Backcountry Hunting Podcast

In the world of light, zippy cartridges that serve double duty on deer and varmints, what's best? Two of our most popular crossover cartridges are the classic .243 Winchester, and the cutting-edge6mm Creedmoor.  This episode takes a deep dive into the pros and cons of each, pitting the two against each other in terminal performance, inherrent accuracy, ballistics, barrel life, practical versatility, and more. Take a listen to hear which emerges the winner. ENJOY!    FRIENDS, PLEASE SUPPORT THE PODCAST!  Join the Backcountry Hunting Podcast tribe and get access to all our bonus material on www.patreon.com/backcountry VISIT OUR SPONSORS HERE:  www.browning.com https://javelinbipod.com www.barnesbullets.com www.timneytriggers.com https://www.portersfirearms.com/ www.leupold.com www.onxmaps.com www.silencercentral.com www.gunwerks.com www.siembidacustomknives.com  

"Do you think the 6.8 Western is here to stay?" We field a lot of this type of question. Survival rate of modern cartridges is a valid concern, especially for hunters that don't handload. So we've featured three really new cutting-edge rifle cartridges that we're pretty sure are here for the long haul. My criteria was that each had to be from a different designer, each had to be introduced very recently, and each had to be a capable, versatile cartridge for western big game.  This is one of a new weekly podcast element: fast-paced, fact-filled five-minute episodes showcasing three top backcountry hunting tools, tricks or techniques.  We're filming these brief episodes and posting them on Patreon, so if you'd like to put eyes on the products and methods showcased, please sign up at www.patreon.com/backcountry for a membership!  Also soon to come: Boots, packs, knives, elk calls, multitools, tents, bear guns, movies, and more! These "Top 3 In 5" minute episodes will drop as frequently as we have time during thi

Few things are worse than an equipment failure when you're about to take a shot at a buck, bull, ram, or boar of a lifetime. One of the least suspected but frequent culprits of shots going astray in the field are inconsistent riflestocks. This episode with accuracy nut Austin Brown digs deep on how to maximize the accuracy potential and consistency of your rifle's stock—and is generously supported with hunting stories to make our points. Ok, ok: This episode is mostly hunting stories with a few good pointers. ENJOY!    FRIENDS, PLEASE SUPPORT THE PODCAST!  Join the Backcountry Hunting Podcast tribe and get access to all our bonus material on www.patreon.com/backcountry VISIT OUR SPONSORS HERE:  www.browning.com www.barnesbullets.com www.timneytriggers.com www.leupold.com www.onxmaps.com www.silencercentral.com https://www.portersfirearms.com/ www.gunwerks.com www.siembidacustomknives.com https://javelinbipod.com

What handgun cartridge should you carry in bear country? That depends on the local species and your personal shooting ability. Spotlighted here are three of the most practical options available.  This is the eighth of a new podcast element: fast-paced, fact-filled five-minute episodes showcasing three top backcountry hunting tools, tricks or techniques.  We're filming these brief episodes and posting them on Patreon, so if you'd like to put eyes on the products and methods showcased, please sign up at www.patreon.com/backcountry for a membership!  Also soon to come: Boots, packs, knives, elk calls, multitools, tents, bear guns, movies, and more! These "Top 3 In 5" minute episodes will drop as frequently as we have time during this busy hunting season, and by Christmas will be a weekly Tuesday-morning addition to the podcast's regular schedule. ENJOY! 

Want a quick-handling, hard-hitting lever-action hunting rifle? Here's an in-depth look at the three primary types, with notes on cartridges and configurations.  Traditional lever actions: Winchester and Marlin models for vintage cartridges Cartridges: .44 Magnum, .30-30, .45-70, and so forth Characteristics: Classic, historic, best at close range Advanced traditional lever actions:  Savage 99, Winchester 95 Cartridges: .300 Savage, .30-06, .405 Win, and so forth Characteristics: More powerful, still historic, best at close to medium range Modern lever actions:  Browning BLR, Henry Long Ranger Cartridges: .243, 6.5 Creedmoor, .308, .30-06, .300 Win Mag and more Characteristics: Most powerful, most effective at extended range Here's a look at the historic developement of each type, the uses each is best suited for, and how to pick one that fits a shooters desire for his or her individual desire for lever-action performance combined with historic lever-gun panache. ENJOY!   FRIENDS, PLEASE SUPPORT THE POD

What fire starting aids should you carry in dangerous country? Spotlighted here are three of the best: Products proven to work in harsh conditions.   This is the seventh of a new podcast element: fast-paced, fact-filled five-minute episodes showcasing three top backcountry hunting tools, tricks or techniques.  We're filming these brief episodes and posting them on Patreon, so if you'd like to put eyes on the products and methods showcased, please sign up at www.patreon.com/backcountry for a membership!  Also soon to come: Boots, packs, knives, elk calls, multitools, tents, bear guns, movies, and more! These "Top 3 In 5" minute episodes will drop as frequently as we have time during this busy hunting season, and by Christmas will be a weekly Tuesday-morning addition to the podcast's regular schedule. ENJOY! 

Back to the Dark Continent... This episode is raw and unedited, just as we recorded it beside a campfire along the Okavango river late one night, with lions roaring and elephants trumpeting in the background.  On the second half of our fall 2023 safari with Kowas Adventure Safaris in Namibia, my daughter Audrey shot a wonderful old kudu bull and a gnarly-horned impala. Then Austin Brown and I broke out the big-bore dangerous game rifles to hunt cape buffalo. We tracked old bachelor bull groups through the days in heat up to 102 degrees Fahrenheit, in ankle-deep sand, and shot three massive old bulls.  This episode is all about the stories, folks!  The episode wraps up with a discussion of African conservation challenges and the future, including a hard, honest look at the cow elephant herds moving into the historic Caprivi Strip region and decimating the habitat.  Experiences like this only happen once in a lifetime, and we hope you enjoy the stories...    If you're interested in following in our tracks and g

What cartridge should you take on an African plains game safari? Spotlighted here are three outstanding, versatile cartridges, recommended by our guest Jacques Strauss, my favorite African PH.  This is the sixth of a new podcast element: fast-paced, fact-filled five-minute episodes showcasing three top backcountry hunting tools, tricks or techniques.  We're filming these brief episodes and posting them on Patreon, so if you'd like to put eyes on the products and methods showcased, please sign up at www.patreon.com/backcountry for a membership!  Also soon to come: Boots, packs, knives, elk calls, multitools, tents, bear guns, movies, and more! These "Top 3 In 5" minute episodes will drop as frequently as we have time during this busy hunting season, and by Christmas will be a weekly Tuesday-morning addition to the podcast's regular schedule. ENJOY! 

Recorded live and raw in the field, this episode takes us to Africa. In addition to lots of great hunting stories, we address safari research, logistics, planning, and prep with the help of my long-time hunting partner and world traveler Austin Brown.  Plus, Namibian Professional Hunter Jacques Strauss of Kowas Hunting Safaris talks us through pre-hunt practice and skills crucial to success in the African bush.  My kids Audrey (age 15) and William (age 13, our very own Backcountry Apprentice) get to experience the Dark Continent and hunt plains game for the first time. Plus my hunting pardner Austin Brown and I hunt leopard and for an elusive giant kudu bull.  This is an account of the first half of our safari... including a once-in-many-lifetimes close daylight encounter with a big male leopard.  ENJOY!    FRIENDS, PLEASE SUPPORT THE PODCAST!  Join the Backcountry Hunting Podcast tribe and get access to all our bonus material on www.patreon.com/backcountry VISIT OUR SPONSORS HERE:  www.browning.com www.barne

How do we overcome our human (read "weak") eyesight? With good optics!  Spotlighted here are the three primary glassing tools every backcountry hunter should have, along with tips and tricks on how to pick the right one and how to use it.  This is the fifth of a new podcast element: fast-paced, fact-filled five-minute episodes showcasing three top backcountry hunting tools, tricks or techniques.  We're filming these brief episodes and posting them on Patreon, so if you'd like to put eyes on the products and methods showcased, please sign up at www.patreon.com/backcountry for a membership!  Also soon to come: Boots, packs, knives, elk calls, multitools, tents, bear guns, movies, and more! These "Top 3 In 5" minute episodes will drop as frequently as we have time during this busy hunting season, and by Christmas will be a weekly Tuesday-morning addition to the podcast's regular schedule. ENJOY! 

Your hunting rifle can be a truckbox tool, or a refined instrument. Either way, you should trust it completely, and it should provide characteristics that help you—the soft tissue behind the system—close the deal at the moment of truth.  This episode discusses essential features of a great hunting rifle:  Accuracy Reliablity Ergonomics Action type, feel, & function Trigger  Scope features Backup sighting systems Life is too short to hunt with ugly rifles, folks! (Or innaccurate, unreliable, awkward rifles...) This discussion was inspired by several failures and near-failures in the field, and we tell those stories to support our points.  ENJOY!    FRIENDS, PLEASE SUPPORT THE PODCAST!  Join the Backcountry Hunting Podcast tribe and get access to all our bonus material on www.patreon.com/backcountry VISIT OUR SPONSORS HERE:  https://www.portersfirearms.com/ www.timneytriggers.com www.onxmaps.com www.siembidacustomknives.com www.browning.com www.barnesbullets.com www.leupold.com www.gunwerks.com www.silenc

Interested in a sleek, lightweight rangefinding binocular? Spotlighted here are the only three available. Thankfully, they're all great. Each provides excellent optical quality, a powerful, reliable laser ranging engine, and cutting-edge technology.  This is the fourth of a new podcast element: fast-paced, fact-filled five-minute episodes showcasing three top backcountry hunting tools, tricks or techniques.  We're filming these brief episodes and posting them on Patreon, so if you'd like to put eyes on the products and methods showcased, please sign up at www.patreon.com/backcountry for a membership!  Also soon to come: Boots, packs, knives, elk calls, multitools, tents, bear guns, movies, and more! These "Top 3 In 5" minute episodes will drop as frequently as we have time during this busy hunting season, and by Christmas will be a weekly Tuesday-morning addition to the podcast's regular schedule. ENJOY! 

After a wildly successful evening of hunting mule deer with Audrey and Sophie von Benedikt, we sit down with friend Rob Gearing, who is a certain contender for Most Interesting Man in the World. We talk through the girls' hunt, detail the cutting-edge family of shooting support systems at Spartan Precision Equipment, and get Rob's perspective on how mountain climbing and some near-death survival adventures influence his design ethos.  The second half of the podcast our conversation gets pithy and very real, as we discuss the primal drive to hunt and eat wild meat and the psychological and health benefits of doing so. We even discuss the need to maintain our heritage and hunting rights and manage to avoid getting political!  This was a tremendous discussion, folks. ENJOY!    FRIENDS, PLEASE SUPPORT THE PODCAST!  Join the Backcountry Hunting Podcast tribe and get access to all our bonus material on www.patreon.com/backcountry VISIT OUR SPONSORS HERE:  www.browning.com www.barnesbullets.com www.timneytriggers.co

Success! You've just shot a buck or bull. But should the fun really stop there? Not really. You'll shift gears, sure, but the process of getting great photos in the field, then field processing and breaking down your animal and packing it out can be very rewarding.  This episode, we take an in-depth look at three steps:  PHOTOGRAPHY Positioning your animal Using the light  Positioning the hunter Setting up the camera Framing the photo LOOKING and SEEING what's in the viewfinder Snapping the shot Field Dressing & the Gutless Method Traditional gutting: Pros, Cons, & How-to Gutless Method: skinning, quartering, & lifting off backstraps Removing bones Packing Out Cooling meat Meat sacks & flies Loading your backpack Working without injury Aging meat on ice   FRIENDS, PLEASE SUPPORT THE PODCAST!  Join the Backcountry Hunting Podcast tribe and get access to all our bonus material on www.patreon.com/backcountry VISIT OUR SPONSORS HERE:  www.timneytriggers.com https://javelinbipod.com www.brown

This is the third of a new podcast element: fast-paced, fact-filled five-minute episodes showcasing three top backcountry hunting tools, tricks or techniques. We're calling them the "Top 3 In 5" bonus episodes.  Spotlighted here are three of our all-time favorite classic elk cartridges. They all provide adequate bullet weight, muzzle velocity, and frontal diameter and are proven, authoritative killers on even big-bodied, mature bulls.  We're filming these brief episodes and posting them on Patreon, so if you'd like to put eyes on the products and methods showcased, please sign up at www.patreon.com/backcountry for a membership!  Also soon to come: Boots, packs, knives, elk cartridges, elk calls, multitools, tents, bear guns, movies, and more! These "Top 3 In 5" minute episodes will drop as frequently as we have time during this busy hunting season, and by Christmas will be a weekly Tuesday-morning addition to the podcast's regular schedule. ENJOY!   

A good rangefinder is a crucial tool for hunting big country... Leupold's expert Eric Overstreet takes us on a deep dive into how they work, and what makes a really effective rangefinder—Laser shapes and divergence, pulse rate, display types, ballistic calculators and ranging speed and more.  On a very practical note, we talk through the pros and cons of rangefinding binoculars vs. monocular rangefinders, how quickly technology goes out of date, and how to plan for best-possible performance.  This one's a can't miss, folks... ENJOY!    FRIENDS, PLEASE SUPPORT THE PODCAST!  Join the Backcountry Hunting Podcast tribe and get access to all our bonus material on www.patreon.com/backcountry VISIT OUR SPONSORS HERE:  www.browning.com www.barnesbullets.com www.leupold.com www.onxmaps.com www.timneytriggers.com www.silencercentral.com https://www.portersfirearms.com/ www.gunwerks.com www.siembidacustomknives.com https://javelinbipod.com

This is the second of a new podcast element: fast-paced, fact-filled five-minute episodes showcasing three top backcountry hunting tools, tricks or techniques. We're calling them the "Top 3 In 5" bonus episodes.  Spotlighted here are three of our all-time favorite lightweight hunting scopes. They span a price range of $500 to $1,650, and all are light enough to pack up mountains, are feature-filled so they'll hunt as hard and as far as you can, and are of premium quality, so they provide great durability, light transmission, image clarity, color purity, and so on.  Also soon to come: Boots, packs, knives, elk cartridges, elk calls, multitools, tents, bear guns, movies, and more! These "Top 3 In 5" minute episodes will drop as frequently as we have time during this busy hunting season, and by Christmas will be a weekly Tuesday-morning addition to the podcast's regular schedule. ENJOY!  www.patreon.com/backcountry  

When you hunt a wide spectrum of big game—ranging from little deer to big elk—with just one type of bullet, your average whitetail bullet may not cut the mustard. You need a premium bullet that will capable kill anything you shoot it at—and from less than ideal shot angles.  This episode details five of top choices for crossover work on big game from whitetails to elk. First we set the stage by defining the desirable characteristics of a capable big game bullet, then we discuss the specific characteristics of several premium options, including favorite calibers and weights.  Barnes LRX Federal Terminal Ascent Hornady CX Nosler AccuBond Swift Scirocco II Honorable mention: Swift A-Frame and Nosler Partition Finally, we wrap up with a quick list of great cartridges for shooting these bullets. This was a fun one, folks. ENJOY!    FRIENDS, PLEASE SUPPORT THE PODCAST!  Join the Backcountry Hunting Podcast tribe and get access to all our bonus material on www.patreon.com/backcountry VISIT OUR SPONSORS HERE:  www.

This is the first of a new podcast element: fast-paced, fact-filled five-minute episodes showcasing three top backcountry hunting tools, tricks or techniques. We're calling them the "Top 3 In 5" bonus episodes.  Spotlighted here are three of our all-time favorite backcountry hunting rifles. These are top-end production rifles; we'll do similar episodes on entry-level rifles and full custom rifles soon.  Also soon to come: Boots, packs, knives, elk cartridges, elk calls, multitools, tents, bear guns, movies, and more! These "Top 3 In 5" minute episodes will drop as frequently as we have time during this busy hunting season, and by Christmas will be a weekly Tuesday-morning addition to the podcast's regular schedule. ENJOY!