In this issue

Best Stories Ever
FROM David E. Petzal • Robert Ruark • Bill Heavey • T. Edward Nickens • Ted Trueblood • Phi l Bourjai ly • A.J. McClane • Keith McCafferty and more...

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

10+ mins

Get the Drift

How to make an accurate windage call under pressure

4 mins

First Sit

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

4 mins

A Local Haunt

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

4 mins

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

4 mins

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.

10+ mins

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

8 mins

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

10 mins

Stage Directions

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

5 mins

Rookie Season

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

5 mins

GIVING UP THE GHOSTS

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

4 mins

Going the (Social) Distance

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

4 mins

Early Birds

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

4 mins

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

10+ mins

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

5 mins

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

4 mins

Thanks, Bud

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

9 mins

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

5 mins

The Outer Limits

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

10+ mins

Lost and Gone

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

4 mins

Good Dogs

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

4 mins

The Best Bud

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

3 mins

John's Rock

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

5 mins

Happy Anniversary, Pal

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

3 mins

Dammit, Heavey!

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

5 mins

Steelhead Wellington

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

3 mins

Holy Ground

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

4 mins

SEASONS WITH BEAR

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

10 mins

Time Flies

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

5 mins

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.

9 mins

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Field & Stream Magazine Description:

"The World's Leading Outdoor Magazine." devoted to the complete outdoor experience and lifestyle.
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