On the Hunt with Janis Putelis | Hunting in Latvia

Join Janis as he makes his first trip to his fatherland. Although deeply rooted in his own personal culture, including his first language, Janis has never been to Latvia until now. Roaring stags, home-built treestands, hunting goddesses, and more superstitions than you can shake a stick at, make for an eye-opening trip.
#meateater #fueledbynature
Presented by ‪@WorkSharpOutdoor‬
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[@grantwbrewer]

I saw Jani at the BZM airport when he was leaving for this hunt. Despite all the times I imagined hanging out with him or Steve, and how we'd quickly become best friends, I immediately turned into a mildly creepy babbling idiot; telling him how much they changed my life. I described it to my wife as the way a teen girl might act when meeting Justin Bieber for the first time. Anyway, I'm so happy to see this video, as it reminds me of that great hunt in MT, and how much I love this lifestyle. The MeatEater crew was so critical in my growth as a hunter. Keep up the great work! Maybe we'll meet again, and I will be cool next time.....

[@jackiekinner3826]

No you won’t and that’s ok 👍

[@jeffmabry1149]

It's ok to be you.

[@hunterg2854]

I've ran into Clay Newcomb a few times (we live 20 mins from each other) and I act the same way. Hate myself for it too.

[@johncurtis3358]

Does Janis' children speak Latvian, I wonder?

[@coreylambert5313]

​@@johncurtis3358they do.

[@nicholasthompson5325]

More Janis please. Perhaps the most personable of the whole MeatEater bunch. P.S. Love a classic rifle with wood furniture and a Mauser bolt action

[@jackiekinner3826]

I like Cal

[@charlesbronson7618]

I hunt with a k93 in 7mm And a k98 in .308

[@davidbaumanis6981]

My father god bless was Latvian and he talked all the time of hunting and fishing as a boy and made me a hunter to I'm old now and may never get to see my father's home land God bless you son for sharing your experience with us i have loved every minute of your adventure x

[@anil_taneja]

So awesome to see European hunting getting its fair share of exposure. There's some awesome game in this part of the world and the hunting culture might be different to the U.S. but the traditions and ways of hunting are steeped in history!

[@williamlaird2136]

Without a doubt, one of the Best MeatEater videos ever! Always enjoy Janis and this was an incredible story with him in Latvia.

[@aaronkellar6583]

i spent 6 months in Latvia with the Canadian Battlegroup in Adazi. I loved every second of being there, its a beautiful small country, Riga seemed to always have something new to offer. I visited the holocaust museum and the older gentleman there mentioned how thankful and safe he felt now that NATO had a presence there, he no longer sleeps with a packed bag and gun ready to go. would go back 100%

[@drerri]

Thank you for the kind words, whenever I'm visiting my uncle in Adazi, its filled with Canadians :)

[@Plasticjesus504]

The Eagle has come home.

[@TheSturle]

You missed the opportunity to say: the eagle has landed

[@jackiekinner3826]

@@TheSturlethat’s what I thought

[@michaelthurman7808]

Dude I read your comment and made one the same

[@TheUnnamedAssailant]

The Eagle has landed

[@DocHolliday3841]

The Latvian Lover has arrived

[@person_suit3064]

That's what I like about this show. They show the screw ups, the missed opportunities, the bad shots that unfortunately happen sometimes.

[@kevbev1524]

I also have a great connection like Janics's story and homeland my mother's family fled Latvia out of fearing the Russians over the Germans, Being relocated to the Dakota's and working there way back to Vermont, Love and appreciate this video so much, It's like a dream I have had since a little boy hunting squirrels and deer in Vermont. Thank you Janis and The Meat eaters across the world so much 😊

[@garthriebe7377]

By far the best video of Janis yet! How current, personable and enjoyable to see Janis in his fatherland! Red Stag… what a dream! Just a Montana hunter here, that enjoys all of the Meateater content. Invoice your daughter on that knife Janis!

[@chriswhitley85]

100% the episode I have been waiting on! I love the spiritual side to hunting in small European countries like Latvia. Their connection to the hunt makes me envious.

[@charlockprime]

The knife superstition is very much alive and well in the states, as well. My grandfather, who was a knife collector and merchant after retirement, once gave me a knife with a penny in the box and explained the same tradition. It's very cool to know that it is such a widespread tradition across the world.

[@Piratesaregay12322]

when my grandfather gave me my first knife when I was 10 he did the same thing. He handed me a penny and then told me to give him back the penny and take the knife. He was from poland. Recently did the same thing with a close friends son. He turned 10 and instead of a game I gave him a knife.

[@0hn0haha]

I've never had a friendship fail with someone I've given a knife too, only people I haven't given one to. If i made them pay then I'd have doomed it.

[@strartur]

In the 1997 movie "the Edge" with Anthony Hopkins and one of the Baldwin brothers, there's a scene when the main character gets a knife as a present and the local Alaskan guide urges him to give a coin instead.

[@pogeegitz]

Glad Janis got to have this experience. My family is from Germany, and have the same knife superstition. Even to the point of borrowing a knife from someone. My grandpa used to say, if you're not carrying a knife, make sure you've got change in your pocket.

[@jeffmabry1149]

Facts my dad learned me this .

[@CrimsonEsso]

I started following Meat Eater because i heard a Latvian guy was in it. I am so happy to finally see Janis in his ancestral land. Laipni lūgts mājās! :D

[@eric8851]

As a first generation American, my father, janis fled latvia during WWII with his parents and moved to the US this was very cool to see. Thank you Janis!

[@michaelboyle9512]

This is the coolest meat eater hunting trip yet!

[@scottchenoweth4937]

What beautiful wilderness and stunning stags. Glorious.

[@JonahGhost]

20:40 This is why I love the MeatEater crew. They don't rush shots from bad angles. So pro. I watch many hunting videos on KZbin and the MeatEater crew always deliver clean and precise shots to the animal. Clean kill guaranteed with these guys. Some times these characteristics even lead to failed hunts and it's stillpoetic. I LOVE IT.

[@ronparker8391]

standing straight up moving around and talking the whole time. he had multiple good opportunities, but they gotta make it dramatic for the camera.

[@ADVENTURESOFBZ]

That red stag grunt tube is uhhh...😳😳😳😂😂😂. Something else!!! Fantastic video as always !!! Meateater nails it every single time!!! Jani im so happy youre able to go home brother!!!

[@stephenconner4222]

First thing I thought when he first blew that call.. I’m so immature😂

[@ADVENTURESOFBZ]

@@stephenconner4222 😂😂😂😂. You and me both brotha

[@nicholaseedy3244]

Time and again the best channel on KZbin.

[@hunt_trap_fish]

So many thoughts. This was truly amazing. Seems like you got to spend time with and enjoy the company of some truly amazing people. My nonni and nonna came to America after surviving WWII in Italy. They tried to get out before, but couldn't. After growing up with their stories, the Russian -- Ukrainian war is very unsettling. Hard to believe it's been going on this long already. Can't wait to see the rest of this series!

[@tigersbaseball1989]

What an amazing episode! Latvia and its people are beautiful! Looking forward to part 2

[@KC-7mm]

This was awesome to see Janis be invited back to his fatherland for a hunt. If I was in his shoes this hunt would be and emotional and spiritual one. What a cool thing to see very happy for Jani to have that opportunity. I can’t wait for the next episode.

[@isaacjamesbaker]

What a cool episode. Looks like such a meaningful and memorable experience for Janis. And a great watch.

[@seantracy5624]

Thanks for this video Janis , unique and refreshing.

[@tuckessee]

Love seeing this! Heard the stories on the podcast... what a cool experience for Janis to experience his heritage

[@frechwieoskar8052]

Latvia is such a beautiful place. I really love all the Baltics.

[@strawberrypotatoe]

Awesome video! I myself enjoyed seeing Riga, but it was definitely the Latvian woods that captured my love! Hope to be back there again someday.

[@veritas8694]

What an awesome video and story! So cool. Thank you so much.

[@SimonUdd]

I think it’s really cool to see how similar the hunting in Latvia is to the hunting in Sweden because we do almost the exact thing here as they do over there

[@missourimongoose8858]

I bet the regulations are crazier in Sweden but I'd be down to watch it lol

[@SimonUdd]

@@missourimongoose8858 depending on what you are hunting boars and roe deer are pretty loose, fallow deer and red deer little more regulated, moose and seals are strictly regulated and animals like wolfs and bears are extremely regulated. Then there are alot of smaller animals and birds that are pretty loosely regulated but some animals has certain restrictions of what you need to hunt like with birds you usually need a bird dog present to track down and fetch the birds

[@Kikimbrix]

I have seen a lot of driven hunt episodes from Sweden, it is almost the same, You have more strict safety rules (what is good ), like open chamber rule and radio, but in general very similar. Stalking or ambush hunt looks same to me.

[@vitaly6312]

That’s awesome! I understand fleeing from your homeland. Sadly, it doesn’t appear that I’ll ever be returning. Not for a long time anyway. Glad you had this opportunity.

[@lukepro2351]

What a cool trip Janis! Hope we get to see Kapras chasing rocky mountain elk in MT one of these seasons!

[@cranberrycountryhunter7105]

Those red stags are amazing looking and sounding!

[@skeetermalcolm1655]

The stags are such beautiful animals, I'm so happy for you yanis to go visit your country

[@northerntable]

I can't wait for more adventures in this region and beyond!

[@OVBassets]

I really enjoyed how clay target shooting was important to being a hunter in Latvia. Looking forward to the 2nd episode!

[@Zervive]

This was very cool experience to watch! Great video! Im glad Janis got to visit Latvia

[@JorryGT]

What a nice and cosy hunting video, I enjoyed it very much! Latvia is a beautiful country :) Hello from Bulgaria!

[@EyeSea]

One of my favorite videos thus far! Keep up the great work you guys ❤‍🔥

[@carlgressel574]

This is the best thing Meateater has put out in a while now.

[@lprisk2013]

I’m from PA and I’ve never given a knife or received a knife without giving or receiving a coin in exchange. I learned this tradition from the movie The Edge, which I hope everyone at Meateater has seen.

[@huntinginaust.6463]

Now that was a COOL series Janis it was great to see your experience there as it unfolded, and enjoyed seeing the interesting ways of their culture and procedures within the hunting club. I liked your speech too, I’m sure they will have you back and take you up on the offer of a deer hunt. Well done 👏

[@gettosurfer]

Good to see you enjoying your pilgrimage to the Fatherland.

[@offroadtek00]

This is an amazing episode. Such a pretty place.

[@WoodyDeBreeze]

Great episode. Thank you.

[@svenschroder6197]

I'm happy for Janis to finally visit the country where his roots are.👍

[@randeepsingh6382]

amazing episode. amazing how Janis still knows his mothertongue after so long

[@Learning_2_shoot]

This is up there with my favorite Meateater episodes. So good. You should do a Meateater series with Yiannis abroad. Get him hunting all around the world.

[@TENDRIL77]

My grandmother was Slovak, and she was adopted to the USA. I have always associated myself with her heritage. I will forever long to visit there and witness their culture, let alone hunt or fish there. I would be in HEAVEN! I'm so happy to see you visit your parents homeland and experience this! That is AWESOME!!!

[@SandeepMc]

Great story and hunt. Thanks

[@15trucklt83]

Janis, I was in Latvia for a month. We spent a month training with LatBat armed forces in 2011. I made some Latvian friends and loved the sights of Riga. We were in a small town near the base called Dugvapils. It was crazy to see everything that was left behind from decades of turmoil and war. I first handedly can appreciate the stunning beauty and mystic of the Latvian culture and story. Very very cool country.

[@Inchis]

That smal town is second bigest city in Latvia😉

[@mrsockeye]

Very cool. This was one of the coolest European hunts I have ever watched.

[@brainp471]

Great episode, I love it when the crew goes international. The original guana jungle episodes were incredible

[@lovacporodjenju4363]

I am from Bosnia and Herzegovina and we are hunting also like this, we have a beautiful forests with a lot of different game species. We don't have too much red deer, but we do have a wild boars, wolves, brown bears, roebucks, hares, foxes, and in some parts of the land even jackals (they are something like a coyotes, just European..) and there is of course a lot of different bird species like a pheasants and duck species also on the rivers... So I can say enough, we are ussualy hunting with the dogs because it is a lot more interesting and exciting. I live in the mountains and in my terrain is very tough and difficult to hunt especially if you are hunting without dogs.. so everybody who are thinking about hunting in Europe should come and see how thats look like... Wonderful video..

[@silketimber]

I live in the netherlands and we basically only hunt farmland. Is it possible to make a trip to bosnia? I know of plenty dutch hunters going to poland and germany, but thats heavily monetized in a lot of places and mostly damage control

[@jeffw6224]

Great content & video. A tip of the hat to Janis & the Meateater crew. I’m looking forward to watching the next episode.

[@gwhunt1023]

How fun! Great episode (s)…

[@Ruhnow86]

Been looking forward to this video since listening to the podcast episode!

[@staceyfoster3126]

Been excited to see this after hearing the podcast talking about it

[@chrisb.banick6720]

As Canadian who only knows the scream of an elk i have i have only dreamed of hearing thr roar of a red deer . Such a majestic animal with so many similarities to our wapiti

[@earlshaner4441]

Good afternoon from Syracuse NY USA brother and thank you for sharing your adventures

[@stevesontheriver4988]

Best meat eater episode I’ve seen in a while Janis is awesome 😊

[@figlermaert]

Awesome episode. Cool to see how European hunting works first hand.

[@underdogoutdoors]

What a beautiful country & nice people!

[@cotwhunter8789]

Awesome video I love this!!!! 🇱🇻 🦅

[@_hotrod_]

Great video Janis and crew!

[@colinpearson4995]

Let’s Go!!! The pod hinted at this

[@Fredomenal]

I am glad we will see some driven hints on Meateater. This is the most traditional way of hunting here in Europe and so many people use to joins together to hunt game this way

[@samuelorozco255]

Been waiting for this one

[@Plywood_concept]

Wow it amazing to see some european hunting 👍

[@ItsmeAndrew123]

Absolutely love this.

[@llllllll1014]

Janis has always been the heart of the meateater brand.

[@tomschumacher5434]

Very cool, thank you for sharing.

[@bradbo3]

I knew where the country was but knew nothing about it. Google earthed it....wow it really is forested...cant wait to see part 2.

[@flintandball6093]

That's the first meateater content that's been worthwhile watching in years. Janis needs his own show.

[@janishunts]

This is my show!😂

[@flintandball6093]

@janishunts well more of it! If you can manage a flintlock hunt, it would be great to see.

[@shopcatt643]

Super fun episode! Love this!

[@shopcatt643]

Give Janis a raise, he is awesome!

[@mr.slappy6944]

Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy. I have never clicked so fast on a video. Nice to finaly see you here, now time to watch

[@mr.slappy6944]

Glad to see you were hunting near my hunting region 🤘

[@AlaskaOutdoorsTV]

What an awesome adventure!

[@125corona]

What a good episode

[@walt6620]

It would be so cool to see meateater explore old school european hunting - much of which has died out...

[@fredericsouthworth2707]

it’s amazing this show is free to watch

[@kkdowning999]

Amazing, thank you from Sweden. Come to Sweden next time!

[@annetttt]

Damn this is one of the coolest ME videos I've seen

[@ltdannichols]

Love this and love Latvia. It's a fantastic country

[@ltdannichols]

Side note: the lunch conversation was a wonderful addition. Alus!

[@itshazy]

JANIS - I've been waiting for you to get to Latvia, this video stirred up all the right emotions! Would love to meet you in person! Hope your stay is a pleasant one.

[@wisdomoutdoors9872]

What an awesome taste of the hunting lifestyle across the globe. There is so much more to the hunt than the hunt itself. That being said, this video really made me appreciate how free and unregulated hunting is here in the states. I’m thankful that we don’t have to hunt in private hunting clubs. I definitely would not be such a hunting “nut” if it were like that here. The North American conservation model is truly the best!

[@mryang3644]

U will never catch me using that type of Stag call. 😆 🤣 😂

[@anactivemarketcrash742]

This is gonna rock!!!

[@kadecastle3830]

Cruising to work, look to my right in BZN and boom theres the Lativian Eagle. Inspiration to us all. Dope episode

[@ribeped]

Hunted there a few years ago and loved it! Absolutely the best place for Red Stag and I have hunted red stag in Argentina and Hungary.

[@karlarrington5362]

Cool video with such a cool back story 👍🏾

[@gregulatowski5874]

I’m from Poland and grew up around hunting. Now I’m in The States and from hunter perspective I would love see us hunters adopt same policy about age and quality of the animals we harvest here in America.

[@michaelcarroll4991]

I have been here for a deployment and it was an experience and a lot of fun. Very generous and happy people

[@drerri]

were you staying at the Adazi base?

[@michaelcarroll4991]

@drerri no I was at MK base

[@C-24-Brandan]

Amazing country, scenery and an epic hunt!! Def a dream hunt & bucket list type hunt! Should bring Linda to hunt with you & Steve in the USA!

[@marikafranke5046]

Not a good choice on Jānis part. Several years ago this Linda D. was all over Latvian news for killing almost extinct lynx - the whole family just for fun. I can find if needed.

[@ansers23]

Excellent! Greetings from Latvia 🇱🇻

[@MortenSchultzHunting]

Very beautiful place. I really love your content. Down to earth, and slow pace. By the way, racoon dogs are a huge problem here in Denmark were I live.

[@harleyeg05]

I liked that rifle stand that you used. What is the name of it? I tried to freeze the frame and get a peek at it a few times, but I couldn't make it out. I love Janis going home to his roots. This was a great episode and very heart warming! The fact that it took years to come together only makes it better and sweeter!

[@jedtaylor3551]

After years of work with Jack Nicklaus When I shut down my business I gave him a gentleman s Bowie I had made for him He gave me the most valuable penny I have ever seen Good tradition

[@tylerscherffius]

Great episode. One of those calls would be great at a party!

[@FellsApprentice]

Artemis/Diana may not have had an animal in mind for you this time around, but her hands and blessings have certainly been on MeatEater from the very start.

[@ronaldpalonis1207]

Cool episode