Hook and Barrel

Long before the sacred drumbeats of a first people echoed across the plains or an unrealized rock singer tentatively strummed a beat-up old acoustic guitar, the mountains had been holding vigil. Sheepshead Mountain towered over a spirit-strangled boy in a dilapidated trailer, its granite face absorbing every assault, every struggle, every spark of rebellion that would one day become Tim Montana.

Folds of Honor is marking America’s 250th anniversary with a limited-edition apparel collection that gives supporters a simple way to show their patriotism while supporting military and first-responder families. In honor of America’s 250 birthday celebrations, Folds of Honor America 250 apparel collection includes patriotic T-shirts and hats created to recognize the nation’s legacy of service and sacrifice.

The CZ P-09 has long been regarded as a great value in the hammer-fired pistol world. It's reliable, holds plenty of rounds, shoots well, and doesn't break the bank. With the CZ P-09 F Nocturne, Langdon Tactical takes that already solid foundation and makes a good gun even better. Available in both full-size and compact models, I chose the full-size version.

Now that the Independence Day fireworks have all been spent, we’ve curated this list of the five best shotguns and rifles for the range and the field this summer and fall. Benelli Super Black Eagle 3 Semi-Quincentennial Anniversary Edition Released as a limited edition to recognize the 250th anniversary of the United States, this Super Black Eagle 3 is built on the inertia-driven platform that hunters have counted on for years.

America’s 250th birthday is a pretty good excuse to look around and appreciate what we still have: millions of acres of public land, wild water, historic ground and open space that belong to all of us. Yellowstone, Yosemite and the Grand Canyon get most of the postcard treatment, and rightly so. But some of the best trips happen in the quieter National Park Service units most people blow right past.

You’ve taken a wrong turn. It’s cold, you’re wet, and you’ve run out of food. The backcountry can be an unforgiving place once your outdoor technology fails. A “No Service” indicator on your phone tells you all you need to know. When you reach your limit of self-reliance, you default to your level of training. Could you trust yours? The world is smaller than ever, thanks to internet technology like Starlink.

Ticks are more than a warm-weather nuisance. They are tiny disease carriers that thrive in many of the same places hunters, anglers, campers and dog owners spend their free time: brushy field edges, oak flats, creek bottoms, tall grass, leaf litter and shaded trails. Lyme disease gets the headlines, and for good reason. But it is only part of the story.

The outdoors has never had a visibility problem. But for a long time even the most hardened outdoorsman would admit it has had a perception problem. For decades, hunting and the outdoor lifestyle have often been quietly marginalized within popular culture. But that is beginning to change. Today, some of the most influential voices shaping how people view the outdoor community aren’t just guides, conservationists or legacy outdoor publications.

Happy 250th birthday, America. King George III here. You probably know me from the one song in Hamilton where nobody’s rapping because, well, I’m a basically 300-year-old English dude, and trying to rap is already embarrassing enough for anyone named “George.” But enough about Broadway. In case you get your history from ChatGPT, I was also King of Great Britain for nearly 60 years, during which time I managed to lose 13 colonies and a war of independence.

Patriotism doesn’t require everyone to agree. For Trident Mindset’s Chriss Smith Jr., it means contribution, honesty and a willingness to serve something greater than yourself. At America’s 250-year mark, patriotism is an easy word to say and a harder one to define. For Chriss Smith Jr., a former Navy SEAL and co-founder of Trident Mindset, being a patriotic American does not require blind agreement or a perfect country.