A look at the all-time best rifles, shotguns, and handguns for chasing America’s favorite small game
Author: Will Brantley
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Will Brantley
Will Brantley sold his first story (about catfish noodling) to Field & Stream in 2006, and has been the brand’s hunting editor since 2015. He was even an F&S gainful employee for a few years, but realized team meetings in November and HR departments weren’t for him. Highlights Education Brantley graduated high school from Dawson Springs Independent, and college from Murray State University. He has a Bachelor of Science degree in print journalism, with a minor in creative writing. Experience Brantley has been an outdoor writer his entire adult life, starting with an internship at Outdoor Life and columns in The Murray State News and The Dawson Springs Progress when he was 19 years old. Prior to that, he was a greenskeeper on a golf course (though he hates golf). Brantley grew up in western Kentucky, and has a lifelong interest in the hunting and fishing in that area. He especially loves spring turkey hunting and bowhunting for whitetails, but he’s also an serious squirrel hunter, waterfowler, fur trapper, and angler. He’s traveled extensively, hunting and fishing across the United States and Canada, as well as in Argentina, New Zealand, and Mexico. In the off-season, he’s into habitat management, including food plots, prescribed fires, and forest improvement. He and his wife, Michelle, live in Kentucky with their son, Anse (yes, named after Devil Anse Hatfield), where they run a guide service on the side specializing in archery whitetail and squirrel hunts. Brantley is an NDA-certified Level II Deer Steward, and was recognized as the 2015 QDMA Signpost Communicator of the Year. He’s made appearances on multiple outdoor television shows including Mojo TV, Yamaha Whitetail Diaries, and Kentucky Afield, and been published in numerous outdoor magazines including Petersen’s Hunting, Wildfowl, American Hunter, Ducks Unlimited, Outdoor Life, and Fur-Fish-Game. F&S Lightning Round Favorite Place to Fish: Kentucky Lake,Favorite Critter to Hunt: Eastern wild turkey,Bucket List Adventure: September archery elk in Arizona or New Mexico,Most Prized Piece of Gear: T3 Bolt Bag (a turkey-hunting satchel),All-Time Favorite F&S Story: Oh, ****! by David E. Petzal Notable Work
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