Ep. 867: Jim Zumbo - An Outdoor Legend at 85

April 27, 2026

Description

Steven Rinella talks with outdoor legend and veteran outdoor writer Jim Zumbo.  Topics discussed: Playing with insects as a kid; going to school for biology; winning a bet and and getting your...
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Books Referenced

Amik the Beaver

Author: Unknown

Context:

Jim Zumbo mentioned reading this book as a teenager, listing it among books he loved reading as a kid that fueled his interest in the outdoors.

Tarka the Otter

Author: Unknown

Context:

Jim Zumbo mentioned reading this book as a teenager alongside other wildlife books that inspired his love of the outdoors.

Ice Fishing East and West

Author: Jim Zumbo

Context:

Jim Zumbo showed this as his first book, noting it's now out of print and was written around 1976, with Steven Rinella saying he didn't know about it despite coming from a long line of ice fishermen.

To Heck With Deer Hunting

Author: Jim Zumbo

Context:

Discussed as one of Zumbo's successful books containing 30 hunting stories each, with Zumbo noting he regrets the 'To Heck With' naming convention because it confused people.

To Heck With Elk Hunting

Author: Jim Zumbo

Context:

Discussed alongside the deer and moose books as part of Zumbo's series of hunting story compilations that sold well.

To Heck With Moose Hunting

Author: Jim Zumbo

Context:

Zumbo explained this book is actually a compilation of stories about everything other than deer and elk, including moose, caribou, sheep, and antelope.

How to Get an Easy Elk

Author: Jim Zumbo

Context:

Mentioned as one of Zumbo's books, with the note that Pat McManus wrote the foreword for it.