Read the latest articles from Outdoor Life (Page 81)

An angler with a big bowin; a close-up of a fishing lure.
Record Fish

Kayak Fisherman Catches State-Record Bowfin on His Nephew’s Custom-Made Lure

The big New Jersey bowfin was pulled from the same small tidal creek as the previous state record, caught in 2017

Dead deer hit by a car lying by the road with motion blurred vehicle, U.S. Highway 14, Wyoming, USA.
Wildlife Management

The Ultimate Guide to Eating and Donating Roadkill

Many states have legalized harvest of game struck by vehicles. Here’s what to know if you're considering salvaging roadkill

south dakota rooster
Policy & Legislation

The Federal Walk-In Hunting Access Program Won’t Be Funded in 2025. An Even Bigger Budget Battle Looms in the Next Farm Bill

The federal program supporting voluntary public access on private lands is grossly underfunded, and that’s limiting hunting opportunities

A lone mule deer buck stands on a snowy ridge.
Mule Deer Hunting

Why Mule Deer Are North America’s Greatest Big-Game Animal

A few seasons of hunting mule deer in the West has turned at least one big woods whitetail hunter into a lifelong muley man

Smith & Wesson 351 PD 22 Magnum
Handguns

Smith & Wesson 351 PD .22 Magnum, Tested and Reviewed

This compact, lightweight rimfire is one of the best crossover utility and concealed-carry revolvers you will find

A pencil drawing of a timber wolf pinning down a hunter who is scrabbling for his rifle.
Rabbit Hunting

I Was Attacked by a Timber Wolf

While tracking game near the Superior National Forest, a rabbit hunter was blindsided by a gray wolf that pinned him in the snow

Two vintage white bucktail jigs lay on a gray wooden plank.
Baits, Lures, & Flies

The Bucktail Jig Still Catches Everything. Here’s What All Anglers Need to Know About This Old-School Lure

If there was ever a do-it-all jig, this is it

Four deer lit up with a thermal on a prairie.
Policy & Legislation

Survey: Idaho Big-Game Hunters Would Ban Drones and Thermals, But Keep Most Other Tech

A statewide survey of big-game hunters attempted to gauge the appetite for restricting certain technology from hunting seasons

The author tested the brand new DVX Night Storm binoculars
Binoculars

DVX Night Storm X1 Review: A Night Vision Binocular for Under $300 That Actually Works

The DVX Night Storm X1 will bring consumer-grade night vision to the masses when it starts production in March. Here's our first look at the unit

Red Hilleberg Allak 3 set against a misty forest background
Gear

Hilleberg Allak 3: A Backpacking Tent That I Trust with My Family

I backpacked and camped in one of the outdoors’ most expensive tents to see if it was worth the hype.

A grizzly bear walks through the snow in Yellowstone National Park.
Wildlife Management

Grizzly Bears Will Remain on Endangered Species List, Feds Say

Western lawmakers are blasting the ruling that grizzlies are still "threatened" as politically motivated. Other delisting advocates say it's further proof that the ESA process is broken

A bald cypress grows out of the swamp in the Okefenokee.
Public Lands & Waters

Feds’ Expansion of Okefenokee NWR Could Help Prevent a Proposed Mine There — If It Sticks

The proposed expansion would add more than 20,000 acres to the refuge and could open the door to a buyout of the mining project

An illustration of a duck hunter paddling in a windswept lake.
Duck Hunting

Why Duck Hunters Die

Sometimes the worst weather conditions make for the best duck hunts — and the most dangerous situations

Shaun Ing with a big catfish caught in the UK
Catfish Fishing

Landing This 8-Foot Catfish, Possibly the Largest Ever Caught in the UK, Was Like ‘Walking 12 German Shepherds’ at Once

“Even an hour into the fight, the fish was still taking line and we were all wondering, ‘When is this going to end?’”

Three wolves stand together on the top of a snowy hill.
Wildlife Management

Podcast: Wolves Will Be Delisted, Public-Land Transfer Attempts Will Fail, and Other 2025 Predictions

Our hunting and conservation editor makes some bold predictions about what outdoorsmen and conservationists can expect in the new year

A rancher walks across a snowy prairie past a carcass of a dead cow killed by a wolf.
Wildlife Management

Ranchers Submit $582K Bill for Colorado Wolf Damages, Which Could Drain the State’s Depredation Fund Entirely

The amount, requested last week by three ranchers in Grand County, far exceeds CPW's depredation budget. Days after the request, federal officials announced that the wolf from the Copper Creek pack that died in September had been shot

A young boy in a blaze orange hat poses with a large black bear.
Black Bear Hunting

Sixth Grader Tags Nearly 600-Pound Black Bear While Hunting with His Grandpa

A nice Ohio buck with a unicorn antler.
Whitetail Deer Hunting

‘I Hadn’t Shot a Deer All Year.’ Hunter Tags Unicorn Buck in the Final Days of Muzzleloader Season

“I’d have been happy just to take a fat doe”

A pair of 7mm Backcountry rounds on an elk antler
Rifle Ammo

Federal 7mm Backcountry, Tested and Reviewed

No one has more trigger time with the new 7mm BC — or more accuracy and velocity data — than our shooting editor. Here’s the full story behind Federal’s innovative high-pressure, high-velocity cartridge

Eighteen large black bass are lined up on the tailgate of a pickup truck along with spearfishing gear.
Wildlife Management

Poachers Caught with 76 Pounds of Illegally Speared Bass in Urban Texas Lake

Game wardens discovered 18 unlawfully taken bass, including several trophy fish over 20 inches long