Outdoor Life

Our readers' hands-on spirit is reflected in the magazine's comprehensive gear tests and personal adventure stories. Whether shopping for a new rifle, searching for the hottest fishing holes this weekend or thirsting for exciting adventure tales, Outdoor Life is the ultimate resource.

FAIRFAX COUNTY, VIRGINIA / 9:01 a.m.

WELCOME BACK TO THE FUTURE • Looking ahead to better seasons

DISPATCHES • WHAT THE OL STAFF IS…

Outdoor Life

CAUGHT IN A VACUUM

THE OLD BREED • The master gunmakers at Dakota Arms build them like they used to

PORTABLE PROTECTION • Five all-around carry handguns for self-defense

PERFECT POWDER POURS • The RCBS Matchmaster sets a new standard for precision powder throwers

THE EARLIEST BUCKS • From California’s wine country to Washington State’s volcanic slopes and Alaska’s rainforest, here are highlights from an overlooked season

ALDO’S TOOLBOX • Our most revered naturalist’s five essential components are as relevant today (and tomorrow) as they were in Sand County days

INTERVIEW WITH DR. DOLITTLE • Wayne Carlton has been talking with animals for decades. Here’s his take on how to start a dialogue

THE TOUGHEST GROUSE • From prairies to forests, the hardest upland hunts in the country

GREEN MONSTERS • The fish of America’s past is also the fish of our future

TOKYO RIG TAKEDOWN • This bait presentation is taking the bass world by storm. Here’s how to rig and fish it

KILLING KERMIT • The key to more hookups is understanding how bass attack frogs

SCHOOLS OF HIGHER LEARNING • The science on why bass are getting harder to catch

THE GOOD NEW DAYS • The tech, places, people, and ideas that will carry hunting and fishing into the future

YOUR DEER CARTRIDGE WILL BE PLASTIC

There Will Be a Muzzleloader Hunting Boom

The New Guard Will Save Hunting (and the Old-Timers Are Going to Help)

YOUR PHONE WILL KNOW THE BEST PLACES TO HUNT

We’ll Find Ways to Make Hunting Harder

CWD Won’t Kill Whitetail Deer Hunting

HUNTERS WILL GEEK OUT ON SOIL SCIENCE

Planting Green Could Create a Rooster Bonanza

Your Barrel Will Come From the Space Program

WE’LL CULL FERAL CRITTERS OR LOSE OUR NATIVE ONES

Southern Duck Culture Will Adapt to Survive

These Four Newcomers Will Help Fix Outdoor Media

MILLIONAIRES WILL PAY FOR WILDLIFE HABITAT

We’ll Start Fighting Back in the Tick War

There Will Always Be Public Hunting Land in America

THE LONG SHOT • I STRUCK GOLD WITH A COVETED UTAH MOOSE TAG—BUT THE EXPERIENCE REVEALED THE COMPLICATED REALITY OF WESTERN TROPHY HUNTING

THE RETRIEVER RULES • A duck dog will always keep you looking forward, and teach you plenty of life lessons along the way

THE ENDLESS SEASON • Exploding whitetail herds in suburban Virginia have created a different kind of deer season. And for a pair of diehard local bowhunters, nothing—not urban sprawl or even a pandemic—can keep them out of the woods

6 GT • In a crowded field of ultra-accurate 6mm cartridges, does this newcomer have what it takes to win in the precision rifle world?

ENTER THE TIGER

HUNTING WITH MIRIAM • The evolution of a hunter, the lessons she’s learned, and the legacy she wants to share with a new generation

SMOOTH OPERATORS • The best new compound bow of the year has taken archery engineering to its limits. But when it comes to crossbow design, we've barely scratched the surface

MATHEWS VXR 28

BELLS AND WHISTLES • Engineers have maxed out compound design (thanks, physics), so bows are starting to look and perform the same. Now manufacturers are focusing on...