Vortex Nation Podcast

The long-standing perception amongst shooters is that bolt guns hands-down out shoot gas guns in terms of accuracy and long range capability. In the past this was certainly true, and gas guns were simply held to a lower standard in accuracy than bolt guns were. But now, have gas guns made enough strides to match their bolt gun counterparts? Are they a more viable solution for long range precision shooting? We grabbed Dillen Easly, competitive shooter of many disciplines, and Garrett Grover of Rise Armament, manufacturer of gas guns, to chat about this very topic. You’ll also learn the difference between mechanical and “practical” accuracy (A term admittedly just made up by Garrett on the spot) and how they affect your groups and performance at long range, as well as how it may even affect the barrel life for your gun for you individually. As always - let us know if there are any topics you'd like covered on the Vortex Nation podcast by asking us on any one of our social media platforms and using #VortexNationPodcast.

After drooling over the famed Ruger M77 in a Petersen’s Magazine as a 12 year old boy, Rick just couldn’t help himself and begged his dad to get one as his first deer rifle. After 16 years, he still breaks it out every season to fill the freezer. We got 10 minutes with him to chat about this rifle’s story, why Rick chose one chambered in God’s cartridge of .270 Win (The answer involves an old computer game), and how he’s modified its sight mounting system with a Weigatinny rail and precision matched rings to squeeze a little more reliability and accuracy out of it. What was your first hunting rifle? Is it still in your rotation or still your primary go-to rifle today? We’d love to hear about it!

Dust off that old 10/22, go buy a bucket o’ bullets and prepare to have a ton of fun. Thought rimfire was just for kids and squirrel hunters? Think again, Cheyenne Dalton joins Mark, Jimmy and another special guest and frequent listener, Trent Brenny, to talk about the world of competitive rimfire shooting. Cheyenne started out her competitive shooting career in rimfire with a purple 10/22 she got at a WalMart and wound up going all the way to win the rimfire world championship in her division. From cowboy action rimfire shooting with lever actions to NRL precision .22 with bolt guns that mimic full-size precision rifles, there’s a cheap and super fun way to stay frosty and better your overall skills as a shooter with rimfire. As always - let us know if there are any topics you'd like covered on the Vortex Nation podcast by asking us on any one of our social media platforms and using #VortexNationPodcast.

Chad Mendes is a very recently retired professional MMA fighter (Still toweling of the sweat from his last fight and not retired at time of this recording), former collegiate wrestler, public figure in sports and at the risk of damaging his outwardly tough-as-nails appearance, a really nice guy. To us, perhaps the coolest thing about Chad is that he has been an avid hunter his entire life. From making time in his busy wrestling career as a kid to head to the mountains with his dad and family to now running an organization called “Finz and Featherz”, giving regular folks like you and us the opportunity to hunt with some of their favorite high level celebrities and professional athletes that also share a love for the outdoors and hunting. It was great to get Chad away from his intensive training regimen of preparing to knock other professional fighters unconscious to talk to us and all of you about his biggest passions. If you haven’t checked him out on social yet, hit him up and support him amidst some of the backlash he receives when he posts pictures and videos from his hunts. We can show him and the rest of the world that the hunting community has his back! As always - let us know if there are any topics you'd like covered on the Vortex Nation podcast by asking us on any one of our social media platforms and using #VortexNationPodcast.

The topic of astigmatisms comes up more times than you can shake a stick at when people are discussing red dots. It seems everywhere you look there are people being affected by “Starbursts” or “Clusters of grapes” in their red dots, but why? In 10 minutes, Jimmy, Reuben and Mark discuss just what an astigmatism actually is, the issues most commonly experienced by users with an astigmatism, ways you’ve possibly misdiagnosed yourself with one, and what you can do to avoid negative effects from an actual astigmatism when shooting.

If you only remember one thing from this podcast, it’s probably how good Mike Love, new guest to the podcast and range instructor here at Vortex, sounds with his perfect radio voice. Anyway, in addition to Mike, Adam Maxwell joins Jimmy and Mark to discuss the “Wild West” world of red dots on pistols. With no convenient standard to adhere to like our beloved AR-15’s with their “Mil-Spec” parts, there seems to be about a million and one ways to mount a red dot to your handgun, thoughts on proper technique for their application and opinions on reliability or viability of red dots in competition or duty use. These guys also touch on the history of red dots’ application on pistols and some of the common mistakes people make when transitioning from using the traditional irons to a red dot sight, being such a relatively new technology to most. As always - let us know if there are any topics you'd like covered on the Vortex Nation podcast by asking us on any one of our social media platforms and using #VortexNationPodcast.

Chris Denham, Arizona resident and recognized expert of “Grey Ghosts” from Western Hunter Magazine, joins Jimmy, Mark and Paul Neess to talk Couse deer hunting in the Southwest. If you’ve never heard of these deer before, imagine a scaled down whitetail living in the desert mountains that has mastered the art of blending in with its surroundings and remaining hidden. Why would anyone ever want to go after a small whitetail? Well, if you ask Chris (And us), there’s just something special about these critters that makes them arguably one of the coolest deer to hunt, completely regardless of size. In fact, their petite stature almost adds to the allure. In this episode, we chat best practices for getting into Coues deer (Spoiler alert – it ain’t huntin’ ‘em from the road!), the optics-intensive nature of hunting these tough-to-find creatures (Cue eyeroll because Vortex is stressing the importance of optics), run-ins with border patrol down south, navigating rough terrain and the fact that going on this incredible hunt doesn’t have to be a 9 year waiting proposition at all. As always - let us know if there are any topics you'd like covered on the Vortex Nation podcast by asking us on any one of our social media platforms and using #VortexNationPodcast.

Reuben joins Mark and Jimmy for ten minutes to discuss the basic differences between 1x prism scopes like our Spitfire AR and red dots. More than just what the technical differences are between the two and how they work, but what might make you want to choose one over the other and what scenarios you may find one to be more advantageous over the other.

How much farther can we take the long range 100_ series? There are plenty more long range topics to cover out here, but this one might be the grand finale for the series, discussing simply shooting out to 1000 yards to now sitting down with Ian Klemm and Jeff Heeg, Extreme Long Range (ELR) competitor, to discuss taking rifles out to some truly mind-boggling distances. Whether it’s a .22 beyond 500 yards or a souped up CheyTac cartridge at 2 miles and beyond, this particular shooting sport requires a great deal of science, excellent team communication and some pretty neat guns. Give Long Range 1004 a listen and let us know what you think! As always - let us know if there are any topics you'd like covered on the Vortex Nation podcast by asking us on any one of our social media platforms and using #VortexNationPodcast.

When the word Bow makes up half your last name, it’s pretty much destiny much of your life is going revolve around chasing elk with stick and string. That’s good news for the rest of us. We sit down with Zach Bowhay from Hunt DIY to tap into his vast elk knowledge - focusing on a first time elk hunters perspective. Don’t kid yourself, elk hunting is hard. Zach will tell you that first hand. Armed with the right knowledge and a lot of sweat equity, it is possible. Turn your ears on and brace yourself for some dang good elk advice. As always - let us know if there are any topics you'd like covered on the Vortex Nation podcast by asking us on any one of our social media platforms and using #VortexNationPodcast.

Whether you need to condition your bowstring to prevent it from drying out, avoid potential blisters, enjoy the ambient glow of a candle, or start a fire, there’s one tool for that’ll do it all – Chapstick. Heck, you can even moisturize your lips, if that’s your thing. Regardless, we jammed the many uses of Chapstick all into one 10-minute talk, solidifying its minuscule place in your pack. Got an ultra-affordable piece of gear that wears many hats for your adventures? Let us know and we just might feature it in an upcoming episode of the Vortex Nation Podcast.

Nick, a frequent listener of the Vortex Nation podcast, reached out to us after our first WW2(ish) podcast revolving around a few historic firearms and not only explained how the M1 Garand’s grenade launcher system actually worked, but also explained that he and his dad are avid (Understatement) WW2 era firearms collectors and reenactors. Jimmy, Mark and Ryan Muckenhirn were lucky enough to sit down with these two as they went through 14 different firearms (And a WW2 era grenade launcher) from the allied, axis and neutral countries during the war. These incredible pieces of history literally shaped the landscape of the war and history as we know it, so to have pieces like this in our presence and be able to talk about them with some knowledgeable folks was a gift we won’t soon forget. Nick and Ray own, regularly shoot, reload for and maintain these rifles, so it was also great to see some historical tools still being used to this day many decades later. We also discussed some of the ways these firearms plowed the way for more modern (Or sometimes just direct rip off!) rifle designs we know and use today. Check it out and like Nick, if you have something super interesting you’d like to talk about with us, feel free to bring it up in the comments on one of our social media platforms and maybe we’ll have you on the podcast some day as well! As always - let us know if there are any topics you'd like covered on the Vortex Nation podcast by asking us on any one of our social media platforms and using #VortexNationPodcast.

Navigating Western Tag applications, Draws, Preference Points, Bonus Points, Odds, Over The Counter Options – #AlreadyOverwhelmed. It’s not your fault. This stuff is more confusing than trying to understand the opposite sex. Not anymore. We sat down with Brady Miller and Trail Kreitzer from Go Hunt to break down this topic using the advanced tools they offer. GO Hunt has compiled all the info you need into an easy-to-use, filterable, digital platform. Unit descriptions, photos of terrain, historic weather patterns, harvest trends, number of tags, number of applicants, draw odds for antlered and antlerless game and more are all ripe for the researching. If you have them, you can even plug in your points to see where you fall. These guys are professional data miners and they are sharp. You’ll learn about hunts and units you didn’t even know about – but will be glad you did. If you have a phone, this info can be at your fingertips 24 hours a day. Been in the big app game for years, the info GO Hunt offers is for you. Been dreaming about your first western hunt, but haven’t gone - Go on that Hunt using Go Hunt. As always - let us know if there are any topics you'd like covered on the Vortex Nation podcast by asking us on any one of our social media platforms and using #VortexNationPodcast.

Mark, Jimmy and Erik argue the pros and cons of wearing a turkey vest vs simply taking a backpack afield for hunting turkeys this spring in 10 minutes. Maybe this will help you decide which you choose or maybe it will leave you in exactly the same undecided state by the end, but hey, it’s only 10 minutes! As long as you’re out chasing gobblers, is there really any wrong answer? What’s your preferred gear for turkey hunting? We’d love to hear about it in the comments on Instagram!

As the glowing orb of sunlight pierces the horizon, sounds of sirens, kids at play, and bumper-to-bumper traffic overwhelm Taylor Chamberlin’s audible senses. These aren’t conventional sights and sounds associated with bowhunting whitetails, but Taylor’s swaying from the treetops of suburbia, Washington D.C., keeping the growing whitetail herd at bay and filling his freezer in the process. While the Midwest is traditionally looked at as the mecca of whitetail hunting, deer are living a fat and happy lifestyle in suburban areas around the country as they mow down pricey landscaping projects and over-browse trees and shrubs – especially in Washington D.C. The tricky part is gaining hunting access and landowner permission on sub-acre sized lots, but Taylor has broken that process down to a science by educating landowners about the destructive tendencies that an overpopulated whitetail herd can have on a property. His systematic approach of accessing new hunting ground has resulted in landowners calling him directly, requesting his service of backyard bowhunting. In some cases, he’s even converted non-hunters into the hunting lifestyle by showing them the benefits of harvesting free-ranged venison and feeding friends and family a healthy meal. By combining a seemingly endless amount of suburban hunting access and taking advantage of extended seasons, Taylor puts a lot of deer in his freezer and donates even more to Virginia’s Hunters for the Hungry program. Whether you want to learn about the nuances associated with suburban bowhunting, such as shot selection or crazy stories of recovering downed game in the backyards of major politicians, this one is a must listen! As always, if you have any suggestions for guests or topics that you’d like to hear on the Vortex Nation Podcast, hit us up on Instagram @vortexnationpodcast and we’ll try our best to make it happen.

Mark and Jimmy join Paul Neess and Rob Morell of our product development team to discuss laser rangefinders for this special episode. Not only do we dive in to the history of the laser rangefinder, how they work, tips and tricks to maximize the performance of your laser rangefinder in the field and the different types of features and their applications, but we also discuss a brand new, never-before-seen rangefinder from Vortex. You’ll have to tune in and listen to hear about this new product, but it is a very exciting one to add to the lineup. For our YouTube viewers out there, Jimmy greatly apologizes for forgetting to hit the “Record” button on the cameras, but at least we managed to snag the audio! As always - let us know if there are any topics you'd like covered on the Vortex Nation podcast by asking us on any one of our social media platforms and using #VortexNationPodcast.

Plug in your headphones and grab a bowl of garden fresh vegetables as we visit with Ryan Lampers and Doc. Hillary Lampers from Hunt Harvest Health. We talk fasting and Doc Hilary uses words like Autophagy (because she is smart) - which basically means taking the garbage out of your body’s cells. We also cover eating good on the mountain and making your own backcountry food/meals (way before your hunts), Leptin Resistance (shutting down your “I’m Hungry” signals), eating to reduce inflammation and SUGAR. Feeling as good on day 7 of a hunt as you did day 1 is not easy – but apparently, it is possible (Still working on it). Can Jim still eat his beloved Burritos and be healthy? You’ll find out. Looking to be healthier and hunt harder – this podcast is packed with great recommendations and inspiration. As always - let us know if there are any topics you'd like covered on the Vortex Nation podcast by asking us on any one of our social media platforms and using #VortexNationPodcast.

How political is hunting these days? With the stroke of his pen, Gov. Philip D. Murphy signed an executive order effectively ending the state’s planned 2018 bear hunt on all state-owned lands. For the public landowners out there – that happened on YOUR public land!!! No consulting of biologists, no scientific or ecological reasoning. Simply the fulfilling of a campaign promise to do everything possible to eliminate the hunt. If you’re like us, you’re saying to yourself “I didn’t even know you could do that. ” We sat down with Sean and Evan from the Sportsman’s Alliance to chat about how they work to defend our ability to engage in the activities that define who we are, how we live our lives, feed ourselves, and raise our families. We talk through who/what is threatening hunting and trapping, the strategies these groups use, their reasoning, the role politics play in determining outcomes, how to get involved and more during this insightful conversation. These threats/groups aren’t the proverbial boogieman. They exist, are highly funded, incredibly organized and actively fighting to chip away at hunting and trapping until it’s gone. Our “death by 1,000 cuts is happening.” Together we are strong! Together we can stop the bleeding.

If you find yourself guilty of not properly maintaining your firearm after listening to this podcast, don’t worry about it too much – you’re not the only one by a long shot! Unfortunately, so few people are aware of the actual proper methods of maintaining a firearm that our head of range operations at the Vortex shooting range, Adrian Alan, and head firearm instructor, Pete Schreier, suggested this as a great topic - it turned out to be a great one. These two explain the very important difference between simply cleaning your firearm and actually inspecting and maintaining its critical pieces and functions in order to maintain the utmost reliability. You may find having that spotless rifle in your safe isn’t nearly as important as having a dirty rifle that is meticulously maintained and cared for at a regular interval. Listen in to see just what we mean and then go give your guns some proper TLC when you’re done! Or… Just be like Jimmy and get an AK-47 😉 As always - let us know if there are any topics you'd like covered on the Vortex Nation podcast by asking us on any one of our social media platforms and using #VortexNationPodcast.

Buckle your hip belt and hold on tight as we join the Born and Raised Outdoors crew for an upbeat conversation on how they consistently call and kill bulls year after year. Bugle, rake, repeat. It sounds like a simple concept, but Trevor, Trent, and Kody and the rest of the crew at Born and Raised Outdoors have been filling their OTC elk tags with beautiful bulls on pressured public land by perfecting this tactic - now known as the “Cat Road Shuffle.” Their aggressive hunting style takes the fight to bulls that want to fight. They target bulls that will play their game – not the other way around. Throw in an immediate sidetrack on how millennials shouldn’t order pizza unsupervised and you’ve got a podcast for the ages. Not convinced? Check out the Land of the Free Project (1.0 and 2.0) on their YouTube channel where they travel to 5 states spanning 50 days, hauling lots of meat and in the process. Whether you’re a seasoned vet in the elk woods or a total newbie, you’ll learn a ton about calling elk, identifying terrain and habitat features on a map, and a unique calling sequence called the “bark-scream.” Kody even does some calling on air! Bottom line – if you’ve been putting off a DIY archery elk hunt - don’t. Add these tactics to your hunting toolbox, drive west with a full quiver, and go for it.

Why suppressed? Consider the fact that if you’re listening to this podcast, that’s courtesy of your functioning ears, which we should all be doing everything in our power to maintain. For some the answer to the question of “Why suppressed?” is obvious, but due to some unfortunate misinformation in popular and social media, suppressor ownership and use can be scary, seemingly unnecessary or just plain confusing to a great deal of hunters, shooters and budding enthusiasts. In this episode, Jimmy, Mark, Reuben Aleckson and Adam Maxwell discuss why shooting suppressed should be looked at as a great benefit to shooters, hunters, our neighbors and even the habitat which we hunt in. We discuss generally how most states go about their suppressor transfers, how a suppressor works and all the many benefits of owning and using a suppressor in a wide variety of shooting scenarios. Then when you’re done… Get one… or two… Or a bunch for all your firearms! As always - let us know if there are any topics you'd like covered on the Vortex Nation podcast by asking us on any one of our social media platforms and using #VortexNationPodcast.

We’re joined by Scott Walter, Large Carnivore Specialist at the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources to discuss bears, wolves, cougars, and other predators in the Upper Great Lakes on Ep. 59 of the Vortex Nation Podcast. Did you know cougars are known to travel from South Dakota’s Black Hill as far eastward as Connecticut? How about the fact that humans are increasingly living in close proximity to wolves? If this is news to you, tune in to get the full scoop on these nomadic, solitary creatures straight from a biologist who manages them at a statewide level. In addition to management practices, we’ll talk hunting and find out why we’re unable to hunt wolves in some states, and what needs to change in order for a season to take place. Scott even provides additional information for listeners to submit feedback to management plans that are taking place right now – so if you want to make your voice heard, now’s your chance! As always - let us know if there are any topics you'd like covered on the Vortex Nation podcast by asking us on any one of our social media platforms and using #VortexNationPodcast.

Dave Hartman of the 3 Gun Show joins Jimmy, Mark, Reuben Aleckson and Adam Maxwell to talk 3 Gun gear. Borrowing the theme from our “Classifieds Hunter” (Episode 43) podcast, we set out with the mission to acquire every single thing a person could need to compete in a 3 Gun match, assuming they’re literally starting with nothing, for less than $1700. Yes, this includes all three firearms and every single piece of equipment. Tune in to find out how Dave came up with our $1700 budget and hear each person’s detailed list with plenty of commentary about what is absolutely necessary and what might not be mandatory for your first few matches. We’ll also explain how getting all the gear for 3 Gun will also set you up for a ton of other competitive shooting leagues and sports. Make no mistake – you won’t be getting a list of the absolute best gear in 3 Gun here, but you’re absolutely certain to be surprised at what you can get for a (relatively) reasonable budget. As we mention in the beginning, take an inventory of gear you already have, too – You very well may have a lot of the tools we already mention here and can save even more money for nicer gear! After you listen, also check out Dave Hartman’s podcast, The 3 Gun Show (@3gunshow) for more great info on the sport. As always - let us know if there are any topics you'd like covered on the Vortex Nation podcast by asking us on any one of our social media platforms and using #VortexNationPodcast.

Our original intent was to have just a podcast about the sport of F-Class shooting, but when you get these brainiacs (Ian Klemm and Niles Richardson) talking about their obsession... er... "Hobby" you better believe it's going to turn into a full on long range shooting information assault to the brain. Fact of the matter is, in F-Class, the only thing that matters is long range accuracy - and when we say "Accuracy", we're talking about sub-MOA groups on paper at 1000 yards with .308's. Every single aspect of an F-Class competitor's game is completely dialed in for long range accuracy. We talk about the guns, their bipods, wind, mirage, barrel harmonics and the special scopes F-Class competitors need for their rifles. Ian even goes so far as to tell us how much his rifle has moved prior to the bullet leaving his 30 inch barrel. Just a simple equation involving acceleration, terminal velocity, moment of inertia of the rifle and coefficient of friction of the bipod and rifle on the ground. Kindergarten stuff. Prepare to learn more about ultra-precision long range shooting that you ever thought possible! As always - let us know if there are any topics you'd like covered on the Vortex Nation podcast by asking us on any one of our social media platforms and using #VortexNationPodcast.

Eric Chesser (@gethushin), Ben Dettamanti (@ShedCrazy), Shawn Luchtel and Michael Hunsucker (@heartlandbowhunter) joined us in this East vs. West episode all about shed hunting. We break down what shed hunting actually is, why people do it, how they do it, what they do with the antlers, how it plays into their hunting strategy and many other little nuances of this off-season pastime from the perspective of two Utah shed huntin' fools as well as two heartland whitetail hunters that have hunted sheds in their own area for many years as well. Hard to believe we could talk about bones falling off deer and elk's heads for almost an hour but this one is packed with information all about sheds and antlers with a super fun group to talk to. Here's hoping you can make it out in your area, whether on your own piece of private or on some public to find a few sheds of your own this year! As always - let us know if there are any topics you'd like covered on the Vortex Nation podcast by asking us on any one of our social media platforms and using #VortexNationPodcast.

Remi Warren - Part man, part beast and all balls. Mark, Jimmy, and Paul sit down with the one and only Remi Warren to chat about the life of guide. We cover sleep deprivation, hallucination, Remi’s first guiding job and how he got it, untimely heart attacks, making a-dollar-an-hour and loving it - and a heck of a lot more. If you’ve ever thought about becoming a guide, Remi breaks down the three ways you can go about it, what he loves about it - including completely transforming people’s lives where they become a better version of themselves - all with some great stories along the way! One of the true greats and a genuine inspiration. Turn your ears on for an audio experience you won’t soon forget.

What happens when you get the crew together on a Friday afternoon with buffalo fried squirrel and an off the wall question to kick off some conversation? A whole bunch of rabbit trails about hunting and fishing. Jimmy, Mark, Ryan and Erik talk about the difference between baiting deer and fishing with bait, sturgeon spearing, smoke pole (muzzleloader) fishing, different styles of fishing, GMO corn, GMO dogs and the Chronicles of Narnia even popped up once, too. As random as this podcast was, it brought about some enlightening conversations that one could only appreciate by listening in! As always - let us know if there are any topics you'd like covered on the Vortex Nation podcast by asking us on any one of our social media platforms and using #VortexNationPodcast.

Jimmy got the chance to sit down with DJ Struntz, former world traveler and surf photographer, and now Minister of Propaganda at North American Rescue - A business dedicated to developing and distributing life saving tools to our nation's warfighters as well as the every day citizen. While no one likes to live their lives in a constant state of fear for the worst, DJ explains some of the reasons hunters, shooters, concealed carriers and just plain Janes and Joes should consider at least carrying the bare essentials when it comes to emergency trauma care gear. What training is necessary to learn the necessary skills to potentially save yours or someone else's life? Can someone who gets queasy around blood do this? What are some of the wildest stories a man in charge of the social media for a company dedicated to emergency trauma care gear has seen or heard? We talk about all this and more in this episode. Stay safe out there, Vortex Nation, and if you have any questions about emergency gear, how to use it or what you need, hit up North American Rescue and keep your eyes peeled for learning opportunities in your area during Stop The Bleed Month in May. As always - let us know if there are any topics you'd like covered on the Vortex Nation podcast by asking us on any one of our social media platforms and using #VortexNationPodcast.

What started as a hobby to blow off some steam after his night shifts as a law enforcement officer turned into a full kydex holster business operation for Adam Weber in a fairly short period of time. Jimmy and Reuben sat down with Adam at SHOT show this year to talk about his story - From attempting to make his first holster using boat foam and an upside down bench grinder from a salvage store to his newest holsters employing science-backed design and manufacture for ultimate reliability and functionality in competitive shooting as well as duty use for our LEO’s. If you’ve been kicking around the idea of starting your own business venture or are just curious how much blood, sweat and tears it takes to get into making kydex holsters on a large scale, tune into this episode and you won’t be disappointed! As always - let us know if there are any topics you'd like covered on the Vortex Nation podcast by asking us on any one of our social media platforms and using #VortexNationPodcast.

In this episode we sit down with the cool dudes from 60th Parallel (@60thparallel - If you're not following them on IG right now, you're missing out!) to talk about hunting the last frontier for the first time. According to John and Casey there's two kinds of people out there considering their first hunt to Alaska - Those who are completely overwhelmed by which quarry to chase, where to go and how to get there and those who are entirely too confident and in for a world of hurt once arguably one of the nation's harshest states finds every way to kick their butt. Hopefully listening to this episode can help you be somewhere more in the middle. Alaska isn't for the faint of heart, but it's absolutely doable for any avid outdoorsman/woman with the appropriate amount of time and resources dedicated well in advance. Being that there's so much to talk about like quarry, locations, logistics, gear and much more that is specific to this state, we're hoping to get these guys on for a part 2 based on the same subject. If you have ideas of more questions we should ask these two Alaskan residents and hardcore hunters, please shout them out in the comments so we can address them on our follow up in the future. As always - let us know if there are any topics you'd like covered on the Vortex Nation podcast by asking us on any one of our social media platforms and using #VortexNationPodcast.

Ever wonder what things looked like at Vortex back in 2002 or maybe what some of the biggest hits and misses have been over the years when it comes to product? Mark and Jimmy join Paul Neess, frequent guest to the podcast and Vortex employee since darn near day one, and Joe Hamilton, new guest and one of the very first members of our sales team. We chat business and marketing from the perspective of an emerging small family business and what the relationship between product development and those pesky sales guys is really like. You'll hear some of our most notorious screw-ups as well as some of the biggest bright spots that ultimately led to the Vortex you know today. With only an "About You" section to read on our website and little information about our history elsewhere, many of you have asked for an episode just like this. In the end, the reason we're still around to this day and able to have this conversation is thanks to you, Vortex Nation, so the biggest shoutout and thanks goes to you! As always - let us know if there are any topics you'd like covered on the Vortex Nation podcast by asking us on any one of our social media platforms and using #VortexNationPodcast.

Buckle those brains up, folks. Jeff Sturgis is about to drop more knowledge on whitetail habitat in an hour and a half than you ever thought possible. In addition to understanding the premiere habitat that whitetails prefer, we’ll dive into daytime locations vs nocturnal areas, what these areas are comprised of and how you can create them on the property you hunt if they don’t already exist. Most hunters who manage land for deer hunting tactfully plant food plots to attract deer to strategic ambush locations, but you’ll learn why sometimes doing so can actually have a negative impact on your property. Instead, there’s plenty of other tactics that can be used to create your own deer mecca – including waterholes, hinge-cutting, and more. Jeff has dedicated his entire career to understanding whitetails while hunting them on small properties and public land all across the country, so settle in and sink your teeth into this ultra-dense dish of deer hunting know-how. As always - let us know if there are any topics you'd like covered on the Vortex Nation podcast by asking us on any one of our social media platforms and using #VortexNationPodcast.

Mark and Jimmy join Ryan Muckenhirn, Ian Klemm and Adam Maxwell for some good old fashioned American show and tell. This time to the tune of WW2(ish) era rifles. This era in firearms has to be one of the most exciting, as powers from across the world called on their most intelligent minds to create better weaponry in order to outgun their opponents. Firearms we discuss in this podcast include Ian's "Cigarette rifle" - a sporterized Mauser 98 chambered in a cartridge you wouldn't expect, Adam's Springfield 1903 bolt action rifle, Mark's single shot US Army .45-70 1873, Jimmy's Lee Enfield No. 4 Mk 1*, Ryan's M1 Garand and the backup gun, a .22 LR replica of an STG 44. As we've said many times, if you like hunting, shooting, competing in shooting sports, or anything else involving guns, we'd have a hard time believing you don't think these things and their history are cool. Check this out and by all means - if you hear anything we missed or have any interesting pieces to add about any of these firearms or firearms of your own, shout them out! As always - let us know if there are any topics you'd like covered on the Vortex Nation podcast by asking us on any one of our social media platforms and using #VortexNationPodcast..

Mark, Jimmy and Erik join Brian Austin, a local fitness instructor and big partner of Train to Hunt, to talk functional fitness for backcountry western hunting along with some of the awesome and intense archery challenges they put on throughout the year to get hunters in shape to enjoy their time more in the wilderness during hunting season. Jimmy draws on some of his experience as a former track & field athlete to point out the differences he's seen transitioning to the fitness necessary for hunting and Brian breaks out his pack, sandbags, wooden box and his bow to do some semi-live exercises and instructions for those of you looking to get off the couch this winter in preparation for next fall. We talk where to start, avoiding injury, exercises you can do at home with relatively minimal equipment and how you can even put your work into a competitive outlet with Train to Hunt's archery challenges all over the country. We do our best to explain the exercises Brian is doing verbally, but if you get the chance to watch this one on Youtube, you'll see exactly what he's doing while we record. As always - let us know if there are any topics you'd like covered on the Vortex Nation podcast by asking us on any one of our social media platforms and using #VortexNationPodcast.

"As deer hunters, are we doing more harm than good in the way we talk about our sport?" If you've ever said this yourself or heard others say it and got to wondering - "What really made that a nice buck?" This is the podcast for you. Mark, Jimmy and Erik dive in on the tricky topics of trophy hunting, naming deer, scoring bucks, the context (or lack thereof) that we put on social media as hunters, an interesting letter we received from an anti-hunting 3rd grader, killing a buck that someone else had history with and a ton more. The point of this episode is not to say that our opinion is 100% correct or that we hold all the answers by any means, but rather to shed light on a great deal of the behind-the-scenes work and respect for wildlife that goes into each and every hunt for those who are not as familiar with our sport. As hunters, we can always work to improve our messaging to the public, especially in this day and age of social media, to properly give our highly complex and incredibly vital pastime and role in conservation its full justice. What are your thoughts on the matter? We'd love to hear from you after listening to this episode! As always - let us know if there are any topics you'd like covered on the Vortex Nation podcast by asking us on any one of our social media platforms and using #VortexNationPodcast.

There could be infinitely many more podcasts dedicated to reloading and its seemingly countless talking points, but we did our best to cram some more advanced reloading knowledge into this 201 level reloading podcast with Mark, Jimmy, Paul Ness and in-house reloading guru Scott Parks. Ever wonder how ambient temperature can effect your load and its accuracy? Can having the highest possible BC bullet actually cause problems with your accuracy and consistency? Should reloaders choose a rifle first, then develop a cartridge around it, or is the opposite order of operations the best course of action? One of the most asked for episodes is finally here. If you haven't listened to our first episode as part of this "Mini series" yet, check out Reloading 101 for a basic introduction to the topic before Scott Parks infiltrates your brain with some serious knowledge in 201. As always - let us know if there are any topics you'd like covered on the Vortex Nation podcast by asking us on any one of our social media platforms and using #VortexNationPodcast.

Our favorite hobbies tend to have two things in common - They're tremendously addictive and often times expensive. To many, a great way to ease this burden would be becoming sponsored by one or more companies in the industry or joining them as a brand ambassador to aid in some of the gear and financial aspects of our addiction - er - "Hobby". Mark, Jimmy, Adam Maxwell and Reuben Aleckson sit down with Josh Tarrant, competitive shooter and Vortex brand ambassador, to talk about what it's really like being in his position as an extension of the brand. It may come as a surprise to a great deal of people to learn that the life of a brand ambassador isn't all free products and casual Instagram posts. Josh explains it as an additional part time job to his regular full time employment and Adam Maxwell says "The cheapest piece of equipment you'll ever buy is the one you went to the store and paid full retail for." eluding to the large amount of sweat equity and work one would need to do in order to receive that product for "Free" as part of a brand ambassador program. If this line of work is something that's peaked your interest, we also talk about dealing with controversies on social media, choosing the company you wish to represent and some of the ways you can catch their attention in your field. As always - let us know if there are any topics you'd like covered on the Vortex Nation podcast by asking us on any one of our social media platforms and using #VortexNationPodcast.

Ball on a budget – The cost/perceived cost of gear, can be a barrier for those new to hunting. It doesn’t’ have to be! Jim, Mark, Erik and Ryan scour the web for 20 minutes and give 4 comprehensive, incredibly inexpensive, gear breakdowns to get you fully outfitted for a field foray you’ll never forget. We also cover gear buying tactics geared toward minimal impact on your budget and maximum impact on your freezer, offsetting gear costs with meat procurement, a $15 treestand, and more. If you’re new to hunting or just love a hell-of-a-bargain, listen up. This one's for you!As always - let us know if there are any topics you'd like covered on the Vortex Nation podcast by asking us on any one of our social media platforms and using #VortexNationPodcast.Already listened, but want the show notes for reference afterwards? You can find them here: https://vortexoptics.com/vortex-nation-podcast

How do you make a riflescope? The idea, optical design, mechanical design, machining, finishing, tolerancing, metrology, assembly, testing and ultimately producing an optic in a commercial setting - Have you ever wondered just what it takes to make this a reality? Sam Hamilton, chief engineer of a special military-focused division within Vortex joins Mark and Jimmy to recollect the entire process of developing the AMG 6-24x50 riflescope from beginning to end. Many of you have asked how this process works, so we went to the source of what is now, to our knowledge, the most American made riflescope on the market today. Not only do we get an in-depth idea of what goes into the development of any riflescope, but also the daunting task of actually manufacturing that product from scratch to be a top-tier, ultra-precision optic. We discuss how your eye is actually a critical part to the optical system, misconceptions about "Glass" in optics, machining processes and incredibly tight tolerances, tough lessons learned by engineers that can only be learned through experience, how riflescopes work and so much more. If you've ever wanted to dive deeper into how your riflescope works and what it took to ultimately put that piece of equipment atop your riflescope, you won't want to miss this episode! As always - let us know if there are any topics you'd like covered on the Vortex Nation podcast by asking us on any one of our social media platforms and using #VortexNationPodcast.

After battling some stomach issues, Jimmy, Mark and Ryan hammer out another HYR episode on late season Nebraska muzzleloader season. Commonly thought of as an “Old school” means of hunting big game, these guys brought out the technical gear from apparel to even the firearms themselves, rocking some very special, high precision, long range capable muzzleloaders. We also discuss buffalo, hunting in groups, learning experiences behind an unfortunate but clean miss and why you should never leave your ribs in the field! Check it out and maybe next December you, too, can add a special late season muzzleloader hunt to your schedule. As always - let us know if there are any topics you'd like covered on the Vortex Nation podcast by asking us on any one of our social media platforms and using #VortexNationPodcast.

Jimmy, Mark and Nick Laufenberg join Chris Andrews of Best Targets and Kristina Pugh from Grunt Style to discuss one of the most grueling and challenging shooting matches ever spawned – The Mammoth Sniper Challenge. This 3-day event takes place in early January and tests shooters’ endurance, skill and willpower as they ruck nearly 10 miles every day with precision long range shooting stations dispersed amongst their route. In the evening, those who opt for the tough-guy challenge are also required to camp out overnight, carrying all their gear on their backs throughout the entire challenge. Chris and Kristina have played an integral role in developing this year’s match which will be the first sniper match that is both open to civilians and takes place on an active duty military installation. Check it out and if you’re thinking this sounds like the match for you, start preparing for next year’s event right now! As always - let us know if there are any topics you'd like covered on the Vortex Nation podcast by asking us on any one of our social media platforms and using #VortexNationPodcast.

Land Tawney, President/CEO of Back Country Hunters & Anglers (BHA), and Jason Meekhof, BHA Great Lakes Chapter Coordinator, sit down with Mark and Jimmy to talk BHA’s history and mission, as well as breaking down the huge variety of state, local and federal public lands at your disposal and their different attributes. We discuss BHA’s current main objectives, the differences between state and federal public lands, the politics and behind-the-scenes action behind each type of public land and what you can do to protect and serve the public lands in your area and around the country. BHA is an organization committed to ensuring there’s ample access to public land and waters in the U.S. and healthy fish and wildlife habitat when you get there. Land and Jason were kind enough to join us for a morning of rabbit and squirrel hunting, followed by a podcast and one heck of a pint night locally in the Madison, WI area. If you’re not part of BHA, listen in to this podcast to hear what they’re all about and decide if joining is right for you. If your state has a local chapter, keep an eye out for their own pint nights to get together with fellow outdoors men and women for good times and great conversation. Your state doesn’t have a local chapter? Grab some like-minded buddies and contact BHA to see what it takes to get one started!

Ever listened to a podcast where the hosts are also shooting while talking? Continuing with our semi-live series on setting up your rifle, we’ve gone from mounting the optic to getting things zeroed in and ready to go at your first trip to the range. Proper equipment, bore sighting, 3-round groups, making adjustments and troubleshooting potential road bumps are just a few of the things we discuss in this podcast at the range. Sighting in a riflescope can be intimidating to newer shooters venturing out on their own, and can even bring unnecessary stress or frustration to seasoned shooters who dread this crucial step in assuring your rifle’s longevity and reliability. It may come as no surprise that we’ve sighted in a riflescope or two in our time here at Vortex, and with all those scopes have come a host of tips and tricks that can make your zero-in process a snap and set you up for ultimately accuracy and a long time of success with your rifle and optic combination. Listen on your commute, or tune in on YouTube to see the video recording of this very podcast!As always - let us know if there are any topics you'd like covered on the Vortex Nation podcast by asking us on any one of our social media platforms and using #VortexNationPodcast.Already listened, but want the show notes for reference afterwards? You can find them here: https://vortexoptics.com/vortex-nation-podcast

Judson Jennings and Kendall Card from Camofire, Blackovis, Crispi Boots USA and a host of other outdoors and hunting related entities sit down with Mark, Jimmy and Paul to discuss their history in the outdoor hunting gear and apparel business and the ever-evolving world of hunting from tactics to the gear we wear in the field. Not only do these guys get out and use the very products they sell to the max, but so do their employees, who are always ready to answer calls and e-mails to help fellow hunters and outdoorsmen conquer the backcountry. It can be difficult to get to know the behind-the-scenes workings of any business so customer-focused, so we took this opportunity to get to know two of the very important people behind their operation and their history with the company from the very beginning. On top of that we learn a little about goats and pack llamas, elk hunting from a tree stand and mentoring new western hunters. As always, let us know what you think of the podcast and if you have any ideas for future topics or guests to join us, let us know!

Ultralight hunters make up a strange mix of total nerds and freak athletes – almost all bound to conquer some of the roughest terrain on the planet in search of rare and unique game. If you’ve ever been forced to listen to their endless stressing over ounces or studied their kit and all its strange gadgets and wondered to yourself – “Why don’t you just do more pushups and carry normal stuff?” – Perhaps this podcast will change your tune. International man of mystery and ultralight hunter extraordinaire Dave Hamilton joins Jimmy, Mark, Erik Barber (Not known for his ultralight-ness), Ryan Muckenhirn and long-time western guide Paul Neess to discuss this highly technical, nerdy and awesome topic. From tips to keep your pack contents to a minimum and extreme ultralight gear that gets the job done – all the way to dehydrated water - we cover some serious ground here. As always - let us know if there are any topics you'd like covered on the Vortex Nation podcast by asking us on any one of our social media platforms and using #VortexNationPodcast. Already listened, but want the show notes for reference afterwards? You can find them here: https://vortexnation.wordpress.com/vortex-nation-podcast/

"Sit day one, drive day two." What more could there be to gun season deer tactics? Amidst all the chaos in some states, how can you still manage to set yourself up for a successful hunt? Is it even worth it to go out after opening day/weekend? What exactly is a deer drive anyway and is there really a "right" way to do it? These are just a few of the topics discussed in this episode dedicated to gun deer season primarily in the midwest with our special guest, Jake Huebschman, from the Hunting Public. A lot of what we focus on here is Wisconsin's iconic gun deer season, being ours and Jake's home state, but we'd love to hear about gun season in your neck of the woods, too! Drop us a comment on IG @vortexnationpodcast after you listen!Already listened, but want the show notes for reference afterwards? You can find them here: https://vortexoptics.com/vortex-nation-podcast

Full disclosure – this can be a touchy subject for a lot of hunters. The topic of public disclosure of hunting “spots” came up after a past episode and Jimmy, Mark, Ryan and Erik all have some varying thoughts on the matter. Do hunters of public land gain too much of a sense of ownership over certain hunting areas? Hunter recruitment is lower than ever, but are some hunters actually happy about it? Is this more an issue of opposing sides simply not wanting their counterparts to have “Too easy of a hunt”? Are we helping state and local wildlife agencies and management if we’re keeping our stories and locations “Hush hush” from the outside world? These are just a few of the topics discussed in this podcast. We completely understand that there are a variety of opinions on the topic and fully respect everyone’s thoughts on the matter. In fact – we’d love to hear what you think about this very topic, too. As always, let’s work to keep the discussion positive for everyone and respectful because in the end, we’re all on the same team. *Edit: Hey, we wanted to try and clarify a point/information we interpreted incorrectly or was originally communicated to us incorrectly. Either way, here we go. Big game tag number allotment in Wyoming isn’t dictated by state or federal funding opportunities….First and foremost, the status and health of game populations and the predicted harvest they can support while maintaining the management objectives of each population are. Determining the number of licenses to issue for a given species and area is a very complex process that involves analysis of a lot of biological information and social factors. Since most of the Wyoming agency funding comes from the sale of hunting and fishing licenses, they are often accused of being all about money. However, the biologists and game wardens aren't looking at revenue projections when they make season recommendations. There is enough demand for hunting licenses in Wyoming that they could actually sell a lot more of them, but would they be providing quality hunting opportunities and doing what is best for wildlife? The answer is most assuredly no. As a service to hunters, access or a lack of access can be taken into consideration when determining the number of available tags. In areas where access is limited, in an effort to not mislead hunters there may be more opportunity than what is realistic, tag allotment may fall at a number under what a game population in a specific region could sustain while maintaining optimal health. As always - let us know if there are any topics you'd like covered on the Vortex Nation podcast by asking us on any one of our social media platforms and using #VortexNationPodcast.

For nearly all of us (With the exception of Mark) firearms are more than just tools - They’re engineering marvels with interesting origins and stories associated with their creation and applications throughout history. Jimmy and Mark sit down with firearms enthusiasts Ryan Muckenhirn, Jimmy Jordan, Adam Maxwell and new guest Ian Klemm to talk about a whole host of obscure, interesting, historical and downright awesome firearms from their collections and the numerous rabbit trails that inevitably follow when you get a bunch of gun nerds in one room with visual aids. Everything from unique cartridges, oddball designs, requirements of end users in different times than our own and much more are discussed in this special “Show-and-tell” episode. Let us know what you think and if you’d like to hear more in the future. Also, if you have any suggestions of interesting firearms to discuss, we’d love to hear them so we can maybe add more to our next special!

Adam and Reub get back from UML (United Multigun League) Traditional Nationals Match and sit down with Jimmy and Mark to discuss all manner of things 3 Gun. First off – we’ve never really talked about where the sport of 3 Gun even came from! What’s the deal with these different divisions of 3 Gun and what is this relatively new and quickly growing division called UML? What was it about this UML Traditional Nationals match that made Reuben say it was his “Favorite match of the season”? And why the hell hasn’t Mark finished his AR yet?? So many questions, so many answers and it’s all packed in less than an hour. As always - let us know if there are any topics you'd like covered on the Vortex Nation podcast by asking us on any one of our social media platforms and using #VortexNationPodcast.

With so much focus on the hunting strategies and tactics that lead up to the shot, it’s easy to overlook the most important events that follow – picking up the blood trail. The sound of the hit, animal’s body language, and sign left behind like hair and color/texture of blood all dictate your next move to recover the animal. Jimmy, Mark, Paul, Ryan, and Erik all sit down to discuss some of the craziest blood trails and the wild-goose chases they were led on and what they learned from the experience on this episode. Spoiler alert: stick around to the very end to hear Paul explain a tracking job that ended in the most unpredictable way imaginable. You’ve probably had some interesting takeaways from blood trails of your own, and we want to hear all about it! If this is a topic you want us to dive further into – let us know! We could certainly dive into a second part of this one. As always, if there’s anything else you want to hear about, just hit us up on one of our many social media platforms using #VortexNationPodcast.