Mike McTee

The black bear’s nose follows the elk’s vertebrae, carving through a fog of flies. Its jaws dive into the open ribcage, teeth plying through viscera. Flesh peels with a tug and rewards the bear’s hyperphagic appetite. Three cubs weave into the camera’s view through a bitterbrush maze, ready to paint...

As my knife stroke peeled the deer’s hide from the rib cage, something hard fell out and bounced off my boot. I surveyed the pine needles and noticed a coppery glimmer. I reached for the bullet and studied the perfectly curled petals that had toppled the whitetail. Most hunting bullets are designed...