This story was originally published in the August 2003 issue of Outdoor Life. What is the Bear Matrix? It’s a world of horrific maulings, canine teeth gnawing on scalps, claws ripping into flesh and people being eaten. No, this isn’t a nightmare—it’s a computer database compiling info on more than 500 bear attacks that have occurred in Alaska since the early 1900s. The gatekeeper of this data is U.S. Geological Survey research biologist Tom Smith. Smith is one of the few people who can analyze the patterns contained within the database, and his research shows that bear attacks are anything…

Breaching a door with a shotgun. There’s a right way.

A mystery explosion in Iran, and spies reportedly captured.

Standing up in a gunfight. There’s a technique for it.

Every bowhunter wants to experience that moment of releasing the perfect arrow, watching it fly like a laser beam, and seeing it hit precisely on target. This is, after all, the apex of bowhunting. But to achieve this, your bow needs to be tuned to shoot your broadhead-tipped arrow properly. Broadhead tuning requires good shooting and patience from you. But, it’s not all that complicated. In order to get my 2024 hunting setup tuned, I hit up Scott Einsmann, who is OL’s executive gear editor, a former archery instructor, and my informal archery coach. He shared the details on how…

One tip for switching shoulders. Worth the reps.

The claim is they’re rebuilding close to home.

The first thing anyone learns. Worth relearning properly.

Backups only count if you’ve actually lived on them.

Not an easy listen. Sit down for it anyway.

Big headline. See whether the story holds it up.

Fat Leonard, and how far into the Navy it went.

American jets hit, and China moving weapons in. That’s the claim.

Thirty days without power. Worth knowing before it happens.

A cardinal on the New Testament. Long sit-down, no hurry.

Worse than Iraq. A Tier 1 operator explains why.

We may earn revenue from the products available on this page and participate in affiliate programs. Learn More › If you’ve shopped for denser-than-steel duck hunting ammo recently, you noticed that bismuth and tungsten-based loads are both more expensive and harder to find on store shelves. That’s because these materials are largely imported from China (if you want to read an economic deep-dive on this, check out our story from February). But amid these dark times in the waterfowl ammo world, there’s been a silver lining: Boss has introduced a copper-based load that the company promises to be even more…

Washington has spent decades encouraging veterans to become entrepreneurs, and Congress backed that with contracting programs meant to give service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses a meaningful chance to compete. A new SBA proposal could unintentionally weaken that commitment.On Aug. 20, SBA proposed replacing nearly 1,000 industry-specific size standards and exceptions with 338 broader ones. In common IT services categories, the threshold would rise from $34 million in average annual receipts to $531 million. SBA estimates 37,002 firms already in the federal market would newly qualify, holding more than 105,000 contracts worth about $71 billion in fiscal 2025.SBA has legitimate reasons to…

Iranian strikes damaged multiple American military aircraft this week on the Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan, a U.S. official told Reuters. The U.S. military, the highest-funded in the world, suffered material damage even before Iran’s strikes on Tuesday. This includes the destruction of more than two dozen drones, Iran striking fighter jets, and aircraft being lost to accidents. According to a May report from the Congressional Research Service, 42 U.S. military aircraft had already been lost or damaged in the conflict.Since the Iran war started in February, 18 U.S. service members have been killed and over 800 injured. A…

Many elk-hunting stories describe this exciting scenario: The bull charges madly to a bugle call with fire in his eyes and is shot by the hunter at 20 yards. That certainly happens every year, but far less often than you think. The truth is, many more elk are hunted after the rut has ended, when bugling attempts are futile. Elk behavior and subsequent hunting strategies depend on a variety of factors, including the time of year, the rut, food availability, weather and hunting pressure. Understand them, and you’ll be on your way to tagging your elk. The Pre-Rut Most bowhunting…

The Pentagon announced Wednesday that the Navy is planning to install Indiana’s first advanced nuclear micro modular reactor at Naval Weapons Station Crane by September 2028.The reactor’s deployment helps carry out President Donald Trump’s 2025 executive order calling for the swift integration of nuclear power within the military, with a goal of having at least one working reactor on a military base by Sept. 30, 2028.“The MMR installation will provide reliable, around-the-clock power independent of the commercial electric grid, capable of sustaining critical operations under the most demanding conditions,” a Pentagon release said.The reactor will help create American jobs, bolster…

On a late November afternoon in 1991, Sam Aiuppa climbed into a stand and dropped a slug into his Remington 870. He had spent most of the day hunting pheasants near his home in Lasalle County, Illinois with that same shotgun, and he told Rack Magazine, “I wasn’t that much of a deer hunter.” After just 40 minutes in the stand, a 207 7/8-inch whitetail cruised beneath him. The deer was a main-frame 10-pointer with a split main beam, brow tines longer than 12 inches, and a long drop point. Aiuppa shot the buck, had the skull cap mounted, and…

U.S. President Donald Trump departed ​Washington, D.C., for Texas on Wednesday aboard the Air Force One plane ‌gifted by Qatar after an emergency slide was accidentally deployed and was removed.Military personnel accidentally triggered the slide, a person ​briefed on the matter told Reuters.The slide was activated shortly before Trump was due to board for a flight to Dallas for the first-ever Republican midterm convention. The issue briefly delayed Trump’s departure.Asked by a journalist whether he was sure that the plane was safe to fly, Trump said: “Yeah, I am, or I wouldn’t be on it.”The emergency slide was seen being…

Bone fragments from the sword hand of a medieval Russian prince who won a famous victory over the Mongols have been sent to the front in Ukraine to raise army morale in the Russian Orthodox Church’s latest show of support for President Vladimir Putin’s war.The sarcophagus of Grand Prince Dmitry Donskoy, who died in 1389 and is revered by Russian nationalists for defeating the Mongol Golden Horde at the 1380 Battle of Kulikovo, was uncovered this summer during restoration work at Moscow’s Cathedral of the Archangel inside the Kremlin.Putin personally inspected what experts said were the prince’s well-preserved remains in…