About
John B. Snow is Shooting Editor of Outdoor Life, where he oversees the publication’s firearms and shooting coverage. This includes gear reviews, features on technical innovations, stories on shooting techniques and general hunting coverage with the occasional fishing story thrown into the mix. Originally from Seattle, he has lived all over the country, crisscrossing it by car and truck no fewer than 10 times as he’s moved from one location to the next. Since 2010 he has lived in Bozeman, Montana where he currently resides with his bird dog, Roo.
Experience
Snow joined the staff of Outdoor Life as a senior editor in 2001. Prior to that he worked in print journalism as a beat reporter for the Hartford Courant and other publications in southern New England. After earning his master’s in journalism in the early 90s, he joined The New York Times as the first digital editor to work there.
He transitioned to outdoor writing when he joined Fishing & Hunting News in 1996, eventually becoming Editor-in-Chief, overseeing 13 separate editions that came out every other week and managing a staff of 25 full-time editorial people and more than 100 part-time writers. The job was akin to captaining a pirate ship, with the bulk of the hands either drunk in the rigging or squabbling among themselves at any given time.
In need of a change, Snow joined Outdoor Life where he wore many hats over the years: Senior Editor, Gear Editor, Deputy Editor and Executive Editor. In 2009 he took over as Shooting Editor, only the fifth person to hold that title since the publication was founded in 1898. From 2018 to 2021 he held the title as Shooting Editor for OL’s sister publication Field & Stream as well. He’s the author of The Ultimate Shooting Skills Manual and in 2012 was an ASME finalist in the Leisure Interests category for his story, Long-Range Shooting School. To his eternal shame he lost out to a story about pasta.
Education
Snow has a BS in English Literature from Wesleyan University and earned his Master’s in Journalism at the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.
Highlights
- Interests include hunting the West for mule deer and elk and casting to any fish willing to take a fly
- Is an avid long-range rifle shooter and competitor, specializing in multi-gun and two-person team events
- ASME finalist in the Leisure Interest category for his Long-Range Shooting School feature.
Words of Wisdom
All you need to do today is be a little better than the miserable unworthy wretch you were yesterday.
