The Hunt Backcountry Podcast
Backcountry hunters talking backcountry hunting. No advertisers or sponsors, no fluff, no BS. We discuss tactics, strategies, gear, hunt stories, and more — featuring a wide variety of guests, from industry experts to everyday listeners of the show. Your hosts, Steve & Mark, have decades of experience hunting the mountains for elk, deer, bear, antelope, sheep, mountain goats, moose, caribou, and more. While this podcast is 100% independent and free from advertising or sponsorship, it is brought to you by Exo Mtn Gear, which we own and operate. Exo’s mission is to build the best backcountry hunting pack systems available, provide the best service possible, and do it all right here in the USA. Learn more at: https://exomtngear.com/ Contact us at any time with your questions or feedback by emailing us: podcast@exomtngear.com. Or visit the searchable archive of all podcast episodes we have published over the past decade at: https://exomtngear.com/podcast. Thanks for listening! —Steve & Mark
Episodes
Jeff Cayley joins us to share his experience completing America's Toughest Race — a multi-sport adventure race that covered 300+ miles of hiking, mountain biking, climbing, packrafting, and wayfinding.
We discuss Jeff's training, lessons learned, and how his experience applies to us, as backpack hunters.
Connect with Jeff...
Steve & Mark answer your listener questions on this Monday Minute episode. They discuss targets for shooting practice in the mountains, bug-proof base layers for spring bear hunts, electrolyte supplements for hikes and hunts, compatibility of rifle barrels and stocks/chassis, and more...
Links & Resources mentioned in this episode...
- At-cost Exo Logo Gear: https://exomtngear.com/logo
- Salt Pills: https://amzn.to/4iGhXzb...
How short is too short when it comes to choosing a barrel length for hunting?
Whether you are interested in a shorter barrel for your next hunting rifle because you plan to add a suppressor, because you want to save weight, or simply because you want an easy-handling, easy-packing rifle — the fact is that short barrels are viable with today’s highly efficient bullets, laser rangefinders, and scopes that precisely and reliably dial ...
Andrew Skurka is an adventure athlete, guide, and writer. He raised the bar on backpacking as a long-distance thru-hiker, completing (and at times creating) routes that traversed thousands of miles over many months. We interviewed Andrew on our podcast nearly a decade ago, and in the years since then, he has launched a business that provides educational experiences through guided backpacking trips.
We were excited to reconnect with...
Steve & Mark answer your listener questions on this Monday Minute episode. They discuss...
- New $10 T-Shirts from Exo Mtn Gear (https://exomtngear.com/logo)
- Logistics on flying and traveling for hunts, including food for the backcountry, luggage and duffel bags for the travel, and getting meat home
- Backpack hunting with a non-hunting pack
- What hunters "need" a spotting scope (and why the optics market is a mess right now)
- W...
A pre-fit barrel is a ready-to-shoot barrel that can be installed on a rifle action with minimal tools, knowledge, and skills.
In this podcast with Jaden Miller of West Elk Precision, we discuss the pros and cons of pre-fit barrels, different types of pre-fit barrels, how to install a pre-fit barrel at home, and answer your listener-submitted questions about the use of pre-fit rifle barrels.
Lily drew a once-in-a-lifetime Mountain Goat tag in her home state of Idaho, then was fortunate enough to kill a record book Billy on that hunt. Lily and her boyfriend, Ben, who previously had the same tag, join us on the podcast to share the hunt story, how they prepared for this hunt, Lily's perspective as a female hunter, and much more.
The Hunt Backcountry Podcast is brought to you by Exo Mtn Gear...
Steve & Mark answer your listener questions and share some news and updates on this Monday Minute episode. They discuss...
- Your suggestions for the Exo tagline
- Upcoming Exo events
- How we train with a Peloton bike
- Potential for an ultralight frame stay option
- The importance of simplicity
EXO INSIDER NEWSLETTER — https://exomtngear.com/newsletter
ASK YOUR QUESTION — podcast@exomtngear.com
LEAVE A MESSAGE — https://spea...
After discussing the theory behind hunting with smaller calibers and then taking a 6mm Creedmoor to Alaska to hunt big-bodied Caribou and Moose, we are recapping our experience and answering your listener-submitted questions.
Resources Mentioned in this Episode: https://exomtngear.com/blogs/article/using-the-6mm-creedmoor-for-big-game-hunting
Exo Insider K4 Pack Giveaway: https://exomtngear.com/newsletter
Contact Us: podcast@exomtn...
Jay Nichol of Mindful Hunter joins us to answer your listener-submitted questions. This is a very wide-ranging conversation, as we discuss everything from boxers for the backcountry, how much you should tip a hunting guide, issues with hunting influencers, budget gear recommendations, the best do-it-all spotting scope size, and MUCH more.
The Hunt Backcountry Podcast is brought to you by Exo Mtn Gear:...
Welcome to The First Monday. In these episodes, Steve & Mark talk through what's going on for them that month in the categories of The Gear, The Hunt, and the Hunter, as well as what's going on with Exo Mtn Gear. If you want an unfiltered, behind-the-scenes look at what we are doing, researching, and learning, or just what we are excited about, this is it.
Links and resources mentioned in this episode...
If you are new to backpack hunting, you are probably overwhelmed with what you need, where you can go, and how to get started.
In this podcast, we are joined by Josh Kirchner from Dialed-In Hunter to discuss the first steps that beginning backpack hunters need to take to get started backpack hunting.
Free gear lists, training plan, nutrition guide, and more: https://exomtngear.com/blogs/article/backpack-hunting-for-beginners
Steve & Mark answer your listener questions and share some news and updates on this Monday Minute episode. They discuss...
- A limited-run of K4 3600s in Multicam
- Why Exo switched from Titanium to Carbon Fiber
- Using dirt bikes for hunting and packing out meat
- Hunting Alaska solo
- Using a poncho as rain gear, a tarp, and a groundsheet
- Altitude sickness prevention and treatment
Links for this episode...
- Multicam K4: ...
Jeremy Dugger (@muleymojo) is the owner of Xpert Archery. After hearing story after story about bowhunters' experiences with broadhead performance on animals, he decided to start formally collecting data on the type of broadhead used, the distance of the shot, the arrow weight, the bow's draw weight, and the lethality or lack of recovery of the animal. Now, with over 500 responses in his data collection, he joins us to share some o...
Steve & Mark answer your listener questions and share some news and updates on this Monday Minute episode. They discuss...
- The new "Tallboy" K4 Nalgene Holder
- Exo on Joe Rogan
- Mark's Midnight "Death Hike"
- Follow-up Bivy Questions
- Gear Confirmation Bias
- Using Pack Space Efficiently
Links for this episode...
- Pre-Order the "Tallboy" K4 Nalgene Holder: https://exomtngear.com/tallboy
- Exo Email & Pack Giveaway: h...
We have been using a bivy sack on backpack hunts for about a decade now.
Often, we'll use our bivy under the stars. At times, we'll add a tarp or minimal shelter. And in extreme cases, we use a bivy sack inside the shell of a Hilleberg tent.
On this podcast (and in the article below), you can learn how, why, and when we use bivy sacks. We also answer 10+ listener-submitted questions about the use of a bivy for backpack hunting.
Steve & Mark answer your listener questions and share some news and updates on this Monday Minute episode. They discuss...
- Steve's adjustable box for step-up workouts
- Flight characteristics and ethical aspects of mechanical vs fixed broadheads (with more to come!)
- Better cell service in the backcountry
- Overuse of technology
- Adding extra down fill to a quilt (or sleeping bag)
Links for this episode...
While we have spoken with numerous wildlife agencies and employees on the Hunt Backcountry Podcast over the years, those conversations have generally focused on game management, policy and regulations, and hunter opportunity.
In this episode, we discuss wildlife law enforcement with Matt — an Exo customer and an employee of Arizona Game & Fish.
Matt shares his insights on mistakes that hunters make, the rules they break, how en...
Welcome to The First Monday. In these episodes, Steve & Mark talk through what's going on for them that month in the categories of The Gear, The Hunt, and the Hunter, as well as what's going on with Exo Mtn Gear. If you want an unfiltered, behind-the-scenes look at what we are doing, researching, and learning, or just what we are excited about, this is it.
Links for this episode...
- Exo Email Notifications: https://exomtnge...
Cody joins us to share the story of the Mule Deer hunt that he shared with his brother and father this past fall. They hunted Montana for the first time and were able to go 3-for-3 on filling their tags. We discuss how they planned this hunt, how they scouted for this out-of-state hunt, how they battled the cold conditions, and how the hunt success happened.
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