JRE 1559 · November 5, 2020

Steven Rinella

huntingenvironmentphilosophysurvivalconservation

Who is Steven Rinella?

Steven Rinella is an outdoorsman, author, and television personality. He currently hosts MeatEater, available on the Sportsman Channel and Netflix, as well as the MeatEater podcast. His new book The MeatEater Guide to Wilderness Skills and Survival is available on December 1. @MeatEaterTV

Topics and Timestamps

01Steven Rinella discusses his new book The MeatEater Guide to Wilderness Skills and Survival releasing December 1
02Deep dive into hunting ethics, conservation, and why understanding where your food comes from matters
03Rinella explains the practical skills needed for wilderness survival and self-sufficiency
04Discussion about the MeatEater show on Netflix and Sportsman Channel and how it's changed outdoor media
05Conversation about wildlife management and the role hunters play in conservation efforts
06Rinella shares personal hunting and fishing stories that shaped his philosophy on outdoor living
▶Steven introduces his new book The MeatEater Guide to Wilderness Skills and Survival0:00:00
▶Discussion about hunters and fishermen's role in wildlife conservation and ecosystem management0:15:00
▶Rinella explains the practical wilderness skills that modern people have lost and why they matter0:30:00
▶Conversation about MeatEater on Netflix and how it changed the hunting and outdoor media landscape0:45:00
▶Personal hunting and fishing stories that shaped Rinella's philosophy on outdoor ethics1:00:00

The Show

Joe brings on Steven Rinella, the host of MeatEater and one of the most credible voices in modern hunting and outdoor culture. They dive into what it really means to be self-sufficient in the wilderness and why the skills most people have completely lost are actually crucial to understanding our relationship with nature and food.

Rinella's approach to hunting and fishing isn't about the Instagram aesthetic or trophy kills. It's rooted in conservation biology and the practical reality that hunters and fishermen are responsible for funding and managing wildlife populations through licenses and taxes. He explains how counterintuitive it seems to most people that killing animals is actually essential to preserving ecosystems. This isn't some justification he's making up, it's literally how wildlife management works across North America.

The conversation shifts into the nitty gritty of wilderness skills. Rinella has spent his life learning things that our ancestors took for granted, and his new book is essentially a distillation of practical knowledge that could actually save your life if you ended up in a survival situation. Joe and Steven talk about the mental aspect of survival versus the technical skills, and how knowing you can provide for yourself changes your entire relationship with the world around you.

They also discuss how MeatEater has evolved from a niche hunting show to something that reaches millions of people on Netflix. Rinella's commitment to showing the entire process from hunt to table is revolutionary in mainstream media. He doesn't shy away from the reality of killing animals because he believes that honesty is the foundation of ethical hunting and eating.

Rinella emphasizes that hunting and conservation aren't mutually exclusive pursuits. In fact, they're intertwined. The money and effort hunters put into preserving habitat and managing populations is what keeps these ecosystems healthy. It's a perspective that challenges a lot of mainstream assumptions about what hunting really is.

Best Quotes

“Most people have completely lost the practical skills that our ancestors took for granted, and that disconnect from nature costs us something real.”

— Steven Rinella