Remember when elk hunting out West meant hitting the mountains, not crunching numbers, gaming odds, or dodging fine print and deception?

Is the elk tag game rigged, and are the rules changing while you're still in line?

What's happening in the Western elk tag system isn't just frustrating, it's broken. The states know it. The math proves it.

Application season is here, our annual collision of hope and reality. It's when we obsess over draw odds, dissect point strategies, and hustle every angle to and elk tag for next season.

Today, elk hunting has become a two-tiered game: those with points… and those without. The hard truth? Both camps are in trouble.

In this week's Thrive episode, we're pulling back the curtain, digging into the trends, the tag systems, and the truth about what it really takes to hunt elk in Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, and Colorado.

It's not just about tag costs, its exposing a system that's quietly become a lottery that you pay to lose.

Do these systems still work… or are we all stuck in an expensive spin cycle?

Additional Thrive Resources

Use My Code TREELINE for a discount on your Peax Equipment gear!

Treeline Academy Courses – (Use code THRIVE to save 20% on any Treeline course)
https://www.treelineacademy.net

Treeline Podcast Archive
https://www.treelineacademy.net/podcast-main--b42b4

Treeline Thrive Vodcast Archive
https://www.treelineacademy.net/thrive

Points, Odds & Reality: Our 2026 Hunt Application Strategy – GOHUNT Big Hunt Guys Podcast – Episode 207
https://youtu.be/Q7l6mnD-ol8?si=AsGEIL3OWZnSQqHQ

On X Hunt – Elk Draw Trends: Study Of Western US Data 2018-2022
https://www.onxmaps.com/hunt/blog/elk-draw-trends?

Most Western hunters don't fall short because of bad luck—or bad gear.

And no one sets out with the goal to be average.

But somewhere along the way, comfort and familiar creep in and take over. This is how the cycle begins, and you need to be intentional to break it.

· Same familiar spots

· Same excuses

· Same half-ass preparations

· Expecting different results

· Doing the same things, in the same places, in the same way, yet still expecting different results

The Truth: The surefire way to stay an average Western hunter is to keep acting like one.

Today, we're talking about why average hunters stay average and breaking down four common pitfalls that keep hunters stuck year after year.

Hope is not a strategy.

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Additional Thrive Resources

Use My Code TREELINE at Peax Equipment for a discount.

Treeline Academy Courses – (Use code THRIVE to save 20% on any Treeline course)
https://www.treelineacademy.net

Treeline Podcast Archive
https://www.treelineacademy.net/podcast-main--b42b4

Treeline Thrive Vodcast Archive
https://www.treelineacademy.net/thrive

In the last Thrive episode, I laid out some hard truths. Montana's deer herds are in trouble.

The response to that episode was immediate, emotional, and a bit overwhelming.

Hundreds of comments, strong opinions, and a lot of understandable frustration from people who care deeply about Montana's deer herd.

But here's the thing, pointing out the problems was only step one.

Today's episode isn't about outrage; it's about your comments, ideas, and potential solutions.

I'm going to address the biggest questions you asked, and then I'm going to lay out several ideas for your consideration.

Doing nothing is no longer an option; we've been wearing that option out.

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Additional Thrive Resources

Use My Code TREELINE For A Discount and to show support for the Vodcast.

Treeline Academy Courses – (Use code THRIVE to save 20% on any Treeline course)
https://www.treelineacademy.net

Treeline Podcast Archive
https://www.treelineacademy.net/podcast-main--b42b4

Treeline Thrive Vodcast Archive
https://www.treelineacademy.net/thrive

Understanding Mule Deer & Antler Point Restrictions: The Mule Deer Working Group
https://wildlife.utah.gov/pdf/mule_deer/mdwg-6_point_restrictions.pdf