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Research shows that scent evokes memories and past emotions with more potency than any other sense. A psychologist would say that is why the scent of leather makes me think of football; why fresh-cut grass evokes memories of summer; and why one whiff of my mother-in-law's perfume terrifies the hell out of me.
It also probably explains the decades-old love affair sportsmen have shared with Hoppe's No. 9. Not only does it have a naturally appealing smell, but it stirs memories of times spent afield, a favorite over/under and maybe even the first time Dad showed us how to clean a gun. I love the stuff and, when I'm not trying to dab it behind my significant other's ears, I'm applying it to my guns. Problem is I only get to enjoy its scent wafting through my gun room for an hour or two before it's gone. Finally, though, Hoppe's has created the product sportsmen have demanded for so long: A Hoppe's No. 9 air freshener!
Let's celebrate its release by naming our other all-time favorite outdoor smells. I've listed my top 10 below. I look forward to reading some of yours.
Shane Mahoney, president and CEO of Conservation Visions Inc., received the Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies’ (AFWA) 2026 Lifetime Achievement Award at a September ceremony in Lancaster, Pa.
On November 3, Colorado voters rejected Amendment 83, a proposed constitutional amendment that would have designated hunting and fishing as the preferred means of managing the state’s fish and wildlife populations. To pass, the amendment needed 55 percent of the vote or more. It fell about 10 percentage points short of that minimum.
The 8x57mm, also known as the 8x57 JS, the 7.92x57mm Mauser or the 8mm Mauser, has been with us since 1888, and has directly—or indirectly—brought us a wide array of cartridges which we hold dear. Let's take a closer look at that array.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced in late September that Robert Hautman of Delano, Minn., won the 2026 Federal Duck Stamp Art Contest with an acrylic painting of a long-tailed duck pair (seen above at the official ceremony).