Following an appearance on the Joe Rogan Experience Podcast, Steve and Joe took part in a live Q&A session on our Facebook page! Here are the compiled responses:
Q: Steve, where did you learn your cooking skills?
SR: I have a lot of friends who are chefs, and I do a lot of experimenting. I also have a lot of friends who hunt and eat game, and we share information.
Q: Steve- Do you miss living in Michigan? If so, what do you miss the most?
SR: Yes, I miss Michigan. I have a lot of friends there.
Q: Why not put Joe on as a full-time side kick?
SR: Would love to.
JR: I’m down!
Q: My dad is from Guyana. I would really like to hear your thoughts on the country and hunting there. Thank you.
SR: I’m dying to get back to Guyana. There are some treasures there worth protecting.
Q: When leaving meat in your freezer such as venison, and the outside turns from that dark red to a brown–is it safe to eat? If it is, does it make it taste different? And if it isn’t, should you just cut it away and eat the parts still red? Thanks and keep doing what y’all are doing.
SR: Yes, still safe. Just trim away any discolored stuff. Also, you can thaw and refreeze meat — contrary to popular belief.
Q: Joe Rogan: would you consider selling game meat through Onnit?
JR: it wouldn’t be game meat if we did. You can’t legally sell game meat. You can farm game meat like deer, but then it gets a little weird. I like the idea of eating wild game that has lived completely wild until it gets hit with that bullet and dies quickly. That’s the ideal scenario in my book.
Q: Steve, what is your favorite meal to cook after a harvest when you’re still in the woods? Love the show and have been a fan since it came on. Keep up the good work representing us “meat hunters”!
SR: Heart, fried in butter.
Q: Steve, I am predominantly a bow hunter. I love the challenge. Meat Eater is by far my favorite show and a lot of the things you say in the shows narrative really hit home with how I feel in the woods. Will we get to see any bow hunting episodes in the near future? I know it’s completely different for you because you are in different locations almost every week and hunting multiple types of game in a short period of time while trying to obviously get footage. The rifle makes sense. Maybe a bow hunt in your old stomping grounds on the U.P. would be doable? Thanks for making the best outdoor show there is.
SR: We’ve done some bowhunting on the show and will do more. I used to bow hunt a lot more than I do now.
Q: Steve- love the show and the literature. I know it’s a broad question, but what’s your go to method for preparing a duck? Answer brief if you have to. Thanks brother
SR: Pluck it, then remove the boneless breast with the back leg attached. Sear it skin side down, then finish in a 400 degree oven skin side up.
Q: Steve what tags do you apply for each year and what are your odds of getting them?
SR: I apply for tags in 8 or 9 states every year. Some are virtually guaranteed, some I will never get. Many other tags are available over-the-counter.
Q: What kind of gun does Steve like to use on his hunts? Does it vary a lot for different game animals?
SR: I shoot a Weaver Rifle in .270 WSM. I also use a 7mm Rem Mag made by Carolina Custom Rifles. Both are excellent.
Q: Why don’t you chase desert mule deer in central AZ during the archery season? Try it!
SR: Would love to. I keep thinking I’ll get down there, but stuff comes up.
Q: Steven any way we can get you to come out with a wild game cook book?
SR: I have a complete hunting guide book, which will appear as 2 volumes, coming out soon. This book includes butchering and recipes.
Q: Tell Joe to quit worrying about wolves. Discuss wolf biology and management. I’m concerned that people are basing opinions on emotion.
JR: I don’t really “worry” about wolves that much, I just like to freak out about animals. Wolves are amazing animals. Scary I’m sure if you were surrounded by them, but I’m in awe of them. I’m a big fan of wolves. (That sounds like a line that a dork would say in a Will Ferrell movie.)
Q: Steve, what happened to your rifle on the “misfire” when hunting the moose that charged you? Joe, what was your deciding factor to finally start hunting for food?
JR: I had been wanting to hunt for years, I just got lucky that I met Steve and he made it happen.
SR: I had three rounds in the magazine and had cycled them all through.
Q: What will be Joe’s first animal he hunts with his bow?
JR: I’m not sure. I would love it to be elk. I think that’s the ultimate animal to hunt with a bow.
Q: Joe, how do you plan to improve your shot percentage on WI barn pigeons?
JR: Wingshooting isn’t my strong area. I’d go so far as to say that I suck at wingshooting.
Q: Is bear meat a healthy meat to eat?? I hear it has worms. Parasites???
SR: Cook it and it’s excellent, as long as the bear has been eating a primarily vegetarian diet. Worms or parasites (which all critters have) are killed in cooking. Trichinosis is the primary threat. Thorough cooking kills it.
Q: Steven, are you putting in Nevada elk? Something you need to do, you will enjoy it.
SR: I apply for that tag every year. Fingers crossed.
Q: Do you like the idea of baiting deer or are you against it?
JR: Baiting is a weird thing. I don’t prefer it, but I find it odd that we don’t have any problem with baiting fish but we have a problem with baiting animals. The goal is to kill and eat and animal and to make sure the shot is ethical and that it suffers the least amount possible. I’m not against baiting, but I would prefer to just hunt and stalk them in the wild without it. If the only way to get an animal was baiting, I would be down for it though.
Q: Oh yeah, who would win in a push-up contest, Steve or Remi?
SR: Remi.
Q: What are your plans for future hunts together?
JR: Our next big hunt is Moose in the fall. I’m pumped!
Q: Thanks for sharing a little trapping on your show! Do you ever eat your muskrats?
SR: Yes, they are pretty good to eat. Surprisingly good.
Q: How do you find out where you can hunt on public land when you’ve never been there before?
SR: State fish and game agencies.
Q: Advice for aspiring writers?
SR: Read a lot, write a lot. Never say die. (That’s coming from Steve. Joe probably has his own.)
Q: Steve, if you were a passenger on the Titanic, how would you have survived?
SR: Swim, I guess.
Q: Have any of you tried shooting a re-curve bow or bow-fishing bow?
SR: Yes, I love to bowfish.
Q: Whether you have hunted it before or not, what is the one animal that you lust after?
SR: Muskoxen. Just drew a tag this year.
Q: No question here, other than do you fish?
SR: I love to fish, almost as much (or maybe as much) as I love to hunt.
Q: Steve, What kind of sleep system do you use in the back country?
SR: Nemo insulated sleeping pad, usually a 15-degree synthetic bag.
Q: What is the future of hunting going to be like?
SR: Future of hunting is good, I think. At least the near-term future. Habitat destruction is a real threat.
Q: Steve, what’s your most favorite hunt that you have been on or what’s your favorite animal to hunt so far?
SR: Dall sheep, without a doubt.
Q: Steve, Have you thought about taking fans on hunts?
SR: We have taken fans on hunts. It’s fun as hell.
Q: Joe, what was the best part of the Wisconsin opener? The worst?
JR: The best was the camaraderie and the venison, the worst was the cold. You can’t really enjoy the best without the worst, imo, so it was all awesome.
Q: What’s your favorite caliber rifle?
SR: .270, 7mm Rem Mag, plus many others.
Q: Steve, which was scarier: being trampled by a wounded bull moose or being charged by a momma grizzly?
SR: They were both special.
Q: What would you recommend as a good hunting rifle for a beginner to invest in? Caliber? Primarily for whitetail in the NC mountains. Any insight in a scope would be helpful as well.
SR: Get a .270 bolt action and put a Vortex scope on there.
Q: I would like to start hunting but I don’t know anyone that does and I don’t have the money to hire a guide. What steps/suggestions do you have for getting started/finding someone to learn from?
SR: Talk to hunters in your area.
Q: I was wondering what Rinella’s and Joe’s thoughts are on hunting wolves in both lower 48 and Canada/Alaska?
SR: I support a limited harvest of wolves as long as it doesn’t threaten the stability of the population. I say manage them as a renewable resources, just like we do with deer and elk.
Q: As a person that lives in a city (SF) (I’m only 21), what are some recommendations I should read or try before I go on a hunt?
SR: This will sound shameless, but get my forthcoming guide book. Also, find some guys who hunt your area and throw yourself at their mercy.
Q: Great show. A fresh breath of air in outdoor television. Wondering why we don’t see more bow hunts on the show?
SR: I appreciate the efficacy of rifles. But I love to bow hunt. Really, it comes down to time.
Q: Steve with the spring bear season coming in April, I’ve thought about trying the testicles since I watched the segment on you cooking some…bear balls good??
SR: Oddly, I’ve never tried them.
Q: Joe, it’s great to see you becoming so interested in this lifestyle. You’ve made a few comments in your appearances on the show, acknowledging the aspect of the “hunt” not being about the kill. There is a lot more to it, and we need more people, such as yourself, advocating this way of life. You’ve seemed to catch on very quickly that there are many aspects and experiences that make hunting what it is. The actual memory of the kill tends to fade over time, it’s everything else about the hunt that tends to stick in your memory. Kudos for being vocal about this!! So for the question: Joe, with all the turmoil that has gone on in this country in recent years, I’d like to know how you interpret the Second Amendment and your thoughts on gun ownership in America? thanks!
JR: I’m honored to be able to be on Steve’s show and to represent hunting in a positive light. I think Steve’s show is incredibly important to give people a positive example of a hunter/conservationist. I think shows like Meat Eater can bridge the gap between hunters and non-hunters that might have a negative opinion on it. I also think that, as I’ve said before, I think that this country’s gun problem is largely a mental health problem that no one wants to address. It’s easy to attack the guns but there’s a real problem with the idea that a human being is capable of doing to other human beings what we’re seeing in these horrible events. Most people could not and would not ever do that, and I think we need to figure out what causes people to love their humanity like that. I don’t think banning guns is the answer.
Q: Joe, in hindsight, would you have rather waited on taking a larger buck for your first whitetail instead of taking the buck you did in Wisconsin? Also, I highly suggest you try spot and stalk with a bow if you want to broaden the hunt experience. Thank you for the JRE podcasts and having guests like Steve and Remi from Solo Hunters.
JR: Yes, if I had to do it all again I would have let the young buck walk. I should have never gotten that free young buck pass.
Q: Joe, would you consider becoming a more prominant guest on MeatEater like perhaps Ryan Calahan? And Steve would you have him if he could commit to that idea? Steven, the old school veteran, passing on his knowledge to an eager novice and both of you being awesome people would add a great narative to the show!
JR: I would love to! We’re talking about doing it right now. I would love to be on 10 times a year!
Q: Joe, were you surprised by how tough your mule deer hunt was?
JR: Yeah, it was really tough. You have to be in shape to do all that hiking. It’s not easy at all. The cold is rough, but the hiking really requires you to be in condition.
Q: Steven did you have any Bigfoot encounters?? Do you think they are real? Do you believe they are some kind of relic humans, like Homo erectus, or maybe they are something else? Love to see your answer, greetings from Poland!
SR: There is no big foot.
Q: If you had it your way, which rifle season would you hunt elk in Colorado high country? Around 10, 000 feet.
SR: At that elevation, early.
Q: To Joe: is hunting what you thought it would be? And do you wish you would have started sooner?
JR: Hunting is harder than I thought and more fun than I thought. I don’t wish I started sooner but I’m really enjoying it right now. I don’t really regret not starting anything sooner in life because there’s really no point in that kind of regret, but I’m very happy I found out about it now.
Q: Steve: what are the 3 most influential books about hunting that you have read? Articles?
SR: Here are some good books that have something or another to do with hunting: Heart of the Hunter; Arctic Dreams; Boone (Daniel Morgan); almost any book by Jim Harrison, particularly Just Before Dark. Plus many more; these are just off the top of my head. It’d be a different list tomorrow.
Q: Is Joe nervous about hunting moose after Steve getting charged this fall?
JR: I’m less nervous after I saw what not to do when Steve got charged.
Q: Joe Rogan: What kind of yardages are you practicing at with your bow? Do you have any archery goals?
JR: I have a big yard, so I’m practicing from 50 down to 20. I just ordered a new Hoyt that’s the same as Cameron Hanes’. It’s a Faktor with 90lb draw and I’m really looking forward to practicing with it because Cam’s is a flame thrower. It’s so fast and accurate it’s incredible. Now I understand the benefits of a heavy draw. The thing shoots so straight and accurate. I was way more accurate with his bow than any other I’ve tried. Big fan of Hoyt Archery equipment.
Q: What is the best woods protection handgun to carry while bow hunting or hiking?
SR: Pepper spray.
Q: Steve, what about coming out with a cook book for wild game?
SR: It’s coming.
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