MeatEater's American History: The Hide Hunters (1865-1883) cover art

MeatEater's American History: The Hide Hunters (1865-1883)

 Preview

Get 30 days of Standard free

£5.99/mo after trial. Cancel monthly.
Try for £0.00
More purchase options

MeatEater's American History: The Hide Hunters (1865-1883)

By: Steven Rinella
Narrated by: Steven Rinella
Try for £0.00

£5.99 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for £12.84

Buy Now for £12.84

Season's Savings | £0.99/mo for 3 months

£5.99/mo after 3 months - terms apply. Cancel monthly
From the creators of the New York Times bestselling audio series Campfire Stories and MeatEater's American History comes a new audiobook original that immerses listeners into the brutal and unforgiving world of the professional buffalo hunters who drove America's most iconic wildlife species to the brink of extinction.

Steven Rinella (The MeatEater Podcast) takes you deep into the blood-soaked world of the hide hunters who invaded the western frontier in the aftermath of the Civil War, killing and skinning millions of buffalo to supply a resource-hungry nation with an untapped source of leather. From the scorching plains of Texas to the frozen prairie of northern Montana, they lived a nomadic, hardscrabble existence punctuated by raging blizzards, desperate shootouts, agonizing thirst, stampeding herds, freakish accidents, and backbreaking labor. Little more than a decade after the slaughter began, the hide hunters had transformed the once-teeming buffalo range into a boneyard.

These forgotten marksmen weren't mythologized frontiersmen or celebrated explorers—they were displaced veterans, farmers' sons, and wanted outlaws, chasing adventure and opportunity in a world turned upside down by violence and financial insecurity. Their ruthless efficiency stemmed from industrial conditions unique to late-nineteenth century America: transcontinental railroads that connected the Western frontier to eastern cities, revolutionary innovations in long-range rifles, and an insatiable demand for factory belting–made from the skin of buffalo–at the dawn of the machine age. The Hide Hunters is more than a cautionary tale about overexploitation of the natural world. It is an essential chapter of our nation’s story—part survival epic, part ecological tragedy—that left an indelible mark on the American West. Adventurers, Explorers & Survival Americas Hunting Hunting & Fishing Outdoors & Nature Sports State & Local United States
adbl_web_anon_alc_button_suppression_t1
All stars
Most relevant
What I find most valuable about the author is their dedication to honesty. Rather than being some agenda-driven work to demonize America and it's history, he deals honestly with this tragic chapter and with a tremendous understanding of what actually led to it.. Any lover of history will find this work thoroughly enjoyable..

Sobering and Honest tale

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Another great edition to meat eaters American history same as the previous 2 great all round listen 👌

Great story telling and insightful

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Steve is a brilliant writer and just as good a narrator. Very well told and interesting throughout, I thoroughly recommend.

Narrator and storytelling

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.