Q&A: Anthony Licata, Field & Stream Editor

For over 100 years, the Field & Stream editorial headquarters have been located not in the rolling plains of middle America, but in the skyscraper grid of New York City.  And though the only kind of hunting most New Yorkers do is for apartments, Field & Stream Editor Anthony Licata says regularly reconnecting with nature helps keep him sane.

"I think I'm a lot like my readers in that to call hunting and fishing a hobby or a pastime doesn't really do it justice.  It's more than that.  It's a central part of your life," says Anthony.  The 34-year-old began by following his brothers and father on hunting excursions at age 10 in rural Pennsylvania, where he grew up.  By age 12, he got his own license to hunt.

And by age 11, he received his very first magazine subscription - to Field & Stream, the magazine he now helms.  "I've worked at Field & Stream for 11 years, and it was pretty much my second job out of college," he laughs. 

Over that time, he has lived through redesigns, sales and moves, citing his passion for the subject matter and the dedication of the talented staff as his reasons for staying with the brand for so long.  After playing second fiddle to juggernaut titles like People and Sports Illustrated while under Time Inc.'s ownership, he is also thrilled that Field & Stream is now part of the Bonnier family.

"Field & Stream is 114 years old, one of the oldest magazines around, older than Time.  To now be owned by a company that's older than that is a terrific thing," explains Anthony.  "I think you see the commitment that the company has to free speech in all the Bonnier titles.  The quality is really heartening and gives the staff a sense of comfort, knowing they're owned by a company that really cares about journalism and encourages you to take risks and go for big ideas." 

Though the topic is as old as humankind, Field & Stream tackles their subject with ambition, creating a magazine that is modern and relevant in both design and content.  In October, the magazine will unveil their annual Heroes of Conservation feature, which celebrates six grassroots conservationists from around the country.

This year, Anthony and the Field & Stream staff stalked and captured a different kind of animal - the Alexander Calder elephant stabile, symbol of the American Society of Magazine Editors' National Magazine Award for General Excellence.  It was the first ever ASME win for the venerable title.  Not bad for his first year as Editor.  "I'm not going to lie, it feels pretty good," laughs Anthony.  "We treated it a little bit like the Stanley Cup, passing it around."

Recognition from their peers is rewarding, but Anthony stresses that reader loyalty is the best measure for success.  He says, "What we've found is that the things that get recognized, that get nominated, are invariably the things that the readers respond to as well."

Two of Anthony's favorite places to hunt and fish:

The Bitter Root range of the Rockies: "It's a wilderness area -- no roads, no people, you can't bring a motorized vehicle in there even if there were a road, which there isn't.  You're on horses and you're on foot, and that's where I go to elk hunt.  It's some of the most rugged, spectacular country."

Rural Pennsylvania: "My brother owns some land.  It's a couple hundred acres, just an old farm, and there's nothing particularly special about the land, other than that it's ours and we've had a lot of nice memories there.  There's deer and turkeys and fish, and it's one of those places that says home to me."

A campfire tale:

"One of the most memorable things I've done has been a black bear hunt with a bow in Alaska.  It's spot and stalk, which means that you see the bear and you try to sneak as close as you can to get a shot.  When you're hunting with a bow, it means within 30 yards.  And this is on Prince of Wales Island off of Alaska.  It's this wild place that has an incredible population of black bears.  I saw I'd say probably 30, 40 bears and stalked very close to maybe 20.  I didn't get a bear, but it was really a marvelous hunt to be able to get that close to so many spectacular animals.  It was something I'll never forget. 

I didn't get a bear, but it just goes to show...some people who don't hunt think it's all about killing game and you always have to get something, but it's really not. It's about the experience and really the hunt and the chase."

What the organic-loving hippie has in common with the rifle-packing hunter:

"As more people live in cities and live in suburbs and become disconnected from nature, they get a view that is not quite accurate.  They know the food they're eating had to have been killed, but they don't think about it, they think about their food coming from a grocery store.  So when you tell someone like that that you're going out hunting and, yes, you're going to kill an animal, they think it's cruel and that you like to kill.  They don't realize that I love animals, I love deer, but I like to be part of the ecosystem, I like to know where my food comes from.  I buy organic meat, but there's no meat more organic than the venison I bring home to feed my family.  When you talk to people about that aspect of hunting, and that hunters have been the leading conservationists in North America, protecting more animals and more habitats than any other group, I think you change some minds."