Brian Lovett

Contributing Writer

Brian Lovett is a contributing writer for Field & Stream. Lovett is a freelance outdoors communicator who started working with F&S in 2016. He’s been a writer and editor in the outdoors industry for more than 30 years, specializing in turkey and waterfowl hunting, and also covering deer, small game, fishing, and shooting.

Highlights

Hunted waterfowl for 43 years, traveling to 10 states and Canada, and running an open-water layout boat for 34 seasons
Hunted turkeys for 32 years, traveling to 20 states and Mexico, and taking several Grand Slams and a Royal Slam
Judged and organized many turkey calling and call-making contests, including serving as co-chair for the NWTF’s Grand Nationals Calling Contest for the past five years

Experience

Lovett began his outdoor-industry career by penning freelance articles for Deer & Deer Hunting. He later went to work for that title’s parent company, Krause Publications, as the editor of Wisconsin Outdoor Journal and Turkey & Turkey Hunting. The latter publication introduced him to the national turkey hunting scene, which was in its boom phase during the 1990s. He went on to chase gobblers in 20 states and Mexico, taking all five North American subspecies of turkeys.

Lovett has edited several other magazines during his career and then returned to T&TH in the late 2010s. In 2014, he left the company to pursue freelance interests, immediately signing on with NWTF as its “On the Hunt” field editor. That also let him expand his work into the waterfowl field, a longtime obsession, with outlets, such as Realtree.com and Delta Waterfowl.
Throughout his career, Lovett has remained a staunch conservation advocate, belonging to National Wild Turkey Federation, Ducks Unlimited, Delta Waterfowl, and other groups. He’s also co-chaired the NWTF’s Grand Nationals Calling Contest for five years and is a voting member of the organization’s GNCC Hall of Fame. Additionally, Lovett has given dozens of hunting seminars and appeared on numerous turkey hunting videos.

Education

Lovett earned a bachelor of science degree from the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, majoring in journalism. His grades would have been better had he not hunted so much.

F&S Lightning Round

Favorite Place to Fish or Hunt: The Driftless Area of southwestern Wisconsin, the rolling hills of central Wisconsin, or the prairie potholes of the eastern Dakotas.

Favorite Critter to Hunt: Ducks and geese in fall, turkeys in spring—please don’t make me choose.

Bucket List Adventure: Six weeks in an RV with a pocketful of turkey tags across the country—or two months in an RV with my Lab, following the migration south.

Best Piece of Outdoor Advice: Enjoy it. Appreciate it. Soak it up. Share it.

Favorite Piece of Gear: Old or custom-made turkey calls. They’re like a living history of the sport.

All-Time Favorite F&S Story: Anything by Scott Bestul.