Pursuit With Cliff - Cliff Gray

I guided an archery elk hunt last week and it had everything. A shooter bull at 25 yards on the first night that didn't work out. Slow days where bulls ignored every call. A last-night shot under 20 yards on a bull that was found three days later, 1,300 yards away, with a bear on top of him. This is an uncut coffee with Cliff recap. We get into early rut bull behavior in the first half of September, why you need to practice shooting from the edges of your setup radius, and how one blown opportunity can wreck the rest of a hunt if you let it. Then the hard part: how my own brain convinced me I was looking at fletchings when it was the broadhead on the exit, tracking a single lung bull in flat country, and why rutting bulls push wounded bulls farther than you'd expect. In this episode: Early rut behavior: spikes acting like herd bulls, big bulls roaming solo Why your hunter couldn't draw on a bull at 25 yards (and the fix) Resetting after a blown opportunity so it doesn't plague your hunt Why guides are hesitant to celebrate any archery hit Losing blood in flat terrain, and when to back out overnight How angles and bone shrink elk vitals --- FOLLOW CLIFF YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/c/CliffGray Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/Cliffgry/ Facebook - https://facebook.com/PursuitWithCliff Pursuit With Cliff Podcast https://pursuitwithcliff.com/interviews-and-podcasts/ Cliff's Hunt Planning and Strategy Membership https://pursuitwithcliff.com/membership/ Hunt. Fish. Spear. (Experiences, Courses and Seminars) https://pursuitwithcliff.com/Experiences Merch https://pursuitwithcliff.com/shop/ SUBSCRIBE TO CLIFF'S NEWSLETTER: https://PursuitWithCliff.com/#Newsletter

Most guys don't quit a backcountry hunt because the area sucked. They quit because they're in a calorie deficit, they haven't slept, and they blew their anaerobic tank on day one. After decades of guiding, outfitting, and packing hunters into wilderness areas, this is the physiology behind the urge to quit and the three prescriptions that fix it. In this episode: Why the first two to three days are learning days, and why quitting at 50% means giving up 80–90% of your real opportunity The 72-hour wall: how appetite decline at altitude drives muscle glycogen and cerebral glucose down at the same time The daily calorie bag system. 3,500–4,000 calories, and the discipline mechanism that makes you actually eat them How sleep loss collapses your dopamine receptors and kills your motivation to hunt Why an ultralight sleep system on a non-ultralight hunt is a mistake, plus hydration timing and the pee bottle Aerobic vs. anaerobic pace, and why I'd take five hours on a stalk I could do in forty-five minutes --- FOLLOW CLIFF YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/c/CliffGray Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/Cliffgry/ Facebook - https://facebook.com/PursuitWithCliff Pursuit With Cliff Podcast https://pursuitwithcliff.com/interviews-and-podcasts/ Cliff's Hunt Planning and Strategy Membership https://pursuitwithcliff.com/membership/ Hunt. Fish. Spear. (Experiences, Courses and Seminars) https://pursuitwithcliff.com/Experiences Merch https://pursuitwithcliff.com/shop/ SUBSCRIBE TO CLIFF'S NEWSLETTER: https://PursuitWithCliff.com/#Newsletter

Brian Barney has been hunting elk on Montana public land for 25 years. He's called in over 100 bulls. Yet, years ago he left his elk calls in the truck and never looked back. This conversation is about the spot and stalk system Brian has built that kills a quality six-point bull nearly every season on OTC public land. We cover how he made the transition from calling to full commitment to spot and stalk, what he calls "coyoting the herd" or shadowing, staying 100 to 300 yards back, taking what the elk give you, and looking for the chink in the armor. We get into cutting elk off rather than chasing them, why he hunts elk almost exclusively on their feet, the swirly wind problem, and how to see elk before they see you. We close on mental toughness... what it actually looks like when your brain starts justifying quitting, how Brian recognizes it, and why he says his most fun moments are when he's the most beat down. In this episode: Why Brian left his elk calls in the truck and why committing fully changed everything Shadowing the herd. 100 to 300 yards back, finding the chink in the armor Cutting elk off: getting in front of the herd instead of chasing the back of it Why he hunts elk on their feet and leaves bedded bulls alone until evening Swirling wind, the pocket that kept busting him and how he finally outsmarted it Seeing elk before they see you. The underappreciated skill that makes or breaks a stalk The mental toughness section: how your brain justifies quitting without you realizing it Guest: Brian Barney Podcasts: Eastman's Elevated (11 years, weekly) and Eastman's Life of a Bow Hunter. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brian__barney --- FOLLOW CLIFF YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/c/CliffGray Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/Cliffgry/ Facebook - https://facebook.com/PursuitWithCliff Pursuit With Cliff Podcast https://pursuitwithcliff.com/interviews-and-podcasts/ Cliff's Hunt Planning and Strategy Membership https://pursuitwithcliff.com/membership/ Hunt. Fish. Spear. (Experiences, Courses and Seminars) https://pursuitwithcliff.com/Experiences Merch https://pursuitwithcliff.com/shop/ SUBSCRIBE TO CLIFF'S NEWSLETTER: https://PursuitWithCliff.com/#Newsletter

Most elk hunters are either struggling with their diaphragm or over-relying on it. Cliff and Jim break down three non-vocal sounds that are easy to make, highly realistic, and will set you apart from every other caller in the woods. The three sounds: raking (the easiest elk call anyone can learn in five minutes), huffing (what close-range bulls do constantly that almost no one imitates), and glunking (the weird one that most hunters don't even know elk make). Jim and Cliff demonstrate each one and break down exactly how to produce it in the field. In this video: Raking — how to do it, what to rake on, and why it's deadly early season when bulls aren't vocalizing Huffing — breathing hard through your tube, what it sounds like, and when to use it Glunking — why rhythm matters more than tone, and the hand technique that adds resonance Why these sounds work on high-pressure public land where bugles call in hunters. Cliff's in-person elk course - https://pursuitwithcliff.com/elk-hunting-master-class/ --- FOLLOW CLIFF YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/c/CliffGray Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/Cliffgry/ Facebook - https://facebook.com/PursuitWithCliff Pursuit With Cliff Podcast https://pursuitwithcliff.com/interviews-and-podcasts/ Cliff's Hunt Planning and Strategy Membership https://pursuitwithcliff.com/membership/ Hunt. Fish. Spear. (Experiences, Courses and Seminars) https://pursuitwithcliff.com/Experiences Merch https://pursuitwithcliff.com/shop/ SUBSCRIBE TO CLIFF'S NEWSLETTER: https://PursuitWithCliff.com/#Newsletter

James Nash is back, and this one is all elk. We get into why calling is the most overused tool in the elk woods, why your setup is doing 99% of the work, and how to think about wind, scent, and terrain from the bull's side of the equation instead of your own. 00:00 The patience game 00:52 Africa film and honest footage 04:52 99 peanuts on setup 06:49 Calling is just a nudge 11:42 Wind before everything else 15:59 The downwind myth 24:23 What's in it for the bull 28:18 Buttonhook and straggler bulls 34:52 Building the archery setup 42:30 The deaf hunter's advantage 47:21 The $100 calling budget Guest: James Nash — 6 Ranch Outfitters. https://www.instagram.com/6ranchoutfitters/ --- FOLLOW CLIFF YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/c/CliffGray Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/Cliffgry/ Facebook - https://facebook.com/PursuitWithCliff Pursuit With Cliff Podcast https://pursuitwithcliff.com/interviews-and-podcasts/ Cliff's Hunt Planning and Strategy Membership https://pursuitwithcliff.com/membership/ Hunt. Fish. Spear. (Experiences, Courses and Seminars) https://pursuitwithcliff.com/Experiences Merch https://pursuitwithcliff.com/shop/ SUBSCRIBE TO CLIFF'S NEWSLETTER: https://PursuitWithCliff.com/#Newsletter

Three of us sat down after four days in the field. Cade, Cliff and Ryan (a student who just came off the elk class) and got into the small stuff that actually separates hunters who kill from hunters who don't. Not tactics you can read in an article. The judgment calls. When to move fast, when to sit down and wait, how much country you're actually willing to cross, and how much of your own hunting style you should be fighting versus leaning into. Ryan's primarily an archer with real backcountry experience and that's most of what makes this one worth listening to. Two guys who've spent careers guiding, one guy who hunts the way most of you hunt, working through the same problems from three different angles. Schedule for next year's classes: https://pursuitwithcliff.com/elk-hunting-master-class/ In this episode: Why roughly 70% of the elk I kill guiding come from long, ugly stalks not from camp The outfitter bubble, the trailhead bubble, and the huge unhunted country in between How archers wreck their own odds by tunnel-visioning on bugling instead of glassing Spot-and-stalking a bedded bull, and why almost nobody has it in their toolkit Why nearly every student skips ranging and marking the animal before the stalk Style-based hunting: why we don't tell a fast hunter to slow down The honest math. You can do everything right and still be wrong a third of the time --- FOLLOW CLIFF YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/c/CliffGray Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/Cliffgry/ Facebook - https://facebook.com/PursuitWithCliff Pursuit With Cliff Podcast https://pursuitwithcliff.com/interviews-and-podcasts/ Cliff's Hunt Planning and Strategy Membership https://pursuitwithcliff.com/membership/ Hunt. Fish. Spear. (Experiences, Courses and Seminars) https://pursuitwithcliff.com/Experiences Merch https://pursuitwithcliff.com/shop/ SUBSCRIBE TO CLIFF'S NEWSLETTER: https://PursuitWithCliff.com/#Newsletter

Over the last two months I put 40 hunters through live elk training in the field. Not lectures. Real stalks, real glassing, real archery setups that run two or three hours. The same three failures showed up over and over, and every one of them traces back to the flood of content hunters are drowning in right now. This isn't an anti-content rant. There are hundreds of skill videos on this channel and you need that baseline. The problem is what happens when guys try to apply every framework at once: analysis paralysis, decision fatigue. I break down handicapping your options instead of hunting a flowchart, why inaction is almost always the worst probability you can pick, how to actually mark an animal with OnX, landmarks, and terrain reading before you commit to a stalk, and why proximity (not calling sequences) is the dominant factor in archery elk. --- FOLLOW CLIFF YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/c/CliffGray Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/Cliffgry/ Facebook - https://facebook.com/PursuitWithCliff Pursuit With Cliff Podcast https://pursuitwithcliff.com/interviews-and-podcasts/ Cliff's Hunt Planning and Strategy Membership https://pursuitwithcliff.com/membership/ Hunt. Fish. Spear. (Experiences, Courses and Seminars) https://pursuitwithcliff.com/Experiences Merch https://pursuitwithcliff.com/shop/ SUBSCRIBE TO CLIFF'S NEWSLETTER: https://PursuitWithCliff.com/#Newsletter

I sit down with Corey Knowlton, one of the most experienced international hunters alive, to talk elephant hunting, North American hunting and double rifles. From there we dig into the Jim Shockey era of hunting TV, why North American trophy hunting opportunity is never coming back, and why a $30,000 archery elk hunt makes almost no sense when you look at what that money buys in Botswana, Zimbabwe, Namibia, or Tanzania. In this episode: Why it's easy to win the elephant argument logically — and impossible emotionally The Jim Shockey years: how those shows actually got made Elephant overpopulation and why management has to happen How to plan an elephant hunt: heat, full moons, tracks, and judging old bulls Double rifles vs. bolt actions — and why the front trigger comes first Why hunters will end hunting themselves, not anti-hunters --- FOLLOW CLIFF YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/c/CliffGray Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/Cliffgry/ Facebook - https://facebook.com/PursuitWithCliff Pursuit With Cliff Podcast https://pursuitwithcliff.com/interviews-and-podcasts/ Cliff's Hunt Planning and Strategy Membership https://pursuitwithcliff.com/membership/ Hunt. Fish. Spear. (Experiences, Courses and Seminars) https://pursuitwithcliff.com/Experiences Merch https://pursuitwithcliff.com/shop/ SUBSCRIBE TO CLIFF'S NEWSLETTER: https://PursuitWithCliff.com/#Newsletter

Evan Koster has guided archery elk hunts in Colorado's Flat Tops for over a decade. This conversation covers everything that actually matters going into an archery elk season — and plenty of what hunters think matters that doesn't. Colorado is in a historic drought, and Evan breaks down what that means for where elk will be in September — it's not about elevation, it's about feed quality, and aspens are the answer. From there we get into how to search unknown country efficiently, why elevation and trailhead distance are myths that kill more hunts than help them, and Evan's counterintuitive wind rule: he doesn't think about it until he's within 500 yards. We dig into the stalk psychology mistake most hunters make, how to locate elk with a bugle using line-of-sight, how to read a bull's commitment level, and the one-sentence answer Evan would give any archer who wanted to kill more elk: take chances. We close on the honest reality of horseback elk hunting. In this episode: Colorado drought 2027 — what it means for elk distribution in September Feed quality over elevation — why aspens are the concentration zone in a dry year How to search unknown country vs. country you know The elevation myth and the trailhead distance myth — both cost hunters elk Wind: the 500-yard rule and why most hunters have the psychology completely backwards Bugling as a two-way radio — why line-of-sight matters for locating elk When to move on from a spot and when to go back in close The one thing Evan would change about any archer to make them more successful Horseback elk reality — "don't, unless you're already into horses" Booking 2027 hunts with LKS Outfitters now Guest: Evan Koster — Lead guide, LKS Outfitters / Flat Tops Wilderness Guides. ftguides.com https://www.instagram.com/flattopswildernessguides/ --- FOLLOW CLIFF YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/c/CliffGray Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/Cliffgry/ Facebook - https://facebook.com/PursuitWithCliff Pursuit With Cliff Podcast https://pursuitwithcliff.com/interviews-and-podcasts/ Cliff's Hunt Planning and Strategy Membership https://pursuitwithcliff.com/membership/ Hunt. Fish. Spear. (Experiences, Courses and Seminars) https://pursuitwithcliff.com/Experiences Merch https://pursuitwithcliff.com/shop/ SUBSCRIBE TO CLIFF'S NEWSLETTER: https://PursuitWithCliff.com/#Newsletter

We explain suppressors for the hunting use cases, from basic concepts to advanced. Most hunters obsess over decibels and a do-it-all can they move between rifles. This conversation makes the case that they've got it backwards — that length is the real king of a hunting suppressor, that the published sound numbers are mostly unreliable, and that a suppressor belongs to one rifle. We get into the engineering, the failure modes, and where this fast-moving market is actually headed. --- FOLLOW CLIFF YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/c/CliffGray Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/Cliffgry/ Facebook - https://facebook.com/PursuitWithCliff Pursuit With Cliff Podcast https://pursuitwithcliff.com/interviews-and-podcasts/ Cliff's Hunt Planning and Strategy Membership https://pursuitwithcliff.com/membership/ Hunt. Fish. Spear. (Experiences, Courses and Seminars) https://pursuitwithcliff.com/Experiences Merch https://pursuitwithcliff.com/shop/ SUBSCRIBE TO CLIFF'S NEWSLETTER: https://PursuitWithCliff.com/#Newsletter

You almost always have a rock-solid rear rest on your body — and most hunters never use it. Cliff sits down with Mike from Tricer to break it down. This one gets into the weeds on glassing tripods vs. shooting tripods, stabilized binos vs. tripod-mounted glass, reading bullet trace, and the simple rear-rest tricks (a puffy jacket, your pack, even your bino harness) that turn a wobbly hold into a locked-in shot. In this episode: Why a tripod forces systematic glassing — and why stabilized binos may cost you animals Filming every shot: recovering wounded game and solving "misses" that were actually hits How to read bullet trace through a spotter Matching your tripod to the hunts you actually do The rear-rest position that gives you two points of contact with the ground What NRL Hunter teaches hunters about building positions under time pressure Mike Herne - https://www.instagram.com/mike_herne Tricer - https://tricer.com/ (CLIFFG for 10% off) --- FOLLOW CLIFF YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/c/CliffGray Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/Cliffgry/ Facebook - https://facebook.com/PursuitWithCliff Pursuit With Cliff Podcast https://pursuitwithcliff.com/interviews-and-podcasts/ Cliff's Hunt Planning and Strategy Membership https://pursuitwithcliff.com/membership/ Hunt. Fish. Spear. (Experiences, Courses and Seminars) https://pursuitwithcliff.com/Experiences Merch https://pursuitwithcliff.com/shop/ SUBSCRIBE TO CLIFF'S NEWSLETTER: https://PursuitWithCliff.com/#Newsletter

Brian Gilroy runs Wildlife Partners, the largest exotic animal breeding operation in North America and a Cape buffalo herd that didn't exist in private hands a decade ago. He's also hunted Dall sheep in remote Alaska, muskox on Nunivak Island, and elk in New Mexico. This episode is a reality check on how the hunting industry actually works and why the free-range vs. high-fence moral war is mostly mythology from Brian's perspective. Texas is now on South Africa's radar as a direct competitor. Same animals, same large high-fence model, no 13-hour flight, five-star lodges, and populations of kudu, Cape buffalo, sable, and ibex growing every year. Brian explains the economics of exotic breeding as a tax strategy (why a self-reproducing kudu cow beats a tractor), why CWD has made native cervid breeding almost impossible, why put-and-take hunting is a dead model, and what a Wyoming or New Mexico application really costs over a lifetime. The episode closes with Brian's Alaska sheep story... the outfitter who knew every animal, flew him to the sheep, and pointed him at it. The honest question: why is that different from hunting 15,000 acres in Texas? Texas vs. South Africa — why SA should be genuinely worried Cape buffalo in Texas Kudu, sable, red deer: population growth and what hunts will cost in five years Why CWD killed native cervid breeding and exotics filled the gap Exotic breeding as a business — 100% depreciation on an animal that reproduces itself The real cost of a sheep draw, a BC Dall sheep, or a New Mexico application The Alaska sheep story and why free range is less pure than most hunters believe Guest: Brian Gilroy — CEO, Wildlife Partners. Exotic breeder and hunter. Boerne, TX. wildlifepartners.com --- FOLLOW CLIFF YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/c/CliffGray Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/Cliffgry/ Facebook - https://facebook.com/PursuitWithCliff Pursuit With Cliff Podcast https://pursuitwithcliff.com/interviews-and-podcasts/ Cliff's Hunt Planning and Strategy Membership https://pursuitwithcliff.com/membership/ Hunt. Fish. Spear. (Experiences, Courses and Seminars) https://pursuitwithcliff.com/Experiences Merch https://pursuitwithcliff.com/shop/ SUBSCRIBE TO CLIFF'S NEWSLETTER: https://PursuitWithCliff.com/#Newsletter

A 36-season Colorado wilderness outfitter, Scott Limmer, doesn't sugarcoat it: the new 50%-random draw is about to blow up point inflation and gut the predictability that made Colorado elk hunting plannable. We get into that, the big-bull reality most hunters won't admit, and a stack of Africa stories you won't hear anywhere else. In this episode: Why the 2028 draw overhaul tripled the exact point inflation it was meant to fix The hard truth about how giant public-land bulls actually get killed Glassing a burn, calling pressure, and why elk go nocturnal Getting ambushed by the LRA on a bongo hunt in the Central African Republic How Gaddafi's loose weapons fueled Africa's elephant-poaching wave The wolf "crap show" and where Colorado's right-to-hunt fight stands Scott Limmer - https://www.instagram.com/elimminator/ Scott's Outfitting Business - https://comanchewildernessoutfitters.com/ --- FOLLOW CLIFF YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/c/CliffGray Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/Cliffgry/ Facebook - https://facebook.com/PursuitWithCliff Pursuit With Cliff Podcast https://pursuitwithcliff.com/interviews-and-podcasts/ Cliff's Hunt Planning and Strategy Membership https://pursuitwithcliff.com/membership/ Hunt. Fish. Spear. (Experiences, Courses and Seminars) https://pursuitwithcliff.com/Experiences Merch https://pursuitwithcliff.com/shop/ SUBSCRIBE TO CLIFF'S NEWSLETTER: https://PursuitWithCliff.com/#Newsletter

AG makes the most expensive and strongest flip-flops on earth. Sounds insane, but I like his business. This is a conversation about authentic materials, the economics of making something real, why almost everything in your life is fake, and what happens when an environmental group comes after you with a campaign. AG is the founder of Toehold, a Las Vegas-based company that sources elephant, hippo, crocodile, shark, and zebra hides — old-world vegetable-tanned leather, made in America, by hand. We get into the murder hides specifically: a bull elephant called the Red Ghost, a man-eating croc, and hippos that have trampled people. From there the conversation expands into why real leather smells the way it does, why your car seat isn't what you think it is. We finish the conversation with a discussion about spearfishing and freediving. Guest: AG Gregoroff — Founder/CEO of Toehold. --- FOLLOW CLIFF YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/c/CliffGray Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/Cliffgry/ Facebook - https://facebook.com/PursuitWithCliff Pursuit With Cliff Podcast https://pursuitwithcliff.com/interviews-and-podcasts/ Cliff's Hunt Planning and Strategy Membership https://pursuitwithcliff.com/membership/ Hunt. Fish. Spear. (Experiences, Courses and Seminars) https://pursuitwithcliff.com/Experiences Merch https://pursuitwithcliff.com/shop/ SUBSCRIBE TO CLIFF'S NEWSLETTER: https://PursuitWithCliff.com/#Newsletter

A decade-plus of guiding off horses and mules, distilled into a Q&A with Vince who is going on his first horseback elk hunt. Cliff doesn't sugarcoat it: horses are always a cost, sometimes a massive advantage, and never the shortcut people think they are. In this episode: Why packing horses is something you do after you have horse experience — not how you get into it Buying and culling stock: why disposition beats conformation every time The "herd effect" — using seasoned animals to settle green ones in the mountains Hobbles, picketing, hot fence, and why you never leave halters on turned-out shod horses Sawbuck vs. Decker, crupper, cinches, blankets, and loading meat solo Trail etiquette, saddle soreness, knife carry, tying up, and trucks/trailers on ice Packing book mentioned - https://amzn.to/4oqCn3w --- FOLLOW CLIFF YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/c/CliffGray Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/Cliffgry/ Facebook - https://facebook.com/PursuitWithCliff Pursuit With Cliff Podcast https://pursuitwithcliff.com/interviews-and-podcasts/ Cliff's Hunt Planning and Strategy Membership https://pursuitwithcliff.com/membership/ Hunt. Fish. Spear. (Experiences, Courses and Seminars) https://pursuitwithcliff.com/Experiences Merch https://pursuitwithcliff.com/shop/ SUBSCRIBE TO CLIFF'S NEWSLETTER: https://PursuitWithCliff.com/#Newsletter

Brian Poor, a former Marine scout sniper and SWAT instructor who now teaches Western hunters through Gunwerks sat down with me to break down what actually matters when an animal gives you an opportunity at distance. In this episode: Why truing your ballistics is the #1 thing most long-range hunters skip — and why a half-minute error means you miss half the time at 800 yards Why prone is overrated in the field Loading the bipod, cant vs. pan, and the rear-rest mistake that sends 4 of 5 shots high Buck fever decoded: why "timing" the trigger through the vitals is the worst thing you can do The kneeling, reverse-slope tripod setup that keeps you concealed Reading mountain wind, setting your real limit, and why a tricky day can cut 300 yards off your max The four stock-design features Brian won't shoot without --- FOLLOW CLIFF YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/c/CliffGray Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/Cliffgry/ Facebook - https://facebook.com/PursuitWithCliff Pursuit With Cliff Podcast https://pursuitwithcliff.com/interviews-and-podcasts/ Cliff's Hunt Planning and Strategy Membership https://pursuitwithcliff.com/membership/ Hunt. Fish. Spear. (Experiences, Courses and Seminars) https://pursuitwithcliff.com/Experiences Merch https://pursuitwithcliff.com/shop/ SUBSCRIBE TO CLIFF'S NEWSLETTER: https://PursuitWithCliff.com/#Newsletter

Joel Turner spent 11 years as a SWAT sniper instructor before becoming one of the most well known instructors in the hunting world. His take on why hunters miss is unlike anything you've heard — and it applies equally to archery and rifle. We start with how bullets actually kill. From there we get into the pre-ignition flinch... why there's no such thing as a subconscious override of the central nervous system, what open loop vs. closed loop trigger press actually means, and why the fix isn't mechanics. The fix is speech. Joel's core argument: the skill is not in the shooting, it's in what you say in your head while you shoot. In this episode: Hydrostatic shock, the 2,200 fps threshold, and why a .22 Creedmoor can kill elk Pre-ignition flinch — open vs. closed loop trigger press explained Why talking yourself through the shot is the actual skill The 2014 blacktail story — how Joel figured it all out in a rainy tree stand Commentary shooting from police driver training and why it works for archery Free diving and breath holds — why that culture already knows this Hinge releases: when they're a fix for a mental problem vs. a legitimate choice Elk calling — distress calf vs. bull calling cows bugle, and the textbook bull setup The yo stop: why a bull whirling at 10 yards is a controlled shot, not a panic shot Guest: Joel Turner — ShotIQ founder, former SWAT sniper team instructor, competitive barebow archer. Joel's elk calling app: https://www.mtnwispr.com/ Shot IQ: https://shotiq.com/ Instagram: @joelturner_actual Chapters 00:00 How Bullets Actually Kill 04:44 The Flinch Mechanism 34:17 The 2014 Breakthrough 45:48 Commentary Shooting 51:44 Snap Shots & Mental Game 01:14:02 Listener Questions 01:20:33 Free Diving Parallel 01:41:22 Elk Calling System --- FOLLOW CLIFF YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/c/CliffGray Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/Cliffgry/ Facebook - https://facebook.com/PursuitWithCliff Pursuit With Cliff Podcast https://pursuitwithcliff.com/interviews-and-podcasts/ Cliff's Hunt Planning and Strategy Membership https://pursuitwithcliff.com/membership/ Hunt. Fish. Spear. (Experiences, Courses and Seminars) https://pursuitwithcliff.com/Experiences Merch https://pursuitwithcliff.com/shop/ SUBSCRIBE TO CLIFF'S NEWSLETTER: https://PursuitWithCliff.com/#Newsletter

Colorado's Parks and Wildlife Commission now has zero experienced big game hunters on it. The chair is a former Humane Society attorney who spent his career suing game agencies. Six of ten commissioners voted to impose a commercial fur ban that their own agency and director recommended against — in writing — with five expert witnesses and a hundred years of combined expertise. Dan Gates was in every one of those meetings. Dan Gates runs Coloradans for Responsible Wildlife Management and has been on the front lines of every major Colorado hunting fight for eight years — Proposition 127, Ordinance 308, wolf reintroduction, and now Initiative 302: a constitutional amendment to enshrine the right to hunt and fish in the Colorado State Constitution. We dig into what that right actually does, why 24 other states already have it, and how the Polis administration has strategically stacked the commission. We also cover two upcoming raffles — a Hill Ranch elk hunt and an Alaska salmon/halibut trip — that benefit CRWM's ground game on this fight. In this episode: What Initiative 302 actually says — and what it doesn't do Why Colorado hunters don't currently have a constitutional right to hunt How Governor Polis stacks anti-hunting commissioners The March commission meeting — agency scientists overruled by commissioners who said "our values differ from your science" Two commissioners forced to resign during Senate confirmation — what that means Why 24 other states already have this right The Hill Ranch elk raffle — 34 preference points required to draw, better odds in this raffle than the state draw Alaska salmon/halibut fishing raffle — Sitka, two people, Reel Charters Guest: Dan Gates — Executive Director, Coloradans for Responsible Wildlife Management. savethehuntcolorado.com Raffle tickets: scicolorado.org — deadline June 12th, drawing June 15th. $50/ticket, 3 for $100. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/c.r.w.m/ --- FOLLOW CLIFF YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/c/CliffGray Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/Cliffgry/ Facebook - https://facebook.com/PursuitWithCliff Pursuit With Cliff Podcast https://pursuitwithcliff.com/interviews-and-podcasts/ Cliff's Hunt Planning and Strategy Membership https://pursuitwithcliff.com/membership/ Hunt. Fish. Spear. (Experiences, Courses and Seminars) https://pursuitwithcliff.com/Experiences Merch https://pursuitwithcliff.com/shop/ SUBSCRIBE TO CLIFF'S NEWSLETTER: https://PursuitWithCliff.com/#Newsletter

Evan Koster just got back from seven days of public land hunting in New Zealand — no helicopter, no lodge, no estate stags. He hunted tahr in a glacial valley and red stag in the Canterbury High Country with guide Jurgen, carrying everything on his back and doing 5,000 vertical feet of gain literally the day he got off the plane. This conversation is the honest version of New Zealand hunting. We cover what the terrain actually looks like, why the tussock country and scrub edge are the game zone, how red stag compare to elk (less gregarious, more vocal, harder to call across open country), why Evan passed on stags he could have shot and ended up empty-handed on deer, and what New Zealand's hunting culture looks like when you get off the estate. We also get into the invasive species debate - tahr, red deer, and chamois are valued by hunters and locals but under real threat from eradication programs - and how New Zealand's model of wildlife conservation compares to ours. At the end, Evan and Cliff break down the hosted hunt partnership with Jurgen that LKS Outfitters is building - a public land backpack experience unlike anything being offered commercially right now. In this episode: 5,000 vertical feet daily — what the terrain actually demands Tahr country: navigating stream beds, impenetrable bush, and glacial basins How red stag compare to elk — roar, rut, callability, and body size Why a 12-point stag on public land is equivalent to a 340-inch bull in the Flat Tops No seasons, no bag limits — and why hunters self-regulate anyway The invasive species debate: eradication programs vs. a hunting culture fighting back What Jurgen's New Zealand public land hunts actually look like LKS Outfitters hosted hunts with Jurgen — what's coming and how to book Guest: Evan Koster — Lead guide, LKS Outfitters / Flat Tops Wilderness Guides. Instagram: @lks_outfitters | flatTopswildernessguides.com Jurgen's hosted hunts: Coming soon via LKS Outfitters website under Hunt categories. Inquire directly through Evan. 00:00 Chapter 1 - Harder Than Colorado? 09:52 Chapter 2 - Why No Helicopter 14:20 Chapter 3 - Hunting Culture & Invasive Species 26:03 Chapter 4 - Game Density Comparison 31:44 Chapter 5 - Red Stag vs. Elk 37:35 Chapter 6 - The Tahr Hunt 44:44 Chapter 7 - The Stag Hunt 01:02:29 Chapter 8 - Jurgen & The Hosted Hunts --- FOLLOW CLIFF YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/c/CliffGray Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/Cliffgry/ Facebook - https://facebook.com/PursuitWithCliff Pursuit With Cliff Podcast https://pursuitwithcliff.com/interviews-and-podcasts/ Cliff's Hunt Planning and Strategy Membership https://pursuitwithcliff.com/membership/ Hunt. Fish. Spear. (Experiences, Courses and Seminars) https://pursuitwithcliff.com/Experiences Merch https://pursuitwithcliff.com/shop/ SUBSCRIBE TO CLIFF'S NEWSLETTER: https://PursuitWithCliff.com/#Newsletter

Craig Doria spent 30 years in Africa as a professional hunter in addition to running two anti-poaching operations in Zambia and Tanzania. He's also just written Bateleur, a suspense thriller built on all of it. We cover what poaching actually looks like from the inside: the subsistence guy with a muzzleloader trying to feed his kids, the 150-snare line bisecting the wildebeest migration corridor, the zebra hide operation running skins through a cattle tannery and across borders, and the ivory networks. From there we get into buffalo hunting (Craig's pick for the best hunting still available — hundreds of hunts, multiple close calls), elephant hunting and the weight it carries, two helicopter crashes during anti-poaching operations, and a closing conversation about what happiness really looks like when you've spent your life tracking wounded buffalo through thick bush — and what you give up to get it. Craig Doria — Professional hunter (Zambia, Tanzania, Zimbabwe), anti-poaching operator, Author of Bateleur (Whistling Thorn Press). Available on Amazon (hardcover and Kindle) https://amzn.to/3RMGGcY Signed copies direct: craig.doria@gmail.com | craigdoriasafaris.com --- FOLLOW CLIFF YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/c/CliffGray Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/Cliffgry/ Facebook - https://facebook.com/PursuitWithCliff Pursuit With Cliff Podcast https://pursuitwithcliff.com/interviews-and-podcasts/ Cliff's Hunt Planning and Strategy Membership https://pursuitwithcliff.com/membership/ Hunt. Fish. Spear. (Experiences, Courses and Seminars) https://pursuitwithcliff.com/Experiences Merch https://pursuitwithcliff.com/shop/ SUBSCRIBE TO CLIFF'S NEWSLETTER: https://PursuitWithCliff.com/#Newsletter