Episode Summary

Live Wild with Remi Warren

Episode 225 | Application Season Pt. 1: The Three Types of Hunters
Date: March 5, 2026
Host: Remi Warren

Main Theme / Purpose

Remi Warren dedicates this episode to breaking down hunting application strategies according to three distinct types of hunters. He emphasizes how identifying your hunting goals—as a "Meat Hunter," "Trophy Hunter," or "Adventure Hunter"—can guide your approach to securing tags and ultimately shape your hunting experiences. Remi shares detailed personal anecdotes, practical application tips, and the research methods that have brought him success over years as both a professional guide and passionate outdoor enthusiast.

“What I'm going to do is just teach you how to filter through stuff and not necessarily tell you where to go, but tell you how to find the hunt that's right for you.” (09:09)

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The Information Explosion in Hunting Applications

• The amount and accessibility of hunting unit, weather, and application data has greatly increased, changing the way people apply for tags.
• While this makes research easier, it can also cause "herd mentality" as more hunters chase the same well-publicized units.
• Remi stresses learning how to filter and interpret data to suit personal hunting styles.

“There’s so much research that goes into it. And I really lend a lot of my success in the season to the research that I do.” (11:21)

2. Setting Goals: The Three Hunter Types

Remi frames his whole application strategy around categorizing hunters/hunts into three main types:

a. Meat Hunter (32:48)

• Goal: Secure a tag and fill the freezer—focused on opportunity and harvest success.
• Strategy: Target units with high tag numbers, high success rates, and less restrictive seasons (either-sex tags, for example).
• Look for “less desirable” hunts like cow elk, does, areas with high populations, or tough season timing.
• Consider ease of access and amount of public land.
• Example: Using cow tags not only for meat but also to scout limited draw units for future “dream hunts.”
• Family and lifestyle benefit: Remi’s family lives almost exclusively on wild game, making this hunt type a priority for him personally.

“If I had to choose one or the other, I would actually fall into this category first and foremost.” (34:19)

“Sometimes I get more excited when I draw my cow elk tag than when I draw certain bull tags because I know that I'm just going to go out, I'm going to have a good time, a fun hunt.” (50:28)

b. Trophy Hunter (54:38)

• Goal: Pursue mature, upper age-class animals (“the buck or bull of a lifetime”).
• Strategy: Focus on units with limited tags, good age structure, proven genetics, and quality population management.
• Use harvest statistics, age-class data, official record books (Boone and Crockett, Pope and Young), and even “sleeper” units with low density but high potential.
• Be willing to play the long game (point-building over years, sometimes decades).
• Cautions that sometimes high-point hunts don’t live up to the years of expectation, and sometimes giants show up in easy-to-draw “general” units.

“I think a lot of units are not worth the amount of years and points that it takes to get them... I could hunt elk six times in one place and over those six times, I would probably have way more elk hunting experience.” (22:26)

“What we're talking about here isn't shooting an animal, leaving it on the mountain like all the PETA people would like to suggest. We're talking about looking for those better age class, bigger elk and deer.” (55:05)

“I've killed mediocre bulls in units that took me 10, 15 plus years to draw. So that's something to consider.” (24:44)

c. Adventure Hunter (01:13:03)

• Goal: Seek wild, rugged terrain and immersive outdoor experience, not just focused on the harvest.
• Strategy: Filter for areas with high ratios of public/wilderness land, rugged landscapes, low road density, and physical challenge.
• Often tags for these areas are more available due to the demanding nature of the hunt.
• Highlight: These can produce incredible hunts and opportunities, often overlooked by the masses.

“If you're the type of person seeking this kind of wilderness adventure, backcountry style hunt, you can get on a lot of hunts sooner.” (01:15:35)

“I know of multiple states where you can kind of go pick up leftover tags in big wilderness areas that are phenomenal hunts.” (01:13:25)

3. Benefits of Blending All Three Strategies (01:19:02)

• Remi advocates for a hybrid approach: pursuing different hunt types in the same year or over a hunting “career” to maximize time afield, experience, and variety.
• Using layered strategies also means expanding research and application across multiple states and units.
• Modern tools like OnX Hunt research filters enable efficient cross-comparison for units meeting custom criteria.

“By looking at it based on these categories, I can start to narrow down through the data. ...this roadmap allows you to say, okay, I can identify these certain things within these parameters.” (01:20:08)

4. Notable Research Methods and Tools

• Combining online research tools (e.g., OnX) with state agency data, old-fashioned paper regs, and magazine resources.
• Valuing firsthand knowledge—either through personal experience, “boots on the ground,” or talking to friends/locals.
• Cross-referencing statistics against actual field observations (e.g., “gas station buck photo walls”).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

On Data and Research

• “Who thought that hunting an application was going to be so much research? …I did like this, you know those FBI boards where you've got the string connecting all the things… There’s so much research that goes into it.” (11:21)
• “Understanding the data that you're looking at and how to kind of cherry pick and maybe find some hunts that work for your particular hunt style, what you're looking for, that, that really helps.” (13:33)

On Trophy Hunt Risks & Rewards

• “You could also go on that hunt that took 26 points and it could be just hot weather, bad rut, not see anything, go home unsuccessful. Happens all the time. Right. So you waited 26 years for a hunt that, hey, I could have a bad hunt anywhere.” (23:36)

On Adventure Hunting

• “You might be able to kind of even get away from people a little bit more in areas that might be overlooked… just really rugged terrain and no roads, that leads to that adventure style backpack hunt… you can get on a lot of hunts sooner.” (01:16:06)

On Lifestyle and Building Experience

• “As the meat hunter, you're actually able to get out more into the field. …Build that experience. …These are great hunts to just get you out, get your feet wet to say, build that experience.” (45:55)
• “It's awesome to be able to get the unit and it's like, hey, I might only get to hunt this unit one time with my bow, you know, and the next time I get it, I'm going to be ancient and it's not even going to be worth it.” (51:30)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:48 — Introduction of the episode’s theme: Application strategies based on type of hunt/hunter.
• 09:09 — Why researching and filtering for your style is key.
• 20:33 — Perspective on building points vs. frequent hunting experience.
• 32:48 — The “Meat Hunter” category: tips, strategies, and personal stories.
• 54:38 — The “Trophy Hunter” category: how to identify units and manage expectations.
• 01:13:03 — The “Adventure Hunter” category: why ruggedness opens up opportunity.
• 01:19:02 — Combining all three strategies for the most satisfying hunting lifestyle.
• 01:25:29 — Preparing for application deadlines and adjusting strategies if you miss draws.
• 01:26:44 — Tease for next week: deep dive into research tools and filtering methods.

Actionable Takeaways

• Clarify your hunting goals before starting your applications—this tailors research and improves odds of getting the experience you want.
• Maximize field time by mixing tag types: prioritize meat hunts for frequency, sprinkle in trophy hunts for ambition, and pursue adventure hunts for the experience.
• Exploit overlooked opportunities: Cow and doe tags, non-“rut” season dates, hard-to-access units, and “sleeper” genetics zones.
• Leverage research tools and personal networks to uncover less pressured opportunities.
• Don’t chase trends—discover your own: Find units before they become everyone’s hot tip.

Remember: Your strategy should match your goals, and by filtering for what excites you most—meat, trophies, or challenge—you can make every application season a success.