The Mindful Hunter Podcast

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EP 243 – Opening Day Mountain Goat Success - Vance Gets His First Billy! Aug 07, 2025

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Not a lot needs to be said about this one. Buckle up for the story of how we got Vance his first Billy in the mountains of BC after a year of struggle and failure.

Jay Nichol

jay@mindfulhunter.com

Forged In The Backcountry

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EP 242 – Truck Talk: Goat Hunt Q&A with Vance – Ethics, Tripods, and Who Shoots First Jul 31, 2025

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In this special on-the-road episode, Vance and I hit record while driving deep into goat country. With the truck packed and tags in our pockets, we tackle a pile of listener questions ranging from ethical shot distances and when to use a tripod, to the age-old debate of who gets first shot. We also break down whether a 6mm Creedmoor has any business being pointed at a moose.

Jay Nichol

jay@mindfulhunter.com

Forged In The Backcountry

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EP 241 – My First Elk Series ft. Tim O’Leary Jul 24, 2025

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The My First Elk Series is focused on conversations with elk hunters who have killed their first elk in the last couple of years. The goal is to break down their experience and see what changed that allowed them to end their losing streak and finally put an elk on the ground. This second episode features my buddy Tim and dropped a ton of useful insights that will come in handy this September.

Jay Nichol

jay@mindfulhunter.com

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https://www.instagram.com/boscottcampbell/

EP 240 – My First Elk Series ft. Bo Scott Campbell Jul 18, 2025

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The My First Elk Series is focused on conversations with elk hunters who have killed their first elk in the last couple of years. The goal is to break down their experience and see what changed that allowed them to end their losing streak and finally put an elk on the ground. Up first we’ve got my buddy Bo Scott Campbell and this episode is full of helpful insights for the up and coming elk slayer.

Bo Scott Campbell

Jay Nichol

jay@mindfulhunter.com

Forged In The Backcountry

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EP 239 - Youtube Review Repost: Argali Absaroka & Prime RVX 34 Jul 10, 2025

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While I’m out in the mountains scouting for an upcoming mountain goat hunt, I didn’t want to leave you hanging. So in this episode, I’m sharing the audio from two recent YouTube gear reviews: the Argali Absaroka Tent and the Prime RVX 34 Bow.

Jay Nichol

jay@mindfulhunter.com

Forged In The Backcountry

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EP 238 – Montana Archery Elk Hunt Prep with Ben & Vance Jul 03, 2025

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I sit down with the boys this week to discuss our upcoming archery elk hunt in Montana. We go over how we drew the tags, what our strategy is, how that’s changed along the way and what gear we are planning to bring.

Jay Nichol

jay@mindfulhunter.com

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https://www.instagram.com/shoot2hunt/

EP 237 – Everything You Wanted to Know About Shoot2Hunt University Jun 26, 2025

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I just got back from the intro 600 yard course from Shoot2Hunt and it absolutely blew my mind. In this episode I go over the entire experience, provide my critique and then I answer listener questions.

Shoot2Hunt

https://shoot2hunt.com/

Jay Nichol

jay@mindfulhunter.com

Forged In The Backcountry

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EP 236 – Everything You Wanted to Know About Outfitting and Guiding Bear Hunts in BC: Solocast Q&A Jun 23, 2025

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I just wrapped up six intense weeks of guiding and outfitting bear hunts here in British Columbia. It was my first season running a full-time outfit in this new territory, and it delivered everything I hoped for—hard lessons, great people, and unforgettable adventures. A lot of you had questions, so I dropped a Q&A post on Instagram and used this episode to dive into your biggest asks. I break down what I learned, what surprised me, and how I’m already planning to level things up for next year.

Jay Nichol

jay@mindfulhunter.com

Forged In The Backcountry

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https://www.instagram.com/aim_for_the_alpine/

EP 235 – Goat Hunt Redemption with Vance: Hard Lessons, New Gear, and a Smarter Plan for This Season Jun 12, 2025

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This week I’ve got my hunting partner Vance on the show, and we’re digging into last year’s goat hunt that didn’t go as planned. We talk about what went wrong, the key lessons we took away from the experience, and how we’re changing things up for this season.

We also walk through our updated gear lists — what worked, what didn’t, and what’s getting replaced. From layering systems to optics and boots, we break down what we’re packing and why.

It’s a raw, honest chat about failure in the mountains, learning the hard way, and dialing things in for a better shot at success this year.

Vance Johnson

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

Jay Nichol

jay@mindfulhunter.com

Forged In The Backcountry

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