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Spencer Neuharth
Spencer Neuharth
Spencer Neuharth is the senior hunting editor at MeatEater, producer of Wired to Hunt, and founder of Rut Fresh. His writing has been featured in over a dozen magazines, including Field & Stream, Petersen's Hunting, and Men's Journal. His work is a reflection of his roots as a whitetail hunter and training as a biologist.

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Wildlife Management

Fact Checker: Will a Mother Bird Abandon Her Baby If You Touch It?
Myths, lies and old wives’ tales loom large in the outdoor pursuits. Here at MeatEater, we’re dedicated to separating facts from bullsh*t, so we created this series to examine suspect yarns. If there’s a belief, rumor, or long-held assumption you’d like us to fact check, drop us a note at factchecker@themeateater.com. 
Claim
If you find a baby bird that has fallen from its nest, you shouldn’t put it back. Touching a baby bird will stain it with a...

Wildlife Management

Ask a Warden: What Bag Limit do People Most Often Exceed?
In our series Ask a Warden, we interview officers from across the country to learn about their role in protecting our game, fish, public lands, and other resources. In this edition, we asked officers from West Virginia, Minnesota, and Arizona what bag limit is most often exceeded.
When a shared resource is depleted by individuals acting independently and according to their own self-interest, you have what is known as the tragedy of the commons...

Wildlife Management

Ask a Warden: What Guns Do You Carry?
In our series Ask a Warden, we interview officers from across the country to learn about their role in protecting our game, fish, public lands, and other resources. In this edition, we asked officers from South Dakota, Texas, and Colorado what guns they carry.
Conservation officers have a unique job that’s unlike most other law enforcement. From staking out serial poachers to running down stolen vehicles, routine patrols just aren’t all that...

Wildlife Management

Ask a Warden: What’s the Highest Scoring Animal You’ve Confiscated?
In our series Ask a Warden, we interview officers from across the country to learn about their role in protecting our game, fish, public lands, and other resources. In this edition, we asked officers from Oklahoma, Alaska, Kentucky, and Wisconsin about the highest scoring animals that they’ve ever seen poached.
As our friend Pat Durkin likes to say, “Deer make people stupid.” For some outdoorsmen, that means crossing a deep creek without waders...

Wildlife Management

Ask a Warden: Have You Ever Written a Citation to a Friend?
In our series Ask a Warden, we interview officers from across the country to learn about their role in protecting our game, fish, public lands, and other resources. In this edition, we asked officers from West Virginia, Minnesota, Georgia, and Arizona if they’ve ever ticketed a friend or family member.
A friend of mine who’s a warden started his career in the corner of the state opposite where he grew up. He says state agencies are...

Wildlife Management

Ask a Warden: Are Most Officers Avid Hunters and Anglers?
In our series, Ask a Warden, we interview officers from across the country to learn about their role in protecting our game, fish, and other resources. In this edition, we asked officers from Ohio, California, Alabama, and Montana if most wardens are avid hunters, trappers, and/or anglers.
During my five years with the South Dakota Game, Fish & Parks, and U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, I worked with some wardens that were great guys, but...

Wildlife Management

Fact Checker: Can a Christmas Tree Give You Lyme Disease?
Myths, lies and old wives’ tales loom large in the outdoor pursuits. Here at MeatEater, we’re dedicated to separating facts from bullsh*t, so we created this series to examine suspect yarns. If there’s a belief, rumor, or long-held assumption you’d like us to fact check, drop us a note at factchecker@themeateater.com.
Claim
Some Christmas trees have dormant ticks and tick eggs that will hatch in your home. Those ticks can carry Lyme disease...

Wildlife Management

Ask a Warden: What’s the Most Common Injury You See?
In our new series, Ask a Warden, we’ll be interviewing officers from across the country to learn about their role in protecting our game, fish, and other resources. In this edition, we asked officers from Minnesota, West Virginia, and Arizona what injury they deal with most is.
I’ve buried hooks in my hands and slipped coming out of treestands, but nothing has warranted a 911 call yet. Odds are if something did happen, a warden would be the...

Wildlife Management

Ask a Warden: What Day Do You Write the Most Tickets?
In our new series, Ask a Warden, we’ll be interviewing officers from across the country to learn about their role in protecting our game, fish, and other resources. In this edition, we asked officers from Kentucky, Wisconsin, Alaska, and Oklahoma about what day of the year they write the most citations.
The South Dakota Game, Fish & Parks recently posted on Facebook that a check station for pheasant and duck hunters resulted in a 5...

Wildlife Management

Ask a Warden: What’s the Craziest Thing You’ve Done to Catch a Poacher?
In our new series, Ask a Warden, we’ll be interviewing officers from across the country to learn about their role in protecting our game, fish, and other resources. In this edition, we asked officers from California, Ohio, Montana, and Alabama about the lengths they’ve gone to catch poachers.
Conservation officers deal with a lot of unique characters in a lot of unique environments. As one warden put it during an interview for this series, “There...