Exo Journal

Finding a high-country animal is tough, but getting into position and actually closing the deal? That’s where the real challenge begins. Whether you're chasing rams, high-country mule deer, or mountain elk, this fourth episode of our 2026 Expert Roundtable series is packed with practical strategies, gear considerations, and mental frameworks to help you turn hard-earned opportunities into filled tags — breaking down the critical moments between spotting an animal and pulling the trigger or releasing an arrow. Topics & Guests Patience vs. Aggression: How Ben Reynolds balances slow, methodical glassing with a "default aggressive" mindset once a stalk route is...

You've e-scouted, hiked in, and invested heavily—but there's no sign, the weather is crashing, and hunting pressure is high. What do you do next? In this third installment of our 2026 Expert Roundtable series, we dive into the practical side of adapting to adversity. We bring together four veteran backcountry hunters to debate one of the hardest questions in the field: When should you stay patient and trust the process, and when is it time to abandon your plan and move? The Expert Guests Isaac Deuling (mountain hunting guide) on why you shouldn't "fall in love with your plan," how...

Every experienced backcountry hunter knows that it isn’t a question of if you will face an obstacle on your hunt, but when that difficulty is coming. Whether it’s a sudden mountain storm, a blown stalk, unexpected hunting pressure, or a target animal that seemingly disappears into thin air, the true separator between success and failure isn't your gear—it's your mindset. In this second episode of our 2026 Expert Roundtable series, we sit down with veteran hunters Nate Simmons, Brad Brooks, Ben Reynolds, and Isaac Deuling to break down the mental game of backcountry hunting. The guys pull back the curtain...

The food you pack for a multi-day backpack hunt significantly impacts your energy, performance, and overall enjoyment. Putting together your backcountry menu is part science, part preference. You need the right amount of calories, the ratio of macronutrients that fuel you best, and foods that are palatable enough that you don’t have to force yourself to eat something that doesn’t sound good or sit well in your gut. The purpose of this article isn’t to dig into the science behind “food as fuel” or to share a complete example of everything we pack on backpack hunts. While we have covered...