Vortex Nation Podcast

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

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 #VortexNationP

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 incredibl

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

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 fo

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 direc

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. Th

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

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, identifyi

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 o

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 Nat

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