MeatEater

Steven Rinella charters a float plane to drop off on a remote lake in Alaska's coastal rainforest for a solo Sitka blacktail deer hunt. With challenging terrain, thick fog, and incessant rain, finding a buck won't be easy. But if Steve connects on a Sitka blacktail, he'll celebrate with a camp meal of rock-pounded tenderloin.

As summer turns to fall, Steve heads into the backcountry of Alaska's Chugach Range. The bears here are on a quest to fatten up on high elevation blueberries before they hibernate for the winter. Steve will need to hike into steep, rugged terrain to find a fat black bear and some of the finest tasting meat available to the American hunter.

For a waterfowler's dream hunt, Steven Rinella joins his friend, wildlife biologist Brandt Meixell, on a remote trip to some untouched Alaska wetlands in search of ducks and geese. With a spread of decoys and a loyal retriever, they try to get their limit and fill their bellies with willow-spit roasted whole duck.

Every year, a handful of hunters draw a mountain goat permit to hunt the Mills Creek region of Alaska's Kenai Peninsula. Steven Rinella holds one of the permits this year, and he and his brother Danny backpack into the mountains, into rugged country they've never seen, in hopes of finding a Billy goat.

On this trip, Steve travels to the Sacramento Valley in central California in search of a new challenge and seriously good food. 300 years ago Spanish settlers let a handful of pigs loose in order to turn acorns into bacon, and today Steve is hunting the feral descendants of those pigs. If he's successful in finding a wild boar, Steve will prepare a backcountry gourmet feast of pork loin.

With a trio of cantankerous, spit-hurling pack llamas, Steven Rinella, his brother Matt, and good friend Matt Moison camp and hunt the badlands of Eastern Montana for mule deer. Freezing cold temperatures and unforgiving topography add to the already-challenging job of finding a giant mule.

Steven Rinella heads into the mountainous desert backcountry of west Texas after Barbary sheep, or Aoudad. These introduced sheep from North Africa are hard to find and harder to hunt. Challenged by the harsh environment, rugged terrain, and elusive sheep, Steve finds this hunt to be one of the most difficult he has ever undertaken.

Steven Rinella takes to the canyons of the West Texas desert in search of javelina. In this broken, rocky terrain finding these unique critters isn't easy and getting a clear shot on a skunk pig with a bow is a whole other story. But Steve is inspired by the evidence of he finds of ancient hunters that used the area to prepare a meal that honors both the animal and our hunting ancestors.

Steven Rinella heads to Wisconsin to spend a few days on his buddy's historical family farm to hunt small game and whitetails in the famed Driftless area. There's plenty of action and tasty wild game meals like Grilled Butterfly Venison Steaks and Hassenpfeffer rabbit stew.