Across the United States, a squirrel or rabbit can be fair game in one county and strictly off limits in the next. Small-game hunters navigate a maze of seasons, bag limits, gear rules, and access restrictions that shift at every state line and often at every township boundary. I want to unpack why those rules…

Kill counts have long been treated as a shorthand for battlefield prowess, from sniper tallies to nightly briefings that reduce complex campaigns to a single number. Yet the more closely I look at how those figures are produced and used, the clearer it becomes that they capture only a narrow slice of what war actually…

Across the United States, fights over hunting seasons have become proxy battles over who gets to define conservation, rural identity and animal welfare. Activist campaigns, courtroom challenges and political pressure are colliding with state agencies that still rely on hunting as a primary tool for managing wildlife and funding their own budgets. The result is…

Across the United States, white-tailed deer have rebounded from historic lows to become one of the country’s most visible large mammals, shaping ecosystems, traffic patterns, and hunting seasons alike. The states with the largest herds now manage millions of animals, balancing habitat, public safety, and a thriving hunting culture. I look at where deer are…