The MeatEater

In this episode of In Pursuit, Rich sits down with archery expert Joel Turner to explore the power of mental clarity in mastering both the bow's and life’s challenges. Joel shares his journey to developing his distinctive shooting method, offering insights that blend precision, focus, and resilience. Tune in for a deep dive into the mindset and techniques that elevate performance in the wild and beyond!

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September is only a few days away, but we can already hear the bugles echoing off steep mountain slopes and the crash of antlers through the brush.

To say we’re excited for elk season is an understatement. That’s why we want to see photos of the biggest and baddest bull elk you’ve captured on a trail camera.

To enter your best bull elk shot, upload your photo right here in the comment section. To view the official rules of the contest, click here.

The winning photo will be debated and ultimately chosen by judges Ryan Callaghan, Randall Williams, and Seth Morris on MeatEater Radio Live on September 4.

The winner will receive two Edge 2 First Lite Specter Camo Edition Moultrie Cameras with 10W Solar Power Pack Bundles, a $250 gift card to the MeatEater Store, a $250 gift card to First Lite, and a Case Knives Brent Reaves Signature Mini Trapper Knife.

Winter-range elk feeding programs, like those near Jackson, Wyoming, are a double-edged sword for elk herds. On one hand, the hay and alfalfa handout stations can harbor and spread lethal diseases like CWD through the herds, but on the flip side, they’re also thought to prevent mass starvation and winter kill in heavy snow years. Ultimately, that means more elk for hunters to harvest—in theory, anyway.

New research conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) casts doubt on the effectiveness of feeding programs, indicating that any increase in elk populations may be completely offset by wolf and grizzly predation. In a study published this summer, researchers came to the conclusion based on 26 years of Wyoming and Montana data gleaned from elk monitoring surveys, hunter harvest reports, predator abundance estimates, and seasonal precipitation trends.

Broadly, the study found that feeding elk herds does increase the number of calves born in the spring, but those gains are not carried over to the huntable, adult population. Herds with winter feeding programs exhibited a 4.9% increase in calf:cow ratios over herds with no feedgrounds. In total, fed herds had a 0.3 calf:cow ratio, whereas unfed herds had a ratio of 0.26. That might not seem like a very large difference, but it could be several hundred additional animals for a herd in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, where the study was conducted (the Jackson herd alone, for example, has about 10,000 members).

Those additional animals, however, never appeared to make it to adulthood. Over the many years of data analyzed, it was clear that herd sizes in fed populations never increased, as would have been expected given the additional crop of calves.

To understand what was happening to the juveniles, the researchers examined how bears and wolves overlapped with 13 different elk herds in the region. Ultimately, they found that grizzly bear density increased around herds with a higher calf:cow ratio, likely due to increased food availability. The researchers found the same to be true with wolves, although with less certainty due to the lack of detailed data on wolf abundance.

“The benefit you might be getting from feeding was being mopped up by the predators,” lead author Brian Dugovich told WyoFile. “In a more intact ecosystem [that includes large carnivores], the energy you put into the system is going to be harder to get back out again as harvest.” Overall, that means feeding programs might be benefiting local predators more than local hunters.

Furthermore, to bolster the case against feedgrounds, the USGS study also found that winter severity was not a strong predictor of the calf:cow ratio in fed herds. In essence, that means supplemental feeding doesn’t actually help with calf survival on heavy winter years any more than it does on light winter years. “This casts doubt on the justification of supplemental feeding as a means of mitigating winter severity,” the authors write. “Although we acknowledge that calf mortality occurring later in the year (after our January–March assessment period) could mask such an effect.”

In the bigger picture, the study provides fairly convincing evidence that bears and wolves are trimming down the fed elk herds, but notably, the results were based on complex statistical models attempting to correlate many different environmental and biological factors. It’s entirely possible that the models misrepresented certain variables, the data had gaps (i.e., hunter harvest estimates could have been inaccurate), or the researchers overlooked something entirely (i.e., length and difficulty of herd migration routes). That’s to say, the study—as with most biology research—is a piece of a puzzle, but not a definitive answer.

Feeding programs are likely here to stay, despite an increasing amount of evidence against their efficacy. It’s an area in which wildlife managers will likely have to focus more attention in the coming years, as development further encroaches on elk winter ranges and CWD prevalence continues to increase. The bears and wolves, at least, will be well-fed if the feedgrounds stick around.

Janis Putelis is on the hunt in Wyoming for pronghorn antelope. Janis burned a pile of points to draw this tag and his goal is to scour the unit to dig up a trophy buck. There's plenty of pronghorn to sift through, but to find the right one will take a Latvian Eagle-eye. Presented by CanAm

This week, Tony explores how we look at dog breeds generally, but also as our dogs as indivudals, and how we can get into trouble with either when it comes to training and hunting.

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Spencer Neuharth hosts MeatEater Trivia with Janis Putelis, Brody Henderson, Seth Morris, Corinne Schneider, Nate Mason, and Sarah Delany.

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On this episode Clay interviews Evan Felker, the frontman of the Turnpike Troubadours. Join Clay and Evan on a horse ride near Evan’s ranch and then to the legendary Cain’s Ballroom in Tulsa to hear Evan play live. We’ll learn about Evan’s songwriting, his horse training, and his personal recovery from alcohol.

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

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Just got access to a new hunting property but have no idea where to start? In this episode, Jake Hofer asks Steve Hanson, Don Higgins, Skip Sligh, Mark Kenyon, Jeff Sturgis, Bobby Kendall, and Bill Winke what their first moves would be on a brand-new farm. When time is short and the season’s closing in, how do you scout efficiently, hang smart setups, and make the most of fresh ground? Whether it’s a lease, permission piece, or new purchase, the crew shares how they quickly evaluate a property, what signs to key in on, and how to avoid burning it out too early. If you're starting from scratch, this episode will help you hit the ground running.

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Thanks to our sponsor Land.com

Bowhunting requires more than just a good eye and a steady hand—it demands a body that can move well, stay strong, and recover fast. One of the most overlooked aspects of that equation is shoulder health, especially before and after shooting your bow.

We’ve all heard it before: “You won’t get time to warm up in the field.” That’s true. But the better question is: Why warm up for anything? Whether you're stepping up to the bar or drawing back a bow, you’re asking a lot from your body. And if we’re not preparing it properly, especially those shoulders, you're walking a thin line between performance and pain.

In my years of shooting, I’ve learned and utilized prehab practices from our in-house physical therapist at Mayhem, AJ Wilkerson ATC, LAT. Let’s dive into how we approach shoulder prep for shooting, why it matters, and how it can help you stay in the game longer and shoot better.

In the gym, we’d never throw on a max lift cold. You prime the body first, get blood flowing, activate muscles, and increase your range of motion. It’s the same with the bow. Think about it: you're loading a high-tension system (your shoulders, back, and arms) every time you draw. That tension is even more concentrated when we are trying to get everything we can out of ourselves and the bow by turning the poundage up.

So why wouldn’t you give your body a chance to get there gradually?

A proper warm-up reduces the risk of injury and improves performance. You’ll feel more stable, draw more consistently, and shoot more accurately. This is especially true for those of us who shoot often, train hard, and rely on our bodies for more than just hunting season.

Here’s a scenario: you’re up at dawn, boots in the dirt, wind in your face, and a bull steps out before you’ve even caught your breath or woken up. No warm-up. No bands. Just go.

That’s real life. That’s why training your shoulders year-round is even more critical than the warm-up itself. If you build strong, resilient shoulders with smart accessory work, your body will have the capacity to handle those cold starts. But don’t let that become your norm.

You’re not always going to get hurt skipping a warm-up, but it increases the odds. So let’s shift the mindset. Think of warm-ups not as optional, but as your built-in injury insurance policy.

Here’s a simple sequence I use before I shoot, especially when I’m training or practicing at home or in the gym. These movements aren’t complicated, but they hit all the right muscles, such as the rotator cuff, scapular stabilizers, and thoracic spine. They’ll get your shoulders moving clean and feeling strong.

2–3 Rounds:

20–30 Lying Arm Overhead - Wakes up the lats and helps with overhead range of motion.

Check out how to perform these movements in the video below:

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And here’s the deal: You can’t really overdo these. They’re low-load, high-benefit. If you’re consistent, you’ll feel a huge difference not just in your shooting, but in your overall upper body performance and health.

If warming up preps the body to work, then cooling down restores it afterward. If you want to keep shooting over the long haul, season after season and year after year, you can’t ignore recovery.

Shooting a bow is a repetitive, high-tension action. Over time, it tightens up your pecs, lats, and traps. That tightness reduces your shoulder mobility, affects your draw mechanics, and eventually starts to wear on your joints.

Here’s a post-shooting cooldown sequence I use regularly to help release tension, improve mobility, and support shoulder health.

Post-Shooting Recovery Routine:

Pec Banded Opener - Opens up the chest and shoulders, especially after long draw holds.

Check out how to perform these movements in the video below:

At the end of the day, your body is your most important piece of gear. If your shoulders aren’t healthy, you’re not drawing clean. You’re not stable. You’re not consistent. And over time, you’re not even shooting.

Make warming up and cooling down a part of your shooting routine—just like sighting in or checking your release. And even more than that, build strong, mobile shoulders all year long. The next time that bull steps out cold and early, your body will be ready because you've already put in the work.

It was one of those, just-soak-it-up moments in the outdoors. The mid-morning sun lit up the winter wheat field in front of me, and next to my jake decoy, I could see the feathers of a real jake blowing in the gathering breeze. Aesthetically, it was beautiful, and what made it even better was the nearly nonstop calling of a male bobwhite quail looking for a girlfriend.

That sound, which used to be far more prevalent throughout much of the South, is a rare treat these days. Yet, it’s not as rare as a lot of upland hunters would like to believe. I heard the same sound in Nebraska this spring, again on public land, and managed to flush a covey there recently on a deer scouting trip.

It was also enough to get me to look at my schedule for this fall to try to carve out a road trip with my Lab. Quail won’t be the only birds we target, but the opportunity to hunt them will add some extra flavor to the trip. That swing through Nebraska and Kansas, likely in the late season, won’t be the only time Sadie and I head out for a few days of hunting somewhere not close to home, either. Upland road trips are my favorite way to spend much of the fall, and they can be highly productive if you know how to plan them.

I spend all fall hunting big game, primarily whitetails, on public land. In between those trips, I hunt birds on public land, hard. The amount of times I talk to hunters who tell me you can’t find roosters in some state, or quail, or grouse, or whatever is mind-blowing. What we think we know about bird populations, and where they live, is maybe our biggest hurdle.

Most hunters seem way too comfortable talking themselves out of hunting public land for anything. I don’t get it, because if there is a bright spot in the public land game, it’s upland opportunities. For example, you have the no-doubt scenarios, like big woods grouse and woodcock. Where the former lives, and the latter stops on through during his worm-eating migration, you have unreal amounts of land with which to work.

When it comes to the birds that need a bit more agriculture, like pheasants, public land doesn’t get enough love. This probably stems partially from the South Dakota effect, where pheasants have been big business for a long time, and babysitting populations on private land yields decent paychecks for landowners and outfitters.

Pheasants favor good cover over everything else, and while they certainly will pile into a private chunk to avoid the masses, a hell of a lot of them won’t. They’ll just outrun, or out-hide, the hunting pressure on public.

Don’t be afraid to pull up onX and start dropping pins on public land wherever you may wish to roam. The odds are high that if you put in the work, the birds will be there. But, before that, you have to figure out the nitty-gritty of a road trip.

One thing to consider when you’re looking at a new state are the logistics of where you’ll stay. Motels and hotels have varying pet policies, but when you get into areas of the country far away from population centers, they tend to get more favorable for dog owners. But you can’t count on that. You’re going to want to know where you can get a room that will allow you and your GSP to crash for the night, before you hit the road, because in a lot of bird-heavy areas, lodging options are limited.

Maybe you want to camp. That’s great, but again, you need to research where to throw up a tent or park your RV. When I head out on a road trip, I usually have a couple of rough destinations in mind, and then lodging options bookmarked. This way, I can hunt some of the e-scouted spots and then work my way through without having to go out of my way to find a place to stay on any given night.

It’s also a good idea to make note of emergency veterinarian services in the areas you plan to hunt. This is just good insurance in case something goes wrong, because in some areas where you might flush your first prairie chicken, you might also not have great cell reception.

A last point I’ll make on this layer of trip planning is this: don’t get married to a location simply through e-scouting. If you plan a five-day trip to an area with a bunch of walk-in land that looks amazing on satellite imagery, you might show up to see that it has been grazed down to a putting green, and no self-respecting game bird would live there. Scout backup spots and locations within a couple hours of your primary destination. That way, if you need to pivot in the moment, you can.

From my experience, you probably will.

Whether you decide it’s big woods grouse or nothing, or sharptails and prairie chickens in the Sandhills somewhere, a good way to have an unsuccessful road trip is to hunt like everyone else. When you’re planning your trip and looking at potential hunting spots, consider how most folks will hunt them.

Ask yourself where they will access the properties, and the most likely routes they’ll take to get through them. Most hunters are predictable, and upland hunters aren’t immune to this. In the grouse woods, get off the two-tracks and hunt the soft and hard edges between different types of cover. For pheasants, forget the easy walking grass hunts. Get into the cover.

Do what you have to in order to go where most won’t, and then slow down. Your dog might be an expert at hunting pheasants close to home, but needs to spend some time sussing out how to find a few coveys of bobwhites. A lot of birds live to see another day simply because we hunt way too fast.

Plan to forge your own path, and slow down. If you do, the time invested, miles driven, and money spent will all be worth it.