If you're familiar with My Medic's content, you've probably seen our very own Zeff Prina featured across our social platforms, videos, and website. He's just that great! But did you know he's also been an avid hunter for the last five years? When it comes to anything hunting, he's our go-to expert. Today, we'll be getting to know Zeff and how he hunts!

What Kind of Hunting Do You Do?

Most of my efforts go into big game hunting, mainly deer and elk. That being said, I'm open to just about all of it, big or small game.

How Did You Get Into Hunting?

I grew up mainly hunting small game like doves and rabbits with family and friends. I did two big game hunts as a kid, but after that, I didn't go hunting again until 2018. I distinctly remember sitting in the smoothie shop I worked at during college and listening to a Joe Rogan and Steven Rinella podcast. They spoke about hunting in a way I had never heard before: about conservation, the solitude, the beauty. I bought a license and applied for a tag that night. Later that year, I harvested a beautiful Coues buck and have been hooked ever since.

Why Do You Hunt?

Hunting means a lot of things to a lot of different people. For me, it's an experience you can't get doing anything else. Physically it is remarkably challenging and takes a tremendous amount of conditioning. Mentally you have to make success/fail decisions frequently, and you have to have undistracted focus when opportunities present themselves. It takes skill with your equipment to make ethical shots, stalk in on animals while avoiding detection, and navigate the backcountry. Spiritually, there isn't anything like it. Being in nature, out of cell service, away from people, work, everything. It's being fully attentive to the task at hand, with none of the distractions of day-to-day life. Connecting with the Earth and where your food comes from, being reminded and involved in the circle of life. It's a lot of things, and what I've written here doesn't even get close to summing it up.

Favorite Place to Hunt?

I grew up hunting in the sky island mountain ranges of southeast Arizona. The nostalgia and ruggedness of those areas will always be my favorite place to chase critters.

What are Your Hunting Goals?

I'd really like to harvest an animal with archery equipment this season. I've almost exclusively rifle hunted the last five years and would like the added challenge of hunting with archery equipment.

Biggest Hunting Success?

Last year I was able to fill my first tag solo. Growing up and over the last couple years, I've been fortunate to have mentors and friends take me hunting and help me find success. But in 2022, I applied, scouted, and filled my UT Mule Deer tag all by myself; it meant a lot to me.

What is Your Dream Hunting Trip?

There are too many to count. Top of the list are Yukon Moose, Alaskan Dall Sheep, and New Zealand Tahr. Maybe throw a Hawaiian Axis Deer in there too, haha!

What are Some of Your Favorite Pieces of Hunting Gear?

It's hard to boil such a gear-centric activity to three items, but if I had to pick only three (aside from first aid), it would be my:

• Maven Optics B.1 10x42 Binoculars
• Eberlestock Mainframe w/ the Vapor 5000
• Montana Knife Company Speedgoat Knife

 

What Are Your First Aid Necessities?

If I could only take three first aid items into the backcountry, they'd be:

• Tourniquet
• Medication MOD
• SuperSkin Bandages

What is Your Favorite My Medic Kit When Hunting?

 

I like to think of my first aid system just like any other system I build into my hunting kit. In the same way that a sleep system isn't complete without a sleeping pad, sleeping bag/quilt, and a pillow (unless you're a hardass), a first aid system is more than just having a first aid kit in your pack. I built my first aid system with a three-pronged approach:

• Truck/Base Camp Kit
• Backpack Kit
• On My Person

Truck/Base Camp

My favorite kit for the truck/base camp is the MyFAK Large Pro. It has plenty of minor wound supplies for multi-day outings, a full-size splint if someone breaks a limb, and trauma equipment if something goes south.

Backpack

In my backpack, I keep a Sidekick Pro. Usually, I'll trim out all the excess webbing, panels, and straps to save some weight, but the supplies in that kit are perfect. Tons of bandages, blister care, hemostatic powder, a tourniquet (the tourniquet in this kit is my secondary), and a space blanket are all key components of a backpack kit, in my opinion.

On Person

On my person, I don't carry a full-fledged kit, but I will tuck some SuperSkin bandages, blister strips, a space blanket, and a tourniquet either into a cargo pocket or into my bino harness. If I drop my pack to stalk in on an animal, I at least have something to treat some basic wounds and keep myself from bleeding out.

Have You Ever Had to Use Your First Aid Kit in the Backcountry?

I use my first aid kit on just about every hunting/scouting trip I go on. My most used items are bandages and blister strips. I was fortunate enough to fill both my tags last year, and I was unfortunate enough to cut myself both times breaking down those animals. Needless to say, I'm due for a refill on gauze and SuperSkin Bandages before this season kicks off.

 

What Advice Do You Have for Your Fellow Hunters?

In the world of hunting, I'm a child. There's a long list of folks with more experience, knowledge, and days in the field than me, but I have learned a few things over the last couple of years.

Buy Quality Gear

Some things are worth buying once and crying over once. Properly fitted boots, a well-built pack, and usable optics are all expensive but are pretty damn important.

Carry a Real First Aid Kit

Seriously, you're walking around the mountains with a weapon, miles from civilization, and with little to no cell service. Your duct tape, moleskin, and expired ibuprofen won't cut it if something serious happens.

Expect Things to Go South

Other hunters will move into your area, the creek will be dry, a road will be closed, and the weather will turn. So long as you have a backup plan and are prepared for the situation, it won't ruin your hunt.

Glass from a Tripod

I promise you'll find more game and cover more country than you could ever do on foot.

Have a plan

Going into a hunt, especially if you haven't scouted the area, use a mapping software to find glassing knobs, saddles, potential watering holes, where the shade will be, feeding areas, etc. Don't just find them when you're e-scouting, but mark them and plan a route from A to B to C all the way down to the last area of interest. And then do it again for the next canyon over and the canyon after that. There's nothing worse than showing up to the spot you thought you would have all to yourself and finding a small parking lot's worth of trucks at the trailhead.

Know Your Abilities & Equipment

Be honest with your capabilities. Don't make shots on game at distances you haven't shot before. Don't pack yourself into a hell hole that you can't pack out of. Test your gear. Don't be the person that shows up to camp with a new tent they've never set up.

Zeff is moving to Alaska soon and looking forward to the hunting adventures and experiences the new locale will provide him. But don't worry; you'll still see him around! Want to see more hunting content and highlights of hunters like you? Then stay tuned because there's more coming soon. And if you don't already have a first aid kit, pick one up today so you'll be better prepared for future emergencies!