This audio is an excerpt from one of 16 harrowing tales featured in "MeatEater's Campfire Stories: Close Calls." In the audio book, you'll hear from seasoned hunters, anglers, and outdoor professionals who share their tales of perilous adventures in the natural world, from run-ins with black bears...

You’ve got a sharp knife, a notched tag, and a big giant buck on the ground. Congrats on making it this far. Now the real work begins, it’s time to gut the deer. Here at MeatEater, we want to give you all that’s needed to make quick work of this important task. Here are the essential steps to...

By far, the most popular kind of hunting story that exists today is the first-deer story. To kill your first deer is a rite of passage, and a hunter will tell his story with the same degree of passion and mystery that most guys use to describe their first sexual encounter. Indeed, there are many...