Vortex Nation Podcast

Vortex Optics

Welcome to the Vortex Nation Podcast. Brought to you by lovers of hunting, shooting, public lands, the Second Amendment and dang good food.

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941 episodes
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Episodes941

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Sep 27, 2018 · 28 min
Ep. 20 | Turkey Leg Street Tacos
What do you do after raiding a crockpot full of delicious braised turkey leg meat for turkey leg street taco’s? Podcast about it so the whole world can know how good it is. Turkey legs don’t get a lot of love thanks to the myriad of ultra-tough tendons running throughout their meat, often making cooking and eating a complete nightmare. Erik and Mark braised up a few legs from their spring turkeys while Jimmy whipped up some fresh-made salsa to top it all off and gosh darnit if it didn’t turn out
Sep 24, 2018 · 57 min
Ep. 19 | Josh Froelich – World Champion IPSC Shotgun Shooter
The crew sits down with Josh Froelich, Open Division competitive shooter and 2018 IPSC Shotgun World Champion, to talk open division shooting, why he runs so many red dots on his guns (Yes – more than one on each gun!) and the overall experience competing in the IPSC Shotgun World Championships in France. We learned even more about his reasoning for switching from fighting MMA for years to transitioning into the 3 Gun arena and also how his new eating habits have helped take his shooting game to
Sep 17, 2018 · 1 hr 10 min
Ep. 18 | Hunt Year ‘Round – DIY Sitka Blacktails Over the Counter
Some hunters spend summer months yearning for the crisp crunch of fall leaves and a brisk northerly breeze. Rather than counting down the days to hunting season, why not get started in August? In this month’s rendition of Hunt Year 'Round, we’re joined by Jesse Knock to get the scoop on hunting Sitka blacktail deer in Alaska’s Alpine. Chasing blacktails in arguably the most unforgiving terrain on the planet will test you mentally and physically, and will certainly reward you with an incredible e
Sep 13, 2018 · 56 min
Ep. 17 | Did Long Range 1001 and 1002 Help Erik?
After listening to Long Range 1001 and 1002, Erik decided it was time to really give long range a try at the Vortex Extreme 2018 in Wyoming. He sat down with Mark and Jimmy to discuss the practical application of his “Lessons” in going from a regular Wisconsin whitetail hunter to a full-blown long range precision competitor in just one weekend. If you’ve listened to our long range podcasts, but are still nervous to actually put it into action, perhaps Erik’s story will help get you ready for wha
Sep 13, 2018 · 40 min
Ep. 16 | Wyoming's Connection to the Vortex Extreme
Nephi Cole, Policy advisor for Wyoming Gov. Mead and Doug Miyamoto, Director of the Wyoming Department of Agriculture join Jimmy and Mark at the Vortex Extreme 2018 as they discuss the decision to make shooting sports a larger focus of their Wyoming State Fair. It seems rare these days to hear public officials voicing their support for firearms and the shooting sports industry, so to hear from these two about Wyoming’s dedication to preserving and even further igniting their state’s firearm cult
Sep 12, 2018 · 43 min
Ep. 15 | What is the Vortex Extreme?
Slightly delirious from days of preparing the Vortex Extreme competition in the Wyoming elevation and heat, the Vortex crew sits down in the Wyoming State Police Academy to explain just what the Vortex Extreme is. An event 8 years in the running, the Extreme made the move to Wyoming this year for the first time to be held on the historic Wagonhound Ranch outside of Douglas, WY. Combining the endurance of hiking your rifle and gear nearly 9 miles through the mountains with the accuracy needed to
Sep 10, 2018 · 50 min
Ep. 14 | Semi-Live: Scope Mounting – It’s Easy!
Jimmy, Mark and Erik gather round the gun bench as Ryan Muckenhirn mounts up a brand new Diamondback Tactical FFP on Erik’s rifle to compete in the Vortex Extreme 2018. Follow along in your own gun room as Ryan actually does the entire mounting procedure and explains all the steps in detail while podcasting real-time. Even though we’re mounting up one scope on one gun with one type of ring, the crew discusses the many different varieties of rings, mounts, scopes and rifles on the market and how
Sep 4, 2018 · 57 min
Ep. 13 | Man Behind the Mic - Dave Hartman’s 3 Gun Show
Dave Hartman, host of the 3 Gun Show, joined us as we asked him a little about his past and how he got started in the world of 3 gunning and podcasting. From shooting guns without instagram to engine swapping rockets and even sleeping through a nearby tornado in his mobile trailer, we got all kinds of crazy awesome stories from this incredibly interesting dude. If you frequent his podcast, which now features a library of over 200 episodes, you know he doesn't often talk about himself so this opp
Aug 27, 2018 · 1 hr 3 min
Ep. 12 | The Hunting Public - Aggressive Whitetail Tactics
Aggressive whitetail tactics can arguably yield more mature buck sightings than any other method used for hunting these elusive critters. Aaron Warbritton, Greg Clements and Jake Huebschman from The Hunting Public join Mark and Erik on an in-depth discussion that dives into tactics that can pay off for heavily pressured whitetails on public land, and even small acreage private properties when implemented at the proper time. You’ll learn about: - Hunting specific buck beds – how to identify them
Aug 20, 2018 · 55 min
Ep. 11 | Long Range Shooting 1002
Jimmy, Ryan Muckenhirn, Paul Ness and Scott Parks further expand upon the topic of long range shooting from our first "Long Range Shooting 1001" podcast. If you've overheard the pro's talk about BC's, G1 vs. G7, wind, mirage, the importance of leveling your riflescope or density altitude before and wondered "What the h%ll are they talking about?" - This "1002" level discussion might just answer that question. Most importantly, we can't stress enough that arguably the most important thing you can
Aug 13, 2018 · 46 min
Ep. 10 | Gould Brothers - Pursuing the Exhibition Shooting Dream
Maybe you’ve seen them throw and shoot a fistful of clays at one of their live exhibitions, or maybe you’ve watched them snipe a balloon with a crossbow at 680 yards on Youtube, but have you ever wondered who the Gould Brothers are and where they came from? Steve and Aaron Gould came up for a visit to the Vortex HQ and after putting on an impressive and… explosive exhibition in the parking lot, jumped on for a podcast about what it took to get where they are today, and some of the behind the sce
Aug 7, 2018 · 1 hr
Ep. 09 | FFP vs SFP
From HQ - Jimmy Hamilton, Mark Boardman, Paul Ness and Ryan Muckenhirn talk First Focal Plane (FFP) Vs. Second Focal Plane (SFP) - A hot topic in riflescopes that has left many shooters, both new and experienced, wondering "What's right for me?" Tune in while we talk about what these two styles actually are, how they work, why you might want to use one or the other, and some applications in which each have come in handy in our experience - from long range hunting to target shooting at the range.
Jul 31, 2018 · 1 hr 1 min
Ep. 08 | One Giant Leap in Wisconsin CWD Research
If you've ever hunted deer, enjoyed a fresh venison backstrap or have an appreciation for nature and its natural order, then CWD (Chronic Wasting Disease) should be a topic on your radar. That topic is certainly on the Wisconsin DNR's radar as the state is plagued by the largest concentration in the country of the always-fatal disease. To combat this, WDNR has started a five-year initiative called the Southwest Wisconsin CWD, Deer and Predator Study. It is the most comprehensive deer research pr
Jul 24, 2018 · 51 min
Ep. 07 | Hunt Year 'Round - June Spring Bear
Think you can only hunt in the fall? Think again! We have a little thing around here we like to call "Hunt Year 'Round" where we search near and far for opportunities to get out and go hunting every month. This June, Mark went on a later-season Spring Black Bear Hunt in Idaho and hops on the podcast with Jimmy to give you the lowdown on how he got the tag (Surprisingly easy and affordable), the tactics used on this type of hunt, and the type of country one has to work with in Western Idaho. Tune
Jul 18, 2018 · 1 hr
Ep. 06 | Long Range Shooting 1001 - The Foundation
Shooting a tiny bullet at a small piece of steel 1000 yards away might look easy when the pro's do it, but there's a lot that goes into each shot before the shooter even pulls the trigger. Fortunately, none of it is overly complicated. It just takes a little time, skill, patience and the right equipment for the job. Jimmy, Mark, Ryan Muckenhirn and Paul Neess dive into a "1001" level explanation of getting yourself outside the 100-yard-sight-in range and into some long range scenarios. From term
Jul 9, 2018 · 1 hr 11 min
Ep. 05 | Over the Road Turkey Hunting ft. The Hunting Public
Jimmy, Mark and Erik join The Hunting Public's, Aaron, Jake and Zach on the tail end of their epic 2018 Spring Turkey Tour. After hunting state to state from the deep south of Mississippi and Alabama to the far North right here in Wisconsin, we got the chance to sit down and talk about the experience, their future plans for "The Hunting Public" channel this fall and the unique aspects of hunting as a group on public land. Spring might be over, but if you've still got the turkey itch, check out t
Jun 27, 2018 · 53 min
Ep. 04 | What is a (Vortex) UH-1 and do You Even Want One?
Dave - Man of mystery and head of product development at Vortex Optics talks the Razor® AMG™ UH-1™ with Jimmy, Mark and Reuben. The crew talks about what makes a holographic sight different from your average, ordinary red dot, and what sets this particular model apart from any other holographic sight ever made. While the UH-1 isn't a brand new product at this point, we understand many of you have had difficulty finding them in stock since their initial release not long ago. Thanks to a continual
Jun 26, 2018 · 26 min
Ep. 03 | NRA with Anthony Amantine
Anthony Amantine (@a.amantine on Instagram) is a born and raised Texan who might just love predator and hog hunting more than anyone else we know. He joined us at the NRA Annual Meeting 2018 in Dallas, TX to talk pig hunting, firearms, 2nd Amendment and his rise in influence on Instagram. This is one cool dude you're gonna want to follow to see some awesome guns, learn pig hunting tactics, and laugh along with during his usual pranks and other antics. As always - let us know if there are any top
Jun 26, 2018 · 16 min
Ep. 02 | NRA with Cheyenne Dalton
Cheyenne Dalton (@cheyennedaltonshoots on Instagram) has been competing as a junior competitive shooter for the past 5 years and has risen to win world rimfire high limited lady 2 times as well as numerous other accolades. She joined us at the NRA Annual Meeting 2018 in Dallas, TX to talk about a recent article she was a part of with the New Yorker regarding junior competitive shooters. We also heard a little more about some of her other hobbies, thoughts on the Second Amendment and getting kids
Jun 26, 2018 · 48 min
Ep. 01 | Vortex Shooters Source 3-Gun Competition
From Cresson, TX - Reuben Aleckson, Jimmy Hamilton and Jamison Schleicher from Vortex are joined by Long-time 3-Gun competitors, Nick Miller and Ryan Reed at the 2018 Vortex Shooters Source 3 Gun Match in the great state of Texas. Between these 5, we have a wide range of shooting experience, from Jamison, fresh off his first ever shooting competition at this very match, to Reuben, now in his 8th year of 3-Gun competition and with numerous other competitive shooting disciplines under his belt. Ge