Stories from the bush, the blind and the canoe
Tales of hunting, fishing, camping, and the odd corners of outdoor history.
Read the archive
Craig and his wirehaired pointing griffon, Clover.
About Craig Mitchell
I'm an Outdoor Education teacher working in an inner city school in Toronto, Ontario. I love teaching and introducing my students to the outdoors and outdoor pursuits. In my free time I enjoy freelance writing for outdoor publications like Project Upland, Outdoor Canada and Hook and Barrel as well as many others!
My passions are fishing, hunting and camping. I’ve guided backcountry trips professionally and for fun, for over 20 years and try to spend as much time outdoors as I can. You can usually find me with my family up at our cabin in Northern Ontario.
I'm excited to network and I am eager to collaborate with new editors and publications. Please feel free to email or message me if you have any questions, comments or opportunities to share.
Awards
Recognized by the Professional Outdoor Media Association of Canada.
National Communications Award
For Australian Tracking Dogs of the Vietnam War, published in Project Upland.
Ducks Unlimited Award for Conservation
Professional Outdoor Media Association of Canada.
Future of Hunting, second place
Professional Outdoor Media Association of Canada.
Get in touch
Interested in assignments, collaborations and pitches. Editors and Publications, reach out.
Published work
Feature writing, how-to and outdoor history from 2020 onward. Filter by publication, or scroll the whole run.
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Project Upland
Australian Tracking Dogs of the Vietnam War
The Labradors sent to Vietnam, and what became of them.
2026 National Communications Award -
Hook & Barrel
The Winchester Mystery House: Haunted by Guns, Grief and Legend
Built with a rifle fortune and wrapped in tales of restless spirits.
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Meat Eater
Was America's Biggest Buck Poached?
Jordan Sillars & Craig Mitchell
When the Aiuppa Buck burst onto the scene in the spring of 2024, the story seemed too good to pass up.
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Hunting Life
Al Capone: Hunting and the Northwoods "Hideout"
Scarface's Northern Adventures
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Hook & Barrel
Annie Oakley: The Hunter Behind the Legend
Before the trick shots and world stages, Annie Oakley hunted deer and upland birds to feed her family and pay the mortgage.
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Hook & Barrel
Ford Bronco Off-Roadeo: Getting Rugged in the Smoky Mountains
A behind-the-scenes look at the latest Ford Bronco
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Hook & Barrel
NHL Legend Carey Price: On the Ice, On the Water, In the Field
This future HOF NHL goaltender is still making great saves after retirement!
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Project Upland
Wild Turkeys in Pennsylvania: A Conservation Success
How a collapsed population was brought back.
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Project Upland
Wild Turkeys in Ontario: Conservation History, Reintroduction, and Hunting
Ontario's reintroduction story, start to present day.
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Project Upland
Upland Bird Hunting in Alberta
Grouse, ptarmigan, Huns and pheasants across Alberta's habitats.
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Project Upland
Upland Hunting in Ontario
Seasons, regulations and where to point the truck.
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Project Upland
H.W. Cooey Machine & Arms Company
The rise and fall of an iconic Canadian gunmaker.
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Project Upland
Herman Alofs' Invention of the Reloading Magazine
A small Canadian invention that changed the duck blind.
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Project Upland
The Labrador Duck: A Tale of Modern Extinction
North America's first documented bird extinction.
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Project Upland
The Extinct California Wild Turkey
Meleagris californica, and the tar pits that preserved it.
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Project Upland
Hand-Carving Turkey Pot Call Strikers
Making your own strikers, wood by wood.
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Project Upland
Foraging for Pheasant Back Mushrooms
Finding, identifying and cooking dryad's saddle.
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Outdoor Canada
Walleye & Whiskey: The Untold Story of the Lake Erie Fishing Club
A Prohibition-era club, a private island and the mob.
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Outdoor Canada
Babe Ruth's Forgotten Canadian Hunting and Fishing Adventures
The Sultan of Swat, off-season, in the bush.
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Outdoor Canada
27 Awesome Fishing Hot Spots, Coast to Coast to Coast
Contribution to the annual roundup of favourite water.
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Outdoor Canada
Why Adult Beginners Are Just What Hunting Needs Right Now
On recruitment, mentorship and who gets to start late.
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Outdoor Canada
Critics Warn Ontario Highway Plans Threaten Crucial Habitat
What the proposed routes would run through.
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Outdoor Canada
5 Must-Know Tips for a Trouble-Free Portage
Pointers for paddlers when it comes time to hit the trail.
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Outdoor Canada
3 Expert Tips for Tackling Trout in Tiny Streams
Small water, short casts, big brookies.
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Outdoor Canada
How to Find Awesome Fishing Baits at Grocery Stores and Pet Shops
The bait aisle nobody thinks to check.
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Outdoor Canada
How to Make Creative Cocktails from Foraged Wild Ingredients
Spruce tips, sumac and what to do with them at camp.
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Outdoor Canada
10 Must-Have Gear Items for Taking Your Vehicle Off-Road
What to carry before the two-track gets serious.
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Outdoor Canada
OutdoorCanada.ca's 10 Most Popular Stories of 2023
The year's most-read fishing and hunting features.
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Hook & Barrel
The Mysteries of the Legendary Nahanni and Headless Valley
Gold, disappearances and a river with a reputation.
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Hook & Barrel
The Gangster Rod & Gun Club
The hunt-and-fish club that wasn't about hunting or fishing.
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Hook & Barrel
Only Our Most Bad-Ass President Could Give Us the Teddy Bear
Roosevelt, one refused shot, and a toy.
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Hook & Barrel
Wild Fires & Wildflowers: How Johnny Cash Walked (and Crossed) the Line
The Man in Black and the fire he started.
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Hook & Barrel
Meet the Man Who Made Dentures Out of Deer Teeth
A game-rich diet, no teeth, and a workaround.
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Hook & Barrel
The Americana History of the Jackalope
How a taxidermy joke became folklore.
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Hook & Barrel
Strange Brew: Saddam Hussein Caught for His Love of Carp
A dictator, a fish dinner and a manhunt.
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Explore Magazine
Forget Bears and the Boogeyman. It's Your Campfire You Should Be Afraid Of
The risk campers actually underestimate.
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Explore Magazine
How to Go Canoe Camping with Your Dog
Getting a puppy comfortable in the bow.
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Hunting Life
Hunting Life Magazine, Winter 2025
Feature in the winter issue.
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Raconteur
A Comedy of Errors
Everything that can go wrong on a trip, going wrong.
Radio and podcasts
- Island in middle of Lake Erie once used for smuggling, mob casino, researcher finds CBC News
- Middle Island CBC Windsor Morning
- H.W. Cooey Machine & Arms Company Project Upland On The Go