CATEGORIES

LIVING THE DREAM

After the author arrives in Maine’s fabled North Woods with a moose tag in his pocket, an adventure he’s been wanting to take his entire hunting life, reality sets in, and he learns a valuable lesson: Be careful what you wish for

Get the Drift

How to make an accurate windage call under pressure

First Sit

An icebreaker outing in a pristine spot produces the rut hunt of a lifetime

A Local Haunt

The author finds a sense of place in an overlooked creek, close to home

A Hop and a Pump

Jump-shooting rabbits with classic upland guns is about as good a time as you can have in the outdoors

Welcome TO camp

Is there any place better than a good hunting camp? It has everything: great food, games and pranks, and of course, hunting. Shoot, we don’t even mind going to camp for grueling work days in the summer. Here, our contributors share their favorite stories, traditions, and lessons learned from camps they’ve shared. So come on in and join us. The door’s open.

THE DEERSLAYERS

Before you even claim a bunk, you need to eyeball the hardware your buddies have brought. In the process, you’ll see that the guns at deer camp are changing. What was walnut and blued steel may now be Kevlar and carbon fiber. The 10 rifles featured here aren’t your father’s deer guns. They’re today’s new camp classics

THE JOURNEY TO PIKE'S PEAK

Last summer, the author and three friends ventured off the grid to a remote fish camp in Canada. They hoped for great fishing, but what they experienced was truly something else

Stage Directions

When early-season whitetails vanish from open feeding areas, follow this woods-edge ambush plan

Rookie Season

A pup’s first year, from preseason training to fall’s big show

GIVING UP THE GHOSTS

A QUEST TO SAVE THE FAMILY DEER CAMP COLLAPSES WITH THE HOUSE THAT USED TO HOLD IT

Going the (Social) Distance

Keeping apart from friends these days is easier than you might think

Early Birds

Just because the first wood ducks and teal of the season are unpressured doesn’t mean they’re easy

BLOOD, SWEAT, AND BEDLAM

A pack of hunters and hounds set out on a frenzied chase in the famed black bear swamps of North Carolina

Dream Bull

It’s one thing to tag your first-ever bull elk. It’s another to do so exactly how, and where, you’d long imagined it

The Truck That Owes Me Nothing

ON A CROSS-COUNTRY ROAD TRIP, THE AUTHOR WONDERS IF IT’S TIME TO SAY GOODBYE TO AN OLD PICKUP

Thanks, Bud

SOMETIMES THE SMALLEST FISHING TIP FROM A GOOD FRIEND MAKES THE BIGGEST IMPACT. PASS IT ON

Tree of Life

AN OLD MAPLE OFFERS THE BEST SEAT ON THE FARM, A FEW LESSONS, AND ANOTHER CHANCE FOR A HUNTER WHO NEEDS ONE

The Outer Limits

DURING A DIY ADVENTURE LAST WINTER, TWO BUDDIES ENCOUNTERED GHOSTS, COWBOYS, ALIENS, AND JUST ENOUGH DUCKS TO KEEP THINGS INTERESTING

Lost and Gone

WHEN TWO HIGH-SCHOOL BUDDIES LOSE THEIR WAY IN A BACKWATER SLOUGH, CAN THEY, AND THEIR DREAMS, SURVIVE?

Good Dogs

THERE IS ARGUABLY NO STRONGER BOND THAN THAT BETWEEN A HUNTER AND HIS BEST FRIEND

The Best Bud

HAVING A FRIEND WHO’S MORE SKILLED THAN YOU CAN TAKE YOU TO SOME EXCITING PLACES

John's Rock

AN OLD FRIEND AND MENTOR REMINDS THE AUTHOR TO ENJOY LIFE BEFORE IT’S GONE

Happy Anniversary, Pal

WHEN A TRACT OF LAND GIVES YOU TURKEYS AS PRESENTS, CAN IT BE ANYTHING BUT A FRIEND?

Dammit, Heavey!

HOW A FOULMOUTHED, CHAINSMOKING CRAZY LADY BECAME ONE OF THE AUTHOR’S CLOSEST FRIENDS

Steelhead Wellington

A freshly caught fish steals the spotlight from beef in this classic, and delicious, dish

Holy Ground

If a friend trusts you enough to share their secret fishing spot, it’s on you to keep it sacred

SEASONS WITH BEAR

The author reflects on the time he spent afield, and at home, with the greatest hunting buddy he’s ever had

Time Flies

Birds look fast on the wing, but the trick to hitting them is to slow down

TOUGH BREAKS

Knots fail. Leaders snap. Lures pop free. Whatever the reason, if you spend enough time on the water, you’re going to lose fish— probably some big ones to boot. Even the pros suffer break-offs. But not too often, because they learn from their mistakes. Here, six of the best share some of those painful lessons so you’re never deprived of another grip-and-grin shot again.