Edward Nickens has written a very popular column for Field & Stream magazine called "Total Outdoorsman" for six years. It's a first-person essay that explores the modern expression of hunting and fishing in America. Along with the editors at Field & Stream, he has chosen the best of these articles and collected them in a book for the first time. Nickens is best known to readers of Field & Stream and Garden & Gun, for essay-driven articles, and that's what this collection reflects.

The Last Wild Road is a raucous, gripping, sometimes terrifying, often hilarious, and deeply meditative journey through the heart of the outdoors in the modern world. Collected from more than 20 years of hunting and fishing cover stories, columns, and adventure tales written by T. Edward Nickens for Field & Stream, this book is a road trip that takes in a huge sweep of the North American landscape—blackwater rivers in the wilds of eastern North Carolina, deserts and prairies of the American West, remote tundra of northern Canada, and the wildest rivers of Alaska. Along every rutted road and rough trail, with a rod, gun, and pen, Nickens meets unforgettable characters—old French-speaking Cajuns at Louisiana squirrel camps, a one-armed fly-tyer in the ancient Appalachians, Pennsylvania brothers who lost their father in a hunting accident decades ago and return to the scene for a powerful, poignant encounter with history. He explores remote wilderness waters to chase trout and ducks, but finds rich meaning, too, in the familiar and close-to-home: fishing with his children, plumbing the forests of local farms, and butchering deer in his basement as a thanksgiving for the gifts of the outdoors. When it comes to hunting and fishing, writing often falls into the categories of where-to-go, the how-do-it, and the-what-to-bring. This book embarks on the question of “why.” Why does the pursuit of game and fish, and the travel to the wild places where they thrive, bring meaning and clarity to living in the modern world? Why do we laugh more, and live more deeply, far from the sidewalk? If you’ve ever felt that way, you’ll find yourself in The Last Wild Road.

Many hunters acquire the skills they need through years of accompanying more knowledgeable hunters into the outdoors. Now, seasoned hunters have compiled their best advice in this valuable handbook. Whether the interest is in hunting deer, pheasant, pig, duck, or turkey, there's advice in this indispensable guide. Young hunters and those just curious about hunting will learn how to plan for a hunt and hone their skills to ensure success. Carefully chosen illustrations, diagrams, and photographs demonstrate and depict need-to-know information that will make all the difference on the hunt.

Camping is one activity that's much more fun when one has the right skills and know-how for the outdoors. Field & Stream's editors have collected 87 essential pieces of advice about camping that will make readers into leaders of the campground. Pitching a tent, making knots, building a fire, and cooking a delicious outdoor meal are all part of this wide-ranging guide. Visual aids and numbered directions make each skill comprehensible, while beautiful color photographs will inspire readers to pack up and head outside.

If just camping is your thing, here are all the tips and techniques from the The Total Outdoorsman Manual in one value-priced edition. With practical advice for camping in all sorts of conditions, this handy guide offers dozens of hints on everything from choosing your campsite to roasting the perfect marshmallow. Geared to the hunter or fisherman, but with something for almost everyone who loves the great outdoors, this is the book you want to download to your phone or tablet before heading out into the woods. In this guide, you’ll learn how to: Rainproof any tent Make a wicked slingshot Camp without a tent Pipe water from spring to camp Smudge out campside skeeters Open wine caveman style Put together a handy repair kit And much more

The Total Outdoorsman Manual is the ultimate guide book for the outdoors enthusiast, packed with hundreds of practical tips and techniques from T. Edward Nickens and the experts at Field & Stream magazine, that is guaranteed to improve your hunting, fishing, camping and survival skills. With practical information for both the beginner and advanced outdoorsman, the book is an authoritative, comprehensive, and entertaining guide that will enable anyone to master the outdoors and hunt, fish, and camp like an expert. HUNT BETTER How to track a buck, make the toughest shots, master bowhunting and knife skills, and haul, butcher, and cook wild game. FISH SMARTER Advice on the best techniques for flyfishing, baitcasting, and spinning, as well as surefire ways to get the most out of your motorboat, canoe, or kayak. SURVIVE ANYTHING Whether you fall through thick ice, are swept away by a raging river, or have a stare down with an angry bear, these skills means the difference between life and death. CAMP ANYWHERE Tested and proven expert tips to help you stay warm, eat well, and build a fire in any situation in record time. Field & Stream For more than 100 years, Field & Stream magazine has provided expert advice on every aspect of the outdoor life, including hunting, fishing, conservation, and wilderness survival. The magazine's annual Total Outdoorsman issue is one of its most popular, read by over nine million sporting enthusiasts. The Total Outdoorsman Challenge brings together avid hunters and anglers from around the country to demonstrate their skills and compete for big bucks and bigger glory. Winners are all-around hunters, fishermen, and survivors with a flair for problem-solving and the skills to prevail.

Whether readers are proficient fishermen or just like to spend time at the end of a dock with a rod, they'll learn something on every page of this user-friendly handbook. Not only will they find out how to "stick a fish with a fly" in a stream, they'll also learn some boating skills that will ensure success in deeper waters. Each section is broken down into easy-to-follow segments, steps, or labeled illustrations. No tackle box is complete without the 106 essential fishing skills featured in this beneficial book.

The 10th anniversary edition of this comprehensive guide from the editors of Field & Stream includes a new chapter on the Total Outdoorsman Challenge. The Total Outdoorsman Manual is the ultimate guidebook for the outdoors enthusiast. These hundreds of practical tips and techniques from T. Edward Nickens and the experts at Field & Stream magazine are guaranteed to improve your hunting, fishing, camping, and survival skills. This updated and expanded tenth anniversary edition includes a bonus chapter of new tricks and skills from Total Outdoorsman Challenge contestants. In this guide, you will learn how to: HUNT BETTER Track a buck, make the toughest shots, master bowhunting and knife skills, and haul, butcher, and cook wild game. FISH SMARTER The best techniques for flyfishing, baitcasting, and spinning, as well as surefire ways to get the most out of your motorboat, canoe, or kayak. CAMP ANYWHERE Stay warm, eat well, and build a fire in any situation—and in record time. SURVIVE ANYTHING Whether you fall through thick ice, are swept away by a raging river, or find yourself facing an angry bear, these skills means the difference between life and death.

Inspired by TV shows and movies, many people wonder how long they could survive in the wild. If they have this entertaining and practical guide with them, they'll be ready to tackle many kinds of challenges. These 95 survival skills will not only get the reader out of trouble, but also teach them to avoid dangerous situations in the wilderness. Map-reading skills, animal attacks, leech removal, and lightning strikes are just some of the varied topics expertly explained in the text and depicted in the illustrations and photographs. High-interest content will attract all levels of readers and outdoors enthusiasts.

The Total Outdoorsman Manual is the ultimate guide book for the outdoors enthusiast, packed with hundreds of practical tips and techniques from T. Edward Nickens and the experts at Field & Stream magazine, that is guaranteed to improve your hunting, fishing, camping and survival skills. This special edition, issued for the 10th anniversary of the Total Outdoorsman Challenge has all the content readers love, plus 50 new activities that can help anyone compete in the Challenge. With practical information for both the beginner and advanced outdoorsman, the book is an authoritative, comprehensive, and entertaining guide that will enable anyone to master the outdoors and hunt, fish, and camp like an expert. The 10th anniversary edition includes a chapter of new tricks and skills from Total Outdoorsman Challenge contestants. HUNT BETTER How to track a buck, make the toughest shots, master bowhunting and knife skills, and haul, butcher, and cook wild game. FISH SMARTER Advice on the best techniques for flyfishing, baitcasting, and spinning, as well as surefire ways to get the most out of your motorboat, canoe, or kayak. SURVIVE ANYTHING Whether you fall through thick ice, are swept away by a raging river, or have a stare down with an angry bear, these skills means the difference between life and death. CAMP ANYWHERE Tested and proven expert tips to help you stay warm, eat well, and build a fire in any situation in record time. WIN Field & Stream For more than 100 years, Field & Stream magazine has provided expert advice on every aspect of the outdoor life, including hunting, fishing, conservation, and wilderness survival. The magazine's annual Total Outdoorsman issue is one of its most popular, read by over nine million sporting enthusiasts. The Total Outdoorsman Challenge brings together avid hunters and anglers from around the country to demonstrate their skills and compete for big bucks and bigger glory. Winners are all-around hunters, fishermen, and survivors with a flair for problem-solving and the skills to prevail.