Elk Hunt

What’s up everyone! This week I’ve got my buddy Sidney Smith back on the podcast, and dude, this guy is one of the most inspiring humans I know. Sidney was one of the earliest supporters of this show. He had one of my first podcast stickers slapped on his prosthetic back around 2015, when he still had one leg and a Forrest Gump brace on the other. Now he’s a double amputee who has done marathons, an Ironman, a bodybuilding competition, and this year he swam from San Francisco around Alcatraz Island and back. No swim prosthetics, just his stumps, 50-degree water, brutal currents, and a shark caught by a fisherman right next to his boat (which, thankfully, nobody told him about until after). Sidney lost his legs to Charcot-Marie-Tooth, a progressive genetic disease that’s now creeping into his hands. That’s a big part of why he decided not to turn back his once-in-a-lifetime Boulder, Utah archery elk tag this year, even though he drew it while squeezing pus out of an infected limb on a bear hunt in the Bob Marshall. His thinking was that if he couldn’t get it done this year, it was only going to get harder. And man, this hunt story is one of the wildest I’ve heard. Weeks of sitting water in 95-degree heat, a miss on a 360-class bull, then the second-to-last day he stumbles into a bedded herd, calls in a giant five-point with what he calls the sweetest lip bawl of his life, and shoots him at 18 yards. But a branch he never saw deflects the bolt. What follows is 2,200 yards of blood trailing, a sleepless night of negotiating with God, crawling a meadow on his hands and knees, and jumping the bull again with no shot. Just when Sidney’s ready to throw in the towel, a random Great Pyrenees sheepdog wanders up while he’s taking a leak, becomes his hunting buddy, and points him straight to the bull. You can’t make this stuff up. We also dig into Misogi, the idea of picking one hard thing every year with a 50/50 chance of failing, and why doing hard things on purpose prepares you for when hard things choose you. Sidney talks about faith, gratitude, and his buddy Red, who lost a knee to infection right before this hunt and still kept texting Sidney encouragement on his inReach. If you need a reminder that your excuses are smaller than you think, or you just want to hear one of the best elk recovery stories ever, this episode is for you. Sponsors onX Hunt - I use onX for way more than mapping. It’s my planning tool, my e-scouting tool, and everything in between. Now they’ve added onX SOS, an emergency rescue add-on that connects you directly to Overwatch Rescue for 24/7 crisis response. My phone works almost everywhere these days, so having that insurance right inside my onX account means I carry an inReach a lot less. Check it out at onxmaps.com and use code TRO to save 20% on an Elite membership. Maven Optics - Love the Maven guys and love their products. They’re a direct-to-consumer optics company out of Wyoming, and I always say they’re the best bang for your buck in optics. From rifle scopes to spotting scopes to binos, I run Maven across the board. The B6 is my go-to bino. I run the 12x50, but the 10x42 is amazing too. Head to mavenbuilt.com and use code TRO for a special gift at checkout. Bridger Watch - Bridger is the smartwatch I wish existed, so we built it. We’ve been developing it for three years. It does all the health, sleep, and fitness tracking you’d expect, plus features built for hunters: offline mapping, onX waypoint integration so you can send waypoints straight to your watch, ballistics integration with Hornady or Sierra, a red-light-only Redshift mode that protects your night vision, and a built-in flashlight. Built by hunters for hunters. Check out the Reckon at bridgerwatch.com and use code TRO. Timestamps 00:00 - Intro and sponsors 03:30 - Re-recording the best podcast in years 04:45 - 10 years of friendship and the original TRO sticker 06:15 - Charcot-Marie-Tooth and losing both legs 08:30 - Becoming an athlete after amputation 10:00 - What Misogi is and why you need one 11:45 - Swimming around Alcatraz with no legs 15:30 - Fighting the current: swimming on a treadmill 18:30 - Cold water, wetsuits, and could anyone escape Alcatraz? 21:00 - How to choose your own Misogi 24:30 - Learning to bugle on drives to the prosthetist 27:00 - Drawing the Boulder tag in the middle of an infection 30:00 - Early-season archery: water sets and tree saddles 32:30 - Missing a 360-class bull 34:30 - The last week: going higher and hunting alone 36:30 - Walking into a bedded herd at 20 yards 39:00 - The giant five-point and the perfect lip bawl 41:00 - An 18-yard shot and a branch that changed everything 43:30 - 2,200 yards of blood trailing 46:00 - Jumping the bull with no shot 49:00 - The sheepdog that found the elk 53:00 - Lessons on prayer, gratitude, and his buddy Red 57:00 - Sidney’s speaking, DO Utah, and how to help 1:00:30 - Wrap up Three Key Takeaways Choose Hard Things So You’re Ready When Hard Things Choose You - Sidney’s Misogi practice means picking one big challenge each year with roughly a 50/50 chance of failure, whether that’s an Ironman, a bodybuilding show, or an Alcatraz swim. It doesn’t have to be physical. It could be mental, spiritual, or a weight loss goal, but it has to scare you. His advice: start planning next year’s Misogi while you’re still training for this year’s, or you’ll slide into a comfort lull. Never Quit on a Blood Trail - Sidney tracked his bull 2,200 yards, came back at first light, crawled a meadow on his hands and knees, and kept gridding even after he’d mentally written the bull off. He also learned that a quartering or obstructed shot is worth passing. He turned down a Texas heart shot early on, but missed a small branch in the excitement of the moment. When you’re on a wounded animal, give it everything before you even think about another one, and when you lose the trail, go back to where you last had sign and grid from there instead of guessing. Gratitude Is the Antidote to the Lowest Lows - In the middle of feeling sorry for himself, Sidney kept thinking about his buddy Red, a fellow double amputee who had just lost a knee to infection and was still sending him “you’ve got this” messages. Elk hunting will break you down, and when it does, remember what you still have: your hands, your eyes, your friends, and the chance to be out there at all.

Eight years ago, Jack Lander and I did a podcast right after he killed a bull with his compound. This time he's back after another absolutely nuts season with a longbow and a recurve in the thick Roosevelt country of the Pacific Northwest. If you've heard that this was a rough year to find elk, Jack's crew still managed to put four bulls on the ground, and some of those were at seven yards. We start with why Jack walked away from the compound. He says it comes down to the challenge, and he found that nothing beats a trad kill when it all comes together. From there we get into what makes Roosevelt hunting so different from Rockies and sagebrush country. Think 18 yards without ever seeing the elk, tunnels you have to crawl through like a rabbit, and bulls that will actually come to a terrible little squeal after they've pegged you. Then Jack walks me through his season. He and his buddy Sam killed two bulls in the same day, an hour apart, and I can't name another person I know who's done that. We also dig into hunting pressure and the road-rig bugle circus, why cow and calf calling into good habitat might be the move, and how finding a canyon with a hot cow can change everything. Jack also tells the story of the time he lost Larry D. Jones in the woods (search and rescue included). We wrap with a last-day-of-season bull that died in 13 seconds on camera. Whether you chase Roosevelts, Rockies, or just want to understand how to hunt pressured elk, there's a lot to take away here. Go subscribe to Jack's YouTube channel, Golden Rosie Outdoors. And if you want a free hunt planning tool to track your hunts, plans, and points, grab it through the link in the show notes or at elkhunt201.com. If you liked the episode, send it to one of your hunting buddies. Sponsors Tricer – Lightweight, packable gear built for guys who actually put miles on it. If your tripod system is bulky and overbuilt, you're working too hard. Drew is a good friend and a mad scientist, and the whole system is worth a look. 🔗 tricer.com – use code EH for 10% off Maven Optics – A Wyoming, direct-to-consumer company that I'll always say is the best bang for your buck. From rifle scopes to spotters to binos, I love their stuff. The B6 is my go-to binocular. I run the 12x50, and the 10x42 is awesome too. 🔗 mavenbuilt.com Bridger Watch – The smartwatch I've spent the last three years developing, built by hunters for hunters. Health, sleep, and fitness tracking, plus offline mapping, onX Waypoint integration, Hornady and Sierra ballistics integration, Red Shift night-vision-friendly red light, and a flashlight. Check out the Bridger Rekon. 🔗 bridgerwatch.com Chapters (estimated) 0:00 – Intro and sponsors 2:15 – Welcome, Jack 4:00 – Why Jack switched from compound to traditional 7:00 – What makes Roosevelt elk hunting different 12:00 – Season goals and a repeat of last year's success 14:30 – Two bulls in one day: Sam's bull and Jack's seven-yard bull 18:30 – Hunting pressure, road rigs, and cow/calf calling 24:00 – Hot cows, rut timing, and Bigfoot bulls 29:00 – The story of losing Larry D. Jones in the woods 33:30 – Mid-roll: Bridger Watch 35:00 – The smart old six-point and Brendan's bull 38:00 – Last day of season: Mason's bull on camera 43:00 – Covering ground, timing, and locating hot bulls 47:00 – How many days to kill a Roosevelt, and the role of luck 49:30 – Where to find Jack's films and wrap-up Three Key Takeaways When bulls go quiet, slip in and cow call. In pressured country, Jack and Cody both found that quiet cow and calf calling in good habitat can pull in bulls that won't answer a bugle. Plenty of bulls came in silent and never said a word. Timing and a hot cow matter more than the canyon. A canyon can be dead for two weeks and then have four bulls screaming when a cow comes into estrus. Moving around and covering country until you find the hot pocket is the real game. Skill gets you in position, but luck closes the deal. Jack figures about 10 days of hunting gives you a shot opportunity. Wind, cows, and brush all have to line up, so you need to hunt hard, stay patient, and be ready to capitalize on the one chance you get.

Man, this one's a good one. Cliff Gray's back on the show — if you remember, Cliff and I try to link up around this time every year, and it's turning into a bit of a tradition. This time we're diving deep into what he's picked up from running his Elk Hunting Masterclass this season — 35, 40 guys through scenario-based training — and honestly, some of the patterns he's seeing are gonna hit home for a lot of you. We get into why indecision kills more hunts than bad luck does, how to actually recognize when you're sitting in a 0% probability situation (and why guys freeze up instead of doing something about it), and the exact playbook for what to do when a bull hangs up and starts barking at you. Cliff breaks down solo tactics for getting a bull raking and using that window to close the distance, why he's skeptical on rattling but won't rule it out, and a mountain goat stalk story of mine that gets into precision at distance versus just "getting close enough." We also talk about why knowing the exact location of a bedded animal is one of the biggest differentiators between guys who close the deal and guys who don't, the "it's always right where you left it" mindset, why playing peekaboo on a stalk will get you busted every time, and the psychology behind why we all feel the urge to rush a shot the second an opportunity shows up — even when patience would serve us better. Cliff and I also get into the whole calf-calling-only debate that's been floating around elk hunting circles, and why having a system beats bouncing between tactics every single sit. If you've ever wanted to sit in on one of Cliff's in-person scenario trainings, he tells you exactly how to find it. Grab a coffee, this one's packed. Sponsors onX Hunt This episode is brought to you by onX Hunt — check out their new Share feature in the Go Track section of the app. You can now share your live location with your hunting buddy right on the map (when you've got service), which is a huge upgrade for staying coordinated in the field.onxmaps.com Maven Optics Also brought to you by Maven Optics — a direct-to-consumer optics company out of Wyoming making binos, rangefinders, and rifle scopes. Great glass, great price point, because you're skipping the big-box markup.mavenbuilt.com — use code TRO at checkout for a special gift. Chapter Timestamps (estimated from content pacing across the 56-minute episode) Time Chapter 0:00 Intro — Welcome to the Elk Hunt Podcast 0:30 Sponsor: onX Hunt's new Share feature 2:00 Sponsor: Maven Optics 3:30 Welcoming Cliff Gray back to the show 5:00 What Cliff's learned coaching 35-40 students this year 8:00 Indecision and the 0% probability trap 12:00 The "bull hangs up and barks" scenario, breaking it down 18:00 Solo tactics — getting a bull raking and closing distance 23:00 Does rattling actually work? 27:00 Biggest rifle-hunting mistakes: knowing exactly where the animal is 33:00 Trusting your mark — "it's always right where you left it" 37:00 The peekaboo mistake on a stalk 40:00 Precision at distance — the mountain goat stalk story 45:00 Fighting the urge to rush a shot 49:00 Building a consistent system vs. jumping tactics 52:00 The calf-calling-only debate 55:00 Cliff's Elk Hunting Masterclass and how to sign up Three Key Takeaways Indecision is the silent killer. When a hunter is stuck between a low-probability option and doing nothing, doing nothing is almost always the worse choice — a 10-15% chance beats a guaranteed 0%. Know exactly where the animal is before you commit to a stalk. Vague landmarks ("that big stump") fail in the field — pick a precise, trackable reference point, and trust that the animal is still there even when things go quiet. The urge to rush a shot is often just your body wanting the stress to be over — not a real signal that time is up. Learning to distinguish genuine time-sensitive moments from manufactured urgency leads to better decisions and better shots.

I sat down with Jaden Bales this week for one of those conversations that starts as a catch-up and turns into a full-on masterclass — and I didn't even plan it that way. It's been way too long since Jaden and I recorded together (we live in the same town, so we keep telling ourselves we don't need a podcast to catch up — turns out we do). Jaden's got a trail camera bull he's chasing this fall — a mid-July photo puts him around 340", with room to grow into the 350 range by September — and he wanted to pick my brain on how to actually turn this thing up before archery season opens. So that's exactly what we did. We get into the real difference between hunting a "201-level" six-point and hunting a genuine target bull — because trust me, those are two completely different games. We talk about why elk don't respect your neat little three-mile circle on OnX, why a good bull might blow off his summer ground and go rut ten miles away, and why "air miles" is the only way to actually think about elk movement in big mountain country. We also get into backpack-hunt logistics, meat care in the backcountry, why purple roads and hiking trails matter less than you think (until they don't), and the mental shift it takes to go from "find one bull" to "learn four different herds at once." If you've got a shooter on camera right now and you're trying to figure out your game plan for opening week, this episode is basically a free coaching session. Grab a coffee and get ready to think differently about how elk actually use the mountain. This Episode's Sponsors  Tricer This episode is brought to you by the good folks over at Tricer. I always want to call them Tricer Tripods, but they make a lot more than tripods — the RP Bipod is one of my favorite pieces of gear I own. At 10.5 ounces it's stupid lightweight, it comes with long legs and short legs, and it works on both Picatinny and ARCA. All that for $350 is a no-brainer. I've shot a lot of critters off this thing. Check it out at tricer.com and use code TRO to save 10% off. Maven Optics This episode is also brought to you by Maven Optics — a direct-to-consumer optics company out of Wyoming that I've been running for years. The comment I get every single time someone picks up a pair is, "Oh man, these are actually really good." Yeah — I told you. From binos to rangefinders to rifle scopes, Maven is hands-down the best bang for your buck in the optics world, because cutting out the big box store markup means better glass for less money. Check them out at mavenbuilt.com and use code TRO at checkout for a special gift. Chapters Timestamp Segment 0:00 Intro — Welcome to the Elk Hunt Podcast 1:15 Sponsor: Tricer RP Bipod 2:45 Sponsor: Maven Optics 4:00 Catching up with Jordan Bales — wedding recap 6:30 First elk hunt four weeks out — this year's scouting mission 8:15 The trail camera bull — first photos and initial score estimate 11:00 Piecing together bull location vs. known cow herds 14:30 Why elk wander farther than most hunters assume 18:00 201 vs. 301 hunting: chasing a six-point vs. chasing a target bull 23:00 Why it takes a team to hunt one specific giant bull 27:30 Thinking in "air miles" instead of trail miles 31:00 Bachelor herds, rut timing, and reading bull behavior in late August 35:00 Strategy: kid gloves vs. hard-charging a target bull 39:00 Backcountry logistics — backpack hunting, horses, and pulling meat 43:00 Meat care and temperature management in the backcountry 46:00 Recreational hiker traffic — does it actually affect elk? 48:30 Roly-poly country vs. big mountain drainages — which makes you a better elk hunter 51:30 Hunt West coaching — booking a consult with Jordan 53:00 Outro — free hunt planner and show links (Note: these timestamps are estimated proportionally based on conversation flow within the 50-minute runtime — swap in your actual DAW/editing timestamps before publishing.) Three Key Takeaways Think in air miles, not trail miles. The mental trap most hunters fall into is measuring distance the way a human experiences it — on foot, along trails. Elk cover ground on a completely different scale. A bull that seems "close" to a herd on the map might actually be far enough that he's already moved on to check her and bounce. Recalibrating your sense of distance is one of the biggest jumps from intermediate to advanced elk hunting. Targeting one specific bull requires understanding every herd around him, not just his. The moment you commit to "301-level" hunting — chasing one specific animal instead of just filling a tag — the job changes from finding an elk to mapping an entire drainage system: every bachelor group, every cow herd, every likely wind-and-terrain funnel within a few miles. It's genuinely harder and less fun than general elk hunting, which is exactly why it usually takes a team. Patience beats pressure with a known target bull. The instinct to hike straight into a bull's last known location and start calling is usually the fastest way to lose him for the season. Watching from a distance, learning what the herd is doing morning and evening, and staying in "kid glove" mode until you actually have eyes on him gives you a far better shot than blowing him out of the country on day one.

Alright guys, this one is mind-blowing. I know Mark Livesay is talented — you all know him from Treeline Academy, the best e-scouting course on the planet — but I was not ready for what he showed me on this episode. Mark's been locked in a cave for six months building something called Hunt Research IQ, and he brought it to the Elk Hunt Podcast for the very first reveal. First show. Nobody's seen this yet. This isn't a draw odds app. This isn't a spreadsheet. This is 20 years of harvest data for elk and deer across 11 Western states, run through AI, and turned into heat maps, custom scoring sliders, unit comparisons, moisture tracking, remote-core calculations, and print-ready reports that make every other research platform out there look like it's stuck in 2005. We get into how the scoring system works, why averaging three, five, and twenty years of data matters more than looking at last year's numbers, why Montana's fractional bonus points might be sabotaging your odds without you even knowing it, and how Mark's moisture-tracking tool is already changing how he plans hunts around drought years and burns. Then we shift gears and talk burns, same-year fire strategy, moisture-driven elevation shifts during the rut, and Mark's own busted rotator cuffs — which means he might be strapping a crossbow to a llama this September. You don't want to miss this one. Take a listen, then go dig into Hunt Research IQ yourself. Links below, and use code TRO for a discount from our guy Mark. Brought to You By onX Hunt This episode is brought to you by onX Hunt. If you've been through our free four-hour e-scouting course over at elkhunt201.com, you know I preach building color-coded waypoints, markups, and tracks for every hunt. Building a folder, building a plan — that's the difference between showing up and figuring it out versus showing up ready. This is what onX is superior at: hunt planning. If you're not an Elite member yet, Elite has a ton of tools to help you plan better.  onxmaps.com Use code TRO when you upgrade to Elite for a special discount. Maven Optics This episode is also brought to you by the good folks over at Maven Optics. Direct-to-consumer optics company right out of Wyoming, and I've been using them for years. My favorite thing is watching people get their hands on a Maven for the first time and go, "Oh man, these are actually really good." Yeah — I told you. From binos to rangefinders to rifle scopes, Maven is the best bang for your buck out there, because you're not paying the big box store markup. mavenbuilt.com Use code TRO at checkout for a special gift. Chapters Time Segment 0:00 Intro & sponsor reads (onX Hunt, Maven Optics) 4:30 Welcome Mark Livesay — the big reveal, first show, six months in build mode 8:15 Elevator pitch: what is Hunt Research IQ? 12:00 Why averaging 3/5/20-year data beats single-year snapshots 17:30 Building custom scoring sliders and unit health trends 23:00 The heat map: dragging, hovering, live data pulls 28:45 Comparing units side by side & the "unit profile card" 34:15 Rankings tab, health trend colors, and finding sleeper units 40:00 101 / 201 / 301 hunter framework — what stats matter at each level 47:00 Print reports, unit briefs, and AI-written unit descriptions 53:30 Montana's fractional bonus point trap explained 58:00 Remote core, road density, and what "remote" really means 1:03:00 Bull-per-square-mile harvest density and reading hunting pressure 1:09:00 Moisture tracking tool & elevation focus bands 1:14:00 Hunt planning suite, checklist tool, and hike time calculator 1:18:30 Talking burns: mosaic vs. straight-edge fire boundaries 1:24:00 Live demo — analyzing a current Utah fire for same-year burn potential 1:29:00 Mark's Island Park story: why elk drop elevation in dry years 1:34:00 Rut timing shifting later into September 1:37:00 Mark's rotator cuff injury, crossbow talk, and this year's hunt plan 1:39:30 Pricing, free trial, and where to find Hunt Research IQ 1:40:30 Outro & free hunt planner (Timestamps are approximate — built from transcript flow, adjust to actual audio if needed.) Three Key Takeaways Averaging beats snapshots. A single year of harvest data can be wildly skewed by a low tag allocation or a random survey year. Looking at 3-year, 5-year, and all-time averages side by side — and watching whether a unit's score is trending up or down — tells you far more than last year's numbers alone. In Montana, buying a bonus point can hurt you. Mark's tool surfaced something almost nobody talks about: hunters with zero points had roughly a 53% draw chance in some units, while hunters with a single fractional point dropped to 0%, because a set percentage of tags are reserved specifically for zero-point applicants. Understanding your state's fractional point system can change your entire application strategy. "Go high" isn't a universal rule — moisture matters more. The common advice to push to the highest elevation in September doesn't always hold. In dry years, the grass at the top dies off first, and cows follow the moisture downhill toward better feed. Tracking soil moisture data for a basin can tell you more about where elk will actually be than elevation alone.