Backbone Unlimited Podcast

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prioritizing terrain structure, wind and thermals, pressure patterns, and moisture-driven habitat instead of relying on outdated expectations.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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

In this episode of the Backbone Unlimited podcast, Matt Hartsky breaks down exactly what to do after drawing an Idaho elk tag as a non-resident. Drawing a tag is only the beginning. Success in Idaho’s elk country depends on how well you prepare for the specific zone you drew and how disciplined your preparation becomes long before opening morning.

Matt walks through a structured preparation framework designed specifically for Western public land elk hunters. Instead of relying on excitement or last-minute scouting, this system focuses on building a clear plan 90 days out, refining it 60 days out, and tightening execution in the final two weeks before the season begins. Idaho elk hunting presents unique challenges including steep terrain, large road systems, shifting hunting pressure, predator influence, and elevation-driven elk movement. Understanding how those factors interact within your zone is critical.

Throughout the episode, Matt explains how to narrow down productive elevation bands, identify pressure-resistant areas through e-scouting, and analyze secondary drainages, timber transitions, and public land access routes that influence elk movement. He also discusses the physical preparation standards needed to handle Idaho’s rugged terrain, including pack weight, vertical gain expectations, and endurance benchmarks that many hunters underestimate.

Additional topics include adapting calling strategies in pressured elk zones, managing crowded trailheads, recognizing early-season elk movement shifts, and adjusting to weather or predator influence during the hunt. Matt also outlines a final two-week preparation checklist to help ensure your gear, fitness, and strategy are aligned before opening day.

If you’re serious about approaching your Idaho elk hunt with discipline and structure instead of guesswork, this episode will help you build a preparation system designed for real Western elk country.

Kapture delivers one of the simplest, strongest digiscoping systems on the market, letting you lock your phone to your bino or spotter in seconds. Their rugged magnetic design gives hunters pro-level photos and video without fumbling with bulky adapters. Kapture Discount: Use code BACKBONE for 10% off: https://kapturegear.com/?bg_ref=gCD000n5fB

In this episode of the Backbone Unlimited podcast, Matt Hartsky gives a full, honest review of the Kapture Gear magnetic digiscoping system—equipment he purchased with his own money and has used for over a year in real Western big game hunting situations. From scouting high-country elk basins and glassing for mule deer in open country to filming pronghorn on the plains, watching spring black bears during green-up, and covering miles during shed hunting season, this system has been tested in the exact environments where reliable optics and quick recording matter most.

Anyone who spends serious time behind binoculars or a spotting scope knows how frustrating it can be to capture what you’re seeing in the moment. Traditional digiscoping adapters are often bulky, slow to mount, and easy to fumble when an animal appears unexpectedly. Matt explains how the Kapture modular magnetic system attempts to solve that problem by allowing hunters to quickly attach their phone to their optics and start recording in seconds.

In this review, Matt walks through how the magnetic mounting system works, how it aligns with binoculars and spotting scopes, the speed of transitioning from glassing to filming, and the image quality you can expect when using your phone’s primary and telephoto lenses. He also discusses durability in rough terrain and offers an honest look at the limitations of the system from a solo public land hunter’s perspective.

If you’ve ever struggled to capture elk, mule deer, antelope, or bears through your optics, this episode will help you decide whether this digiscoping system is worth adding to your kit.

In this episode of the Backbone Unlimited podcast, Matt Hartsky breaks down one of the biggest missing links in consistent spring bear success: understanding how black bears actually travel across the landscape during spring. Many hunters know that green-up matters, that south-facing slopes warm first, and that bears are calorie-depleted after hibernation. Yet they still struggle to locate bears consistently. They glass promising terrain, hike miles of country, and somehow miss animals that are clearly present in the unit. The problem usually isn’t effort—it’s misunderstanding movement.

Matt explains how spring bear travel is built around energy conservation, terrain resistance, snowline boundaries, and efficient access to food. Instead of climbing steep slopes or wandering randomly, bears often contour across terrain using the path of least resistance. Sidehills, benches, low-angle ridges, and drainage edges frequently become the routes bears use to move between feeding areas while conserving energy.

Throughout the episode, Matt breaks down how food distribution influences travel routes, how snow and solar exposure shape daily movement, and why focusing only on isolated feeding spots often causes hunters to miss the bigger picture. You’ll learn how bears connect scattered green-up patches through predictable lanes and how to identify overlap zones where multiple travel routes intersect.

When you stop thinking about isolated “spots” and begin thinking about movement flows across the landscape, predicting bear movement becomes much easier.

If you want to find more bears this spring, this episode will help you start reading terrain the way bears actually use it.