The Outdoor Life Podcast

Jake Villwock of Relentless Fly Fishing offers a jam-packed crash course in the best lures, flies, and techniques for river smallies — right now. This episode is brought to you by ⁠Bob Rich Books⁠. Hosted by executive gear editor Scott Einsmann. Guest is Jake Villwock / Relentless Fly Fishing. Edited by Mike Pedersen / Eighty Five Audio. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

To separate bowhunting lore from fact, and gear editor Scott Einsmann spent a week shooting nine popular mechanical broadheads while testing them for durability, accuracy, wound channel size, and out-of-the-box sharpness. Here's what he found. This episode is brought to you by Ruger. Best Mechanical Broadhead Test: https://www.outdoorlife.com/gear/best-mechanical-broadheads/ Video: https://youtu.be/mG83E95hdSc?si=i8dULz4N5QUW8iqS Hosted by editor-in-chief Alex Robinson. Guest is executive gear editor Scott Einsmann. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Have ergonomics and accessories from the precision rifle world actually made modern hunting rifles more effective, or do they just get in the way? Senior staff writer Tyler Freel put old and new models to the test. This episode is brought to you by Victorinox. Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ed9vyRFB2Z8 Story: https://www.outdoorlife.com/guns/new-vs-old-hunting-rifles/ Hosted by editor-in-chief Alex Robinson. Guest is senior staff writer Tyler Freel. Edited by Mike Pedersen / Eighty Five Audio. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Last week the US Forest Service announced plans to scrap a key conservation rule for 44 million acres of public lands. Chris Wood, the current CEO and president of Trout Unlimited, helped build the Roadless Rule when he was serving at the USFS back in 2001. He explains why the rule was born out of fiscal conservatism, why "roadless" is often a misnomer, and what the real reason is behind the rollback. This episode is brought to you by Victorinox. Citing Wildfire Risk, Trump Administration Proposes to Scrap Entire Roadless Rule: https://www.outdoorlife.com/conservation/trump-administration-proposes-to-end-roadless-rule/ Trout Unlimited report on Roadless Areas: https://www.tu.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/TU-ROADLESS-REPORT_0401_web.pdf File your (unique) public comment through TU: https://www.tu.org/conservation/action-center/ Hosted and produced by executive editor Natalie Krebs. Edited by Mike Pedersen / Eighty Five Audio. Guest is Chris Wood of Trout Unlimited. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Senior staff writer and our Alaska bear man Tyler Freel explains why modern bullets have made cartridge size irrelevant for many hunting applications. This episode is brought to you by Victorinox. Hosted by editor-in-chief Alex Robinson. Produced by executive editor Natalie Krebs. Edited by Mike Pedersen / Eighty Five Audio. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Seasoned bowunter and tracking-dog handler Shane Simpson co-created an app to connect deer hunters with blood trackers. That app also collects a mountain of data about broadheads, shot placement, recovery rates, and more. Simpson and his co-creator, bowhunter and data guru Ryan Carpenter dig through all of it — and provide some key takeaways for hunters — in this week's episode. This episode is brought to you by Victorinox. TRAKR App Hosted by editor-in-chief Alex Robinson. Produced by executive editor Natalie Krebs. Edited by Mike Pedersen / Eighty Five Audio. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Every so often, a state or agency considers legalizing the sale of wild venison. Catherine Appling-Pooler of the National Deer Association explains why wild venison sales are a "knee-jerk" reaction to a problem that already has a solution. This episode is brought to you by Victorinox. National Venison Processor Map https://deerassociation.com/deer-processors/ Commercial Venison Processor Course https://learndeerhunting.com/courses/deer-processor/ Meet the Godfather of Hawaiian Market Hunting https://www.outdoorlife.com/hunting/market-hunting-axis-deer/ Vermont's Invisible Law: Hunters Can Sell Venison https://www.themeateater.com/conservation/wildlife-management/vermonts-invisible-law-hunters-can-sell-venison Hosted by executive editor Natalie Krebs. Edited by Mike Pedersen / Eighty Five Audio. Guest is Catherine Appling-Pooler, senior director of government affairs for the National Deer Association. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As a former wildland firefighter and former U.S. Forest Service District Ranger for the heart of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, Aaron Kania digs into forest management ahead of a historic wildfire season in Minnesota. Bonus points: This episode is recorded from a canoe. This episode is brought to you by Victorinox. Hosted by editor-in-chief Alex Robinson. Guest is Aaron Kania. Edited by Mike Pedersen / Eighty Five Audio. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There's a hot new lure that's blowing up the bass-fishing world, along with a few new trends in fishing and fishing media at large. OL's resident bass guy, Derek Horner, gives us the rundown. This episode is brought to you by Christensen Arms. Hosted by editor-in-chief Alex Robinson. Guest is manager of audience development Derek Horner. Edited by Mike Pedersen / Eighty Five Audio. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

President Donald Trump signed an executive order this week to shrink two popular Utah national monuments, this time by even more than he did in 2017. The order cuts the size of Bears Ears National Monument by 91% and Grand Staircase-Escalante by more than 90%, a reduction of about 3 million acres. In this episode Steven Bloch, legal director for the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance, explains why he thinks the move might be unlawful and how his group plans to challenge it. Edited by Mike Pedersen / Eighty Five Audio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Last fall OL's senior staff writer Tyler Freel nearly died on a backcountry horseback hunt. During the ride out, he was thrown from his horse, breaking several ribs, puncturing his lung, and spleen. It's not an exaggeration to say that his life was saved by trauma surgeon Dr. Caleb Mentzer and the medical staff. In this episode, Freel interviews Mentzer about what when wrong during that unfortunate hunting trip, and how to be better prepared when disaster strikes. Listen to the full story behind Tyler's accident: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-outdoor-life-podcast/id1560573207?i=1000741696648 Edited by Mike Pedersen / Eighty Five Audio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You can't talk about American history without also talking about firearms. Firearms historian Ashley Hlebinsky picks some of her favorite American firearm innovations and explain how they relate to what was going on in the country at the time. Guest is Ashley Hlebinsky https://firearmsresearchcenter.org/ Hosted by editor-in-chief Alex Robinson. Produced by executive editor Natalie Krebs. Edited by Mike Pedersen / Eighty Five Audio. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Big Oaks NWR, the largest national wildlife refuge in Indiana could close to public use if the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service choses to scrap its real estate agreement. The 50,000-acre property is the second-largest parcel of public land in the state. Full story: https://www.outdoorlife.com/conservation/feds-consider-closing-big-oaks-national-wildlife-refuge/ Hosted by news editor Dac Collins. Reporting by hunting and conservation editor Andrew McKean. Produced by executive editor Natalie Krebs. Edited by Mike Pedersen / Eighty Five Audio. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Between attempts to rollback the Roadless Rule, revise BLM grazing rules, and reevaluate Wilderness Study Areas, politicians and federal agencies appeared to launch a full-on siege of public lands last week. Conservation editor Andrew McKean explains. Senate Republicans Advance ‘Trojan Horse’ to Erase Roadless Rule: https://www.outdoorlife.com/conservation/senate-committee-votes-erase-roadless-rule/ BLM Grazing Overhaul Would Give Ranchers More Grass and Perks, But Could Force Elk Off Public Range: https://www.outdoorlife.com/conservation/proposed-blm-grazing-rules/ Hosted by editor-in-chief Alex Robinson. Produced by executive editor Natalie Krebs. Edited by Mike Pedersen / Eighty Five Audio. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Roger Hill has spent years pushing back against Colorado's murky stream access laws. After getting harassed by landowners for fishing and stonewalled in the courts, Hill tried to get arrested while wading. Law enforcement wouldn't touch him. Hosted by news editor Dac Collins. Produced by executive editor Natalie Krebs. Edited by Mike Pedersen / Eighty Five Audio. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Did Federal’s Plus Peak 6.5 Creedmoor just make the 6.5 PRC obsolete? Shooting Editor John B. Snow, who tested the round in three rifles, explains how this new high-pressure technology gives the Creed a magnum-sized boost to muzzle velocity. This episode is brought to you by SureFire. Full story: https://www.outdoorlife.com/guns/federal-plus-peak-6-5-creedmoor-review/ Video: https://youtu.be/uEuOeSz7BtU Hosted by editor-in-chief Alex Robinson. Guest is shooting editor John B. Snow. Produced by executive editor Natalie Krebs. Edited by Mike Pedersen / Eighty Five Audio. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This spring, human remains were discovered on executive editor Natalie Krebs' family hunting property. The revelation triggered an investigation that is, to a certain degree, still underway. Hosted by editor-in-chief Alex Robinson. Produced and reported by executive editor Natalie Krebs. Edited by Mike Pedersen / Eighty Five Audio. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hunter Wyche was fishing when he was thrown sideways by an exploding pine tree and electricity coursed through his body. Here's how he survived, and what the experience was like for him. This episode is brought to you by SureFire. Photos: https://www.outdoorlife.com/survival/texas-fisherman-survives-lightning-strike/ GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/f/hunter-wyche-teen-struck-by-lightning-medical-expenses Hosted by news editor Dac Collins. Produced by executive editor Natalie Krebs. Edited by Mike Pedersen / Eighty Five Audio. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Congress is poised to approve Stevan Pearce as the new leader of the Bureau of Land Management, which oversees some 245 million acres of public lands and 700-plus million acres of subsurface mineral rights. Hunting and conservation editor Andrew McKean explains what we might expect from Pearce's tenure. OL Podcast: Slashing and Burning at the US Forest Service Randy Newberg's Fresh Tracks Podcast: ⁠Congressional Review Act⁠ Senate Votes 50 to 49 to Strip Boundary Waters Protections in Defiance of Public Opinion, Science It’s a Dark Day for the Boundary Waters and the Future of Public Lands. Here’s How We Got Here Hosted & produced by executive editor Natalie Krebs. Guest is hunting and conservation editor Andrew McKean. Edited by Mike Pedersen / Eighty Five Audio. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Minimal snow pack and record heat this spring have created a bit of a doomsday scenario for Western trout fishing, especially in the Southwest. However, there are some bright spots. There will still be opportunities in the West but the timing of the season will be much different, and earlier. In this episode of the podcast we interview News Editor Dac Collins, who is a diehard fly fisherman and Colorado resident. He's done a bunch of reporting on how this trout season is lining up. Read the full story here: https://www.outdoorlife.com/fishing/colorado-trout-fishing-forecast-2026/ Colorado faces its worst snowpack in recorded history, impacting water resources and increasing drought concerns. Operating at 36% capacity, the river system’s over-allocation issues worsen, affecting millions in the Southwest. Spring snow and summer rain could help salvage the season. This episode is brought to you by SureFire. Hosted by Editor-in-Chief Alex Robinson. Produced by Executive Editor Natalie Krebs. Edited by Mike Pedersen / Eighty Five Audio. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices