Vortex Nation Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Nebraska Coyote Series: From Fleshing to Fashion - Understanding the Fur Market Mar 23, 2021

Show notes

More than 40 years in the fur game, owner of the last fur auction house in the US (Fur Harvesters Auction Inc.), super interesting cat, and wealth of knowledge, Greg Schroeder is a damn national treasure! This country was built on the backs of trappers and the furbearers they sought. Greg takes us through his personal history, ranch fur vs. wild, jobs lost to automation, how the fur market works, fluctuations in fur prices, grading fur, fashion and some solid how-to/best practices/avoiding disease info. Hit play and jump in with all four paws to get the low-down on fur!

As always, we want to hear your feedback! Let us know if there are any topics you'd like covered on the Vortex Nation podcast by asking us on Instagram @vortexnationpodcast

Nebraska Coyote Series: Hunt Coyotes Like a Pro Mar 22, 2021

Show notes

Calling and hunting coyotes is fun, insanely challenging, has a wildlife management component, can make you a bit of coin, and insanely challenging. Yes, we said insanely changing twice on purpose! That was for effect. Coyotes are notoriously tough to trick and built to survive. To figure out how to knock a few of these crafty K-9’s down, Mark and Jim have once again enlisted the help of pedigreed coyote hunter Matt McHugh. This podcast was an absolute knowledge dump. From intentionally stopping dogs in their tracks with your tracks, to calling tips, set-up strategies, management goals, voice-calling demos and more, tune in to get your PHD in Coyoteawoligy!

As always, we want to hear your feedback! Let us know if there are any topics you'd like covered on the Vortex Nation podcast by asking us on Instagram @vortexnationpodcast

#10MinuteTalk - Is the .410 Becoming a Legit Hunting Round? Mar 16, 2021

Show notes

From small game, to turkey-takedown specialist, modern shotshell design and components have taken the .410 shotgun to new levels - leveling gobblers in its wake. This untraversable caliber (.410 is not a gauge) can be packaged in petite shotguns, making them super handy, lightweight and easy to carry. It’s the perfect for folks looking for those attributes and an ideal fit for smaller-statured hunters. The fact it kicks like a butterfly, is another big plus, particularly when talking turkey loads. Shotgun manufacturers are meeting this growing trend head-on, producing purpose-bult .410’s with turkey-specific features to optimize the platform. Tune in to see if dusting off the 410 in the back of your gun safe, or investing in a new .410 is right for you.

Ep. 174 | Dehydrating Meals – Tips, Tricks and Tasty Tactics Mar 15, 2021

Show notes

Dehydrating fruits, vegetables, meats and entire meals is quite possibly the best way to preserve them for future use down the road. And if you’re looking for creative ways to optimize the wild game and fish you worked so hard to procure, a quality dehydrator, along with some know-how and experimentation, may just be your ticket to easy lunches at work (just add water), as well as customized backcountry meals and snacks. For the “Know How” portion of this podcast, Mark and Jim sit down with dehydration guru Joey Pyburn (ESPN Outdoor Line Radio) to pick his brain on how to take the water out, while keeping the gourmet in! Dehydrator styles, tips, techniques, favorite recipes and best practices, Joey has ton of experience and shares it all right here, on the Vortex Nation Podcast!

As always, we want to hear your feedback! Let us know if there are any topics you'd like covered on the Vortex Nation™ podcast by asking us on Instagram @vortexnationpodcast

#10MinuteTalk - Box Call vs. Slate Call Mar 09, 2021

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Box Call Vs Slate Call – Mark and Erik square off in an epic battle of squawk, while Jim does his best to incite unnecessary drama. For Mark, the decision is like trying to pick your favorite kid. Erik, on the other hand, is adamant the slate is the single and only call you will ever need. From sound-making versatility, ease of use, which one is louder, surface variants, strikers, call care, call prep and more, we go into detail on these two gobbler-getting noise-makers.

Ep. 173 | Long Range 1005 – The True Science Behind Ballistics with Applied Ballistics® Mar 08, 2021

Show notes

Just when you thought we’d gone as far as we could go with the “Long Range 100_” series, Chris Wienche and Mitchell Fitzpatrick from Applied Ballistics showed up and opened our eyes to a whole new layer of long range shooting and understanding of ballistics. Chances are, if you shoot any sort of long range, you use a ballistics calculator. The beauty in using one of these calculators is all the work has already been done for you and you don’t need to be a ballistician to hit the target. Long before you even hit the range, though, someone does have to crunch all those numbers and take every ballistic variable into account – bullet shape, weight, drag, air density, temperature, ballistic jump, spin drift, when a projectile goes transonic, and so much more it would make your head spin! Speaking of heads spinning, that just might be what happens when you tune in to this one. You’ve been warned! Put your nerd cap on and enjoy some pure science flowing right into your ear holes. Don’t forget, too, it’s the great minds behind the scenes like these guys that did the development of the ballistics solutions inside the Fury HD 5000 AB ballistic rangefinding binocular!

As always, we want to hear your feedback! Let us know if there are any topics you'd like covered on the Vortex Nation™ podcast by asking us on Instagram @vortexnationpodcast

#10MinuteTalk - Mirage – What the hell is it and how does it affect me Mar 02, 2021

Show notes

Mirage: What the hell is it? Where does it come from? How does it affect your optics? How do you deal with it, and can you use it to your advantage? Jim and Mark grab one of the smart guys at Vortex – Engineer, Seth Toy - to get life’s greatest questions answered.

Ep. 172 | How to Hunt Snow Geese – If You’re Up For the Challenge! - The Fowl Life Mar 01, 2021

Show notes

When spring finally hits, it’s time for snow – snow geese that is! These crafty birds are notoriously tough to dupe. You have to want and earn those magical big-number days - so we sit down with Chad and Clay Belding from The Fowl Life TV/This Life Ain’t For Everybody Podcast and multiple other great content platforms to find out how it’s done! From giant decoy spreads (more than 1000), how to lay them out, electronic calls and unplugged shotguns, to countless hours of windshield time and a network of waterfowling friends to help you find the X, this was an informative and fun conversation we won’t soon forget. If you’re up for big challenge, big fun and another outdoor addiction, or are looking to add to your decoy bag of snow goose tricks, hit play and stack the information high!

As always, we want to hear your feedback! Let us know if there are any topics you'd like covered on the Vortex Nation™ podcast by asking us on Instagram @vortexnationpodcast

#10MinuteTalk - The Basics of Shooting Off a Tripod Feb 23, 2021

Show notes

Precision rifle shooting, hunting scenarios, bolt guns or AR’s - Integrating a quality tripod purpose-built for shooting (which Vortex not coincidentally offers) into your system is like having a portable bench and third arm that never gets tired. How they attach to your rifle, positioning of the tripod’s legs, positioning of your legs, shooting techniques to optimize the platform, and more, Nick Laufenberg helps us cover some super interesting ground. Listen in only if you’re ok considering a new purchase.

Ep. 171 | This Birding Enthusiast is Now a Hardcore Shooting Fanatic - Mike McDowell Feb 22, 2021

Show notes

Mike McDowell, Vortex’s in-house expert for everything birds, bugs and binos, takes us through his journey into firearms, shooting and the “friends” he lost because of it along the way. Any time we chat with Mike, we can’t help but dive into super cool bird stuff. We inevitably do that, tell the story of the famed “Golden Crowned Sparrow Conspiracy” and his “involvement”, as well as cover his new-found passion for guns, shooting and how it affected his reputation in certain circles…It just made you even cooler in our book...Every time we chat with Mike McDowell, it’s a darn good time, and this podcast was no exception.

As always, we want to hear your feedback! Let us know if there are any topics you'd like covered on the Vortex Nation™ podcast by asking us on Instagram @vortexnationpodcast

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