If you asked 1,500 hunters about the specific hunting skills and knowledge that it takes to become more successful in the backcountry, what do you think they would say?
We asked those hunters, and we have those answers.
As part of The Experience Challenge, we had 1,500+ hunters complete a detailed Hunt Reflection. Their answers inspired this new series, The Backcountry Blueprint. In each installment, we distill key takeaways from 1,500+ hunters to help you master the backcountry.
Today, we’re looking at the key areas of hunting skills and knowledge that hunters found to be most important to their success, or to be the most critical areas that they needed to improve to kill with more consistency…
Glassing and Locating Animals
In the data, many participants identified glassing as a primary area for improvement, so that they could locate more animals. Specifically, the hunters mentioned a need to improve their patience and discipline while glassing, as well as employing better glassing techniques to ensure that they were not looking over animals.
Patience can be a critical component of glassing success and seeing more animals, but not every hunt requires a methodical approach to glassing. Sometimes, a “scan and move” approach is more effective.
To help influence your approach to glassing, consider…
- WHAT animals are you looking for? A big black bear? A small-bodied Coues deer? A mature bull elk? A white sheep or mountain goat? And for some species, such as mule deer, it is helpful to consider their current coloration and how that works with the surrounding environment.
- WHERE are you looking into? Based on the vegetation, lighting conditions, terrain, and other factors, your target animal may be easily visible on the backdrop, or you may be glassing intently for just the fraction of the target species that could be visible in the surroundings.
- WHEN are you looking? How does the time of day or portion of the season affect what you’re looking for? Do you expect a buck to be up and feeding in the open or bedded into a secure and shady pocket? Are bucks on a “feed and bed” pattern, or is it later in the season when bucks are up and on the move, looking for does to breed?
If you are glassing for more than just a few moments, get comfortable and stable. It is amazing how the effectiveness of any optic improves just by creating a stable support position that reduces movement in your field of view.
A mediocre optic with effective support and stability can be more effective than using ultra-premium glass quality in an unstable position.
Obviously, if you are glassing for a while, a tripod is the go-to support choice. But even if you are briefly looking for animals, using your body position (such as seated with elbows on legs) or improvised support (such as a trekking pole “monopod”) is going to increase your effectiveness.
Calling Proficiency
Many hunters who completed the survey discussed their need to improve calling proficiency for their archery elk hunts.
The formula for elk calling is: timing + technique = confidence.
From a high level, when it comes to timing, think of the intent of your vocalization to bull elk as one of three things:
- An attempt to elicit a verbal response (thereby locating the position of a bull)
- An attempt to create a challenge response (trigger the bull to defend its location or harem)
- An attempt to solicit a mating response (inviting a bull to investigate an opportunity to breed)
Those are some basic considerations for “when to say what”, but there is a much deeper level of understanding and strategy that you can employ. We recommend going further in our episodes with Paul Medel, Corey Jacobsen, and other elk calling experts…
40+ Must-Listen Elk Hunting Podcasts
For technique, you need to be able to consistently and effectively produce the intended sound. Our biggest piece of advice in this area is to try diaphragm calls from a variety of sources. You may find that a certain brand or style “fits” your mouth much better than another, and that enables you to be much more consistent in your calling.
As you practice your calling, focus on the two P’s — Position and Pressure. Find the right position of the reed in your mouth, and find the right amount of pressure (both air pressure and tongue pressure) to create your intended sound.
When you pair the right strategy (timing) with the right sound (technique), you can have confidence in your elk calling.
Animal Behavior and Patterns
In the hunter data, respondents discussed their need to understand animal behavior and patterns in three key ways…
- Habitat & Food Sources
- Environmental Factors
- Pressure Response
First, when it comes to understanding habitat and food sources, it is important to know that how a species feeds or behaves in a specific area is not always indicative of what that same species will do in a different location or context. There isn’t a single food source, a single type of cover, or a single topographic feature that a buck, bull, or bear will prefer in all places or seasons.
Firsthand, contextual knowledge is the best way to learn the food sources, habitats, and habits of animals in a particular spot. And the more you can hunt the same area with consistency, the more you will be able to “understand” those animals in that place.
As you do hunt an area, it is helpful to ask “why” when you see animals or animal sign. If you encounter a bunch of tracks or a well-worn game trail, ask yourself why. Why is it here? Why is it at this elevation? Why is it headed in that direction, or between these topographical features? Do the same thing when you find scat, rubs, or other signs of animal activity.
And as you make on-the-ground observations, don’t assume that you will remember it all for the future; make notes so that you can go back to your takeaways and integrate that knowledge into other hunts.
When it comes to dealing with hunting pressure that has you second-guessing your hunt plan, ask yourself these 3 questions…
- Where will hunters tend to focus their efforts?
- What will animals do to evade hunters?
- How do I need to adapt my hunting strategy?
Stalking & Closing the Distance
A consistent theme in the hunter data was the need to improve stalking skills and overcome the challenge of making the final approach on animals.
As with most things in this specific article, context is important. Stalking into bow range on a bedded buck in the high country is vastly different than approaching a bear you spotted from a mile away and need to get into rifle range with.
Regardless of the context, here are tactics to account for when you want to close the distance after spotting an animal…
1) THINK BEFORE YOU ACT
When you spot an animal and decide that you want to make an approach, you need to stop and think before you act. To the best of your ability, mark the animal’s location on your map. Scan the area around the animal, identifying any “trouble” that could blow your stalk — such as other animals in the area that could “bust” you, or gaps in terrain or cover that could expose you on the approach. With that in mind, along with the wind, identify (and then mark) the position you plan to shoot from. Now plan your route to get into position undetected. And make notes or waypoints of references along the route that you can use to keep you “on track” as you begin to move and your perspective changes.
2) MOVE WITH PURPOSE
With your plan in place, it is time to move with a purpose. We like to be as aggressive as possible for as long as possible, so that you are reducing the time of your approach and, hopefully, closing the distance while the animal is in the same position. As best you can, keep tabs on the animal (and its surroundings) during your approach. Based on the conditions and context, know when to turn your aggressive approach into a patient pursuit as you close the distance and need to proceed with caution into “the red zone”.
3) MASTER THE MOMENT
As you get near (or to) your shooting position, you need to be able to execute these final movements and moments with mastery. And this is no time for mistakes. You need to be well-rehearsed to efficiently, quietly, and confidently get set up for and execute the shot. The hunters who have mastered these moments are intimately familiar with their gear, how to use it quietly, efficiently, and effectively. The hunters who “fumble around” and try to “figure it out” are those who are far more likely to find out what failure feels like.
Wind & Thermal Management
Hunters know that wind and scent can ruin an animal encounter quicker than just about anything else. While you can’t always know what the wind will do, there are ways to know what the wind should do.
A helpful framework for thinking about wind is to consider…
- Prevailing Winds
- Thermal Basics
- Thermal Effects
The prevailing winds are what you’d expect to see as the forecasted wind direction (and speed) if you were to look at your weather app — “Today winds are expected to be 3-5mph out of the Northwest, with gusts up to 10mph.” Of course, the mountains have a mind of their own and don’t always follow the forecast. Nevertheless, when most people think of “the wind” they are thinking of the prevailing wind pattern.
When it comes to thermal basics, we are referring to the overall pattern of temperature-related air movement in the mountains. Warmer air is less dense, so it rises creating an upward draft or rising thermal. In general, this happens around mid-morning and can continue through the heat of the day. As air cools, a downward draft or falling thermal occurs. So in the cool of the morning and evening, expect air to fall down the mountain, and as the air heats from mid-morning and throughout the day, expect air to rise up the mountain.
When it comes to thermal effects, we are referring to the same warming/rising and cooling/falling concepts, but this movement can occur based on context, not just overall time of the day. For example, a shady creek draw will have a downward thermal, even in the heat of the day when most thermals are rising in all other areas of the mountainside. By paying attention to shade, sun, water features, and certain terrain features, you will find thermal effects that override the primary thermal pattern.
As much as the wind matters, don’t let yourself be paralyzed by it. You won’t be able to cover country effectively on your hunt and keep the wind in your face at all times. Know the difference between the critical moments and close encounters where wind can make all of the difference, and the times where you can accept an unfavorable wind direction for parts of your hunt.
Preparation & Planning
A final, overarching theme in all the response data is the need to have a solid plan for your hunt, based on in-depth pre-hunt preparation and research. Really, you need several hunt plans. When “Plan A” doesn’t pan out, you need to know exactly what you need to do to effectively pivot on your hunt and move to Plan B, Plan C, and beyond.
When things don’t go your way and you encounter hunting pressure, weather challenges, a lack of animals (or animal sign), have logistical issues, or any number of other things that can go wrong, there should be a clear and known strategy to pivot to a new spot, a new strategy, or a new system of hunting.
If moving from Plan A to Plan B involves actual movement, know where and how you plan to move, and how much time it should take to make the change. When you have a solid understanding of what it will take to make a move, then you can plan to effectively make that change and lose as little “prime hunting time” as possible.
We could write an entire article (or book) on how to effectively plan a hunt, but many things depend on context of the hunt itself. We are launching a new “Roundtable” podcast series in July of 2026 that will go in-depth on hunt planning, and much more, so stay tuned for that.
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Have these factors affected your hunts?
All of the insights from this Backcountry Blueprint series are coming from the 1,500 hunters who completed a detailed Hunt Reflection. We would encourage you to take the time to complete your own hunt reflection. You will undoubtedly learn insights by reflecting on your experience…
THE HUNT REFLECTION — VIEW or COPY
See the entire Backcountry Blueprint series.