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 the Pacific Northwest

Dirk Durham

https://www.instagram.com/thebugler/

https://www.youtube.com/@THEBUGLERBRAND

https://www.phelpsgamecalls.com/

Jay Nichol

[email protected]

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

IG

https://www.instagram.com/mindful_hunter/

Podcast

https://www.mindfulhunter.com/podcast

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

[email protected]

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

IG

https://www.instagram.com/mindful_hunter/

Podcast

https://www.mindfulhunter.com/podcast

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.

Original Headlamp video - https://youtu.be/xYAa2icqCvY

The spreadsheet showing all my data and testing results is available to download for Mindful Reviews members.

Peax Backcountry Duo

https://www.peaxequipment.com/products/backcountry-duo

Sofirn D25LR

https://www.sofirnlight.com/products/d25lr-rechargeable-headlamp-with-white-and-dr-660-nm-red-led

Jay Nichol

[email protected]

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

IG

https://www.instagram.com/mindful_hunter/

Podcast

https://www.mindfulhunter.com/podcast

0:00 – Intro

0:25 – Mindful Reviews

1:25 – Background

4:06 – Testing Protocol

9:47 – Categories Assessed

10:11 – Price

10:32 – Weight

10:58 – Size

11:07 – Durability

11:34 – Comfort

11:38 – User Interface

13:17 – Weather Resistance

16:41 – Battery Life

18:59 – Recharge Time

21:11 – Temperature

24:56 – Brightness

30:01 – Conclusion

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

[email protected]

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

IG

https://www.instagram.com/mindful_hunter/

Podcast

https://www.mindfulhunter.com/podcast

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!

Merch

Free Backcountry Nutrition Guide

Newsletter

IG

Podcast

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, mid-range and low-range budget constraints.

I am raffling off the winning pair of binoculars. Please go to https://www.mindful-reviews.com/ for all the details. Once you are a member you will have access to the link to purchase tickets. Once the raffle is sold out I will update this section to indicate tickets are no longer available.

0:00 – Intro

0:55 – Raffle Info

1:19 – Structure of Review

2:36 – Why I Chose These 6 Binos

3:12 – The Maven Story

6:42 – The Tract Story

10:41 – Emotional Marketing Disclaimer

11:40 – Scoring System

12:55 – Price

14:46 – Weight

16:19 – Length

17:32 – Origin

19:27 – Descriptive Totals

20:32 – Warranty

23:53 – Durability

25:26 – Weather Resistance

29:21 – Frame Material

30:08 – Gas Purging

31:49 – Construction Totals

32:07 – Prism Type

35:22 – Field of View

42:02 – Glass Quality

47:16 – Glass Coatings

49:24 – Eye Relief

51:32 – Close Focus Distance

52:03 – Light Transmission

55:11 – Interpupillary Distance

57:02 – Optics Totals

57:47 – Performance & Operation (Field Testing)

1:00:00 – Aziak Bino Clamp Giveaway

1:01:00 – Performance Testing Scores

1:03:29 – Operation Testing Scores

1:06:29 – Field Notes From Testing

1:13:56 – Final Scores and Ranking

1:14:39 – My recommendations and Caveats

1:19:23 – The Binos That Are Getting Raffled Off

Jay Nichol

[email protected]

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

IG

https://www.instagram.com/mindful_hunter/

Podcast

https://www.mindfulhunter.com/podcast

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 kickback from this Mason just wanted to show his appreciation.

Top Notch Navigator

https://www.topnotchnav.com/

https://www.instagram.com/topnotchnav/

Jay Nichol

[email protected]

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

IG

https://www.instagram.com/mindful_hunter/

Podcast

https://www.mindfulhunter.com/podcast

This week’s guest needs no introduction. You have seen his photos and videos for years. I sat down with Steven Drake, and we discussed his early exposure to hunting, a pivotal moment that changed the way he saw hunting, his approach to content creation and much more.

Steven Drake

https://www.youtube.com/user/stevendrakemt

https://www.instagram.com/stevendrakephoto

Jay Nichol

[email protected]

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

IG

https://www.instagram.com/mindful_hunter/

Podcast

https://www.mindfulhunter.com/podcast

Coming back with another Q&A episode. Tons of great questions this week such as my favourite piece of gear under $100, is upper body strength necessary, or should we just focus on legs and cardio, my archery setup this year, and much much more.

Jay Nichol

[email protected]

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

IG

https://www.instagram.com/mindful_hunter/

Podcast

https://www.mindfulhunter.com/podcast

I decided to take a bit of a left turn with the podcast this week. Competing in the Toronto Pro Qualifier bodybuilding competition last weekend left me with a ton of insights that I felt the need to share. This episode is truly a blend of my business and hunting backgrounds. I dove into Michael Porter’s definition of competitive advantage and share a couple of frameworks from Jim Collins that can be helpful when trying to plan new ventures.

Jay Nichol

[email protected]

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

IG

https://www.instagram.com/mindful_hunter/

Podcast

https://www.mindfulhunter.com/podcast