The Outdoor Life Podcast

South Africa has a poaching problem. A decade ago, General Johan Jooste oversaw the transformation of Kruger National Park’s field rangers into an elite, anti-poaching unit whose efforts helped protect rhinos and other iconic species. Last year, news editor Dac Collins joined the rangers to see how Kruger's poaching problem has evolved, and spoke with Jooste to understand how we got here. Edited b...

These are the new guns that have caught our team's attention at the annual Shooting, Hunting, and Outdoor Trade Show this week. Guests are shooting editor John B. Snow and staff writer Tyler Freel. See more new rifles from SHOT Show 2025 here. See more new handguns from SHOT Show 2025 here. See more new shotguns from SHOT Show 2025 here. See more new ammo from SHOT Show 2025 here. Edited by Mike P...

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. Edited by Mike Pedersen / Eighty Five Audio. Hosted by editor in chief Alex Robinson. Produced by executive editor Natalie Krebs. Guest is shooting editor John B. Snow. Learn more about your ad ch...

Hunting editor Andrew McKean runs through the outdoor issues that will make headlines this year. Just take each with a grain of salt. Edited by Mike Pedersen / Eighty Five Audio. Hosted by editor in chief Alex Robinson. Produced by executive editor Natalie Krebs. Guest is hunting and conservation editor Andrew McKean. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

One year ago, Ohio resident CJ Alexander killed a truly monster buck and his story went viral. This month, he was sentenced for one of the biggest poaching crimes in Ohio history. News editor Dac Collins explains how we covered the saga at OL — and why we were suspicious long before Alexander was ever charged. This episode is brought to you by Savage Arms. Edited by Mike Pedersen / Eighty Five Aud...

You've got everything dialed: food, habitat, stand setup, and day-of strategy. The only problem? You're not actually killing your target bucks. Jim Sturgis of Whitetail Habitat Solutions can tell you exactly what you're doing wrong — whether you want to hear it or not. This episode is brought to you by Savage Arms. Edited by Mike Pedersen / Eighty Five Audio. Hosted by editor in chief Alex Robinso...

Wish you had practiced more this summer? Field and Stream's shotgun editor Phil Bourjaily explains how to tune up your wingshooting mid-season and, just as importantly, what not to tinker with right now. This episode is brought to you by Savage Arms. Edited by Mike Pedersen / Eighty Five Audio. Hosted by editor in chief Alex Robinson. Produced by executive editor Natalie Krebs. Guest is Field & St...

Tester, collector, and all-around knife nerd Scott Einsmann explains what's going on with knives made in the USA, why Chinese-made knives might surprise you, and what models you should definitely put on your holiday wishlist. This episode is brought to you by Savage Arms. Edited by Mike Pedersen / Eighty Five Audio. Hosted by editor in chief Alex Robinson. Produced by executive editor Natalie Kreb...

Shooting editor John B. Snow explains why a .300 Win Mag won't fix all your problems, and more wisdom to keep in mind this season. Edited by Mike Pedersen / Eighty Five Audio. Hosted by editor in chief Alex Robinson. Produced by executive editor Natalie Krebs. Guest is shooting editor John B. Snow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You don't have to sit in a treestand all fall. Hunting editor Andrew McKean has killed deer all over the continent. Most of the time, it was with two feet planted firmly on the ground. Here's how, and why, he chooses to hunt deer on their level. This episode is brought to you by Moultrie. Edited by Mike Pedersen / Eighty Five Audio. Hosted by editor in chief Alex Robinson. Produced by executive ed...

Every year our executive editor takes someone from a non-hunting family on their first deer hunt with the NDA's Field to Fork program. Here's what she's learned from those experiences, and what new deer hunters have to say about the experience. This episode is brought to you by Moultrie. Edited by Mike Pedersen / Eighty Five Audio. Hosted by editor in chief Alex Robinson. Produced by executive edi...

Hunter Jared Mills shares his tips for making the most of your opportunity when a big buck finally comes into range. This episode is brought to you by Moultrie. Edited by Mike Pedersen / Eighty Five Audio. Hosted by editor in chief Alex Robinson. Produced by executive editor Natalie Krebs. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Don’t just scroll through your trail cam pictures. Instead, apply these strategies from outdoor writer Josh Honeycutt and Dr. James Johnson, both of whom have extensive experience deploying trail cams to pattern whitetails. This episode is brought to you by Moultrie. Edited by Mike Pedersen / Eighty Five Audio. Hosted by editor in chief Alex Robinson. Produced by executive editor Natalie Krebs. Le...

At this point in the deer season, all serious whitetail hunters have two important questions to answer: When will that target buck move? And where will he go? To answer these questions, we can use recent and historic trail camera data plus traditional woodsmanship skills and good old hunter’s intuition. But it also helps to have an understanding of the bigger picture. And for that, you can’t beat...

In this first episode of our six-part series, we're interviewing expert deer hunters from all around the country. Today we're talking to Brett Joy, a hunter with Just Hunt Club, about combining modern and vintage tactics to target big-woods deer. This episode is brought to you by Moultrie. Edited by Mike Pedersen / Eighty Five Audio. Hosted by editor in chief Alex Robinson. Produced by executive e...

folks have been putting big animals down for over a hundred years with cartridges that would have social media commenters’ thumbs worked into a frenzy. They did it without a second thought — maybe because nobody ever told them they couldn’t. This episode is brought to you by Federal Black Cloud. Edited by Mike Pedersen / Eighty Five Audio. Hosted by editor in chief Alex Robinson. Produced by execu...

If you have a love-hate relationship with your trail cameras, you're not alone. That's why we sat down with Rich Howell, the founder of Trailcampro.com to unravel some of the biggest issues with setting, troubleshooting, and paying for trail cams. This episode is brought to you by Federal Prairie Storm. Edited by Mike Pedersen / Eighty Five Audio. Hosted by editor in chief Alex Robinson. Produced...

Every September, trout guides and amateurs alike descend on the Snake River to compete in a charity event. It’s based around a simple yet formidable question: What if you only had one fly? This episode is brought to you by Federal Terminal Ascent. Edited by Mike Pedersen / Eighty Five Audio. Hosted by editor in chief Alex Robinson. Reported by news editor Dac Collins. Produced by executive editor...

Social media has become an inhospitable place for anyone who is creating firearms content. That’s why a new, misunderstood YouTube policy has created plenty of trepidation among guntubers. Here's what we know about the latest crackdown. This episode is brought to you by Federal Black Cloud. Edited by Mike Pedersen / Eighty Five Audio. Hosted by editor in chief Alex Robinson. Reported by contributo...

Duck hunters reported one of their worst years on record last year. The USFWS says mallard numbers are up and breeding ducks are looking their best in a decade. So what's going on? Are duck hunters just whining over a bad season? Or is the USFWS orchestrating some kind of cover up of bird declines so duck hunters keep buying licenses to fund their agency? As it turns out, neither.  This episode is...

OL's resident mountain hunter Tyler Freel separates fact from all the fiction surrounding backcountry gear, prep, and execution. Here's what matters, and what to do when it all goes sideways. Read the full story here: https://www.outdoorlife.com/hunting/hunting-west-diy-reality/ This episode is brought to you by Federal Terminal Ascent. Edited by Mike Pedersen / Eighty Five Audio. Hosted by editor...

Some of the best bass fishing in America is happening on the college circuit. And as these leagues have expanded, they’ve become the ultimate proving grounds for professional bass fishing. In this episode, news editor Dac Collins sits down with Garrett Smith and Andrew Blanton of Lander University, who won the 2024 Bassmaster College National Championship over the weekend. Here's how they think ab...

As bow season approaches, you might be scrambling to get everything on your setup perfectly dialed. Instead, re-center and think about what actually matters: making a good shot, and worrying only about the gear that's going to make or break your hunt. Here's what matters this season, according to our in-house archery coach and resident gear nerd, executive gear editor Scott Einsmann. This episode...

We headed to Grinnell, Iowa, to test the newest field of sporting and hunting shotguns, plus an entirely new field for this year: tactical shotguns. Shooting editor John B. Snow explains how we test shotguns, why it's necessary, and what you need to know about the latest crop of duck guns, double-barrels, and home-defense models. This episode is brought to you by Bowtech. Read more at outdoorlife....

There’s no more polarizing topic in the fishing world right now than forward facing sonar (FFS). At this point, it’s foolish to deny its effectiveness, as professional anglers who have perfected its use have left everyone else in the dust. It also makes the sport hard to watch. This week we're talking to Derek Horner, OL's manager of audience development and the former captain of Penn State's bass...