The Mindful Hunter Podcast

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

Merch

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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 Nichol

[email protected]

https://www.mindful-reviews.com/

https://www.mindfulhunter.com/

Merch

https://www.mindfulhunter.com/shop

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https://www.mindfulhunter.com/contact

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

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https://www.mindfulhunter.com/podcast

Free Backcountry Nutrition Guide

https://www.mindfulhunter.com/tools

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

[email protected]

https://www.mindful-reviews.com/

https://www.mindfulhunter.com/

Merch

https://www.mindfulhunter.com/shop

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IG

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

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 conversation.

Joel Turner

https://www.shotiq.com/home

https://www.instagram.com/joelturner_shotiq/

Jay Nichol

[email protected]

https://www.mindful-reviews.com/

https://www.mindfulhunter.com/

Merch

https://www.mindfulhunter.com/shop

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https://www.mindfulhunter.com/contact

IG

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

Podcast

https://www.mindfulhunter.com/podcast

Free Backcountry Nutrition Guide

https://www.mindfulhunter.com/tools

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

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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