Meat Eater: Adventures from the Life of an American Hunter

I ordered this as a gift for my dad who loves to read but is also an avid outdoorsman fishing, hunting, etc. He sometimes struggles to get into books, but he was hooked on this one (no pun intended)! We’ve owned several of Steven Rinella’s cookbooks over the years and have enjoyed some of his shows as well, and this one is just as much of a hit as the others. If you have a guy in your life who loves hunting, I would definitely recommend this book!

I've hunted occasionally (in France) although I wouldn't consider myself a hunter. Steven Rinella, is a real hunter. A hunter in the heart. A hunter from back then. He eats everything he hunts (or fishes) and knows his prey better than most animal lovers out there. He understands how these animals live, mate, (prey for some). He finds them beautiful and powerful. He understands them deeply, with a respect you can only get when you know you might have to kill in order not to starve. He understands the balance. And he definitely knows how to tell a story! MEAT EATER will take you on a ride into Alaska, hunting caribou without anything else to eat but the lonely animal that "might" come by. He'll bring you all over the world actually, inviting you to share his thoughts, excitements, fears, and doubts. I recommend this great book to anyone who claims to like nature and animals. I recommend this book to hunters, so they can better understand the meaning of hunting, and the art of survival in the wild as a hunter. I recommend this to vegetarians, or vegans. You might cringe at some "gory" moments, but I promise that after this book, you would prefer to spend a day with a true hunter, than any average meat-eating Joe. This book will entertain you, but more than anything, it will make you think. Isn't that why books are so incredible ?

Great book with some amazing stories. And some deep thinking about hunters and why they do what they do. Thanks.

Meat Eater does something simple, but amazing: it presents hunting, fishing, and trapping for what they really are: a primal connection to wild creatures through using their bodies to fulfill our most basic needs. Steven Rinella skipped the contorted, snobbish, and apologetic philosophical hogwash that has characterized generations of hunting literature. He skipped the self-indulgent glamor of hunting trophy kill tales. This is not hunting pornography; it's real stories about a real hunter pursuing animals for all the reasons that people actually do that. The book is composed of stories that illustrate these various motivations to hunt. As a child, it was because his dad and brothers did. In college, because he needed food. He went crazy for steelhead and bonefish fishing because it was so damn exciting. He hunted for adventure in the Missouri Breaks, and Dall sheep for the challenge. And always, it was for every one of those reasons--and to satisfy a deep, primal, desire that needs to explanation or apology. And yeah, to get meat. There's another thing about these stories--they're awesome. Really well-written, and full of subtle insight. I read the whole thing within 20 hours of getting the book in my hand. As an avid hunter who spends many winter nights reading about it, I felt, "finally, someone who thinks about hunting like I do." Rinella doesn't shy away from the moral and ethical questions that surround hunting, fishing, and trapping (hereafter I'll refer to them all as "hunting, because they are). He explores them not in an abstract sense, but from the more credible point of view of his own personal experiences. He doesn't cowardly justify trapping with imaginary ecology (saying that the animals are overpopulated); he speaks of the youthful fantasies of fronteir life that fueled his passion to live as a trapper. He isn't afraid to challenge some hunting practices, or to describe death in its real and vivid detail. He isn't afraid of the emotion that electrifies the hunting experiences; he taps into it and makes the reader remember and relive (if it's a hunter) or understand (for non-hunters) how real it is. That is the book's power: it's the first true hunter/non-hunter crossover book, that speaks intelligently to both sides and tackles the questions that both sides grapple with. But after all that is said, he stays grounded in the most basic fact: hunting is about food. In that sense, it is as morally unassailable as gardening and gathering. My only problem with the entire book was a factual one, in which Rinella mentions that Africa and the Americas were overrun by Europeans because they were populated by hunter-gatherers. Actually, sub-saharan Africa was not overrun (the people there still have dark skin) precisely because that continent was fully agricultural way before European colonialism--the takeover of forager territory by agriculturalists in Africa had occurred thousands of years earlier by other people from within Africa. That notwithstanding, this is the best narrative or philosophical hunting book I've ever read, and the first I'd recommend to anybody.

For some reason I expected this book to be a bunch of hunting stories, upon re-reading the description I'm not sure why I thought that. The stories were entertaining, but as the description hints at, the book is much more than stories. The stories are used a a vessel for the meat (no pun intended) of the book, Rinella wrestling with what it means to be a hunter these days, why he hunts, how his views on hunting have changed over time, and his longing for a frontier like previous American generations had. I enjoyed all of his stories immensely, and found very little I disagreed with in his musings about hunting, and thus found the book an enjoyable read. However I there is something I have to mention. It was obvious Rinella idolized Daniel Boone and the American frontier, and I found myself surprised at some the "facts" presented. I looked for citations, but an academic book this is not. 9/10ths of the way in and I was still wondering whether this book was written by an well educated academic, or a stereotypical hunger who happens to be a great writer. Rinella FINALLY did was I was looking for on the 2nd to last page, in two paragraphs talking about the tragedy of the American frontier on wild-places and wild-life. I was looking for this the entire book, and these paragraphs were well written and powerful. As a North American hunter who idolizes the frontier, I find it disappointing Rinella fails to mention the American Bison in the entire book. Perhaps it is because this animal best symbolizes the true legacy of the American frontier. Great stories, but if the goal was to ruminate on what it means to be a hunter these days, take a stronger stance. I wonder if this book was edited to have a broader audience.

Reminded me of my childhood, excellent information and insight into the world and dilemmas of a hunter! I would recommend this book to all.

I don't read books. I have a short attention span and short term memory. And this is the Best book I've read in years. Once into it I couldn't put it down. I live in Ireland and hunt Deer, mainly Fallow (no bag limits here). I love to eat what I shoot and so I have an understanding of what Steven is writing about. I have watched all his 'Meat Eater' shows on Netflicks and can recommend you to see them too. Each chapter is an experience in hunting and cooking the kill. Buy the book even if you don't go hunting.

as always, amazing book and amazimg stories. i just love how Steven tells stories, his sense of humour and ego less way of telling things. I love his tv show, and i will buy hos other books.

Love all the stories in this book. How Steven relates hunting in a modern world and how it can be used to become more in tune with our natural ways

An astonishing book! Full of hunting lessons, adventures and surprises! I strongly recommed for every hunter!

Very well written, could not stop reading it. Recommend highly for meat gatherers and others to read. Well worth it. Steven is able to put into words what we all feel and sense when we are out there pursuing game.