Join Scott Watley and Melanie Merlin in an exciting exploration of Alaska’s Wild Alaskan Lodge. Discover the unique experience of self-guided fishing where you become the captain of your own boat. Learn how this one-of-a-kind adventure allows for freedom and personal exploration, offering unmatched scenic beauty and unforgettable catches. Whether you’re a seasoned angler or a newcomer, this lodge provides everything you need to succeed with all-inclusive amenities and expert guidance. Dive into this captivating world and find out why it’s a must-visit destination.
SPEAKER 02 :
Welcome to Sportsman of Colorado, Colorado’s premier outdoor radio show heard every Saturday afternoon on KLZ 560 with insights on hunting, fishing, archery, guns, and ammo from Colorado’s top outfitters featuring the industry’s leading experts on how to enhance your experience in the great outdoors. Now, here’s your host, Scott Watley.
SPEAKER 05 :
welcome to sportsman of colorado thank you so much for joining us today we are glad you’re with us we’ve got a great show in store for you as we’ve mentioned the international sportsman’s expo is starting it is january the 9th at the colorado convention center uh through the weekend so thursday through sunday and uh we will be there i do not have our booth number yet but uh we are not hard to find and uh we will put that on social media as soon as we get it but uh It will be a great four days, and it’s always great to see past friends that we have met there. And one of those, we are very glad, joins us today, and that is Melanie Merlin. She is with the Wild Alaskan Lodge. So, Melanie, thanks for being with us today on Sportsman of Colorado. How are you?
SPEAKER 13 :
I’m great. Thanks for having me.
SPEAKER 05 :
You know, we were just talking before we came on air, but, you know, we met last year. And then I actually came up to the Portland show. I’d never even been there before. I had no idea you guys were going to be there and was shocked to turn a corner. And there you and Jason were there in Portland. So I got to see you a couple of times. But, wow, the year has flown by. It’s just I can’t believe it’s been a year.
SPEAKER 13 :
Yeah, me neither. It’s just like it’s around the corner. It’s just, yeah, it’s been a crazy year.
SPEAKER 05 :
It sure has. So this is your first year that you guys did this, the Wild Alaskan Lodge. And so, as I was telling you, again, before we came on air here, boy, just seeing all the great pictures. And, boy, the beauty of this place is unmatched. And it sure looks like the fishing is unmatched. I mean, every picture I saw was just amazing. You know, great fish, great numbers, you know, size of fish, everything. So definitely we can’t wait to get there this summer and spend some time with you guys. But kind of do some reflection back on your first year here and some of the folks that came to see you.
SPEAKER 13 :
Yes. So, you know, it was our first year open. A lot of it was guests with word of mouth from other people. Or we did pick up some from shows. year to do shows but i think for a first year open i think we had a really great turnout we had great great uh clients and that are now friends and we stay in connection with and so i think yeah of course along the way but i mean who doesn’t in your first year you know we know how to fish but to have a lodge in alaska It is a whole another level.
SPEAKER 05 :
Right, right. Hey, you know, I tell you, I’ve never known of anybody that is doing what you guys are doing. And because at all the shows that we go to and different things, yeah, there’s a lot of places from Alaska, but they’re all guided places. And I’ve certainly done some of those and enjoyed those. But man, when you look at the freedom, so to speak, that what you guys are doing on a self-guided thing, and I’ll let you explain everything that everyone can expect there, but it’s really you want to talk about your fishing trip it’s your fishing trip because you know you’re not waiting on a boat for other people to catch maybe a certain species they’re fishing for at that time and maybe you caught yours early on in the morning or something like that and you’ve got to wait three or four more hours for everybody else to catch their halibut or whatever or their rockfish so this is a great concept you guys have of being self-guided so kind of tell us what folks can expect.
SPEAKER 13 :
So what you can expect with self guided. You are captain of your own boat, so we provide everything for you. The minute you get into Juno, You worry about nothing else. We’ll do the water transfer to and from Juneau out to Pelican. We’ll go over an orientation the first night and have dinner. We’ll go over the boat, make sure you know how to use all the different equipment, your tackles included. You can go out as early as you want, typically sunrise. This past season, it’s like most people went out at 5.30 a.m. We provide your breakfast. It’s the grab-and-go breakfast. We have your lunch prepared and on your boat. And then so you’ll have your meal on your lunch on your boat. And then we have guests come in around 5.30 to get cleaned up and have dinner. And that allows our dock staff to get your fish immediately filleted. you to take home at the end of the week or whatever. Ours are six nights and five full days of fishing. But you don’t need to bring anything. We have rain gear. We have your fishing gear. We have all your bait, tackle. Each room can hold up to four people. We have a double bed in each room and then three twin XLs. You have your own bathroom. And whoever you come with is who you’re on the boat with. You don’t have to worry about somebody else blending with you if you don’t have four people. Four people is the max that we like to have on the boat. You don’t want to put more than that on there. But say you come with two, we’re not going to put you with two other people. And that’s the duty of self-guided. You can go… Wherever you want to go, you can fish where you want to fish, and you can fish how long you want to. I personally have done guided, and there’s limits on your catch, how much fish you can keep, the sizes. And so we have more leeway in that area as self-guided. You can keep two halibuts per person per day, any size. Depending on the time of the season, you can always buy a king stamp, and you can keep those. If you come early enough in the season, it’s usually three per person annually. The later you come in the season, the Alaska fishing game, they’ll start leaning it back so that they’ll have plenty full of more fish for fishing. the area, you got your rockfish or, I mean, you can catch, I mean, all kinds of things. So we do provide a little cheat sheet for you to look and go, okay, this is a rockfish. Can we keep this one? Is it non-pelagic? Is it pelagic? But we will help you with everything that you need to be successful in your fishing trip. And then one thing I was going to say, but yeah, we do the boats are cleaned every day. We refresh your tackle. We fuel your boats. That’s all included in your package. So once you get to Juneau, there is no need for you to purchase anything else unless you want to buy apparel. But that’s really the only thing you need. If you have something special that you like to fish with, you’re more than welcome to bring it. But we have it all. And another beautiful thing about our lodge is we are directly waterfront. And so if you don’t want to venture out too far, you are more than welcome to fish right in front of the lodge. And you’re going to catch just as much fish as if you went into the open ocean.
SPEAKER 05 :
That is what’s great. Because, I mean, I’ve seen people on a dock before. You know, boats are coming in and a guy on a dock or a gal on a dock sitting there catching fish. So, hey, it’s Alaska.
SPEAKER 13 :
It is. And so on those days that maybe you are just still not ready to go out into the open ocean, you can also go into the inside passage. It’s a little bit more protected. And then you, I mean, it’s both ways. The mouth is about 20 minute boat ride, depending on, you know, kind of your, your wind, your, your water conditions, which we will always give you that every night before. So you can kind of plan that out, plan your route. And the glory of it is, every evening when you come in we do a everybody has dinner together so you get to hear what this boat did where they were at what they caught you can just you know bounce ideas off each other and just kind of we have maps where you can see where you know some some are really great about looking at their you know if they want to focus on halibut you’re going to be looking for an area that immediately drops off because their bottom feeders that’s kind of where they set and so that is the one of the coolest things is me running down there to see what you have in your boat when you come in and then also getting to hear all the stories Everybody else about how their day went and where they went. And so, yeah, we are literally closest to the fish. So you have about 100 miles of coastline untouched. Either direction coming into our inlet or the inside passage. So it is for people in Sitka. It’s going to be too far for them to go. Juno too far for them to go. So you just have your fishing and a lot more. The fishing. The population of fish is greater than if you go to those more popular areas. Everybody wants to go to the Kenai and Sitka. And there’s great fishing everywhere you go, but those are so overfished. Your fish population is less. And so there’s no way you can come in and not have a fish. If you do, I might laugh at you because… I mean, there’s so many. It’s just whatever you want, it’s just right there for you to get.
SPEAKER 05 :
Right. Melanie Merlin is our guest. Once again, it’s the Wild Alaskan Lodge, and they will be here January the 9th. That’s the first day of the International Sportsman’s Expo. It’s Thursday through Sunday, and we’ll be there as well with our Sportsman of Colorado radio booth, and so we hope to see you there. And, you know, Melanie, one thing I noticed in just looking through all the pictures and following you guys on social media this year was, you know, you could tell there were some couples, there were some families, there was guys. You know, I mean, this is great for ever how you want to set it up, family, whatever.
SPEAKER 13 :
Yes. I mean, looking back over the season, this past season we had just as many women and couples And we did just guys hanging out and going on a fishing trip or what have you. And I think another big passion for us is young anglers, like for them to come out. And so we had some youngsters come out last year and they had, it was the time of their life. And then we have quite a few young ones again this year, but we have just as many women and couples coming. And, you know, a diverse group of people come. And so I thought that was great because everything’s fishing. Oh, that’s going to be a guy’s trip. Nope, I’m coming with you because I’m going to outfish you. It’s a competition.
SPEAKER 05 :
Absolutely. All right. Now, as far as getting your fishing license, do they do that at the lodge with you or should they get that before they come?
SPEAKER 13 :
So you’re going to get that online prior to your coming there. If you don’t have a chance to do that, there’s a sportsman warehouse in Juneau that’s very close to the airport that you can go. Some people will come the night before. It is hard to get into Juneau and out into where we are within the same day. I mean, you can do it. It’s hard. So typically people will come in, you know, a day before or stay after, but they also like to extend their vacation and then kind of season stuff in Juneau. But you’re going to want to be at the airport and have your bags ready on the day that you’re, say you’re coming the 5th through the 11th. You will need to be in Juneau by 1230, 1245. We will have shuttles coming to bring you and take you down to Auk Bay where the catamaran is. It’s a high-speed catamaran. And then from there, the catamaran is about a four-hour ride. Wildlife, you’re going to be… It’s mind-blowing just the wildlife and the beauty of what you’re going to see on that. And then… Yeah, and the reason we do a catamaran is because there are float planes, and you’re more than welcome to always do a float plane. It’s just the weather is unpredictable, so you could be stuck one or two days still in Juneau before they fly out. So we do catamaran, the high-speed catamaran, because you’re going to get out that same day and then be back in. And so whatever fish you catch, you keep. And so we use that. We’ll package it up. And then you will take that back as your checked baggage with you. So we always say pack light, a few base layers, you know, stuff that you can take off if it gets hot or whatever. Sure. Because we have the rain gear. We have the rain boots. But, yeah. So did I answer your question or did I get sidetracked?
SPEAKER 05 :
No, no, no. You did very, very well.
SPEAKER 1 :
Yeah.
SPEAKER 05 :
Yeah. So get your license before and all and you’ll be all set. And as far as what you’re going to be doing at the show for a trip or whatever. So what are we looking at for it for the. And again, this is much different. A lot of people are four nights and three days of fishing, different things. So this is six nights and five days of fishing. So this is a lot of fishing.
SPEAKER 13 :
Yeah, you can, you know, like I said, a lot of people left at 5.30 a.m. We asked that you be in at 5.30 just because, you know, again, all the boats and then getting the fish and then all that kind of stuff. So people will fish 12 hours a day. And I will tell you, prior to us building our lodge, when we went on our – we did self-guided for 17 years or 18 years. And so, yeah, so it’s one of those – I just lost my train of thought. That’s okay. But yeah, so say it again.
SPEAKER 05 :
Yeah, the six nights and five days of fishing. So just plenty of fishing.
SPEAKER 13 :
Oh, yeah. There is plenty of fishing and most people take full advantage of it and will fish for 12 hours a day. Wow.
SPEAKER 05 :
All right. So what are we looking at for the package?
SPEAKER 13 :
So our package is $4,300 per person, and that gives you six nights, five full days of fishing. That’s all your meals, your water transfer from Juneau to Pelican, and then Pelican back to Juneau. We have laundry service, so we do your laundry every day. That’s your boat, your fuel, your tackle. You’re going to have how many ever people are on your boat. If you have three, you’re going to get three halibut rods and three salmon rods. And then, yeah, so but for the show, if anybody is listening on your show and they book and mention your name, then we will give $100 off per person. Okay, well, we appreciate that.
SPEAKER 05 :
And you and I were talking about, you know, I mean, first of all, this is a great deal, all right, I mean, for $4,300. So, hey, $100, hey, probably cover your non-resident fishing license. It does.
SPEAKER 13 :
A non-residential fishing license for the week, you want to do the seven-day one because I think five wouldn’t cover you or whatever, is $45. Yep, okay. And then if you wanted to get a king stamp, you do have to have an additional stamp for that. It’s $45. And you know what?
SPEAKER 05 :
I tell everybody. I don’t care when you’re there. I tell everybody to get that because you know what? You never know.
SPEAKER 13 :
You don’t. And if you don’t have that stamp, you have to let it go. And nothing hurts me worse than having to let a fish go that I have worked so hard for. So I used to, in the beginning, I was like, I don’t know. And then I would catch one and it’s like, you got to put it back. I’m like, ah. So yeah, so you can do that. You want to get your license, not the day that you’re, so that August, say it’s August 5th to the 11th. You want to make sure your start date for your fishing is August 6th. through the 11th and then that covers you uh because that first day you’re not going to fish because you’re going to probably get to the lodge around 6 6 30. and so that night well you know you have dinner we’re going to go over the boat stuff orientation and then you can go first thing that next morning and you’re going to fish for five days gotcha wow
SPEAKER 05 :
Well, I tell you, we’re super excited about having you guys here, and we’re going to be doing a lot with you this year and coming. I’ve got my thing. And I want to mention this, too. You’ve got some partners there at the hotel because you mentioned coming to Juneau early, and that’s what we’re going to do because I think I’m coming that Sunday, June 29th. uh something like that um and you hooked me up with a hotel a guy gave me your discount so um you know if you need help with any of that they will be able to help you but i hope you’ll come see us at the international sportsman’s expo again it starts the 9th of january and we’ll go through sunday and uh we will be there every hour it’s open and i know melanie and jason will as well and Hey, if you come over and see us, we’ll take you over and introduce you to them. And we would love to get a bunch of people there. And we’re going to work on something this year where maybe in 2026 we can even work on a Sportsman of Colorado group for folks that may want to go with us, Kevin Flesch and myself. We’re going to be working on some good things to really be a great partner for them. And, hey, this is a great chance to see Alaska your way, all right? Again, the guided trips can do what they do, but this is something where you can really make this your trip. And these are great folks, and we are super excited to partner with you guys, Melanie. So we’ll look forward to seeing you at the ISE show, and we’ll have a great time. And, man, thanks so much for being with us. We appreciate it.
SPEAKER 13 :
Yes, thank you. Thank you for having us.
SPEAKER 05 :
All right. We’ll see you soon. That’s Melanie Merlin once again, the Wild Alaskan Lodge. Follow them on social media. You’ll see all the great pigs. It is a beautiful spot, and we’ll be doing some more interviews with them, as again, all throughout here in 2025 and some of the guests as well. You’re listening to Sportsman of Colorado. We’ve got to take a quick break, and we’ll be back with more right after this.
SPEAKER 01 :
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SPEAKER 05 :
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SPEAKER 12 :
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SPEAKER 05 :
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SPEAKER 11 :
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SPEAKER 15 :
You’re listening to 560 KLZ, your home station.
SPEAKER 05 :
Welcome back to Sportsman of Colorado. Again, thank you so much for joining us. Always good to have Dr. Melissa Fling with us. She is our audiologist for Sportsman of Colorado Custom Ear Solutions. Her number is 720-839-7705. Melissa, good to see you.
SPEAKER 10 :
Good to see you, too. I love being the resident audiologist here.
SPEAKER 05 :
You are. Hey, you are the official audiologist for Sportsman of Colorado, for sure. And, wow, I’m so glad, you know, I came in to see you and our paths crossed to get my hearing tested, you know, a month or so ago. And then, you know, we decided what custom… Things I needed and one was we designed for me was just when I’m at the range and just doing some shooting and don’t really need to talk with anybody just protect my ears. And before I move that on one thing you’re suggesting to is not only the custom. Moles that you made me, but then also using the muffs around. That’s just going to be extra protection, right?
SPEAKER 10 :
Right, for indoor shooting.
SPEAKER 05 :
Yeah, for indoor shooting.
SPEAKER 10 :
Yeah, because with indoor shooting, the sound, you know, you’d have to tell me, but from what I know, there’s a lot of hard surfaces in there, and it’s an enclosed room, so the sound is bouncing, you know, it’s ricocheting all over the walls, which amplifies it a little bit more. So it makes an already loud sound louder.
SPEAKER 05 :
Right. Yeah, and most of the ones that I’ll go to, they’re kind of individual cubicles, so to speak. So there’s maybe some wood or sometimes there’s glass, whatever, paneling kind of between you and the next shooter there. And you may be shooting a lower caliber gun, but the… Person next to you on either side can be shooting a large caliber. And so all of a sudden you’re sitting there. I mean, man, you know, a big gun goes off and you just weren’t ready for that, you know. And so, you know, so those actually just got today from her. And but then once I got back a couple weeks ago from you. uh these are the ones with the filters so i can use when i’m hunting and i do need to maybe converse with some guys i’m hunting with and i do you know they need to tell me something i need to tell them something i could hear them perfectly and yet when the guns went off it shut down that protection and uh it you know and it was weird wearing them because i haven’t done it you know as much as i should have through the years but i’m telling you one they were super comfortable okay two super easy to put in you know it’s got the little um Removal string. Removal string, yeah. Boy, so you know you’ve got them in right and then just easy to pull out and put back in when you’re taking a break or whatever. But, yeah, I mean, super, super nice. As I told you, I just wish I would have done this. I wish you would have crossed my path many years ago. I know. So I wouldn’t be hearing this ringing that we constantly hear because – When you look at damaging your ears, I mean, it’s not just like one time. But that progression of time. Well, one time can do it. I shouldn’t say that. Because one time, a loud sound can do that. But we’ve said this. It’s never too late. So, hey. Right. I’ll be 67 in May. Okay? So, it’s never too late. And I’m going to do my best to never be without these. Yeah. With anything I do now. Because… it you know it’s just going to get worse you know yeah with hearing right and tinnitus flaring up more and all of that so yeah and the custom thing and we talked about this when you’re on our haystack show but you know the custom ear solutions great name because three things hey it’s custom okay you’re focusing on our ears and you’re providing solutions and so And we talked about this too. I mean, with your hearing test, I mean, this is all you’re really trying to, Hey, let’s check your hearing and let’s find out, you know, what you need.
SPEAKER 10 :
Yeah. Right. Pretty simply. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And yeah.
SPEAKER 05 :
And we said this, and I want to bring this up because I think a lot of people do expect if they come into an audiologist and then they figure, okay, boy, they’re going to have all kinds of hearing aids and maybe be pushed to buy something there and all that. Sure. And again, there’s nothing wrong with that. Both of us have friends in that business, and that’s what they do, and they’re really good at it.
SPEAKER 10 :
Yeah, it’s important and necessary.
SPEAKER 05 :
But your business model is a little different of where you just want to work with the hearing, figure out – Are there some custom mold solutions you can do to help them protect what they’ve got?
SPEAKER 10 :
Yeah. Yeah. My focus is on prevention, really. And then the custom part of it comes into play, which I think is fun because not all non-custom options are a good option for everybody, depending on… One, what they’re using hearing protection for. But two, some people have the shape and size of their ear canals don’t jive well with foam earplugs or silicone earplugs or muffs get uncomfortable after a long time. So it’s fun to kind of figure out who is a good candidate for custom based on what they need and the shape and size of their ear canal. Right. You know, a lot of people have like with Apple AirPods, for example, a lot of people come to me curious about the molds for those because they’re exercising with them on. And so their ears get sweaty or they’re running or whatever. And the pods either feel loose or they fall out. So they want something that’s just going to secure it. So that kind of stuff comes up, too. So it’s not just about protection, but also customization of a product, of a mold or of your ear to make another product work better so you can use it and not have to worry about it falling out.
SPEAKER 05 :
Right, right.
SPEAKER 10 :
Yeah.
SPEAKER 05 :
And $125 is a hearing test. Correct. Tell us what they’ll get for that.
SPEAKER 10 :
Yeah. So it’d be consultation one. So we’d go over, you know, your health history comprehensively. Examination of the ear canals and the eardrums. a test to make sure that your eardrums are functioning properly, a pressure test, and then the in-booth testing, which will measure your hearing sensitivity, how well you can discriminate speech in quiet, and also how well you can discriminate speech in noise. And then another thing I wanted to highlight that not a lot of are doing right now is testing the extended high frequency range of hearing, which we did with you. So it’s standard to test hearing from low pitch, a low pitch, like 250 Hertz up to a higher pitch, like 8,000 Hertz. And that’s usually the cutoff. But we could hear up to 20,000 hertz. And that whole area from 8,000 to 20,000 is often not getting tested. It’s just completely ignored. But that’s an important part of hearing. So that’s something that I offer as well. I can test up to 18,000 hertz. That’s kind of where it stops for my equipment. But that’s a useful area because I’ve seen a lot of people that come in, young, healthy people that come in that feel like they’re not… something’s just a little off about their hearing. Mostly this happens with veterans that I see. And they have normal, beautiful hearing between 250 and 8,000 hertz. And then we go beyond that and they’ve got this huge drop off at 14,000 hertz or something. So that’s something that wouldn’t be found unless we tested that area. So that’s something I want to highlight is that I offer that, which is important for people that are noise exposed, doesn’t matter what you’re doing if it’s firearms if it’s industrial if it’s music that area of your hearing is likely to get damaged more and we wouldn’t know about it until later because we don’t test beyond 8 000 hertz so i do test beyond 8 000 hertz and um we can find damage sooner and then try to you know make a plan to prevent it from getting worse yeah
SPEAKER 05 :
Here’s what we’re going to do. We’re going to do a little special here. Shoot indoors, Buckley. Tim Christopherson, you just heard on our Sportsman of Colorado show recently. Tim and I have worked out something where we want to get you to the range, but we want to get your ears protected first. All right, so here’s what we’re going to do. If you call Melissa, make an appointment, get a hearing test, 720-839-7705, and you get some custom ear molds done, whether that just be one set or you get several, whatever she suggests for you, I would highly recommend you do because she knows what she’s doing. She’s really helped me. But we’re going to get you a $50 gift card to Shoot Indoors Buckley. All right. So just know that she knows that. And we’ll have the gift card for you at the store. So she won’t have it with her, but she will just let me know when you come in and we will get you a $50 gift card. Again, there’s several Shoot Indoors locations, but it’s only good at the Buckley location, which is off of 225 in Mississippi area. So close to our station here, hopefully convenient for you. We’ll get you a $50 gift card to shoot indoors Buckley. Let’s walk through a couple of your most popular models that you’re doing for people. Or you can talk about what you did for me, too. The range type, the ones with the filters, and let’s kind of walk through those for a minute.
SPEAKER 10 :
Yeah, so I would say for shooting, there’s kind of three levels. The most basic would be the solid ear molds, which we got for you for indoor target shooting, which you would pair with ear muffs, just so double protection when you’re doing indoor shooting. And those are when you don’t really need to be aware. You don’t need to communicate or really be aware of your surroundings as much. You just need the most hearing protection that you can get. pricing, you want me to go over pricing with that? Sure, sure. Those would be $1.55 for the pair. Now, there is a little caveat to that that I didn’t mention before, that I charge a service fee for the ear mold impressions, and that’s $50, so $25 per ear for impressions. And something unique also that I can do is I can convert the physical impressions into digital files. So I’ll have those digital files indefinitely, and we can order… more molds off of those same impressions without having to do them each time you need a new pair of molds. Oh, okay. Yeah. Now, people’s ears will change a little bit over time, so I would say if it’s been five years or more, we probably need to do new impressions. Okay. So, yeah, so 50 for impressions, 155 for the solid ear molds. The next level up would be filtered, which is a little higher cost because they have those filters in them. Those are… Great for hunting when you need to be aware of your surroundings, but you also need protection at the same time. So molds with impulse filters in them will allow that communication and then protection when there’s any kind of impulse noise, like a gunshot. Those are 205 for the pair. Okay. And then the third level up, which would be the highest level, is electronic. Those would be useful in the same situation as the impulse filters, hunting, if you need to be aware of your surroundings. But they have microphones on them, and they amplify, just like hearing aids. They’re very, very basic technology hearing aids, pretty much. And you have volume control on those. Those are beneficial for people that… might have a little bit of hearing loss too, but they also want to be able to hear well and protect. So it allows you to turn the volume up. The microphones will shut off immediately with any impulse noise above 90 dB input. And they’re Bluetooth capable, so you can stream from your phone, so you can use them like AirPods, but they’re custom fitted. They’re rechargeable batteries in them, so you don’t have to change the batteries. Those are $1,350 for the pair. Okay. So that’s more of an investment. Sure. Because they’re electronic. They last forever. They’ll last a long time. Right. Yeah, yeah. Okay.
SPEAKER 05 :
All right. Once again, our office is right here in Greenwood Village. Tell us about that real quick.
SPEAKER 10 :
Yeah, so Greenwood Village, kind of in the Denver Tech Center area, I-25, and Bellevue, basically, is where the office is located.
SPEAKER 05 :
Okay, all right. Enter number 720-839-7705. So once again, if you’re just joining us, give her a call, get a hearing test. If you purchase any of those, all of those, whatever, all right? Hey, if you purchase two, I might give you another gift card. All right, but hey, we will get you a $50 gift card to shoot indoors Buckley. And get you out on the range, but certainly get your ears protected first. Now, another service you offer, because some people may know they already have this condition, I guess we’ll call it, is a problem with wax in the ears.
SPEAKER 10 :
Oh, yeah. So you can… Yep, I can remove wax. And I just… We may have talked about this before, but I got this exciting new… piece of equipment called the Irrigator, and it just makes flushing wax out of the ear so safe, so easy, so comfortable. You know, I’ve used other tools in the past that just, it’s like, man, we really need something better than this. So somebody came out with a really great piece of equipment, and it’s just safe and comfortable and easy and quick to flush wax out of the ears, if that’s the best way to get it out. But yeah, so I can offer that service to ear wax removal. Right. Yeah. All right. And a lot of people have that? Well, yeah, actually they do. You know, I would say most people’s ears that I look in, their ear canal is either clear or they have just a little bit, a normal amount of wax. But some people, just like some people sweat more than others, some people produce more wax than others and it can get impacted and it has to be taken out regularly. So those are the people that I can help.
SPEAKER 05 :
And I would bet there have been people that… thought they really had a hearing loss and maybe got a wax removed.
SPEAKER 10 :
Oh yeah, just had a huge chunk of wax in their ear. And then it’s like, oh my God, I can hear. And then your air is flowing into your ear. It just feels better when you get it out. So yeah, that’s another important service that I can offer.
SPEAKER 05 :
Right. And, you know, I always tell people, too, with kids, I mean, a lot of guys or ladies may take kids hunting and their things. Man, this is something really important for them, too. Right. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, they have got to have their ears protected. So what a way to start out when they’re young like that. is to have some custom ear protection. So, you know, hey, you spend a couple hundred bucks, 150 bucks, whatever the case is, man, to protect your children’s ears, I promise you they’re going to be very grateful to you for doing that.
SPEAKER 10 :
So important. You know, and I will say custom is not as good of an option for kids under a certain age. Because it’s changing. Their ears are growing quickly, yeah. But I have done that. Actually, I had a family come to me at the… Mile High Hunt and Fish Expo. We did custom for the kids, and they love them. But probably under the year of maybe under eight years, even that’s pretty young, the growth of those starts to slow down a little bit there versus birth to eight.
SPEAKER 05 :
But if they get that 13, 14, 15, good choice.
SPEAKER 10 :
Yes.
SPEAKER 05 :
Yeah.
SPEAKER 10 :
Yeah. Teenage ears. Definitely. It’s pretty stable then. But yeah. And they can they can still do custom if they want. We just might have to replace them more often or we would have to replace them more often than with an adult because their ears are growing. Sure. But yeah. Or muffs. Ear muffs are fine for them, too. Right.
SPEAKER 05 :
Just make sure you’re wearing something.
SPEAKER 10 :
Make sure you’re protecting. Yeah. Bystanders, anybody, whether they’re shooting or not, if they’re near it, they need to be wearing hearing protection.
SPEAKER 05 :
Yeah, for sure. Hey, it’s Custom Air Solutions, customairsolutions.com. Give her a call, 720-839-7705. Once again, I’ve got a couple sets of these and I’ve really enjoyed them. And I hope that you will give Melissa a call. Hey, get a $50 gift card to shoot indoors buckly when you get a hearing test. And buy now. Any of those, okay, from her will get you a $50 gift card. And her office address, I’ll give you that, is 7350 East Progress Place in Greenwood Village. Again, just right off of Bellevue there in the Denver Tech Center. So, Melissa, our time goes too quickly, but thank you for yours. Thank you. You’re listening to Sportsman of Colorado. We’ll be right back.
SPEAKER 08 :
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SPEAKER 05 :
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SPEAKER 03 :
Hey, Dan. You know, our jobs are pretty different. I’m a baseball announcer. You’re an attorney and a talk show host. Yeah, but we do have something in common. Really? What’s that?
SPEAKER 04 :
Our favorite car dealer, Len Lyle Chevrolet.
SPEAKER 03 :
Yeah, definitely not your typical dealership. That’s so true, Jack. No high-pressure sales tactics. They respect your time. And when you have two jobs, that’s important. You know, I’d recommend Len Lyle Chevrolet to anyone. And with their low overhead, that means… Lower prices.
SPEAKER 04 :
Yeah, we really do have something in common.
SPEAKER 03 :
Len Lyle Chevrolet. Go east and pay the least. Chevy. Find new roads.
SPEAKER 09 :
Riding an e-bike will make you feel like a kid again. Just try it. Hi, I’m Randy Curranci, founder of e-bike of Colorado. E-bikes are a fun way to ride the trails. Pedal assist technology flattens the steepest hills. We have 14 major brands to choose from and our expert staff will find you the perfect bike. Come take a free test ride at e-bike of Colorado in downtown Louisville next to the historic grain elevator. Open seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Learn more at ebikeofcolorado.com. Just try it.
SPEAKER 05 :
If you’re looking for great quality eye care, look no further than Stack Optical. Hey, this is Scott Whatley, and for over 20 years, Allen Stack has been taking care of our optical needs. At Stack Optical, they handle all of your eyewear needs with glasses, prescription glasses, shooting glasses, sunglasses, contacts, eyeglass repairs and yes even eye exams and those eye exams are only 69 and if you’ve been told you’ve got a complicated prescription that’s just one of the specialties at stack optical at stack optical they have their own on-site lab and in most cases you can have your new glasses in just two to three days stack optical 2233 south monaco parkway free and up-close parking Call them today, 303-321-1578. That’s 303-321-1578. Or visit stackoptical.com. And remember, at Stack Optical, you’ll see the difference.
SPEAKER 11 :
Colorado’s largest Sportsman’s Expo is back January 9th through 12th at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver. Bring the family and discover your next adventure. Don’t miss more than 100 free fishing, hunting, camping, casting, and dog training seminars. And visit the Outdoors Colorado Pavilion of experts and youth activities. Your life outdoors at the International Sportsman’s Expo, January 9th through 12th at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver. More info at sportsexpos.com.
SPEAKER 15 :
This is KLZ 560, your home station.
SPEAKER 05 :
Welcome back to Sports North Colorado again. Thank you so much for being with us. We are excited about 2025 and a lot of good things in store for you. So we appreciate all of our listeners throughout the, wow, the years since we started. Hey, January 2013 was our first show, and we are thrilled to still be here and very thankful once again you are listening and all of our sponsors that have helped us and One of those guys that has really helped us a lot and been a great friend of our show and supporter is Wynn Eubank. And Wynn is the owner of Colorado Outdoor Sports. And Wynn, first of all, welcome to the show. How are you?
SPEAKER 06 :
Thank you, Scott. Welcome. Appreciate being on the show.
SPEAKER 05 :
Man, I’m sure when you started your business and you look back now and you see all the years that have passed, sometimes it’s like, wow, how did that even happen?
SPEAKER 06 :
You know, that’s a funny story all within itself because – I’ve been telling people for the last, I don’t know, five years that it’s 12 or 13 years, and then Quentin pointed out to me that I knew him before, what is his little boy’s name?
SPEAKER 05 :
Tegan?
SPEAKER 06 :
I knew him before Tegan was born.
SPEAKER 05 :
Wow.
SPEAKER 06 :
Tegan’s 15, so I’ve been at this over 15 years.
SPEAKER 05 :
Wow. Well, good for you. Well, hey, we are here because Wynn is going to join us at the International Sportsman’s Expo. Now, our show does replay on Thursdays at 9 a.m., also on Sundays at 8 in the morning, 8 at night. You will hear this on Thursday, which will be the opening day. It is January the 9th through the 12th at the Colorado Convention Center. And once again, we are glad to be there. And Wynn will be there as well with Colorado Outdoor Sports. So, Wynn, for those that haven’t heard you, the one or two that haven’t heard you on the show through the years, give us in a nutshell kind of what Colorado Outdoor Sports is all about.
SPEAKER 06 :
Colorado Outdoor Sports is a do-it-yourself hunt and fish club We have 40 plus reservable properties that once you reserve a piece of property for yourself, either for the morning or the afternoon or all day. It is your piece of private property, and no one else is allowed on it. We use an online reservation system, and it’s extremely easy to use.
SPEAKER 05 :
Right. Now, I tell you, you look back in just what the last five, ten years has done, I can’t imagine what the next five years, ten years are going to look like for trying to find a place to hunt. That’s the number one thing people are so frustrated with. And, dude, you’ve got some properties that are relatively close, and even the ones that are a little bit of a drive aren’t that far. So kind of give us some range of what we’re talking about drive time to some of your properties.
SPEAKER 06 :
Almost all our properties, except for a couple, can be accessed from downtown Denver in an hour and a half to an hour and 45 minutes drive. We do have properties right in Fort Lupton that are as close as 20 minutes. Some of the best catch-and-release fishing and or Platte River – duck and waterfowl. Colorado Outdoor Sports is extremely proud to be able to say that we have more water than any other club in Colorado.
SPEAKER 05 :
Wow. Okay. Now, everybody’s going, well, what’s this, $10,000 a year, $5,000 a year? You’re going to have a show special, and I asked you if we could creep in on that a little bit. So what are we going to be doing at the ISE show, the International Sportsman’s Expo?
SPEAKER 06 :
So our standard family membership, which includes you, your spouse, and your dependents, is normally $495 initiation and $1480 a year in dues. So special would be if you pay your dues in two payments, one at ISE and another committed by June 1st, you will not have to pay the 495 initiation. Wow. That’s a one-quarter savings on your initiation.
SPEAKER 05 :
Yeah, I’m not real good at math, but that’s about 25% savings. Yep. All right. Wow. And you know what? Folks have to realize, too, these properties don’t come cheap. I mean, a lot of these ranchers, farmers or folks that have these properties, they could do some other things with this property. But, you know, they’ve chosen to let you work with them because I know, number one, you’re going to take care of the property. But, you know, it costs a lot of money to keep these up and do the things maybe with pits, different things that you’ve got to do. So this is a tremendous deal, man. And you’re the only one that’s going to be there. And it works on an online reservation, right? So explain that.
SPEAKER 06 :
Yeah, we use an online reservation. You can go see the properties. You can see maps of the properties. You get GPS locations. You can go out and scout the property ahead of time. We also have a massive diversity. So we’ve got goose fields. We’ve got goose pits. We’ve got open river. We’ve got duck blinds on the river. We’ve got other ponds that you can either, you know, A-frame or hide on. And then we’ve got other ponds that have duck blinds on them. It’s a super, super different variety. That way, every different guy that wants to hunt in a different fashion can. I have guys that won’t hunt out of a pit. And I have guys that reserve a pitted property and then hunt out of the layout anyway.
SPEAKER 05 :
it’s crazy it’s a little bit of everything right right and here’s another really good thing about this is you can get to learn some of these properties and um you know you can you can check with other members maybe that have hunted there or guys gals pretty good about sharing information um you know some of them are you know when it’s
SPEAKER 06 :
When a spot is hot, nobody’s sharing it. It’s just, you know, once the hot is gone, then they’ll share it a little bit, you know. But we do have a private Facebook page that if you don’t want to be on Facebook even, this is 1,000% private. Nobody on there. on there except members and or friends of the club. You know, and mentioning that, there’s even a couple landowners on there. And, you know, mentioning that a lot of our landowners are with us because they know that we’re family oriented. And they’ve actually turned away
SPEAKER 05 :
other guys that approach them that are not family oriented yeah and and like you say this is a great place completely do it yourself now we want to make very clear there’s no guiding here um you take care of you got decoys whatever everything’s up to you and um and when you’re you’re When I say you’re picky, I mean, you go through a lot to get these properties and you want to take care of these properties. So kind of talk about some of the speeches and rules that you, you know, everyone’s just going to have to abide by to be a member.
SPEAKER 06 :
So one of the things that we don’t do because it is a do it yourself club and because of what you just said in the interest of keeping things, we don’t believe in like, like we have two six man pits out in Fort Morgan for geese. If you and, Let’s say you and Kevin wanted to go out there and hunt that by yourself. Those other four spots, they’re not mandated to be filled. I don’t believe in that you have to hunt with somebody else. You know, you reserve yours. And, you know, that’s kind of how that works.
SPEAKER 05 :
Yeah. You know, you got to have people that are going to maintain the property and be of help to you. And so it’s just crucial that people do that.
SPEAKER 06 :
We have rules that you are supposed to clean up behind yourself, you know, and also police other members. So, you know, if you show up at a property and the property is littered with shotgun shells, A, I’m going to ask you to pick them up. B, I’m going to ask you to, you know, text me and say, hey, so-and-so, I looked on view calendar, had this before me, and he left quite a bit of mess. And then I get on the phone and I have a conversation with them. And if this happens three times, I tell them, you know what, you may not be a good fit for us.
SPEAKER 05 :
Yeah.
SPEAKER 06 :
Well, folks, unfortunately, I have had to tell some guys that they have to go.
SPEAKER 05 :
Yeah, absolutely. Hey, it’s the International Sportsman’s Expo, January the 9th through the 12th. Wynn will be there. And Wynn, your booth, I think you told me, is 909C.com. That is correct. Yep. And so you can come see Wynn there. Our booth is 428. Now, here’s something I’m going to do. I bought some gift cards from one of our sponsors, Shoot Indoors Buckley. If you see Wynn at the show and you sign up with him, Wynn can get you over to my booth and we’re going to give you a $50 gift. a gift card to shoot indoors buckley and it’s a great shooting range uh now there’s several shooting doors but this your gift card is only good at the buckley location i’m going to be very clear about that so not only are you going to save the 500 bucks the initiation fee so to speak um but hey to join a private club for 1488 you can make two payments on that and save that $500, then you’re going to get a $50 gift card to shoot indoors Buckley by Sportsman of Colorado. So we are happy to do that, and that’ll be cool.
SPEAKER 06 :
I was listening to his show as you were talking to him the other day, and he said he just got his new sign-up that you can see for my 25, and I just saw it last night.
SPEAKER 05 :
Oh, okay. Good deal. Yeah, Tim does a great job, and it’s a great range. But, hey, come see us. We’ll be there every hour. It’s open, I promise you. So come see us. It’s going to be a lot of fun. Again, it’s the Denver International Sportsman’s Expo at the Convention Center. Thursday the 9th through Sunday the 12th. The hours, just real quick, are noon to 7, Thursday, Friday, 10 to 7 Saturday, 10 to 4 Sunday. So I hope you’ll come see us, and be sure you get by Colorado Outdoor Sports and sign up with Wynn and get your $50 gift card to shoot indoors Buckley. So, Wynn, thank you, sir. We’ll look forward to seeing you down there.
SPEAKER 06 :
Thanks for doing that, Scott. Appreciate it.
SPEAKER 05 :
All right, bud. Thanks so much. Bye. Thanks for being with us today for Sportsman of Colorado. I want to thank all of our guests. And really, folks, hey, thank you so much for all of our listeners. And we are looking forward to 2025. And it’s going to be a great year. And we hope you will stay with us and be a part of it. So Happy New Year to everyone. And we will talk to you next week.
SPEAKER 14 :
The views and opinions expressed on KLZ 560 are those of the speaker, commentators, hosts, their guests, and callers. They are not necessarily the views and opinions of Crawford Broadcasting or KLZ management, employees, associates, or advertisers. KLZ 560 is a Crawford Broadcasting God and country station.
