The MeatEater Podcast

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Latest Episodes:

Ep. 179: The Weed Warden Jul 29, 2019

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Steven Rinella talks with John Nores and Janis Putelis.

Subjects discussed: Cartels growing pot on public land; wildlife poisoning by weed growers; Vietnam War-style punji pits in Shasta National Forest; special ops game wardens; pink death; concealing man tracks with fake cow prints and carpet slippers; Phoebe, the one-in-a-million K9 lifesaver and her 900+ arrests; secret attack commands; 445 miles of poly pipe; DIY dams; Silicon Valley science camp; and more.

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Ep. 178: Hunting Mammoths Jul 22, 2019

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Steven Rinella talks with David J. Meltzer and Janis Putelis.

Subjects discussed: Understanding radio carbon dates; crossing the Bering Land Bridge; who were the first Americans?; the early human aversion to incest; ecotones, or where a bunch of good shit comes together; glyptodons and 3-ton ground sloths; a big extinction on one fine Tuesday; Rambo; the tidy appeal of the blitzkreig hypothesis; Clovis points; cross examining conventionalisms; snacking on bison tongue; and more.

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Ep. 177: Poison vs. Choppers Jul 15, 2019

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Steven Rinella talks with Carter Smith and Janis Putelis.

Subjects discussed: College epiphanies; a wrong turn at Waco; social ecologist Steve Kellert and sociobiologist E.O. Wilson; private land in Texas; what happens when critters cross international borders; Aldo Leopold; thriving in order; Texas’ massive population growth; everybody's deer; capture related myopathy; hitting hogs with cars; CWD and local economies; and more.

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Ep. 176: You Can’t Start a Convo with F-You Jul 08, 2019

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Steven Rinella talks with Travis Swartz, Miles Nolte, Sam Lungren, and Janis Putelis.

Subjects discussed: Steve’s field trip to the graveyard and the fishy circumstances surrounding the death of John Bozeman; Reel Recovery; where Travis ends and Hank Patterson begins; fishing etiquette infractions; aural deception and ham juice; fair trade flies; offing the head; keeping fishing holes secret; getting arrested; effete anglers; why fly fishing is so parody-able; and more.

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Ep. 175: If Cabbages Had Legs I’d Hunt Them Too Jul 01, 2019

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Steven Rinella talks with Doug Duren, Randall Williams, Matt Rinella, and Janis Putelis.

Subjects discussed: Nip ripping stories; the essays of historian Elliott West; a dead man’s brother packs him in brandy; shooting out the windows; Steve’s interview with R. Kelly; Matt’s three favorite foods; Randall's missing pituitary gland; the hunting sadness; 1SHOTJJ; Doug’s morel village; monster trucking chicken wings as a matrimonial bonding experience; hunters according to Looney Tunes and the anti-hunting bias in children's books; Stars In The Sky; and more.

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Ep. 174: Bo Jackson’s Smoked Raccoon Jun 24, 2019

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Steven Rinella talks with Bo Jackson, Matt Cook, Guy Zuck, and Janis Putelis.

Subjects discussed: The gar pike exists and Steve is way wrong; Bo Jackson’s lessons for parents and married people; hunting chickens on Saturday; Tarzan as inspiration; speed like a spooked deer; Bo’s beloved momma; George, the hunting mentor; a visit to the hog barn; the protective brain cushion of a woodpecker; Bo Knows loyalty; and more.

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Ep. 173: Here’s What You Oughta Do Jun 17, 2019

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Steven Rinella talks with Becky Humphries, Spencer Neuharth, Ryan Callaghan, Joe Ferronato, and Janis Putelis.

Subjects discussed: Joe Ferronato as Vanna White; 8-inch beards; nail files; the Lacey Act; swapping turkeys for zebras; West Nile, bird flu and the pox; over-the-counter tags vs. tag draws; Steve’s genius idea for the NWTF; a pretty aggressive female name; anti-shaming; how to be a good hunting mentor; the crawfish and snake diet; the beauty of saying "I don't know"; thighs and drumsticks; and more.

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Ep. 172: Wrath of the Birders Jun 10, 2019

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Steven Rinella talks with Pat Durkin, Spencer Neuharth, and Janis Putelis.

Subjects discussed: Steve's death at the mic; why, exactly, do deer lose their antlers; buying ice fishing bait at 2AM; Rick "Radio" Krueger; finding dead people with sonar and psychics; Isle Royale’s inbred wolves; how hunters remember the deceased; Pat's love of a good obituary; wrathful birders; Gordon Lightfoot, live; and more.

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Ep. 171: Let Them Wear Pink Jun 03, 2019

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Steven Rinella talks with Land Tawney, Ben O'Brien, Matt Rinella, Ryan Callaghan, and Janis Putelis at Backcountry Hunters and Anglers North American Rendezvous in Boise, ID.

Subjects discussed: Seeing through the bullshit; BHA’s insidious plot to destroy America; tying a tuna to the back of your girlfriend's car; missing fingers, biting tongues, and man-eating house cats; the perils of getting your wildlife news from ABC news; Appalachian confit; gender neutral hunting terms; jaguar recovery in the United States; hunting for mountain lions; Latvian folklore; blaze pink; and more.

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Ep. 170: Emotional Rainbow May 27, 2019

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Steven Rinella talks with Maggie Smith, Tracy Crane, Seth Morris, and Janis Putelis.

Subjects discussed: what happens when the Latvian Eagle locks his jaw; driving under the influence of turkeys; peacocks; the trials and tribulations of hunter's safety; eye patches and left-eye dominance when shooting; the impressions of a first-time hunter; hanging at the gun range; Maggie's emotional rainbow; shooting in full strut; running down a wounded critter; and more.

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