Hunt West Podcast

Everybody wants a honey hole, but how big is one? A single wallow, a particular hillside, or an entire drainage? And can you really pass one along to another hunter? On a quick Montana elk hunt with my buddy Drew, I test out a "honey hole" that was passed along to me. We checked out a proven elk spot, found bulls in some nasty country, and learned a few lessons about finding elk and making the most of your opportunities with a short amount of time. I also talk about testing an old pronghorn honey hole in Oregon and what October mule deer hunters can learn from all of this talk of "honey holes." Sure, honey holes might exist, but they come and go. Timing, hunting pressure, and changing conditions can make yesterday's killer spot a complete bust. The real trick is learning why animals use certain places and how to adjust when they don't. And that's what we talk about while telling some good old hunting stories in this week's episode of the Hunt West Podcast.  Hope you enjoy! Show Notes: Reserve 2027 Complete Hunt Plans >> Hunt West Application Webinars >> Get the Hunt West Digest Sunday Email Learn About the Hunt West Argentina Red Stag Trip Need help with a last-minute hunting problem? Email Jaden at [email protected] Thanks to Bo DePena, a musician, friend and avid hunter in Colorado, for the intro and outro music for the show.  

We're into the final stretch of September, and this episode comes straight from a Wyoming archery elk hunt full of silent bulls, changing elk movement and rut activity, close calls, and one satellite six-point that followed our cow calls into 24 yards. We also break down the recovery after the shot, including why we started a timer, backed out overnight, and brought in a tracking dog before recovering the bull 15 hours later. Then we look ahead at late-September elk tactics, including why satellite bulls may come in silently, why herd bulls can be tough to pull off cows, and how we're approaching the final push of archery season. Enjoy this episode of the Hunt West Podcast!  Show Notes: Reserve 2027 Complete Hunt Plans >> Hunt West Application Webinars >> Get the Hunt West Digest Sunday Email Learn About the Hunt West Argentina Red Stag Trip Need help with a last-minute hunting problem? Email Jaden at [email protected] Thanks to Bo DePena, a musician, friend and avid hunter in Colorado, for the intro and outro music for the show.

Opening week is where an entire summer of scouting finally gets tested against reality. Jaden heads into Montana's archery opener with seven mule deer bucks scouted, several he would gladly shoot, and a plan to hunt aggressively. Four days later, he has found five completely different bucks, made two legitimate stalks, gotten inside archery range, and somehow never laid eyes on any of the deer he spent the summer scouting. In this solo episode, Jaden breaks down those opening-week hunts and the decisions behind them. He explains his framework of hunting to "kill this season, kill today, or kill right now," why he changed tactics after a dead opening morning, and how impatience ruined an opportunity after he had already slipped within bow range. He also shares a second stalk on a high-country four-point that simply disappeared after bedding, plus what both failed opportunities taught him about thermals, aggression, patience, and using current information instead of becoming married to scouting history. The conversation then shifts to elk. Despite cool weather, rain, and plenty of reasons to expect an early start to the rut, Jaden heard zero bugles during his first four days in the mountains. Other hunters were finding hot pockets of activity, however, including Hunt West clients Ben and Tucker in Idaho. Jaden lays out what he expects from the September 11-20 window and why elk hunters should be prepared to glass, call, hunt water, locate herds from a distance, and change tactics rather than relying entirely on covering miles and ripping bugles. Finally, Jaden previews the Wyoming archery elk hunt he is guiding next. Instead of trying to out-hike the elk, the plan is to use distant glassing, water, private-land access, midday stalks, and several contingency plans to adapt the hunt to both the country and the hunter. It is another real-time example of the central theme of Hunt West: build a good plan, bring plenty of tools, and expect the animals to change it. Show Links: Reserve 2027 Complete Hunt Plans >> Hunt West Application Webinars >> Get the Hunt West Digest Sunday Email Learn About the Hunt West Argentina Red Stag Trip Need help with a last-minute hunting problem? Email Jaden at [email protected] Thanks to Bo DePena, a musician, friend and avid hunter in Colorado, for the intro and outro music for the show.

Opening day is where an entire summer of mule deer scouting collides with reality. Jaden sits down with Garrison Kinsel to compare their scouting seasons and lay out their actual plans for the opening days of Montana's archery season and Colorado's muzzleloader season. Both hunters have identified mature target bucks, but the picture is already changing. Trail cameras have gone quiet, bucks have shifted elevation, high-country vegetation is drying out, and other hunters are beginning to appear. Jaden and Garrison discuss why a missing buck may have only changed his travel route, how water and feed can reshape late-summer patterns, and why hunters often need to expand their search before abandoning a productive area. They also break down how they are ranking their A, B and C locations, adjusting their tolerance for hunting pressure, and deciding between aggressive spot-and-stalk plays, ambushes and still-hunting. Garrison plans to scout several C-tier locations before committing to his original target bucks, while Jaden intends to hunt aggressively on opening morning before falling back to lower-pressure country. This episode is a real-time look at turning summer scouting into a hunting plan that can survive opening-day chaos. If you have a buck scouted, recently lost track of one, or placed too many eggs in one honey-hole basket, this conversation will help you decide what to do next. Show Links: Follow Garrison Kinsel on Instagram Get the Hunt West Digest Sunday Email Learn About the Hunt West Argentina Red Stag Trip Need help with a last-minute hunting problem? Email Jaden at [email protected] Thanks to Bo DePena, a musician, friend and avid hunter in Colorado, for the intro and outro music for the show.

Nobody plans on needing a tracking dog, but the decisions made during the first few hours after a questionable shot can determine whether an animal is recovered or lost. Scott Gillespie, founder of Rocky Mountain Big Game Recovery, joins the podcast to explain what hunters should do when a blood trail disappears. Scott walks through how to contact a tracker, how long hunters may need to wait based on the hit, why grid searching can make a dog's job harder, and when it is time to stop tracking and back out. The conversation also digs into frontal shots on elk, what blood can and cannot tell you, how tracking dogs follow animals when no visible sign remains, and why rain does not necessarily ruin a dog's ability to work a trail. Scott shares several memorable recoveries involving elk, mule deer, and black bears, including animals found more than a mile from the shot and others hunters had unknowingly walked past for days. Finally, Scott explains why sharp broadheads, a well-tuned bow, and complete pass-throughs matter so much. If you are heading into archery season, this episode will help you make better decisions before the shot, immediately afterward, and when the blood trail runs dry. Hope you enjoy and learn something valuable from this one! Show Links: Find a tracking dog and handler >> Learn more about Rocky Mountain Big Game Recovery >>  Book a Hunt West Planning Session >> Hunt West Hosted Red Stag Trip >> Thanks to Bo DePena, a musician, friend, and avid hunter in Colorado, for the intro and outro music for the show.