The MeatEater Podcast – Ep. 820

"Skunks Ruin A Marriage and Colorado’s Wolf Plan In Trouble"
Host: Steven Rinella | Date: January 12, 2026

Episode Overview

In this lively episode, Steven Rinella and the MeatEater crew dive into a grab bag of wild stories and hot-button conservation topics from across North America. The team serves up their trademark mix of irreverence, humor, deep outdoor knowledge, and passion for wildlife management. Major segments include a viral skunk-trapping marital dilemma, the fraught situation surrounding Colorado’s controversial wolf reintroduction program, Florida’s evolving bear hunt, and the complexity of Alaska’s subsistence hunting rights. Along the way, the crew pulls in tales of seafood heists, listener mail, mountain lion encounters, and much more—peppered with memorable banter, quips, and unfiltered opinions.

Main Discussion Points & Insights

1. Opening Banter: The Social Media Deer Processing Rant

[02:16 - 08:37]

• Randall relates a wild Facebook post by a disgruntled deer hunter upset about rising deer processing fees (“$185 bucks for 30 packs of meat…”), blaming everything from “Sleepy Joe” (i.e., President Biden) to greedy processors. The post devolves into classic internet flame wars: welding insults, “your mom” jokes, and tough-guy posturing.
• The crew riffs on why people turn to social media for grievances:

  “How is a Facebook post not asking the peanut gallery?” – Steven Rinella [05:39]
  "Humans are full of contradictions." – Randall [05:41]

• Phil discusses when and what to “bleep” out on air, leading to more quips about “balls” and banter over standards.

2. Previewing Today’s Agenda: A Packed News Day

[08:48 - 09:37]

• Steve previews “a lot to cover”—from Florida’s bear hunt to Colorado wolves, Massachusetts lobster heists, Canadian hunting heartwarmers, jaguars in Arizona, Alaskan goats, and, most tantalizingly, “a desperate plea about skunks ruining a marriage.”

3. Listener Mail: A Canadian Hunter Gets Help

[11:42 - 13:44]

• A young Alberta hunter previously featured as "down on his luck" is the center of a new story: after appearing on MeatEater, Canadian listeners reach out to support him—demonstrating the warmth and camaraderie of Canadian hunting circles.
• Notable letter:

  “Our group would love to take him in and help him out. Please forward him my info…” – Steve Van Brunt, Calgary Fish and Game Association [12:54]

4. Corrections Segment Launch

[13:44 - 23:29]

• Steve proposes a formal “Corrections” segment, inspired by “the era of misinformation.” They describe wanting accountability—listeners are encouraged to submit corrections, but “bring receipts,” not just disagreements.
• Notable quote:

  “You gotta bring the receipts. You gotta show your work…” – Steven Rinella [17:46]

• The team reminisces about stringent fact-checking on NYT’s Daily podcast (“Those suckers fact check what the guest says!” — Steven [15:17]) and debate how to systematize (possibly with jingles).
• Two corrections detailed:
  • Meat scientist Chris Calkins corrects their use of a meat shear test on raw crane/ribeye (“hardly any relationship between shear force of raw vs. cooked meat”) [21:13]
  • Clarification about Arizona’s jaguar management: contrary to claims, the state wildlife agency has been supportive and active in jaguar conservation.

5. Alaska Conservation Fundraisers & Raffle Insights

[26:13 - 34:57]

• The crew discusses ongoing Alaska raffle tags for mountain goat and bison hunts, highlighting how the money directly funds wildlife research (notably mountain goat collaring studies).
• Quirky moment: “I’m in the mix... I bought four for 75. I’m going to get back in.” — Steven [32:25]
• Explains the unique challenges and opportunities for non-resident hunters in Alaska.

6. Listener Mail: 'Skunks Ruined My Marriage'

[35:30 - 44:32]

• Bryce from Oklahoma writes in: he and his son are trapping skunks for the $20-30/Oklahoma fur market, but it’s destroying home harmony:

  “My wife broke down in tears and proceeded to tell me she can’t live like this anymore… tired of my truck and the garage smelling like a skunk.” [36:00]

• The team debates solutions—outbuildings, seasonal tolerance, better compartmentalization of skunk activities.
• Steve relays the classic tale of sensory acclimation:

  “…You, my friend, might be acclimated... to the skunk smell.” [39:21]

• Phil weighs in on the value of piano lessons vs. skunk trapping (“Skunks are black and white. Pianos are black and white...” [44:09]).

7. Wildlife Crimes: The Massachusetts Lobster Heist

[45:04 - 51:11]

• The crew covers a series of high-profile seafood thefts in Massachusetts, including the theft of 40,000 pounds of lobster meat ($400K in value) using sophisticated trucking and cyber-crime tactics:

  “You’re stealing lobster…unmarked stuff, very easy… hard to track, easy to move…” – Steven [45:55]

• Jokes fly about aspiring to black-market lobster prices, the movie-worthy nature of these thefts, and comparisons to classic heist films.

8. Florida Bear Hunt: Policy, Quotas, and Sabotage

[54:23 - 61:09]

• Steve revisits Florida’s chequered modern bear hunting history:
  • Open quota hunts led to overshooting harvest targets, which then incited backlash and halted hunts.
  • Recent tag-lottery was subverted by animal rights activists who applied for bear tags en masse and didn’t use them, resulting in reduced harvest.

  “They create a scenario and then they use that scenario…to turn around and use it against the wildlife manager.” — Steven [59:33]

• The irony of activists both funding agencies by buying licenses and then using low harvests to lobby against future hunts gets a full airing.

9. Federal Subsistence Debate in Alaska

[61:33 - 70:23]

• A deep-dive (with promises of a dedicated future episode): Who should have access to federal subsistence rights in Alaska?
  • Explains how federal subsistence differs from state-level rules.
  • Current controversy: The federal board granted Ketchikan, a well-developed town, “federal subsistence status”—much to the shock of Alaskan hunters because of its urban amenities (Walmart, Starbucks, airport, etc.).

  “You’re saying you people rely on a subsistence lifestyle and should be granted subsistence harvest authority…how in the world can you live in a town with a Walmart… and claim to be reliant on subsistence?” — Steven [68:23]

10. Mountain Lion Attacks: Rare but Newsworthy

[73:42 - 79:43]

• Discussion of a fatal mountain lion attack on a hiker near Estes Park, CO—first in Colorado this century.
  • Expands into a discussion on changing human-wildlife tolerance, rare but notable attacks in other states, and whether increased coexistence with predators brings unintended risks.

  “If we covered people getting zapped by lightning, like we always cover people getting killed by wild animals, we’d have much more coverage.” – Steven [75:05]

• Anecdotes and banter on hiking, biking, and bear/lion encounter stories.

11. Colorado’s Wolf Reintroduction Program in Crisis

[83:06 - 95:16]

• Brody (“reporting from the wolf desk”) unpacks escalating federal intervention in Colorado’s wolf reintroduction, which faces:
  • Federal threats to take over management or halt the project if compliance lapses.
  • Issues with source populations (outside/wrong regions), recordkeeping, and livestock kills.
  • Politics: The overlay of state/federal friction, historic beefs between state/federal officials (“Trump…has beefs with a lot of governors…”, [87:00]), and inter-state resistance to providing wolves.
  • Unattainable goals: CO aims for “30-50 wolves” but has no mechanisms for population control, leading to suspicions that the true carrying capacity (hundreds) will be reached unchecked.

  “You are baiting… You don’t have a pathway to any kind of control…there’s no way in the state of Colorado…you’ll ever stop at that [30-50 wolves]…” — Steven [93:07]

• Brody and Steve agree that political and management structures make most population targets meaningless in practice.

12. National Wolf and Grizzly Management Politics

[95:32 - 104:08]

• Steve draws analogies to international politics, arguing that persistent blocking of reasonable delisting proposals (for wolves, grizzlies, etc.) will eventually provoke blanket federal actions to the detriment of nuanced policy.

  “You shoot yourself in the foot by being unreasonable all the time.” — Steven [98:40]

• (Tangential foray into international law, legality, and overreaching analogies—Steve notes he’s “tiptoed out of [his] area of expertise.”)

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On audience feedback and fact-checking:

  “I want corrections so bad that we’re going to reward corrections!” – Steven Rinella [15:25]

• On the tension of the Florida bear hunt:

  “The animal rights community says: we’re going to…apply for all these tags and then don’t hunt them. What does the animal rights community say? The lack of success these hunters had goes to show there aren’t enough bears…” – Steven Rinella [59:33]

• Skunk fur market impacts:

  “I came home last night…after a good trap line check and my wife broke down in tears…she’s tired of my truck and the garage smelling like a skunk.” – Listener Bryce [36:00]

• On the Alaska subsistence controversy:

  “Now the guy who owns the grocery store is now federal subsistence…taking a full-on city… and saying you people rely on a subsistence lifestyle…” – Steven Rinella [67:47]

• On Colorado’s wolf politics:

  “Colorado will never have a wolf hunt…These are the same people that almost just damn near shut down bobcat hunting, mountain lion hunting…” – Steven Rinella [93:55]

Key Timestamps for Important Segments

• 02:16 – Viral Facebook deer processing rant
• 11:42 – Heartwarming Canadian hunting support
• 13:44 – Launch of official Corrections segment
• 26:13 – Alaska goat/bison fundraising raffle and collaring discussion
• 35:30 – Skunk trapping vs. marriage (Listener letter)
• 45:04 – Massachusetts seafood heists
• 54:23 – Florida bear hunt: policy and activist sabotage
• 61:33 – Alaskan federal subsistence controversy
• 73:42 – Mountain lion fatality and rising big predator tolerance
• 83:06 – Colorado wolf program: federal intervention, political friction
• 95:32 – Broader Endangered Species Act, wolf/grizzly politics

Final Notes

This episode delivers a rollicking, informed, and provocative survey of pressing outdoor and wildlife topics. It’s classic MeatEater: sharp opinions, dry humor, rich storytelling, and practical takeaways for anyone passionate about hunting, fishing, and conservation in North America. Even casual listeners will come away entertained and better informed about the crosscurrents shaping American wildlife management today.

For corrections, feedback, or questions:
Email the show: themeateaterpodcast@themeateater.com – and bring the receipts!