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.

This Episode's Sponsors

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Episode Chapters

• 0:00Intro & SponsorsTricer Tripods and Stone Glacier Gear
• 3:10Meet Matt HartskyBackbone Unlimited, Wyoming public land hunter, and the "everybody's got a plan" mindset
• 6:45The 28-Day Hunt BeginsSoutheast Wyoming public land, a grueling access hike, and finding the bull for the first time
• 13:20Four Cows to Three DozenWatching a herd bull accumulate cows through September and what that does to your strategy
• 19:55The Open-Country Thermal LessonHow a cool finger in 80-degree heat cost Matt a chip-shot opportunity and what it taught him
• 24:30Why the Bull Wouldn't Come InHerd bulls, satellite bulls, the rut timeline, and understanding why a bull just doesn't need you
• 30:15Peak Rut Isn't When You ThinkWhat biologists say about when cows are bred and why late September may be your best window
• 35:40Transition Area Hunting BreakdownHow to find, plan, and hunt feed-to-bed transitions — and why it works when nothing else does
• 41:00What Most Hunters Do WrongPoor e-scouting habits, bugle-chasing, and not understanding elk behavior by time of month
• 46:20Morning vs. Evening — The DebateMatt's morning bias, Cody's evening argument, and why temperature may matter more than time of day
• 50:45The Value of Failure & More DaysWhy every great elk hunter says the same thing, and what 16 blown shots inside 40 yards taught Matt
• 54:30Backbone Unlimited & Matt's Son SaxtonEight bulls in nine seasons, why the platform exists, and what it means to truly connect with hunters
• 56:10Outro & Free Hunt PlannerWhere to find Matt and how to grab the free download at elkhunt201.com

3 Key Takeaways

• 01 Peak rut may be later than you think — and that's when a herd bull is finally vulnerable. Most hunters treat the whole month of September as "rut season," but the biologists Matt talks to estimate that 90%+ of cows are actually bred in the final days of the month. A herd bull managing 30+ cows has zero reason to leave his ladies for your call until he's actively breeding and feels threatened. Stop counting on early bugling as your primary metric for elk activity, and think hard about your late-September strategy.
• 02 If elk aren't talking, transition areas are your best friend. The single most practical tactic in this episode: find a feed area, identify the most likely bedding spot, and set up in the funnel between them — before first light, with the wind locked in your favor, and soft cow calls at most. You don't need a bugle to find bulls this way. In fact, some of the best setups happen in total silence. This works even when you're hunting new country for the first time, which makes it a game-changer for out-of-state hunters who can't rely on years of local knowledge. 
• 03 There is no substitute for more days — but confidence in elk behavior is what keeps you from quitting. Matt says it plainly: he's not a great elk hunter, he's a stubborn one who spends a lot of time in the field. But the part that actually keeps him going on day 22 when the bull vanishes again isn't stubbornness alone — it's knowing how elk behave well enough to trust they didn't leave the county. Understanding bedding, feeding, thermals, and daily movement patterns gives you a reason to come back when everything feels hopeless. Build that knowledge base, and the "punched in the mouth" moments start to feel a lot more survivable.