The New England Fishing Expo is hosted by Dan Kenney every February in Massachusetts, featuring industry leaders from local and afar. In this gear review, we bring you baits that we picked up from local companies who bring region specific and American made products to us local anglers. Specifically we feature products we
purchased from Krank’d Up Custom Lures from RI, Samatis Baits from MA, Fresh
Baitz from MA, Lead Free Bass Jigs from MA, and Crazy Hick Bait CO from NH. It
was especially surreal to meet Oliver Gny from Big Bass Dreams - thanks for making the voyage to New England!

Each company we review in this episode has a comprehensive online store where you can get your hands on these must have baits. If you’re in the area, but missed the New England Fishing Expo, you may have a second change at picking up these products in-person at the NH Outdoor Expo in Milford March 8th-10th. Both the New England Fishing Expo and NH Outdoor Expo are quality shows hosted by a great man Dan Kenney and will get you ready for this year’s fishing and hunting seasons! Below are links to both shows as well as the online stores for each company we review. Thanks for supporting the channel and supporting these quality, local companies! 

Crazy Hick Bait Co 
https://www.crazyhickbaits.com/

Samatis Baits 
https://samatisbaits.com/
 
Lead Free Bass Jigs 
https://leadfreebassjigs.com/

Krank’d Up Custom Lures 
https://www.krankdupcustomlures.com/

New England Fishing Expo
https://nefishingexpo.com/

NH Outdoor Expo
https://nhoutdoorexpo.com/

*Please note that Hunt Fish New England and its hosts are not affiliates or pro staff of these companies at the time of release of this gear review.

2023 was the turning point and foundation of the channel with the support and encouragement from a quality local outdoor industry that is packed with wisdom and experience. In this episode, we briefly recap a few highlights from the year including: the encouragement to get in the expo game from Mr. Dan Kenney at the NH Outdoor Expo, a quality Maine Summer fishing trip at Bear Springs Camps using Crazy Hick Bait Company and Fresh Baitz products, HUNTSTOCK 2023 including winning the 1-of-1 Big Woods Bucks Edition Duren Knife, the high of the hunting season featuring the harvest of a Maine Black Bear with Backwoods Gun Dogs, and general appreciation for the support to start the YouTube channel from a couple local greats including Kyle Bentall from KBB Outdoors and Pat Guyette of HUNTSTOCK and Hunt Suburbia.

We appreciate everyone for a great 2023, for supporting the channel, and for sharing the passion of supporting the local New England's outdoor industry!

Coming fresh off our final black bear kill of the week, we sat down with Guide Deven Cooley of Backwoods Gun Dogs to recap our kills, reminisce about the trip, and review the experience and hunting packages Deven has to offer. Tucked on the southern bank of Moosehead Lake, Deven and Backwoods Gun Dogs offer a truly Maine experience throughout the whole region with a focus on hound hunting for black bear. Prior to the hound season, Deven offers limited amounts of bait hunts and during the off season he opens his lodging to outdoorsmen and women, whether it be for snowmobiling, fishing, hiking, or just enjoying the landscape. We had a truly incredible and memorable time harvesting our first black bears with Deven at the helm and we hope people at the very least experience a hound hunt in their lives, and better yet, do it with Backwoods Gun Dogs. Check out Backwoods Gun Dogs at the link below which includes their contact information for you to schedule your next hunt!

https://www.facebook.com/BackwoodsGunDogs

Although we focus solely on New England, we had to have our brother from NY Josh Larsen from Primitive Patriot Outdoors on the podcast
while at HUNTSTOCK 2023! Josh and his team are taking their passion for the
outdoors and their country to the next level whether it's hosting a walleye
series, getting Veterans on hunts, or getting in the field themselves shooting
footage for their channel. In this episode we cover everything Primitive
Patriot and get first-hand accounts from Josh about memorable accomplishments
and experiences that he has endured prior to and during his time with Primitive
Patriot. Thanks in advance for subscribing and supporting Primitive Patriot
Outdoors and below are links to Josh's other social media pages. Thanks Josh
(and Joe) for what you do and coming on the pod! 

Primitive Patriot Outdoors YouTube Channel
https://www.youtube.com/@primitivepatriotoutdoors 

Primitive Patriot Outdoors IG
https://www.instagram.com/primitivepatriotoutdoors/ 

Josh's Personal IG
https://www.instagram.com/joshlarsen_theprimitivepatriot/

This episode was proudly recorded at HUNTSTOCK 2023 where Tyler Adams from The Duck Republic joined us to talk about his wild ride in the outdoors that started with commercial fishing on the West Coast and is now focused solely on duck hunting. Tyler is currently capturing his time in the blind on camera and pumping o.l.,ut great content on The Duck Republic YouTube and Instagram pages respectively. We had originally met on social media and HUNTSTOCK was a great place to meet each other in person and then record a pod in the process. Take the time to follow, like and subscribe to all things The Duck Republic and we’ll see you at HUNTSTOCK 2024!

The Duck Republic IG Page

https://www.instagram.com/theduckrepublic/ 

The Duck Republic YouTube Channel

https://www.youtube.com/@TheDuckRepublicHunts

Bob Howe and Wyatt Howe of Pine Grove Lodge are hunters to the core, offering guided bear, deer, bird, and rabbit hunting in the big woods of Maine for over three decades now. Pine Grove Lodge has recently expanded their guided services to include remote trout fishing as well as unique cast and blast trips in the Fall. In this episode, Wyatt and Bob detail their services, discuss the experience of running a multigenerational outfit, and if that isn’t enough, they also bring us along into their other ventures including Maine Guide Snowshoes and the Pine Grove Program. It was an honor to talk with these guys and we’ll be in the woods with them at Pine Grove Lodge in an upcoming season. Links to all that they do are below:

Pine Grove Lodge Website: https://pinegrovelodge.com/ 

Pine Grove Lodge FB: https://www.facebook.com/BobandAndreaHowe 

Maine Guide Snowshoes Website: http://www.mgsnowshoes.com/ 

Pine Grove Programs Website: https://www.pinegroveprograms.org/ 

Pine Grove Program FB: https://www.facebook.com/Pinegroveprogram

Back in episode 16, Kyle Bentall (KBB Outdoors and Bows Bros Bucks Podcast Host) told us about his goal to kill mature bucks in three New England states this season which he coined “The New England Slam.” Spoiler Alert: Kyle has done it and then some! In this episode, Kyle recaps all 6 of his impressive bucks as well as his goals for the remainder of the season including getting new hunters on their first deer. Thank you Kyle for sharing your incredible season with us and looking forward to seeing your Huntstock Film Fest submission! 

KBB Outdoors YouTube Channel
https://www.youtube.com/@KBBOUTDOORS 

KBB Outdoors IG
https://www.instagram.com/kbboutdoors2.0/

Bows Bros & Bucks Podcast IG
https://www.instagram.com/bowsbrosbucks/

The Gun Owners Action League (GOAL) has been protecting 2A rights for years here in the Commonwealth through advocacy and education; most recently against bill H.4139. This piece of legislation will not only infringe upon our Constitutional right to bear arms, but it includes several proposed law changes that will immediately affect hunting and shooting sports for current and prospective participants. In this episode, Mike Harris from GOAL breaks down just several (of many) poor components of the bill, outlining how it will immediately impact the Constitutional rights of law-abiding citizens while ineffectively addressing the real issues it was intended to address. Use the links below to stay current on all things GOAL including their numerous educational resources and advocacy work.

Website: https://www.goal.org/ 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GunOwnersActionLeague 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/goal_massachusetts/ 

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/GOALVid/videos 

Dan Dugdale from Dugdale Custom Knives is someone who lets his work do the talking for him, so we can't thank him enough for taking the time to join us for this podcast where he shared his story and impressive product line. Dan is a hunter, machinist, and knifemaker who combined his passions into what we have come to know as Dugdale Custom Knives. Dan's knives are as creative as they are quality, which has led to his designs being incorporated into knives made by big name brands we've all likely purchased from before. Follow Dan on instagram at @dugdaleknives to stay informed about his next expo appearance and to inquire about knife availability and pricing. Consider buying local with Dugdale Custom Knives for the knife collector or outdoorsman in your family for a gift that will impress them and keep them sharp in the outdoors for many seasons to come! Thanks for listening to another podcast proudly recorded at HUNTSTOCK 2023!

Kyle Bentall is the man behind KBB Outdoors and The Bows Bros & Bucks Podcast, and to be blunt, this man knows how to put down mature whitetails! Kyle joined us live at Huntstock 2023 to detail his passion for the outdoors as well as his goal of completing the New England whitetail slam. For anyone that has already been following along, Kyle has called his shots and has successfully pulled off the slam (and then some!) which we look to detail in a part II episode. Be sure to like and subscribe to all things KBB Outdoors and follow along as he continues to put down mature whitetail bucks here in the big woods and suburbia of New England!

KBB Outdoors Youtube Channel            

https://www.youtube.com/@KBBOUTDOORS

KBB Outdoors IG:

https://www.instagram.com/kbboutdoors2.0/ 

Bows Bros & Bucks Podcast IG

https://www.instagram.com/bowsbrosbucks/