The Calm Before the Storm

Duck season is almost here.

They call this time of year the calm before the storm, but if we’re being completely real with you guys, there hasn’t been much calm around NOK lately.

And we wouldn’t have it any other way.

September feels different. The mornings are starting to change. Hunting season is finally becoming real again. New designs are coming out. Trucks are getting loaded. Boats are getting pulled across state lines. Dogs are getting back to work. And ideas that we’ve talked about for months are finally starting to turn into something you can actually see.

This is the time of year NOK was built for.

WE JUST STARTED DRIVING

We already got our first hunt of the season under our belts with an early goose hunt in Wyoming, and honestly, it was probably one of the best ways we could have started the year.

There wasn’t some perfectly planned itinerary.

We didn’t know exactly where we were going.

We loaded the truck, hooked up the boat and started driving.

We found ourselves running dirt roads with a boat behind us, taking the truck and trailer places they probably had no business going, looking at water we’d never hunted and trying to figure out birds in a place we’d never been.

And that’s exactly what made it so damn fun.

There is something special about having an idea in your head and then actually going after it.

Sometimes it works. Sometimes it doesn’t.

This time, we were fortunate enough to come home with some geese.

But the birds weren’t really the best part.

It was watching the dog work. It was trying to solve a problem with almost no information. It was running unfamiliar water. It was scouting new country. It was probably overworking ourselves trying to figure out the best possible setup.

That’s hunting.

And in a weird way, that’s also NOK.

We don’t have everything figured out.

We’re just willing to go find out.

THE NOK CREW IS GROWING

We’re also extremely excited about the people joining us on this ride.

Recently, we added Amanda and Twisted J to the NOK Pro Staff, and they represent exactly the kind of people we want around this brand.

Amanda actually reached out to us during the very beginning stages of NOK. When we eventually brought her onto the Pro Staff, she was completely upfront with us.

She told us she was still learning the camera side of things. She wanted to get better. She wanted to learn.

To us, that’s worth more than someone pretending they already know everything.

She’s a go getter. She’s excited to learn, willing to work and constantly trying to improve. That’s exactly what NOK is supposed to be about.

Then there’s Joe, Twisted J.

The dude is an absolute animal when he puts his mind to something.

He’s incredible behind a camera, but more importantly, he knows how to capture a moment without making it feel like something it wasn’t. His photos and edits feel like the hunt actually felt.

We’re pumped to have both of them with us.

SO WHAT ARE THE THREE OF US ACTUALLY DOING?

We talk a lot about what’s coming.

We talk about the future of NOK.

We talk about how excited we are.

And some of you are probably thinking:

Cool. Shut up and tell us what’s actually happening inside NOK.

Fair enough.

So here’s the real update.

Scooter is currently working full time in production and owns his own production company. Right now, he’s working on the biggest movie opportunity of his life. On top of that, he and his wife have a baby coming at the end of the year.

Life is moving fast for him.

But he’s taking everything he’s learned throughout his career in production and bringing it back to NOK. A huge focus moving forward is our YouTube channel. Better stories. Better edits. Better videos. And ultimately, something that actually makes you feel like you were there with us.

Then there’s Adam.

Adam already owns a franchise business and recently took on another location, so he’s currently going about 900 miles an hour.

He’s also the financial brain behind NOK.

Basically, Scooter and I come up with something we absolutely need, take it to Adam and say:

“Hey Dad, can we buy this?”

And Adam looks at the bank account and says:

“Absolutely not.”

Then there’s me, Dylan.

I’m probably doing half of life incorrectly, but I’m having a hell of a time doing it.

I’m obsessed with hunting. I’m obsessed with duck hunting. I’m obsessed with fishing. I’m probably a little too obsessed with my duck boat.

And I’m the guy handling a lot of the everyday NOK operation.

Social media, Short Video edits, the website, partnerships, conversations, products, daily tasks and about 400 other random things that somehow show up throughout the week.

We will also going to be out there every weekend this season with a camera nearby, capturing as much as possible.

That’s what’s interesting about the three of us.

We’re really different people.

Scooter comes from the creative world. He’s filmed for Nitro Circus. He’s a tattoo artist. He’s artistic. He sees things differently, but at the end of the day, he loves hunting and being outside just like the rest of us.

Adam is absolutely obsessed with hunting and fishing, but couldn’t care less if a camera is pointed at him. He’s extremely business driven and keeps a lot of the crazier ideas grounded in reality.

And then there’s me, who will happily talk hunting with just about anybody, spend way too much time thinking about ducks, boats and fishing, and somehow decided running social media was fun.

Three completely different personalities.

One shared obsession.

And somehow it works.

FOUR ORDERS AWAY FROM 200

On September 6th, we posted something that honestly felt pretty surreal.

NOK was four orders away from our 200th order.

200. 200.

That might not sound like some giant number to everybody, but to us, it’s insane.

Every one of those orders represents an actual person who decided to spend their hard earned money on something that the three of us dreamed up.

We don’t take that lightly.

We’re proud of the quality of our clothing. We’re proud of the designs we’re putting out. We’re proud of how far this thing has come.

But we’re also nowhere near satisfied.

There are things we need to improve.

There are things we’re still learning.

There are things we probably don’t even realize we’re doing wrong yet.

That’s part of building something.

We’re learning it.

We’re fixing it.

We’re getting better.

And we’re having a lot of fun along the way.

DUCK SEASON IS COMING

Now for the fun part.

The first few days of duck season might get a little interesting around NOK.

We’re kicking around an idea that is basically our waterfowl version of the seven days of Christmas.

Seven days of waterfowl season.

Maybe a new design every day.

Maybe a hat.

Maybe a shirt.

Maybe a discount.

Maybe something completely different.

Who knows.

We’re still figuring it out, which is half the fun.

But keep an eye on us when the season opens.

We’ve also been dropping some new designs that we’re extremely excited about, and our Black Label continues to be one of our favorite things we do.

This month’s Black Label bird is the Wigeon, and we think this one is special.

THIS IS YOUR BRAND TOO

One thing we want NOK to always be is approachable.

We don’t want to build some little corner of hunting culture where you have to dress a certain way, hunt a certain way, have the nicest gear or kill the most birds to belong.

That’s not what this is.

We’re three completely different dudes ourselves.

So we want to hear from you.

If there’s a design you want to see, tell us.

If there’s something we’re doing that you love, tell us.

If there’s something you think we could do better, tell us that too.

We’re listening.

Because we’re not trying to build NOK just for ourselves.

We’re trying to build a community people actually want to be part of.

A place for the guy who lives for opening morning.

A place for the person just learning how to hunt.

A place for the dad bringing his kid along for the first time.

A place for the photographer who cares just as much about capturing the moment as pulling the trigger.

A place for the people who simply feel a little more like themselves when they’re outside.

That’s NOK.

So maybe this really is the calm before the storm.

The geese have already started flying.

The dogs are working again.

The boats are getting dirty.

We’re four orders away from 200.

And duck season is staring us right in the face.

We’re ready.

Thank you to every single person who’s been crazy enough to build this thing with us.

We’ll see you out there.

Never Out Killed.