Sign up for the Quick Strike Newsletter The hottest fishing news, tips, and tactics Right around dawn on March 30, Brad Tucker and Ted Taylor launched Tucker’s Phoenix bass boat onto Lake O.H. Ivie. The pair of veteran anglers had driven from their homes near Dallas to the 20,000-acre reservoir east of San Angelo because of Ivie’s reputation as one of the best trophy bass lakes in Texas. Now they were looking for bass weighing 10 pounds or better using forward-facing sonar. “I’d never caught a 10 pounder, and Brad wanted to catch a bigger bass than his personal best…

A U.S. Air Force A-10 Thunderbolt II reportedly crashed Friday near the Strait of Hormuz at around the same time an F-15E fighter jet was shot down in Iran.The A-10 pilot was subsequently rescued, two U.S. officials told The New York Times. Iranian state media stated the A-10 was targeted in southern waters near the strait. Reports of the A-10 going down Friday followed confirmation that a U.S. Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle had been shot down by enemy fire. One of two F-15E crew members had reportedly been rescued as of Friday afternoon. A search for the second crew…

President Donald Trump’s policies have made the U.S. immune to the chaos in the oil markets and the impact on the global economy resulting from the Iran war, White House advisor Keven Hassett claimed Friday.“All the cumulative policies” Trump has promoted, including tax cuts and deregulation, “can’t be upended by a temporary Middle East skirmish,” Hassett said on Fox News. “This is really an economy that can’t be slowed down” added Hassett, director of the National Economic Council.Hasset spoke as air raid sirens once again sounded in Israel and across the Gulf States to guard against another round of drone…

Sign up for the Quick Strike Newsletter The hottest fishing news, tips, and tactics In the modern world of dice baits and minnows designed for forward-facing sonar, there’s a growing list of baits, lures, and techniques that have fallen by the wayside. Sure these lures are still time-honored catching machines with the older generations, but the younger, cutting-edge bass anglers don’t seem to want anything to do with them. The Carolina rig is a good example, but unfortunately, so is the spinnerbait. When I began bass fishing decades ago, a spinnerbait was one of my go-to options, especially in the…

President Donald Trump on Friday requested a 10% cut in non-defense discretionary spending for fiscal 2027 and a massive $500 billion increase in defense spending, as the United States continues its war against Iran. The 2027 budget request comes as the president faces risky choices abroad, with the administration sending U.S. service members to the Middle East, and a public at home feeling the economic crunch of skyrocketing gas prices due to the conflict.The request ultimately requires approval by Congress, where disagreement over Trump’s spending decisions recently led to the longest government shutdown in U.S. history.The president’s budget also reflects…

Sign up for the Outdoor Life Newsletter Get the hottest outdoor news—plus a free month of onX Hunt Elite. A First Nation in the Yukon Territory has declared a caribou herd to be a living person. This declaration expands on a novel legal theory that could give the herd the same legal rights as a human, at least in some respects. The Ross River Dena Council says the Finlayson Caribou Herd is “central to [their] life, identity, and continuity,” and that the only way to properly protect the herd is to grant it personhood in the eyes of the law.…

The U.S. Air Force and Space Force revised the length of its transition assistance program for service members moving into the civilian workforce.The Department of the Air Force updated its SkillBridge programs to further “balance operational readiness and transition assistance to Airmen and Guardians,” according to a Thursday release.SkillBridge is a Department of Defense program that pairs service members with 180 days or less left in service before their discharge with civilian industry partners for training, apprenticeships or internships.Based on the service member’s rank, the new policy inputs the length of program participation into categories that include which commander levels…

Scott Einsmann is Outdoor Life’s gear editor. He oversees the gear team’s editors and writers who are subject matter experts in bows, knives, hunting, fishing, backpacking, and more. He lives in Richmond, Virginia with his wife and two bird dogs. Read the full article here

An Iranian official said in an interview with RT on Thursday that the “conditions in the Strait of Hormuz will not return to the pre-war status quo.” At the moment, transit remains “operational,” however, all vessels are subject to inspection by the Iranian ruling class. “To date, no vessel belonging to the enemy or its partners has been granted permission to pass,” referring to the United States, Israel, and their allies. Ships wanting passage through the Strait of Hormuz are currently required to use “the flag state of the vessel to establish contact with Tehran,” the official declared. The Iranian…

President Donald Trump announced Friday he wants funding in 2027 for twice the number of ships that were requested the previous year.The proposed $1.5 trillion defense budget would include $65.8 billion in shipbuilding capital to manufacture 18 battle force ships and 16 non-battle force ships, according to a White House overview of the budget.“As waters around the world become increasingly contested, it is imperative that the United States be able to efficiently deliver the various naval platforms it requires to ensure maritime domain awareness and deterrence,” the overview said.RELATEDThe budget’s maritime resources would be dedicated to building out Trump’s planned…

Sign up for the Quick Strike Newsletter The hottest fishing news, tips, and tactics The 884-pound bluefin tuna that David Esslinger and crew caught last year has been confirmed as a Texas state record this week. In April 2025, Esslinger and a group of buddies headed offshore from Galveston, Texas around daybreak on Thursday. They were on Carson Deer’s offshore boat, Catillac, a 46-foot catamaran. The crew was rigged and ready that morning for bluefin tuna. “We looked like a moving trailer park: Shimano Tiagra 130s on a center console, 1600 pounds of ice, food for a month, fried chicken,…

This is a developing story. One of two U.S. F-15E Strike Eagle crew members shot down by enemy fire in Iran has been rescued, Israeli media first reported. U.S. officials confirmed the reports in statements to CBS News and Axios. A search for the second crew member is ongoing. A multi-aircraft search-and-rescue effort for survivors was launched on Friday in the immediate aftermath of the engagement, with videos circulating on social media appearing to show a low-flying U.S. Air Force HC-130 refueling a pair of HH-60G Pave Hawks over Iran.Israel’s N12 News first reported the rescue of the one crew…

Sign up for the Outdoor Life Newsletter Get the hottest outdoor news—plus a free month of onX Hunt Elite. Blasting clay pigeons at hunting camp or on the back 40 is a good way to get tuned up for bird hunting season, but more importantly, it’s just good old fashioned fun. And while there’s a whole bunch of gadgets and gizmos that will hurl a clay pigeon, many of them are sketchy to use and will break more clays than they actually throw. However, the best clay pigeon throwers will keep the good times rolling and the guns blazing.  With…

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Sign up for the Deer Camp Newsletter Get everything from whitetail news and opinion pieces, to advanced hunting tactics and cutting-edge gear reviews. This story, “The Head He Left Behind,” appeared in the April 1944 issue of Outdoor Life. Supposing you shot a buck with 19 points on the right side of the antlers, 16 on the left, with a spread of nearly 47 inches, would you nonchalantly cut off the head and throw it into the nearest ravine? Arthur Henke of Glenwood Springs, Colorado, did just that in 1940, and — butmaybe I’d better tell the whole story of…

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This is a developing story. A U.S. fighter jet was shot down over Iran, and a search and rescue operation was underway for any survivors, a U.S. official told Reuters on Friday.The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, did not offer further details. The Pentagon and U.S. Central Command did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Officials in Iran called for the chase and capture of any surviving crew members of the jet, the semi-official ISNA news agency and the Young Journalists Club reported. The governor of one province said whoever captures or kills the crew would receive…

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Watch full video on YouTube

Watch full video on YouTube

Watch full video on YouTube

Watch full video on YouTube

Summary World’s most important oil price hits record high as Trump threatens Iran: “make a deal before it’s too late.” Oil drops on reports of Iran-Oman coordination to reopen strait. Iran issues Israel/Gulf logistics hubs target list; IRGC targets Amazon Cloud computing center in Bahrain US intelligence assessments say Iran is not ready to negotiate, given it believes it has the strategic upper hand, and doesn’t believe Trump is ‘serious’ about talks: NYT The highest bridge in Iran, connecting Tehran and Karaj, was destroyed – amid reports of expanding attacks on civilian infrastructure. Iran threatens the Port of Haifa in response. UK’s Starmer chairs virtual summit of over 30 countries to…