The MeatEater Podcast - Ep. 577: MeatEater Kids IV

Episode Date: July 26, 2024

Welcome to our brand new podcast, MeatEater Kids! It's a fun, educational, and engaging podcast for all of you outdoor kids. Learn about science and history from Steve's "Why It's the Way It Is" segment and impress your friends with your newfound knowledge, develop your ear for animal vocalizations with our "Guess that Critter" segment brought to you by Katie Rinella, and play long during "Kids Trivia" with host Spencer Neuharth. Connect with Steve, Spencer, MeatEater, and The MeatEater Podcast Network MeatEater on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and YoutubeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

meet your kids part one why it's the way it is today we're going to talk about two famous hunters who were very different people named daniel boone and Davy Crockett. Now, the reason why we're going to talk about Daniel Boone and Davy Crockett together is a couple reasons for that. I have found in my life as a hunter, I have found that if you go and ask people to name famous frontiersmen or famous hunters from America's history, you will often get those two names as answers. Daniel Boone and Davy Crockett.

Another reason they're often associated together is there is a very successful, prominent conservation organization called the Boone and Crockett Club. And on past episodes of Why It's the Way It Is, we talked about President Theodore Roosevelt. Well, President Theodore Roosevelt was a member of the Boone and Crockett Club. The organization is that old and it's still around today and still very effective today in helping to restore and help manage our big game populations in North America. So the Boone and Crockett Club draws its name from these two people. And it would kind of lead you to believe that Boone and Crockett knew each other or that they somehow hung out together, or that they were contemporaries. But in fact, they're not.

In fact, Daniel Boone and Davy Crockett would not have ever even met each other. Though their lives overlapped, Daniel Boone was born in 1734. So he was born 42 years before the United States of America became the United States of America. He was born 42 years before our country declared its independence from Great Britain.

And he died in 1820. Daniel Boone was born in Pennsylvania. He moved from there down to North Carolina. He moved from North Carolina to Kentucky, and he eventually moved to the state of Missouri, and that is where he died in Missouri. Now, Davy Crockett was born 10 years after the birth of our country, the United States of America. He was born in 1786 and he died young. He died when he was 50 years old and he died at the Alamo. And maybe you've heard of the Alamo. It was a fort, a military fort in Texas. And a bunch of Americans and Texans were occupying

that fort during a war with Mexico. And all of the Americans and Texans that were in that fort, defending that fort, were overrun and killed by members of the Mexican army under a general named Santa Ana. So that is how Crockett died. But let's talk a little bit about how Daniel Boone lived and how Davy Crockett lived and why we we kind of know they're hunters but we don't really know the detail of what they hunted and how they hunted both Boone and Crockett even though they weren't friends and didn't hang out and didn't meet each other they were both market hunters and I'm going to explain a little bit about what their hunting looked like. And we're going to start with what Daniel Boone's hunting looked like.

He was a market hunter, so he hunted for products. If you imagine a miner, let's say you're a miner, you're a gold miner, and you go into the mountains and you dig down and get a gold pan and go to a creek and you go gold mining, you're trying to produce gold that you can sell for money. And that's how you support yourself. If you're a logger, you might go into, you know, timber country and you're going to cut down logs and sell the logs, which are made into products. Okay. They're made into wooden houses and all the things we buy that are made out of wood. Well, the market hunter was a person who went out into the wilds and pursued animals in order to be able to sell parts of those animals that had a market value.

And Daniel Boone did two main kinds of hunting in his day. Remember, Daniel Boone was alive on the years that sat on either side of the creation of the United States of America. So when he was born, Daniel Boone would not have described himself as an American. He was a British colonial subject. And at that time, there was a thriving market for the skins of whitetail deer. And that is the primary occupation that Daniel Boone had, would be hunting whitetail deer. And that is the primary occupation that Daniel Boone had, would be hunting whitetail deer. At those times during his life, most of the market hunters, they were called long hunters in Daniel Boone's time. Most of the long hunters or market hunters would live in little

farming settlements on the edge of the wilderness. And when the hunters set out to do their hunting, they would go into the wilds, they would go westward into the wilds and they would hunt deer and they would collect up sometimes hundreds of deer skins. Now you might've heard the term a buck, meaning a dollar. Like if you bought something from someone and they said, it's going to be five bucks or you bet someone five bucks, bucks means a dollar. And that term comes from the fact that a deer skin was worth about a dollar. So the skin of a buck was worth about a dollar in Daniel Boone's time. And he would go and hunt these deer skins and the deer skins would all be exported to England. And in England, they would be turned into gloves and pants and bags and all sorts of leather products.

Daniel Boone also engaged in bear hunting for the commercial market. Now today, people might hunt bears because they want to get bear meat that they'll put in their freezer and use to feed their family. And they might want a bear rug, so a bear rug that they can hang on the wall or put on the floor. Or they might get a bear mounted so they can display the bear in their house. And that's what people are after when they go after a black bear.

But in Daniel Boone's time as a market hunter, what he was after was products that could be made from black bears. And one of the primary products he was after from black bears is bear grease. Now, if you ever look at a baking recipe, you talk to someone who likes to bake different pie crusts and other baked goods, they might talk about using lard or someone might fry potatoes in lard. We use nowadays, when you go to the store, you're buying pork lard. So you're buying lard made from pigs. In Daniel Boone's time, a very common source of lard was bear lard. And so Daniel Boone would hunt bears. He would render down all the fat on the bear into lard and then sell that lard to the commercial markets. He would also make ham. So just as our lard today comes from pork, our ham today mostly comes from pork. But in Daniel

Boone's time, they would make smoked bear hams. So Daniel Boone would go out, he would hunt bears. If he got a bear, he would render all the fat into lard. He would take the meat and he would brine it, and then he would make a smokehouse and smoke it, and he could take all that smoked bear meat and go back to the settlements and sell it for money. And that's how Daniel Boone made his living. Now, Davy Crockett was a professional hunter too, though he was born, again again much later than Boone,

though their lives did overlap a little bit. And Crockett had many different occupations in his life. But let's look at what he did as a market hunter. He did a lot of hunting like Boone did for bears. In fact, Davy Crockett became even more famous than Boone as a bear hunter in hunting for bear meat that could be smoked in the hams and bear lard. But Davy Crockett had another very interesting job as a market hunter in his day because when the military would be out on expeditions, so when the military would be out waging its wars, and in Crockett's time, many of those wars were with Euro-American or Americans

fighting against Native American tribes in the southeastern United States or in Florida. And they would be on big wilderness journeys as they sought out the tribes that they were at war with. And you have to wonder, well, what do all those soldiers eat when they're traveling through the wilderness? Well, Crockett had a job supplying meat to feed the army. So armies today, you hear about them eating MREs, they might go to the mess hall, right? Food might be flown in on a helicopter. In Crockett's time, armies ate food that could be stolen from Native Americans that they were raiding against, or they ate food that their hunters could kill and bring back to camp. And that is the kind of market hunting that Davy Crockett was involved in when he was young.

So to wrap up, Boone and Crockett, two famous American hunters and frontiersmen and explorers, not friends, didn't know each other, but both made their living hunting America's wild animals and producing products from those animals they could sell in order to support themselves. Part 2, Guess That Critter. It's time for Guess That Critter, where we play animal sounds and you've got to guess what animal is making those sounds. You'll learn some neat facts about these animals and develop your ear to better identify their sounds in the wild. Or in this case, maybe in your attic, too.

And don't worry, we'll throw in some clues along the way. Now, listen closely. That's pretty loud, isn't it? It's like a whole roaring chorus. What you're hearing are hundreds of these marine mammals gathered together. They've emerged from catching anything from salmon to cod to small sharks in the ocean and have now climbed up onto rocks known as a haul-out for some sun and rest. Why are they making these sounds? Both the males and females vocalize in the same low, deep tones to communicate with each other,

to find their babies when they return from fishing, and to defend their territory. As marine mammals, they spend a lot of time hunting in the water, but have to come up to breathe air. They have four wing-like flippers, which they use to walk on land and to swim in the ocean. They're covered with hair and have a thick layer of blubber or fat on their bodies to insulate them from the cold water, and have whiskers on their faces, which they use to sense prey. They're also huge. Males can be 10 feet long and weigh up to 2,400 pounds, which is like six African lions stacked together. Females average 7.5 feet in length and weigh about 600 pounds. But they're not so big that nothing can mess with them. Killer whales and sleeper sharks are known to gobble them up. Here's the sound of a lone female so you can hear her individual call.

Okay, it's time for the reveal. It's a stellar sea lion. Stellar sea lions live across a wide ocean range from the coast of California all the way up to the coast of Alaska, and west over to the coasts of Russia and Japan. At times, they have served as a valuable food resource to various Native American and Native Alaskan groups. Unfortunately, they were listed as threatened in 1990 under the Endangered Species Act. But recovery efforts were thankfully successful, and now they're doing great in many of the places where they live. Make sure to join us next week for Guess That Critter!

Part 3. Trivia! And now, it's time for Meat Eater Kids Trivia! And now, it's time for Meat Eater Kids Trivia, the other only game show where conservation always wins. This is a quiz show for kids who love the outdoors. Take it away, Spencer! Today I'm joined by Jimmy, Rosie, Matthew, Ina, Mabel, Hayden, and Conley. Each player will earn $10 for conservation

with every question they get right. Today, there's a potential for this room to earn up to $210. This week, that donation is going to the National Wild Turkey Federation, who publishes the kids magazine about wildlife conservation called Jake's Country. Let's see how much money our players can raise. Question one. Which type of tree produces acorns? Is it an oak tree, a cottonwood tree, or a maple tree? Which type of tree produces acorns? Or if you're like our friend Clay Newcomb, you call them acorns.

Is it an oak tree, a cottonwood tree, or a maple tree? Mabel, do you know this one? Yeah. You seem very confident. You know it with certainty. Yeah. Okay. I like that.

How about Jimmy? Jimmy, you got this one right? I don't think so. Okay. Hayden, do you know this one, or are you just picking between the three as a guess? I think I got this one. Okay.

Is everybody ready for which type of tree produces acorns? Oak, cottonwood, or maple? Matthew, are you ready? Go ahead and reveal your answers. Rosie. Oak. Mabel. Oak.

Ina. Oak. Hayden. Oak. Conley. Cottonwood. Matthew. Cottonwood. Jimmy. Oak. Mabel. Oak. Ina. Oak. Hayden. Oak. Conley. Cottonwood. Matthew. Cottonwood.

Jimmy. Oak. The correct answer is oak tree. The room did very well. Oak trees are one of the most important trees to wildlife in North America. Animals big and small, from caterpillars to black bears, will eat their acorns. Each acorn contains one or two seeds inside of it, and only one in 10,000 of those acorns will ever turn into a tree.

Can you guys name some other animals that eat acorns? What do you got? Squirrels. Squirrels. They eat a lot of acorns. What else? Rabbits. Rabbits they eat.

Yep. Birds. Anything else you can think of? Steve had some feedback. Steve, what animals eat acorns? I've never seen they eat. Yep. Birds. Anything else you can think of? Steve had some feedback. Steve, what animals eat acorns? I've never seen rabbits eat acorns. Rabbits, if you Google what animals eat acorns, it says a rabbit. So are we going to trust Steve or Google, you guys think?

Google. Google. Okay, Google. It is. Yeah, turkeys, deer, squirrels, mice, rabbits, raccoons, coyotes, fox, hogs. They all eat acorns. Question two. Which of these animals is not nocturnal? Is it a bat, a blue jay, or a raccoon?

Which of these animals is not nocturnal? Bat, blue jay, or raccoon? Matthew is thinking hard. Jimmy, you know this one? If I don't, I'd probably be pretty disappointed. Okay. Conley, do you have this one? I'm pretty sure I do.

Now, don't tell us what nocturnal is, but do you know what nocturnal means? It means like... Just yes or no. Do you know what nocturnal means? It means like... Just yes or no. Do you know what nocturnal means? Yes. He's shaking his head yes. Our room looks very confident.

They all seem to know what nocturnal is, and they know which of these is not nocturnal between a bat, a blue jay, and a raccoon. Jimmy, if you don't get this, you're going to be a disappointment to the family. Wow. Strong words from Rosie. Does everybody have an answer? I already am. Go ahead and reveal your answers.

Rosie. Blue Jay. Mabel. Blue Jay. Ina. Blue Jay. Hayden. Bakun.

Conley. Blue Jay. Matthew. Blue Jay. Jimmy. Blue Jay. The correct answer is Blue Jay. Well done, kids.

A lot of correct answers in the room. Nocturnal animals are those that are most active at night. Diurnal animals are those that are most active during the day. And crepuscular animals are those that are most active at sunrise and sunset. Can you guys name some other nocturnal animals? Hamsters. Are they? I don't know.

You're going to have to, I mean, you're right until I prove you wrong and I can't prove you wrong. Is a hamster nocturnal? Yeah. White tree frog. I don't want to get one as a pet because they're nocturnal

and we run all night. How about some more traditional nocturnal animals besides the little rodents? Anything else? What do you got, Rosie? Bats. Bats. Well, that was in the question.

Tasmanian devil. Tasmanian devil Tasmanian dev you guys are throwing out you know I can't prove you wrong with the Tasmanian devil I have no idea sometimes sure owls foxes coyotes possums most types of toads and frogs how about you guys are you nocturnal or diurnal no I'm diurnal diurnal maybe over Christmas break were any of you nocturnal over Christmas break? Yes, 100%. Phil the engineer, he's nocturnal over Christmas break as well. Question three. Which of these is not a type of cloud? Is it stratus, esophagus, or cumulus?

How are we supposed to know? Well, I would think at some point in school, maybe they've talked to you about clouds in science class. No, has that not happened? One teacher. We had a big science unit that she's done and I've done. The same teacher. What are the choices?

Do you think you know the answer? Yes. Okay, which of these is not a type of cloud? Two of them are clouds. One of them is not. Stratus, esophagus, or cumulus? Spelling does not matter. You can get very creative

with how you spell your answers in this game. Yeah, that's what I did. Who's spelling I? Mabel, do you know the answer? Yeah. Conservation would be. You think you've learned about this in school as well? Yeah.

Okay. Which is not a type of cloud. Stratus, esophagus, cumulus. Is everybody ready? Yeah. Go ahead and reveal your answers. Rosie. Astrophagus, cumulus. Is everybody ready? Yeah. Go ahead and reveal your answers. Rosie. Astrophagus.

Mabel. Esophagus. Ina. Esophagus. Hayden. Esophagus. Conley. Stratus.

Matthew. Cumulus. Jimmy. Esophagus. The correct answer is esophagus. About half of you got that one right. Stratus clouds are those that can cover the sky in a uniformed layer of gray and can sometimes produce rain or snow.

Cumulus clouds have sharp outlines that often resemble cauliflower. And esophagus is the tube in your throat where food travels down, which also happens to be where burps travel up. Now, here's what we're going to do. If one of you can burp on command, we're going to add an extra $10 to this donation. Can anybody in here do it? It's that side.

Oh, it's that side. She's pointing to the boy's side of the table. Yeah, the boy's side. I can't do that. None of you can do it. Conley. What the heck was that? That was him.

Hayden with a clutch burp. That sounded like a genuine burp. He didn't have to force it. Oh, okay. We got more of them now. No, that was things. We're going to add. That sounded like a growl.

I don't know if we're going to get that too, Rosie. Hayden adding extra $10. That's it for today's round of trivia. Phil the Engineer, how much money did we raise? Well, they raised $160, but with Hayden's burp, it comes up to $170. $170 going to the National Wild Turkey Federation. Well done, kids. Join us next time for more Meat Eater Kids trivia,

the only game show where burping pays for conservation. Thank you so much for listening. We really hope you enjoyed the episode. If you want to bone up on your outdoor knowledge before the next episode drops, pick up a copy of the book Catch a Crayfish, Count the Stars. It's available wherever books are sold and it's chock full of activities that'll turn you into a true outdoor expert. Now get outside and be sure to tune in next week for another episode of... Meat Eater Kids!