Hunting History with Steven Rinella - Season 1

In this thrilling exploration of the D.B. Cooper mystery, Steve takes to the skies and ventures into the heart of the Cascade Mountain range. Using his unique skill set to investigate one of the most audacious heists in US history, Steve explores D.B. Cooper through a new lens, asking not who D.B Cooper was, but how he could have survived and escaped his perilous jump into a dark and stormy November night. Testing his survival strategies and wilderness knowledge against the same rugged terrain that Cooper faced, Steve challenges everything we thought we knew about the infamous 1971 skyjacking.

Steve investigates the 1972 disappearance of the Begich/Boggs flight, a case that sparked the largest search in Alaska's history. Using his expertise in Alaska's unforgiving terrain, he explores the mystery through a fresh lens, confronting the dangers of the Alaska Triangle that may have claimed the plane and its passengers forever.

Steve journeys to Oregon's remote ranches to investigate the baffling mystery of cattle mutilations. Drawing on his understanding of the natural world and a hunter's perspective, he examines whether predators, scavengers, humans, or an unknown force is behind these surgically precise deaths. 

Steve delves into the mystery of the Lost Colony of Roanoke, navigating North Carolina's dense wilderness and swampy waterways. Combining historical research with his wilderness expertise, he investigates the colonists' possible fate and survival strategies, uncovering the challenges they faced in their search for a safe haven.

Returning to his Michigan roots, Steve investigates the mystery of Le Griffon, the legendary lost ship of the Great Lakes that has fascinated him since childhood. Using his local knowledge and maritime expertise, he navigates shipwrecks, historical clues, and intriguing claims to piece together this 17th-century puzzle.

Near Steve's cabin on Prince of Wales Island lies evidence of one of humanity's greatest milestones--our arrival in the Americas. Drawing on his deep expertise in this rugged environment, Steve investigates when the first Americans arrived and how they might have navigated and survived in this harsh, untamed landscape long before modern tools.

Steve retraces the perilous journey of the Donner Party through the unforgiving Sierra Nevada Mountains, where 19th-century pioneers were trapped by brutal winter storms. Rather than focusing solely on the tragedy, Steve faces the snow-covered terrain to explore the survival tactics, difficult choices, and sheer human endurance required to navigate one of America's most infamous ordeals.

Steve explores the arid deserts of the Four Corners region, investigating monumental ancestral Puebloan sites like Chaco Canyon and Mesa Verde. Shifting the focus from why these societies were abandoned to how they thrived, Steve examines the innovative survival strategies that sustained North America's most complex indigenous culture for thousands of years in one of the continent's harshest environments.