The Element Podcast | Public Land, Hunting Tactics, Whitetail Deer, Politics, Wildlife, Travel, Conservation, and more.

On the road headed back south, we unfold the story of our first public land buck of the 2017 season! These are the words that we will use to try to bring justice to what we experienced and accomplished this past week. It will take years for us to truly process what happened in only an instant. Reliving that morning in memory daily, sharing our account detail by detail with close friends, watching the footage over, and over, and over again. All of which are cherished rights, but none can even come close to living in the actual moment on that day.  *Spoiler alert*We got it done! We were truly blessed to harvest a JUMBO public land Whitetail buck in the great state of Kansas. We never claim to be experts, but I can tell you that we are dang proud of what we were able to accomplish in a short time. It also never hurts to be a little bit lucky! We did our best to tell it like it happened and we hope you enjoy the story. 

In the latest installment of our Big Buck Breakdown, we get a chance to chat it up with our buddy Sam Hogan from Michigan about a great buck the he was able to harvest with one of hs best friends. They used some really killer tactics to make success in less than optimal surroundings. Sam also drops some knowledge bombs about hunting ethics that really shoud hit close to home for all hunters.  Wish us luck on this Kansas public land! We've got a big buck sighted and we are hoping to close in soon!   Give the 2015 Hunting Season a watch!   Rock out with Tyler and The Tribe!

Our new special feature "Big Buck Breakdown" showcases hunting success stories from our friends around the country. Listen in as we hear how different folks get it done in all different types of Whitetail habitat. Today, Tyler called up his good buddy Wes to get the scoop on a photo that popped up on his facebook feed of Wes and a toad typical Whitetail from Oklahoma. Roll into the RUT hyped up after you hear his tale!!! Links:   Public Land Chronicles (PLC): Buckless Bedding   Rock out with Tyler and The Tribe!

"It's the most wonderful time of the year!" And we aren't talking Christmas... This is THE RUT baby! If you're not fist pumping, flexing in the mirror, and rubber-necking every 3 seconds while driving, are you really doing it right!?!?  The Rut is most definitly what every deer hunter looks forward to all year. Sometimes it can be a little overwhelming, the good kind of course. AJ Gall of Legendary Whitetails tells us his tactics for harvesting bucks in all conditions and scenarios. He is a dude who has a lot of success across the country, including an Iowa Public Land GIANT! From standing corn to rough and tough hill country, Aj has hunted it all and is willing to share his knowledge. Check out the Legendary Whitetails blog to see all of what AJ has going on, including the RUT Trailer (which is super legit THB)! Also, go grab a sweet flannel while youre there.   LINKS: Head over to our Facebook and Instagram pages and give us a like if you havent! Youll see our day to day on Insta and a lot of our films on the FB.   To see our weekly video blogs and all our films, subscribe to our YouTube Page!   Like to ROCK 'n ROLL? Give Tyler and The Tribe a listen!   Conservation Orgs: The TRCP The QDMA BHA The NDA  

Baiting, Feeding, Corning, Spatter, Chumming, whatever you call it; I'm sure you have an opinion on it. It seems that "The Industry" really has turned its nose up at the idea of shooting a deer as it eats corn. Wait a minute..... Why is it ok to spend countless hours in food plot prep, but as soon as you erect a feeder it turns taboo? We go into this in great detail, discussing the pros and cons of those golden morsels.  Today we also share our public land speed scouting experiences from the past week. We both headed out with new tracts to explore, and returned with some interesting observations that will hopefully pay off later in the season.   One-Eyed Jack, The Full Draw Film Tour Pre-show film is out! Tyler worked relentlessly all season for an oppourtunity for a shot a a buck of this caliber. Give it a watch! It feels like a million bucks to finally be able to get out in the woods and hunt! Now if we can just get one buck to cooperate. Its been a fairly slow October here in the south, but one of us did manage a successful harvest this week!  Watch the film on our Facebook page: The Element Facebook   For more rock and roll with soul, give Tyler and The Tribe a listen!

We all know one. The dude who gets it done when things need to get done! Our good friend Cody Beaver is exactly that. The guy is clutch, always goes with his gut, and kills. We sat down with Cody late one night a couple hunts into the season to see if we could steal some of his magic. Cody has killed some awesome deer for a young guy, including 7 Pope and Young bucks. He has a whole room full of trophies from all across whitetail country, all aquired before age 30. Many deer have fallen to his arrow, and often it is because of strange or unconventional tactics. Lets face it, it is common knowledge you dont hunt bad winds and if a buck busts you it's game over, ect. Not for Cody. He harvested a 187" giant by literally throwing caution to the wind. Listen for the whole story!   Dont forget about our giveaway from HAWK Hunting! (Listen for how to win.) Micro Pro Game Camera Mount   We've started a little private land side project called "The Dirty Thirty." We will be making habitat improvements, setting cams, and monitoring deer movement. Getting down and dirty on some QDM. Check out the first video in the series here: THE DIRTY THIRTY   Colder weather is coming! We've actually been bundled up more than once already this season. The Celsius Jacket Has kept us toasty on those windy cold front days.    Wanna hear more rocking songs like the one in our intro? Take a listen to Tyler and The Tribe!

We are back together again, and its time to get down to business! But first...   Be sure and enter our GIVEAWAY! All offseason we have been using the HAWK Micro Pro Game Camera Mount and its really been benifical in spots where bungees just wont work. We want you to have one as well! All we need if for you to go give us a great review over on iTunes. We will pick one of you who left us a 5 star review to win! We will annouce the winner the evening of Halloween, spooky right? HAWK Micro Pro Game Camera Mount   In this week's episode, K.C. tells all about his comical efforts of self filming, close encounters of the swine kind, and tactics of hunting this year's massive mast crop. There is a lot of good deer philiosophy mixed in the candor, so take what he has experienced and see if it can help you in your early season quests. Tyler has a plethora of good tales from his trip to the north country. British Columbia is brutal, but also beautiful. He does a great job of juxtaposing both attributes into an appreciation and respect for all things mountain sheep hunting. Some things can only be experienced with a couple of guys, some horses, and a bunch of rocks to glass for days in the backcountry.   Elk film: SPIKED OUT   Music: Tyler and The Tribe  

The start of archery season has us all kinds of hyped up to get in the stand, but hold up! you may want to rethink juming into your best spots right away. Usually, your frist sit is the best sit, so wait until the time is right to go in after that mature buck. This is what we chat with Alex Comstock of Whitetail DNA about. He is an expert on timing his first hunts and has quite a bit of success to show for it, especially for a young dude. We go into detail about what conditions and circumstances you should look for before attempting your "first time in" hunt. Aslo, we talk pre-rut, trail cams, and how to find giant deer on public land like Alex has. Alex is a dedicated hunter and writer who has turned his passion for Whitetail deer into a lifestyle. He has had articles published in Quality Whitetails, Bowhunter Magazine, and North American Whitetail. If youre a whitetail nut, you need to check out his website! WhitetailDNA   If you havent seen our elk film "Spiked Out" you can find it on our website: https://www.theelementwild.com/the-element   Remeber, we are giving away a HAWK Micro Pro Game Camera Mount: Micro Pro Game Camera Mount   Music: Tyler and The Tribe  

Today we pin a bow on our highly eventful Elk season in Colorado. Neiter of us made a harvest, but the success was grand. Brennan returned home with a trophy public land OTC DIY bull that will help to feed all of us in the coming months. We think the film turned out awesome! We are zeroing in on deer season here in Texas! Bow season opens this weekend with many of us in high anticipation of early cold fronts. K.C. will be in the stand with prioritized goals, the first being to fill the freezer with a doe. Meat crisis is no joke. It's either shop for groceries in the woods, or resort to store bought meat. Time to get it done! Tyler is headed for adventure in British Columbia! An 8 day Stone Sheep hunt has him away for the season opener here in TX. A man torn. His wanderlust soul and talent behind the lense takes him to many far away places, but will he miss out on what is happening here in his backyard? Hopefully those public land Whitetails stay put while he is away. The heart of our topic today is on the sometimes overstated but always undervalued quality of CONFIDENCE. On a Whitetail hunt, every move you make requires confidence. An arrow never reaches its destination successfully without the hunter believing in his abilities. Listen in to hear what steps we take and where we need to improve in our own confidence levels.  Also, we announce a new GIVEAWAY!!!!!!! listen to the end to hear how to win!!!!!!   Links:   Elk Hunting Film: "SPIKED OUT"   HAWK Hunting   Sitka Gear   The Element Facebook   Music: Tyler and The Tribe  

Gather around the crackling campfire with us as the clear mountain night skies set the scene for a great conversation and celebration! Teaser Alert: One of the men around the fire has taken his first elk ever! There were many laughs shared and a few jabs taken amongst great friends this night. The stories are detailed and the ambience is unsurpassed.     Music: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmUB9jLiX7DQ3EZ71KrSDIA

This week Tyler and K.C. are out west pursuing wild game in even wilder places, but that doesnt mean that Whitetail have been put on the back burner. We may be in the high country in search of bull Elk, but our minds are often on our bucks back home as deer season fast approaches. Hope yall are ready! We recently had the pleasure of chatting with Ben Long, a writer for Outdoor Life Magazine, who loves to chase Whitetails and Mule Deer in the west. Ben has some interesting, almost obscure, tactics for bagging bucks. He goes into great detail about how he uses the deer in his neighborhood to monitor the movement and temperature of the rut in his area. He also lets us in on a few gear tidbits that may help you tweak your setup. To hear Ben share his knowledge, FF to 18:04. In the intro, we discuss our recent trip to the TRCP Media Summit held in Minneapolis, MN. If you listened to E33, you heard the roundtable discussion we had with some of the young minds that were in attendance. Here, we give you a synopsis of the trip including some of our fishing excursions and walkabouts.   For more on Ben Long: Open Country Blog   Conservation Links mentioned by Ben: Backcountry Hunters and Anglers TRCP RMEF   Music: Tyler and The Tribe   PLC:  Final Touches   2016 Full Season Film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ghDTL-uWtY  

This is the season we dream about all year long! The preseason is turning over to the early season. Bucks are starting to lose their velvet, scrapes are opening up, acorns are falling, and we are frothing at the mouth in anticipation of that first October cold front! Hunting Season is here. It's everything we can muster to just stay out of the woods and let our spots rest knowing that there are big bucks pracing around adorned with new headgear just waiting on us.  Let this awesome interview with public land whitetail expert Lucas Cayko (yes, it really is pronounced "Psycho") get you even more hyped up about getting in the stand! We go into great depth with Psycho about different types of access, some unusual calling tactics, satying warm, and rut crazed bucks.  To listen to what Psycho has to say, FF to 10:25 In our intro, we discuss our upcoming trip to Colorado in pursuit of elk and adventure. K.C. was blessed with a beautiful bull last year and is hoping to start a yearly tradition of mountain grocery shopping. We also talk about some of our last minute scouting expeditions in light of the approaching deer season. We have implemented some of the tactics discussed in E29 with Zach Ferenbaugh of Midwest Whitetail, specifically how mature bucks use water to their advantage.  We hope you enjoy this talk as much as we did. Lucas is one smart dude who has a knack for big bucks.   To see Psycho's hunts, check him out on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vl8DJirKcCM Search "American Cayko" for more.   Article featuring Psycho: http://www.fieldandstream.com/articles/hunting/2012/07/hunt-pro-three-expert-deer-hunters-share-their-secrets   Check out our full 2016 season flim: https://youtu.be/_ghDTL-uWtY   Music by Tyler and The Tribe: https://www.youtube.com/user/TylerandtheTribe   Conservation Links: TRCP Backcountry Hunters and Anglers   Check out the Sitka Subalpine that we will be using in the mountains: sitkagear.com     

Due to travel complications over the holiday weekend and an idiot move in shipping our recorder home with the audio files still in it, you are just now having the opportunity to hear this episode. We promise it was worth the wait. We had the pleasure of a late night, round-table, super informal discussion that spanned the depths of societal and environmental issues, hunting advocacy, and even how Brian wants to die. The big question is shark or mountain lion attack. Full bellies and zeal for wild places fueled one of the greatest discussions we've had the honor to be a part of. This episode is a conglomeration of history lessons, comedic relief, and young philosophical conversation. If the future of conservation and wildlife lies in the hands of these guys, we are going to be in great shape. Also, if you havent heard yet, we announce a winner of the Sitka Subalpine cap during today's show. Thanks to all who left us great reviews and participated in the contest. Keep them coming! We are on the eve of hunting season! Whitetail and Elk are already filling up our news feeds and we can't get enough! We want to wish everyone good luck as the pursue wild creatures in wild places. Remember to always be safe, give hunters a good name, and take someone new into the deer woods if you get the chance! Message us with your success pics!    Links:   www.elliottwoods.com www.ultimateupland.com www.sitkagear.com www.trcp.org   Music by Tyler and the Tribe: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MWvHyKAkN7c  

Elk season is almost here! Today we talk with 9-time world champion elk caller Corey Jacobsen. We dive into the details of his new film, The Linguists, by Sitka Gear. The Linguists is more than just a hunting film. It is a snapshot of generations of passion and legacy compressed into 30 minutes of some of the best elk footage you'll ever see! The audio is killer. You can really feel the bugles in your chest and it is what pushes the film over the top. I hope you take time out of your busy schedules to watch it. Of course, we had to dive into some elk hunting tactics. Corey is an elk slaying machine! we discuss calling strategy, being aggresive, how to prepare for an out of state trip, bonus points and application, friendship, and just tell some good ol' elk stories. We also go into detail about the somewhat contraversal, but highly effective "frontal shot." Corey has taken frontals on many bulls and you can see how devestating the shot really is. To skip strait to Corey, fast forward to 8:34. Dont forget about our GIVEAWAY! This is your last week to go over and give us a great review on iTunes for your chance to win a Sitka Subalpine hat! We will announce a winner on the podcast August 31st.   Thanks for listening!   Links:   http://www.elk101.com   The Linguists https://youtu.be/QBhSYD6GfsM   Corey Executing the Frontal Shot https://youtu.be/Oj0D_AW8OKU   Music: Tyler and The Tribe https://www.youtube.com/user/TylerandtheTribe

Today on the podcast we get to listen to QDMA's Matt Ross and his vast knowledge of all things deer.  We especially focus on the natural things deer eat such as forbes, browse, and mast.  Wether you're a newbie or a vet, there is something to be learned for just about everybody. To skip the small talk, FF to 21:50   Links:    All things mentioned QDMA:  www.qdma.com   PLC: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oLwcOsWeSoM&t=7s   Music by Tyler and the Tribe: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MWvHyKAkN7c