Whitney Tramel... host of the Wild Strength Podcast and a strength & conditioning coach joins Ryan to trace an uncommon path into Western hunting. Named after Lake Whitney and raised on Texas catfish fries and Girl Scout campouts, Whitney didn’t pick up a bow until COVID, when ammo was scarce and the mountains of Colorado were calling. She went all-in, haunting the pro shop to learn the lingo, buying a flagship rig, and eventually selling almost everything to move to Colorado and chase elk on public land. Whitney and Ryan get honest about the steep reality of over-the-counter elk hunts, locating animals, closing distance, and choosing ethics over low-percentage shots. They trade hard-earned tips lik ehunt slow, “hunt your way in,” and using predawn locator bugles, swap close calls, and dig into why time in the mountains becomes a mental reset as much as a meat mission. Whitney ties it back to her coaching roots on how fitness, breath control, and resilience translate directly to backcountry success—and shares what’s next: a New Mexico cow elk rifle hunt, Missouri whitetails, and winter waterfowl. She closes with her mantra for new hunters and big goals alike: “Do the damn thing” stack your life to make the hunts happen, no excuses.

Key Takeaways: 

• You can start late, just immerse yourself in a pro shop, ask questions, and go all-in to accelerate the learning curve.
• OTC public-land elk is brutally hard; set realistic expectations about finding animals and closing distance.
• Ethics over ego: pass low-percentage lanes and only loose an arrow when you have a clean, confident shot.
• Fitness matters... strength, breath control, and resilience directly translate to backcountry performance.
• Hunt tactics that work: move slow, “hunt your way in” never go off-duty, and use predawn locator bugles to find elk.
• Conditions and pressure shift behavior so scout early, learn draw/tag systems, and adapt when opener changes everything.
• Stack wins and meat: build confidence on small game/waterfowl and design your life to make hunts happen
• Whitney lives by the motto of “Do the damn thing.”

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