Joseph Albanese

Gear Editor

Joseph Albanese’s first career was in wildlife management, a profession that took him from the shadow of the Statue of Liberty to the Alaskan Bush and back again. He spent several years as a freelance writer before joining the Field & Stream staff as the gear editor in 2021.

Highlights

Covers gear, conservation, waterfowl hunting, fishing, and DIY topics

Experience

As a wildlife professional, Albanese has worked with a variety of species of fish, birds, and mammals. Past employers include the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, and the Wildlife Services division of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Major duties included stream sampling, marking and re-sighting birds, deer removals, rabies abatement, and protecting active runways from the threat of bird strike with the help of a 12-gauge semiauto. Now, Albanese oversees gear coverage for Field & Stream, helping hunters and anglers make educated decisions about the items they take afield with them. He also enjoys writing about conservation, fly fishing, how-to topics, and all things waterfowl. When he’s not behind the keyboard, you can find him in a salt marsh tossing flies to striped bass or luring black ducks, depending on the time of the year.

Education

Albanese graduated from the State University of New York at Cobleskill with a degree in Wildlife Management. While there, he was the president of the school’s student chapter of The Wildlife Society. He also managed to schedule his classes so he could catch the morning flight, or tangle with some smallmouth in the warmer months.

F&S Lightning Round

Favorite Place to Fish: New Hampshire’s White Mountains Favorite Critter to Hunt: Black ducks in a salt marsh Bucket List Adventure: Pursuing black brant from the Izembek Lagoon to Baja Mexico Most Prized Piece of Gear: A rusty Benelli 12 gauge All-Time Favorite F&S Story: The Measure of a Hunter, by Norman Strung Fun Fact: He once went 28 days without touching dry land—and 32 without a shower