The Field And Stream Podcast

We’re revisiting “Lost Soul” this week, one of the most powerful hunting essays ever published in the magazine’s archives. Written by Scott Bestial and read by his longtime editor and friend Dave Hurteau, the story unfolds during a brutal late-season whitetail hunt marked by deep snow, bitter wind, and the quiet weight of personal upheaval.

What begins as a familiar deer hunting scenario—spooked does, a cold tree stand, and low odds, quickly becomes something deeper. Through bowhunting whitetails in December, Scott explores how time spent outdoors can intersect with grief, divorce, and emotional numbness. The hunt itself becomes less about antlers and more about awareness: watching matriarch does, reading winter deer behavior, and confronting what draws us back to the woods when motivation is thin.

Listeners will hear insider reflections on late-season bowhunting tactics, whitetail herd dynamics, and the mental grind of winter hunting. More importantly, they’ll come away with a reminder of why hunting matters beyond tags filled the way wild places can ground us, challenge us, and, at times, give something back when we least expect it.

This is a conversation, and a story, for hunters who understand that the outdoors often teaches its hardest lessons quietly, from a stand overlooking a frozen field.

Get more from Field & Stream: https://www.fieldandstream.com/

Get to know the author, Richard Mann: https://www.fieldandstream.com/authors/richard-mann 

Join the F&S 1871 Club and experience a membership dedicated to the outdoor culture of sporting traditions, storytelling, and the conservation of our lands: https://www.fieldandstream.com/1871-club/ 

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One rifle, one deer, and generations of memory reveal what really matters in deer season.

Writer and lifelong hunter Richard Mann reads and reflects on his modern classic, The Gun and the Ghost. What begins as a simple deer hunting story unfolds into something deeper; an exploration of memory, family, and the emotional weight we carry into the woods each fall.

Mann uses the guns of his past as touchstones, objects that connect him to family, memory, and the moments that made him a hunter. The story isn’t about performance or preference, but about the emotional weight certain tools carry long after the season ends.

Listeners will walk away with a renewed perspective on deer hunting, one rooted in connection rather than caliber. This episode touches on classic rifles, heirloom firearms, ethical hunting, and the quiet moments that define life in the outdoors. It’s a reminder that hunting isn’t just about filling a tag; it’s about honoring where we came from, who taught us, and why we keep returning to the mountains, timber, and old camps year after year.

Whether you’re passionate about whitetail hunting, fascinated by classic firearms, or simply drawn to powerful outdoor storytelling, this episode delivers the kind of reflection that lingers long after the fire burns down.

Get more from Field & Stream: https://www.fieldandstream.com/

Get to know the author, Richard Mann: https://www.fieldandstream.com/authors/richard-mann 

Join the F&S 1871 Club and experience a membership dedicated to the outdoor culture of sporting traditions, storytelling, and the conservation of our lands: https://www.fieldandstream.com/1871-club/ 

Sound effects and sound design for Campfire provided by:

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Flooded timber duck hunts, hard-won conservation victories, and one trout river that carried a man through grief.

Flooded timber duck hunting has long been considered one of waterfowling’s most spiritual traditions and comes fully alive as Host Colin Kearns sits down with legendary outdoor writer T. Edward Nickens to talk about green tree reservoirs, the culture and history behind timber duck hunts, and why standing waist-deep among ancient oaks feels more like a rite of winter than a morning hunt.

From Arkansas bottomlands to Mississippi backwaters, Nickens explains what makes a great timber day, how ducks work the woods, and why proper management is critical to preserving these places for future generations.

Next, Field & Stream News Editor Travis Hall joins the show to break down the best conservation good news stories of 2025. From major public land sell-offs being stopped, to landmark corner-crossing victories, to salmon returning to long-blocked waters, this segment is a reminder that hunters and anglers still have real power when they speak up.

The episode closes with a deeply personal Campfire reading. Colin shares his essay My Home Waters, a year-long trout fishing journey that becomes a story of grief, healing, and why certain rivers stay with us forever.

This is Field & Stream storytelling at its finest; grounded in wild places, conservation wins, and the quiet power of water.

Get more from Field & Stream: https://www.fieldandstream.com/

Get to know your host, Colin Kearns: https://www.fieldandstream.com/authors/colin-kearns 

Join the F&S 1871 Club and experience a membership dedicated to the outdoor culture of sporting traditions, storytelling, and the conservation of our lands: https://www.fieldandstream.com/1871-club/ 

Sound effects and sound design for Campfire provided by:

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Join us for another Campfire short this week, where we crack open a modern Field and Stream classic as senior editor Ryan Chelius revisits his unforgettable season patrolling the famed Salmon River in Pulaski, New York. What begins as a broke college kid’s workaround to access the best steelhead fishing water quickly spirals into confrontations with trespassers, counterfeit pass-holders, and the kind of hardened characters you only meet during a full-blown salmon run.

Ryan shares what it’s really like to enforce regulations on two miles of private river during peak season, navigating angry anglers, heated riverbank standoffs, and the creative “walkie-talkie bluff” that saved him more than once. Along the way, you’ll hear insider stories about the daily grind of river patrol, the chaos of the fall steelhead migration, and the camaraderie that forms among young anglers chasing fresh chrome before and after their shifts.

Beyond the drama, this story offers a rare look at pressured water, angler behavior, and how hard-earned lessons from the river translate into better steelhead tactics, smarter reading of crowded water, and a deeper appreciation for the fish that drive us nuts, and keep us coming back.

If you love stories from the riverbank, gritty seasonal work, or hard-earned wisdom from public and private water alike, this one’s for you.

Follow the show for more weekly hunting and fishing conversations.

Read the original story: https://www.fieldandstream.com/stories/fishing/freshwater-fishing/chasing-steelhead-and-fish-poachers 

Get more from Field & Stream: https://www.fieldandstream.com/

Get to know the author, Ryan Chelius: https://www.fieldandstream.com/authors/ryan-chelius 

Join the F&S 1871 Club and experience a membership dedicated to the outdoor culture of sporting traditions, storytelling, and the conservation of our lands: https://www.fieldandstream.com/1871-club/ 

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From tide-driven duck hunts to unforgettable Christmas gifts, this episode captures the soul of the outdoors.

Salt marsh waterfowl hunting is a game all its own and listeners get an insider’s look at one of North America’s most demanding and storied duck hunts. Host Colin Kearns sits down with Field & Stream senior editor Ryan Chelius to break down salt marsh duck hunting on Long Island, where tides dictate everything, black ducks rule the sky, and tradition matters as much as gear.

Ryan explains how Atlantic Flyway tides shape every decision, why falling water exposes prime feeding zones, and what makes black ducks some of the wariest and most rewarding puddle ducks to hunt. You’ll hear practical insights on salt marsh hunting tactics, including grass boats, sneak boxes, cork decoys, and why calling takes a backseat to setup and concealment in the Northeast. The conversation also dives into hunting brant, navigating big water safely, and why harvesting just a couple of black ducks can feel more meaningful than punching a limit elsewhere.

The episode then shifts into a fireside-style reflection on the holidays, with Field & Stream editors and contributors sharing the most memorable hunting and fishing gifts they’ve ever received from first duck calls and fly rods to BB guns and tree stands. The show closes with a powerful reading of Lost Soul by the late Scott Bestial, reminding listeners why time spent hunting, fishing, and living outdoors still matters.

Get more from Field & Stream: https://www.fieldandstream.com/

Get to know your host, Colin Kearns: https://www.fieldandstream.com/authors/colin-kearns 

Join the F&S 1871 Club and experience a membership dedicated to the outdoor culture of sporting traditions, storytelling, and the conservation of our lands: https://www.fieldandstream.com/1871-club/ 

Sound effects and sound design for Campfire provided by:

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In another immersive Campfire short, we revisit one of Field and Stream’s most powerful pieces ever published: “Dad’s Gun” by Phil Bourjaily. What starts as a simple pheasant hunt in the brutal Iowa winter of 1979 becomes a defining moment, one that pulls a young hunter into the outdoors and reveals the complicated, often unspoken truths between fathers and sons.

Phil guides listeners through the history of a battered Beretta over/under that survived decades of pheasant hunting, duck marshes, barbed-wire crossings, and hard Midwestern winters. The story isn’t just about a gun. it’s about how hunting binds generations, how the outdoors can heal, and how unspoken grief shapes a family.

You’ll hear how a single right-to-left crossing shot on a flushing rooster ignited Phil’s lifelong passion for upland hunting, and how that same gun carried quiet memories of his father’s best days afield. Through stories of snipe hunts, duck scouting, dog work, and the restoration of a cherished firearm, Phil explores what hunting can teach us about forgiveness, legacy, and the weight of time.

If you love the emotional backbone of outdoor life, family tradition, heirloom guns, and the moments that turn us into hunters, this is a story you won’t forget.

Follow the show for more weekly hunting and fishing conversations.

Read the original story: https://www.fieldandstream.com/stories/guns/shotguns/fs-classic-dads-gun 

Get more from Field & Stream: https://www.fieldandstream.com/

Get to know the author, Phil Bourjaily: https://www.fieldandstream.com/authors/phil-bourjaily 

Join the F&S 1871 Club and experience a membership dedicated to the outdoor culture of sporting traditions, storytelling, and the conservation of our lands: https://www.fieldandstream.com/1871-club/ 

Sound effects and sound design for Campfire provided by:

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A cold fall swamp, rising light, and a duck hunter’s lifelong love collide at daybreak.

In this special immersive Campfire short edition of the Field and Stream Podcast, veteran outdoors writer T. Edward Nickens brings listeners deep into the heart of a Southern swamp, where wood ducks whistle through cypress shadows and time moves with the slow pulse of rising water. This episode isn’t just a reading; it’s a full-on immersion into why swamps matter to waterfowl hunters, public-land diehards, and anyone who’s ever chased wild places for meaning.

Nickens’ story, “The Swamp,” originally published in Field and Stream’s Wilderness Issue, captures the grit, solitude, and renewal that define duck hunting on public land. As he navigates flooded timber, old beaver dams, and knee-deep muck, he reveals hard-earned lessons about scouting remote backwaters, reading water levels, and understanding the rhythms of early-morning waterfowl movement.

Listeners will walk away with more than wood duck hunting insight, they’ll gain a deeper appreciation for the swamps that shape the hunting life: the sulfur-tinged air, the quiet rush of wings you can hear before you can see, and the fleeting 20-minute window when everything comes alive. Whether you’re into waterfowl hunting, backcountry exploration, or the storytelling that defines the outdoor life, this is a campfire moment worth lingering over.

Follow the show for more weekly hunting and fishing conversations.

Get more from Field & Stream: https://www.fieldandstream.com/

Get to know the author, T. Edward Nickens: https://www.fieldandstream.com/authors/t-edward-nickens 

Join the F&S 1871 Club and experience a membership dedicated to the outdoor culture of sporting traditions, storytelling, and the conservation of our lands: https://www.fieldandstream.com/1871-club/ 

Sound effects and sound design for Campfire provided by:

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Unlock the whitetail rut’s most explosive moments with proven rattling tactics from a true legend.

Few hunters have rattled in more mature whitetails across North America than Larry Weishuhn, and in this episode, “Mr. Whitetail” breaks down his lifetime of lessons for hunters gearing up for peak rut action. If you’ve ever wondered when to rattle, how to build a realistic rattling sequence, or why bucks react the way they do during the breeding season, this conversation delivers the answers.

Larry walks listeners through the biology behind rising testosterone levels, sparring behavior, and the moment when friendly bachelor groups turn into all-out brawlers. You’ll learn how mature bucks circle downwind, the biggest mistakes hunters make during rattling setups, and why staying put for 30–40 minutes after a sequence is critical for success. He also explains how to use natural cover, wind direction, and vocalizations, like grunts and snort-wheezes, to add realism that pulls pressured deer those last few yards.

Later in the episode, Field & Stream’s Travis Hall breaks down two major conservation stories impacting hunters and anglers, including a proposed rare-earth mine threatening one of Montana’s premier trout fisheries and a sweeping rollback of Clean Water Act protections that could reshape waterfowl habitat across the country. 

Shooting editor Richard Mann closes with his picks for the best deer rifles of 2025 and a classic story for our Campfire segment from the F&S archives about how sometimes it’s not the gun, but the ghost that comes with it, that matters.

Whether you chase whitetails, spend your spring on trout rivers, or just love the rhythm of the outdoor season, this episode offers hard-earned insight from experts who live it every day.

Get more from Field & Stream: https://www.fieldandstream.com/

Get to know your host, Colin Kearns: https://www.fieldandstream.com/authors/colin-kearns 

Join the F&S 1871 Club and experience a membership dedicated to the outdoor culture of sporting traditions, storytelling, and the conservation of our lands: https://www.fieldandstream.com/1871-club/ 

Sound effects and sound design for Campfire provided by:

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The rut is on, the bucks are moving, and the stories in this episode will fire you up.

This week’s Field & Stream Podcast delivers a full spread of hunting-season wisdom from peak whitetail rut strategy to modern insights on lever-action rifles, plus a Thanksgiving debate only true outdoorsmen could have. Hunting columnist Will Brantley joins the show first, breaking down why the rut remains the most unpredictable and electrifying stretch of deer season. He explains how shifting doe patterns, overlooked creek-line pinch points, and timing from Halloween through early December can make or break your hunt. Whether you’re looking for bowhunting tips, rut-phase tactics, or ways to read mature doe behavior to locate cruising bucks, this segment is stacked with takeaways for serious deer hunters.

Then, Shooting Editor Richard Mann jumps in for a deep dive on lever guns—why they endure, why they still matter, and what modern builds like Marlin’s new 10mm bring to today’s hunters. From nostalgic 30-30 rifles to rugged camp guns set up for bear country, Richard walks through the balance, handling, and utility that make lever-actions timeless.

The editorial crew wraps with a spirited “Side by Side” debate over the best Thanksgiving side dish (mashed potatoes vs. mac and cheese) followed by real reader cheers and jeers, and T. Edward Nickens’ short, heartfelt Thanksgiving prayer. Together it’s a campfire-style episode built for hunters, anglers, and anyone who loves time outdoors with family.

Get more from Field & Stream: https://www.fieldandstream.com/

Get to know your host, Colin Kearns: https://www.fieldandstream.com/authors/colin-kearns 

Join the F&S 1871 Club and experience a membership dedicated to the outdoor culture of sporting traditions, storytelling, and the conservation of our lands: https://www.fieldandstream.com/1871-club/ 

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From Great Lakes steelhead runs to the wisdom of “Mr. Whitetail,” this episode celebrates the wild heart of hunting and fishing.

On this episode of the Field & Stream Podcast, host Colin Kearns takes listeners through a trio of stories that capture the best of the outdoors. Senior Editor Ryan Chelius kicks things off with a deep dive into Great Lakes steelhead fishing - how it differs from the Pacific runs, why accessibility makes it so special, and the chaotic beauty of hooking into a chrome-bright fish in shoulder-to-shoulder waters. Ryan shares hard-won steelhead fly fishing tactics, his personal record catch, and unforgettable stories from his days patrolling the Salmon River in this week’s “Campfire” short.

Next, Larry Weishuhn - “Mr. Whitetail” himself - reflects on a lifetime of deer hunting, conservation, and stewardship. From his early days in Texas to his philosophy on land management and calling game, Larry’s lessons go beyond hunting—they’re about honoring wildlife and the land itself.

Finally, Phil Bourjaily rounds things out with his breakdown of the best shotguns of 2025, revealing the innovations that impressed even a seasoned gun tester. Whether you hunt whitetails, chase steelhead, or live for upland days with a shotgun in hand, this episode has something for every outdoorsman.

Get more from Field & Stream: https://www.fieldandstream.com/

Get to know your host, Colin Kearns: https://www.fieldandstream.com/authors/colin-kearns 

Join the F&S 1871 Club and experience a membership dedicated to the outdoor culture of sporting traditions, storytelling, and the conservation of our lands: https://www.fieldandstream.com/1871-club/ 

Sound effects and sound design for Campfire provided by:

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices