Nick Mundt and Waddell Discuss the Value of Wild Game, the Drive to Hunt, and Having Fun
Join Host Michael Waddell as he sits down with long-time hunting buddy and Bone Collector Co-Host Nick Mundt, who made the trip from his Minnesota hobby farm to Downton Dixie to talk about a wide variety of topics – all related to hunting and what makes the pursuit of wild game so worthwhile. Mundt and Waddell have known each other for about three decades and have worked together on Bone Collector now for nearly 20 years. Born and raised in the Black Hills region of South Dakota, Mundt grew up hunting and fishing and worked for more than a decade in Wyoming as a big-game guide at 7J Outfitters in Sundance, WY. When not hunting, Mundt worked as a barber to pay the bills. During his time guiding, Mundt developed outstanding skills with a video camera, and when he crossed paths with David Blanton, he was hired on as a freelance cameraman for Realtree Outdoors. Mundt worked his way into a field producer position at Realtree and eventually into a role on Realtree Road Trips.
Mundt's passion for hunting and fun-loving demeanor made him a natural hunting partner and co-host with Waddell and Travis "T-Bone" Turner when they launched Bone Collector in 2008, and he's our much anticipated guest on this episode of The Michael Waddell Podcast, presented by REMAX OUTDOORS and in partnership with Cigars International. Over the years, Nick Mundt has had the opportunity to hunt all over North America and the world for a wide variety of big game. However, he is quick to point out that while he loves trophy hunting for big game – that's why Waddell and T-Bone nicknamed him "Game Hog" – for him it's the experience that always outweighs the trophy.
"That is the best part, man," Mundt said, recalling all the great experiences from his involvement in Bone Collector. "There's so many. It's just memory after memory and great people in every camp. It has gone by too fast… I think there are a lot of good people in the industry. If you're not a good person; you don't make it. And so, I think there are a lot of good people, but I also think that people forget that the camaraderie of the trip and the memory of the trip should outweigh the trophy. I think a lot of people just put too much emphasis on what the deer scores. Do we want to shoot big deer? Well, yeah, we want to shoot big deer. But, just like last year, when you [gesturing toward Waddell] shot that deer at Blake's and you had said that you had a hawg in the back of the truck, so we went over there and it was this old freaked-out, just goofy looking old buck, and that was just so cool, and we were just as happy with that as if it was a 180. I think people lose track of that."
"I think the general public too maybe gets a little tired of people showing off these giant deer," Mundt continued. "It's such a small cross-section of people who are killing animals like that…maybe only 3 percent of the people. You know, your normal dude, that works, whether he's a cop, or works in a coal mine, or works in a steel mill, or is building houses, or air conditioning or whatever; he's got, you know, a lot of times maybe Saturday or Sunday morning to hunt. He's got a family, the kids are in soccer or baseball, and he's got to go to a football game on Friday or Saturday night so he can't go hunting because, "My kid has got a game at 7:00." And so, a 130-inch buck to people, that's a wallhanger, and sometimes I think the industry kind of sometimes turns their nose up at that kind of deer…"
"Where I live in Minnesota," Mundt explained, "properties are small, the rut falls the very first Saturday in November, so it's the chasing phase, all the bucks are moving, waiting for those first does to come into heat, so it's a slaughter. And they just don't get old. So, if you see a three-year-old buck, that's a trophy buck where I live. You shoot a 130, 135, 140-inch buck in that part of the country, that's a really big deer. They're just not around every tree. Now you go to Iowa, you get a tag once every six years, you don't want to shoot a 140. You want to maybe hold out for something a little bit bigger, especially if you've got a whole month to hunt or whatever. I just think the emphasis on the camaraderie and the fun of the people that you're around gets lost a lot of times."
Anyone who is familiar with Bone Collector certainly knows just how much emphasis the team puts on having fun, and on this podcast Waddell, guitar in hand, even relives some hunting camp karaoke with Mundt, belting out a Whitesnake glam-metal anthem and then having fun with Luke Bryan's hit "That's My Kind of Night." However, the team is extremely serious when it comes to hunting trophy whitetails and sharing what they've learned over the years with viewers. They also are quick to point out the role of outdoor TV in educating hunters and contributing to the increased number of mature deer that hunters take.
"I think one thing that's helped," began Mundt, "you know, all over the country as far as people shooting bigger deer [is that] over the last 10 or 15 years, people have gotten to see [a lot of deer] on the Outdoor Channel. So, you can sit there and watch a block – four, five, six shows in a row – and you can actually start to see [enough] deer. Where like, when I was growing up in the Black Hills of South Dakota, you never saw… nobody knew what a two or three or four [year old deer looked like]; nobody ever thought about age on a deer. He was big or he was small. He was a five-by-five, he was a four-by-four, he was a three-by-three, whatever. And now, people are able to see a deer on the hoof – because they've watched so much on TV – and they're able to kind of judge a deer, judge his age, and it has helped throughout the country because people are letting some deer go and wanting that next size up. But when you live in a place like where I live and the acreages are small – this guy's got 15 acres, next door to him 13, next door to him 10, the next guy might have 20, the next guy might have 40 – well, if they're sitting in their treestand on opening day and a 120 walks by, they're whacking him, and they love it, which is great!"
The Michael Waddell Podcast is produced by Outdoor Sportsman Group and is available widely on Outdoor Channel YouTube, MyOutdoorTV, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and OutdoorChannel.com, to name a few.
Waddell and Mundt take a long stroll down Bone Collector's memory lane, talking about some of their best memories and favorite hunting camps. "I was going to say, for sure, Vatos, and the Milk River," said Mundt, "and then, as of lately, Blake's place. It's just so much fun, the characters, and every single person that we hang out with there is just a blast. And then, recently, we've had the chance to make friends with Ike Rainey [Giles Island on the Mississippi River near Natchez, MS and Vidalia, LA] and his camps are so fun. What I like about it is, the people don't take themselves too seriously. Those are the funnest camps for sure."
In addition to all the great memories, Mundt has acquired quite a few big animals over the years with Bone Collector. "I've always been a taxidermy nut," said Mundt, "and so I've got a whole warehouse full of trophies, but I've kind of slowed down a little bit on mounting stuff because I'm getting older and I'm running out of room, and I've got this burden of animals that I'm going to have to put on my [family]," he said with a big smile. "I'm probably not going to be able to leave them much, but they can hopefully sell my animals and make a little bit of money. But, just, every time I look at these, every time I sit there and look at them – and I truly love hunting, I truly love it – it's all about the animals for me really. Just seeing all those memories on the wall and thinking about all the places we've been. I've met so many good people. It just means the world to me. I've met so many good people and have such lasting relationships with people who are hunters. Except for the five or six guys I'm in a text thread with [guys from school days] … my best friends that I have today are people that I've met in hunting camp."
"Nick Mundt and I hit it off from the first time we met at 7J Outfitters, and we always have fun together. There's no telling how many jokes we've told and songs we've butchered around the campfire. At the same time, we've worked incredibly hard, and I'm extremely proud of what Nick, T-Bone and I have done together with Bone Collector. But even more than that, I'm proud to call these men brothers and uncles to my kids, and I'm happy that Nick finally was able to make the trip to Georgia. I highly recommend that folks who want to look into Rolling Bones Outdoors' full-service concierge service for hunters reach out directly to nick@rbohome.com."
The Michael Waddell Podcast releases new episodes every other week.
Waddell's story began in the backwoods of Booger Bottom, Georgia, where he grew up surrounded by nature, family, and a love for the outdoors. A self-proclaimed "rowdy redneck," his passion for hunting and storytelling led him to win a Realtree turkey-calling contest, which launched his career in the outdoor industry. From guiding and filming hunts to creating hit shows like Realtree Road Trips and Bone Collector, Waddell has become a beloved figure in the outdoor world.
About Outdoor Sportsman Group: Outdoor Sportsman Group is comprised of the world's foremost media and entertainment brands for outdoor adventure enthusiasts. It includes four leading multichannel networks: Outdoor Channel, Sportsman Channel, World Fishing Network, and GAME & FISH TV, a dynamic new Free Ad-Supported Streaming TV (FAST) channel dedicated to sports enthusiasts and outdoor lovers. Additionally, Outdoor Sportsman Group operates Sportsman Channel (Canada) and MOTV, the world's leading subscription streaming platform created for outdoor lifestyle enthusiasts. The Group also consists of numerous established publishing assets, including 14 outdoor magazines such as Guns & Ammo, Game & Fish, Petersen's HUNTING, and In-Fisherman, along with 20 top websites. Outdoor Sportsman Group also includes television production operations through Winnercomm. For more information, visit www.outdoorsg.com.