[2][3] Founded in 1895[4] by John P. Burkhard and Henry Wellington Wack, Field & Stream at one time had more than one million print subscribers, with a significant online following as well.

Depending on the season and the availability of information, the magazine may offer advices on catching bass, trout, birds, deer and hunting equipments such as rifles and shotguns.

[7] The magazine's current contributors include C. J. Chivers, Jonathan Miles, Bill Heavey, T. Edward Nickens, Phil Bourjaily, Rick Bass, J.R. Sullivan, Keith McCafferty, and David E. Petzal.

Notable past contributors include Robert Ruark, Ted Trueblood, Ed Zern, Nick Lyons, Tom Kelly, Thomas McGuane, Gene Hill, and Jim Harrison.

In January 2017, owing to financial difficulties at Bonnier Corporation, the magazine's publishing frequency was scaled back from nine issues a year to six, and several longtime members of the editorial staff were let go, in a "blood bath" of cuts, according to the New York Post.

In January 2024, it was announced that country musicians Eric Church and Morgan Wallen purchased Field & Stream and planned to relaunch the print magazine with an apparel line and live music festival.