Backbone Unlimited Podcast

What elevation should you hunt elk at in October?

In this episode, Matt Hartsky draws from 34 years of elk hunting and guiding experience to explain why finding October elk isn’t as simple as choosing one elevation on a map. He examines the conditions that influence where elk live after September and how those conditions can change throughout a rifle hunt.

If you’re trying to decide whether to hunt high, move downhill after snow, or change elevations when you aren’t finding fresh sign, this episode will help you choose a better starting point and kn...

Do elk still bugle in October, or does the mountain go quiet when September ends?

In this episode, Matt Hartsky draws from 34 years of elk hunting and guiding experience to explain what hunters should expect from bull elk after the peak rut. He examines October bugling, late-rut behavior, hunting pressure, calling, and how to respond when a bull gives you only one clue to his location.

If you’re planning an October rifle elk hunt, wondering whether bugling can still help you locate bulls, or trying to hunt elk after the main rut, this episode wi...

Where do elk feed and bed once rifle season begins and hunting pressure changes their normal routine?

In this episode, Matt Hartsky draws from 34 years of elk hunting and guiding experience to explain how rifle-season elk choose feeding areas, bedding cover, and the routes between them. He also examines why elk may remain in the same general area while becoming much harder for hunters to find during daylight.

If you’re planning an October elk hunt, scouting public land, or trying to relocate elk after opening-day pressure, this episode will help you understand what shapes th...

Does snow automatically push elk downhill, or could they remain in the same area after the storm?

In this episode, Matt Hartsky draws from 34 years of elk hunting and guiding experience to explain how snow can change elk location and behavior. He covers the factors that determine whether elk stay put, make a small adjustment, or leave an area completely.

If you’re planning a late-season rifle elk hunt, tracking elk after fresh snow, or trying to predict where bulls will move when winter weather arrives, this episode will help you read the conditions instead of...

What happens to mature bull elk after the September rut winds down?

In this episode, Matt Hartsky draws from 34 years of elk hunting and guiding experience to explain how mature bull behavior changes after the breeding season. He covers the transition from September into October, why proven rut tactics can suddenly stop producing, and what post-rut hunters need to understand before choosing where and how to hunt.

If you’re planning an October rifle elk hunt, searching for post-rut bulls, or wondering why a bull disappeared after leaving his cows, this episode will help you un...

What terrain should you target when rifle hunting elk on public land?

In this episode, Matt Hartsky draws from 34+ years of elk hunting and guiding experience to explain how he evaluates rifle-season elk country. He looks beyond simple rules about elevation, slope direction, and dark timber to examine what pressured elk need and how those needs affect where they live.

If you’re planning an October elk hunt, studying maps, or struggling to narrow down a large unit, this episode will help you identify terrain worth scouting without wasting time on country that only looks go...

How do you find elk in thick timber when you can’t sit behind binoculars and glass miles of country?

In this episode, Matt Hartsky draws from 34 years of elk hunting and guiding experience to explain how he approaches dark-timber elk hunting. He covers the challenges of locating elk when visibility is limited, bugling is inconsistent, and one careless move can send unseen elk out of the area.

If you hunt timbered public land, struggle to locate elk without glassing, or want to avoid wandering aimlessly through good elk country, this episode will help you na...

What should you do from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. when the elk are bedded and the mountain goes quiet?

In this episode, Matt Hartsky draws from 34 years of elk hunting and guiding experience to break down how he uses the middle of the day during a September archery elk hunt. He covers the decisions that can protect a good morning, save an evening opportunity, or help turn a slow day into a productive one.

If you’re unsure whether to hunt, scout, rest, relocate, or move closer to bedded elk, this episode will help yo...

What should you do when the elk stop bugling and the mountain goes completely quiet?

In this episode, Matt Hartsky draws from 34 years of elk hunting experience to explain how he hunts silent elk during September. He breaks down the difference between quiet elk and empty country, the mistakes hunters make when they aren’t hearing bugles, and how to keep gathering the information needed to make your next move.

If you hunt pressured elk on public land, rely heavily on calling, or struggle to find elk when they aren’t talking, this episode will help...

If you could choose only one week in September to bowhunt elk, which week would give you the best opportunity?

In this episode, Matt Hartsky draws from 34 years of elk hunting and guiding experience to explain which part of September he would choose and why. He looks at changing rut activity, herd bull behavior, cow groups, hunting pressure, weather, and the opportunities each stage of the month can create.

Whether you’re planning a public-land archery elk hunt or deciding when to schedule your limited vacation time, this episode will help you understand how elk be...

Should you keep bowhunting elk when the rain starts, or head back to camp and wait it out?

In this episode, Matt Hartsky draws from 34 years of elk hunting experience to break down how wet weather changes an archery elk hunt. He covers elk movement, calling, close-range encounters, wind, shot opportunities, and recovering an elk when rain becomes a factor.

Rain can create problems, but it can also open opportunities for hunters who understand how to adjust. If you hunt elk on public land and want to be better prepared for changing September weather, this...

A herd bull is bugling, answering every call, and sounds ready to fight—but he refuses to leave his cows. What do you do next?

In this episode, Matt Hartsky draws from 34 years of elk hunting and guiding experience to break down one of the toughest situations in September elk hunting. He covers herd bull behavior, calling strategy, positioning, and the mistakes that can send a bull and his cows in the opposite direction.

If you’re trying to improve your elk calling, understand rutting bull behavior, or create better opportunities while archery elk hunting on p...

Do elk calf distress calls really work for calling mature bulls, or is this another elk-hunting tactic built around rare reactions and questionable claims?

In this episode, Matt Hartsky draws from 35 years of elk hunting and guiding experience to examine the theories behind calf distress calls. He looks at elk behavior, rut biology, herd dynamics, and what actually matters when you’re trying to create a high-percentage opportunity on public land.

If you’re interested in elk calling, archery elk hunting, public-land elk strategy, or understanding how bulls and cows respond during the rut, this epis...

When a bull elk bugles, your first move usually shouldn’t be calling back. In this episode of Backbone Unlimited, Matt Hartsky breaks down the exact elk calling decision tree he uses to turn a bugling bull into a close-range encounter: read the bull, stay silent, close the distance, get inside the 80–120 yard bubble, assess whether he has cows, and only then decide what call to make. Learn when to use cow calls on a solo bull, when to bugle or rake at a herd bull, how to handle a bull that goes quiet, and why calling too early can...

Getting a bull elk inside 40 yards doesn’t finish the hunt—it starts the hardest part. In this episode of Backbone Unlimited, Matt Hartsky breaks down why bowhunters blow close-range elk encounters and how to execute when a bull is finally in range. Learn how to identify shot lanes before the bull arrives, control movement and noise, choose the right time to draw your bow, avoid holding at full draw too early, stay disciplined under adrenaline, and wait for a high-percentage shot opportunity. If you’re an archery elk hunter struggling to convert close encounters into filled tags, this episod...

When bull elk stop bugling, most hunters assume the elk are gone. In this episode of Backbone Unlimited, Matt Hartsky explains how to find and hunt quiet bulls when elk aren’t talking, especially on pressured public land. Learn how to connect feeding areas, bedding cover, and the transition routes between them; read fresh tracks, droppings, beds, rubs, and grazing sign; identify saddles, pinch points, funnels, and security cover; and use glassing, wind, and patient observation to predict where a silent bull will move. If you’re hunting elk that have gone quiet because of pressure or changing conditions, this...

Killing your first archery bull elk takes more than calling harder or getting lucky. In this episode of Backbone Unlimited, Matt Hartsky breaks down the Backbone System for archery elk hunting—from physical preparation and locating fresh elk sign to reading a bull’s behavior, closing distance, controlling the wind, choosing when to stay silent or call, and building a setup around a realistic bow range. Learn how to avoid the common mistakes that keep elk hunters stuck just outside shooting distance, make better decisions during a calling encounter, and create higher-percentage shot opportunities on public land. If your goal...

Hunting pressure doesn’t always make bull elk harder to find—it can make their behavior more predictable. In this episode of Backbone Unlimited, Matt Hartsky explains how public land hunting pressure pushes mature bulls into specific security pockets, and how to use that movement to locate elk other hunters have given up on. Learn how to identify steep terrain, heavy cover, access barriers, escape routes, overlooked travel corridors, and pressure gaps while e-scouting, plus why bugling and aggressive calling can become less effective once bulls have been hunted. If you’re trying to find pressured elk on public land...

Closing the distance on a bedded bull elk is one of the most technical stalks in bowhunting. In this episode of Backbone Unlimited, Matt Hartsky breaks down how to stalk a bedded elk without getting busted, including how to confirm the bull is truly bedded, locate unseen cows, read wind and thermals, choose an approach route, use terrain to stay hidden, and control your movement inside 150 yards. You’ll also learn what to do inside 60 yards, when to wait for the bull to stand, and how a single soft cow call can create a shot opportunity. If you hunt pu...

September 22–30 can be one of the best elk hunting windows of the entire season. Herd bulls are breeding, protecting their cows and becoming increasingly vulnerable—but calling from long range still won’t pull them away from the herd.

Part four of this September elk hunting series covers how to close inside a herd bull’s bubble, hunt bedded elk and use trailing bugles, raking and controlled aggression to force a response. Learn how to hunt transition zones, pressured elk and productive midday setups during the final week of September.

Find the complete Elk Hunting E-book S...

September 15–21 is peak rut, but more bugling doesn’t make every bull easier to kill. A herd bull, satellite bull and pressured bull each require a completely different approach. Call the wrong bull the wrong way and the best week of September can disappear fast.

Part three of this four-part September elk hunting series covers how to identify which bull you’re dealing with, use transition zones during the rut and choose the right calling strategy before making a sound. Learn when to cow call, when to challenge, when to intercept the herd and when to leave a pres...

September 8–14 is when elk behavior starts changing fast. Bulls begin separating, covering more ground, wallowing harder and making the first exploratory bugles of the season. The transition zones that produced last week may already be going cold.

Part two of this four-part September elk hunting series covers how to recognize the pre-rut shift, relocate changing elk patterns and adjust your calling without becoming aggressive too early. Learn when to stay quiet, when to use a soft cow call and when one location bugle can help you find a bull and close the distance.

Find the co...

September 1–7 is a positioning hunt—not a rut hunt. Early-season bulls are still focused on feeding, bedding and moving through predictable transition zones. Aggressive bugling and long calling sequences can educate elk before the rut ever begins.

Part one of this four-part September elk hunting series covers how to identify active feed and bedding areas, locate the transition routes between them, build a wind-safe setup and use a soft cow call only when it helps finish the final yards.

Find the complete Elk Hunting E-book Series, TEAM Backbone, Hunt Plan Audits, Training Plans and Nutrition Plan...

Stop hunting random elk sign and start finding where mature bull elk actually live. In this episode of Backbone Unlimited, Matt Hartsky breaks down how to identify the 200–400 acre core area a mature bull may use when food, water, bedding, and security cover converge in the right terrain. Learn how to e-scout potential bull elk core areas, read rubs, beds, tracks, and wallows as a system, locate feeding-to-bedding travel routes, identify security terrain, and avoid the hunting pressure that can push a bull out of his home pocket. If you hunt public land elk, this episode will help you tu...

Wind ruins more elk stalks than bad shooting ever will. In this episode of Backbone Unlimited, Matt Hartsky breaks down how to manage wind and thermals while spot-and-stalk elk hunting, including how terrain affects airflow, why canyon and timber winds can fool you, how to plan a stalk route before you move, when thermal transitions become dangerous, how often to check your wind, and when backing out is the smartest move. If you hunt public-land elk, archery elk, or pressured Western elk, understanding these two wind systems can be the difference between closing inside bow range and watching the...

When should you bugle for elk, when should you cow call, and when is the best call no call at all? In this episode of Backbone Unlimited, Matt Hartsky breaks down a practical elk calling strategy for bowhunting pressured public-land bulls, including how to read solo bulls versus herd bulls, when to use cow calls, trailing bugles, challenge bugles and raking, why getting inside the 80–120 yard bubble can change a setup, how to use silence and movement to close distance, and why many elk calling failures are really positioning problems. If you want to improve your September elk calling, un...

Elk hunting thermals are one of the most misunderstood parts of hunting western elk — and if your entire strategy is “thermals rise in the morning and fall in the evening,” you’re going to get busted.

In this episode of Backbone Unlimited, Matt Hartsky breaks down elk hunting thermals for beginners and explains what actually controls thermal air movement in the mountains. Thermals aren’t controlled by the clock. They’re driven by ground temperature, sunlight, shade, slope angle, vegetation, terrain features, cloud cover, and the prevailing weather wind.

You’ll learn why cool overnight ground creates...

Hunting pressure can completely change elk behavior — and if you hunt pressured public-land elk the same way you hunt unpressured elk, you're making an already difficult hunt even harder. In this episode of Backbone Unlimited, Matt Hartsky breaks down 21 ways hunting pressure changes elk behavior and explains what those changes mean for the way you locate, approach, call, and hunt elk. We cover why pressured bulls become less vocal, reduce daylight movement, move into bedding and security cover earlier, leave later in the evening, abandon obvious trails and open terrain, compress into smaller security pockets, and become increasingly difficult to...

Finding elk on pressured public land isn’t about hiking farther than everyone else. It’s about understanding where hunting pressure comes from, how elk respond to it, and where security terrain gives them an advantage over hunters.

In this episode of Backbone Unlimited, Matt Hartsky breaks down a repeatable system for consistently finding elk in heavily hunted public-land country. Instead of trying to escape pressure completely, you’ll learn how to use roads, trails, access points, terrain, and predictable hunter behavior to eliminate low-percentage country and identify the security pockets where elk are most likely to concen...

Fresh Elk Sign But No Elk? You’re Probably Making This Mistake

You’re finding fresh elk tracks, droppings, beds, and rubs—but you still can’t actually find the elk. What are you missing?

In this episode of Backbone Unlimited, Matt Hartsky breaks down one of the most frustrating situations in elk hunting: finding fresh elk sign without finding elk. The problem usually isn’t a lack of elk. It’s failing to connect that sign with elk behavior, terrain, direction of travel, and time of day.

Matt explains how to determine whether you’...

Please note, this episode for how I locate and break down a transition zone to hunt silent bulls is a very visual piece of content you may want to watch here: https://youtu.be/dH5AdCe0xFI

What do you do when the elk simply aren’t talking?

Whether it’s early September, hunting pressure, predators, heat, drought, smoke, or just one of those frustrating days when the mountains are completely silent, you still need a way to consistently put yourself around elk.

In this episode of Backbone Unlimited, Matt Hartsky breaks down his...

What does the research actually say about finding, calling, and killing elk on pressured public land?

In this episode of Backbone Unlimited, Matt Hartsky sits down with Evan Hunter, creator of Elk Nerd, for a rapid-fire conversation built around 20 elk hunting questions. Evan takes a different approach to elk hunting strategy by combining real-world hunting experience with research, GPS-collar data, elk behavior studies, and hunting-pressure data.

We dig into how pressured elk actually use the landscape, why hunters may be getting to the mountains too late, where mature bulls go when pressure increases, how close...

Starting fresh on a new elk unit is one of the most disorienting situations in the sport — and most hunters respond by loading waypoints near the closest trailhead, glassing the biggest open basins they can reach, and burning the first two days on country that gets walked by every hunter with a tag in the unit. This episode covers the complete Backbone Unlimited new-area framework: how to zoom out and read an entire unit before you make a single on-the-ground decision, how to use road and trail systems to find the terrain gaps with the least access and the mo...

Finding elk sign doesn’t mean you’ve found the bull.

You can spend days hunting a torn-up wallow, a heavy rub line, or fresh-looking tracks—and never lay eyes on an elk. That’s the sign trap: treating evidence of where elk were as proof of where they are right now.

In this episode of Backbone Unlimited, Matt Hartsky explains why successful elk hunting requires shifting from a location-based approach to an animal-based approach. Elk sign can put you in productive country, but it cannot replace locating a living bull, understanding his current priorities, and adju...

The Best Training Tool for Elk Hunting

Most elk hunters don’t fail because they didn’t work hard enough before season. They fail because their training didn’t prepare them for what elk hunting actually demands.

Steep climbs. High elevation. Consecutive hard days. Long hours on your feet. A loaded hunting pack. And, if everything goes right, a brutal pack-out when your legs are already exhausted.

In this episode of the Backbone Unlimited Podcast, Matt Hartsky breaks down the best training tool for elk hunting: ruck training — and explains how to use weighted pack training...

August is one of the best months of the year to locate mature mule deer bucks — but finding a big velvet buck is only valuable if you understand what his summer pattern is actually telling you.

In this episode of the Backbone Unlimited Podcast, Matt Hartsky breaks down how to scout for mature mule deer bucks in August, where big bucks are most likely to spend the summer, how to glass them effectively, and how to turn August scouting information into a hunting plan for September and October.

Mature mule deer in August are highly fo...

Most elk hunters see a blue line on a digital map, mark it as water, and start hiking. Two days later, they’ve checked multiple dry creeks, pressured good country, and still haven’t found elk.

That’s not scouting. That’s hiking.

In this episode of Backbone Unlimited, Matt Hartsky breaks down how to find high-probability elk water on a map before you ever set foot in the mountains. You’ll learn how to separate reliable September water from seasonal drainages, locate hidden springs and seeps using satellite imagery, and identify the unmarked water sources ot...

Early season elk hunting and hunting rutting bulls require two completely different strategies. Yet every September, hunters arrive with the same calls, the same marked locations, and the same plan—whether they’re hunting September 1 or September 20.

In this episode, Matt Hartsky explains why using rut tactics on early season elk can destroy predictable patterns, educate bulls, and make the rest of your season harder. He also breaks down why patient, structure-based early season tactics become a liability once the rut begins and elk start reorganizing their movement around cows and breeding.

You’ll learn how to...

At 49 years old, after 34 years of hunting and guiding elk across the West, I’ve made enough mistakes to know which ones cost hunters the most.

This episode isn’t about the bulls I’ve killed, the hunts that went according to plan, or the decisions that made me look like I had everything figured out. It’s an honest breakdown of the elk hunting mistakes that cost me opportunities, unfilled tags, wounded confidence, and—in one case—an animal I never recovered.

Experience doesn’t automatically make you a better elk hunter. Honest experience does.

I...

Most elk hunters have a plan for opening morning. Very few have a clear elk hunting strategy for days 4, 6, 8, or 10.

That’s why so many promising 10-day elk hunts start falling apart halfway through the trip. Fatigue builds, the elk aren’t cooperating, confidence drops, and hunters begin making emotional decisions they should’ve made before ever reaching the trailhead.

In this episode of Backbone Unlimited, Matt Hartsky breaks down a complete day-by-day plan for a 10-day elk hunt. Instead of treating the entire hunt like one long push, you’ll learn how to divide it into...