Ep. 194: Jay Nichol: Why Most Hunters Fail Before They Leave the Truck

Jay Nichol spends around 140 days a year in the mountains. He guides black bear, mule deer, mountain goat and coues deer across British Columbia, Alberta and Mexico, and runs The Mindful Hunter, an unsponsored gear-review and podcast platform that has grown into Mindful Hunter Outfitting, the Forged in the Backcountry apparel line, and Mindful Munitions, a new Canadian store for the gear he trusts. In this conversation with Travis Bader, Jay explains what he changed after too many clients missed their shot in spring bear camp, how 18 years of sobriety shaped the way he leaves home for a hunt, and what sends hunters out of the backcountry early. From Jay: The Truth About Training for Mountain Hunting (free downloadable plan): https://youtu.be/wAugmpvZrtc Free downloads and tools: https://www.mindfulhunter.com/tools Kowa TSN-88A Sweepstakes: https://forgedinthebackcountry.com/blogs/resources/kowa-tsn-88a-sweepstakes Find Jay Nichol: The Mindful Hunter: https://www.mindfulhunter.com The Mindful Hunter Podcast: https://mindfulhunter.podbean.com YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/MindfulHunter Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mindful_hunter Mindful Munitions: https://mindfulmunitions.com Forged in the Backcountry: https://forgedinthebackcountry.com Forged in the Backcountry on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/forgedinthebackcountry Mindful Reviews: https://www.mindful-reviews.com _____ The Silvercore Club keeps you sharp and has your back. $5M excess liability insurance for hunting, fishing, and shooting across Canada and the US, member discounts, and a community that gets outside. $59/year. Join the Club - https://www.silvercore.ca/club Firearms & hunting courses - https://www.silvercore.ca/course/category Merchandise - https://www.silvercore.ca/collections/all-merchandise Host Instagram - @Bader.Trav https://www.instagram.com/bader.trav Silvercore Instagram - @SilvercoreOutdoors https://www.instagram.com/silvercoreoutdoors This content is for information and entertainment only. Nothing here is professional, legal, or safety advice. Firearms, hunting, and outdoor activities carry real risk. Know and follow the laws that apply to you, use safe practices, and get proper training from qualified professionals before acting on anything discussed. Silvercore accepts no liability for how this information is used. ____ 00:00 Introducing Jay Nichol 03:00 Leaving home at 15 04:00 Only as sick as our secrets 08:00 Stolen CDs and the start of addiction 14:00 Addiction as a sense of purpose 18:00 The rite of passage nobody gave him 24:00 Letting people help you 26:00 Two mistakes: no mentor, no community 32:00 The annealing hot take 35:00 University with no high school diploma 40:00 Proving something to his father 43:00 Ego death and moments of clarity 49:00 Clean your house before you leave 52:00 The dark years, 2023 and 2024 56:00 Tapping out versus breaking 1:01:00 Why men talk shoulder to shoulder 1:09:00 Hours per day doing what you love 1:12:00 Anger as fuel, and compartmentalizing 1:17:00 Telling his daughter no 1:19:00 1,200 rounds in five days 1:22:00 The kneeling logging road shot 1:24:00 Buy a 223, shoot 1,000 rounds 1:27:00 Kill the weak parts 1:30:00 Zone two and the StairMaster 1:36:00 Travis on going into AFib 1:42:00 The illusion of learning 1:45:00 Nothing died, so you failed 1:47:00 36 deer in 105 minutes 1:50:00 Spend it on field days, not a spotter 1:52:00 Forged in the Backcountry 1:56:00 Outfitting in BC, Alberta and Mexico 2:00:00 Launching Mindful Munitions 2:04:00 Why the focus is men