Backbone Unlimited Podcast

Elk hunting success doesn’t end with the shot—it depends on how fast and how well you take care of your meat in hot weather. In this episode of Backbone Unlimited, Matt Hartsky breaks down proven strategies for keeping elk meat cool, clean, and safe when the temperatures climb. Learn step-by-step tactics for quartering efficiently, cooling meat in the field, using creeks or snow correctly, packing out in extreme heat, and protecting your harvest overnight. Whether you’re chasing bulls in early September archery season or facing a warm rifle hunt, this episode gives you the systems and tools to prevent spoilage and bring every pound home.

Fueling your body is just as important as the boots on your feet or the bow in your hand. In this episode of Backbone Unlimited, Matt Hartsky breaks down backcountry hunting nutrition—how to fuel, recover, and sustain energy on multi-day hunts for elk, mule deer, and other Western big game.

With 29+ years as a strength, conditioning, and nutrition coach, Matt has tested it all—carnivore, keto, high-carb, balanced whole food—and he reveals what really works when you’re miles deep, packing heavy, and pushing through long days on the mountain.

Learn how to:

Build a backcountry meal plan that supports strength, endurance, and focus

Avoid common fueling mistakes that wreck hunts

Balance protein, carbs, and fats for sustained performance

Apply real-world strategies from elite athletes to the backcountry

If you want to hunt harder, recover faster, and stay sharp from Day 1 to Day 7, this is your guide to backcountry performance nutrition.

Bowhunting elk is brutal—and most hunters fail because of simple, preventable mistakes. In this episode of Backbone Unlimited, Matt Hartsky breaks down the five biggest archery elk hunting mistakes that cost hunters shot opportunities, close encounters, and entire seasons. From calling without a plan to blowing thermals, moving too aggressively, and falling apart at full draw, Matt explains what goes wrong and exactly how to fix it.

If you want to consistently tag bulls on public land, you need more than good gear and range practice—you need discipline, patience, and a strategy that works when everything’s on the line.

Perfect for archery elk hunters, bowhunters, and western big game hunters looking to sharpen their skills and avoid costly errors.

Finding cow elk is the key to consistent elk hunting success. In this episode of Backbone Unlimited, Matt Hartsky breaks down exactly how to locate cow elk during hunting season—and why it matters whether you’re chasing bulls, filling a cow tag, or just trying to put more elk in front of your glass.

You’ll learn how cow elk behavior shifts by season, where to look for bedding and feeding areas, how to identify fresh cow sign, and why understanding travel corridors is the missing link for most hunters. Matt also dives into e-scouting strategies, late-season survival patterns, and how hunting pressure changes cow movement.

If you want to elevate your elk hunting game—rut or late season—this episode gives you the step-by-step strategies to find the nucleus of the herd.

Hunting a giant mule deer buck on public land isn’t luck—it’s a system. In this episode of Backbone Unlimited, Matt Hartsky breaks down the proven process for finding and killing truly big, mature mule deer. From defining what a “trophy” really is, to scouting overlooked country, glassing like a pro, reading pressure, and executing disciplined stalks, this episode gives you the strategies serious hunters need to chase 180+ inch bucks on their own terms. If you’ve ever dreamed of tagging a monster mule deer with grit, patience, and boots-on-the-ground effort, this episode is your blueprint.

Join TEAM BACKBONE at BackboneUnlimited.com and let’s Train Harder, Hunt Smarter and Never Settle.

Running out of time before elk season? Don’t panic—this episode is your no-BS survival guide. Matt Hartsky breaks down exactly what to focus on when you’re underprepared and overwhelmed. From quick fitness wins and gear triage to mindset shifts and a simplified hunt plan, you’ll learn how to show up sharp—even if you’re behind. Elk don’t care how prepared you feel—they care how smart you hunt. Let’s get to work.

Join TEAM BACKBONE at BackboneUnlimited.com and let’s Train Harder, Hunt Smarter and Never Settle.

In this episode of Backbone Unlimited, Matt Hartsky breaks down one of the most overlooked yet game-changing skills in Western hunting—glassing. Learn how to glass like a predator, not a tourist. Discover field-proven tactics for picking glassing points, using thermals to your advantage, gridding terrain, choosing binos vs spotters, and knowing what to do after you spot an animal. Whether you’re chasing elk or high country mule deer, this episode will teach you how to slow down, see more, and make the mountain work for you.

Join TEAM BACKBONE at BackboneUnlimited.com and let’s Train Harder, Hunt Smarter and Never Settle.

Want to find more elk in September? It starts with understanding where bulls are going and why. In this episode of Backbone Unlimited, Matt Hartsky breaks down exactly how to locate bull elk during the archery rut—based on behavior, food sources, thermals, pressure, and topography. From bachelor groups to bugling bulls, you’ll learn how to use the elk’s own biology and habits to your advantage. This isn’t guesswork. These are proven strategies from 33 years of Western elk hunting on public land. Whether you're still learning the game or trying to level up, this episode will give you the tools to hunt smarter, cover ground more effectively, and get in close on bulls this season.

Join TEAM BACKBONE at BackboneUnlimited.com and let’s Train Harder, Hunt Smarter and Never Settle.

If you want to consistently find and kill mature mule deer, you need to stop thinking like a gear junkie and start thinking like a biologist. In this episode of Backbone Unlimited, Matt Hartsky breaks down what mule deer actually eat—season by season, elevation by elevation, and region by region. From early spring forbs to late-season bitterbrush, this deep dive into mule deer forage will teach you how to scout smarter, glass more effectively, and hunt bucks where they actually live. Whether you're bowhunting high-country velvet or glassing winter range in the snow, understanding what mule deer eat is the key to finding the kind of bucks that survive pressure and grow old. This isn’t theory—this is the intel most hunters skip. Tune in, take notes, and start hunting where the feed is.

Join TEAM BACKBONE at BackboneUnlimited.com and let’s Train Harder, Hunt Smarter and Never Settle.

Fall bear hunting is one of the most overlooked opportunities in the West—but it shouldn’t be. In this episode of Backbone Unlimited, Matt Hartsky breaks down everything you need to know to turn your bear tag into a real adventure. You’ll learn how to locate food-driven bears, read terrain, master glassing techniques, dial in shot placement, and recover bears with confidence. Whether you’re hunting timbered ridges, berry slopes, or burned-out basins, these public land black bear hunting tips will give you a serious edge. This isn’t just about killing a bear—it’s about becoming a sharper, more disciplined hunter.