Why I Hunt Elk: The Calling, the Challenge, and the Experiences

If you're here, chances are you feel it too — that pull toward the mountains every fall.

For me, elk hunting isn’t just about filling a tag. It’s about chasing a sound — the distant bugle of a bull echoing through dark timber — and knowing you might have to hike 10 miles, climb 3,000 feet, and sleep in a thunderstorm to get close. And I love it.

The Mission

I built this site to document and share that pursuit. Not the highlight reel — but the process. The grind. The preparation. The setbacks. The real, raw effort that it takes to chase elk on public land without a guide, without a guarantee, and often without anyone else within miles.

You’ll find blog entries here breaking down:

• My pre-season prep: how I train, what I pack, and how I e-scout

• Gear I actually use, including the stuff that failed

• My day-by-day hunt logs (the good, the bad, and the painful)

• Lessons from the field — thermals, missed shots, close calls

• The mindset it takes to keep going when your legs are shot and the bulls go quiet.

• I dont just hunt elk, so I'll share my other hunts as well.

What I'm Building

I’m also writing a full-length elk hunting book:“Public Land Elk Hunting: How to Find, Stalk, and Kill Big Bulls Without an Outfitter.” This site will be the home base for that project — you’ll get behind-the-scenes insight as I finish it, along with exclusive early chapters, downloadable resources, and more.

The Gear I Trust

Throughout this site, you’ll also find honest recommendations for the gear I carry into the Mountains. I'll share gear I've used and believe in. My hope is that it'll guide you in your future purchases, so you can learn from my mistakes and successes in gear.

Let's Get After It

If you’re the kind of person who trains all summer, who studies maps like game film, who gets up before sunrise for the chance to be 5 yards from a bugling bull — then you’re in the right place.

This isn’t a hype site. It’s a home for hunters who earn it.

📌 Next post: My Exact Gear List for September Archery Elk — What I’m Carrying Into the Mountains This Year.