Thrive 48 - The Truth About Elk Tags: Is The System Rigged
Release Date: 01/06/2026
Thrive 49 - Spring Bear Success Starts Now: 2026 Will Expose The Unprepared
Peax Thrive Vodcast
Spring bear season doesn’t start when the tag hits your pocket, it should start right now! This year, the snow isn’t normal; the prime bear elevation zones they may not line up like they have historically. Spring bear hunting is snowline game. An elevation game and a timing game. The bear hunters who are guessing are about to get exposed. 2026? It’s going to punish the unprepared. In this Thrive episode, I’m breaking down what you need to be doing right now to get ahead of the season. __________________________________________________ Additional Thrive Resources...
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Thrive 48 - The Truth About Elk Tags: Is The System Rigged
Peax Thrive Vodcast
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...
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Thrive 47 - Why Average Western Hunters Stay Average: Four Pitfalls To Avoid
Peax Thrive Vodcast
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...
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Thrive 46 - The Numbers Don't Lie: Montana Mule Deer Collapse
Peax Thrive Vodcast
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...
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Thrive 44 - The Death Of A Thousand Tags: The Mule Deer Freefall
Peax Thrive Vodcast
Have you ever seen something coming from a mile away? Yet, nobody does anything about it? Montana’s deer herds didn’t just disappear overnight. It wasn’t random. This was a slow-motion train wreck, and the people in charge of the tracks, well, they stood there and watched it happen. That’s Montana’s mule deer story. From over 386,000 animals to under 250,000 in just seven years. While other states pulled back and course-corrected, Montana kept feeding the tag machine. Now they want a pat on the back for finally cutting a few nonresident deer tags? I mean seriously….. In...
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Thrive 44 - Late-Season Hunts Are Brutal: Five Tips To Keep You In The Game
Peax Thrive Vodcast
There’s one thing that will end a hunt faster than a blown stalk or busted gear—and that’s getting cold and wet. Once extreme cold sets in and your feet start to go numb, your hunt is headed downhill fast. Yes, you can tough it out for a little while, but the truth is, you're on borrowed time and your hunt might already be over! I’ve been on enough late-season hunts to know this all too well. Getting chilled to the bone doesn’t happen by accident. Avoiding it requires intention and a systematic approach. If you get it wrong, you’re likely to end your hunt...
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Thrive Vodcast 43 - Western Hunting & Marriage: Curbing The Chaos
Peax Thrive Vodcast
Today’s show is going to be a bit different, OK, a lot different. This Thrive episode isn’t about hunt planning, elk strategy, or bear tactics. It’s about something that comes up more than just almost anything else: Merging Western hunting & successful marriages, and what it looks like when one of you disappears into the wilderness for long periods of time. I’ve been on over 100 podcasts, and I rarely get through one without being asked: “How does your wife handle the 100+ days your in the backcountry each year? “How do you keep your family on the right path when you’re...
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Thrive Vodcast 42 - Backcountry Gear You Didn’t Know You Needed: LIVE From the Hunt
Peax Thrive Vodcast
In this special Live From the Hunt edition of the Thrive Vodcast, I sit down with my good friend Chiam — cameraman, hunter, freeze-dry fanatic, and world-class skinny-jean-wearing tech gear junkie. Warm weather has delayed the elk migration, the elk aren’t cooperating, and we were grinding through long days deep in the backcountry. This was the perfect chance to dive deep into some “new” gear that truly performs in real backcountry conditions. From power bank myths, solar panel failures, daily food bag disasters, freeze-dried McGriddle experiments, and new tech that is changing how...
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Thrive Vodcast 41 - How Thrive Started: Where We Are Going
Peax Thrive Vodcast
What happens when you give me the keys to the bus and let me run wild? I’ve been sitting on this pre-recorded episode for a while now. We are now 40 shows deep into this Thrive journey, so I figured it’s the perfect time to drop it. Brice Bishop, a good friend and the founder of Peax Equipment, and I sit down to talk about what he was thinking when he gave me the green light on this Thrive concept. I think you will enjoy our fun conversation. We’re on location, middle of the night, Red Lodge, Montana, and we’re getting real about how Thrive started, where...
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Thrive Vodcast 40 - Blood Tracking: A Not So New Approach
Peax Thrive Vodcast
If you hunt long enough, unfortunately, wounding an animal is going to happen. It’s not a matter of if, it’s when! It sucks. It’s heartbreaking. It’s real, and it just happened to me! What you choose to do next is where the story can take a sharp turn—for better or worse. In this Thrive episode, I take you deep into the thick—where hope fades and second chances are rare. A blood tracking dog named Maggie changed everything… and rewrote the ending of my Missouri whitetail hunt. This is the Thrive Vodcast, and this one’s personal. ________________________________ Additional...
info_outlineRemember 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?