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- [00:00]
A
Foreign. I'm Remy Warren and I've lived my life in the wild as a professional guide and hunter. I've spent thousands of days perfecting my craft. I want to give that knowledge to you. In this podcast we relive some of my past adventures as I give you practical hunting tips to make you more successful. Whether you're just getting started or a lifelong hunter, this podcast will bring you along on the hunt and teach you how to live wild. This podcast is brought to you by Mountain Tough and Yeti. Now, for those that don't know, Mountain Tough is an online based training app that's designed for hunters to train you both mentally and physically for the mountains so you can go on. And there's programs designed with workouts that are specifically made to get you ready for the things you're going to encounter out there in the wild. And while a lot of you probably know that their programs are designed to get you ready, they also have programs designed to keep you ready during the season. It really is a year round process to help you be the best you can be on the hunt. If you're looking for a great gift this holiday season, Yeti has you covered with their Rambler drinkware. It's a leak. Fruit, stackable, ton of different colors and everything for drinking water, coffee, wine or beer. They even have shot glasses and flasks. They're great stocking stuffers and an awesome gift to give this holiday season. Welcome back to Livewire podcast everyone. Now, it's the first week in 2026 and we're going to hit the ground running in some sense, sort of literally here because one of the points of this podcast is to definitely get you ready for the hunt. And I always like to take time this time of year to wrap our minds into planning and preparation. So today I'm joined by my good friend Dustin Diefenderfer of Mountain Tough Fitness Labs and we're gonna get you set for on track in making the most of your 2026 hunting season. So we've got it broken down. Today we're gonna dive in and look at six steps to staying ready so you can get into that place where you get in the field and you feel like you've been training for it since the beginning of the year. Dustin, thanks for joining me, man. I know it's always fun to connect at the beginning of the year. I. I'm a big fan of New Year's and, and what it means as far as that. Yeah, it's a calendar thing, right? You look at it New year and things are turning over. But as a hunter, you always know. It's like it's that time where you start planning for that next season and, and all that other stuff. And it's always, for me, the time of year where I make a few changes in my life, mostly for the good. Some, you know, some, you, you, you, you, you, you think it's going to turn out better than it is. But I think that one of the things I like to do with you every time this time of year is really get people's mind focused on planning and preparation for the physical aspect and a lot of the mental aspect for the upcoming season. So today I figured let's. Let's dive in and look at ways, like some actionable ways that the listeners can go, okay, it's the beginning of the year. What do I do? Or maybe it's somebody that listened for a while and they're like, man, I've been getting ready. What's some tips or takeaways from this time of year where I can start to really push it or something that I didn't think of last year that I can do this year to just be even better. Yeah, that's the hard part, too, right? I think that no matter where you're at, you can always be better. I look at, for me, and I talked about it a couple weeks ago on the podcast, but for me, 2025 was about, like, really focusing on health, primarily fitness and health, all those things around health and wellness. And I made a lot of changes in 2025 and felt so good, primarily around eating and, you know, just like, and looking into a few things that I probably never paid attention to and whatever. But, you know, and then, and then me going into this year thinking, like, okay, I'm gonna take what I did last year and improve on it. How can I improve on it? And that, that, to me is a really, a really fun thing to do. And I know one of my favorite things about talking about this stuff with you is you're the guy that I get all this information from. So it's perfect. Like, I am not just the person the hosting the podcast today, but I'm the person learning from the podcast today as well. So it's always fun to have you on and talk this time of year. I think when it, when it comes to beginning of the year really starting, I don't know, where do you think, like, most people go wrong? Like, it's beginning of the year, some guys saying, hey, yeah, I've got an elk hunt Coming up. I don't really, I don't really feel prepared for it. Where do I start? How do I start? What should I do to prepare for this, this season or life in general? What do you, where do you think? Like, the starting point in the big hiccups come at the beginning.
- [04:57]
B
It's an awesome time of year, man. And I, I love jumping on here with you every January. I know we, I know we have done this the last couple years, getting the audience and the community fired up in January and leaving them with a lot of good knowledge and, and skill so that they can crush the year. And I think that's, that, I think that's really important. You know, New Year, new me, January, it, it does give everyone the opportunity to reflect on what they accomplished last year and then also strategize and think about what they want to accomplish going forward. And it's, it's really, really interesting. You know, the science of January is significant. Like Google search volume around fitness and nutrition goes up like 40 or 50% just in this month. And psychologically, even though it's just a date on the calendar, you know, we're past December, we're into January, it's just another date. But the psychology around it really allows people to make some true life transformations. That said, you know, there, there's a lot of jokes around New Year's resolution. And so like, one of them is, you know, New Year's resolutions are for quitters. And the reason that you, you hear stuff like that is because statistically that's true. Like 90% of people that start a fitness or nutrition resolution in January will not be continuing it in February. So you have two things going on. You have like this great wave of motivation, this great wave of I, I gotta do things differently this year. But then you have statistically the majority of people failing. And so you have to look at why are people failing versus the 10% that are succeeding. I love analyzing that 10% that are succeeding. Because what you see with that 10% is if they crush the goal they set for this year, if they actually identify that goal and succeed, not only are they going to have a different 2026, they're probably going to have a different 15 or 20 years of their life. That's what you see. And you're riding some of that right now where you changed your nutrition in 25. You felt so much better that now you just want to keep fine tuning that Ferrari engine into 2026. And that's what happens to people when they succeed on a resolution versus fail. It carries over not from one year but into multiple years. And the 10% that are succeeding are succeeding primarily from identity. So we've talked about this before, that if you really boil it down and you say why are some people failing and some people succeeding, the people that find success are doing it out of identity. Now we're going to talk about other factors that help with that. But the, the DNA, the, if you boil it down and really look at why did this person continue and chase that goal when they set that goal up in January, it's going to come down to identity. And that identity is also going to be what allows them to do it. 5 years, 10 years, 15 years, 20 years. Because identity is one of the strongest fuels we have and it really develops our mindset and our mindset develops our methods. And so if your identity isn't driving your goals, then you're setting yourself up for failure. And in the hunting community, mountain tough for a long time, for 10 years, has been really trying to help people understand that. And when people do understand that, that's when you see this kind of lifelong life transformation. Desire, passion and motivation start skewing to fitness and nutrition and self improvement and health. And the reason that happens is because if I want to get in shape to go on a Colorado elk hunt this year, that's not connected to my identity. And I'll probably procrastinate most of the year. I'll probably train in August and then I'll probably have a really hard time in Colorado in September and I'll regret it, I'll regret it all year that I didn't do enough. I didn't do it right. I wasn't consistent. But if my goal is to be able to hunt with my grandkids in the mountains in the backcountry in 15 years, that's my primary goal. That's an identity goal. So my, my mindset now is I need to be fit enough to hike around with my grandkids, and I don't have grandkids yet. And so that means that I'm looking at staying fit for 10, 11, 12, 15 more years until they show up. And so that's an identity fuel that's much more cleaner and sustainable than that short term goal. And so identity is everything. Laying that foundation first. And many people miss that in this new year, new me month that we're in right now.
- [10:23]
A
Yeah, that's awesome. And it's something that you don't really think about, but it's so true when you whatever that Identity is. And that looking down the track, always. It's one of those things, too, where something seems like it's far out there, whether it's September, elk season. Right. We're talking about it right now in January. And when you're loading up the truck, you're like, every time, it's already here. I wish I would have done this more. That doesn't matter how prepared you are. I'm always, like, throwing crap in the back of the truck last minute, going and buying a few calls that I didn't think about or whatever. There's always that last minute. But if I'm starting to think about planning in a. In a different way, I think that those things kind of sneak up on you less. And. And I like that thought of, like, building it into the identity of out in the distance, you know, how are you going to live? Makes more of a. Then you're just. When it happens, you're already ready for. Doesn't matter what the. What the event or the occasion is. It's like, yeah, it's that elk hunt. But, yeah, it could be. You could draw that sheep tag, too. And you're ready for that, because whatever your identity is in getting ready for it, you're already prepared, and you're already in that state where you just switch that light bulb. You just switch that whatever it is. And now. Now I'm ready. I'm ready for that sheep hunt. I'm ready for that elk hunt. I'm ready for that deer hunt. I'm ready to take those grandkids out that I don't even have yet. I'm just ready for it. And I like that. That's cool.
- [11:51]
B
Yeah. And it. It seems to, you know, identity is what you need to drive to. That consistency. And consistency, I think, is the. The number one transformational element between successful fitness and nutrition, and not successful. And if you don't have your identity locked in, then it's difficult to stay consistent. And if you're. If you can't stay consistent, you're just going to always be riding that roller coaster of two steps forward, one step back, two step forward, one step back. And so, like, one of the strongest identities you see out there is when men say that, I am not going to. I'm not going to recreate what my father did. And so an example of that would be like a dad that drank too much, didn't work out, and dies when they're like, 59, 60, 61. And so they left all this life on the table because they didn't take care of their health. Well, for the next generation, that often becomes like one of the strongest identity drivers out there because they were able to witness that. And then for them, in their mind, now that they have kids, often they're like, I'm not going to do what my dad did. I'm not going to do what I saw him do. I'm going to take care of my health better. So they lock in that identity, and now they have to really connect it to consistency. But being consistent with an identity that strong becomes much easier. And I often use the analogy of a guitar when it comes to consistency. And with fitness, it's the same way. And it becomes where you start looking at things and how far you can grow in hours versus years. And so an example of that would be like, if you practice the guitar once a week, and I practice the guitar seven times a week, and we both have been doing this practice for three years, I'm going to be a much different guitar player than you. Even though we've been playing the guitar for three years, because you were only practicing once a week, but I was practicing seven, so I'm. I'm light years ahead of you from that. Consistency and fitness is the same way. And so when we talk about New Year and New Me and actually executing on these January goals, you have to set it up in a way where you can live out that guitar analogy. How can you create your lifestyle so that you can consistently be training five, six days a week? And that usually connects to. It has to be something that you kind of enjoy, and it has to be something that is convenient and efficient in your lifestyle. Once you kind of lock in those two elements, then you can really start looking at being there, doing that training five, six days a week.
- [14:58]
A
Yeah, that's. I mean, that building the consistency is so important. And then like, like you said, making it manageable where you're, you're gaining so much by actually doing it where you, you like it, you're. It fits in with what you're doing. I think that no matter what you do, there's that little bit of like, in inconvenience in it, right? Like starting out, you're like, I don't really want to do that. And any habit that I have, it's like you have to make time for it. You have the time for pretty much anything, really. It's like we kind of underestimate the time that we can make for stuff. I feel like a very busy human, and yet there's things that I'm like Yeah, if I would just do this or structure something this way. You can do it. It's when we kind of don't allow that the management of it and make it a priority that it slips through the cracks. One of the things that my wife and I talk about, and I can't remember where we heard this, I mean it's probably a pretty popular saying, but you kind of like. And I think it especially, it goes with everything, but I can see it relating to, to fitness and lifestyle as well as you kind of always, you like overestimate what you can get done in a year, but you like grossly underestimate what you could do in five years. Yeah, and I look at like my wife and I were big on, you know, we, we, we write down goals and things and we always do like one year, five years, 10 years. And it's crazy because like the 10 year ones that we wrote, however long ago, I mean some of those things we've surpassed in three or four before you've even hit five years and you're like, whoa, okay, I can't even like my brain doesn't even think big enough for 10 years. But then you look at some of the one year stuff and you're like still struggling with that. Right? Because we just have, I feel like kind of the fitness is the same where when you're getting started, you, you kind of overestimate what you can do in a month. Right. But you, you kind of underestimate the transformation that happens in a year or two years where I think we kind of like in that short term we get all gung ho and it's like we almost burn out because we, in our head we think that we're going to get this or that and we, it's hard to see the whole picture. But then once you're down the track a ways, you look back and like, wow, I really underestimated where I could get or what I could do with a little bit more time. And like you said, it just comes down to building that consistency because I think that like consistency is that it's compounding interest. You really like you, you get to a part where it just starts to kind of multiply over time and you, you've got the experience, you've got the habits, you, you've got all that and it just becomes something that's so much easier down the track. I think when people are looking at it today, it's like this big, big battle to get started or to do this. And then once you've built that consistency, you just go like, oh, well, I mean I could, I could add this or I could add that or I could do more or I could do something different, which is cool.
- [17:50]
B
Yeah, that's where you want it to get, you wanted to get to where it's, it's a normal part of, of your everyday life and you're not thinking about it as something you have to go do. You're, you're just doing it because you do it every day, maybe at the same time, same location, but because of that consistency and efficiency, then you are able to add these other things to your life and you kind of quit thinking about it the same as you're talking about with your goals. Like if you set a financial goal, at first it sounds scary and at first it feels like a burden. So I'm going to move this money aside that I'm used to living off of because I have a 10 year plan for that money. At first it's kind of painful, like, oh, where did that money go? And then over time it's just normal, normal. You're not even thinking about it anymore and that account is just building, building, building. And fitness is the same way where it is going to feel awkward at first, it is going to feel uncomfortable, it is going to feel like you're, you're losing time and you're burning time that you normally had throughout the day. But as you, as you mature in that, that's when it's just going to be a normal, everyday kind of standard process. And I tell people all the time, even though I founded Mountain Tough, I think it's, it's really important. Consistency is so important that as the owner of Mountain Tough, I would still recommend that the most important thing you can do right now in January when you are looking to recreate your fitness. If you're looking to recreate your fitness kind of from the ground up, the most important thing is consistency. Because of that, the answer might not be Mountain Tough. The answer for sure is something that you can consistently do. And so for many, many different individuals, sometimes that is walking, sometimes that is running. Some, sometimes people get like a great joy out of like swimming or biking. And then there are other elements where depending on our personality type, some individuals can really crush consistency if they walk into like a great local class every day. So that might be a really good CrossFit class, boot camp class. I would rather see people do that, especially when they are recreating their lifestyle because consistency and identity are the top two. So you have to lock those in if you really want to change the next 15 years of your life. And so mountain tough might not be the answer. The answer is what are you going to consistently do? And you're probably going to do something consistent that you enjoy or love. And so if someone is looking for a life transformation and they love mountain biking, and they start mountain biking three, four days a week, and then as we get closer to that hunt, we start doing mountain specific training through mountaintop, then you're kind of setting up this real nice success path for that individual.
- [21:05]
A
Yeah, I like that. I mean, it's, it's one of those things like you say, where if you're, if you're enjoying it, you're going to be doing it. And the biggest starting point is like, start doing it. Doesn't matter what it is to start off because you just got to build that consistency. I like that, that fact. And then the other thing is too, is, I know for me, you know, I, I think that there is that fact of you. If you're like, I am, I'm going hunting. I'm. This is my. I think that, like, everybody has that reason for something, like something down the track that they're like, okay, I got to get ready for this particular thing. What we're talking about here is getting ready for hunting season. And for me, my entire life, all my motivations been around hunting season. It's like, I go to work so I can go hunting. I do this, so go hunting. I do, you know, I get in shape so I can go hunting, you know, and I always think about hunting season. And it's like, let's call September the beginning. For, you know, a lot of people. September is that like, pinnacle of starting to get in the mountains. September, October. And you're like, okay, we've got this hunt that's out in September. Okay, I got to get ready for that. And, and there's specific ways that we can be better for that. Right? And that's the whole point of mountain tough is training for being on the mountain, which as somebody that, like, you know, I'll try different sports or different things. Like, I could do it, whatever. Hike all day long. Put me on a bike, dude. And I'm gassed after. Like, how? Because it's just like a different output, a different type of a different. So it's like you're. You're mountain biking, you're like, dude, I'm a mountain bike. I'm in really good shape. Or I have friends that are like, I run marathons, I'll be Great. And they throw that heavy pack on. It's like, no halt, right? So it's like the very mission specific training. Like you train for something and it might. It. It gets you ready to get ready in a way. Like, I think about that because last year, one of the things that I did was my wife likes to run marathons and just kind of being. It's kind of like we had her kids and she kind of took a little bit of time off of marathoning and. And so she get back into it and. And I was like, okay, I'll do one with you. I've never done one, never trained for one, whatever. I actually really enjoyed the process of it. My competitive nature, like, really pushed me in it. I felt like I did good. I think I probably could do better with more time and thinking about it. I don't know. But it got me to really kind of kick in. I think earlier, just having something like a goal in an event earlier really kickstarted a train, like, specific training. And I thought, yeah, cool. You know, like, I felt like I was. I was in really good shape for it and everything that was in Memorial Day. So it was May, and I think that was a good timing for it, actually. And then. But then you're like that, and then you go throw in the pack. I was like, I still need to do the strength and all the other stuff for the hunting. Because I was like, I actually lost a lot of, like, body mass and weight actually doing the. The marathon stuff, which this year I'm gonna, like, I've gotta. Like I said, I'm gonna do things different. I'm. I'm actually nutrition and eating was, like, my big thing last year. Eating more is gonna be my big thing this year. Actually, to be honest, like, sounds weird, but, like, I gotta, like, force myself to eat more. Yeah, like, gate. Make some gains, man. But yeah, I think, like, having that. That event. And then also. But okay, after that, right then just continuing to, like, build up and get ready for the season. It was so much easier, like, than starting in January, just starting getting whatever. And I kind of, like, stopped running after the marathon, which maybe I should have continued, but. And just kind of got ready for the season. Then I have, like, one of those seasons where it's just like, hard hunt, long hunt. Hard hunt, long hunt, hard hunt, long hunt. Well, okay, cool. I'm really glad I was. I felt so good going into each and every one of those hunts. But having that event, like, I had a reason for really wanting to do it partially. You Know that longevity goal of being there for my kids, being able to want to do this and kind of lifestyle changes in a way. And then, you know, hunting season is the main goal for me. And then having an event that was a little bit closer kind of just really, I don't got me more excited. And I, I don't know, what are your thoughts on that? Because I is like, I'm kind of a competitive person, but I'm really competitive with myself too. So I think that, that like not wanting to like let myself down or whatever, you kind of just like have that event and you get excited about doing it. It keeps you like a shorter term goal than waiting till September.
- [25:49]
B
Yeah, there's so much, there's so much amazing psychology going on. And we are, we are kind of separating two different topics. We're talking about two different topics in one. So just to like, just to be clear, I think the, the individuals listening that want to thrive in the backcountry, we'll address that in a second when it comes to like mountain specific fitness. But then the individuals listening around this new year, new me time that maybe have set a resolution, maybe are thinking about setting a resolution and really want to change like the next 15 years of their health and wellness. We're mostly focusing on that group today. So that group that's looking for a lifestyle change, a lifestyle transformation, this psychology of an event is so powerful. And I'd say we're all looking for hacks. This is probably the greatest hack out there when it comes to health and fitness, and it's the hack of signing up for an event. So, you know, Michael Easter in his book, he talks about it being a musogi and a masogi is something that scares you, something that you might die in, and something that is quite a bit outside of your comfort zone. Now, I don't think that we need to have all of these events be as difficult as what Michael Easter is talking about. But the hack of an event for someone that's trying to change a fitness journey is a complete total game changer. And they're even more of a game changer when it is scary to you. And it's like a game changer on steroids when you're gonna participate in that event with other people that you know. And so what happens, like what happened to you signing up for that marathon, it was a little bit outside of your comfort zone. And then you're going with your wife. And so all these psychological elements happen where you don't want to be embarrassed you don't want to not finish. You want to make sure you do have what it takes. There are other people there that aren't going to, and you don't want those people to see you not finish. You don't want to embarrass yourself in front of all those people. And so there's a lot of pressure. There's a lot of pressure because you registered for that event. And what that pressure turns into is training, motivation and discipline. And so once you are locked into that marathon in May with your wife, getting up early to run isn't as hard. Making it to those runs isn't as difficult because in the back of your mind, you're thinking about race day in May and you're like, I can't bonk. I can't bonk in front of my wife. I can't bonk in front of all these people. I want to finish. I want to do good. And so that just turns into fuel. And if you don't have that fuel and your only fuel is hunting season, that's a little too long out there. It's a little too far out to be hot, burning fuel. And so the, the hack of an event changes, like more fitness journeys than anything out there. And certainly an event that is scary to you and certainly an event that you're going to go or see other people at. And it's a, you know, it's a hack used by people that are just trying to come off the couch. And it's, it's a hack used by fitness experts that have been in the game for 20, 30, 40 years. When I was, I went and saw Rich Froning last year, who, you know, was the king of CrossFit, winning multiple CrossFit games and as a competitor on a team. And recently he's gone down this whole hundred mile Leadville mountain biking racing journey. And the reason that he did that is because just doing CrossFit day in, day out, day in, day out, over and over again was getting kind of boring. It was getting kind of mundane. And so he needed a new thing to scare himself, to take himself out of his comfort zone. He needed a new thing that was kind of different than the thing he had been doing. So he went from, you know, 20 years of CrossFit to mountain biking. But that, that Leadville 100 gave him all that fuel of training, discipline, motivation, showing up early, staying late. And it, it makes it easier. It makes that whole topic of consistency be a lot easier once you sign up for that hard event. And so at Mountain Tough. We tell people all the time to use that hack, and that hack looks different for every single person. You know, the hack for someone who hasn't done much training in the last 20 years is like a 5k, because a 5k for someone who hasn't had much physical activity is still hitting those check marks. It's still scary. It's still outside of their comfort zone. They probably are going with other people and there's going to be other people there. But for some people, it has to be the ultra marathon or the hundred miler. It's different for every single person. But as long as it is scary, as long as that you're doing everything you can to not let yourself and let others down. And it's just even better if you can fit that in between now and September. Because if you can fit that in between now and September, then you are going to roll into hunting season at a much higher level because the hack will help you with that consistency. You'll have that consistency for January, February, March, April, May, and then in the summer, you can kind of start dialing that dial specifically for mountain fitness, and you can just crush the season.
- [31:56]
A
Yeah, that's cool. I like that. That idea, too, of doing something different. And I. I don't know. I. I mean, I think, like, when we set what we were going to do this year, like, on. On our personal side, I'm doing. So I was like, okay, I agreed to do another marathon, but we bumped it up. We're going to do it, like, in. I think it's in beginning of April or something. I'm like, okay, it's coming up quick already. I'm like, all right, here we go. And then later in the, like, beginning of summer, signed up to do a triathlon, which I'm not excited about because I hate biking. Like, I absolutely hate it. I mean. And honestly, too, I'm like, I don't. Dude, I don't know if I've. I used to swim, like, a lot. Like, Like, I. I actually used to swim a lot. I haven't swam in a long time. Thinking about it, like, actually, like, fast swimming. Like, dude, I don't know, man. Like, all right, well, here we go. Right? Like, but it's. It's kind of fun and it's exciting to do. Do something a little bit different, but also, too. It just, you know, it keeps it. It keeps it from getting old and stale, too, in some ways, too, where you're like, okay, it puts a little bit of pressure. I'm the type of person that needs that little bit of pressure. I like that, that pressure. And then some people, I, you know, I think some people like that community vibe of it. Like I told my friends I'm going to do it, so I'm going to do it. You know, I'm doing it with other family or whatever. Really the only reason I'm doing the triathlon thing is because my daughter wants to do the like kids triathlon. The five year old one.
- [33:28]
B
Oh yeah.
- [33:29]
A
And she's been training since like she has because her cousin did it last year. So she's like been like self motivating training like I'm doing a triathlon, dad, you want to do one? I'm like, okay, I guess we're doing one. You know, like, oh gosh, can't let my daughter down. I gotta learn how to swim again.
- [33:48]
B
That's perfect though.
- [33:49]
A
But yeah, that's, it's fun. So I don't know, we're looking for it. But that, that event thing, I've never been an event guy, I mean, but now I'm like, here's multiple events. Because I see that. I think like this year is like the first time like or last year just like seeing the benefit of it for me, I was like, it was a good motivator for me. And it, I felt like it just gave me like more, I don't know, more purpose to the commitment in a way where you just like, you got like that goal in mind and you kind of just hit it harder and are more stoked about it when you're doing it. I think, I don't know, there's just like some little psychological thing in there that I didn't really realize about it that I think made it a big deal for me. And something that I noticed like, okay, this is actually something that is, I, I do well with.
- [34:36]
B
Yeah. Psychologically I think that there are other elements going on too with like you know, hunt. Hunting can be somewhat of a, a selfish hobby and a selfish sport and there's so much good in it and so much amazing things that, that come out of it. But that, that selfish nature of it. The one thing that an event like that helps with is like you're kind of, you're kind of leveraging that fitness a little bit to spend time with your wife and spend time like running and training with your wife. And that's what you, that's what you see a lot with these events. Because you certainly could do the same thing that an event is doing just from like a, a mountain perspective. You Could. You could create and plan out a shed hunting trip in March that is way back in there and intimidating to you. And then you could. You could schedule and sketch out a bear hunt that is way back in there and scary and intimidating to you. And it. It has the same impact of registering for that event. But there's. There are some extra special ingredients going on when, like, you're training with a spouse, you're spending time training with a spouse that you normally wouldn't do. Maybe it's with family, maybe it's with your kids. So there are some really cool elements that happened with that.
- [36:10]
A
Yeah, I like that. I know. Well, speaking of events, too, actually, I mean, this one's coming up because we're. I'm diving into this too, but the Tough Sheep event that you guys are doing at Wild Sheep, because that's. Dude, is that already next week? No, two weeks from now.
- [36:25]
B
Two weeks.
- [36:25]
A
I got. I got a little nervous. Oh, geez. Where's my cooler? Where's my heavy pack? Dude, I got a grind. Yeah, we got. Yeah, because I mean, that. That was you. So you guys started that last year and that was such a cool event. I mean, I. I really enjoyed being able to be a part of that. And this year, I know for like day six, I think we got, like, we're sponsoring a heat or something and we got. But I'm. I'm really looking forward to. To jumping in and following along and doing that workout again and just the energy and the vibe in the room. And then the other cool thing is for those that don't know, it's like that one's sold out. If I'm. Is that. Is that correct? There's no spots available for that, right?
- [37:05]
B
Yeah. Everyone should double check. But I think by the time you're listening to this, the, the standard Tough Sheep waves will be sold out. There's always the chance to get into that pro division, which is this year we didn't have last year. But double check just on mountaintough.com events, maybe there's a chance you're going to. You're going to get in there, get on one of the waves with the different brand sponsors. But we are challenging a lot of new people to push into that pro division this year, which we didn't have last year, which is going to be epic because the standard Tough Sheep wave was difficult last year. But we want to kind of see who wants to kind of completely push hard and really go head to head with some other individuals down there in Reno. So the pro Division probably has some spots.
- [37:58]
A
Yeah. I guess the other thing too is like, if you, if you're like, I wanted to do it, but it couldn't get in, and I just want to like, see what it's like. You could do the pro division. You don't have to, you don't have to win it. You just have to complete it, right?
- [38:08]
B
Yeah.
- [38:09]
A
Make that your goal. But the tough sheep one's cool because if you, if you finish it, you got to do it. You got to finish it. You're entered in to win a sheep hunt. And your odds, I mean, of like there's what, 500 or around 500 signups, spots, and so of that, you know, there might be people that don't show up or what have you. And then those that finish, I mean, it's designed for you to, it's not designed for you to fail. It's not like one of those math questions where it's actually impossible to solve. Right. Like, like, this is designed for people to succeed, but it is, it's tough. Tough. Thus the name Tough sheep. And someone walks away that day with a sheep hunt. That was so cool. Did the, how did the winner's hunt go? Did he end up harvesting ram?
- [38:56]
B
He did, yeah, he harvested a ram. It was a buzzer beater. So I think it was on the sixth day of six days they were going to hunt. So he, he won a doll sheep hunt in the Northwest Territories with Stan Stevens, our cameraman, went up there and documented the whole thing.
- [39:15]
A
Oh, cool.
- [39:17]
B
And they just got like crushed and crushed and crushed. And then he ended up getting just like an epic buzzer beater ram.
- [39:24]
A
That's super cool.
- [39:26]
B
But talk about like a story. It was just when Weston from our team went after this tough sheep idea, he was actually doing two things. One, he was like, we should just create an event that's hunting related. And then now hunters will have an event to train for in the winter. So it creates that hack that we just spent this episode talking about. But not only is it a hack, it's a hack specifically designed for the mountain hunter. And so, you know, heavy packs, lots of step ups to simulate the mountains. And then connecting that into sheep show was so perfect because, you know, you can't, you can't really find an easy mountain. She punt. Sheep hunters, once they win that tag or draw that tag, are, are looking at a gnarly, grueling, multiple day hunt at high elevation and rugged terrain. And so the sheep show crowd and the sheep show family is the perfect. Was the Perfect inaugural event. And so Weston launched it there last year. And I had a lot of people, more than I ever expected, say, wow, I've been training every day for the last nine weeks, every day for the last 12 weeks just for this event. And I knew that Tough Sheep was going to be awesome, but I did not think it was going to create that lifestyle consistency change in so many people. That it did. It really, it really created that kind of intimidation and that excitement that we were talking about with an event where, you know, countless amount of people were training just for that workout, just for that workout in Reno. And so their lifestyle changed, their, their whole trajectory changed just from last year. And certainly they've been training all year for this year. And he, Weston, when he created it, he really wanted to be able to advertise best odds in the world to win a sheep hunt. And certainly, certainly it was because it was one out of 500. So it sold out at 500, but then 425 people made it. So some people were out too late or didn't show up on time. And so now you're looking at 1 out of 425 odds at 1 of the best sheep hunts on earth. And so watching that guy win and like hearing how excited he was and then seeing him go and harvest that ram, it was, it was epic. And it'll just be more epic this year.
- [41:58]
A
Yeah, I'm excited for that. That's, I mean, that was like a highlight of the sheep show for me last year. And so I've been looking forward to, to it this year because it's, it's a really cool, it was a really cool event. And now. So you guys are doing another one too at Western Hunt Expo, is that right? Like Tough Buck.
- [42:15]
B
Yeah. So after seeing the success last year of Tough Sheep, we kicked off Tough Buck. And you know, a big part of this is not only the, the fitness and the fitness inspiration that it, that it does throughout the hunting community. Another huge part of it is it creates the ability to give back to these conservation partners. So because of Tough Sheep last year, we were able to give the Wild Sheep Foundation a check for $50,000. And it's not Mountain Tough doing that. It's everyone that's signing up for these events. And so it's a really cool way for anyone in the hunting community register for an event, have a fun workout, and then know that they're making a massive difference for conservation and as a hunter and as a hunting brand, you know, that's super important to us. And so after we saw the success of tough Sheep, the guys and the team were like, man, what if we did the same thing at the western hunt Expo? It hasn't been done before. And you know, that one is led and put on by the mule deer foundation. So, you know, the model's the same, but instead of a sheep hunt, you have the chance to win one of the best mule deer hunts in the world. So it's a Sonora hunt, and same setup, similar workout, same cap. So about one out of 500. This one has a couple extra seats, so the odds will be slightly different. And there's still a few spots open for that one. So if you're planning to go to Salt Lake, if you live in Salt Lake, if you're going to the expo, make sure you get registered for that one. It's going to be tons of camaraderie, tons of fun, and you might walk away with a phenomenal meal. Deer tag.
- [44:04]
A
That'd be sweet. That's cool. I like that. Yeah, I like that. I mean, just having those events, you know, sprinkled in a couple different ones, too, is nice because I think that it gives you, like, as. As a hunter. I'm like, yeah, you know what sounds better than running a marathon? Winning a sheep hunt, Winning a Sonora mule deer tag. I was like, that's like one of the hunts at the top of my list is like, I want to hunt mule deer in, like, Mexico somewhere, probably Sonora and then somewhere in Canada. Like, those are the. Those are two. You know, actually, I got to hunt the Mackenzie mountains for mountain caribou this year. Dude, that place is incredible. That's where, you know, same, same mountain range. Just a little bit different spot than where that she punt was. Just right north of it, actually.
- [44:50]
B
I've heard it.
- [44:51]
A
Oh, my gosh, dude. You know, I've heard it like, so many times and just. It doesn't. It was. That was a bucket list place for me. And I've heard that from people, you know, or whatever. Like, just. It's a place that I've always heard is cool. And you just don'. Know, like some people. Yeah, I've been like, a lot of cool places, I feel like. And I'm like, it's just an infinity range of mountains there. It looks like you're like, if you put mountains with two opposing mirrors and looked into it, it just doesn't end. It just like they're so stacked in there of just like, range, range, range, range, range. It's really wild. And the way that those mountains where I was at lay out. It's like they go all different. You know, normally it's like the primary ridge goes north, south, and you could walk or east, whatever. You could like get on that ridge and then the finger ridges go off.
- [45:33]
B
Yeah.
- [45:33]
A
It's like it's laid out in a way that it's really hard to navigate. Like you gotta. If you want to go there, you got to go up and over here and then go like it doesn't all connect. It's like it goes up and then drops down. So like you climb up and then drop you. It's like a lot of up and down, man. It's a. It was a cool, cool experience. And to get to hunt, that was, that was pretty cool. Because when you talk about, oh, you get to win a sheep hunt in this particular area, I mean that's if having been there now that's where I would want a sheep hunt. I was like, dude, this is phenomenal. And like a lot of good sheep too. Really well looked after herds in there. That's incredible. Yeah, I'm excited to. Is that you guys gonna win. Is it. Did you already release that video?
- [46:14]
B
No.
- [46:15]
A
Okay.
- [46:16]
B
It'll. It'll be released in Reno.
- [46:18]
A
That's what I thought. Okay, sweet. I'm stoked on that. I wanna, I wanna watch that and see how that whole hunt played out. But I'm excited for that. That's gonna be cool. We'll be. I'll be at sheep show too. For those of you people listening. We'll have a booth there. I think it's come find me. I got day six arrows there and live wild stuff. And I'll be cruising around at the tough sheep thing, you know, rooting people on, running a heat, you know. Yeah, yeah. See, See how it goes, man.
- [46:47]
B
It'll be epic.
- [46:48]
A
I'm excited. So I'm stoked. Well, let's, I mean, let's kind of wrap it up here because I know we covered a lot of different stuff. We talked about, you know, building consistency, making it manageable, looking where to start, having that reason in that event, you know. But like what. Let's say somebody's starting right now. They're just like, okay, I'm getting ready, I'm going to sign up. Let's say they sign up for the mountain tough app. Like where. Where should somebody new start? And then maybe where should somebody that's like, okay, I came off the season, I trained and did pretty good last year. Felt get like I was getting ready. Where should that person start? So maybe let's, let's like, like an actual where to start for two. Two different people. Someone new, someone just like, that's not new. Where are some places to start? Like, I think sometimes that's the hardest part is like knowing like, what. Let's just even. Let's just do it in the mountain, like maybe within the Mountain Tough app. And as far as just like. And any ideas you have, just like someone like, okay, brand new. Where do I start? What's something that I can do to just get going today? However you want to break that down, I guess.
- [47:55]
B
Yeah. And how you start is really critical. So when we're talking about consistency and people actually crushing these goals for 2026, you know, the big pitfall is starting incorrectly. And you see that all the time where someone's fired up, they're motivated, they want to, you know, drop 30 pounds this year, and then they go out and they do something too hard or they don't do something that's like, correct for them. And Mountain Tough over the years, we have spent a lot of time on handling that and addressing that because, like, your path that you're going to land on really determines your success for this year. And that really is key to your fitness transformation and success. So several years ago, Mountain Tough released the on ramp program to answer this exact question. Because before that, you would have to dive into a Mountain Tough program. That was often really difficult. And when you dive into something that's too difficult for where you currently are at, there's a good chance that you're going to get injured or there's a good chance that it's going to be so extreme that you're never going to do it again or you're going to be sore for so long that you'd never want to work out again. And that's how we kind of operated as an organization for a couple of years. And then we realized that, no, we need to do a much better job of grabbing someone by the hand that hasn't worked out in a while and taking them step by step by step by step until they can kind of reach that elite fitness level. So all Mountain toughers, as they follow those steps will reach that elite fitness level. But they have to start with those foundations just like any athlete. And our foundation really begins with on ramp. And on ramp is for almost anyone that has never been part of the Mountain Tough community. So if you're coming into the community for the first time, you're going to want to start with on ramp and does a lot to really lock in our ethos, but it does a lot to lock in that consistency. So it's going to be 20 minute workouts. So we know that anyone can accomplish and find time for a 20 minute workout. And then we're going to give you a couple days off so that you can get some of that soreness out of your body. So three days a week, 20 minutes each workout, a couple weeks, and then you're probably ready to take that next step. And our next step is foundation. So you go from on ramp to foundation and then you can kind of start taking those other paths that allow your fitness to go from beginner to intermediate, and then intermediate to elite. And so for someone who hasn't worked out in a while or someone who's never been in the Mountain Tough ecosystem, we encourage everyone just to start with on ramp. And even though it is a newer program, it's, it's one of our most successful programs of all time. And the reason is because like we all have to start with those foundations and we all have to start with something that keeps us injury free and focused on longevity. So it's a really, really good piece for those individuals, for individuals that trained hard last year and had a good program either on Mountain Tough or somewhere else. But they're, they're used to training hard. They're used to training four, five, six days a week. They're coming off a season, entering this winter time right now with more of our intermediate and elite athletes that are mountain hunters. We either push them to mountain tough postseason 2.0. So that was specifically designed for the hunter to build muscle in the off season. So we lose a lot of muscle in season and the winter's the time to rebuild. So rebuild muscle and then we can kind of rebuild that cardio and endurance engine as we get closer to season. So that's a gym based program for people that have a full robust either home gym or are walking into a gym. So it's either going to be Mountain tough post season 2.0, or our most popular programs by far of all time now are ones that are coached. So you just hit play in the Mountain Tough app. And there's a Mountain Tough coach coaching you through the workout. From tip to tail, top to bottom. All you have to do is hit play. And so those work really well when you're at home. And we have one for individuals with a full home gym and then we have one with for individuals that have minimal gear. And so that's the minimal gear daily or the gym daily. Both are designed for the Mountain Hunter, and both are designed around seasonality. And both of those, you just have to hit play, and we're going to coach you through it step by step. And they're really addictive when it comes to that consistency because they create that FOMO where you. You have fear of missing out because they're brand new every 24 hours, and then they expire every 24 hours. So for those individuals that haven't worked out in a while on ramp, for individuals that are more at that intermediate or elite level, go postseason strength or go into gym daily or minimal gear daily.
- [53:23]
A
Yeah, I like that. I. I'm a big fan of the, like, lead workouts because I don't. I don't like to have to think about it. Like, that's my. It's just like, if you're. The whole, like, class version of something is. Is good for me personally, but I understand people like to do things at their own pace, but it's like, okay, it's timed. I don't have to look at a watch. I don't have to, like, look at the. How did I do that one? I forgot about that move. How do I do that move? It's, like, all there, right there within that time frame. And I feel like it, like, wraps up. Like, it's. It's timed well where you're in, you're out, you feel pretty sore afterwards, and you're like, cool, I can move on, and I don't have to think about it. You know? I mean, even. I even do them. Like, if I'm. When I'm on the road, I might be in, like, a gym somewhere, and I just. I'll just listen to it, and I've got it on my phone, and it's my earbuds in, and I'm doing it, and it's like, people like, why is this guy running back and forth and jumping up on this thing? Like, this guy's crazy, man. But he doesn't stop. Yeah, but, no, it's great. I. I think, like, I like that that aspect of having it led and that, for me is like. But the nice thing is there's. There's enough stuff on there where you can find what works for you. And like you said, make it manageable, make it something that you enjoy doing, and it fits with your type of motivation and what motivates you and. And just do it, and it makes a. Makes a big difference.
- [54:39]
B
Yeah, for sure. And that you got to find what, you know leads to consistency. Once you find that you're on the right track.
- [54:46]
A
Awesome, man. Well, I'm. Thank you so much for joining us for jumping on here. It's. It's one of my favorite parts of the New Year's, getting to talk with you and put this stuff in front of everyone. And I know we always get a ton of great feedback on these podcasts and, and guys that are like, yep, that got me. Gave me the right. The right steps to follow or the right motivation for this upcoming hunting season. I don't. I don't know. You got anything big planned on the books or anything you're looking forward to this year, hunt wise?
- [55:15]
B
Nothing too crazy yet. I. I've been trying to think about what that is going to look like. You know, last year you and I were chatting because we were around a similar time where I took my daughter to Alaska for caribou. So she's only 12 and she is obsessed with hunting. And so we did fly and drop Camp Caribou in August in Alaska. And, you know, a big part of that trip made me have this desire, an interest to spend more time in Alaska. And so we've been talking about that a lot on what that might look like this year for us. But the ability to get that far away from people and to get that far from any sort of civilization.
- [56:08]
A
Is.
- [56:08]
B
Different and it's unique. And so we're. We're kind of looking for some more of that.
- [56:13]
A
Awesome. That's cool. Yeah, I love those kind of hunts. And I think I've got a. I tentatively have a caribou hunt plan. Like, you know, just drop off kind of caribou hunt. I've done it multiple times, but my brother hasn't taken a caribou yet. So it's one of the things like, he really want. He's. He's gone unsuccessful. And so it's like, I'm like, I don't know, It'd be cool to be there with him and a buddy of mine who hasn't taken one. So that's. That's tentatively in the plans, but nice, you know? I don't know. Yeah. Yeah. And I think for me, I was like, I don't know. I just love mule deer hunting. And I'm like, man, it'd be fun to just, you know, try to cash in my points somewhere, draw a good tag and just kind of have time. Just do it. You know, Sometimes I feel like I, you know, don't. It's like, that's the one thing you don't have very much of very often is time. But I think to really do a mule deer hunt justice, you need time. So it might be one of those where I just plan some, like, find some time to do a hunt that I maybe have done before, but just really put some time into it and do it right.
- [57:15]
B
I know you need that. Otherwise, you kind of. Especially for you, you're kind of going from trip to trip, but if you could just have less, but then just really focus an extended amount of time, especially on a mule deer, would be epic.
- [57:28]
A
Yeah. Yeah. I think time thing is the hard one, where you're like, all right, you've got the family in the other. And it's like to have the amount of time of, you know, you put so much into it and then just to have that, like, big chunk of time to do it. But I don't know, I think that, that that would be something that I'm kind of looking forward to this year. But we'll see. One of the other things too is tag draws are coming up. I'm going to be doing a lot of talking about that over the next month or so. The game, the dude, the landscape has changed. We got a lot to talk about out here now. It's like, how are we going to find a hunt to do? But you gotta, you know, with that some you just don't know maybe what you might draw or you might draw something real good or what have you. So I think that that is, you know, I. I'm kind of at the point where I'm in striking distance of a lot of good stuff. And so it's been paying off recently where it actually been applying for it and use cashing in some points places. So probably do that again too. You never know. You never know. Man. Might be on a sheep hunt. If all goes right, I might be on a sheep hunt later this year. We'll see.
- [58:27]
B
We can only.
- [58:28]
A
We can only hope. Yeah, exactly. So. Right on, man. Well, appreciate you coming on. Thank you so much. Well, I hope you guys enjoyed that podcast. I know I always enjoy being able to sit down with Dustin and just learn from him and. And make my life better. Really. You know, he's been a really big driving factor for me and just getting ready, staying ready and kind of, you know, it's cool to have that person. It's like, that's my coach. You know what I mean? He's got such great advice, and that's what he does. He just. He helps motivate and get people ready for the mountain. That's. He thinks about it. He lives it, he breathes it, and it's just an awesome, awesome thing to see and be able to talk to him, and hopefully you guys find some value in that. I know having him at the beginning of the year, this is the time where we're thinking about those things and, and it's awesome to just, you know, wrap our head around ways that we can get in there and be better and get motivated and just do it. So I'm excited about that and it's always great to be able to talk to him and learn from him before we get out of here. One of the things I wanted to talk about as well, an awesome supporter of this podcast, Vortex Optics. You know, I'm thinking about some of the things that I'm doing when it comes to getting ready this time of year. And, you know, I've got. There's some small game seasons and things going on right now, but also I really like to think about getting my gear honed and dialed in the early part of the year. That way, if there's any problems or anything like that, I'm familiar with my gear, I've got it going, I've got it ready. Just like getting physically ready, I like to be just ready with whatever I'm going to be hunting with. And I know that a lot of people like a lot of the season for buying hunting gear or getting, you know, as. As somebody that's moved into the Aero Broadhead manufacturing building space, it seems like nobody buys that stuff this time of year, which I understand, right. Like, as it gets closer to the season, it's like, oh, this is what I need, or I broke some arrows, more practicing, whatever, but I get it. But also, I also understand too, that, you know, somebody that, you know, resells a lot of other things and whatever things, things run out, things sell out, people have problems. You don't have time to get things dialed as much. And so when we're looking at the hunting season and getting planned and prepped earlier, the better when it comes to gear and other things. I like, I've got a rifle that I'm getting dialed, and it's like, I want to get it dialed now. I'm actually, it's already dialed, but I'm like, I'm going to get it sighted in and spend a lot of time, you know, getting it where I've got my ballistics app. So I'm going to. I'm going to set my ballistics app up. I just saw this feature that Vortex has in their Geo ballistics where I can Set up like, okay, I've got this suppressor on it and then I can change the data for when I throw my muzzle brake on it. So I'm going to get all that stuff worked up and worked out now because it's awesome to just be able to, to have it ready. And I go, oh, okay. Oh, I've got this hunt where I'm not using my suppressor, I'm gonna use my muzzle brake. Screw that on. Or okay, I'm even gonna set it up without the muzzle brake on it. So for whatever reason. Okay, I can then just change the point of impact in my dope charts. Ready? I know that's like, okay, it's consistent, it's whatever and it's ready to go, ready to rock and roll. But I actually didn't even know that they had that feature. And I was just scrolling through there the other day, I was like, wait. Oh wait. Okay, I can see. I can change my app for the specific load and rifle and everything. And then when I put a, I've got a, I've got one of those banish backcountry suppressors on it. Okay, I've got that and that's what it's set it for now. But I'm going on a hunt with it in a little bit where I'm just going to use the muzzle brake. Like, okay. And then there's some times where, hey, maybe I've got, you know, maybe I'm hunting in Canada or something. I'm gonna be with someone, I don't want a muzzle break or, you know, I'm just going on, on break. No break, no suppressor. Okay. Just to know that I've, I've spent time at the range off season getting that dialed and so that, that's something cool with their ballistics app and their Geo ballistics that I can just set that up. I just kind of found that and I was like, okay, I gotta do that, get it set up. And I'm going to take a couple different rifles with me and just spend a little bit of range time this time of year. You know, we're talking about rifle scopes. There's the way that vortex is broken out is there's different tiers of their scope and mostly just based off of like the glass quality, the more expensive one. That's like their top of the line glasses, their razor line. Then you've got kind of their mid range, which is their Viper stuff and then kind of their entry level stuff, which is their diamond and back stuff. But a lot the thing that I love about Vortex is across all those lines, they have very similar feature sets. Like, one of my favorite scopes is the Viper pst. I use that for years. Or the. Where they used to have one of the hslr which is just like, it's a, it's a great scope. For the money, you've got the Viper HD, like the 5 to 25 by 50. I've got like, you know, one of my favorite scopes is a Razor. Lht, like, if I was to pick one rifle, I think that that's the best rifle scope ever made. I've used a lot of different rifle scopes. I'm like, if you're going to buy a rifle scope for a hunting rifle, that's like hands down my favorite. But I mean, I've got different rifle scopes, different rifles. I've got quite a few rifles with the Diamondback stuff on it. And it's like, okay, this is a great piece of glass for, for what I'm doing in a great price point and go, okay, this is, this is an awesome optic for, for this particular rifle or, or whatever. And they make some great stuff. And, and when you look at it, you're like, you look through it, you're like, okay, between the this one and that one, there's some, there's some awesome, you know, options and features in every line. So if you're in the, if you're like, okay, I've got a rifle set up, you can look at that and say like, okay, how much do I want to spend? What kind of features am I looking for? And then line it up based on that and you know, for majority of hunts and other things, honestly, like there's, you know, you make, you might not need the razor. Although I love my razor. Like I, I will touted as the best rifle scope out there because I love it so much. It's like one of my favorite pieces of gear. But I also am saying not everybody needs that rifle scope. There's a lot of other great scopes that they make. They might fit your need or what you what your rifle or your budget or what have you better and you know, be perfect for what you're looking for. So there's a lot of different options out there. You can check it out vortexoptics.com see what they've got. You can head over to my website, Remy Warren.com I've got a few different options on there that we sell as well or kind of wherever you get your optics. So you can go put your hands on them and sporting goods store or where have you. So that's. That's something to think about. And I'm just going to say, until next week, stay ready. We're going to catch you guys later.