Aram von Benedikt

Writer

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.

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.

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.

Words of Wisdom

“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.”