On a crisp Memphis morning, sunlight cutting through the trees, Sam Holcomb steps outside. And straight into his past.

Now the Chief Product Officer at Field & Stream, Sam carries with him the cadence of Southern mornings: ducks on the wall, bird dogs in the yard, and a rhythm of respect for the land and the creatures who call it home.

For Sam, every walk is more than fresh air. It’s memory in motion. A reminder of the lessons handed down from elders, the quiet faith of dogs, and the unspoken connection between people, place, and purpose.

That inheritance shapes not just who he is, but how he stewards one of America’s most storied outdoor brands. Blending legacy and love with every decision he makes.

He grew up five houses down from his grandfather, a general surgeon and taxidermist, who introduced him to hunting’s ritual and responsibility. “I thought everyone had ducks on the wall and bird dogs in the yard,” Sam laughs, yet under that laughter sits the bedrock of his values: stewardship, respect, and gentleness.

The Moment That Changed Everything

One story Sam frequently tells holds the weight of his education. 

As a child, desperate for his ‘hunting stamp of approval,’ Sam once shot a cardinal, a moment of pride, swiftly upended. 

He ran to his grandfather, who took the bird and burst into tears. 

That day, Sam learned what makes hunting honorable: “We don’t just shoot anything,” his grandfather said, sitting the young boy on his lap. The lesson continued with a gift, a National Geographic bird book, and a promise: “Learn what you can and can’t shoot.” 

At that moment, Sam saw wildlife, and later, dogs, not just as quarry, but as respected lives. That memory sits at the center of everything: stewardship before sport, knowledge before ego.​

Dogs & The Healing Thread

If Sam’s early years were shaped by tradition, they were also shaped by dogs, each one marking a passage, a heartbreak, a lesson. 

His first dog, Roscoe, was a Bichon Frise, chosen when the family needed a gentle service dog for Sam’s brother, who had spina bifida. When his brother passed away, Roscoe became a source of healing, sleeping by Sam’s side and reminding him of loyalty and comfort deeper than words.​

College brought new storms and new companions. 

“I got Buckley when I was in college, and he really grounded me,” says Sam. 

Buckley, far from perfect, once ate two ducks’ whole, requiring emergency vet care and adding legendary chaos to Sam’s stories. 

Still, he was also the anchor through tough years, including the fight for sobriety that began about a decade ago. Buckley’s passing was wrenching and defining, as the absence of a canine companion left a space only filled by healing, responsibility, and, eventually, a new rescue: Duke.​

Duke: Living Beyond Odds

Duke wasn’t supposed to make it.

A yellow lab with kidney and liver disease, he was expected to live only six months.

But Duke, like so many good dogs, never got the memo about giving up. 

That was more than four years ago. Duke, like so many beloved dogs, defies expectations through sheer grit, gentle presence, and the magic born of mutual devotion. 

In the season leading up to last year, Sam wasn’t sure Duke would hunt again. But as he was getting ready to go to Canada, he decided to bring Duke along. 

They got two solid days together in the field, and one morning, Duke picked up twenty-four ducks, a number Sam still marvels at. Although Duke only hunted sporadically after that, Sam knew the end might be near. 

When the last week of the season arrived, Sam called his cousin, “I’m taking Duke. It’ll probably be our last hunt.” His cousin suggested Sam hunt alone at their best spot, a rare chance for quiet reflection and just being with Duke.

They walked in together through the morning fog, talking all the way. 

It didn’t seem like a bird would appear, but five minutes into their wait, some teal swooped in. They shot their birds, and as the sun lifted, pintails came in, including a magnificent bull pintail for Sam. 

As he packed his bags, thinking it was the perfect morning, he wished aloud that he could have gotten Duke a green head. At that very moment, a green head duck materialized out of the fog, Sam took the shot, and Duke, true to form, brought it back. 

They ended the day a couple birds short of their limit, but it didn’t matter. “It was perfect,” Sam says quietly.

He cried walking out of the field, cried again on the Ranger ride home. Gratitude. Grief. The knowing that love this deep always hurts – and that it’s worth every tear.

Dogs Prepare Us for Life

Sam laughs about the lessons dogs impart: “A dog prepares you for parenthood more than anything else. Not that a dog is a child… You can’t leave your child in the kennel for six hours.” 

But dogs demand responsibility, teach patience and presence, and teach us to cherish every mundane moment. 

For college-aged Sam, caring for Buckley (and later Duke) was a form of growing up, a rehearsal for the larger uncertainties and responsibilities of adulthood. 

“It’s the challenge, and the joy that comes with every dog,” he reflects.​

A Brand Where Dog Stories Matter

Today, Sam’s work at Field & Stream echoes his philosophy. 

After an historic merger unified the legacy brand for the first time in 125 years, Sam found himself responsible not just for retail and content, but for shaping what Field & Stream means in the modern age. 

For Sam, it’s not just about selling outdoor gear or pet food; it’s about telling great stories and making every reader feel seen, understood, and part of a bigger tradition.

“Product is content. We tell stories, and that’s what matters most,” says Sam. 

His team recently revived the print journal, aiming for each edition to be a family heirloom, a coffee-table fixture passed from one generation to the next.​​

But the soul of the brand? That’s found in dog stories and the intersection between hunting, fishing, and rural communities. “Almost everyone who loves the outdoors has a pet or loves a neighbor’s pet. 

Dog stories cross every genre, every experience,” Sam reflects. He sees Field & Stream as a place where every story, from a rowdy retriever to an old porch dog, finds its home.​

Southern Traditions And Dog Culture

The South, especially Memphis, remains central to Sam and Field & Stream’s ethos. 

The blend of larger properties, deep tradition, and family gatherings creates the perfect environment for bird dogs, retrievers, and rescue mutts to thrive. 

“In the South, everyone loves outdoor Sundays and potlucks, and dogs have always been part of that.” 

For Sam, heritage isn’t just about nostalgia; it’s about actively passing on the spirit and skill, the art form of the hunt. 

It’s about ensuring that communities and families maintain the joy and camaraderie linked to dogs, land, and tradition.​

Grief, Love, And The Lessons Dogs Leave

Some stories sit heavy no matter how many times you tell them.

Sam still remembers the day his black lab, Shade, met his newborn daughter — and then never got up again. “He just wanted to meet Clancy,” Sam says softly. One moment, a new life entering the world; the next, an old friend quietly saying goodbye.

The house felt hollow after that. Friends called in tears, as if they’d lost their own. Shade had been part of their circle. The dog who rode shotgun, who knew every duck blind and kitchen floor nap. 

Why do dogs live such short lives? 

Sam once asked this question in sadness and was told, “The pain would just be unbearable if they lived longer.” 

Sam nods when he tells it — because he knows it’s true.

Dogs teach us to love without armor. They wreck us when they go, but they leave us changed. That answer, bittersweet and true, is one every dog lover recognizes. Dogs teach us how to love with abandon, grieve deeply, and move forward with gratitude for every memory.​

Dogs teach us to love without armor. They wreck us when they go, but they leave us changed. A little softer, a little steadier, more grateful for every muddy pawprint and middle-of-the-night sigh.

Evolving The Brand, Stewarding The Legacy

Grief, as Sam’s learned, has a way of sharpening gratitude. Every dog he’s loved — from Roscoe to Shade to Duke — has taught him something about patience, resilience, and showing up with your whole heart.

Those same lessons shape the way he leads today.

At Field & Stream, Sam’s focus isn’t just on product lines or profits; it’s on stewardship.

The brand, now unified after more than a century, carries generations of trust and tradition… and Sam sees himself as a caretaker of both.

“We’re not just selling gear,” he says. “We’re telling stories. We’re keeping something alive.”

Under his care, the iconic magazine has found new life.

The revived print journal feels like an heirloom — something you leave on the coffee table, then pass down to your kids.

The magazine-turned-journal is again being mailed to homes, and podcasts like “Legends of the Wild” are bringing new voices, from country musicians to conservationists, into the fold. 

For Sam, the goal isn’t growth for growth’s sake. It’s growing the right way — intentionally, thoughtfully, with a sense of community at the center.

Because whether he’s talking about Field & Stream, a family tradition, or a beloved dog, the principle is the same:

Take care of what you’ve been given, and it’ll take care of you.

Dogs Are At The Heart Of Every Good Story

If Field & Stream were a dog, Sam says with a grin, “It’d be a black lab. No dog does just one thing. You can bird hunt on your way to the duck hole, fish from the front of the John boat.”

Like the lab, the brand adapts, endures, and always finds its way back home — to the stories that connect us.

For Sam, those stories are more than nostalgia. They’re how we remember what matters: family, heritage, community, and the dogs who thread it all together. Every wag, every muddy pawprint, every quiet dawn in the field reminds him that love, like stewardship, asks us to keep showing up.

Field & Stream’s revival isn’t just a business story. It’s a love story about carrying forward what’s been entrusted to you, honoring the old ways while making room for new voices, and never losing sight of the heart at the center of it all.

For Darling Dog readers, Sam’s journey feels close to home: a childhood shaped by dogs, lessons learned in loss, and a life guided by loyalty and joy. His story reminds us why we do what we do. Because the best stories, like the best dogs, never really leave us.

They just keep finding their way back.

Beau Boyd is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of Darling Dog. He lives in Selma, Alabama with his family and his beloved Goldie, Charlie.