SHARE

It’d been a while. So long that I’d almost forgotten that feeling. It hit me as I was standing on the bank of a canal, holding a .223 and waiting for the bull alligator to break the surface for air. If all went to plan, this would be our third tagged gator of the day. I did my job on the first two, which is to say I stayed the hell out of the way. Those hunts were wild to watch, but I can’t honestly say I felt much during the action. That all changed once it was my turn.

After the gator was solidly hooked, I took the rifle and moved to the edge of the bank. As I waited, I could hear and make out all that was happening around me, but there was a dullness to the sounds—like the aural equivalent of tunnel vision. And my adrenaline peaked to the point where I felt like I’d swigged a shot of iron. It was all pretty damn intense. Then the gator surfaced, and the gunshot brought me back to Earth.

I’d had that feeling on other hunts before, but as we drove back in the gator-loaded side-by-side, it dawned on me just how long it’d been since I last felt it. And how much I had missed that feeling. I was reminded then, after 16 months of lockdown, just how good it feels to experience this kind of escape—to spend time in a wild place where wild thrills can still surprise you.

In the spirit of getting back to spending more time in wild places, of escaping, today I’m excited to share with you our Great Escapes issue, the first edition of our brand-new, fully digital magazine. You’ll find that theme of breaking away and getting outside—be it a far-flung adventure or a close-to-home trip—in nearly every page of the issue. Here are a few teaser-highlights:

  • David E. Petzal on the last true adventure on Earth
  • Bill Heavey pays the price on a turkey hunt
  • T. Edward Nickens and a pal share a jackrabbit hunting camp

In addition to the great stories in our first issue, subscribers will also get access to 12 years of back issues in the F&S archives where you can enjoy some of the best tales from the history of the magazine. All F&S subscribers will also get a bonus subscription to the all-new digital edition of Outdoor Life. With all that said, here’s how you can access the latest issue of F&S:

How to Read the Digital Edition of F&S

Going forward, you can read (and reread) your quarterly Field & Stream issues in our desktop, smartphone, and tablet apps. Existing subscribers can follow the steps below to get access to the Great Escapes issue in high-resolution on any device. New subscribers can head on over to to get set up fieldandstream.com/subscribe.

Current Subscribers

First, go to our subscriber portal at fieldandsteam.com/digital and enter your email address and account number. Check your mailbox for a postcard with this information, or your email inbox for a note from Field_and_Stream@orders.buysub.com. If you have an issue handy, here’s where you can find your account number:

address box

Then, after you submit your credentials, you’ll automatically be redirected to the Field & Stream desktop app. Type in your account number or email address one more time to sign in. And that’s it. You can now pull up the Great Escapes issue, or back issues, by clicking “Magazines” at the top of the page. This gives you the option to read the stories now or download them to access offline later.

Survival photo
A new adventure story by T. Edward Nickens in the Great Escapes issue.

Once you’ve accessed your digital subscription, you can also download the Field & Stream app for iOS or Android. Just log in with the same account number or email address. For help navigating any of our apps, reach out to appsupport@ziniopro.com. For help with anything related to your account or payment information, visit fieldandstream.com/cs. For quick help, you can leave a comment on this page.