Host Clay Newcomb is joined by Render crew members Bear Newcomb, Josh "Landbridge" Spielmaker as well as Moe Shepherd, and Ron Poole to talk about the latest Deer Stories episodes and share some tales of their own. Bear introduces Cricket, his new blue tick coonhound pup, sparking a conversation about generations of hounds, fur-trading days, and the memorable characters who made those days what they were.

The crew gets into the art of instinctive archery, including how traditional bowhunters learn to trust repetition and muscle memory instead of sights and gadgets. Along the way, they revisit stories of monster bucks, questionable claims of ownership, and deer that somehow come back to life after everyone thinks the hunt is over.

Clay also shares a first look at the bear grease research behind his upcoming book, American Bear, including a scientific analysis of bear grease and its place in American history.

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In most cases in this show, we operate very much within the real of explainable. Wildlife biology, close looks at specific animals, wildlife conservation history. Y'all know the deal. However, this time we will be hearing 5 separate stories, from wild places across the country. all of which I have no idea how to fully explain them, or believe whether or not they're even true.

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Brent’s got a story this week that could’ve been a catalyst against the things we all hold near and dear. Why it didn’t, is a story in and of itself; one so good he wants to share it with you now. So, like he suggests weekly, drag up a chair and get easy. It’s time for MeatEater’s “This Country Life” podcast.

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For our second Deer Stories episode for 2026, host Clay Newcomb opens with a glimpse into the foundations of American deer hunting, recounting an 1837 account of German traveler Friedrich Gerstäcker hunting deer with Choctaw hunters in the Arkansas wilderness. From there to Kansas, Iowa, Mississippi, and Arkansas as the stories jump to the modern deer woods, where Jim Malone survives a terrifying fall from a tree stand, Ron Poole recounts the hunt for a 233-inch Iowa giant, and Mississippi deer biologist William McKinley gets ambushed by an angry screech owl. Lane Weaver shares the remarkable twists and turns of hunting a buck named Edward, minnow farmer Margie Saul describes her most memorable hunts in the Arkansas delta, and Greg Sims tells an emotional story of a giant whitetail that connects him to a dear family member he lost.

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From dangerous river levels and mysterious helpers to teaching kids to fly fish, this episode has a lot to offer. Brent's sharing a listener story filled with potential peril that thankfully has a happy ending. He's also reporting on an organization he was introduced to on a chance meeting in an airport. The organization has become a favorite of his and we think you'll like it too. It's time for MeatEater's "This Country Life" podcast.

www.themayflyproject.com

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Host Clay Newcomb welcomes author and host of MeatEater’s Gunfighters podcast, Bryan Burrough, alongside Jacob Meyers and Andrew Maxwell of The Southern Outdoorsman Podcast. Bryan talks about some of the history behind the legends of the American frontier and explore how much of what we think we know about Old West gunfighters comes from Hollywood rather than historical fact. From Wild Bill Hickok and John Wesley Hardin to Billy the Kid, Wyatt Earp, and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, the conversation separates historical reality from popular mythology. Along the way, the crew discusses dueling, frontier justice, the cultural cost of backing down from a fight, and why disputes over seemingly trivial matters could turn deadly.

Check out the Gunfighters podcast on the MeatEater Podcast Network.

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What's better than a story of triumph? I'll tell ya, A story of triumph involving wildlife conservation. The state of Alabama, much like the rest of the country in the early 1900s, was sitting on the brink Of complete natural resource destruction. We are going to take a deep dive into their wildlife conservation history and learn about the people involved, the ideas, and the actions carried out that not only saved Alabama’s wildlife and wild places from being permanently lost or degraded, but rather restored them all but completely and created a whole new generation of conservation minded hunters and anglers along the way.

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Brent, our man in the field, is reporting good news from the northeast. A story where the community centers around being a good neighbor and lending a helping hand when the opportunity arises.Does this rarely happen or is it just rarely reported? Tune in and decide for yourself.

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It’s fall, and that means it’s time for Deer Stories. This year’s collection has it all: giant bucks, exploding pork and beans, yellowjackets, close calls, and a deer-hunting accident that nearly cost a man his life.

We hear from hunters across Arkansas, Mississippi, Oklahoma, and Texas, including the story of Teddy Villines and a Boone & Crockett class typical buck whose rack was given up in the name of friendship. William McKinley tells the story of an unforgettable archery hunt that goes spectacularly wrong. Clay Chapman recounts the terrifying boating accident that nearly ended his life, and the buck that brought him back to the woods a year later. Lane Weaver shares how a deer nearly killed him—and ultimately taught him a lesson that may have saved his life years later. Cody Villines delivers one of the funniest deer-camp stories you'll ever hear, involving a can of pork and beans and a nest of yellowjackets. And Jason Caylor closes things out with a 166-inch anniversary buck taken under some decidedly unconventional circumstances.

These aren't just stories about deer hunting, but more than that, they're stories about friendship, family, perseverance, and the incredible privilege of experiencing another fall in the woods.

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As promised, our self titled “Arkansas Flatlander”, Brent Reaves, is taking us back to the mountains. Here comes the second half of his bear hunting trip with his good friend John Pantuso. Experience the highs and lows of archery hunting in this week’s recounting of their grand adventure together. It’s time for MeatEater’s “This Country Life” podcast.

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It's Whitetail Week at MeatEater! Host Clay Newcomb is joined by hunting icon of his youth, Aaron Stanphill. They talk about growing up hunting whitetails in Arkansas before trail cameras, feeders, and the technology that has transformed deer hunting. Aaron and Clay reminisce about learning to read the woods, studying deer sign, hunting public land, and figuring things out through trial and error. Aaron shares the story of finally killing his first Pope & Young-class Arkansas buck after 30 years of hunting, along with some of the legendary characters and lessons that shaped him as a deer hunter, with no shortage of additional entertaining stories to boot.

The conversation turns back to the Bear Grease Con Man series on Asa Carter, exploring the contradictions of a man who could write with extraordinary empathy while also becoming one of the most notorious voices of segregation in the American South. The crew shares their opinions on questions like: What does it mean when a person changes? Can a man's later life tell us anything about who he really was?

And don't forget to check out the Ultimate Whitetail Giveaway. Go to the Meateater store and sign up to win a pile of amazing gear along with a hunt with Mark Kenyon and Jordan Budd.

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