The Mindful Hunter Podcast

On the most recent episode of Guns & Stuff, Colton and I sat down with Bryan and Eric from Hammer Bullets to discuss their unique approach to bullet design.   Hammer Bullets https://hammerbullets.com/ https://www.instagram.com/hammerbulletsco/   Eric Hoover https://www.instagram.com/hooverprecisionrifles/   Colton https://www.instagram.com/papwinkle/   Jay Nichol jay@mindfulhunter.com https://...

Bryan is not only the founder of Day Six Gear, but he is also a very successful businessman who's driving motivations are his family and faith. I love talking to guys like Bryan because I get the chance to learn from someone who is tackling similar problems to myself but is a little closer to finding the best solutions. We talked a lot about business and archery systems so there is a lot to dig in...

Okay we’re gonna kick it old school with the podcast for a new series where I’ll do deep dive q&a’s on gear categories. Up first is Sleep Systems. Let me know what you want to see next!       Jay Nichol jay@mindfulhunter.com https://www.mindful-reviews.com/ https://www.mindfulhunter.com/   Forged In The Backcountry https://forgedinthebackcountry.com/   Merch https://www.mindfulhunter.com/shop...

Less than one week left for your chance to enter the BC Guided Bear Hunt Giveaway. Every $5 you spend at https://forgedinthebackcountry.com/ will get you one entry!   This week I sat down with my good friend Jeff Lander who owns Primitive Outfitting and guides Mule Deer in Alberta and Moose and Bear in BC. Jeff is also the one who is hosting the giveaway hunt for Forged. We had a great chat about...

This week on Guns & Stuff, Colton and I sit down with Zac Waterman from Nosler to go deep on their product offerings. We had a bunch of great questions from listeners and I learned a ton on this episode.   Less than two weeks left for your chance to enter the BC Guided Bear Hunt Giveaway. Every $5 you spend at https://forgedinthebackcountry.com/ will get you one entry!   Nosler https://www.ins...

It’s been a while since I did an old-fashioned Q&A episode so figured it was time to bang one out. Lots of great questions in this one! Drop me a note if you want to see more of these episodes.   Jay Nichol jay@mindfulhunter.com https://www.mindful-reviews.com/ https://www.mindfulhunter.com/   Forged In The Backcountry https://forgedinthebackcountry.com/   Merch https://www.mindfulhunter.com/s...

EP 169 – Culture, Conservation, and Hunting Rights with Mike Duplan   Mike is known for killing big mule deer but more importantly, Mike also has a very strong voice for conservation and hunting rights. Given the climate we are in right now and all the battles we are facing for our hunting rights across North America I wanted to have Mike on to get his thoughts and advice.     Mike Duplan https://...

Alright folks, it’s rare but it does happen. Every now and then I use a product so bad that I can say with complete confidence you do not need this in your arsenal. This tripod definitely fits into this category. I hope you guys find this useful and I give some other recommendations at the end of the video for products that will perform significantly better for you!   Enter the bear hunt giveaway...

Chill episode this week as I sit down with my buddy Leighton who gave me a hand at the booth during the WSSBC Mountain Hunting Expo this year. We go over the show and just have a general catchup about gear and hunting. Leighton is one of those super solid quiet dudes I’ve got to know through hunting and gear reviews and I hope to get him on more episodes. He’s one of the only dudes I know who runs...

One of the first podcasts I discovered when I was getting into backcountry hunting was Gritty Bowmen. It was a brand-new podcast hosted by Brian Call. It was one of the most impactful shows on both my development as a hunter and the type of hunting I ended up pursuing. Brian played a large role in my fascination with bow-hunting elk in the rut and self-filming. I was not expecting this conversatio...

On this episode of Guns & Stuff, Colton and I sat down with Seth from Hornady to do a deep dive on the different families of bullets offered by Hornady, their 4DOF solution, when you should choose a monolithic, and much more.   Seth From Hornady https://www.hornady.com/ https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-hornady-podcast/id1603633739     Jay Nichol jay@mindfulhunter.com https://www.mindf...

I have wanted to sit down with Steve since I started this podcast. His app was one of the main sources of information that helped me kill my first solo blacktail in the mountains. We covered a ton of ground on this one and Steve held nothing back. It was a privilege and an honour and I know you will find some value in this episode.     Steve Isdahl https://www.howtohunt.com/ https://www.instagram....

Steve is someone I have followed on IG for a while not only because he’s a badass mule deer hunter but because he buys and tests a lot of his own gear. We had a great chat about deer hunting and some of the standout pieces of hear he ran this last year and also some duds he came across.     Steve Evans https://www.instagram.com/__steve__evans__/     Jay Nichol jay@mindfulhunter.com https://www.min...

Travis Bader is a local entrepreneur who founded Silvercore Outdoors and hosts the Silvercore Podcast. I’ve been social media acquaintances with Travis, but this is the first chance I had to sit down with him for a good chat. Travis is one of those salt-of-the-earth guys who puts family first and is strongly dedicated to being a contributing member of his community.     Travis Bader https://www.in...

After months of work behind the scenes I am proud to announce that Forged In The Backcountry - A Lifestyle Apparel Brand For Backcountry Hunters is now live! In this video, I go over the story of how I came up with the brand, the design aesthetic, and all the products included in the initial launch. To celebrate the launch I am giving away a guided black bear hunt in BC! https://forgedinthebackcou...

There have been some great strides of innovation in the ultralight tripod industry over the last few years and Aziak and Tricer are two of the best examples of this. Both these companies have taken different approaches to solving the problem of creating the lightest weight backcountry tripod while still offering a stable platform for glassing. I’ve been running these tripods for the last 6 months...

I have been asked many times to do a range-finding binocular review so when I was finally able to do one, I wanted to do it right. In this review, I compare the Vortex Fury 500AB, Sig Kilo 3K, Leica Geovid 3200.com, Revic Acura, Sig Kilo 10K ABS, and Zeiss Victory RF. This was hands down the most complicated review I have ever done, and I have been working on it for the last two months. If you hav...

I’d like to welcome you to a new series on the podcast. I’ve teamed up with Pap Van Winkle to bring you a regular podcast focused on hunting gun-related topics. I think one of the reasons for my success over the years has been the self-awareness to stay in my own lane. I am not a gun expert and a lot of you out there have a ton of gun-related questions, so I teamed up with one of the only other un...

I have looked up to James for quite some time. I heard him talk about a dual broadhead setup he was running years ago on another podcast and the depth of analysis and preparation he displayed really resonated with me. In addition to that James is one of the most legit killers out there today when it comes to bid mature mule deer.   James Yates https://www.instagram.com/yates_in_the_backcountry/  ...

Jill is a dedicated BC hunter who grew up in a hunting family and has come back to finding her peace in the mountains. I think she is a great example for all hunters and especially young women coming up in the discipline. She has integrity, hunts for the right reasons and loves to push herself in the mountains. We dove into her background growing up hunting in BC and then she told the story of how...

Mark has been hunting in the backcountry a long time and originally made a name for himself with his obsessive approach towards escouting. Mark has also long been a proponent of making your own meals for the backcountry. First with a dehydrator and now with a freeze drier. We had a great chat about out application strategies this year given all the changes that the western states have gone through...

I just got back from 10 days of archery hunting mule deer in the desert of southern New Mexico. I did not kill a deer but I learned a ton. In this podcast, I go over what worked, and what didn't, and I answer listeners' questions.   Jay Nichol jay@mindfulhunter.com https://www.mindful-reviews.com/ https://www.mindfulhunter.com/ Merch https://www.mindfulhunter.com/shop   Newsletter https://www.mind...

Well after several months of testing I am finally able to share the results of my bino harness battle where I pit the Catamount and Kuiu harnesses head to head. As usual I dove into a ton of detail and did my best to give you an unbiased appraisal of the highlights and lowlights of each product. Catamount discount code Mindful10 0:00 – Intro 0:26 – Win These Bino Harnesses 2:53 – Context 6:03 – Ca...

I have had a ton of requests to review the Zeiss SFL 10x40 binoculars as they sit in a very interesting place in the market. Price-wise they sit right in-between most company’s alpha and mid-range options. That made me very curious to see how they stacked up regarding performance. As usual, I tried to offer a good blend of technical data and my unbiased subjective perspective. I hope this review i...

Well folks it’s time to swing for the fences. After building Mindful Hunter and Mindful Reviews off the side of my desk for over 7 years it’s time to give it all my attention. In this podcast I dive into all the details about what it took to get to this point and what my plans are moving forward.     Jay Nichol jay@mindfulhunter.com https://www.mindful-reviews.com/ https://www.mindfulhunter.com/  ...