Game & Fish September 2025

I’ll be the first to admit that I have a lukewarm relationship with digital technology. I’m old enough to remember (and occasionally long for) a time when we weren’t so reliant upon it as a society, but I’m young enough to not be hopelessly perplexed by it. I’ve never been an early adopter of newfangled tech, but I see the value of it in certain situations (though social media could disappear tomorrow and I wouldn’t shed a tear). When it comes to hunting and fishing, some of the tech that is brought to market is admittedly gimmicky and short-lived, but there are plenty of mainstream, widely used examples that have cemented their place in our pursuits. We see cutting-edge tech in everything from range-finding binoculars and thermal optics to forward-facing…

SEASON OPENERS September 1 kicks off hunting seasons in many states. From resident geese and early teal to doves and the first big game bowhunting opportunities out West, check out the “Hunting” section for the latest action from around the country. LIKE TWO GUNS IN ONE Check out our in-depth look at the Savage 42 Takedown rifle, which pairs one barrel for rimfire rounds and another chambered for .410 shotshells for a do-all, everyday survival/truck gun. READYING FOR DEER SEASON Don’t wait until the whitetail opener is upon you. See our “Learn” and “Gear” sections for the latest tips and techniques and best new gear to make this fall’s deer season a success. SEEDING THE FUTURE Looking to introduce children to shooting and hunting? We have that covered under the…

During the past half century, the most important advancements in the rifle world—at least for hunters—have been with ammunition. The terminal performance and flight characteristics of bullets have drastically improved, as has the quality of factory ammo, including the introduction of several very good cartridges. But some noted innovations have occurred with shotgun ammo, too. For example, new TSS loads are allowing hunters to effectively kill turkeys with sub-gauge shotguns, and at impressive distances. Amidst all this, we also sometimes overlook shotgun slugs, but today’s options are a far cry from what we once used. Federal Premium’s new Freight Train Copper Sabot Slug is a perfect example. HUMBLE BEGINNINGS My father had a 16-gauge Winchester Model 12 shotgun he used for squirrels, grouse, rabbits, turkeys and even deer. He did…

In days of hunting’s past, a single strand of your grandma’s sewing thread tied across a deer trail told you all that you thought you needed to know about deer movement. The way in which the thread lay on the forest floor explained the direction the deer was traveling when it tripped the “trap.” Soon thereafter came the TrailTimer, which told you precisely when deer were using a particular trail. Thing is, both grandma’s sewing thread and the TrailTimer were one-and-done scouting tools. Times have certainly changed in the world of whitetail reconnaissance. These days, trail camera technology seems to advance by leaps and bounds every year, and these enhanced scouting tools are certainly helping deer hunters be more efficient and effective. However, not everyone agrees that they have a…

I’m a baseball geek. As a kid, I kept a scorebook while my dad and I watched our favorite team, the Chicago Cubs, on television. After the game, I would hurry to my room and calculate batting and earned run averages and tally runs batted in, home runs, steals, strikeouts and the like. That intel wouldn’t go very far these days. We are in the analytics era of sports. Teams track, accumulate and analyze data to build models that enable them to put the best lineup possible on the field or court. Advanced statistics models, machine learning algorithms and predictive analytics help general managers, coaches and players make data-driven decisions both in terms of player evaluation and in-game strategy. There’s debate about whether hunting is a sport; we’ll save that…

Kyler was surprised at how heavy the rifle felt in his hands. He had practiced gun safety with a lightweight .22. Then we switched to simulated shooting with a cool virtual reality trainer called GAIM, and while its electronic gun is made of wood and weighted to have the balance of a working firearm, there’s no substitute for the real thing, especially with a scope and bipod attached. Also inescapably real: the sting of cold steel to ungloved hands on a brisk November afternoon. Kyler wasn’t expecting the sharp recoil and the noise of the 6.8 Western, either. Even with a suppressor attached to reduce both, the 14-year-old was visibly rattled. It was Kyler’s first session at the rifle range ahead of his first deer hunt, but you could tell…