People love to hunt. Last year 13 million individuals—as young as 16 years old—participated in hunting as an “activity,” a sport, and/or as a profession. Their total expenses amounted to $22.9 billion. It’s no surprise that magazines and journals target this industry. If you desire to pitch articles to editors of such publications, then review these hot topics:
Outdoor Adventures
Serious hunters and weekend “hobby” hunters try to make their outdoor hunting experiences memorable, fun, and tactful. Besides waiting for deer to appear or fish to start biting the bait, hunters have gaps of quiet time to do things. Editors enjoy articles on hunting-related activities within or near the area. You can write a feature article about a hunter who may have survived an ordeal or hunters who’ve discovered or created new activities to enhance their outdoor hunting experiences.
Conservation
Because many states regulate hunting, it’s important for hunting enthusiasts to be more proactive. Topics under this subject
include writing about: 1) endangered species; 2) effects of animal hunting within a locality; 3) new policies about hunting; and 4) hunters’ opinions on conservation, licensing, and regulations.
Species
Your article can focus solely on different prey, from deer to elk. Interviewing experts can provide readers with a deeper knowledge on better strategies to hunt or even conserve these animals. Some possible topics include different write on different types of deer and their behaviors, the places where they frequent, or whether they are endangered or not. Perhaps new species have become favorite preys by others.
Hunting Methods
There’s no greater thrill or satisfaction for hunters than to kill their game in one fire. Thus, they develop strategies and try to mimic the strategies of the pros. As a writer, you can feature new types of equipment or supplies, such as bowstrings and guns, as well as hunting regulations that can affect their tactics.
Competitions
Hunters are very competitive, and surely they won’t say no to official competitions. Perhaps you’ve discovered new competitions for hunters or new state-wide rules. You can feature age-old hunting competitions, as well as interview seasoned players and trophy winners.
Places to Hunt
Though the United States is a very popular country for hunters, there are also other locations in the world. Some locations may have been re-zoned to accomodate hunting or so new that competition for game isn’t yet a factor. You may also want to cover banned areas, seasonal areas, or unconventional areas.
Fishing
California has over 2 million anglers or people who are into game fishing. This provides a huge market for a freelance writer. You can write about the best game fish, angler competitions, fishing tips, rules and regulations, the best places to fish, or demographics of game fishers.
Hunting Experiences
Are you a hunter? Your own experiences can transition into a good story for a magazine. But make sure it appeals to human interest,
especially your own struggles. You can also talk about animal attacks, animal tracking, hunter rescue, injuries, or even near-death-experiences while you were hunting.
Deer Hunting
The majority of the animals hunted by seasoned and amateur hunters are deer. In fact, deer hunting has become so popular that you can find magazines focused on the activity and the profession. Review some of these publications’ submission guidelines and editorial calendars to determine how they differentiate themselves among the other titles.
Equipment and Supplies
Tactical methods won’t work without the right equipment and supplies. Editors love “List-style” articles. Create lists of the best gadgets for hunting, the technologies behind new pieces of equipment, and the best techniques to use them.
Who’s Your Audience?
Anyone who loves to hunt as an activity, sport, or profession is your audience. The statistics are already given: over 50 million and growing. Age of readers can range from 16 years old to 50 and 60 years old.
Where Should You Submit Your Work?
Here are a handful of magazines that pay for freelance articles. Contact the editor of each magazine for current submission guidelines and pay rates. You can also search our Writer’s Guidelines Database for find hunting and outdoor related publications that pay for freelance articles.
- Field & Stream magazine
- Buckmasters
- Outdoor Life
- Bowhunter
- Fur Fish and Game
- Gun Dog
- Bow & Arrow
- Deer & Deer Hunting
- Hunting Illustrated
- Wildfowl magazine
What Editors Seek
Because hunting magazines compete with hunting-related and outdoor magazines, editors’ needs are always different. Deer & Deer Hunting, for example, is very specific on the types of stories they’re looking for: they should cover deer hunting and deer, especially white-tailed deer. Many of these magazines prefer writers who have experiences in hunting or who can write stories with the human element without losing accuracy. They also like how-to feature articles. Stories can be as short as 300 words to as long as 3,000 words. Photographs are always a plus and can increase the chances of editors buying your articles.
How Do You Pitch Ideas?
Send your query letter or a summary of your article. If you receive a nod from the editor, then send your full article along with accompanying photos. Format the manuscript according to the magazine’s specifications.
How Much Can You Earn?
Some magazines accept reprints, but they are priced very low at around $25. Standard features can pay
between $100 and $1,200. Average rates for magazines with national distribution are between .25 cents to $1.00/word. Trade magazines, with limited circulation, pay between .15-.45 cents per word.
