MeatEater's Campfire Stories: Discoveries, Revelations & Near Missess

by Steven Rinella, Clay Newcomb, Brent Reaves

Eleven spellbinding tales of transformation, survival, and grit from the creators of the New York Times bestselling original audiobook MeatEater's Campfire Stories: Close Calls.

In MeatEater’s Campfire Stories: Discoveries, Revelations & Near Misses, a collection of outdoorsmen share remarkable tales of life-altering moments. From a macabre discovery in the Idaho mountains that closed the book on a mystery spanning more than 50 years to an Ice Age archaeological find in remote Alaska, these stories take listeners on an immersive journey and provide intimate glimpses into a way of life that is slipping away. You’ll hear firsthand accounts of a deadly helicopter crash, turkey hunting during a tornado, a prophetic dream about a 24-point buck, a fight over a record-breaking black bear, plus more stories about close calls and brushes with death.

MeatEater’s Campfire Stories: Discoveries, Revelations & Near Misses features tales from MeatEater crew members Steven Rinella, Clay Newcomb, and Brent Reaves with additional stories by Buck Bowden John Hayes Mike Kunz Bob Service Chris Williams & Jeff Jones Jim Swenson & Mike Carey Chad Martin Chad Johnston and Ryan Murray

Genres: Audiobook, Nonfiction

Audible Audio

Published August 13, 2024

About the author

Steven Rinella is the host of the Netflix Original series MeatEater and The MeatEater Podcast. He's also the author of six books dealing with wildlife, hunting, fishing and wild game cooking, including the bestselling MeatEater Fish and Game Cookbook: Recipes and Techniques for Every Hunter and Angler.

Reviews

[Jason Yeung · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.47

[Casan Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have loved all of the Campfire Stories books by Steve Rinella. This one was maybe a tad less dramatic than past stories, but very good still.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am so thankful to @prhaudio for providing my husband and I some amazing audiobooks that we could both enjoy while we drive through the nothingness towards the pretty.

My husband has been a fan of @stevenrinella for years. I myself have made a recipe or two from his collections and let me tell you, stuffed venison meatloaf never tasted better! So, when I saw he had all these collections of stories, I knew we had some great storytelling ahead. I was right.

We started with the Close Calls, and at one point my husband jokingly said he hoped this didn't scare me! I already had to live through a close call of his, so these stories didn't scare me, but instead gave me some amazing tales of how ingenuity, and luck, can help with survival. I'd like to think I learned a thing or two. Especially about tourniquet tying.

The Discoveries...collection has a number of moving stories that go beyond the hunting/fishing stories to deeper lessons of humanity that being outdoors can provide. Humor, hope, and friendship all added to these tales. I do, however, feel like there were some discoveries that I can go without!

I really enjoyed how Rinella shared his own experiences and then had the others share their stories. We both noticed that the stories were shared in such a way that felt like you wouldn't necessarily need to be an expert to understand what these various outdoorspeople were sharing. The wide variety of experiences gave it such an appeal as to keep from feeling like a narrow focus. We both enjoyed these two and look forward to our drive back when we can keep listening to more!

[Corien Addis · Rating 2 out of 5]

My husband and I listened to this book on our way to deer camp. While he really enjoyed it, I found myself getting bored. The stories weren’t at all what I expected, however I still found some of them entertaining/touching. Reading other people’s reviews I think I need to check out books that came prior to this one.

[Chase Richburg · Rating 4 out of 5]

As with all Steve Rinella books, it may be deserving of five stars. I wanted to give it five stars at some points, but some of the stories were a bit lacking so I settled on 4. I appreciated the storytelling on audio book. What was certainly five stars was Clay’s story of the 24 point buck. That’s worth catching even if you miss all the rest.

[Elizabeth Bell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, I enjoyed the stories about archaeological discoveries. In addition, I was moved by the story of the man whose missing father's body was finally found after more than 50 years. I'm too much of an animal lover to enjoy the stories about hunting.

[Bpaul · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great listen. Some of the editing or pace in beginning drags unexpectedly but it very quickly rights itself and is a solid listen.

[Andrew Jaeger · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some good edge of your seat stories such as exciting archaeological discoveries in the arctic interspersed with less compelling tales.

[Carson Bungay · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as good as the first two but still good.

[Mish · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as good as the first two books. The turkey/tornado story had me in stitches but the rest were not so memorable. It seems the author knew he needed more content as he included one or two stories of his own in each intro, sometimes confusing me as to the connection between his stories and the one he was introducing. A couple times in the intro to a story he almost told the whole story in his words before cutting off before the end and saying, well, I’ll let the storyteller tell you the rest.

[Joe Goss · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one is not as good as the first two books in the series. The majority of the stories have nothing to do with hunting and seem like a stretch to fit into the criteria of the book.

[Talor North · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not nearly as comprehensive or thematic as the other two books, but still interesting with good audio.

[Rayni Wiggins Jackson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very entertaining! Listened to it on my drive to and from the horse show. My favorite story was from the last guy, Buck.

[Melissa Overson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Educational, full of surprises, and stories of enduring, or passing through unexpected situations from the perspective of hikers hunters, fisherman as they pursue their hobbies and professions.

[Allie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was expecting this to be more similar to the first two books. I got bored pretty quickly and couldn’t finish it. Maybe I would have enjoyed it more if I had researched it more prior to starting it.

[Cassidy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Discovery stories weren’t as interesting or emotional as the close calls, but I’m going to look back on this series so fondly!

[Shawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved it. The collection of stories were captivating. I also listened to the audiobook and each story was read/told by the person who lived it. I think that made a difference.