The Mindful Hunter Podcast

Well, here it is! Part 1 of my attempt at the most comprehensive 10-day + hunting backpack review ever done. In this first part, I do an overview of each bag, test out 40lbs loads and look at 14 different individual characteristics of the bags. In part 2 I will continue to add more elements and run 80lbs and 120lbs tests. The results surprised even me. I’d love to hear your comments and feedback a...

Nick Marchiando is one of my favourite backcountry filmmakers right now. I wanted to sit down with him and pick his brain and hear his story. Nick has a very unique perspective on production and storytelling and we had a great chat.   Nick Marchiando https://www.instagram.com/nmarchiando/ https://www.instagram.com/backcountrybcandbeyond/ https://www.nickmarchiando.com/   Jay Nichol jay@mindfulhunt...

Ray is one of the best Taxidermists I know. I have been taking him my bears for the last 5 years. After getting a ton of questions on how to properly prepare trophies in the field for taxidermy I thought I should just have him on so he could share some of his knowledge and wisdom. I hope we all get a chance this season to utilize some of the techniques Ray shared in this episode. If you like looki...

I’ve recently re-prioritized what I want to do with the podcast and what type of content I want to create. One of the things that I have always loved and drove the creation of the podcast in the first place was nerding out on gear. With that in mind here’s my gear list for my 2022 solo Stone’s Sheep hunt. You can download it at the link below.   https://www.dropbox.com/s/elijr79tko7krcx/2022%20She...

I had the boys behind Filter Studios over to discuss the release of a very important documentary titled Transmission. There is a pandemic happening amongst wild sheep. The infectious bacteria known as mycoplasma ovipneumoniae (movi) is a deadly bacteria that is passed from domestic sheep to wild sheep. Enter Dr. Helen Schwantje, the lead wildlife veterinarian for the Government of BC and a sheep f...

Simon and I shoot the shit and answer some questions on this week’s live stream.   Simon Friesen https://www.instagram.com/backcountrybloodline/     Jay Nichol jay@mindfulhunter.com https://www.mindfulhunter.com/   Merch https://www.mindfulhunter.com/shop   Free Backcountry Nutrition Guide https://www.mindfulhunter.com/tools   Newsletter https://www.mindfulhunter.com/contact   IG https://www.insta...

I was lucky enough to drive down to The Bow Rack this week to buy myself a new bow and before I headed down, I hit up Kellen from @inside_out_precision to see if he’d be down for a podcast. We talked about his background in hunting, his history in competitive and scholastic archery and then we nerded out on archery in general. This is a great podcast for anyone looking to dive a little deeper into...

Greg and I shoot the shit and answer some questions on this week’s live stream.   Greg Johnston https://www.instagram.com/johnston_outdoors/     Jay Nichol jay@mindfulhunter.com https://www.mindfulhunter.com/   Merch https://www.mindfulhunter.com/shop   Free Backcountry Nutrition Guide https://www.mindfulhunter.com/tools   Newsletter https://www.mindfulhunter.com/contact   IG https://www.instagram...

Cody Rich started one of the original hunting podcasts @therichoutdoors 7 years ago. Since then, the podcast has grown and evolved, and he also started up a second outdoors-based business – @backcountryfuelbox I wanted to talk with Cody to see what his original motivations were with entrepreneurship and how he was able to craft a lifestyle that let him hunt as much as possible. The conversation di...

I spend some time sharing how I use various applications to plan backcountry routes when there are no trails available. This episode is best viewed on YouTube https://youtu.be/sxmKrW5LGW0   Jay Nichol jay@mindfulhunter.com https://www.mindfulhunter.com/   Merch https://www.mindfulhunter.com/shop   Free Backcountry Nutrition Guide https://www.mindfulhunter.com/tools   Newsletter https://www.mindful...

This week I had the opportunity to sit down with Greg Rensmaag. Greg is a true BC hunter in the best way possible. He grew up hunting with his dad and now spends most of his time in the outdoors raising his kids the same way. In the age of social media and technology, it was refreshing to talk with a man whose primary motivations when hunting are stronger connections with his family.   Greg Rensma...

I’m solo for this week’s live stream so I hit up a bunch of Q&A.   Wild Sheep Society Act Now! https://www.wildsheepsociety.com/actnow/   Howl Campaign https://www.howlforwildlife.org/bcpeace   BC Gov’t Site https://apps.nrs.gov.bc.ca/ahte/content/close-peace-caribou-hunts-and-reduce-peace-moose-hunts-region-wide     Jay Nichol jay@mindfulhunter.com https://www.mindfulhunter.com/   Merch https://w...

Due to our opposition of the proposed changes to regulations in region 7B we all decided to get together and do one massive podcast. It was my first time meeting some of these guys. It was great to get together with like-minded individuals and discuss things that matter to us all. See the links below to take action!   Wild Sheep Society Act Now! https://www.wildsheepsociety.com/actnow/   Howl Camp...

On this week’s live podcast, I sat down with my buddy Dylan and we had a great chat. Got a little philosophical on this one.   Jay Nichol jay@mindfulhunter.com https://www.mindfulhunter.com/   Merch https://www.mindfulhunter.com/shop   Free Backcountry Nutrition Guide https://www.mindfulhunter.com/tools   Newsletter https://www.mindfulhunter.com/contact   IG https://www.instagram.com/mindful_hunte...

Sean lives on Maui but makes travelling on adventure hunts a priority. I’ve been wanting to have this conversation for a while. I love following along on Sean’s IG stories when he goes on hunts. We had a great chat where we covered some technical archery info and Sean told a couple badass hunting stories as well.   Sean Curran https://www.instagram.com/missions_hawaii/   Jay Nichol jay@mindfulhunt...

Monday Night Live Q&A EP 05   On this week’s live podcast, I discussed a warranty issue I’m going through with Zeiss, my thoughts on the latest goat hunting film from Kifaru, an update detailing progress towards my bodybuilding show, quilts vs. sleeping bags, and a whole lot more! Tune into YouTube every Monday at 8:30 pm PST for the live show.   Jay Nichol jay@mindfulhunter.com https://www.mindfu...

Jeff is one of my best friends and likely the most impactful mentor I have had during my hunting journey. It all started with my first archery hunt for black bear up at his camp. So, I could not think of a better topic to invite Jeff on to talk about than how to kill big, mature boars. He certainly did not disappoint.   Jeff Lander http://www.primitive-outfitting.com/ https://www.instagram.com/pri...

A weekly hunting-focused live stream where I answer listener questions. This week we're joined by Greg Johnston @johnston_outdoors

This week Dan Staton aka @elkshape joins us on the podcast. Dan is someone I have followed for a long time and one of the things that I respect about him is the consistency of his message. He has been saying the same things for years and with good reason. They’re true. I also admire that Dan doesn’t offer to sell a quick fix. In his own words – Dan sells hard work. We had a great chat covering thi...

On this week’s live podcast, I give some updates about changes in my diet and the results you can get when you’re extremely disciplined. After that, I dove straight into the Q&A addressing the following questions. Why did I enter a bodybuilding show? What to do when you’re hunting in Grizzly bear country? Do I use zip-off base layers? How should I stalk Black Bears? Do I wear ear pro when hunting...

Simon joins us for his second appearance on the podcast. We get into the story of how Simon shot his first archery buck this fall. In addition to that, we cover a variety of topics including why we love the backcountry, is a nose button worth it and what Simon’s archery practice regime is.   Simon https://www.instagram.com/backcountrybloodline/   Jay Nichol jay@mindfulhunter.com https://www.mindfu...

On this week’s live podcast, I cover the potentially controversial changes to the moose and caribou regulations in the northeast. I also answer some listener questions including, best beginner bow, tips on archery practice, which scope I’m putting on my 300 PRC, and some bino and shelter recommendations. Tune into YouTube every Monday at 8:30 pm PST for the live show.   Jay Nichol jay@mindfulhunte...

Greg is well known for both his illustrious career in adventure racing and his popular hunting show Greg McHale’s Wild Yukon. Greg has a wealth of experience in the backcountry and has really dedicated himself to achieving excellence for not only himself but for everyone around him. I really enjoyed this conversation and found Greg to be a smart, self-aware, and humble guy.   Greg McHale https://w...

Weekly Q&A focused on hunting, fitness, videography, cooking, and a variety of other topics. Jay Nichol jay@mindfulhunter.com https://www.mindfulhunter.com/ Merch https://www.mindfulhunter.com/shop Free Backcountry Nutrition Guide https://www.mindfulhunter.com/tools Newsletter https://www.mindfulhunter.com/contact IG https://www.instagram.com/mindful_hunter/ Podcast https://www.mindfulhunter.com/p...

The last time Jordan was on we focused the discussion solely on elk. This time we flipped the focus to mule deer. Jordan has taken some very impressive bucks out of some very challenging country, and he shared a wealth of his experience and favourite tactics. If you are even remotely interested in hunting mule deer then I highly recommend you give this episode a listen.   Jordan https://www.instag...