The MeatEater

This week, Tony explains how to make your summer scouting sessions more productive by understanding buck home and core ranges, and what that might mean for your hit list.

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A social media influencer was recently sentenced for serious wildlife infractions in the Yukon territory of Canada. Tristan Hamm, an influencer who bills himself as an “adventurous Canadian turned boxer” to his 1.9 million Instagram followers, pleaded guilty to illegally arrowing three bears in the Yukon over five days in May 2023.

Hamm pleaded guilty and was sentenced at the Yukon Territorial Court on May 1, 2025. His charges stemmed from lying about his residency when he purchased a Yukon resident hunting license in 2023, though he didn’t live in the territory.

The distinction between resident and nonresident hunters is especially important in the Yukon, where nonresident hunters are required to hire an outfitter or be accompanied by a resident who holds a “special guide” permit. Resident hunters do not have the same requirements.

After providing misleading information to buy his hunting license, Hamm proceeded to illegally bow hunt two black bears and one grizzly bear over a span of five days; in the Yukon, a hunter may legally kill one grizzly bear every three license years.

According to CBC News, Hamm’s family, including his father and siblings, live in the Yukon; Hamm considers himself a “Yukoner,” though he lives outside of the territory for work. “I'm heartbroken over this situation,” he told the court. “I assure you all that I'll be extremely careful with licensing regulations in the future."

Following his guilty plea, Judge Katherine McLeod ordered Hamm to pay $30,000 in fines in total, with half of that going directly to a conservation fund. She also banned Hamm from hunting in the territory for two years, with an additional ban from accompanying a guided hunt there for three more years. He must also complete an online hunter education and ethics development course and forfeit the pelts from the bears he killed in 2023.

It's not immediately clear whether Hamm posted about his illegal activities on his social accounts, though if he did, he later deleted the posts. His recent posts show a concerted shift toward boxing and away from hunting and fishing content.

Feature image via Tristan Hamm’s Instagram.

In 1569, Spanish explorers saw pronghorn and simply recorded them as “goats” in their journal because it was not entirely clear to them what this odd animal was. Its similarity to African antelope eventually resulted in the widespread name “Pronghorn Antelope.”

However, further evaluation revealed this was not a true antelope, but it was too late; the name had stuck. It was a buck collected in Nebraska by the Lewis and Clark Expedition in September of 1804 that finally brought this animal to the attention of science. Its scientific name, Antilocapra americana, literally means “American antelope-goat,” but to be accurate and reduce confusion, biologists refer to them simply as “pronghorn.”

The pronghorn is uniquely North American. Its entire evolutionary path and current distribution is solely of this continent. The first pronghorn-like ancestors appear in the fossil record about 19 million years ago. Their horns were an odd array of very diverse shapes resembling miniature moose, deer, and cattle. Some sported long, spiraled horns, forked horns, and later in the Pleistocene, there were pronghorn with two, four, and even six horns! In all, there were at least 18 different forms of primitive pronghorn, and fossils show characteristics associated with fast runners, so it appears they have been speeding through millions of years.

The pronghorn family (Antilocapridae), is grouped into 2 subfamilies: the Merycodonts and Antilocaprines. Merycodonts appeared nearly 19 million years ago, and by the time they were fading from the fossil record 9 million years ago, the Antilocaprines were rising to prominence. The horn cores of all members of this family are distinctive in that they arise from the top of the eye orbit like modern pronghorn.

Merycodonts were actually very small animals; most of the five recognized types stood only about 20 inches tall at the shoulder and weighed 25 to 50 pounds. Unlike later antilocaprines, many merycodonts retained their dew claws like deer on at least the front feet and had upper canine teeth. But, the most characteristic and diagnostic feature of merycodonts was their horns.

Rather than a straight blade-like horn core, the horns were palmated like a moose (Merriamoceros) or branched like a deer (Ramoceros). Others had a simple two-point “Y” on each side (Merycodus, Meryceros, Cosoryx, and Paracosoryx). The horn surfaces were smooth with holes for blood vessels, indicating they were covered with skin and not a keratinous sheath like today’s pronghorn. Bony rings around the bases of horns after the animal’s second year gave rise to a theory that the skin covering may have been regulated seasonally by hormones to be shed and regrown annually, leaving rings where the skin regressed. The presence of hornless merycodont skulls indicates females did not have horns.

Some of the earliest antilocaprines coexisted with the latest merycodonts, but antilocaprines were larger in body size with longer legs, and they lacked upper canine teeth and dew claws. Antilocaprine horn cores were shaped more like cones or blades, and the surface of the horn cores indicates the upper parts were covered with a sheath, while the lower base was fur-covered.

Antilocaprines varied from 6-horned specimens (Hexameryx, Hexabelomeryx), to some resembling wild bovines (Osbornoceros) and true antelope of Africa (Ilingoceros). Many forms had forked horn cores on each side (Ottoceros, Ceratomeryx, Texoceros, Capromeryx, Sphenophalos, Plioceros, Tetrameryx, Stockoceros, and Hayoceros). Unfortunately, no horn sheaths from ancestral antilocaprines have been preserved in the fossil record, so we are left to imagine what kind of elaborate sheaths would have been found on these animals. Did the 6-horned species have sheaths that all curved inward or outward? Did they have extra prongs?

There are two kinds of animals: Extinct and Extant. Extinct animals no longer roam the earth, while those that are extant have survived the many challenges Mother Nature threw at their ancestors. Animals still with us are the survivors who were successful in running the gauntlet of evolution. Those species making it to safety at the end of the gauntlet rarely come through the ordeal unchanged, both physically and behaviorally. These changes, or adaptations, allowed some species to survive changing environments while others perished. Out of all these amazing forms of pronghorn, the only survivor is the one we now know as the American pronghorn.

Without our incredibly successful system of conservation, we would have also lost the pronghorn. In 1879, John Murphy wrote, “This interesting animal, like some others, is destined to disappear in a short time from the list of American fauna…”

Sadly, the continent’s pronghorn population dwindled from millions to about 15,000 by 1910. Restrictions on pronghorn harvest started in most states between 1900 and 1911, and within a couple decades, populations were on their way to recovery. Currently, more than a million pronghorn occupy their former haunts across a vastly different North America.

Among all the antilocaprids we know about during the last Ice Age, it is not entirely clear which is the direct descendant of today’s pronghorn. One leading candidate is the Subantilocapra because of its blade-like horn cores resembling pronghorn and because of dental similarities. Interestingly, Subantilocapra had a bony point on the leading edge of the horn core where the prong is located on the sheath of modern pronghorn.

The modern pronghorn survived the last Ice Age because it had the right suite of adaptations it acquired in its race through the millennia. The adaptation that pronghorn are most famous for is their speed. There are incredible stories of pronghorn running at speeds of 60 MPH. Regardless of their true maximum speed, they are undoubtedly the fastest land mammal on the continent and sometimes seem to just love speed for speed’s sake.

Antilocaprids were already built for speed for most of their 19-million-year evolution. The earliest known merycodonts had long, slender limbs and were adapted to a running lifestyle. It has been said that the ability to run fast co-evolved with the now-extinct North American cheetah-like cat (Miracinonyx) that had a similar geographic distribution as antilocaprids. This makes complete sense and gives the reader a warm feeling inside to have such a perfect explanation.

This well-worn story of the cheetah and the pronghorn getting fast together is an example of what evolutionary ecologist Stephen J. Gould called a “Just-So Story.” These are made-up stories to describe how a particular trait evolved that are so perfect they must have happened “Just So.”

Gould took this phrase from Rudyard Kipling’s “Just So Stories for Little Children,” where Kipling provided fictional explanations about how animals got their traits. Kipling didn’t intend for readers to think his stories were fact-based. But today, Just-So Stories are used to explain the evolution of animal traits as if they are based on pure science rather than pure speculation.

The cheetah-like cat Miracinonyx does not appear in the fossil record of North America until the end of the Pliocene, when the open savanna was giving way to a more arid monoculture of steppe grasslands about 2.5 million years ago. The fossil beds throughout the West contain abundant evidence of other animals that lived in these grasslands, so the lack of Miracinonyx fossils prior to this time is strong evidence that they weren’t there. Even the true Cheetah (Acinonyx) doesn’t appear anywhere in the world until about 3.5 million years ago. Certainly, there were other predators chasing the great diversity of antilocaprids around, but most were ambush predators.

Further evaluation of Miracinonyx fossils has revealed that it wasn’t really even a cheetah. Analyses of the leg structure, brain shape, and other skeletal features indicates it evolved from the same ancestor as mountain lions, but having characteristics for running fast, which resulted in the early confusion about it being a North American form of cheetah.

Analysis of genetic material extracted from a Miracinonyx specimen from modern-day Wyoming showed it is genetically most closely related to mountain lions and secondarily to the jaguarundi of Mexico and Central America. This analysis of mitochondrial DNA calculates that Miracinonyx and mountain lions split from a common ancestor about 3.2 million years ago.

A lot of writers have made money selling the “Just-So Story” about a North American cheetah chasing pronghorn faster and faster until pronghorn won the race. That may make us feel good to have such a brilliant explanation, but science isn’t built on warm feelings.

Regardless of what made pronghorn so fast, they had what it takes to be the sole survivor of a large, diverse field of competitors. We almost lost them as we were figuring out how to conserve North American wildlife, but we will not risk losing them again. Today, pronghorn have to worry less about predators chasing them and more about human encroachment into their habitat, overuse of the rangelands, blocked movement corridors, harsh winters, drought, energy development, and competition with a multitude of other land uses. It will take our help and vigilance to make sure we are not changing their environment faster than they can evolve or adapt with it.

This week, Cal tackles a mountain lion attack on a 4-year-old, robot rabbits, crime, and why early humans ate maggots.

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Black bears are a native animal to the state of Mississippi. In fact, back in the 1800s all the way to the early 1900s, Mississippi was a sought out destination for black bear hunting. However, due to multiple factors, they were almost pushed to extirpation. In this episode, we are going to learn through hands on experience and a discussion with Mississippi black bear program leader, Anthony Ballard, the conservation history of this particular charismatic megafauna, and dive into why their natural population rebound is stirring up so much controversy among Mississippi residents.

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Steven Rinella talks with Rey Macias and Ace Alexander of Bischoff's The Animal Kingdom, Randall Williams, Seth Morris, Phil Taylor, and Corinne Schneider. 

Topics Discussed: How much folks love their pets; buying a taxidermy business when you've never done taxidermy before; more on stolen valor and taxidermy; the films and shows that Rey and Ace have contributed to; the Frenchie and its heart; playing counselor; freeze drying and aquamation; and more. 

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Saddle hunting has quickly evolved from a niche tactic to a mainstream method of chasing whitetails, especially for mobile-minded hunters seeking stealth and efficiency. The system’s lightweight, minimalist nature allows hunters to access hard-to-reach areas with less noise and more versatility than traditional treestands. But success in the saddle hinges not just on the saddle itself, but on the essential gear that completes the system.

Now, with a few years of saddle hunting experience behind me, I am becoming more comfortable and focused. It may sound strange to some, but I believe one of the most important things I’ve learned is what indispensable gear I need in the saddle when deer hunting.

In my first year of hunting from a saddle, I went on multiple hunts that quickly taught me what gear I needed to bring for the next one, what would improve the experience, and what I should leave at home. The first hunt was a long, hot afternoon on public land during the early part of the season. On that hunt, I learned that I needed to lighten my pack for easier transport and consider more important aspects, such as hydration.

A few weeks later, while hunting early October on a special draw hunt in southern Missouri, I sat four hours one afternoon, in what sometimes was a drizzling rain, and other times, a flat-out downpour. During that hunt, I realized I needed more waterproof gear after I had to consider getting down from the tree, as well as staying seated in the rain and continuing to hunt. I’ll discuss more details as we examine the five must-have items every saddle hunter should carry to ensure comfort, stealth, and all-day performance.

Long sits, early mornings, and warm-weather hunts all demand one crucial thing: proper hydration. That’s why an insulated water bottle is a simple yet essential piece of gear for every saddle hunter. Unlike noisy plastic or disposable bottles that crinkle at the worst possible times, an insulated metal bottle stays quiet, tough, and keeps drinks hot or cold for hours.

I learned this the hard way during an early-season public land hunt. It was the second week of the season in late September, and two good friends and I had split up to hunt different spots near a well-known river. I was in my saddle and settled by 1:45 p.m., and my first thought was, “Holy cow, it’s hot!”

Between the hike in, climbing sticks, platform setup, and getting my saddle situated, I was drenched and needed about thirty minutes just to cool down. I reached into my pack and took a few sips from a small, mediocre water bottle. By 3:00 p.m., right as I expected deer movement to pick up, I realized I had made a mistake: I was already out of water. And with several hours left before dark, plus a full teardown and pack-out still ahead, I knew I was in for a long evening.

Thankfully, when we regrouped at the truck, one of my buddies had a spare bottle of water in his cooler. That experience taught me a valuable lesson. Ever since, I’ve always carried a solid water supply and made sure it’s packed in something that can keep it cold for the long haul.

Carrying and hunting with a 32-ounce insulated bottle keeps you focused on the hunt, not your thirst. Whether you're deep in the woods or sitting above a bedding area, staying hydrated is necessary for mental sharpness and physical comfort, especially during the warmer early season or when carrying gear over long distances.

When you're suspended in a tree, movement and noise matter. An accessory belt that attaches around the tree is convenient, organized, and doesn’t damage trees like a screw in hook can sometimes do. When deer hunting, specifically with a bow, I like to have my rangefinder, grunt tube, wind checker, binoculars, and other gear with me at all times.

Before hunting with a saddle, I was accustomed to carrying a large backpack and packing all my gear inside. One of the lessons I learned when I began using a saddle was that reaching into a bag every time I needed something created movement and made me feel like I was hanging uncomfortably. Once I began using an accessory belt around the tree, I felt more organized and safer in my saddle. When comfortable, I feel more focused on the hunt.

Look for a loop-style belt that allows you to hang a bow holder and other gear-specific hangers in the exact spot on the tree where needed, and it fits most tree sizes. In saddle hunting, the goal is to move less and reach quickly, and an accessory belt is a great tool to organize your gear and avoid unnecessary digging into your backpack mid-hunt.

A good accessory belt prevents you from digging through your backpack too often, but that doesn’t mean a pack isn’t an essential part of a saddle hunter’s gear. In fact, it might be one of the most important items on the list. Your backpack is more than just a bag; it’s your base of operations in the woods while hunting, and on the hike to and from your vehicle and stand. A good saddle hunting backpack needs to be compact yet roomy enough to hold climbing sticks, camera gear, extra layers, snacks, and your saddle system.

Choose a pack with multiple compartments and external gear straps to secure sticks and your platform. With the platform pouch attached, I can fit my sticks, platform, and everything else I need, all while keeping the pack lightweight and streamlined. Proper weight distribution and quiet fabrics are important for stealthy entry and exit. However, the ideal saddle hunting pack should easily carry all your gear to and from the tree and then serve as your portable file cabinet when hanging within reach during the hunt.

All your favorite gear and accessories are useless if you can’t access your bow easily. You’ve put effort into finding the perfect tree, so the last thing you want is to fumble for your bow when a buck appears. A sturdy bow holder that attaches quickly to your saddle bridge, tether, or tree keeps your bow within reach and ready to use.

Whether you prefer a gear hanger on the tree or a bridge hook system, your bow should be secure, quiet, and instantly accessible. Bow holders not only add comfort during long sits but also reduce fatigue, helping you stay still and increasing your odds of success. I quickly learned the importance of using a bow holder after my bow got tangled in my tether rope and other parts of my saddle setup. It’s key to find a reliable hanger and practice using it in your backyard to get comfortable with your setup.

Every saddle hunter knows that most of the action happens during low light, either getting in before first light or sneaking out after dark. A powerful headlamp is a non-negotiable item in your kit. Look for a model with red and white light modes to protect your night vision while still providing ample illumination.

At the beginning of this article, I mentioned I'd share more about some of the mistakes I’ve made, and here’s one of the big ones. During one of my first morning sits in a saddle, I started climbing down around midday, removing my climbing sticks as I descended. When I stepped onto the third section from the bottom, the stick suddenly slipped, and I dropped seven or eight inches down the tree. I was stunned. What just happened? Turns out, earlier that morning, while setting up in near total darkness, I had unknowingly run the strap over a small limb. This kept the stick from tightening securely to the tree. Because I couldn’t see clearly, I made an error that could’ve ended in disaster.

Hands-free operation is necessary when you're climbing, adjusting gear, attaching sticks properly, or even blood-trailing after a successful hunt. A battery-operated or rechargeable headlamp with adjustable brightness and long battery life can help prevent headaches and even save your life.

Saddle hunting is all about staying mobile, quiet, and efficient. While minimalism appeals to many, having the right essentials can be the difference between frustration and success. With an insulated water bottle, accessory belt, reliable backpack, bow holder, and powerful headlamp, you’ll be better prepared for long sits, rough terrain, and that exciting moment when a buck steps into view.

Nothing will excite a family faster than bringing home a puppy. The emotions often sway back and forth from joy to frustration. When the pup you've brought home is there not just as a pet, but also to serve a purpose, the training journey from kindergarten to college graduate can be long and arduous. Brent's in the thick of it with his Treeing Walker puppy, Jessi. Plot twist, not everyone's happy with how it's working out so far. He's also sharing a listener story that fit perfectly with that theme. Get the treats out, it's time for MeatEater's "This Country Life" podcast.

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Hosts Clay Newcomb, Brent Reaves, and Tony Peterson go over their time in Bozeman, chat with biologist Ronnie Cowan about living with Alpha Gal Syndrome, share some photos for Throwback Thursday, talk with the director of the Public Timber Project, Ich Stewart, and hold another Moultrie trail cam photo contest.

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This week, Cal talks with Ted Koch, the CEO of the North American Grouse Partnership and a retired USFW endangered species biologist. Cal and Ted talk North Dakota sage grouse which was recently proclaimed "extinct" from it's native ND habitat. The state of America's grasslands, why grasslands matter, and how you can get involved.

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