HOW TO HUNT BULLS AFTER THE RUT | POST RUT ELK HUNTING TIPS THAT WORK | 🎙️ EP. 70
Description
After the bugles fade and the rut chaos dies down, most hunters walk off the mountain thinking the season’s over. But that silence doesn’t mean the elk are gone—it means their priorities have changed.
In this episode of Backbone Unlimited, Matt Hartsky breaks down the complete post-rut transformation that happens between October and November—how bulls recover, relocate, and survive after the rut ends. You’ll learn why mature bulls vanish into dark timber, what fuels their feeding and bedding choices, and how to adjust your tactics to match their new rhythm.
Matt explains the physiological crash bulls go through after losing up to 30% of their body weight, and how that drives every decision they make through late fall. He dives into post-rut elk feeding patterns, security zones, bedding strategies, and how to recognize the subtle terrain features that reveal where bulls actually live when the mountains go quiet. You’ll also learn how hunting pressure, thermals, and changing cow behavior shape bull movement—and how to plan deliberate, low-impact hunts that work when calling no longer does.
This episode is all about thinking like a bull in recovery—reading sign, interpreting terrain, and hunting with patience instead of noise. It’s one of the most tactical deep-dives into late-season elk hunting you’ll hear, built on decades of real-world experience.
If you’re ready to stop chasing the ghost of September and start finding bulls through the silence of October and November, this one will reshape how you hunt the post-rut forever.
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