Vortex Nation Podcast

Mike Valley, owner and operator of Valley Fish and Cheese in Prairie Du Chen, WI, took Mark and Jimmy under his wing for a peek into the life and history of a commercial fisherman on the Mississippi River. Our initial plan was to discuss mostly just fishing for catfish with Mike, as that seems to be his true passion and specialty, but through time spent on the river and hours processing fish by ha...

Jimmy, Mark and Nick Laufenberg discuss their theories and experiences between all the many different grip angles/styles on various bolt action rifles. From lightweight and handy hunting rifles with elegant swept-back grip profiles to heavier profile competition long range guns with completely vertical grip angles. Which one is right for which application and why? As usual, we’d love to hear your...

It’s every hunter’s nightmare – a shot that results in a mortally wounded animal that leaves minimal evidence for recovery. You’ll need a little help to remedy this unfortunate reality that you’ll inevitably encounter at some point, and that’s when you need to call in the dogs. To be more specific, game recovery dogs that specialize in tracking and finding wounded game, even when the trail goes dr...

You’ve heard it before – “America’s team”, “America’s truck”, “America’s Dairyland” (It’s still Wisconsin no matter what the people from Cali tell you), but how about America’s cartridge? Ryan Muckenhirn joins Jimmy and Mark to each discuss their opinion of what America’s cartridge is and why. Judging by our past cartridge podcasts, we know there’s bound to be plenty of differing opinions on this...

As far as pure entertainment goes, there ain’t nothin’ wrong with gun-based video games – we’ve all played them and enjoyed them despite knowing they get many of the real life details a bit wrong at times. That said, for so many new shooters these days, their only knowledge/experience with guns and shooting is through these games. So, what are some of the things our crew here has found to be a few...

The last time we had Jerry Miculek on to tell us all about shooting fast, he graced all of our ears with a whole bunch of other amazing stories from his shooting past. This time, we got Jerry on again with Jimmy and Mark solely with the intention of picking his brain for stories, history and experiences once more. Interestingly enough, we learned more about the guy who sold body armor by shooting...

Jimmy and Mark hang out with Ryan M to discuss the ever-mysterious H&K G11. Certainly many of us have seen this fascinating firearm in pictures or videos, but so few have actually gotten to see, hold or shoot one in person. The ammunition, function and form of the rifle altogether is extraordinarily unique. Ryan has done some extensive fan-boy research on the firearm along with some speculation ab...

Our friend Josh Froelich just recently finished (or at least reached a point of temporary satisfaction with) a new gun range on his home property in Minnesota – That’s right, a range with a 550-yard shooting lane and a large shooting bay with nearly 20-foot-high berms… In his back yard! And he did the majority of it “DIY”! This was a project for Josh that was many years in the making and after man...

Christian Benson, first time guest of the podcast and also one of the optical engineers on the team here at Vortex, joins Jimmy and Mark to talk all about diopters. This was originally set to be a simple 10 Minute Talk about how diopters work, but a quick call down to the engineering team for their approval, followed by a very complicated explanation over the phone about how diopters actually work...

Reuben Aleckson joins Jimmy and Mark to discuss “bipod bounce” and its effect on accuracy. What even is “bipod bounce” in the first place? Aren’t bipods supposed to help us when it comes to accuracy? Have you ever found yourself shooting off a hard bench or slab of concrete with a bipod and for some reason your groups aren’t what you feel you and the gun are normally capable of? If so, you’ve expe...

“Glassing” is a term tossed out there by so many hunters, it almost might trick you into thinking it’s a simple concept, but there’s really so much that goes into every facet of spotting game. What techniques and specific strategies are involved? How about the gear selection behind setting up the best glassing suite of optics and related accessories? Scanning, using a grid system, where to look, w...

We’ve mentioned it in countless episodes prior to this one, but have yet to do a dedicated episode to the optical phenomena that is “parallax”. What is it and how does it affect us when we shoot? Some riflescopes have a “parallax dial” – what does that do? How about red dots and holographic sights that claim to be “parallax free”? When does it really matter and when does it not? We try and cram in...

Justin Olk, of Game of Inches TV, joins Jimmy and Mark following a “Vortex Selects” video special around SE Alaska archery brown bear hunting. Why even try to go after a brown bear with a bow? Isn’t that dangerous? How many bears do you see in a place like that and what tactics are you employing to get in close enough for the take? How about the logistics of even getting there? If these questions...

You asked for it and here it is! Jimmy and Mark hang out with Ryan Muckenhirn for a good 10…ish… minutes to talk about the venerable 7mm-08 cartridge. What it is, where it came from, why it exists and what’s the deal with 7mm and why does it so often seem to be looked over? Check it out and as usual, let us know what other cartridges you want to hear about.

If you’re listening to this podcast, chances are you’ve dreamed at some point in your life of being a sniper. The stories we hear, the movies we watch, and the images depicted always seem to show a lone ranger with the uncanny ability to sneak in behind enemy lines undetected, frequently engaging targets with incredible precision at extremely long ranges. Is that really what it’s all about? Tony P...

In this episode, Ryan Muckenhirn fills in for Jimmy, MC Ryan flawlessly navigates his complex suite of electronics and we sit down with MeatEater’s own Ryan Callaghan to chat through how we as sportsmen can navigate rapidly changing plans, shifting on the fly, silver linings of plans that get flushed down the proverbial toilet, learning new skills, taking advantage of less popular seasons, and few...

Nick Laufenberg joins Jimmy and Mark to discuss “custom turrets” for your riflescope – What are custom turrets, how do they work, what are their limitations, and should you get some for your riflescope? If not those, what are some other ways to get quick ballistics solutions in the field? All these questions and more get answered right here!

Remi Warren! Ryan Lampers! Early Season Archery Mule Deer! Pretty sure that’s all the description you need to click on this and get to learning. Mark connects with this dream team of Mule Deer hunting and Mule Deer knowledge to pick their brains clean of their lifetime of knowledge on this super cool topic! Mature Mule deer bucks don’t like to make mistakes – but these two gentlemen are masters at...

We see a lot of misinformation/confusion on the interwebs about co-witnessing red dots and holographic sights with the iron sights on AR’s or pistols. Are you supposed to line up your red dot with your irons? Can you use your irons to sight in your red dot? What’s the point of co-witnessing in the first place and how important is it really? Rob Morell joins Jimmy and Mark in this episode to debunk...

It’s about time we talk about survival rifles. What’s the deal with these things? They come in all shapes, sizes and even calibers, but yet never really seem to catch fire. In this episode, Ryan Muckenhirn joins Jimmy and Mark to discuss a bit of the history of survival rifles, many of the different kinds, what cartridge is the best for survival situations, what optic works best on a survival rifl...

Quick-handling repeating guns firing big, heavy, slow-moving (comparatively) bullets have garnered a reputation for being “Brush Busters” for as long as we can remember. But why? Do the bullets these cartridges fire really bust through brush accurately, delivering their heavy payload on target no matter what lay before them. Are bucks in heavy cover with a screen of brush covering their vitals tru...

Arizona may not be the first state you think of when it comes to fall black bear hunting, but it may be one you want to get on your radar. Mark sits down with Arizona resident and expert hunter Josh Kirchner, to talk about this super cool hunt and all it offers. A beautiful and unique region, over the counter tags, the flexibility to choose your weapon, a season that runs concurrently with several...

Remi Warren joins Mark and Jimmy once again to discuss solo filming hunts. After we talked with Wyatt and Erik about outdoor photography, we got a number of requests suggesting going into detail around filming hunts - and who better to talk to about this topic than a man who has been filming his own hunts for years professionally. Not only has Remi put out some incredible videos shot entirely on h...

We can’t believe it’s been two years of podcasting already! After all this time, it seemed like a good idea to do an episode for you all to get to know our hosts, Jimmy and Mark, a little bit better. This breaks the normal trend of our mostly instructional episodes and focuses solely on having a little fun. Don’t worry – we’ll be back to our regularly scheduled episodes right after this. Here’s to...

If you like heart-pounding,  edge-of-your seat, ground-based  whitetail action like we do –  listen to this podcast  -  then go check out the DVD’s Jared Scheffler/Whitetail Adrenaline has been putting out since 07. Yes I said DVDs’, yes they are still making them and yes you should pick one up and have an old fashioned DVD party with your hunting homeys - complete with snacks and a cold one, or t...