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

By: Steven Rinella

Narrated by: Steven Rinella

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.

The Buffalo’s Plague - Ignorant Mankind

It is unconscionable that man, for all practical purposes, simply wiped out a most significant species. How fortunate that small collections of individuals were available to restore the magnificent beasts of the plains. If not for the foresight of a few, the Buffalo would no longer exist.
Steve Rinella has brilliantly delivered another important piece of our history. He does this with the backing of an accomplished research team and storytelling that captivates listeners craving for more.
Know our history least we are doomed to repeat it.

great history well presented

there wasn't anything I disliked. it was a good listen. I recommend it to anyone who loves American history.

Awesome story. Very informative and Interesting

Great way to illustrate a big part of American history. A+. Can’t wait for the next

In depth history of the American Buffalo

Steve did a great job of telling a story about an animal that I didn't know I needed to hear. The education on the history of the American Buffalo and the hunters is fantastic and everyone in the US should listen to it.

Great Read.

I love everything ive read by Steven Rinella. He's quite the historian and makes learning about our past very interesting.