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Steven Rinella talks with authors Dimitra Papagianni and Michael A. Morse.

Topics discussed: What we mean when we say “neanderthal,” taal v. thaal; 23andMe; human and neanderthal interactions; how language may have operated; cannibalism through the ages; neanderthal fashion; the limits of site excavation; and more.

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This week, Cal digs into a successful python removal effort in Florida, the broader math of public land funding, an AI-powered system of reducing bear conflict, and more.

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In this bonus drop of Backwoods University, we have the opportunity to hear from a man named Joshua Lawes, who spent several years in the wild lands of Africa, working in antipoaching teams. As you can imagine, he has some pretty wild and fascinating tales, along with some insight on how conservation works in Africa and how it dippers for North America.

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Few things humble a man like public land elk hunting. You can spend all year shooting your bow, studying maps, watching videos, and convincing yourself you've got elk figured out. Then opening morning rolls around, and they make you look completely incompetent.

The mountains are steep. Deadfall sucks. The weather changes by the hour, and elk are good at avoiding things that want to kill them. If you look at harvest statistics across the West, the story is pretty clear. A small percentage of hunters consistently punch tags while most head home with sore feet, empty coolers, and sad stories about elk that are still alive.

Nothing replaces time in the mountains, but you can save yourself a lot of frustration by learning from the mistakes other hunters make every single season. Here are the 10 biggest mistakes I see elk hunters make every year.

There aren't many sounds in hunting that get your blood pumping like a bull answering your bugle before daylight. Unfortunately, most hunters hear a response and immediately start bugling every 100 yards as they close the distance. All they're really doing is announcing their arrival.

Think about it from the bull's perspective. His job during the rut is to keep cows together and avoid trouble. If he hears another bull screaming from 300 yards away and doesn't feel threatened, he'll often gather his cows and quietly slip out the back door before you ever get close enough.

Once you've located a bull, it's usually best to shut up. Use the terrain, watch your thermals, and sneak in. Get inside that 100-yard bubble before making another sound. Too many hunters try to call elk across the mountain. I'd rather get close enough that he can’t ignore you.

Winter scouting is fun. You sit on the couch and stare at maps so long that you've convinced yourself you've found a secret basin nobody knows exists. Then September arrives and it’s like the elk never got the memo.

Don’t make the mistake of becoming emotionally attached to a waypoint. Just because you spent six months looking at it on a screen, doesn’t mean you’re obligated to hunt it, especially if the elk aren’t there. If you're not finding fresh tracks and droppings, active wallows, or elk themselves, you need to move.

Elk hunting rewards mobility. Sometimes that means changing elevation. Sometimes it means crossing another ridge. Sometimes it means loading camp and driving to the other side of the unit.

The hunters who consistently kill elk, consistently find elk. And while we're at it, quit blaming the moon. Every year somebody spends ten days not finding elk and decides the moon ruined the hunt. The moon may influence feeding patterns, but it doesn't cancel the rut. You just need to find the elk.

Most elk hunts don't end because somebody physically can't keep going. They end because somebody quits mentally.

It's day five or six of the hunt, your feet hurt, the weather has been miserable, and nobody has heard a bugle in two days. Your hunting partner starts talking about cheeseburgers in town or sleeping in tomorrow morning. That's when hunts start falling apart.

The mountain has a way of negotiating with you. It starts whispering reasonable alternatives. Maybe you should hunt closer to camp. Maybe the elk just aren't talking this year. Maybe you should take the afternoon off. But the guy who punches his tag is usually the one who keeps showing up after everyone else has mentally checked out. Most hunters are only one good encounter away from success. They just quit one ridge too early.

Find hunting partners who refuse to feel sorry for themselves like, the kind of guys who hand you a water bottle, tell you to quit whining, and start climbing again. Those are the people you want in elk camp.

Spend enough time online, and you'll eventually find somebody breaking down elk sounds like they're translating an ancient language. Here's the reality. During the rut, a mature bull is focused on two things: breeding cows and fighting off other bulls. That's about it.

Yet, hunters constantly try to convince a herd bull to abandon a group of cows because they made a soft little cow call from 300 yards away. Why would an elk leave the herd to investigate one potential cow?

Instead, challenge what he cares about. Get close. Mimic a bull messing with one of his cows. Trigger jealousy, competition, and aggression. You don't need 20 different sounds. You need a believable story.

A lot of hunters are terrified of being too aggressive. They bugle like they're apologizing.

Real bulls don't sound polite. When a mature bull cuts loose at close range, it rattles your chest. It's loud, emotional, and impossible to ignore. Yet, every year hunters stand on a ridge producing tiny little bugles that sound like a confused raghorn.

If you're trying to challenge a herd bull, you need to sound like somebody worth fighting. The woods absorb sound. Wind absorbs sound. Distance absorbs sound. Put some air behind it.

And don't worry about scaring off satellite bulls. Most of them are like teenage boys watching a bar fight. They can't help themselves and come investigate anyway.

Elk live in places specifically designed to make humans miserable. Steep hills, loose rock, deadfall, and thin air come with elk hunting.

If opening day is your fitness plan, you're already behind. Being out of shape doesn't just make hiking harder—it affects every decision you make. You stop checking one more basin, stop climbing one more ridge, and you settle for mediocre setups because you're tired.

A good physical condition buys you options. It allows you to stay aggressive longer than everybody else. And what happens if you actually kill one? Packing meat off the mountain is the hardest part of the hunt. You’re never too fit for elk hunting.

Every hunter has heard the same advice: keep the wind directly in your face. That's great in theory for hunters but not necessarily for elk. When a bull comes to a call, he needs to verify what he's hearing with his nose. If the wind is perfectly straight, he can circle either direction, and that can be bad news for hunters.

Instead, think of the wind as a steering wheel. If you position yourself with a slight crosswind, you can often predict exactly where he'll try to circle. Now, you're setting the trap instead of reacting to it. Don’t just hunt with the wind, use it.

Everything is perfect at the archery range. You can take shots on flat ground with no pressure, no screaming bull, no steep angles, and no shaky legs.

In the elk woods, sometimes you have to shoot around a pine tree while standing on a slope that feels like a ski run. The more your practice resembles actual hunting conditions, the better you'll perform when the moment finally arrives. Shoot from your knees. Shoot uphill and downhill. Shoot after running a hill or climbing stairs. Shoot when you're breathing hard.

You can't recreate the adrenaline dump of a bull standing at 20 yards, but you can build enough muscle memory that your body takes over when your brain stops working.

You can get everything right and still blow it at the last minute. You found the bull, played the wind correctly, made the right calls, and convinced him to commit. Then panic takes over. Most hunters don’t consider their setup before they realize they can’t draw. Then, the bull hangs up behind a creek or thick brush, and it’s game over.

The final setup kills more opportunities than bad calling ever will. Before making that last sequence, take a few seconds and survey the area. Can you draw? Can you shoot? Can the bull actually get to you? Can you cover his likely approach? It doesn’t have to be a perfect setup, but you do have to put yourself in position. That last 30 yards will determine whether you're packing out meat or telling stories.

Elk hunting is a numbers game, and those numbers are measured in days spent on the mountain. Every hunter wants a quick success story, but most elk hunts don't work that way. It takes time to find animals, make mistakes, figure out patterns, and cross paths with the right bull on the right day.

Everyone has a busy life, and most people have family obligations, but you have to prioritize time in the mountains if you want to consistently kill elk.

All images provided by the author.

A bill with significant positive implications for hunters, anglers, and other recreational users of public lands is working its way through the Legislative Branch. America the Beautiful Act, or S. 1547, was sponsored by Senator Steve Daines of Montana and Senator Angus King of Maine on May 1. Earlier in June, it took a meaningful step toward being put into law when it unanimously passed out of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.

“The America the Beautiful Act is one of the greatest conservation wins of our time, and I’m thrilled to see it pass out of committee today with widespread bipartisan support,” Senator Daines said. “As we look forward to America’s 250th anniversary, what better way to celebrate our national parks, the crown jewels of America, than by signing America the Beautiful into law? Let’s get it to the President’s desk.”

The bill, which appears to have strong bipartisan support, essentially renews funding for an earlier bill, called the Great American Outdoors Act. One of the things that bill did was authorize the Legacy Restoration Fund, which dedicated $1.9 billion annually to address the deferred maintenance backlog at national parks and other public lands. That funding lapsed in 2025, and the America the Beautiful Act would renew it through 2031.

According to the U.S. Department of the Interior, the projects considered “deferred maintenance” are “maintenance and repair activity that was not performed when it should have been or was scheduled to be performed but was delayed to a future period.” In September 2025, the agency estimated that the backlog included over $35 billion of needed work across the National Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Indian Education, and Bureau of Land Management.

The America the Beautiful Act would allow federal agencies to make valuable progress on these projects, though it wouldn’t make a massive dent in the backlog. That said, conservation groups are cheering its progress and pushing hard to get it passed, and not just because of the money it would free up for important projects.

“The America the Beautiful Act wouldn’t just fund maintenance on our national parks, forests, and refuges—it would require federal agencies to prioritize public access,” explained Joel Webster, chief conservation officer at the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership. “That means better water infrastructure on refuges for waterfowl hunters, passable trails for turkey and big game hunters, and improved access points for anglers.”

One reason that reauthorizing the Legacy Restoration Fund appears to be politically popular is where the funds would come from—energy production on public lands. In fact, trade groups are supporting the legislation.

“As energy producers that operate on multiple-use public lands in the West, Alliance members support responsible land management policies,” said Melissa Simpson, president of the Western Energy Alliance. “They recognize the important balance that exists between developing the natural resources our nation needs with conserving and restoring the iconic and historic landscapes that we all treasure.”

Senator Daines says he hopes to get the legislation signed into law by July 4. A companion bill was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives by congressmen Ryan Zinke and Troy Downing. The House version of the bill passed the House Committee on Natural Resources on Wednesday, June 24.

Now’s the time to let your elected representatives know you’re tracking and supporting this critical legislation. Backcountry Hunters & Anglers makes it easy to do so on the organization’s Call to Action Page.

Whether you call them lessons or just simple observations, Brent thinks there’s no better example of good ones than those presented in “Where the bred Fern Grows”. Come along as he points out a few of the ones that have been the most meaningful to him. It’s time for MeatEater’s “This Country Life” podcast.

Thank you to our sponsors, Case Knives and Stor-Mor.

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Spencer Neuharth gives behind-the-scenes details and answers viewer questions about his “12 in '26” punt gun experiment with crew members Seth and Max. They're also joined by Joel Kolander of Rock Island Auction, who will be auctioning off the punt gun with 100% of proceeds going back to Land Access Initiative.

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Colonel George Armstrong Custer, along with the 700 men in the U.S. 7th Cavalry were ultimately defeated in the infamous Battle of the Little Bighorn in southeastern Montana in June of 1876, but they certainly weren’t without firepower. Based on archeological findings, over 50 different types of firearms were used at the Battle of the Greasy Grass—these are 5 of the most notable.

U.S. troops in the frontier found themselves undergunned, stuck using slow muzzle-loading rifles amid flying arrows, charging horses, swinging war clubs, and more. In 1865, the army started converting muskets into “trapdoor” breechloaders. Being able to load ammunition from the rear both increased reloading speed and allowed shooters to reload in more concealed positions.

While the Trapdoor only loaded one round at a time, soldiers would’ve been able to fire about 12 to 15 rounds per minute based on the ease of reloading.

Springfield produced both a rifle and a carbine in the Model 1873 Trapdoor. While the rifle had an impressive barrel length of 32 ⅝ inches, the cavalry was supplied with shorter-barreled carbines, which had a 22-inch barrel and weighed about 7 pounds. These were ideal for the guerrilla combat of the Great Sioux War. While it might have been easier and faster loading than its musket predecessors, it was certainly not without faults.

The Trapdoor was chambered in .45-70 Government. This big, slow-moving bullet was made with a copper case at the time, which disastrously tended to expand when the gun fired, leading to many a round stuck in the barrel in the midst of battle. Some blame the loss of the battle on this very fact, but most historians believe that fully functioning guns alone wouldn’t have been enough to turn the tides—Custer’s lack of numbers was the real determining factor.

To see the Trapdoor carbine in action, check out this video:

While the Trapdoor was a huge technological advancement of its time, it couldn’t hold a candle to the repeating rifles more popular with the Native forces.

Known as "the gun that won the West," this lever-action rifle with a 15-shot capacity far exceeded the shooting capabilities of the Trapdoor.

Built off the success of one of the few repeating rifles from the Civil War, “The Henry,” the 1873 Winchester was known at the time as “The Improved Henry" and marked the first lever action produced by Winchester.

While the lever-action was relatively new at the time of the Battle of the Big Horn, it managed to find itself in the hands of more than a few Native Americans, according to evidence from the battlefield.

The 15-shot rifles had a 24-inch barrel, and the carbine was four inches shorter with a 12-shot capacity, chambered in .44-40 Winchester. These were expensive guns at the time, selling for $35, but their quick-firing capabilities and 450-yard effective range made them a lethal addition to the battle.

Many historians speculate that this was one of the guns Crazy Horse carried into the battle, but it’s also assumed he carried more than one. Among the others guns, historians also suspect the great leader carried the Spencer carbine.

This seven-shot lever-action carbine made its first appearance in Union forces during the Civil War. It was the first repeating firearm to make a real difference on the battlefield, but by the time the Little Bighorn occurred, U.S. forces had largely replaced it with the Trapdoor.

Because historians found many a .56-.56 rimfire cartridge at the battle, it’s likely that these guns found their way to Native troops.

What makes the Spencer so interesting is the rounds are loaded into a magazine located in the butt of the gun. The mechanics of cycling and firing rounds is fairly unique; check out this video to see it in action.

The “Peacemaker” is just as infamous as the Winchester 1873. This first-generation army-issued revolver came equipped with a 7.5-inch barrel, shot a 45 caliber bullet, and was sighted out to a whopping 25 yards.

Unlike double-action revolvers, where the chamber is rotated by trigger pressure, this single-action model had to be hand-rotated between every shot by pulling the hammer. This earned it the nickname the “thumb-buster” from the U.S. Cavalry.

This was the standard-issue revolver of the army from 1873 until 1892 and, after shortening the barrel, became a popular civilian gun. Cold made a sub-four-inch barrel model unofficially known as the “Sheriff’s Model," "Banker's Special,” or “Storekeeper.”

What pistol was Custer packing on his infamous last stand? Well, historians don’t actually know for sure.

Most believe that General Custer used a pair of white-handled, British-made Webley Bulldog revolvers. However, that model wasn’t made until 1878. But there's a good chance Custer was gifted an early rendition. Or he could have been carrying the Webley R.I.C. Revolver that the Bulldog was based upon. Both of these were double-action and short-barreled revolvers.

Rock Island Auction Company actually sold a .50 cal. nickel-plated, ivory-handled Webley & Scott revolver with “G.A. Custer” engraved on the buttcap over a decade ago. The note included with the sale mentions that he bought “the famous self-cocking revolver” from Liddle and Keading (a sporting goods store of the time) between 1871 and 1875 in San Francisco.

We don't know if Custer owned this particular revolver, as the engraving could have been made by someone else, and fake Custer guns are common. Still, it's a good example of the kind of sidearm the famous general likely carried.

Want to keep the spirit of Custer alive? Check out the MeatEater Time Machine T-shirt memorializing Custer’s Last Stand.

All images via Rock Island Auction Company unless otherwise noted.

You might be familiar with some of the biggest bucks ever killed, named after hunters that bagged them. The Hanson Buck, the largest typical whitetail that still sits atop the record books. Or the Butcher Buck, the second biggest non-typical ever taken, with a rack that looks more like a geological formation than deer antlers.

But, you might be less familiar with Boone and Crockett’s “Picked Up” category, which recognizes some of the world’s biggest dead heads ever found. Yes, these deer still occupy the same list on Boone and Crockett’s record book. They’re just noted as picked up under the “Hunter” category.

The “Picked Up” designation creates a unique way of showcasing these big bucks and their insane antler growth. The fact that these deer weren’t killed by hunters only adds to their legendary status and makes them even more intriguing. It’s a way to recognize these deer without the distraction that can accompany hunters.

While you might recognize some of these deer, others are recent or less familiar. For this article, I used Boone and Crockett’s Big Game Records Live to research these deer and the lucky hunters who stumbled upon them. Here are the five biggest non-typical whitetails in Boone and Crockett’s Picked Up category.

B&C Rank: 1

The largest non-typical whitetail ever recorded, the Missouri state record buck was found in 1981 in St. Louis County, and it’s sat atop the record books ever since. It boasts 44 scorable points, an inside spread of 23 ⅜, and main beams just under 25 inches. Overall, this buck nets a score of 333 ⅞ and currently owns the top spot in Boone and Crockett’s non-typical category.

On November 15, 1981, David Beckman was hunting in St. Louis County and had just shot a buck that morning. He phoned a local conservation agent, Michael Helland, to help him check the buck and save him a trip to the check station. After getting the buck checked, Beckman was driving home when he spotted a large buck rack lying on the ground inside a fence on private property. Beckman again phoned agent Helland to inform him of the rack, knowing he wouldn’t be able to retrieve it from the private property

Agent Helland obtained permission to retrieve it, eventually had it scored, and decided that it should be publicly owned by the Missouri Department of Conservation. Today, you can view a replica of it at the Powder Valley Conservation Nature Center.

B&C Rank: 2

Ohio claims three spots in the top 15 on B&C’s non-typical whitetail list, but its current state record and the number two buck in the world also falls under the picked-up category. Up until the Hanson Buck, the Hole-in-the-Horn Buck was probably the most well-known deer in the record books.

Found by railroad workers in 1940, this Ohio giant has 45 scorable points, an inside spread of 24 ⅜, and 192 ⁷⁄₈ abnormal points. While there are bound to be bigger non-typicals found or killed in the future, the Hole-in-the-Horn Buck has cemented itself in whitetail history. Of course, the story of how it earned its name sparked intrigue, wild assumptions, and baseless conjecture until the true story came out in 2015.

B&C Rank: 13

Found by James Wanklyn in 2012, this impressive Kansas buck scored a whopping 295 with a 15 ⅝ inside spread. Its mass and 48 scorable points contribute to its nearly 300-inch headgear, which claims the number two overall spot in Kansas.

After finding a set of matching sheds, Wanklyn began monitoring this buck on trail camera until the deer vanished that following summer. He suspected the worst, and after an EHD outbreak in his area, Wanklyn searched a nearby water source where he discovered the dead deer.

Wanklyn was distraught to learn of the deer’s death, but finding the rack served as a consolation prize. What this deer lacked in spread, it made up for in sheer mass. Its rack and Coke-can bases look more like cypress stumps. Maybe that’s why Wanklyn is holding it from some of the kickers.

B&C Rank: 26

Jesse Schroeder was shed hunting on his brother’s 32-acre property in 2023 when he stumbled upon the new Minnesota non-typical record. Its 31 scoreable points, 20 ⅝ inside spread, 23-inch main beams, and 100 abnormal points cemented it as the state’s biggest non-typical and a tie for number 26 in Boone and Crockett’s records.

Multiple drop tines, kickers, and gnarly brow tines seem to sprout at will from the buck’s rack. While other hunters had this buck on camera, it’s unclear what circumstances might have led to its rack’s development. Still, it’s a great reminder of why deer antlers are so fascinating and cool.

B&C Rank: 30

With 76 B&C entries, Brian Ross boasts the largest collection of B&C whitetails. He’s an avid collector and has preserved numerous B&C entries, including Flora Campbell’s famous Trapline Buck from his home state of Maine. So it makes sense that he would also be the owner of Alberta’s number three biggest non-typical of all time, found near Smoky River.

Its 29 points, an impressive 23 and 2/8 inside spread, and some 90 abnormal points contribute to its 275 ⅛ score. While Boone and Crockett doesn’t have a photo of this Smoky River buck, its rack earned it the number three spot in Alberta.

Feature image via the Boone and Crockett Club

When it comes to improving a hunting property, it's easy to think you need a big budget to make a big impact. The reality? Some of the most effective habitat projects are also some of the most affordable. In this episode of Back 40, we asked a panel of experienced deer hunters and land managers to share the low-cost improvements that consistently deliver results. From creating bedding cover and improving travel corridors to screening access routes and making strategic habitat tweaks, these are the projects that can transform a property without breaking the bank.

Presented by Moultrie

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