The Rolling Thunder Podcast

This week, we're talking machines! One of the most critical steps in building our duck calls begins in the machine shop. Every call we make passes through one of our four HAAS machine—starting as a solid rod of acrylic and ending as a precision-cut duck call blank. Spence is joined by Daniel, Jay, and Russ—our three machinists who help keep the Rolling Thunder world turning. The guys dive into the machines they run, how they use them to craft our calls, and share their backgrounds and experiences working with large CNC equipment.

It's time for Collect No. 6! The LA cut—known for its raspy tone from top to bottom—has been one of our most requested calls for a while now. Well, we heard you, and the guys have delivered. This week, Drake Levey and Riley Bennett from our tuning room sit down with Spence to talk about the new call model, the BruteLA, dropping July 7th. It also makes up this month's batch of 40 Collect Calls.

Giving back to the community is one of the most importnat things for Rolling Thunder, wether it's hosting a quick lunch for the local guys or setting up a charity golf scramble, we enjoy it all! This week Spence is joined by Haley Duffey from the Carl Perkins Center here in Somerville. Years ago Spence called Haley and asked if he and some friends could donate leftover money from a golf scramble to the Carl Perkins Center, and ever since that day our golf scrambled has donated all proceeds to Haley in hopes of making a lasing impact on the lives of young children. Haley gives us insght on her job, and how they work with young children everyday to make life better!

Live at the shop! This one was a special one for many reasons, we had our 7th annual Charity Golf Scramble, live auctions, and a whole hog served by the one and only, Malcom Reed. Malcom started "HowtoBBQright" over 15 years ago, and today Spence is sitting down with he and his team to learn a little more about what goes on behind the scenes with big barbecue! Being their first time at the Rolling Thunder Headquarters, we had to show them a good time with a huge turnout!

When Malcom first heard about this event, they not only wanted to particiapte - but donate a whole hog and 16 butts to feed everyone at the event! We can't thank Malcom, his wife, and his team members enough for their time and the amazing food.

It's officially Golf Scramble weekend!! The whole hog is on the smoker, the guys got their practice round in this morning, and the shop is full of people! It's pure chaos here at the shop, but we love it. Sit down with Spence as he catches up with the Davidson brothers after their recent hunting trip out west. The guys talk turkey and get into some controversial topics, as well as go over the whole weekend that's coming up!

This week, we're covering a bit of everything! Turkey season has wrapped up, and we're joined by longtime friend and Rolling Thunder team member, Chris Spencer — Also Delta Waterfowl's Regional Director for Alabama. No stranger to the mic, Chris previously hosted our podcast, but now it's his turn to do the talking. He gives us the inside scoop on what's happening at Delta Waterfowl and shares some exciting updates from his world. Plus, Jacob German and Spence dive into details about the upcoming Rolling Thunder Golf Scramble on June 7th — don't miss it!

Employees of Rolling Thunder are no stranger to having cameras around, but there are a few that tend to stay behind the scenes. Join Spence for episode 178 as he introduces Rolling Thunder's "Hen House", the girls of the shop that make a lot of things possible! Madi Thomas, Maddie Halford, and Libby Flanagan give you some of the day to day life that happens in the shipping room.

It's almost time for Collect #5, and this month the design hits home a little harder for some. The Gadsden Flag, displayed on the barrel of the call, is a representation of not giving up our liberties or freedoms as a nation. In this episode, Spence talks about current events in today's economy, and Aaron Blackwood, one of Rolling Thunder's longest-serving employees, gives insight into how his service in the US Marine Corps has helped influence this months collect call.

The guys have brought the podcast back to the shop! To celebrate an amazing turkey season, the guys rolled out the podast table and started frying some turkey. Jacob German, our marketing director, and Lanier Bonner, our leathermaker, sit down with Spence to talk about how their season has gone so far!

Join us for a sit down with Trent Shell and Chris Figge , a Missouri park ranger who was gracious enough to let us invade his home turf to chase a turkey or two.

Let's talk ducks , turkeys , the state of hunting and listen to a Park Ranger story or two.

Thanks for listening , share this episode with a friend , and as always - we'll catch you on the next one!