23 Publications that Pay for Writing About Wildlife

Here’s our latest research — a list of publications that accept submissions about wildlife and that work with freelance writers.

We’ve researched payment rates, pitch guidelines, and more, to help you connect with the right editor.

If you want to browse even more opportunities, be sure to check out our database of over 1,500 publishers that pay writers. It’s easily searchable, and includes thousands of listings just like the ones below.

If you’re new to freelancing, I also very much encourage you to take our course on pitching. You can get the details here.

1. The Earth Island Journal is a quarterly magazine that discusses the environment and how it relates to present-day issues, including climate change, environmental justice, and wildlife and land conservation. They are particularly interested in stories that explore the intersections between the environment and other social and human rights issues. According to their guidelines, pay is $0.50/word for print features up to 4,000 words, though 2,800 words is most common, and $400 for stories published online. To learn more, refer to their submission guidelines.

2. Northern Woodlands is a quarterly magazine publishing articles that aim at conservation-minded people. Topics include all aspects of the Northeast’s forests: wildlife species, woodworking, natural landscapes, and woodlot management. According to their guidelines, pay starts at $0.20 per word for new writers; poems pay $100; the “A Place in Mind” column pays $250 for around 800 words; and the “Knots and Bolts” column pays between $100 and $400 for 500 to 1,400 words, depending on length, complexity, and editing time. To learn more, refer to their submissions guidelines

3. Wildlife Watch Binocular is a quarterly journal for animal lovers. They seek “articles related to protecting wildlife and, especially, to the joys of viewing and relating to wildlife.” According to their guidelines, they pay $100 to $150 per article (500 to 750 words). For details, refer to this page.

4. Wildlife in North Carolina is a print magazine that features the natural beauty of North Carolina. They publish articles about outdoor recreation, hunting/fishing, natural histories, and environmental/conservation issues. Writers who are thoroughly familiar with Wildlife in North Carolina are more likely to develop article ideas that interest them. According to their contributor guidelines, they pay $400 and up for a full-length feature, and $500 and up for an article and photographs purchased as a package.

5. Wonderful West Virginia is a monthly magazine published by the Division of Natural Resources. Its content includes articles on a wide spectrum of topics: wildlife and nature, state history and cultural heritage, special places and tourist attractions, and profiles of interesting people. Editors prefer to receive queries, but also assign stories to writers. According to their guidelines, payment is $150 for 1,500-word features. To learn more, refer to their submission guidelines.

6. RANGE Magazine is a quarterly publication covering issues threatening the West – its people, lands, and wildlife. The publication “portrays ‘The Cowboy Spirit on America’s Outback’.” Editors look for stories about successful working family ranches, profiles of working sheepherders and cowboys, and interviews with environmentalists and government employees who have made a positive impact on people in the West. Editors buy the First North America serial rights. Regular features are 1,200-2,000 words; mini-features are 600-1,200 words, Columns and ‘’Confessions of Red Meat Survivors” are 620 words. According to their pitch guide, payment is $50-$500 per article.

7. National Wildlife is a magazine published by the National Wildlife Federation, the largest private conservation group in the United States. It is quarterly, has an average circulation per issue of more than 300,000 and focuses on storytelling related to wildlife and habitat conservation, environmental justice, climate change, and more. They are looking for features from 1,000 to 2,000 words and departments (short pieces) from 350 to 900 words. According to their pitch guide, they pay $1.50 a word for print. For web, pay is negotiated per article and typically starts at $250. To learn more, refer to this page.

8. Nebraskaland Magazine is published by Nebraska’s Game and Parks Commission. They cover “all varieties of outdoor recreation including camping, travel, canoeing, hunting, fishing, Nebraska’s state parks and recreation areas, wildlife, natural history, unique personalities, art, culture, history and personal reminiscence.” Most stories are 2,500 words. According to their submission guidelines, they pay 15 cents per word.

9. The Revelator is “an online news and ideas initiative of the Center for Biological Diversity.” They cover climate change, endangered species, wildlife, conservation, pollution, and more. They take submissions for limited categories. They have previously indicated to pay $300 to $500 per article. To learn more, refer to their submission guidelines.

10. Bay Nature is a quarterly magazine that is “dedicated to the intelligent and joyful exploration of the natural places, plants, and wildlife of the San Francisco Bay Area.” They welcome queries from freelance journalists, writers, thinkers, scientists, photographers, conservation leaders, artists, cartographers, and infographic designers. They pay contributors based on their experience, but as a nonprofit, independent media organization, don’t pay as much as they’d like to. Further details can be found here.

11. Arizona Wildlife Views Magazine publishes articles on Arizona wildlife and wildlife management, habitat issues, outdoor recreation, and historical articles. E-mail queries are preferred over manuscript submissions. They have previously indicated that payment for features varied by length from $250 to $800 per accepted article, but current rates are unclear. To contact them, refer to this page.

12. Tennessee Wildlife Magazine is a quarterly magazine published by the Tennessee Wildlife Resources agency. They want “for well-written fishing and hunting stories about Tennessee and stories which emphasize more than just the harvest.” They have previously indicated to pay 15 cents per word. Refer to their submission guidelines to learn more.

13. Outdoor Oklahoma is a magazine of the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation. They occasionally buy freelance articles. According to their guidelines, they pay $300-450 for features (over 1,500 words), $125-250 for shorter articles (500-1,500 words), $50 for sidebars and “Off the Beaten Path” articles, and $15-$50 for images and graphics each. Details here.

14. Field & Stream is an American magazine that focuses on hunting, fishing, and other outdoor activities, with history dating back to 1871. Their mission is to inspire by ‘storytelling—in print, online, and around campfires’; to guide adventurers and teach essential survival skills, to conserve wildlife and to pass down ‘heritage, legacy, and culture of our sporting traditions’. Payment rates are not mentioned. To learn more, reach their editor via their contact us page.

15. Montana Outdoors is a bi-monthly magazine for readers with a general interest in outdoor recreation and fish and wildlife management and conservation. They are interested in articles about Montana’s major conservation issues, important research projects, or management activities. Payment varies according to article length, research difficulty, and author experience. To learn more, refer to this page.

16. Bugle Magazine is the magazine of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation. They accept submissions in a variety of categories, including conservation, natural history, wildlife management, hunting, human interest, and “women in the outdoors, ” which are personal essays or stories about elk/hunting/etc. Word count is 1,000-3,500 words. Payment rate is decided upon negotiations with editors. Women and others underrepresented in hunting are encouraged to submit. To learn more, refer to their submission guidelines.

17. Whitetails Unlimited Magazine publishes “a wide range of hunting, environmental, educational, wildlife management and how-to articles.” Nearly all of their features include wildlife topics, particularly the whitetail deer. Their feature articles are 1,000 to 2,000 words long. They have previously indicated to pay $500 for feature articles with photos and up to $375 for stories without photos. To learn more, refer to this page.

18. Virginia Wildlife Magazine is published bi-monthly on subjects such as hunting, fishing, wildlife viewing, wildlife habitat, hiking, camping, outdoors safety and ethics, natural history, and environmental stewardship and education. According to their submission guidelines, articles of 800-2,000 words are paid $500 ($100 re-use fee), and articles of 350-800 words are paid $200 ($50 re-use fee). Visit their website here.

19. KANSAS! Magazine is published by the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks & Tourism. Their audience is largely residents of Kansas. Because the magazine is intended to promote tourism in Kansas, all articles must feature events and attractions that are open to the public. Pay rates are not mentioned. To learn more, refer to their submission guidelines.

20. Mongabay is an independent, nonprofit media organization reporting on nature and planetary challenges with a global network of local journalists. They work with a global network of environmental reporters, and journalists can send story ideas to editors after reviewing current editorial priorities. Their mission is to raise interest in wildlands and wildlife. Pay rates are not mentioned, but according to a payment report, they paid $0.40 per word. To learn more, refer to their pitch guide.

21. At Species Unite, their mission is to end animal exploitation and advocate for a world of co-existence. They are committed to transforming the way people think about and interact with nonhuman animals. They are looking for well-written stories focusing on content that informs, inspires, and engages our audience with topics surrounding animal rights. According to their pitch guide, their rate depends on the piece. For an 800-word story, they would pay $150. To learn more, refer to this page.

22. Rewilding is an independent publication dedicated to exploring the people, places, ideas and debates connected to the global rewilding movement. They are a resource for those seeking inspiration on how to improve the human relationship with the natural world. They are interested in covering rewilding both large and small, be it massive parks and wildlife corridors or tips on creating meadows and habitat in one’s own backyard. According to their pitch guide, current per-story rates range from $200 to $600 Canadian, depending on format, effort required and word count. To learn more, refer to this page.

23. Dialogue Earth is an independent non-profit platform dedicated to bringing compelling environmental stories from local voices to audiences around the world. They welcome pitches for articles between 1,000 and 1,500 words from journalists and experts. According to a deleted tweet by their editor, their base rate is around $300. For details, refer to this page.