The Lets Read Podcast
The Lets Read Podcast
April 20, 2026

Recording Scary HUNTING Stories Live! (Just Chatting)

YouTube · _hDdhvZOE6Y

Quick Read

The host reads unsettling hunting stories, including a 'zombie deer' attack and 'sniper safaris' in the Bosnian War, while offering unfiltered opinions on modern relationships, media censorship, and political systems.
Modern relationships are plagued by anxiety and financial entanglement, making traditional marriage unappealing for the host.
Mainstream entertainment is suffering from 'woke garbage' and corporate pandering, stifling original and challenging content.
Internet censorship, exemplified by UK laws, is a dangerous slippery slope that erodes free speech and conditions society for control.

Summary

This episode of The Lets Read Podcast features the host reading several unsettling 'hunting' stories, ranging from a mysterious deer attack in Arkansas to the chilling reality of 'sniper safaris' during the Bosnian War. Interspersed with these narratives, the host engages in extensive 'just chatting' with his audience, sharing strong opinions on a wide array of topics. He discusses the challenges of modern relationships, expressing skepticism about marriage due to perceived widespread unhappiness and financial entanglements. The host critiques contemporary media for its perceived 'woke garbage' and lack of original ideas, attributing this to ESG scores and corporate pandering. He also delves into the history of internet censorship, particularly in the UK, and its implications for free speech, drawing on the controversial case of Count Dankula. The episode concludes with a personal story of a hunting trip that turned dangerous, revealing a close encounter with a serial killer.
This episode offers a raw, unfiltered perspective on societal issues and entertainment, challenging conventional narratives. The host's candid opinions on relationships, media, and censorship provide a contrarian viewpoint that encourages critical thinking about pervasive cultural trends. The inclusion of real-world 'hunting' stories, from mysterious animal encounters to human-on-human violence during wartime, highlights the darker aspects of human nature and the complexities of conflict, offering a unique blend of horror and social commentary.

Takeaways

  • The host expresses deep skepticism about modern marriage and relationships, citing observed unhappiness and financial complexities.
  • A story from Arkansas Game and Fish Commission details a hunter gored by a supposedly dead deer that then vanished without a trace.
  • A chilling account from the Bosnian War reveals 'sniper safaris,' where wealthy tourists paid to shoot at UN soldiers and civilians.
  • The host criticizes current media for lacking originality and being overly influenced by 'woke' politics and ESG scores.
  • He highlights the dangers of internet censorship, citing the Count Dankula case as a turning point in online free speech.
  • A personal hunting story recounts a near-fatal encounter with a serial killer, Thomas Dillon, who hunted people with a rifle.

Insights

1The 'Zombie Deer' Hunting Mystery

An Arkansas Game and Fish Commission employee recounts an incident where a buck, shot through both lungs and believed dead by two experienced hunters, suddenly revived, gored one hunter, and then disappeared without a trace, leaving no body or evidence despite extensive searching. This defied all expectations for a mortally wounded animal.

The hunters waited 30 minutes, confirmed the deer wasn't breathing, but it then 'leapt to its feet and gored the man closest to it really, really bad.' The deer then 'took off just as fast' and was never found, despite a bullet through its lungs.

2The Unsolved Disappearance of Mo and Larry

In 1960s West Virginia, two hunting partners, Mo and Larry, vanished without a trace from String Town. Despite multiple search parties, no bodies or evidence of foul play were ever found. The community eventually declared them dead in absentia, with rumors suggesting they either left voluntarily or were abducted at gunpoint.

Search parties 'didn't find a single trace of either hunter.' The narrator's father believed they were 'forced into said truck against their will, as in at gunpoint,' as they wouldn't abandon their families without a note.

3The Horrifying Reality of 'Sniper Safaris' in the Bosnian War

During the Siege of Sarajevo in 1993, British infantrymen discovered that wealthy Italian 'war tourists' were paying Serb militias up to $120,000 USD for the chance to shoot at UN soldiers and Bosnian civilians. This practice, known as 'sniper safaris,' was later investigated by an Italian journalist, confirming long-held suspicions among the besieged population.

A captured Serb prisoner revealed that two Italian snipers were 'paying the Serbs for a chance to shoot at UN soldiers and Bosnian civilians.' An Italian journalist later gathered evidence of 'sniper safaris' with 'mafia involvement,' where participants paid 'about $100,000 or about $120,000 US.' Snipers were 'more active on weekends,' implying tourist visits.

4Close Encounter with Serial Killer Thomas Dillon

In 1992, the narrator and his friend were shot at twice during a turkey hunting trip in Belmont County, Ohio, by an unseen assailant who then stole the narrator's shotgun. Three years later, they realized they had narrowly escaped Thomas Dillon, a serial killer convicted of five murders in Ohio, all committed with a long rifle from a distance, 'like he was hunting people.' Dillon later killed a kid in almost the exact same spot.

A bullet 'flew over our heads' and a 'second bullet hit even closer.' The shooter then stole the narrator's gun after they fled. Three years later, Thomas Dillon was 'convicted of five murders' by shooting victims 'from a distance and with a long rifle, like he was hunting people.' Dillon killed a kid in 'almost the exact same spot' days after their incident.

5Critique of Modern Media and 'Woke Garbage'

The host expresses frustration with contemporary entertainment, particularly shows like 'The Boys' and 'Invincible,' for their perceived decline in quality, lack of original ideas, and overt 'woke' political messaging. He attributes this to writers being 'one-sided hacks' and the influence of ESG scores from investment firms like BlackRock, which dictate narratives to avoid offending certain audiences.

The host describes 'The Boys' season 4 as 'hot garbage' and 'typical woke garbage.' He states that 'Black Rock was deciding what kind of like politics was in your entertainment' through ESG scores, leading to 'pandering' and 'shitty writing, shitty direction, shitty everything.'

Bottom Line

The host speculates that AI could democratize content creation, enabling individual writers and creators to produce 'really amazing visual storytelling' without the constraints of corporate oversight, ESG scores, or 'endless changes' from large teams.

So What?

This suggests a potential shift in the entertainment industry where high-quality, original content could emerge from independent creators, bypassing the perceived 'slop' and political pandering of mainstream Hollywood.

Impact

Entrepreneurs could develop AI tools specifically designed for independent filmmakers and game developers, focusing on visual generation, script refinement, and asset creation that prioritizes creative freedom over corporate mandates. This could also lead to new distribution models for AI-generated indie content.

Opportunities

Patreon Tier for Horror Movie Reviews

The host proposes a $10/month Patreon tier where he and his friends watch and review horror movies, offering their comedic and crass commentary. Subscribers would be informed of the movie beforehand to watch along.

Source: Host's discussion about Patreon tiers.

Key Concepts

Echo Chamber Effect

The host describes how mainstream media and social platforms create an echo chamber where certain narratives are amplified, and dissenting opinions are suppressed, leading to a lack of nuanced thought and genuine discourse. This is further exacerbated by corporate influence (e.g., ESG scores) dictating content.

Slippery Slope of Censorship

The host argues that seemingly minor acts of censorship, such as arresting individuals for 'grossly offensive' online posts, set a dangerous precedent. This gradually conditions society to accept restrictions on speech, potentially leading to authoritarian control where questioning the state becomes an arrestable offense.

Lessons

  • For narration channels, focus on 'clickbaity' titles and compelling thumbnails to maximize click-through rate (CTR), then ensure content is engaging to retain viewers.
  • When approaching a downed deer, wait 20-30 minutes to ensure it's truly deceased, as stunned animals can revive and attack.
  • To strengthen back muscles with dumbbells, incorporate exercises like one-arm dumbbell rows, chest-supported dumbbell rows, Romanian deadlifts, dumbbell reverse fly, and dumbbell pullovers, focusing on good form and progressive overload.

Growing a Narration Channel on YouTube

1

Craft 'clickbaity' titles that immediately convey the story's essence and intrigue potential viewers.

2

Design an eye-catching thumbnail that complements the title and encourages clicks.

3

Ensure the content itself is interesting and matches the promise of the title to keep viewers engaged after clicking.

Notable Moments

The host's detailed explanation of how electrolyte imbalance from dehydration can cause heart arrhythmias, emphasizing the danger of energy drinks.

This provides critical health information, linking common habits (energy drink consumption, dehydration) to serious cardiac risks, grounded in the host's past experience as a registered nurse.

The host's reaction to the UK's online communication laws, which led to over 12,000 arrests in 2023 for 'grossly offensive' or 'menacing' messages.

This highlights a significant divergence in free speech principles between the UK and the US, sparking a discussion on the dangers of subjective censorship and its potential for authoritarian creep.

Quotes

"

"You don't want to rush it. I don't know, man. Our safety briefs advise folks to wait at least 20 to 30 minutes depending on the size of the animal and where the shot landed. This way they can ensure their prey is passed on and won't be a threat to them during trophy pictures or transportation."

Narrator (reading story)
"

"It's like I honestly I'm kind of wondering if like the 80s and 90s probably had the most socially cohesive group of people in the United States for quite some time. Like really no excessive focus upon I mean some degrees but you know what you just realized?"

Host
"

"It bugs you to no end that certain words can't be said online. It is very strange. I mean, just weird. Just a weird concept not being able to say stuff. Just just say stuff."

Host
"

"I'm like this guy can't be [__] serious saying [__] tiptoe maxing over to have sex. He's just like a little like a little munchkin."

Host
"

"I don't know. I kind of believe in a degree of like financial independence from like each other in like a weird way. Like obviously you can look out for each other and like the family sort of thing, but then the but then this perspective that someone can kind of just like come in because you're having sex. There's just like an immediate like exchange where here you go, here's [__] infinite dollars. Do whatever, you know?"

Host

Q&A

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