On the first episode of MeatEater Hunts, Steven Rinella and Janis Putelis head to California for a spearfishing trip with expert skin divers Greg Fonts and Alex Reynaud. After learning the ropes, the guys head off in search of fresh sushi and fish tacos. They hunt the reefs and kelp forest looking for yellowtail while filling up the stringer with sheepshead, bonito, and calico bass. The underwater scenery is so mesmerizing and the fish so damn delicious that it leaves Steve wondering what he’s been doing chasing elk for the last 20 years.
In episode two of MeatEater Hunts, MeatEater Producer Janis Putelis heads to Colorado to hunt a hard-to-draw unit with longtime friend and mentor Ethan Kohn. Both hunters burned years of accumulated points to draw these tags, and the pressure to find a mature bull weighs heavy. The search will bring them to vast burns and 10,000-foot alpine ridgelines in the high country. In the end, when you have a tag like this one, it's hard to settle. Check out this episode to see if the Latvian Eagle finds a bull that's worth the 13-year wait.
MeatEater's Associate Editor Morgan Mason heads to Hells Canyon, Idaho for a chukar hunt with Danielle Prewett of Wild & Whole. Morgan's wirehaired pointing griffon, Pinion, leads the chase as they search for these "red-legged devil birds." Aching feet, sore knees, and missed shots are all part of what many consider to be the hardest hunt in the upland world. At the end of the day, all of that work makes Danielle's spatchcock chukar with Brussels sprouts even more delicious, and that ain't easy.
In this episode, MeatEater's founder Steven Rinella and his buddy Seth Morris, aka the Flip Flop Flesher, head out for some beaver trapping along Montana's famed Yellowstone River. Steve and Seth plan to help out a small ranch by nabbing a few nuisance beavers that have been clogging local irrigation. The result is a couple of happy landowners, some healthy beaver hides, and beaver leg confit. It's a true win-win situation.
MeatEater's Senior Hunting Editor Brody Henderson heads south to hunt feral pigs with his good friend Alvin Dedeaux. The guys start their trip with a visit to the YETI Flagship Store in downtown Austin, Texas to speak at a Backcountry Hunters and Anglers event. After their short trip to the city, it's time to start looking for hogs on a local ranch. Alvin is a long-time fishing guide who just recently completed his hunter safety course, while Brody has been hunting his whole life. An experienced non-local guiding an inexperienced local is not an optimal situation, but time spent with a good friend exploring a new part of the country sounds like a recipe for a damn good time to us.
In this episode, MeatEater's Conservation Director Ryan "Cal" Callaghan heads out with Fishing Director Miles Nolte for a Canada goose hunt on Cal's family farm. The guys employ a fairly traditional approach, using layout blinds and full body decoys to hunt a cut cornfield near one of Montana's busiest urban centers. Along the way they battle picky birds and sky-busting neighbors to come up with a pair of geese that make for a damn good breakfast of gizzards, hearts, and farm fresh eggs.
In this episode, MeatEater's Janis Putelis is joined by Jason Phelps, owner and operator of Phelps Game Calls, for a September elk hunt on a friend's ranch in southeast Colorado. It might be a surprise to some that MeatEater's longtime producer and resident elk guide has never killed a bull with his bow, but after years handling clients and cameras, it's finally Jani's turn to cut his tag.
In this episode, MeatEater's Janis Putelis and Jason Phelps, owner and operator of Phelps Game Calls, continue hunting for Janis's first archery bull elk in southeast Colorado. A change in altitude is all it takes to put them back in the action.
In this episode, MeatEater's Janis Putelis is joined by his friend Matt Cook on a late season mule deer hunt in Colorado. Lots of migrating deer and rutting bucks make for an action packed week.
In this episode, MeatEater's Janis Putelis is joined by Zach Sandau of onX on a hunt for a trophy bull elk in eastern Montana. Janis has drawn a hard-to-get bull elk tag in an area with a real shot at a monster bull. It's a dream tag for Janis. Zach and Janis look over dozens of bulls in search of "the one."
In this episode, MeatEater's Janis Putelis is joined by his brother-in-law and chef, Cameron Mitchell. Janis is taking Cameron on his first pronghorn hunt in exchange for a sauce recipe that is guaranteed to up your venison cooking game. The hunters battle high winds and property boundaries in their quest for Cameron's first American pronghorn.
In this episode, MeatEater's Janis Putelis joins his father, Janis Putelis Jr. on the family property in south central Wisconsin to hunt rutting whitetails with archery equipment. Although Janis has hunted this place nearly his entire life, he's never given it the full court-press during the rut. The lifelong relationship with the land spurs memories of hunts past. Janis's early mentors weigh in with anecdotes of his early hunting days.