WE are turning this Midwest Whitetail Hunter into a WESTIE Elk Killer

ElkShape

Dan Staton

Fitness, Sports, Wilderness, Health & Fitness

4.8 • 618 Ratings

🗓️ 11 May 2026

⏱️ 47 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Year 9 of the ElkShape Podcast rolls on and today Dan is sitting down with a Midwest whitetail hunter who recently made the move to Idaho with one goal in mind… chasing his first elk. The fellas break down his entire setup from top to bottom — what gear is solid, what needs upgraded, and where he should spend money (and where he shouldn’t) based on a realistic budget. They also dive deep into elk hunting tactics that can dramatically shorten the learning curve for a first-time elk hunter: locating elk, understanding pressure on public land, calling setups, mobility, shot opportunities, physical preparation, and the mindset needed to stay in the game when things get hard. If you’ve ever dreamed of punching your first elk tag and don’t know where to start, this episode is loaded with practical advice to help stack the odds in your favor this fall. 💢 Discount Codes 💢 INITIAL ASCENT - 5% OFF CODE: ELKSHAPE PODIUMARCHER.COM 10% OFF CODE: ELKSHAPEhttps://www.podiumarcher.com/collections/all-products-1 BORN PRIMITIVE OUTDOOR - 10% Off Code: ELKSHAPE - https://glnk.io/p9vpq/21r PEAX EQUIP - 10% Off Code: ELKSHAPE - https://www.peaxequipment.com/ CANVAS CUTTER - 10% Off Code: ELKSHAPE - https://canvascutter.com/ WILDERNESS ATHLETE | 20% Off Code: ELKSHAPE - https://wildernessathlete.com/ SHEEPFEET | 10% Off Code: ELKSHAPE - https://bit.ly/SheepFeet onXhunt ELITE Membership | 20% Off Code: ELKSHAPE - https://bit.ly/ONXHUNT OLLIN | 10% Off Code: ELKSHAPE - https://ollin.co/collections/snapshot DARK ENERGY | 10% Off CODE: ELKSHAPE - https://bit.ly/3P5x3BY BLACK RIFLE COFFEE | 20% OFF CODE: ELKSHAPE20 - https://blackriflecoffeecompany.pxf.io/9LnW0E FOUNDATION OURDOORS | 20% OFF CODE: ELKSHAPE - https://www.foundation-outdoors.com/?sca_ref=10392320.yNY8hl6qQLCpq TRICER GEAR | 10% OFF CODE: ELKSHAPE=============================📱 Subscribe and Listen to the The ElkShape Podcast HERE:=============================Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/elkshape/id1315352438Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3EplB7OPWM5HcsT2c0HzEv=============================This Video was Filmed Using:=============================AMAZON STORE 👉 https://www.amazon.com/shop/elkshape?ref_=cm_sw_r_cp_ud_aipsfshop_X57159T6BSR8HN6Z3T3WA CAM - SONY A1 BODY ➡️ https://amzn.to/3wLZLBWB CAM - SONY A7 IV W/KIT LENS ➡️ https://amzn.to/3InUGSTSONY LONG LENS 70-200MM ➡️ https://amzn.to/433SXLWWIRELESS DJI MIC 2 ➡️ https://amzn.to/3uYPku5STUDIO LENS 24-70MM ➡️ https://amzn.to/3PbhZD8DJI DRONE ➡️ https://amzn.to/3TqrAZoDJI ACTION 4 ➡️ https://amzn.to/49FDPXAHEADPHONES ➡️ https://amzn.to/4bwRa6c=============================We are selling hard work!Behind The Scenes:https://www.instagram.com/elkshape/https://www.instagram.com/elkshapetraininghttps://elkshape.com/#elkshape Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	This is a cool episode. It's kind of a, we're going to consult you a little bit on your gear with Tyler from elk-shaped gear. And then I'm going to consult you on your El Cunning archery El Cunning in North Idaho. That's where I grew up El Cunning. And Tyler has too. So we should be able to try to shorten that learning curve. I don't want you to have my learning curve, which was a long one. So you're married,
0:22.9	you have kids? Yeah, we have one daughter. She's two years old. Yeah, okay. You served in the Navy
0:28.6	for four years. Thank you for your service. And you've been all over the country, but you settled in.
0:32.7	You moved to North Idaho. Yes, we're in, um, Caudillian area. Cool. All right. Have you elk hunted in North Idaho yet?
0:41.5	I have never elk hunted a day in my life. Awesome. Okay. Okay. We're going to get to it.
0:46.0	Trying to figure out what other background information. You have been hunting your whole life. Just grew up in
0:49.9	Minnesota. You've been in Illinois, like you say Virginia or Kentucky. Yeah, I was stationed in Norfolk, Virginia, Norfolk Naval Station. Okay. You've been everywhere. You've been hunting your whole life. It's in your DNA. It's what you're about, but you're not a Westie until now. All right. Is this your first year of turkey hunting in the mountains? Yes. Have you been hunting the mountain turkeys or down in the valleys?
1:11.6	I just started my last time I was actually going up in mountains, but I got some access
1:16.0	on some private land.
1:18.3	I was able to walk it, but I can't hunt it.
1:21.6	So it's just surrounded by public land, but the turkeys just hang around their barns.
1:28.6	So like, yeah, if you want to push the turkeys off and go chase them after that, that's
1:32.0	fine.
1:33.1	But they have an agreement.
1:35.1	They've got horses there, so they don't want anybody shooting.
1:38.4	I bow hunt primarily.
1:40.2	Actually, I don't have a shotgun.
1:41.9	Well, you have an end with them.
1:43.3	Eventually, they'll see that a bow would possibly be a good option on their private. So keep working that angle. That's cool. Let's talk about North Idaho El Cunning. I'm assuming you're going to hunt close to home. Yeah. Okay. That means you're going to be in the brush country. It's hard. It's like some really hard country.
2:01.8	If you guys get a chance, head over to the Oak Shape Gear YouTube channel. Tyler,
2:06.1	and you just made a video. Hopefully it'll be out sooner than later where you guys break down all
2:11.8	the gear that you have. And you have a budget of $1,500.
	...

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