The Mindful Hunter Podcast

This week I sat down with Hap from Nano Hone to really nerd out on sharpening and the science of abrasive surfaces. Hap is deeply passionate about his work and has built a business specializing in innovative abrasive surfaces used to sharpen various types of steel. Not only was Hap full of knowledge but he was able to communicate it in a very digestible way. I highly recommend taking a look at som...

This week I sat down with Tanner Dannish, the founder of Frontiersman gear which is a local BC custom knife and leather goods shop. Tanner is not only a skilled craftsman but an accomplished hunter as well. His unique take on custom knives was quite refreshing to hear in an era when we are surrounded by disposable products. We covered a variety of topics including blade selection, aspects of diffe...

I had the opportunity to sit down with Rachel Ahtila this week. Rachel has been guiding mountain hunting for over 10 years and has a wealth of experience across all areas of hunting. She has recently taken joint management of a fantastic bear area in Saskatchewan and was down in Reno when we spoke to help support conservation efforts and set up a booth for Bear Pro Safaris. It was a pleasure to ta...

Well, it’s that time of year again to layout the calendar and start booking some time off work. In this podcast, I go over my hunt plans for 2022 and get into why I decided to cancel my goat hunt for this winter.     Jay Nichol jay@mindfulhunter.com https://www.mindfulhunter.com/   Merch https://www.mindfulhunter.com/shop   Free Backcountry Nutrition Guide https://www.mindfulhunter.com/tools   New...

I’ve been wanting to have Nolan on the podcast for a while and the conversation we had didn’t disappoint. Nolan was the first guy I called when I first started planning my winter goat hunt and considering we had never met he was extremely generous with his time and experience. Nolan is also the co-host of the Beyond The Kill podcast and is a sound voice for hunters across BC. I’m grateful for the...

I’m down in Mexico with the family on vacation so I snuck away for an hour and recorded a solocast breaking down my recent whitetail hunt. I go over the gear I used, the lessons I learned, and the outcome of the hunt. I hope everyone is having a great holiday season.   Jay Nichol jay@mindfulhunter.com https://www.mindfulhunter.com/   Merch https://www.mindfulhunter.com/shop   Free Backcountry Nutr...

I just got back from my late-season archery whitetail hunt and while I was in camp I had the good fortune to sit down with my buddy Bob Stecher. Bob is a hockey coach who dove back into hunting about 5 years ago and is about as obsessed as I am. We had a great chat and Bob shared an awesome story about recently getting his first whitetail.        Bob Stecher https://www.instagram.com/hankmoody5  ...

This week I had the opportunity to sit down with Jeff Agostinho. Jeff has made a name for himself in B.C. for being not only a legitimate backcountry hunter but also a stalwart conservationist. We got into Jeff’s background, some gear recommendations, and a deep dive on social media and the role it plays in our hunting culture. Jeff is an intelligent guy with some very interesting perspectives, if...

Cooking was a big reason why I started Mindful Hunter. I love cooking for my friends and family and there’s no better way to expose people to wild game than a phenomenally cooked creative dish. My friend Garth epitomizes this value and is an absolute master with the Traeger pellet grill. Even if you don’t consider yourself a serious cook, you’re going to get something from this episode. Go give Ga...

I’m back with another solocast this week. This one was a quickie but a goodie. I give my thoughts on sleep systems and what choices I’d make under a variety of different conditions.   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...

I’m back with another solocast this week. As always, I touch on diet, training, and some cool gear info but the big topic this week is shelters. I get into all the details about what types of factors affect which shelter you should use and give you some recommendations around which shelters I would start with and then how I approach adding to the collection.   Jay Nichol jay@mindfulhunter.com http...

This week I got to sit down with John Barklow. John is well known in the hunting industry for his vast knowledge of technical apparel, alpinism, and the time he spent in the Navy at the Special Warfare Center teaching Navy Seals how to survive in the cold. While the two main topics we dove into were risk mitigation and winter mountain goat hunting the conversation diverged across several interesti...

This week I got to sit down with Tannis and discuss her successful 2021 BC Goat hunt. We also discussed how she hiked in 50kms with her husband for her ram and how having brothers focused on hockey she was able to nudge her Dad to first get her into hunting.  Tannis is a great example of a thoughtful, driven hunter and I had a great time talking with her.   Tannis IG https://www.instagram.com/tann...

Spencer is back from wrangling for the season, and I got him down to the studio for a catch-up.  We go over our last sheep hunt, his experiences up north this year, and the mule deer hunt that we’re heading out on.   Spencer Miller IG https://www.instagram.com/spencergordonmiller     Jay Nichol jay@mindfulhunter.com https://www.mindfulhunter.com/   Merch https://www.mindfulhunter.com/shop   Free B...

I’m heading out on Sunday morning with Spencer to chase Mule Deer for a week in the alpine.  It’s a new area for both of us and the weather is looking terrible.  The perfect recipe for a great hunt.  In this episode, I go through my entire gear list and get into the rationale for most of my decisions.  I’m going to be trying out the new Aerolite sleep system from Sitka on this hunt along with some...

Mike Glover is the founder and CEO of Fieldcraft Survival. He spent 18 years in the military and served as a SGM in the special forces and worked for an OGA. I have wanted to get Mike on since I started this podcast as I believe his philosophies on mindset and preparedness can be extremely useful for hunters. It was a pleasure and an honour to have this conversation.   Mike Glover https://www.inst...

Well, I decided to take a hard left turn this week and discuss crypto currencies.  If you’re curious how I tie this back into hunting then have a listen.     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://...

I had the pleasure to sit down with Nathan and really dig into his background, how his outlook on hunting has changed over the years, his deep technical knowledge of aging sheep and a variety of other topics.  Nathan has a great ability to be objective about his own development over the years and I learned a lot from this conversation.   Nathan French IG https://www.instagram.com/nathanfrench7/  ...

This has been one of the most widely requested topics to date. I get into a deep dive focused primarily on TRT but also giving some context by discussing other compounds in the steroid family tree and the role HGH plays in longevity and physical performance. I am not a doctor, and this is not medical advice. I am not giving recommendations of any kind and I am only sharing my own experience and re...

This was one of my favourite podcasts to date. I’ve been wanting to chat with these guys ever since I started following them on IG over 5 years ago. To me, Jordan and Ryan epitomize what it means to be a true BC hunter. They go into some of the toughest spots in BC and regularly come out with respectable elk. That is one of my own goals that I have yet to achieve so I was personally very intereste...

Back with another bi-weekly solocast.  This week I dive into the difference between Myofibrillar and Sarcoplasmic Hypertrophy and get into a handful of listener questions.   Timestamps: 0:00 – Intro 0:22 – Sheep Hunt film update 3:06 – Myofibrillar vs Sarcoplasmic Hypertrophy 11:07 – My current training split 19:32 – My current diet 21:25 – New gear highlight: MSR Dromlite 6L 23:25 – Cost of a she...

This week I got to sit down with my good friend Adam Janke.  Adam is not only a dedicated life-long hunter, but he also founded the Journal of Mountain Hunting online magazine and the Beyond the Kill podcast.  Both of which are staples of the BC hunting community.  We had a great chat about how he got both those projects off the ground, some of the challenges he faced, and we even dove into his mo...

It’s time to get back to my roots. Just me, a mic, and you folks. After the sheep hunt, I wanted to take the time to share my plans for the channel and where I see things going from here.  I also get into my own fitness and nutrition plans and give a high-level breakdown of how the sheep hunt went.     Jay Nichol jay@mindfulhunter.com https://www.mindfulhunter.com/   Merch https://www.mindfulhunte...

In this episode, I sit down with my sheep hunting partners Tristan and Spencer.  With only 48 hours until we leave on our Stone’s hunt in the Northern Rockies, we thought it would be fun to answer some questions and talk about our final preparations. Podcast will be taking a two-week break following this episode while I’m in the mountains.   Tristan Bucchiotti @tristan_bucchiotti   Spencer Miller...

In this episode, I sit down with my vegetarian wife Noa, @vitadaily.ca  Over the years I’ve been asked what it’s like to be a hunter who is married to a vegetarian.  I figured it would be more interesting to ask the vegetarian what it’s like to be married to a hunter.  My wife is a very intelligent, thoughtful woman and we had a great conversation.   Noa Nichol @vitadaily.ca   Jay Nichol @mindful_...