Hunting magazines the worst and the almost readable.

[Liberty1776]

Grey's Sporting Journal sets a high standard of excellence. The other mag I will always get - and have EVERY issue of, is Double Gun Journal. Great articles, photos etc. I've learned more from that mag than anything else (and it's greatly responsible for most of the guns I currently have in my house...)

 

[~z]

Was it the hat?

That was only part of it. It was the impending bias indicated by the shameless product placement of a Dillon 550. I thought it was supposed to be an article 'Foot ware for the Serious Hunter'. I see the slant coming a mile away and my keen brain could anticipate the drift from footlery into another Red-vs-Blue rant.

Judging by the striking ‘eye candy’ you hired for a foot model I can only assume the budget was blown and therefore the article will be non-substantive at best
~z

 

[rodensouth]

Nice one ~z.

I needed a smile this am

 

[Justin Holder]

I have an old copy of "Successful Hunter" lying around. I don't know if its still published, but it has been one of the best I have ever read.

 

[H&Hhunter]

Judging by the striking ‘eye candy’ you hired for a foot model I can only assume the budget was blown and therefore the article will be non-substantive at best

Z,

The foot model we hired had just got back from a photo shoot with "Victoria's Hunting Secrets" modeling high fashion yet functional foot ware and hunting nighties for the full throttle outdoorsman. We consider our selves very fortunate to be able to book such high quality talent here at our Serious Hunter International Magazine.

PS

Dillion paid us HUGE money to have their products displayed with our world famous foot ware super model. We pass the saving on to you the reader!

Stay tuned for next months issue of H&Hhunters International Hunter Magazine. We put hidden cameras in your house. Find out where your hunting buddy sleeps while you are in the outdoors trying to provide for your family. You won't want to miss this shocking expose!!

 

[waffentomas]

I get Outdoor life, American Hunter, and Bugle. They are really just to tie me over until I can get out in the woods again. I like BUGLE best, but some of the tips and snippets in OL can be amusing, and sometimes useful.

What's difficult for me is the people writing some of the articles think they are writing hunting prose for their college prof. The articles are so self-indulgent, I can't even read a lot of them, what crap, we don't want to read literature, we want to read meat and potatoes elk stuff. Plus, most of the elk articles are about guided hunts, which I can't afford, and don't do anyways. We hunt public land in thickly forested areas - another thing nobody who writes these articles seems to do; it's all about glassing and long shots after a three day stalk. Where we hunt it's just a bit like combat was - hours of nothing, then a few seconds of a herd blowing up 20 yards from you - a rush of adrenaline - and you either gather yourself and get a shot off, or not. Either way, the herd is gone, and there is no "pristine open valley for you to watch them run gracefully over the neighboring ridge." PUHLEEZE! You walk very, very quietly through the woods, and hope you see them before they see (or hear, or smell) you. Nobody in our party ever killed or even shot at an elk at more than 100 yards. No elk stories like that in Field and Stream or Petersens. I guess we don't hunt sexy enough land, or pay sexy enough guide fees.

Bugle's ethics articles are good, and I like reading about all the land my meager membership dues are helping save for my kid.

Tom

 

[T.R.]

FUR-FISH-GAME is still my favorite outdoor magazine.

Peterson's HUNTING is not for me mainly because of the unabashed promotion of magnum rifles. But some guys really like this magazine.

TR

 

[jbkebert]

Peterson's hunting magazine is nothing but flashlight ads. I met Craig Boddinton once in Wichita, KS. I don't think I am high fluting enough to bus tables at his country club. Half of the magazines have gone to the conclusion that unless you are shooting a Kreigoff rifle with a swarovski scope and carry a $600 flashlight you can't possibly succeed as a hunter. Well good ole boys have taken more game with guns that aren't as pretty but we still seem to do okay.

Field and stream just because of Bill Heavey is pretty good. Other than his article pretty much a waste of the other 80 pages. If you ever get the chance to read his book "if you didn't bring jerky than what did I just eat" Great collection of short stories.

 

[MikePGS]

I haven't read any magazines strictly geared towards hunting in some time (I did pick up an annual hunting magazine recently, but just for the ballistics tables in the back). When I was younger I did like Peterson's Hunting (because it gave actual calibers for guns and that sort of thing which I always liked to read about). I had a subscription to Sports Afield that someone had bought me, but I didn't like it for two reasons. Reason one is that it was both hunting and fishing, and i don't really care too much about fishing. Reason two is that it never seemed to give specifics about what rifles or ammunition the author was using to hunt with. That always annoyed me, since I really enjoy reading about that sort of thing.

 

[courtgreene]

Personally I like Petzal. I love field and stream, even though they are so general based on a need to appeal to an audience that has more interests than just "Court Greene's hobbies." Also, Bill Heavy would be the best preacher in the world if he wanted to be such. He has an amazing ability to make the mundane into something fascinating with nothing but everyday english.

 

[IowaHunter]

Most of mine come from organizations I belong to...American Hunter, Ducks Unlimited, and Pheasants Forever. The only other one I get is Iowa Game and Fish.

 

[courtgreene]

Just got the newest field and stream... I'm going to stick by my comments on bill heavy and just offer him one exception this month. NORMALLY I love the guy. This month? Well I guess everyone has to take a mulligan every now and then. (not playing golf I don't know if I spelled that correctly)

 

[Robert Wilson]

I generally follow Ross Seyfried and John Barsness. When they were at Rifle and Handloader magazines I subscribed religiously. Both magazines have gone steadily down hill since Seyfried and Barsness left, to the point that I don't bother with them anymore.

Seyfried is a regular with Double Gun and Single Shot Journal and is the reason I now take it.

Successful Hunter is published by the same folks who put out Rifle and Handloader and has suffered the same general decline, in my opinion. Barsness still contributes to that one, however, and that by itself makes it one of the best hunting magazines available.

I have only looked at one issue of African Hunter but liked it well enough to buy it whenever I see it now. I have never seen Magnum but will look for it.

As for the rest, I only buy them from the stand when I see something of particular interest to me. Most - like the Peterson magazines - seem to be nothing but rehashes of the same hunting articles that have been around for 70 years. These days the merest mention of "Deer Rifles, East and West" is enough to make my eyes glaze over.

 

[cisco11]

Hunting Rags

T.R.
I agree with you on Fur Fish Game. Only mag. with useful, logical, common sense articles. Have a variety of contributers, great fishing, hunting and trapping articles. FFG is not full of itself. I also read from time to time the various upland mags, whichever one my gal has subscribed for me at the time. The rest of the rags is a lot like kicking your way through a garbage dump................every once in a while you may find something of interest.


Cisco

 

[oneounceload]

Used to get them all. I agree about the NRA hunting mag, as well as the one from NAHC - pure garbage.

I now subscribe to one - Shooting Sportsman. (The fact I know one of the writers didn't hurt - when he gets a gun to review, most at our club get a chance to play with it..)

 

[FLAvalanche]

Pat McManus was the first thing I looked for in Outdoor Life, and when he did some articles for F&S.

He was the only thing I ever read. Love his writing! That guy is a hoot.