Bear Grease

When you think of the state of Florida, a water crisis is likely not the first thing that comes to mind. However, There has been an ongoing fight for decades now centered around water, and more importantly how it is managed. In it's natural state, water would flow slowly south out of Lake Okeechobee, down through the everglades, and into the Atlantic ocean. Now, after some artifical damming and ca...

Brent's first encounter with a bear happened many years ago on a hunt with his dad and a longtime family friend. It is a favorite memory involving an animal to which he would form stronger ties as he got older. The annual celebration of black bears has also introduced Brent to a large number of people he now counts as family. He's sharing that first experience with his father and a special project...

On this episode of the Bear Grease Podcast, it’s Turkey Stories time! We’ve gathered a lineup of hunters from Arkansas, Alabama, Virginia, and Mississippi, both young and old, connected by a love of spring turkey hunting.  You’ll hear about a University of Arkansas student on her first solo hunt, a hunter who survived being shot in the back, bobcats crashing the scene a...

Brent's got his young hound Jessi out in the woods and her learning curve is falling flat. Patience is paramount during these times but Brent's is running thin until he realized sometimes, it's just the way it is. He's got two examples of that for you and a coon hunt with some folks that he donated as a fundraiser, which may have given him more than he gave away.  Lily Beth's IG and Facebook...

On this episode of the Bear Grease Podcast after a full day of hog hunting in Oklahoma, host Clay Newcomb sits down with Dale Brisby of Rodeo Time and Turnpike Troubadours frontman Evan Felker along with Donnie Daytona, Andrew Stubbs, and Bear Newcomb to swap stories about catching yearlings in the woods, bronc riding, training horses, and the realities of ranch life.  Evan discusses what lif...

The Wild Turkey is one of the most beloved, and also most studied game birds. In this episode, Dr. Mike Chamberlain, also known as the Wild Turkey doc, gives us a look into one of the greatest new discoveries in the world of turkey science. A discovery that might have huge implications for the future of turkeys and turkey hunting. Connect with  Lake Pickle and MeatEater Lake Pickle on Instagr...

It’s a celebration of stories featuring ladies from both sides of the nation. One culminating in a single turkey season with her father and the other one taking a little bit longer. Brent thinks you’ll like them both and we do too.  Thank you to our sponsors, Case Knives and Stor-Mor . Shop This Country Life Merch Connect with Brent and  MeatEater MeatEater on Instagram , Fac...

In this episode of the Bear Grease Podcast, host Clay Newcomb welcomes Rob Argue, a retired Canadian conservation office to share the harrowing events when he and his partner’s canoe capsizes in icy water in the Ontario backcountry. This life-threatening event tests his physical, mental, and emotional limits and capacity as hypothermia sets in as they put their trust in an emergency locator...

This week, Brent's talking about serving others and how the inspiration to do so can come at an early age. It can also come after a lifetime of taking when the realization to give back occurs. A listener story describes how a community served one another in the aftermath of severe weather. This is a good one and hopefully inspirational as well. Thank you to our sponsors,  Case Knive...

On this episode of the Bear Grease Podcast, host Clay Newcomb is joined by the OG Render crew—Brent Reaves, Dr. Misty Newcomb, Bear Newcomb, Gary “Believer” Newcomb, and Josh “Landbridge” Spielmaker. Clay shows off his new bear fur mittens for his upcoming Arctic expedition, and Brent and Bear detail their coin hunting with self bow exploits, along with a deep discuss...

Beavers are an animal that notoriously get a lot of press. However, more often than not, it's negative press. Their damming everything up, they're causing floods, they're a nuisance, and so on- that's what we normally hear when beavers show up in conversation. Well in today's episode of Backwoods university, we're going to look at beavers in a very different light by learning about two stories. On...

This week's episode discusses a two-hundred-year-old fable about coon hunting in Arkansas and a seemingly impossible task. The lessons are flying around like the monkeys in The Wizard of Oz. Get comfortable and check out what's happening on MeatEater's "This Country Life" podcast. Thank you to our sponsors, Case Knives and Stor-Mor . Shop This Country Life Merch Connect with Brent and  MeatEa...

In this episode of the Bear Grease Podcast, host Clay Newcomb sits down with Teddy Villines, father to Cody Villines and uncle to Caylon Villines featured in the last episode.  He is a lifelong Ozark logger shaped by generations of hard work, handshake deals, and respect for the land. Teddy shares stories from a life spent in the woods, including close calls, brutal injuries, and a terrifying...

For the past several weeks, Brent's been hitting the road from Tennessee to Pennsylvania as a goodwill ambassador, and meeting people from all over the eastern half of the country. We get the hunt and sports show stops, but guest lecturing at the University of Tennessee? What were they thinking? Pull up a chair and find out for yourself. It's time for MeatEater's "This Country Life" podcast. ...

On this episode of the Bear Grease podcast, host Clay Newcomb along with Bear Newcomb and Josh “Landbridge” Spielmaker are joined by Bear Grease featured cousins Caylon and Cody Villines, as well as Waylon Villines. The Villines family has been logging Newton County, Arkansas, for generations, and they’ve got the stories to prove it. Join us as we talk about Ozark heritage, the t...

Back in the late 1960s a ground breaking initiative started in the wildlife conservation space that would lead to one of the greatest wildlife wins we have in the entire country. The restoration of the wild Turkey can be attributed to the hard work and dedication of many people across wildlife agencies and conservation organizations this week. We have the privilege of talking to Mr. Benny Herring...

For many of us getting our children and the younger members of our family outdoors is a priority. How we get them outside and what we do once they're there can set the stage for how they view that experience for years to come. Brent's sharing a listener's story along that theme. Brent's also offering his own thoughts how he handled getting his own children outside; wh...

In this episode of the Bear Grease podcast, host Clay Newcomb visits Newton County, Arkansas, to talk to Cody and Caylon Villines. They're woodsmen, hunters, and the most recent line of generations of loggers cutting hardwood in the Ozarks. They talk about the craft of selective logging, the evolution from horses to heavy equipment, and the quiet code of contentment passed down from their fathers....

From a listener's story about passing down the appreciation for wild things to Brent's first solo squirrel hunt, this week's This Country Life is sure to be one of your favorites. As a bonus, the recipe of how Brent's mama fried all the squirrels she nor his dad would eat is in here along with the reason why neither one would partake. Get the grease hot! We've got squirrels to fry. Shop  This...

On this episode of the Bear Grease Render, host Clay Newcomb is joined by Dr. Misty Newcomb, Josh "Landbridge" Spielmaker, along with Backwoods University Podcast's Lake Pickle in the Tecovas Hot Seat.  Fresh off the release of the CBS Sunday Morning feature with legendary journalist Ted Koppel at Arkansas bear camp, the crew gives context and details of what happened behind-the-scenes. It wa...

It's officially February. During this month I know a lot of outdoors folks that find themselves wondering what to do. We're here to help! In this episode of Backwoods University, we're going back through some of the fascinating guests we've met along the way so far! From Grizzly specialists to marine biologist- from botanists to beekeepers, we've met a wide spectrum! On this episode we'll here abo...

It's no secret that snow and ice can disrupt the lives of people who don't get a lot of it. Brent's no different, and it may affect him more than most. He's snowed in at his studio and talking about a smorgasbord of things today that may or may not go together. You'll just have to listen and see what we mean. It's random stories time on MeatEater's "This Country Life" podcast. Shop This Country Li...

In this episode of the Bear Grease podcast, host Clay Newcomb dives deep into the world of mules, mule skinners, and the quiet kind of backcountry wisdom you only earn from miles in the saddle. Alongside legendary Arizona cowboy and Bear Grease Hall of Famer, Warner Glen, and mule trainer and clinician, Ty Evans, Clay explores why serious mountain hunters trust mules over horses, and how their sel...

This week Brent's trying his hand at competition gumbo cooking. He and his friends from the Cache Bayou Hound and Mallard Club have entered a gumbo cooking contest. If it was a gumbo eating contest they'd win easily but it's not. Do they have the right stuff to come out on top, you'll have to listen and find out for yourself. He's also sharing a listener story about the perils of extreme...

In this episode of the Bear Grease Render, host Clay Newcomb—alongside Bear Newcomb, Dr. Misty Newcomb, and Josh “Landbridge” Spielmaker—is joined by Clay’s squirrel-hunting “sensei,” Michael Lanier. The crew covers a wide range of topics, from Clay’s trophy deer “Jimminy Christmas” and his relationship with his Tecovas boots to the...