Bear Grease

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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If you have comments on the show, send us a note to beargrease@themeateater.com
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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.
Thank you to our sponsor, Tecovas.
If you have comments on the show, send us a note to beargrease@themeateater.com
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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
Thank you to our sponsors, Case Knives and Stor-Mor.
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