The Mindful Hunter Podcast

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EP 132 – Instinctive Elk Calling with Joel Turner Aug 31, 2023

Show notes

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.instagram.com/joelturner_shotiq/

Jay Nichol

jay@mindfulhunter.com

Merch

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Free Backcountry Nutrition Guide

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

EP 131 – Elk Hunting Strategies with Dirk Durham Aug 24, 2023

Show notes

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.youtube.com/@THEBUGLERBRAND

https://www.phelpsgamecalls.com/

Jay Nichol

jay@mindfulhunter.com

Merch

Free Backcountry Nutrition Guide

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EP 130 – Post-Hunt Gear Breakdown Archery Stone’s Sheep Aug 17, 2023

Show notes

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

jay@mindfulhunter.com

Merch

Free Backcountry Nutrition Guide

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

EP 129 - Is The Peax Backcountry Duo Just a Rebranded Cheap Overseas Headlamp? Jul 27, 2023

Show notes

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

Sofirn D25LR

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

Jay Nichol

jay@mindfulhunter.com

Merch

Free Backcountry Nutrition Guide

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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

EP 128 – Solocast Q&A Jul 20, 2023

Show notes

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

jay@mindfulhunter.com

Merch

Free Backcountry Nutrition Guide

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Podcast

EP 127 - First Aid Kit for Solo Hunting Jul 13, 2023

Show notes

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!

Jay Nichol
jay@mindfulhunter.com
https://www.mindful-reviews.com/
https://www.mindfulhunter.com/

Merch
https://www.mindfulhunter.com/shop

Free Backcountry Nutrition Guide
https://www.mindfulhunter.com/tools

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

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EP. 126 - Binocular Review 2023 Jul 06, 2023

Show notes

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

jay@mindfulhunter.com

Merch

Free Backcountry Nutrition Guide

Newsletter

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Podcast

https://www.topnotchnav.com/

EP 125 – E-scouting, Route Planning and More with Mason from Top Notch Navigator Jun 29, 2023

Show notes

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.instagram.com/topnotchnav/

Jay Nichol

jay@mindfulhunter.com

Merch

Free Backcountry Nutrition Guide

Newsletter

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Podcast

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

EP 124 – Sharing the Stories of Hunting the Right way with Steven Drake Jun 22, 2023

Show notes

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.instagram.com/stevendrakephoto

Jay Nichol

jay@mindfulhunter.com

Merch

Free Backcountry Nutrition Guide