All right, welcome to The Gritty Podcast.

We're at the sheep show here in Reno.

And I'm in the initial ascent, Sheel's corner of the show, surrounded by backpacks.

And I've got Cedar Mountain Taxidermy fellows here today, also known as bear hunters.

Like, you know, you get the bear hunting thing down. Yeah. Actually, I was cruising through the show and, um, we kind of connected online. Yeah. Through, uh, social and then, and then through the show, I saw your, your booth yesterday. We kind of hung out over there. You had some beautiful taxidermy work. Thank you. And yeah, we're here a little bit before the show starts and we're going to hang out. I'm here with Donnie and Dalton, Dalton. And it's Epperson. Yep. And it is Donnie. Paul. You got two first names. Yeah, it's not my choice.

And, but when we were talking yesterday, you were showing me a lot of bears and bear hunting and baited bear hunting that you've done in Wyoming.

Right.

Right.

So from where you're from, from where you're from, now you guys had known each other for 20 years

and been hunting together most of that time.

Ever since high school. Yeah. Wow. Connected to start hunting about 16. Let me fix this for you.

Get a little closer. You're one of those soft-spoken guys. Yeah. You love being in front of the crowds,

don't you? Love it.

So 20 years you guys have been hunting together and known each other. And how long have you been doing the bear baiting thing? Um, you know, I first bear hunt I went on over bait. I was 14 up in Alberta with my dad. Oh yeah. And shot a couple of bear up there. And then, uh, whenever we came back to Wyomingoming we didn't know anything about bear baiting or

nothing so we had a good friend he was a taxidermist and he's actually the one that uh taught me taxidermy

his name was Steve warbelo and uh he was a big bear hunter all all the hunters around our hometown

knew him for bear hunting and he had an incredible bait and uh he's kind of a legend for bear hunting around our

area and uh so he took my dad and i up and showed us a couple spots that he knew that there was

a good spots for bear so we got bait sites and he helped us put him out and kind of helped us rig it

all up and taught us a little bit about it and my dad was an outfitted for 35 years also out of

northern california and outfitted all over the world um wow and so he had a lot of

background with general hunting and then steve had a lot with baiting and stuff and I

...