5 Wild Game Personalities to Follow on the Instagram
We live in the golden age of hunting media. Whereas in recent years the industry seemed to focus solely on the hunt, often with an extra emphasis on the kill, it has now shifted to include a deep understanding of and appreciation for wild game cooking and preparation.
There are many factors at play that seemed to initiate this shift. One is the rise of Steven Rinella, from his early foray into the mainstream with a food-focused hunting show on the Travel Channel, to his current media empire, Meateater Inc.
Through his non-fiction writing, cookbooks, magazine articles and television programing, Rinella has articulated a high-minded conceptualization of hunting that’s long existed but was rarely brought to the forefront of the hunting media landscape.
He took the ideals of thoughtful hunters like Jim Harrison and Tom McGuane (legendary authors and lifelong hunters both), married those to the conservation ethic of Aldo Leopold, and made it all a running theme in his work around hunting.
Another catalyst for the elevation of hunting media in the United States has been the work of Hank Shaw. With his cookbooks and his encyclopedic blog honest-food.net, Shaw, a former restaurant chef and one-time political journalist, is examining the world of wild game cooking through the gourmet lens that such hard earned table-fare undoubtedly deserves.
While Shaw and Rinella are on the forefront of the hunting industry’s transformation around food, they are not the only ones creating great wild-game related content. Below are 5 of my favorite wild game food bloggers, Instagrammers, and Youtube personalities. Let me know about the folks I missed in the comments below.
Danielle Prewett, @wildandwhole
You may have seen some of Danielle Prewett’s expertly prepared and beautifully plated wild game dishes floating around on the Meateater website or Instagram feed, where she contributes an impressive amount of content and easy-to-follow recipes. Prewett is an avid hunter who got her start in Wild Game cooking while living in Texas.
“I started Wild + Whole in 2016 as a way to express a very meaningful way of life,” she says in her website bio. “I am quite passionate about cooking with wild game, eating whole foods, and living a healthy, mindful lifestyle. As my perspective of the meat industry began to develop I quit buying factory farmed meat and instead chose to harvest my own food.”
Jeremiah Doughty, Fromfieldtoplate.com
Spend any amount of time on Instagram searching the wild game cooking scene and you’re bound to run into the work of Jeremiah Doughty of @fromfieldtoplate. His feed is a never ending roll of wild game eye candy that includes such inspired dishes as Indian Frybread Wild Turkey Tacos, rattlesnake prepared orange chicken style, and smoked venison roulade, just to name a few.
In addition to his Instagram account, Doughty maintains a prolific blog with corresponding recipes for all of his wild game creations.
Scott Rea, The Scott Rea Project
Scott Rea of the popular Youtube channel, The Scott Rea Project, is using his skills as a professional butcher to teach thousands of people around the world the proper way to process their own meat at home. While his Youtube videos aren’t exclusively focused on game, there are plenty of wild game-focused videos to go around. They feature everything from proper venison butchery to the preparation of wild rabbit, from field to fork.
This type of instruction is sorely needed here in the Unites States, as more and more hunters opt for the deeper connection you get to the hunt and the quarry by butchering your own game instead of dropping it off at the nearest processor. If you butcher your own or you’re toying with the idea of learning, Rea’s channel is definitely worth checking out.
John Wallace, @wildgamecook
John Wallace of @wildgamecook is another hunter who’s using the power of wild game to build a substantial following on Instagram. His account couples his inspiring outdoor adventures with his no-nonsense skills in the kitchen, featuring everything from Venison Wellington to wild boar country fried steak.
Larry White, @wildgamegourmet
A former restaurant chef and avid outdoorsman, Larry White brings a broad and extensive suite of culinary skills to the world of wild game cooking while keeping his recipes approachable for the everyday outdoorsman.
His recipes run the gamut from simple venison burgers to a mouthwatering version of shepherds pie made with the braised blade roast of whitetail deer. He also gets the medal for most beautifully plated venison shank ever to grace the feeds of Instagram. Check him out for some serious inspiration.
You May Also Like
