The MeatEater

In this episode of the Bear Grease podcast, host Clay Newcomb dives deep into the world of mules, mule skinners, and the quiet kind of backcountry wisdom you only earn from miles in the saddle. Alongside legendary Arizona cowboy and Bear Grease Hall of Famer, Warner Glen, and mule trainer and clinician, Ty Evans, Clay explores why serious mountain hunters trust mules over horses, and how their self preservation instinct can be a virtue. They also discuss what these tough, insightful animals can teach us about grit, leadership, and self-control.  

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Spencer Neuharth hosts MeatEater Trivia with Janis Putelis, Brody Henderson, Randall Williams, Seth Morris, Alyssa Smith, Cory Calkins, and Tressa Croaker.

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Last fall, Rodney Gilstrap took a plea deal and was sentenced following a multi-year investigation by Wyoming Department of Game & Fish (WDFG) wardens. Gilstrap’s charges stemmed from his residency—or lack thereof.

According to a press release, WDFG warden James Hobbs initially received an anonymous tip in 2019 that Gilstrap was falsely claiming Wyoming residency to acquire big game hunting tags there while living and working in Idaho Falls.

WDFG wardens coordinated with their counterparts in Idaho to execute a search warrant on his home there in March of 2022. They confiscated the antlers of four mule deer bucks, two bull elk, and one pronghorn. Further investigation found all the animals were taken in Wyoming, where Gilstrap had illegally purchased resident tags.

Gilstrap initially faced 22 charges for his wrongdoings, but took a guilty plea and was convicted for three counts of making false statements to procure Wyoming resident deer and elk licenses and three counts of killing deer and elk without the proper licenses. He was sentenced to serve 21days of incarceration and pay $10,000 in restitution and $17,905 in fines. He also forfeited the antlers of the animals from the search warrant and was suspended from hunting in Wyoming and any state in the Interstate Wildlife Violator Compact for 18 years.

A recent article in the Jackson Hole News & Guide details some of the specifics of the case, particularly that Gilstrap was considered “an aspiring hunting influencer” by WDFG wardens for regularly posting trophy shots of his kills on social media and that he had a Wyoming driver’s license and car registration at the time of the wildlife violations. He also rented a mobile home in Afton, Wyoming. But he never met the WDFG’s residency requirements, which include living there for one full year and then spending at least 180 days there each year after that. Gilstrap, however, was only in the state during the hunting season, according to Hobbs.

Gilstrap claims that he fully thought he was a Wyoming resident—and didn’t know he was breaking the law. “Playing dumb is not an excuse, and I know that. The fact that I didn’t do the research I should have, that’s on me,” he said, noting that he never considered himself an influencer, either. “I’ve posted a picture here and there of a deer, but I’m not a social media guy…why the hell would anybody in their right mind post a picture of something they shot if they were poaching?”

Regardless of intentions, Gilstrap’s case underscores the importance of understanding and abiding hunting regulations, including residency requirements. In fact, Gilstrap’s case isn’t the only one involving fraudulent residency claims in Wyoming; Meateater recently reported on an outfitting operation that falsified residency claims in the state and an influencer who failed to meet residency requirements. Western states often favor residents in big game draws and sell them far cheaper tags than nonresidents.

“This case shows the extent some poachers will go to circumvent Wyoming’s residency process to obtain over-the-counter general deer and elk licenses that nonresidents must have a minimum of 4-8 preference points to draw,” wrote a WDFG spokesperson in a possible explanation for Gilstrap’s illegal behavior. “Not only that, but Gilstrap killed four large buck mule deer over a 4-year period, ranging in antler size from 180 to 220 inches, and three large bull elk at the expense of Wyoming’s law-abiding hunters. The buck mule deer Gilstrap illegally killed would have been a once-in-a-lifetime harvest for most of Wyoming’s legal hunters.”

Feature image via WDFG.

Like no other western animal the coyote has been a central character in the Pleistocene West, the Native West, and the Frontier. One of the epic stories of the Modern West is how coyotes are transferring their own brand of western survivalism to the entire country. Despite a $500 million-dollar war to exterminate them, the coyote is in fact The Dude, and The Dude absolutely abides.

Thank you to our sponsor Velvet Buck.

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This week, Tony explores the topic of tree stand snacks, and explains why the right treat might just help you kill a buck outside of the rut.

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Among hunters, the backstraps have earned a high reputation. Aside from the tenderloins, they’re usually the cut that most people prize. We’ve all seen the grip n’ grin photos of a backstrap harvested in the field. If you’re like me, you’ve probably taken a few photos too. While this showpiece steak is visually impressive, I’m going to be honest: I don’t think it’s quite as good as people make it out to be. There are better steaks on a deer.

I used to think that the backstraps are the “prime cut” of a deer, elk, or antelope. They're fairly tender and large compared to other steaks, making them great for sharing. However, it’s not the best, or even second best.

For argument’s sake, we can all agree that the tenderloins got their name for a reason. Outside of that, the top round (or inside round) beats the backstrap any day. And, even more controversially, I also prefer the sirloin tip.

Why? It comes down to texture, grain, and cooking flexibility. The backstrap can be dense, and because it lacks a long grain line like the top round, it doesn’t offer the same natural tenderness when cooked. When the top round is handled properly and sliced against the grain, it delivers significantly more tender, satisfying meat than a backstrap. Check out this video for to make some delicious, tender venison fajitas with a top round.

The shape of the backstrap also presents its own challenges. It’s long and flat, and many people butterfly it to make it wider. I know I’m going to ruffle some feathers when I say this, but I’m not a fan of this method. It creates a thin steak, sometimes only half an inch thick, that easily overcooks! A thin backstrap will brown quickly on the outside while drying out in the center, which means you have to babysit it at the stove or on the grill to avoid overcooked, dry meat. By contrast, a big, thick steak from the top round or sirloin tip can be cooked with a little more margin for error, giving you a juicy, satisfying bite every time.

That said, I still enjoy eating the backstrap, especially when it’s turned into tartare. Its long shape makes it a great candidate for smoking whole, and it’s a good steak to share with friends and family. But in my opinion, it doesn’t quite live up to the hype as the ultimate steak.

So, if you’re weighing your options when breaking down a deer, don’t feel obligated to treat the backstrap as the crown jewel. Explore the other cuts—you might be surprised how satisfying they can be. Sometimes, the unsung cuts are the ones that leave the most lasting impression at the table.

Brent Reaves heads to Kansas to help a rancher with a predator problem. Joining Brent in the Sunflower State is decoy dog hunter, Jeff Writer, and Kansas Wildlife Extension Specialist, Drew Ricketts. The objective is to use predator calls to catch a coyotes attention, then Jeff's talented duo of decoy dogs lure them into rifle range. Presented by Magpul

This week on the show, Cal covers the tragic tale of a hunting safari gone wrong, new crossbow rules in the Empire State, and a proposal in Oregon to ban hunting.

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Steven Rinella talks with Kevin Murphy, Seth Morris, and Max Barta.

Topics discussed: Fruit cakes; get ready for two drops per week from Steve and The MeatEater Podcast!; finding a mastadon's tusk in the shape of a penis; making a solution of fox piss, rain water, valerian root, and ore; cutting old growth; taking furs to the auction; human monogamy at the level of meerkats and beavers; how hazelnut butter could be the downfall of grey squirrels in the UK; traces of plant poison on projectile points dating back 60,000 years; join Kevin Murphy to plant cypress trees; and more. 

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In Canada, a proposed policy change could remake recreational fishermen’s abilities to target salmon in British Columbia. The country’s fisheries management agency, Fisheries and Oceans Canada (referred to as “DFO”), is reviewing a salmon-allocation policy that’s been in place since 1999, and up for consideration are two changes that could limit anglers’ abilities to fish for iconic Chinook and Coho salmon in the province.

The first proposal, in essence, seeks to strip the designation of salmon as a public resource from the policy, while the second aims to restructure harvest priorities, putting recreational angling at the bottom of the list.

MeatEater spoke with Jesse Zeman, Executive Director at the BC Wildlife Federation, to understand what’s at stake. With regards to the first proposal, Zeman explains that the designation of salmon as a “common property resource” in Canada is essentially equivalent to the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation. It means the public owns the fish, and they’re managed in trust by the federal government. Stripping that language from the federal policy would breach that trust agreement.

“If salmon are no longer identified as a common property resource owned by all Canadians, then who owns them?” Zeman asks. “And who decides who gets to go fishing? And if they’re no longer a common property resource, then our right to fish, which is hundreds of years old, disappears. So this is a major, major, major issue for licensed anglers here in Canada.”

Surprisingly, the main proponents of the change are the Canadian First Nations, or tribes. Last month, DFO released a document highlighting various perspectives and rationales behind the proposals, noting that First Nations are concerned about the “common property resource” being a colonial concept that has been harmful to both the fish and tribal ways of life. The rationale continues, “First Nation representatives have also indicated that DFO’s management of fisheries (e.g. licensing of harvesters and fisheries opening/closures) has largely replaced the ‘common property resource’ and that what is described in the 1999 policy is no longer relevant, nor serves a useful purpose.”

An important detail here is that in Canada, tribes are constitutionally granted priority rights to fish for food, social, and ceremonial purposes (per section 35). The general public’s right to fish, however, is not in the constitution, and is therefore more tenuous. Rather, the public’s right to fish dates back to an 1868 law, the Fisheries Act, which introduced the idea of salmon as common property, bringing about the common-law right to fish for them as a result.

“If the government of Canada is saying these fish are not owned by Canadians, then your right to fish disappears as well. And so then fishing becomes a privilege as opposed to a right,” summarizes Zeman.

To add a second piece to the puzzle, DFO is considering another proposal—lobbied by First Nations and the country’s Commercial Salmon Advisory Board—to remove priority for recreational fishing over commercial fishing for Chinook and Coho salmon.

Currently, the allocation framework gives recreational anglers the first shot at both species, with commercial fishing only when abundance permits. The proposal would flip that structure around, adding catch limits or caps for sport fishermen to allow for more commercial harvest, especially in years with subpar salmon runs.

Doing so would be a huge hit to the sportfishing industry, which, according to Zeman, generates 9,100 jobs and is worth about $1.3 billion a year in British Columbia. On top of that, he says, the recreational angling sector has dedicated funding mechanisms for conservation projects (fish hatcheries, habitat improvement, research, etc.) by way of license fees. “Anglers do the conservation work and salmon enhancement all over the province of British Columbia,” he said. “If we get rid of fishing, we get rid of the fish ultimately, because all these conservation pieces that we put in place and volunteer and donate to—those are going to disappear.”

While a restructuring of salmon allocation wouldn’t mean an immediate end to salmon fishing, it could be a slippery slope. Fishing lodges might have trouble booking clients if there are harvest caps in place or uncertainty in terms of fishing seasons. Individual anglers could see local waters closed until the commercial fleets working offshore have caught their portion of the catch.

The good news for anglers in the province, however, is that there’s still time to make their voices heard. The public feedback period is over, but DFO now plans to meet with stakeholder groups over the next several months. To that end, the BC Wildlife Federation is leading the charge by kicking off a series of town halls across the province. Keep your eyes peeled for local meetings on their website.

Ultimately, the final policy decisions will be up to the Prime Minister, which means the focus of sportsmen’s groups will be on finding support within parliament and growing public awareness. The decisions made in the next few months could have wide-reaching impacts on Canadian sportsmen.