The Mindful Hunter Podcast

Ryan Lampers is a hunter that you just can’t help but look up to. His success in killing mature examples across a variety of species speaks for itself but more impressive than that is the quiet demeanour with which he holds himself. I think there is a lot more to learn from Ryan than just how to kill big animals.   Ryan Lampers https://www.instagram.com/sthealthyhunter/ https://westernhuntingsummi...

Ever since I stumbled across Adam on Instagram, I’ve wanted to have a conversation with him. He is truly a fascinating guy. Bush pilot, father to a schwack of kids, hilarious and an absolute killer in the mountains. This was a great conversation, and I am already looking forward to round 2.   Adam Grenda https://www.instagram.com/grenda89/     Jay Nichol jay@mindfulhunter.com https://www.mindful-r...

EP 147 – Hunting and Outfitting with Cliff Gray   Cliff is a very well-known outfitter who made a name for himself in The Flat Tops of Colorado and has now transitioned into a content creator with a thriving YouTube channel. Cliff is one of those guys with a very analytical mind and it was a pleasure to get into the details of his outfitting background and get some of his insights on the challenge...

Alright folks, I had the pleasure of hunting whitetails in Saskatchewan with my bow, and as usual, it was an eventful experience. I seem to be incapable of having a regular old boring hunt. I go over my thoughts on guided hunts, how my bow blew up in a ground blind, blood trailing a deer for almost a mile, the new raffle that just went live where you can win the bow of your dreams, and much more!...

After many requests, I figured it was time for a trekking pole head-to-head review. In this video, I compared the Argali Guide X against the Black Diamond Alpine Ero Cork. Both of these poles have some great features but they also have some stark differences worth discussing. Let me know in the comments section below which poles you’d like to see next. 0:00 – Intro 4:23 – Pricing 4:58 – Weight 5:1...

Both the Sitka Ascent Pants and the Stone Glacier De Havilland Lite pants are great products that provide an excellent option for early-season pants. However, while they both do a good job they do so in different ways. During this field-tested review, I do my best to highlight what those differences are and share what circumstances I think each of these pieces would thrive in. Part 1 – Core Lightw...

During my drive home from Colorado, I told the story of my successful hunt and also answered a bunch of questions off of IG.   Jay Nichol jay@mindfulhunter.com https://www.mindful-reviews.com/ https://www.mindfulhunter.com/   Merch https://www.mindfulhunter.com/shop   Newsletter https://www.mindfulhunter.com/contact   IG https://www.instagram.com/mindful_hunter/   Podcast https://www.mindfulhunter...

Both the Sitka Ascent Pants and the Stone Glacier De Havilland Lite pants are great products that provide an excellent option for early-season pants. However, while they both do a good job they do so in different ways. During this field-tested review, I do my best to highlight what those differences are and share what circumstances I think each of these pieces would thrive in. Part 1 – Core Lightw...

After multiple requests, I decided it was time for a 65mm spotting scope review. 65mm spotting scopes are arguably the most versatile size of spotter available. They are big enough to reach out a fair distance while still being light enough for most people's backcountry kit. In this review, I looked at the Maven CS.1A, Swarovski ATS, Leica Televid, Kowa Prominar, and Tract Toric. I analyzed all 5...

This review marks the second of four videos in my Sitka vs. Stone Glacier apparel series. Both the Sitka Ambient Hoody and the Stone Glacier Cirque Lite Jacket are great products that provide excellent dynamic insulation. However, while they both do a good job they do so in different ways. During this field-tested review, I do my best to highlight what those differences are and share what circumst...

Robby Denning is an absolute legend in the hunting world for his tenacity and focus when it comes to hunting big, mature, mule deer bucks. On top of that, Robby is probably one of the nicest guys you are ever going to meet. His values are grounded in his faith and his family, and it shows in his character. We had a great conversation and he was extremely generous with his knowledge and wisdom.   R...

This review kicks off the first of four videos in my Sitka vs. Stone Glacier apparel series. Both the Sitka Core Lightweight Hoody and the Stone Glacier Avro Hoody are great products that try to solve the issues your next-to-skin top base layer needs to solve. However, while they both do a good job delivering solutions to those problems they do so in different ways. During this field-tested review...

Alright folks, I threw up a Q&A on IG during the drive home and got a ton of great questions about my successful archery elk hunt. I finally had some time to sit down and answer them all. I hope you enjoy! Apparel Raffle Details https://www.mindful-reviews.com/   UNBROKEN - Becoming A Consistent Archery Elk Hunter (2023 archery elk hunting film) https://youtu.be/r_Vokkil748     Jay Nichol jay@...

When I first started hunting all I wanted was to be able to kill a decent animal occasionally. Now that I have been doing it for a while the real goal is consistent and reliable success. Cody has done a ton of work looking into how to transition from a 101 hunter into a 201 hunter. Another way to say this is he’s looked at how to develop systems so that you can reliably kill stuff year after year...

I figured it was time to upload a video sharing the updates I have made to my backcountry meal prep system for 2023. Nutrition and prep for the backcountry does not have to be complicated and I give example meal plans and share some simple hacks to increase the caloric density of your meals without unduly increasing the weight in your pack. 0:00 – Intro 0:24 – Mindful Reviews raffle updates 2:23 –...

Most of my gear lists are focused on backcountry hunts so this one was a change of pace. This year for elk I am staying as mobile as possible and will be sleeping in the back of my truck most nights. I also had to bring bivy gear just in case. This results in two mini gear lists. This is exactly the style of hunting I bought my truck and quad for. Let me know if you have any questions.   Jay Nicho...

Typically I have John on to do deep dives on gear setup and discuss backcountry mission planning. This week, however, we went in hard on the elk talk. John is a very blue-collar elk hunter and sometimes I think those are the best guys to learn from. Tons of useful info in this week’s episode.   John Barklow https://knowledgefromstorms.com/ https://www.instagram.com/jbarklow/     Jay Nichol jay@min...

Joel has been a good friend ever since I took his Shot IQ controlled process online program 4-5 years ago. I have always been intrigued by Joel’s somewhat unconventional approach to elk calling and finally sat down with him to pick his brain about it. As a previous world champion caller and absolute killer in the elk woods, Jeol brought a ton of experience and unique opinions on strategy to this c...

This week I got the chance to sit down with a guy I have admired for many years. Dirk Durham aka The Bigler has made a name for himself not only as a competitive elk caller but also as one hell of an elk hunter. We got into his upbringing as a hunter and then spent a lot of time on various tactics and specifically covered some useful techniques for the thick brush and low elk densities found in th...

This week I go back over my gear list from my recent sheep hunt and get into all the details about what worked and didn’t work for me.     Jay Nichol jay@mindfulhunter.com https://www.mindful-reviews.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...

When I posted my headlamp battle 3 months ago and ended up recommending the Peax Backcountry Duo I was immediately flooded with DM’s that there was some controversy indication the Peax was really just a rebranded cheap overseas headlamp. I felt obligated to buy the other headlamp immediately and find a way to see if there was a significant difference between the two. Here are my results.   Origina...

This week’s podcast is a Q&A with questions from the Mindful Reviews platform and Instagram. I answer questions such as: Why don’t hunters use heavier, more accurate rifles? Best way to dry out a water bladder, my preferred broadhead, and many more.     Jay Nichol jay@mindfulhunter.com https://www.mindful-reviews.com/ https://www.mindfulhunter.com/   Merch https://www.mindfulhunter.com/shop  ...

With sheep season quickly approaching I thought it would be a great time to go over what is in my first aid kit for solo hunts. Please jump in the comments section below if you’ve got any tips to add! Jay Nichol jay@mindfulhunter.com https://www.mindful-reviews.com/ https://www.mindfulhunter.com/ Merch https://www.mindfulhunter.com/shop Free Backcountry Nutrition Guide https://www.mindfulhunter.co...

In this updated binocular review for 2023 I compare 6 different 10x42 binoculars; Swarovski NL Pure, Leica Noctivid, Leica Trinovid, Zeiss Conquest, Tract Toric and Athlon Cronus G2. I analyzed and tested 21 different categories across 5 classes: Descriptive, Construction, Optics, Performance & Operation. At the conclusion of the review, I give 3 recommendations for binoculars within premium,...

This week’s podcast is a deep dive into a mapping application called Top Notch Navigator with founder Mason. More than that though it is a super thorough discussion on how to better utilize mapping apps to help us plan and execute more successful hunts.   As a thank you to the audience Mason gave us the code MINDFULHUNTER for 20% off which is good until July 31st, 2023. To be clear I get no kickba...