at, if you are, if you are quick with it, 18 months, right, most of them two, two and a half years to get out into the shell. So, like there's that's really been my hesitation around Doug Kemp Dinner's cookbook we have a photographer at every day that we film for that exact reason to get atmosphere, to get food photos, to get finished photos, just to fold in a cookbook. So I've been planning it for three seasons now but I haven't pulled the trigger. Well, one I haven't found the right partners, publishing partners. I've had two publishing agents, one in Texas, one in New York, say we love you, jean-paul, we love what you do. We can't get somebody to sign on with a Duck Camp Dinners cookbook and I'm like, okay, whatever, like you know, there's a certain part of me is like, well, that's, that's, you're bad. Then You're going to regret that at one point. But you know cause. Anyway, my, my intention is to keep growing my own brand myself Duck Camp Dinners, other things I work in. I have no doubt that it will turn into a multimedia options, whether that's YouTube, written, digital, long format, short format. You know, video on demand we're on Amazon Prime. You can buy Duck Camp Dinner Season 1 and 2 on Amazon Prime. You want the full 4K version at your fingertips. So those things will continue to happen.

Speaker 1: 1:05:37

So you know, I think I would love to write a cookbook. It wasn't until about three years ago where I, as I've had this conversation with with literary agents for a decade now, I believe, in my point of view, to write from. Does that make sense? I didn't want to write a book because I had all the information I wanted to write, a book that I had a real point of view to write from and a real lens to write from. And it wasn't until three years where I felt the confidence I wouldn't even say confidence, but just like that vision of that book and of that process because I was, I'm, I'm one of those people that like I need a, I need a subject matter when I go out and do these, um, do these private dinners and festivals. They're like, choose whatever you want to cook. And I'm like, ah, there's too many choices. Like I want to cook so many things I need you to. To narrow me down.

Speaker 2: 1:06:39

Give me a lane. Yeah, give me a lane.

Speaker 1: 1:06:41

And so in the last three years, I finally started to see what my or at least think what I see my lane developing as or is right now, and before that, 10 years ago, I was just I mean, do I write a book on seafood? Do I write a book on Cajun cooking? Do I write a book on barbecue and grilling? Do I write? There was just so much I didn't know how to condense it down into 75 to a hundred recipes. Right, it was so long, long answer to your question, but I need to add context because, yes, something on the horizon, but with everything that I do, man, it's just so important to me that that it's meaningful to me, right, like I don't ever want to create anything that I don't feel deeply in my heart and my soul that I need to get out. I think that's part of my success is that the things that I create no matter what it is an Instagram post or duck ham dinners largely is like deeply intertwined with who I am and the things I care about. And so what, if it's going to be a book, where I'm going to, like, I need it to be something I am all in on and something that speaks to the visceral depths of me. So, anyways, that's, that's, it's, it's not. It would have been easy, just to be like sure, let's write a book 10 years ago. Uh, wouldn't say easy, but it wouldn't have meant near as much to me as if I would write one now or in the future.

Speaker 2: 1:08:12

Yeah, well, and you know, speaking of cookbooks, I know that you've also been a part of one with last year with the turkey book, where you went and did some hunting with jesse and you got some recipes in there too, um, which are phenomenal.

Speaker 2: 1:08:24

I've been going through these uh, yours is next up, one of my buddies tried yours, I I am super stoked, man I am. This is the time of year, too, where it's like I'm getting ready for, you know, the hunting camp and far as far as getting that together, um, if you'll just go ahead and share maybe some of the ones that you know you had, uh, contributed with that book and, uh, what, what was that experience like, working, uh with Jesse and then, you know, kind of going out and hunting, and then obviously it was kind of cool for you kind of being in his backyard, and then now you just had him and yours. I thought that was kind of a neat thing, just kind of a three 60 to sit back and watch two great guys being able to kind of see each other in, you know different avenues there too.

Speaker 1: 1:09:07

I thought that was kind of fun. Yeah, I say this with all seriousness that Jesse Griffiths, from the first time I read that book, right there on your back, left shoulder of the field, has been a mentor of mine, whether he knew it or not. That book in a lot of ways changed my perception about what a chef could be and maybe should be. So getting to hunt with him, getting to know him over the last few years and obviously hunt with him then contribute to the turkey boat, was a milestone marker in my career. As far as I'm concerned. Maybe some people wouldn't say that I would, though I took it extremely seriously to write those two recipes. So I wanted to share something. I wanted to share two recipes that were culturally appropriate and really spoke to who I am as a chef. Right, the first one turkey boudin. I have made boudin out of every piece of meat that's ever come across my cutting board Not all of them, right, I've never shot a caribou, never had the chance to make caribou boudin, but I know I could, and this turkey was no different. You know I was Budae is. It's such a darling food of Cajun culture right now. You know, in the past, you saw the jambalayas and the gumbos always take center stage when it comes to Cajun food. Now you're seeing that, that, that humble rice sausage called Budae, really capturing the hearts and minds of Cajun enthusiasts, whether you're from Louisiana or not. So that was something I wanted to do and, you know, I wanted to share it in my unique way of how I like to consume it and how you can make it. No matter what your pursuit is. It's truly one of those things that you know if you have a leg or two of turkey, you can make a lot of boudin from that. And it goes on, man, like whether squirrel rabbit I made actually I have a rabbit. No, I almost wrote a rabbit boudin recipe from the meat eater cookbook, the most recent one that came out. I put another recipe instead, but I've really made it with every other, every animal that I can. And that's where a lot of reasons I'm a big believer that I'm a big believer and the effectiveness, the resourcefulness of Cajun food being to take, like you know, these little section of protein here and better expand it into like a meal. Right, boone has a has a good representation of that.

Speaker 1: 1:11:41

And then I started thinking about you know, this is the other side of me, right. The other side is the crawfish boiled turkey necks, right? So that's not uncommon, especially in the African-American culture in Louisiana, to boil turkey necks with your crawfish or your crab or your shrimp, and they're delicious, I love them. I wanted to take that idea, especially in the spring, that's when crawfish season is at its peak, that's when Turkey's at its peak. So those two from that perspective as it grows together, that's when turkey's at its peak. So those two from that perspective as it grows together, it goes together, bringing those in together through a while.

Speaker 1: 1:12:24

But then I incorporated just my love for Szechuan food into that recipe by, you know, using the mala ideas of hot and spicy so spicy being what we all know is spicy, and then the tingle from Szechuan. That's where we get that word mala from, and you, living in Katy, have seen that kind of culture really take hold in that part of Texas big time. That's something I'm well aware of and I just love Szechuan food and so I took that opportunity to do Szechuan crawfish and turkey necks. So I took that opportunity to do, you know, szechuan crawfish and turkey necks, but using that idea of the boiling pot from Louisiana and kind of marrying the two there and that was my two recipes and I thought you know those two spoke to really one of like this really sincere appreciation for the food history and culture Louisiana, but also this progressive ideology I have towards where the food history and culture Louisiana, but also this progressive ideology I have towards where the food culture can go, and in the middle is me right, and so those two dishes are kind of like the good on both shoulders in the middle is just this beautiful face. So you know, that's where those recipes came from and you, you know, chef, we, I had kind of gone through a couple of them with him and then when he, when I told him I was like I had this idea for turkey necks and crawfish, and when I told him he was like that's genius man, I love it and I it was he, he and I have just I didn't. Obviously I didn't know this for a long time because I'd followed him from afar, but it turns out.

Speaker 1: 1:14:02

You know, we have a lot in common in terms of how we cook and the method in which we cook and how we want to bring our food into the world, introduce new people to wild game and to hunting through food. So you know, and I don't, I don't consider like, I don't consider chef. I call him Jeff. I don't consider Jesse to be a wild game cook or wild game chef. I consider him to be a chef like. This is what I'm saying. I'm saying what I believe about myself as well here.

Speaker 1: 1:14:35

I consider him to be a chef of cooking the things that are around him, of using the things that are around him. And it just so happens he lives in Central Texas where he has a lot of wild game around him, a lot of great Texas produce, a lot of great Texas wine, a lot of great Texas this and that, and so he's a Texas chef, but he's using, he's doing what every great chef has done throughout the history of culinary arts, and that's using what's around him to make the food that he cares about Right, like, and it's so, um, he's done a great job of that. We've, we've, we share in that vision and, uh, honestly, like, I'm just really thankful to call him a friend, to better text him at any time to get advice, to share advice, and he's been great man, he's been great. I shot my first Rio turkey with Jesse, so it's, it's awesome.

Speaker 2: 1:15:34

Well, it's a lot of fun to hear about you know the hunt in his book, to hear about you know the hunt uh in his book. Seeing you know, I think it's really great to, like you and others that were a part of that book, have kind of a regional uh taste in you know for what their recipes are, kind of give you a really good idea. There was really neat to see him come back on episode three or come to uh the duck camp and be a part of that and kind of just see you know how you guys have collaborated together over the last year, you know year, two years. Uh, it's been fun to kind of see uh you know, as I known, you know both of you a little bit and you know I, when I was thinking about like that idea of you know what it is that you know you're when you say any kind of cooking or what's around you, I feel like duck Camp Dinners does such a good job because you know it's not just ducks you guys have seen you know rabbits, you mentioned hog, deer, gator, there's so many things that are so rich around Louisiana and wild game and you know, and then also the things you're building your recipes with, like you said, produce and different things. There, too, there's a lot that you're going around locally picking up, you know crawfish, of course, and fish that you guys have and you really give a good, I think, representation of the diversity of wildlife, and I really love to see how different things are cooked and consumed and put together and paired. So it's really fun for that too.

Speaker 2: 1:16:55

It's do not watch the show on an empty stomach, because that's the only thing I can say, that's the only warning. It is not watch the show on an empty stomach, because that's the only thing I can say, that's the only warning. It is man, it's dangerous. I'm sitting there watching. I'm like gosh, I need to go over to Louisiana and get some real quality gumbo here. You know, or it's, it's, it's amazing man.

Speaker 2: 1:17:10

You guys uh did such a good job this season. I can't wait for the next two episodes. You know, is there anything that you'd like to share to people who have been supporting you? Uh, you know fans of duck camp dinners, uh, and and kind of what it is that. You know these last few seasons and you know what is it that you'd like to maybe share? Uh, you know, as far as what it means to you to hear all this amazing feedback and the desire for people to want you to continue for you know future years on. Uh, you got a big you know group that supports you and what you're putting out there, and and I just wanted to see if you had any message for them.

Speaker 1: 1:17:41

Yeah, my, my first thing I want to say before I kind of close all that out, cause I do have a message that I've kind of shared, that shared a little bit of that message prior in this conversation. But if you're interested in, if you're interested in, cajun cooking, like kind of stern, kind of stand and stir, technical stuff, it's not going to have, you know, it's going to be entertaining for for what it is. But if you really interested in some recipes, some really tangible recipes, go check out the Louisiana cooking YouTube page. Uh, I'm the editor at large, uh, louisiana cooking. I do some writing for them, I do some recipe stuff for him and I create, you know, a little bit of a cooking show, if you will. It's really meant for folks who are really interested in really authentic momo style Cajun food that you can't it's kind of hard to find in, you know, popular cookbooks or whatever. It's stuff that I grew up eating and cooking and seeing others eat and cook that are kind of fly underneath the radar. So check that out if you're interested in really that specific niche of Louisiana cooking, cajun cooking.

Speaker 1: 1:18:53

As far as Duck Hand Dinners goes, man, there's no hiding that the show is my baby. The show is something that I've been nurturing for five years now, trying to grow, and I'll just say it again One is thank you to everyone who has watched this show. Thank you to everyone who's commented, shared and thumbs up or wrote to people like Waypoint, which we get quite a bit wrote to me, have shared it with their friends, like honest, like I can't tell you enough how much your involvement into this show matters for its longevity and its future period. For those who have never watched it before, welcome, thank you. Go ahead and tune in. I hope you love it. I think there is something for everyone there. We've shot this show with the intention that a 35-year-old female from Central California who's never held a gun could watch it and be entertained, get something from it In the same breath.

Speaker 1: 1:19:57

That lifelong duck hunter who grew up in West Louisiana hunting rice fields and saltwater marshes, get something out of it, and I really do believe that you know to call it a cooking show is a disservice to it, to call it a hunting show. It's really a cultural show about this place and it, it, it, I think, fills a lot of book and touches a lot of lives, no matter where you're from. So thank you and welcome to the community of duck camp dinners. But really just, it's really a heartfelt message of, of thanks and gratitude for those who are supported, those who've watched it over and over and over again, who come back to it and sit on their couch with their family and watch it not just new episodes but old episodes. It's just, it's an incredible.

Speaker 1: 1:20:50

I've been inundated over the last five years and every year when we launch these episodes I get inundated over a new wave of inundation and seeing people that are attaching themselves to the show, whether they're duck hunters, whether they live in Louisiana, whether they live in Germany, South America I mean, I hear from all over the place that see themselves in this show. So again, thank y'all for being a part of it. I want to keep making it, but it does not happen without people like y'all watching it and sharing it, especially with new people. So I appreciate y'all doing that.

Speaker 1: 1:21:25

And lastly, george, thank you, but seriously thank you because you've given me an opportunity and a platform to speak from about something that I really deeply care about, and it's not just about the show.

Speaker 1: 1:21:39

It's about the state of Louisiana, it's about its culture, it's about its language, it's about its food, it's about its music.

Speaker 1: 1:21:46

This platform, along with every other platform that has had me to talk about this show, gives me the opportunity to share that with new people and to reinforce this idea that you know we should be proud, no matter where you're from, about American culture, and I often say, like Louisiana, cajun culture, it doesn't just belong to the state, it belongs to the country, and I can say the same about Texas and I can say the same about the Pacific Northwest.

Speaker 1: 1:22:14

I can say about all in a lot of different places that have these very distinct ways of living, hunting, eating, listening and bellow, to amplify that and glorify that through different shows and different pieces of content. For America, you know, like our conservation problem, our marsh problem, is not a Louisiana problem alone, it is a America problem, it is a United States problem, something we got to fix. But we also got to shine a light on all the great things that are happening in all these places, in the movers and shakers that are playing, that are moving the needle in these places. They deserve it and um so, uh again, just wherever you're from, thank you for that thing, for supporting the show, and thank you, george, for for having me.

Speaker 2: 1:22:58

Man, it is my pleasure Anytime you want to come on. I love talking with you, I love hearing your passion, your heart, you know all the things that you're talking about and that you're supporting and that you're trying to help share and, you know, kind of be a conduit for all this information, conservation, education, awareness, amazing cultures and our heritage as Americans, and I just love it. Man, I love what you got going on. For anyone who wants to follow, who maybe hasn't already tuned in, can you give your website, your socials and where they can tune in to see Duck Camp Dinner Season 3 right now? And where they can tune in to see Duck Camp Dinner Season 3 right now?

Speaker 1: 1:23:40

Yeah, you can always follow me at ChefJean J-E-A-N underscore Paul on Instagram. I try to be as communicative as possible when it comes to direct message. So you got any questions, comments, concerns, you want to share something, shoot me a message. You can always follow Duck Camp Dinners. There's always updates on the show, different shorts, different little pieces of content that are fun and entertaining.

Speaker 1: 1:24:03

Of course, you can catch it on Waypoint TV at 7 pm Eastern every Sunday. It'll also launch on demand around the same time. So if you want to pause, rewind, fast forward, that's a good spot to view it the following day. If you're a YouTube person, you can catch it on Split Reads YouTube channel at 10 am Eastern every Monday. Now that's for two more episodes here, but the distribution channels are growing for Duck Ham Dinners. It's my goal to get it in as many American homes as possible, whether that's linear broadcast video on demand, fast channels, youtube, international plays. I'm working on it all because it's important to me that people see this lifestyle, this culture, this group of friends, and hopefully we can we can do more of these seasons and share other people's cultures, group of friends. But first it starts with season three and the upcoming season four, and so all y'all watch, Appreciate, y'all tuning in, checking out my Instagram and all those different areas to consume and to take in a duck camp dinner. Season one, two and three.

Speaker 2: 1:25:07

Wonderful. I'll have all the links down below. Make sure you guys check out the show notes, follow those links, subscribe, follow all the things that Jean-Paul's got going on duck camp dinners, and I can't wait to see what's on the horizon. It's been an honor and a privilege once again to sit down with you and I thank you and we'll be praying for you and your family and all the amazing things are about to happen. Another addition to your wonderful, beautiful family. Man. Congratulations on all your successes and just so happy you got to join me today. Thank you again.

Speaker 1: 1:25:37

Thank you, George. I appreciate it. Man Cheers, You're welcome.

Speaker 2: 1:25:39

Talk to you soon, man.