Parker McCollum has spent years chasing big whitetail bucks with his bow. And when the opportunity of a lifetime finally presented itself earlier this month, he almost blew it … because of a can of ZYN.
The country star joined OutKick OutDoors this week and enthusiastically recounted the story of a massive buck he harvested in northern Oklahoma on just the second day of archery season.
"I've been bowhunting for so long, and to finally have that kind of encounter with that caliber of a deer was just my 'finally' moment," McCollum said. "So rare for that to go down the way it did."
The funny part is that he wasn't even particularly excited about this buck when he'd seen it on his trail cameras. There were a couple of other deer in the area that had really caught his attention.
McCollum was sitting in his stand on Oct. 2 when the deer suddenly appeared directly beneath him. Unfortunately, the singer happened to be reaching for a ZYN at that exact moment.
"This mature, heavy-horned deer walks right underneath my stand, and I was putting a ZYN in," he recalled. "I was closing the can right as I saw him."
Watch Parker McCollum's entire interview with OutKick OutDoors here:
The buck heard the plastic can snap shut and stopped.
"I'm like, oh no," McCollum recalled. "Thinking, you know, he's about to bust ass out of here."
Fortunately, the buck didn't bolt. But the ZYN incident wasn't the only thing that threatened to derail McCollum's hunt. What followed were several nerve-racking minutes of trying to get into position for a shot without spooking the deer.
At one point, he even managed to hit his elbow against the tree while drawing his bow.
"I'm feeling it. My heart's racing. The whole deal is going," McCollum said. "And in my mind, I'm like, 'This is the encounter you have been waiting for.'"
Fortunately for McCollum, the story has a happy ending. He made a clean shot and recovered a buck that turned out to be even more impressive than he'd imagined.
"I've never shot a deer that I underestimated that much and was surprised by that much," he said. "It was phenomenal."
And while McCollum is heading overseas with Cody Johnson this weekend for his first UK and Ireland tour, he's already counting down the days until he can get back in the stand.
Here's hoping he can keep that ZYN can quiet next time.
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Levi Kitchen is on top of the SuperMotocross world. But getting there required more than recovering from a serious injury. He had to learn to trust himself again.
The 25-year-old Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki rider captured the 2026 Monster Energy SMX 250 Class World Championship in September 2026, securing his first professional title and ending a seven-year championship drought for his team.
It was a career-defining moment for Kitchen, who had spent years coming close to winning a championship while battling injuries and setbacks along the way.
"It was unreal," Kitchen told OutKick OutDoors in an exclusive interview. "I've had some heartbreaks, obviously been close, but it felt really good."
"It was pretty emotional for me just because it had taken a while to win anything of that caliber," he added.
But the road to that championship was anything but smooth.
The long road back from Daytona
In March 2025, Kitchen suffered a violent crash during the Daytona Supercross that left him with a broken collarbone and fractures in his upper back. The injuries sidelined him for the remainder of the Supercross season.
And while he eventually healed enough to return to racing, Kitchen said the mental recovery was a different battle entirely.
"Oh yeah, big time," he said when asked whether it was difficult to regain his confidence after the crash.
"If I look back at that season, even when I came back on the bike, in 2025, I was maybe a top-five guy outdoors. And then at least was able to compete for the championship this year."
Watch Levi Kitchen's entire interview with OutKick OutDoors here:
That progression didn't happen overnight.
"Slowly but surely, I've made really good progress, and I have all my confidence back," Kitchen said. "It just goes to show, I think fans, or just anybody, don't realize how much injuries can really affect everything."
"It can be a real pain in the butt to build yourself back up."
For fans watching from the sidelines, a rider's return to competition might signal that the recovery process is complete. But as Kitchen explained, getting back on the bike doesn't necessarily mean getting back to the same level of confidence and performance.
It took time, patience and a different approach to racing.
Learning when to back off
Looking back on everything he's experienced, Kitchen believes one of his biggest improvements has come from learning to trust his abilities while also recognizing his limits.
"The biggest thing I would say is just finally the belief," he said. "The belief side of it is super important. And I think on any given day, if I show up with the belief that I can get something done, normally I can get it done."
Kitchen also had to develop a little more restraint — something that doesn't always come naturally in a sport where riders are constantly pushing the limits of speed and control.
"Just maturity of racing," he explained. "Now, if I don't really have it on a day, I try to be as smart as I can. Where before, I would probably still try and then end up on the ground or something."
It's a lesson learned the hard way, but one Kitchen believes will serve him well beyond a single championship season.
"I want to race for a lot more years to come and can't be too stupid," he said.
That shift in mentality paid off in September when Kitchen secured the 250SMX World Championship at Thunder Ridge Nature Arena in Ridgedale, Mo.
And the victory meant something special beyond his own accomplishments.
Kitchen's title ended a seven-year championship drought for Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki, one of the most decorated organizations in 250-class racing.
"Mitch has done so much for me," Kitchen said, referring to team owner Mitch Payton. "Me and Mitch have gotten close over the years, and he's been a great boss and friend of mine now. So it was super special."
One championship down, but plenty more to chase
Despite finally capturing that elusive first title, Kitchen insists he isn't suddenly feeling satisfied.
In fact, winning the championship has only strengthened his belief in what he's capable of accomplishing.
"It didn't really take any pressure off," he said. "The only thing it did was help me with the belief side of things. Just being able to execute."
Kitchen has his sights set on both a Supercross and a Pro Motocross championship in 2027, and he plans to remain in the 250 class for at least another season.
"The Supercross Championship has been a major goal of mine, so that's my first goal," he said. "But overall, just maybe be a little better than I was this year."
And while the first championship was certainly worth celebrating, Kitchen knows there's no guarantee the next one will come any easier.
"I don't think you'll ever be satisfied, really, which is a tough thing," he said.
For now, though, Kitchen can take some satisfaction in knowing how far he's come.
A year ago, he was still working to rebuild his confidence after a frightening crash. Now, he's a world champion.
Coyote shows off elite jumping skills to snatch a pear.
A Facebook video shared by Tom Miranda is going viral for all the right reasons. The footage shows a coyote getting some serious air in order to snatch a pear off a tree.
This is about as one-sided of a fight as you're ever going to see. It's like the younger brother going after the older brother to see where he stands. It's Mike Tyson in his prime walking through opponents seconds into a bout.
The trail cam footage starts off with a spike, for reasons only he can answer, lunging towards a bigger buck in the woods and immediately finding out that doing so was a bad idea.
The young buck is lifted off the ground, ragdolled and tossed in the air like he weighs nothing. After being dominated in short order, the young buck impressively manages to land on his feet following the brief battle.
Wisely, the smaller deer then decides he's had enough and makes a run for it with the bigger and stronger buck giving chase. Here's the fight. Don't blink, you might miss it.
Without knowing for sure if any insults were tossed around about the other deer's momma, I can only speculate that rutting season played a part in this fight. The young buck, possibly horned up, was stepping into the wrong territory.
He had to be shown who was boss, and that all the ladies in the area were spoken for. It's part of nature. A part that you really don’t want to get in the middle of.
I'm no expert on deer by any means, but I'm going to go out on a limb and say that the spike is going to hit the gym, grab some supplements and work the heavy bag before he tries his luck with this buck again.
You have to turn being lifted off the ground and spun around in the air into a motivator. You can't have too many of those losses under your belt. Especially not in front of any doe.
The best fighters get back up and dust themselves off. They learn from their mistakes and make the adjustment. Lunging at the bigger buck was a big mistake for this spike.
Country music star Randy Houser spends a lot of his life on the road, but when the shows are over and the tour bus stops rolling, there's usually one thing on his mind.
"When I get off the tour bus, I'm literally looking for some water to get on," Houser told OutKick OutDoors in an exclusive interview.
For the Mississippi native, that love of fishing started long before the hit songs, sold-out shows and life on the road.
"Growing up in Mississippi, that's about all we had. We had bluegill, catfish and bass," he said.
These days, Houser's fishing adventures have taken him a little farther from home. He's traded the freshwater lakes of Mississippi for the turquoise waters of the Bahamas, where he's developed a particular fondness for fly fishing.
"I spend a lot of time bonefishing in the Bahamas. That's kind of my thing now, as I enjoy fly fishing for bonefish and permit and things like that," he explained. "I spend a lot of my time doing that in the winter."
And while getting away from the demands of touring is certainly part of the appeal, Houser's connection to the water runs deeper than simply needing a vacation.
"I think that stems from all the time I spent on the water as a kid," he said.
It's also a passion he shares with his wife and children, who frequently join him on the water.
But one of Houser's most memorable fishing experiences wasn't about the size of the fish or the destination. It was about the people he shared it with.
More than just fishing
The country star recalled a three-day bonefishing trip to Blackfly Lodge in the Bahamas with the Navy SEAL Foundation, where he spent time alongside active and retired Navy SEALs.
"I'm a huge supporter of our military and military families and personnel," Houser said. "To get that time with those guys and get them in a space where they're on the water and can relax, and just to hear stories that they wouldn't normally talk about in a different situation, was just priceless."
For Houser, the opportunity to connect with those men away from their everyday responsibilities made the trip unforgettable.
"I got to hear just personal experiences from those guys," he said. "I'll remember it forever. It was really cool."
Now, Houser is preparing to bring his love of music and fishing together in a big way.
Country music meets bass fishing in Nashville
On Friday, Oct. 30, he'll perform alongside his friend and fellow country star Riley Green at The Pinnacle in Nashville as part of The Champions, a new professional bass fishing tournament hosted by World Bass Enterprises.
The tournament, held on Old Hickory Lake, brings together top anglers from the Bassmaster Elite Series and Major League Fishing's Bass Pro Tour to compete for a record $3.25 million purse, including $1.25 million for the winner.
For someone who grew up fishing for fun in Mississippi, Houser said it's remarkable to see just how far competitive bass fishing has come.
He recalled learning that a friend's son was competing on a college bass fishing team and thinking about how different things were when he was growing up.
"I thought, wow, what a dream," he said. "If I was in high school, I'd have been thinking, 'Lord, you mean I can get a scholarship to go fishing?'"
Houser compared the difficulty of becoming a successful professional angler to making it as a professional golfer, noting the tremendous skill, sponsorships and resources necessary to compete at the highest level.
And he believes Nashville is the perfect place to showcase how much the sport has grown.
"There's a strong synergy between country music, country music listeners and bass fishing," he said.
With Old Hickory and Percy Priest lakes nearby, Houser is familiar with the area's fishing opportunities. He's spent plenty of time fishing Old Hickory himself and expects The Champions to draw a significant crowd, both for the concerts and the competition.
"I think they're going to have a lot more fans than they expected," he said. "Not just for the music at The Pinnacle, but also hanging out at the lake waiting for the weigh-ins and things like that."
Houser is especially looking forward to performing with Green, whom he considers a good friend. The two have spent plenty of time touring together, although their busy schedules haven't allowed for much fishing lately.
They do, however, have plans to do some hunting together once the weather cools down.
Another bonus of The Champions taking place in Nashville? Houser gets to bring his children to the show — something he said doesn't happen very often.
For a man who grew up with a fishing rod in his hands, it's a fitting opportunity to celebrate just how far the sport has come while sharing the experience with his own family.
And once the concert is over and Houser climbs back aboard that tour bus, there's a pretty good chance he'll already be thinking about his next trip to the water.
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Levi Kitchen just won the 2026 Monster Energy SMX 250 Class World Championship. But the 25-year-old already has his eye on another competitive pursuit for whenever he decides to hang up his helmet.
The Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki rider is an avid angler who spends much of his downtime on the water. And while he's got plenty left to accomplish on a dirt bike, Kitchen told OutKick OutDoors in an exclusive interview that he'd love to try his hand at tournament fishing someday.
In fact, he's already gotten a little taste of what that world looks like.
Earlier this year, Kitchen participated in the Bassmaster Classic Celebrity Pro-Am, where he teamed up with professional angler Tristan McCormick. The two didn't exactly dominate the leaderboard, but Kitchen came away with a few fish, a new friend and an even greater appreciation for the athletes who make their living chasing bass.
"It was amazing. Me and Tristan, we had a great time," Kitchen said. "I didn't know Tristan going into it. I'd just heard his name, but he's a great dude."
McCormick, who grew up near Loretta Lynn's Ranch in Tennessee, was already familiar with motocross thanks to the amateur racing held there. And Kitchen was pleased to discover that he could hold his own on the fishing side of things, too.
"He actually said I wasn't like, you know, sometimes he gets people that go to those events and they say they can fish a little bit and they really don't know what's going on," Kitchen recalled. "But I was proud to at least catch a few fish. We didn't do great, but it was a blast."
More importantly, the experience gave Kitchen a firsthand look at just how demanding professional bass fishing can be.
"It was an eye-opener, too," he admitted. "I've always said, when I'm done racing, I want to give that a shot. I really do. But I have so much more respect for those guys. If I ever wanted to do that, I'd have to really buckle down. You have to put so much time, so much time into it."
And it's not like Kitchen is a newcomer to fishing.
Growing up in Washington state, he developed a love for the outdoors thanks in part to his father. Around age 14 or 15, he discovered an old fly rod in his dad's shop, started practicing casts in the yard and quickly fell in love with fly fishing.
Watch Levi Kitchen's entire interview with OutKick OutDoors here:
These days, Kitchen lives in Florida, where bass fishing has become his primary obsession. But he still makes time to return home to Washington for an annual steelhead fishing trip with his father, friends and family — a tradition that has lasted roughly a decade.
"I still love it," Kitchen said. "When the racing's done down the road, you'll probably find me on a river fly fishing a lot, or on a bass boat. Just maybe not Florida in the summertime."
Fishing also provides a welcome contrast to the intensity of professional motocross.
Kitchen said he and fellow rider Malcolm Stewart frequently talk about fishing in Florida, and he suspects the sport appeals to motocross athletes because it's such a departure from their day jobs.
"We get to kind of calm down and be a little more present than when you're just wide open on a dirt bike," he explained.
But there's still a competitive element, even when championship points aren't on the line.
"It's another way to be, I guess, kind of competitive with yourself," Kitchen said. "You obviously don't want to go out there and not catch a fish, but sometimes that happens."
And as much as Kitchen enjoys catching fish, he also appreciates the atmosphere surrounding competitive bass fishing.
At the Bassmaster Classic Pro-Am, he found himself surrounded by athletes and celebrities from across the sports world, including NFL Hall of Famer Randy Moss. Kitchen was particularly amused by Moss' impressive collection of fishing boats.
"First, Randy Moss, I'm like, who's this guy with two of the same specced-out, crazy sweet boats?" Kitchen recalled. "And they're like, 'Oh, that's Randy.'"
He also noticed something that set the fishing crowd apart from what he's accustomed to in motocross: Competitors were hanging out together at the hotel bar the night before the tournament.
"You do not see that in dirt bike racing," he said. "They put their game face on when it's time to fish, but just the whole event and weekend is pretty laid-back, which is kind of my style."
Of course, Kitchen isn't preparing to trade his Kawasaki for a bass boat just yet.
Levi Kitchen has big plans for 2027 season
The newly crowned 250 SMX World Champion, who helped end a seven-year championship drought for Pro Circuit Kawasaki, has made it clear that he wants a long career in motocross.
After recovering from a serious crash at Daytona in 2025, Kitchen said he's learned the importance of racing smarter and protecting his longevity in the sport.
"I want to race for a lot more years to come," he said.
And he's certainly not satisfied with one championship. His goals for 2027 include winning both a Supercross and a Pro Motocross title before eventually moving up from the 250 class.
So, no, Levi Kitchen isn't walking away from moto anytime soon.
But when the day finally comes to hang up the helmet, don't be surprised if The Chef trades his dirt bike for a bass boat.
A professional python hunter who doubles as a professional alligator wrestler, according to his Instagram bio, helped catch "the longest live captured reticulated python ever caught in Puerto Rico."
Working with Proyectos Retic, a group of python hunters in Puerto Rico who collect data and specimens about the reticulated python, Snakeaholic aka Kevin Pavlidis helped snag a reticulated python that measured 18' 4" long.
This gigantic snake was held up by eight people standing shoulder-to-shoulder to show just how big of a snake they're dealing with. They tracked it down after it was "spotted strangling a pet cat behind a house."
There was no mention of whether the pet cat survived the ordeal or not. These hunters had a snake to catch. But as you can clearly see, that thing can easily take down more than a pet cat.
The reticulated python is an invasive species in Puerto Rico, much like the Burmese pythons are, in Snakeaholic's home state of Florida.
"It took all my tracking skills and 20 minutes of searching to find this snake down in the jungle," Snakeaholic wrote about tracking down the snake after it was chased down a mountain away from the cat it was strangling.
"Removing this invasive apex predator is one more step towards restoring the delicate balance of the ecosystem out here in Puerto Rico and I am proud to be a part of this incredible conservation work!"
Running around snatching pythons out of the jungle isn't my idea of fun, but someone has to do it. A giant species of snake like this can take over an ecosystem, as Snakeaholic points out.
"As incredible as these snakes are, they are an unbelievably large threat to the delicate ecosystem of Puerto Rico," he added in another post about this monstrous snake.
"It's not the snake's fault, this is yet another human error of introducing a non-native animal and @proyectoreticpr and I are doing our best to fix the problem other people created."
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