Mark Taylor

Contributing Writer

Mark Taylor is a contributing writer for Field & Stream. A native of rural Southern Oregon, Taylor wrote his first outdoor story at 13 years old, when he figured out that his English teacher would accept tales of his fishing and hunting exploits for essay assignments. A little more than a decade later, after a four-year stint as a ship-based Navy Officer based in Norfolk, Virginia, he started writing and editing as a career and he’s been at it for about 30 years now. After 16 years as the outdoors editor at The Roanoke Times, Taylor joined the staff at Trout Unlimited as Eastern communications director in 2014. He lives in Roanoke with his wife and, when they are home from college, his twin daughters.

Highlights

Covers coldwater conservation and trout and salmon fishing for Trout Unlimited
Freelancer covering fishing, hunting, shooting, endurance sports and conservation
Life member and former president of the Outdoor Writers Association of America

Experience

After active duty, Taylor parlayed his military experience into a job covering the Navy, Marines and Coast Guard for Military Newspapers of Virginia in Norfolk. In addition to his award-winning news reporting, he convinced the editor that the company’s flagship weekly could use a fishing column. He started covering the outdoors full-time at The Roanoke Times five years later, earning numerous awards from OWAA and the Virginia Press Association. At Trout Unlimited, Taylor writes about fishing and conservation for the organization’s TROUT magazine and website, in addition to assisting other members of the media with their editorial needs. An optimist at heart, he loves telling stories of recovery, success and triumph. Taylor has hunted and fished throughout the U.S. and loves it all—from chasing trout and salmon in Alaska, to hunting pheasants in South Dakota, to bowhunting whitetails and tangling with tailwater trout in Virginia.

Education

Taylor graduated from Northwestern University, where he was the only member of his freshman class to list “hunting and fishing” as interests in the freshman “facebook.” (Yes, printed freshman “facebooks” used to be a real thing.)

F&S Lightning Round

● Favorite Place to Fish: North Umpqua River, Oregon ● Favorite Critter to Hunt: Whitetails ● Bucket List Adventure: Sailing from flat to flat to chase bonefish and permit in the Caribbean ● Most Cherished Piece of Gear: Dad’s Belgian-made Browning semi-auto .22 rifle ● Fun Fact: Has completed three full-distance Ironman triathlons