Dogs running deer, a 200-yard muzzleloader shot, a misfire on the follow up, and an 8-point that somehow stood there forever… this one was chaos in the best (and worst) way.

Brian kicks off with two quick updates: the 2025 Colorado mule deer full film is live on YouTube, and a listener question from Joe that turns into a solid breakdown on picking your anchor elk state as a solo hunter. He talks rifle vs archery realities, why repetition matters more than “perfect” tags, and how he’d rotate Montana/Colorado (and maybe Idaho) to stack reps without waiting 10–15 years.

Then we get into Minnesota muzzleloader season: a herd gets pushed by two pet dogs, a big buck pauses at 200, the shot breaks, and the follow-up turns into click… click… click. Next morning: blood, pines, and a fast recovery—plus what this long-range muzzleloader setup has changed for his CRP farm hunts.

Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts and follow @getdrawnwest on Instagram. If you enjoyed this, leave a 5-star rating and share the show with a friend.

Watch the full Colorado Mule Deer Film:
https://youtu.be/sIqJk35O7Bs

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RTIC Coolers– Keep Your Meat Cold!
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00:00 Colorado mule deer full filmannouncement

02:08 Listener question: solo elkstruggles + point situation

04:35 What makes an “anchor elk state”

06:00 Rifle vs archery elk when you huntsolo

08:04 Why Wyoming general isn’t a truecornerstone state

10:24 Colorado as a cornerstone (pressure+ future changes)

12:43 Montana general strategy and the“point weirdness”

14:30 A practical rotation plan for elkhunting more often

16:49 Minnesota muzzleloader: whylong-range matters

23:08 Dogs push deer + the 200-yard shot+ misfire chaos

34:17 Blood trail, fast recovery, andseason wrap

An 11-day winter road trip, four Airbnbs, overloaded trucks, and some of the most remote ice fishing in the Lower 48.

In this episode of the Drawn West Podcast, Brian sits down with Matt Waldron to break down an 11-day western ice fishing road trip across Montana and Wyoming—what went right, what went sideways, and why destination ice fishing deserves way more attention from hunters and anglers alike.

Matt walks through the logistics of hauling machines, gear overload, rotating Airbnbs, and filming a full multi-episode series for Crappie Chronicles. They dig into the mental shift between hunting and fishing trips, why ice fishing feels more relaxed, and how preparation, flexibility, and experience keep trips like this from falling apart.

The conversation covers everything from remote lake trout fishing on Fort Peck Reservoir, destination walleye fisheries like Devils Lake, and why western fisheries offer a completely different experience than pressured Midwest lakes. Along the way, they get into gear systems, truck builds, safety in remote country, filming realities, and why nothing ever goes exactly as planned on long trips.

This episode is part trip recap, part strategy session, and part encouragement to think bigger—whether that’s ice fishing out west, planning destination trips, or simply getting more intentional about how you travel and prepare.

Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts, leave a 5-star rating, and share the show on social media to help Drawn West keep growing.

FREE Gear Checklist:

https://www.getdrawnwest.com/gear

FREE Drawn West Application Calendar

www.getdrawnwest.com/freeproducts
Connect with Brian Krebs
https://linktr.ee/getdrawnwest

HaveQuestions or Comments? Send an email to Brian@getdrawnwest.com!
Sponsorsand Discounts:
GOHUNTInsider - $50 Gear Shop Credit with code DRAWNWEST
https://alnk.to/g3aa8L4
GOHUNTGear Shop – 10% off most items with code DRAWNWEST https://alnk.to/e75Pm4u
Save10%on Maverick Hunting Blinds & Accessories with code DRAWNWEST https://maverickhunting.com/?ref=getdrawnwest
RTICCoolers – Keep Your Meat Cold!
https://bit.ly/RTICCoolers
OkumaFishing – Rods and Reels for Serious Anglers!
https://alnk.to/31sVDzF
FirstMonth FREE at MTNTOUGH Fitness with code ROOKIE https://bit.ly/MTNTOUGH_ROOKIE
Save$150 on Steelhead Outdoors Gun Safes with code WESTERNROOKIE https://tr.ee/fbNvbFXX6Q
Save10% on Ollin Digiscoping Adapters with code TWOBUCKS
https://tr.ee/ZE1XcQ-fbb

Brian and Abby are rolling home from Colorado (in the truck, somewhere around Iowa) wrapping Part 3 of their Colorado mule deer trip—and how the last stretch of the hunt actually played out. They break down a “mid-hunt sanity hack” (a rec center day pass for a legit shower), why they stayed committed to the same productive spot instead of gambling on new ground, and the one mistake that made the day feel way harder than it needed to be: forgetting the bino harness with all the critical little stuff in it.

The back half is the real meat—spotting two shooter bucks transitioning near private, making a 400-yard play on a solid public-land 3x3, and what happened after the first miss: follow-up shots, closing distance, and making sure the finish was quick and ethical. They wrap with pack-out lessons, why good packs matter, and the bigger takeaway: sometimes whitetail patience is the best mule deer strategy when deer are filtering off private.

Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts and follow @getdrawnwest on Instagram. If you enjoyed this, leave a 5-star rating and share the show with a friend.

FREE Gear Checklist:

https://www.getdrawnwest.com/gear

FREE Drawn West Application Calendar

www.getdrawnwest.com/freeproducts
Connect with Brian Krebs
https://linktr.ee/getdrawnwest

Have Questions or Comments? Send an email to Brian@getdrawnwest.com!
Sponsorsand Discounts:
GOHUNTInsider - $50 Gear Shop Credit with code DRAWNWEST
https://alnk.to/g3aa8L4
GOHUNT GearShop – 10% off most items with code DRAWNWEST https://alnk.to/e75Pm4u
Save10% onMaverick Hunting Blinds & Accessories with code DRAWNWEST https://maverickhunting.com/?ref=getdrawnwest
RTIC Coolers– Keep Your Meat Cold!
https://bit.ly/RTICCoolers
Okuma Fishing– Rods and Reels for Serious Anglers!
https://alnk.to/31sVDzF
First MonthFREE at MTNTOUGH Fitness with code ROOKIE https://bit.ly/MTNTOUGH_ROOKIE
Save $150 onSteelhead Outdoors Gun Safes with code WESTERNROOKIE https://tr.ee/fbNvbFXX6Q
Save 10% onOllin Digiscoping Adapters with code TWOBUCKS
https://tr.ee/ZE1XcQ-fbb

00:00 Drawn West intro + headed home

00:41 Part 3 context + Minnesota season overlap

01:50 Day 5 reset + the rec center shower hack

03:12 Staying with the same spot vs gambling new ground|

04:38 Forgot bino harness + why it mattered

08:21 Spotting shooters + the public-land 3x3 appears

12:04 Decision time: shoot now or wait for bigger

13:23 Shot sequence, follow-ups, and ethics

19:26 Pack-out realities + why good packs matter

23:55 Biggest takeaways: whitetail patience + tripod shift

33:22 Final wrap: heading home + “stay drawn”