Field Journal

Fall Turkey Season 2026: 40 States Open, and the Fight Over Hens
Fall Turkey Season 2026: 40 States Open, and the Fight Over Hens
NWTF counts 40 states with fall turkey seasons, and the 2026 changes keep tightening. The state map, the Texas rules, the research on hen harvest, and how to hunt a... Read more...
Muzzleloader Scope Bans: The Rules in 2026 and the Fight Behind Them
Muzzleloader Scope Bans: The Rules in 2026 and the Fight Behind Them
Smokeless-rated muzzleloaders with TriggerTech triggers have pushed eight Western states to ban magnified scopes. The state-by-state rules, the agencies' reasoning, and the case on each side. Read more...
Texas Rifle Season 2026: 5.64 Million Deer and the 2022 Gap
Texas Rifle Season 2026: 5.64 Million Deer and the 2022 Gap
TPWD counts 5.64 million whitetails going into the Nov. 7 rifle opener. The ecoregion numbers, the antler outlook, and why the 2022 fawn crop changes which buck you should shoot. Read more...
Screwworm Hits 50 US Cases as Texas Deer Season Opens
Screwworm Hits 50 US Cases as Texas Deer Season Opens
Fifty US detections since June, 14 Texas counties under infested-zone rules, and a billion sterile flies released. What it means for a hunter this fall. Read more...
The Roadless Comment Deadline Moved to October 6
The Roadless Comment Deadline Moved to October 6
Fifteen more days on the biggest public-lands docket of the year. What changed in the document, both cases at full strength, and how to file a comment that counts. Read more...
Redfish Limits Are Falling Across the Gulf and Atlantic
Redfish Limits Are Falling Across the Gulf and Atlantic
Eight states, one stock assessment, and 3.2 million released fish a year in South Carolina alone. Where every state stands and what it means for your trip. Read more...
EHD 2026: About 1,570 Deer Dead in Five Wisconsin Counties
EHD 2026: About 1,570 Deer Dead in Five Wisconsin Counties
Wisconsin's EHD outbreak is the largest on record by raw mortality. Michigan has four counties confirmed. What it means for your tags and your freezer. Read more...
Missouri Just Deleted Its Last Antler-Point Restrictions
Missouri Just Deleted Its Last Antler-Point Restrictions
Eight regulation changes, one of them the removal of antler-point restrictions to slow CWD. The case for it, the case against, and the two dates that matter. Read more...
Minnesota Killed the Deer Tag. Here's What Replaces It.
Minnesota Killed the Deer Tag. Here's What Replaces It.
Minnesota dropped physical carcass tags for 2026. Site validation replaces them — and the rules are stricter than most hunters realize. Read more...
Buy a Suppressor Now: The $0 Stamp, the August Ruling, and the October 5 Deadline
Buy a Suppressor Now: The $0 Stamp, the August Ruling, and the October 5 Deadline
The tax stamp died in January. In August a federal court barred the ATF from enforcing NFA registration - but only for covered buyers, not everyone. What is left is... Read more...
What to Wear Duck Hunting on the Texas Gulf Coast: A Wet-Weather Guide
What to Wear Duck Hunting on the Texas Gulf Coast: A Wet-Weather Guide
Coastal duck hunting is a wet problem, not a cold one. What to wear for marsh and rice prairie, and why the best bird days bring the worst weather. Read more...
What to Wear Deer Hunting in Texas: A Season-by-Season Layering Guide
What to Wear Deer Hunting in Texas: A Season-by-Season Layering Guide
Texas deer season runs from 85-degree openers to 25-degree fronts, often in the same week. Here is how to layer for it, region by region. Read more...