The MeatEater Podcast – Ep. 776: Sea Otters, Skunks, and Brain Matter | MeatEater Radio Live!

Release Date: October 10, 2025
Host: Brody Henderson (with Steven Rinella, Corey Calkins, Phil, and guests Heather Duville & Guy Groenwald)

Overview

This high-energy, humor-filled episode circles the wild world of hunting, conservation, and outdoor culture, live from MeatEater HQ in Bozeman, MT. Co-hosted by Brody Henderson, Steven Rinella, and Corey Calkins, with guests Heather Duville (Our Way of Life, Sheds) and professional fur buyer Guy Groenwald, the crew dives into Alaskan indigenous traditions, surprisingly lucrative skunk hides, the ethics of hunting regulations, and practical field tips—all delivered with camaraderie, thoughtful debate, and the classic irreverence of the MeatEater crew.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Show Open and Banter (00:56–04:51)

• Live, but not really live: Brody explains this “live” show is pre-recorded because Phil is off to Buck Fest 2025, documenting the World Championships of Big Buck Hunter (02:36).
• Big Buck Hunter Debate: Steve shares a story about banning his kids from playing Big Buck Hunter for teaching “bad ethics.” His friend’s pizza shop would provoke him by giving the kids quarters to play anyway (03:34).
  • "I thought it taught bad ethics." – Steve Rinella [03:34]

2. “MeatEater's American History” Series: Hide Hunters (04:15–09:45)

• Upcoming audio book release: Steve previews "MeatEater’s American History: The Hide Hunters, 1865-1883." Focus: post-Civil War buffalo market hunting boom on the Great Plains.
• Skills & Controversy: While the hide hunters are maligned today, Steve notes their “incredible skill set” and sheer work ethic (06:00).
  • “You have to, begrudgingly if, even if doing so begrudgingly, you have to acknowledge just an incredible skill set.” – Steve Rinella [06:00]
• Era-jumping: Possible future volumes on Alaska’s fur boom or Roaring Twenties bird hunting.
• Would you go back?: Steve says he’d pick the hide hunter era—or Boone’s Cumberland Gap—if he could “hit the go button” on a time machine, marveling at the overlap between early market hunters and the modern world (07:55).
  • “There were hide hunters that killed 10,000 Buffalo and lived to see Playboy magazine published.” – Steve Rinella [08:29]

3. Heather Duville Interview: Tlingit Traditions and Subsistence (11:14–24:37)

Who is Heather Duville? (12:17)

• Tlingit name: Kink (Shankwedi clan, Eagle Wolf).
• Lives on ancestral lands in SE Alaska, practicing and passing on 10,000 years of heritage.

Key Topics

• Language and Command: Heather’s dogs only respond to Tlingit commands, to the amusement—and confusion—of the MeatEater team (13:52).
  • “Our dogs only know Tlingit commands, so they don’t know English.” – Heather Duville [13:52]
• Seasonal Life: After a summer of fish and hunting, fall is for quieting down and skills practice—like bark tanning hides. Heather proudly shows off her first deer hide, tanned and close-skinned for maximum utility (14:43–16:02).
• Hunting Ethics & Family: Story about learning by head-shooting deer, missing her first “body shot,” and the emotional weight of wounding an animal (16:17–18:23).
• Meat and Hide Use: Striving for full utilization—headshots save meat and hides, bones become soup, and a tradition of bark tanning with all-natural, earth-friendly materials.
• Media Representation: Her new MeatEater shows highlight indigenous perspectives and practical lessons, offering crucial exposure to Native youth—and plenty of humor courtesy of her dad ("...talks about having the runs in our first episode" [21:00]).
• New Fur Studio: Heather reflects on her new work shed built by friends—contrasting humble beginnings sewing everything by hand since age 12.

4. “Indefensible Laws” – Debatable Hunting Regulations (25:29–35:20)

Native-Resident-only Tags? (25:49)

• Corey proposes giving a small percentage of once-in-a-lifetime tags (moose, bighorn, etc.) to long-term state residents (suggested cutoff: 20 years).
  • “Some of these...tags maybe should be given to those native residents instead of just, you know, the folks who just moved in six months ago.” – Corey Calkins [26:12]

Blaze Orange Laws (29:04)

• Steve wants federal law to restrict hunter orange to a simple hat during general firearms season—no 400 square inches, no vests, no pink alternatives.
  • “Hunter’s orange laws, going forward: it’s a hat.” – Steve Rinella [30:16]
  • "You’re breaking the law...if you’re more than a hat, they’re going to deprive you of federal funding—schools, highways, nothing.” – Steve Rinella [31:21]

Does and Antelope Regulations (31:55)

• Brody’s controversial rule: ban shooting mule deer does (and maybe antelope does) everywhere except for limited crop-damage control, to stabilize fragile herds.
  • “Drought, winter kill—those species are always, like, one year away from disaster.” – Brody Henderson [32:13]
  • Steve and Corey recount days of easy antelope tags, but agree the population swings prove Brody’s point.

5. Guy Groenwald Interview: Skunk Hides, Fur Markets & Trapping Economy (35:47–52:09)

Skunk Fur Goes Premium (36:43)

• Guy reveals an unprecedented surge in skunk hide/tail value—once so unwanted that his company destroyed 20,000 skunk hides kept for 25 years (36:53).
  • “There was a time where...we destroyed like 20,000 skunk skins out of our freezer.” – Guy Groenwald [36:53]
• Why the demand? Orthodox Jewish “strimel” hats now use skunk tails for their long, stiff white fibers (41:11–42:30).
  • “It’s going for Hasidic strimels—the hats, the Jewish hats for Orthodox Jews.” – Guy Groenwald [41:19]

How Much? (45:40)

• Skunk tails pay $20–$50/each for prime, white-tipped specimens; novelty whole hides can fetch $15–$20.
• Cleaned tails are tacked/dried like furbearer pelts, with tips on using borax to prevent putrefaction.

Fur Market Outlook (48:33)

• Skunk prices likely to sit high “until trappers get too aggressive”; overall fur market improved versus last year (muskrat, mink, coon up, coyote still tough).
• $1,000 bobcats possible in the right regions.
  • “Bobcat market...pretty good on those as well.” – Guy Groenwald [51:57]

Conservation Angle

• Rising skunk harvest may benefit ground-nesting birds (by controlling mesopredators like raccoons, possums, and skunks themselves).

6. Hot Tip Off – Hunting Hacks and Solutions (54:09–60:14)

• Prize: Benchmade Meatcrafter 2.0, buffalo jerky, signed MeatEater calendar.
• Wisconsin edition finalists:
  • Ryan’s Hot Tip: Use a cordless drill and a bent tent stake to remove brain matter from deer skulls for legal state-line transport under CWD regs (55:35).
    • “Stick it in the back of the skull and your reamer out. It’ll come out in goops.” – Ryan [56:15]
  • Kevin’s Hot Tip: Dedicated “kill kit” in a vacuum-sealed bag (game bags, zip ties, gloves, hunting license) to keep pack organized and items dry (56:50).

Judging

• The crew unanimously picks Ryan’s brain-removal hack for its originality, practicality, and “pain in the ass, messy” problem-solving (59:51).
  • “Using the tent stake on a drill for the brain matter—that one was new to me.” – Corey Calkins [59:56]

7. Bonus Hot Tip – Husband/Dad Survival During Hunting Season (60:53–64:35)

• Ashley’s “Wife’s Perspective” Tip: Five steps for guilt-free hunting trips—
  1. Get her coffee.
  2. Clean the kitchen.
  3. Make lunch.
  4. Plan for dinner (thaw the meat).
  5. New activity for the kids.
• “She’ll never be mad at you for going out again because you still haven’t gotten [your deer].” – Ashley [62:25]
• Crew emphasizes clear communication and partnership: Do your chores, set up your spouse for success, and if you can, take all the kids with you (63:20).
  • “If you take all the kids with you, no one will ever get mad.” – Steve Rinella [63:25]

Memorable Quotes

• “There were hide hunters that killed 10,000 Buffalo and lived to see Playboy magazine published.” – Steve Rinella [08:29]
• “Our dogs only know Tlingit commands, so they don’t know English.” – Heather Duville [13:52]
• “It’s going for Hasidic strimels—the hats, the Jewish hats for Orthodox Jews.” – Guy Groenwald [41:19]
• “Hunter’s orange laws, going forward: it’s a hat.” – Steve Rinella [30:16]
• “You come home a hero every time [if you take the kids with you].” – Steve Rinella [63:26]
• “Stick it in the back of the skull and your reamer out. It’ll come out in goops.” – Ryan [56:15]
• “Get her coffee, clean the kitchen, make lunch, plan for dinner, new activity for the kids. You’ll never get in trouble.” – Ashley [62:25]

Important Timestamps

• 03:34 – Steve’s beef with Big Buck Hunter video game ethics
• 04:51–09:45 – Buffalo hide hunting & American history discussion
• 13:52–24:37 – Heather Duville interview: Tlingit hunting, bark tanning, and representation
• 25:49–35:20 – “Indefensible Laws” debate (residency tags, hunter orange, antelope/mule deer does)
• 35:47–52:09 – Guy Groenwald’s fur market insights, skunk boom explained
• 54:09–60:14 – Hot Tip Off (skull cleaning vs. vacuum-sealed kill kit)
• 60:53–64:35 – Ashley’s “Wife’s Tip” for harmonious hunting season at home

Episode Tone & Language

• Friendly, direct, and informal
• Signature MeatEater banter, including teasing, storytelling, and offbeat humor
• Conversation flows organically: discussions are frank, practical, and include self-deprecating quips

For Listeners Who Missed the Episode

This episode gives you:

• Indigenous Alaskan hunting wisdom and hide tanning tips,
• Inside stories behind iconic MeatEater audio projects,
• A rundown of controversial hunting law ideas (with a side of state pride),
• Hard numbers and cultural revelations about the bizarrely lucrative skunk pelt market,
• Thoughtful (and hilarious) solutions for field logistics and family balance,
• All while keeping conservation and outdoor heritage at the core.

If you want learning, laughter, and a peek at the future of wild food culture, Ep. 776 has it all.