Backbone Unlimited Podcast

You’re finding tracks, rubs, wallows, droppings, and heavily used trails—but you still can’t find the elk. What are you missing?
In this episode, Matt Hartsky draws from 34 years of elk hunting experience to explain why an area covered in elk sign can still waste days of your hunt. He covers the difference between finding evidence that elk have used an area and finding information that can lead to a real opportunity.
If you struggle to judge fresh versus old elk sign, keep following tracks without catching up, or repeatedly hunt areas that look perfect but feel empty, this episode will help you read the story behind the sign.
You’re finding tracks, rubs, wallows, droppings, and heavily used trails—but you still can’t find the elk. What are you missing?
In this episode, Matt Hartsky draws from 34 years of elk hunting experience to explain why an area covered in elk sign can still waste days of your hunt. He covers the difference between finding evidence that elk have used an area and finding information that can lead to a real opportunity.
If you struggle to judge fresh versus old elk sign, keep following tracks without catching up, or repeatedly hunt areas that look perfect but feel empty, this episode will help you read the story behind the sign.
📙 Elk Hunting E-Book Series (the complete elk hunting system — locating elk, reading pressure, wind and thermals, positioning, calling, and bowhunting execution) → https://backboneunlimited.com/collections/elk-hunting-series-e-books 📋 Elk Hunt Plan Audit — I'll personally review your specific unit, dates, access, terrain, pressure, wind strategy, and hunt approach before you head into the field → https://backboneunlimited.com/pages/elk-hunt-plan-audit
👥 Team Backbone — Weekly coaching calls, ongoing elk hunting guidance, the full member vault, and a community of serious western hunters → https://backboneunlimited.com/pages/membership
🦵 Backbone Unlimited Training Plans — Built specifically for the physical demands of mountain elk hunting: legs, lungs, durability, and the ability to handle hard miles under load → https://backboneunlimited.com/pages/training
🥩 Nutrition Plans — Get leaner before season, fuel long days in the mountains, and dial in your hunting-season performance → https://backboneunlimited.com/pages/nutrition
 

How do you locate elk when you arrive in a new area and have no idea where to begin?
In this episode, Matt Hartsky draws from 34 years of elk hunting and guiding experience to explain how he approaches unfamiliar public land. He covers the mistakes that waste time, the information that helps narrow a large unit, and how to avoid hiking mile after mile without getting any closer to elk.
If you’re hunting a new unit, facing miles of timber and multiple drainages, or struggling to find elk when you aren’t hearing bugles or seeing fresh tracks, this episode will help you start with a better plan.
📙 Elk Hunting E-Book Series (the complete elk hunting system — locating elk, reading pressure, wind and thermals, positioning, calling, and bowhunting execution) → https://backboneunlimited.com/collections/elk-hunting-series-e-books 📋 Elk Hunt Plan Audit — I'll personally review your specific unit, dates, access, terrain, pressure, wind strategy, and hunt approach before you head into the field → https://backboneunlimited.com/pages/elk-hunt-plan-audit
👥 Team Backbone — Weekly coaching calls, ongoing elk hunting guidance, the full member vault, and a community of serious western hunters → https://backboneunlimited.com/pages/membership
🦵 Backbone Unlimited Training Plans — Built specifically for the physical demands of mountain elk hunting: legs, lungs, durability, and the ability to handle hard miles under load → https://backboneunlimited.com/pages/training
🥩 Nutrition Plans — Get leaner before season, fuel long days in the mountains, and dial in your hunting-season performance → https://backboneunlimited.com/pages/nutrition
 

How do you know when it’s time to leave an area and find new elk?
In this episode, Matt Hartsky draws from 34 years of elk hunting experience to tackle one of the hardest decisions on a public-land hunt. Leave too soon and you may abandon good elk country. Stay too long and you can waste valuable days hunting elk that are no longer there.
Matt covers silent elk, fresh versus old sign, changing hunting pressure, blown setups, and the evidence he uses to decide whether to stay, adjust, or move on.
If you’ve ever spent hours debating whether an area is quiet or truly empty, this episode will help you make that decision with more confidence.
📙 Elk Hunting E-Book Series (the complete elk hunting system — locating elk, reading pressure, wind and thermals, positioning, calling, and bowhunting execution) → https://backboneunlimited.com/collections/elk-hunting-series-e-books 📋 Elk Hunt Plan Audit — I'll personally review your specific unit, dates, access, terrain, pressure, wind strategy, and hunt approach before you head into the field → https://backboneunlimited.com/pages/elk-hunt-plan-audit
👥 Team Backbone — Weekly coaching calls, ongoing elk hunting guidance, the full member vault, and a community of serious western hunters → https://backboneunlimited.com/pages/membership
🦵 Backbone Unlimited Training Plans — Built specifically for the physical demands of mountain elk hunting: legs, lungs, durability, and the ability to handle hard miles under load → https://backboneunlimited.com/pages/training
🥩 Nutrition Plans — Get leaner before season, fuel long days in the mountains, and dial in your hunting-season performance → https://backboneunlimited.com/pages/nutrition
 

Are mornings or evenings better for killing elk?
In this episode, Matt Hartsky draws from 34 years of elk hunting experience to compare the opportunities and challenges each part of the day creates. He covers September elk movement, changing mountain thermals, feed-to-bed transitions, time pressure, and why morning and evening hunts require different strategies.
If you’re deciding when to hunt your best area, trying to plan around work or limited hunting time, or wondering why the same approach doesn’t produce at both ends of the day, this episode will help you choose the right opportunity for the situation.
📙 Elk Hunting E-Book Series (the complete elk hunting system — locating elk, reading pressure, wind and thermals, positioning, calling, and bowhunting execution) → https://backboneunlimited.com/collections/elk-hunting-series-e-books 📋 Elk Hunt Plan Audit — I'll personally review your specific unit, dates, access, terrain, pressure, wind strategy, and hunt approach before you head into the field → https://backboneunlimited.com/pages/elk-hunt-plan-audit
👥 Team Backbone — Weekly coaching calls, ongoing elk hunting guidance, the full member vault, and a community of serious western hunters → https://backboneunlimited.com/pages/membership
🦵 Backbone Unlimited Training Plans — Built specifically for the physical demands of mountain elk hunting: legs, lungs, durability, and the ability to handle hard miles under load → https://backboneunlimited.com/pages/training
🥩 Nutrition Plans — Get leaner before season, fuel long days in the mountains, and dial in your hunting-season performance → https://backboneunlimited.com/pages/nutrition
 

You’ve located a bedded bull elk. What should you do next?
In this episode, Matt Hartsky draws from 34 years of elk hunting experience to break down one of the best—and easiest to ruin—opportunities in archery elk hunting. He covers the decisions that matter when a bull is bedded, the risks of moving too quickly, and how calling, wind, terrain, and position can change the entire setup.
If you’ve ever found a bedded bull but weren’t sure whether to move, wait, call, or back out, this episode will help you approach the situation with a better plan.
📙 Elk Hunting E-Book Series (the complete elk hunting system — locating elk, reading pressure, wind and thermals, positioning, calling, and bowhunting execution) → https://backboneunlimited.com/collections/elk-hunting-series-e-books 📋 Elk Hunt Plan Audit — I'll personally review your specific unit, dates, access, terrain, pressure, wind strategy, and hunt approach before you head into the field → https://backboneunlimited.com/pages/elk-hunt-plan-audit
👥 Team Backbone — Weekly coaching calls, ongoing elk hunting guidance, the full member vault, and a community of serious western hunters → https://backboneunlimited.com/pages/membership
🦵 Backbone Unlimited Training Plans — Built specifically for the physical demands of mountain elk hunting: legs, lungs, durability, and the ability to handle hard miles under load → https://backboneunlimited.com/pages/training
🥩 Nutrition Plans — Get leaner before season, fuel long days in the mountains, and dial in your hunting-season performance → https://backboneunlimited.com/pages/nutrition
 

What should you do when the wind starts swirling after you’ve already worked close to elk?
In this episode, Matt Hartsky draws from 34 years of elk hunting experience to break down one of the most dangerous situations in close-range bowhunting. He explains how unstable mountain wind and changing thermals can ruin an otherwise perfect setup—and why being close to a bull can lead hunters into rushed decisions.
If swirling wind has cost you elk, or you struggle to decide whether to hold your position, make a move, or protect the opportunity for later, this episode will help you read the situation more clearly.
📙 Elk Hunting E-Book Series (the complete elk hunting system — locating elk, reading pressure, wind and thermals, positioning, calling, and bowhunting execution) → https://backboneunlimited.com/collections/elk-hunting-series-e-books 📋 Elk Hunt Plan Audit — I'll personally review your specific unit, dates, access, terrain, pressure, wind strategy, and hunt approach before you head into the field → https://backboneunlimited.com/pages/elk-hunt-plan-audit
👥 Team Backbone — Weekly coaching calls, ongoing elk hunting guidance, the full member vault, and a community of serious western hunters → https://backboneunlimited.com/pages/membership
🦵 Backbone Unlimited Training Plans — Built specifically for the physical demands of mountain elk hunting: legs, lungs, durability, and the ability to handle hard miles under load → https://backboneunlimited.com/pages/training
🥩 Nutrition Plans — Get leaner before season, fuel long days in the mountains, and dial in your hunting-season performance → https://backboneunlimited.com/pages/nutrition
 

Where do elk go in October after the rut winds down and the bulls seem to disappear?
In this episode, Matt Hartsky draws from 34 years of elk hunting and guiding experience to explain how elk behavior changes after September. He covers the transition into the post-rut, the factors that move mature bulls, and why productive rutting areas may suddenly stop holding the elk you’re trying to find.
If you’re planning an October rifle elk hunt, searching for post-rut bulls, or still finding cows but no mature bulls, this episode will help you understand what changed and where to focus next.
📙 Elk Hunting E-Book Series (the complete elk hunting system — locating elk, reading pressure, wind and thermals, positioning, calling, and bowhunting execution) → https://backboneunlimited.com/collections/elk-hunting-series-e-books 📋 Elk Hunt Plan Audit — I'll personally review your specific unit, dates, access, terrain, pressure, wind strategy, and hunt approach before you head into the field → https://backboneunlimited.com/pages/elk-hunt-plan-audit
👥 Team Backbone — Weekly coaching calls, ongoing elk hunting guidance, the full member vault, and a community of serious western hunters → https://backboneunlimited.com/pages/membership
🦵 Backbone Unlimited Training Plans — Built specifically for the physical demands of mountain elk hunting: legs, lungs, durability, and the ability to handle hard miles under load → https://backboneunlimited.com/pages/training
🥩 Nutrition Plans — Get leaner before season, fuel long days in the mountains, and dial in your hunting-season performance → https://backboneunlimited.com/pages/nutrition
 

Where do elk go when rifle pressure hits and the places that held them before the season suddenly go quiet?
In this episode, Matt Hartsky draws from 34 years of elk hunting and guiding experience to explain how hunting pressure changes elk movement, behavior, and daily patterns. He covers what hunters should pay attention to after roads get busy, camps appear, and the first shots of the season start moving elk.
If you hunt pressured elk on public land, struggle to relocate elk after opening morning, or keep finding old sign with no elk nearby, this episode will help you understand what changed and how to adjust.
📙 Elk Hunting E-Book Series (the complete elk hunting system — locating elk, reading pressure, wind and thermals, positioning, calling, and bowhunting execution) → https://backboneunlimited.com/collections/elk-hunting-series-e-books 📋 Elk Hunt Plan Audit — I'll personally review your specific unit, dates, access, terrain, pressure, wind strategy, and hunt approach before you head into the field → https://backboneunlimited.com/pages/elk-hunt-plan-audit
👥 Team Backbone — Weekly coaching calls, ongoing elk hunting guidance, the full member vault, and a community of serious western hunters → https://backboneunlimited.com/pages/membership
🦵 Backbone Unlimited Training Plans — Built specifically for the physical demands of mountain elk hunting: legs, lungs, durability, and the ability to handle hard miles under load → https://backboneunlimited.com/pages/training
🥩 Nutrition Plans — Get leaner before season, fuel long days in the mountains, and dial in your hunting-season performance → https://backboneunlimited.com/pages/nutrition
 

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 know when to adjust.
📙 Elk Hunting E-Book Series (the complete elk hunting system — locating elk, reading pressure, wind and thermals, positioning, calling, and bowhunting execution) → https://backboneunlimited.com/collections/elk-hunting-series-e-books 📋 Elk Hunt Plan Audit — I'll personally review your specific unit, dates, access, terrain, pressure, wind strategy, and hunt approach before you head into the field → https://backboneunlimited.com/pages/elk-hunt-plan-audit
👥 Team Backbone — Weekly coaching calls, ongoing elk hunting guidance, the full member vault, and a community of serious western hunters → https://backboneunlimited.com/pages/membership
🦵 Backbone Unlimited Training Plans — Built specifically for the physical demands of mountain elk hunting: legs, lungs, durability, and the ability to handle hard miles under load → https://backboneunlimited.com/pages/training
🥩 Nutrition Plans — Get leaner before season, fuel long days in the mountains, and dial in your hunting-season performance → https://backboneunlimited.com/pages/nutrition
 

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 will help you set realistic expectations.
📙 Elk Hunting E-Book Series (the complete elk hunting system — locating elk, reading pressure, wind and thermals, positioning, calling, and bowhunting execution) → https://backboneunlimited.com/collections/elk-hunting-series-e-books 📋 Elk Hunt Plan Audit — I'll personally review your specific unit, dates, access, terrain, pressure, wind strategy, and hunt approach before you head into the field → https://backboneunlimited.com/pages/elk-hunt-plan-audit
👥 Team Backbone — Weekly coaching calls, ongoing elk hunting guidance, the full member vault, and a community of serious western hunters → https://backboneunlimited.com/pages/membership
🦵 Backbone Unlimited Training Plans — Built specifically for the physical demands of mountain elk hunting: legs, lungs, durability, and the ability to handle hard miles under load → https://backboneunlimited.com/pages/training
🥩 Nutrition Plans — Get leaner before season, fuel long days in the mountains, and dial in your hunting-season performance → https://backboneunlimited.com/pages/nutrition