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Bear Hunt
258 Plays2 years ago
Brad Moeckley, a farmer from Iowa, shares his life-changing experience of going on a bear hunt in Alaska. Despite being a non-hunter, Brad challenged himself to reconnect with God, facing physical challenges and forming a close bond with his guide, Ralph. After days of searching, Brad finally had the opportunity to shoot a bear,. The experience taught Brad the importance of perseverance and relying on God's guidance. He now views people differently and has a deeper understanding of God's faithfulness. The bear hunt was just a small part of the transformative journey.
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Transcript
Introduction to Uncommon Wealth Podcast
00:00:00
Speaker
Everyone dreams of living an uncommon life and the best asset you have to achieve your dreams is you. Welcome to the Uncommon Wealth Podcast. We're going to introduce you to people who are living uncommonly. We're also going to give you some tools and strategies for building wealth and for pursuing an uncommon path that is uniquely right for you.
Special Guest: Brad Meckley
00:00:25
Speaker
Hello and welcome everybody to another episode of the Uncommon Wealth
00:00:29
Speaker
where I'm your host, Phillip Ramsey, and I have a very, very special guest. I'm doing this solo mainly because I want our guest to talk as much as he can. I've alluded to this, if you guys are a membership and have our newsletter, I've alluded to this in our last newsletter of try to challenge yourself and push yourself out of the limits of what you normally thought you could do. And when you do, there's some cool things happening. And I even mentioned that there was a friend of mine that went on a bear hunt.
00:00:58
Speaker
Well, today, my friends, we get to talk to the one and only Brad Meckley, who went on said bear hunt. He has been married for 20 years, has four girls, has been farming ever since he was in diapers, and he's married to the love of his life, Joyce. We're gonna get into that. You know how we do things. But I wanna say, first and foremost, I feel like, if you know me at all, the real entrepreneurs in life are farmers.
00:01:25
Speaker
there's so many variables that can happen that can hit you and that like weather anytime you have weather in any kind of thing that you're trying to do business venture you always have this variability that you just don't know what's gonna happen so brad meckley thank you so much for being on the show i should just probably shut up now and just let you talk but
00:01:45
Speaker
Welcome to the show. Well, thank you. This is a very new experience for me, Phillip. I have no idea what I'm getting myself into, but it's a pleasure to be here and share some things with you. Oh, man. So Brad and I have known each other from church for quite some time. How many years?
00:02:04
Speaker
Oh goodness, time goes, fella, but I'd say six, eight years,
Challenges in Farming
00:02:09
Speaker
maybe? Yeah, I'd say six to eight. That's what I was thinking and didn't have to be exact. Uh, but I've always really respected Brad. When Brad and I get coffee, there's a lot of talk about leadership, about how we lead, how other people lead. And like, that's just something we geek out about. But something that has always caught me with Brad is he's a servant at heart. He loves to serve. He loves to work with his hands. And so that's why he makes such a great farmer. But.
00:02:34
Speaker
One time when we were getting together, he mentioned that, you know, Philip, I'm just getting a little bit feeling like numb in the world. I feel like my spot right now is like I just am complacent in areas of my life. So let's start with that conversation that we had, because I think this kind of sets you off on this journey to where you're at now. But let's just talk about that. What was that kind of feeling that you were getting yourself into? And when did you know that you were like, I need to shake things up a little bit?
00:03:04
Speaker
Yeah, for the most part, my personality, I'm an introvert at heart. With the growth of Ankeny, our family moved to Elkhart, which is on the northern side of Ankeny, in 1967. At that point, we were definitely in rural Iowa, but over the course of time,
00:03:24
Speaker
that has changed. And really, especially in the last five to 10 years with the growth of Ankeny, it's made me feel like an Indian kind of being pushed to live on a reservation, so to speak. So in my heart, making me feel somewhat uncomfortable, I didn't like that kind of change. And then fast forward, here comes COVID.
00:03:49
Speaker
And walking through the aisles and looking at people, remember those toilet paper days? Oh, yeah. Everyone was going to just get as much toilet paper as they could. I'm just shaking my head like, why? What is going on here? What am I missing? And recently, with our state legislature, we were actually talking about where we're going to go to the bathroom.
00:04:18
Speaker
I was just shaking my head and maybe just lamenting towards God. Like, this world God is going to hell in a handbasket? I don't get it. In Psalms 13, King David is talking to God. He says, how long, O Lord, will you forgive me forever?
00:04:42
Speaker
How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and every day have sorrow in my heart? How long will my enemy triumph over me? Those are just some of the things that I was wrestling with personally. So with all that said,
Quest for Change and Bear Hunt Idea
00:05:04
Speaker
Like I said, I've been a farmer my whole life. I raise pigs, corn, soybeans, and that's been my life. And I went to Joyce, my wife, and I said, honey, I said, I need to do something radical here. I'm wrestling with God and I don't know really what to do, but I'm ready to do something outside the box. And that's what led me to a bear hunt.
00:05:34
Speaker
And when I mentioned this to Joyce, I need to say her eyebrows were raised. I am not a hunter. I am not a hunter. Which is so surprising. I know how to shoot a gun, but that's as far as it goes. So when I told Joyce, she looked at me like, are you crazy or what? Yes. And so anyway, that's what
00:06:02
Speaker
She was supportive. She was very, very, very supportive, 100%. Listen, I knew, I'm going to pull this back for a little bit. The first time I heard of you, I'll just say that, was you were leading a connection group, and so was I. Connection groups are like Bible studies that you have weekly. Anyway, you were leading a connection group.
00:06:24
Speaker
It was the first week and everybody kind of went around to kind of talk about how their week went. And do you remember what you and Joyce said? Cause I don't think anybody went to your connection group. Like something happened where the people were just not, do you remember what you said? I remember. We were openly inviting people. Uh, and we'd set the time and the date that time came and it was time to start, start our study. And,
00:06:48
Speaker
And nobody was there. So our Bible study was Joyce and I. And we had a great, great talk, but it was the two of us. That's how that started. So, okay. So what you said in the group, now to remind you, this is like many connection group leaders, and Brad's remark about how the first week was, was, well, it was intimate.
00:07:12
Speaker
I remember, I don't know who that guy is, but we need to be friends. That is the best response I've ever heard and I wasn't wrong. Okay, so sorry, side note, that's what happens with Phillip. So now you tell Joyce, I want to go on a bear hunt. And how did that come into your mind? Out of all the things, you're not a hunter, which surprised me.
00:07:34
Speaker
a bear hunt, and not like a bear hunt, like this is Alaska bear hunting. Yeah, this was a hunt that happened in Alaska. And what led to this, I just needed some alone time away, away from people.
Solitude and Seeking Answers in Alaska
00:07:50
Speaker
Reset. Just to reset, yes, to open God's word and just have a one-on-one eye-to-eye talk with God. Yeah.
00:08:01
Speaker
Because you had questions. Your questions? Yeah. It was just, I was at a point, felt bored. It was just like, I don't know how to react with the world and what's going on. And God, you seemed so removed from what's happening. Sure. And the more I'm around people, the worse this feeling is getting. So OK.
00:08:27
Speaker
get me out in the middle of 10 buck too and let's let's talk so then we had coffee one time you're like i scheduled a bear hunt and it was many many months away remember this you're like i gotta get a special gun yes i mean this was like going from ground zero zero to 60 and and so i just kept touching bases of like text you know like when is it because i obviously have a lot going on so but i was always like has it happened i've been thinking about you and hadn't yet uh and then now it has so
00:08:55
Speaker
All right, so where we want to go from here, the bear hunt, which I love this. So like the first key value that I think with Brad is like, he wasn't complacent and just kind of sitting there. You weren't sitting there just with your thoughts, getting more and more frustrated. You knew that you had the control to do something, but you knew that you needed to do something drastic. You just shocked the system in place. So here we go. It was almost like I was shaking my fist at God, like, okay, uh,
00:09:23
Speaker
God, grab me by the shoulders, shake me up here, but let me know what's going on. I have ears, speak to me. Let me know what's going on here. How do you want to use me? I'm stuck. I'm kind of frustrated with my relationship with God. It's like,
00:09:50
Speaker
Something has to change here. I have a 22, I have an AR 223, but when you go on a bear hunt, that ain't going to do it. That's not going to do it.
00:10:09
Speaker
I bought a, uh, a three 75. Okay. Rifle. Okay. I shot it eight times before I went to Alaska, uh, cited it in. And every time I pulled the trigger, uh, felt like a mule kitchen. Oh my goodness. Yeah. My, my, my shoulder was black and blue. Oh my goodness. It was to the point. I didn't want to pull a trigger anymore because of the fear of
00:10:37
Speaker
I'm going to get hurt kind of thing. So, okay, we loaded the gun up and to Anchorage, away we went. Joyce flew with me and her brother and sister-in-law live in Anchorage. So that's where Joyce and I parted company. She camped out with them. And I boarded another plane, flew for an hour to Dillingham, Alaska. And that's where I met my outfitter and my guide.
00:11:04
Speaker
And Ralph was my guide's name. And after we met, I said, OK, I'm not a professional hunter.
00:11:17
Speaker
And I have my gun here. I sighted it in. I did shoot the target, but after all this travel, I just want to verify that this thing shoots straight and that I know a little bit about what I'm doing. We're going on a bear hunt. You want this thing to be true. Yes. And Ralph looked at me and he goes, well, Brad, there's two problems. And he said the shooting range is closed.
00:11:41
Speaker
And there's a storm coming in. We don't have time. Your gun will be fine. Oh, man. Brad. And right now, Toto's not in Kansas anymore. You know what I'm saying? Like, you are in the beckon. Like, Ralph is your... Yes. You're just going to follow. So at that point...
00:11:56
Speaker
How uncomfortable were you? Like, hey, this is still fun. This is exciting. Or were you kind of like, I don't know. I don't know. No, the apprehension. Your heart is in your throat. I'm doing something I've never ever come close to in my life. Oh, so good. Yeah, I'm just kind of throwing myself out there. Like, I have no idea what I'm going to be in for.
00:12:23
Speaker
And here we go, let's see what happens. So yeah, we got in a floater plane, we loaded up all of our gear. By that I mean our tent, the food, clothes, everything that we're gonna need. And floater means like a plane that is floating on the lake. Yes, that's the only way that it's gonna be accessible to where we're going.
00:12:50
Speaker
So yeah, we packed up our gear and off we went. And we flew in the air for about an hour and landed on a lake. At that point, our only communication was the satellite phone. My cell phone was totally worthless. And that was for the next, until we shot a bear or for the next 10 days, which was the length of this hunt,
00:13:16
Speaker
That was our only form of communication. I mean, think about being vulnerable. You're in a place you don't know, you're with a guide you don't know, and you only have access to the world with a phone that, let's hope it works, satellite phone, and you're gonna go hunt a bear. Yep. Again, not sure what the weather is, but you're kinda used to that, you're a farmer.
00:13:44
Speaker
And so there you go. You and Ralph drop off, and then that plane turns around, revs up his engine, and then takes off. Takes off, and then at that point, it's just the two of us. Oh, and there's no sound. No.
00:13:58
Speaker
It's just you and Ralph. Yes. So what's Ralph say? Because I have a feeling I would just be kind of like paralyzed. Like, why did I just get myself? I paid for this? Yeah, and I was. And praise God for Ralph. He'd been in this business for 15 years. So he knew what he was doing. And as apprehensive as what?
00:14:22
Speaker
I was ralph had this calming effect on me said you know just like hey. I know it's just to do this we're we're really probably 500 miles away from anybody. Unbelievable and and. Okay let's have at it here we go yeah how heavy was all your equipment.
00:14:45
Speaker
When we went on a hunt, my backpack was probably 35 pounds. Gun was probably 14 or 15. So it's a better part of 50 pounds. It's a good carrying when you go on a hunt. But yeah, when we got to our site, we set up three tents. One tent for myself, one tent for Ralph, and then our third tent was what we called our kitchen. That's where we
00:15:09
Speaker
Prepared meals and i don't know if the listeners notice but how old are you i'm sixty three okay so i think this is important to know because you are strong guy your farmer used to doing like manual labor hard work.
00:15:24
Speaker
But like for you, this is uncharted territory. Oh yeah. They, they told me, uh, uh, get prepared. Uh, so, so, I mean, I was, I was doing my, my setups and riding a bike and hiking and getting prepared for, for this. And, and as a 63 year old, I was probably in the, in the best shape that I'd been in over the last, maybe five years. So it wasn't like I was just waking up in the morning and taking off and going, this was a,
00:15:55
Speaker
I would say three or four month process of getting prepared physically for what I was going to endeavor here. Not really a way to prepare mentally. No, no. So when they say be prepared, what do they mean? And you did mention that Ralph did say like, there is a storm coming. And my first initial response would be like, well, then let's just wait out the storm and then we'll go.
00:16:19
Speaker
Yeah, yeah. That's not his response. Well, when you're that far away from home, you have to pack accordingly. I mean, bring the right clothes. And food wasn't on me, but I mean to have enough food here to get by, but especially on the clothes side.
00:16:38
Speaker
If you forget something, it's not like you can go across the street and get it. With what you have in that plane, with what you pack, that's what is going to get you through. And I found out in a hurry, the do's and don'ts of what to have when you go on a hunt. For the most part,
00:17:00
Speaker
I was prepared, but there's things like a cotton sweatshirt. No, you don't do that. When that gets sweaty or wet. Worthless. You're done. Too cold. It does not dry out. Wow. So they give you a list to pack. Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. Because that's probably... Right kind of footwear is essential, and we were...
00:17:27
Speaker
We were on top of a hill one morning and Ralph was glass and it was wet and my hands were getting cold. So I took off one pair of gloves and pulled out of my backpack and another glove to put them on. And right away, Ralph just started smiling at me. Not really making fun of me, but smiling and shaking his head from side to side.
00:17:56
Speaker
And so I started putting these gloves on. I couldn't get them on. And then all of a sudden, Ralph starts snickering a little bit. And I'm like, OK, you go ahead, but I will get these gloves on. Well, after a while, Ralph said, Brad, stop.
00:18:11
Speaker
What was going on? My hands were damp. And I could not pull that glove on comfortably. Right. The insulin was getting all jacked up. And he said, Brad, I know you will eventually get those gloves on. But when you pull them off, you're going to pull off all that insulation out of every finger. And those gloves are going to be totally worthless. Yes. I've done this in my life when I was younger. And Ralph goes, you get what you pay for. And he reached into his backpack.
00:18:40
Speaker
Pulled out his gloves and he took his hand and put it down in a puddle of water, which was right beside us And he slipped those gloves on like Unbelievable so to be prepared to have right now he Ralph paid probably five times more for his gloves than what I paid for you get what you pay for But to be prepared for what for what you're in right? It's critical. Huh? Okay, that's good So let's talk about a little bit more about Ralph because this is basically like your
00:19:09
Speaker
your guy, like he is really your saving grace here because you don't really have anything else. The only thing I can think about in my life is I went skydiving one time and you have to do a tandem and I don't feel like I could have had a better connection than the guy that I was strapped to. I didn't know him at all, but I felt like we were best friends. You know, like it's like one of those things where I, you have my life in my hands. So immediately we're going to be friends. Yeah.
00:19:34
Speaker
Was that the case for you and Ralph? It was. I was a little apprehensive because it's just one on one. And I had not met Ralph before. Yep. So as you can imagine. You get what you get there. You get what you get. Yeah. Yeah. So the weather conditions for this hunt was deplorable. It will rain, rain, rain. And there was two and a half days during this hunt where
00:20:00
Speaker
we were just camped out in a tent. We weren't moving anywhere. I thought in the wind, I thought the tent was coming down. So during this time, you spend a lot of time getting to know the other person. And so Ralph goes, well, Brad, what brings you to Alaska? Why are you here on this bear hunt? So as I mentioned previously, it's like, I just need to get away. I need some alone time with God. And as soon as I mentioned God to Ralph, Ralph
00:20:29
Speaker
He goes, oh, he said, I'm an evolutionist. And I kind of paused myself and I'm like, okay, I've planned this trip for a long, long time to have some alone time with God. And you're telling me you're an atheist? Yeah. So, so, uh, so yeah, uh, it certainly raised my eyebrows, but, but as the conversation continued,
00:20:57
Speaker
We started sharing about our families, our life, and Ralph told me about his stepfather. Ralph's stepfather was very abusive to Ralph, physically, mentally, to the point when Ralph was 19, he clocked his stepfather with a fist. He was done. Knocked him out.
00:21:23
Speaker
His stepfather was motionless on the ground, and Ralph turned around and walked away from his stepdad. Never to see him again for 20 years. He'd heard that his dad wasn't in the best of health, so he went to the hospital to see him. He walked into the room. His stepfather that he clocked is now 20 years later after that incident.
00:21:47
Speaker
And Ralph said, I walked into the hospital room and he said, I'd been told that his circulation was poor. But, uh, when I walked into the room, I could see that both his hands, both his feet, were amputated. Oh my. And Ralph said, my, my stepfather looked at me and he said, Ralph, I am so sorry for the way I treated you.
00:22:15
Speaker
And thank you so much for coming to see me. But please, please forgive me for what I've done to you. Oh my goodness. And Ralph said, I looked, I looked at my stepfather and I was, I started grinning more and more and more. Wow. And, and Ralph said,
00:22:40
Speaker
You don't know how happy I am. This is one of the happiest days of my life to see you in this condition. Oh my. So he's got some deep seated and Ralph turned around and walked out of that hospital room. His stepfather died a week later. And that's the way that relationship with those two ended.
00:23:08
Speaker
Wow. So there's a little glimpse in Ralph, right? Yes. Yeah. So needless to say, after that story, I'm kind of stunned. That's tough. Right. Yeah. Right. And so we both go back to our tents. I open up my Bible, and I don't know what led me to the book of Luke, but that's where I was kind of camping out with God during this bear hunt.
Insights from Biblical Teachings
00:23:33
Speaker
And
00:23:35
Speaker
In Luke 6, Jesus is talking. He says, but I tell you, you who hear, love your enemies. Do good to those who hate you. Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who mistreat you. If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also. If someone takes your cloak,
00:24:00
Speaker
Do not stop giving from your tunic. Give to everyone who asks you. And if anyone takes that that belongs to you, do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you. This was just after I talked with right. Right. Right. And I'm like, I was, I was so excited. It's like, I can't wait until tomorrow morning at breakfast to talk to you. I need to talk to Ralph about this. Right. Which I did. Next morning comes.
00:24:32
Speaker
And I can laugh about it now, but it certainly wasn't a laughing matter at the time. But after I shared that with Ralph, Ralph goes, Brad, that is bullshit. And I think back of that, Philip, and how that made me fail at time. When Ralph clocked his dad,
00:24:58
Speaker
There's a part of me. How dare you talk about my savior that way? Oh, interesting.
00:25:04
Speaker
I'm making a fist to swing at you with the way that you're talking to me. Huh. Because it's such a deep rooted thing in you. Yeah. Right. So he's like rejecting something. But his heart was so hard haunted. Right. My heart breaks for Ralph. So yeah, with that said, there were stark differences between the two of us.
00:25:33
Speaker
But yet, as that unfolded during this time that we had together, Ralph became one of my closest friends. He cared for me. He provided for me in ways in which, if I was there by myself, I wouldn't have made it. For sure. I wouldn't have made it. I don't think anybody could have.
00:26:04
Speaker
It's interesting though like when you have something and a perceived notion of how things are going to go and expectation if you will and then you get in this thing in a remote place in the world in a far territory you have no idea about and then this is who you stuck me with?
00:26:21
Speaker
when that conversation happened that morning at breakfast. Because this is early on. Yes. Yes. Yes. And I'm like, I don't know how to respond. I didn't know how to process that. Yeah. Right. To Ralph. Right. And so to me, this is the Spirit of God working in my heart. Right. Just as much as Ralph's. But so I go back and I'm continuing to work my way through Luke. Now I'm up to chapter nine. And
00:26:52
Speaker
At being in chapter nine, when Jesus called the twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases. And he sent them out to preach to the kingdom of God, to heal the sick. He told them, I take nothing on your journey. No staff, no bag, no bread, no money, no extra tunic. Whatever house you enter, stay there until you have that town.
00:27:23
Speaker
if people do not welcome you, shake the dust off your feet when you leave that town as a testimony against them. You kind of had the moment where you had to kind of shake your tunic off and move on. Many times you feel like a loser, but looking back, I think God is telling us as believers
00:27:51
Speaker
Don't be afraid to profess the name of Jesus. Now, what happens to people, you are not going to make them believe, but you've done your part.
00:28:08
Speaker
That helped me to process it in a big way. It always be foolish to keep going back to it for Ralph. Ralph's not, this isn't, his heart seems pretty hard. Wow, okay. So, what day are we now, and let's talk about the weather, because the weather, you said, was atrocious.
00:28:27
Speaker
And it ended up being that. We're certainly in bear country. But we just aren't seeing bears. The beginning of the summer in Alaska was extremely wet. Bears eat berries and they eat fish. That's their food supply. Because of the wet weather in Alaska, there was no berries. So they're going for the fish. So they're down by the water.
00:28:52
Speaker
And as far as glass sent out in the countryside and where the berries are, that's not going to happen. You're not getting out there, right? No. So we kind of had to change our tactics a little bit. But during this time, we saw a whopping two bears. One was a little cub bear. Ralph saw him for three seconds, then he darted into the trees.
00:29:15
Speaker
The second sighting was a bear that was maybe four, five miles away. You're not getting that one. And he was moving at a pretty good clip, and there's no way. I mean, we could say, yeah, we saw a bear. That was it. Wow. That was it. And so this is where my mind went when we were having coffee. We were like, well,
00:29:34
Speaker
I mean, I can only imagine what you're having to deal with, but my mind went to like the national parks that my wife and I and kids go to, which have trails and things and stairs. There is none of that for you or Ralph. And like the terrain that you have to do is like wilderness, barren wilderness. So talk to me about just how you had to get like, just say a mile away from your camp. How long did it take you?
00:30:03
Speaker
Yeah, the terrain, it's certainly not like Iowa. And you can prepare all you want to, but it's marshy. You can't really see where your foot is going to land, so it's kind of like in marching band. You're lifting your knees up and down and you're preparing.
00:30:26
Speaker
I can't tell you the number of times I fell on my butt just falling down and it's like shaking your head like this is deplorable.
00:30:34
Speaker
What is going on? It's raining. It's wet. Yeah. Oh, Brad. Walking a mile in Iowa. That's not bad. Yeah. But walking a mile in Alaska through this stuff, oh my gosh. A marathon. You're soaked with sweat. You're just working through all that. And after a while, I mean, you aren't seeing any bears. And it's just like, OK, what are we doing?
00:30:58
Speaker
I'm counting the days. Get me back out of here. Okay, okay. God wasn't done yet. No, God was not done yet. So we have this little raft, eight horse motor, inflatable, and we're on this, oh, I'm going to say maybe a 40, 50 acre lake. There's a stream coming into the lake and a stream going out of the lake. We headed up towards a stream.
00:31:24
Speaker
That was coming into the lake and entering this thing and and in this raft entering this and and Ralph he goes Wow. Oh, oh, oh my I'm like, where's the bear? Where's the bear? Yeah, it wasn't a bear He was looking down on the water and he saw a fish. Huh? They were Arctic chub trout and
00:31:47
Speaker
So anyway, we got out of the boat and we have our chest waiters on and he had a fishing pole and he launched one out and all of a sudden he catches one of these fish and he worked 30 minutes to get this fish in. This was a 20 plus pound fish. The world record, I think, is like 25 pounds. So this was a monster.
00:32:12
Speaker
But this shows who Ralph is. I mean, we caught the fish, took a picture, and just a gorgeous, gorgeous fish. Yeah, we'll have in the show notes for you guys to watch if you can see it. But he took the hook out of the fish, got a picture, and the fish was exhausted.
00:32:34
Speaker
But Ralph put this fish back down in the water and kind of put water over the top of it and let it go. And I'm like, what? I've seen this on TV before, but no. You don't really do that. You don't really do that. No, he let that fish go and I go, Ralph, why?
00:32:53
Speaker
I want somebody else to have the opportunity that I had to catch this fish. But he said, let's try it again. So it wasn't two minutes later. Here we had another one. Unbelievable. And he said, Brad, he said, it's your turn. He said, bring this thing in. And mine was maybe two thirds the size of Ralph's. But man, what a beast. What a thrill it was. So cool. Yeah, so we conked that one in the head. We had him for lunch. That one's in my tummy. But yeah.
00:33:21
Speaker
Now we're back in Hunting Bear and we got walking through this stream and it was like Ralph was a lone ranger and I was Kimo Sabe going back and forth across this river. We're having our guns and we're using bear voices. We're whispering at this point because we're in bear country. Yeah. And he was raising his hand up like, stop.
00:33:50
Speaker
And then he's pointing down. We're on the other side of the river. He's pointing down at a bear track. Fresh. This bear was just here. Oh, this is great. Last night. And he would go to the other side and he points down again. Bear scat. Bear poop. A bear is close here. And every time we turned around, the corner is like, okay, be ready.
00:34:16
Speaker
So we did that for about two, three hours traversing up through this. And as we went up this river, it was starting to slow down a little bit the water. And it got to the point where Ralph called it a bog. And it was, we were way back away from everything. And at this point, I'm exhausted.
00:34:45
Speaker
And Ralph goes, okay, we gotta get across this bog.
00:34:52
Speaker
If we can't get across this bog, it's going to be another three hours of walking. So you wait right here and let me get across this bog and then I'll motion you across. So Ralph goes across this and we both have our chest waders on and Ralph starts across this and down into this water he goes. It's over his waist, kind of way over his waist. And he's trying to get across this bog and
00:35:20
Speaker
He does this for maybe six times, six, seven times, and he's turning around and coming back. He can't make it across. He's getting stuck. The water is getting too deep.
00:35:32
Speaker
Because you only have waiters onto like your chest. And as soon as it's over your chest, like if you get water in your waiter, you have a real life situation here. Like a dead or a lie. Like we got a problem. Yeah. So I'm standing there, I'm taking all this in, watching Ralph go back and forth, trying to get across here. And I'm going to say the seventh or eighth try.
00:35:58
Speaker
Guess what? Ralph makes it. Oh, no. And he's across. And I'll never forget, Ralph looked back at me and he did this. He just used his little finger like, okay, Brad, it's your turn. Let's go. Oh, Brad. And I'm like, oh, boy. I saw how difficult it was for him to make it. And in the back of my mind, it's like, okay, no.
00:36:22
Speaker
Let's go the extra two or three hours. Well now, but your life preserver is on the other side of this thing. On the other side. He's telling you to come forward. Oh baby. So here we go. I start across and I'm maybe two thirds of the way across and I'm a little heavier than what Ralph is by maybe 20, 30 pounds. And so you can imagine you're in this mud and if he's going down, okay, I'm heavier, I'm going down a little deeper. Right.
00:36:51
Speaker
There's no tripping involved here. Tripping is like a life or death situation. I had maybe six inches of despair on my chest before water was going to be coming over the top. Which is super close.
00:37:03
Speaker
uh, closer than what I want to be. Yeah. Yeah. And, and every step is getting more and more difficult. Uh, so when you, when you pull your back foot out of that mud, your, your leading foot is going deeper. All right. More weight on one foot. And it was getting harder and harder to the point where I came to a stop.
00:37:22
Speaker
I could not pull my rear foot out of the mud. You ever had it when your hips socket, you can kind of feel it? Oh, yeah. Yeah. I know exactly. And that's where I was. And it's like. This isn't coming. The harder I try, the worse it's getting. And that's when I looked up at Ralph. With the panic on your face. Oh, yeah. Yeah, panic beyond words. And Ralph could see right away. I was shook, and I was.
00:37:53
Speaker
And we had eye contact and I'll never forget, this is like it was yesterday, but Ralph looked into my eyes and he said, relax, relax, relax. And I'm looking back at him like, Ralph, you don't understand me. You don't, you don't, you don't know, you don't know the trouble. We're in a world of hurt. Well, mainly me. And to hear him say, relax. Yeah.
00:38:24
Speaker
Oh, yeah. So were you frustrated or like, what was the emotion? Like, you just don't understand. No, it was beyond frustration, Phillip. It was like, I'm done. Scared. Yeah. Uh, I'm, I'm cooked. Uh, I cannot move. Okay. Okay. Keep going. This is great. And we, we kind of looked at each other for five or 10 seconds. He's going to relax. Don't give up. Persevere.
00:38:54
Speaker
And I don't know what, I can't answer for sure what happened, but somehow that foot came loose and I made it to the other side. And to this day, I can't tell you why, but it happened.
00:39:13
Speaker
Yeah, it was just a wild, wild journey. And then you get back to camp and you have to be exhausted, Brad. Emotionally, physically. And then what point in the trip were you at this point? Like what day?
00:39:31
Speaker
We were, this was at the start of day seven. Okay. So 10 day trip, like you said, you saw two bears, one, four miles away, one cub, don't do that for three seconds. And you've got to be like, I'm tapped out. I'm ready to go. Like we're good here. I was to the point where, okay, we got three days left.
00:39:53
Speaker
And by the grace of God, I will make it to the end. And this was more than what I ever thought it was going to be physically. But I am going to make it. It's going to be a stretch, but I am going to make it. This is day seven. Because something you didn't talk about, the first three days or four days,
00:40:14
Speaker
You're basically in your tent. Am I right? We didn't really talk about that. But I say that only because think about just camping in your normal life when you have a car right next to you and it's raining for four days. You pretty much just bundle up and you go back and get a hotel room. There's really no option for that. And you're on day one, day two in the tent, day three, day four. So that was the first four
Perseverance in Bear Hunting
00:40:40
Speaker
days of your trip. Now this is day seven.
00:40:42
Speaker
You've had some amazing experiences. And so you get back to camp and you're kind of like, all right, like this has been great. Yeah. Day seven, I mean, it wasn't raining, which is misty, but not raining. So, OK, let's give this a try. So we go up on top of a knob that morning and we're doing our due diligence. Look and look and look and look and look and nothing, nothing.
00:41:09
Speaker
So we go back to base camp for noon hour, catch a quick bite to eat. About three o'clock in the afternoon, we head off to the stream that's on the other side of the lake. This would be the outlet stream. We get out of our raft there and it's
00:41:30
Speaker
It's a good two-hour hike. And here's Ralph. He's leading the charge. I'm following him. But this happened every time we went on a hike. It was... I'm taken aback by this because Ralph was in better shape than what I was. And I was kind of frustrated by that. And by that, I mean he's leading and he's pulling away from me. And then he'll stop and he'll wait for me to catch up. I catch up to Ralph.
00:42:02
Speaker
I'm gassed. And he's standing there just breathing through his nose. And then, oh, two minutes at the most. Okay, now I'm breathing through my nose. Away goes Ralph. So we do this for two hours. We get to where we're at now on top of this hill. Beautiful, beautiful country.
00:42:28
Speaker
You're so exhausted to even realize that, don't be honest. I'm soaked through. Not because of the rain, because of sweat. Yeah. I'm exhausted. So here we are. We're on top of this and okay, let's see if we can find a bear. We look one direction and there's a thousand acres in front of us and Ralph, he's glassing, looking, looking, looking for 30 minutes this direction. As beautiful as what that train was, nothing.
00:42:56
Speaker
So he does a 180, and there's another thousand acres the other direction. Same thing, 30 minutes. Nothing. Nothing. And at this point, I'm like, you don't care.
00:43:10
Speaker
I'm just preparing, we got another two hour to come back to the raft, okay? Brad, you can do this kind of thing. Yeah, yeah, yeah. You're hyping yourself up. So he goes over and looks down by the river, looks there, nothing. So he comes back and we're sitting there. And we're talking for maybe 15, 20 minutes. And at this point it's seven,
00:43:36
Speaker
seven o'clock in the evening. Okay. And it doesn't get dark till what nine 10 10 10 30. Okay. Okay. So, um, Ralph is as patient as anybody I've ever been around, but he gets, he gets up and, and, uh, goes through this process again. And he looks on this thousand acres in one direction, nothing.
00:44:04
Speaker
looks the other way, thousand acres. Nothing, nothing. I'm like, okay, uh, let's get, let's get our gear. Let's get out. He, he walks over to the river and my eyes are maybe half open at that point. And then all of a sudden, Hey, Hey, get your gun, get your gun, get your gun. And I'm like,
00:44:34
Speaker
Why? What are you talking about? We have been out here for seven days. Conditions are deplorable. And by the way, Ralph said, this is the worst hunt I've ever been on in 15 years. Weather-wise. Weather-wise. Not because of the company. Yeah. Yeah. Thanks. You're welcome. But here's Ralph. Get your gun. Get your gun. Get your gun. And he's jogging over towards me. That's where I was camped out. Yeah, right.
00:45:04
Speaker
And all of a sudden the adrenaline starts to pick up. I'm going to say stop right here. This is like the crux of the whole thing. I want to talk about quickly, you had a conversation with Ralph before you went on this hunt that I think is super important.
00:45:23
Speaker
about if you do get even a shot at the bear. Do you remember this conversation? I think this is important to even talk about now. Am I wrong? Are we going to say this later? No, this is a great time. When Ralph and I first met, I said, Ralph, I'm not a professional hunter. But I said, if and when we do see a bear, I said, I'll take the first shot. But I said, I want you to follow up with a shot behind me.
00:45:53
Speaker
And Ralph looked at me and just shook his head like, Brad, I've been doing this guiding for 15 years. He said, I have never, ever, ever taken a shot.
00:46:05
Speaker
And at that point, I'm like, what are you talking about? I don't understand. Yeah, I don't get it. So he proceeds to tell me. He said, well, normally, he said, I'm with two, three, four hunters at a time. Very rarely, like with you, one on one. He said, in that case, he said, everybody's got a gun. Someone's going to get this thing. We are going to down the critter. They don't want me taking a shot whatsoever. OK, that's one scenario.
00:46:30
Speaker
The other scenario is one-on-one, like with you, but he said, nothing against you, Brad. But he said, in this case, they are bounty hunters. They are marksmen through and through. They don't want me taking a shot. Right. This is like a once in a lifetime opportunity that they are going to have this thing on their scope. He said, my job is to find the animal.
00:46:50
Speaker
and to provide protection for my clients. So if a bear is charging at us, I will protect you. I'll handle my business, right. He said I carry a big pistol with me, and that's my job. But he said I have never.
00:47:05
Speaker
never fired and shot up in 15 years, right? And I'm like, well, I don't care. Well, here we go. I'm asking you, you, this is what I want. Well, he said, if that's what you want me to do. Okay. And like I said previously,
00:47:22
Speaker
There was no target practice. Seven times you shot that thing. I think the thing will work. All right. And you got off the plane. You don't know if it's sighted right or whatever. Yeah. Okay. So now that's good enough. All right. Now we can go back to... So here we are. Get your gun. At this point, the adrenaline is just... Your heart has come up in your throat like,
00:47:51
Speaker
This is real. This is happening. This is happening. So when Ralph is glassing, he's got this tripod that he rests. When you say glassing, it's binoculars. Binoculars. That's what he rests his binoculars on. Well, things were happening incredibly fast at this point. But he had his tripod, and he's motioning me over with my gun. Rest your gun on this tripod.
00:48:18
Speaker
And we're looking down on the river at this point. He said, do you see the bear? Do you see the bear? Do you see the bear? I'm like, no, I don't see the bear. I was taking a nap. Right there, right there, right there. And all of a sudden, there it is. Massive bear.
00:48:40
Speaker
I don't know if you've ever saw Andy Griffith show, but Barney fight. Yeah. Remember how you can't get the pistol out. That's exactly what I was thinking. That's where you were. That's exactly where I was. It is like, Oh my gosh, I'm going to do something stupid. I'm going to botch this. I'm going to botch it. Yeah.
00:48:56
Speaker
But this bear was, was paralleling the river. He was still back in the woods a little bit, but he was coming out in this clearing for maybe five or 10 seconds and then going back again. So the timing is unbelievably critical. Yeah. So here's Ralph. Okay, get ready, get ready. I still have my gloves on.
00:49:24
Speaker
And I had the safety on my gun. There was no bullet in the chamber. So take the safety off, get a bullet in the chamber, get your gun up on the tripod, look through, okay, we see the bear. Oh my goodness. Now, okay. Shoot. Shoot. Yeah. And at that point, okay, you prepared for all this. No one can prepare you for this. And there's five, 10 seconds max to do what you're going to do.
00:49:56
Speaker
And all of a sudden, things just flash before your eyes.
00:50:02
Speaker
I'm going to screw up. Oh, for sure. In the adrenaline rush of that moment. So, and all the time, here's, not helping much. And there's a part of you, you want to freeze. Right. Or as this relates to God, sometimes God wants you to do things. Right. And you're petrified. Right. You don't want... Right.
00:50:28
Speaker
And here I was asking God, come on, show me. And here I was, there's a part of me. I didn't want to do this. It's like, no. Well, to make a long story short, I pulled the trigger. Once. And it was a kill shot. I actually hit the bear and downed him. But then Ralph... But then here's Ralph. No more. It was a split second after I shot.
00:50:57
Speaker
Boom, boom, boom. Ralph put three shots into this animal. And we both have these 375 rifles.
00:51:08
Speaker
They're bold action, so you can imagine. To get rid of a shell, put in another one. After I shot, I put in another shell. But by the time I was getting ready to shoot again, Ralph had already put three into this animal. And at that point, the bear was motionless. He came to rest by the side of the river.
00:51:31
Speaker
his front paws and his head were up on the bank, the rest of his body was in the water. So if any part more of it was in the, he would have washed down the river, gone. Very, very close to, yeah. But now you've got to be thinking, one, your adrenaline's just going through like crazy, but now you've got to be thinking, well, now what do we do? Like, what do we do now? How are we going to get this thing back?
00:51:56
Speaker
But we watched, this was a 95-yard shot. So in all intents and purposes, a very close shot. We were anticipating, they said anticipated 150 to 200-yard shot. So a relatively close shot. But we watched this bear for a better part of two minutes. Just to make sure. Just to make sure. Smart. And Ralph goes, we got to get down there. Because we could see his rear core is kind of floating in the water.
00:52:27
Speaker
So we traversed down here, um, back and forth, got across the river. The water was waist deep and it was moving at a good clip. So it was, there wasn't the easiest task just to get down to the bear. We got there and, and, uh, first thing we did was tie it off, make sure that it didn't wash away. And at that point you're, you're, uh,
00:52:54
Speaker
The adrenaline is just taking over. It's just euphoric like. Oh, I bet. You're just like, I can't believe what just happened. Right. This all took place from the time that we saw the bear until we shot it and killed it. Less than a minute. Less than a minute. Wow. And you spent all this time glassing and walking and doing
Successful Hunt and Lessons Learned
00:53:15
Speaker
your thing. Yes. What day was this? This was day seven? Day seven. Okay, so this is still day seven. Sorry. Yeah. Yeah.
00:53:22
Speaker
At this point, you need to skin the bear. And Ralph goes, we need to get this animal up on the bank so we can skin this animal.
00:53:34
Speaker
Okay. This is a thousand pound animal. Yeah. Okay. That sounds great, Ralph. Are you going to do this? Uh, we're both pretty stout guys. We didn't have a chance. No way. And it's also wet. Thank you very much. Yep. Yep. And we had a, a limb that was 10 feet long and kind of use it as a crowbar. Uh, what a joke. Yeah. Snap. So needless to say, we had to skin the bear right in the water, which, uh,
00:54:02
Speaker
We shot this bear at 7.30 at night. It was 9.30, two hours later by the time we got this thing skinned. And you're right, the hide was soaking wet. Ralph looked at his watch and he goes, Brad, he said, we don't have time to pack this out here tonight. He said, we need to get back.
00:54:21
Speaker
He said, the sun's going down. And he said, we're vulnerable here. Bears are nocturnal animals. But he said, we got a good two hours to get back to our raft. He said, we'll come back in the morning and get the hide. So we had to traverse back up out of that river. With a little bit of urgency. With a little bit of urgency. And as I had mentioned before, Ralph was very good about waiting for me.
00:54:49
Speaker
But at this point, going back there, this was now 9.30 at night. There was urgency to get out. Yeah, right. Because if it gets dark, you're bear meat. You're bear food. And there was no waiting for Brad Mackley. He was getting out. Let's go.
00:55:13
Speaker
Which I was going to say, you got a little adrenaline, so that's helpful. Oh, yeah. So anyway, we're about two-thirds of the way back. I'm gassed. And Ralph knew that I was, but this is a brother that Ralph was. He waited for me to catch up to him, and he goes, Brad, he said, give me your gun.
00:55:35
Speaker
He said, let me carry your gun. He knew I was on fumes. Like, I'm not sure if you're going to make it out of here.
00:55:47
Speaker
I smiled at Ralph, and I said, I got it. You lead, but I said, I'll carry my own gun. And yeah, that last journey, it was about as physically taxing. And I mean, I was a wrestler. I played football. That's exactly what I was going to say. And you've done this for quite some time already in Alaska. So you knew. So that's really saying. But physically taxing, it was
00:56:16
Speaker
It was some of the toughest stuff I've been through in my life. So good. So anyway, we're 50 yards away from the raft. We've made it. And we just sit down there and we both look at each other like, wow. Wow. And Ralph looked at me, he said, Brad, he said, I've done this for 15 years, but he said, I will not forget this hunt. Wow. And it was...
00:56:43
Speaker
Yeah, it was a hunt like none other. So we made it back to base camp, called the plane in. The outfitter brought another guide with him. So Ralph and another guide went back to get the hide that next morning. So I wasn't a part of that. Those two guys went. I helped the outfitter. We took the tents down, started packing up the plane. It was a better part of five hours. Those two guys were gone. In fact, they come with this hide. We put it on the scale. That hide was 128 pounds.
00:57:13
Speaker
how they pack that thing out of there. Oh my goodness. I have no idea. When they got back to the plane with it, they had it all wrapped up in a backpack, 128 pounds worth. And I said, before we get out of here, I said, put this backpack on my shoulders. I want to see what this feels like. Smart. So I was sitting on my butt, put this backpack on. I could not get on my feet.
00:57:36
Speaker
I could not get on my feet. I rolled over on my belly. And still couldn't. Still couldn't get up. And at this point, they're just laughing. For sure. So I got back on my butt and they said, give me your hands. And they pulled me up on my feet. And I maybe took 10 steps.
00:57:53
Speaker
Tapped out. Oh, it was unbelievable. Mm-hmm. Miserable. Back in my day, I carried a 50-pound bag of pig feed in a bag. Okay. And okay, there was a time, I could do two. That's 100 pounds. Right. And away you go, on a flat surface. Yeah, right. But 128 pounds. Oh, my goodness. Across that drain. Unreal. Yeah.
00:58:21
Speaker
It was an adventure like none other. And I give thanks to God for allowing me to do that. And it was life changing for Brad Beckley. Here we are today, and I'm back here, back at home, and I view people differently. Okay, that's what I was going to ask you. Prior to that, huh? Good. And it was by the grace of God, he opened my eyes in ways in which
00:58:51
Speaker
I didn't think it was possible. And it was just a thrill of a lifetime. So thankful to God for the opportunity. So do you feel like God is more close? Or do you feel like He ever was really removed? Or do you just feel like you just had to have a different perspective? You know, God is God. God doesn't change. He's the same yesterday as today as He is tomorrow.
00:59:19
Speaker
But he certainly opened my eyes and I view God differently, that He is who He is. I shared with Psalm 13 about, God, where are you? And at the end of that, David responds, he said, look on me and answer, oh, Lord, my God.
00:59:49
Speaker
give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death. But David ends, he said, but I trust in you with your unfailing love, and my heart rejoices in your salvation. I will sing to the Lord, for he has been good to me. And I just, after all the heartache, like, God, where are you?
01:00:14
Speaker
Oh, he opened my eyes in ways, it's very, almost sitting in front of a mic and trying to put into words about who God is, how faithful he is, and how good God is. It's like, oh, what a breath of fresh air. And how good it is to have a relationship with you. Yes. So I want to kind of cap this off with, now you're back in the town.
01:00:44
Speaker
And you're with Ralph or you're at least in a place where other people that have gone to bear hunts are coming back and they're kind of like communicating with how their week went. And I want to cap this off because I think it's a perfect analogy of kind of the whole thing kind of in a nutshell. So, yeah.
01:01:03
Speaker
I'll give you the mic. Tell us what happened now that you're recapping back at the hotel in nice warm clothes, warm surroundings. Yeah, this is a hunting atmosphere. So we're back in Dillingham and there's hunters coming and going. I mean, guys are going on bear hunts, fishing hunt trips and everything else. And so, of course, you're recapping stories.
01:01:25
Speaker
And I'm exhausted. And here you are with the epitome of other hunters. I didn't know this, but when you go to Alaska, that's kind of the Olympics of hunting. It's like where everybody wants to go. Yeah, right. Yeah. And so here I am. I'm a farmer from Iowa. I'm an Iowa pig farmer. Yeah. Okay. Yeah, I have shot a gun.
01:01:54
Speaker
I have not shot a deer, okay, in Iowa. Nor have I. I'm not a hunter either. I'm no pheasant hunter, but here I am hunting for a bear in Alaska. So here we are back in Dillingham, and you're around all these professional hunters.
Post-Hunt Reflections and Discussions
01:02:12
Speaker
And here they are, just, oh, the conditions were just deplorable. We never saw a bear. We didn't do this. Wasn't it bad for you, too? Yeah, it sure was.
01:02:25
Speaker
I did get a bear. What? Yes. What? Yeah. No. And so you show them this picture. Unbelievable. Unbelievable. Yes. And so that's how that story ends. And really. It is unbelievable. It should have been. This idea of getting and shooting a bear, it was just,
01:02:54
Speaker
Once in a lifetime. Once in a lifetime, yeah. And that was Ralph, that if it was Brad Meckley, I would be there for the next 10 years. Yeah. It wouldn't happen. Right. But I was with a fellow that, I mean, to tell you, he's a hunter among hunters. And I had the privilege to be with him to do that. Right. You know what I'd say, though, for you?
01:03:19
Speaker
even if you were back at the lodge and you hadn't shot a bear, I still think that you would have been like, this was life changing. Does that make sense? So like it wasn't about the bear, although I think all those people around you was like, unbelievable, you got a bear. But like what you were saying is like, well, that was like 3% of it. Like the 97% other than that was exactly what I needed and God knew it. I share this story and show the picture of the bear that we got. And yeah, what a thrill. But
01:03:48
Speaker
Like you said, Philip, that was two to 3% of the story. It was everything that happened prior to that and how God works in your life and gives you opportunities to do what you do and how He challenges you to do something that you aren't prepared to do. And that was certainly the case for me. I entered into a walk with God like
01:04:12
Speaker
Wow, what are you doing here? Yeah, right. I had this played out way differently. And how God works in your life, and I don't care what you do. You certainly don't have to go on a bear hunt. Right.
01:04:28
Speaker
have yourself open before God and allow God to work through you. Oh, man. What an opportunity to relate and to live your life out until we're in heaven with Him. But
01:04:44
Speaker
Oh, what a privilege it was to be with God. I can't thank you enough for just sharing this story. And I hope that so many more people get to be as enamored to this story as I do. Because I think, you know, at the end of the day, like a bear hunt, I'm not a hunter either. But there is something about a bear hunt that
01:05:03
Speaker
It's almost like, like you said, it's unbelievable. It's like this pinnacle of like getting yourself out of your comfort zone, stepping into the unknown and letting God meet you where you're at and give you an experience that you'll never forget, which is actually what happened. So I thank you for one, being such a devout believer and then also sharing your story. But I would say just your whole life have been always trusting in the Lord to provide for you, whether it be pig farming,
01:05:33
Speaker
or planting, or even just stepping up and just meeting you where you need to be. And so, thank you for your wisdom. You've been listening to the Uncommon Wealth Podcast. I've been your host, Philip Ramsey. Until next time, go open yourself up and see where God meets you. Thanks for listening.
01:05:49
Speaker
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