Podcast Summary: The Daily – "Eating What You Kill This Thanksgiving"

Date: November 27, 2025
Host: Michael Barbaro
Guest: Steven Rinella ("MeatEater")
Location: Bozeman, Montana

Overview

In this poignant Thanksgiving Day episode, host Michael Barbaro ventures out of his urban comfort zone to join famed hunter, author, and conservationist Steven Rinella in Montana. The episode explores the philosophy, ethics, and practical experience of hunting and consuming wild game, offering listeners a deeply personal window into a lifestyle far removed from supermarket shopping. The episode moves from reflections on the history and meaning of hunting, to a vivid on-the-ground duck hunt, and finally, a communal meal prepared from the day's harvest.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Origins and Philosophy of Hunting

• Steven Rinella’s Background:

  • Grew up in rural Michigan in a family with deep hunting roots stemming from his father's post-WWII experiences.

    “My dad was raised by Italian immigrant grandparents ... he fought in World War II ... when they came home, that's just what they did.” (06:34)

  • From childhood, hunting was not a choice but a way of life—practiced, not questioned.
  • Early reading inspired a fascination with the history and ethos of hunting:

    "I would check [hunting books] out at the library, and then I'd recheck it out ... If you went to that book now and found that in the Twin Lake Library, it’d be just my name again and again." (10:17)

• Integration with Conservation:

  • As a teen, conflated environmentalism with animal rights activism, viewing both as threats to hunting.
  • Came to realize, through exposure to wildlife management and conservation texts like Aldo Leopold's Sand County Almanac, that hunters are integral stewards of the land.

    "[Leopold] introduces this idea ... that the days of us being conquerors and destroyers had to end.” (15:12)
    "We're going to interact ... are we going to do this in a way that strengthens the integrity of these natural systems or ... destroys these systems?" (15:57)

2. The Emotional Experience of Hunting

• Ethics and the "Gift of Life":

  • Barbaro reads a passage from Rinella’s book describing the intense, evolutionary focus and existential meaning experienced in the act of hunting.

    "In that moment of impending violence and death, you are gifted a beautiful glimpse of life." (19:52, Barbaro quoting Rinella)

  • Rinella discusses how, especially when hunting as an adult for the first time, this is often a cathartic and emotional moment—even bringing tears.

    "It's cathartic. People cry ... Something is clicking with them about cycles of life and death." (20:20)

  • Hunting seen not as violence but as a cycle, deeply connected to human ancestry and survival instincts.

• Contrast with Modern Food Systems:

  • Rinella argues that humans are disconnected from death and life cycles in industrial food systems.

    "Would you rather ... live the life of something born on a slab of concrete ... or ... be unaware, then one day just—pow, lights out in the woods?" (23:00) "That wild life is more beautiful and that wildlife is better." (24:06)

  • There is a "virtue" in consuming wild animals that lived freely, as opposed to those from industrial farms.

    "There's virtue in consuming an animal that has lived a rich and full and varied life on their own terms." (24:19)

3. Hunting as Civilization and Identity

• Human History:

  • Barbaro: "To abhor hunting is to hate the place of which you came, which is akin to hating yourself in some distant, abstract way." (25:15)
  • Rinella: Humanity is fundamentally hunting-centric for most of its existence, only recently moving away from hunting as a necessity.

    "If you brought someone from outer space ... the outer space person would look and be like, man, they're mostly hunters. Well, not lately. Right?" (25:26)

  • The decline of hunting is tied to population growth, agriculture, and changing landscapes.

    “If every American tomorrow went out and killed a deer, it'd be a real problem ... It became impossible.” (27:03)

• Misconceptions about Hunters’ Role in Conservation:

  • Purchase of hunting licenses funds conservation.

    "By buying my hunting licenses and participating in things I participated in—we saved American wildlife." (28:12)

  • Hunters feel misunderstood, deserving greater recognition for their stewardship.

4. The Duck Hunt: Experiencing the Harvest Firsthand

• Pre-dawn Preparation:
  • Barbaro, Rinella, and crew set out at 5AM to Mark Pierce’s managed wetlands for a duck hunt, reflecting on anticipation and tradition.

    "There's always an anticipation of what's going to happen ... It's like asking a question, you know, waiting for the answer." (35:44)

• Technical Aspects:
  • Steve and Max Bardow set up decoys, explain regulations (e.g., gun plug limits), and prepare the hunting blind.
• Camaraderie and the Act of Hunting:
  • The first legal duck is shot as dawn breaks, followed by a morning of collective focus, patience, and shared jokes.

    "[Holding a freshly-shot duck] I feel connected to this thing. ... I feel connected to it in a way that's kind of hard to explain." (46:19, Barbaro) "It's beautiful, it's sad ... I just feel connected to this thing." (46:24)

5. Processing and Eating the Harvest

• Butchering and Cooking:

  • Rinella walks Barbaro through the process of plucking, cleaning, and cooking the ducks, with family participation.

    "You're the only person ever touched it. No one's ever touched that except us." (57:21)

  • Various wild game dishes are prepared, including black bear, wild turkey, Canadian goose, and freshly-duck, explaining each step and flavor.

    "Tastes like lamb or beef ... you never flag it as unusual." (56:20, on black bear)

• The Meal:

  • The communal table is described as “a remarkable bounty,” light on veggies but heavy on meaning and accomplishment.

    "It's extremely gratifying to consume food that you yourself have participated in." (56:50, Barbaro)

• Reflections:

  • Barbaro expresses newfound intimacy and gratitude for food hunted, butchered, and eaten in a full-cycle experience.

    "It's like I feel a certain level of possessiveness over this food I don't think I've ever felt before. It's not anonymous.” (57:28, Barbaro)

  • Rinella: “You get really weird or weird to your family about it and everything. There's a thing that happens.” (57:41)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the Link Between Hunting and Conservation:

  "Elder Leopold was speaking to the people that are going to interact with the systems. He introduced people to the idea of ecology, that natural systems rely on all of their parts." – Steven Rinella (15:57)

• On the Emotional Weight of Hunting:

  "Almost to the person, it's cathartic. People cry. ... Something is clicking with them about cycles of life and death." – Steven Rinella (20:20)

• On the Morality of Wild vs. Industrial Meat:

  "That wild life is more beautiful and that wildlife is better." – Steven Rinella (24:06)

• On Human Identity and Hunting:

  "If you brought someone from outer space ... [they’d say] man, they're mostly hunters. Well, not lately. Right?" – Steven Rinella (25:26)

• On Consuming Your Own Harvest:

  "You're the only person ever touched it. ... No one's ever touched that except us." – Steven Rinella (57:21)
  "It's like I feel a certain level of possessiveness over this food I don't think I've ever felt before." – Michael Barbaro (57:28)

• On the Experience of the Hunt:

  "Every cast, like you're asking a question, you know, waiting for the answer." – Steven Rinella (35:44)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Steven Rinella’s Early Life and Hunting Origins
  05:31 – 06:54

• Hunting, Conservation, and Philosophy
  10:09 – 17:21

• Morality, Remorse, and the Meaning of Hunting
  19:52 – 24:43

• Critique of Modern Meat Consumption
  23:00 – 24:43

• Hunting’s Decline and Human History
  25:15 – 28:12

• Duck Hunting—Preparation and Philosophy
  34:04 – 41:32

• In the Blind: The Hunt Unfolds
  41:32 – 47:37

• Processing and Cooking the Ducks
  49:15 – 53:15

• Meal and Final Reflections
  55:24 – 57:41

• Conclusion and Thanks
  57:52 – 58:08

Tone & Atmosphere

The episode is warm, contemplative, and unexpectedly emotional. Michael Barbaro brings an open curiosity, often humble and a bit hesitant about the hunting world. Steven Rinella is thoughtful, unpretentious, and evangelical in his love for hunting, but always rooted in respect for the animals and the land. The camaraderie of the hunt, the messiness of plucking birds, and the satisfaction of a meal hard-won give the episode a quietly profound and grateful tone—fitting for Thanksgiving.

Takeaway

For those unfamiliar with hunting, this episode serves as a thoughtful introduction to the ethics, complexities, and satisfactions of truly "eating what you kill"—and a reminder of the often-invisible origins of the food on our table. The conversation challenges stereotypes of hunters, reframes hunting as an act of stewardship and gratitude, and offers listeners the vicarious experience of being physically and emotionally present in the journey from field to fork.

Happy Thanksgiving.

(All quotes and timestamps are provided in MM:SS format, reflecting key moments and original language as heard on the episode.)