
The MeatEater Podcast Ep. 867: Jim Zumbo - An Outdoor Legend at 85
Apr 27, 2026
Jim Zumbo, veteran outdoor writer, biologist, TV host and author, reflects on a life spent hunting, writing, and teaching. He recounts early naturalist adventures, landmark hunting stories like the Colorado grizzly and world‑record whitetail, gear and rifle memories, the rise of the cow call, firewood obsession, health setbacks, and his bestselling hunting books.
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Skepticism About The Last Colorado Grizzly Story
- Steven Rinella questions the full grizzly story and suggests an alternative: the hunters may have thought it was a black bear and only later realized it was a grizzly after an arrow wound.
- He uses a hypothetical omniscient test to explain why he suspects missing details.
Take Strategic Pay Cuts For Bigger Opportunities
- Do consider career tradeoffs: Zumbo left a secure government wildlife job to join Outdoor Life for less pay but greater opportunity.
- He accepted lower salary ($9,000) for editorial platform and long-term career growth.
Confessions Of An Obsessive Firewood Collector
- Zumbo confesses to 'excessive compulsive firewood disorder' and once stored roughly a hundred cords of firewood, using multiple species and sourcing beetle-kill and hedge (Osage Orange).
- He burns wood from October to April and values dense species like Osage Orange and locust for high BTUs.

