The MeatEater

A well-known hunting show host is receiving his just desserts after poaching several deer, and including them in episodes of “The Game.” According to a recent press release from the United States Attorney’s Office District of Kansas, 35-year-old Matt Jennings of Bowdon, Georgia, was sentenced for two illegal deer hunting incidents in 2022.

On November 11, 2022, Jennings shot a buck near Florence, Kansas. However, Jennings did not have a deer tag for that unit. “The next day, the defendant drove to Oklahoma, where he fraudulently registered the kill in Oklahoma using an Oklahoma electronic tag,” explained a U.S. Attorney’s Office spokesperson.

Jennings’s illegal behavior didn’t end there, however. Eight days later, he killed a buck near Wakeeney, Kansas. Jennings did have a valid tag for that unit. However, it is illegal for nonresidents to kill two bucks within the same year in Kansas, and so, he “illegally exceeded the bag limit of one antlered deer per season.”

To make matters worse, Jennings featured both hunts in “The Game,” which was available on both YouTube and CarbonTV. However, following his convictions, CarbonTV has removed Jennings’ content from their channel. “We hold all of our content creators to high moral and ethical standards,” CEO at CarbonTV Julie McQueen said in an Instagram post. “We do not and will not intentionally air content that features or is associated with illegal or unethical behavior in the outdoors. It’s important that we set the tone for what responsible hunting and conservation look like, and this action reflects our values.”

The investigation against Jennings was led by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks, with support from other state agencies and even the U.S. Secret Service.

Jennings eventually pleaded guilty to two counts of the illegal taking of a whitetail deer in interstate commerce. The charges derived from The Lacey Act, which “prohibits the importation, exportation, transportation, sale, receipt, acquisition, or purchase of any fish or wildlife or plant taken, possessed, transported, or sold in violation of any law, treaty, or regulation of the United States.”

Jennings was sentenced to five years of probation, which includes a nationwide hunting and fishing ban for that duration. He also received a lifetime hunting ban in the state of Kansas. Jennings must pay $15,000 in restitution to the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks, an additional $10,000 fine, and forfeit the antlers of the bucks he illegally killed. Jennings did not respond immediately to a request for comment from MeatEater for this article.

Feature image via “Deer Of A Lifetime, 197-inch Oklahoma Monster” from The Game with Matthew Jennings YouTube.

Sweat is gushing down our faces, pooling on our chins, and dripping onto our handlebars. My hunting buddy and I are pedaling up an old Forest Service logging road, loaded down with rifles and three days of camping gear. It’s unusually hot for a spring day—especially in Montana—but with only a week left of bear season, there’s no time to waste. We’re in a good spot, but better yet, it appears to be virgin country. Not a single tire track or boot print marred the path in. Who else would go through this much effort to get back here? Or so we thought, anyway.

That’s when we heard the unmistakable whirrrrr sound coming up the trail behind us. “How’s it going, guys?” the rider chirped gleefully. My buddy and I both acknowledged his greeting with a grunt, but not much else. “Good luck up there!” he exclaimed, as his pedal-assist motor kicked in and rocketed past us—rifle and day-pack bristling off the back of his e-bike.

Once the hunter was out of sight, my partner and I threw our bikes down and collapsed on the side of the trail in defeat. To have made it this far, the guy must’ve skirted the Forest Service gate with the huge sign reading: “Electric bikes prohibited,” and another warning sign a few hundred yards further up the road.

Our encounter was just one of many in the growing conflict between e-bikers and other recreators on public lands. On forests across the country—and especially in the West—tensions are coming to a head as National Forests and regional BLM offices establish official e-bike protocols and seek to open more trails.

In some ways, the debate over e-bike use is similar to that of an argument presented by Edward Abbey in his classic book, Desert Solitaire. Living at an off-grid ranger station in Arches National Park in the 1950s (which, at the time, was a rag-tag system of dirt roads that were impassable for days at a time following rainstorms), Abbey argued that vehicles shouldn’t be allowed in National Parks. In his eyes, they spoiled the pristine nature of the very areas and features that National Parks were designated to protect. Instead, he proposed, people should be allowed to hike, bike, or ride mules into the parks from designated staging areas. Children who were too young to do so would just have to wait until they were older, and elderly people, well, too bad.

Now, nearly 70 years later, the arguments over e-bikes boil down to a similar question: how much access is enough? The motorized machines undoubtedly expand accessibility for those who otherwise might be unable to enjoy the outdoors, which in turn, produces more people who care about the resource and are willing to fight for it (when, for example, Utah senator Mike Lee proposes selling off public lands and all the associated trails.) It’s a win-win, right?

Maybe, but maybe not. We should be advocating for the young and infirm, says MeatEater’s Director of Conservation, Ryan Callaghan, but let’s not forget about the average or athletes of the group who can use e-bikes to push the limits of where they can go and what they can do—all of which have impacts on wildlife. E-bikes zipping further into elk winter range to shed hunt or increasing visitation to remote, alpine basins can intensify pressure on animals. This is especially problematic in states like Colorado, which has a high urban density in the mountains.

Another issue that Cal pointed out is that e-bikers really aren’t benefiting the trail systems in any way.

“E-bikes don’t pay into the system,” he said. “You cannot put taxed OHV fuel into them, and they do not require an OHV sticker, which funds trails and campgrounds. E-bikers and manufacturers should be advocating for the OHV sticker requirement for their motorized machines, instead of trying to convince everyone that they are the same as mountain bikes, just better for the feeble, young, and infirm.”

The cost of an OHV sticker varies by state, but on average is around $10 to $35 annually per vehicle. This year, Colorado allocated $6.7 million to trail-improvement projects funded by OHV stickers and gas taxes. In Oregon, there are about 129,000 registered ATVs. At $10 for a two-year permit, that’s roughly $645,000 in revenue generated annually. Additionally, Oregon also allocates $100 in fuel tax for every permit sold to trail maintenance. According to the most recent data from Nevada in 2022, there are about 50,000 OHVs registered in the sagebrush state. At $20 a vehicle, that’s $1 million annually to improvement projects—all of which e-bikers are benefiting from.

In essence, you can’t have your cake and eat it too. E-bikers already have free access to over 400,000 miles of roads in the Forest Service and BLM systems, and 47,000 miles of motorized trails in the Forest Service system alone. Not to mention all the non-motorized trails that they’re already poaching. And yet, they’re still chomping at the bit for more, no doubt driven in part by e-bike manufacturers.

In central Oregon, for example, the Deschutes National Forest has a proposal open to allow Class 1 e-bikes (pedal assist up to 20 mph) on 67 non-motorized trails near the towns of Bend and Sisters. Further south in Moab, Utah, the BLM is currently seeking public input on a motion to open 200 miles of mountain-bike-only trails to e-bike use. On the southern end of the Teton Mountains in Wyoming, forest managers are tossing around the idea of a trail “swap,” in which new e-bike trails are built in exchange for closing or reclassifying other sections of trail.

For the average hunter, there’s likely little gain from expanded e-bike access. For one, the machines are cost-prohibitive to most hunters, with starting price tags of around $2,500 for electric mountain bikes up to $8,000 for higher-end models.

Then, there’s the issue of increased access to tough-to-reach hunting spots, which in part remain special because of their remoteness. While “access” is a hot topic in public-land discussions right now, is there a flip side of the coin?

Can we improve access so much that anyone can get anywhere, regardless of age or ability level? Should there be a greater reward, like untouched hunting grounds, for those willing to work harder? And how can we protect those areas from people who happily ignore regulations, like the Class 1 asshat on that Montana logging road. E-bikes might be the case study to look at these exact questions—and everyone has an opinion on it.

“I don’t know why we are going through the mental—and legislative—gymnastics to find a way to categorize a bike with a motor as something other than a motorbike, a.k.a., motorcycle. Especially when this class of ‘motorcycles’ circumvents the funding mechanisms that all other motorcycles chip into for trails,” Cal said. “Why are we in years-long discussions to add or subtract recreational opportunities for a certain class of technology in 2025 that first hit the scene in the 1890s? Grow up and get a gas bike. Keep the e-bikes where they safely belong: paved pedestrian pathways full of, oddly enough, the old and infirm. Or at minimum, put a damn OHV sticker on your e-bike.”

In what may be the most badass thing any Canadian has done in recent memory, a British Columbia man fought off a cougar on Saturday by punching it in the face.

The B.C. Conservation Officer Service (COS) said in a Facebook post that the man was working in the Lake Kathlyn area in the central portion of the province when he was approached by a mountain lion. According to the man’s account, the cat “swiped his upper body,” at which point he “punched the cougar in the face and it disengaged.”

The COS has not released the man’s identity, but the agency did say his injuries were so minor that they did not require treatment in a hospital.

The agency’s efforts to locate the offending (and no doubt ashamed) feline have so far proved unsuccessful. A live trap was deployed in the area, and hounds were dispatched the next day, but the cougar didn’t show its face.

“The COS is continuing to monitor cougar activity in the area and will respond as necessary to ensure public safety,” the agency wrote.

Believe it or not, this isn’t the first account of a person defending themselves from an animal attack by socking it in the kisser.

In 2017, a 17-year-old girl survived a shark attack by punching it in the snout until it released her leg. Authorities said the teen suffered six puncture wounds that required eighty stitches, but she made a full recovery.

In 2018, a 78-year-old North Carolina man claimed to have survived a black bear attack by punching it in the nose.

“I was standing in the middle of my driveway and all of a sudden I turned around the [sic] were three bears right beside me,” Sonny Pumphrey recounted in a Facebook post. “Two bears went up the hill and the mama bear for some reason charged me. Only thing I could do was to punch her right in the nose.”

Pumphrey survived the ordeal with only minor injuries.

A Maine woman followed the Pumphrey model in 2023 when she punched a black bear on the nose after it tried to attack her dog. Not appreciating the gesture, the bear briefly latched onto her wrist before high-tailing it back into the woods. The woman received some stitches on her wrist but was otherwise unscathed.

And who can forget perhaps the most famous nose-punching incident? In 2016, an Australian hunter came upon a kangaroo who had one of his dogs in a headlock. The now-infamous video shows the hunter–a zookeeper named Greig Tonkins–square up to the kangaroo and punch it in the jaw. The animal stumbles back a pace but appears to be more-or-less unhurt. The kangaroo had already dropped the dog, so Tonkins runs back to the vehicle rather than push his luck.

It’s always best to avoid a fight with a wild animal rather than rely on your Rocky impression to get out of a jam. But if you find yourself snout-to-snout with something that may or may not put you on the menu for dinner, there’s no harm in going for the knockout punch–it may even work.

This week, Cal talks about the Utah public land lawsuit, citizen science, legislation, and so much more.

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Steven Rinella talks with Bryan Burrough, Randall Williams, Brody Henderson, Phil Taylor, and Corinne Schneider. 

Topics Discussed: Bryan's book, "The Gunfighters: How Texas Made the West Wild" is out; settling the score with a duel; the Colt revolver; robbing trains and robbing banks; Hickok, Jesse James, Billy The Kid, and more. 

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In this episode, we put on our furriest blanket to learn about the musk ox, Maggie sees if we've been paying attention this season in Guess That Critter, and Spencer leads another round of MeatEater Kids Trivia!

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You might be a pro at ambushing whitetails from a tree, but ground hunting in open country presents a whole new set of challenges. When it comes to drawing your bow and not getting busted, you don’t have a ton of room for error.

If you’re familiar with K.C. Smith and Tyler Jones of the Element crew, then you know they spend a ton of time chasing whitetails all over the country, especially the plains states. You can check out some of their cool hunts here at MeatEater or over on YouTube. Since we’re in the thick of summer, I spoke with K.C. to find out how he preps for bowhunting open country. Here’s what he had to say.

K.C. emphasized that time in the field matters most. While you can’t exactly replicate a real hunting scenario, there are practical things you can do during the summer to prepare. For instance, he pointed out that shooting on windy days and in varying positions is a great way to practice for typical open country conditions.

“You have to practice on super windy days,” he said. Practice with your quiver on/off, depending on how you plan to hunt. It’s also a great idea to shoot from your knee or other nontypical positions.”

K.C. stressed this last point about shooting in different stances. He noted that he “rarely” takes a shot from a perfect stance in the field. In fact, he said that most of his shots occur from kneeling, sitting, or hunched positions. Practice these different positions regularly, and they’ll come second nature in the field.

Regarding archery practice, K.C. said that most bowhunters don’t understand their setups enough. For instance, many archers practice shooting at different yardages in whole-number increments. Unfortunately, deer rarely stop broadside at twenty yards. If they do, consider it a gift. Since that’s rarely the case, you need to practice and learn your gaps. Even if you’re shooting a single pin, practice shots at varied distances and angles you might encounter in the field.

Bowhunting open country requires an obvious amount of stealth. Unless you have a ton of distance or terrain between you and the deer, you’ll bust them. However, K.C. warned that if you’re too careful, you might miss a lot of deer.

“Things tend to happen so much faster in the field,” he said. “If you sit back and wait too long, you’ll miss your opportunity. There’s a time to be sneaky, and there’s a time to make it happen. I’ve hunted from the ground a ton, and you can get away with a lot more than you think.”

Obviously, you can’t move with deer in your lap, but you don’t have to worry about making small, calculated movements when you need to get in position for a shot. Part of this also includes taking a deer’s “temp,” as K.C. pointed out.

“If a buck is keyed up, it might be harder to get away with moving or making any noise,” he said. “But if it’s the rut, he’s cruising or tending a doe, you’d be surprised at what you can get away with. Sometimes you can convince them that you’re a deer and they’ll come check you out.”

For flighty deer, K.C. said it’s best to watch them for a while. “If you have to, wait until they bed and move in for a stalk.”

While you can get away with a lot more than traditional whitetail literature preaches, K.C. acknowledged that you need to know how your equipment operates and eliminate anything that might blow your cover. For K.C., zippers, loud pants, or anything that makes unnatural sounds don’t go into the field.

“You have to be mindful of everything,” he said, “even something as simple as putting your rangefinder into your pouch. That’s why the magnetic closures on the FHF bino harness are so fantastic. They don’t just slam shut like other ones.”

K.C. also suggested that you need to operate your gear intuitively and practice getting to it quickly. It’s not just enough to have good gear; you have to be good with it. Whether it’s the type of pants you choose or your rangefinder, you need to know how they operate in certain conditions, whether they scratch against brush, or how you can access something without looking.

For ground hunting open country, K.C. said he tends to run a lighter layering setup. Even if it’s cold, he doesn’t wear bulky pants. Instead, he needs something lighter like First Lite’s .308 Pant, which allow him to stay mobile without sweating a ton. Of course, he’s figured out these things through time in the field, but encourages hunters not to wait until then to learn the hard way.

One of the unique things about hunting in vast, open country is that you have plenty of visible room to roam. Even though K.C. runs a mobile setup, he always packs enough for unexpected adventures.

“Just make sure you’re prepared,” he said. “A lot of times, you don’t know if you’ll be gone half an hour or all day. Pack plenty of snacks and water. Even if you have a minimalist pack, at least carry a knife and some game bags if you happen to kill a deer a mile from the truck.”

This week, Cal talks with Tate Morgan, founder of Sons of Smokey and the Gambler 500: a road rally, festival, and North America's largest public lands trash pick up. Cal and Tate discuss how Sons of Smokey went from launching an eight-man COVID-era road race to creating an "anti-Burning Man" trash clean up powered by a unique phone app. Today, it's a near lawless public lands trash clean up where the number one rule is "don't be a dick." Long story short, everyone needs the SOS app.

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Hosts Brody Henderson, Seth Morris, and Corinne Schneider chat Seth and Corinne's return from Africa, talk with Pennsylvania BHA's Adam Eckley about the recent lift on PA's Sunday hunting ban, run through a bucket list hunt Top 3, discuss all things sage grouse with Ted Koch of North American Grouse Partnership, and have YOU choose the winner of a fishy Hot Tip-off.

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Brent's back for part two of his conversation with Dr. Drew Ricketts. After his Kansas coyote hunt with decoy dogs, he sat down with Kansas State University professor and Kansas Extension Service Wildlife Control Specialist, Dr. Drew Ricketts, to correct Brent on some coyote facts.

KSRE Wildlife Management on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoCUoT3Oi90S5zDnzgL34iA
Fins, Fur, and Feathers on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7HyaYenrLLztd5l9NseZ8h
KSRE Wildlife Management: https://www.wildlife.k-state.edu/
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