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?