An Unofficial 'The MeatEater Podcast' Reading List

Journal of a Trapper

Author: Osborne Russell

Referenced in 5 episodes

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Episodes Referencing This Book

December 04, 2023

Context:

Steve recommends this book to people and references it while discussing wolverines. He mentions that Osborne Russell describes wolverines as 'common' or 'abundant' in his journal, which surprises Steve given how rare they are today. Russell provides observations about animals in his synopses at the end of the journal.

September 18, 2023

Context:

Speaker 1 endorses this book and discusses how historians regard it as spot-on and reliable. They mention that historians like the book and that Osborne Russell was regarded as accurate in his accounts.

March 13, 2023

Context:

Discussed as a historical text from the 1820s about exploration in the Absaroka/Yellowstone region. The speaker mentions Russell was a 'very meticulous note taker' who described wolverines as 'common' in his journal, which is used to discuss historical wolverine populations and territory size.

January 09, 2023

Context:

Steve references this historical journal when discussing what it was like to live off the land historically, noting that 'a lot of times there was a lot to eat and a lot of times ain't shitty' - referring to the feast or famine nature of historical hunting and gathering.

August 29, 2022

Context:

Referenced in the same conversation about historical sheep hunting. When discussing 'My Life with the Eskimo,' someone asks 'Have you ever read Osborne Russell's Journal of a Trapper?' in the context of comparing mountain sheep (bighorn) hunting practices, noting that Russell wrote about hunting bighorns for food in the mountains.