If you're hunting public land, you're probably not going to be able to pattern a mature buck before opening day. But that's not necessarily a bad thing. Here's how Shane Simpson thinks about preseason on public ground.

10:44 - Blood Tracking Secrets with Shane Simpson:

Apple — bit.ly/45TKtss

Spotify — bit.ly/41pHrLi

This episode is brought to you by Let's Get Real About Skin Cancer, an educational program about advanced non-melanoma skin cancers.

Edited by Mike Pedersen / Eighty Five Audio.

Hosted by editor-in-chief Alex Robinson.

Produced by executive editor Natalie Krebs.

Guest is Shane Simpson of Shane Simpson Hunting. https://www.shanesimpsonhunting.com/

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Thinking about a new pair of binos or a riflescope? Here's what optics editor Andrew McKean recommends before you spend your hard-earned cash.

This episode is brought to you by Let's Get Real About Skin Cancer, an educational program about advanced non-melanoma skin cancers.

Edited by Mike Pedersen / Eighty Five Audio.

Hosted by executive gear editor Scott Einsmann.

Guest is hunting and optics editor Andrew McKean.

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Many outdoorsmen, conservationists, do not want to see a massive copper-nickle mine carved into the headwaters of the Boundary Waters. 

To better explain why, in this episode of the Outdoor Life podcast we interview two folks who have dedicated their careers to the Boundary Waters. The first is Dave Seaton, the owner of Hungry Jack outfitters. Seaton has been making trips into the boundary waters since he was a kid, and he’s been outfitting folks so they can make their own trips for more than three decades. 

Then we’ll talk to Lukas Leaf, the executive director for Sportsmen for the Boundary Waters whose main mission is to ensure the protections around this wilderness area remain. Unfortunately, right now, it seems that Leaf and his crew have their work cut out for them. 

This episode is brought to you by Let's Get Real About Skin Cancer, an educational program about advanced non-melanoma skin cancers.

Edited by Mike Pedersen / Eighty Five Audio.

Hosted by editor-in-chief Alex Robinson.

Produced by executive editor Natalie Krebs.

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In this episode of the Outdoor Life podcast, gear editor Scott Einsmann sat down with Levi Morgan, a pro-archer, 16-time 3D archery world champion, and a diehard bowhunter who has hunted just about everything in North America.

Morgan gave candid advice on bow and arrow setups and how to properly prepare for hunting season. This podcast cuts through a lot of the noise and is direct advice from one of the best to ever shoot a bow. These are some of his takeaways. 

This episode is brought to you by Let's Get Real About Skin Cancer, an educational program about advanced non-melanoma skin cancers.

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On a hot summer evening, two Alaskans were scouting for the upcoming moose season when they accidentally walked right into a grizzly bear’s kill. The bear charged at them from just 10 yards and a barrage of gunfire ensued. Here's how one of those men, Brett TerBeek, describes the encounter.

Hosted by senior staff writer Tyler Freel.

Edited by Mike Pedersen / Eighty Five Audio.

Produced by executive editor Natalie Krebs.

Guest is Brett TerBeek.

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Contractor and lifelong wrangler Jackie Hughes knows how to scout and bait-trap wary feral horses. She also knows how to deal with irate activists who sabotage her operations, call her a horse killer, and tie up her outfit with lawsuits. Here's how she's trying to manage wild horses in the West, and why the West needs her help.

Edited by Mike Pedersen / Eighty Five Audio.

Reported and hosted by news editor Dac Collins.

Produced by executive editor Natalie Krebs.

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After DOGE canceled funding for the Take Me Fishing campaign and the organization that administers it, the fishing industry was upset. Many online commenters weren't. Conservation editor Andrew McKean and executive editor Natalie Krebs explain what's going on with NGO funding, why critter group CEOs make the salaries they do, and more.

Edited by Mike Pedersen / Eighty Five Audio.

Hosted by editor-in-chief Alex Robinson.

Produced by executive editor Natalie Krebs.

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Earlier this spring, on a ranch in Texas, we got the chance to sit down with the two diehard predator hunters who developed the fast and flat-shooting .22 Creedmoor.  While that cartridge had been developed as a long-range varmint and predator round Derrick Ratliff and David Stroud have also seen it produce some impressive results on whitetail deer.

In this episode of the podcast, you’ll hear the origin story of the .22 Creed, and learn about how it fits in with today’s lineup of modern rifle cartridges. 

Learn more here: https://horizonfirearms.com/hot-calibers/22-creedmoor

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The Hearing Protection Act got thrown out of the Senate's version of the One Big Beautiful Bill — as expected. Brandon Maddox, the CEO of Silencer Central, breaks down what happened, why the gun industry split into two camps over this, and what all this has to do with the death threats he's been getting.

Edited by Mike Pedersen / Eighty Five Audio.

Hosted by editor-in-chief Alex Robinson .

Guest is Silencer Central founder and CEO Brandon Maddox.

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It's telling (and fun) to test all the new flagship compounds side by side, but one of the highlights is mapping out where the archery industry is headed — and what bowhunters should look out for.

Edited by Mike Pedersen / Eighty Five Audio.

Hosted by editor-in-chief Alex Robinson .

Guests include P.J. Reily and Conner Kaufhold of Lancaster Archery.

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