← Live Wild with Remi Warren
Live Wild with Remi Warren
Ep. 166 | Live From Sheep Show
00:57:31
Remi is joined by a live audience at Sheep Show '25 and answers their questions.
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Transcript48 lines
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Listener
Foreign.
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Remy Warren
I'm Remy Warren and I've lived my life in the wild as a professional guide and hunter. I've spent thousands of days perfecting my craft. I want to give that knowledge to you. In this podcast, we relive some of my past adventures as I give you practical hunting tips to make you more successful. Whether you're just getting started or a lifelong hunter, this podcast will bring you along on the hunt and teach you how to live wild. This podcast is brought to you by Mountain Tough and Yeti. A lot of the tactics I talk about here require you to be in top physical shape. So I partnered with Mountain Tough to help get you ready for the mountain with their science based hunter specific training app. You'll get in shape and mentally tough able to tackle any hunt. Because we really believe this will help you be more successful. As a listener to this podcast, we're giving you six free weeks to get you started. Just use code livewild. Welcome back to Live Wild Podcast, everyone. So this past weekend was actually the Wild Sheep National Convention in Reno, Nevada. It was an incredible weekend. We raised a ton of money for conservation for wild sheep habitat and hunting. It was an awesome event. We had the Tough Sheep workout with Mountain Tough where somebody won a sheep hunt. It was an, it was a great workout, a lot of fun, a ton of energy. Just what a great week. And so we also had my LiveWild booth there. So we're selling some of our products, some of our apparel, some of our hunting gear, and also got to talk to a lot of you that swung by, said, hey, got to swap hunting stories. And it was just a great time, great weekend. You know, if you, if you happen to miss it and you would have liked to do something like that. I will also be at the Western Hunt Expo in February. That's in Salt Lake City. I've got a big booth there. We've got. We're going to have all kinds of gear for sale, from arrows and broadheads to our apparel, our Live Wild stuff. So definitely make sure you swing by, check it out. And I'll also be doing a live Q and A there as well. But this past week we did a live Q and A at the sheep show. And that's going to be this week's podcast. So we're going to dive in and go live from Wild Sheep. All right, well, thank you guys so much for coming. I like to do these Q and A's. Nico, you good? Okay. So I am going to record this for the podcast. So if you're Wanted by the law. You don't have to, like, give your full name, but the way that we'll do the Q and A is just, you know, I like to do these, make it tailored to you guys. And as always, if you're familiar with my podcast, the Q&As, I like to give some stuff away. So a few raffle tickets, and we got some cool prizes for those of you in here. We got a. We got a 65 Yeti cooler. We got some live wild swag, some of my live wild spices, some of the new wilderness athlete, some yonder bottles and socks and beanies, and a gun cover for those of you. So we'll distribute some tickets at the end here. Actually, while we're going, Chris will pass tickets out. One per man and or woman child. If you brought your kids, you get. You get a little bonus there. And then we'll. We'll get started if you're cool with it. Talking to the mic so everyone can hear the questions. Goes a little bit smoother that way. And then if nobody has any questions, I'll just tell stories or if you want to hear about something, we'll. We'll figure it out. We'll fill some time. So thank you guys so much. You know, how many of you guys ran the Tough Sheep? Oh, yeah. It's like half the room. That's awesome. That was a fun event. It was a good, good workout. And not very often you get to work out and potentially win a sheep hunt. So that's pretty cool. So let's go ahead and get started. Who wants to kick it off? First question. Boom. And a hat. That's how I like to do things. Throw things around the room.
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Listener
So I'm looking at getting into black bear hunting. And have you ever hunted black bears in California? Because, I mean, they give you over the counter tags, two of them per person. And my wife's family owns cattle farm, and we've been going out doing hog hunts out there. But we want to get into hunting black bears. So do you have any advice for black bears in California, specifically?
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Remy Warren
Yeah, I actually have, and I think that's one of the things, like, people, you know, shit on California a lot, but they do have probably some of the best black bear hunting. If there was a spring season, it would be the best. But my. My experience has kind of been in combination with deer hunting there. But, you know, I mean, I've hunted a lot of places for black bears, and you see a lot of bears there, and it's just really figuring out the food source, it's the same as hunting black bears anywhere. I think that there's a little bit higher concentrations in a lot of places in California, but it's really figuring out the food sources and then, you know, and then the type of hunting that you're going to do. So it's all glassing what I try to, like in that kind of September timeframe. A couple of the things that I think about is the first one is like manzanita berries. And the thing about manzanita is it doesn't always have berries. So I go and check the food sources. What's going to be a good crop. Another one is acorns in the oak. So it depends on the kind of type of area you're in. Pine nuts is another one in the more Sierras. And then those wet areas, like if it's a drought, wet areas. Now the thing that I found, and this is bear hunting anywhere. A place that's maybe overlooked for bear hunting is water sources. And so like water holes, especially in those early seasons, like, I. I've only bow hunted them. So I'm focusing on early September, super hot, dry years. I go find those water holes, wallows, and I mean, it's a magnet for bears. It's surprising how many bears. Like, I've put trail cameras in other places in other states when it's hot. Just actually started doing it, scouting for elk, and I'm like, hot days do bears are hitting those nearly every day. I mean, there's an area that I hunted and you know, on the trail camera, there's six or seven different bears hitting this nearly every day. And I go, oh, that opened up places for me to think about looking for bears that I didn't before. And like, through guiding, have been very successful targeting those water areas. On hot days ago, hot day, middle of the day is a good time. They like to get in there. They swim around, they like wallow around. They cool down. And that can be a good thing as well. So I think about food sources no matter where I'm hunting bears. It's. It's just the same. It's the same formula. It's like food first figure out where those crops are the strongest because those bears are going to go to the easiest place to get the most amount of food, most amount of calories. Some years there's like no man's Anita berries, but the oak produced a lot or there's a lot of pine nuts. But some years there's not a lot of pine nuts or some. Some years I'm just looking for wet areas and rose hips. Anything where it's like good food crops can be pretty good. And that's kind of what I focus on. And then if all those things fail, you know, hot weather and water is another good option. So yeah, it's a good. Fill those tags. It'll help the deer hunting. Who's next? Any other question?
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Listener
So if you only could have two.
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Remy Warren
Hunting rifles in your safe for all.
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Listener
Of North America from here on out. What, What? Two calibers?
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Remy Warren
Two hunting rifles.
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Listener
Two.
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Remy Warren
Two calibers. Yeah.
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Listener
If you're, if you're only left two for all your North American hunt from.
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Remy Warren
That's not fair. That's like saying what child's your favorite? Here, here's okay. I, you know, and people will probably say, you know, the, the need more. But here's what I like about the 65 Creedmoor is, you know, it's a good versatile gun for a lot of North American big game animals. I like to shoot suppressed and so it's a great gun for like, I want something for my wife to take my kids or a deer hunt and doesn't blow them up. But still, I mean I've, I think I, you know, I put it where it's supposed to go like most of the time, but I've never had any trouble with it as long as I use a good like bonded bullet. So I'd use that for like the smaller game and then, you know, I don't know, everybody knows that I love to the 300 short mag, but I haven't shot it in a long time because it just kind of died off and they stopped making rifles in it. Some kind of 30 cal. But then this is the caveat to that because I just got to test that 7 mil back country this last few years and it does everything that I like for short barrel, high velocity, good bullet for good bullet weight. But it's also like a new caliber and that's a little risky. Right. So if they're like for the rest of your life and it's like, well, that one died off pretty quick, you know, so I'd probably just go with like something tried and true, like a.300 wind mag or 300 Weatherby and 6.5 Creedmoor. Who's next?
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Listener
Mule deer hunting in Utah. Are you any familiar with any of that?
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Remy Warren
Yeah, I just had a late muzzleloader hunt there this year.
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Listener
Okay. So obviously I don't have the time frame to be waiting 20, 25 years to get a decent mule deer. What units would you suggest, say less than 10 points would be the best odds to get a decent mule deer in Utah.
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Remy Warren
Here's what I mean. You're saying for the general hunts, I won't give the exact units because I think it just, it messes a lot of people up and they get really mad at me. But my theory would be, I mean most general units you can get with less than 10 points. You know, if you want to rifle hunt, you know, I mean it, it's, I don't know a good way to answer this, but there's certain areas that have lower hunter density with the higher point totals to get because it's preference, you know, how many. I would go with the ones that are the most desirable. I mean, it's kind of an easy way to gauge the popularity of certain areas. And, and it's only because those areas have sometimes fewer hunters and more potential for trophy deer. Also, the units that have like a later muzzleloader, limited entry hunt are often, you know, the better, the better hunts. I will say though, like, they're still pretty tough hunts. And if it was me and I wanted like a good buck, I'd probably go with an archery or muzzleloader season on those better units. But I mean I struggled on my hunt this year. It was pretty tough. I think it was just like the season was a little too early and a little too hot. And it was not like it wasn't as desirable the hunt as I would have liked it to be. But we still had a good time. But there were a few people that killed really big deer and that's just how it's going to be on the hunts. There's big deer there, but you know, it's just a matter of like being in the right place at the right time. Who's next?
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Listener
Yeah, so I'm up in Colorado and I live in an over the counter unit for archery, which is kind of going away for the out of staters. But we usually like to do spot and stock. But most of the area is just heavy timber and it gets a lot of abuse. So they don't answer calls. They actually run from calls. I'm talking elk. Sorry. Yeah. So just curious what, you know, when heavy timber not answering calls is like, what's your play? You can't, you know, without a spot in stock.
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Remy Warren
That's a good question. I've hunted a lot of places.
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Listener
Just leave the area.
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Remy Warren
Yeah, here's, here's a couple of things, right. I've hunted and not to say that that isn't true. Right. I've hunted a lot of areas that are very, you know, heavily hunted. And I in. I hunt the timber and I call, but I'm not looking for every elk. I'm looking for the one elk that wants to play. Right. So I'm taking that gamble of. And this is what I do. I commit to the calling and I go, okay, some elk are going to be quiet. Some elk aren't going to do whatever, but there's going to be an elk that somewhere makes some noise. And that's the elk that I'm looking for. And sometimes they're fewer and far between. But that's my personal hunting style. I like to call elk, and I do that. Now, I have been in areas where I've hunted thicker stuff, and I. I try to find those bedding areas and travel routes as well. And sometimes it's not always just aggressive bugling. A lot of the time, if I find sign in an area, I actually target the bedding areas of elk. And I. I really kind of do a combination of still hunting in there where I'm using light cow calls and. Or just moving, glassing, moving, glassing, and have got on a lot of elk that way. Where, you know, it's not even saying. Taking the opposite approach of not necessarily calling, but you're finding, like, you know, they're going to run the ridges. You start to find the sign, or you see them in the mornings and evenings feeding, and then they're going into some timber. So then getting in there, finding those trails, moving through. And sometimes, you know, I try to move at that rate where I'm walking, looking, walking, looking, getting the wind, right. If I make some weird noise or something happens, I walk with my call in my mouth. So if I bump something, it's like immediately hit that call and freeze and let things settle down. And I've gotten back on those elk in pretty good timber many times. Like, that's been how I've hunted a lot sometimes, too, I'll walk through those areas and kind of call and wait for that. Like, you'll get those bulls that kind of come in quiet, so you'll get the wind good. You smell a bull and you're like, there's an elk in here, and then start calling. Because some of it's a proximity thing, too, of like, the elk that run away, they just think, oh, but if he's got cows there and you hit a cow call and I'm going to go investigate. Or you could just continue to still hunt and sneak in. We've Hunted a lot of timber that way in the past as well. But I actually have probably killed a majority of elk in that kind of country. Like surprisingly, in that timeframe when most people are back at camp, you know, I'll be like going out when they're in, you know, you'll like drive through, change an area and you're like, everybody's in camp, it's the middle of the day, it's hot. And like that's actually when I'm highly successful in the timber is because they aren't moving, they're set down. No matter how pressured it is, those elk need to bed and they're going to be bedded. And so I do try to target those like north facing slopes where it's like good shade all day, shade, wind going down at their backs, potentially good level bedding or like a ridge, there's like a steep with like a flat spot, you know. And I use a lot of topography to kind of highlight those bedding areas and then a lot of like maps and looking at that in that timbered country, just trying to look at the topography and then targeting those bedding areas and that's, you know, that's paid off for us quite a bit.
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Listener
Right. Two parter. This first one's quick. Could you demo like how fast you're still hunting, how fast you're walking?
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Remy Warren
Yeah, that's a good question. Okay. So I, I, it's, it honestly depends on the type of COVID and terrain and everything and how far I can see. You know, I mean it's like in the more open, like I move faster, but it would be, I'll do a quick like it's like walking and looking, but always looking. And I'm always using my binos like glassing. And then when I get into those areas where I, I believe like just doing it so much. I know when it's like guys with me are like, you have this weird sixth sense for elk. And I really do because I've encountered them so many times. I really understand the type of area or the whatever that they're more likely to be. And when I hit those areas, I slow it down and I'm like continually scanning. And there's other areas that I'm like, this is like a travel through area and I just go as fast as I want through that, you know, because I'm anticipating that they're doing what elk are doing, they're bedded. So when I get to where I believe that they're going to be bedded, it's like A stock. Like, imagine, you know, like, I just tell myself the elk are here and I'm stalking, and that's like, you know, I mean, it just depends on how open it is. But it think of it like if you're stalking, if you knew, if you saw those elk were there, your body's like, here's where the elk are. How are you going to move in? That's the way that I gauge it. Like, how are you moving in? How you looking? Like, tell yourself that those elk are there and move in like they're there. And if they aren't there, then you move on. And sometimes I'll go practically jogging speeds up the ridge and around to the next spot that I think is going to be good. And then I pop over the ridge and hit that spot, and it's just like, moving, checking the wind, you know, using my nose as much as anything, you know. So I guess that's probably a better gauge of it than, like, doing the dance. Yeah, the.
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Listener
The second question. I just did the last three weeks of the year, mule deer in Nevada. And I was checking everywhere from, like 6,000 to 9,000ft, and it was warm, if you remember. So we had maybe like a foot or two of snow. I could see old tracks, but I didn't see any. Like, I think I saw two or three does over five days. So I'm wondering, where were the big bucks? We found small bucks, like, out in the flats. Yeah, like, where were all these lone bucks? Or is that not even a thing? Post rut.
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Remy Warren
Yeah, it's tough because I was actually out probably a different area, but hunting and similar kind of. Kind of stuff. And it was like, we saw some. There was a little bit of snow there, but it was unseasonably warm and, like, high. There was a few bucks, but, like, sometimes they get caught up in that transition stuff, and it's like, little. Little bucks will be with the does, you know? Like, I actually had a late muzzle litter hunt was in 20, 23, and we. I mean, like, if I could tell you where they were, I would have been there. And I didn't find them, which is tough, too. Like, I hate to admit it, but, like, mule deer kick my butt, too. And like, out of anything, mule deer are hard. And sometimes they do weird stuff. Like you think you know mule deer and you don't know mule deer, and then you'll. You'll find, like, the best buck we found was in the flats, but by himself. And sometimes you'll find them, like, bachelored up. Like, I Think, honestly, sometimes they just, you know, like, it depends on the year. Like, I think this year, one of the things this year, like, last year, the rut was weird, in my opinion. This year, I think a lot of the deer were running earlier. And so I think that those big bucks were kind of recuperating in some holes because the best buck that I saw, I just bumped out of, like, a spot that I was walking through. I wasn't hunting deer, but bumped a buck out and go, oh, that was good to know, you know, but mostly, like, when I. When I struggle finding, like, you go high, and you don't see any sign they've clearly moved off. They're planning on going to that winter range. So the first thing I target, like, late season, is good winter range, which is probably one of the hardest things to find now in mule deer country. Like, everybody talks about everything that's going on with mule deer, and I truly believe it's, like, a lack of winter range. So I look for that, like, big, tall sage, and, like, places where they, like the bitter brush, the buck brush, good browse. And I go, okay, here's good winter range or places that you might go. Now, there's that traditional winter range that's been burned and covered in cheatgrass, and unfortunately, a lot of deer have to live there now. But I try to target those, like, thicker patches of good winter range. And then once I find that, then you can kind of assess. Like, yeah, it's all small deer, but any. Every day could be different because you could have a pocket of does that. There's a buck cruising, and now he's in those does. Because it's a weird time of year because you might get a second rut, you might even get a late rut. And if I'm not finding them there, then it's always like, kind of that transition area above that, like, that thick country before it breaks out into that winter range. And then that's kind of like the. The part that I'd get. And I just get away. I'd glass, and I'd try to glass, like, places where they're going to be feeding. So there's a lot of, like, this, that or whatever. But it's constantly like, I honestly believe, like, I think elk are pretty straightforward. And I know I think mule deer. It's like more of, like, hunting elk is like, people are probably pissed off at this. Hunting elk is like playing checkers, and hunting mule deer is like playing chess. It's 100% true for me. Like, you know, Elk are very predictable. They're very patternable. They can only move certain ways. And once you figure it out, it's like a pretty easy game. But mule deer, like, there's all these other factors that I think play into it that make it a lot more difficult, you know, and. And then, you know, it's not always true because there's like, mule deer that live on private land or unhunted areas, and they're just dumb. Like, it's just how it is, right? Like, there's. I've hunted in units where, like, these are dumb animals, but I think the majority of it, like, in a lot of areas that get hunted hard, they can be difficult. And then just getting that, like, age, class, and structure is tough, too. So it makes it tough and makes me continually learn, I think, too. But, you know, it just depends on the year, the situation, the area, and then those kind of factors. Weather. Hope that answers it. Yes.
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Listener
I'm from Colorado. I want to get into, like, high country mule deer hunting. I was wondering, like, you talked about a lot of midday with elk when you're calling them and stuff, but I wonder, like, when you're doing, like, high.
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Remy Warren
Country mule stuff, are you trying to, like, hit first light, last light, are.
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C
You trying to put them to bed.
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Remy Warren
And stock midday, or is there something different? Yeah, I'm. So I actually ran some stats. I just, like, went through and thought of all the deer that I've killed, all the deer that I've guided people to, and now it's skewed because it's like my hunting style. But I also switch up my style for whatever's, like, best for the situation. I've killed mule deer. Ambushing. I've killed mule deer. You know, like, when I say ambushing, I mean, like, cutting them off. So that's like, from morning feed to bed, I've killed them. In the evenings, coming back out to feed, I've killed them just walking around. Oh, there's a buck. You know, those are the best ones. And then. But like, the. The highest concentration of deer or like the highest percentage, I think it was like 75%. I. I made like a whole spreadsheet. And I've been doing this with other stuff just to kind of like, see, you know, and the majority of them I kill in the middle of the day. And it's mostly because that's my, my. I think the most successful strategy is spot them, bed them, stock in once the thermals stabilize. So, like, most of the deer I've killed, they're like after they've re bedded the second time the thermals have stabilized, it's probably like after 11am Depends on how hot it is. It's like probably like that when the sun's like at its apex. So it's like, depends on the time of year, right? But it's like that noon to 2pm is generally like 1 to 2. 30pm is like go time when the. Because the, the sun's moving less like it's straight down. They've re bed and adjusted for the shade. The thermals have stabilized and you have the most time before that sun moves to give them like, get hot and get up and move around. And you aren't in the strike zone long enough. So I kind of like, when I'm out there, I just pay attention to like one. A good like trick to learn is like put a rock somewhere like you're, say your glass and you don't see anything. Go put a rock in the shade and then watch in time and figure out how long it takes on those hillsides for that to move and make some notes. You know, like, you get, you get used to like, knowing it and not having to think about it. But if you're new to it, it's a good way to like, learn it. Because what will happen is, look, what I try to do is I try to be there for the shortest amount of time without having to intervene with that buck. So like, I will spot the buck. I'll sit and wait. I'll watch him. I'll move, move. Okay, he's in a spot, or depending how he's bedded. And then I go, okay, the thermals are good. I've got a good wind. I can sneak in from above because he's probably going to be bedded downhill or in that, you know, quartered downhill way. And then I want him where that buck's going to get hot within 20 minutes of me being there. Get up. He's going to stand up. Naturally, I'm at full draw and I've shot that buckle, you know, and that's like, by doing that, you limit your exposure to getting busted by the wind and you increase your opportunity for like a high percentage stock. So it's a lot of that, like, looking. And then if I, if I don't have a buck that I've bedded, then my primary focus is glassing bedding. Like I. And you can, you can be like, ooh, that's the spot shade like you. That's the dark shade. That's a spot that a Buck is sit all day. And I will sit there, I will crank my scope up to the max power and I'll stare in that shade. And there's so many times where you like, you can't even. It's like you got heat waves, whatever, and people just think you're crazy, like, just staring in the sun. You're looking into the sun. Like, get yourself into the sun with the wind in your face and you'll find meal deer and then you'll just see one like ear twitch or whatever. And I also look for like real steep early season. Like what you're talking about steep hillsides and like small brush with like thick brush, like, and they'll, they'll get in there, the steep hillsides, they'll dig them out and they'll have a bedding spot that you like, you can't even see in there. And when you find that, like, if you see, oh, there's some beds in this kind of stuff, pay attention to that and like, really hammer that because it's a really good. It's a really good little hidey hole that I think people like, look at country for Neil deer and they go quick glass and like, I've seen it, it's nothing here. And like really pick apart those spots because that's where, you know, that's like the guys that are really good at it and continually turning up bucks all day are really like honing in on those betting areas and they're hard to see. Like, you gotta. You gotta stare in there.
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Listener
I know you like hunting in New Zealand or have a lot of history with that. A couple years ago I hunted the north island for red deer, but. But this summer I'm gonna be going to the south island for tar and chamois. Obviously much steeper and everything. Different type country. Do you have any tips or suggestions?
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Remy Warren
Rifle hunting it?
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Listener
Rifle hunting?
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Remy Warren
Yeah. Yeah. You know, it is like the thing I love about like tar and chamois hunting is it's like, it's some of south island and New Zealand has some of the most rugged country I've ever been in. Like, it's straight up from the ocean. It's. It's gnarly, very technical stuff, depending on where you're at. You know, I think, like, if you're going with a guide, I think the biggest thing would be like, be in shape and practice shooting just like anything, you know, if you're going on your own, I think the thing is just like understanding the animal that you're hunting. So, like, for the tar One of the biggest ways, like, you know, like I said for mule deer, we kill. I kill the majority of them. Well, at least with a bow. Like in that midday time frame with tar, I would say it's 99% shoot, maybe like 99.9% killing them in the evening. So it's like a game of watching them in the morning where they go up. So they're going to go, like, if you're chasing them in the morning, you're chasing them. You're never going to get them. They're going to go to their bedding zones, which is at the top of the cliff, and it's not safe and not cool. I used to think it was cool, but, yeah, not anymore, now that I have kids. And, and so, like, find out, like, where they're feeding, set up for the evening, wait for them to feed back down. You want to. You want to. Like in some mountain hunting, it's like that. It's a waiting game. Like, you can see them and kill them, but you got to be able to get to them. And so I. I don't like chasing and like, I like chasing animals. I love chasing elk. Right. Like, I go after it, but a lot of time, like the tar, you aren't catching a. For the most part, or mountain. Like a lot of other animals that live in really rough country, they like, have that security and then they have that place where they feed. And they're often a little bit different. Some will just sit up there and live up there, but I catch them as they're coming down instead of chasing them up. So I like, you know, sit back, wait, watch, have multiple options of, like, what I see, and then I pick the best one, move in and intercept them coming back to feed. Feed in the evening. Shammy's a little bit different. They're more like. I don't know the way to describe them. They're more like. Like a lost puppy, I guess. My friends from New Zealand, I don't know, I think they'll agree with that. Like, they get something in their mind and they just want to do it. So, like, you could. You could see like a shammy that's doing a route and you're like, oh, he's probably gonna go, like, across the space. And like, sometimes you just can't determine. Like, they get something in their mind and that's what they're going to do. But they aren't as predictable or patternable for them. It's like a lot of glassing in that thick scrub. And like, the. It's like real tight glassing and like gnarly craggy stuff with like thick scrub on the sides for habitat things. So it's one of the things. Like, even if you're going with a guide, having your optics and knowing where to look is a big thing. Like tar hunting is like glassing for black bears and chamois. Hunting is like glassing for coos deer, if that makes sense. Like that kind of country difference.
- [28:50]
Listener
Yeah. So I've always hunted bow, hunted for elk in Idaho. Non resident, I live in Nevada. So obviously that's going away. Where would you say is like the next easiest spot with like a decent elk hunt to put in? Like, where would you be looking at next? And then quick second one, like, if you had no tags and you're like, I want to go on a fun hunt somewhere that's over the counter, what would be your go to thing to hunt somewhere in the world?
- [29:19]
Remy Warren
That's a good question. You know, I mean, I think like, the thing about it is like, as the over the counter stuff starts to go away, I mean, I mean the majority of like my hunts for most of my life have been over the counter things. Like all the solo hunter stuff is like either really easy to get or general areas over the counter, and those are just getting more difficult. But I think that like, that's still your, your best option. I would also say, like, you kind of need to build points in a few places because, you know, it's like it's not always going to be, it's not always going to be easy to get tags. Just, it's just, it's just the nature of it right now is it's a lot harder to get tags places. I would, I would pick a few places that are like, similar, like whatever it is, Colorado, Montana, Wyoming or Idaho, Montana, you know, Idaho, New Mexico, whatever. And you find those places that are probably easier to draw and kind of just still play that like, general tag kind of game. And I like, you'll still be able to get on hunts. The other thing I think too, that like is a little bit underserved is that the whole like returned tag game. Because I think a lot of people play the main draws, but they don't understand all the rules of like, how tags are reallocated. There's a lot of places where tags get turned back because somebody drew something else, tags, whatever. And paying attention to those things, you can actually pick up a lot of tags, like late in recent years, most of the tags that I've got have been like very close to the hunt. You just have to be willing to be like, oh, picked up that tag leftover. And sometimes it's hard because you just don't go in with that knowledge of what, what we're going to do. But I think there's a. I did that mouth tab hunt. I think I picked that tag up like a couple weeks before that hunt. It was like, all right, I'm elk hunting next week. And you know, it ended up working out. But that's another thing is like thinking about those things that maybe just are a little underserved or areas where maybe people aren't really as interested. There's always going to be those areas. As far as over the counter stuff, I don't know. I mean you say it and then it becomes the opposite, right? Like, I mean, honestly, California actually has like, you can go get two deer tags over the counter. Blacktail hunting is pretty fun and they have some pretty good like small mule deer, I guess, like, you know, it's like, it's different. But I've enjoyed hunting there and you can get tags there. Everybody from there is like, yeah, no more people. And everyone from everywhere else is like, don't come here. So it's a catch 22. You know the other thing for like, there's a lot of other states to look into that are like not necessarily in the west for over the counter tags or good opportunities that I think will spread out some of the hunting pressure a little bit as people are like, I'm sick of playing that game. I'm going to go hunt over here and looking at some of that stuff. So I've got a 14 year old who's die hard hunter and she's four for four. Trying to get her into shooting an elk. This next year we hunt central Montana mostly. I'm just trying to figure out do I continue to DIY it, Do we get horses, do we get a guide? I want her to be successful. Do you like live around there or is it. I'm from Montana, but no, I don't live there. So we're non residents. Gotcha. That's a good question. I mean if you've done it before and you have the ability to do it, you know, diy. I think that it's the interesting thing, like, I don't know, it just depends because like I sometimes think about that with like, you know, my kids, like you want them to be successful, but also you could go on a hunt and you might not, you know, it could be more successful with a guy like it should be, but not every, you know, it's like hard to find those outfits unfortunately. Like, as an outfitter, I know, like we get a lot of guys that have come with us and, and been other places and they're like, dude, that sucked. Like, it was a waste of money and it sucked. And I've been on guided hunts that sucked. So, like, I think that that could be even hard with a kid because, you know, you're like, you're in there kind of wanting the success for them and also like to hunt a certain way. But the person you're with might understand that or might not, which could be tough. I think I would just kind of grind it out and you know, and probably get a combo tag where they've got a deer, a chance at a deer and. But really focus on the elk, you know. And maybe I would also look at areas that have like, it depends what kind of elk you're looking for. Is it like any elk or just like a bull elk? Like a brow tie bull? You know what I mean? Because, you know, if it's like, oh, they want to go and it's like there's certain areas that have, especially Montana have like different regulations for kids and you can highlight, like kids can shoot any elk, but everyone else has to shoot a brow Tyne bull. Those are great, you know, like, those are the best opportunities because, you know, the kid hasn't. Your kids have an extra advantage to be successful. But it might not be like me. She's like, I just want a big six point bull, you know, like, I don't know. I was that kid. So it was like, yeah, exactly. So I, you know, that's the hard part. The other thing, and I'm really bad at this, so I can't give you like firsthand experience. But I do know, like, I know people that are good at this and they do a good job is like not asking permission for your kids to hunt. And like, they've been very successful getting private land access, you know, to be like, hey, my daughter wants to see if my daughter can hunt. You know, like you're glassing, you see some out there on private. I'm terrible at asking, like, I don't like asking for permission. So I just don't do it very often. But there's people that like, do it and I like. And I know I have friends that do it with their kids and they often like, yeah, your kid can hunt. You know, so that's like another, another thing to just kind of think about. It's like hard to turn. Like if somebody is like, hey, can my 14 year old girl hunt on your place? It's kind of like hard to be like, no. You know, but if it's like you. They're like, yeah, no, maybe have them go ask. I don't know. I don't know the strategy. I haven't been set up with it yet, but I think that that's like something to think about.
- [35:30]
C
So I got a daughter and she's.
- [35:32]
Remy Warren
Eight and she wants to go sheep hunting.
- [35:36]
C
I don't know anyone that has kids that age.
- [35:42]
Remy Warren
Do you know anyone like what rifles the kids are shooting at that age? I've got a friend whose daughter shot. Shot an elk and I think she was probably right around that age. You know what they. What he did was he's got like a. Go back like a 6,5 Creedmoor with a suppressor and. But I mean for sheep you could go. I mean you could go like a lot lighter caliber and I would make sure. I would probably put like a break. Oh, you guys. Canada. So no suppressors. Muzzle brake, you know, I'd muzzle brake it and then they use one of those. What is it like a. A death grip or there's another one that I just got. What was that? Yeah, the art. Yeah, like something where you can mount it to a tripod. What's the Triclops? Maybe that's another one that. Yeah, that's, you know, so like, so they, they have it on a tripod and then the rifle, like it takes away almost all the recoil, but also allows them to get like a really steady shot. So, you know, I think for sheep that'd be like an awesome way to do it because you could even like, I've got friends that kids are shooting like bigger caliber rifles for like elk and they've got them on that tripod setup with the muzzle brake and the earplugs and then you know, just like takes away the recoil. And then the other thing I would do too is like from this is just. I haven't experienced, you know, this is just from like friends that I know that have done this essentially. Like they only shoot a.22 and then they shoot the animal. You know what I mean? Like, they don't need to be out at the range shooting what they're gonna hunt with, like as long as it like fits them and in everything, like get a similar model. Like one of my buddies has a similar model. 22. His daughter like shoots, has great habits and they don't know any better. But if you're like, oh, this is a big gun. This is whatever. Then they kind of, you know, could flinch or what have you. Because like, like we all know when you're in the moment, like you aren't thinking about recoil and depends developing bad habits. And that's just, that's like secondhand from friends that I know that have done it. So that was a 6.5 PRC6.5 creed more. I've got another friend that uses like a 25.06for deer or something like that. I think it is like, you know, smaller. But for sheep hunting, you probably want something that like bucks the wind and like, you know, potentially, you know, shoot across the canyon or whatever and you know, with a muzzle brake and then just have them. I mean that it depends on how, you know. I don't know, like, I don't know if this is like, you know, if I'm the right person now because I'm. This is secondhand knowledge. But I'm pretty sure that that's what it was.
- [38:19]
Listener
So I just got a question for like this this year I had a lot of struggles with like I got a lot of elk on. Like I was bugling back and forth with them, but like that getting them to break that final bit of tree liner and like knowing when to close of distance. I know it's, I mean situational, every situation is different. But like what's some of your pointers on like that, that final closure of getting them to, to come in during the peak rut. You know what I mean?
- [38:45]
Remy Warren
Yeah. I think it, it like a lot of times comes down to like terrain and proximity. So like in the, in some ways, like in thicker cover, you know, they might come in more, but also you can get closer easier. But in open cover you actually have to get closer, you know, because like once they break that threshold of being able to see to not being able to see, it kind of hinders it. So like a lot, a lot of the time they hold up because of like some natural barrier. It's a ridge, it's a, you know, it's like they feel like they can see or it's like like a screen, a vegetation screen. Right. And so it is this fine line because like the, unlike the part that I love about calling is like bringing them in close. And there's many times where I'll go say a five day hunt and I've called in a ton of elk within 20 yards and have no shot, right. Because I choose those areas that are like that because I know that that proximity, it brings Them in closer, right? So sometimes you like, gamble that, like finding that like, balance of setting up in the right place where they have to come in, but it also puts you in a disadvantage because they have to come in and stuff that you can't get shots in. And that's like kind of the struggle. So when I think about it though, I go, okay. Like I try to. You're either gonna get them to hold up or you might get too close and spook them. But I always try to err on the side of like getting as close as possible in certain situations, you know, and if you're by yourself, it's. It's more difficult. If you've got somebody with you, it's a lot easier because they like, you can use that to your advantage where you get into an advantageous position. They come to that like, a lot. One of the ones that I use a lot with two people is like the ridge factor. So we've got like a little bit of a ridge. I get up to the point where the bull can come and look and then the person or send the person up and then I call. So they. That point where they're naturally gonna hold up is where the hunter is, you know, and that it is like very advantageous to have two people. When you're by yourself, you kind of have to play that game of like calling, moving, waiting, calling, you know, and then finding out those places where it's like, this is a spot that a bull would probably bust through, or this is a spot where they might hold up, I guess. And then another little thing too could be like the call that particularly like lights them up. So like, it depends on how close. Like if you're in that thicker stuff, getting them to come that extra distance might be like attack. I mean, I use a lot of like non call calling, like raking if they're real fired up. Like, raking is a good one even. I've talked about it before, like, just like dumping water on the ground. Sounds like a bull pissing. And then the other thing is like that glunking of the, you know, getting them to like, investigate those weird sounds of like things that aren't the calls that they normally think of. Or even like doing the bart bugle tube. And just they kind of get like weirded out. They're like, what is like, why are you breathing. Breathing heavy through the bugle tube? Like in that close quarters of like they're 60 yards. It's just like they're just holding up, not moving, and like giving that like, just panting and stuff like that. And then cow calling and, like, going silent. Is the bull maybe throwing some cow calls back and then, like, throwing out some different noises sometimes works because, like, a lot of people are just like, bugle to mew and they're like, you know, and it's like, there's. When you're in a herd of, like, rutting bulls, they make some crazy sounds. And like, the ones when a bull's really, like, on a hot cow, he's very rarely bugled. He's like, grunting, breathing, glunking, you know, some stuff like that where it's like just. Or even just like, breaking sticks and other things. We're like, oh, I gotta check that out. We'll do a couple more, and then we'll give some stuff away.
- [42:41]
C
Last year, we went into an area, and the elk in that area, actually, we're really lucky that they don't have a ton of, like, human interaction. And so they're kind of, like, curious or dumb compared to other places that we've gone. But within, like, 48 hours, we had, like, about like, five or six, six by sixes come out, and only one of them had a cow. And they were all, like, very interested in coming out to the cow calls. But I found it just really weird that there was only one cow amongst all of the bulls, which kind of. Kind of led me to think that there's a bigger bowl somewhere with all of the. The cows. So how would you recommend on getting, like, those bigger bowls that are tied up with all of the cows going?
- [43:30]
Remy Warren
That's a good question. I mean, it depends on the place. But, like, sometimes, like, I mean, my wife killed. It was early in. It was like the beginning of September. And this year, the bulls were bachelored up in their summer range. So it's like we didn't see a single cow where she was at. There's 30 bulls and zero cows. And there were some good bull. Like, there was big bulls there that was, like, the best elk there. But then on the other side of the mountain, after she took her. Her bull, my buddy John still had a tag. And we went on the other side of the mountain, and there was 200 cows and bulls, like, screaming their head off. And it was in that thicker timber. But, like, the best bowl was probably the smallest bull of what we saw in the bachelor group. So sometimes it could be the opposite. Was it early September or late September? Late. Okay. Yeah. And I mean, and then it depends where you are too, because the other thing could be sometimes what will happen is like, yeah, there is that. That herd somewhere else. Oftentimes it depends on the. The makeup of the elk. Like, in. In the southwest, more arid country where there's, like, higher bull to cow ratios, it's harder to pinpoint because, you know, it's like, there's one group of cows, and, you know, they're getting run all over by a group of bulls. Whether there's bigger bulls there or not depends on the unit, but. Or like, maybe it's like a trophy unit. Yeah, you would expect that those bulls would. Would have their harem of cows, but, you know, I think that that's just like. Like I said earlier, it's like moving and finding the elk that kind of, like, want to play. Like, if those other elk. You're making calls, they aren't calling back, but they're very interested in the cow calling. Like, I would probably hunt that where I'm just moving, bugling, moving, bugling, moving, bugling, because I want the bull that's, like, very dominant and in an area that's unpressured. You know, I would probably, like, try to target those bulls because they're going to be, you know, more apt to. That Those other ones are probably, though, looking for cows. And it is hard to say, too, because sometimes you get in an area where there's, like, few cows, and it's just smarter for those bulls to push the cows off than to challenge, because he knows it's like a little commodity. But if it's an area where there's, like, there should be 400 cows somewhere in here, then I would be around, like, throwing bugles everywhere.
- [45:48]
Listener
What do you do if you get into a herd and you're talking back and forth with some bulls, but you just get spikes coming in?
- [45:57]
Remy Warren
Yeah, that's a good question. Like, there's. You're saying, like, there is bigger bulls there, but the ones that are coming in are the satellite spikes, like, just cruising. Yeah. I push past them. Like, can't make an. I liked. I say this to myself a lot. Like, can't make an omelette without cracking a few eggs. Like, I don't care about those other elk that I'm not hunting in some ways, like, especially if. Like, if it's a scenario where bulls are calling back. Right. Like, you. You're hearing elk. Like, there's some red activity going on. There's definitely a dominant bull and something going with the herd. I'm, like, pushing to get in there to those bulls. I'm not waiting now. It depends, like, if I'm like, well, I'd be happy with a. A rag horn that's like a satellite. And then maybe I'll get in and not push it so far and continue to call. You know, I actually do that guiding a lot because it's like they're. They're. They don't need. They're like, I just want a good bull or whatever. You know, like, we actually kind of sometimes target those other bulls, in which case, you know, I don't. I don't push the envelope so far. But if you're like, hey, there's. There's some red activity here, it's kind of like that moving, running, and you're back here calling, and it's like spikes are coming in. You're in the wrong spot. Like, it's immediately like, those are on the fringe. They're on the periphery. It's like a elk nado. And in the center is what you want. And everything else is like, just the garbage, right? So you kind of just got to get right in the middle and. And not be afraid to, like, you know, blow a few spikes out. You know, honestly, like, and then I. I keep my calls. Like, this isn't. If it's thicker, you know, if they can see you coming from a mile away, it's not gonna work like that. But, like, in the thicker stuff, when you've got, like, real vocal interaction, I'm fine blowing elk out. Like, because there's elk chasing elk. Like, they don't know why they're running as long as they don't wind you and you got your wind right. Like, be really aggressive, kind of tailgating.
- [47:48]
Listener
On that, except reversing it. So I had a spike tag a couple years ago in a pretty good unit in Nevada. Nothing but glorious. Bulls, cows, calves. Could not come across a spike at all in. I think I was there eight days straight. Moved constantly. Obviously, you know, I can't go after a big bull, so just enjoying the views, but moving on as much as I can. What would you do to try to find more spikes in that situation?
- [48:18]
Remy Warren
If you want to find spikes, don't have a spike tag. That's, like, the only advice I have because, yeah, the spike hunts are like, we, me and my buddy say this all the time. Like, you see spikes all the time. When you don't have a spike tag. Every time someone has a spike tag, they are non existent. I don't know why that is. Like, they're pretty hard to target. If it's a rut hunt, I just go. I mean, I go same thing, like find the concentrations of like rut activity because it's a magnet, it draws all elk there and then your percentage of potentially finding a spike is better. But like those can be difficult hunts late season because you know, you just don't know. I target like groups of cows because oftentimes like you know, late season spikes in is like the age class. They kind of stay with that herd more often. So it's like target cows and cows late season will be in like feeding patterns for the most part really. You know, grass, south facing slopes, that kind of thing during the rut, you know, mostly just targeting like the most active group of elk. You know, it was like the, it'll attract them. But yeah, we'll go one more question and then we'll, we'll jump into our giveaway. If there isn't one more question.
- [49:32]
Listener
I just wonder if you could share a story of a humbling hunting experience and what you took away from it that's made you a better hunter.
- [49:38]
Remy Warren
The most humbling hunting experience. I'm trying to think that's a good question. You know, I mean probably one that sticks out in my mind is like it was early on, but I think it's like a hunt that I think about all the time. Time. And I, maybe I shared this story. Maybe, I'm pretty sure I probably have. But I had a Nevada mule deer tag. It was like after I was out of college, you know, in, before guiding. So I have like essentially the month of August to hunt for deer. And I take my, I mean I, I used to take my deer hunting. I still take it pretty seriously. But I was very serious about my deer hunting. I was like, all right, I'm out there for the whole season and scouting for essentially a month and really trying to figure it out. And I found a buck that I know for a fact would have been an archery world record. And I was hunting that particular buck and I hunted him for a very long time. Ended up getting on him, sneaking in. And this is like I was like fairly. I was pretty much a self taught archer and so like a lot of the things that are just commonplace now, I just didn't know. You know, you just don't know what you don't know. And I was like, you know, I had my fixed pin site and I was sitting there at like 30 yards of this bedded buck and decided I was like, I was 30. Sorry, it's 33 yards. And I'm like, I might as well crawl to 30 yards, which is you Know, it's a big difference. Like the bows weren't like they are today, you know, like, I'm going to guarantee that I'm going to kill this thing hence. But I mean, I was. The whole time I was like, I mean, I could, I could have shot that. I was like thinking like, should I shoot that deer in the back of the head? I decided not to. I was going to wait for it to stand up, which actually was a good call, I guess, because I don't think the back of the head shot would have worked. So I'm like crawling up and I just feel the wind hit the back of my neck. It was the evening time. There's that evening thermal. Like the shade hit me and it was like shade hit me. And then the wind shifted for two seconds. And that buck, I actually felt like it like got cool. And I thought, oh, like, you know when you're like, you're sitting there for a while. I was sitting here for a long time and it was like evening time and I felt that it get cold. And I'm like, oh. And I started to, I think I started to draw. I felt the wind hit me. And I was actually almost at full draw when that buck was up. But he blew out. And then fast forward, I think 18 days or something. I found that buck again, like up at the top of like super high elevation. Bachelor group of bucks, like some giant bucks in there. And I stalked, waited for him to bed. I think it was like a six or seven mile stock. 5,000ft of elevation from where I was at. It was like just a monster hike, you know, like spotted him long ways away. Actually, a buddy of mine might have spotted him, I can't remember. And stalked in, like crawled in, you know, spent all day crawling, got into position, got up, he fed out. It was like 50 yards, something like that. And so I ran to the edge. Like when he disappeared, my edge drew back. As I drew back, he like looked up, I put the pin there and shot and shot right over his back. One, he ducked the string. And two, I didn't really at the time time, like I'd never practiced downhill shots. And I didn't even understand the fact that like my rangefinder said 55 and I should have shot him for like 40, you know, missed the buck. And it was heartbreaking. And he ran out and stopped at like a hundred yards though. And another buck walked out. Like, it was probably like one of the smaller bucks in the group, but it was still like the fifth biggest buck shot that year. And I shot that deer as I just aimed lower, you know. But then I was like, telling some of you, and I was like, it would kind of like, you know, just knowing, like, I mean, I end up with a buck. But then also thinking back, I was like, maybe I should have kept hunting that one buck, because I ended up trying to go back for a couple of years. And I didn't. I actually didn't. I intentionally did not harvest the deer for three years after that, just looking for that same buck, and never found him again, you know, so it's just kind of like not knowing what you don't know. But I don't know that that was tough. And then I, you know, I went on a. I've been on two, like, I love sheep hunting, and I've been on two thin horn sheep hunts, a doll sheep and a stone sheep hunt. I think I've put In, I don't know, 40. I don't know, maybe like 40 days or something. Maybe. No, probably more than that. I don't know, A lot of time away from the family and whatever in, like, hard hunts and seeing no legal rams. So that's like, that's. That's rough when you're like, you just. You hunt hard and I mean, we. I. We covered country on both those hunts, and I think those are pretty humbling of being like, you kind of go in and it's like, oh, yeah, we're gonna find them. A little bit of overconfidence in a way, but also you just, you know, like, I don't even know if there were legal rams in those areas, you know, probably weren't, you know, so it's like you just grind it out, you know, like, that sucked, but makes you want to do it again. Man, that was a lot of fun. You know, being able to do these Q and A's live and get to interact with people is awesome. You know, we do the Q and A's with the call in as well, but it's just nice to be in person to, you know, meet with people and kind of get a lot of questions answered. I know that on some of these Q and A's, a question that one person has. Many people have that same question. So it's a great way to just dive in a little bit deeper and for me to cover the topics that I think might not be getting enough coverage. So thank you, everybody. There's a ton of great questions at this one. It just was. Was an awesome event, and we'll continue to do some more of these in the future. I also want to say a great sponsor and and partner of this podcast, Onyx Hunt. If you guys are planning as we're in this planning phase of the season, right, it's like now is application season and also that kind of pre prep and planning. Onyx is an incredible resource. One of the things, you know, that I talk about a lot and we're going to talk about coming up is just that e scouting aspect, that hunt planning phase. Because so much of the hunt and the success in the field comes down to what you do ahead of time and how you prepare. I really like the Onyx Elite membership because you can utilize multiple states and also a lot of people don't realize that on that Elite membership you get a ton of great gear discounts and they're always coming out with other events, giveaways, other things for Elite members. So if you aren't an Elite member, that's something to think about. That gives you all 50 states where you can dive in and really start looking and checking out units. I use it a ton during this time of year when I'm researching units and I can go in there, pop up the map, I've got the borders and boundaries. Oftentimes as I'm like looking for a hunt, I'm also dropping pins on potential places and kind of thinking about potential opportunities for hunts coming up this fall. So it's a, it's an incredible resource. If you aren't members or you're you're going to upgrade your membership, you can always use code livewild and you'll get a discount on your Onyx membership. So incredible resource, incredible value. And thank you guys so much at Onyx for, for doing that for our listeners. I'm just going to say until next week, just live wild. Like to do that on the lives. I'm going to catch you guys.