Backbone Unlimited Podcast

In this episode of Backbone Unlimited, Matt Hartsky breaks down why mature mule deer feel invisible and why big bucks can live in the same country hunters glass every day without ever being seen. This mule deer hunting episode explains how mature bucks use security cover, broken terrain, bedding areas, wind, pressure, shadows, escape routes, and narrow movement windows to avoid exposure on public...

In this episode, Matt Hartsky breaks down the conditioning gap that ends too many elk hunting seasons before they ever really start. Elk hunting fitness is not just hiking, jogging, or getting in better shape before September. It is the ability to climb, carry weight, recover, control your breathing, think clearly, and execute when the mountain gets hard. Matt explains why general cardio is not en...

In this episode, Matt Hartsky breaks down how to prepare after drawing a Montana elk tag and how to build a real elk hunting plan before the season starts. Instead of showing up with a loose idea and reacting when pressure, access, weather, terrain, and elk movement change, Matt explains how to approach Montana elk hunting with structure, clarity, and confidence. This episode covers public land el...

In this episode, Matt Hartsky breaks down the hidden cost of carrying too much weight in the elk mountains. A heavy pack can feel like preparation before the hunt starts, but once you are climbing, sidehilling, fighting deadfall, and trying to stay sharp for multiple days, every unnecessary pound starts taking energy, mobility, focus, and opportunity. This episode is not about going dangerously li...

In this episode of Backbone Unlimited, Matt Hartsky breaks down how to go from your first elk hunt to becoming a more consistent elk hunter faster than most hunters ever will. After 34+ years of hunting and guiding Western big game, Matt has seen the same pattern over and over again: two hunters can hunt the same unit, during the same season, with the same amount of effort—and one starts figuring...

In this episode, Matt Hartsky breaks down the one habit that completely changed his elk hunting results—and it has nothing to do with tactics, gear, or calling. After 34+ years of hunting and guiding Western big game, Matt shares the turning point that exposed what was really holding him back. Despite putting in the effort, covering ground, and doing everything most hunters believe it takes to be...

In this episode Matt Hartsky breaks down the fastest way to consistently find mule deer bucks anywhere you hunt in the West. Drawing from more than three decades of experience hunting and guiding Western big game, Matt explains why most hunters aren’t failing due to lack of effort—but because they’re spending too much time in the wrong country with no system behind their decisions. This episode ch...

Bear Hunting with Josh Kirchner - What You're Getting Wrong About Bear Behavior is a ground-level conversation with one of Western hunting's most analytical minds on what actually separates hunters who find bears consistently from those who don't. Josh Kirchner of Dialed In Hunter has built his reputation on process-driven Western hunting — and spring bear hunting is where that process is most exp...

In this episode Matt Hartsky breaks down a complete, repeatable elk hunting system built specifically for public land hunters who are tired of inconsistent results. If you’ve ever felt like you’re bouncing from drainage to drainage, finding elk one day and losing them the next, this episode explains why—and more importantly, how to fix it. Matt walks through a simple but powerful five-step cycle t...

In this episode Matt Hartsky breaks down how to find elk using a simple, repeatable 4-step system that works across Western public land. Instead of relying on luck, random movement, or chasing fresh sign, Matt explains how to approach elk hunting with structure and clear decision-making. He walks through the core foundation of consistently finding elk, starting with choosing the right ground based...

In this episode Matt Hartsky speaks directly to the hunter who has put in the time, covered the miles, and done everything they thought was right—but still hasn’t killed an elk. This isn’t about motivation or effort. It’s about understanding why hard work alone isn’t translating into results, and what’s actually missing beneath the surface. After more than 34 years of hunting and guiding Western b...

In this episode Matt Hartsky breaks down exactly how he would approach elk hunting if he had to start completely over today—with no past experience, no proven spots, and no habits to rely on. Instead of chasing tactics, gear, or quick fixes, Matt walks through a different approach built around understanding how elk actually live, move, and survive on the landscape. Most hunters spend years trying...

In this episode Matt Hartsky breaks down how to improve your stalking success when hunting black bears, focusing on the phase where most opportunities are lost—closing the distance. Spotting a bear is only the beginning. What you do next determines whether that encounter turns into a clean shot or another blown opportunity. Most hunters don’t fail because they can’t find bears—they fail because th...

In this episode Matt Hartsky breaks down a moment every elk hunter eventually faces—but almost no one recognizes when it’s happening. The hunt hasn’t fallen apart. The country isn’t empty. And yet something starts to shift. After more than 34 years of hunting and guiding Western big game, Matt explains why elk hunting often feels like it’s not working… right before it does. He walks through what’s...

In this episode Matt Hartsky breaks down one of the most misunderstood and costly mistakes in elk hunting—misreading evening thermals and getting busted without ever knowing why. Most hunters assume evening wind becomes predictable, but in real mountain terrain it rarely behaves that cleanly. That gap between what you think the wind is doing and what it’s actually doing is where encounters fall ap...

In this episode Matt Hartsky breaks down one of the fastest ways elk hunters ruin opportunities in timber without ever realizing it. Most hunters believe being quiet means moving slower and avoiding obvious noise, but the real problem isn’t loud mistakes—it’s predictable movement. Elk don’t need a snapped stick to know you’re there. They recognize rhythm, timing, and patterns that don’t belong, an...

In this episode Matt Hartsky breaks down one of the most frustrating situations elk hunters face—when you’re in good country, putting in the effort, and everything feels completely dead. No tracks, no droppings, no bugles… nothing. This is where most hunters start to lose confidence, second-guess their decisions, and abandon areas that may actually hold elk. After more than 34 years of hunting Wes...

In this episode Matt Hartsky breaks down one of the most frustrating problems elk hunters face—wind in the timber—and why what you think you know about wind might be costing you opportunities. Timber doesn’t behave like open country, and if you’ve ever been busted when everything “felt right,” there’s a reason for it. After more than 34 years of hunting Western elk, Matt explains how wind actually...

In this episode Matt Hartsky breaks down a question most elk hunters don’t think about until they’re already in the middle of it—what happens when the entire season turns hot? When conditions shift, the mountains can feel empty. Sign dries up, movement slows down, and areas that normally produce suddenly go quiet. Most hunters respond by covering more ground, second-guessing their plan, and burnin...

In this episode Matt Hartsky breaks down one of the most overlooked pieces of mule deer habitat that consistently holds deer across the West. Most hunters focus on big basins, deep timber, or obvious glassing points, but mature bucks aren’t scattered randomly across the landscape. They position themselves in specific areas that give them a constant advantage, and if you don’t understand that, you’...

In this episode Matt Hartsky breaks down the daily pattern that quietly controls where bulls spend the majority of their daylight hours—and why so many elk hunters keep coming up empty. It’s not complicated, but it’s one of the most misunderstood pieces of elk behavior because most hunters never fully connect what they’re seeing on the mountain with how elk actually use it. If you’ve ever hiked in...

In this episode Matt Hartsky breaks down one of the most overlooked truths in elk hunting—why some hunters consistently get into elk year after year while others struggle no matter how hard they work. After more than three decades of hunting Western elk, Matt shares a perspective that has nothing to do with better gear, perfect calling sequences, or simply going deeper than everyone else. Most hun...

In this episode Matt Hartsky breaks down a morning pattern that quietly determines whether elk encounters turn into real opportunities—or fall apart before they ever begin. It’s something most hunters experience without fully recognizing, and it often shows up right when a situation starts to come together. Many hunters focus on calling, movement, and location, yet still end up getting winded with...

In this episode Matt Hartsky breaks down one of the most common questions in elk hunting—how far elk actually travel in a 24-hour period—and why most hunters get this wrong. Many assume elk are constantly covering miles of country, and that belief leads to poor positioning, unnecessary movement, and missed opportunities on public land. Drawing from more than 34 years of Western hunting experience,...

In this episode Matt Hartsky breaks down one of the most common—and misleading—pieces of advice in elk hunting: “just hunt harder.” While effort matters in the mountains, Matt explains why physical grind alone rarely leads to consistent elk encounters and why so many hunters work hard without ever getting into elk. After more than 34 years of hunting Western elk, Matt walks through how elk actuall...