2,500 Pages With Modern Huntsman

Today marks 2,500 cultivated, edited — dug from the teeth, the ground, hope, hands— and published pages with Modern Huntsman; 2,500 pages steeped deep in four years of vital journalism and empathy built through staggering narratives.

A cookbook, ghostwritten magazines for clients, and six extraordinary wild resource and conservation driven volumes have found me managing hundreds of writers, photographers, and one helluva editorial team that has become wildly known as one of the most stunning outdoor publications in the world.

This latest issue has me extra honored — Volume 17 is one that celebrates those who serve as conduits and connectors; who bridge the gap between awareness and education, driving us from inspiration to action for the good of wild places.

But none of them matter without the storytellers behind the work itself. So thank you, to every contributor who has given me the honor of guiding your narratives. I hope you’ve been as changed by this publication (that is insanely, devoutly, and courageously still believing in the intimate need of pages held in hands) like I have been in working with you.

Our editor in chief Tyler Sharp, who first gave me a chance over a glass of whiskey, said in his latest letter from the editor, “This issue feels different, like a breakthrough of some kind. While we always work ourselves to the bone on these, this one required more of each of us, something deeper. Perhaps it’s all the madness going on around us, but it forced us to come together more than usual and double down on why we do this. Through countless hours of conversations, late-night editing sessions, ethical debates, emotional investments, soul-searching, teaching, coaching, and encouragement, our lives have become so intertwined that it no longer feels like a job. It feels like a higher calling. For the first time in many years, our editorial team got together in Montana to pore over these stories and try to push them farther. On the banks of the Missouri River in Craig, we encouraged each other to take risks, be brave, and push into new territory. Personally, I think we’ve succeeded.”

And I fucking agree.