I guess I've developed into one of those crusty old codgers who criticize lots of modern "stuff".
When I was a kid in the late 40's and 50's,I read Outdoor Life and Field & Stream from cover-to-cover and kept old issues and re-read them several times.Sports Afield was also large but dealt with fishing and duck hunting a lot and I wasn't too interested in that.Besides,OL had Jack O'Connor and F&S had Warren Page.
Those were the days when most articles were written by non-professionals and "how-to" articles were scarce.
Now,we have all of these "professional outdoor writers" who are trying to make a living writing about the things we love to do,and they run out of exciting experiences so,to get out the monthly quota,they resort to rehashing "How-To" articles.When they do write about a recent hunt,most of the time an advertiser has invited them along so the advertiser can get some favorable press for his product.
Or they write about a seminar that "Remchester" has hosted,at a shooting preserve,to exhibit "Remchester's" new products.After the free shooting,they are wined and dined by "Remchester" until the wee hours. After all of the free luxuries,they expect us to believe their evaluation of the new products is unbiased !!
Today's outdoor magazines have a staff of these professionals that get a monthly stipend so very few articles by amateurs are accepted.As a result they fill up their pages with How-to and Where-to and What-to-use!
About a year ago,I decided to try Outdoor Life again so I got on eBay and got a 4 year subscription for $7.00 (Yes,they do sell them that cheap on eBay). Well,I found they are still publishing the same BS.
A new issue came today and I was done with it in 30 minutes.
Do any of you other fellers miss the old magazines?
If you don't have a collection of the old ones to re-read,you can buy old issues on eBay,but they cost as much as a 4 year subscription to Outdoor life will. Wonder why!

I can't stand the "How-To" articles either. How to do some gunsmithing is fine. How to hunt caribou is not. A reader should be able to learn from a well told hunting story. That is what is missing today, except in one magazine. Pick up a copy of Sports Afield the next time at the newsstand and give it a read. The new owners pride themselves on not publishing "How To" articles.

From their website:
While most of our departments are written by regular contributors, we do accept some feature articles from freelance writers. The majority of our coverage consists of big-game hunting destination pieces and exciting, well-written hunting adventure stories. Please do not send “hunt-payback” pieces; we do not run stories that are blatant advertisements for a particular outfitter. We run very few “how-to” pieces. We are also interested in stories about rifles and calibers that are appropriate to the type of hunting we cover. Features should be no more than 2,500 words in length. We also accept short items (100-400 words) for our Almanac section. These items can include hunting tips, travel tips, and unusual facts about wildlife or outdoor lore.

There are a few decent magazines left, I read Rifle, Handloader and Shooting Illustrated. I have also heard good things about the accurate rifle and precision shooting. I just found out that the accurate rifle is no longer published but precision shooting still is.

Seems like about ten years ago I let most all of my subscriptions run out and just never re-did them. Only time I pick up a hunting mag anymore is in the Doctors office.

Got a buddy lives down across the creek and he gets a couple of hunting/shooting mags every month. He brings them up once in a while. Seems like I can go thru a couple in an hour or less.

Just so many articles on the M-16 and it's varients I can stand. Nothing wrong with professional writing, but, most mags are aimed at the money. Money is what drives our economy and it drives the hunting industry including the magazines.

In the 40's, 50's and 60's we all lived a different life style and it would be hard for most of us to return to simpler times even if we wanted to.

I know for me I like doing this computer thing, something I never dreamed of back in the "good ol times". Of course there were a lot more elk back then too.

Don't let the ill winds of some of the new writers blow you to far over!

Seems I read a few years back of Craig Boddington saying the editors really didn't want any more "Joe and I went hunting" stories and wanted the "How-to" pieces by their writers. Shame - like most of you, I always enjoyed the tales of tromping through the brush and putting the bushwhack on a game animal.

You're right, Manyplews - so often today the scribe is expanding on a paid hunt with provided equipment, and, knowing which side of his bread is buttered, extolls the virtues of even the bootlaces he wore. I try to read past all this gibberish to get to the text.

Guess the best out is to save the money from gun rag subscriptions and purchase a good book every so often that is written exclusively about hunting adventures - Remchester be hanged!

I used to read Field & Stream voraciously back in the 80's while in junior high and high school. In fact, it's those articles that drew me towards hunting and firearms. I didn't have a subscription, but would check them out of the school library, so I got to read a lot of the older issues. They also saved me from being bored to tears on the bus ride in rural East Texas (first one on in the morning, and last one off in the afternoon, or about 1-1/2 hrs).

I like a good "How To" article, but only if it is substantive and as you say, not a rehash of the AR-15 or 1911 variety ... not that there's anything wrong with those guns, but man that horse was layed to rest many moons ago. I don't like the commercialized atmosphere which exists either. As has been said, most of the articles written today are just paid commercials. Ah well, it's a good thing we have the shootersforum to take their place :D.

That's the reason I only read FUR-FISH-GAME any more.
Dan

The same crew that puts out Rifle and Handloader also puts out Hunter, which I've found has some interesting articles by some interesting writers. Some how to why to stuff, but mostly good stories about I went hunting or shooting with this or that and this is what works for me.

Fur-Fish-Game is still fairly good.Trapper's World is pretty fair on trapping articles.
I dropped my Rifle and Handloader subscriptions a few years ago as their content had dropped way off.
Still get the Rifleman but If it didn't come with the NRA membership,I wouldn't buy it.
Tried Varmint Hunter for a year but it's not worth $35 for 6 issues.
Still subscribe to Shooting Times mainly for Rick Jamison's handloading info.Layne Simpson also put's out some good gun articles.
You guys are right about the big sporting magazines being owned and run by people who have no sporting interests.
There are a lot of specialty sporting magazines now - heck there must be 6-8 archery publications.
I also agree that on-line forums are a better source of info than magazines.
Another bad sign-of-the-times is that most youngsters aren't taking up shooting and hunting today,like we did when we were kids.I guess if it doesn't have a screen,control buttons,and lots of action;it's too boring.
How many kids do you folks know that are serious about shooting and hunting?

You're right about the Rifleman. Like you, I would not buy it if it didn't come with the membership. It does keep one abreast of the gun related political landscape. I've just switched mine back to the Hunter, and hope it will be better...not holding my breath though :rolleyes:.

On the younger folks topic: I wonder how many school libraries today would carry a subscription to Field & Stream ... not too many I'm thinking.

I think alot of the problem with getting youth involved here in PA is a lack of game, even the faithful get tired of sitting in the cold not seeing a deer. I enjoy getting out, but I can think of nicer conditions to just be out than the first week of deer season.

I think alot of the problem with getting youth involved here in PA is a lack of game, even the faithful get tired of sitting in the cold not seeing a deer. I enjoy getting out, but I can think of nicer conditions to just be out than the first week of deer season.

You're right about game populations.Squirrel is about the only game animal that still has respectable numbers.
When I was kid on the farm,we had lots of pheasants and rabbits.You could even get your limit late in the season,if you hunted hard.
I had a collie dog that was a great flush dog and I remember one Thanksgiving that my Uncle & Aunt came out from Pittsburgh to spend the holiday with us. My Dad,Uncle and I took the dog and hunted one 8 acre clover field in the morning.My Uncle kept count,and by noon the dog had flushed 28 rabbits and 7 pheasants out of those 8 acres.
I've also hunted bucks since 1948 and have been lucky enough to kill a good many. Last year I hunted the first week at our camp on Laurel Mountain.I saw one deer while in the woods - on Friday morning.I'll admit I don't cover ground like I used to,but that's pretty pathetic.If I was a kid,I'd probably put a video game in my game bag.

[-[wow]-I guess I'm not alone in my feelings about this issue.]

I was at my ropes-end quite some time ago, when I cancelled or stopped buying many of the gun-mags for most of the reasons already stated. The majority objective had evidently turned to advertising and marketing, and some of the "writers" had become down-right annoying. Then I met Wayne-von-Zwoll, and spent a few days shooting and training with him-[both of us students]-during a hunting-course in Northern Arizona. We shared experiences and stories regarding both firearms and hunting, and I confided in him that he was one of the few-scribes left that I read on a regular basis. He put things into perspective for me in regards to what someone with my experience can-or-should expect from a "gun-writer" and it was then that I understood why my opinions and views were shaped the way they were....because of experience. Experience alot of people that read the majority of the "gun-rags" don't have. Much like the wealth of experience that can be found in numerous threads of this forum...

I have found that my money has been best spent on Fur/Fish/Game...Sports Afield...Sporting-Classics...and I still enjoy Rifle-Shooter, because of its focus on current trends in the area in question. I will continue to read Guns-n-Ammo as long as my mentor Col Cooper is on the back-page...and - I still have a subscription to both Field-n-Stream AND Outdoor-Life...BUT - I don't seem to spend as much time with my nose buried in them. Most of the time I just keep them in the truck, behind the seat for something to read while I am "waiting-for-something"...Like many of the members of this forum, I grew up in a different place...in a different time. I was brought-up on a single shot .22 w/open-sights...and Outdoor-Life AND Field-n-Stream were not only in my school library...but-also on the coffee-tables in all the waiting-rooms of Doctor-n-Dentists offices and Barber-shops in my hometown.

Yes times have changed...but there are still a few mags out there for us "experienced" crusty-ol-codgers...you just have to HUNT-for-them.

One of my really pet peeves is when every article about the newest big bore handgun spends 3/4ths of the article giving you the history from the .357mag to the .44 mag. to the .454 Casull, etc. before they ever get to the subject at hand. Geezzzz folks, we've heard it a 100 times so quit using it to fill out the article and spend more time testing the new product and reporting on it. And the last 25% finally relating to the subject of the article spends way too much time talking about "it kicks hard"......yeah, big surprise, now how about it's performance with various loads??

Dan

I've been reading/subscribing to magazines and books about shooting/hunting/adventure since as far back as I can remember. I especially liked articles by Keith, O'Connor, Aagard, Wooters, Nonte and especially Ruark. Books by Jim Kjelgaard, A.B Guthrie, Zane Grey, and Edgar Rice Burroughs all influenced my attitudes and interests. The fact is, those gentlemen are all dead, and the times and experiences that shaped their writing are all history. The world was a smaller place then, and things were not as interconnected, or as complicated. Trying to find a group of writers today that have the life experiences that made up the core of writers of yesterday would be extremely difficult.

There are still a few that are worth reading though, among them are John Barsness, especially for hunting and handloading, Rick Jamison for handloading, Phil Shoemaker for hunting, especially Alaska, Mike Venturino for blackpowder cartridge firearms and BPC Silhouette, Ken Howell, and Mic McPherson for cartridge design and wildcatting, Dr. Kevin Robertson for African hunting and firearms/cartridges for that, Jacob Gottfredson and again John Barsness for optics, Bruce Canfield for historical military firearms and collecting, John Feamster for AR-15/highpower, Norm and Rocky Chandler, Clint Smith and Mas Ayoob for tactical/defensive shooting. Last but not least, a fairly new guy, John Conner for humor. I'm sure that I'm leaving out a few others, but these guys are good and have experiences to back up their stories. Unfortunately they are spread out across quite a few publications, and I have to take all of them to get their articles. Alot of them are published in 'Precision Shooting' and 'The Accurate Rifle', which unfortunately has ceased being published, due to lack of subscribership. Neither one are newstand magazines, and 'Precision Shooting' is the only one left.

As far as hunting and the "good ole days", at least as far as numbers of animals, I think we're there now. Game populations are up, at least in the areas that I hunt or have hunted in the last few years, but interest is down for quite a number of reasons, not the least of which is the urbanization of our country. Up until the late 60's, a good portion of our populace was involved in agriculture, and lived in rural areas, or knew someone who did. Modern farms and agribusiness, as well as tax policy, i.e. inheritance taxes, have killed off the family farm, and most peoples' connexion to the land. Those that hunt nowadays have to make a greater effort to find and go to a place to hunt, and for some it has gotten too hard and/or expensive. I have seven nephews and 5 neices, and a grand total of one has any interest in hunting and shooting. I have offered and tried to get the others interested in hunting and shooting, and have met either resistance by parents or apathy/disinterest from the youngsters. I suppose life has gotten too easy for this generation, and learning about self sufficiency and the skills involved therein have become passe'. I shouldn't be surprised, as none of the 12 has held a job while in high school or college, and a couple are unemployed after college. None will even consider the military as an option, so I guess that I'm not surprised. I wonder if and when we have another "Great Depression" how the current crop will handle it. If my own family is any indication, it doesn't bode well for the future of the republic.

Sorry for the rant, but this thread has gotten me to thinking about what shaped the lives of our past legends in hunting and shooting, and what is shaping the future ones, if there will be any.

Good post, Mikej -

Lots of meat there to chew on.

A previous post got me to thinking - after all these years and reading those you've mentioned, plus over a half century of tromping the woods and fields, maybe I get too impatient with the "how to" writings. Yeah, been there and have the T shirt to prove it.

BUT - there's a lot of younger shooters/hunters out there that have that half century ahead of them and need someone to spell out the whys and wherefores, since many of them don't have the dads, uncles or grandfathers to help them along the way. As you mention, apathy by adults probably destroys the interest of the young. A shame really. Note where nationally there is a general decline in the number of hunting licenses sold.

Working at a local gunrange, I enjoy seeing kids accompany their parents for a day's worth of shooting instead of sitting in front of the TV playing Nitendo. Make a point of speaking personally to each youth, encouraging them to come back and shoot again. All respond positively.

I agree that the same old stuff is re-written each and every year. But FUR-FISH-GAME is a worthwhile magazine. Try it, you may like it.

Used books are quite cheap these days. I recently bought 8 hunting and rifle books for $21. from a shop. Will donate to the Volunteer Fire Dept. when I'm finished with 'em.
TR

good thread

I'll second warmutts comments about Successful Hunter. It's better than most. I'll have to keep my eyes open for a Fur Fish Game, can't say I've ever seen one.

Does anyone ever submit unsolicited articles based on personal experiences? I've considered it a time or two but never followed through.

I guess I've developed into one of those crusty old codgers who criticize lots of modern "stuff".
When I was a kid in the late 40's and 50's,I read Outdoor Life and Field & Stream from cover-to-cover and kept old issues and re-read them several times.Sports Afield was also large but dealt with fishing and duck hunting a lot and I wasn't too interested in that.Besides,OL had Jack O'Connor and F&S had Warren Page.
Those were the days when most articles were written by non-professionals and "how-to" articles were scarce.
Now,we have all of these "professional outdoor writers" who are trying to make a living writing about the things we love to do,and they run out of exciting experiences so,to get out the monthly quota,they resort to rehashing "How-To" articles.When they do write about a recent hunt,most of the time an advertiser has invited them along so the advertiser can get some favorable press for his product.
Or they write about a seminar that "Remchester" has hosted,at a shooting preserve,to exhibit "Remchester's" new products.After the free shooting,they are wined and dined by "Remchester" until the wee hours. After all of the free luxuries,they expect us to believe their evaluation of the new products is unbiased !!
Today's outdoor magazines have a staff of these professionals that get a monthly stipend so very few articles by amateurs are accepted.As a result they fill up their pages with How-to and Where-to and What-to-use!
About a year ago,I decided to try Outdoor Life again so I got on eBay and got a 4 year subscription for $7.00 (Yes,they do sell them that cheap on eBay). Well,I found they are still publishing the same BS.
A new issue came today and I was done with it in 30 minutes.
Do any of you other fellers miss the old magazines?
If you don't have a collection of the old ones to re-read,you can buy old issues on eBay,but they cost as much as a 4 year subscription to Outdoor life will. Wonder why!
Ditto-
Most of the magazines you find on the shelves are not worth reading. Not only are they full of ads, but the articles are also adds in themselves. With the exception of the NRA's American Rifleman, and our own Texas Trophy Hunter magazine, I don't look at them anymore.

Years ago, I was a died in the wool Bass fisherman. Ray Scott, and B.A.S.S. organization with their magazine, started a craze down here with bass fishing like you've never seen. The magazine became nothing but ads, and I let my subscription go.
Now the TTHA magazine is becoming the same way. I will let it run out after this last subscription. But not before getting my 2C worth in to their editors.

However, the TV shows are no better. Again, these young guys with the manicured beards put on these shows that are pure ads. "Use this broadhead, use that bullet, and especially "use this deer scent"

It is becoming over saturated. I have been turning the shows off, and just going hunting.
O'Conner would turn over in his grave!

about the only other option in magizines is try before you buy. I have int he last week alone read and went thru at least 5-6. but yes, there is quite a few is nothing but ads butthe NRA magizine was quite the best for hunting and stories. but there are a few hat more the less was an article that caught my eye flipping thru it to buy it. but, it has to have something more than just ONLY deer hunting in it. I have not brought a deer hunting magizine yet, I just do not exactly see a reason to shoot a deer just yet. when I am more experienced and have a better understanding of hunting skills, then I will try deer hunting then. just kinda trying to work my way up from small squerrils to wood chucks, to the great and big deer then. (a 20 pointer would be a nice one. but will just settle for a 12 point one.)

I have to agree with Alyeska; Sports Afield is one of the finest mags going now for good hunting stories without the "how-to" in it, from Alaska to Africa. They're painfully expensive in the airports though, so I'm gonna have to subscribe.

You just have to creep up on the critter and kill it with what ever you are hunting with ! That's it ! Now you can all throw those how to hunt Mags out ! It's the old put salt on their tail first tactic !JAGG

I guess I've developed into one of those crusty old codgers who criticize lots of modern "stuff".
When I was a kid in the late 40's and 50's,I read Outdoor Life and Field & Stream from cover-to-cover and kept old issues and re-read them several times.Sports Afield was also large but dealt with fishing and duck hunting a lot and I wasn't too interested in that.Besides,OL had Jack O'Connor and F&S had Warren Page.
Those were the days when most articles were written by non-professionals and "how-to" articles were scarce.
Now,we have all of these "professional outdoor writers" who are trying to make a living writing about the things we love to do,and they run out of exciting experiences so,to get out the monthly quota,they resort to rehashing "How-To" articles.When they do write about a recent hunt,most of the time an advertiser has invited them along so the advertiser can get some favorable press for his product.
Or they write about a seminar that "Remchester" has hosted,at a shooting preserve,to exhibit "Remchester's" new products.After the free shooting,they are wined and dined by "Remchester" until the wee hours. After all of the free luxuries,they expect us to believe their evaluation of the new products is unbiased !!
Today's outdoor magazines have a staff of these professionals that get a monthly stipend so very few articles by amateurs are accepted.As a result they fill up their pages with How-to and Where-to and What-to-use!
About a year ago,I decided to try Outdoor Life again so I got on eBay and got a 4 year subscription for $7.00 (Yes,they do sell them that cheap on eBay). Well,I found they are still publishing the same BS.
A new issue came today and I was done with it in 30 minutes.
Do any of you other fellers miss the old magazines?
If you don't have a collection of the old ones to re-read,you can buy old issues on eBay,but they cost as much as a 4 year subscription to Outdoor life will. Wonder why!

In the lastest issue of Peterson's Hunting magazine, there is an ad for a new book. The Lost Classics of Jack OConner is a series of 40 hunting stories that Jack wrote. and was edited by Petersons magazine. I'm sure that I read most of them when I was a kid but I circled the ad and gave it to my wife so she would get it for me for Christmas.
If you've never read Jack, you should . There were no grey areas with OConner, and it made great reading.
I think their web site is:
www.huntingmag.com

With all that you've got going on now tpv - how're you gonna find time to read anything except specifications and contracts? :p

k (the retired one) dub

With all that you've got going on now tpv - how're you gonna find time to read anything except specifications and contracts? :p

k (the retired one) dub

From 9:15PM-9:30PM when I go to bed. I love to read but that's about it for the day.

t(the one who has to work)pv