Adam Heggenstaller

Missoula

Director of Digital and Print Communications at Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation

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Articles

Gear Report: Winchester Ranger

3 days ago | gameandfishmag.com | Adam Heggenstaller

The same qualities that endear lever-action rifles to whitetail hunters make rimfire versions of lever guns favored for small game. Lever-action rimfires are wonderful to carry, come nimbly to the shoulder and cycle quickly for follow-up shots. Opportunities at stationary squirrels and rabbits are often fleeting, and a rifle that gets on target immediately will help put skittish game in the bag.
Mounting Made Easy for Turkey Shotguns

2 months ago | gameandfishmag.com | Adam Heggenstaller

The capabilities of today's turkey guns were unheard of when I started hunting birds nearly 30 years ago. Back then, I was happy when I found a load and choke tube that let me reach out a little past 40 yards. Not that more distance would have mattered anyway; the big white bead on my shotgun covered up so much of a gobbler at 40 yards that aiming at his neck was part guesswork.
Silent and Still: Keys to Better Turkey Hunting

Mar 12, 2025 | gameandfishmag.com | Adam Heggenstaller

I had my doubts. It was almost 9 o'clock, and the gobbler hadn't made a sound. I'd been sitting against a hemlock in silence since well before first light, which was an eternity to second-guess my decisions that morning. I probably should have hunted another bird ... I probably should have called a little ... I probably should have gotten closer. No, no, no. If I had learned anything about this turkey, and anything about myself this season, the best play was to stay still and be quiet.
Luke Combs Talks About New Turkey Tech Gear Venture

Feb 20, 2025 | gameandfishmag.com | Adam Heggenstaller

Multi-platinum country music artist Luke Combs is a busy man, but the avid outdoorsman from Asheville, N.C., always makes time to hunt turkeys. Along with releasing a new album, "Fathers & Sons," and headlining Concert for Carolina to aid Hurricane Helene relief last year, he also finished a collaborative project with Columbia Sportswear to develop a collection of turkey hunting apparel with premium features based on his experiences in the spring woods.
Range Report: Henry Single Shot Turkey

Feb 13, 2025 | gameandfishmag.com | Adam Heggenstaller

In those dark days before the emergence of tungsten turkey loads, very few hunters carried a .410-bore shotgun for gobblers because they wanted to. They hunted with a .410 because they had to. Either they were too young or recoil-shy to handle a larger gun, or a .410 was the only shotgun they owned. Loads for the .410 just didn't hold enough No. 6 lead pellets to reliably dispatch longbeards past 20 yards-an unfavorable constraint in the spring woods.
Field Test: Dryshod Evalusion

Oct 24, 2024 | gameandfishmag.com | Adam Heggenstaller

Boots for whitetail hunting must do three things: keep our feet warm and dry while we sit for hours on stand, control scent if not eliminate it, and be comfortable enough for several miles of hiking. I've found that rubber boots often check the first and second boxes, but rarely do they excel when trekking any sort of distance, especially if the hike involves steep or rocky terrain.
Tea Time and Antelope Hunting in Wyoming

Oct 22, 2024 | gameandfishmag.com | Adam Heggenstaller

Important decisions must be made on every hunting trip. Some require immediate action while others may take hours or even days of consideration to reach a determination. The one at hand, which I was intensely mulling over in the cab of Chad Schearer's pickup, was stretching into two or three minutes. It's a good thing no one was behind us in the drive-through line at Sip's Coffee.
First Look: Nosler Whitetail Country Ammunition

Oct 15, 2024 | gameandfishmag.com | Adam Heggenstaller

Whitetail ammunition requires a careful balancing act on the part of the manufacturer. Deer hunters need reliable performance, of course, but they also demand affordable ammo. A bullet that could fly around a couple trees, automatically home in on a deer's heart and immediately drop a buck in its tracks would do most deer hunters no good if the price of a box of ammo cost more than a tank of gas for their pickups.
Choosing the Right Light for the Outdoors

Oct 13, 2024 | gameandfishmag.com | Adam Heggenstaller

Days often start early and end late on public land, especially when the hunt is for deer, turkeys or waterfowl. Illumination tools, whether they be handheld flashlights, compact headlamps or work-area lights, are essential items both in the field and back at camp. We often depend on lights to get us into and out of our hunting spots and when tending to important tasks such as field-dressing game and putting out a decoy spread.
6 New Knives for Anglers

Jul 6, 2024 | gameandfishmag.com | Adam Heggenstaller

With a 36-year history of making knives in the U.S. for hunting, outdoor adventure, everyday carry and tactical purposes, Benchmade expands its offerings this summer to include models purpose-built for fishing. The new Benchmade Water Line ($200 to $260; benchmade.com) consists of the 7-inch and 9-inch Fishcrafter fillet knives, the fixed-blade Undercurrent and Intersect, and the Adira and Mini Adira folders, which use the AXIS locking mechanism.