About this episode

Dillon Ness shares his insights and experiences from a challenging elk hunt, discussing strategies and lessons learned.

Dillon Ness is back on the show, and dude, this one's a good one. If you haven't heard our last conversation, go find it — I've always considered Dillon one of the best open country elk killers I know. But what people don't realize is the guy crushes it in the mountains just as hard. Well-rounded doesn't even cover it. In this episode, Dillon walks me through the full story of last year's mountain bull — a hunt that started with him throwing a dart at a map, glassing bulls pouring off the alfalfa at first light, getting boogered by other hunters, losing the herd, and eventually catching them in the dark on their last drink of water before bed. It's one of the best hunt breakdowns we've recorded, emotional gut-punch ending and all. From there we get into the nuts and bolts — how to actually dog a herd in the dark without blowing them up, why satellite bulls are your best friend, what 20 failed days of hunting really look like (because that's 90% of the season, not the highlight reel), midday strategy for guys who don't have 27 days to burn, and the biggest lesson 301-level hunting has taught both of us: elk are never random, and neither should your strategy be. We also get into a…

Sponsors

Maven Optics

More episodes of Elk Hunt

• 201 vs. 301: What It Really Takes to Target a Big Bull · August 18, 2026 · 51 min
• Most Insane Elk Research Tool We've Ever Seen — Mark Livesay Reveals Hunt Research IQ · August 14, 2026 · 1h 41m
• 22 Elk in 23 Seasons: Public Land Lessons w/ Kevin Gower · August 13, 2026 · 1h 3m
• Two Bulls, One Arrow Each: The Double Kill Story You Need to Hear · August 6, 2026 · 1h 20m

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Elk Hunt podcast page.