Retired Army chief warrant officer and Spartan Forge founder Bill Thompson is back with Joe Rogan for a long talk about pressure: target panic, reading thermals on elk and whitetail hunts, hallucinating on the Appalachian Trail, Carl Jung and dreams, an addictive personality, a Gaethje bet, old pool hustlers and what AI will do to hunting and work.
Chapters
- 1:00 Cars that engage you: the Cybertruck, Bill’s Model S and stripped-down 1960s Porsches.
- 10:00 Golf, a father-in-law who called him “a large blunt instrument,” and an evasive-driving course.
- 14:00 Target panic in archery and why people who know pressure can perform anywhere.
- 24:00 The tribal wiring behind hunting, and an adrenaline crash after a big kill.
- 36:00 Fasted hunts, then how thermals move scent and why most hunters get them wrong.
- 52:00 Sleep-deprived hallucinations on the Appalachian Trail and whether “entities” are interdimensional.
- 1:02:40 Chaos theory leads Bill to Carl Jung, dreams, Shawshank as a Christ story, and Stephen King writing Cujo.
- 1:26:00 Bill on his addictive personality, and losing his sister Heather to addiction, which shapes his view of safe-supply programs.
- 1:35:40 Golf handicaps and why bow hunting never gets boring.
- 1:50:00 Rickson Gracie, then Justin Gaethje vs. Paddy Pimblett and the bet Bill placed on the underdog.
- 2:02:00 Three-cushion billiards, a pool hustler called Water Dog, and the old Hard Times pool hall.
- 2:32:00 Bots on social media, what AI will do to work and movies, and Spartan Forge’s new hunting films.
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People
On this episode
Joe Rogan
The Comedian List · Wikipedia · The Celeb List · Best Movies & TV Shows
Host. Trades golf and pool-hall stories, and talks bow hunting with Cam Hanes. 2:04:00
Bill Thompson
Retired U.S. Army chief warrant officer and founder of Spartan Forge, an AI mapping and prediction app for hunters. Plugs the Hunt Plus updates and a veterans film series. 2:44:40
People mentioned
Cam Hanes
The bow hunter whose shot they break down; Bill says hunting with him shows how much he doesn’t know. 20:00
Carl Jung
Discussed for: The Red Book — Amazon
Bill read every Jung book he could find, starting with the collective unconscious. 1:03:20
Stephen King
Discussed for: Cujo — Amazon
Wrote Shawshank’s source story and doesn’t remember writing Cujo. 1:05:40
Rickson Gracie
Became the family champion at 18 against much bigger men. 1:50:00
Justin Gaethje
The underdog Bill and a friend bet on against Paddy Pimblett. 1:53:40
Paddy Pimblett
The betting favorite in that fight. 1:58:20
Ari Shaffir
Named among the people who doubted Gaethje’s chances. 1:56:20
Grant Fuhr
The Oilers goalie who said the puck looked like a beach ball when he was in the zone. 2:08:00
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Products
The Shawshank Redemption (1994) — Bill’s “perfect movie,” which he reads as a retelling of the Christ story. Amazon 1:05:40
Cujo (Stephen King) — “Great book” that King says he doesn’t remember writing. Amazon 1:07:00
Maximum Overdrive (1986) — The Stephen King-directed movie Joe brings up. Amazon 1:07:40
The Red Book (Carl Jung) — One of the Jung books Bill credits for his view of dreams. Amazon 1:12:00
Man and His Symbols (Carl Jung) — The other Jung title he names. Amazon 1:12:00
Spartan Forge — Bill’s hunting app, with new Hunt Plus updates. Official site 2:44:40
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Discussed on the show
Target panic — Why archers and shooters freeze or flinch under pressure. Wikipedia 14:00
Three-cushion billiards — Joe explains the game’s rules. Wikipedia 2:02:00
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Places
Disneyland — The Cars-themed ride Bill’s kids loved. Wikipedia 7:20
Appalachian Trail — Where exhaustion had Bill seeing things in an open-faced shelter. Wikipedia 52:00
Hard Times, Bellflower, California — The legendary pool hall Joe calls the mecca. Wikipedia 2:06:00
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Ads
- DraftKings (18:20) — dkng.co/rogan · code ROGAN · spend $5, get $200 in bonuses (new customers; gambling problem? call 1-800-GAMBLER).
- Ketone-IQ (57:00) — ketone.com/rogan · 30% off your subscription order; first shot free at CVS and Target.
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