Today's Thrive episode is a little different.

No hunt tactics. No gear talk. No strategy.

We will get back to that, but today I want to explore a topic that's been on my mind.

It's about us! More specifically, the disconnect of the modern man.

You don't need a PhD to see it, men are drifting and some are completely off course.

Society is conditioning our boys to be soft, disconnected, and addicted to comfort.

They're not being built to lead, to endure, or even to rise to the challenges of life.

Instead, we've got men in their prime, avoiding discomfort, addicted to dopamine, and wandering further from who they were meant to be.

The modern man has become disconnected from adventure, and ultimately, from who he was designed to be.

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Additional Thrive Resources

Use My Code TREELINE For Peax Discount.

Treeline Academy Courses – (Use code THRIVE to save 20% on any Treeline course)https://www.treelineacademy.net

Treeline Podcast Archivehttps://www.treelineacademy.net/podcast-main--b42b4

Peax Elk & Bear Tourhttps://www.treelineacademy.net/peax-tour

Elk 101 Destination Elk Eighthttps://youtu.be/f8U7GW2L3go?si=N7f93gpuq2VtGt7h

Spring bear season doesn't start when the tag hits your pocket, it should start right now!

This year, the snow isn't normal; the prime bear elevation zones they may not line up like they have historically.

Spring bear hunting is snowline game. An elevation game and a timing game. The bear hunters who are guessing are about to get exposed.

2026? It's going to punish the unprepared.

In this Thrive episode, I'm breaking down what you need to be doing right now to get ahead of the season.

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Additional Thrive Resources

Use My Code TREELINE For a Peax Discount.

Treeline Academy Courses – (Code THRIVE to save 20% on any Treeline course)https://www.treelineacademy.net

Treeline Podcast Archivehttps://www.treelineacademy.net/podcast-main--b42b4

Treeline Thrive Vodcast Archivehttps://www.treelineacademy.net/thrive

Peax Elk & Bear Tour Eventshttps://www.treelineacademy.net/peax-tour

Gritty Movie Night Tickets & Trailerhttps://staygritty.com/pages/movie_night

Backpacking Grizzly Bear Hunt – Gritty Filmshttps://youtu.be/CzV_ihfnElk?si=n-4hcgpfQ9NxFCEE

Remember when elk hunting out West meant hitting the mountains, not crunching numbers, gaming odds, or dodging fine print and deception?

Is the elk tag game rigged, and are the rules changing while you're still in line?

What's happening in the Western elk tag system isn't just frustrating, it's broken. The states know it. The math proves it.

Application season is here, our annual collision of hope and reality. It's when we obsess over draw odds, dissect point strategies, and hustle every angle to and elk tag for next season.

Today, elk hunting has become a two-tiered game: those with points… and those without. The hard truth? Both camps are in trouble.

In this week's Thrive episode, we're pulling back the curtain, digging into the trends, the tag systems, and the truth about what it really takes to hunt elk in Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, and Colorado.

It's not just about tag costs, its exposing a system that's quietly become a lottery that you pay to lose.

Do these systems still work… or are we all stuck in an expensive spin cycle?

Additional Thrive Resources

Use My Code TREELINE for a discount on your Peax Equipment gear!

Treeline Academy Courses – (Use code THRIVE to save 20% on any Treeline course)https://www.treelineacademy.net

Treeline Podcast Archivehttps://www.treelineacademy.net/podcast-main--b42b4

Treeline Thrive Vodcast Archivehttps://www.treelineacademy.net/thrive

Points, Odds & Reality: Our 2026 Hunt Application Strategy – GOHUNT Big Hunt Guys Podcast – Episode 207https://youtu.be/Q7l6mnD-ol8?si=AsGEIL3OWZnSQqHQ

On X Hunt – Elk Draw Trends: Study Of Western US Data 2018-2022https://www.onxmaps.com/hunt/blog/elk-draw-trends?

Most Western hunters don't fall short because of bad luck—or bad gear.

And no one sets out with the goal to be average.

But somewhere along the way, comfort and familiar creep in and take over. This is how the cycle begins, and you need to be intentional to break it.

· Same familiar spots

· Same excuses

· Same half-ass preparations

· Expecting different results

· Doing the same things, in the same places, in the same way, yet still expecting different results

The Truth: The surefire way to stay an average Western hunter is to keep acting like one.

Today, we're talking about why average hunters stay average and breaking down four common pitfalls that keep hunters stuck year after year.

Hope is not a strategy.

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Additional Thrive Resources

Use My Code TREELINE at Peax Equipment for a discount.

Treeline Academy Courses – (Use code THRIVE to save 20% on any Treeline course)https://www.treelineacademy.net

Treeline Podcast Archivehttps://www.treelineacademy.net/podcast-main--b42b4

Treeline Thrive Vodcast Archivehttps://www.treelineacademy.net/thrive

In the last Thrive episode, I laid out some hard truths. Montana's deer herds are in trouble.

The response to that episode was immediate, emotional, and a bit overwhelming.

Hundreds of comments, strong opinions, and a lot of understandable frustration from people who care deeply about Montana's deer herd.

But here's the thing, pointing out the problems was only step one.

Today's episode isn't about outrage; it's about your comments, ideas, and potential solutions.

I'm going to address the biggest questions you asked, and then I'm going to lay out several ideas for your consideration.

Doing nothing is no longer an option; we've been wearing that option out.

_____________________ Additional Thrive Resources

Use My Code TREELINE For A Discount and to show support for the Vodcast.

Treeline Academy Courses – (Use code THRIVE to save 20% on any Treeline course)https://www.treelineacademy.net

Treeline Podcast Archivehttps://www.treelineacademy.net/podcast-main--b42b4

Treeline Thrive Vodcast Archivehttps://www.treelineacademy.net/thrive

Understanding Mule Deer & Antler Point Restrictions: The Mule Deer Working Grouphttps://wildlife.utah.gov/pdf/mule_deer/mdwg-6_point_restrictions.pdf

Have you ever seen something coming from a mile away? Yet, nobody does anything about it?

Montana's deer herds didn't just disappear overnight. It wasn't random. This was a slow-motion train wreck, and the people in charge of the tracks, well, they stood there and watched it happen.

That's Montana's mule deer story. From over 386,000 animals to under 250,000 in just seven years.

While other states pulled back and course-corrected, Montana kept feeding the tag machine.

Now they want a pat on the back for finally cutting a few nonresident deer tags?

I mean seriously…..

In this episode of the Thrive Vodcast, we will work through the numbers, policies, and patterns, and let you judge for yourself.

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Additional Thrive Resources

Use My Code TREELINE For A Discount and to show support for the Vodcast.

Treeline Academy Courses – (Use code THRIVE to save 20% on any Treeline course)https://www.treelineacademy.net

Treeline Podcast Archivehttps://www.treelineacademy.net/podcast-main--b42b4

Treeline Thrive Vodcast Archivehttps://www.treelineacademy.net/thrive

Fish and Wildlife Commission Votes Ro Reduce Nonresident Deer Licenseshttps://montanafreepress.org/2025/12/05/fish-and-wildlife-commission-votes-to-reduce-nonresident-deer-licenses/

There's one thing that will end a hunt faster than a blown stalk or busted gear—and that's getting cold and wet.

Once extreme cold sets in and your feet start to go numb, your hunt is headed downhill fast.

Yes, you can tough it out for a little while, but the truth is, you're on borrowed time and your hunt might already be over!

I've been on enough late-season hunts to know this all too well.

Getting chilled to the bone doesn't happen by accident. Avoiding it requires intention and a systematic approach.

If you get it wrong, you're likely to end your hunt early.

In this Thrive episode, I'm breaking down five tactics that can help keep you warmer, drier, and more prepared for the cold days ahead on late-season backcountry hunts.

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Additional Thrive Resources

Use My Code TREELINE For A Discount and to show support for the Vodcast.

Treeline Academy Courses – (Use code THRIVE to save 20% on any Treeline course)https://www.treelineacademy.net

Treeline Podcast Archivehttps://www.treelineacademy.net/podcast-main--b42b4

Treeline Thrive Vodcast Archivehttps://www.treelineacademy.net/thrive

Grakksaw – Use Discount Code Treeline https://www.grakksaw.com/

Peax Christmas Giveaway Video – Dumb & Dumberhttps://youtu.be/CNYo1hcFhAw?si=wJuwNJwyaiT8Rz6M

Today's show is going to be a bit different, OK, a lot different.

This Thrive episode isn't about hunt planning, elk strategy, or bear tactics. It's about something that comes up more than just almost anything else:

Merging Western hunting & successful marriages, and what it looks like when one of you disappears into the wilderness for long periods of time.

I've been on over 100 podcasts, and I rarely get through one without being asked:

"How does your wife handle the 100+ days your in the backcountry each year?

"How do you keep your family on the right path when you're hunting that much?"

We are going to dive into that topic head-on. I invited the expert, my wife Amy, onto the show—she's lived it all with me. And today, we're going to sit down and talk honestly about what works, what's hard, and what we've learned navigating over two decades of adventure seeking, sometimes the hard way.

We've had this conversation before, but never quite like this. I'll be honest, I might end up under the bus a few times. But if I do… It's probably because I earned it, and maybe you will benefit from it.

I've broken the show into nine segments so we can work through this together—openly, truthfully, and hopefully in a way that helps you navigate life with your partner.

This is another one's real one. And I think it's going to hit home with a lot of Western hunters.

Let's get to it.

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Additional Thrive Resources

Use My Discount Code TREELINE at Peax Equipment. https://www.peaxequipment.com/

Treeline Academy Courses – (Use code THRIVE to save 20% on any Treeline course)https://www.treelineacademy.net/

Treeline Podcast Archivehttps://www.treelineacademy.net/podcast-main--b42b4

Treeline Thrive Vodcast Archivehttps://www.treelineacademy.net/thrive

Hunting Marriage & Redemption – Mark & Amy Livesay – The Gritty Podcasthttps://youtu.be/IS5ni0xB7so?si=2nMfR5zYvu7fMJIy

The Best Kept Secret In Elk Hunting? - Elk Shape Podcasthttps://youtu.be/jOFPGO9cPE8?si=_qNLnK2e76ys0dHD

In this special Live From the Hunt edition of the Thrive Vodcast, I sit down with my good friend Chiam — cameraman, hunter, freeze-dry fanatic, and world-class skinny-jean-wearing tech gear junkie.

Warm weather has delayed the elk migration, the elk aren't cooperating, and we were grinding through long days deep in the backcountry. This was the perfect chance to dive deep into some "new" gear that truly performs in real backcountry conditions.

From power bank myths, solar panel failures, daily food bag disasters, freeze-dried McGriddle experiments, and new tech that is changing how hunters film, glass, and stay powered — this is a full gear breakdown straight from the mountain.

If you're a Western hunt gear guru, this Thrive Episode is for you!

Let's get to it.

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Additional Thrive Resources

Use My Discount Code TREELINE at Peax Equipment. https://www.peaxequipment.com/

Treeline Academy Courses – (Use code THRIVE to save 20% on any Treeline coursehttps://www.treelineacademy.net/treeline-map-toolkit-description

Treeline Podcast Archivehttps://www.treelineacademy.net/podcast-main--b42b4

Treeline Thrive Vodcast Archivehttps://www.treelineacademy.net/thrive

Harvest Right Freeze Dryershttps://affiliates.harvestright.com/2013.html

Renogy Backcountry Solar Panel 30Whttps://amzn.to/48ctUJF

Renogy 72000mAh High-Capacity Power Bankhttps://amzn.to/43IoMeM

Nitecore NB10000 Gen III Ultra-Slim Power Bankhttps://amzn.to/4ptikko

Hollyland Lark M2 Wireless Microphonehttps://amzn.to/4pp6mbe

DJI Osmo Namo Standard Combohttps://amzn.to/43EQg56

Flextail Zero Pump – 1.2 Ounceshttps://amzn.to/4ob2PMU

Flextail Portable Air Pump 2X – 3.3 Ounceshttps://amzn.to/43LMxTg

Aero Gogo Giga Pump Airhttps://www.aerogogo.com/

Epoch Outdoors Digiscope Mountain Maghttps://epochoutdoors.com/

What happens when you give me the keys to the bus and let me run wild?

I've been sitting on this pre-recorded episode for a while now. We are now 40 shows deep into this Thrive journey, so I figured it's the perfect time to drop it.

Brice Bishop, a good friend and the founder of Peax Equipment, and I sit down to talk about what he was thinking when he gave me the green light on this Thrive concept.

I think you will enjoy our fun conversation. We're on location, middle of the night, Red Lodge, Montana, and we're getting real about how Thrive started, where it's headed, and what this whole ride has really been about.

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Additional Thrive Resources

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Treeline Academy Western Hunt Courses⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠(Use code THRIVE to save 20% on any Treeline course)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Treeline Podcast Archive⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Treeline Thrive Vodcast Archive