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PODCAST

Backbone Unlimited Podcast

Backbone Unlimited

Host Matt Hartsky shares real-world hunting tactics, backcountry elk hunting tips, shed hunting, gear reviews, wildlife adventures, and hard-earned lessons on grit, discipline, and mental toughness. For hunters, outdoorsmen, and anyone committed to living untamed and conquering challenge. Learn public land hunting strategies, preparation, backcountry fitness, elk behavior, survival skills, and mindset tactics that help you thrive — in the wild and in life. New episodes weekly on elk hunting, big

sports wilderness

All Episodes

84:34

SAXTON HARTSKY | 🎙️ EP. 104

Backbone Unlimited Podcast ·

2025/12/24

In this episode of the Backbone Unlimited Podcast, Matt Hartsky sits down for a long-awaited and deeply personal conversation with his son, Saxton Hartsky, founder of Wildborn Outdoors. This episode is not about highlight reels or chasing validation through kills. It’s a raw, experience-driven breakdown of what disciplined, intentional western hunting actually looks like when patience, preparation, and respect for the animal guide every decision. Matt and Saxton unpack how hunting became Saxton’s

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11:33

HOW SNOW HELPS YOU KILL MORE MULE DEER BUCKS | 🎙️ EP....

Backbone Unlimited Podcast ·

2025/12/10

In this episode, Matt Hartsky breaks down why snow is one of the biggest advantages a western mule deer hunter can get. Most hunters see snow as a burden — cold, wet, and miserable — but snow is actually a gift. It wipes the mountain clean and turns mule deer behavior into a readable map. Fresh snow reveals exactly where bucks fed, where they moved, how recently they passed, and which pockets they’re holding. It shrinks their world, tightens their patterns, and gives you timing you’ll never get in

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15:48

10 MULE DEER HUNTING MISTAKES | HOW TO HUNT SMART TO...

Backbone Unlimited Podcast ·

2025/12/09

In this episode, Matt Hartsky breaks down the biggest late-season mule deer hunting mistakes that cost hunters mature bucks every single December. When the snow piles up, the days shrink, and deer tighten into their smallest home ranges of the year, the entire hunt changes. Bucks aren’t cruising, chasing, or wasting energy. They’re conserving calories, bedding tight, and only moving when light, thermals, or weather tell them to. Most hunters fail because they show up with a September mindset, move

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51:46

KILL GHOST BUCKS | HOW TO STILL HUNT TIMBER | MULE...

Backbone Unlimited Podcast ·

2025/12/08

In this episode, Matt Hartsky breaks down one of the hardest and most rewarding ways to kill a mature mule deer: still-hunting bucks in the timber. These are the deer that refuse to live in the open, vanish into shadows, and survive by slipping through cover most hunters never take the time to understand. Matt explains why older bucks choose dark timber over open country, how they use shade, structure, thermals, and micro-terrain to stay alive, and why the first two layers of trees often hold the

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16:44

WHY WE HUNT | THE TRUTH ABOUT FOOD, CONSERVATION AND...

Backbone Unlimited Podcast ·

2025/12/07

In this episode, Matt Hartsky steps away from tactics and dives into the deeper reasons hunters keep showing up year after year. This isn’t a gear breakdown or a strategy session. It’s a raw look at the purpose behind hunting and why the lifestyle carries so much weight for anyone who lives it with intention. Matt walks through why food sits at the foundation of everything he does in the mountains, why providing clean, earned meat matters, and how taking responsibility for every part of the process

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45:48

KILLER LOW ELEVATION BUCK TACTICS | LATE SEASON MULE...

Backbone Unlimited Podcast ·

2025/12/06

In this episode, Matt Hartsky breaks down how to hunt low-elevation mule deer when winter pushes them out of the high country and into the foothills, sage flats, creek bottoms, and broken terrain near the valley floor. A lot of hunters struggle in this country because it looks too open, too close to the road, or too chaotic to make sense of. Deer seem scattered, does pile into the obvious feed, and mature bucks appear to vanish. But once you understand how mule deer transition into winter range —

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42:55

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN MULE DEER BUCKS LEAVE DOES | MULE...

Backbone Unlimited Podcast ·

2025/12/05

In this episode, Matt Hartsky breaks down one of the most critical but misunderstood phases in mule deer hunting: what happens when mature bucks leave the does at the end of the rut — and how to adjust your tactics to find and kill them. Through November, bucks run themselves ragged. They chase, fight, cover country, and glue themselves to doe groups with zero regard for energy or security. But when breeding tapers off, that entire behavior pattern collapses almost overnight. Bucks slip away from

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45:25

ADVANCED MULE DEER GLASSING TIPS | MULE DEER HUNTING...

Backbone Unlimited Podcast ·

2025/12/04

In this episode, Matt Hartsky breaks down exactly how to glass mule deer efficiently when daylight is limited — a challenge every late-season hunter faces. Once December arrives, the sun hangs low, mornings brighten slowly, evenings disappear fast, and the usable windows where mature bucks actually move get brutally short. If you’re not in position before gray light hits, you lose the highest-value minutes of the entire day. And when bucks are conserving energy, bedding tight, and feeding in

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45:23

WHY SOUTH FACING SLOPES RULE FOR MULE DEER | LATE...

Backbone Unlimited Podcast ·

2025/12/03

In this episode, Matt Hartsky breaks down why south-facing slopes are absolute gold for December mule deer, especially if your goal is finding mature bucks after the rut. Once November ends and bucks peel away from the does, everything in their world becomes about conserving and rebuilding energy. The mountains get colder, snow piles up, and winter forces mule deer into terrain that keeps them alive with the least amount of effort. No slope type delivers more consistent food, warmth, and predictable

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48:37

FIND LATE SEASON MIGRATION BUCKS | MULE DER HUNTING...

Backbone Unlimited Podcast ·

2025/12/02

In this episode, Matt Hartsky breaks down one of the most misunderstood but consistently productive windows in all of Western mule deer hunting: how to hunt migrating mule deer bucks along the elevation corridors they’ve used for generations. Migration is nothing like rut hunting or early-season patterning. These deer aren’t wandering—they’re following predictable terrain structure as they drop from high-country summer range to low-elevation winter habitat. When snow, weather, feed, and timing line

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43:40

FIND BUCKS FAST | HUNT RUTTING MULE DEER | MULE DEER...

Backbone Unlimited Podcast ·

2025/12/01

In this episode, Matt Hartsky breaks down one of the most explosive windows in Western big-game hunting—finding rutting mule deer in November. If you’ve spent years grinding for mature bucks without connecting the dots, this conversation will change the way you hunt the rut. November is when everything shifts. Bucks that hid in dark timber all fall suddenly travel in daylight, check doe groups, make mistakes, and expose themselves in ways they simply don’t earlier in the season. But predictable rut

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17:05

ARIZONA BIG GAME DRAW 2026 | HOW NON-RESIDENTS APPLY...

Backbone Unlimited Podcast ·

2025/11/30

In this episode Matt Hartsky walks you through exactly how the 2026 Arizona Big Game Draw works for non-residents who are applying for elk, mule deer, and pronghorn. Whether you’ve been waiting years to draw a tag or you’re new to the draw game, Matt simplifies the process so you know what to expect before you hit “submit.”He explains how Arizona’s point system works, the timing of applications, how to allocate preference points, and how to optimize your odds when competing with thousands of

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31:36

THANKFUL FOR THE HUNT | WHAT HUNTING TEACHES US | ELK...

Backbone Unlimited Podcast ·

2025/11/29

In this episode, Matt Hartsky steps away from tactics and gear talk and dives into the real reasons hunters keep showing up year after year. Thanksgiving week slows life down just enough for you to look back and realize how much this lifestyle actually gives you. Not the tags. Not the antlers. Not the grip-and-grins. The deeper stuff—the things that shape you long after the season ends. Matt breaks down why opportunity on public land is something hunters should never take for granted, and why the

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17:00

UTAH BIG GAME DRAW 2026 | HOW NON-RESIDENTS APPLY FOR...

Backbone Unlimited Podcast ·

2025/11/27

Utah is one of the most structured and strategic big-game draw systems in the West, and if you’re a non-resident looking to hunt bull elk, mule deer, or pronghorn here, you need to understand how the point systems, timelines, and permit allocations actually work. In this episode, Matt Hartsky breaks down the Utah application process step-by-step so you can build a smart long-term plan with clear expectations. Utah relies on both bonus points and preference points, and while the terminology often

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28:09

MONTANA BIG GAME DRAW 2026 | HOW NON-RESIDENTS APPLY...

Backbone Unlimited Podcast ·

2025/11/26

Montana is one of the most opportunity-rich Western big game states, but for non-residents, understanding how to apply can feel like wading through a maze. In this episode, Matt Hartsky breaks down the Montana draw system step-by-step so you can approach your 2026 elk, mule deer, and pronghorn plan with confidence. Montana’s system looks complicated on paper because it uses multiple license types, preference points, bonus points, general tags, and limited-entry permits. But once you understand how

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35:15

BACKCOUNTRY HUNTER TRAINING PHASE 1 | HOW TO BUILD A...

Backbone Unlimited Podcast ·

2025/11/25

This episode kicks off a brand-new, ten-month training series designed specifically for backcountry elk and mule deer hunters. As November rolls in and the season wraps up, most hunters shut it down and wait for spring to start preparing. That’s the number one reason so many guys feel wrecked halfway through a long hunt. Real preparation begins now. This is Phase One: The Foundation. It’s the base layer of strength, stability, and endurance that every later phase depends on. If you want to hunt

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31:52

NEW MEXICO BIG GAME DRAW 2026 | HOW NON-RESIDENTS...

Backbone Unlimited Podcast ·

2025/11/24

If you’ve ever considered applying for elk, mule deer, or pronghorn tags in New Mexico as a non-resident, this episode breaks down one of the most unique and misunderstood draw systems in Western big-game hunting. New Mexico does not use preference points or bonus points, meaning every applicant starts fresh each year with the same odds. Whether it’s your first time applying or you’ve been in the game for a decade, everyone enters on equal footing. That’s a huge advantage for newer hunters, but only

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36:28

COLORADO BIG GAME DRAW 2026 | HOW NON-RESIDENTS APPLY...

Backbone Unlimited Podcast ·

2025/11/23

If you’re planning to hunt elk, mule deer, or pronghorn in Colorado as a non-resident, this episode breaks the entire application process down step-by-step so you can approach it with confidence. Colorado offers more big-game opportunity than almost any state in the West, but navigating preference points, qualifying licenses, hunt codes, and non-resident tag caps can feel overwhelming without a clear roadmap. In this conversation, Matt Hartsky explains how Colorado’s primary draw, secondary draw,

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29:43

WESTERN MOUNTAIN WHITETAILS | DEER HUNTING TACTICS...

Backbone Unlimited Podcast ·

2025/11/22

Hunting mountain whitetails in the West is nothing like chasing farmland deer back East. In this episode of Backbone Unlimited, Matt Hartsky breaks down how to hunt western whitetails across rugged terrain in Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, and the Dakotas. These deer live in steep ridges, broken timber, river bottoms, and foothills where elevation, thermals, and weather dictate every move. You’ll learn how western mountain whitetails behave differently than their flatland cousins, how they travel longer

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31:21

WYOMING NON-RESIDENT DRAW GUIDE 2026 | HOW TO APPLY...

Backbone Unlimited Podcast ·

2025/11/21

In this episode of Backbone Unlimited, host Matt Hartsky breaks down exactly how to apply for Wyoming big game as a non-resident — one of the most misunderstood but opportunity-rich draw systems in the West. If you’ve ever logged onto the Wyoming Game and Fish website and felt confused about the difference between preference points, regular and special draws, or the 90/10 tag split, this episode walks you through every detail step by step.Matt explains Wyoming’s hybrid draw system—how it blends

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105 results

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