Backbone Unlimited Podcast

THE ELK HUNTING STRATEGY THAT BEATS SWIRLING WIND | 🎙️ EP. 157

In this episode Matt Hartsky breaks down one of the most frustrating and misunderstood challenges in elk hunting—swirling wind—and why it consistently ruins encounters for hunters who don’t fully understand what’s happening. In steep mountain terrain, wind rarely behaves the way most people expect, and assuming it will follow simple patterns is often what leads to blown setups.
Drawing from more than 34 years of Western hunting experience, Matt explains why swirling wind develops, the specific terrain features that create unstable airflow, and how elk use these conditions to their advantage. He walks through how to recognize problem areas before they cost you an opportunity, along with the biggest mistakes hunters make when wind becomes unpredictable.
This episode focuses on helping you adapt instead of forcing bad setups. Matt breaks down how to adjust your positioning, when to change your calling approach, and when it makes more sense to shift into an intercept-style hunt or back out entirely. You’ll also hear the personal rules he follows when hunting in unstable wind and how those decisions have helped him stay in the game when most encounters fall apart.
If you hunt elk in mountain country, learning how to handle unpredictable wind is not optional. It is one of the most important skills you can develop to become a more consistent and effective hunter.

BLACK BEAR HUNTING - THE RIGHT WAY TO HUNT WATER FOR BIG BEARS | 🎙️ EP. 156

In this episode Matt Hartsky breaks down the biggest mistake hunters make when trying to find mature black bears around water in the West. Most hunters know water matters, especially in dry country, but very few understand how bears actually use it in relation to feeding areas and bedding cover. That gap in understanding leads to wasted time, poor setups, and missed opportunities.
After more than 34 years of Western hunting, Matt explains why black bears rarely use obvious water sources the way hunters expect. Instead of sitting ponds, tanks, or exposed creeks, mature bears tend to favor hidden moisture pockets tied closely to security cover and food. These subtle locations—like shaded seeps, small springs, and tucked-away creeks—are where real opportunity starts to develop.
This episode walks through how terrain, food, water, and pressure all work together to influence bear movement. Matt explains how to identify the feed–water–bed relationship, how to locate better water sources during e-scouting, and when water should be hunted versus when it should simply guide your positioning.
If you’ve spent time sitting water without seeing bears, this episode will change how you look at the landscape and help you make more effective decisions in the field.

ELK HUNTING THIS SPOT WILL HELP YOU KILL MORE BULLS | 🎙️ EP. 155

In this episode, Matt Hartsky breaks down one of the most overlooked terrain features in elk country and how it quietly controls the way elk move through the mountains. Most hunters spend years hiking past these spots without realizing how often elk naturally funnel through them while traveling between feeding areas, bedding cover, and neighboring drainages.
Drawing from more than three decades of experience hunting Western public land, Matt explains how terrain—not chance—shapes elk movement. He walks through why certain ridge crossings consistently hold sign, how subtle features create predictable travel routes, and why elk prefer efficiency and security when moving through steep country.
This episode focuses on helping hunters move beyond guesswork by understanding how elk actually use the landscape. By learning to recognize these terrain-driven patterns during e-scouting and in the field, you can start positioning yourself where elk are already inclined to travel instead of trying to force encounters.
If you’re serious about becoming a more consistent elk hunter, this episode will give you a clearer way to read the mountain and make better decisions when it matters most.

ELK HUNTING HAS CHANGED IN 2026 - HOW HUNTERS ARE STILL FINDING BULLS | 🎙️ EP. 154

In this episode of Backbone Unlimited, Matt Hartsky breaks down why elk hunting feels different across the West in 2026—and what serious hunters need to understand to keep finding bulls. With extremely dry winters, reduced snowpack, earlier green-up, and increasing public land pressure, elk are using the landscape differently than many hunters are used to. Basins feel quieter, traditional spots seem empty, and daytime activity can feel inconsistent—but that doesn’t mean the elk are gone.
Drawing from more than 34 years of Western big game hunting experience, Matt explains how drought conditions and modern hunting pressure are reshaping elk behavior. Mature bulls are keying in on moisture, shifting into darker timber, and relying more heavily on mid-slope bedding zones and terrain security to survive. Elk haven’t disappeared—they’ve adapted.
This episode focuses on how disciplined hunters can adjust by prioritizing terrain structure, wind and thermals, pressure patterns, and moisture-driven habitat instead of relying on outdated expectations. If you’re willing to adapt and read the mountain for what it is now—not what it used to be—you can still consistently find bulls, even in tougher seasons.

BULLS DO THIS RIGHT BEFORE YOU SEE THEM - HOW ELK HUNTERS STILL WIN | 🎙️ EP. 153

In this episode, Matt Hartsky breaks down a moment every elk hunter eventually faces in the mountains. A bull answers your call, the encounter builds, and it feels like everything is about to come together—until the bull suddenly disappears. The mountain goes quiet, the opportunity fades, and you’re left trying to make sense of what just happened.
These encounters are extremely common, especially on pressured public land. Many hunters assume the bull simply lost interest or moved on. But in reality, there’s usually a very specific reason behind it.
Drawing from more than three decades of Western big game hunting experience, Matt explains how elk gather information during encounters and why mature bulls approach situations with far more caution than most hunters expect. Bulls that survive multiple seasons don’t commit blindly—they verify. How they use wind, terrain, and sound in that process is often what determines whether the encounter continues or falls apart.
Matt walks through how terrain features, shifting wind, and elk survival instincts shape these moments long before you ever see the animal. When you understand how elk interpret what they hear and smell, you start to approach calling, positioning, and movement in a completely different way.
If you’ve ever had a bull respond and then vanish, this episode will change how you see those encounters—and help you stay one step ahead the next time it happens.

ELK LOVE THIS TERRAIN FEATURE - MOST ELK HUNTERS IGNORE IT | 🎙️ EP. 152

In this episode, Matt Hartsky breaks down one of the most overlooked terrain features in Western elk hunting—and why understanding it can completely change how you read elk country. After more than three decades of hunting Western big game, Matt explains how this feature quietly influences elk movement, bedding, and travel in steep mountain terrain, even though most hunters walk right past it without ever recognizing its importance.
Matt walks through how to identify these areas using topographic maps and digital scouting tools like OnX, and why elk naturally develop trails through these mid-slope zones. He explains how these features often concentrate sign—tracks, droppings, and rubs—and why they consistently hold elk when other areas appear empty.
The episode also covers how to hunt these areas effectively on public land, including wind discipline, positioning relative to travel routes, and how to time your setups around morning and evening movement windows.
If you want to become more consistent at finding elk in steep country, this is a skill you can’t afford to overlook. Once you start recognizing how elk use these mid-slope features, the mountain stops feeling random—and elk movement becomes far more predictable.

HOW TO READ A MULE DEER BASIN IN 5 MINUTES: FIND PUBLIC LAND BUCKS FAST | 🎙️ EP. 151

In this episode, Matt Hartsky breaks down one of the most critical skills in Western mule deer hunting—how to quickly identify real buck country across the mountains of Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, and Colorado. Too many hunters spend entire seasons in beautiful-looking deer habitat that holds numbers, but not mature bucks. The difference is subtle, and if you don’t understand it, you’ll keep glassing the right places for the wrong deer.
Matt explains how experienced hunters evaluate terrain fast by looking for the structural advantages mature bucks rely on to survive year after year. Instead of focusing on big basins or obvious country, he walks through how to read elevation alignment, edge density, escape routes, and pressure-resistant pockets that allow bucks to feed, bed, and disappear with minimal exposure.
You’ll learn how elevation and season shift mule deer positioning, why layered terrain creates security, and how feed quality tied to structure often matters more than wide-open, easy-to-glass slopes. Matt also breaks down how hunting pressure reshapes movement and why older bucks consistently relocate into subtle secondary pockets most hunters overlook.
This episode challenges common mule deer myths—like higher always meaning better, hiking farther guaranteeing success, or the most visible deer indicating the best hunting area—and replaces them with a structured system for evaluating terrain in minutes.
If you hunt mule deer on public land anywhere in the Rocky Mountain West, this episode will change how you scout, glass, and make decisions in the field.

YOU DREW AN ARIZONA NON-RESIDENT ELK TAG, NOW WHAT? 90 DAY PUBLIC LAND GAME PLAN | 🎙️ EP. 150

Elk Hunting e-Books 👉 https://backboneunlimited.com/collections/elk-hunting-series-e-books
 
In this episode of the Backbone Unlimited podcast, Matt Hartsky breaks down what to do after drawing an Arizona elk tag as a non-resident and how to turn years of waiting into a disciplined, structured hunting plan. Drawing an Arizona elk tag is one of the most anticipated moments in Western big game hunting, but the excitement of finally pulling a permit can easily distort preparation if hunters allow expectation to override fundamentals.
Matt explains why the most successful elk hunters approach even premium tags the same way they approach any other hunt—by focusing on terrain structure, wind and thermals, elk movement patterns, glassing strategy, and disciplined positioning. Instead of treating the tag as a once-in-a-lifetime performance, the episode walks through how to build a practical 90-day preparation system that keeps decisions grounded in repeatable hunting fundamentals.
Throughout the episode, Matt explains how to analyze Arizona elk units through deeper e-scouting, identify productive glassing systems, evaluate travel corridors between feeding and bedding areas, and understand how water availability can influence elk movement during early archery seasons. He also discusses how to choose the right hunting approach for your specific unit, whether that means glass-and-stalk strategies in open country, calling tactics in broken timber, or a hybrid approach depending on terrain visibility and hunting pressure.
The discussion also covers the critical 60-to-14-day preparation window when hunters refine their plan, build multiple glassing systems, identify backup terrain complexes, and prepare for variables like hunting pressure, shifting winds, and unexpected elk behavior. Matt also addresses common mistakes hunters make after drawing high-profile tags, including over-scouting, expanding shooting distances under pressure, focusing too heavily on antler size, and rushing early opportunities.
If you’ve drawn an Arizona elk tag or plan to apply for Arizona elk hunts in the future, this episode provides a clear framework for preparing intelligently and executing a disciplined hunt in real Western terrain.

THE BEST MOVE AFTER A BLACK BEAR VANISHES MID-STALK - BEAR HUNTING TIPS | 🎙️ EP. 149

Bear Hunting e-Books 👉 https://backboneunlimited.com/collections/bear-hunting-series-e-books
 
In this episode of the Backbone Unlimited podcast, Matt Hartsky breaks down one of the most frustrating moments in spot-and-stalk bear hunting: when a black bear suddenly disappears in the middle of a stalk. Nearly every Western bear hunter experiences this at some point, especially in broken mountain terrain where bears can slip behind ridges, brush pockets, or timber without making a sound. When that happens, many hunters assume the opportunity is over. In reality, the hunt is often still alive if you respond correctly.
Matt explains the three most common reasons bears disappear during a stalk: wind detection, visual exposure, and normal terrain-driven movement. Understanding which of these occurred is critical. A bear that caught your scent may leave the area entirely, but a bear that simply moved behind terrain or shifted into nearby cover often remains close and can be relocated with patience and careful observation.
Throughout the episode, Matt walks through practical strategies for diagnosing what actually happened after losing visual contact. He explains how to evaluate wind and thermals, how to use optics effectively to reacquire a bear, how to read terrain flow, and how to decide whether holding position, advancing slowly, or backing out entirely is the smartest move.
If you hunt black bears in Western mountain country and want to improve your spot-and-stalk decision-making when things don’t go perfectly, this episode will help you stay composed and recover opportunities that many hunters lose.

HOW TO READ AN ELK BASIN IN 5 MINUTES | FIND PUBLIC LAND ELK FAST | 🎙️ EP. 148

Elk Hunting e-Books 👉 https://backboneunlimited.com/collections/elk-hunting-series-e-books
 
In this episode Matt Hartsky breaks down how to read an elk basin in just five minutes. If you hunt elk on Western public land in states like Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, or Colorado, learning how to quickly evaluate terrain can determine whether you waste days in dead country or position yourself where elk actually live and move. Most elk hunters climb to a ridge, glass a basin, and hope to see elk. But successful elk hunters understand that basins are not random bowls of terrain. They are behavioral systems shaped by elevation bands, wind direction, thermals, feed-to-bed proximity, travel corridors, and hunting pressure. When you learn to read those patterns quickly, you stop wandering through elk country and start predicting where elk will be. In this video Matt explains his five-minute basin evaluation system used while e-scouting, scouting in the summer, and hunting during archery and rifle seasons. You will learn how to diagnose elk habitat quickly by analyzing elevation alignment for the current phase of the season, understanding how thermals and prevailing winds shape elk bedding locations, identifying feed-to-bed compression zones that create predictable elk movement, and recognizing how hunting pressure reshapes elk behavior inside a basin. The goal of this method is simple: eliminate low-probability elk terrain fast so you can focus your time and energy on basins that consistently hold elk. Instead of spending days hoping to see animals, you will learn how to determine within minutes whether a basin is worth hunting. If you want to become more consistent at finding elk on public land, this episode will help you develop the terrain-reading skills that experienced Western hunters rely on every season.