Field Journal

Whitetail bucks and does together in a field during the rut
Buck-to-Doe Ratio and the Rut: What the Research Says
A reader said buck-to-doe ratio drives rut timing and creates a 3-week 'trickle rut.' We checked the research. He's half right — here's which half. Read more...
Roadless Rule Repeal: What It Means for Your Hunt
Roadless Rule Repeal: What It Means for Your Hunt
USDA has proposed rescinding the 2001 Roadless Rule across 44 million acres. Comments close Sept 21, 2026. What's at stake, both cases, and how to file. Read more...
2026-27 Hunting Season Dates, State by State
2026-27 Hunting Season Dates, State by State
Archery opens Aug 1 in Florida's Zone A and firearms openers cluster on Nov 14 and Nov 21. Pennsylvania's 2026-27 seasons now include Sundays. Read more...
Texas Archery Opener Is October 3 — Here's the Read on the Herd, the Zones, and How to Be Ready
Texas Archery Opener Is October 3 — Here's the Read on the Herd, the Zones, and How to Be Ready
Texas still runs the biggest whitetail herd in the country, and the bow season opens Saturday, October 3. Here's your early read on the season ahead, the dates that matter,... Read more...
They Convicted a Poacher on DNA Alone. Inside the Case That's Changing How Wildlife Crime Gets Caught.
They Convicted a Poacher on DNA Alone. Inside the Case That's Changing How Wildlife Crime Gets Caught.
Nine mule deer were killed inside the city limits of Cody, Wyoming. No eyewitness, no confession that mattered — just tissue on a broadhead and a five-night stakeout. The conviction... Read more...
The Rulebook Changed While You Were Scouting: 2026's Deer-Reg Shakeups and How to Not Get a Ticket
The Rulebook Changed While You Were Scouting: 2026's Deer-Reg Shakeups and How to Not Get a Ticket
Two states just rewrote big chunks of their deer rulebooks for 2026 — new licensing tech, mandatory CWD testing, weapon and season changes. Even if you don't hunt Minnesota or... Read more...
White-tailed buck with antlers in a field
The Wildest Hunting & Fishing Stories We've Seen This Year
The outdoors serves up the strange, the lucky, and the downright unbelievable. A roundup of the wild ones — and an open call for yours. Read more...
The Last State Standing: Idaho Reins In Cell Cams and Thermal — and Why the Fair-Chase Fight Is Coming for the Rest of Us
The Last State Standing: Idaho Reins In Cell Cams and Thermal — and Why the Fair-Chase Fight Is Coming for the Rest of Us
Idaho just banned cellular trail cameras, thermal, and drones for big-game scouting on public land — the last state that still allowed thermal for deer and elk. It's easy to... Read more...
Bow vs. Snakehead: The Chesapeake Study Putting Bowfishing on the Map
Bow vs. Snakehead: The Chesapeake Study Putting Bowfishing on the Map
A Maryland DNR study found bowfishing is doing serious work against invasive snakeheads in the Chesapeake. Here's the story — and how to get into one of the fastest-growing corners... Read more...
A Healthy-Looking Deer Can Now Spread CWD. Here's What That Study Actually Means for Your Season.
A Healthy-Looking Deer Can Now Spread CWD. Here's What That Study Actually Means for Your Season.
The “zombie deer” headlines are back, and this time there's a real study behind them: infected deer that look perfectly healthy can still shed the disease. Before you panic —... Read more...
Angler holding a largemouth bass caught from a boat
Forward-Facing Sonar Just Got Reined In for 2026 — Here's What It Means for the Rest of Us
The pro circuits are pumping the brakes on live sonar for 2026. Here's what changed at B.A.S.S., Major League Fishing, and Outlaw Outdoors — and why weekend anglers should be... Read more...
Bull elk standing in the western North Carolina mountains, representing the state's first modern elk hunting season
North Carolina to offer first elk hunting permits since reintroduction 25 years ago
North Carolina is opening its first modern elk hunting season since reintroduction 25 years ago. Here's how the resident raffle and conservation auction work, when the season begins, and what... Read more...