We’ve officially launched my new podcast called the Bear Grease Podcast. This is MeatEater’s storytelling, history podcast about life lived close to the land. It’s an eclectic, documentary-style listen exploring things for forgotten but relevant, searching for insight in unlikely places, and telling...

There are two types of people in the South -- those who have seen mountain lions and those who haven’t. Supposedly extirpated from the South, the native species has lived on through backwoods lore and many believe they never left. Did they? Clay Newcomb explores the touchy topic by interviewing...

The Bear Grease Podcast with host Clay Newcomb delivers compelling storytelling through documentary-style episodes exploring the culture, traditions, and history of rural America. He’ll dive in deep with hunters, biologists, anthropologists, and hillbillies to learn about human nature and our...

The wingbone turkey call is a classic tool that’s as old as turkey hunting itself. These are a blast to make, fun to use, and most importantly, can help you kill a gobbler. Now that doesn’t mean I’ll be tossing out my Phelps Jake Brake or box call anytime soon. Using a crafted wingbone is like...

It seems like every southern state has adopted the raccoon baculum as their own. You may have heard it called the "Texas Toothpick," "Arkansas Toothpick," or "(insert your favorite state) Toothpick." Regardless of where it originated, the curved penis bone of the...

At some point while hunting, you might use an equine animal to access the backcountry. In this video, I’ll go over the basics for saddling a horse or mule. I’ll cover saddle prep, saddle placement, tightening saddle cinches, and the “safe zone” for not getting kicked.

I’m really passionate about the correct way to render bear fat. In this video, I’ll show you how to do it. The story of bear oil (or bear grease, as I like to call it) is rich with folklore. Some say it can cure baldness and arthritis. Others say you can use it to forecast the weather. Still more...

On a dark winter night in 1994, my best friend’s uncle taught me how to skin a raccoon using a short rope, two green sticks, and a knife. He emphasized getting green sticks just the right size and not cutting too shallow around the ears and eyes. He didn’t refer to it this way, but the method he...

In my experience, this is the best method for skinning squirrels, especially if they were killed with a shotgun or have a torn-up hide. I call it the “Batesville Method,” but a more descriptive name would be the dip-and-snip. First, dip the squirrel in water. This keeps most of the hair off the meat...

Mimicking the sound of bucks fighting can be an effective way to draw a buck in during any phase of the rut. In this video, I compare the volume of five different rattle calls to see which is loudest. Admittedly, volume isn’t the only thing that matters when it comes to rattling—realism is equally...