Ep. 400: The Use of Lethal Force
Bear Grease
MeatEater
4.9 • 7.4K Ratings
🗓️ 17 December 2025
⏱️ 54 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
In this episode of the Bear Grease podcast, Oklahoma game warden Jared Cramer recounts the harrowing events surrounding a lethal use-of-force incident that erupted from what began as a routine fishing-license check. In his conversation with host Clay Newcomb, Cramer walks through the extraordinary circumstances in which a simple body of water became the unlikely “means” for attempted murder.
If you have comments on the show, send us a note to beargrease@themeateater.com
Connect with Clay and MeatEater
Clay on Instagram
MeatEater on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, and Youtube Clips
MeatEater Podcast Network on YouTube
Shop Bear Grease Merch
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | This is an I-Heart podcast. |
| 0:02.5 | Guaranteed Human. |
| 0:04.1 | This episode is brought to you by FHF Gear, American-made gear that's built to take a beating. |
| 0:10.9 | I've used their bino harnesses and chest rigs from the swamps of Florida to the mountains of Alaska, |
| 0:16.5 | and they've held up every step of the way. |
| 0:18.7 | When you're in a rough country, wet, cold, dusty, and hot, you don't have to wonder if your gear can hang. |
| 0:25.4 | And with FHF gear, I don't have to. |
| 0:27.7 | It's tough, practical, and it's built by folks who understand the demands of the wild. |
| 0:33.8 | Check it out at FHFgear.com. |
| 0:36.3 | The heart of the season is here when comfort zones disappear. |
| 0:40.8 | The right layer changes the day. |
| 0:42.9 | First Lights Navigator hoodie. |
| 0:45.2 | Wicks sweat, regulates temperature and keeps pace when the weather turns. |
| 0:49.6 | This is, I'm telling you, the best hoodie ever made by the hands of man. |
| 0:53.6 | This is the layer you wish you had |
| 0:55.4 | last time do not head out without it navigate without limits no shortcuts no quit grab the |
| 1:02.3 | navigator now at first light dot com that's f i r s t l i te dot com The last episode of bear grease was on the drowning of Oklahoma Wildlife Officer Melvin, Bucky, Garrison in 1971. |
| 1:21.6 | The story that we're going to tell today, those separated by 44 years, is eerily connected. It's the story about the |
| 1:30.5 | use of lethal force and the legal precedence of water as a means of potential murder. I really |
| 1:39.1 | doubt that you're going to want to miss this one. And he actually started shaking me under the water. |
| 1:45.7 | Like he was trying to drown me. |
| 1:47.9 | Like you would see somebody on TV shaking somebody under the water. |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from MeatEater, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of MeatEater and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.

