We may earn revenue from the products available on this page and participate in affiliate programs. Learn More › Sign up for the Outdoor Life Newsletter Get the hottest outdoor news from Outdoor Life. Despite skyrocketing prices on everything from eggs to hunting leases, you can still buy high-quality and even USA-made hunting knives for under $100. Spending more will get you better steel and nicer build quality, but these budget-friendly knives perform with the best of them. Here are my top picks based on head-to-head testing and use in the field. The Best Budget Hunting Knives We’ve Tested Get…

Somebody’s in the house. He keeps it short.

He’s been quiet a while. Turns out he’s fine.

What goes in a med kit. Go check yours.

A skills test. See where you actually stand.

Four officers, and a pardon he’s asking you to back.

The zipper drill. New name, old problem.

Training the head, not the hands. Costs nothing.

Part two. He’s reacting to the sound, not the picture.

Fighting inside Iran. Still coming together.

A gun in a box. There’s a reason for it.

Big claim in that title. He makes his case.

Two suppressors, head to head. Surefire has company.

Russia’s missile, and NATO’s answer. Still developing.

The Marine Corps issued interim guidance this week for accommodating religious beliefs involving uniform, grooming and vaccination standards, as well as dietary practices and religious holidays.According to Wednesday’s announcement, Marines seeking such accommodations must submit a written request to their command, which will assess the sincerity of the religious belief and the request’s potential impact on mission readiness.The guidance comes amid the Defense Department’s ongoing effort to narrow the list of recognized religions and limit permissions for facial hair in the name of mission readiness, while also loosening vaccination requirements to honor individual freedoms. Under the new guidance, a Marine’s…

The Army issued a policy on Friday to promote some noncommissioned officers who complete drill sergeant and recruiting courses. Sergeants who complete the Army Recruiting Course or Drill Sergeant Course will be promoted to staff sergeant. Sergeants serving in drill sergeant positions who meet promotion requirements will also be promoted, effective Sept. 10. The Army said the policy was intended to acknowledge the noncommissioned officers’ part in building the enlisted force. “Drill sergeants are the backbone of the force and make a lasting impact on every enlisted soldier’s career,” said Command Sgt. Maj. Joseph Wilson, of the U.S. Army Recruiting…

Soldiers in units participating in the Army’s Holistic Health and Fitness program returned to duty faster after musculoskeletal injuries than troops not involved in the program, according to a study published this week.The study found that soldiers in brigades with the program spent 5.9% less time on limited duty after an injury.The Army started implementing the fitness program — which is in some ways similar to methods used in other high-level athletics — in 2021. More than 50 brigades were scheduled to receive physical therapists, athletic trainers, dietitians, occupational therapists and strength and conditioning coaches. The first brigades were slated…

The Department of Defense on Thursday released clinical guidelines for testing and treating low testosterone in male service members.The initiative, first announced in a July memo by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, is part of the agency’s Warfighter Performance Optimization program, which Hegseth announced in May.On Sept. 3, the Pentagon temporarily rescinded its published clinical guidance for a new, mandatory testosterone-deficiency screening policy, with an official telling Reuters, “The draft [document] published on September 2, 2026, has been temporarily rescinded to allow for updates.”The Defense Health Agency’s latest guideline indicates that every male service member over 30 — and some under…

The U.S. Coast Guard is taking steps to address sexual assault in the ranks but continues to fall short in implementing its plans and reporting to Congress — shortcomings that hamper the “long-term cultural and procedural changes” needed to address the problem, a federal watchdog has warned.The Government Accountability Office released a two-page brief Friday criticizing the service for failing to provide timely updates to Congress on sexual assaults as well as some information that is required by law.The watchdog also said the service has not developed a performance plan to assess its progress in addressing sexual misconduct, an oversight…

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency is seeking to exhume and identify the remains of the Korean War service member buried as one of the Unknowns next to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery. The reason: advances in DNA technology. During a Sept. 1 webinar, Kelly McKeague, the director of the DPAA, told Stars and Stripes that “We will petition Arlington National Cemetery to disinter the remains at the Tomb of the Unknown simply because the probability is high that we will be able to identify that unknown,” he said. According to McKeague, the agency now possesses…

Sign up for the On The Gun Newsletter The latest for gun hunters and competitive shooters. There’s been plenty of excitement, and some skepticism, around Federal Premium Ammunition’s new Peak Alloy case technology, which allows for higher chamber pressures and turbo-charged muzzle velocities. This week, I was among the first to ever hunt elk with their brand-new 155-grain Fusion Tipped Plus Peak ammo in 6.5 Creedmoor.  Outdoor Life shooting editor John B. Snow first covered the introduction of this new case material in January 2025, when Federal dropped the 7mm Backcountry. With this new cartridge, Snow was able to drive…

The Army has identified the soldier killed during a rollover incident Monday at Fort Hood, Texas.Pfc. Ethan Brewer, a 20-year-old from Apex, North Carolina, was killed and another soldier wounded during a training exercise, which involved a Humvee modified to perform medical evacuations. The injured soldier has since been released from the hospital, according to a Fort Hood release. Brewer, who entered the Army in 2025 as a medic, was assigned to 1st Battalion, 82nd Field Artillery Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division Artillery Brigade. He arrived at Fort Hood in early 2026, per the release. His awards include the Army Achievement…

The system designed to assist sailors’ mental health aboard deployed U.S. Navy aircraft carriers is unable to meet the demand of prolonged combat deployments, according to current and former military personnel.Sailors and U.S. Navy mental health professionals told Military Times that long wait times to see a provider, along with an insurmountable caseload for therapists and misguided treatment, stressed a system that was never built to handle the mental toll of extended military operations in contested environments.Navy therapists are trained to provide consistent care, but that approach is often unattainable on a ship with so many sailors in need of…

In late August a Wyoming bowhunter was found not guilty of wasting a game animal after he killed a bull elk in September 2025. Upon discovering that a bear, likely a grizzly, had disturbed his elk, Ron Niziolek of Cody left the meat, took the skull, and backed out of the area.A tip from another hunter and a subsequent investigation by the Wyoming Game and Fish Department ultimately resulted in two citations for Niziolek: one for wasting a game animal and a second for possessing the parts of a wasted animal (the skull and antlers).Niziolek, 63, says he was transparent…