Ep. 45: Jake Dalton - Olympian Turned Bowhunter
In Pursuit
MeatEater
4.9 • 6.8K Ratings
🗓️ 18 June 2026
⏱️ 59 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
This week on In Pursuit, Rich sits down with two-time Olympian Jake Dalton to talk about life after chasing greatness.
Jake spent more than two decades in gymnastics, competing at the highest level and representing Team USA at the Olympic Games. But after retirement, he found himself searching for a new challenge. That search led him to the mountains, where fly fishing, bowhunting, and the pursuit of hard things became the next chapter.
The conversation covers everything from the pressure of competing on the world stage to the lessons learned through failure, fatherhood, and finding purpose beyond sport. Jake shares the highs and lows of his first successful mule deer and elk hunts, including the nerves, mistakes, and moments that make bowhunting unforgettable.
Rich and Jake also dive into why high performers are drawn to challenge, how the outdoors sharpens the mind, and why the best memories are often built alongside family and friends.
Connect with Rich Froning
MeatEater on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, and Youtube Clips
Subscribe to The MeatEater Podcast Network on YouTube
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | This is an IHeart podcast. |
| 0:02.6 | Guaranteed Human. |
| 0:04.1 | If you do off-season work, you know it beats up gear, scouting, land work, |
| 0:08.4 | crawling through briar patches, brush, weather, long days. |
| 0:12.0 | First Light fieldware is built for all that. |
| 0:14.7 | No shortcuts. |
| 0:15.7 | Purpose-built, durable. |
| 0:17.3 | Hard-wearing where it needs to be versatile, where it matters, |
| 0:20.3 | it supports the work that earns the |
| 0:22.6 | season check out first light's new fieldwear collection at first light dot com 35 yards down he |
| 0:30.2 | starts aiming straight towards in front of me going like up the hill trying to figure out where |
| 0:34.7 | the cow is how is's like, no way. |
| 0:38.8 | This is going to happen. I'm like, why is this working right now? I'm like, this is awesome. But, you know, competitive side of you is just like, you're locked in. I almost feel better in that motion than like when I went and shot with Dan. I was like nervous. I'm like, you know, I'm like, what is this? I felt pretty calm, pretty good, and I'm like, okay. |
| 0:54.9 | And he kind of crossed that Aspen that was in front of me, so I drew back. I was like nervous. I'm like, you know, I'm like, what is this? I felt pretty calm, pretty good. And I'm like, okay. |
| 0:54.9 | And he kind of crossed that Aspen that was in front of me. So I drew back. He looks at me. I'm just like my 20s, right? He was only 17 to 20 yards probably. Nice. Just I double lung and he turns and runs. and I'm just telling my down, I think I got him. |
| 1:10.9 | It had to be a good shot. |
| 1:12.5 | I think I got him. |
| 1:13.1 | And I'm just like trying to calm down. |
| 1:14.7 | I'm just telling my dad like I think I got him. I was like it had to be a good |
| 1:12.2 | shot I think I got him and I'm just like trying to like calm down I'm like shaking you know. |
| 1:18.9 | Out here the stakes are real. Effective preparation starts with fitness but it requires so much more. |
| 1:27.1 | This show explores the tools knowledge knowledge, resilience, and skills needed to be ready when it matters the most. |
... |
Transcript will be available on the free plan in 14 days. Upgrade to see the full transcript now.
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.