In this kickoff to our brand-new 2026 Expert Roundtable series, we are diving deep into the practical aspects of hunt preparation. When you step into the mountains, you enter a world of endless variables. You can't control the weather or the wildlife — but you can control many things that will prepare you for the unknown.
To break down exactly what it takes to build unwavering confidence before a hunt, we asked four incredibly experienced and successful backcountry hunters how they prepare for their personal hunts.
The Expert Guests
- Nate Simmons (Producer & Co-Host of Western Hunter TV) breaks down his meticulous, analytical approach to year-round weapon proficiency, a practical approach to physical fitness, and why a detailed hunt plan is his ultimate anxiety killer.
- Brad Brooks (Owner of Argali Outdoors) shares his philosophy on ruthlessly controlling the variables within your power, the mental edge of a "one-arrow-a-day" practice routine, and how to map your scouting and hunting routes to make the most of limited time.
- Ben Reynolds (do-it-yourself sheep hunting lunatic) talks about transitioning from basic fitness to structural "durability," including bulletproofing your joints against overuse injuries, and why you must test your gear in difficult conditions before your life depends on it.
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Isaac Dueling (mountain hunting guide) weighs in with a guide's perspective, exposing the dangers of a "false sense of security" with satellite messengers and explaining why your minimalist Ziploc first-aid kit leaves you unprepared.
Whether you are gearing up for an archery elk hunt, a high-country mule deer tag, or a remote backpack expedition, this episode is packed with timeless, actionable takeaways to elevate your prep and ensure you have a plan to prepare for opening day.
Hear the Conversation
Listen on: Spotify | Apple Podcasts
Key Takeaways
Nate Simmons
Nate's confidence stems from his meticulousness and analytical approach, which is centered around three core priorities, ranked in order of importance:
- Weapon Proficiency: As his number one priority, he practices year-round. He shoots indoors at Vegas face targets during winter, transitions to long-range outdoor targets (80-100 yards) by May, integrates a 3D deer target for "cold bore" group evaluations in July, and moves onto a 1/3-scale elk target tucked in broken terrain and shadows by August to mimic awkward mountain shot scenarios. He physically verifies his bow's third axis on steep slopes and tests his sight tapes at high elevations rather than relying solely on software.
- Physical Conditioning: Nate begins increasing his trail-running cardio in May, logging 3-4 miles a few times a week and topping out around 6 miles as summer progresses. He utilizes a functional home gym to complete strength and archery-specific workouts. Starting in late May, he cleans up his nutrition by avoiding late-night snacking, cutting out beer, and focusing on simple, clean protein and vegetable-based meals.
- Detailed Hunt Plan: Nate builds an extensive hunt blueprint, based on glassing open, stalkable terrain. He drops abundant pins in onX maps, routes out 4-5 core hunt zones, and pre-calculates trail distances, elevation shifts, and hiking times so he never wastes prime morning or evening glassing hours traveling. His contingency tracking also notes bad weather backup routes, game extraction strategies, locations for truck fuel, laundry, and showers, and Forest Service road clearance for horse trailers.
Check out other podcast episodes with Nate.
Brad Brooks
Brad's philosophy is to control the variables within his power, knowing that the uncontrollables cannot be mastered. He categorizes his focus into four areas:
- Fitness: Since fitness is completely within a hunter's control, he does something physical every single day. This mental and physical baseline ensures he never backs out of pursuing a far ridge due to fatigue.
- Gear Simplicity: He spends minimal time worrying about general gear because his lists are highly refined. He performs all of his own bow tuning to eliminate third-party errors and strongly advises against constantly tinkering with new components, as it robs you of critical practice time.
- Archery Practice: Brad shifts exclusively to 3D targets and broadheads during the summer. He prioritizes hunt-specific shooting scenarios like sitting, kneeling, extreme angles, and gap shooting. To introduce stakes, he relies on a "single arrow a day" routine and utilizes mental visualization to artificially spike his heart rate before taking a shot.
- Hunt Planning & Scouting: For a new hunt area, Brad plans his travel routes around morning and evening sun placement to avoid glassing directly into blinding sunlight whenever possible. He sets up a preliminary scouting trip in July, and intentionally schedules a 4-day scouting buffer directly before the season opens to spot active animals immediately ahead of opening morning.
Check out other podcast episodes with Brad.
Ben Reynolds
As a solo backcountry mountain hunter in Alaska, Ben looks at preparation through the lens of remote survivability:
- Fitness and Durability: Ben emphasizes that fitness gets you into the mountains, but durability keeps you from getting knocked out by an overuse injury. He implements a strict periodization plan over the calendar year: focusing on hypertrophy and building muscle mass in the winter, transitioning to endurance and ski mountaineering, shifting into aerobic threshold base building, and easing into lower-intensity maintenance workouts right before hunting season to avoid overtraining.
- Injury Prevention: To bulletproof his joints and resolve past IT band issues, Ben uses targeted resistance band routines to strengthen his hip flexors and glute medius, alongside a slant board for his knees.
- Gear Optimization: Self-described as a major gear nerd, Ben exhaustively evaluates every detail of his sleep systems, optics, and weapon systems to optimize weight against structural safety. He stresses that prototype or newly acquired gear must be thoroughly tested in actual, miserable rain and windstorms before trusting it on a multi-week expedition.
Check out other podcast episodes with Ben.
Isaac Dueling
Isaac provides the critical perspective of a mountain guide who holds ultimate safety and responsibility for others in remote and rugged terrain:
- Safety Risk Assessments: Isaac treats safety as his absolute number one pillar of preparation. He stresses the importance of having a clear extraction and egress plan before departing. This includes knowing your bush pilot personally and knowing precisely how your satellite SOS devices route emergency responses, noting that high-tier nighttime helicopter rescues are highly localized and not a universal reality.
- Medical Knowledge & First Aid: He heavily disdains minimalist, "Ziploc bag" first aid setups on long hunts. He recommends taking a Wilderness First Responder course to learn how to adapt and build medical splints or braces out of the surrounding natural environment.
- Multi-Use & Practical Survival Items: Isaac packs lightweight gear that solves multiple crises. His staple items include wrapping heavy-duty duct tape around trekking poles, carrying tough ski straps for structural bindings, packing a small syringe to forcefully flush out deep debris from wounds instead of using surface alcohol wipes, and carrying a systematic stash of basic pills for motion sickness, allergies, and pain management.