Ryan Yarnell: Turtlebox, Duck Hunting & Protecting What We Love (Ep 799)
Go for a boat ride
Wade Shoemaker:Boat ride.
Ryan Yarnell:See some alligators.
Wade Shoemaker:With hire them and got to dodge all the stomps, you know, because you knew the routes, and that was a cool thing because I was sure enough bracing for a stomp.
Ryan Yarnell:Yeah.
Wade Shoemaker:I I just that's all I heard about that place is just good luck with your lowers, you know.
Ryan Yarnell:It's it's torn up many about Couple of years. And I've certainly spent Yeah. Broken out out there. So I love it, man.
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Wade Shoemaker:Cool. Alright, folks. Hey. We're here at the DUX twenty six Expo in Memphis, Tennessee. My name is Wade Shoemaker.
Wade Shoemaker:I am your podcast host for this episode. Not sure which camera to look at. But with me today, I have mister Ryan Yarnell. He hails from Manhattan, Montana by way of Texarkana, Texas. Lucky enough to know this guy for a while.
Wade Shoemaker:Several years, actually, we shared a couple of hunts together over the last several years. Man, I'm lucky enough to know your two boys, Hiram and Lyle, and and that horse of a dog you have named Clyde. So, like, dude, I could sit here and talk about it the whole time, but, like, why don't you tell us a little bit about all that?
Ryan Yarnell:First of all, Wade, glad to be here. Thanks for thanks for having me on. Good to be here at DUX twenty six. It's a great show so far. Yes.
Ryan Yarnell:As you said, I'm from Montana these days, last long time years. Wow. Born and raised Texarkana, Texas. Most of my family's from Arkansas. I was fortunate enough to be raised hunting and fishing around Arkansas and East Texas and parts unknown.
Ryan Yarnell:So here we are today. Like you said, we've had some good times together ourselves and
Wade Shoemaker:Fact.
Ryan Yarnell:Look forward to many more.
Wade Shoemaker:Yeah. Dude, not I I don't have this in my notes, but it's hitting me now that we're talking about it. Like, I know we're at Ducks Unlimited like a a Ducks Unlimited thing, which all things ducks, like, is is great. But on on the hunting side, you've done a lot of things, but I think what would be cool is, like, dude, you've you've done a lot, like, whitewater type stuff. You've you've been you've got your fishing guy.
Wade Shoemaker:Like like, run me through, like like, shallow shallow level of, like, all the the thousand lives you've lived. Like, let me know because this dude's I mean, it it's unreal, but I wanna hear about that.
Ryan Yarnell:Yeah, man. I've been fortunate. I've been blessed with
Wade Shoemaker:You didn't expect me to bring this up, and I didn't mean to.
Ryan Yarnell:It's all good. I've been blessed to do a lot of fun things. Spent many years as a whitewater rafting guide all over everywhere, it seemed like.
Wade Shoemaker:Yeah.
Ryan Yarnell:Got to about a little bit in South America.
Wade Shoemaker:Yeah.
Ryan Yarnell:All over North America, especially, and spent a lot of years doing that. Loved it very much. You know, anything outdoors has always been a draw to me. Spent a little time fishing guide in Montana, did a little hunt guiding here and there, big game white water or waterfowl. Yeah.
Ryan Yarnell:Still pretend like I am sometimes, but most of all, just love to get out there and do it all with good friends. And now, you know, as you mentioned with kids, you know, we're taking our boys and
Wade Shoemaker:That's right.
Ryan Yarnell:Doing that thing. So, you know, my six year old hire him, he's beat up with it already. He he thinks he's gonna shoot a turkey with his bow already.
Wade Shoemaker:He probably is. He probably is.
Ryan Yarnell:Hey. We got a of practicing to go. Yeah.
Wade Shoemaker:I dig that, dude. No. I love it. And I didn't mean to put you on the spot there. I just it it kinda come up and, like, you're like a x games of the outdoor space at this point.
Wade Shoemaker:What up, dude? RT. But, no, we can move on. I didn't mean to, like, put you on the spot there, but, like
Ryan Yarnell:X games seems a little extreme. So feel like I'd be like the I don't know. I'd be like the c games.
Wade Shoemaker:I feel like that. I was gonna say the y games maybe, but no. That's good. Dude, let's let's get back to the hunting side. I didn't mean to get off on a tangent, but where it all starts somewhere.
Wade Shoemaker:Right? Pals or people or you just decided you wanted to go walk in the water and shoot a duck. Like, there's some heritage there with yours though that that runs pretty deep. So why don't you tell everybody that's here looking, hanging out? Tell us about where the where the hunting started for you.
Ryan Yarnell:You know, I was blessed to be raised by a father that I mean, duck hunting was his out. Right? You know, just blue collar working man, Poland's duck hunter. Hunted a lot of green timber, hunted a lot of cypress slews throughout Arkansas and East Texas. I mean, I think, you know, I look back by from one of the most famous places seeing people know or at least used to be.
Ryan Yarnell:I mean, I think I hunted there the first time I was 10 or 11. You know? It was a different ballgame back then. Obviously, people were guiding in there, and it was
Wade Shoemaker:That's when it was still was it legal, or were they just guiding?
Ryan Yarnell:No. No. It was legal.
Wade Shoemaker:You know?
Ryan Yarnell:There's people outfitting in there and whatnot. And, you know, I have memories of the all the old man, you know, hammering down on cut down calls and whatnot and just bringing them out. It seemed like from the ionosphere. Yeah. But, you know, you're 10, 11, everything seemed you know, I looked at my daddy.
Ryan Yarnell:He was my idol for sure. And Yeah. But, yeah, he raised me hunting and bass fishing, and, you know, I was raised on a spent a lot of time on a lake called Millwood Lake Oh, yeah. There outside of Ashtown, Arkansas, which I have a camp on with some friends to these this, know, you still to this day. And, yeah, my uncles all were big duck hunters and That's cool.
Ryan Yarnell:You know, we just my family's all from Arkansas originally and the Yarnell family. And so the distant cousins and uncles, whatnot, everybody to be somewhat into duck hunting at some point.
Wade Shoemaker:Yeah. Very, very cool. I was I was happy to, like, visit the camp. You know? Oh, that's right.
Wade Shoemaker:Me and Brandy come by and hung out and Got to
Ryan Yarnell:go for a boat ride.
Wade Shoemaker:Boat ride.
VO 2:See some alligators.
Wade Shoemaker:Would hire them and got to dodge all the stomps, you know, because you knew the routes, and that was a cool thing because I was sure enough bracing for a stomp. Yeah. I I just that's all I've heard about that place. It's just good luck with your lowers. You know?
Ryan Yarnell:It's it's torn up many a boat.
Wade Shoemaker:Couple of years.
Ryan Yarnell:And I've certainly spent Yeah. Broken out out there. So
Wade Shoemaker:I love it, man. I love well, look, like, the hunting, you've been around. You've had a great, I I would say, a foundation, you know, with your dad and your uncles and everybody that's been that you've been surrounded with. You've been around the hunting space for a while too, which is something kind of interesting. Like, I don't think a lot of people know that when they see something like what you've got going on, that this isn't like your first rodeo.
Wade Shoemaker:Right? Like, you've been around, you've done the things. But you ended up somehow on the rocket ship that is Turtle Box Audio, which I think everybody here knows probably exactly what that is. Why don't you tell us a little bit about the last few years there, man? Like, kinda like, where like, from from where it was to where it's at, kind of how you've settled into your role there.
Wade Shoemaker:You were the hunt community manager for Turtle Box Audio, for anybody that doesn't know, which is rad. So give us a little bit of insight there.
VO 2:Welcome to the Old Timer Minute, sponsored by Old Timer Knives.
OTM:So my favorite place that I got to hunt as a kid, that's a really tough thing because I got the luxury of being able to hunt some fantastic places in Arkansas growing up with my my grandfather's best friend and my dad. But I remember hunting a lot with my grandfather's best friend. He had a a duck club on Big Ditch. And, you know, if you're a duck hunter and you're familiar with Arkansas, that's a mythical place. And I remember every time we got to go down there, the excitement was just incredible.
OTM:You knew you were gonna get to witness something something impressive, the trees, the history, the story behind that place. And it always, it lived up to the hype in my mind, and I'll I'll never forget that opportunity or those places. That's your Old Timer Minute brought to you by Old Timer, built for generations.
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Ryan Yarnell:Well, certainly feel blessed, you know, spent a number years working for some cool brands, spent some time in the firearms industry as well. And then
Wade Shoemaker:I forgot about that. Yeah.
Ryan Yarnell:I was I was praying for something come along and my prayers got answered. I, you know, stumbled into the the role at Turtle Box. We're grateful that they gave me the opportunity and, you know, it's it has been a rocket ship. I mean, I think if anybody's been following along, Turtle Box is we're exceeding our own expectations some days, I think. And Yeah.
Ryan Yarnell:We feel very blessed. You know, we are we have four founders that are incredible leaders, incredible men.
Wade Shoemaker:I'll I'll yeah.
Ryan Yarnell:Yeah. Concurrent. Grateful to be a part of that. Grateful to, you know, have that leadership above me. It's important.
Ryan Yarnell:But yeah. So, my good friend Sloan Brown, I think a lot of you probably know Sloan. Sloan's, you know, been a great mentor and a great leader as well, leads our community overall.
Wade Shoemaker:And He's a gangster, dude.
Ryan Yarnell:He is. He is, he's my gangster for sure. Love that guy, you know, and he was a big part of me coming over to Turtle Box Way. And so couldn't be more grateful for those answered prayers for sure. And has it's been a lot of fun.
Ryan Yarnell:If you've seen, we yes, we know we have the the we started out with the o g. Yeah. You know, we're on the third gen gin It's crazy.
Wade Shoemaker:I've got a I'm not gonna stop, like, don't lose that thought. Yeah. I was in my shop. I've cleaned it out the other day, and I'm I'm fixing to assemble lever rack in there. But I've got it all cleaned out.
Wade Shoemaker:Everything's ready to go. But I looked in there, and I've got the gen the gen one OG in my shop. And I'm not gonna leave it. Like, I'm gonna I'm gonna it's got some dust on it because it's been in the shop, but I'm a wipe it off. And, like, that's I think that's gonna be my shop radio.
Wade Shoemaker:Yeah. I I just I can't I don't wanna get rid of it. I don't want to go anywhere. I think it's cool.
Ryan Yarnell:It's an incredible product even from those first series, you know, always battery life's only gotten better. Bluetooth has gotten better. I mean, like I said, we're on the third generation of, excuse me, of the original, and now we have, you know, the Grande, the Ranger. We just launched the Cub. Yeah.
Ryan Yarnell:And so, you know, keep your eyes peeled. We're always doing cool stuff.
Wade Shoemaker:So so with that with that, like, always doing cool stuff, eyes peeled, that lets that tells me not like that look at what we've we've done. It tells me look at what we're gonna do. That's what I hear from that. So if I'm if if I'm wrong, tell me I'm wrong. If I'm not, I don't think I am.
Wade Shoemaker:But is there anything and maybe you can't because I know you it's like, you know, loose lips sink ships kind of thing. The duck hunters get that. But, like, is there anything you can tease out or let out about that?
Ryan Yarnell:Look. I always like to say we're just getting started. Right? Okay. We're having fun.
Ryan Yarnell:We're I tried.
Wade Shoemaker:I tried. I'm sorry.
Ryan Yarnell:We're just getting started. You know? So
Wade Shoemaker:I thought we were friends, but I I tried.
Ryan Yarnell:But yeah. You know, you know, always keep up, keep your eyes peeled.
Wade Shoemaker:We're What up, dude?
Ryan Yarnell:We're being innovative and trying to, you know, working on the next greatest and latest.
Wade Shoemaker:Whatever it is, I trust it, and I know it's gonna be cooler than than probably anything else that's been going on. But yeah. Oh, y'all did just launch though. You just launched the sorry. The the mic out there kinda I hear some announcements going on, but you did just announce, maybe not out loud, but I know that there's a lot of customers getting email saying that there was a an adapter for gen two, gen threes to connect.
Wade Shoemaker:Is that correct?
Ryan Yarnell:We're gonna see.
Wade Shoemaker:Okay. Well, I see.
Ryan Yarnell:Something we have been talking about and working on, and so we were Is
Wade Shoemaker:it so it's it's it's, I guess, it's out.
Ryan Yarnell:I don't think it's out.
Wade Shoemaker:Oh, okay. Well, I don't know.
Ryan Yarnell:I don't think it's out.
Wade Shoemaker:I saw it. There's so there's, you know, turtle box
Ryan Yarnell:owner groups and all this stuff. People talk about it all the time. I don't think that's out yet.
Wade Shoemaker:They they they AI'd an email then.
Ryan Yarnell:I mean, maybe so. I didn't get the email.
Wade Shoemaker:Okay. Well, then whoever did that, that's
Ryan Yarnell:And if I didn't get the email I was supposed to, okay, I'm
Wade Shoemaker:gonna be Yeah. Yeah. Somebody's getting a phone call today. It might be me or you. I don't know.
Wade Shoemaker:But somebody's getting in trouble.
Ryan Yarnell:You know, yeah. That's something we've been working on and talking about, and hopefully, we can get that out for customers that still run the Gen two. You know, as I remind people all the time, if you have a Gen two, there's no better sound quality out of a turtle box than
Wade Shoemaker:Yeah.
Ryan Yarnell:Two speakers connected together. That's right. I mean, sure. Our new Bluetooth, you can infinity connect, which is awesome. You can throw down and put a million around a a campfire or party, whatever you wanna do.
Wade Shoemaker:Mess up somebody's day by just hit party mode. Everything Do
Ryan Yarnell:that outside your hotel room. You hit party mode about twenty and bring it up.
Wade Shoemaker:Get everybody in the hotel on party mode and just turn them on in the like, at 3AM. Better than fire
Ryan Yarnell:alarm. I mean, we could probably do that in this convention. I promise you. Enough of them. We could just crank them around.
Ryan Yarnell:So, you know, that being said, the it's still the best sound quality is whether you have a new one or old one. Speaker's still the same. Yeah. The sound quality is still the same. Right?
Ryan Yarnell:Bluetooth compatibility has gotten better, and we're grateful for that.
Wade Shoemaker:So What up? That's a cool family
Ryan Yarnell:right there. Absolutely.
Wade Shoemaker:Yeah. They're walking by. Good choice. We had some, like, intro music for you guys. Yeah.
Wade Shoemaker:Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
Ryan Yarnell:See? Set a turtle box out there right now. I can be hitting playlist. See?
Wade Shoemaker:We should we do that.
Ryan Yarnell:I mean, we missed an opportunity
Wade Shoemaker:here, Wade. We no. We just solved it. We just we figured something out for next time. Exactly.
Wade Shoemaker:That's a win, dude. I love that.
VO 2:Stay tuned to the Ducks Unlimited Podcast sponsored by Bird Dog Whiskey after these messages.
Wade Shoemaker:I'm grateful, like, the friendship you and I have formed over the last several years and and something cool about about that is we get to kind of share different different thoughts or different different angles or perspectives, guess I should say, about hunting and and things like that and and talking about all the new things you guys have coming out. Like, I love that. I do. I I think it's I think it's awesome. What up?
Wade Shoemaker:Hey there. I think it's awesome, but like, how's Gabe? Just realized that was Gabe. Okay. Sorry.
Wade Shoemaker:Sorry, Gabe. But with all the new stuff you guys have going on, you know, I think as important as that is and as cool as that is, I think what but what's always more important is what kinda kinda what sticks is what you leave us with. Right? Like, whether that's whatever the last impression or whatever. But what what's a message or what's the message?
Wade Shoemaker:What's the message that you wanna send out to people that are gonna listen, people that are gonna see this at some point to leave to leave them with the lasting impression of of Ryan Yarnell?
Ryan Yarnell:Oh, goodness gracious.
Wade Shoemaker:Not your obituary. You know? I'm
Ryan Yarnell:not gonna die tomorrow.
Wade Shoemaker:I'm not your obituary.
Ryan Yarnell:Look. I mean, at the end of the day, I'm about the lasting impression of Ryan Yarnell. But I mean, that was yeah.
Wade Shoemaker:That was a little heavy. Look. So I'm sorry.
Ryan Yarnell:I mean, just in general, look. I mean, I think in my years of doing this, I'm getting old, as you can see in my gray beard.
Wade Shoemaker:Man, I'm not saying that at all. Not
Ryan Yarnell:out loud. Conservation, you know, what's in front of us, the resource that we have. You know, let's make sure we're all doing a good job to take care of it. There's enough attacks against it going on right now between, you know, public lands and wetlands possibly getting drained and this, that, and the other.
Wade Shoemaker:Mhmm.
Ryan Yarnell:Let's make sure that all of us hunters are the best stewards we can be Yeah. Of, you know, this is our responsibility as well to take care of. I know that I've not always made the best choices in the woods. No. No.
Ryan Yarnell:When I was young and
Wade Shoemaker:If we're all honest.
Ryan Yarnell:Not all. Absolutely. But, you know, you know, when you're out there with your speakers, listen responsibly. When you're out there with your shareholders, pick them up. Know?
Ryan Yarnell:That's right. Pick up your trash. Be nice to one another. You know? Fighting over a duck spot is not worth it.
Ryan Yarnell:No. You're the only of you probably gonna kill anything anyway.
Wade Shoemaker:No. No.
Ryan Yarnell:At the time. That's good. You know, let's all be friends. Let's all make sure that we leave something lasting for the next generation with this resource. You know?
Ryan Yarnell:A duck is a very finicky or waterfowl in general are just, you know, they're very finicky.
Wade Shoemaker:They're buttholes, dude.
Ryan Yarnell:Yeah. You know? And we're realizing more and more of that every year. So, you know, I mean, without pointing fingers at too much, let's you know, I'll just say, hey. We'll take care of your resource.
Ryan Yarnell:Try to be a good good sport to each other. You know? Someone pulls up on top of you, ask them to hunt with you. You know? You might make a a friend for life out of that deal.
Wade Shoemaker:No. It's a fact. Yeah. I have.
Ryan Yarnell:That's saying. You know? Couple
Wade Shoemaker:things like that.
Ryan Yarnell:And I've had some incredible hunts doing that. Yeah. You know, I was I spent a lot of my life hunting, you know, public land timber, you know, the White and the Cache River and places as I got old enough to do it on my own. And you bet. I've had some some wild hunts.
Ryan Yarnell:You know, mind you, I usually only go three or four people at most. Yeah. So if you see another two or three, I mean, it's not too bad, you know. But, yeah, I had some incredible hunch instead of trying to compete, just doing it along. So
Wade Shoemaker:I love that.
Ryan Yarnell:Anyway, not to get too far down that rabbit hole.
Wade Shoemaker:No. That's good. That's good. I I mean, it really at the end of the day, all the the issues and the problems start with start with one. Right?
Wade Shoemaker:But but the solutions and everything that helps those also start with one. Right? So it's some it all compounds, and at some point, it gets to a place where it makes sense, you know, as far as the solutions go. And I think that message is that you're that you're putting out there is just, you know, let's make sure we're diligent with the things that we have and the things that we that we had. Correct.
Wade Shoemaker:And then let's try to build on it, man, because we are a team at the end of the day no matter what side of the fence you stand on.
Ryan Yarnell:But, I mean, picking up trash in the parking lot is not hard to do with George or somebody else's, you know, picking up beer cans, picking up trash, picking up cigarette butts. I mean, it's not hard to do. Yeah. You know, get you a Yogi band.
Wade Shoemaker:Get you a Yogi
Ryan Yarnell:band. Me all the time. I do, dude. I think it's awesome.
Wade Shoemaker:I put it it's always like I I have a slider on my in my truck, so I can't, like, bolt it down, but it stays closed so I can take it with me. And then I put it in a boat, put it in a duck blind. Like, I take it with me everywhere.
Ryan Yarnell:It's pretty wild. Like, I mean, you know, I I really do. I've that's something that's become a part of my everyday carry, and then then that not to be throwing ads out here. I just but it's little things like that. The fact is most everybody has a probably, has a grocery sack in their truck from stopping at the gas station that morning to get a sausage biscuit or whatever.
Ryan Yarnell:Throw some trash in it. Take it to a trash can.
Wade Shoemaker:Or just put it in your own bag.
Ryan Yarnell:You know? Exactly. I mean, the lord knows I do. My my truck looks like a trash can anyway during next season. No.
Wade Shoemaker:I dig it, dude. Well, I love Yarnell, I love that, dude. I I I think we've covered everything we need to cover where I know we're on a tight schedule and trying to get it done.
Ryan Yarnell:That guy's little bit, daddy.
Wade Shoemaker:Right there. I'll see you in, an hour and a half. That note up there. Uh-huh. You're on
Ryan Yarnell:the real stage, big dog. I know.
Wade Shoemaker:We just don't get edits. You know, we can we can say stupid stuff.
Ryan Yarnell:Good. Yeah.
Wade Shoemaker:He he's going. I promise at some point. No. But, Yarnell, thank you. I know you're on a tight schedule today too.
Wade Shoemaker:We all are. I think it's go go go for the rest of the weekend. Yeah. I think at the end of the day, it's stewardship. Be diligent, conservation, be responsible.
Wade Shoemaker:I'm trying to hit all these high points in my
Ryan Yarnell:Listen responsibly. Hunt responsibly.
Wade Shoemaker:Yeah. That's it, dude.
Ryan Yarnell:Look good to your friends. Ahead.
Wade Shoemaker:Pick up
Ryan Yarnell:some trash.
Wade Shoemaker:Yeah. I love it. I love it. That's all we got. Thanks for joining us.
Ryan Yarnell:See you guys next time. Thank you, guys.
VO 2:That's a wrap for today's episode of the Ducks Unlimited Podcast brought to you by Bird Dog Whiskey and Cocktails. From post hunt unwinds to celebrations back at camp, Bird Dog delivers award winning flavor to every moment. Enjoy responsibly. Don't forget to rate, review, and subscribe, and check out ducks.org/du podcast for more stories, science, and all things waterfowl. Guest opinions are their own and don't necessarily reflect those of Ducks Unlimited.
VO 2:Until next time, stay fired up, stay focused, and stay tuned to the ducks.
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