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This week, Cal shares the latest on a proposed mine in the Brooks Range, Vermont's first firearm doe hunt in nearly 40 years, and research into the longevity of a 194-year-old tortoise.

Calls to Action:

If you have tips on grizzly poaching in Alberta, visit the Report-A-Poacher website at alberta.ca/report-poacher

Speak up and Comment on the Arctic Project through BHA’s Action Alert here: https://takeaction.io/bha/speak-up-for-the-brooks-range-tell-the-army-corps-what-the-arctic-project-could-mean-for-alaska-s-fi/

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Steven Rinella is joined by Randall Williams to discuss the latest edition of MeatEater’s American History. Topics include: the Klondike Gold Rush; mobster movies, flappers, and fine fur; suicide by snare; fighting the Japanese on American soil; how World War II forever changed Alaska; living off the land on the Final Frontier; the nastiest muskrat recipe in the world; and more. 

Grab your copy of MeatEater's American History:The Alaskans (1896-1941) now.

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On Oct. 2, Stephen “Chuck” Crowell, a 35-year-old walleye fishing guide from Eaton, Ohio, arrowed a giant whitetail in Wayne County, Indiana. He spent months trying to get intel on this deer after a UPS driver showed him a photo of the massive deer. The buck, which scored 266 4/8 inches, is the new Buckmasters Indiana state record for a compound bow in the irregular category.

Crowell first heard about the buck in November 2025, when a photograph taken by a UPS driver started making the local rounds. He didn’t know the photographer, but had a general idea of the area where the photo was allegedly taken.

“I nicknamed the buck Rumor because it was a local legend,” Crowell told MeatEater. “But in today’s world, with AI and everything, nobody knew if the picture was even real.”

Real or not, that photo was enough to send Crowell on a mission. Every night for nearly a month, he crossed state lines, driving his truck around and glassing for evidence that the buck in the photo was real.

He finally spotted the buck through his binos in late December, when the season was practically over. The buck was indeed real, but Crowell would have to wait for another season to get a chance at him. In 2025, Crowell killed a 208-inch net non-typical in Ohio, so his bar was set pretty high. The buck he called Rumor would give him something even bigger to chase.

“I spent the entire spring and summer trying to figure out how to gain access to the area I needed to hunt,” Crowell said.

He finally gained access on September 21 and headed to scout the property and hang trail cameras. Around 3:30, Crowell spotted the buck less than 150 yards away, looking straight at him. Crowell immediately dropped down and waited about five minutes. When he stood back up, the buck was gone. He hung five trail cameras in the area but never got a single photo of Rumor.

Crowell had a walleye trip lined up on October 2, but wet weather and a cold front caused the clients to cancel at the last minute. Since Crowell had already arranged for his dad to watch his two young kids, he took the opportunity to head back to the property and set a stand. He wasn’t planning to make an aggressive move on the buck, just hoping to lay eyes on it again. He grabbed his Mathews Halon 32, a Lone Wolf treestand, and some climbing sticks and headed for Indiana.

The only tree that made sense was covered in poison ivy. Despite usually being sensitive to the plant, Crowell decided the buck was worth the risk. He took his time, trying not to make any extra noise as he hung the stand. It took him almost an hour to get set.

“I didn’t even have a little hand saw with me,” Crowell said. “I used the threads on my screw-in bow hanger to saw through the vines so I could sit with my back against the tree. It took me 20 minutes, but I finally whittled away the vine.”

The tree was on a fence row overlooking a late-planted beanfield that was still vibrant green. Crowell noticed the deer were still hammering it and hadn't been sitting long when three does worked into the field. They seemed a little uneasy, despite the wind favoring Crowell’s position. The does eventually worked out of sight.

At 6:30, Crowell caught a glimpse of a much smaller buck through an opening in a thicket. Then at 6:50, the smaller buck entered the field 80 yards from his stand with Rumor right behind him. Crowell watched as the giant buck slowly worked his way out into the field.

“It took him 30 minutes to go 30 yards,” Crowell said. “He would take a bite of beans and then pick his head up and observe like a statue. He was being super cautious.”

The buck eventually worked his way to around 50 yards, feeding roughly parallel instead of heading straight toward him. When the buck angled slightly, like he was getting ready to work away, Crowell says he realized he should probably get ready to shoot. Crowell had been shaking like crazy when the buck first stepped out into the field, but watching him feed for that long helped settle Crowell’s nerves.

“He turned away from me to scratch his side. That’s when I drew my bow and settled my pin on him.”

He released an arrow tipped with a QAD Exodus fixed-blade from 51 yards. The arrow struck the deer’s spine, dropping the buck in its tracks.

“That’s a long shot. I’m not going to lie to you,” Crowell said. “Sometimes you have to shoot your shot, and I definitely did.”

Crowell immediately lowered his bow and got out of the stand. He wanted to get another arrow in quickly, but when he approached the buck, he realized it wasn’t necessary.

“I just took a minute to let it all sink in,” Crowell said. “It’s hard to describe the emotions. It’s unbelievable. I never thought this would happen to me.”

His first phone call was to his dad, who was watching his children.

Rick Busse scored the buck at 266 4/8 inches, which sets a new Buckmasters Indiana state record for a compound bow in the irregular category.

The buck was also green-scored before the 60-day mandatory drying period by Tony Wright, a certified scorer for Boone & Crockett. The net score was 251 3/8 inches.

“There was so much more luck involved with killing this deer than skill,” he said. “I tried to strategize, but I also had luck playing a part for sure.”

Still, without that first photograph, Crowell would never have gone looking. “The picture that the UPS driver took is what killed that deer, because it made me a madman with a mission.”

From dangerous river levels and mysterious helpers to teaching kids to fly fish, this episode has a lot to offer. Brent's sharing a listener story filled with potential peril that thankfully has a happy ending. He's also reporting on an organization he was introduced to on a chance meeting in an airport. The organization has become a favorite of his and we think you'll like it too. It's time for MeatEater's "This Country Life" podcast.

www.themayflyproject.com

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There’s a common misconception that all bears spend their winters curled up in a cozy den, sleeping until spring rolls around. While that explanation isn't entirely wrong, black bear winter behavior is much more complex than simply going to sleep for a few months.

Across their range, black bears use winter dens to conserve energy during periods when natural food becomes scarce. How long they remain denned can vary considerably depending on climate, food availability, sex, and reproductive status. Bears living in colder northern climates may spend several months in a den, while bears in warmer portions of their range may remain active for much of the winter. Even the term "hibernation" isn't as straightforward as it sounds.

So, do black bears really hibernate? Well, it depends on how you define hibernation.

Black bears certainly fit the loose definition of hibernation, which relates to bears retreating to a den and spending much of the winter in a dormant state. Physiologically, however, their winter dormancy differs from the deep hibernation seen in animals like chipmunks and woodchucks. Instead, black bears enter a state known as torpor, which Great Smoky Mountains National Park describes as “a lighter and less intense form of hibernation.”

During torpor, a bear undergoes several physiological changes that allow it to conserve energy through the winter. According to the New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife, “their heart rate and respiratory rate slow and their body temperature slightly drops, but not as much as in true hibernators.” This distinction is important because true hibernators experience a much more dramatic decrease in body temperature and are generally more difficult to awaken. Black bears, on the other hand, can wake and become active relatively quickly if disturbed.

What makes this especially interesting is the size of the animal. Most hibernating species are small mammals weighing only a few ounces, while an adult black bear can weigh several hundred pounds. According to Great Smoky Mountains National Park, exactly how such a large mammal is capable of undergoing this process is still not fully understood.

Not all black bears spend the same amount of time in torpor. Climate, food availability, sex, and reproductive status can all influence when a bear enters its den and how long it stays there. According to the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission, black bears in their state can enter their dens as early as mid-October or as late as January and emerge anywhere from February to April.

In warmer climates, some bears may not enter torpor at all. The Fish & Wildlife Foundation of Florida notes that this is especially true for males when food remains readily available. But there is one group of bears that has a particularly important reason to den each winter: pregnant females.

According to Bear Hunting Magazine, black bear breeding season occurs in early to mid-summer, usually June and July, several months before females enter their winter dens. During this period, females may experience multiple estrous cycles and breed with multiple males. For a deeper dive into black bear breeding behavior, check out Clay Newcomb’s article here.

But breeding in the summer doesn't necessarily mean a female is pregnant right away. Black bears use a reproductive strategy known as delayed implantation, and this is where things get really interesting.

Breeding in the summer doesn't mean a female immediately begins developing cubs. Fertilized eggs develop into tiny embryos called blastocysts before suspending further development. According to a Vermont conservation group, the blastocysts remain dormant for several months while the female spends the fall building up fat reserves. If she has accumulated enough fat to support herself and her cubs through winter, the blastocysts implant in the uterine wall around November or December, which will align with her denning. If she hasn't, implantation may not occur, and she won't give birth that winter.

Once implantation occurs, development progresses rapidly. From there, the actual period of fetal development lasts only about 60 days, with cubs typically born in their mother's winter den in mid-to-late January or early February.

According to Northern Woodlands, black bears typically give birth to two or three cubs, although litters can range from one to five. The newborns are “tiny, blind, almost hairless cubs. Measuring about nine inches long and weighing in at roughly one-half pound, each cub is about the size of a chipmunk.” For the next several months, the cubs depend entirely on their mother for food and warmth.

Now, remember those multiple estrous cycles during breeding season and the litter of multiple cubs born months later? Well, that brings us to one of my favorite facts about black bear reproduction. Cubs from the same litter can have different fathers. That's right, one litter, multiple baby daddies.

One study that examined black bear reproduction documented cases of cubs within the same litter having different fathers. This phenomenon, known as multiple paternity, occurs when a female mates with more than one male during the breeding season, and eggs are fertilized by sperm from different males. This means that two cubs born to the same mother at the same time can actually be half-siblings rather than full siblings. Black bear mothers typically stay with their cubs for 16 to 17 months, even spending a second winter denned alongside their yearlings. By the following spring or early summer, the young bears separate from their mother and begin life on their own, allowing her to breed again. This nearly two-year reproductive cycle means healthy female black bears generally produce litters every other year.

While their winter dormancy differs from the deep hibernation of smaller mammals, black bears have developed remarkable adaptations that allow them to survive months with little to no food or water. And depending on where they live, some may not need to den at all. From their ability to conserve energy to their unusual reproductive strategies, there's a lot more to black bear biology than simply sleeping through the winter.

Image via North American Bear Center

Most hunters don’t think twice about mounting a scope on their deer rifle. It’s a given. Manufacturers stopped including iron sights decades ago, except on lever actions or those earmarked for dangerous game. With the buffet of highly capable scopes at every price tier, it’s easy to see why. If you can quickly dial your scope from 2x to 15x why wouldn’t you want that option?

That wide range of shootability makes it easy to pop a deer within bow range or two poles down on a power line. But what about when you’re still-hunting and a buck jumps up at 20 yards? It can be almost impossible to find him if your scope is cranked all the way up, and by the time you dial it down, he’s gone. Iron sights might give you the advantage there, and a red dot probably offers you the best opportunity.

Nowhere is this debate more contested than at deer-dog camp. You’ll find an even mix of scoped rifles, iron sights, and even red dots. Each hunter believes that their setup provides the best opportunity for shooting deer as they trot through a creek bottom or sprint across a clear cut. An argument could be made in favor of any of the three. But are iron sights really the best for quick, close shots?

I decided to test all three against one another, and the results might not be as clear-cut as you’d think. Before I dive into the test results, let’s look at the pros and cons of each.

The most durable of the three, iron sights won’t send you packing just because your rifle takes a tumble. You can drop your rifle and your iron sights will still function. Of course, this depends on the quality of iron sights. Some are incredible, others are a liability. Sights held by a few flimsy screws tend to fall into the latter category. My favorite option is a Williams Foolproof Receiver Sight (ghost ring), which I have mounted on my personal favorite rifle and use every season. The small peep diameter and plethora of micro adjustments can give you surprising utility within a few hundred yards. My personal claim to fame is a buck I took at 162 yards with a Williams rear peep sight on a Savage 99 .308 Win. That’s more of a testament to how effective iron sights can be, rather than my shooting abilities.

They also offer you the best field of view, so you can easily locate a deer that explodes out of a brush pile without worrying about dialing your scope down or trying to find a buck sprinting through the timber. Of course, iron sights aren’t ideal for low light conditions, which happens to coincide with peak deer movement.

Red dots, whether they’re enclosed or open reflex sights, offer similar utility as iron sights with the added benefit of an illuminated reticle or dot, making target acquisition slightly quicker and more forgiving when you aren’t in the most optimal shooting position. You simply put the red dot where you need your bullet to hit and shoot.

Unlike iron sights, red dots are the least dependable. Most of them, especially enclosed or tube style, are durable, but a lot of them depend on a battery. If you’re going to run one on a hunting rifle, make sure you keep a few spare batteries in your pack or the tools to quickly pull it off your gun should it fail. While I’ve never had an issue with open reflex sights, you can always go with an enclosed or tube style red dot for extra assurance.

I won’t spend a ton of time on scopes because the benefits are too obvious and the drawbacks too few. In just about any deer hunting scenario, a rifle scope gives you the edge. There’s the obvious shooting capability from zero to several hundred yards, and it’s no contest when it comes to lowlight situations. Unless you drop your rifle out of your treestand, it actually takes a lot more than you think to knock your scope of zero. That doesn’t mean you won’t find scenarios where a red dot or iron sights have an advantage on scopes, but you can look at the data and decide for yourself.

It’s often stated that iron sights are best for quick, close-quarter shots, implying that scopes aren’t ideal for that scenario. But is that actually true?

To see how iron sights compared to both red dots and scopes for quick, offhand shots, I ran all three of them through a shooting drill with a Marlin 336 .30-30 Dark Series. I decided to use Winchester 150 gr Power Point for the test ammo, since that’s the kind of ammo most hunters use with a lever action .30-30. To keep it as realistic as possible, I kept the scope on 6x, which is where I typically set a rifle scope when I’m still-hunting timbered areas.

As someone who regularly still-hunts with all three of these sights/optics, I was intrigued to see how they stacked up. For the shooting drill I conducted three three-shot groups at both 25 and 50 yards, moving the rifle from a low position to mount and then firing. I shot from a standing, freehand position to try and mimic a hunting scenario. I used an IPSC shot timer to record each shot sequence. I then recorded the average shooting time and the best three-shot group. Here’s what the test revealed.

At 25 yards the scope and open sights miraculously tied with an average shot time of 1.97 seconds, but the scope produced the best three-shot group at 2.64 inches. While the open sights provided a similar shot time, the three-shot group jumped to 3.23 inches. After that, the red dot came a tad slower with an average of 2.06 seconds but produced a solid 2.70-inch group.

The results were similar at 50 yards. The red dot took a marginal victory with an average shot time of 2.18 seconds and a 2.78-in group. Iron sights followed with 2.52 seconds and a 3.48-inch group, while the scope brought up the rear with 2.94 seconds and a 3.93-inch group. Again, these are times and groups done from a standing, low position to mount, not from a bench. Get sub-MOA out of your head. These are closer to shooting situations you might encounter in the woods, not from a benchrest.

Even with this small sample size, it’s clear that you can achieve similar results with any of these sight/optic choices. Getting at the original question–are iron sights best for quick, close quarter shots? Based on the average shot times and groups, not necessarily. Looking at the 50-yard results, the times fall within less than a second of each other and about an inch difference for the group sizes. For hunting purposes, that minutiae of difference is unnoticeable to most hunters, especially when you’re aiming at a deer’s vitals, not the center of a target.

It’s impossible to replicate the psychological stress of jumping a big buck, and it’s possible that a moving target might skew these numbers. Still, it’s hard to say if they’d be meaningful enough to suggest that one is significantly worse than the others.

I'll make one caveat for the iron sights. The diameter of a rear ghost ring sight can absolutely make a difference in your shooting accuracy. A smaller rear sight will generally offer more accurate shooting, especially at farther distances.

So what does it mean for hunters?

The next time you want to still-hunt, join a deer drive, or ride along for a deer-dog hunt, you don’t need to worry about reaching for your gun with iron sights. You certainly can and should feel confident doing so, but it’s not going to give you an unparalleled advantage.

And if you’ve been wanting to put a scope on your grandpa’s lever action but thought against it, you can feel confident that putting a low power variable scope on it won’t diminish your quick, offhand shooting capabilities. It will, however, give you an advantage in low light shooting situations. Just remember to crank your scope back down to 5 or 6x while you’re walking.

Regardless of which sight/optic you choose, practice with your setup if you plan on shooting running game. My groups definitely got faster and smaller the more I shot. And that might be the biggest takeaway yet.

Steven Rinella and the MeatEater Crew Discuss: a songbird smuggler; are you smoking drugs or calling ducks?; the Chai Vang Massacre; a bobcat poaching ring; Steve as a big time anti-hunter; is Ambler Road the right move right now; and more.

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Every hunter has been there... waiting on a buck that should show up while wondering if you’re wasting valuable time. This week on Back 40, Tony LaPratt, Bronson Strickland, Jason Michael, and Skip Sligh break down how they decide when to stay patient and when it’s time to make a move. We dive into what makes mature bucks predictable, how quickly patterns can change throughout October, and whether you should be hunting the deer you have right now - or the deer you hope shows up next. If you’re staring at trail camera photos, waiting on a familiar buck, or trying to decide when to shift your strategy, this conversation will help you make that call.

Presented by Moultrie

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On Halloween weekend in 1986, 17-year-old Noel Dalluge traveled to a remote Minnesota hunting cabin with his high school buddies. The plan was simple: party, hunt, and celebrate the end of football season. But early the next morning, Noel vanished into the woods... without a trace. An extensive search turned up nothing, and questions about what really happened that weekend have haunted his family for decades. Now, nearly 40 years later, new interviews and old suspicions raise a disturbing possibility: someone at that cabin knows more than they've ever admitted.

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We shot way more in Tanzania than three episodes could hold. A lot of good stuff landed on the cutting room floor, so we dug it back out. Morgan Potter's crew shows Steve how to make biltong, which is basically South African jerky. The camp chefs cook a Cape buffalo tail down into soup. You just don't get that back home. Not much in America comes with a tail worth eating. Presented by CanAm