Outdoor Life

Last updated
Outdoor Life
Outdoorlife.jpg
June/July 2009 issue
EditorAlex Robinson
CategoriesHunting, fishing, sporting magazine
FrequencyQuarterly
PublisherRecurrent
Total circulation
(December 2012)
752,668 [1]
First issueJanuary 1898
CompanyRecurrent
CountryUSA
Based inNew York City
Language English
Website www.outdoorlife.com
ISSN 0030-7076

Outdoor Life is an outdoors magazine about camping, fishing, hunting, and survival. It is a sister magazine of Field & Stream . Together with Sports Afield , they are considered the Big Three of American outdoor publishing by Money magazine. Outdoor Life was launched in Denver, Colorado, in January 1898. Founder and editor-in-chief (18981929), J. A. McGuire, intended Outdoor Life to be a magazine for sportsmen, written by sportsmen, covering all aspects of the outdoor arena.

Contents

History

Cover of November 1925 issue OutdoorLifeNovember1925.jpg
Cover of November 1925 issue

The first issue covered topics including a moose hunt in Alaska and advice about Native Americans. Some of the original sections were titled, "Photography", "Trap and Target", and "In the Game and Field".

Outdoor Life was an innovative publication. In 1903, the first photograph was printed on the cover in black and white. A short time later, in 1906, the first color cover appeared on the magazine.

Outdoor Life's editorial coverage followed its audience's interests in new developments, such as aviation, boating, and motor vehicles. However, it stayed true to its original focus: the outdoorsman. Over the years, many notable people have contributed to the magazine: former President Teddy Roosevelt contributed from 1901 to 1904; Zane Grey, a well-known adventure writer and big game fisherman, was a frequent contributor between 1918 and 1932; and Ernest Hemingway was accompanied by an Outdoor Life writer on a marlin fishing trip to Cuba in 1935. Other famous contributors include Amelia Earhart, Clark Gable, and Babe Ruth.

In 1934, Outdoor Life moved from its original location in Denver to New York City, where it remains today. For many years, Outdoor Life was owned by the Popular Science Publishing Company, which was purchased by Times Mirror in 1967. Time Inc. bought the Times Mirror magazines in 2001. In 2007, Time Warner sold Outdoor Life and several other publications to Bonnier Corporation, which owns the magazine today.

Outdoor Life was reduced from 9 issues a year to a quarterly publication in January 2018.

On June 9, 2021, Outdoor Life announced ceasing print publication and moving to an entirely digital format.

Other media and awards

The magazine licensed their title to the Outdoor Life Network cable channel from its 1996 launch until 2006, when the network dramatically de-emphasized programs about fishing and hunting, and changed their name to Versus (which would eventually become NBCSN). The Outdoor Life Network name was retained on the Canadian version of the channel. [2]

The Outdoor Life Conservation Award was first given in 1923 to those who “accomplish the greatest good for the sportsmen’s cause in the United States,” said founder J.A. McGuire; [3] Jimmy Carter is the most famous recipient. [4] There is also an Outdoor Life Conservation Pledge. Established in 1946 and then revised in 1993, it has been taken by thousands of people including Harry Truman and Al Gore, and it runs on the letters page of every issue of the magazine. The pledge reads: “I pledge to protect and conserve the natural resources of America. I promise to educate future generations so they may become caretakers of our water, air, land and wildlife. [5] In 2004, the magazine released a computer game.

The editorial content of the magazine has been critical of PETA and other animal rights groups, and anti-hunting groups.

Related Research Articles

<i>Popular Science</i> American quarterly magazine

Popular Science is an American digital magazine carrying popular science content, which refers to articles for the general reader on science and technology subjects. Popular Science has won over 58 awards, including the American Society of Magazine Editors awards for its journalistic excellence in 2003, 2004, and 2019. With roots beginning in 1872, Popular Science has been translated into over 30 languages and is distributed to at least 45 countries.

<i>Field & Stream</i> American magazine

Field & Stream is an American online magazine focusing on hunting, fishing and other outdoor activities. The magazine was a print publication between 1895 and 2015 and became an online-only publication from 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wild TV</span> Canadian television specialty channel

Wild TV is a Canadian English language Category B specialty channel broadcasting programming focusing on hunting, fishing, shooting, and the outdoors. The channel is owned by Dieter Kohler through Wild TV Inc.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources</span>

The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources, an agency of the Kentucky Tourism, Arts and Heritage Cabinet, is responsible for the conservation of wildlife resources and for boating projects in the state. A commissioner appointed by the Fish and Wildlife Commission heads the department. The commission—which oversees the department's commissioner and promulgates regulations governing fishing, hunting, and boating—is a nine-member bipartisan board appointed by the governor from a list of candidates nominated by active hunters and anglers in each of nine geographic districts in the state.

Sportsman Channel is a Canadian English language Category B specialty channel owned by Keywest Marketing Ltd. and the Outdoor Sportsman Group subsidiary of Kroenke Sports and Entertainment. It airs entertaining and informative programming that showcases outdoor lifestyle & adventure, hunting and fishing. The network features trustworthy experts who offer instruction, product knowledge and the latest tips and techniques.

The Outdoor Life Conservation Pledge was established in 1946 and then revised in 1993. The pledge was written to remind readers of Outdoor Life magazine and other sportsmen of the vigilance needed to preserve the natural world. The pledge has been taken by thousands of people including Harry S. Truman and Al Gore, and it runs on the letters page of every issue of Outdoor Life.

<i>Grays Sporting Journal</i>

Gray's Sporting Journal is a magazine dedicated to the pursuit of outdoor recreation, with an emphasis on hunting and fishing. It is a consciously literary publication, using a "blind reader" to select articles, poems, and stories for publication. The blind reader receives only the text of the submitted work, not the name of the author, thus theoretically preventing publication of works based on fame only.

The Backwoodsman, an American independent, bi-monthly print and digital magazine, is dedicated to the preservation of Old Frontier Living, with articles, information and how-to projects that explore primitive hunting and fishing, tools and weapons lore, wilderness survival and many other topics associated with this unique period of North American history.

<i>Sports Afield</i> American magazine

Sports Afield (SA) is an American outdoor magazine headquartered in Huntington Beach, California. Founded in 1887 by Claude King as a hunting and fishing magazine, it is the oldest published outdoor magazine in North America. The first issue, in January 1888, was eight pages long; it was printed on newspaper stock and published in Denver, Colorado. The magazine currently publishes six print issues per year as well as a digital edition, with an editorial focus on worldwide big-game hunting and conservation. In addition to publishing the magazine, Sports Afield licenses its name to branded products including safes, clothing, outdoor equipment, a TV show, and real-estate marketing. Sports Afield is one of the “Big Three” in American outdoor magazines together with Field & Stream and Outdoor Life, and is the only one published in a printed edition currently.

<i>Otaku USA</i> Magazine published by Sovereign Media

Otaku USA is a bimonthly magazine published by Sovereign Media, which covers various elements of the "otaku" lifestyle from an American perspective. The issues were accompanied by a DVD featuring three anime episodes but as of 2009 the DVD feature was dropped and the double sided poster feature of the Magazine was also dropped starting with the February 2010 issue.

The Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (ADCNR) is the state agency responsible for the conservation and management of Alabama's natural resources including state parks, state lands, wildlife and aquatic resources. ADCNR also issues hunting and fishing licenses for the state. The department promotes wise stewardship and enjoyment of the state's natural resources through five divisions: Marine Resources, State Lands, State Parks and Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries. Supporting those divisions are seven support sections: Accounting, Diversity and Recruiting, Engineering, Information and Education, Information Technology, Legal, and Personnel and Payroll.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Wild Turkey Federation</span> Conservation organization

The National Wild Turkey Federation is an international non-profit organization whose mission is 'the conservation of the wild turkey and the preservation of our hunting heritage.' It currently has more than 250,000 members in the United States, Canada, Mexico and 14 other countries.

<i>Forest and Stream</i> Defunct American outdoors magazine

Forest and Stream was a magazine featuring hunting, fishing, and other outdoor activities in the United States. The journal was founded in August 1873 by Charles Hallock. At the time of its 1930 cancellation it was the ninth oldest magazine still being issued in the US.

Outdoor Canada is Canada's national fishing and hunting magazine, in print since 1972 with a mix of how-to articles, buyer's guides, profiles, travelogues, reports, and analyses. In 2015, Outdoor Canada West was launched.

Abe Walsh is an American author who has written extensively about his hunting, fishing and back-country adventures. He has written for over 25 magazine titles, and authored or ghost-written several hardcover books on the subject. He has also appeared on-camera on television hunting shows.

Kentucky Afield is a magazine, radio show and television program, and is the official publication of the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources. The magazine is a quarterly periodical while the television and radio programs are a 30-minute broadcast, all of which is devoted to the fish and wildlife resources of Kentucky and covers a broad range of outdoor topics, including angling, hunting, conservation and land management.

Edward Geary Zern was a writer, humorist, fisherman, environmentalist and conservationist. Zern was a popular columnist at Field & Stream Magazine.

John Madson was a naturalist, conservationist, journalist, and freelancer who worked in the field of outdoor writing. Over time his work concentrated on the celebration of the vanished tallgrass prairie ecosystems of the U.S. Midwest, and he won acclaim from his publisher as "the father of the modern prairie restoration movement."

John Frank Annoni is an educator, gun rights advocate, author and outdoor mentor and activist. He is known for founding the Camp Compass Academy, a non profit organization and educational system for outdoor activity mainly for youth and the awareness campaigns Hunting Awareness and 2 Million Bullets. In 2008, he was nominated by Outdoor Life as one of the OL25 for "changing the face of hunting and fishing".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Oliver Shields</span>

George Oliver Shields who also wrote under the pseudonym Coquina was the editor of a pioneering American magazine for outdoors sports Recreation where he also took on a role as an activist for the conservation of wildlife. In a column in the magazine, he began to shame fish and game sportsmen who he deemed as not following sporting ethics. This eventually led to clashes with powerful people, resulting in his dismissal from the editorial position.

References

  1. "eCirc for Consumer Magazines". Alliance for Audited Media. December 31, 2012. Archived from the original on January 23, 2017. Retrieved June 21, 2013.
  2. "CRTC Decision 96-606". www.crtc.gc.ca. 1996. Retrieved 29 August 2016.
  3. United States of America Congressional Record. Government Printing Office. Retrieved 29 August 2016.
  4. "2005 Outdoor Life Conservation Awards". www.outdoorlife.com. Retrieved 29 August 2016.
  5. "Somerset Conservation Club offers more than shooting". Union-Sun & Journal . Retrieved 29 August 2016.