Steven Rinella

Steven Rinella is the host of the Netflix Original series MeatEater and The MeatEater Podcast. He's also the author of six books dealing with wildlife, hunting, fishing and wild game cooking, including the bestselling MeatEater Fish and Game Cookbook: Recipes and Techniques for Every Hunter and Angler. Steven Rinella started hunting well before he was legally old enough and never looked back. Stints as a commercial trapper, college student, and professional, nonprofessional fisherman, he began a career as an outdoor writer. Less concerned with trophies and killshots, Steve's work largely focuses on the culture, process, and history of hunting and game animals. Steve is the host of the Netflix Original series MeatEater and The MeatEater Podcast. He's also the author of six books dealing with wildlife, hunting, fishing and wild game cooking, including the bestselling MeatEater Fish and Game Cookbook: Recipes and Techniques for Every Hunter and Angler. Most importantly, Steve is known for his efforts to convey the value of hunting to a general audience and for his efforts to promote the work of conservation organizations and the preservation of public land.

Hometown

Twin Lakes, Michigan

Resides

Seattle, Washington

Favorite Hunt

My fondest hunting memories are of chasing Dall sheep in Alaska with my brothers. Very rugged and demanding hunts, spent with my two favorite guys. 

Best Eating Critter

Elk. They just don't make a bad tasting elk.

Other Outdoor Pursuits

Fishing, crabbing, trapping.

Conservation Group He Supports

Backcountry Hunters and Anglers, Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership

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Mark Kenyon

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Jessi Johnson

Jessi Johnson grew up the only child of a rural ranching family that managed several properties across the Rocky Mountain West. This upbringing fostered compassion and respect for landscapes and animals and a deep love of adventure in the out of doors.

Jessi moved back to Wyoming 9 years ago and intimately learned Wyoming’s vast public lands through a love of backcountry archery hunting. Archery hunting for Jessi creates a bridge between human and animal, and human and landscape. She feels it makes you go above and beyond just casual observance; learning habitats, behavior, and even sometimes a personality. It brings you in close and makes sure you are aware of the life you are taking. For her, hunting completes the circle, bringing into full focus what it means to be a predator, a participant in the cycle, and an expert on the land.

Jessi is the Public Lands Coordinator for the Wyoming Wildlife Federation, a founding member of a women’s conservation group, and a board member of the Wyoming Chapter Backcountry Hunters and Anglers and 2% For Conservation. Her work is fostered by her passion to protect the incredible landscapes she was lucky enough to grow up on and the animals that make the west such an iconic place to live.

Hometown

I am a tumble weed. I’ve called Hamilton, Montana, Ovando, Montana, Elk Mountain,Wyoming and Mt. Shasta, California home.

Resides

Lander, Wyoming

Favorite Hunt

Every day out hunting is my new favorite memory but if I truly was forced to choose it would be an evening where I opted not to take a shot on a 5x5 bull elk and later witnessed an incredible dominance fight 30 yards from me between two huge bulls. I walked away from that season empty-handed as far as meat but feeling like the luckiest human alive.

Best Eating Critter

My favorite game meat is the animal that I’ve not yet eaten, with the caveat that it must taste like adventure. Also… Antelope, it tastes of big sky and vast prairies.

Other Outdoor Pursuits

Backpacking, angling, horseback riding

Conservation Groups She Supports

Wyoming Wildlife Federation, Backcountry Hunters and Anglers, National Wildlife Federation, Artemis Sportswomen, 2% For Conservation

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Mark Healey

Whether its hitching a ride on the fin of a great white, riding a 50 foot wave or arrowing axis deer, Mark Healey is one of the most accomplished outdoorsman around. As a winning professional surfer, free diver, spear fisherman and part time stuntman, Mark’s status as a all around badass was recently affirmed with a spot on the cover of Outside Magazine and a feature article entitled “the greatest athlete you’ve never heard of.” He has appeared in a plethora of surf movies and documentaries and has also been widely recognized for his shark conservation work (darting tigers, hammerheads and great whites at close range). In addition to his vast aquatic resume, Mark is an avid bowhunter, plying the islands of his home state for a variety of feral and introduced game.

"For me Bowhunting has opened up a whole new part of Hawaii that I never knew growing up in the ocean. I’m not the kind of person that hikes just for the sake of hiking, the same way that I don’t just go to the beach to hang out. I need a goal or a mission or else I get bored in about ten minutes. When hunting came into the picture it was about the same time that I was really becoming aware of how detached we as a society are with our food sources. I always got my own fish, but red meat was something that always came from the store. Once I saw what real wild meat looked and tasted like, it made me wonder why it was so different. In the process of finding the answers to those questions, I quickly learned just how fucked up the food system is in America. Since then I’ve tried to source as much of my own red meat as possible. So being able to selectively harvest healthy meat is a game changer. Aside from that, I’ve gotten to see so many places in the mountains of Hawaii that I never knew existed. Spot and stalk bow hunting just requires so much awareness of the moment and my surroundings that the hours just fly by. Hunting has opened my eyes to so much more that I’m now able to really appreciate."

Hometown

Haleiwa, Hawaii

Resides

Pupukea, Hawaii

Favorite Hunt

I like hunting Lanai Island in Hawaii. There are both Axis Deer and Mouflon Sheep on the island. Depending on what parcels you hunt, it can be really difficult or moderately difficult, but you will see animals. It’s a small island with a tight knit community that relies heavily on hunting for food. It’s just really cool to be at a place like that. I always learn a lot.

Best Eating Critter

Axis Deer

Other Outdoor Pursuits

Professional big wave surfing, professional spear fishing, professional freediving.

Conservation Group He Supports

Hawaii Center for Food Safety. Though not a traditional conservation group, it is challenging the major chemical companies that are poisoning Hawaii.

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Eduardo Garcia

Eduardo Garcia was raised in Emigrant, Montana. After graduating from high school, he attended culinary college in Seattle, Washington before becoming a world-travelling, professional chef on luxury yachts. Upon returning to Montana, he co-founded the food brand, Montana Mex. Shortly afterwards, Garcia was shocked with 2400 volts when he inadvertently touched a hidden power line on an elk hunt. His miraculous recovery formed the basis for the documentary film, Charged.

Today, Garcia tours the country as an athlete, chef and motivational speaker. Though he lost his left arm to his accident, he continues to shoot his bow and has found a new role as an advocate for the Challenged Athletes Foundation. He continues to run Montana Mex and enjoys hunting, foraging and gardening at his home outside Bozeman.

Hometown

Emigrant, Montana

Resides

Bozeman, Montana

Favorite Hunt

Elk in southwest Montana during Novembers rifle season. Don’t get me wrong who doesn’t love the rut in the fall? Of course that is epic and no doubt that’s where I will be as often as possible. However to respect the question is to answer honestly. It’s usually on those biting negative -14F hunts, you know that hunt when you have to heat up your Havalon in order to thaw the blood frozen solid on that dulled blade in order to swap it out that I chuckle to myself. And in that maniacal chuckle and ensuing grin I find stoke and insane gratification.

Best Eating Critter

Elk - Shanks specifically

Other Outdoor Pursuits

Foraging, Fishing, Surfing, Hiking- yep just for the heck of it.

Conservation Group he Supports

Backcountry Hunters and Anglers

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Casey Butler

His Facebook page says he’s a “dancer” but we know him as the founder and owner of HUSH. Casey “LaVere” Butler grew up bouncing between Idaho and Utah loving the outdoors and chasing his dream to be a professional snowboarder. No, for serious. And he didn’t have a beard. A family man with an entrepreneurial spirit Casey has built a number of brands (Casey LaVere, HUSH, Trixin Clothing Co.) over the last decade. At HUSH, Casey’s vision was to document the most authentic outdoor content he could capture to create a diverse and loyal audience. He’s had a significant impact introducing new people to the world of hunting, shooting, fishing and cooking of wild game and continues to educate new subscribers to the “why” behind HUSH. Casey has traveled extensively throughout the west with a passion for fair chase public land, do-it-yourself big game hunting. He has taken a number of trophy elk, mule deer and antelope all of which were captured on film and cooked over an open flame.

Hometown

Pocatello, Idaho

Resides

Pocatello, Idaho

Favorite Hunt

Any game on public land in the West.

Best Eating Critter

Pronghorn Antelope

Other Outdoor Pursuits

Snowboarding, fly fishing

Conservation Group He Supports

Backcountry Hunters and Anglers, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation

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Brian Mclrea

From age 4 Brian was stumbling along behind his dad and his black lab, Butch, packing pheasants and quail in the Yakima Valley of Washington. At age 10 he was able to pass his hunters' safety classes and immediately started bird hunting throughout the Pacific North West. Brian vividly remembers waiting patiently at the picture window of his home in Oregon as his dad would return from his archery deer and elk adventures throughout the 1980’s and 1990’s. He's always been drawn to the adventure that hunting has given him through the years and is now a cornerstone of the Hushin team. As you can see in his media and writing, Brian is passionate about the chase, regardless of the success of the hunt or size of the trophy.

Hometown

Portland, Oregon

Resides

Salt Lake City, Utah

Favorite Hunt

Eastern Oregon in the Blues Mountain Range. It is a special place full of nostalgia, family traditions and a variety of game species. As a youngster, I followed my dad around learning about the outdoors, shooting my Daisy BB gun and developing an unknown passion for wild places. From blue grouse to mule deer and black bears to elk, all of my first animals were taken alongside my dad on this mountain. Without question, my favorite place to hunt.

Best Eating Critter

Pronghorn cooked on an open flame. Or Ryan Callaghan's spatchcock mallard duck.

Other Outdoor Pursuits

Fly Fishing.

Conservation Group He Supports

2% For Conservation, Backcountry Hunters and Anglers

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Eric Chesser

After moving from California to Utah at age 9, Eric developed a love of hunting. His first video camera was a Christmas gift and from then on Eric filmed everything he did outdoors. He is obsessed with shed hunting and is a registered hunting guide in the state of Utah. The highlight of his career was an archery elk hunt in which he got a second chance at and ultimately killed a huge wapiti the crew called the “firebull." The adversity of that hunt is a constant reminder to Eric to never give up.

Hometown

Salt Lake City, Utah

Resides

Salt Lake City, Utah

Favorite Hunt

My dad grew up outside of Fillmore, UT and the mountains and ridges have a long family history. At one time this unit was a mule deer paradise yet over time it has turned into one of the most elite limited entry elk units in the state. Although the tags are tough to draw, it is refreshing to be able to walk these mountains glassing the same peaks and valleys that my dad did as a young man. I need to spend more time down there now that I think about it. This place has a lot of meaning for my family.

Best Eating Critter

Elk backstraps wrapped in bacon with sautéed veggies and guacamole.

Other Outdoor Pursuits

Shed hunting, mountain fitness training

Conservation Group He Supports

Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation

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Taylor Chamberlin

Taylor has had a love for the outdoors from an early age. Growing up, he spent all his free time with his family and friends exploring the woods. Soon after his 10th birthday, his grandfather introduced him to archery, and a love for bowhunting was born. After years of random success in the whitetail woods, Taylor decided he was tired of leaving hunts up to chance, and he wanted to figure out how he could hunt more intelligently and efficiently. He has spent every free second ever since studying anything he could find related to what makes a deer move, and how they use terrain along with the wind and thermals as a defense mechanism. Taylor turned that knowledge and years of experience into a career, by starting his own whitetail consulting business and helping people harvest the biggest deer of their life. Taylor lives in the suburbs of Washington, D.C., where he does his best to help control the booming whitetail herd with his bow on small suburban tracts of land. He can use the liberal hunting season to his advantage, and hunts on average 150 or more days a year.

Hometown

Arlington, Virginia

Resides

Great Falls, Virginia

Favorite Hunt

Patterning a big, mature whitetail and determining where and how he beds and how he uses the terrain around him on different winds. Then figuring out where he’s most vulnerable, and sneaking into that spot and getting a shot at him is what I live for. Having said that, I went out west for the first time this past season, and I am already planning my return trip.

Best Eating Critter

My wife and I have our own version of surf’n’turf. We do fried pheasant breast nuggets paired with smoked bacon wrapped venison tenderloin nuggets.

Other Outdoor Pursuits

3-D Archery, fly fishing, golf, upland bird hunting, turkey hunting, waterfowl hunting, hiking, photography, and videography.

Conservation Groups He Supports

Quality Deer Management Association, National Deer Alliance, Pheasants Forever, Backcountry Hunters and Anglers, The National Rifle Association, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation.

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Beau Baty

Beau Baty grew up in a wild place with many freedoms few Americans get to enjoy today. It was horses, cattle, farming the ground and hunting anything in season that filled his childhood with great memories and life lessons. His family roots tie him back to the Northern Utah valley dating back to 1817 when the first Baty homestead was built. Trapping, fishing and hunting are what his family lived on for many decades. If it wasn’t for the local game, consistent stewardship, and appreciation for its bounty, the Baty family would have never been able to homestead or make it through World War I & II.

Beau was taught how to care for the land, hunt, fish and trap by his father, grandfather and great grandfather. It is a special and rare opportunity to have learned at the hands of these great men whose knowledge, care and appreciation for all things living gave Beau a rich heritage to follow, uphold and now to pass on to his family and the generations to follow him.

After high school, Beau chose went off to live in Argentina for two years. When he returned, he started college and began trying to scratch out a living for himself.After packing out a few elk on his back and not making it back in time to start his freshman year of college, he decided that he needed some backcountry help. Horses were a no go because of cost and logistics so he tried goats, burros, and ultimately llamas. Long story short, llamas were the right fit for him. A decade later, he and his wife operate their pack llama business offering llama rentals to hunters and anglers and llama assisted backpacking trips in WY, UT, ID, MT and CO. Without public land, Beau would be a fish out of water. Beau and his wife work constantly to be good stewards of the land and waters of our country and are engaged in many efforts to keep public lands in public hands.

Hometown
Brigham City, Utah

Resides
Idaho Falls, Idaho

Favorite Hunt
I would usually say the most recent or current hunt is my favorite hunt, and prepping for the next hunt is also a good time. The first deer hunt I got to participate in and actually be the hunter, “my first hunt,” is one of my fondest memories. After school one day, my dad had all the horses saddled up and we rode almost to the top of the mountain behind our ranch. He sat me down on my Great Grandpa's old glassing spot and said “shoot anything with horns; I'll see you back at the corrals after dark". I had 3 rounds and a savage .243 with a Leupold 4x scope. I was ready. After 30 minutes of waiting, a small deer came bouncing around the mountain side by itself, and as it got closer, I used my scope for binoculars and saw that it had one horn. Boom, my gun goes off before I could gather my thoughts and I had just tagged my first deer. I gutted that beaut and loaded him on the back of my horse and we walked the few miles back to the corrals where I found a proud dad, mom and grandpa.

Best Eating Critter
Elk or chuckar or maybe rockfish

Other Outdoor Pursuits
Angling, kayaking, peak bagging, mountain biking, skiing

Conservation Groups He Supports
Backcountry Hunters and Anglers, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, Mule Deer Foundation, American Hiking Society, Greater Yellowstone Coalition, Leave No trace – Outdoor Ethics, Ducks Unlimited, Pheasants Forever.

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Jordan Budd

Jordan was born and raised in northwest Nebraska on her family's cattle ranch. The ranch gave her a unique opportunity to pursue whitetail, mule deer, antelope, turkey and predators every year with her bow and rifle. Jordan loves backpack hunting the west for elk and mule deer. She owns and operates her own production company, Running Water Media, specializing in video content mainly in the outdoor industry. She is also a frequent contributor to rokslide.com and GoHunt.com. Jordan also owns an outfitting company, Running Water Hunting LLC, based in Nebraska on her family's ranch. Her film career over the last 7 years has led her to hunt a variety of species in a number of places including New Zealand, Mexico, Canada and Alaska.

Hometown

Rushville, Nebraska

Resides

Rushville, Nebraska

Favorite Hunt

High country mule deer in Wyoming

Best Eating Critter

Elk

Other Outdoor Pursuits

Whatever gets her out there

Conservation Groups She Supports

Wild Sheep Foundation, Mule Deer Foundation, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation

Ben Dettamanti

Ben Dettamanti was born to two very lucky parents in a small town in southern Utah. He basically raised himself and became the sole wild meat provider for his family by the age of 14. After turning down what would’ve most likely become a pro football career, he made the decision that he’d rather hunt than do most anything else. Soon, hunting instead of facing his responsibilities became a full blown lifestyle. He left his full-time job in 2017 to pick up shed antlers, chase western big game, and win the hearts of the masses with his charisma on social media. Most days you'll find Ben in the hills documenting his adventures for his youtube channel, ShedCrazy, or at home with his young family, trying to raise his boys with a love for all things outdoors. This lifestyle has taken him all over the US, to Mexico and Canada in pursuit of wild places and wild things. He is always planning the next big adventure.

Hometown

Cedar City, Utah

Resides

La Verkin, Utah

Favorite Hunt

Archery deer in Utah

Best Eating Critter

Mule Deer

Other Outdoor Pursuits

Shed hunting and outdoor cooking

Conservation Groups He Supports

Southern Utah Deer Alliance, Backcountry Hunters and Anglers

Cable Smith

Cable earned a degree in Radio, TV & Film and was able to couple his love for the outdoors and passion for broadcasting with the creation of the Lone Star Outdoor Show. He takes pride in creating an entertaining, educational and conservation-driven program each week. Cable spends most of his fall pursuing big game or chasing ducks with his chocolate lab Belle. He has been married 10 years to his best friend Erin. They enjoy introducing their three young children (Henry, Frankie and Stella) to the outdoors and the process of where food truly comes from.

Hometown

Dallas, Texas

Resides

McKinney, Texas

Favorite Hunt

Archery Elk

Best Eating Critter

Axis Deer

Other Outdoor Pursuits

Bass and Saltwater Fishing, Camping

Conservation Group she Supports

Ducks Unlimited Dallas Chapter Committee Member, Dallas Safari Club Member, Backcountry Hunters and Anglers Member, Quail Coalition Member, RMEF Member

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Zach Griffith

Zac Griffith’s background in the outdoors began early. He was raised hunting mule deer in the Wasatch Mountains of central Utah. Later, Zac lived in Phoenix, where he was able to experience a new array of desert game, from Coues deer to ibex. When he returned to Utah, he took with him the open country archery tactics he had learned in the Southwest. Most recently Zac has become obsessed with killing mature mountain mule deer. His other passion is digital storytelling. Zac studied broadcast journalism at Utah State University and immediately began using this education to better document his hunts. This effort culminated in Summit Productions, his self-started hunting media company.

Hometown

Salt Lake City, Utah

Resides

Salt Lake City, Utah

Favorite Hunt

Florida Mountain Ibex in New Mexico

Best Eating Critter

Young Elk

Other Outdoor Pursuits

Endurance training, bodybuilding

Conservation Group He Supports

Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation

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Brad Brooks

Brad was born with an undeniable passion for conservation fueled by his experiences outside growing up. Whether it was long days with his dad and brothers spent fly fishing remote streams, freezing his butt off calling in mallards or chasing elk, growing up in Idaho instilled a deep-seated appreciation for wild places. Brad has devoted his life to protecting what he loves and for the past decade has worked to conserve our incredible public lands heritage for future generations. He spends as much time as possible pursuing wild animals in wild places with whatever weapon is in season and has a special affliction for backcountry mule deer. In 2015 Brad founded Argali as a means of marrying his passion for hunting and conservation and as a way to be a resource for other hunters that want to experience the backcountry.

Hometown

Meridian, Idaho

Resides

Boise, Idaho

Favorite Hunt

Wherever everyone else isn't. I've traveled and spent a lot of time around the west and the world, but I'm partial to chasing mule deer in the mountains of central Idaho.

Solitude is a scarce commodity these days, and I prefer to hunt in wild country even if the hunting isn't as good as less remote ground.

Best Eating Critter

Pronghorn. No Question.

Other Outdoor Pursuits

Rock climbing, salmon and steelhead fishing, mountain biking, backpacking, mountain trail running, chasing my young daughter.

Conservation Group He Supports

The Wilderness Society, Backcountry Hunters and Anglers, Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership.

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Kit Fischer

Kit Fischer is the Sportsmen’s Coordinator for the National Wildlife Federation’s Northern Rockies office in Missoula, MT. He currently manages NWF’s Bison Restoration Campaign, focusing on restoring a wild, huntable population of bison to the Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge in north-central Montana. Kit is a Montana native and grew up chasing big game, birds and fish in nearly every corner of the state. He has previously worked for the National Wildlife Refuge Association in Washington D.C., as the manager of a fishing lodge on a desert island in the Bahamas, as a fishing guide in Mongolia and as a Peace Corps volunteer in Zambia. He also serves as a board member for Conservation Hawks and Missoula’s rod and gun club, Hellgate Hunters and Anglers. 

Hometown

Missoula, Montana

Resides

Still Missoula, Montana

Favorite Hunt

Public lands in MT. I don’t have to look very far to find good hunting on millions of acres of public lands. Ducks, geese, pheasants, huns, elk, deer, pronghorn… While private land holds a lot of game, I rarely dick around knocking on doors for big game.

Best Eating Critter

Moose

Other Outdoor Pursuits

All and every kind of fishing, backcountry skiing, kayaking

Conservation Groups He Supports

Montana/Idaho Wildlife Federation, Hellgate Hunters and Anglers

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Colter Ingram

Colter grew up following his grandpa and dad around the mountains of Eastern Idaho. There was nothing he looked forward to more as a kid than hunting season. As Colter got older his passion grew stronger and stronger. His teen years were spent hunting as much as possible after school, football practice, and on the weekends. Colter's first harvest came when I was 12 deer hunting with my dad. He shot a nice 4 point buck with a .243 at 50 yards. Colter took his first elk with a bow at age 14 at a mere 8 yards. From then on he was hooked on bow hunting the West. Colter is a self described gear junkie and takes pride in taking quality gear into the rugged landscape he loves. Over the years he has harvested everything from antelope to cougar, but general season OTC backpack elk and deer is his bread and butter. When spring rolls around Colter can be found tromping around the mountains picking up elk sheds with his golden retriever, Boone. Overall, he respects his quarry and the country they live in and is dedicated to preserving hunting and public lands for future generations.

Hometown

Saint Anthony, Idaho

Resides

Bellevue, Idaho

Favorite Hunt

I love hunting the high country of central Idaho. The timbered mountains mixed with the sage hills makes for some of the best elk hunting in the country. Theres nothing I look forward to more than being on top of a mountain in the Idaho backcountry on the opening morning of elk season with some good friends and family. 

Best Eating Creature

Antelope are the best tasting animals in my book. I wish they weighed a couple hundred more pounds because I always seem to burn through antelope meat the fastest.

Other Outdoor Pursuits

Mountain biking, shed hunting, hiking with my dog, shooting sporting clay, fishing, camping, boating, backpacking, snowmobiling.

Conservation Group He Supports

Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation

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