Backcountry Hunting Podcast

SHOW NOTES Books: How to cultivate the patience necessary to weather those numbing periods of inactivity between explosions of hunting action.  PLEASE SUPPORT THE SHOW AT www.patreon.com/backcountry Ways to "consume" books, and the pros & cons of each: Traditional paper Tablets Audiobooks Types of books:  How-to resources Factual and fictional  Pure knowledge, & pure entertainment No. 1: Bear Hunting in Alaska, by Tony Russ No. 2: Sheep Hunting in Alaska, by Tony Russ No. 3: Haunted Mesa, by Louis L'Amour No. 4: Alaska Yukon Trophies Won And Lost, by G.O. Young No. 5: Death in the Long Grass, by Peter Hathaway Capstick No. 6: The Last Stand of Fox Company, by Bob Drury & Tom Clavin No. 7: Man-Eaters of Kumaon, by Jim Corbett (Oxford Omnibus) No. 8: The Shooting of Dan McGrew & Other Poems, by Robert Service No. 9: Where the Lion Feeds, by Wilbur Smith No. 10: Horn of the Hunter, by Robert Ruark COMING UP: .338-caliber cartridges, ranging from the .338-06 to the magnum powerhouses.  Enjoy!

SHOW NOTES Intro: The longest shot on a coyote AR-type rifles: Do they serve adequately for backcountry hunting?  Semiautos and accuracy: The AR's advantage Current social and economic conditions and skyrocketing sales Personal Protection crossover AR's FOR BACKCOUNTRY HUNTING Pros & Cons Receiver sizes Applicable, capable cartridges (and how to choose) Keeping it light Making it accurate Choosing an optic Choosing ammo Setting up for maximum effectiveness Working it out (KNOW YOUR RIFLE!) WRAP: Trust in the Lord, but Keep Your Powder Dry! Timney Triggers Browning Firearms 2A Armament Galco Gunleather Hornady Ammunition Black Hills Ammunition SIG TANGO6T scope Leupold VX-5HD 1-5x scope    

A short message on courage, humanity, and optimism. 

SHOW NOTES:  Intro: Western hunting and shooting situations vary widely. Consider these scenarios... (listen) It behooves hunters to have a rifle and cartridge suitable for any task. These cartridges are two of the best for all-around work on the broad spectrum of Western big game.  .280 Ackley Improved vs. 7mm Remington Magnum HISTORY 7mm Rem Mag .280 Ackley Improved WHY IS THE 7MM/.284 CALIBER SO SIGNIFICANT? Best in class ballistics at acceptable recoil levels Just inside the cusp of what is really capable for almost all North American big game, including elk, moose, and the biggest black bears Adequate projectile weight Adequate frontal diameter Outstanding aerodynamics Popular 7mm's range from 7mm-08 to 28 Nosler PROS & CONS of the .280 Ackley vs. the "Seven-Mag" 7MM REMINGTON MAGNUM Advantages Disadvantages .280 ACKLEY IMPROVED Advantages Disadvantages Segment: MAKING THE SHOT, brought to you by Browning SO, WHICH CARTRIDGE IS BETTER?  SUPPORT THE PODCAST AT WWW.PATREON.COM/BACKCOUNTRY C

SHOW NOTES Walnut & Blued Steel rifles: Can they provide top performance in the backcountry?  Follow-up on episode 61 and wound treatment: Quick-Clot Gauze better than Quick-Clot powder • Ruger's M77 Hawkeye African: A top backcountry hunting rifle Ultimate, classic configuration Lipsey's Special Stock configuration Iron sights Controlled-feed Mauser-type action Cool cartridges (6.5x55, .275 Rigby, .300 Win. Mag.) • Working the rifle into fighting condition Accuracy testing Honing and polishing the action Trigger work and glass bedding Working up a Hornady 129-grain InterBond handload A half-MOA walnut & blued steel backcountry rifle Hunting with the Ruger M77 Hawkeye African • Backcountry Scouting & Navigating: Glass from a tripod • Leupold's new best-in-class mountain-hunting scopes Best-anywhere dial-up CDZ-ZL turrets Ultra light weight Superb glass Useful magnifications: 13-oz. 3.5-10x 40mm and 15.6-oz. 4.5-14x 40mm  • Backcountry Apprentice: Be better hydrated to be a better hunter

SHOW NOTES Garett Wales: Entrepreneur, Beer-brewer, Organic fast-food guru, and passionate backcountry hunter.  Nosler man Kryptek pro staffer Life & Time restaraunteur Wild Game chef Roots of the clean-living, clean-eating passion Motivation and fueling obsessions Desert bighorn sheep hunting Creating organic, free-range, chemical-free fast food NEW SEGMENT: Making The Shot Garrett's hunting addition, and where it started Culinary tips:  Favorite season salts & steak rubs Prepping and seasoning cast iron Wild game cooking vs. beef Favorite backcountry foods and fuels Top game animal and favorite hunting experiences Can't-hunt-without gear items Kids—the most exciting hunting partners of all RESOURCES: Reload season salt Gunpowder steak rub Camp Chef Lodge cast iron Nosler Kryptek Browning

SHOW NOTES • Issues with your feet and/or boots can ruin a hunt • How to choose ideal boots for your foot type & terrain • Foot health maintenance & pain management • Injury prevention & treatment • NEW SEGMENT: Backcountry Scouting & Navigating • Questions & Answers: Bear guns & bullets Eyewear for hunting Mild-recoiling classic cartridges for deer More • How to order Backcountry Hunting Podcast Tee Shirts • Support the Backcountry Hunting Podcast on Patreon

SHOW NOTES • Scenario: You've got hunts ranging from coues deer to mountain grizzly and moose—and have to use just one rifle. What cartridge do you pick?  • What trends show most folks pick • SHOT Show trends and hot cartridges • Comparison between the legendary .300 Win Mag and the trendy new .300 PRC • Candid discussion about podcast survivability • .300 Win Mag: America's all-around champ's Pros & Cons • .300 PRC: Touted as the best fast .30 ever designed, Pros & Cons CONCLUSION: Which is best?  RESOURCES:  Support the Backcountry Hunting Podcast at https://www.patreon.com/backcountry

SHOW NOTES NEW "BACKCOUNTRY APPRENTICE" SEGMENT! Listen for this 2-minute skills and how-to section presented by the host's favorite hunting partner (age 9).  • Interview with Spartan Precision's founder Rob Gearing • Spartan 5-oz. bipods and why they work so well • Mountaineering tripods, trekking poles, and ultralight tents • Construction: Machined aluminum & carbon fiber • Made in the U.K.  • Bow stabilizers and backcountry tool kits • Longbows & the tremendous ability of Great Britain's yeomen • Why we hunt the backcountry RESOURCES Spartan Precision Equipment Javelin Lite bipod Javelin Pro Hunt bipod Sentinel Tripod system Davros Tripod Head Spartan bipod/tripod rifle mount adaptors Spartan Carbonlite $650 tent Spartan Green Genie $350 tent  

SHOW NOTES • Hunting Utah: Guest Colton Heward, big game guide Challenges of drawing a Utah tag "Point creep" —is it unresolvable?  Youth and future opportunities: Can today's kids ever draw a good Utah tag?  Opportunities in Wyoming, Idaho and other surrounding states A draw hunt in Idaho—tough conditions, few deer, many hunters, and the persistence and techniques that resulted in a professional guide's biggest buck ever.  Stalking close and shooting long How to make the most of Utah's opportunities Extended Archery areas Desert Bighorn Sheep and a grandfather's dream Resources: Timney Triggers

SHOW NOTES • Squeezing the trigger: the final act in pursuing an animal • The critical importance of having a good trigger in a backcountry hunting rifle • Introducing Chris Ellis, owner of Ellis Communications, who reps Timney Triggers • Pronghorns in the fog: hunting tales and great triggers • Defining trigger performance:  Crisp (like an icicle breaking) Creep-free  Light Consistant  Overtravel (what's that?) • Replacing factory production triggers: Fairly easy to do Cost spectrum? Timney's classic, legendary model Timney's cutting-edge flagship model • Tuning a Timney to perfection • Timney's outstanding lifetime warrantee and customer service • Heavy triggers and lost opportunities at elk • Listen to the end for exiting news—and a discount code to get 15 percent off any one Timney trigger!  RESOURCES: Timney Triggers

SHOW NOTES Review time! Savage's Axis II budget rifle in .280 Ackley Improved • Listener lever-action questions & comments • Mid-bore cartridges such as the .338-06 and .35 Whelen for backcountry hunting • A six-pound, six-ounce, sub-$400 mountain rifle • Discussing the Axis II action • Barrel length, rifling twist rate, and type • Axis II stock: Well-designed but flexible • Mounting a bipod: Do or don't?  • Accuracy: Will the Axis II .280 Ackley shoot sub-MOA?  • Reliability and feeding smoothness • Ergonomics: Feel, balance, and responsiveness • Picking the right scope for the Axis II RESOURCES:  Email the host joseph@backcountrypodcast.com Follow/submit questions on Instagram @backcountryhuntingpodcast Follow on Facebook: BackcountryHuntingPodcast  Savage Axis II site Hornady .280 Ackley ammo Nosler .280 Ackley ammo Leupold VX-3i riflescopes  

SHOW NOTES This episode addresses several interesting questions and comments submitted by listeners.  • Browning BLR correction • Takedown rifles and scope mounting • Swedish hunters and the Backcountry Hunting Podcast • Single-loading lever guns in dangerous situations • Sierra bullets for hunting • Dogs and deer hunting • Lever-action Turnbull for bear in the Pacific Northwest • Browning A-Bolt Ti • .280 Ackley Improved vs. 7mm Rem Mag. • 7mm STW for backcountry hunting • Barnes TTSX bullets and AR-15 accuracy  

SHOW NOTES • Why hunt the backcountry with a lever action rifle?  • Advantages & disadvantages of lever actions • Types of lever actions • Characteristics of lever actions Browning BLR: Modern, capable powerhouse Savage 99: Vintage but capable Winchester 95: Vintage powerhouse Winchester 86: Classic western big bore Winchester 94: Classic western deer rifle Marlin 1895: All-around classic/capable champ Marlin 336: Accurate, versatile .30-30 • Lever-action takeaway notes RESOURCES Browning BLR Savage 99 Winchester 95 Winchester 86 Winchester 94 Marlin 1895 Marlin 336

SHOW NOTES • Scenario: Running game vs. long shot?  • Intro: Long-Range Hunting—an exploration of all the elements • Listener questions & comments • Defining long-range hunting • The Ethical Argument against long-range hunting • A skill-based argument for long-range hunting • Potential issues with long-range hunting Potential for poor hits Insufficient projectile performance Difficulty recovering game Too many hunters don't practice • Potential advantages of long-range skill More precise shots at common distances Making the most of backcountry opportunities Experience success more frequently Harvest bigger animals, more often • ABC's of becoming a long-range hunter • JvB's personal creed: Be the best hunter possible so long shots are rarely necessary; be the best rifleman possible so as to ethically make long shots when required. 

SHOW NOTES:  • 50th Episode gear giveaway results, LIVE! • Adam Weatherby, and the superb new sub-5 pound Backcountry rifle • How Wyoming has influenced Weatherby rifle design • How Weatherby achieves sub-MOA accuracy in an ultralight rifle • Action features and strength • Barrel construction and quality • Stock design and action bedding • Weatherby's new 6.5 WBY RPM cartridge • Tips to shooting an ultralight rifle accurately • Where the Backcountry rifle line is headed • The "Hunt Your Own State" dilemma RESOURCES Weatherby home page Backcountry Ti rifle Backcountry rifle Email the Backcountry Hunting Podcast here

SHOW NOTES • New podcast email: joseph@backcountrypodcast.com • Toby Boudreau: Biologist extraordinary of Alaska & Idaho • Opportunities in the great state of Idaho • Mule deer:  Population health Where to find the biggest bucks Tag types and available opportunities Idaho's marvelous OTC permit • Elk: Best OTC elk opportunity in Idaho Populations and trophy potential OTC Tag availability Season types and multiple-opportunity tags • Once in a Lifetime hunts (bighorns, moose, Mtn. goats) How and when to apply Cost of license and applying Where to find draw odds • Wolves  Current population impacts How to buy multiple cheap non-resident wolf tags Ongoing management research studies • Human population growth Fastest-growing Western state Future affect and opportunities • Bonus material: Mr. Boudreau's top backcountry hunting cartridge RESOURCES Idaho Fish & Game website Idaho Hunt Planner  

SHOW NOTES • The Critical parts of a capable backcountry riflescope Quality (optical & construction) A balanced magnification range A good dial-up turret with zero stop type mechanism Sub 20-ounce weight • Dialing vs. holding over: How to get the best out of both methods—plus a couple of hunting horror stories that spotlight weaknesses.  • How to set up a dial-up turret • How to calibrate your ammo/bullet system to a holdover reticle • Bonus material: How to use a simple duplex reticle for extended ranges TOP ALL-AROUND HUNTING SCOPES, REVIEWED: Leupold 3-15x44 VX-5HD and 3-18x44 VX-6HD SWAROVSKI Z5 3.5-18X44 BT with 4W reticle Nightforce NSX 2.5-10x42 Leupold VX-3i 2.5-8x36 with Boone & Crockett reticle • Mounting a scope for trouble-free function • Great bases & rings for backcountry rifles      

SHOW NOTES • Lex Webernick, America's master mountain-rifle builder • Listener's questions and comments • Customizing Remington 700 & Winchester M70 actions • Sculpture-quality skeletonizing for ultralight action weight • Premium barrels • Recoil-taming, quiet(ish) muzzle brakes • Building a 13-ounce composite stock • Ultralight, ultra strong scope rings • Commissioning a custom from Rifle's Inc.  • Accuracy of the author's .270 Win. and .375 H&H • Upcoming mountain-rifle reviews:  A sub-$400, mountain-weight .280 Ackley America's top precision mountain rifle Weatherby's innovative new Backcountry Ti RESOURCES Rifle's Inc

SHOW NOTES • .30-06 & .270 at crunch time • Revisiting the old argument: Which is better?  • More to the point, how do you get the best out of each?  Cartridge comparison: .30-06 is more versatile--and here's why .270 is more forgiving in some ways--and here's why Downsides of the .30-06 Downsides of the .270 How to get the best out of the .30-06 History: America's Warhorse Bullet choice Handloading for ultimate performance Matching hunting bullets to intended species Bringing the .30-06 up to modern performance How to get the best out of the .270 Win.  History: O'Conner's favorite Find high-BC bullets Tune for accuracy Pick tough bullets for tough game Set your rifle up for ultimate performance Excellent modern rifles chambered in .30-06 & .270 Browning X-Bolt Hells Canyon Speed Kimber Montana Weatherby Backcountry Ti Spec OPS Brand Accu-Pack Spartan Precision Bipods