Steven Rinella Tells Shawn Ryan About Hunting Far From Home

This isn't a gear or gun-law story, but it's a wild listen for anyone who spends time outdoors. In a video from Shawn Ryan Show, MeatEater founder Steven Rinella sits down to talk about decades spent hunting with indigenous groups across South America and reporting trips as far as Vietnam, trading stories that range from improvised ammunition to meals most hunters will never face.

Key points

• Homemade shotshells: Rinella describes Guyanese hunters, barred from owning firearms, running a 16 gauge shotgun by hand-loading 12 gauge shells into 16 gauge cases, swapping primers, powder, and shot, then sealing the crimp with melted candle wax.
• Monkey hunts in Bolivia: He recounts hunting red howler monkeys with Chimane tribesmen near a fruiting tree, watching the full process of field dressing and cooking the animal, including eating the head.
• Dog meat in Vietnam: Rinella recalls a week-long magazine assignment on "thit cho" during Tet, a trip that generated heavy hate mail and left him physically uneasy despite trying to document it fairly.
• Respect for local skill: He argues no outsider can match hunters who've worked the same rivers and forests for generations, saying their knowledge of the land is simply unbeatable.
• Old-school butchering lessons: He also touches on lessons from his father about snapping turtles, tying it to broader observations about how different cultures solve the same practical problems.

Quick take

It's a reminder that hunting culture looks very different depending on where you stand, and that the gear and ammo debates we have here are a world away from the improvisation and necessity driving hunters elsewhere.

Watch the full video: Shawn Ryan Show