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Are Outdoor Magazines Dying?

Field & Stream, once a permanent fixture in any outdoorsman’s home, halted its print editions in 2020 and shifted entirely online. Yet, four years later, the timeless issues have resurfaced as oversized bi-yearly journals, giving fans at least something to hold, flip through, and treasure. But gone are the

A Century on Wheels: How Car Camping Has (Barely) Changed

A Treasury of Outdoor Life (1975), edited by William E. Rae, combines some of the most loved features and articles from the popular magazine’s publication history- spanning the late 1800s through the 1970s. This volume highlights great adventures such as trout fishing in Washington, brown bear encounters in Alaska,

More Bears, More Encounters: What History Can Teach Us

It seems to me that black bears have been making news headlines rather frequently over the past few months. Stories such as Florida implementing its first black bear hunt in a decade, fatal bear attacks in Arkansas, and a rise in human-bear conflicts have shined a brighter light on this

From Tree Tops to Cook Pots: Squirrel Hunting

As all hunters know, if you want to see the most small game—especially squirrels—you should go deer hunting. All About Small-Game Hunting in America by Russell Tinsley (1976) is a great read for anyone looking to dive deeper into the world of small-game hunting. Tinsley helps readers appreciate

Foxfire: The Bioluminescent Roots of a Cultural Icon

Of all the vintage outdoor and wild-living books on my shelf, Foxfire is probably the most well-known. Reprints of this Appalachian culture series can still be found in new bookstores today, but I managed to pick up an original copy of The Foxfire Book from a used bookstore in Georgia.

“Weakly” but Never Weak: Remembering the Laughs and Lessons from the West Virginia Hillbilly

I’ll be honest, I had never heard of the West Virginia Hillbilly until I pulled this 1968 book off a used-bookstore shelf in Virginia. But I was sold the moment I opened it to a page describing raccoon penis bones being used as toothpicks. This book, edited and compiled