Backbone Unlimited Podcast

KILL YOUR FIRST ARCHERY BULL WITH THE BACKBONE SYSTEM | EP. 235

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 f

WHY PRESSURED BULLS ARE ACTUALLY EASIER TO FIND | EP. 234

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

HOW TO CLOSE DISTANCE ON A BEDDED BULL ELK WITHOUT BLOWING THE ENCOUNTER | EP. 233

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

HOW TO HUNT ELK THE 4TH WEEK OF SEPTEMBER: PEAK RUT ELK HUNTING TIPS | EP. 242

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 c

HOW TO HUNT ELK THE 3RD WEEK OF SEPTEMBER: FIND THE BULL, READ THE BULL, CALL THE BULL | EP. 241

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 a

HOW TO HUNT ELK THE 2ND WEEK OF SEPTEMBER: THE ELK ARE SHIFTING, SO SHOULD YOU | EP. 240

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 se

HOW TO HUNT ELK THE 1ST WEEK OF SEPTEMBER: OWN THE TRANSITION ZONE BEFORE THE RUT STARTS | EP. 239

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 b

THE 200 ACRE POCKET EVERY MATURE BULL ELK USES | HERE'S HOW TO FIND IT | EP. 232

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 20

THE ART OF PLAYING THE WIND ON A SPOT AND STALK HUNT | EP. 231

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-sta

BUGLE OR COW CALL? HOW TO KNOW WHICH ELK CALL TO USE | EP. 230

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 pract

CAN YOU EXPLAIN THERMALS LIKE I'M A BRAND NEW ELK HUNTER? | EP. 229

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

21 WAYS PRESSURE CHANGES ELK BEHAVIOR AND HOW TO HUNT THEM | EP. 228

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

FIND ELK ON PRESSURED PUBLIC LAND WITH THE BACKBONE SYSTEM | EP. 227

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

FINDING ELK SIGN BUT NO ELK? HERE'S HOW TO ACTUALLY USE SIGN TO HUNT ELK | EP. 226

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

ELK AREN'T BUGLING? HERE'S HOW I HUNT SILENT BULLS | EP. 225

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://you

20 RAPID FIRE ELK HUNTING TIPS WITH EVAN HUNTER - THE ELK NERD | EP. 224

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

HOW TO FIND ELK IN A NEW AREA | WHERE I START EVERY ELK HUNT | EP. 223

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, glass

STOP HUNTING ELK SIGN - START HUNTING THE BULL! | EP. 222

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.

THE BEST ELK HUNTING TRAINING TOOL - BUILD REAL MOUNTAIN FITNESS | EP. 221

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 the

THE BEST WAY TO SCOUT MATURE MULE DEER BUCKS IN AUGUST - MUST HEAR MULE DEER HUNTING TIPS | EP. 220

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 i