Peak Rut Isn't When You Think — And It Might Be Costing You Bulls

What does it actually take to stick it out on a 28-day elk hunt, fail over and over again, and still come home with a bull? This week I sat down with Matt Hartsky of Backbone Unlimited, a Wyoming bowhunter and podcaster who's as honest about his failures as he is addicted to the grind. If you've ever watched elk disappear into thin air, wondered why your calling fell flat, or felt like packing it in on day five — this one's for you.

Matt walked me through his entire 2023 archery season in southeast Wyoming: hunting public land over-the-counter tags, chasing one particular herd bull from four cows to nearly three dozen, learning the hard lesson of open-country thermals, and finally closing the distance to four yards on September 28th after 28 days in the field. It's the kind of season most elk hunters dream about — and the kind most would've quit on by day ten.

We also get into the fundamentals that separate elk hunters who fill tags from those who go home empty-handed: how to build a real plan in OnX beyond just dropping pins, why transition-area hunting is the most underrated tactic for early season bulls who refuse to bugle, how elk behavior changes day to day and week to week through September, and why the single biggest advantage you can give yourself is just more days in the woods. Matt also pulls back the curtain on what makes a herd bull so uniquely difficult to hunt — and why peak rut may not be when you think it is.

And beyond the hunting, Matt shares something personal: why Backbone Unlimited is about more than elk content, and what drives him to keep connecting with hunters across the country. This is exactly the kind of conversation that reminds you why we all love this sport.

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