Back 40 Episode 4: The Farm’s First Deer Hunt

With the preseason commotion on the property now behind me, I can finally start deer hunting. After kicking off the season with little action, I welcome the first guest to hunt the farm. Luke Macauley is a professor and cooperative extension specialist at UC Berkeley, an unlikely spot to find a guy who is thinking about hunting and habitat fragmentation. Macauley’s recent research has taken steps toward proving what I’ve always believed: This...

Back 40 Episode 8: Cal Hunts the Farm

After five months of dedication to the Back 40, every corner of the property is connected to a lesson. Luckily, there’s still one more chance to capitalize on everything learned this year. Joining me for the final hunt of the season is Ryan Callaghan and his good friend Anna Borgman, a first-time hunter who grew up in a small town in Oregon. Anna is a part of a program called the Good Meat Project where she teaches butchering classes and promotes...

Back 40 Episode 7: Recovering “The Wide Eight”

After a long season on the property, I finally get a payoff with “The Wide Eight.” I also gets to share it all with my father and go on a special hunt with him. After an unsuccessful few days of hunting the property, we reflect on our family’s love for whitetails and two frantic weeks of rut hunting. There will be more twists and turns on this property, but killing this buck will be a high note. We’ll be looking back on this one for quite a while...