Backbone Unlimited Podcast

Backbone Unlimited
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Backbone Unlimited is a western hunting podcast for public-land hunters who want to stop guessing and build a better system for finding elk, mule deer and black bears, beating pressure, reading sign, understanding wind and thermals, and making cleaner decisions in the mountains. Hosted by Matt Hartsky, Backbone Unlimited combines 34+ years of western big game hunting experience with decades of strength, conditioning, and nutrition coaching to help hunters prepare smarter and hunt more effectively. Episodes cover elk hunting strategy, mule deer hunting, bear hunting, public land tactics, archery elk hunting, rifle hunting, e-scouting, scouting, glassing, calling, bedding areas, feed, water, transition zones, mountain fitness, hunt planning, field decision-making, meat care, gear, pack-outs, and the mindset it takes to keep improving season after season. If you’re serious about becoming a more capable western hunter, Backbone Unlimited is built to help you train harder, hunt smarter, and never settle.

  1. -6 h

    STOP GUESSING WHERE ELK ARE | HOW TO READ A TOPO MAP FOR ELK HUNTING | 🎙️ EP. 205

    Most elk hunters look at topo maps, but they don’t actually read them. In this episode of the Backbone Unlimited Podcast, Matt Hartsky breaks down how to scout elk country from a map before you ever leave the truck. This is a complete map-reading lesson for western public-land elk hunters who want to stop guessing, stop picking random basins, and start identifying high-probability elk locations with a real system. Matt explains how to read contour lines, identify drainages, ridges, saddles, benches, aspect, north-facing security cover, south-facing feed, timber edges, water sources, springs, seeps, elevation bands, and terrain transitions that elk actually use. You’ll learn why security terrain comes first, how elk use saddles to move between basins, why benches are often travel and staging areas instead of guaranteed bedding spots, and how to stack multiple map features into what Matt calls an elk address. If you hunt elk in the western mountains, especially on pressured public land, this episode will help you understand how elk behavior, pressure, terrain, wind, water, feed, and cover all connect on a topo map. Build your September elk hunt before you ever set foot in the mountains. For elk hunting ebooks, Team Backbone, elk hunt plan audits, training plans, and nutrition plans, go to backboneunlimited.com.

    15 min

  2. -1 j

    ELK HUNTERS: YOUR BODY WILL FAIL YOU UNLESS YOU START THIS NOW | 🎙️ EP. 204

    Most elk hunters don’t run out of desire in September. They run out of legs. In this episode of the Backbone Unlimited Podcast, Matt Hartsky breaks down exactly what your body has to handle during a western public-land elk hunt and why most hunter fitness plans fail before the season even starts. This isn’t a generic workout conversation. It’s a specific elk hunting fitness framework built around mountain miles, steep descents, loaded packs, broken sleep, altitude, recovery capacity, and the mental reserve required to keep making good decisions deep into a hunt. Matt draws from more than 30 years as a professional strength, conditioning, and nutrition coach and more than 34 years hunting and guiding western big game to explain the physical demands of elk hunting, the biggest training mistakes hunters make, and the complete 60-day Backbone Unlimited training approach for becoming mountain ready by September. You’ll learn why flat running isn’t enough, why pack training is non-negotiable, why leg endurance under load matters more than gym numbers, and how to build the aerobic base, strength, rucking capacity, and recovery needed for real elk country. If you hunt western elk, mule deer, or public-land mountain terrain and want to show up stronger, sharper, and more prepared this fall, this episode gives you the plan. Learn more about Backbone Unlimited training plans, nutrition plans, elk hunting ebooks, Team Backbone, and hunt plan audits at backboneunlimited.com.

    16 min

  3. -4 j

    MOST ELK HUNTERS WASTE JULY - HERE'S EXACTLY WHAT TO DO INSTEAD | 🎙️ EP. 203

    Most elk hunters wait until September to start looking for elk. That’s already too late. In this episode, I break down a complete June and July elk scouting system to help you build a real September elk hunting plan before the season ever starts. You’ll learn how to use summer elk scouting to locate bachelor bull elk in velvet, find cow elk groups, identify active elk wallows, mark feed, bedding, water, travel corridors, and build your elk hunting map around confirmed sign instead of guesswork. We’ll cover why cow groups matter more than most hunters realize, how July elk scouting can reveal the areas bulls are likely to show up during archery elk hunting, and why public land elk hunting success starts long before opening morning. If you want to know how to find elk more consistently, stop hoping September works out and start scouting now.  Elk Hunting E-Book Series (the complete system — 34 years OF ELK HUNTING) → BackboneUnlimited.com 📋 Elk Hunt Plan Audit — Matt reviews your specific maps, terrain, zones, access, and strategy before season → BackboneUnlimited.com 👥 Team Backbone — Weekly guidance, accountability, and a community of serious western hunters → BackboneUnlimited.com "The hunters who are ready in September are the ones who start tightening the plan now." Build the plan at BackboneUnlimited.com

    14 min

  4. -5 j

    THE TERRAIN SYSTEM THAT ACTUALLY FINDS ELK (MOST HUNTERS HAVE THIS WRONG) | 🎙️ EP. 202

    What terrain should you focus on when hunting elk? In this episode, I break down elk hunting terrain and how to find elk by looking beyond obvious map features like benches, saddles, drainages, dark timber, meadows, and glassable basins. Elk don’t use country just because it looks good on a topo map — they use terrain that helps them feed, bed, stay cool, use wind and thermals, avoid hunting pressure, and escape when something feels wrong. If you’re hunting public land elk, this episode will help you understand elk bedding areas, elk benches, elk saddles, elk drainages, thick timber, open basins, feed-to-bed movement, escape routes, security cover, and pressure-driven elk behavior. The goal isn’t to find one good-looking spot. The goal is to connect the terrain features that create a huntable elk system. If you want better elk hunting tips and a more consistent way to read elk country, stop hunting isolated terrain features and start hunting the relationships between feed, water, bedding, wind, thermals, security, escape, and pressure. Elk Hunting E-Book Series (the complete system — 34 years OF ELK HUNTING) → BackboneUnlimited.com 📋 Elk Hunt Plan Audit — Matt reviews your specific maps, terrain, zones, access, and strategy before season → BackboneUnlimited.com 👥 Team Backbone — Weekly guidance, accountability, and a community of serious western hunters → BackboneUnlimited.com "The hunters who are ready in September are the ones who start tightening the plan now." Build the plan at BackboneUnlimited.com

    12 min

  5. -6 j

    HOW TO PICK AN ELK HUNTING AREA IN 6 STEPS - STOP LOOKING AT STATS | 🎙️ EP. 201

    Everybody wants to know the best elk hunting area — the best OTC unit, the best public land drainage, the best non-resident hunt, the best basin. But most hunters are asking the wrong question. In this episode of the Backbone Unlimited Podcast, Matt Hartsky breaks down why the “best” elk area on paper can be the worst area for you to actually hunt, and how to evaluate elk country through a better filter: access, security, feed, water, huntable terrain, terrain variety, a real three-day plan, and room to adjust when pressure hits. If you’re trying to narrow down elk country, build a smarter hunt plan, understand hunting pressure, read terrain better, or stop chasing hyped-up areas that fall apart once season starts, this episode will help you think differently. The right elk area isn’t just where elk live — it’s where elk can stay secure, hunters become inefficient, and you can build a plan you can actually execute. Elk Hunting E-Book Series (the complete system — 34 years OF ELK HUNTING) → BackboneUnlimited.com 📋 Elk Hunt Plan Audit — Matt reviews your specific maps, terrain, zones, access, and strategy before season → BackboneUnlimited.com 👥 Team Backbone — Weekly guidance, accountability, and a community of serious western hunters → BackboneUnlimited.com "The hunters who are ready in September are the ones who start tightening the plan now." Build the plan at BackboneUnlimited.com

    11 min

  6. 30 juin

    STOP READING ELK SIGN LIKE THIS - SAVE YOUR SEASON | 🎙️ EP. 200

    Most hunters find elk sign and think they've found elk. They haven't. They've found evidence that elk were there — and that distinction can cost you an entire season. In this episode, Matt Hartsky breaks down the complete system for reading elk sign as a question, not a conclusion. You'll learn the 5-question evaluation framework — Age, Direction, Purpose, Pattern, and Huntability — and the 5-Level sign classification system that takes you from "elk were here sometime" all the way to "I can build a huntable setup from this pattern." Matt covers why stacking multiple pieces of fresh evidence beats any single clue, how hunting pressure changes what sign actually means, why the absence of sign in an area that should hold elk is some of the most valuable information you'll find, and the critical moment when finding fresh sign demands that you slow down — not speed up. Whether you're reading tracks, droppings, beds, rubs, wallows, or feed sign, this is the graduate-level framework for turning elk evidence into elk encounters on public land. Elk Hunting E-Book Series (the complete system — 34 years in the mountains) → BackboneUnlimited.com

    26 min

  7. 24 juin

    THE OFFICIAL HIGH COUNTRY ELK HUNTING CHECKLIST (AVOID MISTAKES!) | 🎙️ EP. 199

    High country elk hunting isn't just regular elk hunting with more elevation — and the hunters who treat it that way are learning that lesson the hard way. In this episode, Matt Hartsky breaks down exactly what the high country demands: the right kind of fitness, smarter basin selection, wind discipline in steep terrain, purposeful glassing, access planning that protects the hunt, calling strategy tied to position, real meat-care logistics, and the mental control that keeps everything from unraveling when the country gets big and the answers don't come fast. Elk Hunting E-Book Series (the complete system — 34 years in the mountains) → BackboneUnlimited.com If you've ever climbed into a beautiful basin and come home empty wondering what went wrong, this episode is for you. In this episode: — Why usable fitness matters more than raw fitness, and the difference between getting to the top and still being able to hunt when you get there — Why basin selection has to go beyond what looks good on a satellite image — and the questions you need to be asking instead — Why high country pressure doesn't always look like a crowded trailhead, and how elk respond to predictable human movement patterns — How thermals work in steep, broken country — and why checking the wind once is never enough — How to glass with purpose instead of just staring at mountains and hoping something moves — Why access planning is about protecting the hunt, not just shortening the hike — How calling fits into high country hunting — and why position is always the foundation — What a real meat-care plan looks like when you kill an elk high and deep — The mental reset process that keeps good hunters making clean decisions when the country beats them up 📋 Elk Hunt Plan Audit — Matt reviews your specific maps, terrain, zones, access, and strategy before season → BackboneUnlimited.com 👥 Team Backbone — Weekly guidance, accountability, and a community of serious western hunters → BackboneUnlimited.com "The hunters who are ready in September are the ones who start tightening the plan now." Build the plan at BackboneUnlimited.com

    18 min

  8. 24 juin

    THE HABIT THAT CAUSES 90 PERCENT OF ELK HUNTERS TO FAIL EVERY SEASON | 🎙️ EP. 198

    In this episode of Backbone Unlimited, Matt Hartsky breaks down the habit that causes most elk hunters to waste days, burn opportunities, and stay stuck in the wrong country. If you want to become a more consistent elk hunter, stop hunting the elk you hoped would be there. Start hunting the elk today’s conditions are creating. Elk Hunting E-book Series — 👉 https://backboneunlimited.com/collections/elk-hunting-series-e-books

    13 min
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À propos

Backbone Unlimited is a western hunting podcast for public-land hunters who want to stop guessing and build a better system for finding elk, mule deer and black bears, beating pressure, reading sign, understanding wind and thermals, and making cleaner decisions in the mountains. Hosted by Matt Hartsky, Backbone Unlimited combines 34+ years of western big game hunting experience with decades of strength, conditioning, and nutrition coaching to help hunters prepare smarter and hunt more effectively. Episodes cover elk hunting strategy, mule deer hunting, bear hunting, public land tactics, archery elk hunting, rifle hunting, e-scouting, scouting, glassing, calling, bedding areas, feed, water, transition zones, mountain fitness, hunt planning, field decision-making, meat care, gear, pack-outs, and the mindset it takes to keep improving season after season. If you’re serious about becoming a more capable western hunter, Backbone Unlimited is built to help you train harder, hunt smarter, and never settle.

Informations

  • Création
    Backbone Unlimited
  • Années d’activité
    2025 - 2026
  • Épisodes
    100
  • Classification
    Tous publics
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2025 All rights reserved.
  • Site web de l’émission
    Backbone Unlimited Podcast

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