The MeatEater

It’s a mystery that’s haunted Wisconsin’s hunting community for nearly 50 years. On September 16, 1977, 18-year-old Bob Christian left home to spend the night at a friend’s house before the opening day of bow season. That night, his future looked bright. He’d just been accepted to the University of Wisconsin as a computer science major, and his friendly, easygoing personality endeared him to family and friends alike.

But something happened on that drive, and to this day, no one knows what. His car was later found stripped on a remote dirt road near his childhood hunting grounds, and nearly five decades later, Bob’s whereabouts remain unknown.

Join host Jordan Sillars as he unravels a tangle of clues that spans small-town secrets, mysterious headlights, a convent break-in, the Ringling Brothers Circus—and even a possible connection to the infamous John Wayne Gacy. Through the eyes of hunters, family, and detectives, this is a story of woods that keep their secrets and friendships frozen in time.

Click here to listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or YouTube.

Got a tip about this case or know about another you think we should cover? Send us an email at [email protected].

Brody Henderson guest hosts MeatEater Trivia with Spencer Neuharth, Steven Rinella, Randall Williams, Seth Morris, Tressa Croaker, and Roman Schnobrich.

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Welcome back to Rut Fresh! This week we have Erik Barber recounting his public land buck, Thomas Mlsna of Unatmed Ambition's morning move on a Wisconsin big buck, Brett Smith of Whitetail Land Management Services gives us a report of activity and scouting strategy moving forward, and Jeff Thomas from NY gives us a deer activity report from New York!

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Thanks to our sponsor Land.com

In this episode of The Bear Grease Render, host Clay Newcomb sits down with six-time NASCAR Cup winner Ross Chastain to explore his unexpected journey from 8th generation watermelon farmer to professional stock car driver. They dive into Ross’s passion for hunting, the lessons he’s learned along the way, and the story behind his iconic “wall ride.”

If you have comments on the show, send us a note to [email protected]

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On today’s episode, River Stone Kennel’s Josh Miller, talks hunting dogs, training philosophies, and why he allows all dogs to develop at their own pace.

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Shotgun recoil is much like the game “two for flinching” many of us played as kids. The game's premise was to fake like you were going to punch your buddy, they flinch, and receive two punches on the shoulder as a penalty. It may not initially hurt, but your shoulder would become sore if you played long enough.

Shotgun recoil has a similar effect. Every time you pull the trigger, the firing pin strikes the primer of the shotgun shell and ignites the powder inside the hull, resulting in a mini explosion. That causes the shotgun to recoil, sending the buttstock into your shoulder. If you only shoot a few loads, there will be little, if any, pain. But shoot an entire case of shotshells (250 rounds), and you will end up with a bruised shoulder.

Recoil is unpleasant. But you can measure how much free recoil a shotgun will produce with specific ammunition using a simple mathematical formula (more details on that later). Once you can predict recoil, it may change how you think about shotguns.

There are two types of recoil: free recoil, which can be measured using a mathematical formula, and perceived recoil, which is the amount of recoil you feel. Free recoil factors in shotshell charge weight, muzzle velocity, the weight of the gun, the weight of the wad, and the amount of powder in the shotshell. The result from that formula is a measurement in foot-pounds of recoil energy.

If you're averse to mathematical calculations, this website does the work for you. All you need to do is insert the payload weight, muzzle velocity, and gun weight, click “calculate,” and you will know the amount of free recoil produced.

We have established that shotshell payload and muzzle velocity, combined with the gun's weight, determine free recoil. As a gun’s weight increases, free recoil is mitigated. Here’s an example. Let’s use a standard 12-gauge, 1⅛-ounce target load with a muzzle velocity of 1,250 fps as our control to see how much free recoil is produced relative to gun weight.

The data above shows why most skeet and trap shooters select a heavier shotgun. When shooting hundreds of rounds a week, the less recoil a target shooter experiences, and the more accurate they will be.

Recoil reducers that insert into the stock of your shotgun and recoil pads that fit onto the buttstock can also help temper recoil. You could choose to shoot a shotshell with lower muzzle velocity as well. Let’s use a 7-pound shotgun as our control and see how muzzle velocity impacts free recoil.

Lowering payload weight has the same effect as reducing muzzle velocity, and are the two most efficient ways of mitigating recoil. You can also switch to a sub-gauge, which offers a variety of lighter loads than a 12-gauge. But be careful that your sub-gauge shotgun isn’t too light. A 6.5-pound 20-gauge could produce more recoil than a 12-gauge if it’s paired with a shotshell that has a heavy payload and high muzzle velocity.

If you shoot the same load through the same gun, inserting a tighter full choke (as opposed to an open improved cylinder) will increase free recoil because a more constricted choke speeds up muzzle velocity. The Venturi effect is responsible for this.

Think of water passing through a garden hose or putting air in your tires. The water or air comes out faster because it’s passing through a restricted area. Shot moving through and exiting a full choke can be 50 to 70 fps faster than that of an improved cylinder. With more muzzle velocity comes increased free recoil.

Perceived recoil is subjective. For example, if a 10-year-old and an NFL offensive lineman are dove hunting with the same shotgun and load, the younger shooter is likely to experience more recoil than the lineman because they are smaller and not as strong. A shooter that weighs 300 pounds and has arms the size of a pro bodybuilder can soak up more recoil than your average fourth grader.

Improper gun fit will increase perceived recoil. For instance, if the stock of a shotgun is too short, the shooter may not properly mount the buttstock to their shoulder. The gap between the stock and shoulder will cause the shooter to feel more recoil than if the stock were snugly fit to the shoulder. Too much cast in a stock will result in face slap, causing the gun to recoil into your cheek rather than the stock sliding along it and straight back into your shoulder.

Gas-operated semi-automatic shotguns can decrease perceived recoil (free recoil stays the same) because they don’t typically cycle as fast as an inertia-driven auto-loader. This spaces the recoil out so you feel the stock push against your shoulder as opposed to the kick you often receive from an inertia gun, pump, or break-action. Rubber recoil pads are a fine option, too. When the pad compresses, it spaces out the recoil. There are aftermarket stocks with interior springs and pneumatic tubes that also help tame recoil.

Some veteran shooters claim barrel porting, overboring, and lengthening the forcing cone of a shotgun will mitigate recoil, but I have never experienced a noticeable difference. And, it doesn’t make sense that an overbored barrel would mean less recoil. Enlarging the diameter of the bore reduces friction and makes the shot travel faster. The added muzzle velocity would generate more recoil.

Suppressors are becoming increasingly popular on semi-automatic shotguns because they reduce the noise of a gunshot. They combat hunter and gun dog hearing loss, and make life more tolerable for non-hunters who live close to duck clubs, pheasant fields, and shooting ranges. Suppressors also lessen recoil. Instead of forcing all the gas from the propellant out of the muzzle of the gun, which causes more felt recoil, a suppressor disperses the gas to the sides and rearward. They also add weight to the gun, which impacts free recoil.

This week, Mark Kenyon and Jake Hofer discuss one of the most impactful strategies for developing a successful whitetail season. Mark explains how he builds his whitetail hunting calendar to strategize for success throughout the entire fall. As deer behavior changes, your strategy needs to as well. Presented by Can-Am and RAM

This week Reid and Dan host Mr. Country Music himself, Jake Worthington out in God's Country. The episode kicks off with Jake sharing a story from the last time he went deer hunting and the reason is definitely one you would not expect. They talk the status of Country Music in Nashville and how even with the highs and lows, how it is one of Jake's favorite towns in the world. They discuss his latest album "When I Write The Song" and how the sad songs he listened to with his grandfather inspired it. The episode ends with our listeners guaranteed to feel like they're in a honkytonk!

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This week, Tony breaks down why studying deer behavior can help you choose high-odds shot opportunities even when the bucks are cruising and chasing.

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I don’t know what it says about me as a person, but my first colony of dermestid beetles was a surprise Christmas gift. I was in the middle of my third trapping season and had my hands full cleaning piles of furbearer skulls for my Etsy store. Apparently, I made it clear that I wanted some little helpers to expedite the process for me.

Dermestids are a family of beetles that feed on dead flesh and detritus. They thrive worldwide as part of nature’s clean-up crew, and they’re a saving grace for the busy taxidermist or bone collector. That holiday starter pack of 200 creepy-crawlies was one of the best gifts I had ever been given–but the surprise element was a little problematic.

With the right setup, a dermestid beetle colony can be a surprisingly low-maintenance method of hands-off cleaning for skull mounts and even full skeletal articulations. Unfortunately, I had no idea what I was getting into when I unwrapped my special present. What followed was a long six months of hard lessons in dermestid ownership, and the first hurdle was housing.

Seasonal timing was a real complication in establishing my colony. I didn’t want my beetles to freeze to death, so keeping them outside wasn’t an option. And while it may be alluring to a dermestid beetle, the aroma of unrefrigerated raw meat is generally unacceptable to humans in an indoor setting.

Without a climate-controlled outbuilding to house them, I had only one option to keep my dermestids alive and their odor contained: my basement utility closet. The space was not nearly big enough for a modified chest freezer, which was the most popular DIY dermestid enclosure I found in a quick Google search. Instead, my first setup was an indoor 40-gallon glass terrarium with a fine mesh top.

I know full well how insane that sounds, but it actually worked through the winter. I was able to grow my colony from a couple hundred to several thousand, and clean dozens of skulls without a bad smell ever escaping the closet. And to my surprise, the smell within the closet was pretty mild.

A big part of stink management was trimming most of the meat off of my skulls before giving them to the beetles, and never giving them more than they could consume within a couple of days. Two more important factors–which I didn’t realize at the time–were ventilation and humidity.

Once spring had sprung and temperatures were holding at a comfortable level, I decided to move my colony into a modified chest freezer in my garage. The build seemed simple–cut a hole in the freezer wall, install a fan, and you’re good to go. But it wasn’t enough.

Two days after I moved the crew into their new abode, something smelled horribly wrong. I opened the freezer lid and was power-slapped by the stench of rot and ammonia. They were the same beetles, on the same bedding, fed on the same ration of skulls. But, they no longer had the climate control of my house, or the free air exchange of a mesh top. The result was a catastrophic buildup of humidity and noxious fumes.

With some extra venting and a dehumidifier running 24/7 inside the beetle house, I was able to reduce the odor to a more manageable level. But I could never get it as tame as it was in the terrarium. Clearly, the mesh lid made a huge difference. That was one feature I just didn’t want to add to the garage setup, because I was scared of flies.

Being neurotic about bugs touching your bugs might seem strange. When it comes to dermestid beetles, this neurosis is warranted. A single housefly has the power to destroy an otherwise healthy and well-kept colony of tens of thousands. This is because maggots–while somewhat similar in appearance to our dermestid grub friends–are filthy, vicious monsters when it comes to keeping dermestids.

When maggots enter a dermestid colony via a fly intruder or egg-ridden meat, they immediately take over by outcompeting the dermestids for their limited rations and multiplying exponentially faster. They also produce more, and fouler, waste than the beetles. You’ll quickly smell the difference, and the unsanitary conditions created by a maggot infestation leave any surviving beetles at high risk of disease.

You might think, “Who cares about maggots vs. beetles if the skulls turn out the same?” The problem is, they don’t. Maggots don’t have the mouthparts to feed on tough, dry flesh and connective tissue like dermestids do. Instead, they gorge on fresh, wet flesh, and leave to pupate as the leftovers harden. Dermestids, on the other hand, are built to deep-clean those leftovers. And that feeding behavior is what creates a spotless product with minimal odor in a captive environment.

While it might seem simple in concept, developing and maintaining a dermestid beetle colony takes some thought and planning. If you get it right, your freedom mounts can look amazing with very little work on the back end. If you get it wrong, which is easy enough to do, then you’ll need to plug your nose, roll up your sleeves, and make some adjustments for a better future with your DIY dermestids.