The MeatEater

Back in the late 1960s a ground breaking initiative started in the wildlife conservation space that would lead to one of the greatest wildlife wins we have in the entire country. The restoration of the wild Turkey can be attributed to the hard work and dedication of many people across wildlife agencies and conservation organizations this week. We have the privilege of talking to Mr. Benny Herring he was among the first in the state of Mississippi to start the successful Turkey restoration program.

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This week Cal talks about making public lands wherever they are a backyard issue. Iguanas taste mostly like chicken, and Alabama legislation.

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To learn more and get involved with any Cal to Action, click here.

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Steven Rinella talks with Caleb Hubbard of the Hubbard Urban Entymology Lab at New Mexico State University and "Bubbly" Doug Duren.

Topics discussed: Stay tuned for twice a week MeatEater Podcast drops starting in March; come to the Safari Club International 2026 Convention on Feb. 19th to see Steve and Morgan Potter; a correction on Colorado wolf recovery; sous vide rewarming for frostbite; the ins and outs of the New World screw worm; how all warm blooded critters are potential hosts; being eaten alive; Doug's Sharing the Land organization; and more. 

The New World Screwworm Threat Survey: 

https://acesnmsu.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_eLjo05717Wzz1em

The New World Screwworm is a serious pest threat to livestock and wildlife, and New Mexico is taking steps to stay proactive—not reactive. The survey gathers input from ranchers, producers, hunters, land stewards, and community members across New Mexico. We’re studying what people know, believe, and need regarding screwworm prevention and response. 

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For many of us getting our children and the younger members of our family outdoors is a priority. How we get them outside and what we do once they're there can set the stage for how they view that experience for years to come. Brent's sharing a listener's story along that theme. Brent's also offering his own thoughts how he handled getting his own children outside; what he did right and maybe what he could've done better.

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Hosts Spencer Neuharth, Maggie Hudlow, and Seth Morris talk with ecologist Dr. Zack Graham about some of the world's rarest crayfish, mull over some piping Hot Tips, learn about collaring foxes in the Grand Tetons with Emily Davis, and host another exciting round of MeatEater Price is Right.

Watch the live stream on the MeatEater Podcast Network YouTube channel.

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If you’re reading this, you obviously survived June 13, the only Friday the 13th we’ll see in 2025.

But don’t get too cocky. We’ll face three such unlucky Fridays in 2026, the maximum possible in a calendar year, according to TimeAndDate.com, an astronomy website.

If you’re like me, you won’t see any of them coming. More likely, your spouse or other loved one will casually mention the day’s arrival during breakfast, much as my wife did back in June. That’s when I predictably responded:

“Whenever it’s Friday the 13th, I think of Cuz Strickland.”

And then my wife nodded silently, hoping I wouldn’t tell her yet again about bowhunting southern Mississippi with Cuz on Friday the 13th in November 1998. But I did anyway. I like reminding her of my decades-old friendship with Cuz, Mossy Oak Camo’s longtime media guru, TV personality, and “Fistful of Dirt” podcast host.

“Yep. Ol’ Cuz hates Friday the 13th almost as much as he hates snakes,” I said. “Heh, heh. Yep. Cuz and I should have stayed in camp that morning.”

My wife’s coffee cup didn’t budge from her lips as she silently signaled me to stop. She’s heard the story nearly every Friday the 13th for 27 years. That’s 44 retellings, according to TimeAndDate.com.

I don’t think I’ve ever written this story, however, and my wife surely hasn’t shared it, so here’s the tale:

As Cuz and I ate our pre-dawn breakfast that warm day, he fretted about defying the well-known superstition of Friday the 13th. He wasn’t joking. I knew he would’ve stayed in bed if not feeling obligated to videotape my bowhunt.

A half-hour later, we stood atop a steep creekbank, scanning eroded trails with our headlamps for a safe descent. Cuz — toting a state-of-the-1990s video camera, which matched the size and weight of a portable air-conditioner — stepped down first to lead the way.

Suddenly, I saw Cuz’s headlamp — still strapped around his head — barrel-rolling down the 15-foot embankment, its beam flickering off tree trunks, and cartwheeling across branches above and the gurgling creek below. Cuz, being a good Christian, seldom swears, but he made several exceptions during his rapid descent and bone-bruising halt.

After retrieving and reassembling Cuz’s battered and scattered parts, we took stock of his video camera and muddied gear. Amazingly, everything snapped back into place. The camera’s little green lights twinkled their assurances while Cuz blinked his.

We then climbed the opposite creekbank and pressed on, careful not to speak of Friday the 13th and ponder the wisdom of spending our morning 20 feet high in treestands. But we survived the morning, as did the deer passing by beyond arrow range after dawn. When quitting around 11 a.m., Cuz descended first after lowering his pack with a rope. Then he unclipped his pack and slung it over his shoulder as I hauled up the rope to attach the camera.

Just as I began lowering it, I paused.

That’s odd. Where did Cuz go?

A split-second later, I saw a blur of Mossy Oak camo busting through brush and trampling a strip of saplings, spewing bark and woodchips in its wake. It was Cuz! And I swear he was cursing again, but louder and more distressed than before.

Once his churning legs got him on a flat plane and in full flight, Cuz’s right hand suddenly shot up, snatched his cap, and swung it wildly around his head as if swatting demons. Then he vanished, reappeared, and vanished again through the creek bottom, his shouts and snapping branches helping me track his route. Raising my binoculars, I watched him stop twice to look back and yell, only to shoot off seconds later on a new tangent, his camo cap again chopping air like a doomed helicopter.

Hmm. Pressed to guess, I’d swear something was chasing him.

Eventually, the woods fell silent and Cuz cautiously returned, his head snapping back and forth, eyes warily scanning. Finally, he stopped at a prudent distance and yelled fresh instructions:

“Be careful when you lower the camera and climb down. There’s a wasp nest in the ground by our tree. I lowered my pack onto it. When I picked it up, they got after me.”

I did as instructed, lowering the camera, my bow, and gear on the tree’s opposite side. Detecting only scattered yellowjackets launching from the hole, I descended, grabbed everything, and hurried toward Cuz, thinking I eluded the lookouts.

Nope.

Seconds later, the subterranean nest gushed another demonic wave. We fled for Cuz’s truck, hands full and packs flapping, improvising a defense by somehow swatting and occasionally crushing wasps as they drilled our necks, noses, and noggins.

Once in camp, we pressed ice to our welts and washed and bandaged our wounds as Cuz commenced second-guessing.

“I knew we shouldn’t have gone out this morning,” he said disgustedly. “I knew better. I knew it!”

I knew Cuz was serious. Like most Yankees, I once viewed superstitions with more curiosity than respect. Then I served alongside Southerners in the Navy in the late 1970s, and learned they judge superstitions as seriously as they do grits, collard greens, and boiled peanuts. As Betsy Cribb Watson wrote in Southern Living magazine, Southerners treat hand-me-down superstitions like matters of good hygiene, “as routine as the old rinse-and-repeat.”

But they have far more superstitions than soap or washcloths. When hunting from Southern deer camps, you quickly learn not to lay your hat on a bed or peer at the sliver of a new moon through overhead limbs. Both offenses bring bad luck. You hang your hat on a peg, and you walk into a clearing before viewing a new moon.

Likewise, if you’re driving out to hunt and a rabbit crosses the road ahead from right to left, you might as well return home. When you first saw that rabbit, he was in the right, but then he went wrong. That heralds bad luck.

So scoff if you like, but don’t say you weren’t warned if you dare to go icefishing next year on Feb. 13. Or river fishing March 13. Or bowhunting Nov. 13, 2026. Those are unlucky Fridays, and flouting that fact is like ignoring a rocking chair that’s rocking on its own.

When empty rockers warn Southerners someone is about to die, they don’t assume it’s someone else.

The concept behind Ruger’s Small-Frame Autoloading (SFAR) rifle was simple: .308 Winchester power in an AR-15-sized package.

Many hunters have adopted the AR-15 as a hunting rifle due to its light weight, modularity, and easy maneuverability. Problem is, the .223 Remington cartridge most commonly chambered in these rifles is underpowered for big game. It can tackle deer-sized animals with the right bullet, but most prefer to have a little more horsepower under the hood.

The AR-10 platform can be chambered in one of those more energetic cartridges, usually the .308 Winchester. But that platform tends to be bigger and heavier than an AR-15, which negates one of the big reasons a hunter would pick an AR over a bolt gun.

Enter the Ruger SFAR. It’s chambered in .308 Winchester, but other than the magazine well, its dimensions mimic the AR-15. It seems like a best of both worlds scenario–a rare instance when you can have your cake and eat it too. The SFAR is a great tool for hog hunters here in Texas looking to put a dent in a local sounder, and it’s accurate enough for Big Woods deer hunters looking for a lightweight, maneuverable carbine. I’ve been eying one for a long time, and I was stoked to finally get my hands on it thanks to our friends over at Scheels.

Unfortunately, while you can still find models at sporting goods stores and on the used market, Ruger recently discontinued it. I explain why below, along with all the reasons you should–or should not–pull the trigger on one of these rifles before it’s too late.

The central promise of the SFAR is that it offers AR-10 power in an AR-15 package. As you can see, it delivers.

The dimensions of the SFAR are virtually identical to my Sig Sauer M400-SDI X (bottom rifle in photo). The only thing that separates the SFAR is the magazine well, which is about a half-inch longer and a third-inch wider than the AR-15. Otherwise, the upper and lower receivers, furniture, and handguard share almost exactly the same external dimensions.

The SFAR is even a bit lighter than the AR-15. The Ruger weighs a scant six pounds, 11 ounces while the Sig clocks in at seven pounds, six ounces (no scope, unloaded). I’ve outfitted the Sig with a few more bells and whistles, which adds some weight. But there’s no question that the Ruger SFAR is indeed, on the outside, a near perfect clone of an AR-15.

That offers several advantages to the hunter/AR enthusiast. If for some reason you don’t like the Magpul furniture that comes with the rifle, you can swap it out. Shouldering and firing the SFAR will feel familiar to anyone used to an AR-15, and even if you’re never used that platform, the rifle’s light weight makes it easier to carry through the woods or shoot off-hand.

The SFAR can also be fitted with any standard aftermarket AR-15 trigger. I liked the two-stage, 4.5-pound trigger that came with the rifle, but it’s easy to swap out for something different.

Of course, not everything about the SFAR is compatible with an AR-15. Since the SFAR is chambered in .308 Win. rather than .223 Rem., the bolt face and lugs are wider to accommodate the larger cartridge case. The dimensions of the carriers are similar, but you wouldn’t be able to swap one for the other. The firing pin on the SFAR is also longer and the retaining pin is in a different place.

This could end up being an issue if you ever have to replace the bolt. It looks like some of the bolt components are interchangeable, but not all of them are. If Ruger opts to stop producing those parts, that might leave you down the river without a paddle if you run the SFAR into the ground.

The barrel extension and upper receiver are also proprietary, so you can’t swap barrels like you would an AR-15. That’s standard operating procedure in the AR-10 world: while there is some overlap between manufacturers, there is far less cross-compatibility than the much more standardized AR-15. Still, it’s worth pointing out because the SFAR looks like it could accept AR-15 parts–alas, that’s not always the case.

The SFAR is a utilitarian rifle, but it still offers some upgrades over your standard AR. The Magpul furniture is definitely better than what normally comes on a budget-friendly rifle, and the charging handle is also enhanced. The slender handguard has M-LOK slots at the three, six, and nine o’clock positions, and the picatinny rail can accommodate whatever scope, red dot, or iron sights you prefer. The mag well is also slightly flared for easier reloading.

As I already alluded to, the trigger is definitely an improvement upon your standard AR trigger. The two stage trigger is crisp and consistent with a tactile and audible reset. It might be a little heavier than you’re used to if you hunt with a modern bolt gun, but overall I think the trigger is a help rather than a hindrance to accurate shooting. Plus, if you don’t like it, you can always swap it out.

Moving towards the muzzle of the rifle, the adjustable gas block is super useful but easy to overlook (and not a standard feature on most AR’s). If you’re not familiar with how a gas block works, it siphons off some of the gasses expanding down the barrel and reroutes them back into the action. This is what powers the bolt carrier and allows for semi-auto fire.

The adjustable gas block allows the user to control how much gas is siphoned off. Ideally, you want to use the least amount of gas that still produces reliable cycling. This is especially useful when running a suppressor, which, as I explain below, is almost a necessity with this gun. Suppressors tend to push more gas back into the action. This can increase recoil and fouling, but it can also decrease reliability and lead to malfunctions. Being able to adjust the gas via the adjustable gas block is a great feature, and it should give you peace of mind if you’re thinking about running the SFAR with a can.

Here are a few more features and specifications of the Ruger SFAR:

Trigger: Two-stage, 4.5-pound break

Barrel: 4140 chrome-moly steel

Barrel Length: 20/16 inches

Receiver: 7075-T6 hard-coat anodized aluminum

Handguard: 15” aluminum, M-LOK at 3, 6 and 9 o’clock

Weight: 6 pounds, 11 ounces

Overall Length (Stock Fully Extended): 35.5 inches

Furniture: Magpul

Magazine Compatibility: SR25/AR-10 pattern .308 Win/7.62 NATO magazines, including Magpul PMAGs and Ruger SR-762 steel magazines

Cost: $1,000-$1,200

Check it out

Ruger SFAR delivers on its central promise and offers several useful upgrades over your run-of-the-mill AR-platform rifle. It looks good on paper, but I was curious to see how well this gun performed at the range.

The first thing I noticed is that it’s LOUD. I don’t normally use all-caps, but that’s how you’ll be talking if you’re unfortunate enough to fire this gun without hearing protection. Even with hearing protection, the muzzle brake that comes with the rifle creates a strong enough concussion that my head was pounding after a half-dozen shots. I removed the brake and swapped it out for a Silencer Central MeatEater Banish suppressor, which tamed the shot report to create a far more pleasant shooting experience. I still used hearing protection, but I didn’t need anything more than ear plugs.

This is one of the major downsides of this rifle in the field. Even without a muzzle device, a .308 Win. screaming out of a 16-inch barrel on a semi-auto rifle is going to pack a punch to the ol’ eardrums. I wouldn’t take this thing on a hog hunt without hearing protection, and even a single shot on a whitetail would be painfully uncomfortable. I’m no ear doctor, but I have to think the blast from this thing causes more hearing damage than a longer barreled bolt gun.

I still think the SFAR is a great hunting rifle, but only if you can use hearing protection or a suppressor. If you’re unable to take either of those protective measures, it may not be the rifle for you.

It also may not be the rifle for you if you’re looking for an AR-10 that’s easy to control during rapid-fire shot strings. The brake on the end of the Banish suppressor helps control recoil and makes the rifle easy on the shoulder, but muzzle rise is still an issue even with the beefy brake that comes with the rifle. This is why I think the SFAR is the hunter’s AR-10–it’s not ideal for a special operator looking to put a hurt on some bad guys, but in most hunting scenarios, you don’t empty a full magazine while trying to keep shots on target. Shots might be quicker and more frequent on a hog hunt, but still nowhere near fast enough to be impacted by the marginally greater muzzle rise of a lightweight rifle. For a hunter, the SFAR’s light weight outweighs (ha!) whatever drawbacks it imposes on rapid-fire controllability.

A hunter is usually more concerned about reliability than controllability, and I’m pleased to report that the SFAR performs well in that category. I used three different bullet weights and styles during the course of my testing, and even with a suppressor and no adjustments to the gas block, the rifle never failed to cycle–with one exception.

These 165-grain loads from Sig Sauer almost always produced a malfunction on the last shot in the magazine. The rifle cycled perfectly on every other shot, but after firing the second-to-last cartridge, the final cartridge would get stuck moving up the feed ramp. I didn’t experience the same malfunction with any other ammunition, so I assume the issue is related to the shape of those Sierra GameKing bullets. Something about the way those bullets interact with the feed ramp and the magazine causes that failure to load, and I’m sure all that fouling being pushed back by the suppressor doesn’t help.

If I decide to use that particular cartridge on a hunt, my first order of business will be to clean the rifle and swap out the magazine. If that doesn’t solve the problem, and for some reason it’s important to reload quickly after the last shot, I’ll have to use a different load or bullet.

Despite that hiccup, I was overall quite pleased with the SFAR’s reliability. I shot hundreds of rounds over the course of my testing, almost all with a suppressor, and I never cleaned it once. It still ran almost flawlessly, which is about all you can expect from a rifle like this.

Accuracy was the final component I was curious to test. I generally hold AR-type rifles to a lower standard than bolt-action hunting rifles, but if you want to take this gun into the field, it still needs to be consistent enough to harvest an animal ethically.

I shot five, three-shot groups from 100 yards using bags to support the front and rear of the rifle. Velocities were recorded with a Garmin Xero C1 chronograph, and the barrel was allowed to cool between groups.

A few things stood out to me that might not be obvious from the table. First, part of the reason the average group size hovers around one inch for the GameKing and match bullets is because both of those bullets produced at least one teeny, tiny group alongside the other groups that measured between 1.1 and 1.5 inches. Those small groups aren’t meaningless, but from my experience with this rifle, they’re more of an exception than a rule. A more realistic average for all three bullets is something closer to 1.3 inches than sub-MOA.

I still think that’s pretty darn good. The SFAR might not be winning any long-range competitions, but it’s more than capable of taking a deer or a hog or an elk at the distances you’re most likely to fire a shot. Your maximum range will depend on how much you practice and how much risk you’re willing to take, but thousands of animals have been killed with far less accurate rifles.

Plus, the SFAR will maintain that accuracy even after a long day chasing pigs. At the end of my testing, I shot 12 or 15 shots in rapid succession and then fired another three-shot group with the Sierra GameKing bullets. That group measured 1.3 inches, which is right in line with its average and a testament to how well it will perform even while being hot and covered in carbon (which is, incidentally, the name of my upcoming heavy metal album).

Once relegated to the fringes of the outdoor universe, AR-style rifles have earned a place in the blinds, deer camps, and ATVs of millions of hunters across the country. If you’ve been thinking about joining them but want something with a little more power than the .223 Rem., Ruger’s SFAR might be a good option. It’s lightweight, modular, and easy to shoot; it offers a great suite of features and is accurate enough to get the job done.

The problem is, your gun store can no longer order one from Ruger. I reached out to Ruger to ask why they stopped making the SFAR, and I heard good news and bad news. The bad news is that since Ruger acquired Kentucky-based Anderson Manufacturing, they've moved their AR-type rifle production to that facility. They've released a few new models, but the lightweight AR-10 hasn't been one of them.

The good news is that they hope to resurrect the SFAR in the future. I wasn't given a precise timeline, but I predict it'll be within the next few years. It might look a little different, but it will feature the same small frame as the SFAR, and will offer many of the same benefits to the hunter.

It's also more than possible to find an SFAR before they're gone. New models are still floating around at gun stores and online, and you can definitely find them on the used market. Hunting with an AR might not be your thing, and that's fine. But if you like the platform, Ruger's lightweight model is—and will be—worth a second look.

This week on the show I’m joined by Kip Adams, Chief Conservation Officer for the National Deer Association, to discuss the current state of whitetails in America, the most pressing issues facing deer and deer hunters at this moment, deer population and harvest trends, and much more.

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On this episode of In Pursuit with Rich Froning, we’ve got the guys from High Ground Beef Chips in the studio, Dillon Larson and Josh McCandless. It started with a problem that kicked it all off: finding real, lightweight nutrition on the move between deployments, long days, and no patience for filler ingredients. Dillon breaks down why they built High Ground as a meat chip: simple label, big protein, whole-food fuel that actually works in the backcountry.

From there, the conversation goes into why hunting/training with the boys can be a reset when life gets loud. We also get the meaning behind the name High Ground and their bigger goal: supporting Gold Star families and telling the stories that shouldn’t get forgotten.

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When it comes to calling coyotes, location is key. Where you call is probably more important than how you call. Coyotes survive by using their senses and the terrain to their advantage. Hunters who understand this consistently put more fur on the ground. Whether you hunt the rolling farmland of the Midwest, the dense pine thickets of the South, or the open sage flats of the West, you’ll need a good setup to make your stand count. Here’s a breakdown of landscapes you’ll encounter in coyote country and how to hunt them.

Coyote hunters tend to set up in open fields so they can see farther when calling. However, it isn't as simple as finding a large field, sitting down, and killing a coyote. Across much of the country, open fields serve as coyote travel corridors and feeding grounds. They provide hunters with clear shooting lanes and coyotes with easy opportunities to spot prey. Here are a few things to consider as you plan a stand for your next coyote hunt.

In open terrain, coyotes rely primarily on sight and wind. When they hear rabbit distress calls, fawn bleats, or coyote fights, they use open space for speed but hug edges for cover. Hunters should do the same. Avoid walking across wide open fields. Use cover to approach your setup or try to stay low while setting up your electronic caller.

From the Appalachians to the Midwest timber belts, wooded areas get overlooked. Most predator hunters believe you need to be in an open field, but wooded terrain can be one of the best spots to call aggressive coyotes into range.

Coyotes in wooded areas rely less on their sight, so call placement and wind awareness are important. Most encounters happen quickly and at close range. You’ll also have to adjust your call volume in wooded areas where sound tends to echo. You can always start low and work your way up.

Ag land is often the most reliable spot for coyote calling. Cattle pastures, grain fields, fencerows, and irrigation ditches often produce the best hunting and calling situations. Livestock farmers can be your best friend when scouting for areas where coyotes regularly hang out.

Farmland coyotes are opportunists. They've learned to move between livestock lots, feed piles, grain bins, and rodent-rich hayfields. Their routes become predictable, making these setups high-percentage spots.

From Wyoming through Nevada, endless sagebrush flats and rolling hills create some of the finest calling country in North America. The sheer size out West can be a drawback; a coyote might answer a call from a mile or more away. A few years ago, in western Oklahoma, I called in a coyote from over a mile away. My friend watched the coyote at a dead run for nearly ten minutes as it committed to the call. I eventually shot that coyote at fifty yards.

Western coyotes live in vast, open areas. Crank the volume up and try elevating your call if you can. Stay patient. High-visibility setups allow you to spot coyotes early and adjust your sequence accordingly.

Coyotes have adapted to the vastly different ecosystems of North America, but their patterns within those habitats remain the same. As long as you hunt with the wind, set up on edges, use terrain to your advantage, and dial in your call settings, you should have success. Coyotes may be unpredictable, but good setups just work no matter where you hunt.