SportsWilderness

Bear Grease

MeatEater

The Bear Grease Podcast with host Clay Newcomb delivers compelling storytelling through documentary-style episodes exploring the culture, traditions, and history of rural America. He’ll dive in deep with hunters, biologists, anthropologists, and hillbillies to learn about human nature and our ancient connection to the land. Bear Grease explores unique people, topics, and stories that reveal the incredible value of life lived close to the land. Part of the MeatEater Podcast Network.

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57 episodes
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Avg 43 min
English

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Today · 20 min
Ep. 521: This Country Life - Duck Boats and Bandito Trucks
According to the TCL mailbag, you folks are living on the edge. Brent's revealing two examples this week from listener stories that come straight from the wild. We think most of us can relate to some calamity in the field because nature is so unpredictable. Things happen and in this episode, they happen kind of big. It's time for MeatEater's "This Country Life" podcast. Thank you to our sponsors, Case Knives and Stor-Mor. Shop This Country Life Merch Connect with Brent and MeatEater MeatEater on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, and Youtube Clips Subscribe to the MeatEater Podcast Network on YouTube Shop This Country Life Merch See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Wednesday · 1 hr 1 min
Ep. 520: People of the High Arctic - Resolute Bay (Part 1)
500 miles north of the Arctic Circle lies Resolute Bay, Nunavut, Canada, one of the northernmost inhabited villages in the world. In this introductory episode of our new High Arctic Series, host Clay Newcomb talks with Inuit hunter Devon Manik on location 40 miles out on the sea ice of Arctic Bay on a polar bear expedition. Devon shares stories of his family history and when they first located to Resolute bay, surviving some of the harshest conditions on the planet. Clay also introduces author, filmmaker, and professor emeritus of British Columbia University Frank J. Tester. In their discussion, Frank details his experiences living in Resolute Bay for 2 years and unbelievable stories of life in this unforgiving region. He also expounds on the history of culture, history, and relocation of the Inuit. Pre-Order Clay's new book "American Bear" at AmericanBearBook.com Thank you to our sponsor, Tecovas. If you have comments on the show, send us a note to beargrease@themeateater.com Connect with Clay and MeatEater Clay on Instagram MeatEater on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, and Youtube Clips MeatEater Podcast Network on YouTube Shop Bear Grease Merch See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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October 30 · 44 min
Ep. 519: This Country Life - From Darkness to Light
Brent visits with "This Country Life" and "Blood Trails" contributing videographer David McDaniels to discuss David's recent elk hunt. It was a hunt opportunity that resulted from a crazy set of circumstances that initially felt like a huge disappointment. Good things happen to good people and in the end, David persevered in a big way. From darkness to light comes David's Elk Story on MeatEater's "This Country Life" podcast. Follow David @EastTXCamo on socials. Thank you to our sponsors, Case Knives and Stor-Mor. Shop This Country Life Merch Connect with Brent and MeatEater MeatEater on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, and Youtube Clips Subscribe to the MeatEater Podcast Network on YouTube Shop This Country Life Merch See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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October 28 · 1 hr 19 min
Ep. 518: Render - Blue Ticks, Instinctive Shooting, and Who Gets Dibs
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. Thank you to our sponsor, Tecovas. If you have comments on the show, send us a note to beargrease@themeateater.com Connect with Clay and MeatEater Clay on Instagram MeatEater on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, and Youtube Clips MeatEater Podcast Network on YouTube Shop Bear Grease Merch See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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October 26 · 33 min
Ep. 517: Backwoods University - That's No Deer
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. Connect with Lake Pickle and MeatEater Lake Pickle on Instagram MeatEater on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and YouTube Clips MeatEater Podcast Network on YouTube See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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October 23 · 19 min
Ep. 516: This Country Life - Seeing the Forest Through the Trees
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. Thank you to our sponsors, Case Knives and Stor-Mor. Shop This Country Life Merch Connect with Brent and MeatEater MeatEater on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, and Youtube Clips Subscribe to the MeatEater Podcast Network on YouTube Shop This Country Life Merch See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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October 21 · 57 min
Ep. 515: Deer Stories - Falling from a Tree and 200-Inch Buck
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 Connect with Clay and MeatEater Clay on Instagram MeatEater on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, and Youtube Clips MeatEater Podcast Network on YouTube Shop Bear Grease Merch See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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October 16 · 24 min
Ep. 514: This Country Life - High Water and The Mayfly Project
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. Shop This Country Life Merch Connect with Brent and MeatEater MeatEater on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, and Youtube Clips Subscribe to the MeatEater Podcast Network on YouTube Shop This Country Life Merch See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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October 14 · 1 hr 18 min
Ep. 513: Render - Gunfighters and Southern Outdoorsmen
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. Thank you to our sponsor, Tecovas. If you have comments on the show, send us a note to beargrease@themeateater.com Connect with Clay and MeatEater Clay on Instagram MeatEater on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, and Youtube Clips MeatEater Podcast Network on YouTube Shop Bear Grease Merch See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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October 12 · 44 min
Ep. 512: Backwoods University - Alabama’s Wildlife Conservation History
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. Connect with Lake Pickle and MeatEater Lake Pickle on Instagram MeatEater on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and YouTube Clips MeatEater Podcast Network on YouTube See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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October 9 · 22 min
Ep. 511: This Country Life - News We Can Use
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. Thank you to our sponsors, Case Knives and Stor-Mor. Shop This Country Life Merch Connect with Brent and MeatEater MeatEater on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, and Youtube Clips Subscribe to the MeatEater Podcast Network on YouTube Shop This Country Life Merch See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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October 8 · 1 min
Announcing: Blood Trails, Season Three
This season on Blood Trails, host Jordan Sillars follows eight brand-new cases: hunting trips gone horribly wrong, decades-old disappearances, suspicious deaths, and crimes hidden deep in the woods. Some cases are ice cold. Others have been solved—at least, according to the law. But every case in Season 3 is still haunted by unanswered questions. Through firsthand interviews, archival audio, court records, and investigative reporting, Blood Trails digs into what happened, what may have been missed, and why these stories still refuse to stay buried. Follow the show now to get notified when Episode 1 drops, Thursday, October 15. Subscribe to the all new Blood Trails YouTube channel @BloodTrailsTV Follow Blood Trails on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, iHeart, Pandora, Amazon, and Instagram Connect with Jordan Sillars and MeatEater MeatEater Podcast Network on YouTube Jordan Sillars on Instagram MeatEater on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, and Youtube Clips See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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October 7 · 59 min
Ep. 510: Deer Stories - Buck Attack and The House Fires that Forged a Legend
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. Thank you to our sponsor, Tecovas. If you have comments on the show, send us a note to beargrease@themeateater.com Connect with Clay and MeatEater Clay on Instagram MeatEater on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, and Youtube Clips MeatEater Podcast Network on YouTube Shop Bear Grease Merch See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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October 2 · 26 min
Ep. 509: This Country Life - The Weight of The Wait
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. Thank you to our sponsors, Case Knives and Stor-Mor. Shop This Country Life Merch Connect with Brent and MeatEater MeatEater on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, and Youtube Clips Subscribe to the MeatEater Podcast Network on YouTube Shop This Country Life Merch See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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September 30 · 1 hr 25 min
Ep. 508: Render - Whitetails, Woodsmen, and The Way We Used to Hunt
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. Thank you to our sponsor, Tecovas. If you have comments on the show, send us a note to beargrease@themeateater.com Connect with Clay and MeatEater Clay on Instagram MeatEater on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, and Youtube Clips MeatEater Podcast Network on YouTube Shop Bear Grease Merch See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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September 28 · 26 min
Ep. 507: Backwoods University - Trapping Turtles
Along the brackish waters of the southern gulf coast resides a unique species called diamond back terrapin, aka, the keepers of the salt marsh. In this episode we paddle along with field biologists to get our hands on one of these animals, as well as learn about what obstacles they face, and what that means for this essential coastal habitat. Connect with Lake Pickle and MeatEater Lake Pickle on Instagram MeatEater on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and YouTube Clips MeatEater Podcast Network on YouTube See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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September 25 · 21 min
Ep. 506: This Country Life - Pap’s Buck and Our Bear Camp
Fall hunting season is here for most of us, and Brent’s sharing a listener story and one from his Arkansas Bear Camp. It's that time of year when hunters are chasing critters, and Brent’s in the mix with some of his closest friends. It’s time for MeatEater’s “This Country Life” podcast. Thank you to our sponsors, Case Knives and Stor-Mor. Shop This Country Life Merch Connect with Brent and MeatEater MeatEater on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, and Youtube Clips Subscribe to the MeatEater Podcast Network on YouTube Shop This Country Life Merch See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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September 23 · 1 hr
Ep. 505: Asa Carter - The Education of Little Tree (Part 2, Revisited)
In part two of the revisit of our Conman series on the double life of Asa Forrest Carter, Clay Newcomb dives into the gritty details of the violence, hate, and conspiracy philosophies of the first 45 years of his life and how, in the last decade of his life, he transformed into an unrecognizable, “Cherokee Indian” author who wanted to be America’s next Hemmingway – and almost did it. Once again, author of Unmasking the Klansman, Dr. Dan T Carter and Steve Rinella of MeatEater lead the way as his guests. Brace yourself because this winding trail will be treacherous as they talk about the beating of jazz singer Nat King Cole, read from the Unabomber’s Manifesto, and begin to understand how Asa Carter did what he did. We’re going neck deep into the mind of a Conman. We really doubt you’re gonna wanna miss this one… Audio excerpts courtesy of “The Reconstruction of Asa Carter” Thank you to our sponsor, Tecovas. If you have comments on the show, send us a note to beargrease@themeateater.com Connect with Clay and MeatEater Clay on Instagram MeatEater on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, and Youtube Clips MeatEater Podcast Network on YouTube Shop Bear Grease Merch See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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September 18 · 46 min
Ep. 504: This Country Life - 2026 World Championship Squirrel Cook Off
It’s the annual World Championship Squirrel Cook Off in Bentonville, Arkansas. Brent’s sitting down with Kevin Murphy, Josh Spielmaker, Lake Pickle, Dave Gardner, and Joe Wilson for a round table discussion of the event and what everyone’s been up too. Fix a plate and get comfortable. It’s time for MeatEater’s “This Country Life” podcast. Thank you to our sponsors, Case Knives and Stor-Mor. Shop This Country Life Merch Connect with Brent and MeatEater MeatEater on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, and Youtube Clips Subscribe to the MeatEater Podcast Network on YouTube Shop This Country Life Merch See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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September 16 · 1 hr 3 min
Ep. 503: Render - Bears All Around
With Clay and Bear away, Josh "Landbridge" Spielmaker leads the discussion with a room full of bear hunters. He is joined by River Newcomb, Matt Gagnon of Time Honored Media, and Joe Liles, retired US Forest Service law enforcement officer and his wife Crystal. Josh, River, and Joe recall the stories of the weeks bear harvest in Arkansas with three successful hunts. With bear hunting, nothing is ever just straightforward, so tune in to hear all the twists and turns and unexpected circumstances that keep us returning to the woods year after year. Thank you to our sponsor, Tecovas. If you have comments on the show, send us a note to beargrease@themeateater.com Connect with Clay and MeatEater Clay on Instagram MeatEater on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, and Youtube Clips MeatEater Podcast Network on YouTube Shop Bear Grease Merch See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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