Jim Baird Archives | Field & Stream

Jim Baird’s career in media and filmmaking began in 2008, after he returned home from a five-week canoe expedition in the Arctic Archipelago and wrote his first feature article on the experience. Baird went on to begin filming some of his adventures and started working with Field & Stream in 2009 after cold-calling their editor-in-chief at the magazine’s Manhattan offices.

Highlights

Coverssurvivalandbackcountry adventure skills
Winner of“Alone” Season 4on History Channel
YouTube creator

Education

Baird graduated high school as a C student. After a short (and failed) attempt at community college, Baird worked a job that gave him three weeks off each year. He used his spare time to learn more about the outdoors through a multitude of books and planned several remote, fly-in canoe trips, heading out on self-guided river adventures down in his early 20s. Baird used these adventures as the basis of his writing, sponsorship relationships, and presentation material while uncovering a deep passion for the career path he wanted to follow.

Experience

Baird is a hardcore wilderness adventurer, having completed multiple northern expeditionary trips lasting more than a month in length. Baird has canoed across remote Northern Québec and Labrador via four rivers including the Adlatok. He’s also trekked solo across Arctic Québec in winter; traversed Baffin Island solo in winter (crossing the Arctic Circle en route); solo-paddled the Hess River, the most challenging whitewater river in the Yukon Territory; and crossed Northern Manitoba, Canada, by canoe via three rivers including the Seal. Baird routinely spends two to three months each year camping in, and travelling through, remote areas in the Canadian wilderness and Alaska. During his adventures, he’s been followed by a pack of Arctic wolves; sprayed by a wolverine; stalked by a polar bear and a mountain lion (fortunately respectively); and has come face to face with a lynx in its cave. In 2017, Baird and his brother Ted won season 4 of the self-shot survival TV series “Alone” on the History Channel after surviving in the wilds of Northern Vancouver Island for 75 days through the late fall and winter.

In addition to Field & Stream and his own YouTube channel, Baird has produced short films and videos for Discovery Channel, BeAlive Media, and Men’s Journal. H also contributes to Explore and Outdoor Canada magazines. An avid angler, Baird fishes throughout the year, mainly targeting trout, bass, walleye, and northern pike. He also hunts whitetail deer, grouse, waterfowl, and wild turkey around his home in Ontario.

Every year, Baird speaks at trade shows and other events, including Canoecopia in Madison, Wisconsin, and the Toronto Sportsman’s Show. Baird’s favorite part about doing what he does is simply just being outdoors.

F&S Lightning Rod

Favorite Place to Fish: The North Shore of Lake SuperiorFavorite Critter to Hunt: Ruffed grouseBucket List Adventure: Canoe trip from the Yukon Mackenzie Divide to the Arctic coast via the Natala, Keel, Mackenzie, Great Bear Rivers; Great Bear Lake; and the Tilchuse, Wentzel, Coppermine, Ferry Lake, and Hood Rivers.Most Prized Piece of Gear: 17′ Nova Craft Prospector Canoe in “TuffStuff Expedition”All Time Favourite F&S Story: “The Decent,” by T. Edward Nickens