Field & Stream

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

WALL TO WALL • Giving new homes to some old hunting totems

FIRST SHOT

Cheers & Jeers • JERSEY RAILS, A PUBLIC-LANDS ALLIANCE, AND THE RUTTY PROFESSOR

BIRD OF PARADISE • A campaign hunt for one of Florida’s most prized birds ends at a top-secret spot

HAVE COOLER, WILL TRAVEL

FINAL STRETCH • Eventually, goose season has to end. So make the closing day last as long as you can

STAND UP AND SHOOT

LAND OF EXCESS • I love hunting the big bucks of South Texas, and I’m not ashamed to admit it

COMFY SHOT

SKEWERED AND GRILLED DUCK HEARTS • If you aren’t already saving the hearts from your duck limits, this “MeatEater” recipe will make you rethink that

IRON AND WINE

Q & A • David E. Petzal answers your questions about guns, shooting, hunting, and life

UNDER PRESSURE • How do you make heat-of-the-moment shots in the field? By practicing them in competition

RUN THE THREE-SHOT DRILL

COUNTER EFFECT • Crossbows during archery season help recruit new bowhunters, right? These days, some are having second thoughts

THE MILLENNIAL HOPE

GET A CLOSER (AND LONGER) LOOK

ENDGAME • When you find the patience and will to stick it out in your stand until the last second of legal light, anything can happen

THE CLOSERS • Some people just know how to get it done in the end—to close Game 7 or wrap up the deer season with an absolute stud of a buck. Together, these four experts have tagged more than 70 Pope and Young and Boone and Crockett trophies in the late fall or winter, and in the pages that follow, they tell you exactly how to end the season with your best buck ever

TONY TRIETCH

TRIETCH’S MUST-HAVE GEAR

MARK DRURY

DRURY’S MUST-HAVE GEAR

JOE DINITTO

DINITTO’S MUST-HAVE GEAR

JAY MAXWELL

MAXWELL’S MUST-HAVE GEAR

The Borderland • The public lands in the Boot Heel of New Mexico area hunter’s paradise—gorgeous and rugged country filled with history, biggame, and some of the most spectacular wild birds you’ll ever see

HIT THE ICE ROAD • Grab your buddies, crank some tunes, and head for the highway this winter to one of the se D.I.Y.-friendly hotspots for trophy walleyes, tank lakers, jumbo bluegills, and giant pike

THE SWAMP RUNNERS • With his friends and family—and a pack of blue-blooded beagles—Tremayne Benson is keeping the sporting tradition of running rabbits alive in the South. And with his video camera and social media savvy, he’s now sharing that tradition with the rest of the world

PARADISE LOST • WHY THE FIGHT OVER ACCESS TO PUBLIC WATERS IN LOUISIANA, AND ACROSS THE COUNTRY, IS FUNDAMENTAL TO THE FUTURE OF HUNTING AND FISHING IN AMERICA

THE STATES OF ACCESS • • EFFORTS TO PRIVATIZE WATERS ARE ON THE RISE AROUND THE U.S. HERE ARE NINE STATES WHERE FIGHTS HAVE BEEN WON, BATTLES LOST, AND WHERE SKIRMISHES CONTINUE IN THE EFFORT TO MAINTAIN ACCESS TO AMERICA’S SPORTING TRADITIONS

POINTS OF ACCESS • • FROM ANCHORING TO WADING TO CAMPING ON A RIVERBED, HERE’S A LOOK AT HOW YOUR ACCESS TO PUBLIC WATERS COULD BE LIMITED

BEST OF THE BEST 2018 • After a year of rigorous testing—months of shooting, casting, and evaluating hundreds of new products—here is the very best hunting and fishing gear for 2018

A Sportsman’s Life • Making the most of my “mature” years