The Outdoor Life Podcast
Episodes
The Time of the Lever Gun Is Now
17 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The 2024 Outdoor Life gun test showed us just how relevant the lever gun still is, and that some gun makers are devoting the time and attention to cra...
The Truth About TSS Turkey Loads
10 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In hopes of shedding some light on this very dense, wildly expensive, and unnecessarily controversial pellet material, I sat down with Adam Moser, the...
Ultra-Close Range Turkey Hunting Tactics with Mike Hunsucker
03 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Turkey hunting at its very best is a close-range game. Few people know this better than Mike Hunsucker of Heartland Bowhunter, who hunts spring gobble...
The Most Remarkable Bow We've Ever Tested—and More from the 2024 Bow Test
27 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The OL bow test is the most rigorous in the industry. We shoot all the flagship bows and crossbows for accuracy over the course of three days at Lanca...
Will Thermals Change the Way We Hunt?
20 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Thermal devices have gotten more capable and less expensive as technology has fueled what an access evolution. Suddenly, thermals are more affordable ...
Do We Really Need All These New Rifle Cartridges?
13 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The 22 ARC blends new bullet technology with Modern Cartridge Design to get .22-250 Remington performance from MSRs. That's cool ... but do we need it...
What Will onX Do With All Our Data?
06 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Some onX users wonder where all their data is stored, if we’re being tracked in the most remote spaces in the country, and if our waypoints could on...
Making Deer Hunting Fun Again, with Lindsay Thomas
09 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
It's peak rut and all your carefully planning isn't panning out. Maybe you missed a buck. Maybe your neighbor shot him. Maybe you're just getting a li...
Busting Deer Movement Weather Myths, with Dr. Grant Woods
02 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Should you be hunting cold fronts? Does wind direction matter less than wind speed? Who's still paying attention to the moon phase? Researcher and ded...
How Deer Use Habitat During the Rut, with Dr. Craig Harper
26 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Craig Harper has published more than 200 peer-reviewed journal articles, extension publications, books, and manuals. But here's the important thin...
How to Hunt the Rut on Public Land, with Aaron Warbritton
19 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Want to have more success on pressured ground while hunting the rut? Then start patterning other hunters. This episode is brought to you by Moultrie M...
John Dudley on How to Beat Buck Fever
12 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
An archery coach is just what the bowhunters of America need right now. This episode is brought to you by Moultrie Mobile Edge Pro. Learn more about y...
How to Hunt the Most Elusive Old Bucks, with Mike Hunsucker
05 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Hunsucker had several years of trail camera pictures of Floppy—an old buck with drooping, injured ears—and he’d hunted him for multiple seasons....
The Best Shotguns of 2023
18 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We assembled more than a dozen shotguns that are new for 2023, which we tested over the course of an intense week of trigger pulling. Read the full st...
Rediscovering the M1 Garand: The Greatest Generation's Service Rifle
21 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The OL gun team takes over the podcast to discuss staff writer Tyler Freel's M1 Garand project. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/a...
Public Approval for Hunting Drops Sharply
07 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The drop in public support for legal field sports comes after nearly 30 years of increasingly favorable attitudes. What gives? Read the full story at...
Only Accurate Rifles Are Interesting
23 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Who was Townsend Whelen? The soldier and backcountry big game hunter was one of OL's earliest shooting editors. Read the full story on Outdoor Life ...
Grizzly Hunting with a 6.5 Creedmoor
15 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Outdoor Life staff writer Tyler Freel knew how his hunt would turn out, but he did it anyway. Read the full story here. Learn more about your ad choic...
Does Ultralight Backpacking Gear Make Sense for Hunting?
31 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We asked our gear staff writer and resident thru-hiker Laura Lancaster what hunters can learn from ultralight backpackers. Then we compared notes with...
What It Takes to Raise Diehard Hunters (A Mother's Day Special)
12 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
"You had fun turkey hunting, right? Why did you agree to take us squirrel hunting all those years ago? Do you even like hunting?" In this episode of t...
Why No One Else Tests Guns the Way Outdoor Life Does
25 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
There’s a lot of low-quality information about new guns out there. A combination of evaluators with questionable skills, limited resources, and a de...
The Turkey Biology Every Hunter Should Know, with Dr. Mike Chamberlain
19 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The turkey hunters of America need a biology lesson. There are so many things we don’t fully understand. Like why exactly do toms gobble at owls? Do...
Masters of the Rut: The Biggest Myths About Deer Rifles and Cartridges
07 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In part six of our Masters of the Rut series, shooting editor John B. Snow busts the most common myths deer hunters believe about rifles, cartridges, ...
Masters of the Rut: Billy Phillips on Why It's Time to Ditch Your Treestand
31 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In part five of our Masters of the Rut series, year-round bowhunter Billy Phillips explains all the pros (and very few cons) of switching to a tree sa...
Masters of the Rut: Kip Adams Explains Why Aging Deer Is Easier Than You Think
24 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In part four of our Masters of the Rut series, Kip Adams of the National Deer Association talks about how hunters can age deer, and why we might want ...
Masters of the Rut: Dr. Grant Woods on Using A.I. to Improve Your Hunting
17 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In part three of our Masters of the Rut series, Grant Woods talks about how hunters can use their trail cameras a little more scientifically and becom...
Masters of the Rut: Inside the Mind of a Big Buck Serial Killer
11 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In part two of our Masters of the Rut series, Dan Infalt talks about his approach to consistently tagging big public-land bucks by hunting their beddi...
Masters of the Rut: Blood Trailing Secrets from Shane Simpson
03 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In part one of our Masters of the Rut series, Shane Simpson talks about what he’s learned as a tracking dog handler, and how that intel can help mor...
Epilogue: Crazy as a Sheep Hunter
10 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
“There is no half way. After his first exposure, a man is either a sheep hunter or he isn’t.” —Jack O’Connor Read Tyler Freel's essay yours...
Tracking Big Bucks with the Mule Deer Master
03 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Michael Hirschi just might be the best public-land trophy mule deer hunter on the face of the earth. And he’s ready to share (some of) his secrets. ...
Rue Mapp Is a Woman on a Mission
27 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Rue Mapp’s calling is to get more Black people involved in the outdoors. Her newest personal challenge? Learning how to hunt. Learn more about your...
Wild Horses and Burros Have Become Beasts of Burden
20 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Free-roaming horses and burros are dying hard deaths on Western rangeland that’s already taxed by drought, wildfire, and habitat loss. So why don’...
Kristine Fischer's Rise to Kayak-Fishing Fame
13 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Kristine Fischer risked it all just to make it as a pro kayak tournament angler. Now she just might be the rising star the sport needs. Learn more ab...
The Case Against Scoring Big-Game Animals
06 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
...and why you might want to enter your buck in the record books anyway. See photos of McKean's Missouri whitetail here. Read the full story about s...
Season 3: The Diehards
29 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Season 3 of the Outdoor Life Podcast is dedicated to the diehards: hunters and anglers whose borderline insane passions have led them to develop some ...
Epilogue: Primitive Skills in a Modern World
18 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Bushcraft doesn't just have a place in the 21st century—it might be more important than ever. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/...
When a Lost Kid Wanders into Your Camp
11 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
A kid walks out of the night and into your hunting camp—lost, scared, and half-frozen. Would you know what to do? Learn more about your ad choices....
Life and Death in Grizzly Country
04 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Rising grizzly populations, mountain town sprawl, and more tourists mean we’re seeing a surge in deadly bear attacks. It’s a good theory. The only...
The Wilderness Isn't Out to Get You
27 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Jessie Krebs is on a crusade to make the backcountry, and the skills required to thrive there, accessible to everyone—especially the people who need...
Stranded in Sheep Country
20 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
What happens when a backcountry hunt turns into an unexpected survival situation? We talk with Alaska sheep hunter and OL staff writer Tyler Freel abo...
Can Hunting Survive in California?
13 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
And if it can’t, who's going to pay to conserve the state’s wildlife and habitat? The list of obstacles looming before Golden State hunters reads...
Miracle on the Tundra: Surviving a 5-Day Blizzard
06 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Season 2, Episode 1: When a caribou hunter sets out from his small village in Nunavut, a snowstorm turns his day trip into a five-day ordeal. This ep...
Season 2: The Survivor's Mindset
05 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
For Season 2 of The Outdoor Life Podcast, we're going to try something a little different. We're still bringing you the storytelling, adventure, and r...
Are Duck Hunters Really Losing 1 in 5 Birds? Here’s How We Can Do Better
24 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
There’s plenty of debate around crippling rates in waterfowl hunting, but the best duck hunters agree that we can reduce them and put more birds in ...
How I Made the Biggest Archery Shot of My Life
03 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
It took Jace Bauserman 19 years to draw an archery bighorn sheep tag in Colorado. So when he did finally draw, he got to training with his bow, meticu...
Wildlife and the Megadrought
27 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The megadrought in the West and High Plains is hurting big game like mule deer and cold-water fish species like trout and salmon. Scorching temps are ...
The Wolf Wars are Getting More Extreme
27 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Wisconsin wolf hunters nearly doubled last winter’s harvest quota. In the West, bounties are being paid for dead wolves. Meanwhile, the wild canines...
The Story Behind Vincent Hancock's Gold Medal Win
13 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What does it take to compete at the highest levels of shooting? We discuss this with Vincent Hancock, who just took Olympic gold for the third time in...
The Remington Ammunition Comeback
02 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
As the ammunition shortage drags on, there’s one bright spot for hunters and shooters: The Remington ammunition plant in Lonoke, Arkansas, is up and...
Trouble in Turkey Country
13 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The National Wild Turkey Federation has been at the center of nearly every trend affecting wild turkey dynamics since its inception in 1973. Over its ...
What We Got Wrong About Snow Geese
25 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Despite the predictions that overpopulated snow geese would destroy the tundra (and thus themselves), it seems snows aren't actually eating themselves...
The Godfather of Axis Deer Culling on Molokai Island
16 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Desmund Manaba was born and raised on Molokai, Hawaii’s fifth largest island and home to a staggering population of axis deer. He started hunting th...
The Mysterious Chronic Lyme Disease Nightmare
04 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Why are so many outdoorsmen and women coming down with long-lasting cases of Lyme disease? Lyme has been around for decades and it's very common, espe...
Why Do We Have Such Strange Hunting Laws?
28 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Hunting regulations vary widely, and seemingly illogically, from state to state. This is partly because states have different habitats, species, and h...
Where’s All the Ammunition?
17 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
We are in the heart of an unprecedented ammo shortage. But what’s causing it? Are ammo companies stockpiling supplies to intentionally increase dema...
The New World-Record Elk—That Almost Wasn’t
07 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
An Alberta bowhunter named Shawn O’Shea killed an incredible 449 4/8-inch non-typical bull in September 2020. Even though that bull is an all-time w...
What Really Happened to the Duck Hunters Who Were Killed on Reelfoot Lake?
27 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In late January, a small-town crime made national news and shook the waterfowl hunting world to its core. During the final week of Tennessee’s duck ...
Trailer: The Outdoor Life Podcast
26 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Coming soon, the Outdoor Life Podcast is a brand-new series that brings in-depth journalism to the issues and controversies that are most important to...