Highlights
- Enjoys writing about hunting in remote wilderness places.
- Previous work experience: Western big-game outfitting and guiding, teaching bowmaking, and building presentation-grade Golden Age muzzleloaders.
- Interests: hunting wilderness elk, old mule deer bucks, and every other kind of big game. Also traditional cowboying, raising good kids, horsemanship, and primitive skills.
- Expertise includes horse packing, navigating, survival, finding and calling elk, glassing and stalking mule deer, and tracking big game.
About
Aram von Benedikt is one of Outdoor Life’s western writers. He has no formal credentials as a writer, only the authenticism born of a life spent in the backcountry and a library of 3,000 books. Writing for Outdoor Life came as an unexpected blessing, and he’s still mildly surprised every time he sees his name in print. He lives on a remote Arizona desert ranch with his lovely wife, a handful of half-wild kids, a dozen horses, half-a-thousand cows, a plethora of cactus, and the occasional, big desert muley.
“When you hunt, don’t just tramp through the woods: Focus. Feel the wind on your face. Smell autumn. Hear everything. See with your peripheral vision and taste life. Now, listen to your sixth sense.”
- Aram von Benedikt
About
Aram von Benedikt is one of Outdoor Life’s western writers. He has no formal credentials as a writer, only the authenticism born of a life spent in the backcountry and a library of 3,000 books. Writing for Outdoor Life came as an unexpected blessing, and he’s still mildly surprised every time he sees his name in print. He lives on a remote Arizona desert ranch with his lovely wife, a handful of half-wild kids, a dozen horses, half-a-thousand cows, a plethora of cactus, and the occasional, big desert muley.
Experience
Von Benedikt cut his hunting teeth while following elk, longbow in hand, through dark timber. He has been an outfitter, guide, cowboy, gunsmith, horse-farmer, and bowmaker. In 2014 he started writing for Outdoor Life, and since (under the guiding hands of OL’s editors) has learned the rudiments of wordsmithing. He now freelances for a variety of titles, with his expertise being in backcountry hunting, shooting, and wilderness skills.
Education
Von Benedikt is still attending The School Of Hard Knocks, with a bachelor’s degree in Woodsmanship and several minors including Shooting, Elk Calling, Craftsmanship, and Homesteading.
“When you hunt, don’t just tramp through the woods: Focus. Feel the wind on your face. Smell autumn. Hear everything. See with your peripheral vision and taste life. Now, listen to your sixth sense.”
- Aram von Benedikt
More from Aram von Benedikt
A Son’s First Solo Hunt, and a Father’s Lesson in Letting Him Go
By Aram von Benedikt
September 5, 2023
Mike Hirschi Might Be the Greatest Trophy Mule Deer Hunter in America. These Are (Some of) His Secrets
By Aram von Benedikt
July 24, 2023
Hunting the Grey Ghost: Stalking Arizona Coues Deer
By Aram von Benedikt
June 23, 2023
400 Legend: Field Testing Winchester’s New Straightwall Cartridge
By Aram von Benedikt
April 13, 2023
My Son Killed an Elk at 801 Yards. Here’s Why I’ve Taught Him to Shoot Long Range
By Aram von Benedikt
March 1, 2023
Tracking Desert Mule Deer with My Son Is a Vision of the Past, Present, and Future
By Aram von Benedikt
February 8, 2023
11 Ways to Start Preparing for Your Fall Elk Hunt in the Offseason
By Aram von Benedikt
October 4, 2021
Ringing Steel: The Right Metal and Practice for Swinging Targets
By Aram von Benedikt
April 20, 2021
Backcountry Gear: How to Adjust Your Hunting Pack
By Aram von Benedikt
April 20, 2021
Elk Hunting Tips: An Introduction to Cow and Bull Calls
By Aram von Benedikt
April 20, 2021
Scouting Tips: How to Set Up Public Land Trail Cameras for Better Photos
By Aram von Benedikt
April 20, 2021
Guided Hunts: How Much Should You Tip Your Hunting Guide?
By Aram von Benedikt
April 20, 2021
DIY Backcountry Hunt: How to Plan and Execute Your Public-Land Adventure
By Aram von Benedikt
April 20, 2021
Going Primitive: A Record-Book Longbow Buck and Flintlock Bull Elk
By Aram von Benedikt
April 20, 2021
Rifle Tips: How to Combine Shooting Sticks and a Bipod for Extra Stability
By Aram von Benedikt
April 20, 2021
Give it a Rest: Practice Finding and Shooting from Field Rests
By Aram von Benedikt
April 20, 2021
Backcountry Backup: 7 Items to Pack in a Pocket Fishing Kit
By Aram von Benedikt
April 20, 2021