Exo Journal — Deer Hunting

We had been hunting hard for seven days, but no arrows had taken flight. With 45 minutes left of light, we spotted a great bull about a mile out. Like hungry coyotes, we quickly moved through the dense high desert to close the distance before nightfall. As the sun dipped into the horizon, we were presented with a great shot opportunity. We heard the arrow hit, watched the bull run off, and decided to give it time. After a frosty night, we picked up the blood trail, but couldn't find the bull. The search continued until we found ourselves with...

As we wrap up 2023 we wanted to look back over the year and highlight our best-selling Exo products, the most listened-to Hunt Backcountry Podcast episodes, and the most-watched videos on our YouTube channel. These aren’t our hand-picked favorites, these are your favorites, based on the data...

Hear the recap of our recent rifle elk hunt in Idaho. In addition to sharing the full hunt story via podcast, Mark also shares some of the lessons he learned on this hunt, including how shelter choice affects hunting style, why you need to pair experience with intuition, and how to evaluate longer shot opportunities.

What gear does Mark bring for a backpack rifle elk and mule deer hunt in October? What are his "must have" items and what are some of the "only if" items that he packs based on the forecasted conditions? See Mark's complete gear list and download his spreadsheet template to help you prepare for your own hunts...