Aram von Benedikt, writer for Outdoor Life

Aram von Benedikt

Writer

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.

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.

More from Aram von Benedikt

A young hunter watches for deer as he walks across the desert.
Big Game Hunting

A Son’s First Solo Hunt, and a Father’s Lesson in Letting Him Go

By Aram von Benedikt

trophy room wall with mule deer heads
Big Game Hunting

Mike Hirschi Might Be the Greatest Trophy Mule Deer Hunter in America. These Are (Some of) His Secrets

By Aram von Benedikt

Winchester's Power Point Ammo now offered in 400 Legend.
Ammo

400 Legend: Field Testing Winchester’s New Straightwall Cartridge

By Aram von Benedikt

Young rifle hunter poses with elk
Big Game Hunting

My Son Killed an Elk at 801 Yards. Here’s Why I’ve Taught Him to Shoot Long Range

By Aram von Benedikt

hunter peers through binoculars
Big Game Hunting

Tracking Desert Mule Deer with My Son Is a Vision of the Past, Present, and Future

By Aram von Benedikt

best ammo from shot show 2023
Ammo

Best New Ammo from SHOT Show 2023

By Aram von Benedikt

elk hunting preparation use good gear
Big Game Hunting

11 Ways to Start Preparing for Your Fall Elk Hunt in the Offseason

By Aram von Benedikt

A mountain hunter carries a fresh bull elk skull into a snowy clearing.
Big Game Hunting

Married to the Game: Becoming a Great Hunter Means Living in the Moment

By Aram von Benedikt

A hunter walks up on a downed whitetail deer in a field.
Big Game Hunting

7 Rules You Must Follow to Punch Your Big-Game Tag on Public Land

By Aram von Benedikt

Illustration of a campfire smoke creating a smoke signal of a deer skull and antlers.
Big Game Hunting

Life Lessons from a Mountain Man: “He Taught Me to Hunt. Then He Sent Me on My Way.”

By Aram von Benedikt

A lineup of rifle cartridges with antlers in the background.
Ammo

5 of the Best Cartridges for Hunting Western Big Game

By Aram von Benedikt

Deer Season Copper Impact.
Ammo

The Best New Rifle Ammunition from SHOT Show 2020

By Aram von Benedikt

two Colt Python revolvers, one 6-inch barrel and one 4.25-inch barrel, with the wheels open on a blue background with empty cartridge cases
Guns

First Look: The Colt Python Revolver

By Aram von Benedikt

best hunting rifles for hunting in the west
Big Game Hunting

10 Great Rifles for Hunting the West

By Aram von Benedikt

best diy western hunts
Big Game Hunting

Top 10 DIY Western Hunts

By Aram von Benedikt

3 Shooting Drills that Will Make You a Better Deer and Elk Hunter
Big Game Hunting

3 Shooting Drills that Will Make You a Better Deer and Elk Hunter

By Aram von Benedikt

Black Hills 147-grain Hornady ELD-Match
Ammo

10 Great 6.5 Creedmoor Rounds for Hunting, Long Range Target Shooting, and Plinking

By Aram von Benedikt

11 Reasons You Need A Tarp In The Backcountry
Backcountry Hunting Gear

11 Reasons You Need A Tarp In The Backcountry

By Aram von Benedikt

5 Iconic Lever-Action Rifles
Guns

5 Iconic Lever-Action Rifles

By Aram von Benedikt

A Once-in-a-Lifetime Hunt for Bison in Utah’s Henry Mountains
Big Game Hunting

A Once-in-a-Lifetime Hunt for Bison in Utah’s Henry Mountains

By Aram von Benedikt