Vortex Nation Podcast

Night Vison: It’s a crazy superpower instrumental in the success of our modern warfighters, looks cool in movies, and elevates the night hunting and shooting experience. Mounted to your face or rifle, there’s no question it is insanely awesome. Is it expensive? Yes. Do you want it? Yes. But is it worth it? Vortex Edge® instructor Mike Griffin joins Mark Boardman and Jimmy Hamilton to answer this v...

The Impact® 4000 Ballistic Rail-Mounted Laser Rangefinder. The name says a lot but doesn’t say it all. Vortex’s Tucker Schmidt and Nick Blough (credentialed shooters to say the least) join the podcast to expound on the game-changing capabilities of this unit. Simply put, you can transform your rifle into a cohesive system that ranges targets with pinpoint accuracy using the enhanced optics of the...

Do nice guys finish last? Find out as Mark Boardman and Ryan Muckenhirn assign each other a gas station identity, determine if HEYDUDE’s or Crocs are the best camp shoe, test friendships with hunting spot betrayal, and fabricate lies to get off work. And of course, there’s a spicy meatball to get things going. Tune in to see if Mark starts a two-game winning streak or if Ryan reclaims his throne....

Lee Ellis and Drew Carroll from Seek One dump gear and deer knowledge in this tip-rich podcast “geared” toward getting you your next big buck. These guys are insanely dialed and meticulously detail oriented. Their track record for killing giants speaks for itself. Swivel your ears forward and pay attention. These guys know what they are talking about. As always, we want to hear your feedback! Let...

According to some, we have 31 species of deer to chase in North America. Is that true? Mark Boardman joins Arizona Game and Fish Wildlife Biologist Jim Heffelfinger to find out. Jim is a passionate deer expert, has written books on deer, coauthored books on deer, runs the website deernut.com , can be found on Instagram as @cervidnut, and is a full research scientist at the University of Arizona’s...

Is it an impulse buy when you’ve been looking for a specific style of rifle for a while, then buy it the second you think you found it? Ask Ryan Muckenhirn as he walks us through his brand spanking new Howa Carbon Stalker in 6mm ARC – an increasingly popular cartridge. We get the why behind his need for this rifle, the scoop on the rifle itself, some immediate modifications he made, and more. Tune...

Mark Boardman and Ryan Muckenhirn sit down to pull bullets and further evaluate their 350 Legend and 450 Bushmaster gel-shooting results. Do they do their signature flip-flopping, or does the data hold up in their cartridge court? Find out right here. As always, we want to hear your feedback! Let us know if there are any topics you'd like covered on the Vortex Nation™ podcast by asking us on I...

A solid riflescope zero doesn’t have to burn tons of ammo, bruise your shoulder, and take up your entire day. It can be a simple, clean, and efficient process. With a little prework, the right tools, and confident shooting, a great zero can be accomplished in just a few shots. Mark Boardman and Ryan Muckenhirn walk through techniques and equipment to help you get your rifle sighted in with ammo an...

Host of MeatEater’s Bear Grease Podcast, Clay Newcomb joins Mark Boardman to recount an unorthodox but effective coastal bear hunt, bear hunting in general, owning Bear Hunting Magazine, how he ended up at MeatEater as part of their all-star cast (our words not his) and more. Clay is a hell of a woodsman, super interesting, inciteful, and all-around great guy. Tune in for a fantastic conversation...

Accurate, reliable, and economical hunting rifles are produced by nearly every major rifle manufacturer these days. Consumers are reaping the benefits of modern materials and production techniques. Mark Boardman, Ryan Muckenhirn, and Jimmy Hamilton talk through 7 sub $700 models built to fill freezers and wall space — with money left over for your next tag. As always, we want to hear your feedback...

Professional military sniper, private sector Vortex Edge® instructor, and long-range shooting competition enthusiast, Corey Eliasson, has the experience to build a sleek long-range system that flat out works. His kit is no frills, all business, and meticulously thought out. He’s refined it over the years and continues to refine it. Mark Boardman and Jimmy Hamilton sit down with Corey to run throug...

Mark comes out of the gate hot, Ryan desperately resorts to “your mom jokes”, we turn Texas into a firearm, Jimmy gets a mohawk, and more. Will Mark break his tradition-like losing streak or burn up like a star entering earth’s atmosphere? Watch to find out. As always, we want to hear your feedback! Let us know if there are any topics you'd like covered on the Vortex Nation™ podcast by asking...

Insanely fun, accessible, low recoil, all ages welcome, and as casual or competitive as you want to make it — the shotgun shooting sports are king for these reasons and more. But what’s the difference between trap, skeet, and sporting clays? Mark Boardman, Jimmy Hamilton and resident clays expert, Ryan Muckenhirn, break down the big three, so you can head to your local club and start breaking targ...

Mark Boardman sits down with Troy Fowler (The Ranch Fairy) to make sense of broadheads, how they work, things to consider, how to tune your arrows to shoot with broadheads, and more. They navigate a windy conversational path to get your broadheads shooting straight…. And cutting deep! Tune in for the educational and always entertaining, Ranch Fairy. As always, we want to hear your feedback! Let us...

It’s time for another of Ryan Muckenhirn’s “Lead Balloon’s.” On paper the .338 Federal checks a lot of boxes hunters look for in a cartridge. Alas, it didn’t make a lot of paper for rifle and ammunition manufactures. As with many cartridges, success or failure can be difficult to make sense of. The .338 Federal certainly outperforms its popularity. Was it timing? Was it not different enough from e...

Will the .308 do everything you need? Do you need the raw horsepower of a .300 Win Mag to get the job done? Or do you need both? Mark Boardman and Ryan Muckenhirn chat through their gel-shooting results, extract, examine, measure, and not only weigh the projectiles themselves, but where each cartridge makes the most sense. As always, we want to hear your feedback! Let us know if there are any topi...

Your style of hunting, terrain, hunt goals, the critters you chase, and more can affect your spotting scope selection. Size, weight, magnification, angled vs. straight configuration, optical quality — Mark Boardman and Paul Neess sit down to give you spot-on information on spotting scopes. As always, we want to hear your feedback! Let us know if there are any topics you'd like covered on the V...

Barrel burnout is often a big consideration for folks when selecting a cartridge. But is it as big a deal as it’s made out to be? Mark Boardman and Ryan Muckenhirn discuss barrel burnout, who should it matter to, how it occurs, and what you can do if it happens. As always, we want to hear your feedback! Let us know if there are any topics you'd like covered on the Vortex Nation™ podcast by ask...

The Razor® HD 13-39x56 spotting scope is the perfect example of, “Big things come in small packages.” It’s also Remi Warren’s favorite spotting scope. Listen to Mark Boardman and Remi talk about his extensive use of its predecessor, the incredible increase in performance of the new iteration, and what he loves about it. As always, we want to hear your feedback! Let us know if there are any topics...

Finding elk is the most critical component of the elk hunting equation. Nothing else really matters if you can’t locate these dang things. Renowned elk hunter, guide, content creator, and all-around great guy, Remi Warren, runs through his secret tips to finding where elk hide — so you can seek. As always, we want to hear your feedback! Let us know if there are any topics you'd like covered on...

Modestly priced, the Ruger RPR’s performance is anything but. In fact, it’s a standout. There was a time at Vortex when it seemed a new RPR would show up daily. The accuracy, performance and price were simply too good not to own one. Mark Boardman, Jimmy Hamilton, and Ryan Muckenhirn chat through this anomaly in the firearm space and why it’s so dang good. As always, we want to hear your feedback!...

Life can be complex. Choosing a reticle shouldn’t be. Mark Boardman, Jimmy Hamilton, and Nick Laufenberg dive into hunting reticles. From simple plex, to more detailed first focal plane reticles with mrad or moa hashmarks and a windage tree in the lower hemisphere – they cover the who, what, where, when, why to get you on target. As always, we want to hear your feedback! Let us know if there are a...

Spaghetti Shootout is back for season two and better than ever. With Jimmy Hamilton at the helm of this meatball-packed episode, Mark Boardman and Ryan Muckenhirn debate audience submitted topics — most of which are frankly, a little weird. Can Mark break his losing streak? Tune in to find out. As always, we want to hear your feedback! Let us know if there are any topics you'd like covered on...

Hunting Alaska is logistically complex. Its location, remoteness, varied terrain, modes of transportation and bears add extra layers to the hunt planning process. Mark Boardman, Erik Barber, and Sawer Briel from Vortex, along with Brad Brooks from Argali, use their Sitka blacktail hunt as the framework to cover valuable Alaska hunt planning tips. The goal? To help you line out your AK adventure. A...

Crazy terrain, giant bears, extreme weather, lots of shooting, big bucks, bonking out, and a little barf — this hunt had it all. Listen to the Vortex crew to get the behind-the-scenes story of their epic Kodiak Island Sitka blacktail hunt. As always, we want to hear your feedback! Let us know if there are any topics you'd like covered on the Vortex Nation™ podcast by asking us on Instagram @vo...