Light transmission isn’t one dimensional. Multiple factors play into this important, but often misunderstood attribute of an optic. Rob Morell (Vortex® New Product Development) joins Mark Boardman and Ryan Muckenhirn to shed some light on this subject.

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Backcountry hunting expert, Ryan Lampers, talks all about water treatment methods and best practices. From what he used back in the day to the system he uses today; he provides important tips to keep you healthy and hunting.

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Adam Maxwell and Ryan Muckenhirn are in the house to chat Auxiliary Micro Red Dots along with the pros and cons of common mounting positions. 45-degreee offset or 12 O’clock? At the end of this podcast, you’ll know if you need one and where to stick it.

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Do nice guys finish last? Find out as Mark Boardman and Ryan Muckenhirn assign each other a gas station identity, determine if HEYDUDE’s or Crocs are the best camp shoe, test friendships with hunting spot betrayal, and fabricate lies to get off work. And of course, there’s a spicy meatball to get things going. Tune in to see if Mark starts a two-game winning streak or if Ryan reclaims his throne. 

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Lee Ellis and Drew Carroll from Seek One dump gear and deer knowledge in this tip-rich podcast “geared” toward getting you your next big buck. These guys are insanely dialed and meticulously detail oriented. Their track record for killing giants speaks for itself. Swivel your ears forward and pay attention. These guys know what they are talking about. 

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According to some, we have 31 species of deer to chase in North America. Is that true? Mark Boardman joins Arizona Game and Fish Wildlife Biologist Jim Heffelfinger to find out. Jim is a passionate deer expert, has written books on deer, coauthored books on deer, runs the website deernut.com, can be found on Instagram as @cervidnut, and is a full research scientist at the University of Arizona’s School of Natural Resources and the Environment. Not surprising of anyone who loves deer this much, he’s a deer hunter too. Tune in for a fun and informative conversation with our deer friend Jim all about deer. 

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Is it an impulse buy when you’ve been looking for a specific style of rifle for a while, then buy it the second you think you found it? Ask Ryan Muckenhirn as he walks us through his brand spanking new Howa Carbon Stalker in 6mm ARC – an increasingly popular cartridge. We get the why behind his need for this rifle, the scoop on the rifle itself, some immediate modifications he made, and more. Tune in and find out if you need one too. 

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Mark Boardman and Ryan Muckenhirn sit down to pull bullets and further evaluate their 350 Legend and 450 Bushmaster gel-shooting results. Do they do their signature flip-flopping, or does the data hold up in their cartridge court? Find out right here.

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A solid riflescope zero doesn’t have to burn tons of ammo, bruise your shoulder, and take up your entire day. It can be a simple, clean, and efficient process. With a little prework, the right tools, and confident shooting, a great zero can be accomplished in just a few shots. Mark Boardman and Ryan Muckenhirn walk through techniques and equipment to help you get your rifle sighted in with ammo and time to spare. 

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Host of MeatEater’s Bear Grease Podcast, Clay Newcomb joins Mark Boardman to recount an unorthodox but effective coastal bear hunt, bear hunting in general, owning Bear Hunting Magazine, how he ended up at MeatEater as part of their all-star cast (our words not his) and more. Clay is a hell of a woodsman, super interesting, inciteful, and all-around great guy. Tune in for a fantastic conversation and to hear how his rangefinder took a salty licking and kept on ticking.

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Accurate, reliable, and economical hunting rifles are produced by nearly every major rifle manufacturer these days. Consumers are reaping the benefits of modern materials and production techniques. Mark Boardman, Ryan Muckenhirn, and Jimmy Hamilton talk through 7 sub $700 models built to fill freezers and wall space — with money left over for your next tag. 

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Professional military sniper, private sector Vortex Edge® instructor, and long-range shooting competition enthusiast, Corey Eliasson, has the experience to build a sleek long-range system that flat out works. His kit is no frills, all business, and meticulously thought out. He’s refined it over the years and continues to refine it. Mark Boardman and Jimmy Hamilton sit down with Corey to run through his long-range kit piece by piece to help you build yours.

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Mark comes out of the gate hot, Ryan desperately resorts to “your mom jokes”, we turn Texas into a firearm, Jimmy gets a mohawk, and more. Will Mark break his tradition-like losing streak or burn up like a star entering earth’s atmosphere? Watch to find out.

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Mark Boardman and Ryan Muckenhirn break down their 2024 budget rifle test and review from top to bottom. No bolt is left unturned as they deep dive into the intricacies of each, what they liked, disliked and were surprised by. Tune in for facts and opinions that may just lead to your next big game boom stick.

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Insanely fun, accessible, low recoil, all ages welcome, and as casual or competitive as you want to make it — the shotgun shooting sports are king for these reasons and more. But what’s the difference between trap, skeet, and sporting clays? Mark Boardman, Jimmy Hamilton and resident clays expert, Ryan Muckenhirn, break down the big three, so you can head to your local club and start breaking targets.

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Mark Boardman sits down with Troy Fowler (The Ranch Fairy) to make sense of broadheads, how they work, things to consider, how to tune your arrows to shoot with broadheads, and more. They navigate a windy conversational path to get your broadheads shooting straight…. And cutting deep! Tune in for the educational and always entertaining, Ranch Fairy.

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It’s time for another of Ryan Muckenhirn’s “Lead Balloon’s.” On paper the .338 Federal checks a lot of boxes hunters look for in a cartridge. Alas, it didn’t make a lot of paper for rifle and ammunition manufactures. As with many cartridges, success or failure can be difficult to make sense of. The .338 Federal certainly outperforms its popularity. Was it timing? Was it not different enough from established offerings? Was there not a need? Did the masses get it wrong by not bringing this cartridge into the fold of gun safes across the globe? Mark Boardman, Jimmy Hamilton, and Ryan Muckenhirn pop this lead balloon and chat through its story, as well as its dismal acceptance by hunters and shooters.

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Will the .308 do everything you need? Do you need the raw horsepower of a .300 Win Mag to get the job done? Or do you need both? Mark Boardman and Ryan Muckenhirn chat through their gel-shooting results, extract, examine, measure, and not only weigh the projectiles themselves, but where each cartridge makes the most sense.

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Your style of hunting, terrain, hunt goals, the critters you chase, and more can affect your spotting scope selection. Size, weight, magnification, angled vs. straight configuration, optical quality — Mark Boardman and Paul Neess sit down to give you spot-on information on spotting scopes.

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Barrel burnout is often a big consideration for folks when selecting a cartridge. But is it as big a deal as it’s made out to be? Mark Boardman and Ryan Muckenhirn discuss barrel burnout, who should it matter to, how it occurs, and what you can do if it happens. 

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The Razor® HD 13-39x56 spotting scope is the perfect example of, “Big things come in small packages.” It’s also Remi Warren’s favorite spotting scope. Listen to Mark Boardman and Remi talk about his extensive use of its predecessor, the incredible increase in performance of the new iteration, and what he loves about it. 

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Finding elk is the most critical component of the elk hunting equation. Nothing else really matters if you can’t locate these dang things. Renowned elk hunter, guide, content creator, and all-around great guy, Remi Warren, runs through his secret tips to finding where elk hide — so you can seek.

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Modestly priced, the Ruger RPR’s performance is anything but. In fact, it’s a standout. There was a time at Vortex when it seemed a new RPR would show up daily. The accuracy, performance and price were simply too good not to own one. Mark Boardman, Jimmy Hamilton, and Ryan Muckenhirn chat through this anomaly in the firearm space and why it’s so dang good.

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Life can be complex. Choosing a reticle shouldn’t be. Mark Boardman, Jimmy Hamilton, and Nick Laufenberg dive into hunting reticles. From simple plex, to more detailed first focal plane reticles with mrad or moa hashmarks and a windage tree in the lower hemisphere – they cover the who, what, where, when, why to get you on target.

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Elk Shape’s Dan Staton gets a little salty in this conversation all about hydration and hydration supplements. Water and salt are essential. Dan hits us with some great info along with things we ought to be thinking about to maximize our human performance in the field.

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Spaghetti Shootout is back for season two and better than ever. With Jimmy Hamilton at the helm of this meatball-packed episode, Mark Boardman and Ryan Muckenhirn debate audience submitted topics — most of which are frankly, a little weird. Can Mark break his losing streak? Tune in to find out. 

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Hunting Alaska is logistically complex. Its location, remoteness, varied terrain, modes of transportation and bears add extra layers to the hunt planning process. Mark Boardman, Erik Barber, and Sawer Briel from Vortex, along with Brad Brooks from Argali, use their Sitka blacktail hunt as the framework to cover valuable Alaska hunt planning tips. The goal? To help you line out your AK adventure. 

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Crazy terrain, giant bears, extreme weather, lots of shooting, big bucks, bonking out, and a little barf — this hunt had it all. Listen to the Vortex crew to get the behind-the-scenes story of their epic Kodiak Island Sitka blacktail hunt. 

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Federal funding for school-based archery and hunter education programs has been eliminated. Why? Good question. Mark grabs the Archery Trade Association’s Dan Forester to give us the backstory, along with steps you can take to help. These programs are profoundly important and enrich the lives of youths who participate. They build and promote life skills, friendships, self-esteem, firearm safety and more. Take action. You can make a difference.

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For years there was one cartridge question a deer hunter had to ask themselves. .270 or 30-06? Both have strong merits. Is there a right answer? Mark Boardman and Ryan Muckenhirn sent rounds down range into gel to tackle this highly debated cartridge comparison. The results might surprise you. Frankly, neither of them like the outcome. And that’s where this podcast begins.

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There’s nothing worse than attempting to dial in your bow at the last minute. Mark Boardman, Ryan Muckenhirn, and Erik Barber tackle a pre-season checklist to help ensure you have stories about the one that didn’t get away.

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Prepping for war on a budget. Is that even possible? Mark Boardman and Jimmy Hamilton seek the answer to this question with the help of Vortex Edge® instructors, Justin Lipska and Mike Griffin. These guys have seen some things and run through a lot of gear in their day. Tune in to find out if you can thrift your way to becoming a battle-ready bad ass.

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A hunt-ready rifle ensures optimal performance and rock-solid confidence when the moment of truth arrives. There are several things you can check to make sure your prince of projectile precision is ready for the field this year. Some of which should happen before you even mount that new riflescope. Mark Boardman and Ryan Muckenhirn run through a rifle-related checklist that can eliminate potential frustration, as well as promote the accuracy and consistency you demand.

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The small versus large rifle primer experiment continues. Ammo was loaded, the weather machine engaged, and rounds sent down range. What did the boys see regarding accuracy, velocity, and reliability? Listen and watch to find out.

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A curious observation leads to multiple hypotheses and an interesting discussion on small rifle primer use in intermediate cartridges like the .308 Winchester and 6.5 Creedmoor. Could there be an advantage to bucking the trend and using small rifle primers? Mark Boardman, Ryan Muckenhirn, and Jimmy Hamilton pontificate primers and come up with a test for their hypothesis.

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Dan Gates from CRWM (Coloradans for Responsible Wildlife Management) and his team have been in the trenches battling an anti-hunting agenda fueled by disinformation, big budgets, and emotion. His organization focuses on CO, but if you think your state, the way you hunt, and the critters you chase are somehow safe or exempt — you’re wrong. Listen to Dan, get spun up with the facts, and get in the fight. Issues like what’s going on in Colorado affect us all! Whether you live there, hunt there or even hunt at all – we all benefit from sound, science-based, wildlife management. If that is lost, our heritage, traditions, way of life, preferred food source, and most importantly, the wildlife itself are lost.

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Some states protect albino deer, white deer, and in some instances partially white deer – prohibiting take during legal hunting seasons. Should that be the case? Most states treat white deer like any other deer. What makes white deer so special? Should we manage wildlife based on appearance or science? Jeffrey Pritzl and Kevin Wallenfang from the Wisconsin DNR (Wisconsin is a state that protects white deer) join Mark Boardman and Erik Barber to chat about what for hunters and non-hunters, can be a white-hot issue.

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“Team Tripod” is back. Mark Boardman, Ryan Muckenhirn, and Paul Neess talk tripods and what a person may want to consider when making their selection. They cover lever locks, twist locks, heads, height, shooting, personal preferences, and at-release of this podcast a new model, to give you a leg up when it’s time to get your first or next tripod.

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A forever ban on wolf hunting in Minnesota seems preposterous and counterintuitive to any semblance of sound wildlife management, but that’s exactly what was on the table for Minnesota residents. Lucky for all hunters, organizations like the Sportsmen’s Alliance stand guard to fend off anti-hunting groups who prey on the emotions and money of the uninformed, aiming to dismantle the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation, our hunting traditions, and balanced ecosystems. Mark Boardman and Brian Lynn from the Sportsmen’s Alliance sit down to chat about what happened, how it happened, where the issue stands, and most importantly, the path forward – which looks solid, and shows promise. If you hunt, this issue affects you. Learn what to look out for and what you can do.

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Chris Hodgdon from the Hodgdon Powder Company Joins Mark Boardman and Ryan Muckenhirn to chat about the Scholastic Shooting Sports Foundation (SSSF) and the incredible impact it has on youths who participate. This organization develops character as much as it does shooting skills. And let’s not forget the scholarship opportunities for higher education. Parent or youth – listen to hear how you can get involved and possibly change the trajectory of your life.

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The 30-06 Springfield and .308 Winchester — two cartridges that have been to war, go to war in this 30-Cal. competition for ages. Shots have been fired and results tallied. But does that tell the whole story? Mark Boardman and Ryan Muckenhirn don’t think so. That’s why they’ve hit the podcast studio to extract projectiles and further evaluate these American favorites.

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Happy Independence Day. In honor of this holiday, freedom, and the brave American’s who stood up against tyranny, we discuss the rifle they used to do it - the 1766 Charleville. This smoothbore flintlock was instrumental in gaining our independence. It’s as cool as it is historic. Listen in as Mark Boardman, Jimmy Hamilton, and Ryan Muckenhirn talk about the 1700’s version of the AR-15.

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Mark Boardman, Ryan Muckenhirn and Taylor Meyers debate barrel length and its effect on the overall experience…the shooting experience. What do you truly gain or lose as you increase/decrease barrel length. From a 7.5-inch SBR to a 26-inch pipe built to maximize performance, they cover the long and short of this age-old question.

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How did the most powerful straight-wall cartridge of its time become nearly a thing of the past? Where the heck does the .444 designation even come from when there’s nothing .44 about it? Find out as we discuss this impressive and interesting cartridge.

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Axis deer, pigs, and goats – oh my! Mark Boardman and Remi Warren, along with field producers Cooper Long and Mike Wozniak, recap a phenomenal hunting experience in the great state of Hawaii. Bows, rifles, rods, reels, and three-prong spears, the guys do their best to sample as much sporting adventure as possible in a few short days. Listen to hear the full rundown on this trip to hunting paradise. 

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It’s time for a little anatomy class…The anatomy of a cartridge that is. From primer to bullet and everything between, Mark Boardman and Ryan Muckenhirn dissect the components, that when compiled properly, become one of the most important tools we have as human beings – the cartridge.

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Concealed carry to competition and everything between, tune in to hear Vortex’s Chris Urrutia and Liam Ward run through the features, benefits, and applications of the Defender Micro Red Dot series. Tough as nails, there is a Defender to fit your needs.

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The Glock, truly revolutionary at its inception and iconic in the pistol space. The most widely used pistol by law enforcement professionals and often the choice of military professionals as well. Features questioned by some originally, are celebrated by users and emulated by the industry today. Is it the perfect pistol? Mark Boardman, Jim Hamilton, and Ryan Muckenhirn ask themselves this very question.

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G1 and G7 BC’s - what the heck are they and which number should I plug into my ballistics calculator to get the best drop and wind drift solutions? Mark Boardman grabs Reuben Aleckson and Ryan Muckenhirn to get the 411 on G1 and G7 BC’s. 

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In the inaugural episode of Cartridge Talks, (a brand-new Vortex Nation™ YouTube series exploring life’s greatest cartridge-related questions) Mark Boardman and Ryan Muckenhirn fired multiple projectiles into ballistics gel comparing the 6.5 Creedmoor against the .308. The goal - to determine a “Winner”.  Now, it’s time to grab the forceps and further dissect the results. The guys hit the podcast studio to dive deeper into the nuances of their findings. Is there a compelling winner in this battle of “The old bull versus the young calf?” Watch/listen to find out! 

As always, we want to hear your feedback! Let us know if there are any topics you'd like covered on the Vortex Nation™ podcast by asking us on Instagram @vortexnationpodcast