Outside/In

Last spring, a curious listener called with an unusual question about coyote urine. Is it – as advertised by companies who sell it – an effective, all natural pest deterrent? And more importantly: “Who are the coyotes that are providing this urine?”

Since then, producer Taylor Quimby has been trying to find out… and with literal gallons of the stuff available online, he discovered the answers aren’t pretty.

Today on Outside/In, we peek inside the unregulated Pandora’s box of urine farming. Does it work? Is it ethical? And is anybody willing to actually talk about it?

Featuring Jeannie Bartlett, Caroline Long, Ed Brookmyer, Laura Koivula.

This episode was first published in August 2025.

Produced by Taylor Quimby. For full credits and transcript, visit outsideinradio.org.

CONNECT WITH US

Outside/In is made possible with listener support. Click here to join our Patreon and get ad-free episodes of the podcast.

To share your questions and feedback with Outside/In, leave a voicemail on our listener hotline, 1-844-GO-OTTER, or email outsidein@nhpr.org. We answer questions about nature, climate change, sustainability, humans and evolution, and more. No question is too serious or too silly.

Follow Outside/In on Instagram, TikTok, or join our private discussion group on Facebook.

ADDITIONAL MATERIALS

This 1998 study assessed coyote urine as a deterrent for deer, and found (with some caveats) a 15-24% reduction in deer browsing after exposure to the urine.

However, coyote urine had no measurable effect on the deer browsing of yew saplings in this more recent study.

Websites for some coyote urine brands, like PredatorPee.com and Shake-away animal repellents, claim that they source urine from regulated farms that treat animals humanely, but did not provide more information when asked.

This article from Cleveland.com details the conditions at The Grand River Fur Exchange, a fur and urine farm where hundreds of animals were found in poor condition after the owner’s death.

Since we reported this story, Ohio lawmakers have introduced a bill in response to what was discovered at the Grand River Fur Exchange. If passed, the bill would require much stricter oversight for commercial breeding facilities in the state.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Maui has a problem: too many deer, not enough hunters. So on a dark, humid night, Nate joined a group of elite hunters as they endeavor to turn an ecological nightmare into a source of profitable, high-protein venison.

Over the course of a few hours, he watches the employees of Maui Nui Venison methodically shoot dozens of deer, collect their carcasses, and speed them to a mobile slaughterhouse for processing – all under the watchful eyes of the USDA.

Can you bring the efficiency of the slaughterhouse to the natural world? And is commercial hunting a solution for America’s over-abundance of deer?

Featuring Keahi Camara, Erin Yamauchi, Jake Muise, Yasmin Tayag and Jay Marcoullier

Produced by Nate Hegyi. For full credits and transcript, visit outsideinradio.org

CONNECT WITH US

Outside/In is made possible with listener support. Click here to join our Patreon and get ad-free episodes of the podcast.

To share your questions and feedback with Outside/In, leave a voicemail on our listener hotline, 1-844-GO-OTTER, or email outsidein@nhpr.org. We answer questions about nature, climate change, sustainability, humans and evolution, and more. No question is too serious or too silly.

Follow Outside/In on Instagram, TikTok, or join our private discussion group on Facebook.

ADDITIONAL MATERIALS

Read Yasmin Tayag’s argument that Americans must start eating more deer.

A University of Wisconsin professor outlined how commercial hunting would work in the U.S. in a 2011 paper.

Check out photos and videos of my trip with Maui Nui venison at our Patreon.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Have you ever had something from your past that you just couldn't let go of? A friendship that suddenly ended, a question you never asked, or simply a moment where you've always wondered what really happened? Heavyweight is a podcast that takes those unresolved moments and does something most of us only imagine doing: it goes back and tries to resolve them. I hope you adore it as much as I do!

In 1985, electronic music pioneer Bernie Krause was asked to step in to help save a stranded humpback whale. Krause was known back then for being an evangelist of Moog synthesizers, not a whale whisperer. But from that moment he would go on to become a foundational scientist in the new field of ecoacoustics, or soundscape ecology.

In this episode producer Patrick McNameeKing talks to three scientists from the growing field of ecoacoustics. From saving Humphrey the humpback whale, to eavesdropping on frogs, they share what ecoacoustics tells us about the biodiversity of our world, and why they still have hope.

Featuring Bernie Krause, Brian Pijanowski, and Ximena Bernal.

Produced by Patrick McNameeKing. For full credits and transcript, visit outsideinradio.org

SUPPORT

Outside/In is made possible with listener support. Click here to join our Patreon and get ad-free episodes of the podcast.

Follow Outside/In on Instagram, TikTok, or join our private discussion group on Facebook.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Albuquerque and the Rio Grande go hand in hand. The river cuts right through town, which means if you leave your office at closing time, you could have your feet in the water before 6.

But, not this past summer. This August, along the river’s middle section, more than a hundred miles ran dry. What scientists have warned about for decades – the gradual aridification of the desert Southwest – finally arrived in Albuquerque.

So, what was it like for the people who flocked to the river daily? Our producer Marina Henke went to Albuquerque to hear from them directly.

Featuring Laura Paskus, David Gutzler, Matt Springer, Kim Eichorst and Alida Davila.

Produced by Marina Henke. For full credits and transcript, visit outsideinradio.org

CONNECT WITH US

Outside/In is made possible with listener support. ⁠Click here⁠ to join our Patreon and get ad-free episodes of the podcast.

To share your questions and feedback with Outside/In, leave a voicemail on our listener hotline, 1-844-GO-OTTER, or email outsidein@nhpr.org. We answer questions about nature, climate change, sustainability, humans and evolution, and more. No question is too serious or too silly.

Follow Outside/In on ⁠Instagram⁠, ⁠TikTok⁠, or join our private ⁠discussion group on Facebook⁠.

ADDITIONAL MATERIALS

Laura Paskus wrote a whole book about climate change in New Mexico. It’s called ⁠At the Precipice⁠. ⁠You can also find her work on Substack.

You can find out more about the Bosque Ecosystem Monitoring Program (BEMP) ⁠here⁠.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices