The MeatEater Podcast – Episode 762: EHD Reports and Competitive Birding | MeatEater Radio Live!
September 12, 2025
Host: Spencer (with Cal, Seth, and guests Owen Reiser, Kip Adams)
[Listen on MeatEater Podcast Network]

Overview of the Episode

This lively live episode brings MeatEater Radio to listeners with a focus on two major outdoor topics: competitive birding (the “Big Year”) and a region-by-region update on the concerning EHD (Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease) impacts on America’s deer herds. Hosted by Spencer and co-hosted by Cal and Seth at MeatEater HQ, the show balances in-depth discussion and expert interviews with their signature humor, throwbacks, outdoor gear reviews, and audience Q&A.

Main Segments and Highlights

1. Catch-Up and Prefall Prep (04:03–08:20)
   • Cal details his pre-season freezer clean-out and game processing marathon in preparation for an Alaska brown bear hunt, sharing anecdotes about the state of his wild game reserves.
   • The hosts riff about the ideal way to organize a hunter’s freezer, labeling woes, and pre-hunt stress.
   • Spencer jokes about everyone sporting mustaches in the studio.

     "We’ve hit our quota of mustaches on this show." – Spencer (08:20)

2. Interview: Owen Reiser on Competitive Birding and Listers Documentary (08:33–18:13)
   Owen Reiser, director of Listers: A Glimpse into Extreme Bird Watching, shares insights from his year-long “Big Year” adventure with his brother.

   Key Topics:

   • What’s a Big Year?: Owen explains the premise of listing as many bird species as possible nationally in one calendar year—an intense endeavor usually dominated by obsessives with substantial resources.

     “Most people doing a Big Year—they spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to look at little birds, which is, you know, insane. But we get it now.” – Owen (10:21)

   • Dirtbag Approach: Owen and his brother did it on a shoestring—camping in a minivan, living on public land, and crashing in Cracker Barrel lots 42 nights.
   • Birding Subculture & Drama:
     • Stringing: Falsely claiming rare bird sightings.
     • Swallow Gate: Notorious case of faked sighting, complete with forensic photo evidence, leading to blacklist and controversy.

     “There’s cheaters out there...they say you saw the bird and you didn't, or you exaggerate...built on honor system, right?” – Owen (13:01)

   • Bird Alerts & Tech: Discovery of eBird rare alerts, the rise in numbers, and use of the Merlin app for identification.
   • Favorite and Weirdest Sightings:
     • Favorite bird: Common nighthawk (“not a rare bird guy”).
     • Most unusual bird: Gray-collared becard near the Mexico border.
     • Oddest locale: Birding outside a women’s prison in New Mexico.
   • Bird Cops: Sightings get rejected by “the bird cops” (the eBird review community), especially for beginners.
   • Their Tally: 579 species—scoring 23rd place in the nation among 1.1 million eBird users.
   • Advice for Beginners:

     “Get the Merlin app...leave the bucket hat and vest at home.” – Owen (17:44)

   • Closing: Call-out to the Amish rare bird hotline—a surprising relic of grassroots birding.

3. Birding Chat & App Tricks (18:30–22:00)
   • The hosts swap stories about the Merlin app, using it to ID birds by sound (including personal attempts to trick the app with human-made calls).
   • Cal: “I just busted it out the other day because we had this group of hawks...they were like tearing squirrels and stuff open.” (19:50)
   • Seth: “That Merlin app is one of my favorite things ever. In spring when I'm turkey hunting, I'll just turn it on and see how many birds I can ID.” (20:50)
   • Discussion of the surprisingly robust community, citizen science aspect, and integrating birding into hunting.

4. Gear Talk (24:16–34:51)
   The team offers practical reviews:
   • Seth: Ski goggles—defense against blowing snow, dust, rain, and as essential gear for rough, cold, or windy environments (not just for skiers).
   • Cal: Phelps predator call (and elk cow calls)—demonstrates stopping and predator calls, and the importance of “variety in all things” when calling deer or predators.
   • Spencer: Gas cans—lamenting post-2009 regulations, crowd-sources recommendations for reliable cans.

     “If I was running for president, old gas cans would be my campaign. I think that issue alone would win me a few states.” – Spencer (35:06)

   • Lively sidebar on using “doggles” for bird dogs and battle scars from abrasive hunting cover.

5. Listener Q&A
   • Covers topics like chukar hunting in Montana, best venison breakfast sausage recipes, battery management for filming hunts, and most disappointing meat losses (CWD, freezer failure, predator strikes).
   • “The most disappointing by far—a prime rib roast and antelope lost in a college-kid’s unplugged freezer.” – Cal (39:10)
   • Pro tips on breakfast sausage (“Sage is the only ingredient that has to be there.” – Seth, 36:30), and maximizing battery life out in the field.

6. Throwback Thursday (43:02–52:00)
   Each host shares a photo and story from their outdoors past:
   • Cal: Memories of guiding, bear encounters, and dogs deep in the Bob Marshall wilderness.
   • Phil: Family fishing and camping on Taklak Lake—“I didn’t want to touch the icky fish.”
   • Spencer: Childhood encounters with snakes, now a confessed ophidiophobe.
   • Seth: Three generations on a Maine bass lake—growing up with action slacks, New Balance shoes, and classic catch-and-release.

7. EHD (Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease) Update with Kip Adams (54:53–63:49)
   In-depth, region-by-region update from National Deer Association’s Chief Conservation Officer.

   EHD 101:

   • Most common deer viral disease, transmitted by midges (no-see-ums), symptoms include fever and death near water, red eyes, swollen tongues, etc.
   • “When you start finding dead deer near water, that’s EHD season.” – Kip Adams (55:15)
   • Drought years with wet springs are especially dangerous: wet conditions boost midge populations, drought concentrates deer and vectors together.

   By Region:

   • Northeast: Record-early outbreaks, “set up to be a really, really bad year.” (58:53)
   • South: Endemic, deer more habituated, thus lower mortality despite annual outbreaks.
   • Midwest: Hundreds of deer dead in Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri—“worst so far in Ohio.” (61:48)
   • West: Idaho, Washington with confirmed cases, but typically less severe (mule deer, elk, pronghorn, bighorn also susceptible).
   • Aftermath: Surviving deer may show sloughing or growth interruptions in hooves; deer that recover are edible.

   What Can Hunters/Landowners Do?

   • Not much prevention is possible except management response. Recommendations: reduce antlerless harvest after severe local die-offs, “react not prevent.” (57:55)

   Science Outlook:

   • Research focuses on prediction models (drought, rainfall patterns) rather than a cure or vaccine.

8. Follow-up EHD Discussion
   The hosts share personal stories of encountering EHD die-offs, scent memories, and impacts on local deer populations.

   “I personally found probably 20 dead deer that summer...the smell—just brutal.” – Spencer (66:09)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments (with Timestamps)

• On Birding Culture:

  “We slept in a minivan, spent the whole year on public land, with the exception of 42 nights at Cracker Barrels...”
  — Owen Reiser (10:21)

• On Birding Cheating:

  “They dug into the metadata on the photo...matched the feather molt...they nab the guy, and he's kind of blacklisted.”
  — Owen Reiser, on Swallow Gate (13:00)

• On Gear Frustrations:

  “If I was running for president, old gas cans would be my campaign. I think that issue alone would win me a few states.”
  — Spencer (35:06)

• On Deer Disease:

  “Because of the droughts, deer are congregated...makes it way worse...the perfect breeding ground for these midges...”
  — Kip Adams (56:11)

• On Managing EHD:

  “There’s really nothing we can do to protect deer against it...”
  — Kip Adams (63:08)

• On Meat Loss Heartbreak:

  “...the most disappointing by far...a five bone rib roast...somebody unplugged the freezer—horrible gut punch.”
  — Cal (39:10)

Resource Recommendations

• Listers: A Glimpse Into Extreme Bird Watching (YouTube)
• Merlin Bird ID app (official recommendation for new birders)
• Danielle Prewitt’s “Only Venison Breakfast Sausage Recipe You’ll Ever Need” (MeatEater.com)
• MeatEater.com: How to Get Perfectly Crispy Skin on Game Birds (Danielle Prewitt)
• Fall Turkey Hunting Tips by Tony Peterson (MeatEater.com)
• National Deer Association: EHD information, CWD updates

Audience Tips and Q&A

• Keeping Camera Batteries Alive: Carry many spares; generators for basecamp charging.
• Backcountry Hunt Duration: Most hosts’ record is around 10–15 days, guided or solo.
• Gas Cans: Modern models are problematic; many prefer aftermarket replacement spouts or pre-2009 designs.
• Fall Turkey: “Find flock, break them up, call back in”; check Tony Peterson’s hunting tips.
• Lake Erie Fishing: Walleye is the classic target; both trolling and jigging are productive.

Closing Notes

• The MeatEater Christmas Tour and Tailgate Tour continue—details at themeateater.com/tour.
• In-depth CWD science episode is forthcoming, featuring Cal and top biologists.
• For more recipes, game care, and outdoors wisdom, visit MeatEater.com

Episode Takeaway:
This episode is a blend of entertaining stories and hard-hitting wildlife disease updates—a must-listen for anyone who cherishes wildlife and time in the field. Whether you’re prepping for hunting season, curious about competitive birding, looking to outwit EHD’s impacts, or just want advice on gear that works, this episode is packed with firsthand expertise, community insights, and a good dose of fun.