The Mindful Hunter Podcast

🎁 WIN A KOWA 88 SPOTTING SCOPE: Mindful Munitions is officially open. Every $5 spent at Forged in the Backcountry or Mindful Munitions earns one entry to win a Kowa 88 spotting scope. The giveaway ends October 30 at midnight Pacific Time. 👉 Forged in the Backcountry: https://forgedinthebackcountry.com/👉 Mindful Munitions: https://mindfulmunitions.com/This week Dimitri and I are recording from Alberta mule deer camp, where we are getting ready for a run of guided hunts and answering a pile of listener questions. Before the Q&A, we catch up on a backpack mule deer hunt, a float bear hunt, and a goat hunt that turned into a hard lesson in weather, access, pressure, and making a shot count when the opportunity finally shows up.Then we get into the stuff that actually helps you hunt better. We talk about how to structure a hunt in totally new country, why I would rather scout before the season opens than force myself to “just look” while the tag is valid, and why gathering broad information before narrowing down is usually the better play. We also cover solo hunting versus hunting with good buddies, keeping meat clean on a backcountry pack-out, finding alpine mule deer habitat, when to move a glassing point, and the gear that earned its way into our packs this year.We finish with budget hunting gear and the one-rifle question: 22 ARC, 6 Creed, 25 Creed, 7mm-08, or 6.5 Creedmoor. The reality is that most new hunters will kill more animals by buying the right basics, practicing to realistic distances, and learning one or two species properly than by chasing the newest cartridge or the flashiest gear list.Guided hunts: We have limited openings for backpack mule deer and float bear hunts next year, plus one remaining guided Coues deer hunt in Mexico during the third week of January. Email [email protected] for details.Chapters0:00 Alberta mule deer camp, guided-hunt updates & listener Q&A1:18 Backpack mule deer hunt recap: a big buck and a deer mix-up6:29 A simple phone trick for finding an animal in the spotter7:18 Why we nearly shot the wrong mule deer10:06 Four days of hiking for two hours of mule deer hunting11:30 Float bear hunt recap: a 29-yard archery opportunity15:24 Bear shot placement: why middle-middle beats the shoulder17:28 Goat hunt recap: 32 km in two days and brutal weather20:13 What a missed goat opportunity teaches about shooting pressure24:23 September guided-hunt results, 2026 openings & Kowa giveaway26:16 How do you structure a hunt in completely new country?28:54 Why scouting before season changes your decision-making35:15 Should you hunt solo or with other good hunters?38:37 How to pack out meat cleanly and avoid spoilage41:20 What to look for when scouting alpine mule deer45:37 Morning glassing, weather, and knowing when a hill holds deer48:58 Dimitri and Jay’s best gear items for 202659:36 How long should you glass before moving?1:06:04 Will there be a best budget hunting-gear list?1:11:09 22 Creed, 25 Creed, 6 Creed, 7mm-08, or 6.5 Creedmoor?1:22:39 Wrap-up, hunt bookings & Kowa 88 giveaway reminder Jay [email protected]://www.mindful-reviews.com/https://www.mindfulhunter.com/ Forged In The Backcountryhttps://forgedinthebackcountry.com/ Merchhttps://www.mindfulhunter.com/shop Newsletterhttps://www.mindfulhunter.com/contact IGhttps://www.instagram.com/mindful_hunter/ Podcasthttps://www.mindfulhunter.com/podcast Free Backcountry Nutrition GuideFree Training Guide For Mountain Huntinghttps://www.mindfulhunter.com/tools Kowa TSN-88A SweepstakesNo purchase required. Contest begins on August 18, 2026, at 12:01 a.m. PST and ends on October 30, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. PST. There is a total of 1 prize available to be won consisting of: (i) A previously owned Kowa TSN-88A Spotting Scope Body with Eyepiece (APR) $5,500.00 CAD; Skill testing question required. Open only to legal residents of the 50 United States, The District of Columbia, Canada (excluding Quebec), United

🎁 WIN A KOWA 88 SPOTTING SCOPE: Mindful Munitions is officially open. Every $5 spent at Forged in the Backcountry or Mindful Munitions earns one entry to win a Kowa 88 spotting scope. The giveaway ends October 30 at midnight Pacific Time. 👉 Forged in the Backcountry: https://forgedinthebackcountry.com/ 👉 Mindful Munitions: https://mindfulmunitions.com/ Did this down quilt just save my life? In this extreme backcountry gear test, I push the Outdoor Vitals 15-degree down quilt to its absolute limits. If you've ever been on a late-season mountain hunt, you know that wet gear can end your trip—or worse. To see if this sleep system can truly handle a catastrophic wet-out, I jumped into a freezing river in British Columbia (-7°C) fully clothed, and then relied entirely on my body heat and this down quilt to dry me out. We cover the critical phases of surviving hypothermia in the backcountry, the "danger zone" of warming up, and why the loft of your sleeping bag matters more than you think. I also break down the rest of my gear, including Stone Glacier apparel and my Durston shelter. Whether you are a backcountry hunter, an ultralight backpacker, or just someone who wants to know their sleep system won't fail when it matters most, this test reveals the truth about using down insulation in wet conditions. Gear Featured in this Video: Outdoor Vitals 15° Down Quilt Exped Expedition 7R Mat Durston Tent X-Dome 1+ Stone Glacier Dehavilland Pants Marsupial Sun Hoodie OV Hybrid Fleece Stone Glacier Grumman Puffy Don't forget to LIKE and SUBSCRIBE for more extreme gear tests and backcountry hunting tips! Timed Chapters 00:00 - The Problem with Down Sleep Systems 00:32 - The Gear: Outdoor Vitals Quilt & Setup 01:34 - My Custom Quilt Modification 02:26 - Jumping into a Freezing River 03:15 - The Hypothermia Survival Plan 04:49 - The "Danger Zone" of Getting Warm 06:02 - Checking Quilt Loft vs. Wet Clothes 07:50 - Prioritizing Survival in the Backcountry 09:06 - 2-Hour Check-In: Is the System Working? 11:10 - Final Results: Can Down Survive a Wet Out? Jay Nichol [email protected] https://www.mindful-reviews.com/ https://www.mindfulhunter.com/ Forged In The Backcountry https://forgedinthebackcountry.com/ Merch https://www.mindfulhunter.com/shop Newsletter https://www.mindfulhunter.com/contact IG https://www.instagram.com/mindful_hunter/ Podcast https://www.mindfulhunter.com/podcast Free Backcountry Nutrition Guide Free Training Guide For Mountain Hunting https://www.mindfulhunter.com/tools Kowa TSN-88A Sweepstakes No purchase required. Contest begins on August 18, 2026, at 12:01 a.m. PST and ends on October 30, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. PST. There is a total of 1 prize available to be won consisting of: (i) A previously owned Kowa TSN-88A Spotting Scope Body with Eyepiece (APR) $5,500.00 CAD; Skill testing question required. Open only to legal residents of the 50 United States, The District of Columbia, Canada (excluding Quebec), United Kingdom, New Zealand, Finland, France and Switzerland. Odds of winning depend on number of eligible entries received before contest closes. No limit on entries. For full rules and entry details visit: https://forgedinthebackcountry.com/blogs/resources/kowa-tsn-88a-sweepstakes