Nicole Qualtieri has been writing about hunting, fishing, and the outdoors for 8 years.
From 2014-2017, Nicole worked for ZPZ Productions. There, she partnered with multiple hunting outlets and personalities on social media and e-commerce, including MeatEater, Randy Newberg, and Remi Warren. She also managed online communications for Backcountry Hunters & Anglers for nearly two years, and she spent six years prior in Corporate sales. Additionally, she served a year as an AmeriCorps VISTA volunteer in Bridgewater, MA, coordinating volunteers for a therapeutic recreational facility.
Based in Montana, Nicole is an avid hunter and angler. She’s a lifelong horsewoman and animal lover, and she’s recently ventured into the world of bird dogs with her young Boykin Spaniel, Bob.
Years in This Expertise: 8 yrs in outdoor media, 4 years as GearJunkie’s Hunt Fish Editor (2018-2022)
Number Of Products & Number Of Hours Expert Has Tested: 500+ products, 8,300+ hours testing
Education & Certifications
Education: Bachelor’s of Sociology, Colorado State University
Years of Writing: 14+
Club or Association Memberships: Backcountry Hunters & Anglers, Board Director of Orion the Hunters Institute
Previous Publications: USA Today, MeatEater, Modern Huntsman, Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, Backcountry Journal, Mens Journal, Outside Bozeman, TripThirty
A Word from Nicole
When I started writing for GearJunkie in 2018, it opened up a whole new universe of curiosities. A thrifty minimalist, gear was a means to an end rather than an obsession. To be frank, I was more of a gear skeptic than a gear junkie.
But as the site’s Hunt Fish Editor, testing brand after brand and item after item forced me to pare down to the gear that made the cut. And that’s really what I love to write about. When it comes to a review, a suggestion, a collection of gear, or simply the experience of using gear to get the job done, it better be damned useful and worth its weight in financial commitment.
I value gear differently than I did when I first began writing about it. Us gearheads get so wrapped in the idea of stuff, but it can also weigh us down.
Ultimately, I’m still a thrifty minimalist, but the gear I write about and the brands I talk about have a place in my gear closet because of that these days, rather than in spite of it. And I hope you hear that theme echo across this collection of many years of writing.
No longer are women relegated to buying from the men’s section. Women’s-specific hunting jackets are available en masse, and we’ve got recommendations.
The new Dragon Alliance fishing sunglasses flawlessly compete with other top fishing brands in the mid-price range. The bonus to these shades? They float.
The new Turkey Equinox line offers a vest and clothing that compliment the specific needs of the run-and-gun turkey hunter, especially in the presence of…
Bubba Blade expanded its line into inshore fishing rods. And they’re everything you’d expect from the beloved fishing- and food-focused lifestyle brand.
Outdoor Solutions’ ‘From Field To Table’ program is likely the most comprehensive hunting course on the market. For new hunters, I can hardly imagine a…
