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
Listen on:
Episodes
Monday Sep 02, 2024
Monday Sep 02, 2024
This podcast was recorded on our Alaska caribou hunt, as we spent a day stuck in camp, waiting for a swollen river to recede to safe levels — allowing us to begin rafting to our pickup point, where we would get flown out of the field a couple of days later.
Steve, Mark, Justin, & Jeff discuss how they each killed a caribou bull in the days before this conversation. They detail how each encounter happened, what they did right, and what they did wrong.
VIDEO & PHOTOS — https://the-experience-project.com/alaska-caribou-hunt-breakdown/
Subscribe via Email: https://exomtngear.com/newsletter
Questions / Feedback for The Experience Project: experience@exomtngear.com
Questions / Feedback for the podcast in general: podcast@exomtngear.com
Monday Aug 26, 2024
Monday Aug 26, 2024
Join Steve and Mark as discuss some of the takeaways following their Caribou Hunt in Alaska. In this shorter, more informal episode, they talk through their expectations prior to the hunt, and how the reality of the hunt did or did not match those expectations. They also talk about some of the lessons they learned, the gear that stood out to them, how Steve's 6mm Creedmoor performed on two big Caribou bulls, and more.
THE EXPERIENCE PROJECT — https://the-experience-project.com/post-hunt-debrief-alaska-caribou/
SUBSCRIBE VIA EMAIL — https://exomtngear.com/newsletter
ASK YOUR QUESTION — podcast@exomtngear.com
LEAVE A MESSAGE — https://speakpipe.com/huntbackcountry
View & Search the Podcast Archive: https://exomtngear.com/podcast
Monday Aug 19, 2024
Monday Aug 19, 2024
Steve called them, "a multitool of the backcountry." They can prevent injury, allow you to hike further with less fatigue, support a shelter, and enable you to shoot a rifle with more stability from various positions.
If you are a backcountry hunter, you should own, carry, and use trekking poles. Period.
In this video, Steve & Mark discuss why backcountry hunters should use trekking poles, what to consider when purchasing trekking poles, the mistakes that people make when using trekking poles, and how you can use trekking poles for more than hiking.
VIDEO & MORE INFO: https://the-experience-project.com/hunters-should-use-trekking-poles/
Subscribe via Email: https://exomtngear.com/newsletter
Questions / Feedback for The Experience Project: experience@exomtngear.com
Questions / Feedback for the podcast in general: podcast@exomtngear.com
Thursday Aug 15, 2024
Thursday Aug 15, 2024
When backpack hunting, a headlamp may be used for simple task lighting around camp, but it may also be a critical source of safety as you navigate difficult off-trail terrain with a heavy pack on a nighttime packout.
A backpack hunter's headlamp needs to balance weight, performance, and efficiency.
In this podcast episode, Steve & Mark discuss the unique demands of headlamps for backpack hunting, the headlamps we have used, and what headlamps we will be testing and reviewing moving forward...
VIDEO & MORE INFO: https://the-experience-project.com/headlamps-for-backpack-hunting/
Subscribe via Email: exomtngear.com/newsletter
Questions / Feedback for The Experience Project: experience@exomtngear.com
Questions / Feedback for the podcast in general: podcast@exomtngear.com
Monday Aug 12, 2024
Monday Aug 12, 2024
Steve and Mark answer your listener questions on this Monday Minute episode. They discuss why they don't use hammocks for backpack hunts, when to use wrist straps with trekking poles, why they aren't talking about bows on The Experience Project, and much more.
Resources mentioned in this episode:
- Hammock Camping the Right Way (Podcast): https://exomtngear.com/blogs/podcast/168
- Flying With Firearms (Video): https://exomtngear.com/blogs/article/how-to-fly-with-a-hunting-rifle
- Travel Tips for Out-of-State Hunts (Podcast): https://exomtngear.com/blogs/podcast/417
THE EXPERIENCE PROJECT — https://the-experience-project.com/
SUBSCRIBE VIA EMAIL — https://exomtngear.com/newsletter
ASK YOUR QUESTION — podcast@exomtngear.com
LEAVE A MESSAGE — speakpipe.com/huntbackcountry
View & Search the Podcast Archive: https://exomtngear.com/podcast
Friday Aug 09, 2024
Friday Aug 09, 2024
Few things can affect a backpack hunt more than water. When water is plentiful, it becomes an afterthought. But when it is hard to find good water sources, living in the backcountry requires intentionality and effort.
In this podcast, we discuss how we find, filter, and carry water on extended hunts. And in addition to this podcast, we have shared a video and links to other resources and research, which you can find at...
https://the-experience-project.com/water-filters-for-backpack-hunts/
Subscribe via Email: exomtngear.com/newsletter
Questions / Feedback for The Experience Project: experience@exomtngear.com
Questions / Feedback for the podcast in general: podcast@exomtngear.com
Wednesday Aug 07, 2024
Wednesday Aug 07, 2024
The hunting market is full of clothing brands — each one offering many types and styles of clothing layers, and often different camouflage patterns. And that is just the hunting market. If you're open to using solid colors for hunting, you can begin to shop for technical apparel from brands outside of the hunting space and have never-ending options on what to buy and wear.
It can be hard to understand how to evaluate the clothing you need or know where to invest your money. We want to help cut through that confusion.
In this podcast, Steve & Mark discuss their approach to clothing layers for backpack hunts, and how different seasons and conditions affect their layering strategies and gear choices.
VIDEO & MORE INFO: https://the-experience-project.com/clothing-layers-for-backpack-hunting/
(00:00:00) Introduction
(00:03:20) Socks
(00:15:05) Baselayer Bottoms
(00:20:29) Camouflage vs Solid Colors for Hunting
(00:26:30) Is Budget Clothing Good Enough?
(00:32:03) Hunting Pants
(00:34:35) Our Work on Apparrel Design with Outdoor Vitals
(00:36:58) Belts
(00:38:17) Clothing Weight for Backpack Hunting
(00:40:24) Underwear
(00:44:45) Versatility of a Layering “System”
(00:46:12) Puffy Pants
(00:51:45) Recapping Bottom Layers
(00:52:45) Overview of Top Layers
(00:55:11) Next-to-Skin Top
(01:03:04) Mid-layer Top
(01:06:50) Hike Cool
(01:11:59) Puffy Jackets
(01:18:34) Rain Gear
(01:29:42) Gloves
(01:33:36) Headwear
(01:34:33) Gaiters
(01:37:21) Conclusion
Subscribe via Email: https://exomtngear.com/newsletter
Questions / Feedback for The Experience Project: experience@exomtngear.com
Questions / Feedback for the podcast in general: podcast@exomtngear.com
Tuesday Aug 06, 2024
Tuesday Aug 06, 2024
At what point does nutrition help or hurt you on a backcountry hunt? When, and how, can your food choices make a difference in your performance? What are some of the common nutrition-related mistakes that hunters make when packing food for a trip?
We answer these questions (and many more) with Kyle Kamp of Valley-to-Peak Nutrition. We also share a free nutrition planning spreadsheet, recipes for do-it-yourself backcountry bars, and more...
VIDEO & MORE INFO: https://the-experience-project.com/backcountry-nutrition-spreadsheet-and-recipe/
Valley-to-Peak Nutrition: https://v2pnutrition.com/
Subscribe via Email: https://exomtngear.com/newsletter
Questions / Feedback for The Experience Project: experience@exomtngear.com
Questions / Feedback for the podcast in general: podcast@exomtngear.com
Monday Aug 05, 2024
Monday Aug 05, 2024
Steve and Mark answer your listener questions on this Monday Minute episode. They discuss tarp selection, bivy setups, groundsheets, suppressor protection, worn-out boots, factory ammo for 6mm Creedmoor, and more...
THE EXPERIENCE PROJECT — https://the-experience-project.com/
SUBSCRIBE VIA EMAIL — https://exomtngear.com/newsletter
ASK YOUR QUESTION — podcast@exomtngear.com
LEAVE A MESSAGE — https://speakpipe.com/huntbackcountry
View & Search the Podcast Archive: https://exomtngear.com/podcast
Friday Aug 02, 2024
Friday Aug 02, 2024
There are countless shelters on the market. Tents, tarps, and tipis. Materials such as silnylon, silpoly, and Dyneema. Ultralight options rated for 3-season use, and heavy-duty options rated for 4-season use. Single-wall and double-wall. Freestanding and non-freestanding. And the options don't end there!
So how do you select the best shelter for your needs? And is there one shelter that can do it all for you?
In this podcast, Steve & Mark discuss the various types of shelters available, the many shelters they have used, and what to consider when selecting a shelter for backpack hunting.
VIDEO & MORE INFO: https://the-experience-project.com/shelters-for-backpack-hunting/
Subscribe via Email: https://exomtngear.com/newsletter
Questions / Feedback for The Experience Project: experience@exomtngear.com
Questions / Feedback for the podcast in general: podcast@exomtngear.com