The Outdoor Life Podcast

Last fall OL's senior staff writer Tyler Freel nearly died on a backcountry horseback hunt. During the ride out, he was thrown from his horse, breaking several ribs, puncturing his lung, and spleen. It's not an exaggeration to say that his life was saved by trauma surgeon Dr. Caleb Mentzer and the medical staff. In this episode, Freel interviews Mentzer about what when wrong during that unfortunat...

You can't talk about American history without also talking about firearms. Firearms historian Ashley Hlebinsky picks some of her favorite American firearm innovations and explain how they relate to what was going on in the country at the time. Guest is Ashley Hlebinsky https://firearmsresearchcenter.org/ Hosted by editor-in-chief Alex Robinson. Produced by executive editor Natalie Krebs. Edited by...

Big Oaks NWR, the largest national wildlife refuge in Indiana could close to public use if the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service choses to scrap its real estate agreement. The 50,000-acre property is the second-largest parcel of public land in the state. Full story: https://www.outdoorlife.com/conservation/feds-consider-closing-big-oaks-national-wildlife-refuge/ Hosted by news editor Dac Collins. Repor...

Between attempts to rollback the Roadless Rule, revise BLM grazing rules, and reevaluate Wilderness Study Areas, politicians and federal agencies appeared to launch a full-on siege of public lands last week. Conservation editor Andrew McKean explains. Senate Republicans Advance ‘Trojan Horse’ to Erase Roadless Rule: https://www.outdoorlife.com/conservation/senate-committee-votes-erase-roadless-rul...

Roger Hill has spent years pushing back against Colorado's murky stream access laws. After getting harassed by landowners for fishing and stonewalled in the courts, Hill tried to get arrested while wading. Law enforcement wouldn't touch him. Hosted by news editor Dac Collins. Produced by executive editor Natalie Krebs. Edited by Mike Pedersen / Eighty Five Audio. Learn more about your ad choices....

Did Federal’s Plus Peak 6.5 Creedmoor just make the 6.5 PRC obsolete? Shooting Editor John B. Snow, who tested the round in three rifles, explains how this new high-pressure technology gives the Creed a magnum-sized boost to muzzle velocity. This episode is brought to you by SureFire. Full story: https://www.outdoorlife.com/guns/federal-plus-peak-6-5-creedmoor-review/ Video: https://youtu.be/uEuOe...

This spring, human remains were discovered on executive editor Natalie Krebs' family hunting property. The revelation triggered an investigation that is, to a certain degree, still underway. Hosted by editor-in-chief Alex Robinson. Produced and reported by executive editor Natalie Krebs. Edited by Mike Pedersen / Eighty Five Audio. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hunter Wyche was fishing when he was thrown sideways by an exploding pine tree and electricity coursed through his body. Here's how he survived, and what the experience was like for him. This episode is brought to you by SureFire. Photos: https://www.outdoorlife.com/survival/texas-fisherman-survives-lightning-strike/ GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/f/hunter-wyche-teen-struck-by-lightning-medica...

Congress is poised to approve Stevan Pearce as the new leader of the Bureau of Land Management, which oversees some 245 million acres of public lands and 700-plus million acres of subsurface mineral rights. Hunting and conservation editor Andrew McKean explains what we might expect from Pearce's tenure. OL Podcast: Slashing and Burning at the US Forest Service Randy Newberg's Fresh Tracks Podcast:...

Minimal snow pack and record heat this spring have created a bit of a doomsday scenario for Western trout fishing, especially in the Southwest. However, there are some bright spots. There will still be opportunities in the West but the timing of the season will be much different, and earlier. In this episode of the podcast we interview News Editor Dac Collins, who is a diehard fly fisherman and Co...

This week hunting and conservation editor Andrew McKean and editor-in-chief Alex Robinson weigh in on a viral reaping video that sparked disagreement within the hunting community. Our editors may not necessarily align on turkey-hunting ethics , but they do agree turkey hunters should talk about where we're headed. Video from Intro: https://www.outdoorlife.com/opinion/turkey-reaping-video-reconside...

If you thought that we finally had enough new rifle cartridge introductions, well, you thought wrong.  Shooting Editor John B. Snow explains why he can't stop shooting the new 25s, and the old. Watch the video: https://youtu.be/TvIuFnzY5i0 Full story: https://www.outdoorlife.com/guns/25-caliber/ Hosted by editor-in-chief Alex Robinson. Produced by executive editor Natalie Krebs. Edited by Mike Ped...

There's a lot happening at the U.S. Forest Service right now, including a full blown agency restructure just as a potentially historic fire season gets underway. To demystify all these changes and what it means for wildfires this year, we talked to former Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell, and former hotshot and current wildfire researcher Camille Stevens-Rumann. Hosted and produced by executive ed...

There is some really strange stuff going on these days in the world of anti-hunting and animal-rights activism. Dr. Robbie Kroger of the Origins Foundation explains why. Hosted by editor-in-chief Alex Robinson. Produced by executive editor Natalie Krebs. Edited by Mike Pedersen / Eighty Five Audio. Guest is Origins Foundation executive director and founder Dr. Robbie Kroger. Learn more about your...

There are more new cartridges being introduced today, and more marketing hype around them, than ever before ... right? Not so fast. Senior staff writer Tyler Freel explains. The Living Cartridges, and the Dead, by Jack O'Connor — https://tinyurl.com/JOCcartridges The .338 Winchester Magnum Is a Cartridge That No Longer Makes Sense — https://tinyurl.com/338winch Hornady Says It Will Phase Out Creed...

Dustin Jones is an accomplished competition turkey caller, hunter, and call maker. He's got plenty of awards to his credit (like winning the 2025 Grand National Calling Championship in the friction division), and plenty of tips for turkey hunters looking to take their pot calls to the next level. Hosted by Executive Gear Editor Scott Einsmann. Produced by Executive Editor Natalie Krebs. Edited by...

A decade ago Dave and Amy Freeman spent a year living in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. Now, as the fate of the wilderness hangs in the balance again, they revisit their epic adventure, and the place they call home. House votes to strip BWCA protections. Amy & Dave's book. Hosted by News Editor Dac Collins. Edited by Mike Pedersen / Eighty Five Audio. Produced by Executive Editor Natal...

Last season, hunting editor Andrew McKean and his buddies accessed a piece of public ground by flying in. The aftermath of their once-in-a-lifetime hunt involved a stolen elk skull, a tense confrontation with a rancher, and charges in court. Here's what happened, and what McKean says could be solutions to a bigger problem with public lands. Hosted by editor-in-chief Alex Robinson. Produced by exec...

This week, we're digging into the nuances of TSS and lead turkey loads, both in terms of price and performance. Executive editor Natalie Krebs recently reported a deep-dive on the current TSS market and why prices have skyrocketed. Editor-in-chief Alex Robinson just finished range testing all of the top turkey loads on the market. So here's what you need to know about turkey ammo before the season...

Randy Newberg and Andrew McKean explore how our lawmakers are eroding protections for public land, throwing out public input, and how this is all going to play out leading up to — and after — this year's elections. This episode is brought to you by Vortex. Hosted by OL hunting and conservation editor Andrew McKean. Produced by executive editor Natalie Krebs. Edited by Mike Pedersen / Eighty Five A...

For six seasons Roy Holdford, also known as Curl Hunts, has loaded up his van and hit the road for three full months of DIY public-land and permission turkey hunting. These are his picks for sleeper states to consider this spring, plus a few tips once you're there. This episode is brought to you by Vortex. YouTube video of that Georgia hunt: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rLrjcP6B098 Hosted by ed...

Patrick Wightman gets that America’s turkey hunters are cranky.  Understanding and applying turkey research, he says, can help. That's why he wants to make it as painless as possible for us. Guest is Patrick Wightman, NWTF's new national director of wild turkey research. Hosted by hunting and conservation editor Andrew McKean. Produced by executive editor Natalie Krebs. Edited by Mike Pedersen / E...

Last month the U.S. Department of the Interior said it will revoke the grazing permits that have allowed American Prairie to run bison on roughly 63,000 acres of federal public land in Montana. In this episode of the Outdoor Life podcast news editor Dac Collins interviews our conservation editor Andrew McKean about the issue. McKean lives in eastern Montana, which is ground zero for the bison rest...

All duck hunters want to talk about right now is the growing debate over the culprit of shortened mallard migrations in the Mississippi Flyway. Here's what the data says — and doesn't — about what's actually affecting greenheads. Hosted by editor-in-chief Alex Robinson. Reported and produced by executive editor Natalie Krebs. Edited by Mike Pedersen / Eighty Five Audio. Learn more about your ad ch...

This year's SHOT Show features new guns, of course, but we're also seeing introductions of electro-optics, the suppressor boom, and more. Hosted by editor-in-chief Alex Robinson. Produced by executive editor Natalie Krebs. Edited by Mike Pedersen / Eighty Five Audio. Guests are shooting editor John B. Snow and hunting & optics editor Andrew McKean. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone...