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Bear Grease

Ep. 451: Shot in the Back - The Jason Dean Story

Bear Grease

MeatEater

Sports, Wilderness

4.97.4K Ratings

🗓️ 6 May 2026

⏱️ 57 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

On December 26, 1990, 17 year old Jason Dean was accidentally shot in the back during a North Georgia deer hunt causing an injury he shouldn't have survived. What followed was a chaotic, desperate effort to save his life deep in the woods, with no cell phones, limited resources, and miles standing between him and the only possible chance of survival.

As the story unfolds, it reveals far more than a hunting accident—highlighting the power of family, the weight of responsibility, and the role of faith and forgiveness in the face of the unthinkable. It’s a gripping account of how quickly life can change, and what it takes to fight your way back from the edge.

Watch Clay's Alaska Bear Hunt on YouTube

Thank you to our sponsor, Tecovas.

If you have comments on the show, send us a note to beargrease@themeateater.com

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Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

This is an I-Heart podcast.

0:02.3

Guaranteed Human.

0:04.4

First Lights fieldwear collection is made for the work that happens long before opening day and continues when the season ends.

0:12.3

Products built for early mornings, full days in real use.

0:16.3

Hard wearing where they need to be versatile where it matters.

0:20.0

No shortcuts.

0:23.0

Just gear designed for the work that earns the season. Built to perform, built to last. Check out. First Light's new fieldwear gear

0:30.8

at firstlight.com. This is a story about a North Georgia man named Jason Dean, who was mistakenly shot by deer hunter

0:41.6

with a high-powered rifle. This is about the unusual circumstances that surrounded this situation,

0:49.3

and it's not normal at all. It's almost unbelievable. The cast of people that tell this story are special.

0:57.1

I think there's something here for all of us, and I really doubt that you're going to want to miss this

1:02.1

one. And be sure to check out the Bear Grease YouTube channel, where you'll find Bear Newcomb

1:08.8

doing all kind of stuff, from building bows to flintnapping

1:12.7

to turkey hunting to cooking carp with mom to training mules it's a good time check it out

1:18.8

bear grease youtube channel my name is clay newcomb and this is the Bear Greece podcast where we'll explore things forgotten but relevant, search for insight in unlikely places, and where we'll tell the story of Americans who live their lives close to the land.

1:42.4

Brought to you by Tukovas boots.

1:44.9

I'm a cowboy boot man, and I've been wearing Tocovas for years.

1:48.8

They're the most comfortable boot I've ever put on.

1:51.3

Good boots for good times.

2:05.2

When you showed up and you saw him,

2:07.6

what were your initial thoughts?

2:11.4

That I was going to have a dead patient on my hand,

...

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