Ep. 6: What Happened to Aaron Hedges?

This story begins in the wild, unforgiving mountains of Montana. In September of 2014, 38-year-old Aaron Hedges set out with friends for a weeklong elk hunt in the Crazy Mountains. But when he left camp to retrieve supplies from a nearby cache, those friends never saw him again. But instead of sear…

Ep. 5: A Big Woods Cold Case

On a snowy November morning in 1975, 25-year-old hunter Ludger Belanger stepped into the woods with his .30-30 and the hope of backstraps for dinner. But what started as a simple deer hunt quickly became one of Maine’s oldest—and most haunting—unsolved cases. At first, game wardens thought Ludger h…

Ep. 4: A Family's Hunt for the Truth

Deer hunting is a way of life in central Minnesota, but on November 7th, 2016, the shot that echoed through the forest didn’t mark the end of a deer hunt—it marked the beginning of a mystery that still haunts a family and their community. Terry Brisk, a devoted father of four and lifelong outdoorsm…

Ep. 3: A Monster Among Us, Part 2

Paul Hutchinson's suicide was his final act of cowardice. He saved himself the pain of facing his community, not to mention Danni’s family. Meanwhile, his actions introduced a whole new level of pain and confusion to those who knew him and cared about him. Those people have been left to grapple wit…

Ep. 2: A Monster Among Us, Part 1

Paul Hutchinson seemed like a regular Montanan—an ex-Marine, a fisheries biologist, a father, and a diehard turkey hunter. But behind that facade lurked a predator, hiding in plain sight. Nearly three decades after the brutal rape and murder of 15-year-old Danni Houchins, investigators uncovered th…

Ep. 1: An Opening Day Disappearance

It’s a mystery that’s haunted Wisconsin’s hunting community for nearly 50 years. On September 16, 1977, 18-year-old Bob Christian left home to spend the night at a friend’s house before the opening day of bow season. That night, his future looked bright. He’d just been accepted to the University of…

Introducing: Blood Trails

Blood Trails is a new investigative podcast from MeatEater, hosted by writer and journalist Jordan Sillars. Each episode digs into true crime stories from the world of hunting and fishing—cases where the woods and the water became the backdrop for violence and mystery. From missing hunters deep in …