Hunt Bums · Est. 2020
Never Out of Season.
Hunting, shooting, gear, and the places it takes us.
Hunt Bums is an independent hunting blog. Stories, reviews, gear guides, and destinations from a crew that hunts hard, shoots often, and apologizes for none of it.
Brands we’ve worked with
Who We Are
We’d Be Out There Anyway.
We’re waterfowlers, big game hunters, bird hunters, and shooters, often all in the same year.
We’re gearheads, too, and we’re hard on what we carry.
We take the season seriously and ourselves a little less so.
We’re Hunt Bums.
Founded in 2020. Written by staff writers across the country, plus contributors.
Meet the Crew
What We Cover
Waterfowl
Ducks, geese, and the weather that moves them.
Migration, scouting, access, decoys, calling, dogs, shotguns, loads, seasons, and regulations.
Waterfowl Hunting
Big Game
Whatever the tag says.
Draws, scouting, access, rifles, bows, optics, travel, and tactics across species, regions, and terrain.
Big Game Hunting
Bird Hunting
Upland, turkey, and dove.
Pheasant, quail, chukar, and more, with the dogs, shotguns, loads, calls, and tactics that go with them.
Bird Hunting
Hunting Gear
Worn. Carried. Packed. Probably over-researched.
Boots, outerwear, optics, packs, rangefinders, calls, tools, accessories, and everything else that ends up coming with us.
Hunting Gear Reviews
Just Published
Latest From the Hunt Bums Hunting Blog
The newest stories, reviews, and guides.
Best Waterfowl Loads of 2026: 10 Steel Picks, 20 Compared
Hunt Bums Gear GuideBest Waterfowl Loads of 2026Steel still dominates the blind. In Hunt Bums' 2026 State of Waterfowl Hunting survey, 68.6% of respondents said it's their primary shot material. We compared 20 current loads to find the best waterfowl loads of 2026,...
Best Waterfowl Shotguns of 2026
Hunt Bums Gear GuideBest Waterfowl Shotguns of 2026Every duck gun gives something up. Here's what each of the best waterfowl shotguns trades away, and how to tell which compromises suit the way you hunt.6Picks · Every One Hunted by Hunt BumsFor the 2026–27...
What You Actually Need to Start Saddle Hunting (And What You Don’t)
Trump’s 2026 Hunting Executive Order, Explained: Public Land, Lead Ammo, and What Changes
Nobody Gets Lucky for Five Months Straight
The State of Waterfowl Hunting 2026
Includes the logo, styles, chart values, interactions and automatic full-width host integration. No Divi row or module width changes are required. Report styles are scoped to .hbsw; only the report's actual ancestor wrappers receive the host-integration attributes....
Start Here
Field Guides
Season dates, regulations, buyer’s guides, and how-tos. Read before you go.
California Duck Season 2026–2027
Dates by zone, bag limits, species rules, stamps, fees, and refuge information.
Check the Dates Complete GuideCalifornia Duck Hunting Guide
Refuges, rice blinds, weather, scouting, and what a new California waterfowler needs to know.
Read the Guide 2026 Gear GuideBest Waterfowl Shotguns of 2026
Six duck and goose guns Hunt Bums writers have hunted with, and where each one fits.
See the Picks 2026 Gear GuideBest Waterfowl Loads of 2026
Twenty steel loads compared, 10 picks, and what paying more gets you.
Compare the Loads Buying GuideChoosing the Best Upland Shotgun
Twenty-five options from entry level to premium, with gauge selection and setups by bird.
Read the Guide Beginner GuideTurkey Hunting for Beginners
Calls, setups, and gear for a first gobbler.
Start HereAbout Hunt Bums
A Hunting Blog for Stories, Reviews, and Guides
Hunt Bums is an independent hunting blog founded in 2020. It covers waterfowl hunting, big game hunting, bird hunting including upland, turkey, and dove, firearms, hunting gear, and hunting destinations.
We publish hunting stories, gear and firearm reviews, buyer’s guides, how-to guides, season dates and regulation explainers, and original research.
Firearms coverage spans rifles, shotguns, pistols, ammunition, optics, and maintenance. Gear coverage runs from boots, apparel, and outerwear to binoculars, rangefinders, packs, waders, decoys, calls, and tools.
How We Review Hunting Gear
We Use the Gear. Then We Write About It.
A spec sheet can’t tell you how a gun runs dirty.
Every review names who used the gear and how: rounds fired, days hunted, weather, terrain, time in use.
Then it answers four questions.
- What worked
- What failed
- What surprised us
- Whether we’d pay for it
We don’t review what we haven’t used. Sponsored work is labeled. Editorial is ours.
Recent reviews: Browning Maxus 2 Wicked Wing, Shield Sights RMSx, Browning Citori 825, and Rig’Em Right decoys.
Read the ReviewsThe State of Waterfowl Hunting 2026
One blind only shows you so much.
The State of Waterfowl Hunting is original Hunt Bums research. We asked hunters from all four flyways what the sport costs, how public-land access is holding up, and what keeps new hunters out.
The full results are free to read.
Read the ResearchMethodology and question wording available on request at contact@huntbums.com.
Hunt Bums Research
There Is No Off-Season.
When the birds are flying, we hunt birds. When the tag comes through, we go. When it all closes, we shoot, scout, and fix what last season broke.
At first light, we’re all business. By the tailgate, the story’s already getting better.
See you out there.
The Crew
Know Who You’re Reading.
Hunt Bums is written by staff writers across the country, plus contributors. They don’t hunt the same game, and they don’t always agree.
Every story has a name on it. Start there.
Meet the CrewWork With Hunt Bums
If Your Gear Holds Up, We Should Talk.
Hunt Bums readers hunt, shoot, and use their gear hard. They come here to figure out what’s worth carrying next.
We work with hunting, shooting, firearm, and outdoor brands through sponsored features, The Dispatch newsletter, season-long and annual partnerships, research sponsorship, and custom work.
Sponsored work is labeled and reviews stay ours. That’s why readers believe what they see here, your brand included.
Common Questions
Questions About Hunt Bums
The Dispatch
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