Preparing For Your Next Hunting Trip with Team Pelican Brand Ambassador, Chad Mendes

Chad Mendes is an American professional bare-knuckle boxer and former UFC fighter. As a decorated fighter with a famed career, Mendes is also an avid outdoorsmen, frequently showcasing his love for hunting and fishing on his social channels. Throughout his career, he has amassed a large community of followers and is one of the leading voices in the outdoor industry.

As a Team Pelican Brand Ambassador, Chad brings his expertise and credibility to the team, pulling from his years of experience planning countless hunting and fishing expeditions. From practice to preparedness and execution on the hunt, we asked Chad to share some insights on how he uses Pelican products to further enhance his experience outdoors. From protective cases to hard coolers for keeping game meat fresh, read below for his tips and tricks:

What are the must-have Pelican products you rely on for your hunting trips, and how do they help you in the field?

Chad Mendes: I’d say the two core Pelican items I use on almost every hunting trip are my 1745 Air Bow Case along with many of their coolers. The bow case is a no worry case for protecting my bow during travel. It’s insanely durable and keeps everything locked in a safe place.

Which Pelican cooler do you recommend for keeping game meat fresh?

Chad Mendes: My two favorite elite coolers are the 250QT and the 95QT. I can fit an entire quartered bull elk in my 250 with room for dry ice. The 95 is perfect for quartering deer sized animals and traveling long distances as well. The meat is always ice cold when I get home and the construction of these coolers are next level tough! I’m also a huge fan of the latches that click and lock the lids shut. No rubber bands that stretch out over time like other coolers.

What’s one piece of advice you wish you had known when you first started hunting that could help other hunters now?

Chad Mendes: Practice practice practice!! I started bow hunting as a young kid but would usually only start shooting and practicing with my bow a few weeks before season. It took many years of missing big animals to drill it into my head that proficiency with my weapon comes from daily training.

What’s the most difficult terrain or weather condition you’ve faced on a hunt, and how did you adapt to it?

Chad Mendes: I’d have to say my Alaska hunt where I got my Dall sheep was my most physically difficult hunt yet. We spent 10 days in the backcountry of Alaska and put in over 100 trail miles with no luck. It was extremely mentally challenging going through all the ups and downs each day and still not finding success at the end. Never giving up on it, I visualized and manifested it and trained my butt off. I was able to go back two seasons later and harvest a big mature ram on the 6th day. Hard work pays off!

What’s been your most memorable hunting expedition so far, and what made it stand out?

Chad Mendes: I just did my first travel hunt with my oldest daughter this August. She’s 5 years old and has hunted many things with me close to home but had never traveled to another state to hunt. We packed up and headed to New Mexico and chased mature antelope! She absolutely loves lizards and snakes and finding any kind of creature she can. She was collecting horned toads, turtles and had the time of her life. We camped in a trailer and she was right there by my side when we harvested our antelope. I love teaching her why we hunt and why hunting is conservation. The meat we eat is from what we kill and it’s the cleanest source of protein on earth! That will be a hunt I’ll never forget and I’m pretty sure she won’t either!

Follow Chad Mendes on Instagram as he embarks on his next journey outdoors.

Shop Chad Mendes’ Top Pelican Product Picks Below: