Outdoor Life

Our readers' hands-on spirit is reflected in the magazine's comprehensive gear tests and personal adventure stories. Whether shopping for a new rifle, searching for the hottest fishing holes this weekend or thirsting for exciting adventure tales, Outdoor Life is the ultimate resource.

WEST COOK, MINNESOTA / 5:28 p.m.

THE ADVENTURE IS REAL • Hunting and fishing offer personal rewards that are hard to find any other way

LETTERS

DISPATCHES • The holidays are in the rearview mirror, and we hope you survived with wished-for gear in tow. Occasionally, though, even the best presents can crash and—sometimes literally—burn. Here are our most memorable highlights and utter disappointments from Christmases past.

WATER FOUL

IF WE USE YOUR STORY, YOU’LL GET THIS BOOK!

CUT ’EM CLOSE • For a certain type of hunter, the worst of winter brings the best action of the year

DIVE BOMBERS • A hot diver shoot is something you’ll never forget, but decoying these birds in close calls for specialized gear and tactics

BLUEBILL FLOAT

LIGHTS OUT • More decoys? Louder calls? Nah. A snow goose expert shares his checklist for decoying big flocks gun-barrel close

PREDATOR TECH • From e-callers to guns to lights, here’s the latest in predator hunting equipment

CANINE COMMITTED • Set the rifle aside and pick up a shotgun for the ultimate wintertime predator hunt

RANGE WORK

FROST BITES • There’s plenty of winter glory for anglers willing to tough it out

HACK THE ICE • Don’t hit the hard water without these cheap, nontraditional gear items in your kit

CRANK THAT HEAVY METAL • Nothing beats cold steel and lead for pounding dead-of-winter largemouths

CHROME OVER EASY • Take the guesswork out of egg-fly selection to catch more steelhead on Great Lakes tributaries from Minnesota to New York

WAHOO FOR WINTER • When the seas get rough in paradise, test your back, shoulders, and arms on hard-hitting scissor jaws

TRADITIONAL MUZZLELOADING • Nine essential items to help you hunt like a mountain man

PERFECT PELTS • Best cartridges and bullets for taking furbearers cleanly

LEGENDARY ARMS WORKS HELLCAT • A HARD-HUNTING, VERSATILE .308 THAT CAN GO LONG WHEN NEEDED

ELEMENTS OF MODERN CARTRIDGE DESIGN • The science behind what makes the 6 Creed better than the .243 Win.

Bucks Beyond the Border • During the January rut, five hunters head into Mexico’s drug cartel country for a DIY Coues deer adventure

BLUES ON THE HILL • WHAT A WINTER KAMIKAZE RUN FOR TROPHY D.C. CATFISH CAN TEACH YOU ABOUT GLOBAL WARMING, THE YOUTUBE GENERATION, AND THE IMPORTANCE OF A GOOD BRIDGE NET

Tube Toppers • Hate your day job? You could have been an online fishing hero instead. According to the website SocialBlade.com, here some of the top fishing channels on YouTube, including their maximum yearly earning potential as of October 2018. Try not to kick yourself too hard.

THE ROCK • Kodiak Island is a paradise for goats—and for hunters willing to brave the hardships of the mountain

THE DEER PLAGUE • Chronic wasting disease is the largest threat facing wild deer. But after two decades of fighting the disease, we still can’t agree on how to stop its spread. Are captive-deer farmers the source of the problem or part of the solution?

Storm Chasıng • AN EARLY ARCTIC BLAST SENDS DUCKS POURING INTO NORTH DAKOTA’S PRAIRIE POTHOLES, WHERE, IF YOU’RE LUCKY, YOU CAN STILL HUNT ON A HANDSHAKE

THE WILDERNESS WAR • PRISTINE BACKCOUNTRY AND THE PROMISE OF SOLITUDE LIE WITHIN THE BOUNDARY WATERS, BUT ITS BORDERS ARE A BATTLEGROUND FOR AN OLD DISPUTE: WHO GETS TO BENEFIT FROM THE PUBLIC’S NATURAL...